Answer: A shadow

Chapter 7

Kagome was in an elegant room of deep reds and mahogany wood. Fire places roared from massive fireplaces as they turned green and people emerged.

"Welcome to Kingscross station! Platform 2 1/4 Romania Railway, 4 4/5 Canada Way, 7 1/2 States Skyway, 9 3/4 Hogwarts Express. Have a good day!" she hurried off to help a young man coming out of the fireplace behind her.

Kagome picked up her trunk and followed the crowd out the only door in the room (though it was quite big).

Outside the door was a busy train station filled with people hurrying here and there with trunks and bags trailing behind them. Dirty concrete floors and walls were advertising useless items and places in bright neon colours. Senseless chatter echoed in the tunnels as the trains roared by, some old and rustic looking and some rich and finely furnished. It was easy to tell you were in the middle of a big city.

'Exactly opposite of the Feudal Era…' Kagome thought wistfully, shaking her head and walking forward. 'Now, where did that lady say Hogwarts was? Oh ya! Nine, the rest I couldn't catch before she ran off.'

Kagome walked over to Platform Nine. She read the names of the trains but found none with the word Hogwarts on it. Kagome sighed miserably, now she was going to for sure miss her train. A flash of red caught her eye and she turned her head to see the lady with the children from the Leaky Cauldron disappear through a pillar.

Kagome blinked. Well that was different, but, having been in Feudal Japan, she should have been used to the strange and impossible. I mean, jumping through a well to 500 years into the past was less believable than walking through a wall of solid brick.

She tugged her trunk over to the wall and felt the presence of magic coming from the pillar.

'Why didn't I notice that before?' she placed her hand on the wall and it disappeared, as if going through a shadow.

Looking around to make sure nobody saw, she walked through the wall to another train station, this one filled with children getting on a train with the words 'Hogwarts Express' on it.

"Finally." Kagome sighed and walked over to the train that was getting ready to leave.

She stepped onto the train and pulled her trunk in after her, hurrying down the isle until she found an empty compartment. Placing her trunk beside her, she pulled out her CD player and put on the headphones, turning on her favorite Ayumi Hamasaki CD, she watched the train start to chug forward, leaving the station behind in a whirl of trees and meadows.

In the compartment next to Kagome's, three friends were sitting. Harry and Ron were avidly discussing Quidditch. Hermione had found this boring and was now reading 'Hogwarts: A History' for the tenth time that summer.

Ron glanced at Hermione "Do you ever stop reading?"

Hermione glanced up from her book and glared at Ron "I have better things to do than sit here and listen to you two babble about a sport that revolves around throwing things, hitting things at others and falling from great heights. Quite a waste of time in my opinion,"

"Waste of time?"

Harry sighed, feeling a fight brewing; he stared out the window as the rain lightly fell. A soft sound reached his ears 'What's that?' he strained to hear the noise above Ron and Hermiones bickering.

"At least I don't have my nose in a book all the time!" Ron retorted, ears red in anger.

"Ron! You're so childish!" Hermione yelled, sending Crookshanks, who had been sitting in her lap, cowering under the seat.

"I'm childish? What about when you yelled at me for losing my books and making us almost late?"

"There was a test that day! You got jealous because I dated Victor!"

"I wasn't jealous!"

"Yes you were!"

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Y-"

"Will you be quiet?" Harry yelled over their fighting.

Ron and Hermione froze at Harry's yell, he didn't yell often and only when he's really angry or in life and death situations, either one is bad enough to stop talking for a second. Finally hearing the sound they looked around, searching for the source.

The sound stopped and Harry sighed in frustration. Why did they have to fight all the time? Sure they love each other but still, they could show it in another way.

"Sorry Har-" Ron started but Hermione put a hand over his mouth, hearing the sound again.

"kitto kitto bokutachi wa
ikiru hodo ni shitte yuku
soshite soshite bokutachi wa
ikiru hodo ni wasurete'ku

hajimari ga aru mono ni wa
itsu no hi ka owari mo aru koto
iki to shi ikeru mono nara
sono subete ni"

"What language is that?" Ron questioned Hermione, completely lost.

"Japanese" Hermione answered shortly, listening intently.

Ron started to say more but she put a hand up to shush him.

"moshi mo kono sekai ga shousha to haisha to no
futatsu kiri ni wakareru nara
aa boku wa haisha de ii
itsu datte haisha de itai n da"

Harry stood up and walked outside, standing in the corridor, Hermione and a confused Ron followed. Harry looked about, but no one was in the halls. Neville and Luna from two compartments over walked out and up to them.

"Do you know what that sound is?" asked Neville.

"Japanese"

"Wha-?" Harry glared at him and he closed his mouth as the music started again.

"kitto kitto bokutachi wa
kanashii hodo ni utsukushiku
yue ni yue ni boku tachi wa
kanashii hodo ni yogorete'ku

mamoru beki mono no tame ni
kyou mo mata nani ka o gisei ni
iki to shi ikeru mono tachi
sono subete ga"

They looked in the compartment in front of them to see a lone Japanese girl sitting there, singing sadly and looking out the window.

"moshi mo kono sekai ga shousha to haisha to no
futatsu kiri ni wakareru nara
aa boku wa haisha de ii
itsu datte haisha de itai n da"

"It sounds so sad…" Ron commented as he listened.

Hermione shook her head "No, its beautiful."

"Why? What is she saying?" Ron, frustrated at not being able to understand and was missing out on something because of it.

"I wonder if she made this herself? It sounds so personal, like its coming from her heart…" Hermione said wistfully.

Harry ignored them and listened as she started to sing again. A small smile spread over the girls face as she closed her eyes and sang the next lines softer.

"boku wa kimi ni nani o tsutaerareru darou" she raised her voice till it was as though she was talking to the gods

"konna chippoke de chiisana boku de shika nai
ima wa kore ijou hanasu no wa yametoku yo
kotoba wa sou amari ni mo
toki ni muryoku da kara"

As the song ended, the girl sighed and she tucked her long ebony hair back behind her ear as she looked out the window again.

The five in the hall went back to Harry's compartment and sat down.

After a moment of silence "What was that about?" Ron asked.

Hermione looked at him "She was singing a song."

Ron rolled his eyes "I know that! I mean, what was she saying?"

"She was singing about her dead half demon lover who was killed five hundred years ago." Luna said distantly, as usual.

They ignored her and turned to Hermione for the translation.

"Um…well let's see. The first part was 'Surely, surely as we live we know more. And, and as we live we forget.' Then 'Things that begin always have an end. If you can live on, think always of that.' 'If this world were split into winners and losers, I'd rather be a loser. I always want to be a loser.' And the last part was 'What can I tell you? I'm just a small helpless person. That's all ill say for now because sometimes words are completely powerless.' And that's all I could make out." She said with a sigh.

"Well, she had those wires stuck in her ears, maybe she was listening to something?" Ron said, his ignorance of the Muggle world showing.

"They're called walkmans Ron. And yes, usually girls, and sometimes guys, enjoy singing along with the song."

Ron frowned "Well, that's stupid! Why would anyone want to hear you singing?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head "You sing it because you like the song. It doesn't matter if others hear you."

Harry sat, looking out the window, thinking about the girl. She was beautiful. Was she going to Hogwarts? Harry mentally slapped himself. 'Get a hold of yourself Potter! Even if you could date people, she would probably turn you down or only go out with you for the fame or something like that.' But she did look sad, would it do any harm if she went over there and talked with her?

He stood "I'm just going to say hello. Be right back."

He walked out the door, closing it behind him, he walked over to the next compartment and glanced in. The girl was still looking out the window, swaying her head to the music. He knocked softly and her head whipped up, she turned off her walkman and put it in her trunk again.

"Come in!"

Harry was confused for a moment before he remembered that she was singing in Japanese. Maybe she couldn't speak English. He was about to go ask for Hermione to come with him until she said something again.

He opened the door and waved. "Hello." He said slowly. If she were from wizarding folk he would be hearing an excited squeak from her soon.

She stood and bowed "Hello. Sit." She motioned to the seat in front of her as she sat down again. Mentally wincing at using the special word that used to give her control over Inuyasha.

Harry bowed back and sat down in front of her. He held out his hand and said "Harry Potter." Trying to keep the sentences simple.

She smiled "Higurashi Kagome. Nice to meet you." Her Japanese accent making Harry sure she couldn't speak much English.

Harry frowned in confusion. "Your names Higurashi?"

Kagome's eyes widened and she smiled "My last name. Kagome is my first. Tradition in Japan to say last name first."

Harry nodded in understanding, relieved that she obviously wasn't from a wizarding family.

"I heard you singing."

Kagome blanched then blushed madly. "Really?"

Harry nodded "Yes, it was quite good."

Kagome smiled, a little brighter this time. "Thank you Potter-san."

Harry smiled "Your welcome Kagome. And call me Harry."

They talked and Harry found that she was a very nice girl, coming from Japan to learn more. An hour later the train let out a warning whistle and Harry looked at his watch.

"Oh! We're at Hogwarts! Better get your robes on now Kagome." He stood and opened the door, looking over his shoulder. "Bye"

Kagome smiled "Goodbye Harry-san."

She quickly got into her robes, pulling the black robes with the Hogwarts crest on it over her old school uniform. She put her other clothes that she had been wearing in her trunk and sat back down, waiting for the train to stop before going into the corridor and out onto the platform outside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

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And I leave you guys to that! I was a total idiot and put this one out too early. You see, I have this series planned out but when I put this one on Fanfic I couldn't find my note with that on it! Well…guess what? I found it and it turns out this part is the second last part! So, in your reviews, you can have two options. Either have this story put on hold so that I can write the other 6 parts or I continue this one, it sucks and you wont get one single part of it till I put out the other ones out but you'll still be kinda confused because they wont have anything to do with each other because their not a series. They all tie together and are crucial to how each story goes. This is a HUGE story and I have it all planned out to a point but its up to you guys.

Continue with this story or get 6 new ones?

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