August 1998, England

The train rocked along its tracks, minding its own world for the most part. Clacking along the way, the direct ride was about halfway through the journey. In one of the carriages in the middle sat a man and a woman talking to each other, both young. It happened to be one of the only things going on, apart from a strange device the woman kept insisting was a Walkman.

"I'm telling you, it's a Walkman. It's a portable device that plays tapes and runs on batteries, which power the whole thing," said the woman. She had light chestnut hair, rather busy in spots, and had her head buried in a book for quite a long time.

"But can it walk by itself?" asked the man. His dark orbs looked over at the woman lovingly confused by the existence of such technology.

"Ronald, it's not what it does! It plays music," said the woman in a hushed voice. "Honestly."

"Oh, so it's a portable radio," said the man called Ron, scratching his red hair before settling back into his seat. "You should have said that Hermione."

"I thought you'd actually understand that one though," Hermione responded before resettling into her book. A few minutes later, Ron looked up at Hermione.

"Why did you insist on us taking the train?" whispered Ron. "We could have flown…or taken the Floo."

"Because…it's nice to experience how the other half of Britain live. And besides, your father somehow got tickets. He said he won them in a pub somewhere from a Muggle. It's better to use them, especially since he gifted them to us," Hermione explained further. The train began to slow noticeably. "Oh, we must be getting closer to London now."

"Good; I'm hungry," Ron said. "So when we get off the train, what are we going to do next?"

"We have to find them, you know. And then we must go to the Ministry. There's something there for all of us, apparently," Hermione answered. There was another pause in their conversation. "I mean, after the war and all."

The train's unsuspecting passengers suddenly began to pay more attention to the conversation that was being held between the couple. She was referring to the long battles known as the Second Wizarding War. The Muggles had no idea any of it happened, and it was hard to talk about it in public without thinking about how the people of Britain had no idea that this struggle happened. They had heard of some anomalies on the television and radio, including some odd flashes and people vanishing or dropping dead, but the news had largely kept it a secret.

Hermione gazed to the front of a newspaper, making out the logo for The Times and read: "Government Pushes Washington on Serbian Invasion". She looked and sighed. It was the first time she had been able to really do anything in regards to Muggle news, and it was comforting in a way. The world did not come screeching to a halt, nor did it fall apart from the war against Voldemort. No one knew, but the carriage kept its interest in the story of Hermione and Ron. She could feel their intensive listening and decided it was best to not say any more.

"It's over now, though," Ron said tenderly. "We did it." Hermione smiled before returning to her book. The intercom broke the silence as the train once again began to slow.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're now approaching Euston Station, gate 6. Once the train has stopped, please take all belongings with you," the intercom said, presumably the guard alerting passengers of the impending move into Euston Station. Both Ron and Hermione looked out of the window onto the platforms of Euston Station, perhaps not the most busy station in London, but still busy by default.

"Crikey…it's a Wednesday afternoon at 1:45!" Ron exclaimed. "Don't they have somewhere better to be than right there!?"

"Don't you remember the Tube? It was always busy, Ron," Hermione responded. "The same is true of the Overground and National Rail in London. It's a busy city; the capital of both worlds of the United Kingdom."

"But still, eh….they should find something else to do. Right, are you ready to go then Hermione? I could murder some food right now," Ron responded.

"Always about the food," grinned Hermione. "Once we meet up with the other two, then we can get some. Until then, we better hold off."

Azabu-Juban District, Tokyo, Japan

The sun had long been down, but the ever-present lighting of Tokyo kept Juban lit well into the night. The Minato ward of Tokyo, which had steadily become home to giant domestic and multinational companies, shut down and the shopping district became the focal point of life. It was time for the matsuri festival, and the long stretch of booths kept going for a seemingly endless period. Amidst the crowd of people was a blonde haired, blue eyed girl who seemed to walk with two buns attached to her head, hair flowing freely from both, and a statuesque, regal, handsome man with dark hair and eyes.

"Mamo-chan!" said the blonde girl. She had a look of joy in her eyes, sparkling like precious jewels. "Mamo-chan, look at all the shops! I want to go inside!" From behind the two, a cat trailed, a deep black with a golden crescent moon patch.

"Sure thing, Usa," the man who was nicknamed Mamo responded in a kind voice. The two turned and walked into the shop. The shop looked somewhat dilapidated and dingy, and upon second glance, the girl and the man stopped and looked closely. A shopkeeper stepped out.

"Good evening, young couple," the shopkeeper said. He looked old and distinguished, a lengthy beard framing his face. "I have been anticipating your arrival here."

The girl and the man looked at each other with a sceptical look. They seemed to understand that things like this both didn't happen and that for some reason, it always happened to them.

"What do you mean?" asked the girl in a kind but worried voice, now clearly anticipating something that was about to happen.

"Well, I always wanted to see the Moon Goddess myself," the man said. The girl's heart skipped a beat. She was secretly the Guardian of Love and Justice, Sailor Moon.

"Oh…I couldn't be that pretty," the girl replied. "What are you selling?"

"Wands," the man replied in a matter of fact manner. "These wands will enable the wielder to control their magic in ways that is more useful to everyday life."

The girl looked at the boy she was with, and gave a very strained laugh before turning back around to face the old man, who was still grinning at her with complete earnest happiness. The girl couldn't really muster up anything else to say, so there was an awkward pause.

"It sounds interesting," the boy replied. "I'd like to try first, then." The boy stepped forward.

"Mamo…" the girl gasped.

"Usako, I'm sure it'll be okay," the boy responded before stepping forward towards the counter…or at least what he assumed to be a counter. Silk tablecloths covered everything on the counter, with varying patterns and intricate designs. One of them had a golden lion on a red background with English lettering. The boy looked at it for a while.

"That cloth came as a present from a certain colleague of mine in London, England. He was very grateful to me for securing a few items for him that managed to come all the way to Tokyo," said the man. "Now, are you right handed or left handed?"

"Right," the boy said.

"And your name?" the man asked.

"Mamoru Chiba," the boy answered quickly.

There was a pause, and for a long time, Mamoru thought that nothing was going to happen. Then suddenly the man turned around to what seemed like an endless bookshelf of small boxes throughout the space behind the shop counter. The girl looked at Mamoru who in turn gave her a nervous grin back.

"No, not that one….no no….ummm, that is interesting," said the man. "Try this one. This is a wand made from maple wood…and I detect a strain of ambition in you. At its core is dragon heartstring…" the old man said to Mamoru. Mamoru looked at the wand and held it in his right hand. He felt a surge of energy through his hand and deep inside of himself.

'Perhaps this wasn't a joke after all,' thought Mamoru with a bit of growing concern.

The wand did nothing; Mamoru did nothing. He just stared at his right hand in growing bewilderment and the old man, who seemed to want to Mamoru to do something. The growing pause enticed the girl to look at Mamoru's hand.

"…Is it doing something?" the girl asked.

"No; he has to wave it around once. Let's see what happens when he does," the old man explained. Mamoru decided finally to take the wand and with a flick of his wrist do something with it. A shower of red sparks flew out of the wand before it stopped. The girl looked at the man and Mamoru in shock. The small embers on the old man's beard smouldered until he wet the tip of two of his fingers and put out the embers.

"I don't think so…hmmm…what about this 10 ½ inch…cypress…unicorn tail hair. It's a good combination for you, I suspect. Besides your driven personality, I sense a very strong purpose of sacrifice and protection in your life. Cypress wood does, in fact, gravitate towards someone who is willing to self-sacrifice and die a heroic death. It matches the regal nature of your character."

"How do you know that about me? We've only just met," Mamoru said to the old man, his own apprehension growing by the minute.

"An old wandmaker like myself can trust the wands to detect the character, and I could tell that this one has a pretty strong desire to be in your hand. Do try it, and give it a wave again," the old man explained. He was starting to get a sparkle in his eye, as if he knew this one would work very well. Mamoru waved his hand again and all of a sudden…

"Roses!" the girl exclaimed. A bouquet of roses sprouted from the wand and Mamoru was taken aback silently.

"Yes, this is definitely the one for you. You must have quite the affinity for love, which is a definite trait needed for this wand. Would you like it sir? It only costs ¥2,000," the old man replied. Mamoru looked at the girl who nodded, quite bemused as to how a stick could produce roses like that.

"Sure," Mamoru said, and pulled out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. "Usako, why don't you go next?"

The girl looked at Mamoru and then chuckled nervously.

"Well, you see…I…" she began sheepishly. The old man looked at her with kind eyes.

"Oh, come now, I bet I can find you a great wand!" the old man said, returning to his shelf. "Now, tell me…what is your name?"

"Usagi Tsukino," the girl replied, brushing one of her pigtails out of the way, golden strands flowing behind her shoulder down to almost her mid-calf like a beam of gentle, warm light.

"A beautiful name; very unique," the old man said, going through several areas of the shelf in a fury. "Perhaps…oh, no…do I still have one of those? I think I know the perfect wand for someone like you…Aha, there it is!"

He returned with three boxes.

"These three seemed to have a pretty strong affinity towards you. Let me explain what they are. The first is a 9 3/4 ebony and phoenix feather…normally a very tricky wand to command, but this one seems to know exactly who you are and wants to join you on your mission. The second is a 10 ¼ cherry and thestral hair…that core can only be fully used by a witch or wizard who is unafraid to confront death. Finally, a 9 ½ black walnut and unicorn hair…this one also had a strong affinity to you. It must detect a fierce loyalty, sincerity, and self-awareness in you," the old man said.

Usagi hesitantly picked up the first wand. She looked at it, and she felt a power in the wand. It was very powerful, and she felt the weight of its power on her as she picked it up. She held it for a moment before pointing it in the direction of the shelf. The shelf made a creaking snap before its contents tumbled. Usagi let out an embarrassed squeal.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" Usagi said, moving towards the counter. The old man snapped his fingers and the contents and shelf repaired itself and moved back to the same sections they fell from.

"It's okay; it's not the first time someone has done that. Perhaps don't aim at the shelves. Try another one!" the old man said with a huge grin. Usagi opened the second box and picked up the second wand. It didn't have the same reverberation of power, it was much more subtle and soothing. She waved it, and nothing really happened. A spit of light and sparks came from the tip and that was it.

"This one…doesn't feel right," Usagi said to herself. "Perhaps the third one."

As she placed the second wand down and the picked up the third one, her heart raced. Suddenly, a golden light emanated from her hand and her brooch began to glow with pure white intense light.

"…My brooch is reacting," Usagi said in complete surprise. The old man gasped, as did Mamoru as the power from the brooch filled the room with light.

"I think that was a very positive reaction. Yes, I am certain that is the right one for you. That one would be ¥5,000. However, seeing the reaction to you and your aura, I can tell that this wand will do great things in your hand for good. Please accept it as a gift from me."

Usagi gasped from the gesture of kindness.

"Oh no, I couldn't. I would have to purchase it from you sir," Usagi said to the old man.

"I insist; you just might be the one to save us from our fate," the old man said. "It would be criminal of me to not make sure this wand gets into your hands."

Usagi and Mamoru looked at each other before showing their appreciation for the gift by bowing to the old man.

"Thank you very much," Usagi responded. "It has certainly been an interesting encounter."

"Thank you," Mamoru said to the old man. They left the shop and the old man resumed his previous task: cleaning the shelves and ordering his store.

'Perhaps we will be alright after all…a strange presence is growing in Japan and this may only be the beginning of it,' the old man thought while directing his own wand at a duster, which suddenly came to life, dancing a waltz to its own tune on the top of the shelf.

Doshisha University, Kyoto

The campus of Doshisha University was host to a myriad of fireflies at night amid the green foliage and the warmth of the summer night. The moon gazed down upon the collection of schools that made up the university with generosity and favour. A woman with dark hair and deeply mysterious, almost obsidian eyes looked out on the scene as she walked across the campus. She clutched her bag close to her. The sound of her high heels clacking in the background provided a rhythm to what would otherwise be a sleepy moment at the university. This was the couple weeks of the summer break before the next semester started, and she wasn't ready.

This woman was a unique beauty, and her clothes struck in contrast to her dark hair and eye colour with an eye popping green cocktail dress. She paused and looked up at the moon and sighed.

'All those years at Mahoutokoro and what for? To go to a normal university and study science and engineering,' she thought to herself.

Her pace quickened.

'I wonder what has happened to my sister,' she continued as she turned left and towards the entrance to the university. She stopped at the bus stop for a moment. 'We haven't heard much since she went to Tokyo to get a job at that new school.'

She heard a bus rumble towards her and she reached inside her bag. She revealed a bus pass with the name "Akuno Hidori" and her picture. She climbed into the bus and showed the driver the pass before sitting down towards the front.

'Everyone in our family has gone here; everyone in our family have gone on to great careers in genetic research, either as assistants to great innovators or as the innovators themselves. Even she did…she went on the same path as me…'

She sat and minded her business until she saw a man at the back of the bus. He had very pale skin and intensely blonde hair. His green eyes were partially obstructed by the amount of unkempt hair that landed on the front. He looked to be a year or two older than her, clearly in university.

'What an intense glare he has,' thought the girl. She looked down in silence, and after a few other stops, she got off the bus and looked back at the man. His aura was very heavy, and it felt very dark.

The woman walked into an apartment building, not very tall and the apartments themselves looked very small. Once she got in, she sat in her sparsely furnished living room and let out a huge sigh. Her face furrowed into a gaze of worry.

'Where have you gone…Kaori?' the woman thought.

London, England

Ron and Hermione walked along until they found a phonebooth. It was a very particular phonebooth, located right at the beginning of the Whitehall district in London. The UK Government was all housed in these buildings surrounding them, and ever since the new Prime Minister, Tony Blair, came in, it seemed as though people generally were a bit more pleasant around than the last time they remembered being anywhere near the Ministry of Magic.

"Is this the right booth?" Ron asked Hermione. She chuckled before opening the door for them both to get in.

"Ronald, there's more than one that leads to the Ministry," she responded. She put in a 10 pence coin and proceeded to dial what seemed to be an inappropriately long phone number before they both felt the ground move from underneath them. The booth's interior began to descend much in the same manner as an elevator, and neither party seemed particularly shocked by the revelation. The people walking by, the government workers and junior ministers, didn't seem to notice or care. They were lost in their own world.

Ron looked around. It had been a while since he had come to the Ministry, and they were summoned by an old friend, but the shudders came back once they were in the bustling centre of magical governance.

'The fights we've had, and what we have done in this building,' Ron thought to himself as Hermione led him through to another elevator. 'Did we do this? Did all of this actually happen.'

The experience of defeating Lord Voldemort still felt on a magnitude and scale that he couldn't fathom.

"We're almost there!" Hermione responded as the elevator lurched further into the building before going up one more time. The door opened and they got out. This part of the Ministry they hadn't seen before, and it was quite grandiose in scale. The décor was highly formal and copious amounts of marble seemed to cover everything, even when they didn't necessarily need marble. On the large mahogany door, the gold lettering said: MINISTER OF MAGIC.

Before either could knock on the door, it swung open. They walked in and saw a black chair turned around and three similar black chairs there. One was occupied, and they could recognise the hair in it anywhere. It was rather messy, pure jet black.

"HARRY!" Hermione burst out walking quickly to the chair. "Oh, how is everything?!"

The hair turned around to reveal a slight man, couldn't be over the age of nineteen really with wonderfully pale green eyes and a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. He was in regular dress, just like the other two.

"Hermione, Ron!" Harry grinned before standing up to hug them. "Kingsley, they're here now!"

The three friends changed the energy in the room and in the chair behind the large desk, Kingsley Shacklebolt turned around. He had a jovial look about him, and the purple robes he wore contrasted against his brown skin.

"Yes, hello everyone," Kingsley said to the three. "I've brought you here because there's a couple of things I want to ask you. First, I have known you three for a very long time, and trust you very much. The Ministry has had a lot of…bias…as it were towards Purebloods. When he was alive, Lord Voldemort had no problem infiltrating because of those prejudiced beliefs that were deep in the Ministry. I firmly believe it's time for a change."

"Hear hear," Hermione said.

"I want to change the Ministry and weed out this bias and the many levels of corruption within. For us to survive as an organisation, we must take steps to better ourselves and be a place where we work for all kinds in the British magical community," Kingsley continued. "I want you to come on board as part of the ministry in varying capacities. Hermione, I know you also want to finish your seventh year at Hogwarts. Are you sure you want to go back to school so soon?"

"Education is important to me, Kingsley," Hermione explained. "I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't go back and finish."

"Well…I'll get to that momentarily," Kingsley responded in a slightly more hesitant voice. "My next point is that I have been made aware by the Japanese Ministry of Magical Persons and Activities sent me a letter. They have been concerned by the presence of dark magic in Japan that seems to be growing. The Japanese Ministry has followed the activities in Britain very carefully, like most everyone around the world has, and wanted us to send a team of Aurors to Japan to help with the investigation. I told them I would send you three to help them out."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at each other.

"Japan?" Harry asked. "Are we going to be able to…"

"Linguam interpretare should do it," Kingsley said to Hermione, cutting him off. "That will translate any foreign language into English for you. Just point to your ears. Now, the matter of getting there…a couple of options. You can take Muggle planes to Japan or you can use this Vanishing Cabinet gifted to us by the Japanese Ministry in 1981. Where would it lead? I have no idea anymore."

"…We'll just take a plane, Kingsley," Hermione responded.