Just to be clear, the only reason this was never published as it's own story was because it quickly became a crack! fic by chapter six. I respect my fans too much to post such a thing...though I will post the chapters already done on the Drabbles to determine whether it's worth a second look.

Harry had been staying with Shiro for most of the summer, rather enjoying Japan and the peaceful scenery. The two of them got along rather well, both being orphans who knew about magic.

While he had no idea how Shiro's magic worked, the fact he had some form of magic meant he could share his books with the teen, who dove into them with interest. When he introduced the boy to flying on a broom (Shiro wore Harry's invisibility cloak the entire time, and was having a lot of fun flying around Fuyuki park) the two hit it off again.

Shiro, in turn, rather liked having Harry around. He had been unaware of how lonely his house had felt with no one there but him. Harry was like the younger brother he never had.

Of course things weren't entirely idyllic.

A week after Harry came to visit, several owls looking exhausted nearly crashed into his tree. Every single one had a letter on it.

Harry picked through them with a pair of tongs, knowing that direct contact would activate any hidden port keys. (He had bought a book about the items, and learned the error of his ways.) Once he opened the letters, he scowled and pulled out a lighter that had the 'incendio' charm stored in it. He burned three of the five letters without reading the other two. The flames of two were an odd color, indicating that there was magic in them. The fourth letter was from the twins, asking if he was the mystery investor who had expressed an interest in their prank shop. Included was a two-way diary so he could talk to them without using another owl. The fifth letter was from Sirius, asking if he was alright because he had dropped off the map, as it were. (It also congratulated him if he was, saying it was the funniest prank he had ever seen in a while.)

Harry wrote in the diary first, and wasn't surprised to find it answer him back immediately.

Any Marauders there?

Harry!

Absolutely spiffing to hear from you old boy!

You've sent Dumbledore in a right tizzy when you vanished from your house.

Harry snorted. Even when writing, the twins did the double speaking trick.

Are Ron and Hermione there with you two?

Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus...a whole lot of people are here in the Order.

Dumbledore brought back the Order of the Phoenix, which his response to Death Eaters back in the first war.

You sent everyone panicking when they realized you weren't at your aunt's.

GOOD! I hated it there, and I told Dumbledore as much first year! Can you pass a message to Ron and Hermione?

Absolutely old chap! Just one question...

Yes, I am the mystery investor. Meet with the goblin in charge of my account, and when he asked if I wanted to invest in a business in the magical communities the first thing that came to mind was your joke shop. I figured you could use the extra help.

Thanks for that. We've been able to get some hard to find ingredients for our pranks because of the extra cash in our vault.

Now, can you tell Ron and Hermione not to bother writing to me? After their little information blackout I'm really not in the mood to talk to them.

It was Dumbledore's idea. He even got Mum to screen their letters.

Figures. That reminds me, I found family! Apparently I have a cousin on my mother's side.

Congrats! What's his name?

I don't know if it's a good idea to tell you. His name alone might tip off the old goat as to where I am. It's pretty easy to find a country of origin simply through a name, and I'm fairly sure Dumbledore can read minds.

You don't think he would do that to us to get to you, do you?

Did your mother ever tell him about the bars on my window second year?

She complained about it, yes.

Do you really think he cares whether or not it's okay to look into other people's mind when he keeps sending me back to that house despite the fact I've complained about the Dursleys since first year? The second I found out I had an actual cousin, I was gone.

...When you put it that way, we see your point. Any message for Sirius?

Harry had a mischievous idea, as he wrote back.

Tell Padfoot and Moony I'm fine and I might come back for school next year. I rather like this country, and I know they have magical training here, since my cousin definitely has magic of his own.

He could see the looks on their faces as they read that.

YOU KNOW WHO PADFOOT AND MOONY ARE?!

Tell us!

I thought you knew. Padfoot and Moony are Sirius and Remus.

He could just imagine the look of shock on their faces...followed by a devious grin as they processed that information.

We'll be sure to tell them! After we're done bowing and pleading for guidance from the Great Marauders.

Be sure to tell them I was the one to inform you! And take pictures!

Talk to you later Harry.

We're off to pester the Marauders!

Harry laughed, as he could easily imagine the look of horror on Remus' face when he found out someone told the twins he was Moony. Sirius wouldn't care, but he would understand why Harry wouldn't say where he was.

He knew what it was like to be imprisoned for no good reason.

"So what were you writing?"

"I was chatting with a pair of mischievous twins I know. This is a two-way diary that they sent. They were telling me what was going on back in England."

"Why did you burn the others though?"

"They didn't send me a single letter all summer, yet when I leave England all of a sudden they think I would accept being chastised for not telling them I was going on vacation? They really should have known better."

Shiro had to admit, he had a good point. If they didn't care to send him letters all summer, then what made them think he would actually care to read ones that complained he had left the country? And to find family he didn't know he had?

"So what was the devious smirk for?"

"That? That was exposing my surrogate uncles on my dad's side to the twins. They were known as pranking legends in their day, and the twins idolize them. For some reason they didn't want the twins to know that they were their idols. I can just see Moony's face when he finds out I told them."

"What kind of person names their kid Moony?"

"Actually it's a nickname. Remus is called Moony because he's a werewolf, and Sirius is called Padfoot because he can turn into a dog. Because of how big it is and the coloring, he's often mistaken for the Grim."

"...Werewolves are real?"

"Yes, but other than the nights of the full moon, they are perfectly harmless. Unfortunately most don't see it that way and treat them like they're evil because of something they can't control."

"That doesn't sound right at all."

"I agree. So what's on the agenda today?"

"Today's Sunday, so I was thinking we could hit the bookstore or something. Want to flip for who makes dinner later?"

"Sure!"

It was all out chaos in the Order of the Phoenix. Ever since Harry went missing from his aunt's, Dumbledore had been sending the others out looking around the clock. There wasn't hide nor hair of the boy.

Then the twins were finally told that Remus and Sirius are really Padfoot and Moony (Ron and Hermione quickly claim their innocence of informing the two) and the boys immediately start stalking the former Marauders.

It wasn't until Sirius finally caved that he found out that his godson was long since out of the country and with a cousin he most likely found through the goblins.

Harry never said the cousin's name, so it was impossible to track him that way. And the goblins were strangely reluctant to assist them in the matter. Since Harry wasn't in Europe, it was impossible to find him through his wand, because the tracers only covered Europe. If he was in America or Asia, then they wouldn't be able to find him at all.

Finally, when Voldemort was informed of the fact Harry was missing, Dumbledore had enough.

He called Fawkes over from his perch and told him to find Harry. If he did, then he was to bring him back immediately. The boy had had his fun, but with Voldemort's return he was in grave danger.

Harry finished his letter to the Ministry, requesting to become an At-Home student. After thinking it over, he had decided to pull out of Hogwarts.

Seeing Shiro's reaction to his previous years had Harry reevaluating his schooling. His conclusion was that Hogwarts was simply too dangerous for him to stay there, and with the Ministry smear campaign (the goblins had given him a few issues of last month's Daily Prophet while he was there) it was unlikely he would enjoy his fifth year.

Besides, he rather liked hanging out with Shiro, and it would be nice to catch up on his muggle education.

Hedwig took the letter and was off before lunch.

"Who were you writing to?" asked Shiro.

"I was writing a letter to the Ministry asking to become an at-home student. Frankly I would rather stay here and join you in high school than go back and deal with that mess."

"What Ministry?"

Harry blinked.

"The Ministry of Magic? The ruling government for wizards?"

"I've never heard of it. The only ruling body for magic users is the Magus Association."

Harry paused, then face-palmed.

"I completely forgot we came from two different branches of magic."

"Huh?"

"Shiro, I'm not a Magus. I'm a wizard. Unlike you I can't cast magic without a focus, specifically my wand."

Shiro blinked. He didn't know that.

"Then are we even allowed to share our magic with each other?"

"I don't know. As far as I know, the Statute of Secrecy says that you can't tell normal people about magic or you would get your wand snapped. Since you do know about magic, even if it's a different branch, I have no idea if that covers it. Until we know for sure, let's just keep operating on the basis that we're allowed to pool our knowledge about magic together."

"I didn't even know about there being other schools of magic. The Magus Association doesn't like it if non-magical people find out, and we have to either kill or erase the memories of those who find out unless the person is given permission."

"If nothing else, I can have the twins ask Sirius or Remus. Sirius might know."

"Until then, what do you feel like for supper?"

"Miso sounds fine to me," said Harry.

Hedwig returned with a letter from the Ministry, confirming the fact that Harry had opted to pull out of Hogwarts for the year and act as a stay-at-home student. He was surprised to learn that by doing so he had been given permission to practice magic outside school, within reasonable limits and out of sight of muggles.

It further went to give him a list of tutors and books he could purchase to help his studies.

Their neighbor Taiga helped Harry catch up on his missing school years, and it wasn't long before he was transferred into Shiro's homeroom class.

"Hello, my name is Potter Harry. I hope we can become friends!" he said.

Taiga let him sit next to Shiro, since that way his cousin could help him with his homework. By lunch he was practically accosted by the other students, eager to learn about the new kid from England.

While the attention bothered him, he had to admit it was rather refreshing.

No Dudley to scare people away, no unwanted fame to put pressures on his back, and best of all no Malfoy to ruin his day!

He should have left England years ago.

Dumbledore read the notice from the Ministry and suppressed a growl. The boy had done one of the many things he should have been able to prevent.

He had resigned from Hogwarts for a year to learn magic abroad. Something he had hoped to avoid since it put the boy out of his grasp! He had though the blood wards would have prevented him from entering Gringotts, but had missed one key point.

The boy had taken a port key activated by his own magic, bypassing the wards. He had thought the horse faced woman would have kept such an item out of his grasp.

He would have to retrieve Harry another way. Fawkes had been unable to find the boy at all, which was odd. The only thing that could confuse a phoenix was a massive amount of natural magic...or a Magi barrier. And Magi hated wizards with a passion.

It was because of that fact that Dumbledore had overlooked one important fact. If Harry found a Magi who tolerated wizards to the point of actually speaking to him, then he would be completely safe from any manipulations or attempts by Dumbledore.

But the odds of finding one were so phenomenally high that it was ridiculous to even consider. Especially with the ban on anything to do with Wizards from the Clock Tower...

Rin Tohsaka had a problem. And his name was Harry Potter.

The second she saw him and the stick he had in his bag, she knew what he was.

A mere wizard had dared to enter her school! Which meant he had to be living in her territory! That was something she couldn't stand, since it was known wizards were arrogant jerks who hated anything not human or pure magical.

So when Harry opts to eat on the roof without his cousin (and Fujimura-sensei confirmed the two were in fact cousins) Rin decides to pounce.

She was going to lay down the laws for this upstart who dared to intrude in her space.

Harry didn't even turn when the door opened, but when he felt the build up of magic behind him he took notice rather fast. He certainly wasn't expecting an irate witch though.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in my territory, wizard?"

"Huh?"

"Don't try to play innocent pal! I saw your wand earlier! What's a wizard doing in Magi territory?"

Harry's eyes widened owlishly. The goblins had mentioned wizards didn't like Magi, but he didn't know it went both ways.

"What's your problem? I haven't done anything to bother you. Hell, I don't even know you!" he protested.

"My name is Tohsaka Rin, and this half of Fuyuki city is under the jurisdiction of my family! Just what do you think you're doing here?" she demanded.

Harry blinked. That's what she was so upset about? Because he had come into her place without her knowing?

"I've been here for two months and I haven't bothered anyone. Why do you care about me living here anyway? I've never even met you before you stormed up here!"

"Everyone knows wizards are arrogant jerks who think they can lord over anyone who isn't from a purely magical family."

"You do realize that's exactly how you're acting right now right? Like a pure blood?"

Rin blinked. She hadn't noticed that. And the way he said pure blood triggered her mind.

"You're a wizard, right?"

"Yes, I'm a wizard, but I'm not a pure blood like you assume. I'm half and half. My mother was a muggleborn and my dad was a pure blood. I have nothing against normal people OR Magi. I wasn't planning on bothering anyone when you came up and started yelling at me."

Rin realized her mistake. Half bloods weren't nearly as bad as pure bloods, unless they were from a pure blood household.

"Then what are you doing in Fuyuki City?"

"Escaping England. I was tired of being treated like a specimen under a microscope, so when I found out about my cousin I came here. Shiro didn't care if I stayed with him, and I wasn't aware of any Magi territories until you came here."

"Just watch your step, wizard. If I catch you doing anything, I'll be on your ass so fast you won't have time to blink!"

"O-kay...?"

The rest of the day was rather normal compared to that.