AN: This is an Escaflowne x Harry Potter crossover, my first FanFic! Credit goes to www.britishairways.com for the name of the airport in Tokyo; to for info about the Japanese school year; to the Harry Potter Lexicon, for info about all things Harry, including calendars; to http:www.cse.unsw.edu.au/altse/japan/1212.html for information about and pictures of Narita airport; and to for information about international time zones.
Disclaimer: None of the characters from Escaflowne or Harry Potter are my own.
Review Responses to Those I Couldn't E-mail:
To KuramaLover: Yes, several Gaeans will enter this story after a few chapters, never fear!
To SabrinaYutsuki: I'm glad you like it! The pairing will remain anonymous for now (don't like to give away too much, ), but I will say that Hitomi will not be romantically involved with anyone from Hogwarts.
To Enu: I'm glad you liked it!
To StarWest45: I hope you like Chapter Two!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Feel free to e-mail me at misekichanyahoo.com anytime you like. I hope you like this next chapter as much as you liked the first! A lot of help came from my esteemed friend, Kurome Shiretsu, for beta-ing this story and helping with ideas. She has a few things up on here, including a one-shot and a YYH/X-Men crossover. Check out her work!
I'm sorry it took me so much longer to update than I thought it would! I had a lot of background work to do for this chapter, and then all this week my mom, brother, and I have been building a patio in the backyard to surprise my dad for Father's Day. Backbreaking work! So, I was way too exhausted to write. The patio came out great, though! He loved it. Anyway, I'm very, very sorry it took me so long. Chapter Three won't take nearly as long to write. Thanks for your patience, and enjoy!
--Miseki
Chapter Two: A Stranger in a Strange Land
"I'll be fine, Mom, I promise." Hitomi whispered in her mother's ear, hugging her tightly. "Don't worry, I'll e-mail you when I get there." She stood up, patting her computer case, her usual exuberance taking over again. "Goodbye, Mom! I love you!" She jogged down the driveway and met up with Snape-san, who was standing with his arms crossed, looking impatient.
"Goodbye, darling." Mrs. Kanzaki whispered, staring forlornly at her daughter's retreating form, a tear running down her cheek.
"So, where do you work, Snape-san?" The girl blushed. "I mean, not to be rude, or anything, but since we have a long flight together, I just thought ... "
Snape glared icily down at her. "Look, girl," He growled. "I did not fly out here to make friends. I came here only to get you and bring you back to the ... " He stopped himself suddenly. How much should he tell her, in the middle of a crowded train? It would have to wait. "For the moment, my line of work does not concern you." Snape turned back to the window.
The girl looked hurt. "But, I only asked because ... the cards hinted that there was something you weren't telling me. Something you're hiding."
"Not on the train!" Snape hissed. "You would do well to keep your mouth shut, little girl."
She stood up, fists on her hips, glaring. "And you would do well to be a little more polite! My name is Hitomi!"
Snape sighed, defeated. He would do anything - even apologize - to keep her quiet. "All right, I'm sorry, Hitomi. I'll tell you everything on the plane, when we are more ... private."
Hitomi sat down, realizing that whatever his secret was, he didn't want the crowd on the train to hear about it. The noise on the plane would cover their voices. "All right." She said, still a little miffed.
Professor Snape waited for her to continue antagonizing him. When she didn't speak, he looked down; she was reading a comic book! Grateful for the silence, Snape rested his aching head on the window. Why did I decide to learn Japanese? He thought, exasperated. As soon as we get to headquarters, someone else can deal with her.
"Snape-san?" Hitomi looked up at the dark man, noticing that he was having trouble reading their boarding pass. "Let me help." She reached over and snatched the slip of paper away before he could protest. "Our gate is this way."
Professor Snape followed Hitomi as she slipped through the throng with practiced grace; he pushed people rudely out of his way, his glower deepening, until at last his icy glare was enough to sweep the crowds out of his way. Hitomi was oblivious to all of this, strolling cheerfully on until something displayed inside a shop caught her eye. She stopped and was about to duck inside when Snape grabbed her arm. "Not now," he growled, jerking her roughly out of the store. People stared, and he immediately let her go, regretting drawing such attention to himself.
The girl was glaring at him. "You don't have to be so rough! I was just shopping!" She put her hands on her hips and accused him. "What's wrong with you, anyway?!"
Snape drew himself up and scowled down at her. "We are not here to shop. We are here to get on a plane to London, as quickly as possible. Unless I am mistaken, the flight leaves shortly." He swept off in the direction she had been going, leaving Hitomi jogging to catch up.
More than a little irritated, Hitomi stopped when they reached the gate. "We're here, sir," she spat, marching over to the counter, boarding pass in hand.
Professor Snape's headache had returned in full force. He stood near a row of chairs, scowling, waiting for the girl to finish checking their seat numbers. A smile lingered on her face when she turned away. As Hitomi walked back toward him, she caught his eye, and ... froze. Her eyes opened wide, and the color drained from her face. Somehow, this looked familiar ...
Suddenly, worry replacing his anger, Snape realized what was happening. The girl shrieked, and Snape rushed to her side, appearing just in time to catch her on her way to the ground. Frustration returning, Snape carried Hitomi over to a chair and set her gently in it, waving away the bevy of attendants that hurried to his shoulder. "She is fine." He muttered, annoyed. "She has merely had another fainting spell - the girl has a weak heart." Why wouldn't these muggles leave?!
"If there is anything we can do - " one of the staff began, wanting to help.
"There is not." Snape tried to rein in his irritation. "Leave us."
Looking somewhat offended at his condescending tone, the attendants slid away, clearly confused. Hitomi stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, and when she saw Snape hovering above her, they grew wide in panic. Snape shook her slightly, willing her to regain her senses, and said, "Not now. Don't tell me now. Save it for the plane." He looked deep into her eyes. "Control yourself, Hitomi." She blinked, looking up at him; she was herself again, but tears were welling up in her eyes, and she looked terrified.
"Flight to London, now boarding," a friendly voice echoed over the loudspeaker. "Have your boarding passes and identification ready, please."
"Come." Snape helped Hitomi to her feet, and walked with her onto the plane. Once they were settled, seat belts fastened, Snape turned to her. "Now. Tell me."
The stewardess stopped at the next row of seats, making her rounds before takeoff. "The plane will take off shortly," she said in her 'pleasant' voice. "Fasten your safety - " The piercing gaze of one of the passengers cut her off. "Is - is everything all right, sir?" She asked, daunted.
"Fine." He looked the stewardess over, as if she were a worm, and said, "Leave us."
Irked at the man's haughty tone, but paid to be kind to the passengers, the stewardess smiled at him and moved on, making sure the other passengers were strapped in properly.
Professor Snape looked back down at Hitomi. "Your vision ...?"
Hitomi gulped. "Well, Snape-san, you were balancing on a tightrope, walking across a chasm. It was so dark! You were surrounded by demons on every side, but you kept your eyes forward ... you started to get tired, to stumble, and then a demon jumped out of the pit ... it was a person, wearing a mask and a black cloak! He jumped on you, and you pushed him off, but then more of them attacked! You couldn't stop them, and ... you fell in. They were torturing you - the screams ... " She buried her face in her hands.
Professor Snape was stupefied. This girl had somehow delved into his mind and discovered the absolutely secret, terribly dangerous role he played for the Order. Worse, she predicted that he would be discovered! But how could she know ...? "Hitomi." The girl looked up at him. "What you have seen in these visions concerning me must remain entirely secret."
She blinked, confused. "Secret?"
"I carry out a very important and very dangerous duty for the Order, one that must be kept secret." He said formally.
"You mean, you're a spy?"
Snape glowered at her. "Quiet!!"
"Well, I was just asking." She crossed her arms. "You don't have to yell. And what's this 'Order,' anyway?"
Professor Snape sighed. "I had better explain." He glanced around, made sure no one was listening, and waited until the plane began to lift off before speaking. He said, in a low voice, "There are two basic groups of people in this world. Muggles - " she frowned, perplexed, " - and wizards." Snape waited for the sharp intake of breath, the sputtering shock. None came. The girl merely peered at him quizically.
"Wizards? Like, casting spells and muttering incantations?" She pondered this for a moment, not sure she believed him. It does explain his tarot reading, she thought to herself.
Snape, annoyed that she showed no other reaction, continued. "Yes. I am a wizard. Those who lack magical ability are called muggles. Wizarding folk live behind, beyond, and around the muggles, and our world is kept absolutely secret." His lip curled in distaste. "It would be a disaster if muggles ever discovered our kind." Before she could interrupt again, he added, "As I am sure you are aware, we do not use ordinary means to disguise ourselves. Extensive magical precautions of every sort are taken to ensure that no muggle ever discovers us, and that if he does, his memory is promptly modified." Hitomi gasped, but Snape ignored her. "Muggle discovery is not the only threat to the Wizarding world. There is a very dangerous wizard, a master of incredible powers and a man entirely without scrupules, who is attempting to seize control of our world."
He paused, and Hitomi asked, "Who is this wizard?"
"We do not speak his name," Snape said gravely. "Hundreds of witches and wizards have fallen before his power. He commands a group of followers, the Death Eaters, who do his bidding." He shuddered, almost unconsciously. "The Death Eaters also are very dangerous."
Hitomi gazed at him fearfully, intimidated by his tone and the fact that even a powerful person like Snape-san was afraid of this 'Dark Wizard.' She gulped and asked, "Why are you taking me to London?"
Snape looked at her. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named learned of your extraordinary talents almost as soon as we." She didn't ask how he knew that, or who 'we' was. "If he takes you, he will force you to use that gift. You will reveal to him information so vital to the Order - such as the whereabouts of our headquarters - that he will be able to destroy us. Nothing will stand in his way. And once he has finished with you, he will torture and kill you." Hitomi's face was white, and she was trembling. "If you fall into his clutches, the Order of the Phoenix will be destroyed, and the world will fall to him."
Hitomi stared, terrified. Eventually, she stammered, "Th - the Order of the Phoenix?"
"Those witches and wizards determined to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
Hitomi, scared and lonely, turned away from Snape-san, staring out the window. The cloudscape was soothing, and slowly she drifted into a troubled sleep. A few hours later, a rough shake woke her, and she heard Snape-san asking her what she wanted to eat. Blearily, she rubbed her eyes and stretched, telling him to get her whatever he was having.
Feeling better after her nap, Hitomi was full of questions. A highly frustrated Snape humored her for a short time. Finally, he snapped, "Enough! Cease your incessant questioning." He rolled over, facing away from her. "Wake me when we reach London." And with that, he slept, leaving an indignant Hitomi to somehow occupy herself for the remaining fifteen hours of the flight, as the in-flight movie was a mediocre one that she had already seen. It's going to be a long flight, she thought to herself, glaring at Snape-san's form and settling into her seat with a sigh.
"Where are we going?" Hitomi asked, sitting in a taxi next to Snape-san. They had just left the airport, and Snape-san had given the driver directions in English. How she wished now that she had paid more attention in her English classes!
"The Leaky Cauldron," Snape-san replied tersely in Japanese, saying no more.
"The 'Leaky Cauldron'? What - "
"You will find out for yourself in twenty minutes," Snape interrupted. She fumed at him, but remained silent, and instead looked out the window to see what she could of London, even if it was pitch dark outside. She felt disoriented, and a little nauseous, but not sleepy at all; just exhasuted. Of course, she thought. In Japan it's morning. She thought about her mother, musing until the cab stopped.
They left the taxi and got out onto a busy sidewalk, glowing yellow-orange in the streetlights. "I don't see - " Hitomi started, then gasped as a small, rickety looking building suddenly appeared in between two skyscrapers, where no gap had existed before. Snape-san pulled her along after him, and before she knew it, Hitomi was inside a dark, dusty room full of people in robes, who were all babbling English at each other. She looked around timidly, a little frightened, as Snape-san said something to the bartender - bartender! They were in a bar! - passing the man the oddest golden coins. Before she could protest, he was pulling her along by the arm again, this time leading her around the bar and out a small side door, into a dingy alley.
Hitomi jerked her arm away angrily. "What are you - " she started, but he ignored her, talking again to the old bartender, who produced a large carpet. Mystified, she stared at it, wondering, until Snape shook it open and motioned for her to climb on. Hitomi was confused.
Exasperated, Professor Snape snapped, "It's a flying carpet. These are illegal, but as we only have to travel a few kilometers and you can't ride a broom, it will have to do." Hitomi boggled at him, but sat down gingerly when she saw his scowl. Nervous, she gripped the edges of the carpet. She squeaked when it took off, hovering above the ground for a moment before floating off into the night sky.
Once she realized that the carpet wasn't going to drop her, Hitomi sat up straight and opened her eyes. It's like flying with Van, she thought wistfully. The ride was over too soon, and Hitomi stepped off the carpet a little sadly. She looked up and saw a large, gloomy house, the boards weathered and the windows broken. A large sign was nailed to the door, printed with red letters she couldn't read, and she had the strongest urge to leave immediately. She started backing away.
Professor Snape growled. "Anti-Muggle enchantments," he muttered under his breath, grabbing Hitomi and practically dragging her to the door. He slammed it open and pushed her in, closing it quietly behind him.
Hitomi struggled with the overpowering sensation that she shouldn't be here, and the image of the mansion flickered strangely as she came near it, as if she was having a vision. She tugged on her arm absent-mindedly, trying to get away from Snape-san, who was pulling her toward the strange place. He opened the door and the mansion's image was instantly different, as if the way it had looked before had just been a ruse. Hitomi had no time to ponder this, for Snape-san shoved her roughly inside and shut the door softly. She barely had time to register the dusty hall, with peeling wallpaper and shabby curtains covering the far wall before she was rushed up a wide set of stairs and into a musty room. Tired, hungry, and throroughly confused, Hitomi couldn't say much other than, "Wha ...?"
"Welcome to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," Snape-san said, standing in the doorway. "This is your room. I will return shortly with some food. You are not to leave this house. I would suggest that you get some rest." And with that, he closed the door, leaving her alone in this strange place. Hitomi moaned, sitting down on the bed, which creaked. I want to go home, she thought miserably, laying down, although she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep.
Just as she was drifting off, Hitomi heard men shouting, and then a woman screeching at the top of her lungs. Bewildered and angry, she threw the door open and stomped downstairs, determined to shut them up. Didn't they realize what time it was?! She reached the hallway to find Snape-san and another man, one with longer black hair and a gaunt face, each holding a small sliver of wood pointed at the other. The moldy curtains at the end of the hallway had been thrown open, and behind them was an old lady in a painting, who was the one screaming. Hitomi was too tired and grumpy to be fazed by this, and the two men didn't seem to notice, so she decided to do something about it. She marched across the hall, passing between Snape-san and the other man, and grabbed one curtain in each hand, slamming them shut. "SHUT UP!!" She bellowed into the sudden silence. She whirled to the two men, who were staring at her in shock. "Do you have any idea what time it is?!" She demanded of them.
Sirius was flabbergasted. Who was this mysterious girl who had marched into his hallway and shouted something incomprehensible at him? And how had she managed to shut his mother's portrait up so quickly? He was opening his mouth to ask her when Snape said, "Don't bother. She only speaks Japanese." Snape looked over at him snidely. "Which you don't understand." Then he turned to the girl and talked to her for several moments, apparently in Japanese.
"Hitomi, I would like you to meet Sirius Black," Snape-san said, as if nothing had happened. "He is the owner of this ... charming establishment." When she only glared at him, he said. "He and I were having a small disagreement, which happened to arouse that lovely portrait." He gestured.
"What are you saying, Snape?" Sirius growled.
Snape smirked, but before he could answer, the girl said something to him, and he actually laughed. "She wants to thank you for allowing her to stay here," he translated. "She says that her name is 'Hitomi,' and that she is sorry for yelling at you." Snape sneered. "Although I found your surprise rather amusing." He swept his cloak off the floor where it had fallen, and put away his wand. "We will have to continue this later. Goodbye!" He said with a devilish grin, saying something to Hitomi before opening the door and stepping out into the night.
Hitomi stared at the door, furious that Snape-san would leave her stranded here with a total stranger. Her eyes shifting from the door to the stranger - Sirius-san, her mind said - and back again. She began to get nervous. What am I going to do?
Hitomi was about to bolt and run for her room when another man appeared, this one with long white hair and a beard. He was wearing half-moon glasses and a nightcap, and looked like he had just gotten out of bed. She looked at him, wild-eyed. He peered at her quizzically for a moment, and then understanding spread across his face. He turned and said something to the other man.
Sirius frowned at Dumbledore, and said, "I don't know who she is, all Snape said was that her name was Hitomi."
"Ah yes," Dumbledore said, nodding. "Hitomi is a True Seer, a very gifted one, and I asked Severus to bring her here. He is, after all, the only one of us who speaks Japanese."
Comprehension dawned on Sirius's face. He nodded, and then frowned again. "If Voldemort gets his hands on her - "
"Yes, I know, which is why I had Severus bring her here." Dumbledore smiled again. "I have come up with a small spell that will allow her to understand us. If I may borrow your wand ...?" Sirius handed his wand over, interested. Dumbledore raised it, pointing it at Hitomi, who shrieked, but didn't run away. Sirius admired her courage. Dumbledore flicked his wand and said forcefully, "Retineverba!" A white mist shot out of his wand and surrounded her head.
When the mist cleared, she blinked at them, confused, and then said in perfect English, "What was that?"
I do hope you liked it! More coming soon!