Beckery Hill . . .
"So the negotiations were successful, Chief Director?"
"Oh, indeed they were, Lady Hirosaki," Ragnok said as he sipped his goblin ale. He and his current guest were in a tent that had been set up on the south side of the Hill, though such would soon be dismantled as the goblins who had come out to the Reevewick Somerset to greet their friends from the Gom Nation would return to Gringotts before nightfall. "I suspect your arrival just after Lord Nolli came here might have given both sides added inspiration to resolve all the technical details right away instead of delaying them for a future meeting either here or in Granicus." He then took a deep breath. "There is something I was hoping I could speak to you of."
"Your desire to have your own version of the Garden."
His eyebrow arched, and then he cackled as he gazed on her. "Just like your grandfather! Are all in your family like that, Lady Hirosaki?"
"It is a Japanese trait that I consider quite handy to possess," she replied before sipping her butterbeer. "As it has often been the norm in my culture to keep control over one's public expression of emotions, it became very paramount for people in my society to learn to read even the minutest change in one's facial expression, tone of voice and even the words one uses to speak to another. And while your race is somewhat separated from humanoid norm - and please, I meant no insult by that - your behaviour is quite easy to predict." A sigh. "Chief Director Ragnok, you may inform all of your Tribe this: During my stay here as I continue my Quest, I will be more than pleased to help your people construct your own version of the Garden."
He blinked. "Just like that? No qualifications? No demands?"
A snort. "Chief Director, you are a leader of a community of sentient magical beings with your own long history and a culture that has existed for thousands of years. While I don't understand why Grandfather did not prepare another copy of the rune book he made that would teach anyone how to create a version of the Garden for your kind, I say that - since you ARE putting my grandfather's creation to good use - you should have your own version of it. No more, no less. All I would require to get it completed is time to study my grandfather's work and a piece of property - close to (if not on) one of the ley lines throughout the British Isles would be best - so I can construct the physical structure itself." A sigh. "And since - despite my true age and the fact that I have often been with my grandfather as I was growing up - I need time to learn the basics of magic, both of this dimension and the places I intend to go to during my summer vacations, I regret to say that such a project . . . "
"Will have to wait for some years. I understand," he said, nodding. "When he was alive, Sir Glaston treated our requests to use the Garden as a mere formality. Dame Napaeae - who has served as the temporary Magical Shire Reeve in charge of the Garden after Sir Glaston's death - follows the same path. That will, of course, change in seven years when Dame Rose assumes the post. And from what I sense of her, she would gladly do away with even the basic requests. As that will be the time you graduate and return home, I don't believe it will be a problem, but still . . . "
"It is best to have access to both structures - once the second one is complete - to ensure there can be no interruption of trade between the Mundus Magicus and the Mundus Vetus," she finished. "Especially if the Ministry of Magic decides to become nosy about what goes on here. And while I'm sure Master Unspeakable Boot will make sure what he learned earlier today won't get out of the Hall of Mysteries, I was told by Her Majesty that she would ask Achelois' mother and Jane's father to brief the current Director of the Ministry's policing forces about me. From what I understand of British wizarding society from what I can remember of it in my dimension, the D.M.L.E. is often the first victim of budget cuts when the Minister gets into the right mood."
"Which the current one certainly has been in since he was elected to the post last year," he stated. "You'd be amazed at how much goes on concerning him. I can't say anything specific even to you - our secrecy laws, of course - but believe me, I wondered how touched in the head most of the lords and ladies in the Wizengamot are these days. It's blatantly obvious that Riddle never died ten years ago as many believe; if he was dead, his mark on all his fighters would have vanished totally."
A shake of the head. "I honestly wish I could tell you how that could have been possible, but anything concerning Tom Riddle - at least the version of him from my dimension - was specifically erased from my mind before I came here."
Ragnok perked. "May I ask why?"
Chikage sighed. "The company that financed the people who helped restore me, my sisters and others like me, to life is called Toratotaka International L.L.C."
A nod. "A limited liability company. Go on."
"In my universe and time period, it is the single largest financial institution on Earth. It possesses primary controlling interest in sixty percent of the world's banks, credit unions and trust companies, has an overwhelming control over all stock exchanges and is the world's largest private intelligence-gathering organisation, with skills and capabilities that far outstrip even the best government 'alphabet soup' organisation, normal and magical alike." As Ragnok's jaw dropped as his mind began to imagine what such a company was like, Chikage continued, "I can tell you that I do know the International Merchant's Bank of Gringotts in my dimension is formally allied with Toratotaka when it comes to intelligence gathering in the magical spheres on my Earth, but there is no ownership of Gringotts by Toratotaka or vice-versa. Grandmother Nicole and her co-chairwoman, the Lady Nokoko Moroboshi, would never wish to infringe on your counterparts' desire to remain totally independent of any human influence whatsoever."
"My word . . .!" he gasped. "I can't begin to even CONCEIVE of how much POWER such a company could possess! I assume such power is strictly controlled."
A nod. "It is. Toratotaka's primary operational directive - what is called 'Directive Zero;' it's often nicknamed 'the Prime Directive' because of its similarity to what the United Federation of Planets follows - states this: 'Under no circumstances, unless a situation is judged as being so dire that there is no choice but to directly intervene, will anyone within Toratotaka or affiliated to Toratotaka move to influence events in any way, shape or form that would be to the ultimate detriment of those they try to assist, regardless of cost.'" A sigh. "In other words, if I came here with full knowledge of how to deal with Tom Riddle and let it go so that people here could move in and clean it up right away . . . " She then shrugged.
"Who learns the lessons from it?" he finished.
"Exactly."
The chief director of Gringotts in Britain nodded. "More than understandable. And quite forward-thinking of Chairwoman McTavish and Chairwoman Moroboshi. Harsh at times, but life is harsh and all living things evolve best under harsh conditions. I doubt such will happen here for some time; our planet has not been blessed with all the things I remember your grandfather said existed on your world. But perhaps such might change." A sigh. "In the meantime, my people and I have infringed on the Dame Sheriff Potter's hospitality more than enough. We will return to Diagon Alley tonight."
Chikage nodded as she stood. "Give me a week to acclimatise myself to this dimension, and then I'll come to Diagon to discuss Vault 767 with Director Erlking."
"Of course, my dear."
London, the Ministry of Magic, Friday 2 August . . .
"Tell me everything, Aloysius."
A sigh. "What do you want to know, Amelia?"
Amelia gazed on her cloaked guest. "What does taking this oath mean?"
Aloysius Croaker took a deep breath. "This oath, in and of itself, would seem harmless. All the person taking the oath is doing, when all is said and done, is swearing personal magical fidelity to the British Crown. As you know, the Queen of the muggles is, technically, our head-of-state as well even if, in the end, we are effectively self-governing. That was enshrined in the Preamble of the Separation Act passed by the Wizards' Council in 1692 in response to the signing of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy - it was actually signed by the last Chief Wizard of the Council - in 1689, just before King James II was deposed from the Throne." The Chief Unspeakable of the Department of Mysteries then took another deep breath before he sipped the cup of tea his host had prepared for him when he came to visit. "But I believe that the oath this law mandates has a more interesting implication."
"Being?"
"That once this oath is taken, the Ministry of Magic no longer has any legal rights or any sort of judicial influence over the life of anyone that takes it."
Silence.
"Which means?" Amelia prompted her old classmate.
Aloysius sighed. "It means, Amelia, that . . . " He paused before staring at her. "Say someone in the Ministry - the Senior Undersecretary, for example - wanted to go after Remus Lupin because he now is reported to be acting as Harry Potter's personal magical guardian, all because he's a werewolf." He shrugged. "Remus could turn around and state that Delores would have no authority to mandate a damned thing against him since he - and Harry Potter, too! - have sworn oaths vowing their magic to the service of the Crown. In other words, they acknowledge the Queen as the supreme magical authority in the land and the Ministry would, therefore, have no power or influence of them, especially if it contradicts the Queen's wishes. Thus, the only people who could affect them are the Queen and her 'Magistrates Magical' as it is noted right here." He pointed to the copy of The Magical Pardon and Oath of Loyalty to the Crown Act that he had brought to this meeting in Amelia's office. "And by the way, we know Rose Potter is affected by this. We have the magical record of Lily Potter swearing her own oath to the Crown on New Year's Day in 1982, an oath that she declared would extend to her unborn child at the time; it's down in the archives. Rose herself swore an oath reaffirming her loyalty to the Crown on her fourth birthday."
The Director of the D.M.L.E. gaped as she stared at her guest. "How in Merlin's and Morganna's Eternal Names has this been allowed to go on unnoticed for all this time?" she asked. "I can understand it if some people decide they don't want to live amongst us! I know how bad it can be, especially for the muggleborns that come out of Hogwarts these days! How many people have take this oath and are still alive?"
Aloysius stared at her. "I had a count made of all whose oaths have been recorded and are - by our readings, which are as accurate as the goblins' - alive," he stated. "The total count is 262,786 wizards and witches, regardless of blood, magical power, racial ancestry, or if they possess any form of lycanthropy."
More silence.
"That can't be true!" she gasped. "The last census of wizards and witches taken in 1986 stated there were only 81,484 wizards and witches in the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, squibs included! How in Merlin's name did we miss all THEM?"
"That's the point that I was making, Amelia," he stated. "Look at how the census was taken five years ago. All citizens in all known wizarding villages who pay taxes to the Ministry or who are the legal relatives of same." He pointed to the copy of the act he had brought with him. "Did you know that not a single witch or wizard from Romney Marsh was counted in that census?" As his host's jaw dropped even further, the Chief Unspeakable added, "Not to mention the families of those two that were with you when you met the muggle Prime Minister. Hogan and Veronica Roper swore their oaths to the Crown in 1971, before they began attending Hogwarts. Napaeae Runcorn did it that year as well. Herodotus Runcorn swore his before he began Hogwarts in 1966!"
Amelia gaped. "Then how on Earth did Hero become an Auror? Much less go on to teach D.A.D.A. at Hogwarts a few years ago?" she demanded.
"Because we all are legally and magically ultimately answerable to the Crown, Amelia," Aloysius replied. "Hero's oath to the Queen didn't interfere in his work as an Auror whatsoever unless he was placed in a position where he might have been forced to compromise his loyalty to the Crown." He then sighed. "Furthermore - and this is something that is often forgotten - Hogwarts is legally an independent facility that has existed since before the Wizards' Council was first created. Its independence is legally guarded by Paragraph 15 of the Separation Act. Even now, it's not under the direct administrative control of the Ministry. Hero could be employed there even if he was seen as 'disloyal' to the Ministry and there's nothing the Ministry could have done to stop it. Unless there were known suspicion of criminal activity, which is the ONLY time the Hogwarts Charter DOES permit the Ministry (through your department) to intervene in school affairs." He paused. "By the way, you better know something."
"What?"
"Albus Dumbledore has also sworn an oath to the Crown. He swore his oath five days after Remus Lupin made his oath. That was the day after Harry Potter took his oath." He smiled as Amelia's eyes went very wide. "Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape also took their oaths to the Crown the same day as Albus."
Still more silence.
"Oh, Merlin! If Cornelius learns of this . . .!"
"He couldn't do a thing to change it."
She stared at him. "Remember, Amelia," Aloysius warned her. "This oath cannot make someone a 'traitor' to the Ministry of Magic or the sitting Minister since his official title is 'Her Majesty's Minister for Magic.'" The Director of the D.M.L.E. was quick to sense the emphasis in those words just spoken by the Chief Unspeakable. "Cornelius also answers to the Crown even if he doesn't publicly acknowledge it."
Amelia took that in, and then she nodded. "So there's really no need to worry about this whole thing. Once this Proclamation is made . . . " - She indicated the roll of parchment that Hogan Roper had given her the previous day - " . . . there's nothing Cornelius or anyone in the Ministry could do against Miss Hirosaki."
He nodded. "That's right. In essence, the Young Traveller is the legal equal of any Magical Ambassador. The only ones who would have any right to go after her if she did something wrong are the Crown's Magistrates Magical."
She perked. That had been the second time the Chief Unspeakable had mentioned those people. "And what's their legal basis?" she asked.
"Paragraph 49 of the Separation Act," he replied, and then quoted, "Their Majesties - in the name of the United Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, for Themselves and Their Heirs and Successors - reserve for Themselves the Sole Right to declare loyal Wizards and Witches to serve as Their Magistrates Magical for times where Their Majesties' Loyal Council of Wizards cannot, for whatever reason, enforce Their Majesties' Laws and Edicts Magical on any part of Their Realms. Under no circumstances will Their Majesties' Loyal Council of Wizards interfere in the choice of who will serve as Their Majesties' Magistrates Magical, nor will any interference in the duties of Their Majesties' Magistrates Magical as mandated by Their Majesties be tolerated whatsoever from Their Majesties' Loyal Council of Wizards." The Chief Unspeakable took a breath. "And that, Amelia, is what I now strongly think Hogan and Napaeae are. And I believe Glaston Tore was before he died. And what Rose Potter will soon become."
Amelia took that in, and then moved to sip her tea. "A modern version of the Magical Sheriffs, you mean?" Seeing Aloysius nod and smile, she then giggled. "It wouldn't surprise me if that was their actual title, in fact."
"Why don't you ask them?" he wondered, shrugging. "In the end, this is as legal as it comes, Amelia. Fully up and up. Does Cornelius or Delores need to know that?" The Chief Unspeakable shook his head, smiling. "If they don't know, it's not your responsibility to remind them of that fact. It's theirs. After all . . . "
She laughed. "'Ignorantia Juris Neminem Excusat,'" she then quoted the official motto of the British Ministry of Magic.
He grinned as he toasted her . . .
Outside the Leaky Cauldron, Thursday 8 August . . .
"Do you think we beat out all the crowds?" Harry asked.
"It appears we may have," Chikage mused as she adjusted the collar of her white hooded cape. That - the hood was pulled over her head to obscure her face and hair - was now draped over a white hakamashita-style kimono, a pair of red hakama trousers draped over the lower half of her body. Split-toed tabi socks and zōri sandals covered her feet. When Harry and Rose had seen their new friend emerge from the clothier of Beckery Hill - run by a contemporary of Darlene Malkin, Christopher Burberry - draped in the robes of a Shintō shrine miko, they had automatically gone in afterward to get their own versions of it. Fortunately for Harry, Chikage made sure that Christopher had draped the young boy in a proper Japanese men's hakama in lieu of the shrine maiden version Rose would get for herself. "Shall we be off to Gringotts?"
"Let's go. I got to get you your vault key!" Rose insisted.
"Call me when you want to come back," Lilian said from behind them.
All three kids nodded as the human-shaped elf disappeared with a pop! back to Beckery Hill. Harry drew out his Korean cherry-and-phoenix feather wand - he was still trying to teach himself how to use the holly-and-phoenix feather wand he bought the previous week at Ollivander's - to tap the bricks on the wall before him. "Three up . . . and two across . . . " he muttered as he recalled what Rubeus Hagrid had done when he had escorted Harry and his friends into the Alley, and then he smiled as the bricks all began to fold away to form a portal into what lay beyond. "And in we go!"
"Welcome to Diagon Alley!" Rose declared with a dramatic flourish of her hand.
Chikage dryly chuckled as they walked into Diagon, passing Potage's Cauldron Shop to their left and the Slug and Jiggers Apothecary to their right, the alley before them swinging to their left as the stone walkway passed by Quality Quidditch Supplies to the right and Eeylops Owl Emporium to the left. The crowds in the Alley this early in the day were quite small; the three children had decided to come in right after breakfast so they could help Chikage get all her stuff before the crowd of expectant Hogwarts students - including newcomers for the year - would arrive and begin their school shopping in earnest. "Lucky thing Uncle Hogie keeps an eye on things here," Rose then whispered as the three children passed Flourish and Blott's, which was three doors down from Gringotts, clearly not attracting the attention of anyone they passed since the Potter siblings also had cloaks on and hoods drawn over their heads. "If we were here yesterday, we would've had to wait until late in the evening before all the crowds dispersed; it was like EVERYONE came here all at once to get their stuff!"
"Well, the peace and quiet won't last long," Chikage noted.
Harry and Rose nodded as they finally started to ascend the steps to Gringotts. The guards there - different ones, Harry and Rose immediately saw - blinked as the three children came to a stop between their posts and formally bowed, clasping their hands before their hearts. "«Greetings, noble warriors,»" the Potter siblings chanted together in Gobbledegook. "«May all your enemies fall before you and may your victories shower you with gold. May we humble patrons pass and enter?»"
Both goblins blinked, and then with smiles on their faces, they bowed in return. "«Dame Sheriff Potter, Lord Potter, Lady Hirosaki, we bid you greetings and welcome to our humble establishment,»" the one on their right declared. "«May you always be victorious against your enemies and may your gold always flow. You may pass.»"
"«Our eternal thanks,»" Harry said. "«And our apology as well; our noble visitor from another world does not speak your language.»"
Both guards nodded. "I am sure you'll be pleased to help teach her, Lord Potter," the one on the left said in English. "Be well, all of you."
"Thank you both. Be eternally vigilant," Chikage stated with a smile.
"We always will," both guards stated together, grinning.
With that, they headed inside. Soon enough, they found themselves in front of a familiar teller. "Senior Teller Nagnok, good morning to you," Harry said in English as he, Rose and Chikage came to Nagnok's desk, all three children bowing formally. "May your chests always be full of gold and may your enemies all fall before your blade. We have brought our honoured friend from Japan with us to conduct our trivial business. I would like to access the Potter House vault, Number 108. My sister desires to access her vault, Number 29, so she can get the key to our guest's vault, Number 767."
A chuckle. "I've been told to expect you, Lord Potter. Your business is never a trivial thing here at Gringotts. May your chests always be full of gold and may your enemies all fall before your blade," Nagnok ritually said in English before he gazed on Chikage. "Lady Hirosaki, be welcome here. Your grandfather did us all in Gringotts a great favour we will never forget. Lady Potter, your key, please?"
Rose handed her key over. Nagnok examined it in the box on his desk, and then he nodded. "The key is fine. Griphook!" he then called out. As the young vault guide came up to him, Nagnok handed the key over. "Number Twenty-nine, please."
Griphook smiled. "Certainly, Senior Teller. This way, Lady Potter."
"My thanks, Vault Guide," Rose said as they headed off.
As Harry and Chikage watched them go, a voice then asked from behind them, "Excuse me, but was that Rose Potter? Harry Potter's sister?"
Both turned to see a bushy-haired girl their age standing at the head of the roped-off queue lane. Behind her were two people dressed in normal clothing, who obviously were the girl's parents, even though the girl herself was in a very nice set of robes. They were the only other people present in the bank at this time. "Yes, that's my sister," Harry said as he smiled. "You going to Hogwarts this year, too?"
The girl blinked, her brown eyes suddenly going very wide as she seemed to stare intently at him for a moment, and then her jaw dropped. "Oh, my . . .!" she gasped as she covered her mouth. "Oh, wow!" she then gushed as she pointed at him. "You're Harry Potter!" she then cried out as she came up to him. "I read about you in Modern Magical History and in The Rise and the Fall of the Dark Arts and . . .!"
"Miss! Slow down, please!" Chikage urged. "I don't think the people working here would appreciate you suddenly running out of breath and fainting."
The girl stopped as she stared at the traveller while the older people behind her began to laugh. "Thank you, miss!" the male of the pair said. "Ever since she found out she was magical and was destined for Hogwarts this year, she won't stop talking about everything she learns about this place! It's a miracle whenever we get her to stop talking about it and start concentrating on normal things!"
"Now, Dan, stop saying that! You're just as excited to know that Hermione is about to go off on a grand adventure!" the elder woman added as she stared at her husband. "Especially now that we just found out about my grandfather!"
Harry perked. "Your grandfather's a wizard, ma'am?"
"Actually, he's a squib," Hermione answered, a sad look on her face. "My great-great-grandparents were magical, but they couldn't stand the idea of their only son not ever getting an invitation to Hogwarts. Great-grandpa eventually joined the Army; he served in the Royal Sussex Regiment from the turn of the century until he retired before they amalgamated the regiment into the Queen's Regiment in 1965." She smiled. "It broke his heart; he loved that regiment. Was in every fight they were involved with in both of the World Wars. Started as a private and made his way up to regimental sergeant-major of the Territorial battalion before they forced him out." She nodded towards the main doors. "These days, he spends his time at the Waterloo Club. It's a club for military squibs; it's up Charing Cross Road from the Leaky Cauldron."
"Honourable service for an honourable man," Chikage said.
"Indeed," Nagnok mused.
"What about your great-great-grandparents?" Harry asked.
"Killed in the war against that Grindelwald fellow," Hermione's mother said.
"Miss Granger, I'll be more than pleased to help you here," the teller at the station to Nagnok's left then declared as he smiled at her.
Hermione blinked, and then she smiled as she drew out her key. "My eternal thanks unto you, Junior Teller Gornuk," she said as she clasped her hands before her and bowed her head low to him. "May your chests always be full of gold and may your enemies all fall before your blade," she then ritually greeted.
He bowed in return. "My eternal thanks for your politeness, Miss Granger. And may your vaults always be filled with gold and your enemies fall before you," he said. "If I may assume, you would desire another withdrawal from your vault?" he asked.
"I would. Vault 472, please. There are more books I need to get!"
"No doubt, you're making the people at Flourish and Blott's quite happy," Gornuk stated as he held out his hand. "Your key, Miss Granger?"
She handed him her key. After it had been inspected, he called over a vault guide, a fellow named Bogrod, to guide her into the mines. Watching her, Harry nodded before he looked at Hermione's parents. "Your daughter seems very excited to go."
"She was at first as disbelieving about magic as we were until Professor McGonagall came by to do some demonstrating right after her birthday last September, and then Grandfather visited to tell us of what he remembered of life in the magical world before he was banished from it," Hermione's mother said before she offered her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Jean Granger." She then waved to her husband. "This is Hermione's father, Daniel. We're both dentists; we have a clinic in Crawley."
Harry blinked. "Dentists . . .?" he began, and then he flustered. "Oh, healers who concentrate on people's teeth! I'm sorry about that!" He shook Jean's hand, and then Daniel's. "Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you." He then indicated his companion. "This is my friend, Chikage Hirosaki. She'll be going to Hogwarts, too."
Daniel blinked. "'Hirosaki?' That's Japanese, isn't it?"
"It is," Chikage stated.
"I'm back!"
Everyone turned as Rose came back up, Griphook following her. She handed a key to Chikage, who was then waved up to Nagnok's station by Harry. The teller examined the key, and then he nodded. "Everything seems well here. Griphook, please escort the Lady Hirosaki to Vault 767, then take her over to Director Erlking's office for her appointment," he then said as he handed the key to Griphook.
"Of course, Senior Teller."
Chikage headed off with Griphook into the mines, Rose accompanying them. Harry produced his key for Vault 108. Nagnok examined it. "All appears to be well, Lord Potter. I shall have the Ritual Chamber prepared for you when you return. Snedgrace!"
Another vault guide came up. "Yes, Senior Teller?"
"Escort Lord Potter to Vault 108. Once he is done there, take him to the Ritual Chamber."
"Right away, Senior Teller. This way, Lord Potter."
Hermione's parents watched as the young man was escorted away. "He's a lord?" Jane then asked as they shifted out of the queue to stand close to Nagnok's desk.
"He is. His house is ranked a Noble and Most Ancient Magical House, the highest tier in the Wizengamot. Technically, he would be seen as the equivalent of a marquess in the normal peerage system; his style would be 'The Most Honourable the Marquess Harold James of the Noble and Most Ancient Magical House of Potter of the Marquisate of Taunton Deane.' An automatic four-seat vote if he should take his post there. Wizarding law allows anyone who is an orphan to take his family post as soon as they're invited into Hogwarts at age eleven." A sigh. "Rather a pity they passed the laws that forbid magical descendants of squibs to take up their family seat even if they are proven to be fully magical." He glanced at Jane. "Your family, Doctor Granger, was ranked a Noble House - the equal of a barony in the normal system - which is the lowest tier in the Wizengamot, but still, that is a seat which could be claimed. In your daughter's case, her proper style would be 'The Right Honourable the Baroness Hermione Jane of the Noble Magical House of Carter of the Barony of Ifield.'"
Daniel snorted. "From what we've read and seen of this society, that doesn't really surprise me," he stated, crossing his arms. "It's a pity there wasn't an invitation from Beauxbâtons for Hermione to consider before the Hogwarts invite came in last fall. If we could, we'd arrange for Clytemnestra to go there instead."
Nagnok hummed. "You could consider that, Doctor Granger," he advised. "Is your younger daughter learning French?" At both their nods, the goblin then grinned. "All you would have to do is write to the Headmistress of Beauxbâtons before your daughter's eleventh birthday and ask for an invitation. I'm sure they'll be more than pleased to accept her; the French wizards don't have really possess all the prejudices the British have. If you decide to do that, please contact us and we'll help make arrangements."
The elder Grangers hummed. "We'll keep it in mind."
Cructan's, later . . .
"So will you be taking up your seat at the Wizengamot?"
Harry shook his head. The Family Ring of House Potter was on his right ring finger. "No. I was advised sometime ago to not really bother with it. Most of my friends' parents who could take their seats there don't bother with it. From what we've heard, the Wizengamot really doesn't do anything positive for people." He waved at Hermione, who was sitting with him and her parents in a private booth in the second floor of the coffee shop. "Look at you, Hermione. By all rights, you should be able to take up your family seat there because you're fully magical and descent of a Noble House. The rules of the Wizengamot originally didn't make 'blood purity' . . . " - He made finger quotes on saying that - " . . . an issue. But when they turned around and declared Houses 'dead' because they were producing non-magicals, not realising that the chance was there that a wizard or witch could come in future generations . . . " He shook his head. "It's stupid. I don't really want to bother with it."
"Well, for a blue-blood, you're pretty alright, Harry," Daniel said before sipping his tea; he couldn't stomach coffee at any time of the day.
"I try to be."
"So what happened to you and your sister anyway?" Hermione then asked. "You upped and disappeared on everyone five years ago. No one could trace you down."
A shrug. "After the Dark Dorkbrain . . . " - Harry grinned as Hermione broke out in laughter on hearing that nickname for Voldemort and her parents both looked suitably scandalised (though both were also grinning) - " . . . nearly killed Mom, Aunt Napaeae got her moved to where Grandpa Glaston lived. It's out in the southwest, but I won't say the name since it's magically hidden and Unplottable. That's where Rose was born on Saint Patrick's Day in 1982." He closed his eyes. "That's when Mom died, too." The Grangers remained silent as Harry took a breath, and then took a sip of his coffee. "Rose was raised by Grandpa's house elves and watched over by her godparents. Her godfather's a healer friend of Grandpa's who worked at Saint Mungo's and her godmother was an Auror who got turned into a werewolf during the war."
"That's not allowed," Hermione warned.
Harry smirked. "We all took Loyal Oaths to the Crown, Hermione. Once you take that oath, any law the Wizengamot has passed which would be considered discriminatory in the normal world has no power. No Ministerial decrees, either; since they're not properly legislated laws, they really have no magical power behind them." He winked at her. "Including the prohibition against werewolves being magical guardians."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "Really?"
"I think you better take that oath, 'Mione," Jane warned.
"How do I take it?" the younger Granger asked.
"I'll find out," Harry promised. He knew Rose could administer it, but Hermione was from Crawley, so it might require the Magical Sheriff from West Sussex - a nice lady named Janet Boleyn (a distant relative of the second wife of King Henry VIII) who had served in that position for over three decades - to come to Crawley (or have the Grangers actually go to the Reevetor Westansussex, which was located just outside the county town of Chichester, close to Portsmouth) so the oaths could be taken.
"So tell us about all these beings we've heard so much about," Jane said.
"What do you want to know?" Harry wondered.
"House elves," Hermione prompted.
He hummed. "Well, Rose and I have six of them . . . "
Madam Malkin's . . .
"Hogwarts?"
"Yes," Chikage answered.
Taking that in, Darlene Malkin nodded in understanding before her eyes fixed on Chikage's kimono and hakama for a second before she gaped. "Oh, my word . . .!" she gasped as she came over from helping a young man with platinum blond hair and grey eyes get fitted for his robes. "Oh, my! Is this from Chris Burberry?" she asked.
Chikage nodded while beside her, Rose grinned. Nearby, Narcissa and Raven Malfoy and Cassiopeia Lestrange - whom Rose automatically had recognised even if she hadn't called out to them; as the young girls did her - blinked in surprise on seeing the matron of Diagon Alley's premier clothiers gush over another clothier's work. "It is. He speaks highly of your work, Madame Malkin. But I do believe the gentleman there would like to get his robes finished before you concentrate on me," she advised, pointing to the young man on the footstool - Raven's brother Draco, Rose knew - with a smile. "It's rather rude to leave a poor fellow there hanging like that."
The older woman blushed before she quickly got back over to helping Draco with his uniform. He stared at the traveller for a moment before nodding his thanks. "Here! I'll handle her," one of Darlene's assistants said as she came up.
Darlene nodded her thanks. "Where are you from, young lady?" Narcissa asked as Chikage was guided onto another footstool to Draco's left.
"Japan. The Kōtō ward of Tōkyō to be exact," Chikage answered as she slipped off her crucifix-embossed cloak and gave it to Rose to hold.
Raven blinked. "Why aren't you going to the Dejima School?" In the universe she was in AND the universe from which she hailed, Chikage knew, the Dejima School of Magic - Shiritsu Dejima-mahōchūkōtōgakkō in Japanese - was the primary wand-magical academy in Japan, located in Nagasaki on the west coast of Kyūshū.
"My grandfather attended Hogwarts," Chikage answered as Darlene's assistant moved to slip a robe over her head. "It's something of a tradition for my family."
"A good tradition to follow," Draco said, nodding. "What house was he?"
"Ravenclaw. What do you hope to be?"
"Slytherin of course," he proclaimed as if it was already a fait accompli. "All my family's gone there," he said as he gazed fondly on his mother, who was smiling in return. "What house do you hope to go into?" he then asked.
"Whichever house fits me best. That's how the system works at Hogwarts," she responded. "My grandfather was judged when he went through his Sorting to value intelligence and the willingness to learn above all else, which fits well into the mindset of Ravenclaw. I could go there. Or I could go into Gryffindor because I'm here, presently separated from family and friends, halfway around the world from my land of birth." Not to mention in another dimension and thirty-nine years back in time, she mentally added. "Bravery in daring to do something quite new and unique. I could be in Slytherin. Ambition is an honourable trait to possess when used in the right way and I desire to learn everything I can, push whatever limits is set before me." As Draco and Narcissa both nodded in approval, Chikage then shrugged. "Or I could even be in Hufflepuff. I desire to work hard to get where I'm going and be patient as I go there, which is one of the main traits of that house."
Draco hummed. "I never thought of the 'Puffs like that. I always used to think they were such normal people. Nothing special about them whatsoever."
"Don't be so quick to judge, young man," Darlene then said, though there was an amused twinkle in her eyes. "That's MY house you're talking about!"
He jolted, and then flustered. "Sorry!"
"Oh, don't be," the elderly matron said. "I realise that my house has a bad reputation of being the 'house of the castoffs.' Just like your mother's house - and yours if you're sorted that way - is seen as the 'dark house' because You-Know-Who was said to come from there. Every one of the houses has their good and bad points. Be like our young visitor from Japan here." She nodded to Chikage. "She chooses to look on the positive side of things when it comes to her future. You should, too."
Draco nodded, though Chikage was quick to sense that he was just being polite; whatever attitudes he had about any house of Hogwarts other than the one he desired to be part of in less than a month's time were firmly set into his mind. "Do they play quidditch out there?" he then asked as he looked at Chikage. "In Japan, I mean?"
"Some do," she answered as Rose, Raven and Cassiopeia made faces on Draco's mentioning of quidditch. "But I personally never cared for the sport anyway. Rather reckless if you ask me. Flying around on a broom chasing an enchanted magical ball that doesn't wish to be caught." Chikage shook her head. "Never liked it."
"Don't they fly on brooms in Japan?" Cassiopeia asked.
"Some do. Personally, I don't care for brooms either." Chikage then stared at her cloak, which levitated right away from Rose's hands to float in the air.
Everyone gasped on seeing that. "Wicked!" Raven exclaimed.
"Mother, can I have one, too?" Draco asked.
Narcissa was trying her best to pick her jaw up from the floor as she boggled at the sight of a levitating cape. Darlene blinked as she walked over to feel the cloth. "My heavens! This is incredible spell work here! Who made this for you?"
"My grandfather made it for me for my sixth birthday," Chikage answered as she willed the cloak back into Rose's hands. "It's also enspelled to grow as I grow."
Darlene chuckled as she turned back to Draco. "A handy thing to have," she noted. "I even sensed the portkey built into it. Do you know how to charm it?"
Draco's jaw was on the floor now. "It even has a PORTKEY?"
"Of course it does," Chikage answered. "All I have to do is imagine where I'm going and I'm there," she said as Darlene's assistant finished with the robe and then got to work measuring her for uniforms. "A handy thing to have around in this land, especially with the Dark Lord you people had to tolerate a decade ago."
"A handy thing indeed," Narcissa stated, nodding in approval.
"There you are!" Darlene said as she finished up with Draco. "All done."
"Thanks," Draco said as he waited for the owner of Madam Malkin's to pile up the robes and school uniforms for him. "See you on the Express!"
"Have a good day," Chikage stated.
Soon enough, the Malfoys and their cousin had left the store. Rose watched them go, and then she smirked. "I wonder if Rave or Cassi will tell them."
"They're two of the girls you've often dreamt of?" Chikage asked. After Rose nodded, the older girl shrugged as Darlene turned to help get her robes ready. "If they do, they do. If they don't, don't concern yourself with it."
Rose hummed . . .
"Raven? Cassi?"
Both girls perked. "Yes, Mother?" Raven asked. "What is it?"
"Was that Rose Potter with that girl?" Narcissa asked.
Both girls nodded; fortunately for them, Draco was already smartly walking down the street towards Quality Quiddich Supplies, where Lucius was already waiting so he could guide his son through the new brooms they had on sale. "Yes, Aunt Cissa. That was her," Cassiopeia said. "I don't know the older girl's name, though."
"That's alright, Cassi. We'll probably find that out after your cousin and his year-mates are sorted at the start of the term."
Both girls nodded. As Narcissa went on ahead to join her husband and son, both girls then shared a knowing look. "«I hated lying to Auntie like that!»" Cassiopeia hissed in Gobbledegook, which she had "learned" thanks to many dreams she had about one Rose Potter. "«That girl's none other than Grand-uncle Ryūji's own granddaughter here on her Magical Quest! What do you think'll happen when Uncle finds out?»"
"«Father will find out there are certain things money CAN'T buy!»" Raven replied. While she loved her father dearly, she really couldn't understand some of his more radical opinions, even now, five years after she began to fully comprehend what Lucius - and Cassiopeia's incarcerated parents in Azkaban - had been willing to do before she was born. "«We know Rose is involved in something that's totally beyond any sort of Ministry influence. And she'll definitely make sure that girl won't be harmed by anything Father pulls, much less anything that doofer Fudge or that disgusting bint Umbridge do!»" She then gave her cousin a knowing look. "«Big question is . . . »"
"«What will they do afterward?»" Cassiopeia finished for her.
Raven nodded, and then both perked on hearing someone shout out their names. Both then turned, and then laughed on seeing Ariel Goyle and Charlotte Crabbe coming out of the Slug and Jiggers Apothecary, two doors from Quality Quiddich Supplies . . .
Once she was done getting her uniforms, Chikage loaded them into her trunk - which was, like the ones Harry and his friends had got a week before, equipped with a built-in shrinking and enlargement charm system that allowed for easier carrying - and then she headed off down the street towards Ollivander's. She had her normal white cloak on, the hood pulled over her head so people wouldn't stare at her too much (not that her kimono and hakama wouldn't attract some attention from passers-by). Rose had the list of supplies the traveller would need - it was actually the list sent with Harry's letter from Hogwarts - in hand. "Okay, we got the books (including all the local history books we can find), robes, trunk, cauldron, phials, telescope and scales, plus stationary and writing materials. You sure you don't want an owl?"
Chikage smirked. "What would I use one for? And would I be able to take one home with me back to Tōkyō when I'm done here?"
Rose blinked, and then she sighed. "Oh. Right . . . forgot. Well, here's Ollivander's," she said on waving towards the wand shop.
They stepped inside. "Good morning," the elderly wand maker said as he came up towards them, and then he paused before smiling. "Miss Potter! You're still a little too early to come here," he said on recognising Rose, and then he blinked.
Chikage then smiled as she slipped off her hood. "Just like your counterpart in my dimension, Craftmaster Ollivander. My grandfather sends his best wishes to you."
Silence.
"Oh, my heavens . . .!" Octavius Ollivander gasped as she gazed on him with a grin, and then he smiled. "Oh, my! Your grandfather? I remember when he came here to get his wand! Thirteen and a quarter inches; elder wood with a dragon heartstring core specifically. Perfect for charms and enchantment, plus durable enough to be used in battle. Actually had to come in after school started; it was quite the ruckus at the Great Hall when he appeared at the Sorting Ceremony like he did. I see he was courteous this time, Miss Hirosaki . . . it IS 'Miss Hirosaki,' isn't it?"
"It is," she said as she handed him a meishi with both hands.
He took it, and then blinked on seeing the kanji there. "'Thousand shadows,'" he translated Chikage's given name; he was an expert in Chinese characters and how they were read in Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese. "A most foreboding name." He paused on noting what was written underneath her name. "'Second Kantō Victims Memorial Association.' What does that mean?" he asked as he placed the card aside, and then moved to get his measuring tape out so he could begin his work.
"Five years ago in my universe, there was a very large earthquake - on a scale that far outstripped what struck the Kantō basin back in 1923 - in and around Tōkyō," Chikage explained as she held out her right hand and he began to work. "Two million deaths in the first hour after the quake struck; I was almost one of them. It also shattered five major ley lines that ran under Tōkyō itself, not to mention created a spiritual and magical sinkhole that, if something WASN'T done, would have resulted in millions of additional deaths in the following years and decades. Grandfather teamed with friends to create a magically-hidden memorial ground and tower that would serve as a new spiritual focal point and allow the ley lines that were destroyed in the quake to mend. 'Second Kantō Victims Memorial Association' is the public name of the group that administers the place in the name of His Imperial Majesty. Grandfather serves as the Grand Magi of the Association and when he passes away, I'll take his place."
An understanding nod. "He was always a determined man," Octavius stated as he finished his measuring, and then moved to scan some of his wares. "Does he still use his original wand or did his lessons in other dimensions turn him away from it?"
"He does for detailed spell work. It's been augmented to ensure it could endure in my dimension by your counterpart," she replied as Rose began to scan various wand supplies. "Your counterpart said that if he was the one who found the wand for Grandfather, that would have been the one he believed would have best matched him."
"As I've always said - and I hope the OTHER me believes it as well! - it is always the wand that chooses the wizard. Or in your case, the witch," he noted as he drew out a box and came over to a table to open it up. "Well, let's try this one here. Beechwood and dragon heartstring, ten inches. Nice and flexible."
Chikage took the wand in hand and swished it around. No response. "It doesn't seem to react to me when I filter my ki through the linkpoint in my hand."
He blinked. "'Linkpoint?'"
She turned her wrist to show the glowing crystal on the back of her hand. He gazed on it, and then he whistled. "Oh, my!" he breathed out. "What is that?"
"It's an alien element from my universe that was placed into this body when it was created for me," she explained, and then she gave him the story behind THAT.
Octavius shuddered as he considered that while taking the beechwood wand back and putting it away. "Being disembodied for FIVE YEARS? Literally having a whole new body - I can sense you're as human as anyone else! - GROWN for you?" He shook his head. "Some in my society would call that a form of necromancy. You best keep quiet about it, Miss Hirosaki. Too many people wouldn't understand." He then drew out another box. "Let's try this one. Maple and phoenix feather, eleven inches."
She took it, and made a swish. "A bit of a reaction," she said.
"Very little, but not quite right," he said as he took it back. "At least your grandfather was able to hone your magical senses," he said as he moved to draw out another box. "Try this one: Ebony and unicorn hair, twelve inches."
Still another failure. As Chikage patiently waited for other wands to come her way, Rose began to shake her head. "This is just as bad as when Harry was getting his wand!" she muttered under her breath as she crossed her arms.
"Don't panic about that, Miss Potter. Tricky customers like Miss Hirosaki and your brother are always a joy for me to deal with. Besides, I always make new wands. There is always a wand here for someone and I haven't failed to match one yet," he assured her. "Let's give this one a try here," he then said as he drew out another box. "Elder and unicorn hair, twelve inches. This might do it."
She took it, and then swished it around. "Not there," she admitted as she gazed on the wand. "The wood feels almost right, but the core's off for me."
Octavius hummed. "There's something I might want to try . . . "
She handed him the wand and he put it back into the box before putting the box away. "These days, I solely use phoenix feathers, dragon heartstrings and unicorn hairs as cores for wands I make," he explained as he headed to the back of his shop. "I find some of the cores other wand makers use to be too temperamental at times. Veela hair, for example. You have Veela in your dimension as I recall."
"They are there," she affirmed as he came back with a dusty box.
"Well, in the beginning when I apprenticed with my father Diogenes after I graduated from Hogwarts in 1912, I was willing to try any sort of combination," he said as he opened the box, revealing a wand stylized with small circular hand guards bracing the ends of a well-carved dark wood handle that, to Chikage, resembled the meson rings that bracketed the Spiral tower back in Megatōkyō. "This one, for example: Yew with thestral mane hair, fourteen inches," he said as he drew it out and handed it over.
She took it, and then blinked as the linkpoint on the back of her hand began to glow as the wand seemed to tremble slightly before it became inundated in a faint shroud of power. Seeing that, Octavius and Rose both gaped before he nodded. "That seems most ironic," he then noted. "Most ironic indeed." As Chikage gazed on him, he added, "Thestrals, Miss Hirosaki, as I'm sure you're aware, can only be seen by those who have witnessed death. Or, in your case, have come close to experiencing it. And while I'm unaware of how the Japanese view yew, in the old ways, it is the wood that is the embodiment of the past. Which your father - and you - now seek to honour."
Chikage nodded. "The Japanese yew is an ornamental plant that is placed around the foundation of a home as a way of bringing beauty and peace to those who live within the home. You also seem them in rock gardens tended to by Zen monastics," she said as she gazed on the wand maker. "And if I'm not terribly mistaken, in the normal side of things here in England, it was the wood of the yew that went into making the bows that the yeomen of the land used to help King Henry V win at Agincourt in 1415."
Octavius chuckled. "Very few in my society ever understand how the muggles look on such things like yew, so I'll take your word for it, Miss Hirosaki." He pointed at her. "When you get home, make sure you get the other me's opinion of this. A wand that fits the more poetic translation of your name quite well."
Rose blinked. "'More poetic translation?'"
"'Eternal shadows,'" Chikage said. "Or as someone once called me . . . " She then smiled as she reached for her coin purse. "'She Who Forever Walks In Shadow.'"
The younger girl blinked. "Oh . . . "
Time moved ahead . . .
After returning to Beckery Hill, Chikage and Harry began the final preparations for the day they would make the crossing over Loch Eigheach and begin their first year at Hogwarts. Being a gracious host, Harry began to teach his new friend and guest the basics of wand handling and duelling . . . though always before they got started on the fields around the Reevetor, Harry would always hiss out in parseltongue to ensure no poor snake would be the unexpected recipient of a Reductor Curse. Only three times did the normally silent serpents call out to say they were there, though they would also ask their Speaker friend if he could help them find some mice to eat.
During those times, Harry's other female friends would come via floo to the Reevetor to spend time with him and Chikage as they prepared for school. While they were together, Chikage prepared special meson crystals and implant her knowledge of Japanese into them so that all her new friends would be fully fluent in her native language so they could - especially when one factored in (as Remus warned them) how easy rumours could be passed around within the walls of Hogwarts - have conversations that would stay effectively private. As an extra precaution, Chikage helped Aesup prepare language crystals so everyone could also learn the Kangwŏn-bang'ŏn of Korean normally spoken north of the Demilitarized Zone straddling the 38th Parallel that was now seen as the most heavily-armed border on the planet. Chikage didn't participate as she was fluent in the Sŏul-mal version . . . though on hearing it, Aesup complained that the young traveller really had a very weird accent that made her want to laugh.
Once everyone had got the chance to practice up on Nihon-go and Chosŏn-mal/Han'gug-ŏ, they plunged into the textbooks and history books so they could be as prepared as possible for the culture shock of experiencing direct and constant contact with "mainstream" wizards. This often necessitated further trips to Diagon so they could raid Flourish and Blott's for the right source texts. On several occasions, they would bump into a very excited Hermione Granger as she made more trips to the Alley so she could stock up on even MORE magical texts so she could be as prepared as possible for what she, as a "muggleborn," was about to plunge head-first into. On the last trip, Harry convinced his new friend to get her own self-shrinking trunk so that she could be able to carry her growing library with her when she went to Hogwarts. He also arranged to have Janet Boleyn administer Hermione's Loyal Oath to the Crown at the home base of the Magical Sheriff of West Sussex the week before they were to go to Hogwarts.
During those times, Chikage would head through the Leaky Cauldron to visit the many various bookstores on Charing Cross Road so she could get texts on the normal side of recent British history so she could catch up on the fifty-two year gap between the end of her grandfather's time in this universe and the start of her own. And while there were the differences between her own dimension's United Kingdom and this universe's version of it, they weren't too jarring to the young Traveller.
And then finally, on the first Sunday of the new month . . .
London, King's Cross Station, Sunday 1 September . . .
"And here we are, everyone: Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!"
Harry and Chikage took a moment to absorb their surroundings, and then both focused their attention on the red GWR4900 Hall Class locomotive pulling the tender, ten passenger cars, freight car and caboose behind it. "Antiquated," the latter mused.
Remus chuckled. "Understandable given that you hail from the country that made high speed rail travel so popular and convenient, Chikage," he noted. "We're early today, so why don't you go aboard? Remember, the car closest to the engine is meant for professors. The one after it is for the Head Boy and Girl and the prefects."
"Sure thing, Uncle Moony," Harry said.
He shared an embrace with the werewolf, and then an embrace and a kiss with Lilian. "Have fun, Harry," the elf stated. "Try not to get into too much trouble."
Harry sighed. "I'm keeping what Grandpapa warned in mind, Mama."
A nod. "Always do." Lilian glanced at Chikage. "Watch over him."
"I will do so," Chikage said with a nod. "Harry?"
He nodded, backing away from his guardian as Lilian took Remus' hand and popped away from the platform back to Beckery Hill. With that, he took a deep breath, a chill suddenly surging through him. It was real. No longer would he be simply living his life at Beckery Hill alongside his sister - Harry's eyes were still moist from the crying fit Rose had thrown that morning - the elves that served as surrogate mothers and good friends to them both, the werewolves that were unofficial aunts and uncles to him, and the menagerie of magical beings that were commonplace at the Reevewick Somerset. Now it would just be his friends in a school full of wizards and witches, part and parcel of a society that had far too many imperfections for his liking.
"You didn't have to take that invitation, Harry."
He perked, and then he smiled as he followed Chikage to the Hogwarts Express. "Yeah, you're right. But still . . . " He paused, and then he sighed as he stepped onto the third passenger car. "No. I couldn't refuse the invitation. It's what Dad and Mom would've wanted of me. Besides, if the Dark Dorkhead comes back . . . "
"They will be looking up to you to save them again," she mused as they scanned through some of the empty compartments. "The joys of being a hero to a society of mostly lazy and very selfish people, Harry." She then stopped on reaching one marked with the letter "G" on a placard beside it. "Ah, this one will do. Shall we relax?"
He nodded as they stepped inside and made themselves comfortable. Drawing out her shrunk trunk from her skirt pocket, Chikage tapped the rune that would expand it to full size, and then she opened it to draw a book - Harry quickly noted it was the fourth volume of Winston Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples - from it before she shrunk down the trunk and put it back into her skirt pocket. As she relaxed and began to read, Harry drew out his own shrunken trunk from his pocket, un-shrank it, and then he drew out Arsenius Jigger's Magical Drafts and Potions so he could scan through it. Severus Snape had warned him on his birthday that Harry would be directly tested in the first Potions class as a way of cementing the potion master's "hatred" of the boy in the eyes of his future charges, so Harry wanted to be prepared.
As time clicked on towards the 11:00 A.M. departure for Hogsmeade, more people made their way onto the train, many lugging heavy - and full-sized, Harry was quick to note with a self-satisfied smirk - trunks behind them or in their arms as they moved to get seats. Soon enough, a familiar face peeked in. "Oe! There you are!" Aesup said as she walked in, moving to sit beside Chikage. "A little light reading?"
"Somewhat," Harry said as he looked up from his book while Aesup took out her own shrunk-down trunk and expanded it so she could get her own book to read. Chikage continued to read, though she was paying attention. "You popped in?"
"Of course," the Korean witch said as she drew a copy of the Samguk Sagi - a reprint dating from the early Chosŏn era, Chikage was quick to notice - from her trunk and then she shrunk it down and slipped it back into her pocket. "Some confusion at the barrier to the normal side of the station. Seems there's someone there actually trying to call out as to where the platform is." She shook her head as she flipped open the beautiful book to where she had left off in it. "Stupid mudbrains!"
"To be expected," Chikage noted. "Harry is known now to be coming here today and there are going to be the sycophants and the attention-seekers."
"I'd love to curse them all," Harry drawled.
"Too many of them," Aesup warned. "You'll need the you-know-what to help out."
He chuckled; they all knew now not to say the word "Kokujun" (or any of the related terms) now that they were out among "mainstream" wizards on something of a full-time basis. As they turned back to their books, the door to their compartment opened again. "Oh, hello!" a familiar voice called out. "You're here."
"Hello, Hermione," Chikage said as she looked up from her book, giving Hermione a smile. "Looking for a seat?" She waved to the empty spot beside Harry.
Hermione looked over to Harry. "Do you mind, Harry?"
"Not at all. Make yourself at home."
The bushy-haired girl quickly got into the compartment and sat down. Quickly noting that there were no trunks visible, she then relaxed as she pulled out her own shrunken trunk, putting it on the floor before tapping it to expand it. Soon enough, she had a copy of Hogwarts: A History in her hand as she re-shrunk her trunk and returned it to her skirt pocket. "Are you nervous about going to Hogwarts?"
"Somewhat," Harry replied as he gazed on her, quickly touched by how pretty she looked in the near-noon light. "I'm gonna miss my sister, my guardians and all my friends, though. Are you going to miss your parents?" he asked.
A nod. "And my sister, too. She's shown signs of accidental magic, I think, so she might be coming to Hogwarts in a couple of years, though Mom and Dad are talking about possibly sending her to Beauxbâtons in case things here don't improve."
"That's their choice," Aesup noted, and then she perked as a familiar face appeared at the doorway to their compartment. "Hey, Brie!" she called out.
Brianna leaned into the compartment. "Oh, darn! Filled up already, huh?"
"Pretty much so," Harry said. "Pity we can't expand these compartments."
A laugh. "They'd probably accuse you of starting up your own harem, Harry," Achelois noted as she came up to stand beside her friend. "We got compartments H and I staked out; Sǔ's with us, too," she added as she pointed to her right.
"We might pop by," Harry promised. "Not by the elf way, of course."
Both girls laughed as they headed back to where they were seated. "You sure have a lot of friends," Hermione noted, a touch of envy in her voice.
"You're my friend," he stated.
Hearing that, her cheeks suddenly reddened before she quickly buried herself into the book before her. Noting that, Chikage could only smile and exchange a knowing look with Aesup before turning back to her own book to read . . .
To be continued . . .