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

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England, London

...

Sirius was nervously walking back and forth in the rented room that he was currently waiting in. He felt like a sitting duck, but at the same time he felt hope for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Will you sit down, Padfoot?" Remus sighed. "You're making my head spin."

Sirius turned to stare at Remus, "how can you be so calm?!"

Remus gave him an almost pitying look making Sirius scowl at his friend.

"I'm not calm," Remus denied. "But it won't help to wear a hole in the floor either."

SIrius grumbled something, but he sat down in a rather comfortable chair.

"What if they refuse to listen?" Sirius finally asked. "Madam Bones is just one person, she might not be able to convince the others to do the right thing."

"She has the proof she needs," Remus pointed out. "She has the statements made under veritaserum, as well as the memories we provided. She also has the statements from Ron and Hermione."

Sirius nodded and allowed Remus to calm him down in away that his old friend only could.

"Fine," Sirius said, "I'm just worried. I want to go to Hari. It's almost time for…"

He trailed off, but Remus knew what he was about to say. The ritual. When they could lose her, both men refused to allow that thought to take root. She would make it.

"I know," Remus said quietly. "Mr Willis will be here soon, and they will let us know what their verdict is."

They were lucky that Madam Bones had arranged for the trial to be held quickly, and despite the papers having found out about the trial she had managed to spare them from having to deal with them. At least for now.

Sirius had agreed to come in after she had made a magical oath to reassure him that he would be given a fair trial and not be shipped back to Azkaban without a say so. She promised that it was not a trap, and while Sirius was apprehensive to believe her he knew he had to take the risk. For Hari.

His nerves felt like they were fried. They sat in silence for a while trying to not stare at the door where they would be called back in. Sirius knew that his lawyer would be back to let them know when the Wizengamot had reached their verdict.

They both tried to not think about how Sirius could be sent back to Azkaban, and what that would mean. They had made an exit plan, but hopefully that would not be necessary.

"It's time to come back," Rick Willis said as he opened the door. "They have reached a verdict."

...

Japan, Tokyo

...

Nanjiro leaned back in the sofa as he frowned.

"What's wrong, dear?" Rinko asked making him look to his side and found her standing there watching him.

"The old hag just called," Nanjiro said ignoring Rinko who rolled her eyes, "the finals are postponed for three days."

"Oh," Rinko said. "That means…"

"That the ritual will be the day after the final," Nanjiro said with a sigh.

"How was she today?" Rinko asked. "Did she have any trouble?"

"No, not that I could tell," Nanjiro said. "She didn't play, though. I think she might have had a moment where her control slipped, but she managed to get it back without much trouble."

"I see," Rinko said. "Hopefully she will be fine to play in the final."

"Do you think she should play?" Nanjiro ask. "Or should we tell her to stop?"

Nanjiro grimaced a little as he asked, but it was something he had been thinking about for a while. He worried that she was pushing herself too much, and that this would be what pushed her over the edge. He didn't like the idea, though.

"I think she needs this," Rinko said. "It offers her a distraction, some normality in a difficult time. Dear, I know it is tempting to just keep her home and shield her from everything, but we can't. And she wouldn't let us do that, you know that."

Nanjiro sighed as he nodded.

"I know," he said. "I just want her to be happy."

"We all want that," Rinko agreed.

...

"Our match against Rikkai Dai has been postponed for three days due to circumstances at the court," Tezuka said. "However, let's not get care-…"

"CHEERS!"

"Let's dig in!"

"Hey, Ochibi! You want some?"

Hari felt a little bad for Tezuka who was cut off and looked a little miffed about it as he sat down opposite her and Fuji. Fuji smiled kindly at Tezuka.

"Isn't this okay? Today we're celebrating advancing to the finals," Fuji said.

"Yeah! So tonight, let's leave all that strict stuff out!" Kikumaru said before happily munching on the meat.

"Yakiniku, huh," Hari said looking at the small meat pieces on the grill. "I have never had this before."

"You haven't?" Fuji asked curiously. "Then you've been missing out."

"Oh? Well, let's see," Hari said as she used her chopsticks to take a piece of the meat from the grill and dipped it into the sauce before popping it into her mouth. She felt her eyes widen as the flavors hit her. "Oh, this is good."

She ignored Fuji's smug smile as she reached for more meat.

"Ochibi, you haven't been using the dipping sauce," Kikumaru said, making Hari look over to see Ryoma just dip the meat in salt.

"It tastes better with just salt, after all," Ryoma said.

Hari snorted but blinked surprised when Kikumaru seemed annoyed and waved his chopstick at Ryoma.

"You're too sassy for a mere shorty!"

Hari shook her head as she continued to eat but jumped when the sound of dishes being pushed off the table interrupted her again.

"The hell did you say?!" Momoshiro yelled. "A real man would splash around in the sauce!"

"Shut the hell up!" Kaido yelled back as Momoshiro grabbed his shirt to shake him. "If I say it's better with salt, then salt it is!"

Hari groaned as the two argued again and got up walking over to them and knocked the two gently over the head.

"Behave you two," Hari frowned at them. "Remember that we are out in a public place and shouldn't break stuff. Who cares how you ate the meat? Just eat it the way you like…"

Momoshiro and Kaido blinked at her before letting go of each other and stepped back.

"Sorry;" the muttered.

...

"You okay?" Fuji asked looking at her as she sat back down and she nodded. She tried to ignore the searching look he gave her as she picked up her chopping sticks again.

She noticed that Oishi was twitching, but he remained silent as he focused on grilling the meat. He seemed to be very particular about it too.

"Does everyone have their own way to eat this?" Hari asked.

"Hm…" Fuji smiled. "You could say that. It can get…lively when discussing how to eat yakiniku."

"Hm," Hari frowned.

"You seem to have calmed everyone down, though," Fuji laughed making her blink and look around as everyone seemed to be a little calmer. "You're right, we should just eat it the way we want and not care about how everyone else eats it."

Hari laughed, "I see. Guess I snapped…"

She wasn't sure why she had interfered like that, though. Well, she would normally break up fights between Kaido and Momoshiro, but normally she would allow it to go on for a while, finding them amusing more often than not. But she felt…off. Any tension made her skin feel like it was itching and she felt restless. It was like her magic was vibrating just underneath her skin, and she couldn't handle the extra tension that had been building up all around her.

It was a rather new feeling, and Hari couldn't help but wonder why. It wasn't Voldemort or anything, but it reminded her a little of her lesson with the monk. Was she feeling the magic around her? Was that what made her feel the tension like that?

She sighed softly and shook her head trying to dispel the thoughts.

Ryoma looked over at Hari who was quiet as she ate and he frowned a little as he watched her. She seemed okay, but there was something else too. She looked like she was trying to figure something out, but she didn't look overly worried so he tried to push his own concerns back.

...

"Hari-chan!"

Hari blinked when she heard her name and blinked again when she realized that while she had been lost in thoughts the tennis team from Rokkaku, Shintehouji and Higa Middle School had arrived and now Kintaro was bouncing in front of her.

"Kintaro-kun," Hari said. "You're here."

"Yes! We wanted to eat meat as well!" Kintaro beamed. "Isn't that cool? It's really good, right?"

"It is," Hari agreed with a smile.

"We're staying to watch the finals," Kintaro said, almost bouncing in place. "Coach just told us we were allowed to stay!"

Hari bit back a smile as she nodded, "that's good, Kintaro-kun."

He grinned before he bounced off and much to Hari's amusement attached himself to Ryoma who stiffened and turned his head to glare at the hyper boy.

"Wonder if he has a death wish," Fuji commented calmly as he watched as Ryoma pushed Kintaro off himself who immediately pouted at Ryoma.

"Who knows," Hari sighed.

"He sure seems intrigued with you and your brother, Hari-chan," Shiraishi commented as he came over and smiled at her.

"So it seems," Hari said, forcing herself to be calm and not betray the slight apprehension she felt at the fact that Kintaro knew who she was. Though, she didn't really feel that worried about it anymore because so far Kintaro had yet to say anything about who she was and how he knew about her.

"Yukimura doesn't have a problem with it?" Shiraishi teased.

Hari gave him a look before she huffed, "of course not. Besides, Kintaro-kun isn't interested in me like that."

"I don't know…" Shiraishi smiled wider. "He sure does seek you out more than he ever does anyone…"

"And my brother;" Hari said looking pointedly over at Kintaro who were chatting a mile a minute at Ryoma who seemed resigned to the situation.

"True," Shiraishi laughed. "So, how are you, Hari-chan? Ready for the final against your boyfriend?"

"Sure," Hari said. "We're going to beat them again."

"Of course," Fuji agreed. "So, Toyama said you were staying to watch?"

"Mm," Shiraishi said. "Coach told us that we could if we wanted to. It's an excuse to stay in Tokyo for a while longer."

"Do you have plans to go sightseeing?" Hari asked.

"Maybe," Shiraishi laughed.

Hari became aware that the teams were all mixing together now, though the Higa team stayed mostly by themselves. She felt a little bad for wishing that they hadn't arrived. She didn't mind the other two teams, but she didn't like Higa.

...

"You're loud," a new voice interrupted and Hari turned to see Keigo standing in the doorway with his team right behind him.

"Keigo," Hari waved. "Didn't know that you guys were here as well."

"We were enjoying the yakiniku before the place became loud," Keigo said with a superior tone making Hari roll her eyes.

"Sure," she said. "Sorry about that."

Hari watched as Keigo swaggered over to her table and gave Shiraishi a look which was returned calmly and a little curiously. Hari moved a little so that Keigo could sit down beside her and with that Shiraishi sat down beside Tezuka who had been quiet during the conversations.

"Tezuka," Shiraishi greeted and Tezuka nodded back.

"Things sure turned lively," Fuji commented as he looked over the room.

"I suddenly envy Sei-chan who declined joining us," Hari said but she was smiling as she watched her friends having fun.

"Declined, did he?" Keigo asked.

"Well, Oishi invited him and his team to join us, but I think they found it weird to join us before a match," Hari shrugged. "I'm sure they are focused on how to beat us and take revenge for last time."

And she thought that Seiichi might think it would be weird if he joined them on his own, so he had just smiled and told them that they had plans. She accepted it, but she did miss him.

"Guess you have a point," Keigo agreed.

"Of course I do," Hari said before grinning at the annoyed look he gave her. "So, how are you doing, Keigo?"

She turned so she was fully focused on him and tuned out Fuji, Tezuka and Shiraishi who had started to discuss tennis.

"I'm fine," Keigo said leaning back a little as he watched her. "How are you? Are you still feeling sick?"

Hari grimaced slightly at the reminder of what had happened during their match and she realized that she still hadn't told Keigo what was going on. Should she tell him? Did she owe him that?

"I'm…better," she said before wincing when she caught the narrowed look he gave her.

"Hari-chan," Keigo started.

"I'm not sick," Hari said. "So, let's leave it at that, okay?"

She pleaded with him with her eyes willing him to see that she didn't want to, couldn't, talk about it right now. Not with so many people around them.

"Fine," Keigo allowed with a sigh. "As you wish."

Hari reached out and patted his arm lightly, "thank you."

He nodded.

...

"Let's have an eating competition!" Kikumaru declared in a microphone (who knew where he had found that). "An Rival-School-All-You-Can-Eat Yakiniku battle!"

Hari arched a brow as most of the others cheered in agreement and she almost winced as the excitement grew and it felt almost overpowering as she almost felt it like it was her own feelings…she gasped slightly as she reached out and grabbed the table as if to steady herself and closed her eyes for a moment before she suddenly stood up.

"Hari-chan?" Fuji asked turning to look at her.

"Bathroom," was all Hari said before heading to the bathroom in the back. She ignored the eyes she knew followed her as she entered the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

She made her way to the sink and leaned over it as she stared at herself in the mirror. She looked a little pale and she could tell that her forehead was covered in sweat, but other than that she didn't look too bad. Luckily. She didn't need to worry the others more than necessary.

"Come on," she whispered. "Get a grip. This is nothing…"

How was she supposed to control all the sensations she felt. She had never had this problem after a lesson with the monk before. Was it because he had pushed more? The sensation she'd felt back with the others were more muted now, but she could still make it out.

She focused on breathing in and out as she tried to focus on closing her mind and control herself. She felt her shield and it was stronger than she had felt in a while, so that was good. It was like she had more energy or something, or maybe it was more magic? Did she gain magic from the others? Was that what the monk had talked about? When he said that magic was all around them, linking them together?

But how was she supposed to control this?

She reached into her pocket and grabbed the protection charm that Arata had given her before she left the shrine this morning and pulled it out. She held onto it tightly as she closed her eyes and tried to focus.

"Breathe, Hari. Breathe. In and out… come on, in and out…" Hari mentally told herself over and over again.

She felt herself settle more and the sensation she'd felt was numbing down and her head felt clearer once more.

...

Hari joined the others again feeling like she had better control over herself again, but she felt tired. It had been a long day and she wished she could crawl into bed and sleep. Yet, she didn't want to miss out on time with her friends.

"I thought we were going to have an all we can eat eating competition?" Hari asked.

"We ended up deciding to not do it," Fuji smiled. "I think just keeping it like this is for the best."

Hari nodded, "true. Besides, just imagine the bill after all that meat…"

Fuji snorted, "good point."

She looked at Kikumaru who looked a little disappointed, but not too much. He was chatting with Oshitari who looked a little exasperated, but he was answering and contributing to the conversation.

"Jiro-kun," Hari said as she made her way over to where most of the Rokkaku team was seated together.

"Hari-chan," Saeki smiled.

"Hey, Hari-chan!" Aoi yelled excitedly.

"Loud," Kurobane sighed, but he smiled at Hari as well.

"How is Oji doing?" Hari asked.

"He's fine," Saeki smiled. "He's stronger than he looks."

"I bet," Hari agreed.

"Lively party," Saeki commented, making Hari laugh.

"Mm," she said. "I don't even know how things always turned out this way… This isn't even my fault…"

"Maybe not, but seems like you have friends on every team here," Saeki smiled. "Well, besides Higa…don't know why they are here."

Hari shrugged and looked over to where Higa was sitting. They were mostly by themselves, and she couldn't help but wonder why they were there.

"Who knows," Hari said.

"Your brother seems to have gained a new friend," Saeki said pulling her out of her thoughts about Higa and made her turn to where Kintaro had once more joined Ryoma.

"Ah, so it seems," Hari smiled. "Kintaro-kun is…excitable."

...

"I'm sorry."

Hari blinked and turned to see Kai from Higa standing behind her. She had stepped outside of the restaurant for a moment to get some fresh air and just get some time to herself.

"Eh?" Hari said dumbly as she stared at him. He shifted a little on his feet.

"I said I was sorry, okay!" he snapped.

He looked away and she noticed that his hands were fisted. She tilted her head as she considered him.

"About what exactly?" she finally asked.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "are you trying to be difficult?"

Hari stared at him for a moment before she sighed trying to push the tiredness away.

"No," Hari said. "I'm genuinely curious about what exactly you are sorry about. The way you played? The way your team targeted Oji and Coach Ryuzaki… your attitude…"

Kai snorted, "you think everyone should play like you?"

"No, but I would like to see everyone play a fair game," Hari said with a shrug. "Does a win feel as good if you win by using dirty tricks? I like playing and winning because I'm strong, not because I cheated."

Kai scowled, "I don't get it. You made me feel ashamed. No one does that."

Hari arched a brow, "then maybe there's hope for you yet, Kai-san. I can't tell you how to play or how to behave. You're responsible for your own actions."

"Whatever," Kai said as he turned around.

Hari sighed as she watched him go. She wasn't even sure what had happened, or if he was really genuine with his apology. She guessed it was a good thing that he even said he was sorry even if he couldn't quite say for what. Perhaps he would realise that the way they had played was wrong.

...

Hari fell down on her bed having come back from the shrine and another lesson with the monk. It was more of the same with meditating and opening to the magic around her. He had told her that the way she had felt the day before had been a side effect of their lessons. It wasn't meant to be pushed like this, so she would be more prone to feel overwhelmed.

It was even more to worry about.

She turned to her side as she reached for the journal wondering if Hermione had written to her. She briefly wondered whether Ron would have tried to apologize once more, not sure what she hoped for. She saw that a message from Hermione just appeared.

Hermione: Hey, Hari. How are you feeling? It's getting closer now, right? I wish I was there…

Hari: Hey, Hermione. Shouldn't you sleep? It's early for me, but it must be very late for you. But yeah, it is getting closer. Just three more days now… I…I am scared, Hermione. I wish you were here as well.

Hermione: I can't sleep. I kept thinking about you. Lavender and Parvati are sleeping, but I'm seated on the windowsill where we used to sit together to talk. Oh, Hari… I know you are scared, but you are so strong. You'll beat this.

Hari: I'm sorry, Hermione. And thank you, I will do my best. But… I'm so tired.

Hermione: Don't apologize, Hari! You're my best friend. Why are you tired? You're getting enough sleep, right?

Hari: I'm getting sleep, but I just don't feel rested. The monk says it's because my magic is fighting and preparing. So, I guess I will be tired.

Hermione: Oh. I see. Guess that makes sense.

Hari: Well , at least I'm not seeing into Voldemort's mind every night. So, I guess being tired is the preferable option.

Hermione: … I guess you're right. Aren't you in the middle of a tennis tournament?

Hari: The Nationals, yes. We're in the final again, it's in two days. The day before the ritual.

Hermione: Oh. Will you be able to play? Who are you meeting in the final?

Hari: I hope I'll be able to play, yes. I… I want to play. We're meeting Sei-chan and his team again.

Hermione: I hope you win! Good luck, Hari.

Hari: Thank you. We'll do our best. Sei-chan can play this time, so I'm not sure how we will beat them. But we'll do it.

Hermione: I'm sure you will. It's good that he's able to play again, though.

Hari: Yes. I haven't really watched him play yet. Well, I kind of did, but he was holding back. So, I don't know everything he can do yet.

Hermione: I'm glad.

Hari: So, what's going on at Hogwarts?

Hermione: Well, the twins have gone into a pranking war.

Hari: Oh? Who's the unfortunate victim this time? Slytherin again?

Hermione: No, our own house.

Hari: What? I thought they kept pranks mostly for the other houses. House rivalries, and all that.

Hermione: They're angry.

Hari: Why?

Hermione: … I'm not sure I should say.

Hari: Because of me?

Hermione: Well, kind of. They didn't like how some of our housemates reacted to you suing the book publishers.

Hari: Right. They believe I should just allow it? That it's my duty or something?

Hermione: Something like that. The twins have made it clear what they think about those who believe that.

Hari: I suddenly don't feel sorry for them anymore. Fools.

Hermione: Same. You should have seen their latest prank. They somehow got the house elves involved and got them to mix some sort of Inui Juice into their goblets at dinner last night. It was…a mess.

Hari: …. Wow.

Hermione: I know. Professor McGonagall was not impressed.

Hari: Is it wrong that I find it amusing?

Hermione: Only if it is wrong that I do too.

Hari: Hermione Granger, what have happened to you?

Hermione: What? Sue me. They should watch how they talk. Hmph. They deserved it.

Hari: Ha-ha, yes, they do. Did the twins get in trouble?

Hermione: Nah, they can't prove it was them.

Hari: Awesome.

Hermione: They told me to say hey, by the way. They miss you, Hari.

Hari: I miss them as well. Tell them hey from me, okay? I have to go…

Hermione: Okay. Talk to you later, Hari.

Hari: Of course. Get some sleep, Hermione. You need it.

...

Hari wished she was surprised by the reaction to the lawsuit against the book publishers, but she really wasn't. It was another proof that she had done the right thing by leaving. She would never be accepted for who she was by the majority of them, not like she was here. They would only see the Girl-Who-Lived.

But she wished she could have seen the prank. It would be amusing and when she read what Hermione wrote she had laughed out loud at the image it presented. She would need to do something for Fred and George to thank them.

...

"Hey," Hari smiled as Seiichi joined her. He leaned in and pressed a kiss on her lips before he pulled back and smiled as he pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Hey," he smiled back. "Did you have a good time yesterday?"

"Yes, it was fun," Hari said, "but it was chaos."

"Isn't it always?" Seiichi asked amusedly and Hari rolled her eyes.

"True," Hari agreed. "Several other teams also ended up joining us. How they knew we would be there, I don't know, but…"

"Oh? Which ones?" Seiichi asked.

"Rokkaku, Shitenhouji, Higa and Hyotei," Hari listed. "I don't know why Higa even bothered coming, but…it was fine."

Seiichi laughed softly, "I see."

"What about you?" Hari asked.

"We had a calmer time," Seiichi said. "Practiced a little before we went to eat."

Hari nodded, "okay. So, are you sure you are okay with joining me today?"

She looked up at him biting down on her lips.

"I told you that I don't mind," Seiichi said. "You've mentioned before that Atobe and his parents had invited us."

Hari nodded, "I…kind of forgot about it. And, with everything going on I think I should probably see them…"

She swallowed and felt how Seiichi squeezed her hand tighter.

"Have you told them?" Seiichi asked.

"No…but Keigo knows something is wrong," Hari said. "I am sure he will ask."

"Are you going to tell them?"

"I don't know… do you think I should?" Hari asked.

"I think it's your decision, but they know about magic, right?" Seiichi asked and she nodded. "Then, maybe they should know."

Hari sighed, "I don't know. I don't really know them that well. I've met them a couple of times, but still…"

"They seemed to care about you when they came to your birthday," Seiichi pointed out. "And Atobe is a good friend to you, isn't he?"

"He is family," Hari said. "I just…don't like making more people worry about me."

"I understand," Seiichi said. "I'll support you no matter what you decide."

...

"Hello, Hari-chan;" Yukiko smiled when Hari and Seiichi entered the large living room. Hari tried to not feel out of place at the large mansion. She'd only been there a few times before and it made her feel out of place. She was glad she normally met Keigo outside somewhere, and immediately felt bad for the thought.

"Hey, Yukiko-san," Hari smiled. "You remember my boyfriend, Yukimura Seiichi?"

"Of course," Yukiko smiled. "It's very nice to see you again, Yukimura-san. Welcome to our home."

"Thank you," Seiichi said politely.

"Hari-chan," Jurou smiled when he entered the living room. "I'm happy you accepted our invitation. And nice to see you again, Yukimura-san."

They followed their hosts into the dining room once the greetings were over and Hari sat beside Seiichi with Keigo opposite her while Yukiko and Jurou were at the head of the table.

The conversation went easily enough, reminding Hari that Yukiko and Jurou weren't hard to talk to. They always showed interest when they met, but she normally felt like there was a distance between them.

When they had finished eating they went back to the living room.

"So, I have some more pictures of Lily," Yukiko said. "I thought you would like to see them."

Hari nodded, "I would, thank you."

"Have you seen any pictures of Hari-chan's parents, Yukimura?" Keigo asked.

"She's shown me the ones she has," Seiichi said and Hari grinned.

"I haven't a lot, but he's seen my album," Hari nodded and saw the confused looks. "Sei-chan knows about magic."

"Oh, really?" Jurou asked.

"My little sister is a muggleborn," Seiichi said. "We learned about it not that long ago."

"I see," Yukiko smiled. "It is strange learning about magic, isn't it?"

"It is something to get used to," Seiichi agreed, "but it's worth it."

Hari smiled at him not noticing the considering looks they got from the others.

...

"So, what's wrong with you lately?" Keigo interrupted and Hari stilled before looking over at him.

"Keigo," Yukiko said disapprovingly.

"What? You've not seen her lately," Keigo said. "Something is wrong."

Jurou frowned at his son before looking over at Hari who looked down while Seiichi had reached over to take her hand.

"Fine," Hari said. "I guess I should tell you."

"Hari-chan," Yukiko said. "You decide what you want to tell us. Keigo shouldn't pressure you."

"I had meant to tell you;" Hari said. "There are some things with magic that are…complicated. Dark."

"What is wrong?" Jurou asked concerned.

"You know that there was a war going on in the magical world before mum and dad died, right?" Hari asked remembering them mentioning that earlier.

"Yes," Jurou said, frowning slightly.

Hari nodded, swallowing before she looked back up.

"Did they tell you what the war was about?" Hari asked.

"Just that there was a dark wizard that wanted to make the magical world pure," Yukiko said. "Something about blood purity, and not wanting someone like Lily in the magical world."

Hari nodded, "that's basically what it was about. Their leader called himself Voldemort."

"Is he…is he the one who killed Lily and James?" Yukiko asked quietly.

"Yes," Hari said. "He came to our home and…he killed my dad first. He tried to give mum time to take me and run, but…mum couldn't get out. Voldemort gave mum the option to step aside, but she begged him to spare me and kill her instead."

"He listened," Jurou asked when she paused.

"No," Hari said. "He didn't. He killed her, but he tried to kill me too. But something went wrong, he couldn't kill me. Mum's sacrifice protected me, so he lost his powers and his body. It's also how I got my scar."

Both Yukiko and Jurou looked at her pained and horrified while Keigo looked pale.

"So, he's dead?" Yukiko asked.

"No," Hari scowled. "He should have died, but he didn't. He lost his body, he's some sort of spirit or something now. I don't really know what he is, but he isn't dead."

"Spirit?" Keigo frowned looking disturbed.

"He did something to prevent him from dying," Hari said. "Dark magic."

"So you're saying that he is still out there?" Jurou asked calmly, but she saw the emotions in his eyes as he watched her.

"Yes," Hari said. "He is. He's looking for a way back."

She allowed them to process what she was saying. She knew it must be overwhelming.

"Is that why you have been off lately?" Keigo frowned. "You looked sick when we played."

Hari grimaced, "not exactly. I've known he was out there for years now. No, the reason I looked sick when we played is something else… When Voldemort tried to kill me….he did something. He created a connection between us…and it's hurting me."

She winced when she saw Keigo flinch back and Jurou and Yukiko looked pained and scared, but they tried to hide it.

"You…" Keigo said.

"They are working on fixing it," Hari said. "When we played, Keigo, it slipped and what he did made my head hurt. So, after the game Otou-chan took me to see a monk that works at the shrine that leads to the magical district here in Tokyo. He has been helping me."

"So, you're going to be okay?" Keigo asked and Hari grimaced.

Keigo looked from Hari to Seiichi who he noticed was looking pale and pained.

"Hari-chan?" Keigo said a little more urgently. "You're going to be fine, right?"

"I hope so," Hari said. "They think I have a good chance."

The silence was almost oppressive. She wished to break it, but she wasn't sure what to say. What could she say?

"What's being done?" Jurou asked his lawyer brain making him able to ask. He focused on the girl in front of them and tried to remind himself that she was here right now and that he need to keep a logical mind about this.

"There's a ritual that I will need to go through," Hari said. "The monk has been working on preparing me for it. It will remove what Voldemort did."

"Okay, so you'll be fine," Keigo said.

"How dangerous is this ritual?" Jurou asked at the same time.

"It is…risky," Hari admitted. "But I don't have another choice."

"No." Yukiko said. "There must be something that is safer."

Hari shook her head, "no. The only other option is to kill me."

They flinched at her blunt words and she felt bad. She just needed them to understand that this was the best option, and she couldn't spend the last couple of days arguing with them about it.

"I know it's a shock," Hari said. "I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but everything has been happening at once and…I liked being able to meet Keigo without this hanging over us. It felt like normal and I… I needed that. I am sorry, though. I should have told you. I know that…"

She looked at Keigo who looked pale and not like the confident and arrogant boy she had gotten to know since arriving in Japan. She felt her stomach drop as she saw the pain, the fear in his eyes.

"You should have told me." He said and she flinched, but she nodded.

"I know. I am sorry." Hari whispered.

"When?" Jurou asked.

"The day after the final," Hari said.

...

Hari was so tired. She just wanted to sleep and then sleep some more. Her mind felt exhausted with everything, so she was glad when she finally got back home and could curl up in bed. The conversation with Keigo and his parents had gone well enough, she knew they were hurt that she hadn't told them before and that they were worried.

She felt bad for not having told Keigo. That was what she felt the worst about. Honestly, she didn't feel like she knew his parents that well. They had met a few times, but they were both so busy with work and travelled a lot, so it wasn't that often that they had the chance to see her. She didn't like how much they let Keigo on his own either, but he never complained.

So, while she knew that they cared and that they were genuinely worried about her, she didn't feel as bad for not having told them. Maybe that was wrong of her, but it was how she felt.

But Keigo…she should have told him. He had been worried about her, and he had asked. So, she really should have let him know. It felt like a weak excuse to say that she didn't want him to be worried or scared. She realised that. She sighed.

Could she never get this right? Why did she always end up hurting someone?

"Hari!"

Hari groaned when she heard her name and wondered if she could just keep her eyes closed and then maybe the voice would go away.

"Hari! Hari!"

She groaned again before she realized that it was Sirius' voice she was hearing. She opened her eyes and turned toward her nightstand where her mirror was.

"Sirius?" Hari asked as she picked up the mirror and saw her godfather grinning at her.

"I'm free!" Sirius declared.

"Huh?" Hari could only stare.

"I'm free!" Sirius repeated. "I'm free! I'm free!"

"You're…free?" Hari echoed, stunned. "Really?"

"Yes!" Sirius beamed.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Hari gasped. "But…how?"

"Madam Bones," Sirius said. "She believed us."

Hari frowned, "you talked to her?"

"Remus did," Sirius said. "He had a plan and he managed to get her to meet him and she listened to what he had to say. You know she talked to Hermione and Ron, and she was already starting to believe your story. So, Remus just provided more information and she believed him."

Hari couldn't believe it and she felt tears in her eyes.

"You're really free," she whispered and he smiled to her through the mirror. He looked younger with his eyes shining in a way she had never seen before.

"I just got the word that the Wizengamot have found me not-guilty," Sirius said. "She even has Wormtail listed as suspect and missing, so he is no longer considered to be dead."

"And what about the break-out from Azkaban?" Hari asked.

"They say it's time-served," Sirius shrugged.

...

...

AN: What do you think? XD

I hope you like it! Sirius is finally free! Yay. I decided to keep most of that in the background, but will probably offer more information later. We'll see.

Also, Keigo and his parents now know about what Hari has been struggling with. I haven't gone very much into their reactions, yet. But how do you think they should react?

Next chapter will be the final between Seigaku and Rikkai Dai. I think I will have Hari play in a double match. Any wishes about who you'd like to see her play? XD

And lastly, if you are familiar with the anime you will have noticed that I changed a large part of the episode this chapter is inspired by/based on. I just couldn't make it work with my story. I like the episode, but I just found it to exaggerated to make it work how I would like. XD

Thank you for reading! I really appreciate it! XD