Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Prince of Tennis!

...

...

Hari kept forgetting that she wasn't alone anymore.

She really needed to keep remembering that she had a family now and that they supported her. The last few days (since she first arrived really) had proven that. Nothing had scared them away and they kept pulling her close even when she pulled back.

Maybe Rinko was right. Maybe she was right when she told Hari to keep living and that was the way she would win. She was tired of letting Voldemort win. She was tired of letting the magical world win.

Why should she let them influence what she did or how she lived?

She had her family. She had her friends. She had Seiichi (at least she hoped she hadn't messed that up). So why should she let them take that away from her? She had left in order to find a place where she belonged and now that she had she was absolutely not going to just sit back and watch it go away.

She straightened a little as she stared at her reflection in the mirror and noticed how pale her skin had turned and the bags underneath her eyes. She looked tired and it was no wonder that her friends kept giving her concerned looks.

Well, enough of that now. She was not going to sit back and allow this to continue. She had pushed through at Hogwarts before, and she would do it again now. Because this was where she wanted to be, and this was worth fighting for.

"Hari-chan?" Ryoga looked at her from the door. "You okay?"

"Yes," Hari nodded. "I'm going to fight."

He smiled, "that's the girl I know. You'll be alright."

Hari smiled and allowed him to pull her into a hug.

"What about a day out with me tomorrow?" Ryoga asked. "It's a Saturday, so no school."

"I have to go to the shrine tomorrow to meet the monk," Hari said. "I need to learn how to close my mind."

Ryoga nodded and gave her a curious look. "That something that's normal in the magical world?"

Hari shrugged, "I don't know. We never learned about it while I was at school, but it might be something we learn more about in later years."

Ryoga nodded, "I see. Well, if you are busy then that's fine."

"Don't you have tennis sessions tomorrow?" Hari asked.

"A few," Ryoga said. "I was hoping you would come and help."

"Sorry," Hari said.

"That's fine," Ryoga smiled and ruffled her hair making her scowl at him.

"Don't mess with the hair," Hari scolded.

...

Hari was in bed when she heard Sirius' voice from the nightstand, and she blinked for a moment before she remembered the mirror. Right… she hadn't updated Sirius about the latest developments. A new wave of worries came over her as she reached for the mirror. Should she tell him?

"Hey Hari!" Sirius grinning face looked up at her from the mirror.

"Hey, Sirius," Hari said smiling softly. "You safe?"

"Of course," Sirius said. "Still with Remus."

Hari blinked and remembered that Sirius had told Remus about her. She had completely forgotten about that.

"Oh," Hari said. "Right."

Okay…what now?

"He wants to talk to you," Sirius said his smile dropping a little when her reaction was not what he had expected.

"Now?" Hari asked.

"If you are ready," Sirius said and looked at her, "you okay, Hari?"

Hari smiled a little.

"Just a lot going on lately," Hari admitted. "I'll be fine."

Sirius frowned, "what's wrong?"

"I'll tell you later," Hari said. "Is Remus there now?"

There was a pause and Hari wondered if Sirius would push her to talk now but then he sighed and nodded.

"Sure," he said. "Moony, come on."

There was movement and suddenly Remus' face was in the mirror. Hari realised that she hadn't seen him since before she was suspended from school and she thought he looked even more tired now than he had then.

"Hari," he said warmly and a little unsurely.

"Hey, professor," Hari said.

"Call me Remus, Hari," he said. "I'm not your professor anymore."

"Okay, Remus," Hari said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said. "Relieved to see you again. I was worried."

"Sorry," Hari said. "I just couldn't stay there anymore."

"I understand," Remus said and paused, and she saw him glancing to his side where Sirius was sitting or so she assumed. "Sirius explained everything to me, and I am so sorry that I wasn't more helpful when you were at Hogwarts. I should have seen that you weren't happy there."

Hari blinked surprised not having expected that. She wondered what Sirius had told him.

"Sirius said you promised to not go to Dumbledore," Hari said.

"I did," Remus nodded. "I realise that the Dumbledore who helped me never did the same for you. You have good reasons for not trusting him. You are more important than him anyway, so if this is what makes you happy then I support that."

Hari nodded and thought about the recent developments that she hadn't processed completely yet. She needed to think about it more before she voiced the growing suspicion in her mind.

"Okay," Hari said. "Thank you."

She knew she should tell them about what she had found out, but she couldn't bring herself to do so right now. She didn't want to ruin the first talk she had with Remus since Hogwarts by talking about Voldemort.

...

Hogwarts

...

Fred and George looked over at Ron who was in the middle of the room looking like he was having fun and for some reason the centre of attention. They exchanged looks.

"Hey, Hermione," George said joining the studious fourth-year girl at one the long study table.

"Hey," Hermione glanced up and saw the twins grinning at her. "What do you want?"

"Who says…"

"…we want…"

"anything?" they grinned together making Hermione sigh at the joint talk.

"Fine," she said looking away.

"You haven't been sitting with Ron a lot lately," Fred commented watching her closely.

"No," Hermione said without looking up.

"Why is that?" George asked.

Hermione shrugged, "busy."

The twins exchanged looks. "You sure that's all?"

"He hasn't asked me to join them," Hermione said looking up at them.

They frowned.

"The git," Fred said. "You want us to talk to him?"

"Because we will," George added.

"No," Hermione said. "I won't be his pity case."

She was more hurt than she would admit that he was ignoring her. It was like without Hari there they had nothing connecting them. He was always surrounded by others, and while Hermione found nothing wrong with that she just had hoped that he would remember her too.

"It's his loss," George said.

"Yeah, it is," Fred nodded.

Hermione smiled a little but didn't say anything. They leaned closer and lowered their voices.

"Have you talked with Hari lately?" they asked together.

Hermione glanced around and found that no one was close to them so she nodded.

"Yeah," Hermione said.

"How…"

"…is…"

"…she?" they asked.

Hermione glanced at them for a moment considering how much to tell. They had asked after Hari a few times since they started school again.

"She's struggling a bit," Hermione admitted.

They looked worried.

"What's wrong?" George asked.

"Just…" Hermione frowned. "It's not up to me to say. She is doing better, though."

They looked ready to protest but Hermione gave them a look.

"Hari is still Hari," Hermione said. "She still has things that refuse to let go of her and it is hard. That's all I will say, and you should respect that."

"Fine," Fred said. "But tell her that we miss her."

Hermione nodded.

"Maybe we can borrow your journal one day and write to her too," George suggested.

Hermione nodded. "I'm sure she'd like that."

George smiled.

...

Tokyo

...

Hari glanced at her phone wondering what she should do. She wanted to talk to Seiichi but how could she explain what had been going on? She owed him an apology but without talking about magic she wasn't sure how to explain.

Just because she had decided to fight and not stop living her life didn't mean that she had an answer to how to explain her recent behaviour without lying.

It was still complicated.

"Are you still here?" Rinko asked making Hari lookup. "You're going to the Shrine today, right?"

"Oh, is it that time already," Hari said.

"Are you still wondering what to tell Yukimura?" Rinko asked.

"Mm," Hari sighed. "I still don't want to lie to him."

"I understand," Rinko said. "You really care about him."

Hari nodded. "I do."

She knew she was blushing.

"I… I don't really know what I feel… it's a little scary," Hari admitted shyly.

Rinko smiled a little, "it's always a little scary and new at first. Just… remember that you're only 14 still and he's 15. You're both young."

Hari glanced at her and frowned a little, but she nodded.

"I should go," Hari said putting her phone in her pocket. She would find out what to say later.

She felt the nerves returning too because she wasn't sure what to expect from the monk. He had said she would learn how to close her mind, but she didn't know how that would be possible or what she was expected to do. But she had to do it and if that would help then she would give it her all.

For her family.

...

"Hey," a teenage boy said politely.

Hari looked over and saw a boy with a buzzcut and in a monk-outfit in red standing there watching her.

"Hey…" Hari said unsurely.

"I'm Arata," the boy said. "I'm going to guide you to where sensei is."

Hari eyed him for a moment before she nodded.

"Nice to meet you," Hari said. "I'm Hari."

He nodded and turned around and she followed him deeper into the shrine. She was again surprised by how large the shrine really was. It was like new areas became visible for her as she walked, but she guessed it had something to do with magic.

"You are here," the monk said. "Good."

Hari nodded and swallowed. "Yes."

"Arata will be with us because you need to learn to trust him too," the monk said, and Hari glanced over at the boy who had a blank expression on his face. He didn't reveal anything as he watched them.

"Okay," Hari said. "Um…what should I call you?"

The monk allowed a small smile.

"You can call me sensei," he said.

"Okay, sensei," Hari said.

She waited for him to start feeling nervous again and wished she had someone with her. She had considered asking but then she thought that she should have to face it alone. While she was accepting that she had more help, she knew that she couldn't hide behind them either.

"Please sit down," the monk said, and Hari sat down on the rock that looked like a seat of sorts with flowers around it when he nodded toward it. "As I told you I want you to learn how to close your mind. It is important in fighting his presence in your mind."

Hari flinched a little at the reminder (not that she really needed one) but she nodded to show she understood.

"It is not something that will be easy to learn nor is it flashy magic," the monk said. "It has a lot to do with self-control and awareness."

"How so?" Hari asked.

"Your mind and your emotions are heavily tied together," the monk explained. "The better control you have over your emotions the better control you will have over your mind. It is about the balance between your mind and your emotions."

Hari frowned because that sounded both vague and difficult.

"I don't understand," Hari admitted.

"You will," the monk said. "I want you to meditate for a while."

"Meditate?" Hari grimaced. That meant she had to sit still, right?

"Yes," the monk said. "I want you to sit there and try to just focus on your breathing. When you feel your mind wander, turn your attention back to your breathing and keep doing it. Try to not allow your mind to wander and just sit still."

Hari almost groaned because she didn't know she had it in her to just sit still. Okay, she could when she was in deep thought, but now he told her to not think? Did he have any idea how difficult that was?

But she nodded.

"I suggest you close your eyes as well," the monk advised. "It will help."

...

Arata watched Hari as she closed her eyes and started to meditate. He knew how difficult it was when you first had to learn. He still found it challenging even with all the years he had been doing it.

He was curious about her because he normally never had contact with other teens. While she was a few years younger than himself she was still the one closest to his age here. He had practically grown up in the shrine since his parents died and the monk (funny how he always just called him the monk) had taken him in as his apprentice.

He never missed going out to learn magic in other places. This was his home and the place he belonged to. It called to him. The spirits and natural magic were something that brought him comfort and a feeling of meaning.

That didn't mean that he wondered how it was to have friends…

"You're thinking," he said when he noticed her fidgeting again.

Hari opened her eyes and looked over at him with a scowl.

"Yeah? Well… it's difficult!" Hari defended.

"You need to focus on your breathing like sensei said," Arata said. "Just focus on that and it will become a habit."

Hari frowned, "I try, but my mind keeps wandering…"

"You need to be more disciplined," Arata said.

She scowled at him.

"Fine," she said frustrated and closed her eyes again.

Arata knew it was difficult to manage and she wouldn't get it in just one afternoon, but he also knew that she didn't have much time. From what the monk had said she needed to learn quickly for her own protection.

...

Seiichi felt like the whole world was turned upside down and everything he thought he knew was suddenly not so certain anymore. Magic was real and there were hidden societies all over the world and things he had seen as stories and myths were suddenly real.

It was a lot to process.

Then there was the remark from Akiyama before he left… Seiichi couldn't shake it off and he was sure that the older man was giving him a very clear hint and nudge, but it was almost too much to process on top of everything else.

Akiyama lingered behind for a moment when Seo left the room leaving him on his own with Seiichi for some reason. Seiichi was about to follow his parents outside to see Seo off thinking that the other man would follow when he spoke.

"Magic…" Akiyama said making Seiichi pause. "A lot of magical users live away from non-magical people, but that is not always the case."

Seiichi frowned at the man because he couldn't tell what he was trying to say. Akiyama smiled a little as he watched Seiichi with something he couldn't read in his eyes.

"Sometimes you find those who chose to stay closer to the non-magical world," Akiyama said again, "but there are always ways to tell."

He emphasised the last word as he gave Seiichi a look.

"Signs, you know, if you know what to look for," Akiyama said as he walked to the door leading out of the living room before he paused. "I'm not saying anything really. Just thinking out loud here… but you'll find that owls are very common in our world. They're handy to deliver mail and good friends too at times. Yeah… good friends."

He blinked and smiled a little as he gave Seiichi another look before leaving.

Seiichi had thought about that a lot since the day before. He thought about Hedwig and Hari and how she had used Hedwig as a way to deliver a letter to Hana.

Did that mean that Hari also was magical?

Akiyama had hinted at something, but Seiichi couldn't be sure. What if it wasn't what he was trying to get to and he asked Hari to find that she had no idea what he was talking about?

But then again, he had never heard of anyone having an owl as a pet before. Other birds, sure, but not owls. Owls were normally nocturnal, and he wouldn't think it was normal as a pet, and from what he had seen Hedwig didn't act like one would expect owls to act. He remembered how she had come and warned Hari that Nanjiro was coming out… He had thought it strange then, but Hari had not acted like it was unusual.

He frowned a little as he realised that he knew very little about Hari's past schooling really. She was always vague when she talked about it, and while she did talk about it, she always seemed to be careful when she did. If she was hiding the fact that it was a magic school, then it would make sense…

But he couldn't be completely sure.

What if he was wrong and that Akiyama wasn't hinting at Hari being a witch. If he were then that would mean that he knew Hari, right?

What had him hesitating the most was the fact that she was attending Seigaku. Seigaku was a normal school, but she should have been at a magic school, right?

Yet… Akiyama had said that sometimes people chose to stay in the non-magical world. Had Hari done that? But why…?

He was almost certain that Hari was magical like Hana, but how could he bring that up with her out of nowhere?

Hey, are you a witch? Because I heard owls were common for witches and wizards…

Yeah, that sounded lame and too out there to just randomly ask someone. He sighed.

But before he could ask her anything, he needed to get her to talk to him.

"Are you ready, Seiichi?" Sora asked.

Seiichi nodded and followed his mother out of the house, waving goodbye to his aunt who waved back, and to the car. They were going to the magical district in Tokyo because Akiyama and Seo had both recommended they went to see and get some stuff for Hana so she could prepare.

It would be exciting to see the magical district and slightly overwhelming thinking that it had been there all the time just hidden. A part of the world hidden from view and now suddenly opened to him and his family.

...

"You found it okay?" Akiyama asked with a friendly smile when they met him at the place they had agreed on. He looked more casual today but still stood out from what Seiichi knew as normal.

"Yes," Kouki said. "It was no problem."

Akiyama smiled.

"Good," he said. "Only Hana-chan should be able to see what is behind me, but we will help you through."

"It's pretty," Hana said staring at something Seiichi couldn't see.

Akiyama helped them into the shrine that suddenly became visible for them as he guided them through the torii gate.

Seiichi blinked as he looked around taking it in and smiled a little as he took in all the flowers. He wished he had time to go and look at them because he could already tell that some of them were unfamiliar to him. Yet, he forced himself to remain standing with his parents and sister who was also looking around in awe.

"It's always something to see it for the first time," Akiyama smiled as he started to guide them along the path. "The entrance to the magical district is over here.

"Look! Sei-nii-chan!" Hana said pointing to a flower. "It's glowing!"

"It is," Seiichi said stunned.

"It's pretty," Hana said, and Seiichi could only nod.

He missed Hari. It was strange but being here made him miss her even more and worry for the lack of contact hit him again. Was she okay? She still hadn't picked up the phone and while he was feeling…hurt and annoyed he was also worried because something inside of him told him that there was something wrong.

He remembered taking her to the botanical garden and how she loved it almost as much as he did. He wished he could bring her here and let her see this… and maybe they could if it was true that she was a witch. He glanced at Akiyama who was talking with his parents and wondered if he should ask more about what he had meant the day before.

He stopped when he noticed that Hana had stopped.

"Hana-chan?" Seiichi called making his parents and Akiyama pause as well as they turned to them in question.

Hana was staring at something to her right and Seiichi just now noticed another pathway leading away from where they were. He was about to call for her again when Hana beamed.

"Hari-nee-chan!" Hana yelled excitedly and started to run.

Seiichi blinked and looked toward where Hana was running and saw Hari turning around in surprise as she heard someone calling for her. Seiichi her mouth pop open in shock and her eyes widen as she noticed Hana coming running toward her. He then noticed the teenage boy beside her dressed in what resembled a monk's outfit.

...

Hari was frustrated because she just couldn't do it.

She tried to focus on her breathing like the monk and Arata kept telling her, and she did it for a while. Then her mind suddenly drifted away, and she didn't even notice until Arata interrupted her and told her to focus.

She wanted to scream.

"That's enough for now," the monk finally said. "You did well for your first try."

Hari frowned and he seemed to notice her frustration.

"Patience is important," the monk said. "I want you to practice at home. Try to focus on your breathing before going to bed. Let your mind rest and use the time to centre yourself while focusing on just breathing in and out."

"Why?" Hari asked. "What's so important about that? How will that help?"

"It is the first step to learn how to recognize the spiritual magic around you," the monk said. "You need to connect to the magic around you and allow it to help protect your mind. You will need to build up defences that will shield your mind from outside threats."

She felt confused and couldn't quite understand what he was saying, but she nodded knowing better than to ask more. She had a feeling she would only end up more confused.

"Take a walk in the shrine before you leave," the monk suggested. "The more you are here the more you will soak up the magic that is in this place. It will help you along the way."

"Thank you, sensei," Hari said bowing politely to the monk.

He nodded and walked away.

Arata watched her and she blinked confused.

"Mind if I join you in your walk," Arata asked.

Hari shrugged, "if you want to."

He stood and started to walk beside her.

"The peace here is comforting," Arata said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah," Hari agreed having noticed that as well. Her magic felt… more relaxed here.

They walked in silence and Hari paused to look at some flowers here and there while Arata watched her with curious eyes that he hid pretty well behind an aloof front.

She had just turned to observe another flower when she heard someone call her name and she felt herself stiffen in surprise at the familiar voice.

...

"Hari-nee-chan!"

She spun around and saw Hana coming running toward her and her mind stopped.

Suddenly the younger girl was attached around her waist and Hari blinked a couple of times looking down at the girl who shouldn't be there…why was she there? How could she be there? This was…

"Hari-nee-chan! You are here!" Hana said cheerfully making Hari aware that she was talking and still hugging her. "The man said I couldn't tell you, but you are here, and he said that this place was special so that must mean that you know, too!"

Hari shook herself trying to get her mind to work again as she looked at Hana who was beaming up at her.

"I…" Hari said and suddenly looked up when she felt someone watching her and saw Seiichi.

Seiichi was watching her with a searching look in his violet-blue eyes and she saw hurt and worry in his eyes making her fight a flinch.

Seiichi was here.

…he was here.

Here.

"Hari-chan," he said softly.

"Sei-chan," Hari said, her throat dry.

"Hari-chan," Sora said, and Hari glanced over and saw Seiichi's parents smiling at her and… Akiyama Shotaro was there smiling as well with a pleased look in his eyes as he glanced between her and Seiichi.

"Um…hey," Hari said lamely.

"Echizen-san," Akiyama smiled. "What a surprise to find you here."

"Akiyama-san," Hari said.

"So, you did know that Hari-chan was a witch yesterday," Seiichi said looking over at Akiyama who smiled but didn't say anything.

Hari knew they must know about magic since they were there but hearing Seiichi actually calling her a witch made it real and she wanted to run because this was all too much.

She forced herself to stay because she knew she wouldn't solve anything by running and she still had a five-year-old attacked to her waist.

"I'm confused," Hari sighed.

"I'm a witch too!" Hana exclaimed happily and Hari glanced down at her and was a little stunned at the happy smile. Had she smiled like that when she learned that she was a witch? Hari couldn't remember.

"I see," Hari said forcing a smile. "You happy about that?"

"Yes! It is awesome! They came yesterday and told me," Hana said. "I wanted to tell you because I knew you would like it too, but Seo-san told me that I couldn't."

She pouted.

"There are laws," Hari nodded and placed a hand on top of Hana's head making her smile up at her. "But I'm glad you wanted to tell me."

"But what are you doing here?" Hana asked. "Are you going to the magical district too?"

Hari glanced at Seiichi who wasn't saying anything but was just watching her and she felt her guilt return for full again but she forced herself to look away from her boyfriend and back at Hana. (å

"I'm here to learn somethings from Arata-kun and the monk who works here," Hari said. "They agreed to help me out with something."

Hana nodded and looked over at Arata who had been watching silently.

"Friends of yours, Hari-san," Arata spoke up.

"Yes," Hari said. "Um… my boyfriend Yukimura Seiichi and his family. This young lady is Hana-chan and his parents, Yukimura Sora and Yukimura Kouki."

"Nice to meet you," Arata said. "I'm Arata."

Seiichi glanced at him before looking back at Hari.

"Hari-chan, can we talk for a moment," Seiichi asked.

"Yes," Hari said knowing she couldn't run from it nor postpone it anymore.

Akiyama glanced at them for a moment before he nodded. "We can wait five minutes."

...

"Why haven't you answered your phone," Seiichi asked as soon as they had stepped away from the others. "I thought we agreed that we would at least tell the other if we needed space."

Hari looked down and bit her lips as she wished she had acted differently. Why had she been such an idiot? She should have…

"I'm sorry," Hari said quietly. "I know…. I know I messed up… I just… A lot has happened and… I…"

She trailed off not knowing how to explain.

"You could have told me that," Seiichi pointed out. "I worried! You ignored me!"

Hari flinched.

"I know," she whispered. "I just… I didn't want to lie to you, but I couldn't tell you the truth either."

He looked at her.

"It has something to do with magic," he guessed.

"Yes," Hari said. "Mostly, at least. I didn't mean to ignore you, Sei-chan. I promise. I am really sorry. I just… I can't explain it all now because it will take too long, and…"

He sighed, "you don't want to break up with me?"

Hari stared at him wide eyed.

"No!" she said quickly. "No, of course not! I don't want that! I…"

"Okay," he said and reached out to push a strand of her hair out of her face making her sigh in relief because he was smiling like he normally did. Maybe she hadn't messed up too badly. "Then we'll talk. I won't pretend that it doesn't hurt, but I will wait to hear your explanation."

Hari nodded and tried to smile back at him.

"Let's go back to the others," Seiichi said.

"Okay," Hari agreed.

...

"Can you come with us?" Hana asked as soon as they came back.

Hari noticed that Arata had left and felt a little bad for not thanking him for his help. She promised herself that she would do that next time.

"Um…" Hari frowned.

"You are welcome to come with us if you want," Sora said kindly. "I must say that I am surprised to see you here, Hari-chan."

"I'm surprised too," Hari admitted. "But…"

She glanced at Akiyama who knew why she hesitated, and he smiled reassuringly at her. She wanted to come, but at the same time, she didn't. While she would love to get to see Hana's reaction to magic (and Seiichi's), she knew it was a risk. She had only been to the magical district once before.

"You decide what you want," Akiyama said. "Are you finished here for the day?"

"I am," Hari admitted, "but… I don't know…"

"I understand," Akiyama said. "But you don't need to avoid the magical district. There are ways to keep it safe."

Seiichi glanced at him quickly with a frown before looking at Hari who looked conflicted. There was something more going on here and he wondered what. Hari was biting down on her lip again.

"Please, Hari-nee-chan!" Hana pleaded. "I want you to come too! You can tell me more about magic!"

Hari looked at her and felt her resistance crumble at the pleading eyes and thought that it should be illegal for Hana to look so cute.

"Fine," Hari said wondering if she would regret it. "I'll come."

She hoped she wasn't making a mistake.

...

Seiichi looked over at Hari and noticed that she was placing a black baseball cap on her head and seemed to be adjusting it so it was covering her forehead and shadowed her face. He blinked because he didn't think that she normally liked wearing one.

"Ready?" Akiyama asked and Seiichi noticed how he glanced at Hari who nodded.

Hari inhaled before she followed them through the archway and heard the delighted gasp from Hana as she looked around with wide eyes. She watched how they all took in their first impressions of the magical districts. The blend of modern and traditional with magical signs that moved and noises that all gave the impression of something more.

"Woah!" Hana said. "The colours are pretty!"

She was twirling around as she took it all in with childlike awe and Hari couldn't help but watch her.

"Hana-chan, don't run off!" Kouki said quickly as he grabbed for his daughter who was about to run toward something. He grabbed her hand and followed along in order not to lose track of her. They all followed as they looked around and walked past shop windows with items at display catching their attention.

"Look at that!" Hana pointed to brooms that were displayed in a window.

"Is that a broom?" Sora asked surprised.

"Yes, they are used mostly for our sport," Akiyama explained.

"What sport?" Seiichi asked.

"Quidditch," Hari said making Seiichi look at her.

"Oh? Is it fun?" Seiichi asked.

Akiyama glanced at her as well.

"Yes, I like it," Hari shrugged.

"You play?" Akiyama asked.

"I used to," Hari nodded. "I joined the team my first year."

"Impressive," Akiyama said.

Hana smiled, "can you teach me?"

"I can tell you more about it," Hari agreed, "but I think you need to get a little older to actually play because it is not easy or safe to play before you know how to fly properly."

"Okay," Hana said.

Seiichi reached over and took her hand in his making Hari glance at him. She felt something inside of her warm and relax as he smiled and squeezed her hand. She knew they would need to talk more about what had happened and that he hadn't forgotten it, nor would he ignore it and pretend that she hadn't just ignored him for days. But he was willing to wait and hear her explanation, and that meant a lot to her. Now she just had to figure out what to actually tell him.

...

"I will come with you to Gringotts," Akiyama said. "Then I have to get back to the Ministry."

"That's fine," Kouki said. "We appreciate you taking the time to show us how to get here and steer us in the right direction."

Akiyama smiled, "my pleasure. I always enjoy seeing the first reaction to magic."

Hari was quiet as she watched Hana again. She was still looking around with awe and eagerness. Hari couldn't help but wonder if she had looked like that when Hagrid had brought her to Diagon Alley for the first time.

Had she felt the same awe, the same wonderment seeing magic for the first time as Hana did? Had she had the same anticipation in her very being like Hana? She could practically feel it rolling off the little girl as she was led into the bank and heard Akiyama talking but wasn't really paying him any attention knowing he was probably explaining about the bank and the goblins.

She hadn't thought about how she had felt that day she had learned about magic in a long time. She felt like she had been a completely different person back then. Magic had brought her hope, hope that she would find a place where she belonged. Away from her family that didn't love her.

Now… she was wondering how much she had changed in four short years. She didn't feel the same way anymore, but she suddenly missed it. Looking at Hana… she missed the way she used to look at magic.

She was pulled out of her thought when she felt a small hand take hers and someone pressing close to her. She looked down and saw Hana looking around a little worriedly.

"Hana-chan?" Hari asked softly.

"Scary," Hana whispered.

Hari was a little surprised Hana had gone to her when she was scared when her parents were just there and Seiichi was beside her also looking around a little stunned.

Hari turned slightly and crunched down so she was on Hana's level gently pushing the girl a little away from her but kept her hands on Hana's shoulders.

"What is?" Hari asked even if she knew.

"They are," Hana eyed the goblins who were running around behind the counters or sitting in their seats while people were mingling around waiting their turn.

"They won't hurt you," Hari smiled gently. "They're goblins and they run the bank. They are a little fierce, but they are very good at what they do."

"Okay," Hana whispered. "Will you hold my hand?"

"If you want," Hari smiled.

Hari got up again and noticed that Seiichi and his parents and Akiyama was watching them with smiles. Akiyama had a curious look on his face but didn't say anything.

...

They finished in the bank quickly enough without incident and was out in the fresh air again. Hari knew the goblin had known who she was, but he hadn't said anything. She hadn't been too worried knowing that they didn't really care about what they called wizarding business.

"Echizen-san," Akiyama said making her aware that she had drifted off in thought again and the older man was suddenly in front of her.

"Akiyama-san," Hari said.

"Will you be okay on your own now?" he asked.

Hari shrugged, "I should."

"I know you don't want to be found," he said quietly. "I understand that, but magic isn't something bad. It is a part of you."

Hari frowned at him before she nodded.

"Keep the cap on and you should be fine," Akiyama smiled. "And you should think about letting them know who you are before they find out. While they don't know yet, they are bound to find out soon because your information is in a lot of introduction books of the magical world."

Hari sighed but nodded in understanding. She had already realised that she would need to let them know even if she really didn't want to. But it was not safe to not say anything if she didn't want to be found. They might let something slip without meaning too or knowing that they shouldn't.

Akiyama turned away from her and she knew their conversation had been private and she saw Seiichi's curious look. She smiled a little and shrugged.

Akiyama excused himself and told them to contact him if they had any more questions and that there was an office by the entrance that offered help for newcomers if they needed it.

Hari wondered if they had something like that in London because it sounded like a good idea.

...

"Where to now," Sora asked looking around. "I will admit that I am a little overwhelmed."

"I think some food might be good about now," Kouki said. "What do you think?"

He looked at them all.

"I'm hungry," Hana said while Seiichi nodded.

"Hari-chan?" Sora asked.

"Food would be good," Hari smiled a little. She hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast and that was a while ago.

They found a small restaurant and got shown to a table. Hari kept her cap on even though they were inside, but she knew better than to take it off.

They ordered food from a young woman who had shown them their table.

"Woah," Seiichi said when their glasses with drinks appeared on their table out of nothing.

"It just showed up!" Hana exclaimed clapping her hands.

Hari chuckled unable to stop herself as she took in the wonder.

"Magic is good like that," Hari said.

"You've seen this before, I take it," Kouki said.

"Every day I was at school," Hari shrugged, "it's how the food and drinks appeared in the great hall at every meal."

"You went to magic school?" Sora asked.

"Mm," Hari nodded picking up her glass to have something to focus on. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"The boarding school you mentioned," Seiichi guessed.

"Yeah, couldn't tell you more than that," Hari said glancing at him. "I wanted to, but the laws…"

"I understand," Seiichi smiled. "Seo-san and Akiyama-san explained it to us yesterday when they told us about magic."

Hari nodded in understanding.

"But you don't go there anymore," Kouki said looking at her.

"No," Hari said looking at the table. "I don't. I will tell you more about it later, but right now… it's not the time."

They exchanged a look but nodded in agreement.

"I can't wait until I get to start learning magic," Hana said just as the food appeared. It wasn't so much of a shock this time even though they did blink at the sudden appearance.

"I wonder what you will learn," Seiichi smiled at his sister.

"Hari-nee-chan?" Hana looked at her. "What will I learn?"

Hari blinked because suddenly she picked up on the nee-chan Hana used when addressing her. She felt stunned for a moment wondering when she had started to call her like that. She blinked again trying to shake herself out of it and answer the question.

"Um… it is different here," Hari said. "I didn't start magic school until I was 11. We don't start when we're seven like you do here."

"You don't?" Seiichi asked curiously. "Why?"

"I don't know," Hari said. "Hermione would probably know because she knows things like that, but I never really found out. I just learned when I arrived here."

"Your friend we met this summer, right?" Sora asked.

"Yes," Hari said. "She and the others are at Hogwarts now."

Seiichi glanced at her but didn't say anything.

"Did you know about magic before you started Hogwarts?" Hana asked. "Or was you like me?"

Hari chewed her food for a moment before swallowing thinking.

"I learned about magic on my 11th birthday," Hari said quietly. "My aunt and uncle never told me about it."

"They knew?" Sora asked confused.

"Yes," Hari shrugged trying to seem uncaring. "I'm not a muggleborn, Hana-chan. But I never knew about magic until I started Hogwarts."

"I don't really understand all of the titles," Kouki admitted. "They talked about it, but it was a lot of information."

Hari was quiet for a moment thinking about how to explain it.

"Well," Hari said slowly. "You have what they call a pure-blood, half-blood and muggleborn, but also squibs."

"Sounds confusing," Sora said.

"It is and it isn't," Hari said. "A pure-blood is someone who only has magical ancestors, though you can trace almost all pure-blood families back to some non-magical relatives if you go far enough."

"I see," Kouki said.

"While a half-blood is someone who has either a muggle or muggleborn parent or grandparents," Hari said. "Muggleborn is like you know someone born to non-magical parents."

"What about squibs?" Seiichi asked.

"The opposite of muggleborn," Hari said. "It's someone born without magic to magical parents."

"That must be rough," Sora said sympathetically.

Hari nodded.

"What are you then?" Hana asked curiously.

"I'm a half-blood," Hari said with a small smile. "My dad was a pure-blood while my mum was a muggleborn."

"You explained that very well," Kouki said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Hari said trying to smile and hid the conflicted emotions she felt as a small flicker of trepidation filled her before she did her best to push it away.

...

Seiichi kept glancing over at Hari as they walked down the streets in a slow pace given how often Hana paused to look at some things that caught her attention. He couldn't help but notice how tense Hari appeared and she seemed to stop herself from glancing over her shoulder. He couldn't understand it.

Yet, she seemed curious too as she watched Hana and them. It was like she was searching for something, and sometimes she got a nostalgic and almost sad look on her face that had him wanting to hug her.

She answered questions they had, but he noticed that she seemed a little uncomfortable at times as she explained more about the magical world.

"Ah, a book shop," Sora said. "Let's go there."

"Okay," Hana said. "Can I buy some books?"

"We'll see," Sora smiled down at her daughter.

They entered the book shop and Hari was feeling antsier and antsier. She felt exposed, and she wanted to run. But she forced herself to stay and smile and try to just act normal. She didn't want them to think she was crazy or something.

"I think I want a book too," Seiichi said thoughtfully.

"Mm," Hari murmured as she walked along the shelves looking at the spines of the books. She saw Hana and her parents talking with the shopkeeper smiling as they did. Her eyes rested on Hana again and wondered… was it possible to find her own joy in magic again?

"You okay?" Seiichi asked startling Hari not having noticed that he followed behind her.

"Sorry," Hari said with a sheepish smile. "I'm…fine."

He looked at her for a moment and frowned.

"No," he said. "You're not. If you didn't want to come, then you could have told us."

Hari opened her mouth to protest but he kept talking.

"I know we put you on the spot," Seiichi said, "I'm sorry about that. If you want to leave then I'll tell my parents. I don't know what's wrong with you, but something is obviously wrong. I just wish you would talk to me. If we're going to be in a relationship then we need to trust each other, Hari-chan. If you don't trust me…"

Hari swallowed thickly as she saw the hurt in his eyes. She knew that their short talk before at the shrine wasn't enough, and she knew that he was still upset. She knew, but it still felt like he punched the air out of her just by his words. A new wave of guilt washed over her.

"I trust you," Hari said. "I do, Sei-chan. I just… I don't handle magic very well. There are reasons why I left and why I am attending a muggle school. I can't talk about it here, but I will try to explain it to you soon, okay? And I did want to come… I do want to be here. I want to see your reactions to magic, but it…it is hard for me."

Seiichi looked worried now.

"Hari-chan…" he said but trailed off obviously not knowing what to say.

"Can we just keep going today like this?" Hari asked. "I know I don't deserve it, but I just can't…"

He looked at her and nodded, "okay."

Hari smiled relieved and reached for his hand and was rewarded with a smile and his hand closing around hers. He seemed happy that she was there with them, and if he was happy then she was ready to take the risk. He was worth it.

...

...

AN: What do you think? XD

So, I ended up deciding that I didn't want to drag out the whole 'finding-out-the-other-knows-about-magic-thing' between Seiichi and Hari. It's something that has been between them for a while already. And I wanted Hari to be with them to see their first reactions to magic, and have that also help her remember a time where she found it new and exciting. Of course, Hari and Seiichi still have a lot to talk about. XD

Hope you liked the chapter! Thank you for reading and for your support! XD