Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Harry Potter. I am also not planning to cross-breed pigs and firecrabs in the hope of getting self-frying bacon. I know this is something the world might want, but given how the Blast-Ended Skrewts turned out...

Well, I know I didn't expect to be updating on time this week. This chapter just about exploded out of me in a thankfully non-Aliens kind of way. I hope you enjoy it, but we'll see if the Fem-ish Inquisition comes after me for this one...

Perhaps McGonagall was right to worry, for Sirius Black was teaching Harry how to dodge spells the hard way. Three days of hard work and countless Strengthening Charms had rendered the acolyte hall in excellent condition and able to withstand moderate spellfire with little more than scorching. Sirius and Harry faced each other from either end of the hall. "The rules are simple," Sirius said, holding his wand at the ready. Harry's wand was on a shelf behind Sirius. "Get from where you are to where I am. Once you can lay a hand on me, you've won. Clear?"

"Clear."

"The first couple times, I'm going to limit myself to Stinging Hexes. Do your best to not get hit by them, they won't be bad enough to really hurt you but you should NEVER assume that a spell headed your way is harmless. The first time you make that mistake may be the last."

"What about blocking the spells, can't I do that?" Harry asked as he looked around the hall.

"Sure, there are spells that can protect you, however, I'm not going to teach you how to block until I'm satisfied that you've learned how to dodge. Battering away at each other with spells is fine if you're a heavyweight wizard like Dumbledore or Voldemort. Maybe you'll be on their level some day, but right now you're a snot-nosed punk and you're better off learning how to not get hit in the first place. Ready? Begin."

Harry opened his mouth to protest that he wasn't ready, only to have Sirius zap him with a Stinging Hex. The spell felt like a hard but brief pinch on his shoulder, and in fact hurt a lot less than Dr. Mizuno's ear grip, but it didn't feel good. "An enemy isn't going to wait for you to be ready, Harry. Now get moving before you get hit again."

Harry got moving. At first he ran straight toward Sirius, but two quick Hexes in a row showed him why that wasn't a good idea. Sirius spared him the lecture this time, and Harry changed his tactics without one. The next few he managed to side-step, but in the process he found himself against a wall. "Don't let yourself get trapped," Sirius said as he fired off more Stinging Hexes. "There's lots of ways to use a wall in a fight, but don't cling to it if you're not at an angle to get some cover from it. A wall behind you is the just the plate you're being served up on." While lecturing, Sirius kept up a slower but steady stream of Hexes.

"How are you casting those while talking?" Harry asked, at the cost of getting zapped again.

"Non-verbal casting, either you start learning it in your Fifth of Sixth year, or you learn it in the Auror Academy like I did. We couldn't keep a Defense teacher in our day either. Casting without the incantation steals some strength from the spell, but it doesn't make it harmless – as you just found out."

Harry was in motion again, pushing himself off from the wall. He ran quickly in a diagonal fashion, hitting the fall wall and pushing himself off from that. He stumbled and nearly fell once when a lucky shot from Sirius clipped his leg, but he made himself keep going. A few zigs and zags later, and Harry slapped his godfather's shoulder. Sirius lowered his wand immediately. "That was pretty good for your first time," he said, breathing a little heavily. "You're in better shape than I am."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I've spent three years practicing Quidditch with an obsessive team captain, what were YOU doing?"

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a voice from the doorway. "That looks like fun, may I try it?" A pretty girl about Harry's height stepped into the acolyte hall. She had long golden blonde hair down past her hips, tied back with a cheerful red ribbon. She was wearing a Sailor Senshi uniform with an orange skirt and dark blue bows, with what looked like a large topaz at the center of her chest.

"Of course, miss…? I don't think we've met." Sirius said, just a little wary.

She giggled a little. "Oh, of course. I'm Sailor Venus! So, where do I start?"

Sirius pointed at the far end, and she walked down there before twirling around and taking a ready stance. Harry moved to the doorway, and Sirius raised his wand. "Begin," he said, casting his first Stinger non-verbally.

Harry's jaw dropped. Sailor Venus moved like she was part-bird, floating through the air and touching ground only when it suited her. Her long hair floated behind her like a comet's tail as she leapt, spun, dodged, and danced around Sirius's Hexes. Sirius wasn't holding back against her like he had been against Harry, and she still wasn't getting hit. As she approached he started laying down heavier and heavier fire, and finally he let loose with a slashing wave-like spell at elbow-height. Sailor Venus dropped to the magically-treated floor without a second thought, sliding toward Sirius and coming up to tap him on the tip of his nose with a gloved finger. "Boop!" she chirped happily. "This means I win, right?"

Sirius looked down at her for a moment, and then laughed. "Oh, Merlin, I wish I could introduce you to my old instructor, Sailor Venus. Old Moody would probably offer to make you his granddaughter on the spot."

"Well, I've only got two sets of grandparents, is he the kind of grandpa that likes to spoil children?"

"No, he's more likely to buy you a knife and show you how to use it," Sirius laughed. "And he'd also tell you to put some pants on."

Sailor Venus looked down at her uniform. "Nope, sorry, I'll have to pass on that then. I really like this skirt; it makes my legs look great!"

Sirius coughed a couple times to keep from saying anything that would reveal himself to be either A: old enough to be her father, or B: a male human being who'd caught himself checking out a girl half his age. "You alright over there, Harry?" he finally asked.

Harry blinked a couple times, and then grinned. "That was brilliant! Can you teach me how to do that, Sailor Venus?"

She giggled again and shook her head, making her hair float in golden waves. "You are his and Mamoru-kun's student, at least for this kind of stuff," she said cheerfully. "Besides, I'm kind of cheating."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Sailor Venus concentrated for a moment, and then she was enveloped in golden light. When it faded, Minako stood in her place.

Harry blinked. "Mina? You're Sailor Venus? Wait…" He slapped himself on the forehead. "Why didn't I recognize you? Your hair doesn't change at all, you weren't wearing a mask, Usagi even told me you were Sailor Venus a few days ago! Bloody hell!"

"Language, Harry!" Mina sang with a smile, booping his nose as well. "It's part of the magic of when I transform, you see. Unless someone sees me change or I tell them I'm Sailor Venus, the magic keeps people from recognizing me. Also, cameras won't take a clear picture of me, even video has the details distorted just enough that they can't tell who it is. You wouldn't believe how much time Queen Beryl's goons spent trying to figure out who we really were. I even got accused of being Sailor Moon a few times," she said with another giggle.

"That's brilliant, but what did you mean about cheating?"

She clasped her hands behind her and rocked on her heels. "Well, you see, the Senshi transformation isn't just about protecting my identity, it does a lot of other things for me. I'm pretty athletic, but I'm not THAT graceful on my own, the transformation makes me faster, stronger, and more agile. Sailor Jupiter can break a brick wall in half with a straight punch, but Mako-chan would break her hand if she tried that. Don't get me wrong, we have improved in our own rights, but the transformation takes what we have and makes it better."

"It's also a defense against injury," said another new voice from behind Harry. He turned to see a man standing behind him. Moving out of the doorway, Harry let the newcomer in.

"Harry, Sirius, this is our ally, Tuxedo Mask. He's been watching out for us from the very beginning.

Harry looked him over and frowned. There was something familiar about this guy… He was tall and lean, nearly the same height as Sirius though his old-fashioned top hat made him seem much taller. He wore a very formal tuxedo suit, complete with bow tie and a waist-length silk cape lined with red. A white domino mask hid his eyes, and he held a white-topped cane in one hand. He looked like he was about to sweep some girl off to a ball rather than fight a battle, but Harry had repeatedly had it drilled into him that appearances were deceiving in this war. Besides, in a way it made more sense than sailor suits and miniskirts. At least Tuxedo Mask had a stick to hit the bad guys with if they got too close. Still, the feeling of familiarity didn't go away. Finally, he hesitantly asked "…Mamoru?"

Tuxedo Mask nodded, and the transformation melted away to reveal his teacher. "As you might have guessed, today I'm going to start you working through how to transform. I asked Minako to help out with the demonstrations, even though you might not be able to use the same method she does."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Close the door, please. Minako?"

Harry closed the door behind him, and Minako produced an enameled wand similar to Ami's. "VENUS STAR POWER!" she cried, and the wand erupted in golden light. Harry's eyes bulged as her clothes disappeared, and were replaced by her sailor uniform a second or two later. Flashing him a V with her fingers, she winked. "Pretty amazing, huh?"

"Why does it make you naked?" Harry asked, flabbergasted.

Sailor Venus thought about it, then shrugged. "I dunno, it just does. It usually happens so fast that we barely notice, and we've kinda gotten used to it. Besides, it's just skin. We're all covered in the stuff, you know?

"But you were naked!" Harry said again.

Sailor Venus giggled and hugged him. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed. Harry, it's okay! You were supposed to watch me transform so you could see what it's like. It doesn't last long enough for you to do anything besides get a glimpse, and looking doesn't make you a pervert or a horrible person. Boys are supposed to like seeing girls; it just means you're normal." She booped his nose again. "It's how you treat us that matters, whether we're wearing clothes or not."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Mamoru and Sirius looked at each other and shrugged. Apparently the lesson Harry was going to get today wasn't going to be the one they had planned on. Personally, Sirius didn't mind, learning about girls was important too. Mamoru, on the other hand, was getting increasingly uncomfortable. Sirius motioned toward the door at the other end of the hall, and the two tall men quietly walked away. Meanwhile, Sailor Venus sat down on a bench and motioned for Harry to join her. When he sat down, she scooted up and put an arm around his shoulders.

"It's like this, Harry. Girls are a little tricky. Nature has made us to be beautiful, whether we like it or not. Some of us are naturally beautiful, some of us have to work harder to polish what we've got, and some of us will never be pretty no matter how hard we try. It's not fair but that's just how life is, you know? The thing is, we are compelled to try and be pretty in a lot the same way as boys feel compelled to compete. I'm not saying that boys have to do this and girls have to do that, but we each have something that's a little more inherent to who we are as girls or boys. Because our very natures compel us to try and be beautiful, we're very insecure about how we look."

Sailor Venus glowed and faded to reveal Minako again. "Look at me, Harry, I'm pretty hot, right?" He nodded, and she smiled and squeezed him. "Thanks! But the thing is, I have mornings where I get up and my face feels greasy and my hair won't settle down right and I've got a pimple somewhere I can't cover it up, and I feel ugly and fat. Even if no one else thinks I'm ugly, it's how I feel inside. And when I go out and I'm around other girls, I start comparing myself to them. When I feel pretty, I worry about whether or not I'm more or less pretty than someone else. When I feel ugly, I feel uglier when I'm with someone I think is prettier than I am – and right then I feel like everyone is prettier than me."

Harry shook his head. "Merlin's pants, I'd go mad if I had to think about all that."

"Yeah, but we can't help it. It's part of what we are. Now, here's where it really gets tricky. Because we're constantly critiquing how we look inside our heads, it makes us a little touchy on the surface. Have you ever seen a boy say something to a girl about her looks, only to have her explode?" He nodded. "Chances are, she was already driving herself crazy worrying about her appearance or about something else, and whatever he said was just the spark that set off the fireworks. It wasn't really his fault, and it wasn't really her fault either, it just happens. As we grow up, we try to learn how to not instinctively explode like that, and boys slowly learn what's likely to make us explode and try to avoid it."

"Now don't forget, this is a generalization. We're all of us different, some of us worry about our looks more than others, and how we look isn't all we think about. Some girls like sports, or books, or cooking, or music, or a hundred different things, just like boys, but I think to some extent all girls care about how they look so it'll always be something that can stress us out. Does this make sense?"

Harry thought about it. "I think I understand what you're saying, but I'm not sure how this makes it okay for me to see you naked."

Mina laughed. "That's not exactly what I was trying to say, but it's in the same county. So you understand that we're driven to be pretty, even though we can be pretty sensitive about it?" He nodded. "Okay, the next step is that we do like to be appreciated for looking good. No girl is going to be angry just because you think she's pretty. It's nice to know that our efforts are paying off, right? At the same time, too much attention for it gets pretty old in a hurry." She pondered for a moment. "Mamoru said that you had some kind of funny title back in your magic community. 'The Living Boy' or something like that."

Harry made a face. "'The Boy-Who-Lived.'"

She nodded and squeezed him again. "How do you feel when people call you that?" As if I couldn't tell, she added mentally.

"It's awful, like I'm some kind of carnival attraction. 'Come see Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived! See his famous scar, hear him talk to snakes, only five Sickles a ticket!' They even used that stupid title in the newspaper! I don't know who thought up that bloody thing, but if I ever find out I'm going to hex them."

"And have you ever been recognized for something you actually did?" He nodded, thinking about winning the Quidditch cup. "Feels pretty different, doesn't it?" Mina hugged him, pressing her chest into his side. "Harry, the way you feel about being famous is a lot like how most girls feel about being told that they're pretty. We like it in small doses; it feels good to know that our hard work is accomplishing something. But when it's the only thing anyone can talk about we get frustrated. A great pair of legs and fantastic hair are things that I have, not things that I am, you know?

Harry nodded. "And I have a scar, not am a scar."

"Exactly!" Mina declared and hugged him again. "So, here's the rules for girls: It's okay to look at us, but if you sit there and stare we'll start to think that we put our shirt on backwards or we've got something stuck in our teeth and get embarrassed and self-conscious. If we really did put our shirt on backwards, just point it out discretely and it'll be okay. If you think we're pretty, it's okay to say so. But if you really want girls to like you, find out what else they like to talk about and move on to talking about that rather than just sticking with how they look. It's also not a good idea to compliment a girl on something she's not intentionally showing you. For example, it's probably safe to say something about my legs. If I minded, I wouldn't be wearing these shorts in public. But if you try to talk about my butt, I'll probably kick yours. Are you with me so far?"

Harry was blushing hard and trying not to stare at Mina's legs or think about her backside, but he managed to nod. "Honestly, with experience you'll be able to start reading a girl's body language about what she's comfortable with and what she isn't, but as a general rule if she wears clothing over it, don't talk about it. Gym class is the exception, she doesn't get to pick what she wears in gym class or at the pool, and so she might feel uncomfortable being complimented on it. Talking about her clothing is okay, but don't talk about what's under the clothing. For example, 'your sweater is very cute, Asami' will get you a smile, but 'that sweater makes your knockers look amazing' will get you slapped, even if it's true. And it's always better to compliment something that's distinctive or unique, since every girl at your school will wear the same uniform."

Mina could see that Harry's eyes were starting to glaze over, so she giggled and changed directions. "Okay, I guess I'd better sum up. It's okay to look at girls, and it's okay to like looking at girls. It's a bit rude to stare, though, and treating us like being pretty is all we are is like treating you like 'the Boy-Who-Lived'. I'm going to tell you a secret, though," she said in a hushed tone and leaned in closer. "It's okay to think about girls. It's even okay to think about naked girls. You can even think about me if you like. But here's the catch – you have to save it for when you're in private. Whatever you think or imagine in private is fine, it belongs to you and no one has the right to tell you that it's wrong or dirty or bad. But you have to leave it in private, alright? When you're actually with a girl, especially in public, you need to be a gentleman. Can you do that for me, Harry?"

By now Harry was blushing so hard he was sure his hair had turned red enough to make him the long-lost seventh Weasley Brother. He managed to nod, and Mina hugged him one more time. "Great! Now why don't you sit here a while and practice your meditation, I'm gonna go see what Rei is up to, okay? See you around, Harry!" Before he could coherently reply, she was on her feet and giving him a wink as she bounced out the door.

Outside, Sirius Black was waiting for her with a big grin and the tip of his wand touching one ear. "Miss Aino, are you sure you're sixteen? I'm thirty-three and I just learned something."

Mina couldn't help giggling. "Yeah, but you're a boy."

He laughed with her, acknowledging the point. "Seriously, though, how does a girl your age get so insightful?"

She shrugged good-naturedly. "I'm the Senshi of Love, Mister Black, this is the kind of stuff I have to know. And I kind of had to deliver a similar speech to Usagi's little brother last year, so I've had some practice."

Sirius grinned. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, no matter what Usagi may tell you, Shingo's not a bad kid. It's just that puberty kinda hit him all at once and suddenly he realized that his dweeby older sister had some pretty hot friends. He started trying to hang around with us all the time and fetching us snacks and trying to pay awkward compliments and doing dumb things to try and impress us. It was cute in a way, but it made it hard to hold Senshi meetings. Eventually I had to pull him aside and explain that not only was he bowling way out of his league, his behavior wasn't the kind of thing that impresses girls. He was pretty crushed for a while, but I gave him a few tips on how to talk to girls his own age and he's been doing better since."

"Well, thank you for helping Harry," he said with a softer smile. "I care a lot about that kid, but there's so much I don't know how to teach him. His mum and dad were first-timers, so they were learning how to raise a kid as they went, and my own upbringing wasn't an example I'd want anyone to follow. It doesn't help that I missed twelve years of his life…and sixteen years of Ami's…"

Minako reached up to touch his shoulder. "It's okay, Mister Black. None of us have perfect parents. I'm sure Ami and Harry would have been happy to have had you there all along, but that wasn't possible. The important thing is that you're here now and you're trying." A thought suddenly struck her. "Say, you're trying to teach Harry more of your wizard magic, right?"

"As well as I can. I'm pretty rusty, but it's coming back to me."

"Why don't you try teaching Ami too? She loves learning new things, and the way you fixed up that old building was pretty neat!"

"…and it'll give us a chance to get to know each other," he concluded for her. He grinned. "You're a pretty good kid yourself, you know?"

Minako cocked her head and shrugged. "I try. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go check on Rei, she's been hiding in the shrine a lot lately…" Sirius nodded, and Minako waved cheerfully as she walked away.

It was a beautiful summer day, and the shrine's resident crows (which Rei affectionately referred to as the Usual Suspects) were cawing to each other in the trees. Mina often suspected that the cheeky black birds were telling each other jokes, and probably at the expense of the humans that wandered through their domain. They were not remotely tame, but they seemed fond of Rei and often brought her trinkets lost by visitors. One of the birds was perched on a tree root, snitching grains of rice from a bento lunchbox sitting on the ground. Makoto was nearby, laying back in the soft grass and staring up at the sky.

"Feed the birds, tuppence a box," Minako sang as she approached. "Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a box!" The crow fluttered its wings a little before deciding she wasn't going to interrupt its meal.

"Hey, Mina, what's up?" Makoto said sleepily.

"Not much. You're losing your lunch, though."

"Naah, I was already done, he's just helping me with the leftovers. Mamoru walked by a minute ago, is everyone here today?" Makoto lived alone, but her little apartment was only where she slept and cooked. Given a choice, she preferred to spend her out-of-school time at a friend's house or somewhere pleasant and public like the Hikawa Shrine.

"It sure seems that way, but not quite. Mister Black and Harry are here to train with Mamoru and Rei's in the shrine, but I think Ami went to the library. Usagi's family left on their trip this morning, so she'll be gone til next week."

"Where was she going again?" Makoto asked with a yawn.

"Sendai, to visit her grandparents."

"That's right, I remember now. What about you, aren't your parents going anywhere this summer?"

Mina tilted her head back and shrugged. "They're already gone. Mum's in the Riviera, and Dad's in China to visit some factories. They both offered to take me along, but I told them I'd rather stay here with you guys."

"All by yourself, huh?"

She nodded. "For two whole weeks. Say, Mako-chan, why don't you come and stay with me for a few nights? We can stay up late, eat pizza, and watch cheesy movies!"

Makoto smiled and got up, stretching. "You mean we can stay up late and watch movies, and I can make pizza…" she teased good-naturedly.

Mina laughed. "My parents left me more than enough money to order a few pizzas, but if you feel like making it I'm not going to say no."

Makoto sighed and nodded with a smile. She probably was going to end up doing the cooking. It wasn't that her friends expected her to, really, just that they knew she liked to cook and they were all too happy to eat and shower her with praise for it. She liked the praise, but even more she liked seeing her friends happy. Happy, well-fed friends chased away the loneliness, even though Usagi and Rei tended to fight over cookies. With another stretch and a yawn, she caught the glances Minako was shooting at the shrine. "Why don't we get Rei to join us? She could probably use a sleepover or at least an evening away from here."

Minako grinned and grabbed her hand. "Great idea, let's go!" Stepping on the gas, she dragged Makoto toward the shrine. The crow cawed once, and then turned its attention back to finishing the lunchbox.

Inside the shrine, Rei was meditating and praying in front of the sacred flame. It was a warm place to be, especially in the summer, but Rei was never bothered by the heat of the fire. Being out in the sunshine made her sweat, but the fire never did. It was a contradiction she attributed to her Martian ancestry. Fire was her friend, ally, protector, and weapon. And today, like many days over the past few years, she was seeking its guidance.

Harry Potter troubled her. He was a polite young man, and her friends liked him. Ami was his sister, Rei could see the connection between them, tenuous but growing. Minako was thrilled to have a fellow Brit around and she'd always had a 'the more the merrier' outlook anyway. Makoto liked having a boy around that they didn't have to hide things from, but Rei had the irritating suspicion that she planned to practice her flirting skills on him. Usagi was the least-interested in the newcomer, probably because she already had a fourteen-year-old brother and didn't feel the need for another. She didn't seem to dislike Harry-kun, but since he wasn't officially part of the group yet she just didn't seem to have much of an opinion on him. Rei frowned. Sometimes it seemed like Usagi had gotten more self-centered in the last couple years rather than less. She was still open and friendly with her friends, but it seemed more and more like everyone outside of their circle was unimportant to her.

Harry Potter had nothing to do with that, but still there was something very wrong with him. There was an aura of evil hanging over him, centered on his scar, but it didn't seem to touch him directly. He wasn't a yoma, and he didn't seem to be a warrior of the Negaverse but she'd been fooled before. Jedite had even worked at her temple for a few days, back in the beginning, and she hadn't caught on until it was nearly too late. Worse, the evil presence seemed to be something alive. Even if it wasn't Harry, it was part of him and she had no way to be sure it wasn't either influencing him or waiting for the right moment to possess him. The Negaverse loved to possess people, to turn good into bad, light into darkness, to take a decent human being and force them to do horrible things. Sometimes they remembered what they had done afterwards, other times they didn't, but always there were consequences. Sometimes, if they got to the possessed person quickly, it was just a few lost minutes. Other times, a person awoke to discover that someone dear to them had been badly hurt.

Rei would not sit by and let that happen here, but before she could act she needed to know what she was facing. It didn't feel like a simple yoma possession, it was much too powerful for that. It could be an angry ghost, but it didn't seem quite like that either. Unfortunately, she didn't have a lot of resources to draw on for information. To most Shinto priests and shrine maidens, ghosts and demons were stories, and their cleansing rituals and blessing rites were more for comfort and peace of mind and tradition than for tangible benefit. To Rei and her grandfather, though, it was all too real. It probably had something to do with the Negaverse, but when there were real angry ghosts and evil spirits, they usually appeared in Rei's neighborhood. Fortunately, her power to cleanse, cure, and exorcise was a lot more real too. Some of it was her training, a lot of it was the power of Mars running through her veins, but if she knew what she was up against she could usually do something about it.

First, though, she had to know what she was facing, and the Sacred Fire hadn't been able to help much. Rei sighed. It was probably time to take a break for a day or two, get some fresh air and relax her mind. Even so, she'd have to keep an eye on this Harry Potter. And his guardian… When her friends came in to find her, Rei's cheeks were a little pink, but not from the fire.