Oh, wow . . . that letter was really messed up (chapter one). I had no idea
that would happen, sorry folks! Well, onto the second installment of
HP&TBOG (::snickers::) Also, a word of warning . Ami's mother is not nice
folks, not in this story. Those of you who like Ami's mother are most
definitely going to want my head on a silver platter, but you're not gonna
get it so nyaaaaa!
Enjoy!
Chapter Two - Hagrid, Hogwarts, and Diagon Alley
"IIE!"
"Haha-ue? Doushita no?" Ami asked timidly.
"Don't talk to me! Omae ... Omae ... "
Ami watched, wide eyed, as her mother collapsed on the ground. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed loudly, the invitation to Hogwarts crumpled on the floor near her feet. This was not the reaction she had been expecting when she had shown her mother the parchment. Ami knew her mother was a doctor and did not believe in magic, but to start crying?
"Haha-ue? Daijoubu desu ka? Doushita no?" Ami received no answer, "Onegai, haha-ue! Kotaete ... Kotaete!"
"Urasei!"
Ami stumbled back, fear growing. Her mother had never spoken to her like this before, had never once raised her voice.
"Haha-ue?" she asked hesitantly.
"Urasei! Omae wa musume janai!" Ami's mother shouted at her, "Omae wa henjin! Choudo nite iru omae no chichi!"
Ami stared at her mother, tears welling up in her eyes. This could not be happening! She was her mother's daughter! She was not a freak!
"Hai," Ami's mother said, no longer shouting, "Your father was a wizard. He told me after you were born, and by then it was too late to undo the damage. I'd hoped that by keeping you in the hospital, surrounded by science, reality, that this wizarding nonsense would go away. That you wouldn't be affected by your father's abnormality. -- "
"IIE!" Ami shouted, crying openly, "Chichi wa henjin janai! He was a kind, loving man!"
SLAP
"Urusei! Urusei, omae wa baka na shoujo!"
Ami stared, unblinking, at the wall, even as she stumbled back from the force of her mother's backhanded slap. Vaguely she could hear her mother cursing her father, but her mother's voice seemed dull and far away. She had never expected to be slapped, nor disowned by her mother over something as stupid as magic.
"You are not to leave this apartment without my express permission. You can forget the trip to France, I won't be seen with Iyou/I. I'm going to send for Kumo-san to watch over you and make sure you haven't blown up my house," her mother ranted, "And I never want to see you anywhere near those two girls, Hino and Kino. If I do, you'll be placed into an orphanage! Well?! What are you just sitting there for? Get into your room and study! I expect no less than perfect marks when I give you your practice exam!"
Ami felt herself being grabbed harshly off the floor by her mother and all but thrown into her small room. She made no sounds of protest.
"Benkyou! And not one more word about this school, I'll have nothing to do with it, nor will I pay for it!"
Makoto-san ... Rei-san ... help me ...
* * *
"OKITE!!!" shouted Rei's grandfather at seven o' clock, two days later.
Makoto and Rei awoke with various states of groans and sighs and mutters about evil old people. Rei was the first to awaken, being used to odd hours and a morning person. Makoto on the other hand, was about ready to throw the nearest heavy book at them, if only to stop the noise. Instead, she pulled the pillow over her head and tried to sleep again.
"Oh no you don't!" shouted Rei's grandfather, "You've got a visitor, and damned if I'll let him hang around jabbering in a language I can't understand!"
The old man all but tore the pillow off Makoto's head and pulled the covers off her body. Shivering, Makoto sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to bring her sleep fogged brain into working order.
"C'mon, Mako-chan!" Rei's grandfather urged, "He only speaks English! And he's," he gulped, "Really, really tall."
Makoto narrowed her eyes, "And what does this have to do with me?"
Rei's grandfather bit his lower lip, "He keeps demanding to see Jillian Potter, I think, and I keep telling him I don't know who she is. But he won't leave. I need you to convey the message."
Still grumpy and peeved about the early wake up call, Makoto stood and pulled on a robe over her pajamas. Whomever this man was, he did not need to see her in her black boxers with the polar bears that wore Christmas hats. They'd been a gag gift from Shinozaki a while back, but they were rather useful in the summer. She stumbled into the main reception room of the shrine, and stopped short. There stood a man, who was twice the size of a normal man, with a huge, bushy beard and haywire black hair. He wore a coat that had pockets everywhere and looked rather miffed at being abandoned by Rei's grandfather.
"Hello, sir," Makoto said, switching into English, "May I help you?"
"Yes. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts groundskeeper an' Care of Magical Creatures teacher. I'm on business from Hogwarts ter pick up ... you," the man said, stopping suddenly.
Then he did something that was the last possible thing Makoto thought he would do; Hagrid burst into tears and launched himself forward to envelope Makoto in a hug.
"Jillian! Oh, Jillian, it's been s'long! We though' yeh'd disappeared or summat, couldn't find yeh anywhere!" he cried.
Makoto gaped into his bushy hair, struggling to keep them balanced. His words replayed over and over in her mind as she settled him on the floor cushions. "It's been s'long! ... Though' yeh'd disappeared ... " Why had he called her Jillian? What did he mean by disappearing? she thought, And what on Earth did he mean by "so long"?!
As far as Makoto knew, she'd never met the man in her life.
"Pardon me, sir, but ... I think you have the wrong person. I'm not Jillian, I'm Makoto Kino," she tried to explain.
But Hagrid either hadn't heard her, or was ignoring her. "Yeh had ev'ryone lookin' fer yeh! Even Snape! Where do'yeh get off, makin' us worry like that? An' yer brother!" he went on, unaware of Makoto staring incredulously at him.
Brother?! Makoto asked herself in awe, But I don't have a brother! At least, I didn't have one with the Kino's ... My real parents, then ... The Kino's separated me and my brother! But why? And why is this only coming now?!
Rei stood in the doorway, watching her friend and the man who called himself Hagrid, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. The day after receiving the letters, she had shown it to her grandfather. It had been written in Japanese, to their amazement, and then she had explained that both Ami and Makoto had received them as well. Although a bit reluctant to let his only granddaughter leave, the old man had finally given in and agreed to let her go study her magic.
"If anything," he'd said, "At least you'll be seeing more of the world. I hear London is a lovely place nowadays."
Rei had hugged him and promised to write every day, or as often as possible, and told him to keep an eye out for owls. Now she wondered vaguely if perhaps leaving Japan wasn't the smartest idea she'd had. Hagrid seemed a bit ... odd, to say the least. She walked over and joined Makoto, helping her pry away the still sobbing man.
"Excuse me ... but I need ... to talk with ... my friend," the miko stuttered out in halting English.
It seemed good enough for Hagrid, however, who let go of Makoto and sat back. Rei seized the opportunity to drag Makoto into the next room, where she faced her friend worriedly.
"Mako-chan ... maybe we shouldn't go."
"Ara? Iku nai? Doushite?"
"Saa ... eto ... kare o myou na no you da."
Makoto stared at Rei in both amusement and amazement.
"Rei-chan wa hontou ni hidoi!" she muttered, "Kare o warui janai. Sara ni ... oniisan ga miru hoshii."
Rei knew she was defeated. The determined glint in Makoto's eyes put a stop to any argument the miko might have been able to form. If Makoto wanted to see her brother, she was going to see her brother, real or not. She was often rash in her decisions like that. Rei sighed and turned to go back where Hagrid sat, waiting for them, but Makoto stopped her.
"Rei-chan," she paused, "I know you just want me to be safe, other wise you wouldn't be making a big deal about this. However, you and Ami- chan'll be there with me, and with the two of you there, I can't lose."
Rei felt herself blushing and turned away to hide it. "Baka," she choked out, "I just don't want you to have all the fun."
Makoto grinned and nodded, walking ahead of the miko and back to Hagrid. "Right, mate. Shinjiru," she called over her shoulder, "Shinjiru."
Hagrid stood as Makoto re-entered the room. He had stopped crying in the short time that Rei and Makoto had been talking, and had taken on a much more business-like air.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed yeh," he announced, holding out his hand, "I can get carried away sometimes. Ter be honest, o'ny reason I'm here is cause I've got time off durin' the summer. Professor McGonagall wanted ter pick yeh up, but she's busy with her lessons."
"It's quite all right, Hagrid. You didn't disturb me in the least, although I'm not sure Rei's crows feel the same way," she paused and the sound of indignant caws filled the room. She grinned, "They don't really like strangers."
Hagrid smiled down at her.
"Yer jus' like yer brother ... " he sniffed once and then wiped his eyes on his coat. "I had ter pick 'im up, too. Dreadful Muggles he lives with."
"Muggles?" Makoto asked, testing out the unfamiliar word.
"Yeh. We call non-magical people Muggles," Hagrid explained, pausing while Makoto translated to Rei everything that had been going on in rapid Japanese.
They conversed for a while, punctuated by giggles and annoyed noises, and finally the older of the two turned back to Hagrid.
"Rei says she likes your coat. She's also looking forward to spending the year at Hogwarts. It sounds much more interesting than the school she goes to now."
Hagrid smiled widely at this and bowed. "Arigatou gozaimasu."
Makoto and Rei stared at the gamekeeper in shock. They turned to each other, looked back at him, at each other, their mouths opening and closing, until they finally just shook their heads and decided not to ask.
"Hagrid," Makoto began instead, "How are we going to get to Hogwarts? It's in London, isn't it?"
"Ah, never yeh mind, missy. Tha's what I'm here fer. Yeh jus' worry 'bout packin' yer stuff an' we'll be off," Hagrid said dismissively.
"We can't leave Ami, we don't even know if her mother will let her go," Makoto said, appalled.
She asked Rei about it, who shook her head negative. That caused a look of worry to settle upon Makoto's face.
"She'd never just not call," Rei mused, "She'd tell us if she was going or not."
"D'you think ... d'you think her mother won't let her call? That things really went that badly?" Makoto replied.
"Wakatta nai," the miko shrugged, "But we've got to find out!"
Makoto translated their concerns to Hagrid, who nodded gravely and started pacing.
"I know how it is with Muggles who can' accept magic. It'll have gone ter the dogs, pardon the expression, if yer friend's mother's anythin like the Dursley's."
Makoto and Rei looked at each other, horrified, as they could not remember having ever been. Rei quickly dashed into one of the inner rooms of the shrine and called Ami's home phone. Receiving answer from a man who identified himself as Kumo, she quickly hung up and called the hospital. The receptionist told her that Ami's mother had already gone of vacation. The miko dashed back to Hagrid and Makoto and reported all this to Makoto, who translated it for Hagrid, anxiously.
"You can help us get her out, can't you?" she finished.
Hagrid nodded once and began pacing again. He muttered to himself in such a way that Makoto and Rei had little to know idea what he could possibly be saying, other than the fact that it had to do with their situation. Finally he stopped pacing and looked at the girls.
"Does yer friend have a fire-place?"
Makoto nodded slowly. "I think so."
"Good. We'll travel by Floo."
"By what?!"
"Floo powder. S'much faster than yer underground, have us there in no time. We cen go now ter pick yer friend up. We jus need a fire."
Rei led him to the fire reading room and Hagrid's face lit up considerably. He pulled out a small bag that contained some strange looking powder.
"Jus follow my example. Watch carefully, now," he warned, taking a pinch of the powder and throwing it on the fire. "Now, jus say, clearly, where yeh want ter go, an' yeh'll be there in a second. ... Eh ... where are we goin?"
"Mizuno Ami no uchi."
"Righ' then, lemme have a go. Remember, don' get out 'till yeh see me," Hagrid balanced on the edge of the sacred fire and took a deep breath, "Mizuno Ami no uchi!" he said clearly, and walked through.
Makoto and Rei stepped up to the fire at the same time, and clasped hands.
"Right then. If we get lost, we get lost together," Makoto grinned weakly, trying not to choke.
Rei batted at her head and stared into the fire, which had turned green.
"Ichi ... ni ... san ... Mizuno Ami no uchi!" they said together, and stepped through.
Traveling by Floo powder was not at all what Makoto, or Rei, expected. Aside from the fact that they were traveling through fire and trying not to choke on the ashes, both girls felt rather like they were in a wind tunnel. They could see glimpses into other people's houses as they whipped past, both looking for Hagrid.
"Is ... " Makoto tried to ask, but settled for pointing towards Hagrid's figure.
The huge man had held out a hand for them, which Rei grabbed on to as they passed. With a loud 'oof' both girls fell out of Ami's fireplace and onto the floor, the wind knocked out of them. Hagrid stood over them, pink umbrella in hand, looking very proud of himself.
"Are we dead? Is this heaven?" Rei muttered, vision spinning.
"Iie," a female voice giggled, "You're just in my home."
"Ami-chan!" Makoto and Rei shouted in unison, scrambling to their feet.
Ami grinned happily, rushing over to hug them, and both noticed a very ugly, hunched over old man on the floor. He looked stunned, and neither girl wanted to know how he got like that. Hagrid gave them about a minute of sappy hugging before he coughed lightly to get their attention. They looked up at him curiously.
"Yeh got yer letters from Hogwarts, righ'?" Hagrid paused and the girls nodded, "Good. Let's get a move on, then. Don' want ter be late now. Yeh've a lot of catchin' up ter do, Jillian. Firs' years're usually eleven."
"Yes, but ... aren't Rei and Ami going to come with me?" Makoto asked.
Hagrid looked down at her, surprised. "Well, I wasn' given no orders against it. ... S'pose they could come, if they really wanted to. Yeh'll all have ter come with me to Diagon Alley, fer yer books and supplies. S'pect yeh should pack now, then. Dumbledore's awfully excited ter have yeh."
* * *
"Quills ... robes ... spell books ... " Makoto muttered the next day, as they walked through the streets of London, "Hagrid, where are we going to find all this stuff? Can we get it all in London?"
Hagrid gave the three girls a knowing smile and winked, "If yeh know where ter go. ... I said tha' same thing ter yer brother, firs' time he came here."
"My brother? Hagrid, are you sure -- "
Whatever comment Makoto might have made was silenced as Hagrid pushed open the door to a pub called The Leaky Cauldron. It was not so much the fact that they were entering a pub that astonished Makoto into silence, but the people who inhabited the small building. Hags, witches, wizards, and the occasional goblin in the back, all sat or stood about. Some were reading a newspaper called the Daily Prophet, others were talking amongst themselves, and still others sat about drinking and eating. An old wizard, or at least, Rei thought, he's probably a wizard, stood behind the counter. He smiled widely when he saw Hagrid and the three girls noticed he had very few teeth left.
"The usual, then, Hagrid?"
"Not today, Tom," the huge man shook his head, "Hogwarts business. This one here should be a third year. Jus' picked 'er up from Japan."
Tom smiled kindly down at the three girls, then did a double take. The three girls inched unnoticeably towards Hagrid.
"Bless my soul, the scar!" he cried, (Makoto's hand immediately went up to cover her collar bone) "You mean to tell me ... she's alive? Jillian Potter is alive?"
The entire pub went silent as the customers all stopped what they were doing and turned to try and get a good look at Makoto, or Jillian as Tom had called her. Makoto blushed hotly and all but withered under the stares of the people, who seemed to think she was some sort of demi-god. Rei and Ami watched, clearly amused by Makoto's predicament.
"Yep," Hagrid replied, smiling broadly, "Jus' found 'er yesterday. Dumbledore wants 'er before the term starts ter catch up in 'er studies."
"Jillian Potter, I'm Arabella Figg," said a kindly old witch, who smelled faintly of cabbage, "I work for the Ministry, I can't tell you how honored I am to meet you."
"Likewise, I'm sure," Makoto replied.
"I can't believe they've only found you after all these years. Your brother was brought back to us five years ago," said an old wizard who looked like he might cry.
"My dear lord!" cried a hag, sobbing openly into another old wizard's shirt, "Now both our little heroes have returned!"
"Hello, Hagrid, Jillian," came a nice sounding voice.
"Lupin!" the giant man cried, "Jillian, er ... Makoto, this is Professor Lupin. He'll be yer Defense Against the Darks Arts teacher."
"Pleasure to meet you," Makoto said, sticking out her hand and smiling.
Professor Lupin was a young man, though he looked sickly, in tattered robes. His hair was light brown but graying, though he couldn't be more than thirty years old. He grasped Makoto's hand and shook it, smiling warmly at her. Then he did the same for Rei and Ami. They smiled back up at him, liking him greatly.
"C'mon, kids. It's time ter get yer books an' things," Hagrid said loudly when he'd decided they'd had enough attention, drawing the three girls away from the crowded pub and taking them out a back door.
"Hagrid, why are all those people calling me Jillian? And why do they keep mentioning my brother. What's all this about me being a little hero? How could they all know my name, anyway?" Makoto asked rapidly as soon as they were all out side of the pub.
Tapping a few stones with his pink umbrella, Hagrid shook his head.
"I'm not sure I'm the one ter tell yeh tha', Makoto, but yeh'd better get used ter the name Jillian. 'Tis yer real name, that's what it is."
There was no more talk as what seemed to be a solid wall separated into an entryway, the girls staring in total awe. The alley was fairly empty; the school term wouldn't start for another three months or so, so they had nearly free run of the place. Rei and Ami set off ahead of Makoto and Hagrid, talking rapidly and excitedly in Japanese.
"Welcome ter Diagon Alley," Hagrid said, grinning down at the three girls, "Here's where we'll be gettin' yer supplies."
"But Hagrid, how are we to pay? None of us have any money," Makoto reasoned.
"Well, there's yer money," the groundskeeper said, pointing to a large building, "Gringotts Bank. T'aint no safer place, 'cept fer Hogwarts. Yer parents left yer brother and yeh a small fortune."
"But what about Ami and Rei?"
"Fine man, Mizuno-san," Hagrid sighed, "Ravenclaw prefect an' Head Boy, he was. Hino-san, too. She was Head Girl, though. Don' yeh worry, they left both yer friends money ter last 'em a long time."
The inside of Gringotts Bank was a hustle and bustle of goblins stamping papers, weighing gold, and examining precious stones through monocles. Hagrid, Makoto, Rei and Ami approached a long table at the very end of the main hall.
"Miss Hino, Miss Mizuno, and Miss Potter would like to make withdrawals," Hagrid announced to the goblin who sat there, doing paperwork.
"And do they have their keys?" the goblin asked, fixing a piercing stare on the three girls.
Hagrid rummaged around in his various pockets, muttering to himself, before finally pulling out three keys. He held them up, showing them to the goblin.
"Here they are."
The goblin inspected them before nodding curtly. "Griphook will take you down to your vaults. Griphook!"
Another goblin approached and they followed him to one of the doors leading off the main hall.
"Those goblins are so scary!" Ami announced once they'd left Gringotts, moneybags full, "I was sure they were going to ... to ... bite my head off, at the very least."
"Ami-chan, don't be rude," Rei chided gently.
She could not speak English perfectly, but she could understand it. Hagrid had since stopped and was staring at the back of Ami's head.
"When did yeh learn English?" he demanded.
Ami stopped and blushed, "My father taught me before he and my mother divorced. He was a photographer, so while my mother worked at the hospital, he would speak to me only in English. I grew up fluent in both languages."
Makoto was also staring at her blue haired friend. "You never told me this!" she accused.
"You never asked," Ami shrugged, switching into Japanese.
Rei and Makoto burst out laughing. Hagrid sighed and muttered something about bilingual children. Then he cleared his throat.
"Righ' then. Yeh'll be wanting ter go ter Ollivander's fer yer wands. T'aint no better place. Then yeh'll be needing ter go ter Flourish 'n' Blotts fer yer books. I've got a few more things to do, then we'll be off ter Hogwarts."
"But Hagrid ... " Ami trailed off, realizing that Hagrid had left anyway, "Humph, it can't have been that much of a secret."
"Ah let him be. He's probably just got something important to do," Makoto replied dismissively, "C'mon! I wanna get my wand!"
Laughing, uncaring of those who were giving them odd looks, the three set off for Ollivander's. Upon entering the shop, each set down their trunks, looking around. They saw no one.
"Hello?" Ami and Makoto called.
"Is ... is anyone . here?" Rei asked hesitantly.
Makoto gave her a 'thumbs up' for her use of English and she offered a weak grin in return. For a while it seemed as though no one was going to pay attention to their calls, when suddenly a loud thud alerted them to the presence of an old man.
"Ah, welcome," he greeted them with a smile, "You're here for wands no doubt. Aaah, Rei Hino. I remember your mother when she came in to buy her first wand. Beechwood and dragon heartstring, strong and sturdy. Which is your wand arm?"
"Uh ... " Rei stammered, "I'm ... I'm right-handed ... "
Mr. Ollivander held out her right arm and measured it, but the tape measure was measuring her arm on its own.
"Let's see now," Mr. Ollivander rambled while looking through boxes, "Yes, let's try this one. Unicorn hair, ash, five and three-fourths inches, nice and sturdy." he took down a box that held a thin, short wand and opened it, handing it to Rei. She took the wand and held it, uncertain of what to do.
"Oh, go on, give it a wave," Mr. Ollivander said, waving his hand as if to emphasize the point.
Taking a breath, Rei waved the wand. The ladder she pointed at caught on fire. With a quick wave of his own wand, Ollivander extinguished it.
"No, definitely not," he sighed, grabbing another box, "Dragon heartstring, oak, eleven inches, very pliable."
Rei accepted the wand and waved it in the direction of some boxes. They flew off the shelves and into Mr. Ollivander's head. He beat them off.
"No, no and definitely no. No matter, there's one for you yet," he scoured the shelves and came upon one which caused his face to light up, "Here we are. Phoenix feather, redwood, eight and three-fourths inches, flexible."
Once again Rei took the wand. Before she could even wave it however, the room filled with a brilliant light and blue sparks flew out of the tip of the wand. Mr. Ollivander smiled and nodded once before turning back to the wands.
"Mizuno, eh? Yes, your father was a shy boy when he first walked through my door. His was holly and unicorn hair, if I remember, and I'm sure I do. Right, and your wand arm is?"
"I'm also right-handed."
Ami too, was measured by the self-measuring tape, giggling all the while.
"Let's see, shall we?" Mr. Ollivander muttered to himself. "Hmm ... yes, let's try this one. Dragon heartstring, willow, twelve inches, swishy."
Now Ami gave the wand a wave. The boxes that Rei had pulled off the shelve turned into butterflies which fluttered, leaving the wands behind.
"Oh my, I daresay that's not it ... " Mr. Ollivander said wearily, looking for a new one, "A ha! Here we are. Unicorn hair, mahogany, seven and a half inches, very graceful this one is."
He was right this time. When Ami took the wand she, like Rei, was surrounded by a brilliant glowing light and blue sparks flew out the tip of her wand. The old man looked highly pleased with himself as he turned to Makoto, and stopped in his tracks. Makoto self-consciously pulled her loose T-shirt to cover her scar.
"Dear me ... Jillian Potter. I must say I am a bit surprised to see you here only now," he mused to himself, searching through the fallen wands, "Wand arm?"
"I'm left handed."
"Hmm ... lets try this one, shall we? Yes ... Unicorn hair, pine, eight inches, nice and supple."
Makoto took the wand and faced the other direction, waving it. The front windows exploded, showering the four with the glass shards.
"Perhaps not ... " Ollivander sighed and shook his head, "I think I'm getting too old for this ... here we go. Dragon heartstring, maple, six inches, rather whippy."
Dutifully, Makoto waved this wand as well. A vase on the windowsill smashed into pieces.
"No, it would seem not to be the one. No matter ... shall we try something else? Unicorn hair, ebony, six inches, springy."
This time when Makoto waved it, nothing happened. Mr. Ollivander frowned and proceeded to rummage through the wands again, before straightening.
"Yes, this one should do the trick. Phoenix feather and bamboo, an unusual combination, ten inches, ductile."
Makoto took the wand, and felt herself surrounded by that same warm glow that had surrounded Ami and Rei when their wands were the right match. Only, where Rei's and Ami's had shot out blue and bronze sparks, hers shot out red and gold. Mr. Ollivander nodded, a slightly confused look appearing on his face.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"The tail feather that resides in your wand ... the bird who gave it should have given only two, but he gave three. Your brother holds one of the wands. The other belongs to the man who gave you both your scars."
Once again Makoto's hand went up to her scar, slowly this time, as if realizing just now that she had one. Before she could ask any questions, however, a loud rapping came on the windows. The three turned around and saw Hagrid standing outside the shop, holding three large packages.
"All righ' there?" he called, "Happy early or late birthdays, Ami, Rei, Jillian."
They grinned at him and all questions Makoto had about her scar were forgotten for the moment. They paid Mr. Ollivander seven Galleons each for their wands and joined Hagrid, who handed them each a package from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
"Figured yeh'd be wanting ter save yer money fer books an' the Magical Menagerie," he winked down at them.
He was right. After getting all their school books, parchment rolls, phials, cauldrons, scales, telescopes, ink bottles, quills, and their winter cloaks and hats, the girls were left nearly broke. Then, of course, there was the Magical Menagerie, where they could pick out their pets, should they choose to bring one. Rei immediately went over to look at the owls and Ami headed straight for the kittens. Makoto lagged back, looking around and taking in the rabbits, tortoises, cats, owls, toads, ravens, fur ball like creatures, and rats, unable to choose.
"Yer brother has an owl, yeh know, so yer free ter look into somethin' else," Hagrid murmured as they looked around the small store, "Well, a cat or toad, at any rate."
"That's assuming he likes me enough to even let me look at it. He doesn't even know me, Hagrid," the girl shot back, "How are you so sure he'll even want to get to know me?"
"Harry grew up with Muggles, Jillian, and nasty ones at that. He never knew family an' he's been treated like a freak ever since he learned how ter talk. If he knows he's got other family ou' there, he'll want ter get ter know yeh, no matter how long it's been or who yeh are."
"If you say so," Makoto said, choking back the mist that suddenly clouded her eyes, "Then I'll guess I'll have to take your word for it. So, which is better, a cat or a toad?"
The manager, an old, hunched over witch, waddled up to them.
"A cat or a toad, eh? Well, it depends on what you're willing to do. Cats are high maintenance familiars, they require a lot of attention, but they are very smart. They also prefer witches to wizards, and make wonderful companions at night. Toads are not a pleasing to the eye, but they are loyal and trustworthy and do not require nearly as much maintenance, or attention, as cats."
Makoto, who had only been half listening to the old witch while walking around, paused in front of an owl's cage. The owl was a Spotted owl, with dark, white spotted, fluffy feathers. She bent down to get a closer look and cautiously stuck her finger inside the cage, murmuring soothing words. The owl nibbled her finger affectionately, going so far as to allow her to stroke his feathers.
"Ah, a fine one, this is," the witch said knowingly, "Kipper, we call him. Wingspan of forty-two inches, as smart and proud as they come. I've never seen him act this friendly to anyone else; no one'll buy him, so we've had him for a long time."
"Hagrid ... " Makoto breathed, "I know you said my brother has an owl ... but there's no way I'm leaving this one behind."
"Mako-chan! Rei-chan! Hora!" said a happy voice, cutting into the conversation.
Makoto and Rei turned around to see an excited Ami holding a large ball of what appeared to be red and white fur. It was making loud purring noises, and so they deduced it was a cat.
"Isn't he gorgeous?! I'm going to name him Kenken. He's a Siberian." Ami said happily, paying for her new pet.
"Siberian?" Rei groaned, "Don't tell me you're naming him after that guy from that show on TV ... "
"She won't," Makoto interjected with a grin, "You said it yourself. ... What've you got there?"
"An owl," the miko replied, holding up her arm. Perched on it was a medium sized Screech Owl. "I'm going to name her ... Miryoku Yume. Yume for short."
Hagrid watched the girls converse about their new pets with a proud smile on his face. Exactly what he was proud of, he himself really didn't know, but he could not keep the grin off his face.
"Righ' then, yeh've got yer pets?"
"Hai!" three voices chorused back at him.
"Good," he nodded, "It's off ter Hogwarts, then."
"Have a good year!" the old witch called after them as they left.
The four waved at her before disappearing completely from sight. She sighed and turned to another figure lurking in the corners.
"Is this all really necessary?" she asked.
"Yes," the man nodded, "You-Know-Who is back, and he, though weak, still has power over his followers. If action is not taken, there will be dark times, again. These measures are taken to ensure that those dark times will not repeat themselves."
"But they're just children."
"Oh, no," the man shook his head, "They're much more than just children. Much more."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
So, what did y'all think? If anybody needs a translation of the Japanese, here's what I can give you, to the best of my knowledge. Hope it helps!
Haha-ue? Doushita no? - Mom? What's wrong (or "what happened?")
Haha-ue? Daijoubu desu ka? Doushita no? Onegai, haha-ue! Kotaete ... Kotaete! - Mom? Are you okay? What's wrong? Please, mom! Answer me . Answer me!
Urasei!!! - Shut up!
Urasei! Omae wa musume janai! Omae wa henjin! Choudo nite iru omae no chichi! - Shut up! You're not my daughter! You're a freak! Just like your father!
IIE! Chichi wa henjin janai! - NO! Dad wasn't a freak!
Urusei! Urusei, omae wa baka na shoujo! - Shut up! Shut up you stupid girl!
Omae - You (very, very, very rude)
Benkyou - Study
Okite - Wake up
Baka - Idiot
Shinjiru - I believe you
Ara? Iku nai? Doushite? - Eh? Not go? Why?
Saa ... eto ... kare o myou na no you da. - Well . uh . he seems strange
Rei-chan wa hontou ni hidoi! Kare o warui janai. Sara ni ... oniisan ga miru hoshii. - You're cruel! He's not that bad. Besides . I want to see my brother (literally "older brother")
Enjoy!
Chapter Two - Hagrid, Hogwarts, and Diagon Alley
"IIE!"
"Haha-ue? Doushita no?" Ami asked timidly.
"Don't talk to me! Omae ... Omae ... "
Ami watched, wide eyed, as her mother collapsed on the ground. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed loudly, the invitation to Hogwarts crumpled on the floor near her feet. This was not the reaction she had been expecting when she had shown her mother the parchment. Ami knew her mother was a doctor and did not believe in magic, but to start crying?
"Haha-ue? Daijoubu desu ka? Doushita no?" Ami received no answer, "Onegai, haha-ue! Kotaete ... Kotaete!"
"Urasei!"
Ami stumbled back, fear growing. Her mother had never spoken to her like this before, had never once raised her voice.
"Haha-ue?" she asked hesitantly.
"Urasei! Omae wa musume janai!" Ami's mother shouted at her, "Omae wa henjin! Choudo nite iru omae no chichi!"
Ami stared at her mother, tears welling up in her eyes. This could not be happening! She was her mother's daughter! She was not a freak!
"Hai," Ami's mother said, no longer shouting, "Your father was a wizard. He told me after you were born, and by then it was too late to undo the damage. I'd hoped that by keeping you in the hospital, surrounded by science, reality, that this wizarding nonsense would go away. That you wouldn't be affected by your father's abnormality. -- "
"IIE!" Ami shouted, crying openly, "Chichi wa henjin janai! He was a kind, loving man!"
SLAP
"Urusei! Urusei, omae wa baka na shoujo!"
Ami stared, unblinking, at the wall, even as she stumbled back from the force of her mother's backhanded slap. Vaguely she could hear her mother cursing her father, but her mother's voice seemed dull and far away. She had never expected to be slapped, nor disowned by her mother over something as stupid as magic.
"You are not to leave this apartment without my express permission. You can forget the trip to France, I won't be seen with Iyou/I. I'm going to send for Kumo-san to watch over you and make sure you haven't blown up my house," her mother ranted, "And I never want to see you anywhere near those two girls, Hino and Kino. If I do, you'll be placed into an orphanage! Well?! What are you just sitting there for? Get into your room and study! I expect no less than perfect marks when I give you your practice exam!"
Ami felt herself being grabbed harshly off the floor by her mother and all but thrown into her small room. She made no sounds of protest.
"Benkyou! And not one more word about this school, I'll have nothing to do with it, nor will I pay for it!"
Makoto-san ... Rei-san ... help me ...
* * *
"OKITE!!!" shouted Rei's grandfather at seven o' clock, two days later.
Makoto and Rei awoke with various states of groans and sighs and mutters about evil old people. Rei was the first to awaken, being used to odd hours and a morning person. Makoto on the other hand, was about ready to throw the nearest heavy book at them, if only to stop the noise. Instead, she pulled the pillow over her head and tried to sleep again.
"Oh no you don't!" shouted Rei's grandfather, "You've got a visitor, and damned if I'll let him hang around jabbering in a language I can't understand!"
The old man all but tore the pillow off Makoto's head and pulled the covers off her body. Shivering, Makoto sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to bring her sleep fogged brain into working order.
"C'mon, Mako-chan!" Rei's grandfather urged, "He only speaks English! And he's," he gulped, "Really, really tall."
Makoto narrowed her eyes, "And what does this have to do with me?"
Rei's grandfather bit his lower lip, "He keeps demanding to see Jillian Potter, I think, and I keep telling him I don't know who she is. But he won't leave. I need you to convey the message."
Still grumpy and peeved about the early wake up call, Makoto stood and pulled on a robe over her pajamas. Whomever this man was, he did not need to see her in her black boxers with the polar bears that wore Christmas hats. They'd been a gag gift from Shinozaki a while back, but they were rather useful in the summer. She stumbled into the main reception room of the shrine, and stopped short. There stood a man, who was twice the size of a normal man, with a huge, bushy beard and haywire black hair. He wore a coat that had pockets everywhere and looked rather miffed at being abandoned by Rei's grandfather.
"Hello, sir," Makoto said, switching into English, "May I help you?"
"Yes. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts groundskeeper an' Care of Magical Creatures teacher. I'm on business from Hogwarts ter pick up ... you," the man said, stopping suddenly.
Then he did something that was the last possible thing Makoto thought he would do; Hagrid burst into tears and launched himself forward to envelope Makoto in a hug.
"Jillian! Oh, Jillian, it's been s'long! We though' yeh'd disappeared or summat, couldn't find yeh anywhere!" he cried.
Makoto gaped into his bushy hair, struggling to keep them balanced. His words replayed over and over in her mind as she settled him on the floor cushions. "It's been s'long! ... Though' yeh'd disappeared ... " Why had he called her Jillian? What did he mean by disappearing? she thought, And what on Earth did he mean by "so long"?!
As far as Makoto knew, she'd never met the man in her life.
"Pardon me, sir, but ... I think you have the wrong person. I'm not Jillian, I'm Makoto Kino," she tried to explain.
But Hagrid either hadn't heard her, or was ignoring her. "Yeh had ev'ryone lookin' fer yeh! Even Snape! Where do'yeh get off, makin' us worry like that? An' yer brother!" he went on, unaware of Makoto staring incredulously at him.
Brother?! Makoto asked herself in awe, But I don't have a brother! At least, I didn't have one with the Kino's ... My real parents, then ... The Kino's separated me and my brother! But why? And why is this only coming now?!
Rei stood in the doorway, watching her friend and the man who called himself Hagrid, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. The day after receiving the letters, she had shown it to her grandfather. It had been written in Japanese, to their amazement, and then she had explained that both Ami and Makoto had received them as well. Although a bit reluctant to let his only granddaughter leave, the old man had finally given in and agreed to let her go study her magic.
"If anything," he'd said, "At least you'll be seeing more of the world. I hear London is a lovely place nowadays."
Rei had hugged him and promised to write every day, or as often as possible, and told him to keep an eye out for owls. Now she wondered vaguely if perhaps leaving Japan wasn't the smartest idea she'd had. Hagrid seemed a bit ... odd, to say the least. She walked over and joined Makoto, helping her pry away the still sobbing man.
"Excuse me ... but I need ... to talk with ... my friend," the miko stuttered out in halting English.
It seemed good enough for Hagrid, however, who let go of Makoto and sat back. Rei seized the opportunity to drag Makoto into the next room, where she faced her friend worriedly.
"Mako-chan ... maybe we shouldn't go."
"Ara? Iku nai? Doushite?"
"Saa ... eto ... kare o myou na no you da."
Makoto stared at Rei in both amusement and amazement.
"Rei-chan wa hontou ni hidoi!" she muttered, "Kare o warui janai. Sara ni ... oniisan ga miru hoshii."
Rei knew she was defeated. The determined glint in Makoto's eyes put a stop to any argument the miko might have been able to form. If Makoto wanted to see her brother, she was going to see her brother, real or not. She was often rash in her decisions like that. Rei sighed and turned to go back where Hagrid sat, waiting for them, but Makoto stopped her.
"Rei-chan," she paused, "I know you just want me to be safe, other wise you wouldn't be making a big deal about this. However, you and Ami- chan'll be there with me, and with the two of you there, I can't lose."
Rei felt herself blushing and turned away to hide it. "Baka," she choked out, "I just don't want you to have all the fun."
Makoto grinned and nodded, walking ahead of the miko and back to Hagrid. "Right, mate. Shinjiru," she called over her shoulder, "Shinjiru."
Hagrid stood as Makoto re-entered the room. He had stopped crying in the short time that Rei and Makoto had been talking, and had taken on a much more business-like air.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed yeh," he announced, holding out his hand, "I can get carried away sometimes. Ter be honest, o'ny reason I'm here is cause I've got time off durin' the summer. Professor McGonagall wanted ter pick yeh up, but she's busy with her lessons."
"It's quite all right, Hagrid. You didn't disturb me in the least, although I'm not sure Rei's crows feel the same way," she paused and the sound of indignant caws filled the room. She grinned, "They don't really like strangers."
Hagrid smiled down at her.
"Yer jus' like yer brother ... " he sniffed once and then wiped his eyes on his coat. "I had ter pick 'im up, too. Dreadful Muggles he lives with."
"Muggles?" Makoto asked, testing out the unfamiliar word.
"Yeh. We call non-magical people Muggles," Hagrid explained, pausing while Makoto translated to Rei everything that had been going on in rapid Japanese.
They conversed for a while, punctuated by giggles and annoyed noises, and finally the older of the two turned back to Hagrid.
"Rei says she likes your coat. She's also looking forward to spending the year at Hogwarts. It sounds much more interesting than the school she goes to now."
Hagrid smiled widely at this and bowed. "Arigatou gozaimasu."
Makoto and Rei stared at the gamekeeper in shock. They turned to each other, looked back at him, at each other, their mouths opening and closing, until they finally just shook their heads and decided not to ask.
"Hagrid," Makoto began instead, "How are we going to get to Hogwarts? It's in London, isn't it?"
"Ah, never yeh mind, missy. Tha's what I'm here fer. Yeh jus' worry 'bout packin' yer stuff an' we'll be off," Hagrid said dismissively.
"We can't leave Ami, we don't even know if her mother will let her go," Makoto said, appalled.
She asked Rei about it, who shook her head negative. That caused a look of worry to settle upon Makoto's face.
"She'd never just not call," Rei mused, "She'd tell us if she was going or not."
"D'you think ... d'you think her mother won't let her call? That things really went that badly?" Makoto replied.
"Wakatta nai," the miko shrugged, "But we've got to find out!"
Makoto translated their concerns to Hagrid, who nodded gravely and started pacing.
"I know how it is with Muggles who can' accept magic. It'll have gone ter the dogs, pardon the expression, if yer friend's mother's anythin like the Dursley's."
Makoto and Rei looked at each other, horrified, as they could not remember having ever been. Rei quickly dashed into one of the inner rooms of the shrine and called Ami's home phone. Receiving answer from a man who identified himself as Kumo, she quickly hung up and called the hospital. The receptionist told her that Ami's mother had already gone of vacation. The miko dashed back to Hagrid and Makoto and reported all this to Makoto, who translated it for Hagrid, anxiously.
"You can help us get her out, can't you?" she finished.
Hagrid nodded once and began pacing again. He muttered to himself in such a way that Makoto and Rei had little to know idea what he could possibly be saying, other than the fact that it had to do with their situation. Finally he stopped pacing and looked at the girls.
"Does yer friend have a fire-place?"
Makoto nodded slowly. "I think so."
"Good. We'll travel by Floo."
"By what?!"
"Floo powder. S'much faster than yer underground, have us there in no time. We cen go now ter pick yer friend up. We jus need a fire."
Rei led him to the fire reading room and Hagrid's face lit up considerably. He pulled out a small bag that contained some strange looking powder.
"Jus follow my example. Watch carefully, now," he warned, taking a pinch of the powder and throwing it on the fire. "Now, jus say, clearly, where yeh want ter go, an' yeh'll be there in a second. ... Eh ... where are we goin?"
"Mizuno Ami no uchi."
"Righ' then, lemme have a go. Remember, don' get out 'till yeh see me," Hagrid balanced on the edge of the sacred fire and took a deep breath, "Mizuno Ami no uchi!" he said clearly, and walked through.
Makoto and Rei stepped up to the fire at the same time, and clasped hands.
"Right then. If we get lost, we get lost together," Makoto grinned weakly, trying not to choke.
Rei batted at her head and stared into the fire, which had turned green.
"Ichi ... ni ... san ... Mizuno Ami no uchi!" they said together, and stepped through.
Traveling by Floo powder was not at all what Makoto, or Rei, expected. Aside from the fact that they were traveling through fire and trying not to choke on the ashes, both girls felt rather like they were in a wind tunnel. They could see glimpses into other people's houses as they whipped past, both looking for Hagrid.
"Is ... " Makoto tried to ask, but settled for pointing towards Hagrid's figure.
The huge man had held out a hand for them, which Rei grabbed on to as they passed. With a loud 'oof' both girls fell out of Ami's fireplace and onto the floor, the wind knocked out of them. Hagrid stood over them, pink umbrella in hand, looking very proud of himself.
"Are we dead? Is this heaven?" Rei muttered, vision spinning.
"Iie," a female voice giggled, "You're just in my home."
"Ami-chan!" Makoto and Rei shouted in unison, scrambling to their feet.
Ami grinned happily, rushing over to hug them, and both noticed a very ugly, hunched over old man on the floor. He looked stunned, and neither girl wanted to know how he got like that. Hagrid gave them about a minute of sappy hugging before he coughed lightly to get their attention. They looked up at him curiously.
"Yeh got yer letters from Hogwarts, righ'?" Hagrid paused and the girls nodded, "Good. Let's get a move on, then. Don' want ter be late now. Yeh've a lot of catchin' up ter do, Jillian. Firs' years're usually eleven."
"Yes, but ... aren't Rei and Ami going to come with me?" Makoto asked.
Hagrid looked down at her, surprised. "Well, I wasn' given no orders against it. ... S'pose they could come, if they really wanted to. Yeh'll all have ter come with me to Diagon Alley, fer yer books and supplies. S'pect yeh should pack now, then. Dumbledore's awfully excited ter have yeh."
* * *
"Quills ... robes ... spell books ... " Makoto muttered the next day, as they walked through the streets of London, "Hagrid, where are we going to find all this stuff? Can we get it all in London?"
Hagrid gave the three girls a knowing smile and winked, "If yeh know where ter go. ... I said tha' same thing ter yer brother, firs' time he came here."
"My brother? Hagrid, are you sure -- "
Whatever comment Makoto might have made was silenced as Hagrid pushed open the door to a pub called The Leaky Cauldron. It was not so much the fact that they were entering a pub that astonished Makoto into silence, but the people who inhabited the small building. Hags, witches, wizards, and the occasional goblin in the back, all sat or stood about. Some were reading a newspaper called the Daily Prophet, others were talking amongst themselves, and still others sat about drinking and eating. An old wizard, or at least, Rei thought, he's probably a wizard, stood behind the counter. He smiled widely when he saw Hagrid and the three girls noticed he had very few teeth left.
"The usual, then, Hagrid?"
"Not today, Tom," the huge man shook his head, "Hogwarts business. This one here should be a third year. Jus' picked 'er up from Japan."
Tom smiled kindly down at the three girls, then did a double take. The three girls inched unnoticeably towards Hagrid.
"Bless my soul, the scar!" he cried, (Makoto's hand immediately went up to cover her collar bone) "You mean to tell me ... she's alive? Jillian Potter is alive?"
The entire pub went silent as the customers all stopped what they were doing and turned to try and get a good look at Makoto, or Jillian as Tom had called her. Makoto blushed hotly and all but withered under the stares of the people, who seemed to think she was some sort of demi-god. Rei and Ami watched, clearly amused by Makoto's predicament.
"Yep," Hagrid replied, smiling broadly, "Jus' found 'er yesterday. Dumbledore wants 'er before the term starts ter catch up in 'er studies."
"Jillian Potter, I'm Arabella Figg," said a kindly old witch, who smelled faintly of cabbage, "I work for the Ministry, I can't tell you how honored I am to meet you."
"Likewise, I'm sure," Makoto replied.
"I can't believe they've only found you after all these years. Your brother was brought back to us five years ago," said an old wizard who looked like he might cry.
"My dear lord!" cried a hag, sobbing openly into another old wizard's shirt, "Now both our little heroes have returned!"
"Hello, Hagrid, Jillian," came a nice sounding voice.
"Lupin!" the giant man cried, "Jillian, er ... Makoto, this is Professor Lupin. He'll be yer Defense Against the Darks Arts teacher."
"Pleasure to meet you," Makoto said, sticking out her hand and smiling.
Professor Lupin was a young man, though he looked sickly, in tattered robes. His hair was light brown but graying, though he couldn't be more than thirty years old. He grasped Makoto's hand and shook it, smiling warmly at her. Then he did the same for Rei and Ami. They smiled back up at him, liking him greatly.
"C'mon, kids. It's time ter get yer books an' things," Hagrid said loudly when he'd decided they'd had enough attention, drawing the three girls away from the crowded pub and taking them out a back door.
"Hagrid, why are all those people calling me Jillian? And why do they keep mentioning my brother. What's all this about me being a little hero? How could they all know my name, anyway?" Makoto asked rapidly as soon as they were all out side of the pub.
Tapping a few stones with his pink umbrella, Hagrid shook his head.
"I'm not sure I'm the one ter tell yeh tha', Makoto, but yeh'd better get used ter the name Jillian. 'Tis yer real name, that's what it is."
There was no more talk as what seemed to be a solid wall separated into an entryway, the girls staring in total awe. The alley was fairly empty; the school term wouldn't start for another three months or so, so they had nearly free run of the place. Rei and Ami set off ahead of Makoto and Hagrid, talking rapidly and excitedly in Japanese.
"Welcome ter Diagon Alley," Hagrid said, grinning down at the three girls, "Here's where we'll be gettin' yer supplies."
"But Hagrid, how are we to pay? None of us have any money," Makoto reasoned.
"Well, there's yer money," the groundskeeper said, pointing to a large building, "Gringotts Bank. T'aint no safer place, 'cept fer Hogwarts. Yer parents left yer brother and yeh a small fortune."
"But what about Ami and Rei?"
"Fine man, Mizuno-san," Hagrid sighed, "Ravenclaw prefect an' Head Boy, he was. Hino-san, too. She was Head Girl, though. Don' yeh worry, they left both yer friends money ter last 'em a long time."
The inside of Gringotts Bank was a hustle and bustle of goblins stamping papers, weighing gold, and examining precious stones through monocles. Hagrid, Makoto, Rei and Ami approached a long table at the very end of the main hall.
"Miss Hino, Miss Mizuno, and Miss Potter would like to make withdrawals," Hagrid announced to the goblin who sat there, doing paperwork.
"And do they have their keys?" the goblin asked, fixing a piercing stare on the three girls.
Hagrid rummaged around in his various pockets, muttering to himself, before finally pulling out three keys. He held them up, showing them to the goblin.
"Here they are."
The goblin inspected them before nodding curtly. "Griphook will take you down to your vaults. Griphook!"
Another goblin approached and they followed him to one of the doors leading off the main hall.
"Those goblins are so scary!" Ami announced once they'd left Gringotts, moneybags full, "I was sure they were going to ... to ... bite my head off, at the very least."
"Ami-chan, don't be rude," Rei chided gently.
She could not speak English perfectly, but she could understand it. Hagrid had since stopped and was staring at the back of Ami's head.
"When did yeh learn English?" he demanded.
Ami stopped and blushed, "My father taught me before he and my mother divorced. He was a photographer, so while my mother worked at the hospital, he would speak to me only in English. I grew up fluent in both languages."
Makoto was also staring at her blue haired friend. "You never told me this!" she accused.
"You never asked," Ami shrugged, switching into Japanese.
Rei and Makoto burst out laughing. Hagrid sighed and muttered something about bilingual children. Then he cleared his throat.
"Righ' then. Yeh'll be wanting ter go ter Ollivander's fer yer wands. T'aint no better place. Then yeh'll be needing ter go ter Flourish 'n' Blotts fer yer books. I've got a few more things to do, then we'll be off ter Hogwarts."
"But Hagrid ... " Ami trailed off, realizing that Hagrid had left anyway, "Humph, it can't have been that much of a secret."
"Ah let him be. He's probably just got something important to do," Makoto replied dismissively, "C'mon! I wanna get my wand!"
Laughing, uncaring of those who were giving them odd looks, the three set off for Ollivander's. Upon entering the shop, each set down their trunks, looking around. They saw no one.
"Hello?" Ami and Makoto called.
"Is ... is anyone . here?" Rei asked hesitantly.
Makoto gave her a 'thumbs up' for her use of English and she offered a weak grin in return. For a while it seemed as though no one was going to pay attention to their calls, when suddenly a loud thud alerted them to the presence of an old man.
"Ah, welcome," he greeted them with a smile, "You're here for wands no doubt. Aaah, Rei Hino. I remember your mother when she came in to buy her first wand. Beechwood and dragon heartstring, strong and sturdy. Which is your wand arm?"
"Uh ... " Rei stammered, "I'm ... I'm right-handed ... "
Mr. Ollivander held out her right arm and measured it, but the tape measure was measuring her arm on its own.
"Let's see now," Mr. Ollivander rambled while looking through boxes, "Yes, let's try this one. Unicorn hair, ash, five and three-fourths inches, nice and sturdy." he took down a box that held a thin, short wand and opened it, handing it to Rei. She took the wand and held it, uncertain of what to do.
"Oh, go on, give it a wave," Mr. Ollivander said, waving his hand as if to emphasize the point.
Taking a breath, Rei waved the wand. The ladder she pointed at caught on fire. With a quick wave of his own wand, Ollivander extinguished it.
"No, definitely not," he sighed, grabbing another box, "Dragon heartstring, oak, eleven inches, very pliable."
Rei accepted the wand and waved it in the direction of some boxes. They flew off the shelves and into Mr. Ollivander's head. He beat them off.
"No, no and definitely no. No matter, there's one for you yet," he scoured the shelves and came upon one which caused his face to light up, "Here we are. Phoenix feather, redwood, eight and three-fourths inches, flexible."
Once again Rei took the wand. Before she could even wave it however, the room filled with a brilliant light and blue sparks flew out of the tip of the wand. Mr. Ollivander smiled and nodded once before turning back to the wands.
"Mizuno, eh? Yes, your father was a shy boy when he first walked through my door. His was holly and unicorn hair, if I remember, and I'm sure I do. Right, and your wand arm is?"
"I'm also right-handed."
Ami too, was measured by the self-measuring tape, giggling all the while.
"Let's see, shall we?" Mr. Ollivander muttered to himself. "Hmm ... yes, let's try this one. Dragon heartstring, willow, twelve inches, swishy."
Now Ami gave the wand a wave. The boxes that Rei had pulled off the shelve turned into butterflies which fluttered, leaving the wands behind.
"Oh my, I daresay that's not it ... " Mr. Ollivander said wearily, looking for a new one, "A ha! Here we are. Unicorn hair, mahogany, seven and a half inches, very graceful this one is."
He was right this time. When Ami took the wand she, like Rei, was surrounded by a brilliant glowing light and blue sparks flew out the tip of her wand. The old man looked highly pleased with himself as he turned to Makoto, and stopped in his tracks. Makoto self-consciously pulled her loose T-shirt to cover her scar.
"Dear me ... Jillian Potter. I must say I am a bit surprised to see you here only now," he mused to himself, searching through the fallen wands, "Wand arm?"
"I'm left handed."
"Hmm ... lets try this one, shall we? Yes ... Unicorn hair, pine, eight inches, nice and supple."
Makoto took the wand and faced the other direction, waving it. The front windows exploded, showering the four with the glass shards.
"Perhaps not ... " Ollivander sighed and shook his head, "I think I'm getting too old for this ... here we go. Dragon heartstring, maple, six inches, rather whippy."
Dutifully, Makoto waved this wand as well. A vase on the windowsill smashed into pieces.
"No, it would seem not to be the one. No matter ... shall we try something else? Unicorn hair, ebony, six inches, springy."
This time when Makoto waved it, nothing happened. Mr. Ollivander frowned and proceeded to rummage through the wands again, before straightening.
"Yes, this one should do the trick. Phoenix feather and bamboo, an unusual combination, ten inches, ductile."
Makoto took the wand, and felt herself surrounded by that same warm glow that had surrounded Ami and Rei when their wands were the right match. Only, where Rei's and Ami's had shot out blue and bronze sparks, hers shot out red and gold. Mr. Ollivander nodded, a slightly confused look appearing on his face.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"The tail feather that resides in your wand ... the bird who gave it should have given only two, but he gave three. Your brother holds one of the wands. The other belongs to the man who gave you both your scars."
Once again Makoto's hand went up to her scar, slowly this time, as if realizing just now that she had one. Before she could ask any questions, however, a loud rapping came on the windows. The three turned around and saw Hagrid standing outside the shop, holding three large packages.
"All righ' there?" he called, "Happy early or late birthdays, Ami, Rei, Jillian."
They grinned at him and all questions Makoto had about her scar were forgotten for the moment. They paid Mr. Ollivander seven Galleons each for their wands and joined Hagrid, who handed them each a package from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
"Figured yeh'd be wanting ter save yer money fer books an' the Magical Menagerie," he winked down at them.
He was right. After getting all their school books, parchment rolls, phials, cauldrons, scales, telescopes, ink bottles, quills, and their winter cloaks and hats, the girls were left nearly broke. Then, of course, there was the Magical Menagerie, where they could pick out their pets, should they choose to bring one. Rei immediately went over to look at the owls and Ami headed straight for the kittens. Makoto lagged back, looking around and taking in the rabbits, tortoises, cats, owls, toads, ravens, fur ball like creatures, and rats, unable to choose.
"Yer brother has an owl, yeh know, so yer free ter look into somethin' else," Hagrid murmured as they looked around the small store, "Well, a cat or toad, at any rate."
"That's assuming he likes me enough to even let me look at it. He doesn't even know me, Hagrid," the girl shot back, "How are you so sure he'll even want to get to know me?"
"Harry grew up with Muggles, Jillian, and nasty ones at that. He never knew family an' he's been treated like a freak ever since he learned how ter talk. If he knows he's got other family ou' there, he'll want ter get ter know yeh, no matter how long it's been or who yeh are."
"If you say so," Makoto said, choking back the mist that suddenly clouded her eyes, "Then I'll guess I'll have to take your word for it. So, which is better, a cat or a toad?"
The manager, an old, hunched over witch, waddled up to them.
"A cat or a toad, eh? Well, it depends on what you're willing to do. Cats are high maintenance familiars, they require a lot of attention, but they are very smart. They also prefer witches to wizards, and make wonderful companions at night. Toads are not a pleasing to the eye, but they are loyal and trustworthy and do not require nearly as much maintenance, or attention, as cats."
Makoto, who had only been half listening to the old witch while walking around, paused in front of an owl's cage. The owl was a Spotted owl, with dark, white spotted, fluffy feathers. She bent down to get a closer look and cautiously stuck her finger inside the cage, murmuring soothing words. The owl nibbled her finger affectionately, going so far as to allow her to stroke his feathers.
"Ah, a fine one, this is," the witch said knowingly, "Kipper, we call him. Wingspan of forty-two inches, as smart and proud as they come. I've never seen him act this friendly to anyone else; no one'll buy him, so we've had him for a long time."
"Hagrid ... " Makoto breathed, "I know you said my brother has an owl ... but there's no way I'm leaving this one behind."
"Mako-chan! Rei-chan! Hora!" said a happy voice, cutting into the conversation.
Makoto and Rei turned around to see an excited Ami holding a large ball of what appeared to be red and white fur. It was making loud purring noises, and so they deduced it was a cat.
"Isn't he gorgeous?! I'm going to name him Kenken. He's a Siberian." Ami said happily, paying for her new pet.
"Siberian?" Rei groaned, "Don't tell me you're naming him after that guy from that show on TV ... "
"She won't," Makoto interjected with a grin, "You said it yourself. ... What've you got there?"
"An owl," the miko replied, holding up her arm. Perched on it was a medium sized Screech Owl. "I'm going to name her ... Miryoku Yume. Yume for short."
Hagrid watched the girls converse about their new pets with a proud smile on his face. Exactly what he was proud of, he himself really didn't know, but he could not keep the grin off his face.
"Righ' then, yeh've got yer pets?"
"Hai!" three voices chorused back at him.
"Good," he nodded, "It's off ter Hogwarts, then."
"Have a good year!" the old witch called after them as they left.
The four waved at her before disappearing completely from sight. She sighed and turned to another figure lurking in the corners.
"Is this all really necessary?" she asked.
"Yes," the man nodded, "You-Know-Who is back, and he, though weak, still has power over his followers. If action is not taken, there will be dark times, again. These measures are taken to ensure that those dark times will not repeat themselves."
"But they're just children."
"Oh, no," the man shook his head, "They're much more than just children. Much more."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
So, what did y'all think? If anybody needs a translation of the Japanese, here's what I can give you, to the best of my knowledge. Hope it helps!
Haha-ue? Doushita no? - Mom? What's wrong (or "what happened?")
Haha-ue? Daijoubu desu ka? Doushita no? Onegai, haha-ue! Kotaete ... Kotaete! - Mom? Are you okay? What's wrong? Please, mom! Answer me . Answer me!
Urasei!!! - Shut up!
Urasei! Omae wa musume janai! Omae wa henjin! Choudo nite iru omae no chichi! - Shut up! You're not my daughter! You're a freak! Just like your father!
IIE! Chichi wa henjin janai! - NO! Dad wasn't a freak!
Urusei! Urusei, omae wa baka na shoujo! - Shut up! Shut up you stupid girl!
Omae - You (very, very, very rude)
Benkyou - Study
Okite - Wake up
Baka - Idiot
Shinjiru - I believe you
Ara? Iku nai? Doushite? - Eh? Not go? Why?
Saa ... eto ... kare o myou na no you da. - Well . uh . he seems strange
Rei-chan wa hontou ni hidoi! Kare o warui janai. Sara ni ... oniisan ga miru hoshii. - You're cruel! He's not that bad. Besides . I want to see my brother (literally "older brother")