Well . . . thanks to all the reviewers, this one goes out to you!

To Sakura Lisel: Lily was given away when she was four, which was the same time that she started showing signs of magic. That's why her parents got rid of her. As for the Kyoko thing, at first Kyoko was a perfect child, but when she got to middle school (7th grade) she started acting out. Now onto Harry and Ayame. Yes they can both speak Parseltongue, Ayame just doesn't use it much seeing as he can't talk to the others like that. Hope that helps to explain things.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I still don't own anything except for this crazy plot!

Chapter 3: Amusement, Meetings, Tattoos and Fame

I stared into the eye of that murderer, watched as he appraised me. I was numb, with disbelief, with horror, with fear.

"You have been taught how to duel Harry Potter," he hissed and for a moment I wondered if he was speaking Parseltongue before deciding that it didn't matter. I was going to die, what did I care what language my killer was speaking? Because I did not, in fact, know how to duel, all I knew was how to disarm and that couldn't get me very far with him.

"We bow to each other, Harry," he continued to say. "Come, niceties must be observed . . . Dumbledore would like you to show manners . . . Bow to death, Harry. . . ." But why would I do that. Why would I want to bow to death? I wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

"I said, bow."

He raised his wand, and I felt my back curve as he forced me to do his bidding.

"Very good," he said softly. "And now you face me, like a man . . . straight-backed and proud, the way your father died . . . And now – we duel."

He didn't even have to say the word before I felt the intense pain lanced through my body.

I felt as if every nerve ending in my body would snap.

I felt like someone had lit me on fire.

I had never felt pain like this before, it was scorching; and then it ended.

"A little break," the inhuman thing whispered. "A little pause . . . That hurt, didn't it Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?" He waited patiently, wanting me to beg. But I wasn't going to. I wouldn't allow him to rein over me life.

"I asked you whether you want me to do that again. Answer me! Imperio!"

A voice whispered soft nothings in my ear. Telling me to give in, to just answer no, but I didn't want to. I won't give him control.

"I WON'T!"

The curse lifted and I staggered on my feet.

"You won't," he questioned quietly. "You won't say no? Harry, obedience is a virtue I need to teach you before you die . . . Perhaps another little dose of pain?"

And then the pain was back.

Fire burning through my body.

Someone was screaming but I was in too much pain to figure out whom.

So much pain.

"Harrison!"

Not for the first time Harry was awaken from his nightmare by a loud voice in his ear. He shot up in his bed; breathing heavily with cooling sweat sticking his clothes to his thin body.

The room was dark, signifying that it was night and Tohru was kneeling beside him, a worried expression plastered on her face. She also looked a bit fearful and there were the telltale signs that she had been crying.

"Tohru," Harry questioned and then coughed. His throat felt raw, like he had been talking for a very long time – or maybe screaming in pain.

"Harrison, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why," Harry asked, rubbing at his throat. Tohru shifted nervously where she kneeled, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"You . . . you were screaming," she whispered, not looking at him. Harry swallowed thickly at her words – yup he was definitely screaming in pain then – before offering Tohru a smile.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he apologized quietly. "I'm fine now. Really," he added when Tohru looked like she was about to protest. Tohru closed her mouth and smiled at Harry sadly, which only made him feel guilty. Tohru was too kind-hearted and he knew he was hurting her with his silence, just like he used to hurt Hermione.

"Do you want to talk about it," she asked softly. Harry smiled again but it was rather bitter now. How good would it have been to tell Tohru about his nightmare, he wondered. To just shovel it off on her? But he wouldn't do it. Tohru may be strong, but Harry knew that she couldn't handle Harry's demons.

No one could.

"No, in fact, I don't even really remember it."

Tohru didn't look like she believed him, but she didn't push – she never pushed.

"You should head back to bed," Harry suggested after a stretched of silence. After a moment's hesitation Tohru nodded and left, placing a kiss on Harry's forehead as she stood. Harry sighed and settled back into his bed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.

Once again his nightmare flashed anew, and he was back in that cemetery, with Voldemort and his band of jeering Death Eaters. He was watching Cedric die, over and over again. And in the dead of the night he cried, muffling the sounds in his pillow, wishing he could somehow get rid of the pain but knowing he couldn't.

"Hey, what's wrong with Scar-boy," Arisa questioned as she and Saki settled down for lunch with Tohru and the Sohmas.

Once again Harry was missing from their little group. He hadn't had lunch with them in over a week. In fact, it was almost like he was subtly avoiding them all.

"Hey, maybe we should all go to an amusement park," Momiji suddenly suggested when Tohru simply looked sadly down at her food instead of answering the question.

"Why," Kyo asked in an irritated tone.

"Because amusement parks are fun," Momiji said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which it kind of was. "There's this one that's giving out three free day passes for every ticket you buy. We could all go tomorrow after school, and maybe that'll cheer up Harry." Tohru perked up at the end of Momiji's explanation.

"That's a great idea, Momiji-kun," she said shooting the smaller teen a smile that could replace the sun. "I'll go and ask Harrison right now." And then she stood up without another word and raced off. Once she was gone, Arisa rounded on Kyo and Yuki.

"Okay, what's really going on," she demanded, leveling them with a stare that said she wouldn't let up until they told her. The boys shared a look before Kyo shrugged.

"Nothing much really," he told her while Yuki glare at the back of his head.

"I wouldn't call it 'nothing much,'" Yuki hissed lowly.

"Why? What's wrong," Momiji questioned this time, looking between Kyo and Yuki in confusion. Yuki sighed heavily.

"Well, I think something . . . traumatic happened to Potter-san," Yuki finally confessed after a moment of uncomfortable silence and pointed stares. "Just the other night he was screaming in his sleep and he sounded like he was in a lot of pain. And that wasn't the only time."

"That must be why he's been so conflicted lately," Saki commented, looking the slightest bit worried and a bit annoyed. She could never get a clear reading on Harry, only vague feelings that just left her deeply confused.

"Well damn," Arisa said, leaning back and looking surprised. But no one said anything more on the subject for at that moment Tohru came running up to them, looking distinctly worried.

"Did you find him," Haru asked and Tohru shook her head, looking downcast.

"Well, that's okay," Momiji told her, jumping up and patting her on the back. "We can make it a big surprise!"

"Where are we going," Harry asked for what had to have been the hundredth time since Tohru had announced that they weren't heading home.

"It's a surprise," Momiji told him, giggling like a hyperactive child.

Harry stared at the teen for a moment then sighed. It was obvious that he wasn't going to be getting a straight answer anytime soon, but he hated surprises. They always tended to do more harm than good when it came to him.

He spent the rest of the walk in relative silence, trying to figure out what this 'big surprise' was, and when he was close enough to see the top of a rollercoaster, he stopped.

"Wait," he called and the rest of the group stopped also and turned around to look at him curiously. "You're taking me to an amusement park," he asked, sounding incrudious. When none of them denied it he frowned thoughtfully. "Seriously?"

"Well, yeah," Arisa told him, walking over and throwing her arm around his shoulder. "You need a bit of fun in your life. You've been looking like hell as of late." Harry looked from her to the rollercoaster he could see in the distance, and when he saw that none of them were fooling him, a blinding smile spread across his lips.

"Wow, I've never been to an amusement park before," he breathed, looking very much like a little kid caught in a candy store. It was sufficient to say that Harry's reaction stunned the others into a shocked silence. Harry was always so serious and mature that it was very odd to see him look like an actual teen for once – or maybe an overly happy child was a more accurate description.

"Really," Yuki asked skeptically, before he realized, with a start, that he'd never been to an amusement park either. In fact, none of them had ever really been to an amusement park, save for maybe Momiji, and that couldn't have been a very happy moment for the teen – more like bitter-sweet probably.

"Nope," Harry said. "But come on, time's a wasting!" And then he grabbed hold of Tohru's arm and started pulling her in the direction of the park.

They reached the park gates in a matter of minutes and after a brief fight over who would pay – Harry strongly suggested that he should, but Tohru argued that it was a treat for him and he shouldn't have to pay for his own gift – they were inside. Harry looked around at all the ride in child-like, wide-eyed wonder.

"What should we go on first," Arisa asked, leaning over his shoulder so that she could look at the map he had in his hand.

"Hum, I don't really know." Harry turned the map to the side, eyeing the large rollercoaster ride that he had first spotted and wondering how long the line might be. "We could try this," he suggested. "But —" The rest of what he had been about to say was cut off by a high-pitched girlish squeal.

Harry's head jerked up and the Sohma's all flinched when they saw a group of three teen girls approaching them.

"This isn't good," Yuki muttered with a pensive expression that turned to one of surprise when the girls didn't approach him – like he had first assumed they would – but instead swarmed around Harry.

"O.M.G," one of them shouted at the top of her lungs. She grinned widely at Harry, looking like the cat that had caught the canary. "You're Harry Potter. O.M.G!"

"Can I have your autograph," another begged, practically gluing herself to Harry's arm and making sure to press her breast up against him. She batted her brown eyes up at him, hoping to look seductive but really just looking kind of ridiculous.

"Can I take a picture with you," a third one questioned, shooting her friend a dark glare.

"No, I want to take a picture with you," the first one whined, sticking out her lower lip in an unattractive pout. She flipped her short brown hair over her shoulder and stuck herself to Harry's other arm, clinging onto him rather desperately.

"Shut up," the third girl snapped, wrapping her fingers around the first girl's arm and trying to pull her friend away. "I asked him first!"

"Um, ladies," Harry called, slipping out of the both girls' grip, which he had to admit was very tight. "Right now isn't really —"

"Onegai," all three girls begged simultaneously, turning their gazes onto him at the same time. Harry swallowed loudly and looked around for a bit like a cornered rat, before nodding his head a bit meekly. He had learned from past experience that rabid fan-girls could make Voldemort look tame, and that was saying something.

"Okay, but only one picture," he told them, trying to be stern. All three of the girls squealed simultaneously – they seemed to do that a lot – and crowded around him once more.

"Hey, can one of you take this," the girl with the brown hair asked, handing Tohru the camera before she could even think about declining, not that she was going to. Tohru fumbled with the thing a bit and had to ask how to use it, but after a moment of exasperated instructions, Tohru held the camera up to her eye.

"On three," Tohru told them, she gave Harry a reminder to smile and then began to count. "Ichii, nii, san!" The flash went off, momentarily blinding Harry. He blinked his eyes as the girls squealed once more.

"O.M.G! Everyone at school is gonna be so jealous," the brown eyed girl said before she and her friend began to walk off. "Domo aughito," they chorused and then they were gone.

"Well, that was strange," Arisa commented after a moment of stunned silence. She then grinned and slapped Harry hard in the back making him wobble forward. "Who knew you'd be so popular." She laughed and the boy, who was looking distinctly pale after that who ordeal, swallowed again.

"Ugh, yeah," he mumbled, looking down at the map in his hand for the lack of something better to do. The others stared at him strangely, not thinking that what had just happened had been some random act. After all, the girls had known Harry's name, and they were clearly not from this town – one of them had an Osakan accent and another was clearly British – so they couldn't have gone to their high school.

"Hey, we can go on this," Harry told them distractedly and then he raced off to find the ride he had just pointed out, leaving the others with no choice but to follow him. For the next hour and a half, the group went on roller coasters, walked through fun houses, got chased around with water guns, and pigged out on ice-cream.

"You know, I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun," Harry commented as he licked the chocolate ice-cream off of his face. Yuki and Kyo both nodded their heads in mutual agreement. "I'll have to take —"

Whatever Harry had been about to say was cut off when someone called out his name once more, but this wasn't like the group of girls from before. This person said his name in a more familiar way.

"Harry?"

Harry blinked and turned around to see a beautiful Asian girl standing a little bit away from him. She was alone and looking at him with a pleasantly surprised expression. "Well, well, if it isn't the Harry Potter," she said again, walking over toward them. "What are you doing here of all places? Where's your entourage?" The girl then proceeded to look around as if trying to spot this so called 'entourage'.

"I . . . Cho? . . . Blimey . . ." Harry stammered, not quite knowing what to say at the unexpected arrival of a fellow Hogwartian.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you again, too, Harry," Cho said with a roll of her brown eyes. Harry continued to stare at her dumbly, and after a while Cho's smile faded. She looked at Harry with a critical eye, and from her frown, it looked like she didn't like what she saw.

"Harry, are you okay?"

"Fine, why," Harry asked, his eyes wide and innocent. Too innocent.

"Well," Cho drawled, speaking slowly. "You looked like you've seen a ghost, if you know what I mean." Harry shrugged and then turned to look pointedly at those surrounding him. Cho seemed to notice everyone at the same time and she blinked.

"Oh, well um . . . I'll see you later, Harry?"

"Sure," Harry said dismissively, although he didn't sound like he meant it. Cho stared at the teen for a while more before nodding, and then she turned and walked briskly away. Harry stared determinedly at his ice-cream, ignoring the questioning looks of his friends.

"So," Arisa finally said, "Who was that?"

"No one really," Harry replied shortly. Arisa's brows rose skeptically and she shared a look with those around her.

"Didn't seem like no one," she observed. Harry lifted his gaze to glare heatedly at her. Tohru shifted nervously in her seat and the Sohmas all leaned back out of instinct. Saki shivered as some unknown power seemed to uncoil from Harry.

Harry sighed and took a calming breath, pushing his magic back down.

It wasn't Arisa's fault that a good day had turned a little sour – although if he had to admit it, he kind of expected something to go wrong. But she hadn't conjured up Cho Chang just to ruin his day. And she hadn't made his old school crush act like she cared about him.

No, none of that was Arisa's fault.

"Fine." Harry caved with another sigh and a roll of his eyes. "That was Cho Chang, my ex."

"But I thought you were gay," Momiji asked, tilting his head to the side. Harry sighed and massaged his brow as he felt the beginnings of a headache building.

"She helped me figure a few things out," he told them all shortly and then stood up and walked away, effectively ending the conversation.

"We'll have to do that again sometime," Yuki said as their slightly smaller group made their way down the familiar dirt path to Shigure's house.

"Yeah, we can treat ourselves to it after graduation or something," Harry agreed, completely missing the somber mood that had fallen over the group at the mention of graduation.

"Or something," Kyo mumbled glumly. Harry caught the mood then and he looked over at the red-head questioningly but before he could question Kyo on it, he spotted the sleek black car parked outside of Shigure's house. He titled his head curiously at it.

"I wonder who's here," he question more to himself then to the others. His answer came in the form of Hatori, who was sitting outside on the porch with Shigure, smoking.

"Hey, guy," Shigure called cheerfully, but Harry had already caught the sullen expression that had been on his face before he had spotted them, and a serious tension was still hanging in the air. It was so thick; Harry could practically taste it over the tang of the Sohma curse.

"Hi, what's going on?"

He and the others stopped right in front of the two adults, their stance suggesting that they weren't going to move until they got an answer.

Hatori sighed and stubbed out his cigarette.

"I just came to tell Shigure that Akito has requested your presence."

There was a beat of silence in which fear flashed across Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki's faces and then tension seemed to thicken to an almost suffocating atmosphere.

"Okay," Harry drawled, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked around the group with narrowed emerald eyes. "What am I missing," he asked suspiciously, but no one answered him.

"I should be getting back," Hatori said after a moment. He said goodbye to all of them and then to Harry said, "I'll be expecting you tomorrow at noon." And then he was gone.

After he had driven away Harry rounded on the remaining members of the rather secretive family – waiting until Tohru had darted inside, saying something about dinner, to begin his demanding.

"Well," he demanded when they continued to say nothing.

"It's nothing, really," Shigure told him on a shrug, trying to appear casual.

"Don't insult my intelligence," Harry hissed, his eyes flashing warningly. "I'm not a fool and I don't expect to be treated like one. I can see that this is not 'nothing', because if it was 'nothing' none of you would be this tense. So once again I'll ask: what the hell am I missing?"

There was a beat of nervous silence as the three shared loaded looks.

"Akito can be very temperamental," Yuki finally spoke up in a rather dark tone.

"Uh-huh," Harry said skeptically.

"And he doesn't like to be crossed," Shigure inputted.

"So you should probably swallow your pride when around him," Kyo added, surprisingly helpful, when Harry continued to look skeptical. "No one can handle him when he's mad." Harry nodded, the skeptical expression not leaving his face despite Kyo's warning.

"Right, whatever," he said, and then added, "Look, none of you know what I can or can't handle, so really, your concern is wasted." And then he went into the house also, leaving the three Sohma's to stare after him in concern.

"Honestly, that boy had too much spunk," Shigure complimented sadly. "And I'm afraid Akito's going to knock it right out of him."

Noon the next day found Harry standing outside of the ominous gates leading into the Sohma Estate. From what little Harry could see standing at the large gate; he assumed the Estate was huge.

He was slightly surprised when Momiji meet him at the gates instead of Hatori, but the boy's bubbly personality helped ease some on Harry's anxiety over the situation.

"So, what zodiac animal are you," Harry asked in an attempt at small talk.

"I'm the rabbit," Momiji announced as if it were the most exciting thing in the world, but Harry didn't miss the deep sadness that flashed in the teen's brown eyes.

"Well that seems kind of obvious," Harry said and Momiji nodded.

The two walked in silence for a few minutes, and Harry used that moment to take in his surroundings. His first assumption was right, the Estate was huge. There were a number of small houses – if a three story home could be called small – surrounded by individual gardens. It was very much like walking into a gated community; only here everyone was related to each other in some way – like a Wizarding family.

Harry walked by nicely kept parks where small children played. At one point he even thought he passed by a school, but he couldn't have been too sure. There were a number of people walking around, and some even gave the two a nice wave of hello or a nod of the head. Harry also saw what he assumed to be maids, for these women always wore the same kind of clothes and they all bowed when Momiji walked by.

It was a while before Harry decided to ask a question that had been bothering him for a long time, or at least as long as he had known about the curse which wasn't all that long.

"Momiji, can I ask you something kind of personal?" When Momiji nodded Harry continued. "Do any of you guys live with your parents?"

Momiji's grin froze on his face and for a moment it looked horribly force, but then the boy turned away and Harry couldn't seen his expression anymore.

"Well, um . . . Kisa and Hiro still live with their parents. They're the youngest members," he added when Harry looked confused. "And um . . . Kagura and Rit-chan, they're in college right now, they still visit their parents. And I kind of live with my dad."

"Oh," Harry said softly. "Why don't the others?"

Momiji let out an uncharacteristic sigh – which brought Harry up as it contrasted so violently with his normal mood.

"Well, I suppose I could tell you," he said more to himself than Harry as he continued to avoid the other's patient gaze. "Well, you see, for us Zodiac member there are only two ways our parents can really react to us. They're either very overprotective, or they reject us. And sometime they try to accept us but they can't. It's hard for them to understand, and some never really get it, but they try a lot." Harry nodded even though Momiji couldn't see him.

"My mother," Momiji suddenly said after a while when Harry thought he was finished. The younger teen's voice was so low, Harry could barely hear him. The two had stopped walking and the blonde was staring down at his feet. "She chose to reject me, and she rejected me with her very being. In the end, it was too much for her to handle and I agreed to let her have her memories suppressed."

A large lump suddenly found itself lodged inside Harry's throat after Momiji's unexpected confession and his heart went out to the teen. How could someone be forced to allow their own mother to forget about them?

"But you know," Momiji continued to say. It was like the dam holding back his words had been broken and all the things he had wanted to say then came pouring out of him now. "I never wanted her to forget. I wished she would have just tried harder. I wish she could have been strong enough to remember and to keep remembering. I wish she —" Momiji choked on a sob that had somehow escaped him and finally Harry could see the deep seeded sadness that the blonde was holding in when he looked up suddenly. Without really thinking about it, Harry pulled the boy into his arms and let him soak his shirt with salty tears.

"I can't be empathetic and tell you how I understand how you feel, because I can't possible understand how you feel. But I do understand how it feels to be alone in this world, to feel like no one loves you. I do understand how it feels to not be able to go to your mother when you have a nightmare, or when you hurt yourself. I do understand how that feels. And I can sympathize, because sometimes even I wish my mum had been strong enough. I wish that maybe instead of sacrificing herself she could have just taken me and ran. But she didn't and sometimes I hate her for it. I hate her for leaving me alone. But it's okay, because there are others. I know for a fact that Tohru cares about you."

By the time Harry was done with his little monologue, Momiji was down to sniffles. He pulled back and wiped his eyes before offering Harry a watery smile.

"Thanks," he thanked and Harry shrugged.

"No problem, I'm glad you can talk to me," he told him before playfully ruffling Momiji's hair, the teen was like a little kid in that retrospect, a little brother Harry always wanted but couldn't possibly have.

Momiji laughed, his cheerful and bubbly personality coming back.

"Do you know that I have a little sister," he said with a goofy grin spreading across his face.

"That's nice."

Momiji nodded in agreement and started leading Harry further into the estate once more.

"Uh-huh, and she looks just like Mama. She came and visited me the other day and you wanna know what she said?" Harry nodded, inwardly glad that Momiji was over his little bout of depression. "She said she wants me to be her big brother!"

Momiji's cheerful mood lasted until they had reached the center of the Estate and then he became tense and his cheerful disposition was more strained. Harry couldn't understand it, but the look Momiji gave the building was one of both fear and awe.

"Well, this is it," Momiji informed Harry, waving his hand at the oppressive building. Harry gave the boy a reassuring smile and squeezed his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"Wait." Harry paused and turned around to face the blonde who was rocking back on his heels with an anxious expression. "I-I'll . . . wait for you . . . out here . . . okay?"

"Sure, but you don't really have to," Harry tried to tell him but Momiji was shaking his head before Harry even finished. "Really, I'll be fine."

". . . I'll still be waiting out here," Momiji said after a while, casting his brown eyes around the building. He then offered Harry a tight lipped smile.

"If you insist," Harry agreed rather reluctantly, before turning and walking into the large building. An old woman with a sever look and a tight bun – it reminded him of Professor McGonagall or was that Headmistress McGonagall now – was waiting for him when he walked through the door. She didn't speak, but bowed politely and then turned, leaving him no choice but to follow her in.

After a while he could understand why she was there to lead him. The Sohma Main Estate was large, with halls upon halls upon halls and Harry found that he was completely lost after a few turns – and to think Harry had thought Hogwarts was confusing. The place seemed never ending, and finally, after ten minutes of following the lady blindingly, Harry came to a stop outside of a pair of inky black doors. The maid knocked on it and a soft voice from inside told them to come in.

The room inside was equally as black as the door leading to it, and the only light in the room came from the shoji doors leading out to a small koi garden. Outlined by the door was a thin and rather fragile-looking person. They were lying down lazily in the door frame, legs out straight and one arm hanging over the slightly raised platform – just barely grazing the grass. The old maid bowed to the figure – although they were not facing her – before exiting the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Harry Potter," the person spoke after a moment, and their voice was soft and smooth, the voice of a person used to getting what they wanted and it was another reminder of an old Professor. This was a voice that could quite a room, just like Snape. Harry was finding all these reminders to be a little unnerving and rather daunting.

"Yes," Harry said back politely, shifting on his feet as he took in the room. It was very scarce, with only a bed and a few vases and the walls were painted black, which was probably what made the room look so dark. "Are you Akito Sohma?"

"Yes, I am," the person said before standing slowly. When the light hit Akito's face Harry could see that she was equally as attractive as the rest of her family.

"Forgive me, but I was under the impression that you were a man," Harry blurted out before he could help himself. Akito's eyes flashed and in another second she was right in front of Harry, her hand squeezing his jaw.

"Who told you," she demanded in a slightly hysterical voice. Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously and he slapped Akito's hand away before rubbing his sore jaw. For a thin and sickly-looking person, Akito was surprisingly strong.

"It's obvious in the way you walk and hold yourself," Harry hissed out, his anger in being manhandled boiling inside of him. "And I suggest that you don't touch me."

"Why, you insolent little —"

"I'd rather you not insult me either," Harry cut across coolly. "I've done nothing of that sort to you, so you should learn to extend the same courtesy to me." Akito gritted her teeth, seething in anger – she had never been defied so openly – and she raised her hand, swinging it around to slap Harry. Harry, however, caught her hand before it could make contact with his face.

"Who are you to tell me what to do," Akito hissed venomously, aiming to harm with words since force did not seem to work. "I've allowed you to stay with my zodiac, I've allowed you to keep my secret, and this is how you treat me? You owe me! I could have told them to kick you out onto the street!"

"If I remember correctly," Harry said icily, letting go of Akito's hand and practically throwing it in her face. "You didn't allow me anything. Actually, you tried to erase my memories. So I owe you nothing. If anything, you owe me an apology, but I can see that that's not going to happen."

Akito's mouth fell open with a pop and she gapped at Harry.

"Well, seeing as you have nothing else to say, I'll be taking my leave. This trip was completely meaningless."

Harry then turned and walked away, but not before seeing Akito flush angrily.

The trip out of the Main Estate was surprisingly short.

Harry wondered vaguely if that old maid had taken a longer way just to annoy him or psyche him out. Momiji was insultingly shocked when Harry walked out of the building unscathed, and as he walked Harry out of the Estate he continued to pester him about what had happened. Harry learned that Akito wasn't known for letting people leave his quarters without some kind of injury, whether it is physical or mental.

"Well, it appears that Akito and I are going to be talking a lot in the future," Harry had commented lightly with a chuckle, but Momiji had continued to look worried.

"I really think you should just swallow your pride when it comes to Akito. He might start targeting you next," Momiji fretted.

"Next," Harry questioned, arching an eyebrow and completely disregarding Momiji's warning. "Who has he targeted in the past?"

Momiji shifted uncomfortably and a guilty expression crossed his face.

"Well, last summer he set his sights on Tohru," the blonde boy confessed softly, his eyes tightening in pain. Harry's hands balled up into fist reflectively but his face remained passive.

"I see," he said in a chilly tone that had Momiji shivering, that and some unknown instinct that seemed to scream at him that Harry was dangerous.

By then they had reached the main gates and the feeling had passed, leaving Momiji feeling distinctively sadden by the fact that they would be parting ways.

"Hey, do you want to come over," Harry asked, offering the boy a smile. "Tohru had to work today so I'm going to try my hand at cooking, think you can handle it?" Momiji brightened considerably and nodded his head rapidly – reminding Harry of the animal he was cursed with.

"Great!"

"And afterward we can go and pick up Tohru together," Momiji added.

"Do you know where Tohru works," Harry asked for he had never been to Tohru's work place before. In fact, he didn't even know what it was that Tohru did.

"Yup, she works in Papa's building. She helps clean it."

"Hum, well Tohru does seem like the cleaning type." Momiji nodded in agreement as Harry posed a thoughtful look. "Now that I think about it, she's always cleaning up at home."

"That's because none of those guys know how to look after themselves," Momiji commented with a light chuckle.

"I suppose you are right," Harry agreed. "They do seem rather dependent of Tohru, and she doesn't seem to mind."

"Like the Gullible Traveler," Momiji said excitedly and Harry chuckled.

"You know, I had the same thought when I first met her," Harry confessed. "I can certainly see why all of you didn't want to trust me at first." Both teens laughed as they both thought back to their first meeting, and they continued to laugh for a while.

"You know," Harry said after a while. "I've been meaning to ask you something about that."

"What?"

"Well, I notice that you seemed to . . ." Harry trailed off, not wanting to say it if it wasn't true but not wanting to put Momiji in the spot if it was.

Momiji, however, shrugged and laughed it off.

"Yeah, I do. I'm surprised that you noticed."

"Well, it wasn't that hard to spot," Harry told him. "But yours is not on the same level as Kyo's." Momiji laughed again at this.

"Now that one's very much obvious," he said before sobering quickly. "But yeah, I'm not on the same level." Momiji sighed sadly before he shook his head, trying to bounce back. "So, do you have someone?"

Now it was Harry's turn to sigh sadly.

"You could say that I had someone and there were others before that." Harry shook his head and then added. "But only one guy and I know that will never work out."

"How can you be so sure," Momiji asked, tilting his head a little.

"Because, for the longest time, we hated each other," Harry explained, looking straight at the house that was slowly appearing before him. "We were worse off than Kyo and Yuki."

"Oh," Momiji sighed softly. Harry grimaced and nodded.

"Is something burning," Momiji then asked as they crossed the threshold of the house.

Both teen shared a panicked look before they bolted to the kitchen, where they could see smoke emerging and hear someone, no doubt Kyo, yelling.

They opened the door to see Shigure standing by the stove, which was shrouded in a thick cover of smoke. He had tears streaming down his face and he was moaning something about his house being destroyed under his breath. Yuki and Kyo were also near the stove, Yuki staring at the pot in his hand in confusion and Kyo red in the face, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Hum . . . what happened," Harry asked, looking around dubiously.

"I'll tell you what happened," Kyo continued to yell, throwing his hands up in the air as a show of his frustration. "This idiot! That's 'what happened'!"

"But I really thought I had it this time," Yuki was saying softly to himself, sounding oddly like a bereted child. He looked honestly surprised and confused, like the events that led up to this moment didn't make any sense.

"How many times must we tell you not to touch the stove," Kyo boomed, and Harry could practically see a vein throbbing in his head.

"Uh, you know, why doesn't everyone just calm down and go into the living room," Harry suggested. "And I'll clean this up and make some dinner."

Kyo stopped yelling for the moment and turned to look at Harry as if judging to see if he could be trusted in the kitchen. Harry smiled at him, hoping it would ease his worries. A few weeks living under the same roof and Kyo still wasn't comfortable around him.

"Fine, whatever," he finally said and stormed past them. "I'll be on the roof."

Yuki looked sadly down at the pot he was still holding before he sighed in resignation and left the room also, and after some coxing Harry managed to extract Shigure – who was still bemoaning the damage to his kitchen.

"Wow, that was some nice damage control," Momiji complimented and Harry shot him a grin and said, "I've had some practice."

"Wow! This is great," Shigure moaned in pleasure, shoveling more food into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in days. "I can now see how you and Tohru are related."

"Eh, well I don't think I'm that good," Harry said, rubbing the back of his head. "I've got nothing on Tohru."

"Potter-san, I've been meaning to ask you," Yuki started and at Harry's nod he continued. "Why is it that you always wear long sleeves?"

Harry blinked and then looked down to see that he was in fact wearing a long sleeved shirt.

"Huh, you know, I've never noticed that," he confessed and then shrugged. "I supposed it's just become second nature. Just a habit. There's no other reason behind it."

"A habit," Momiji asked curiously. "Why?"

Harry blinked again and then laughed.

"Oh, that's right, I never told you guys."

Harry then laid down his chopstick and started rolling up the sleeve on his right arm, the others staring at him curiously. When he was done Harry turned his arm to show them the green and silver ink snake that was curling up his forearm, without the glamour you would be able to watch the snake coil around Harry's arm lazily. Its head rested on his shoulder, the tongue stretched out to lick at his neck and its tail curled once around his wrist.

"I normally like to keep this covered. You know, so that people don't immediately write me down as some sort of delinquent."

"Wow," Momiji gasped. "That's so cool! When'd you get it?"

"A couple of years ago," Harry told him, a mischievous grin stretching across his face. "Best day of my life. The look on my aunt's face." Harry shook his head, his eyes gleaming in a way that would have made the Marauders proud. "Priceless."

"If your aunt didn't approve why'd you get it," Yuki asked curiously as Harry rolled his sleeve back down. He couldn't understand why anyone would go out of their way to displease someone, but that could be because he'd spent most of his life trying hard to please others.

"Because she didn't approve of it"" Harry said and the Sohma's stared at him in confusion, not completely understanding his logic. Harry sighed and pushed his plate away so that he could lean against it.

"Look, for eleven years of my life I've always craved attention because I was sorely deprived of it. I spent those years always doing exactly what my aunt, or uncle, or even my pig of cousin, Dudley, told me to do. But as soon as I found out that I had something a whole lot better than what they could offer me, well I stopped trying to please them. So, as soon as I came of age, I went and got my ear pierced and this tattoo; all just to freak them out. I'm pleased to say that it worked."

"Wow," Momiji said again and Harry shrugged, what more could be said?

"So, why a snake," Kyo asked, his curiosity getting the best of him and trampling over the animosity he felt toward Harry.

"Hum," Harry hummed, broken for his small trip down memory lane.

"The tattoo," Kyo elaborated. "Why'd you choose a snake?"

Harry blinked for a moment before the questioned registered.

"Oh . . . no reason, just sentimental purposes."

"And the dragon," Momiji piped up, pointing rather rudely at Harry's ear.

"Another sentimental reason," Harry replied calmly in a wistful tone. "A reminder of something I will never have."

A few hours later had Harry sitting out on the porch, gazing absently up at the night sky. He heard when Tohru came out to join him, but he didn't turn to look at her.

"Do you know," he asked her as she settled down next to him. He could feel Tohru's inquisitive gaze on him and so he elaborated. "About Akito." Tohru's tell-tale gasp showed that she really did know.

"How did you find out?"

"It was easy enough to see," Harry told her with a shrug. "I'm just surprised that the rest of the family doesn't see it." He then turned to look at her when she let out a somber sigh.

"Tohru, what exactly is going on here?"

Tohru jerked a little at the question and turned to look at Harry with wide eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"What is this curse doing to this family?"

Tohru hesitated a bit, chewing on her lip thoughtfully as she considered whether it was in her right to disclose the Sohma family dilemma to Harry.

"I don —"

"I was talking to Momiji earlier today," Harry cut in. "And he told me some stuff . . . about how the parents handle this . . . I just want to know. Maybe I can help in some way."

Tohru sighed and turned to look up at the moon, which had just appeared behind some trees.

"I'm not sure if you can," she whispered after a moment. "I've been searching for a way . . . but I'm not sure if there is one. And I'm not the only one looking. So, even though I have nothing now, I know there might be a way. You may think it's naïve of me, but I still have hope and it will be done. It has to be . . . before spring."

Tohru's tone turned a little desperate toward the end, but Harry could sense that that was not a subject Tohru was willing to talk about. Instead he pondered over Tohru's words.

This curse was turning out to be a whole lot more than what Harry originally thought it was. It stemmed deeper than just a normal curse, and it was clear that it was affecting this family in a negative way.

Harry sighed and shook his head. It was times like these that he wished Hermione was with him, she could surely figure out this puzzle. And then Harry had a vision of Hermione jumping up and declaring that she would be off to the library. He chuckled inwardly at the image.

"Harrison," Tohru said after a moment of silence. Harry turned to look at her and he could see from the small smile on her face that she was trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. "What are you friends like," she questioned.

"Well . . . I have two best friends, Ron and Hermione," Harry told her, a smile creeping onto his face as he thought of the two. "We've been through everything together. They're the best friends a person could have and without them . . . well I probably wouldn't be here."

Tohru nodded thoughtfully.

"How'd you meet them?"

Harry laughed at this, but Tohru couldn't figure out what was funny about her question.

"That's actually a funny story," Harry said as way of explanation. "Ron, he was easy to make friends with. We met on the train to school and after sharing some food with him we were best mates. But Hermione" – Harry shook his head at her name – "she was a bit difficult. At first I never really liked her. She was much to bossy and she was such a smart person that she always felt the need to share her smarts with everyone. Ron likes to call her a know-it-all.

"Anyways, one day during class Hermione took it upon herself to correct Ron. He got angry and said some cruel things and then . . . well to make long story short we ended up the best of friends after that." Harry rushed the last part of his story, feeling very much guilty that he couldn't give Tohru the whole truth. He hoped that one of these days he'd be able to tell her everything – the Wizarding World, Hogwarts, Quidditch, everything.

"Well that's nice," Tohru said happily. "Do you have any other friends?"

"Yeah, there's Ron's sister Ginny, although I think she just happens to really like me. A bit of a problem there," Harry turned to wink at Tohru and she blushed and giggled. "And there's Luna who . . . well Saki seemed to remind me of her a lot, actually. And then there's Neville. He's really nice although he does think very little of himself. We've been working on his self confidence for a while now."

"They sound like wonderful people."

Harry hummed his agreement, but a small pang in his chest made him realize how homesick he was and not just for his friends. The image of twin bright green eyes and childish laughter swam before him before he shook it away.

"You miss them, don't you," Tohru observed.

"Yes. I do."

"Harrison! My dear boy, come in, come in!"

Ayame's jubilant cry was all that Harry could register before he was pulled forcefully into the man's shop. He got one look at Yuki's face – a look of pure fear – and he wondered if maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

When Tohru had first suggested that they all visit Ayame's shop, Harry had been quick to agree, completely ignoring Yuki's look of clear revulsion. After all, he knew now that Yuki and Ayame didn't exactly see eye to eye. But, now that he was actually here, Harry wasn't quite sure if he should just take it all in stride or run for the hills and at the moment running for the hills sounded like a very good idea.

See, Ayame didn't just sell clothes; he sold clothes for people who go to book stores and pick up erotic manga. He sold things like maid dresses or cat suits. Yes, there was some decent article of clothing in the store, like formal Japanese festival wear, but the items that really sold had Harry cringing – like the school girl uniform that had a way too short skirt. Just imagining some of his fan girls in that had Harry shivering in fear. Ayame, however, much to Harry's relief, lead them straight to the back of the store, to the more normal stuff.

"So, um . . . this is your shop," Harry asked after he'd been dumped unceremonially into an overstuffed couch. "It's very . . . interesting."

"Of course it is," Ayame boomed, making Tohru, who was sitting next to him, jump in shock and spill her tea a little. Ayame didn't seem to notice.

"Now, I'm sure you are all dying to try something on?"

He looked around the group hopefully and Harry knew that when those silver eyes landed on him, he would not be able to refuse. Hoping to avoid the inevitable, he looked around to see that, besides Tohru, none of the others looked like they were 'dying' to try anything either. In fact, Kyo looked faintly green, as if someone had forced something unpleasant down his throat, and Yuki looked humorously liked a cornered rat, his eyes scanning frantically for some sort of escape.

"Harrison?"

Harry jumped a little and turned to find Ayame staring at him intently. He swallowed loudly before offering the snake a wary smile.

"Um . . . sure?"

Before he could even fully get the words out, Ayame was pulling him to his feet and spinning him around.

"Wonderful, wonderful," he shouted squeezing Harry's shoulder. "Mine, dear!" And then Harry was pushed into the arms of a girl with a scary shine in her eyes. Harry's own eyes widened significantly and he turned them onto Tohru before he was pulled out of view.

"Something green, Mine," Ayame shouted at the now closed door. "To bring out his eyes!"

He then sat down on the couch and calmly sipped his tea, as if Harry wasn't shouting in the other room.

"Hey, wait, what are you doing with that," Harry's voice sounded. "Hey! . . . Stop! . . . Don't touch me there! . . . Oi!"

"Um . . . is he okay in there," Tohru asked hesitantly, biting her lip as she glanced at the door, where it sounded like Harry was fighting for his life.

"Oh yes, yes, he should be fine," Ayame said with a careless wave of his hand. As the words left his mouth Harry let out a loud yell and then fell oddly silent. Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru turned to stare at the door with wide eyes, wondering what could possibly be happening in the room. After a few moments more, the door cracked open and Mine stepped out with a wide smile.

"All done boss," she chirped cheerfully as Ayame stood. He peered into the room then laughed and patted Mine affectionately on the head.

"Good job Mine," he congratulated before gesturing at the door. "Come on out, my dear boy, and show your friends how wonderful you look."

"I feel like a mannequin," Harry complained before he shuffled into view.

He was wearing a suit that looked like it had come from the Victorian era. The coat was a deep emerald that did, in fact, bring out Harry's eyes. Bold brass buttons trailed down its front and an equally gold watch dangled from one of the pockets. His slacks were a dark black, dropping down and draping over shiny black leather shoes. The shirt Harry wore under the coat was white and had a frilly collar. Harry stared surly over at them, not really able to see anyone because Mine had stolen his glasses – so that his eyes could be seen easily!

"Oh," Tohru gasped and fluttered over to his side. "Wow. It's like you stepped right of a book from the eighteen hundreds England," she said with a breathy laugh. Harry squinted down at her before his mouth twitched into an unwilling smile.

"Really," he then asked. "So, I don't look as foolish as I feel?"

"Not at all, dear boy. As if any of my creations could make anyone look foolish," Ayame said, dropping his hand on Harry's shoulders and then spinning him around so that he could view himself in the full length mirror. Harry squinted at his reflection before grinning.

"Cool," he breathed. "Wait until Malfoy get's a look at me. I'd like for him to say something about how I look now," he said in an off-handed manner, not realizing his slip until Ayame caught hold of it.

"Who's this Malfoy person?"

"W-what," Harry spluttered, turning a dark shade of red. A slow grin stretched across Ayame's face and he threw his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"I see, so would this Malfoy happen to be an ex-boyfriend or lover," he questioned as Harry continued to splutter.

"Nii-san," Yuki called in warning, looking highly uncomfortable at the way the conversation was progressing. "That's hardly any of your business." Ayame stared at Yuki for a long moment before he sighed and released Harry.

"You're quite right, Yuki," he said. Yuki blinked in shock as if to say 'I am?' and Ayame nodded his head. "Yes, now, I do believe that it is the lovely Tohru's turn. Come now, we must make haste."

Tohru let out a little yelp as Mine grabbed hold of her forearm and she was guided into the other room.

An hour later, and all four teens were standing at the front of the shop as Ayame took their photo. Yuki and Kyo had been dressed in a similar fashion as Harry.

Yuki was in a dark blue coat, sliver buttons gleaming like stars on his chest and a pale grey shirt underneath. An elaborate batch of silver swirls danced across the hem of his coat and the edges of his sleeves. Slacks a bold white folded over smoky grey shoes. Ayame even managed to get him into a dark grey bowler hat. The offending object had, at first, caused Harry to burst into joyous laughter but that had only been because the thing had reminded Harry of the former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

Kyo had been decked out in brown, much to his displeasure. His buttons were copper and there was an articulate bright orange fiery pattern racing around his waist. His shirt was a smooth off-white color and his slacks were a dark brown, the same as his shoes, which were slightly scoffed. To complete it all, Ayame, much to Kyo's annoyance, had added some little attachment so that Kyo's hair was longer and in a ponytail.

Both boys were standing protectively on either side of Tohru, glaring at Ayame venomously.

Tohru, being the only girl, was given a very elaborate dress. It was a swirl of soft lavenders, cool blues, and loud purples. It dipped down low in the front and spanned out at the bottom with a bunch of frills. The skirt puffed out and draped over her feet, hiding the small heels Mine had forced onto her. It was sleeveless but Tohru's hands were hidden in elbow length gloves that matched the dress. Mine had even taken the time to make Tohru's hair spiral out into a bunch of curls. The overall effect was dramatic and helped bring out Tohru's inner beauty, or so Harry thought.

"Are you done now," Kyo asked impatiently after being forced to stand still for so long. Ayame stepped back with a disapproving expression and wagged his finger at Kyo.

"Now, now, Kyokichi," he said in a patronizing tone. "Patience is but a virtue. You must be quiet so I can take these pictures. And then, after much deliberation from moi, I will allow you all to become the face of my new line."

Ayame then sighed dramatically and looked off into the distance. Harry swallowed nervously and inched away from the man, a sour taste that wasn't the magic in the air, filling his mouth.

"Wait . . . face," he asked uncertainly. "As in, our faces will help present these clothes?"

Ayame blinked then turned to look at the boy in confusion.

"Of course," he chirped. "You will all be famous. People will flock —"

"I don't want to be famous," Harry cut across rather coldly. Ayame blanched and the three teens turned to stare at Harry with undisguised shock. Harry was always so polite and courteous, so this new sharp tone was unexpected.

"Well . . . I . . ." Ayame blinked, not knowing what to think for a moment – which was a definite first – then seemed to compose himself after a moment. "Nonsense, Harrison, my boy!" he boomed, laughing loudly as if Harry had told some kind of joke. "But of course you do! Everyone wants to be famous!"

"Well I don't," Harry told him rather stubbornly. "Look," he continued to say when Ayame opened his mouth to speak once more. "Do any of you even know what fame does to people?" He looked around the group to see blank confused faces. "I didn't think so."

"Well how would you know," Kyo demanded rather rudely, not liking to fact that Harry sounded so smug and superior.

"Doesn't matter," Harry told him before turning and walking into the back room so that he could change back into his clothes.

The Sohmas and Tohru stared after him in confusion.

Harry closed the door behind him and leaned against it, feeling worn out. He thought over the words he had spoken to them and immediately regretted saying anything. He just couldn't help it. Every time he thought about what fame had done to him, done to his family and friends, he grew angry.

He didn't need the constant reminder that he was the only survivor of a horrible killing.

He didn't need to be reminded that he was the only one to face a maniac and live to tell the tale.

He didn't need to be reminded that he was a war hero, that he helped save the Wizarding world, that he was responsible for some of the deaths.

He didn't need that reminder and he didn't want it.

Someone else could have his fame.

Someone else could have all the attention, could take all the staring, all the photos, all the headlines.

Fame was something he could live without and something that he wanted to live without.

Fame was nothing to him and he would avoid it for as long as he could.

I was running down a dark corridor. Turning the corner, I jumped out of the way just as a body came crashing down in front of me. His eyes stared unseeingly upward, his mouth slightly open, and his head leaking tremendous amounts of blood.

There was a flash and then I was staring blankly down at Snape, his eyes staring straight into mine as he demanded, with his last breath, that I look at him.

Another flash and now I stared the bodies of Lupin and Tonks as I clutched their one-month-old child to my chest.

Flash, Dumbledore's body spread eagle-like at the base of the astronomy toward.

Flash, Cedric Diggory, dead eyes staring up at the grey sky.

Flash, Sirius falling in slow motion behind the veil.

Flash, Fred Weasley crushed by rocks, the ghost of a smile on his face.

Flash, Collin Creevey's small body cradled in Neville's arms.

Flash, tons of dead bodies strewn across the grass of a place I viewed as my home.

Then there was complete darkness and the sound of someone screaming accompanied by a high cold laugh echoed around me.

Harry's eyes popped open and a startled gasp escaped his lips.

His nightmare played once more before his eyes and, unwillingly, his body curled in on itself as a strange pain ripped through it, stemming from his heart. Tears pricked in his eyes and he blinked them away as he tried to straighten out his body.

It took more effort than he originally thought, but within minutes he laid upon his bed, gasping for air.

It's coming, he thought vaguely, staring up at the dark ceiling. Only a week now.

Ha! Bet you weren't expecting those fan-girls. And Cho! Actually, I have to admit that I don't know how she got in here, she just sort of walked in uninvited. I was so not planning on using her, but oh well, it all worked out anyway. Keep those reviews coming!