Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Ranma 1/2. If anyone thought I did, I think I can interest you in a nice bridge.

Chapter 4

Ranma looked around Hogwarts while his Auntie Min was teaching her class. Ranma had decided that he should be able to get around on his own without having to rely on a guide. Whenever he heard someone coming, he would jump up and hide in the shadows at the top of the wall. He didn't really want to explain to whoever may be in the halls who exactly he was.

Ranma heard a sound and immediately jumped to cling to the ceiling. Perhaps fortunately for him, he recognized the scent. He concentrated for a moment, and his form shrank, hair changing color until he was in his female form. Just in time, too. Dumbledore entered the hall below her.

Dumbledore was just calmly walking around Hogwarts, wanting to be alone for a few minutes. It could be incredibly exhausting to be one of the few that people looked to for answers. He frowned as he realized that he was not alone in the hall. It took a moment for him to realize, and he calmly looked up, placing one hand on his wand. It took him a moment to recognize the blue-eyed redhead clinging to the ceiling.

"Hello, child. What are you doing up there?" he asked, eyes twinkling in amusement.

Ranma smiled softly. "Auntie Min is in class right now." She paused long enough to move forward slightly so she wasn't above him and dropped down to the floor. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow as he noted the fact that she didn't seem to be using any spell to stick to the ceiling and also at the easy way she landed. "I wanted to explore so I would know where everything is."

Dumbledore smiled slightly even as he tucked his wand back out of sight. "Yes, knowing where things are in a place can save quite a bit of time."

Ranma shrugged even as she unconsciously noted where Dumbledore had stored his wand. "I don't like being lost." She gave him a bittersweet smile. "Reminds me too much of what I left behind."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding at that. Minerva often came to his office for tea and talk. She had spoken quite a bit recently about what Ranma had told her. "Yes, Minerva told me some of what you told her." He started walking and Ranma calmly fell into step beside him. "I do not mean to be rude, but I don't think we have been properly introduced, have we?" His eyes twinkled merrily as he smiled down at her.

Ranma grinned in return. She rather liked the Headmaster. "Sorry. I'm Ranma." She paused long enough to bow slightly towards him.

Dumbledore smiled softly. "As you probably already know, my name is Albus Dumbledore." He paused for a moment longer before speaking. "May I ask why you are not using your family name?"

Ranma looked at him for a long moment, unreadable. He seemed to be sincerely curious, so she decided to answer and not take offense. "I don't use my family name because I decided some time ago that I would have fewer problems without it." She grinned almost ferally as she remembered. "Besides, my father dragged our name through the mud with his actions."

Dumbledore was somewhat concerned, and reached over to put a hand on her shoulder. Ranma looked up, seemingly surprised at the comfort offered. "If you don't wish to speak of it, I won't push it. I see no reason to bring up past hurts just now."

Ranma smiled softly. "Thank you, Dumbledore-san. It means a lot to me." She calmly turned at the next intersection and waved good-bye, leaving without another word.

Dumbledore watched after her somewhat sadly. He knew that the petite girl had gone through a lot, and something told him that her hard times weren't over yet. "Good luck, child. I have a feeling you will need it." He turned to go back to his own office, grateful for the diversion that Ranma had offered.

Ranma heard him from where she had pressed against the wall around the corner. She sighed softly, because she knew without a doubt that Dumbledore was right. Her life had never been settled, and she rather doubted it would start now.

Ranma shook herself, not wanting to get depressed. She calmly walked on, this time not bothering to hide if she sensed someone coming. Most of the people here had some idea who she was, they just didn't know who he was. It could be confusing at times, but Ranma tried not to dwell on it.

As she was walking along, Ranma bumped into a well-built boy, about his height, who was wearing a huge traveling backpack and strange clothes. "Oh, excuse me. I didn't see you there."

The boy smiled slightly, showing fang-like teeth. "That's alright. It's partially my fault anyway. I'm Ryouga Hibiki." He looked around in confusion. "Can you tell me how to find the Tendo Dojo?"

"I'm Ranma." She blinked in confusion. "Tendo Dojo? Where's that?"

Ryouga looked at her in confusion. "It's in Nerima." He looked around. "Where am I now, anyway?"

Ranma sighed. "At the moment, you are in a school in Europe. I think they said Scotland or something like that."

"I thought it was a little strange for a castle like this to be in Japan," Ryouga muttered softly with obvious annoyance.

Ranma shook her head slightly, turning and starting to walk away. "Come on, I think one of the teachers here would be able to get you back to Japan." She stopped when she realized that he wasn't following her and turned around. There was nobody else there. She stared around for a long moment and sniffed the air to make sure she had not imagined the whole thing. The boy's scent was there, but his trail seemed to be only in a few feet of corridor. There was no other sign of him.

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Some minutes after her encounter in the corridor, Ranma finally found the staff room. Looking inside, she saw her Auntie Min along with some other teachers. Darting in, she curled up on the couch beside her Aunt. "Auntie Min? Is it possible for someone to appear and disappear in the halls?"

Minerva looked down at her in confusion. "Do you mean apparation?"

Ranma tilted her head in confusion. "What's that?"

Minerva smiled slightly. "It's when a witch or wizard uses their magic to move from one place to another. I believe the muggles call it teleportation. It is usually accompanied by a loud cracking noise."

Ranma considered that for a long moment, but shook her head. "No, he didn't make any noise. I didn't realize he was there until I bumped into him."

Minerva frowned in confusion. "Him? You mean this actually happened?" By now, the room was silent as the other teachers listened. If someone could get into Hogwarts practically undetected, it could be really dangerous.

Ranma nodded. "I was exploring the halls when I met Dumbledore-san. We walked along and talked for a moment and then split up. I was walking down the halls alone and bumped into a well-built boy who was taller than me and wearing strange clothes. He also had a huge backpack."

Unnoticed, Dumbledore was standing in the doorway. He had come in just in time to hear Ranma explaining something that happened while she was walking. "Did you notice anything else strange about him, Ranma? What did he want?"

Ranma shrugged. "He asked if I could tell him where the Tendo Dojo in Nerima is. I told him he was in Europe and he looked annoyed, but not very surprised." She paused for a moment. "He was speaking Japanese and I think he had fangs."

"Ah." Dumbledore nodded in comprehension. "Now I know. Was his name Ryouga Hibiki?" Ranma nodded. "He is a young man I have met once or twice. I believe he has a family curse of some kind. I would have helped him, but whenever I turn my back on him he seems to disappear."

Ranma frowned softly and looked like she was trying to remember something. "Lost Boy," she murmured at last. "He was able to get lost in a room with only one door. Sometimes he disappeared for a while and when he came back, it was obvious he had been traveling."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her. "You know him?"

Ranma shook her head slightly. "I knew him once," she answered absently. "Used to lead him to school sometimes. I wasn't very good at making friends, so we fought a lot. Hmm." She got up and wandered out the door. The teachers looked after curiously, but no one tried to follow. They understood that the cat-girl needed her space.

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AN: Okay. Some people have been asking for longer chapters. Unfortunately, I stop where I think it sounds good. In this case, I even went a little farther than I was going to. I wasn't going to develop the scened with Ryouga much beyond Ranma bumping into him, absently apologizing and walking on. Ryouga would say it was nothing and Ranma would suddenly stop and turn around, realizing that there is something wrong. I decided to develop it a bit farther.

As you can tell, I didn't have him nearly as enraged about everything as some writers do. I have no idea if he will be as calm once he finds out who Ranma is. My stories are as much a surprise to you before I have them written, and sometimes they still surprise me when I actually do write them. It's just the way it goes.

Anyway, somebody asked if 'Auntie Min' is the one who will help Ranma. She will help him in many ways, not the least being that she will help him with his education. I don't know if I will make Ranma a witch/wizard, but I might. You never know.

P.S. Malfoy gets humiliated next chapter.