Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

A/N1 WELL, I GOT SO FEW REVIEWS. Why? Was it because my fic is bad? If it is so, you can tell me by reviewing! Does it mean that no one is reading this?? I was so happy a few days ago when I received the results of my public exams. It was far better than I had dared to hope! I would be even happier if more of you can kindly review!

A/N 2 This is the whole chapter 8! Enjoy and review! And special thanks to dodo who reviewed twice! I really thank you very much. It means a lot to me as you want to fly here all the way from France just to get me continue! I, of course, know that you were joking, but it still was a great encouragement!( As to where I live, you can get a clue by looking at my email.)

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Chapter 8 Their Paths Cross (Finally)

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Haruka walked aimlessly on a street of London. It was a sunny afternoon when glorious daylight fell upon the plate- glass shop windows and upon the thousands of people scurrying busily about the business of the day. Usually walking among so many people only made Haruka felt more lonely through she is surrounded by people, none of them walk along with her, chat with her, none of them share her view, or even truly aware of her existence. To them, she was but another pedestrian.

It still puzzled her slightly on why she decided to come here¡K maybe it was because life itself had become less meaningful to her day by day. It had been years since the last battle with Galaxia. Everyone seemed to get in well with life¡K everyone but her. They truly embrace the peace they had been fighting so long for. And they all seemed to find new purposes of life¡K it was her, Haruka, who still couldn¡¦t¡¦t truly move on. Yes, she had been a professional racer and pianist, but she just still felt that something was missing. It was not enough. It was not like that she preferred battling with all those demons and devil, but without such battles her life was empty. Maybe it was in her destiny and nature to fight constantly¡Khowever, she had been tired of it, hadn¡¦t her?

She had been lost. She had been struggling for a new purpose in life for years.

The dream on that night more than two months ago brought a new beam of light into her fogged heart. She had a feeling that this was what she¡¦d been waiting for ¡V a new journey, a new adventure, a chance to reconsider. A new purpose. It absolutely bewildered her that she had trusted the two ghosts that visited her in her dream¡Kit might be their sincerity and their love for their son that persuaded her to go to England from Japan.

It took her two months before actually stepping on the English ground because on the first few weeks after the strange encounter, she had been pondering, arguing with herself on whether she should trust them. Although it seemed a tempting chance for her, deep in her heart she feared that if all this was a lie, she would be hopelessly disappointed. It had been a full month and a half before she made up her mind and asked herself how she was going to help them. And she decided to seek a way to meet them again.

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--Two weeks ago, in Japan--

Haruka stopped her favourite blue Ferrari beside the road. She got out of the car and locked it securely before going up the stairs that led to the temple. Rei, dressed in the traditional custom of the temple ¡V a white shirt and a red trousers ¡V was already there at the door waiting for her.

¡¥Haruka! How are you?¡¦

¡¥I¡¦m fine. Thanks for agreeing to help, Rei.¡¦

They greeted each other as Rei led Haruka into the inner room.

No need to thank me, really. We¡¦ve known each other too long and too well for such kind of things, don¡¦t you think so?¡Khere, have a tea first.¡¦

Haruka knelt down in front of the table and muttered a small thank before taking the warm cup from Rei and inhaled deeply the fragrance of the tea before sipping it slowly. They conversed a while on how the others were doing recently before moving on to discuss the purpose of this visit.

¡¥ So¡Kwhat kind of spirits do you want me to contact?¡¦ Rei picked up a red ribbon on the table and used it to tie up her long silky black hair while gazing at Haruka attentively.

Haruka felt a bit hesitant. She didn¡¦t¡¦t know what she was getting herself into¡Kbut it was not in her to retreat from danger. And she had already contemplated it for too long.

¡¥They were two British ghosts whose names are James Potter and Lily Potter. They are married to each other. And¡Kand they told me that they were¡K¡¦ it seemed really ridiculous to say that they were wizard and witch, but as Haruka and Rei themselves possessed such kind of immense and unusual power, why can¡¦t there be more people with such power? ¡¥¡Kwizard and witch. They knew how to use magic.¡¦ Rei widened her eyes. She was not sure if she had heard Haruka correctly, but she was certain that Haruka was not joking. ¡¥And they told me that in fact there were many of them out there who possess such kind of magical power. They formed a secret society and prevent ordinary people from knowing their existence¡K but we can talk about it later. Could you reach them?¡¦

Rei nodded.¡¥ I think I can with their names¡K but would you mind if I ask why you want to find them?¡Kand how did you know of them?¡¦

¡¥They visited me in my dream once. They asked me to do something for them. We were interrupted. I want to see them and ask them more about what they asked me to do .¡¦

Rei nodded once again. ¡¥I see¡K please follow me then.¡¦ She saw that Haruka was unwilling to tell her about these spirits. Maybe she didn¡¦t¡¦t want her to get involved? Rei thought as she led Haruka into another room, which was a lot larger than the previous one. She closed the door behind her.

It was dark in the room as there were no windows. A small candle was the only source of light in the room. One could see that the floor on the center of the room was darkened ¡V someone had burnt something there.

Haruka stood patiently as Rei moved several pieces of wood piled against the wall on that darkened floor and lit them. The fire burnt brightly after a short while. Rei knelt in front of the fire and motioned Haruka to kneel beside her. Haruka noticed that the light of the fire caused eerie shadows on Rei¡¦s face.

Rei started to chant with an incredible speed with words which Haruka couldn¡¦t¡¦t understand, then threw something into the fore and it immediately rose up and burn more fiercely. Rei spoke with a voice unlike the usual one in a solemn manner. ¡¥The sacred fire! Please summon the spirits of James and Lily Potter here!¡¦

Nothing happened at first. Then Haruka suddenly felt that the atmosphere of the room changed abruptly. Despite the closeness of the cracking fire, Haruka felt a freezing chill was building up inside of her. Gradually other features of the room faded¡Kshe couldn¡¦t¡¦t see Rei anymore. It seemed that the room was filled with a thick white mist. Haruka realized with a jolt that this scene was familiar¡K

¡¥Mr. Potter? Mrs. Potter? Are you here?¡¦ she said in a tone slightly louder than a whisper as she stood up.

¡¥Dear, please call us James and Lily.¡¦ The familiar soft voice rang behind Haruka and she turned around. There stood, or rather floated the faintly glowing spirits James and Lily Potter. How well Haruka had remembered their appearance ¡V the unruly and wild black hair on James¡¦ head, and the bright emerald eyes of Lily that seemed to shine like the most beautiful star.

Haruka was at a loss of words because there was so much that she longed to ask. Where should she start?

¡¥Your friend¡¦s spiritual power is strong. However, we cannot be summoned for too long¡Kno matter how, we¡¦ve to thank you first. I take it as you are willing to help our son for you want to meet us again.¡¦ James said to Haruka and smiled warmly at her. Haruka nodded return. ¡¥I¡¦ll try my best. I can¡¦t tell you for sure that I¡¦ll succeed¡Kbut I want to try. So, tell me, exactly how the man ¡V Voldemort ¡V can be defeated? Does he have any weakness?¡¦

¡¥I¡¦m not sure that if Voldemort had any weakness.¡¦ Lily said with a slight frown, ¡¥ The last time he was defeated¡Kno, that can¡¦t be called ¡§defeated¡¨¡Khe was badly hurt because when he attempted to kill my son, I stopped in the way. He killed me, but then the love I have for my son invoked a certain kind of ancient magic. It somehow protected Harry when the evil man turned to kill him. But it was not all that prevent Harry from being killed. It was also because Harry was powerful even as a baby. The exact reason actually we don¡¦t know¡K¡¦

¡¥You, along with Harry, have to find the weapon that can destroy Voldemort completely. ¡¦ James continued, 'Only the combined power of Harry and you can do this. Only when you are together can the soul of our ancestor, Godric Gryffindor, be awakened and grant you his power stored in a crystal called the Heart of Purity ¡V ¡¦

Lily raised her head sharply and caught James¡¦ arm while frowning at him. ¡¥Are you sure that we should tell them about this instead of the ¡V ¡¦

¡¥Yes, Lily.¡¦ James said with a tone allowing no room for discussion. Haruka watched their exchange a bit nervously ¡V what are they trying to hide from her? And why¡K

¡¥All we can tell her now is that much.¡¦ James turned and looked at Haruka once again. ¡¥Haruka, the rest is for you to find out.¡¦

Haruka felt a slight spark of panic rose inside her. ¡¥But¡Kwhere can I find the soul of your ancestor? I¡¦ve no idea¡K¡¦

¡¥I¡¦m really sorry to say that, but it is necessary for you to find it out yourself¡Kor else he won¡¦t grant you the power.¡¦ Lily said softly and gently held Haruka¡¦s hand with her translucent one. It was one of the most peculiar feel Haruka had ever experienced¡K Lily¡¦s hand felt cold but tender¡Kit soothed her panic slowly.

The mist around was turning less dense than before, Haruka suddenly realized. Their meeting would soon come to an end. There was still so much which Haruka didn¡¦t¡¦t understand.

¡¥Why me?¡¦ Haruka said with a note of urgency in her voice. This perhaps was what she wanted most to know. ¡¥Why me out of all of us? I mean I am not the most powerful one among us. I ¡K¡¦

Lily squeezed her hand gently to stop her.

¡¥It¡¦s because we are related.¡¦

The voice of Lily seemed more distant then before. ¡¥We are related in a way that you don¡¦t know yet¡K it is hard to explain¡K¡¦

Their faintly glowing bodies dulled. The black hair of James had paled to a light shade of grey. Don¡¦t leave me yet! Thought Haruka in dismay.

¡¥And we know that this is also an opportunity for you to reconsider¡K what you really want¡K what your goal is¡K¡¦

Haruka could no longer hold onto Lily¡¦s comforting hand.

¡¥Wait!¡¦

¡¥Please go to him¡K save him¡K guard him for us¡K¡¦

¡@

¡@

¡¥WAIT!¡¦ Haruka opened her eyes. Had she fallen asleep? Why was she lying on the floor? She struggled up and found out that she was still in the same room. And Rei was still kneeling with the same position as before and was looking at her. The fire had burnt out.

¡¥Sorry¡K but that was the limit of my power¡K ¡¦

¡¥No.¡¦ Haruka extended her hand and helped Rei up. ¡¥ It¡¦s enough. Thank you so much. ¡¦

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Before Haruka got in her car, Rei stopped her.

¡¥Haruka, I want you to remember that whenever you need help, you can always seek it from us.¡¦

Haruka nodded. ¡¥I know.¡¦

¡¥Goodbye then,¡¦ said Rei, ¡¥ and good luck.¡¦

(A/N Just pretend that the two of them had been conversing in Japanese, OK?^^;)

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(here is the next half!)

After the meeting with James and Lily, Haruka settled all the business at hand. Without much explanation to her friends, she packed and got on a plane for London. She got there at roughly midnight and was so exhausted that she had slept until noon at a small hotel. And now she was wondering on a street of London. She had to figure a way to get to Harry¡¦s home¡Kbut then it suddenly hit her that she did not know about how Harry looks¡K she could only hope that he looks like James and Lily. But perhaps she really should get something to eat first ¡V it¡¦s nearly four o¡¦clock and she was starving.

Then she walked and walked and walked. There didn¡¦t seem to be any restaurants or fast food shops at all¡KHaruka stopped at the middle of the street just next to the wall of a house and surveyed the area again.

Where exactly had she wandered to? Just as she asked herself in desperation, someone emerged from a door suddenly and knocked into Haruka. She nearly lost her balance, but years of fighting had trained her well. She quickly resumed her post and muttered ¡¥It¡¦s OK.¡¦ to the careless man who was apologizing to her. Normally she wouldn¡¦t forgive someone so easily, but then she didn¡¦t really have the energy to scold the man. ¡¥I¡¦m really very sorry.¡¦ With a last glance at Haruka, the man turned and hurried off.

Haruka noticed that the man was a bit strange ¡V he wore a long and thick coat that fell past his ankle and a pair of shorts at the same time. It was as if the man did not have an idea about how normal people dress. Haruka mused. Then another thought made Haruka forget the strangeness of the man ¡V where had the man emerged from? She had not noticed that there was a door there, or else she wouldn¡¦t have stood so closely in front of it.

Haruka stepped back a little and studied the place where she had thought merely a wall again. It was a small shop¡K no, a small inn named the Leaky Cauldron. It was strange ¡V if the man had not came out of it and ran into Haruka, she would not have noticed the existence of this small inn between two larger and more brightly colored shops. The protest in her stomach urged Haruka to approach the old fashioned wood door and push it open.

Unbeknown to herself, Haruka had stumbled into a wholly new and strange world.

¡@

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Harry opened his eyes again. Where was he? He looked around the room. He immediately realized that he needed his glasses because he couldn¡¦t see anything clearly. He tried to reach the bedside table for his glasses, but discovered that someone was holding one of his hands. Though he could not see clearly, Harry could tell that it was Sirius by the feeling of the large and warm hand holding his own.

Lying his head on his arm, Sirius was fast asleep. What happened the last time he was awake and what happened even before that slowly slipped back into Harry¡¦s waking mind. And soon it became too much for him to cope with. He snapped his eyes shut and willed all those terrible memories away. Then he opened his eyes again and told himself to focus on the man lying in front of him. Harry had to focus on the fact that his godfather was still here so near to him. The poor man had not even tried to get a decent sleep because of him. It made Harry felt even more guilty¡K

Harry decided that it would be best not to wake his godfather yet. And very slowly, he tried to use his free hand to reach over to retrieve his glasses without waking Sirius. He finally got hold of it and put it back on, and the room, for the first time, came into focus. Despite Harry¡¦s effort to keep Sirius undisturbed, his movement startled Sirius. He jerked up suddenly and looked around a bit frantically.

Sirius sank back into his chair when he was assured that Harry was not in danger.

¡¥Sorry. I don¡¦t mean to wake you.¡¦ Harry said apologetically.

¡¥No, no. Don¡¦t have to be. I didn¡¦t mean to fall asleep,¡¦ it seemed that Sirius felt annoyed at himself that he had fallen asleep, ¡¥How do you feel, Harry?¡¦

¡¥I feel better.¡¦ Harry didn¡¦t want to meet Sirius¡¦ eyes yet¡K his eyes were so full of concern and caring for him¡KHarry was not sure whether he really deserve that. Therefore Harry avoided Sirius gaze and pretended to survey the room. It was a small room with only one bed on which he was occupying and a small wooden table and chair just beside the bed. The curtain was drawn and he could tell that it was afternoon by the faint sunlight that managed to pass through the thin and grey cloth.

¡¥Where are we?¡¦ Harry finally turned his attention back to Sirius.

¡¥A small inn in London. It¡¦s not far from the Leaky Cauldron. I suppose we should get there first and use the fireplace there to get to Hogwarts.¡¦

Harry nodded. It seemed that except this they could do nothing else. Harry noticed Sirius kept looking at him worriedly.

¡¥You must be very hungry, right? But we have to get to Hogwarts first.¡¦

Harry again agreed with Sirius silently. They were already risking too much by staying here for so long¡K there is no telling how fast the death eaters could find them. In fact it seemed a miracle that they had not already. However, it would not be a good idea to walk in Leaky Cauldron unprepared.

¡¥But Sirius, you cannot just get into Leaky Cauldron like this.¡¦

¡¥Oh¡Kof course.¡¦ Sirius get up from his chair and stretched his stiff limbs. Then he walked to other end of the small bed.

¡¥Nor you, Harry. The incident at your uncle¡¦s flat with those death eaters must have turned the wizarding world up side down. To them, you¡¦ve gone missing.¡¦ Sirius picked up something from the bed. It was a cloak with a hood.

¡¥You mean I would attract too much attention from unwanted people?¡¦ Harry said while taking the cloak from Sirius¡¦ extended hand. Then what about Sirius? Harry looked at Sirius inquiringly.

¡¥I would go as Padfoot. In that form I can sense danger better.¡¦ Sirius poured a cup of warm water for Harry and he accepted it gratefully. When Harry put down the cup, he noticed that Sirius had had his wand out.

¡¥I need to strengthen the spell¡K the spell that Arabella had cast on your legs. I¡¦m no expert at this too¡K¡¦ Both of their faces darkened in pain at the mention of Arabella¡¦s name. It was like spilling salt onto a recently cut wound in their heart. Harry quickly lowered his head. Or else he thought that he might break into tears again.

No matter how, Sirius performed the spell. Harry couldn¡¦t stop a small groan from escaping his throat because it was still very painful. Then the sight of Sirius¡¦ wand suddenly triggered something in Harry¡¦s mind. He reached into his pocket. Then he looked around the bed and the room.

¡¥Sirius!¡¦ Sirius was a little puzzled by Harry¡¦s strange behaviour.

¡¥My wand! Have you seen my wand?¡¦

¡¥No¡K¡¦ Sirius then looked around the room and then bent down to check under the bed. From the expression on his face when Sirius straightened again, Harry knew that his wand was not in this room.

¡¥Maybe you have left it in Arabella¡¦s house. I¡¦m sorry.¡¦ Sirius knew perfectly well that the attachment of a wizard or a witch with his or her wand only increases with time. To be without one¡¦s wand would cause an irrational fear in this person¡K Sirius had experienced it well enough in the first few months in Azkaban.

Harry lowered his head soberly. ¡¥Stupid me to lose it¡K¡¦

¡¥Now, Harry.¡¦ Sirius sat on the bed and lifted Harry¡¦s chin up gently. ¡¥We¡¦ll find it back.¡¦ He assured his somehow frantic godson in a firm voice.

¡¥Here.¡¦ Sirius put his wand into Harry¡¦s hand. ¡¥Take it for me.¡¦ Harry nodded. Sirius stood back and after a faint ¡¥pop¡¦, Sirius was replaced with the familiar gigantic black dog.

Harry placed the long cloak securely in his arm and put Sirius¡¦ wand in his pocket. Then he lay his feet on the floor and held onto the bedside table as he tentatively put his weight on his legs. He gave a small nod to Sirius as a signal that his legs were doing OK. Then Harry followed Padfoot out of the room.

It was nearly half past four when Harry and his ¡¥pet ¡¦ Padfoot stepped into the inn ¡V the Leaky Cauldron. Harry had already put on the cloak and veiled his head with the hood. Thankfully some people at the inn also didn¡¦t want others to know of their identity and had veiled their face with one way or other. It made Harry looked less suspicious.

The first thing Harry noticed when he entered the inn was that it was unusually crowded. Nearly every table had been occupied and many of them were talking heatedly in a group of four to five. The atmosphere inside the dimly lit room was somehow tense. Harry unconsciously pulled the hood closer to his face.

¡¥Sir, what may I help you?¡¦ the innkeeper, Tom, while busy instructing the staff to serve the numerous customers, greeted Harry at the counter. His eyes momentarily shifted to the gigantic black dog sitting patiently at Harry¡¦s side.

¡¥Err¡K I want to travel by floo powder with my dog.¡¦ Harry deliberately deepened his voice.

¡¥I¡¦m afraid that you can¡¦t do so¡KLinda! Tell that old lady there not to set her dugbog free! ¡K Frank! Is the coffee for table five and seven and eight and twelve ready?¡¦ Tom again turned his attention back to Harry, ¡¥Sorry. It¡¦s too busy here. Where were we¡Kyes. The floo network is down.¡¦ Harry stared at Tom in shock and Padfoot sat more erectly and listened intently.

¡¥The attack at Harry Potter¡¦s house caused chaos in the Ministry. The ministry officials are too busy tracking where they had taken poor Harry to to repair the floo network¡K and people are saying that the floo network was also damaged by the death eaters¡KI hope that Harry is alright. He is such a polite young man. ¡¦ from the innkeeper¡¦s voice Harry could tell that he was really concerned about him. Harry felt a bit guilty about bringing so much trouble to everyone. Hermione and Ron¡¦s family must be so worried about him¡K

¡¥I¡¦m¡KI¡¦m sure that he will be fine.¡¦ said Harry in an attempt to make Tom feel less worried.

¡¥I hope so¡Know, the floo network should be up and working in an hour or two ¡V at least the Ministry officials said so. Why don¡¦t you sit down and have a drink or something? Please get yourself a seat¡K¡¦ Tom patted Harry¡¦s shoulder and then rushed off to tend to various businesses.

Harry felt that something tugged at his trousers ¡V it was Padfoot pulling at his trousers with his teeth, motioning Harry towards the tables. It seemed that they had to wait¡Kmaybe all those people there were also waiting for the floo network to work again, or were trying to get the latest news on the abducted Harry Potter, that was him.

Harry could only find a small table in a quiet corner of the inn which still had a vacant seat. The other chair by that table was already occupied by a person ¡V Harry could not tell whether it was a men or a woman as most of the person¡¦s body was hidden from view by a copy of Daily Prophet. Harry could see that the headline, unsurprisingly, was ¡¥Death Eaters Attack at Potter¡¦s Resident! Harry Potter Missing¡¦. Underneath it was a black and white photo of his uncle¡¦s house.

¡¥Excuse me.¡¦ Harry approached the person and asked, ¡¥Would you mind if I and my¡Kdog sit here?¡¦ the person finally realized that someone was talking and hence put down the newspaper. It was a woman in her mid-twenties and had short blonde hair. The woman looked like a handsome young man at the first glance, but on closer inspection, one could tell that it was a woman¡Kher features were too graceful and delicate for it to be a man¡¦s.

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End of Chpater 8! Guess who is the woman at the end of this chapter? I suppose you don¡¦t really have to guess. So, if anyone want another chapter, you know what to do.