Here's the next chap! Thanks to those of you who reviewed!

Disclaimer: Still don't own them.

LostArtist

Chapter 4

It had been one hell of a summer for Kagome. She had been given special permission to practice magic outside of school in order to catch up. It was a good thing too, because learning five years' worth of magic wasn't as easy as her uncle had made it sound.

Granted she didn't need much help in Defense Against the Dark Arts, simply needing to memorize certain spells and incantations to use with the wand. Cho mentioned she'd had a very good tutor in it the past year and was a great help in honing Kagome's skills in that area. Learning Astronomy wasn't very difficult either. Having looked up at the beautiful stars of Feudal Japan so often, she simply had to map out the differences between now and then before she got the hang of it.

She couldn't practice potions without all the ingredients, so she simply had to rely on Cho's old textbooks and the few small concoctions she could try. Transfigurations, however, was near impossible at first. Kagome found herself almost wishing she was a kitsune so she could at least create the illusion of what she wanted. She'd started to get the hang of it though after lots of practice and studying.

History of magic was simply a matter of reading all of Cho's old books, and she wasn't too worried about Herbology having had a lot of time to study it with Kaede in the past. She did however read through the different magical plants that she had never encountered, making sure she knew all she would need to know for the start of her sixth year. Her cousin told her not to worry about the elective courses. As long as she got all the basics down she would be fine.

Kagome worked non-stop all summer to catch up to her fellow classmates at Hogwarts. She wasn't about to be left behind in this war and she was going to make sure she knew all she could to prepare for it.

She was just glad she had been raised speaking both Japanese and English so she didn't have to learn that too.

With all the studying she was doing she almost didn't notice how often her mother and uncle would disappear for extended periods of time. She had a strange sense of backwards de-ja-vu every time her mother left, wondering if the strange pit of worry in her stomach was what her mother had felt every time she'd leapt into the well.

Today they were taking another trip to Diagon Alley. The girls had finally gotten their book lists and Cho needed a few new robes. Since Kagome had already gotten most of what she needed a few months earlier it was going to be a rather short trip. Apparating, Kagome now being the only one who couldn't on her own, they arrived in a very different Diagon Alley then they were used to.

The swarms of people had thinned greatly, leaving a practically empty street. The people they did see walked swiftly and in groups, no longer buzzing and chatting amiably. Ministry flyers were posted everywhere, and new grungy looking stalls lined the street selling cheap amulets and protection wards.

"What happened?" Kagome asked quietly.

"You-Know-Who has returned." Cho replied jut as softly.

"Well I knew that before I got here, but even last time I was here…it was just so much more…lively"

"It wasn't as wide-spread knowledge that he had returned when you arrived Kagome dear. Only a select group of individuals actually believed it until He was witnessed in the Ministry of Magic one night. When you came that had only just occurred." Her uncle explained to her. They were all still whispering.

"Well! I guess we should get started and get going then," her mom said loudly, trying to dispel the odd chill in the air.

"Yes, Yes, uh books first!" he said and they went Flourish and Blotts.

"Satsuki, dear is that you?" a voice called as Kagome and her mother were walking towards the check-out with her books. Turning her mother smiled fondly and a small group of people walking up to her.

"Molly, Arthur, how are you?" she asked the two adults who had come up to greet them. Kagome looked at them curiously. They looked oddly familiar but she didn't know why.

"We've been better. Just picking up books for the kids." The woman named Molly said nodding her head towards the loads of books the three were carrying.

"That's a lot of books," Kagome said wondering just how many people must be in their family.

"And you must be Kagome," the woman turned towards her, "I've heard so much about you. Oh you're just as pretty as your mother. I'm Molly Weasley," she said before gesturing towards the man and girl next to her, "and this is my husband Arthur and my daughter Ginny. Arthur and I work with your mother," she added in a low voice.

"Oohh," Kagome nodded understanding. 'They must be in the Order as well,' she thought. "It's nice to meet you," she said politely, bowing as well as she could with all the books she was holding.

"I hear that you're starting in your sixth year of Hogwarts?" Arthur asked her curiously. Kagome nodded.

"I've been catching up all summer. It's difficult but I've gotten the hang of it." She said modestly.

"Kagome's already up to the level of a fifth year," her mother said, proud of her daughter's hard work. Kagome blushed.

"You'd get along smashingly with Hermione," the girl named Ginny said.

"Who's Hermione?"

"Oh! A friend of our sons," Mrs. Weasley said. "Wonderful girl. If we hadn't split up you could have met the others," she looked accusingly at her husband. "They're at Madame Malkins right now getting dress robes."

"Well we have to go there shortly anyway," Satsuki said. "I believe Cho and her father just left for there." She told Kagome.

"Well why don't you walk down with us then?" Molly asked. "Best to stick in groups these days anyway," she added. Kagome's mother nodded in agreement. After buying the multitude of books the group set out down the road to find the others.

Reaching the dress shop they saw three teenagers emerge. "There they are!" Ginny called down to the three who were talking to a rather gigantic man. Walking up to them Ginny motioned for Kagome to catch up with her and the two walked ahead of the adults. Reaching the others Ginny quickly introduced everyone.

"This is Hagrid, Harry Potter, Ron (my brother), and Hermione Granger!" Ginny said pointing to everyone. "This is Kagome…"

"Higurahi" Kagome added in promptly, bowing again.

"She's coming to our school this year." Ginny explained. "She's gonna be in sixth year."

"Oh!" Hermione said. "How exciting. Are you transferring from another wizardry school?"

"Er, no actually. I only just found out I was a wizard a few months ago. I've been studying and practicing non-stop all summer to catch up. I'm at the level of a fifth year now. I just have to hone in my skills in Transfiguration and Potions until I'm caught up."

"That's a lot of studying, mate." Ron said looking sick at the thought of learning so much so fast.

"That's amazing Kagome! Are you studying on your own or do you have a tutor? Did the Ministry give you special permission to practice outside of school?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Yea, they said I can do magic as long as it's for academic purposes. My cousin's been helping me too. I've been using all her old textbooks." She explained.

"Who's your cousin?" Harry asked, speaking for the first time.

"Oh! She's a year older than me. Her name's Cho."

"Cho Chang?" Ron asked curiously, glancing over at Harry quickly.

"Er, yeah. That's her." Kagome said wondering what the look was for. Turning to Harry for the first time, she gasped. Harry flinched bracing himself for the inevitable.

"Your eyes," she said unexpectedly.

"Uh, sorry?" No one had ever gasped because of his eyes before…

"I've seen you somewhere before," Kagome frowned trying to remember. A flash of green passed in her mind, sad eyes… 'His name is Harry' her cousins voice said in her head.

"The train station," Kagome said now remembering why she recognized everyone. "I saw you all at the train station last year. I was watching your group when I was waiting for Cho. I knew I recognized you all!"

Harry's eyes widened a little as he remembered her. They had briefly caught eyes that day, he remembered, and he'd had the strangest feeling she saw more of him then a normal person should. It was almost the feeling you got when Mad-Eye looked at you through the back of his head, but there was more to it then that. It was as if she was looking at your soul. Harry mentally shook his head trying to clear his thoughts.

"Blimey, I thought you were gonna say something about him being Harry Potter." Ron said scratching his head. "That was different."

Kagome looked at him curiously not really understanding what Harry's name had to do with anything. She shrugged.

"We better get going now. We still need to get the rest of your supplies before we can see Fred and George's joke shop," Mrs. Weasley came up apparently having stopped to speak quietly with Satsuki for awhile. "We've spent so much time here already, we're going to need to hurry."

The two groups separated as the Chang's emerged from the shop.

"See ya around school!" Kagome called after the four as they waved goodbye.

There ya go! Let me know what you think :-)

LA