Looks like I'm going to give this chapter suggestion a miss. Next time, then. This chapter will be relatively calm, almost like an interlude to the main plot while I work on Harry's knowledge of himself and the world around him.

I see I've been rather remiss in including my disclaimers. So…I own nothing of the Harry Potter Universe, which belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make absolutely no money from these stories.

LASTLY, I want to point out that I can't get better as a writer if not one person bothers to give their input in the story. From what might be wrong, or boring, or confusing to things that you might like and want to see more of. This seems to be a constant problem on , where no one wants to bother with reviews. I know this almost-rant probably won't help anything, but I'll try anyway. There are so many amateur writers on this website, and I'm fairly certain that all of them want to hear input from their readers in order to become better. I see so many writers simply begging for reviews, yet so few actually do it. I'll admit, even I am guilty of it at times, when I have to force myself to go back and leave a review. Whether it's my story or someone else's, please go leave a review for someone today.

Update 1/1/19 - Slight changes for continuity.

…

On the Wrong Side of Sanity

Chapter 14: Of Adventures and Ruffled Feathers

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

-George Bernard Shaw

I stepped out of the ryokan and glanced at the map. After a moment, I realized that it was a map for the station and surrounding areas that I had left behind when I entered the magical side of the city. Did they have a map for the magical side? I spared a look behind me, but then thought better of returning to ask for a different map.

They might need an hour or ten to calm down first.

In that case, I could either ask around again or put off my exploration of the magical side until later. Later honestly sounded better right now.

Another stop at the Japanese Gringotts was necessary since I had used nearly all of my remaining money paying for the hotel. It took a slightly more patient teller (for a goblin, anyway), a short wait, and apparently contact between the different branches of Gringotts, but I was able to remotely remove money from my vault, for a fee, of course. Still, the fact that it was possible at all was amazing to me. I took out plenty more than I thought I needed, hoping not to have to come back again.

I began heading back toward the 'entrance' of the magical side, hoping that I could easily find my way back into the non-magical side of the area. As I approached the same place that I entered from, I noticed a group of other people heading to a slightly different area, and then step through what was a doorway that wasn't attached to anything. It was just standing alone, not too far from a wall. Instead of appearing on the other side of the door, however, everyone that entered simply disappeared from sight.

Well, that was probably my exit, so I got into the fast moving line to exit, and soon found myself back in the station among all of the muggles.

With a smile, I headed through the crowd and outside, thanking my lucky stars that the map that I was holding wasn't only in Japanese.

The first thing on my mind was getting out to see whatever interesting things there was to see in Tokyo. Since I had already eaten breakfast, I ignored the many shops that were inside the train station and walked over to a large map to help me figure out exactly where I was in the station, as well as try to figure out where it was that I wanted to go. I was able to recall a couple of interesting places that I had heard of that were famous in Tokyo, such as Tokyo Tower, but I wasn't sure of how to get there. I took plenty of time consulting the maps and tourist information, but eventually I was able to plan out my route. It was times like these that I really wished that I had Hermione around.

I made my way through the station among hundreds of other people rushing every which way. It was a little overwhelming, but eventually I made it to the ticketing area, where I had to use a machine to buy my tickets. It only took a few tries before I was on my way toward the subways, and a short wait later I hopped on the Nijubashimae line feeling both nervous and excited. It felt like making it on my own to the Tokyo Tower would be a victory for my independence, but my confidence was somewhat undermined by the sheer unfamiliarity of the words that I had to keep an eye out for in order to find the correct stops. I knew from planning out my trip earlier that I'd have to transfer trains twice, and even when I got there, I'd have to walk a bit. Hermione would probably be so proud, I thought with a fond smile. Ron, of course, would simply scoff.

I tried desperately keeping an eye out for the correct stop, but inevitably, my eyes wandered around me. As my luck would have it, I didn't notice my stop until the doors had closed and the train had started moving again. Getting out at the next stop and going back again got me back on track, but wore on my nerves a bit. The stress still hadn't quite left my body as I pulled away from Tameike-sanno station on the Namboku line. Even just thinking them, the foreign words felt like a mouthful. I kept a much sharper eye out for my next stop at Azabu-juban station in order to catch the Oedo line to my final destination at Akabanebashi station, though it wasn't as difficult seeing as I only had one stop in between. Still, it was with some relief that I stepped out of the station with only a short walk ahead of me to the tower.

I felt victorious over the metro, and that was something. The walk to Tokyo Tower was short and well worth the frustration of the underground. It rose up impossibly high in front of me, towering over multi-story buildings. The orange color of the beams that it was built with made it stand out even more. The streets around me were filled with people going from shop to shop, and occasionally kids playing on the sidewalks. I nearly walked into a couple shops that felt different than the others on my way to the tower before talking myself out of it. I just didn't feel like making any stops before I reached my destination, especially now that it was in view. I even stopped myself from following after a dog that I could have sworn had a human face. I was probably just tired. When I finally reached the tower, I couldn't help but imagine how exciting it would be to fly around and through it on my firebolt with a grin.

Making my way up the tower took only 900 yen and the patience to wade through other tourists. The view was awesome, although it didn't inspire the same thrill as riding a broom. Still, looking straight down the tower through a window in the floor was enough to bring a smile to my face. I didn't spend much time in the tower due to the sheer number of other people touring the place. The crowding was really starting to get to me as I made my way back to Tokyo Station in order to return to the magical side of the city. While seeing something so famous in the muggle world was satisfying, I couldn't help but think that seeing more of the magical side of things would be more exciting. Maybe the more natural side of Tokyo would be better. A short stop at a shop in Tokyo Station, where I could just point at a picture of what I wanted and avoid issues with the language, satisfied my hunger before I entered the magical side once more.

I felt like a touring pro.

It was around 3 in the afternoon, with the sun well past its midpoint, leaving the city to become cooler. The coat that I had brought with me no longer really felt like it was keeping me warm, so I finally took out my wand. It had been so very long since I'd last used it; I was almost nervous, which was probably silly, but it didn't feel too silly to wait until I was back in the magical areas before finally trying a spell. It took long much longer than I expected to come up with a charm that would suit my needs, making me worry for a moment that I'd forgotten how to use magic. Had it really been so long since I'd last used it?

Oh, well yes.

Especially non-violent magic.

Finally, the correct spell came to me, and with excitement burning through my veins, I cast my first spell in years while trying to cast my worries about what Dumbledore had indicated about possible damage out of my mind.

"Lacarnum concalefacie!"

It was odd; wonderful, exhilarating, and yet odd.

My coat warmed up incredibly fast, and got hot enough to make me begin to sweat for a moment before finally going down to a more comfortable temperature. Feeling the magic flowing through me was a relief. It wasn't damaged like I had been worried about. It just felt odd while I was using it. Odd, but undamaged; it was something that I could certainly live with, especially considering how concerned I had been that I would be unable to use my magic at all. I shrugged the odd feeling off. It was likely only because it had been so long since I had actually used wand magic. I mean, I even felt like my wand was unwieldy while handling it, though I was sure I'd get used to it again.

I turned my attention once again to the magical part of Japan that surrounded me. I was determined to figure out all of the strange-looking…people that walked around out of muggle view. I considered going up and asking someone, but quickly threw that idea out. Even if there wasn't a language problem with most anyone I could think of asking, it would probably get me in trouble if I just went up to some stranger and asked them what they were. Also, I knew from previous experience that it wouldn't be a good idea to peak in any minds to find out. I had to take a second to wonder if I should look for somewhere else to stay for the night before shaking my head. I'd figure things out if it came to that.

I strolled down the lane, glancing from store to store while trying not to stare at the people sporting the ridiculously long necks too much. Finally, I came across a book shop. With a defeated shake of my head for how I was acting more and more like Hermione, I walked in to see if I could find a book that would answer my questions.

The book store was like most that I had visited before; cozy-looking, quiet, and smelling a bit dusty. Ron would have hated it. The shop was either smaller than I was used to seeing, or it was packed with more books and book cases than others. Each row of books felt like an isolated area, far away from any crowded streets. It made me feel slightly uneasy and claustrophobic. At least it wasn't damp and windy.

Most of the books in the small shop were in, what I assumed was, Japanese. There was, however, a section of foreign books tucked away in a cool corner of the shop. One other person was perusing the books there with me, so I made an attempt at conversation. I guess I felt a bit lonely.

"Are you visiting the area?" I asked.

The man, who had light brown hair and was dressed in a muggle suit turned to look at me in surprise, as if he hadn't realized I was there.

"Ah, no, actually. I live here. Can't say that there are many foreigners that do, though," he said with a small grin. His accent wasn't British, so I assumed that he was from somewhere in America. "You're a tourist, then?"

I almost wanted to blush at how obvious it probably was. "Yeah, from England."

"Really?" he asked, sounding much more surprised than he should. "I thought you sounded British, but we see so few magicals from there." That wasn't what I expected.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, British magicals have a tendency to stay in Britain, or at least Europe, even though magical Japan has finally let go of a lot of its isolationist ideas. Honestly, it seems like you guys have separated yourselves from the world, really." For a second, I was slightly insulted, but I let it go. He was probably right, since during all of my time in Hogwarts we hadn't actually been taught anything about other magical communities. The most I knew was from the other two magical schools coming to compete in the tournament.

"Can I ask you something?" I began, now hoping I'd have someone who could help me avoid having to search through tons of books to figure things out. I really wasn't that bookish.

"Sure," he responded amicably.

"Well, two things, actually. Er, there are some…people…that I've seen walking around the magical side. They don't exactly look, well, human." I was really just praying that my question wasn't insulting. Getting kicked out of a book store would be embarrassing.

The man let out a small laugh in response.

"Well, I suppose they wouldn't," he laughed. "I'm surprised that you didn't look these kinds of things up before visiting a different country." I had to fight my embarrassment from showing while the man turned away from me and selected a book.

"Well," he continued when his mirth lessened, "this book should help you a bit. I'll go ahead and let you know that they aren't human, and that there are times when you might have to watch yourself, although most that you'll see out there right now aren't too dangerous. Just don't go ruffling any feathers." He laughed at his own joke, though I couldn't really understand what it was.

The book that he handed me was fairly thick, and promised a lot of reading ahead. Its cover was a bright red with black lettering, labelling it 'The Big Book of Japanese Magical Races'. I wasn't excited about the idea of having to read the entire book, but it probably wouldn't be a bad plan.

"So, what is this second question of yours?" the man asked with a grin, as if he knew that I had no desire to read a whole book.

"Well, I had noticed that some of the people were wearing a uniform in the magical section." I had to pause in order to think through the question that I wanted answered. "Well, it's a red and white uniform, and I swear that I've seen them before, when I was still attending muggle school." It wasn't really a question, but I was sure that he'd understand what I was asking.

"Do you mean the Shrine Maidens?" I could only shrug in response.

"The Shrine Maidens, those witches that you see wearing a flowing red and white uniform, work in the non-magical sections of Japan. They tend to the shrines and temples, taking care of them and keeping the areas safe for everyone. Many of them excel in the creation of herbal remedies for both magical and non-magical maladies." I had to admit to my relief that the American wizard answered my question instead of handing me another book.

"So, these Shrine Maidens practice magic in front of muggles?" I asked. The man frowned at me for a second before answering.

"It is different here than in your country. The magical and non-magical aspects of Japan are more closely linked here. We do not draw such a clear separation. We keep some magical creatures away from non-magicals because they would be unable to defend themselves from the danger. Some hide away because of a tendency towards isolation and others because of past difficulty, such as the Rokurokubi. You can read about the differences in that book," he explained while pointing at the red book that I now held. "Now," he continued, drawing a book from the shelf beside him, "I must get going. Please have a safe trip. Don't forget to read that book. It will be very helpful." With that last suggestion, the man left to pay for his own book.

I took a few more moments browsing the books in the English section of the store, slightly curious about the cultural differences between magical Britain and magical Japan. Still, I wasn't so interested as to jump into serious research like Hermione might, so I soon left the shop with my newly purchased book loosely held beside me. Once more outside, I looked around at the beings walking the streets, wondering which were the Rokurokubi. I wasn't really in the mood to sit down and read, but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to at least figure out the beings that surrounded me. I found a restaurant, ordered some tea and a light meal (Merlin I loved picture menus) and cracked open the book.

With the index, it really wasn't difficult to find the section on Rokurokubi at all. They were the ones with the ridiculously long necks, and weren't any more dangerous than humans. I decided to look through for the other ones that I had seen: the ones with tails. This was a bit more difficult, since I didn't know what they were called. Still, since each section had a picture of the magical races that it talked about, I was able to flip through the book and search through the pictures to find out what other race walked among magicals in Japan. There were a number of beings that had tails, but I finally found a fairly similar picture a bit before the halfway point of the book. They were known as Bake-danuki, and they were shapeshifters. After reading a little more about them, I decided to try to keep my distance, since they sounded a bit like the Weasley twins.

Now that I had finally sated my curiosity, I was up for one more adventure. The other famous part of Tokyo that I knew of was Mt. Fuji. However, that was definitely on the muggle side of Japan, and I had no wish to go back through muggle transportation again. I took a moment to wonder if they had magical transportation to the mountain. There would be no harm in looking, at least. With that thought, I was eventually able to shrink my book and stuff it into a pocket.

It took nearly thirty minutes of walking around the magical section before I came across what was obviously a travel shop. The pictures displayed of varying activities such as seeing the Japanese dragons, or flying with a human-eagle creature. I wandered inside to check out their transportation options.

"Excuse me, how could I get to Mount Fuji?" I asked as soon as I came up to the help desk. The girl sitting behind the desk took a second to stare at me before whispering something to herself. What was it with people here talking to themselves?

"What is it you wanted?" she asked. I held back a sigh.

"I want to go to Mount Fuji."

"Alright sir. A one day trip with a portkey will cost 10,000 yen. You should know that it is off season for the climb, and that it is more dangerous at this time. If you use magic to help you, please be certain that it is not noticed by any non-magicals that may be on the mountain. There is a portkey for tomorrow morning," she responded. My eyes widened for a moment at the price, but I shrugged it off. That was nothing compared to what it cost to take the portkey from Britain, I supposed. I agreed to the price, paid up and was handed a ticket with instructions to return tomorrow at seven in the morning. I cringed at the time that I'd likely have to wake up. With that in mind, I finally made my way back towards my hotel, feeling slightly twitchy as I approached the entrance.

I probably shouldn't have worried so much. I certainly wasn't warmly greeted, but at least I wasn't chased from the building for my earlier indiscretion. Once back in my room, I decided to go ahead and turn in so I was awake for the early morning. Lying there in the mattress on the floor and staring up at the ceiling, I was only slightly uneasy about sleeping in a building where the owner was likely still irritated with me. Still, I nodded off without issue.

…

…

Well, my life sucked.

I was absolutely, awfully certain that my life sucked.

I couldn't help but think how fate had to be against me as I dashed from place to place, trying my very best to remain unnoticed, and probably failing. My heart was pounding in my chest, adrenaline was rushing through my veins, and I was still trying to figure out how it all went wrong. What had I done? I ducked behind another bus stop shelter while thinking back over the morning.

…

I had woken up just after six in the morning, so I rushed through getting dressed and washed up in order to have the time to sit down and eat a breakfast. I left behind items that would be cumbersome for my explorations of Mount Fuji in an available locker when I left with fifteen minutes to spare. The short walk back to the tourism shop was quite cool in the morning air, and even with the relatively early time, the streets were filled with people. The brisk walk with the sun in my eyes and the cold winter wind in my face was what finally finished the job of waking me.

I reached the shop soon after, likely only with five or less minutes to spare before the short-jump portkey left. I'd be keeping it with me for the day, so I only needed to make sure that I didn't lose it and that I wasn't in an area that was obvious to muggles when it was time to go back. Seeing as I would be on a mountain, I couldn't help but assume that it wouldn't be much of an issue.

When the portkey activated, I was thrown through space and onto the beginning of the path up Mount Fuji. The disorientation took a moment or three to wear off, but I used the time to sit up against a nearby tree and view the surrounding wooded area. It was breathtaking, and infinitely more to my tastes than the manmade Tokyo Tower. I realized that I was a little off of the path as the dizziness faded, which confused me for a moment, before I noticed other hikers trudging up the path towards the mountain. It was a little hard to believe that so many people climbed the mountain each day that touring companies like the one I used had to offset their portkeys even at seven in the morning.

I finally got up and made my way over to the path once the other hikers got ahead of me, and I began making my slow way up the mountain path at a sedate walk. A glance behind me gave me the view of what must have been a shrine. I wondered for a few minutes over whether or not there were other magicals there tending to it before I let it go and focus on the walk. I had felt absolutely no hurry to get anywhere, and it felt wonderful. The morning dew dusted everything around me, giving it all an unnatural shine. The sun sparkled on the dew, blinding me with its brilliance when it hit my eyes, although I didn't mind it too much. The trek was made more comfortable with the application of a heating charm to my coat.

I spent hours wandering the path, it seemed. I felt calmer than I could ever remember having felt before, and I never wanted to let that feeling go. It was an almost magical feeling.

Eventually, something else caught my interest as I climbed the path steps. It was somewhat difficult to see, but there was movement out off of the path and deeper into the surrounding forest. It looked like something that was quite large and darkly colored, but I couldn't get a good glimpse of it. With my wand in my hand, a glance around me to make sure that there weren't any muggles around to notice, and the confidence that I'd be able to deal with pretty much anything out there, I headed between the trees and stomped my way through a wall of vegetation. Once off of the path and far enough away to have lost easy sight of it, I paused and took a moment to look around me. This forest was nothing like the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts. For one, it didn't have the oppressive feeling of heavy magic pressing down on any who enter. This forest felt much lighter, much more open, and certainly much brighter with the trees spaced slightly further apart. More movement in the woods and I was off again on my little adventure.

Deeper into the dense of trees, the feeling of the forest changed a little. It felt a little more creepy and less welcoming, though I shrugged off the feeling. I had my wand, so I'd be fine.

I paused once more, trying to keep still and quiet in order to find whatever it was that I had noticed earlier. Nothing was moving now and the bit of mud around me didn't show any tracks that I could follow, so I continued further in, not quite ready to give up yet. Less than a minute later of walking, I was hit hard in the head by something no bigger than a pebble. It stung badly and made me jump and spin around, trying to find where the danger came from. Another hit my shoulder, and yet another struck my back. Soon there were more and more stinging hits, and I dashed forward to try to take cover behind a tree. It helped, but only because, as I noticed a second later, it was hail that was assaulting me and the tree provided some cover. This odd hailstorm certainly took me by surprise, and it wasn't something that I wanted to trudge through, but some pieces were still getting through to me and I had no wish to wait it out.

As I turned in a circle, hoping to remember which way led back to the path while surrounded by trees that looked exactly the same on every side, I huffed in annoyance and simply chose a direction that I hoped would lead me where I wanted to go. My peaceful mountainside stroll was quite ruined now.

I took a few steps out from under my sheltering tree, and it felt like the storm got even worse and some wind picked up. And then, almost right in front of me appeared a really, really odd-looking man. It made me jump and scream out a bit, though I'd never admit it to anyone. I jumped back and pointed my wand at the man in case he was an enemy.

It rather seemed like it, with the incredible scowl on his face.

I took some time to look him over when he didn't immediately attack me. His face was, well, red. A deep dark red that would look more right on a ripe apple, no joke. And his nose…

A snort slipped out as I made a bad attempt at not outright laughing at the image in front of me. The nose on the man's intensely red face was nearly half as long as his arm. I guffawed, and then things changed.

Wings that I hadn't noticed before were raised up to their fullest extent as the face contorted into something much more birdlike, with a beak sharp enough to slice a man up. I had a moment to wonder if there was such thing as a male Veela before I was thrown into the air in an incredibly strong gust of wind; twirling around and being slapped by the wind from every direction, I was out of control. It took over a minute of trying to figure out what was going on and trying to keep myself from getting sick before I finally came to an abrupt halt.

It was jarring, to say the least.

I glanced around me, no longer surrounded by trees. Instead, there were once more tall buildings everywhere with the rush of people passing me by and giving me a wide berth. Also, it was inexplicably colder than it was before. A small gust of wind caused me to glance down at myself, and my eyes must have gone comically wide.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!

Where the hell were my clothes?

…and now here I was, running from hiding spot to hiding spot, shivering in misery with my wand clutched desperately in my hand. It was the only thing to have managed the journey with me, clutched tightly in my hand as it was. I was still having difficulty in wrapping my head around what had happened. Still, finding my way to somewhere safe, and more private, was a more immediate need.

Seriously, where were my clothes?

I turned down another street and slid into an alley, trying to catch my breath. I had no idea where I could go, or what I could do to try to fix the situation.

Merlin, I wish I knew how to conjure things.

I glance back out the way I had come and noticed some groups of people, who must think that I'm some kind of creep, talking to police. When I saw them point in my direction, I knew it had to be time to go.

I really didn't want to be taken in for this…misunderstanding.

I turned around and ran further into the alley, passing by a group of oddly dressed youths at the other end in a sprint. I could only hope that they didn't see much.

I rushed out along the edge of the next street and snatched the curtain of some restaurant as I passed, which cause a loud crack as I broke whatever had been holding it up. I ran on and ignored the yelling that followed after me.

Sorry guy. My need was a little greater than yours.

With something finally covering my more intimate bits, I got a little bolder and slipped into a clothing store called Marimekko; the fact that there wasn't really anywhere else to hide probably played a factor.

Once in, I stole a rather girly-looking shirt and the first pair of bottoms that I found in a size similar to me. I slipped the items of clothing on and ran out; once again ignoring the ruckus I left behind. It wasn't like I was stealing things maliciously. I just really needed something to cover me.

I was turning into a right criminal, wasn't I?

With everything important and/or embarrassing covered, I focused on finding my way back to the magical side of Japan so that I could get the hell out of here. My feet were beginning to feel sore from both the running around on concrete and the blisteringly cold temperature of the Japanese winter. As I approached a larger street, I finally came into view of Tokyo Station with relief. Thank Merlin I hadn't somehow been transported to somewhere much farther away. I spared a quick check to make sure there weren't any police around looking for me while I headed in.

When I finally made it back to my hotel, it was still early afternoon. Still, I felt thoroughly exhausted. The man behind the desk gave me an odd look, but said nothing as I quickly passed him by to pick up my items from my locker. Bastard would probably laugh in my face if he knew what had happened to me today.

My muggle backpack was still sitting were I had placed it. I couldn't be more grateful for having left it behind as I pulled out my own clothes to wear and threw the stolen goods into the corner of the bathroom where I changed. The only things that I was missing now were some socks and shoes as well as a coat. I cursed to myself a little as I realized that I had lost the shoes that had been bought less than a month ago. I took a while to simply sit and try to relax as much as I could, nursing my aching feet. Eventually, when the adrenaline had finally worn out, I decided to be on my way. When I walked out of the hotel for the last time, I immediately began searching for a shoe shop and an area to buy either a coat or a cloak so that I could get on my way to some other country where I'd be able to actually understand what was going on around me. It took only about half an hour before I was once more following a map to the shop where I had first arrived in Japan.

I was no longer quite filled with wonder as I approached the desk; merely the determination to leave before I somehow got myself into trouble again.

A glance through the English brochure was enough for me to pick a destination.

"United States. Salem, Massachusetts, please," I said with a satisfied smile. I could remember Hermione once mentioning a Salem Witches School, so they had to have a fair sized magical population. Also, everything would be in English.

"Alright, Sir. Step right this way."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: To be honest, I'm having more and more difficulty gathering the willpower to type, correct, and then post chapters now. While I'm writing this for my own amusement, posting things online simply feels like an unnecessary chore with the lack of interest in the continuation of the story. I apologize to those who have kept up with the story, but I'm not sure that my chapter posts will speed up at all because of this. It's been such a long time since I last actually looked forward to being ready to post another chapter.

This is the longest chapter that I've written so far. I hope that might be a small consolation to those of you who are still following this story. And yes, Harry was indeed running naked through Tokyo. XD

I'm not really expecting much, but did anyone catch the mythical references in this chapter that I didn't outright explain in the story? I'm just curious.