Chapter 2: The Magical Run-In

By: Sokai

Disclaimer: To be short and frank, I do not nor will I (sadly) ever own the great workings of Harry Potter, Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, or W.I.T.C.H. I'm not that talented. I am, however, talented enough to manage to concoct this chaotic fanfic combining all three worlds, and manage to make it all look good/easy, owning the storyline and any new spells or attacks I might create. So, alas, I dare you not to enjoy this undoubtedly bumpy ride alongside me! Ha! Okay, okay; I'll shut up now, especially since this wasn't short OR frank. ' Still . . . enjoy reading (AND leaving massive reviews!).

Note: First off, lemme just express my happiness at how already a few of you (over here, at least, since I "debuted" this ficcie over at another site I know of, and a lot of people over there love it dances ) have taken to this (I'll admit LoL) bizarre trio of a combo I call a fic. But I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Anyhow, keep those reviews of how you hate/love it coming, please (thanks extended to those who have reviewed at this point in the gig ). Oh, yeah, and if some of you are "surprised" at how "easy" I'm making it seem to combine EXTREMELY different-in-every-way stories/worlds like this and make it flow/work so well . . . continue to be amazed. LoL Why? Because, one, there's much more to come, and two, I've just got it like that. Giggles, dancing again Okay, okay. You can read Chapter 2 now.

This chapter was written in May 2005.

Two months had already gone by, and with the end of August fast approaching and the beginning of term about to begin, Harry was beginning to find himself feeling increasingly nervous as each fleeting day passed.

It wasn't because this would be his last year attending the place he loved more than any other in the world, or even that because it was his last year it also meant having to take his NEWT exam -- to which, of course, Hermione seemed to be the only one looking forward to taking.

It was the fact that the past two months have held nothing but bliss for the young wizard. No ominous warnings from house elves, or bad news from the ministry. No waking up in the middle of the night in massive pain from the searing burning of his cursed scar, alerting him of impending danger.

There has only been the frequent late night storytelling around the campfire in the Weasley's abundant and enchanting backyard; the overabundant eating of every Weasley's product imaginable, as well as the makeshift quidditch tournaments held every weekend, with a regular old toaster as the prize (to which Harry was quite pleased not to be the winner of).

Nothing but easy, relaxing days was what Harry had been experiencing all summer long, with even easier nights now that there were no more bad dreams to endure. And although he was grateful for the brief chance at living a relatively normal life, now that school was soon starting, Harry knew better.

The calm before the storm, he thought glumly to himself as he sat at the Weasley's table for breakfast the morning before he and his friends would travel to King's Cross where they would then travel to Platform nine and three quarters and take the train that would bring him to his home one last time.

Harry didn't want to jinx his last school year before it had even started, but with the increasing amount of butterflies in his stomach that were leaving absolutely no room for his cereal to fit, he'd have been surprised if anything didn't happen this year.

"Harry, dear, is something the matter? You've hardly touched your cereal or toast," Mrs. Molly Weasley asked with concern as she reached over and patted his hand.

Looking up with surprise, Harry blinked his negative thoughts away for the time being before flashing the cheerful, plump woman a reassured smile.

"Oh, sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I'm fine, honest. I guess I'm just still kind of full from last night . . ."

"Is it even a wonder, mate? Ripping good show that was!"

"Right! I've never seen anyone eat so many pumpkin pasties in one shot in my entire life! My hat goes off to you, Harry!" Fred and George applauded, roughly patting Harry on the back before leaning across the table for the plate of sausages.

"Oh, shove off, you guys! Me and Neville weren't too far behind in that, were we, Neville? Anyway, you'd better at least try to eat something, Harry. We've got a long and busy day of shopping ahead of us," Ron commented after taking a huge swig of his orange juice.

"That's right, young man! I honestly don't know what possessed me to allow you all to wait this long to get your supplies for next term!" Mrs. Weasley said darkly as she rose from the table, eyeing her husband, who merely let out a nervous laugh.

"Oh, come now, dear! They were having such a grand time this summer that I didn't have the heart to ruin it for them by having them wait on line for such a long time at every shop for their supplies . . ."

"Is that right, Arthur dear? And whom, do you suppose, would have had to have done most of that waiting?" Mrs. Weasley countered, dropping her dirty dishes into the sink, allowing her enchanted scrubbers to wash them clean.

"Well, I, uh, only meant --"

"No, no! No matter! Because you will be helping me clean the house while the children go to Diagon Alley to collect their school supplies."

Harry, who had long since given up trying to ingest his cold food, also rose from the table to help Mrs. Weasley with the dishes.

"Oh, no no no, dear! I've got a handle on things here! You just hurry along and get dressed now! All of you! Best to arrive there a bit early as to beat the expected crowd. Off you go, now!"

As Mrs. Weasley shooed Harry away and ushered the rest of her children, as well as Neville out of the kitchen, leaving only Mr. Weasley to help her with the clean up, he couldn't help but feel a bit of remorse.

By this time tomorrow he and his friends would be piling onto the Hogwarts Express on his way to meet his destiny -- to which, he hoped, would be one he would live through.

"So, are you absolutely sure you have everything you need, sweetie?" Ms. Vandom inquired for the fifth time during the entire car ride as she got out of the car to help her daughter with her luggage. Will exhaled heavily for also the fifth time in response, rolling her eyes while taking a hold of her duffel bag and moving away from the car.

Today was the day she and the other Guardians were to meet at the front entrance of their school, Sheffield Institute, at two o'clock pm so that they could travel to an alley called Diagon with someone by the name of Rubeus Hagrid.

At least, that was what her correspondence letter written by Minerva McGonagall had stated after the five of them had sent word back to their agreeing to attend the magical school of Hogwarts - this fact, of course, neither Will's mother nor the rest of the Guardians' parents were aware of.

What they did know, however, thanks to Hay Lin's great and imaginative mind, was that the five of them had each been granted the opportunity to experience most every teenager's dream of studying abroad, at no cost -- which had been, for the most part, the key motivator in convincing their parents to jump on the bandwagon in the first place.

Now, however, being armored with the knowledge that she wouldn't be seeing her only daughter for an entire year had begun to fill Ms. Vandom full of regret for having agreed to let her go at all.

Smiling lightly at her mother as she vaguely guessed at what she was currently on her mind, Will put down her luggage to hug Ms. Vandom just as Irma and Taranee were coming around the corner and into view.

"Mom, I'll be all right -- promise. I have everything I need, and my cell phone to call home on the weekends like you said to. Everything will be fine -- don't worry."

Ms. Vandom managed to smile back just as a few tears began to form within her dark blue eyes.

"Yes, yes, honey. I know it will be. It's just that I can't help that I'm going to miss my daughter -- this will be the first time you'll be away from home . . ." Ms. Vandom moved in instantly to wrap her arms around Will, hugging her goodbye tightly.

". . . I love you, sweetheart."

Will couldn't help but feel a slight pang of childlike dependency and immediate homesickness as she embraced her mother one last time.

". . . I love you, too, mom. I promise to write you once a month."

"You'd better, young lady, or else I'll have to come to that school and find out what the big fuss is about that would prevent my daughter from writing to me," Ms. Vandom jokingly warned as she let Will go, walking back to her car door.

"You have fun now, all of you, and stay out of trouble, all right? And Will, honey, do try and give your roommate a break by allowing her to continue to live in a clean room, huh?" Will smirked lightly as she rolled her eyes one last time before picking up her luggage once more.

"Ha ha; very funny, mom. I'll see you soon! G'bye!"

As Will waved goodbye to her mother and watched her drive out of sight, both Taranee and Irma approached from behind, their own belongings in hand.

"Aww, how sweet. Mommy's really going to miss her 'pink, poopy, perky pumpkin,' isn't she?" Irma teased, switching her blue suitcase from her left to her right hand.

"Hey! I thought we weren't going to mention that nickname again -- ever!" Will scolded, turning around to give the Guardian of Water a good smack on the arm as Taranee lightly giggled at the display.

"Okay, come on you two! Let's hurry up and meet Hay Lin and Cornelia under the great oak tree in the courtyard where they said they'd be."

"In the courtyard? But I thought that the correspondence letter instructed us to wait for that Rubeus Hagrid dude at two o'clock right here?" Will asked in wonder as she began to follow her friends to the back of the empty school.

"Well, it did, but Hay Lin told us on the way here that Cornelia apparently brought too much luggage, and they don't have enough arms to lug it all to the front between the two of them," Taranee explained with a small smirk upon her mocha tinted lips as the trio entered the courtyard and saw four pieces of luggage hovering several inches from the ground.

"Hay Lin! You can't just handle my luggage any way you please! this happens to be the finest Corinthian leather, imported all the way from Europe," Cornelia exclaimed at the giggling girl, whose arms were up and appeared to be magically guiding the annoyed girl's bags towards the front of the school as the others approached.

"Well, what? You said they were getting heavy for you, so I offered to help! Plus, in this way, your precious Corinthian leather bags won't touch the hard, dirty ground."

"Yeah? Well, Air Guardian or not, Hay Lin, I'm not taking any chances! Just set them all down right here," Cornelia anxiously instructed, watching as the gusts of wind that had been encircling the pigtailed jolly girl as well as her bags instantly diminish while Hay Lin slowly lowered her arms to set them gently back down.

Taking a relieved deep breath, Cornelia quickly descended upon her luggage while Will, Irma, and Taranee all sat down on the ground under the old oak and next to their own suitcases.

"So, I take it nothing went wrong with your families when you were leaving this morning, huh?" Will inquired as she stretched, enjoying the sun's rays that were shining brightly down upon them all.

"Not really. Mom, dad, and grandma had all promised to send over some more art supplies for me in case I run out while over at Hogwarts, but since I have no idea where exactly it is just yet and with no owl on hand, I just stocked up beforehand," said Hay Lin, grinning smartly as she patted a large white tote bag, decoratively splattered with an array of different paint colors that hung with support upon the easel next to her with her other bags.

"At least you didn't have your mother begging you to bring a huge bag full of different berets to put in your hair so that it wouldn't 'hide your pretty face.' What am I, the same age as my bratty, annoying little sister?" scoffed Cornelia as she tucked strands of her blonde hair behind her ear, taking a seat on the edge of a big water fountain in the center of the courtyard.

Must have been put in after school had been let out, she thought idly before turning her attention back to her friends.

"Aww, well if you want, Corni, I can always braid your hair to make you look like Pippi Longstockings," teased Irma, watching Cornelia's face turn red with embarrassment as well as annoyance.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me 'Corni,' Irma! I have a right mind to --"

"So, anyway, did anyone ever stop to think of how that Hagrid guy's gonna be able to find us if we're in the back of the school instead of the front?" Taranee tactfully interrupted, smiling lightly at her two friends.

"Well, that's simple, Taranee. Once he sees we're not there, he'll come looking over --"

"Hello, there! Yer lot must be Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, an' Hay Lin. Ah! Bless me soul! Spells the word, 'witch,' tha' does! How ironically clever! Right! We'd best be off then -- have ter make a bit of a stop o'er in Japan."

Turning around to locate the owner of the new, booming voice that suddenly sounded from behind her, Cornelia let out a sharp, startled scream as she fell straight into the fountain.

"Cornelia!" The others shouted as they immediately stood from their spots, about to help her out when their own eyes met with the black, beetle like eyes of the new visitor. Though, perhaps it was more like giant, for the man easily towered over the fountain's head as he made his way carefully around it.

His face was almost completely obscured by a long, hairy mane and an untamed, tangled beard, however his eyes could still be made out.

Will thought that by the looks of him he could probably easily squash the five of them like a bug, had not his lips stretched into a great big apologetic smile just then as he reached into the fountain to fetch the soaking blonde out.

"Oh! So sorry about tha'! Didn' mean ter startle yer! It's not exactly been an easy journey here, finding yer lot, an' well . . . well, anyway, there yer go now," said the giant as he effortlessly pulled Cornelia from out of the fountain as though she weighed no more than a piece of paper, and set her back down just as easily as the other four Guardians advanced cautiously towards the scene.

After taking in the very peculiar situation for several more minutes, Will managed to squeak out,

"U-um . . . are you . . . Mr. Rubeus Hagrid, who's supposed to take us to Diagon Alley?"

Taranee, whose face had gone completely pale at the first sight of the giant, jumped in surprise and accidentally bumped into Irma as the man chuckled in slight embarrassment.

"'Mr. Hagrid' makes me sound like an old bitty, don' it? Jus' Hagrid'll do fine, Miss Wilhelmina."

"All right then . . . 'jus' Hagrid.' Only if you just call me Will," said Will with a small but growing smile on her face as she managed to make herself move close enough to shake his giant hand.

"So . . . who exactly are you, again?" Irma remarked a bit stupidly, a cheesy smile riddled across her tanned complexion.

Hagrid let out another small chuckle, though in his case, was rather large nonetheless.

"Well, as I said, Irma, the name's Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, as well as newly reinstated Professor of the Care of Magical Creatures class yeh'll be taking among many others with yer fellow students."

"Care of Magical Creatures? You mean like fairies, gnomes, or unicorns?" asked Taranee, who finally managed to find her voice as the color began to return to her cheeks.

"An' red caps, antlions, an' centaurs, yes, Taranee," Hagrid said in response as he began to collect their luggage, an easy feat for someone of his great stature.

"O' course, there are much more creatures than jus' tha' lot, an' yeh'll be learning all about them jus' as soon as --"

"Um, hello! Yeah, hi! I don't mean to sound rude, here, but I'm kind of still drenched! How about a little 'help,' Irma or Taranee?" Cornelia suddenly piped up, hair and clothes matted down onto her body as a tiny puddle of water gathered underneath her.

"Are you sure you want their 'help' just yet, Cornelia? Maybe it'd be better if we waited until a little later, when we're more sure of everything, huh?" Will mysteriously countered as she moved next to her.

Hagrid, ever the oblivious one at times, merely gave a shrug as he managed to maneuver out of his large, black overcoat with one free hand and promptly wrapped it around Cornelia's shoulders.

"There yer go, Cornelia! A few minutes under tha', an' yeh'll be right as rain!" he declared matter-of-factly while the others watched as Cornelia immediately sank to the ground under the coat's heavy weight.

"Er . . . right, then! Let's be off! Gotta still make tha' stop in Japan before we head ter Diagon Alley."

"So, why exactly are we going to this Diagon Alley instead of straight to Hogwarts, Hagrid?" Will asked in puzzlement as she and Irma helped lift the sagging Earth Guardian from off the ground and supported her weight with their own.

Hagrid bent over to pick up the rest of the luggage with his other hand as he responded,

"Well, yer young witches can' be attending Hogwarts without all the supplies yeh'll be needing, which is where heading ter Diagon Alley first comes into play. Yeh'll be going ter Hogwarts in the morning."

"Then why are we going to Japan, and how for that matter? Unless you've got an airplane hidden somewhere in this astronomical jacket of yours," Irma questioned, smirking as she lightly patted the giant's coat.

"Airplane? Wha -- never mind. We'll be using the portkey," Hagrid revealed, stepping closer to the fountain with all their things clutched firmly in his hands as well as underneath his arms.

The five Guardians of the Veil all looked at one another with bewildered eyes. Portkey? What on earth was this massive giant talking about?

"Um . . . portkey, Hagrid? Where exactly is it?" Hay Lin asked as she moved to stand next to him, who merely grinned back at her before nodding his bushy head toward the flowing fountain.

"Hello? That's just . . . a . . . fountain . . . I should . . . know," remarked Cornelia, grunting under the weight of the coat before letting a loud sneeze.

Hagrid blushed lightly, still feeling a bit guilty for having caused the tallest girl's accident.

"Well, yer see . . . Portkeys . . . how ter explain this . . . well, really what it is is this: portkeys are objects used ter help take wizards from one spot ter another at a prearranged time," he began to explain.

"They can also be anything -- pots, socks, or in our case, this here fountain. They're usually things yer wouldn't normally notice so tha' muggles won't care ter venture an investigation, though we obviously took a chance by making our portkey a big ol' fountain. But that's all right -- this place seems empty enough, it does."

"Muggles? What're --" began Hay Lin.

"Non magic folk, Hay Lin. Now, 'nough questions for now! We'd best be getting off now! Just the lot of yer stand 'round the fountain, reach in an' touch the base of this here statue at the same time on my count," Hagrid instructed, moving over a bit so the five girls could squeeze around it.

Doing as they were told, each girl looked at the other before slowly reaching out to touch the fountain's base.

Before Will had any time for a second, even a first thought, she'd felt as though something was yanking her middle suddenly forward as her feet immediately left the ground. Hers and the other Guardians' bodies banged into one another uncontrollably as the group sped forward through a great tumultuous wind and churning color. And, just as soon as it'd began, Will felt, and with a bit of relief, her feet slam abruptly into the ground.

Looking around, Will could see that she was the only one besides Hagrid still standing as her friends had all managed to form a great entanglement of bodies near her feet. Under further observation, the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar could also note that they were definitely not at Sheffield Institute anymore, but standing in front of what appeared to be a shrine of some sort, the sky now pitch black.

"Aiya! What is that!"

Well, that ends the wonder of whether or not we're still in Heatherfield, Will thought as she and the others jumped in surprise as a high pitched voice, speaking in Japanese, sounded through the air.

"Aiya! What is that!" Both Usagi and Minako exclaimed in surprised fear as the five senshis' eyes fixated upon the sudden display of a gaggle of young women, accompanied by a behemoth of a shaggy bearded man, who all seemed to appear through the use of a portal of some sort.

"Where did they come from, minna? And, who are they?" Makoto asked in a bit of suspicious shock, immediately placing herself protectively in front of her Princess and future Queen out of habit.

At approximately nine o'clock pm was when one by the name of Rubeus Hagrid was due to arrive to then transport the five of them to one Diagon Alley before then heading to Hogwarts. They'd been waiting for several minutes that evening in front of Rei's family shrine, the Hikawa Shrine, with suitcases packed and ready to go when the formerly quiet vicinity suddenly held vacancy to the six new foreigners.

After a few more minutes of examination, watching as the newcomers began to collect themselves, Minako was the first to attempt to answer the Senshi of Lightning's righteous inquiry.

"U-um . . . well, that's easy, Mako-chan! There's five girls and they came through some portal thingie, ne?"

"Yeah, so, Mina-chan?" Makoto asked.

"So, I know who they are! They're our mirai children! Yeah, see, the one with the red hair must be Chibiusa, a few years older now, and obviously decided to sport a . . . very different look than the Tsukino family odango trademark hairstyle . . ."

"Nani? I don't think that's my Chibiusa-chan, Mina-chan . . . demo, maybe that wet girl struggling to stand underneath that huge coat with the blonde hair is your daughter . . . she does look an awful lot like you . . ." Usagi observed as the others profusely sweat dropped at the anxious Minako's deduction.

"Yeah, okay sure -- if they're our kids, then who's that guy? Your healthy, bouncing baby boy, Mina?" Rei remarked, rolling her eyes and pointing towards the group as they moved closer to them, Minako's face immediately flushed red in embarrassment.

"What -- is that girl talking about me? She's pointing towards me. Ugh! I can't understand Japanese! Taranee! Translation, please!" the blonde girl thought to have been Minako's future child blurted out in English in frustration and slight difficulty as she struggled to remain erect.

"Oh! Um, well . . . I'm not really sure, but they seem to think that we're their --" began the only black girl among them when Ami quickly interrupted, acting as official speaker for she and her friends.

"Oh, please forgive our former outbursts . . . it is just that the manner of your sudden arrival startled us . . . I . . . am assuming that you, sir, would be Mr. Rubeus Hagrid, the one who is supposed to take my friends and I to Diagon Alley this evening?" she said as Hagrid, who instantly showed an expression of relief upon his grizzly face that he wouldn't have to try to remember what little Japanese he knew to efficiently communicate with the new quintet before him, gruffly cleared his throat before speaking.

"Ah . . . y-yes, that'd be me -- though call me Hagrid please -- everyone else does. This here lot with me are Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, an' Hay Lin -- they'll all be yer fellow classmates at Hogwarts this year. Jus' picked them up before coming ter fetch the five of you ter take you all ter Diagon Alley together."

Nodding in understanding, Rei stepped forward and offered up a polite smile to the six as she spoke.

"It's very nice to meet you, Hagrid -- everyone. These are my friends: Tsukino Usagi, Mizuno Ami, Kino Makoto, and Aino Minako. My name is Hino Rei, Shinto Priestess of this, my family's shrine, Hikawa Shrine. On behalf of my friends, I'd like to welcome you all to it as well as to Japan," she introduced, bowing in greeting.

"Geez . . . why can't you ever be that polite to me, Corni?" The brown haired girl named Irma joked, marveling at the etiquette of the raven haired woman.

"Because I know better with you; anyway, do you think we can go now please, Hagrid? The weight of your coat is killing me," said Cornelia, letting out another sneeze as she let herself gingerly sink to the ground alongside the friendly giant once again, who lightly chuckled sheepishly.

"Ah, of course then! Now, if yer ladies would all jus' be following me o'er ter this here can, we'll be on our way ter Diagon Alley."

"Nani? I mean, pardon me, Mr., er, Hagrid, but aren't we going to take a taxi or something to the airport to go to this Diagon Alley?" Usagi asked in confusion as the ten girls began to shuffle themselves toward a lone empty can of beets in the bushes near the entrance of the shrine she nor the others had noticed prior to everyone's arrival.

"Um . . . Usagi, was it? You guys might wanna hold onto your things as well as yourselves tight," Will cautiously advised still feeling a bit disoriented from the crazy and unique way she and her friends had arrived there not moments before.

Before Usagi nor any of her friends could respond or ask questions, Hagrid began explaining what the discarded can really was and what was about to happen in a few minutes once the eleven of them all touched it.

Too perplexed to argue, the Sailor Senshi somehow managed to huddle together around the supposed Portkey alongside the five new girls and towering giant as they all reached a hand out to touch it.

Usagi closed her eyes the instant she'd reached out and felt a sudden and strange forward jerking and propulsion of her body towards an unknown destination, and the moment she'd opened them as soon as the strange feelings subsided, she saw that she was no longer outside Hikawa Shrine but inside a very a dark and shabby looking pub.

Hagrid was the first to speak.

"Ah! Made it! An' in good time, too! Got a few minutes before we need ter head out -- let's git your things settled into yer rooms, huh?"

"But, Hagrid! Where exactly are we?" Will asked the unanimous question that was now on each girl's mind as they looked around.

"Is this Diagon Alley?"

"This? Nah, course not! This here be the Leaky Cauldron, where yer lot'll be staying for the night before heading ter Hogwarts tomorrow as I've said."

"We're going to stay . . . here?" Cornelia asked, her nose wrinkled in faint disgust at the pub's decor as she maneuvered out of Hagrid's coat and handed it back to him, at last feeling a bit warmer and dry.

"That's right, Cornelia -- it's a famous place, y'know. Now, c'mon -- let's git yer all settled in. Hello, there, Tom! Slow business today, eh?" Hagrid greeted an old, balding and fairly toothless bartender behind the bar, referring to the lack of customers at the moment save an old couple near the entrance, huddled over a steaming pot of pea soup and arguing over who'd pay the tab, and a small, skinny young woman in the far corner who appeared to be quietly arguing with herself.

"Perhaps, Hagrid -- but business is business. Besides, it's still ten 'till noon, and that's when my best and regular customers, Mr. Finkmore and Tippy Applebalm usually arrive to knock back a couple," the bartender, Tom, friendly responded to the giant, he and the few customers seemingly undaunted by their sudden appearance inside of the pub.

"If I ain't too busy with me business, I'll come back ter have a swig or two with 'em later," Hagrid grinned, waving goodbye to the old man as he led the way up a rickety looking staircase, which lead to a hallway with an onset of closed doors, numbers on each.

"Now, then! Rooms twenty ter twenty-four are yers, an' since there are ten of yer, each of yer can pair up ter share with no problems. I'll be downstairs waiting ter take yer ter Diagon Alley ter shop for yer supplies after yeh've all settled in."

After Hagrid left the ten of them with their things, Cornelia remarked,

"Now, shopping is the one thing I've understood all day! That, I definitely need no intro to! C'mon, Taranee -- you'll bunk with me."

"Um . . . then me and Irma'll share. That is, if that's okay with you, Will," Hay Lin said as everyone watched Cornelia pick up her belongings as best she could with a little help from Taranee, and walked into room twenty-two.

Smiling, Will nodded slowly as she replied,

"Oh, sure! It's no problem! I can just have a single instead."

"But Hagrid said to --"

"Um, excuse me. Forgive the interruption, but none of us mind at all sharing a room with you, Will -- after all, we all will be schoolmates in less than a day, right?" Ami suddenly intervened, smiling shyly yet politely to the red haired girl, who also smiled back a bit sheepishly.

"Oh, well thank you . . . Ami, right? That'd be great."

"All right! Then I'll share with you, and then you can tell me all about the latest music trends and idols where you live!" Minako piped up excitedly, grabbing a hold of Will's sleeve a bit too eagerly as she lead the way down the hall towards room twenty-four before she could even react.

"I hope she takes it easy on her, and doesn't talk Will's ear off," Makoto smiled gently as she and her friends lightly sweat dropped in slight embarrassment.

"No worries! When you've been around and at the mercy of our friend Cornelia's motor mouth for as long as we and Will has, I'd say she can handle anything your friend Minako can dish out," Irma joked reassuringly as Cornelia's voice sounded from on the other side of her closed door.

"I heard that!"

Giggling and giving an amused wink at her new friends, who all also let out a tiny, polite laugh, Irma gathered her belongings and led the way towards room twenty-three, Hay Lin following close behind.

"And then there were four. C'mon, minna, let's hurry and put our luggage into our rooms and go meet Hagrid-san downstairs like he said," Rei suggested in Japanese and opened the door in front of her marked room twenty, with Makoto and Ami nodding in agreement before entering the last room available, twenty-one.

The last one left in the hall, Usagi reflected silently to herself as a small smile began to form on her lips before entering the room with Rei.

I wonder what's going to happen next for all of us . . .

She didn't have to wait very long to find out, for after the ten of them all got their affairs in order and got refreshed (with Cornelia's now french braided blonde locks resting gingerly upon the new dried clothes she'd put on ), they all headed down the stairs to meet the friendly giant, who then led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.

Smiling knowingly, Hagrid pulled a pink umbrella from out of his overcoat.

"If this is Diagon Alley, then I'm so out of here," Cornelia muttered lightly while Hagrid began to oddly tap the bricks three times in the wall above the trash can before them all.

Before any girl could move or decide to return back, the wall suddenly began to shake and jerk, folding back onto themselves as if it were a piece of origami until an archway was formed, just wide enough to let them all pass through.

It was not the wall's miraculous and magical cave in that now held the young teenagers in a speechless astonishment; it had been the sight that was now held before them. A busy cobbled street filled with men and women, both young and old, as well as children all adorned in cloaks of assorted colors leaving and entering many different shops lay before them now with a bright, sun filled sky shining down upon it all.

"Welcome, ladies," said Hagrid with a warm, fond smile upon his face just as a large clock chime sounded through the air to alert the masses it was now noon,

"ter Diagon Alley."

Cornelia, first to recover from the shock and overwhelming awe of their new surroundings said,

"I am definitely sorry I doubted you for a second there, Hagrid -- this place has 'all day shopping spree' written all over it!"

Hagrid grinned.

"Well, maybe not all day, Cornelia, but long enough 'till yeh've gotten all of yer supplies. Speaking of, we'd best be headin' ter Gringotts before anything else ter get yer money."

"Gringotts? Money? But we have some money with us, Hagrid," Hay Lin remarked as she and the others followed the giant up the street and past the many shops they were all itching to blaze into.

"Perhaps, Hay Lin, but what yeh've got is muggle money, I'd wager, and tha' ain't gonna git yer anything but a headache tryin' ter give it ter any merchant here, or anywhere else in the wizarding world for that matter. Nah, what yer need is wizards' money -- galleons, sickles, an' knuts. Anyhow, you'll see."

Usagi began to wonder how she and the others would get their money -- if through an exchange of some sort like when traveling to other countries, when she'd accidentally bumped straight into Hagrid's back as he suddenly stopped walking.

"Oh! Gomen nasai, Hagrid-san! Er, I mean, sorry about that . . ." she apologized quickly and smiled sheepishly at the giant as he shook his head.

"Think nothing of it, Usagi! Anyway, here we are! Gringotts -- wizards' bank. Safest place in the world -- for anything yeh'd be wanting to keep safe, that is. Though it comes in second ter Hogwarts, o' course," explained Hagrid, grinning with esteemed pride at the mention of the place that would be their new home for the next several months as they all gazed at the snowy white building before them, that towered over the other little shops.

Before leading them inside, Hagrid gruffly cleared his throat.

"Now, best be warning yer lot before we head in. This here bank's run by goblins, and --"

"Goblins?" interrupted a squeaking Taranee, Usagi, and Minako at the same time.

"Yes, goblins. Ain't the easiest ter warm up ter, they ain't, goblins, an' yeh'd be wise never ter mess with them. That's why yeh'd be mad ter ever try ter steal from this place. So it'd be best if yer don't do or say anything ter upset them, right?"

After receiving dazed, apprehensive nods from the girls, Taranee grabbing hold of Minako's sleeve, who also latched on to Usagi as they began to advance, Hagrid led them inside of the bank.

Facing a second pair of silver doors, they all could see writing engraved upon them that read:

Enter, strangers, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding, more than treasure there.

"And, he's sure there's money in there for us?" Taranee swallowed nervously as they continued on into and through the bank. Every which way she turned her head there were short looking men with swarthy, clever looking faces, a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet.

It was all Taranee could do to remain conscious and calm from the sight as she somehow made it through the entire ordeal, making it back out several minutes later with hers and everyone else's money.

"Everyone all right? I'm feelin' a bit peaky me self from going down those tunnels ter the vaults -- always do, come ter think of it. Carts move entirely too fast, they do."

"Are you kidding? That was awesome! Let's do it again!" Hay Lin cheered, holding onto her new medium sized bag of wizards' money as the others gave her a look mixed with nausea and disbelief.

"Eh . . . some other time, perhaps. Now, it's time yer lot go get yer things."

"Hey, Hagrid. It just occurred to me. None of us has ever been here before, I'm assuming, and yet we all had money waiting for us in those two vaults," Will asked, reflecting curiously.

"How's that possible?"

Obviously Will had inquired about something the other nine girls had been wondering themselves, as well as a topic Hagrid didn't seem to want to answer, for his face immediately went tight as if trying to fight back the answer that so desperately wanted to escape from his lips before hurriedly responding,

"Ah! Right, then! No more questions! Yer young witches have a world o' shoppin' ter do now. I will be back in the Leaky Cauldron if yeh need me -- we'll all have some lunch then when yeh get back."

"But, Hagrid! Wa --"

"I suggest starting at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions first get yer uniforms! G'luck!" the giant called out over his shoulder as he quickly moved away from them all and back down the crowded street.

Now left alone to fend for themselves so to speak, both senshi and guardians were at a loss for words for a few moments at the spectacle that had just occurred. However, after the realization that they now had the proper money to purchase all of the new and peculiar looking devices that lay before them in each shop, the daze quickly evaporated as they pulled their supplies list from out of their pockets.

"Well, I dunno if you girls in particular are big on shopping back home in Japan, but I think it's only fair to warn you -- I might close down the place. Let's go shop 'till we drop, ladies!" Cornelia said, smiling as she led the way down the street and towards the correct shop to begin their shopping spree.

"Aww, man! Mum was right to want to stay home! Look at this place! It's packed!" Ron groaned as he and his friends arrived in Diagon Alley by way of Floo Powder a little after noon, a magic powder part of the wizarding world's Floo Network, used within a fireplace to transports wizards from one place to another.

"Yeah, but at least we only have to get just mainly our new books, and maybe get refitted for our robes," Neville offered as they began walking up the familiar street.

"Where do you suppose Hermione and Luna are?" Ginny asked while passing the famous Leaky Cauldron.

"They said they'd meet us here after Hermione went home to collect some more of her money, and Luna went back to retrieve her supplies list," her older brother recalled nonchalantly as the quartet approached Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Want to go in here first for our refitting, or head to Flourish and Blotts for our books? Mum's been at me since the end of last term to get my robes taken down a peg or two -- says my body just 'keeps growing and doesn't know when to quit.'"

As Neville and Ginny lightly chuckled at Ron's imitation of his mother, Harry, who'd been quiet up until then, suddenly spoke up.

"Um, if you guys don't need me, I'll just meet you at Flourish and Blotts if you go here first instead -- I'd just remembered I'd run out of my dried roots and herb stock at the end of last term. Catch you lot later."

Not waiting for a reply, Harry gave a feeble wave at his friends as he began to make his way further up the street and towards the Apothecary shop. He wasn't really sure why he needed to go there right that second, however even if he wanted to turn back his legs seemed to have acquired a mind of their own as they continued to carry him towards his destination.

Once inside, Harry proceeded to get on line and get his money ready. He finished paying for his potion ingredients, trying very hard not to inhale the familiar foul odors continuously wafting through the shop, and as he was leaving Harry accidentally bumped into someone leaving the line as well.

"Oh, sorry about . . . that," Harry started to apologize before promptly trailing off after his green eyes met with a pair of purple tinted orbs.

Stepping back a little bit, Harry took in the sight of a young woman, a long river of onyx shaded locks cascading down to her ankles that held a faint purple sheen with lavender streaks running through it.

"Oh . . . don't worry about it," the girl lightly responded, her saffron tanned cheeks gaining a faint rosy tint as Harry's own increasingly followed suit.

Suddenly, Harry found himself having quite difficulty formulating any coherent speech as he continued to gaze at the raven haired maiden, who idly fumbled with a small parcel within her smooth hands while looking down at it.

"Well . . . goodbye then," she softly said, beginning to make her way around Harry and out the door, who then, after finally finding his voice, immediately raced after her outside.

Talk about something interesting -- anything. Something smooth, he thought desperately before stating,

"So . . . you're not from around here -- Britain, I mean. Your accent's kinda funny. Oh! I don't mean funny, ha ha. I meant different . . . sorry."

". . . Yes . . . that's right -- that I am not from here, that is. I am from Egypt. This is the first I've been anywhere else besides home."

"So . . . then have you been to Hogwarts before n --"

"Harry! There you are! Ron and the others are waiting!"

Turning around, Harry could see Hermione coming down the way towards the two of them, arms full of different sized parcels.

"Oh. Hey, Hermione. I was just on my way over there when I'd run into . . . come to think of it, I'd never introduced myself. My name is Harry Pot --" Harry stopped short when he'd realized that the girl he'd been more or less making a complete fool of himself with had gone.

Probably why she left in the first place, he thought in embarrassed despair as he began walking and leading the way towards Flourish and Blotts with Hermione.

"Who were you talking to, Harry?" she asked, handing over some of her heavier parcels to the disappointed young man.

"I don't know, actually . . . never got a chance to catch her name."

"Hmph . . . well she can't have been very polite if she just left without excusing herself or introducing herself, for that matter. And it certainly couldn't have been a few of the exchange students Ginny and I told you about earlier this summer. Luna and I had run into one of them while she was getting her robes refitted, and then two more of them as they were about to get their wands at Ollivanders -- which I'd found rather odd, considering that they are exchange students, not new ones altogether. But, perhaps it was as Luna said, and that they merely had broken their previous wands and just needed to get new ones.

Oh! And speaking of Luna, you should have seen the way she was looking at the one in Madam Malkin's, a blonde one with a really unique hairstyle -- Usagi, I believe she said her name was. Felt dreadfully sorry for her, the way Luna kept on with the staring; you would have thought she was examining some sort of specimen in Herbology class or something.

Besides all that, though, they really appear to be very nice and down to earth girls, the ones that we got a chance to meet, that is. Was a shame you weren't there with us when we had, Harry -- maybe one of them could have taken quite a fancy to you, or perhaps even vice versa," Hermione smirked, winking at her best friend as she entered Flourish and Blotts first.

Meanwhile, Harry, who'd barely heard a word of Hermione's rambling, as he'd been lost in his own world, at last snapped out of it just in time to tune into the very last bit of it.

He wasn't entirely sure if any of the new students would find a sort of affinity towards him, or whether he would return the favor or not -- and, to be quite honest, he did not care in the slightest at the moment. All that was on his mind was of how he'd run into that mysterious girl, and how immediately drawn he'd felt to her when they'd first met.

But most of all, Harry thought of how he had never even thought of catching her name the entire time, and of how he wasn't even sure now that he would ever see her again since he'd never had before during his entire time at Hogwarts.

"Harry! You gonna come inside today already, or shall I send you a bit of owl post to tell you how it's coming along? C'mon then!" Ron suddenly called out to Harry from inside the shop, breaking through his thoughts.

Looking to the left and then to the right of him, Harry first checked to see if maybe perhaps he could locate the Egyptian girl anywhere in the crowd or perhaps inside one of the nearby shops. However, seeing no sign of her, Harry gave up and at last entered the shop before him to join his still waiting friends.

Oh well, he thought as he got behind Ron in the long line, I guess it just wasn't meant to be.