Love and War
Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha.
All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz
All original characters belong to me.
Chapter Thirteen
Hogwarts Revisited
"Miroku, we're in 1860's London.", Kagome repeated.
"Where is ... London?", Miroku asked her, perplexed.
"It's in a country called England or Great Britain. We not only transcended time ... but space as well. We're no longer in Japan. I mean, I suspected Nishimura's portal to take us to England, but, I'm still shocked."
"Ok. So what do we do now? How do we find that Hogwarts place.", he asked her.
"Hmm. Let me think. We only have carriages here so that magic bus thingy is out of the question ... not that it matters ... only wizards and witches can see it.", she mused while Miroku just stared at her with a strange look, not comprehending what she was saying,
"That magic ... bus thing ... is that something from your era?"
"Hmm? Oh, yea, it is. We need to find Diagon Alley. If we can find that, we can find the wizards and witches."
Something caught Kagome's attention. She lifted her hands,
"My powers ... I have them.", she said, in awe, "I can use them here. If we can find The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, I might be able to convince them I'm a witch."
"What is Diagon Alley?", Miroku asked, completely lost at Kagome's words.
"It's a wizarding place. The Leaky Cauldron is the entrance to the wizarding world, if I remember correctly.", she told him, then spoke to herself again, "I wonder how long wizards and witches live? I don't remember reading that in any of the books. Maybe if Dumbledore was around or even Hagrid, yea, Hagrid was younger than Dumbledore, and he's a half-giant ..."
"A ... half-giant? What's that?", asked Miroku again.
"Like Inuyasha is a half-demon. Not a full breed giant. And, also like Inuyasha, Hagrid's brother is a full giant ... but unlike Sesshoumaru ... Hagrid's brother, oh, heck, I forgot his name, anyway, he's a dimwit. Totally clueless.", she explained.
"Is this Hagrid person nice?", Miroku asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, he is. I mean, I've never met the guy, but he's a big, lovable oaf in the books."
Miroku breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I wasn't sure if my spiritual powers could deal with a wizard."
"Well, Hagrid isn't technically a wizard. I mean, he has magical powers but, he's not supposed to use them. He kinda got expelled from the school ... he was set up by the kid who would become Voldemort, their arch enemy. Professor Dumbledore knew this, but, couldn't prove it and so he didn't take Hagrid's wand away. Now, Hagrid only uses his magic on Dumbledore's command ... that doesn't matter anymore because Dumbledore's dead ..."
Miroku eyes were spinning, "Ok, Kagome, whatever."
Kagome laughed, "I'm sorry, Miroku. I guess I babbled on too much. The Harry Potter series is extremely popular in my era. It has transfixed kids all over the world. To find out the places and people are real ... it's ... just amazing."
"Well, let's get on with our mission. We don't want to be standing here in case Nishimura comes through.", he told her.
"True. Let's go.", Kagome said, as she walked out to the street.
She looked left and then right. Finally, she turned right. Miroku followed,
"Uh, Kagome?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know where you're going?"
"Absolutely not. I've never been here before, so how would I know where I'm going?"
"Just wondering."
"I'm looking for something."
"What's that?", said Miroku.
"I don't really know. I just know that when I see it, I'll know what it is."
"That's comforting. Is Hogwarts in London?"
"No. It's far away. They get there by trai ... crap! This is the 1860's ... there's no such thing as trains.", she said.
Miroku just shook his head. He decided he was tired of trying to understand what she was talking about. As they walked, the sky clouded over and rain began to fall,
"Isn't that just like London.", Kagome groaned, "Always raining and foggy."
"If you've never been here, then how do you know how the weather is going to be, Kagome?"
"Oh, London is famous for it. Even in my time. I swear, if it remains sunny for too long, Londoners start wondering what they did to anger the gods.", she joked.
"They believe in multiple gods too?"
"No, it was a joke. Old London, if I recall, was very monotheistic. The city of Rome called the shots until Queen Elizabeth was on the throne. She managed to break away from the Church of Rome and form the Church of England. The highly religious people in Rome tried to have her assasinated for high treason or heresy or something like that.", she said with a flourish of her hand.
The pair walked throughout London all day. They were growing tired, thirsty and hungry. Miroku had money on his person, but Kagome highly doubted that old Japanese currency would help the matter. That is, until her eyes lit upon a sign,
"ANTIQUITIES AND OTHER STUFFS", The sign read. Grabbing Miroku's hand, she said,
"It just might work!"
"What might work?", Miroku queried.
"Just stay close. You'll see."
They entered the building. Inside, an elderly man eyed them suspiciously,
"Can I help ye?", he asked.
Kagome took a deep breath,
"Yes. My friend and I are from Japan. I'm wondering if some old Japanese coins would be worth anything?"
"Hmmm.", the man puton his spectacles, "Lemme see what ye got."
She turned to Miroku, "Give me the money."
Miroku didn't question, he just followed along, and gave Kagome the silver sack he kept his money in. She handed it to the shopkeeper. He opened it up and laid the coins on the counter,
"These are in excellent condition. My, they look like they were just made yesterday. These are from the Feudal Era of Japan, am I correct?"
Kagome nodded.
"Hmmm. Ye have over 200 pieces here. These are very, very rare. Are ye truly willing to part with them?"
Kagome nodded again, "Yes. I am. I have plenty more where they came from."
The man's interest piqued, "Ye do? Would ye be willing to part with them as well?"
"I wouldn't mind, no. But, they're back in Japan.", she responded.
"Pity. Antiquities from the Orient are so popular right now.", he said, sadly, "Perhaps, if you should return to our fair country, miss?"
"I will definately look you up. So, what are you willing to give me for these?", Kagome asked.
"I will offer ye 1000 pounds, my dear girl.", he offered, "That is way more than fair. I offer ye such a high price in the hopes the ye remember me should ye return to England in the future."
"Sold!", Kagome said, holding out her hand to shake his. The shopkeeper turned her hand over and kissed the back of it gently,
"May I know ye name, miss? A foreign beauty such as ye self must have an equally beautiful name.", he said, as he counted out the bills.
"My name is Kagome Higurashi, sir.", she said, trying to sound high-class.
"Kagome. Yes, that is a beautiful name. My name is Edwin Covington, miss. Here ye are. 1000 pounds."
Kagome bowed and took the money,
"Thank you. I appreciate all your help and time."
"Ye are quite welcomed, Miss Kagome."
Kagome turned and walked out the door, Miroku in tow,
"So, is that alot of money?", he asked.
"Pfft. I don't know. I know nothing about British currency. If it's not, we just make do. Let's go get some food."
They found a quiet little restaurant that had a small open area for eating, covered by large umbrellas. Kagome looked over the menu and made suggestions to Miroku. She ordered a fried grouper sandwich and "chips" and Miroku ordered the fish and chip platter. After eating and paying for their meal and drink, the pair headed out again. Miroku could tell by the sun that is was mid-afternoon,
"Kagome, what should we do? We're very far from the alleyway. To turn back now and try to retrace our steps tomorrow would be difficult ..."
He realized that Kagome had stopped, her mouth agape. Miroku followed her stare but, saw nothing, "Kagome?", he queried.
"There it is!", she spoke.
"There is what? I don't see anything."
"The entrance to Diagon Alley and the wizarding world.", she spoke in hushed tones.
"Where?", Miroku looked all around, "Can you see something I can't Kagome?"
"I just saw a man walk through that wall. He was wearing a cape just like the wizards do in the books. Let's go."
Kagome started walking towards an old, rundown building. The door was boarded up. Taking Miroku's hand, she calmly walked through the wall. She made it through and she was surprised when she realized that Miroku was still with her,
"I see you made it through, as well.", she said.
She then realized they were being stared at,
"Who the 'ell are ye?", spoke the bartender.
Kagome calmed herself as she started to speak, "Me? I'm a witch from Japan. I have to be to find my way here, don't I?'
The people sitting at the tables and the bartender nodded slowly, but, still suspicious,
"Are ye a proper witch?", asked a patron.
"And what about 'im?", asked another.
"Him? He's a harmless muggle. He's a good friend of mine. And, what do you mean, a "proper" witch?", she asked.
"Did ye go to a wizarding school and be properly trained?", asked the bartender.
"School?", she squeaked out, "Uh, yes, I went to the ...", 'Think, girl, think.' "Naganuma School of Wizardry.", 'Keep it going, girl, they're falling for it.'
A man approached her from the back of the room. He announced to everybody,
"It's ok, everyone. This young lady and her friend are with me.", he said, then turned to Kagome and Miroku, and in perfect Japanese, said, "Why don't we go and take a seat out in Diagon Alley. They have the best ice cream shops there."
Kagome wasn't sure what to think, but, she and Miroku followed the man anyway. As the man came to a brick wall, he pushed bricks in, what seemed to Kagome, a specific order, 'That's right. Hagrid did that in the first book.', she thought to herself.
They followed the man down the street, with Kagome staring at all the sights that she had read in the books. The man took a seat at a table outside the sweet shoppe. Kagome and Miroku followed suit. The man ordered ice cream sundaes for each of them. While waiting for their order, the man started speaking,
"My name is John Wetherby. I am from a full-blood wizard family. And, I believe the school in Japan ye were trying to refer to was the Tokuyama School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Good try, though, at faking them out.", he smiled.
"So, you knew all along I was fake?", Kagome asked, sheepishly.
"Hmm. No, ye are evidently not a fake. Somehow, ye came through the entrance to The Leaky Cauldron. Ye must have some special power to be able to do that. And him, he's a muggle. He came through because he was with you. What are ye names, anyway?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry. My name is Kagome Higurashi and he is Miroku. He doesn't speak english."
"I believe in your land, the family name comes first, correct?", he spoke in Japanese, as the frosty desserts were placed in front of them.
Miroku tenatively took a bite and pulled back, surprised, "It's cold.", he said to Kagome.
Wetherby looked at Miroku, strangely, "They don't have ice cream in Japan?",
"Uh, not where Miroku comes from.", Kagome answered, quickly, "And, yes, the family name does come first."
"So, Higurashi, why did ye come to The Leaky Cauldron all the way from Japan?", Wetherby asked her.
"Actually, I'm looking for some information on somebody. I figured Hogwarts might be a place to ask around."
"Information? From Hogwarts? I am curious ... since ye did not attend the Japanese school ... how do ye know of Hogwarts? And The Leaky Cauldron?"
"Uhm ... you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you.", she smiled.
"Try me.", Wetherby said.
"Maybe I'll let you know after we find out what we need to know. Is Hagrid or Albus Dumbledore around here?", she asked.
"I don't know any Hagrid but, how do ye know about Dumbledore?", he asked her.
"Same way I knew about Hogwarts. But, that's for another day. I need to get to Hogwarts. How would we go about getting there?"
"Well, before we explore that, who do you need to find information out about?", asked Wetherby.
"Well, I only know his name in Japan. It's Nishimura. But, he has an english accent even though he speaks Japanese fluently.", she told him.
Wetherby's interest grew, "Can ye describe this Nishimura guy?"
Kagome and Miroku put together a mental picture for Wetherby. He got up and picked up a paper on the counter and opened it up. He then brought it over to Kagome and Miroku,
"Is this man Nishimura?", he asked.
Kagome took the paper and she and Miroku stared at the picture,
"Yes, that's him. This says his name is Tennyson Malfoy ... Malfoy ... Malfoy ... no .. it can't be ...", Kagome started to mutter.
"If that's Nishimura ...", Wetherby sighed, "Ye have a real dilemma on your hands. Malfoy is from a full blood wizard family. But, he tried to take over the wizarding world. When we tried to banish him to Azkaban for using the unforgivable Killing Curse on another wizard, Malfoy disappeared before the dementors arrived. We discovered he had left the wizard world and joined up with muggles. He actually joined their army, the fool. He worked his way up to Colonel. Even though he had left the magic world, he still used magic to get his way. He eventually killed a soldier under him. The muggles were going to execute him for treason. We had tried many times to get him out of the muggle environment, to no avail. Then, he just disappeared from England all together. After a while, he started to return. But, something strange was happening. Only the wizards and witches recognized him. The muggles didn't seem to recognize him. We didn't understand why. Now he's managing to stir up riots. He wants England to go to war with the States. Apparantly, there's alot of unrest over there regarding slavery that's tearing the Union apart. He's convincing muggles that we need to send troops over to squash the rebellion and retake the States as our colonies. But, ye are saying that this man went to Japan? That's impossible. Somedays, he's only gone for a day or two. That's clearly not enough time to get to Japan ..."
"Yes, he can.", said Miroku, "See, we traveled here through a portal that connects this world of 1860 England to early 1500 Japan. That's how Nishimura is traveling back and forth."
Wetherby covered his mouth with his hand, "A time portal? Really? That's ... fascinating. We do need to get Malfoy back. His sentence now is the Dementor's Kiss. That is the price he must pay for what he has done to humanity."
"Apparantly, he's changed time enough to carry on with his purpose.", said Kagome, "I think a Time Turner would be most helpful in this situation."
"Ye do know alot about the wizarding world. Why do ye feel ye need a Time Turner?"
"Because we need to go back to before Nishimura started using the portal so he can be executed properly before he changes any timelines."
"But, if ye are from 1500's Japan ... how do ye know of any time changes?"
"Because I am not from Medieval Japan. Miroku is, but, I'm not. I time travel through another portal that takes me to the Japan of my era, in the late 1900's."
"Ye ... are from the future? Is that how ye know about Hogwarts and Dumbledore?"
"Something like that, yes. Anyway, my era has changed because of Nishimura ... I need to reset the future."
"Then we must hurry. We'll take a carriage ride to Hogwarts. We won't get there until the morrow. Let's hurry and charter a carriage."
Wetherby left the pair at the sweet shoppe as he went to get a carriage. He came back shortly and said to them,
"We have a carriage to Hogwarts. Let's hurry, shall we?"
Miroku and Kagome followed Wetherby's lead. When they saw the carriage, Kagome's eyes lit up and Miroku just stared,
"What the hell are those things?", Miroku asked.
"Thestrals!", Kagome said, "Incredible!"
"Ye can see them?", Wetherby asked, "Even him?", he said surprised.
"Yes.", said Kagome, "We have seen lots of death, I'm afraid."
"I am not too surprised that ye could see them, Kagome. I am surprised that he can see them, considering he's a muggle.", Wetherby spoke, 'He must have some special power. He is not an ordinary muggle.', he thought.
"What are those things? They look like dead horses but, they're moving!", an amazed Miroku stated.
"I will explain it to ye on the way to Hogsmead.", Wetherby told him.
They sat in the carriage and the thestrals began moving. After Wetherby explained about thestrals to Miroku, the rest of the journey to Hogsmead was spent chatting and resting. It was early the next morning when they arrived,
"We'll have to take a boat across Black Lake. The hippogriffs aren't awake this early in the morning and, believe me, ye don't want to disturb a resting hippogriff.",Wetherby said.
Miroku looked at Kagome, "Hippogriffe?"
"It's a creature that is part eagle and part horse. They can fly but, they have to be approached in a certain way. If they decide they don't like you, you can get a nasty bite or even be killed, if I recall."
"There's our boat. Let's carry on, shall we?", Wetherby spoke.
They got in and the boatmaster glided the boat over the dark waters of Black Lake. Kagome was enchanted to see the Harry Potter books come alive. Miroku shivered. The whole area felt creepy to him. The boat docked and they three disembarked. As they approached the old castle, Kagome's eyes grew wider. She felt like a kid in a candy store. She thought to herself,
'Rowling described it perfectly. It's exactly how it's depicted in the book.'
A man, who appeared to be about 30, exited the castle. Even without the beard, Kagome knew him instantly,
"Albus Dumbledore.", she spoke, almost reverently.
He approached the trio, "Ahh, Wetherby, who do we have here?"
"Albus, allow me to introduce Miss Higurashi and her friend Miroku, from Japan. Miroku doesn't speak any english, so Miss Higurashi or myself will have to translate."
Dumbledore looked at the two friends, "He is dressed like a monk. Ye have come to Hogwarts from Tokuyama? We have never had visitors from the Japanese school before. Come in, please, and make yourself at home."
They entered the castle and Wetherby explained to Dumbledore how they came upon England and that, even though Miroku was a muggle, he was still able to see the thestrals. Dumbledore was amazed by their story. As they sat down in an empty classroom, Wetherby also explained that they had information about Tennyson Malfoy. This information really intrigued him,
"So, ye need assistance with getting Malfoy or, as ye know him, Nishimura to be returned to his rightful place? I believe we can definately help ye.", Dumbledore told them.
--
Inuyasha paced nervously by the tree. He had spent a sleepless night worrying about Kagome (and Miroku, though he wouldn't admit that.). His ears perked up,
"Who is that Myouga?", he said softly.
"Hide, Master Inuyasha. It is Nishimura. Until Kagome and Miroku return you don't want to face him.", the flea spoke nervously.
"I agree.", Inuyasha said, jumping high into a tree. He watched, unnerved, as Nishimura approached, changed into a strange outfit, and walk into the portal and disappear.
'Dammit Kagome! You had better be alright. Miroku, you promised me.'
--
A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting. I had to constantly check Google to make sure things were accurate for 1860's London as well as constantly pick my 19 year old son's brain about Harry Potter. I've read the books but he is the encyclopedia of Harry Potter! Enjoy! See ya soon!