So, Yakuza is a weird series. Not weird in a bad way, but weird in an enjoyable way. And I have been thinking of how I could write up a fic involving this bizarrely charming series. The first series I came to in thinking up of a crossover chapter was, of course, Harry Potter, after all, it does appear to be a mainstay in this story repository. After that decision was made (at least for this entry), I had to start thinking of how these two could be stitched together. The first big obstacle is the timeline. As all of you know, at least those that are "Potter-heads", Harry is born in the 1980s (specifically 1981). The mainstay Yakuza series games start in 2005 for the mass majority of the timeline. That won't work. I am currently playing Yakuza 0 and which takes place in 1988. Close, but no cigar. Then I started to do some thinking. Specifically, what concept do I want to roll with, timeline for HP is malleable to an extent due to how backward in technology magic-users are which is why a lot of people who have written fics that involve the HP franchise pick it to move with whatever they're trying to cross it with.

The first idea I wanted to roll with is the hypothetical "what if Harry was the son of Kiryu Kazama and Lily Potter after a fight with James?" Many have used that concept before. But the main crux of whether or not it would work is the timeline. Again, Harry is born in 1981 and Yakuza 0 happens in 1988. Then we have to take into consideration the main Yakuza story which starts in 1995 and events that happen which cause a time skip to 2005. This idea was abandoned very early on; my reason as to why will be revealed shortly.

The second idea is another path tread by many, that being "what if Harry was abandoned by Vernon/the Dursleys during a business trip to Kamurocho sometime before 1991 and came to be in the care of Kiryu for some reason or another?" Again, we come into the timeline issue. Mainly the 1995-2005 time skip. I think we can still make this work though. So, as the HP timeline is malleable due to the magic world being backward in comparison to the non-magical, I've scootched the HP timeline up to the year 2007 with Harry being 10 at the time of the new year and the opening of Yakuza 3. Alright, I have the timeline and the setup. Harry's abandoned by his extended family in Kamurocho shortly after his birthday in 2006 and is forced to be a street rat until discovered by Kiryu and Haruka after the post-credits scene of Yakuza (Kiwami) 2 and the opening of Yakuza 3. He's taken to Morning Glory as one of its first residents with the rest of the kids to follow over time.

Now, this story needs an "x-factor," something that will make it more unique than just a tag-along fic or a pure retelling of both series. And then, it came to me. As you know, Yakuza/RGG is all about the intrapersonal journey of several characters (mainly Kiryu in Yakuza 1-6 but others in 4/5/7) while involved in the criminal underworld to varying degrees. Kiryu, Taiga, and Majima for example it's the outright underworld, Akiyama is in this weird place both in and out of it, Haruka with the skeevy and underhanded nature of the idol business, and so on. But we know we're all playing Yakuza because you get to beat the snot out of punks. And the weird substories. But getting back on track, the x-factor is going to be that Harry is the heir of a crime family in Britain akin to the Peaky Blinders (but not them, just using them as a point of reference for what to expect) on the Evans side of his family. This will have massive implications for the events of Yakuza 6 as that's when a majority of things will be going down, but hints at his unknown heritage will be thrown in here and there as bait for the inevitable reveal to the characters.

Alright, so I have the ingredients, but how will I avoid it being a tagalong fic that I worry about it being? Well, first let's go over the events of the Yakuza games in terms of timelines. Yakuza 1 happens during Christmas, same with Yakuza 2 (the latter of them matters). Then 3 happens in what appears to maybe be summer. It isn't explicitly said the season as there aren't any real significant context clues that can be gleaned from the environment. Perhaps very early spring. 4 on the other hand I know happens at least in the fall/winter/very early spring due to the schoolgirls wearing winter uniforms as opposed to summer ones. 5 outright happens at Christmas due to Saejima dressing up as Santa and having snowball fights during his chapter. And in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter when 6 happens in terms of the season because by that time matching up seasons for things won't matter. And so, with that, I sort of have a timeline of events for how I want this to go down for the basic main events.

2007 – Harry found by Kiryu, brought to Morning Glory (MG)
2008 – Ryudo family scuffle with MG property rights, Harry found out by Dumbledore, cue first year
2009 – Main events of Y3 take place, second year will conclude before game's main events?
2010 – Y4's events take place, happen in fall before 3
rd year
2011 – 4
th year takes place, Kiryu goes incognito right after Harry starts 4th year
2012 – 5
th year takes place, events of Y5 happen during Winter Break, Kiryu arrested for 4 years
2013 – 6
th year takes place
2014 – 7
th year supposed to take place, Harry on the run
2015 – spoiler event for Y6's events happens to set it in motion
2016 – events of Y6 happen with an appended story

With that, let's get the rest of this show on the road.

Title: [undecided]

Rating: T+ for language, which might become M near the end?

Pairing: Harry/Haruka (eventual), Kiryu undecided if anyone at all though Mayumi or Kaoru are not bad choices at the end of the day.

Summary: Harry finds himself abandoned by his aunt and uncle in the strange city in Tokyo called Kamurocho. As a foreigner in a strange land, he has to survive by any means. However, as fate would have it, he would cross paths with the legendary Dragon of Dojima and his adopted daughter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my copy of MS Word and my desktop. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, and Yakuza/RGG belongs to Sega. I only own the original ideas presented. See the forward for the full disclaimer.

NOTE: The ideas presented are subject to change until the final release.

NOTE THE SECOND: There are some errors made in regards to certain things. Yes, I am aware of them and the previous note still applies; that being that this is subject to change in the final release.

XxXxXxX

Harry was cold, tired, and very, very hungry. He had been like this for months ever since Uncle Vernon had dumped him in Tokyo after he had brought their family on a business trip to the Japanese capital city. Harry wasn't a stupid child, in fact, he was quite bright. He wasn't ignorant of his family's visible and audible disdain towards him. He knew they hated him, but for what reason, he never knew. The only insight that he was able to glean was when his uncle tossed him out of a rented car and called him a 'freak.' Ever since then, he had been living on the streets of the very popular Red-Light District known as Kamurocho.

Being a foreigner, or a gaijin in their words, in a foreign land, no one was inclined to help him. The only help he found was in the arms of the homeless who taught him everything he now knew from panhandling and begging to learn Japanese and pickpocketing. All of the money he managed to steal or beg for went towards food and warmer clothing. He couldn't steal too much or else someone might catch on, and it appeared that not many were willing to pity the poor foreign child.

It was December and not just any time in December, but Christmastime. It was a time for joy and giving, but it appeared none of this joy or goodwill would be directed toward him. He was alone in this world and it appeared that whatever gods may be deigned it to be so.

Harry looked up from his brimmed hat and saw a man walking with a girl about his age. What stood out about him is that he had a white suit on that looked like it belonged to an era decades ago and a red shirt underneath that had a few buttons popped open to show off his chest. Harry knew this flamboyant look; it was a style that some in the local Yakuza families favored. But the immediate thing that stood out is that he didn't have a lapel pin that said which family he was with. This caused the boy to raise an eyebrow as well as start to contemplate a plan.

'If he's not with any Family, the risk of retaliation is low,' he thought to himself. The man was an absolute beast of one, standing almost half a head taller than everyone around him. This in and of itself made Harry hesitate, but his grumbling stomach convinced him otherwise. Standing up and throwing his hood up to conceal his features, he resolved to follow through. He slinked into the crowd and gently pushed his way past other people in the crowd just as the homeless men had taught him. Just enough force that the people he's trying to get between allow him through, but not too much as to disturb them. Like a rock in the river, one had described.

He was behind the towering man now and reached to his back pocket… and before he could grab the wallet, he could see bulging out of the pocket, and his wrist was grabbed. He looked up to see the towering man looking down at him. His eyes burned with a rage that quickly subsided at seeing that he wasn't being robbed by not a man of his age or some punk teen, but by a small child who looked way too thin. The expression changed to a combination of stern anger and pity.

"What are you doing, kid?" the low-timbre man asked. When Harry didn't say anything and attempted to pull away his wrist was grabbed firmer.

"Uncle Kaz, you're hurting him," the girl beside him said. The grip slackened but he wasn't released. Harry immediately observed that she was a few inches taller than him. And, if he were to admit it, he thought she was cute. "Allow me." She squatted down slightly so that they were at eye level. "My name is Haruka, what's your name?" Harry didn't reply, but she continued, "Why were you trying to take my uncle's wallet."

Harry's eyes darted away in shame, more so at being caught, but his growling stomach gave away his intentions. Somehow it was louder than the crowd around them for the moment it happened. "Hungry," Harry finally admitted. "Just wanted money for food."

The father-daughter duo looked at each other trying to figure out what they should do. "What if we get you something from Smile Burger?" Haruka suggested. 'Kaz' looked to his daughter with a raised eyebrow. "He gets what he wants, after all, how much can he eat?"

The pair had made a grave miscalculation. The answer was a lot.

Too much to the extent, they watched in shock, horror, and disgusted interest as the child who looked no older than Haruka consumed close to twenty double-stack burgers and several drinks. Even some other patrons looked on in interested shock. As the pair watched the kid consume the burgers, they were able to make some additional observations. The primary one was that the child was homeless. They could tell on the unwashed stench he gave off on top of the probably third-hand clothes he was wearing; likely pulled from either a dumpster or a dead body if one of the blood stains was real and not his. He looked skinny and malnourished, and considering he was eating the equivalent of several meals worth of food in one sitting told the pair that he likely hasn't eaten for a long time and expected to not eat again for another long period of time.

"So, I've told you my name," Haruka started.

The boy swallowed before stating, "And?" before he took another bite.

"It's considered proper manners to introduce yourself," she finished.

There was an awkward silence as he finished off another burger. "You said your name was Haruka, right?" he asks.

"It is," she nods.

He pauses for another moment, internally debating whether or not he'll divulge his identity. "My name is… Harry."

The pair immediately recognized him swapping from a rough Japanese with an extreme, non-Japanese accent to English but for only his name. With this revelation, they paid closer attention to his features. At first, they thought he was an undereducated youth, but in reality, his features revealed a gaijin from Europe in their midst.

"Where… are your parents?" Kiryu asked.

"Gone," Harry replied simply.

"How did you get here?" Haruka asked in continuation.

"My uncle didn't want me. My aunt and he abandoned me here."

"How long have you been in Kamurocho?" Kiryu asked.

"Before it was winter. Maybe summer?"

"And you've been on your own all this time?" Haruka asked. He nodded. The father-daughter pair looked to each other. "Uncle Kaz?"

Kiryu caught on to what Haruka was getting at. "Do you have anywhere to go?" he asked Harry.

"I live on the street, I go wherever I can sleep."

"I want to make you an offer."

This caught Harry's attention. "Go on."

"I am opening an orphanage in Okinawa," Kiryu started to explain. "As you've said you have no place to go, I'd like to offer you a place there."

Harry paused in thought. An awkward silence fills the air of the busy fast-food establishment. "What's the catch?"

"There isn't one."

Seeing that he didn't seem convinced, Haruka joined in. "Uncle Kaz really wants to start a home for those that have none. Uncle… he has some bad things in his past that he's trying to atone for by doing an act of service of protecting and helping those who don't have anyone, just like his father figure and namesake of his family name."

"Family name?" Harry asked. He wasn't dumb, he could piece together what that was, the surname or last name of a person.

"He too was adopted and took on the last name of his father figure," Haruka clarified. She continued, "With the orphanage, he's starting, I will be one of the official first residents."

Harry gave pause. "You lost your parents too?"

She nodded. "I never knew my father, he wasn't in the picture much nor do I know what he looks like. But my mother died a year ago almost to the day."

"You have my apologies," Harry said too quickly. He had come to terms with his own parents' passing. It was fairly easy when they were dead before he even got a chance to really know them.

She shook her head in the negative. "It's alright, you didn't know." There was a bit of an awkward silence that Haruka broke, "Do you want to talk about what happened to yours?"

"There's not much to say. They died when I was an infant still. My aunt and uncle said they died in a car crash. Drinking and driving," Harry replied simply. That's all there was to it in reality. While he suspected that there may be more to it because his aunt got really awkward around questions or topics surrounding his parents, it's not like he was able to ask anyone else about it.

Haruka gasped. "That's horrible!"

Harry shrugged. "I can't really mourn people I never knew, parents or not." This seemed to resonate with Kiryu who nodded in agreement.

Kiryu knew this feeling quite well. While he knew who his parents were, he didn't know them. He respected them and prayed for them on their death day, but he too found it difficult to properly mourn them. He found it easier to mourn both Shintaro and Nishiki, his adopted father and brother respectively, than his birth parents. Probably because he had decades of history with the two as opposed to his parents which were a few years that were mere flashes in his memory. Maybe the face of his mother at times.

"This orphanage," Harry said, breaking the silence, "to me sounds too good to be true. How do I know I can trust you, a stranger?"

"If I were to get someone like a police officer to vouch for me, would you be willing to hear my offer out further?" Kiryu asked.

"Depending on what they say."

"Fair enough," Kiryu rebutted. He stood up and motioned to the two of them to follow, "Come."

"Where are we going?" Harry asked.

"To Serena, the Mama has private quarters that you can use to clean up while I contact my police officer friend. If you still decide to decline my offer, you will at least have had hot food and a bath."

Kiryu and Haruka stepped outside and Harry was left with his thoughts. Pausing for but a moment, he followed against the gut instinct that his logical thinking was screaming at him was too good to be true; but the other side of his thinking argued that a girl that young wouldn't be involved with someone like this if they didn't treat them well. If they weren't being treated well, they'd run at the first chance they could, especially if they could use a crowd to slow down their pursuer. He weighed the positives versus the negatives. The positives won out. He hadn't had a bath in what was probably months, and using rainwater in an alley didn't count. He also hadn't slept on anything that wasn't a bench in just as long. If he were given an option between the Dursleys' cupboard with a ratty mattress and blanket or a bench, he'd pick the Dursleys. Against his better judgment, he stood up and followed the pair out of the establishment's doors.

When he emerged, the pair were still waiting for him. Harry hadn't noticed, but Kiryu had placed the remaining burgers in a to-go bag and was carrying it. When he had done that, he didn't know. It may have been when he was contemplating his decision and didn't notice.

Kiryu looked at him and stated, "Stay close. It's easy to get lost in these crowds." He started walking and led the way. Before Harry could step foot into the crowd, Haruka reached over and grabbed his hand, and gave him a gentle tug to guide him along.

They walked across the main street that ran right up to Millennium Tower and followed one of the side streets where they passed one of the Public Parks, it always had an oil barrel with burning wood day or night and many homeless would gather around it for warmth or drunks collapsed nearby it from nearby bars. They took a left down the other main street that ran to the east side of Theater Square and headed south. While the crowds a couple of times did push against him, Haruka held on to his hand and pulled him along and they kept pace with Kiryu. Soon enough, they were in front of one of the many buildings that surrounded the area. All four floors high at minimum. In the corner of one of the signs in English was the name 'Serena.'

Kiryu looked behind him to see both Harry and Haruka still behind him. He pushed a button on the elevator door panel and it opened. They went inside and he pressed the third-floor button. A moment later, the doors opened to a small hallway, and in front of them was a wooden door, on the side of the frame stating 'Serena' once more. He opened the door which triggered a bell hanging just above the door.

"Welcome!" a woman's voice shouted out. Kiryu stepped through the door to show a woman who appeared to be middle-aged standing behind the bar with various liquors on the shelf behind her. She appeared to be wearing a cocktail dress. Sitting at the bar, Harry could see a man in a brown trench coat who also appeared to be middle-aged and to be the only patron currently. "Kiryu-san, Haruka-chan, I didn't expect to see you again so soon!" the woman exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, I though you were on your way to the airport on the first flight to Okinawa," the man at the bar added.

"I was," Kiryu started, "but then I ran into him." Kiryu gestured to Harry.

"Who's this sweetheart?" the woman asked.

"Mama, this is Harry and I've asked him if he wants to be the second resident of the orphanage."

"You mean-?" the woman asked.

"His parents died some time ago and his legal guardians abandoned him here to die in the summer."

"That's terrible," she gasped.

"That's just not right," the man at the bar grumbled in righteous anger, though it was muted for both of the children's sake. "And did he accept?"

"He's… considering it, Date-san," Kiryu stated.

"Considering it?" He looked to Harry. "How come?"

"He doesn't trust me."

Date scoffed. "I can't blame him; you still look the part of a yakuza."

"Give him a break, Date-chan. Kiryu-chan will always be gruff looking whether he wants to or not," Mama chided Date lightly.

Date got a better look at Harry. "Foreigner?" he asks.

"Yes," Kiryu confirms, "but from where I don't know."

"Either European or American," Date suggests.

"He said his name in English," Haruka chimed in.

"English or American, then," Date corrected himself. Harry was following along for the most part, but some words he didn't quite catch. It was a surprise then, when Date swapped to English, though it was very accented, "Hello, Hari. I'm Makoto Date," he held out his hand.

Harry slipped into English as well by instinct. "Harry Potter," Harry replied as he shook the man's hand.

"That's a great name. It's a pleasure to meet you." Date swapped back to Japanese and muttered, "Definitely Britain." He looked to Kiryu, "What now?"

"I'm going to call Kaoru and ask her to vouch for me," Kiryu replied.

"Vouch for you? You can't be serious, Kiryu."

"I am," the former yakuza stated firmly.

"Listen, Kiryu, I know your heart is in the right place. But you can't just take in a foreign citizen, there will be hell to pay if the British Embassy finds out."

"They won't because his own family left him here and returned to their home country without him and likely has reported him dead or disappeared in an accident. As far as I'm concerned, he's just as Japanese as your or I."

"It doesn't quite work that way," Date sputtered out more in annoyance at his friend's hardheadedness than anything else. He knew he wasn't going to get through to his friend. He was already a man who ran afront of the law multiple times and somehow came out for the better.

Kiryu turned to Mama, "Can he use your facilities to clean up? Even if he declines, I'm certain he'd want to be clean."

"Of course!" Mama stated cheerfully. She walked around the bar to grab Harry's hand. "Come. Come. This way." Harry turned to look at Haruka who nodded, strongly suggesting that this was alright.

As Harry was whisked away, Date whispered to Kiryu, "You better know what you're getting in to."

"I don't know. But what I do know is that he'll have a better life here than on the streets or with a family that wants him dead," Kiryu replied as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The line opened and Kiryu asked, "Sayama-san. Can you come down to Serena? I need you to speak with someone. Alright." He then turned to Haruka and handed her his money clip. "Can you run down to Don Quixote and get some new clothes for Harri?" Haruka happily nodded and left to do her task.

The next hour blew past for Harry. While Mama showed him how to use the Japanese-style bath and even offered to bathe with him, he declined that offer as he could do that himself, he stripped down and left his nasty-smelling clothes in a laundry basket and proceeded to clean himself up. As he did, he came to the realization that bathing actually felt good and wondered why Dudley always complained about having to take a bath. Then again, Dudley didn't have to sleep in the same clothes for months on end and not bathe for just as long and watch as people around him looked on in disgust at him. His skin was rubbed raw as the dirt and grime flowed away down the drain with the rest of the soap and shampoo. His hair once gnarled and oily was silken and clean, albeit still a mess with its own mind. Whatever time remained, he spent it soaking in the hot tub water and relished in it. After all, it may be the last time in a while until he gets to experience something like this again.

He stepped out into the small sallyport set of doors and instead of finding his old clothes, there was a note in English stating, 'I hope these fit,' and beneath it was a whole new set of clothing consisting of a shirt, pants, underwear, and socks. They were clean. The scent of factory detergent smelled like the freshest thing he'd smelled in a long time. Without hesitating, he put it all on and exited the washroom, and reentered the bar to see that a woman had joined them. She appeared to be in her twenties or thirties and had her black hair tied up in a bun; she was wearing a suit and on her waist was a badge.

"Harri," Kiryu said, "this is officer Sayama Kaoru of the Osaka Police. She is a friend of mine and Date-san."

"Date?" Harry asked.

"He's a former police officer as well. He retired last year and is now a private investigator and journalist," Kiryu explained. Kiryu gestured to a table and Harry said down with Kaoru sitting on the other side.

"So, you're the one that Kiryu has told me about," she said in accented but fluent English. In turn, Harry also swapped.

"I suppose so," Harry replied. "What's he told you?"

"That you're a boy a long way from home and that your family left you here." Harry nodded. "He's also told me that he's offered you a home at his soon-to-open orphanage in Okinawa." Harry nodded again to confirm they were on the same page. "But he's told me that you're thinking of declining his offer. Why?"

Harry thought his words through carefully. "I don't trust him. It seems too good to be true," Harry replied.

"What does? The promise of a home?"

Harry nodded. "In all my time here, people have laughed at me, beaten me, stolen and thrown away what little food I had. I begged on the streets for food or money but all they all told me to do was 'get lost and die, gaijin.' For months, day in and day out. Thousands of people walked by, but none of them took pity on me. But I try to steal from him and he offers me a place to live and food? Buys me several meals worth of Smile Burger without complaint? I can't help but think he's got other intentions."

Hearing at what happened to the foreign national, Kaoru couldn't help but feel her heart break. She was no stranger to this phenomenon. While there were many who tolerated the presence of foreigners whether they be businessmen there on business or tourists, it was the worst-kept secret nationally that those who weren't fully Japanese weren't Japanese and were looked down upon, that went double for foreign nationals who wanted to live in the country for any period of time that wasn't permanent or those who elected to become ex-pats and become citizens. Not everyone shared this sentiment, but there was enough that it was common to see harassment of these foreigners no matter their life status. Kaoru felt a kinship with the boy in this regard, after all, she was a 'halfu' of both Korean and Japanese descent despite taking more from her father's side and no one knowing the wiser. To make all this worse, she knew of many who would take advantage of stranded foreigners for their own means. It was lucky that Kiryu was the one who came across the boy.

Haruka couldn't help but feel a tear or two slip away. She had seen an entire bar of patrons die in front of her in a bloody gunfight and saw her mother get killed in front of her, but she at least had Kiryu to take care of her. That's more than her new companion had. To say that both Date and Kiryu wanted to both crack skulls was an understatement. Kiryu swore that he'd make this so-called family of Harry's pay. No child should have had to go through that. If Date had heard Kiryu's silent oath, he would have agreed and would look the other way while Kiryu did it. Mama wasn't sure what to think but she had pity on the young soul in her bar.

The tension was at a breaking point and Kaoru broke it. "Kiryu has no ulterior motives towards you. Has he told you why he wants to start it?"

"Sort of, he wants to honor the man he saw as a father," Harry replied.

"Yes. Shintaro Kazama was not the most… law-abiding man. But he sought no ill will on the children of those he, unfortunately, came across and founded an orphanage for these children so they weren't on the streets. Kiryu is one of the many children that passed through the doors and came out better for it regardless of what he's gone through since then. Kiryu is not a perfect man and has hurt some people along the way and wants to give back to the future rather than take from it. That's why he wants to open his orphanage, to give kids like you a chance in life."

Harry considered her words. But before he could ask another question, she continued on.

"Kiryu, despite his very colorful background, is an honorable man and couldn't ask for a better friend."

"What if… I said no?" Harry asked.

She sighed. "As an officer of the law, I would have to report you if not arrest you for violating your travel visa. You'd be extradited back to Britain and placed back in the custody of your family. Based on what Kiryu has told me of what they did to you to leave you here, I'm certain that this is something you don't want."

Harry felt like he was backed into a corner with only one true way out. It was either back to the Dursleys who would more than certainly search for another opportunity to get rid of him quietly or live with Kiryu and Haruka. He looked again at the people present. Two officers of the law, one retired and one active, a bartender, a former criminal, and a girl who wasn't his daughter but he treated her like his own daughter. He focused on Haruka and as he did, he could see in her eyes the truth. While kids could lie, as Harry had experienced first-hand with Dudley, they were notoriously bad at it at times. She was telling him that Kiryu could be trusted.

"I… accept his offer," Harry said.

The next few days moved in a blur for Harry. Date had used connections in the police on top of a Tojo clan member who had ties to a forger who forged papers for Harry making him to all but those who dug extremely deep a citizen of the nation of Japan. He found himself on a plane to Okinawa. The three of them arrived at the orphanage that had its name changed to Morning Glory. Harry couldn't help but feel that things were going to turn around for him.

XxXxXxX

Six months later. Summer 2008.

To say the summer was kicking off to be an interesting one was an understatement. Harry had watched as Kiryu, his father in all but name, beat the snot out of goons belonging to the Ryuudo yakuza family, a local family that had been on this island well before the last war and was strangely loved by the locals, in front of the orphanage. Afterward, Kiryu tracked down a family captain and beat him as well. Instead of a one-sided war, the patriarch broke bread with Kiryu and formed a sworn-brother alliance. One thing that Harry had learned in the last year was that Kiryu was the former Fifth Chairman of the Tojo Clan, a very powerful yakuza organization… for all of a day. While technically a civilian, Kiryu held a very large sway within the criminal underworld despite not taking part in it anymore. Part of this sworn-brother agreement was that it meant that Rikiya and Michio came around a lot more often to spend time with the other residents of the orphanage.

Harry had met the other children who were all but two of them (excluding Haruka) younger than him, and the other two a year older than him just shy of Haruka. He found kindred spirits with the girl named Riona and the boy Mitsuo. Riona due to her burn mirroring his scar in 'unwantedness' and Mitsuo being a halfu and being racially different, something that Harry could definitely relate to. The younger children eventually warmed up to him and he was seen as 'big brother Harry' or 'Harri-nee-san' as Haruka and Ayako were seen as big sisters.

School was rough, but it could have been worse for him. Being a foreigner meant that he felt the brunt of actually racist kids who didn't know any better but thanks to their parents and teachers imitated their behavior. His schooling was made better by the few American children who stayed for a year or two as their parents worked at the Air Force base on the island but lived off base (which was not very common all things considered). Some of them shared an interest in football (soccer for them), as well as baseball which helped bridge the gap between his peers. It turned out that he was really good at following the ball and hitting it relatively well. Never had any home runs or anything, but he always hit it no matter what the other kids tried to slip him up; this made him a first pick whenever they had pick-up baseball games. He threw himself into his studies and learned Japanese at a record pace to the point where if it wasn't for his accent throwing off some words, if not seen he would have sounded like a native speaker for the appropriate age group he was in.

It was evening now and Harry had long since finished his school work on top of helping with cooking this evening's meal, and he found himself outside of Kiryu's office door. He stood in front of it before knocking on it.

"Come in," Kiryu's muffled voice came through the door. He turned around from his computer where he had been writing an email to an associate to see Harry. "What can I help you with, Harry?"

"I want you to teach me how to fight," Harry said resolutely.

"Why, is someone bullying you at school?"

"No," Harry said quickly as his caretaker stood up to take action. Despite his heart being in the right place, Kiryu was still very impulsive, "I have a feeling that one day you won't be here to protect us, and as the oldest boy, it would fall on me to protect the rest of the kids."

He hummed in thought. "Is this another one of your dreams?"

"Yes," Harry answered somberly.

The older man placed a hand on his shoulder. "The future is always in motion; we can never truly predict what is going to happen next."

"I know, it's just…" Harry trailed. Kiryu was right though. Harry had dreams at times that were scary accurate but not always 100% on the dot, sometimes they were of things he should have no knowledge of at all. Kiryu was unsure if he could really call it precognition or ESP, after all, it wasn't his first time experiencing something strange that turned out to be true later. For example, the fortune teller that was in Kamurocho told him back in 1989 told him that he'd fight another dragon and care for a girl not of his own. In hindsight, when he looked back at that strange encounter, he bumped into the man who he would eventually fight to the death who was then still a child. "I would feel more at ease if I knew how to fight. If nothing happens, nothing happens," Harry finished. Harry still saw Kiryu's reluctance. "Morning Glory is the first place that has been a home to me that I can remember and the rest of the kids here are my family in all but blood despite us not always getting along. I would do anything to protect them."

"Even at the cost of your own life?" Kiryu asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Even at the cost of my own life if it meant they were to live on in peace," Harry replied.

The air was silent between the two. The only thing that could be heard was the cicadas buzzing in the trees nearby and the waves crashing softly on the shoreline no more than a hundred yards away. "You aren't going to give up on this, are you?" Kiryu asks.

"No. This is a place that I believe needs to be protected."

Silence returned as Kiryu studied the boy's face. It was firm and unyielding. It reminded him of a younger him from many years ago. A younger him that saw the world with a different set of eyes. A much more naïve way of thinking about how the way the world worked. A time when the yakuza he was a part of were honorable if not roguish types and not the punks imitating businessmen they were today. Even then, the families continued to surprise him; most times in a negative way. It's no surprise to him as to why he left that life behind besides Haruka being in his care now. Kiryu felt the same as his young charge, but the duty to protect Morning Glory was on him, not someone under his care; he was the first and last line of defense. However, due to his past, there was a strong possibility that someone someday would come gunning for him and there was the slim possibility that he may be taken out of the picture entirely.

It was then Kiryu's mind was made up. He stood up and walked to the door of his office. "I will teach you the ways of the Komaki fighting style," Kiryu stated finally. Harry stood up quickly, but Kiryu followed up with, "but this may only be used to defend others." Harry nodded quickly as Kiryu opened the office door and led him to the beach which had a much softer surface to be knocked down on.

Days turned into weeks as Summer Break went on until its final week. Each night, Harry would learn and practice the katas of the Komaki fighting style and spar with Kiryu. His guardian approved of his progress and while he had a long way to go in learning advanced movements and maneuvers, he knew enough that if he had known this during his stay with the Dursleys Dudley and his friends would have ended up with bloody noses very commonly.

"Haruka, do you see what I'm seeing?" Harry asked as they approached the gate of the orphanage.

The two had just returned from the grocer downtown and their arms were laden with ingredients for that night's dinner as well as the following day's breakfast and lunch. As they did their shopping at the market, Haruka couldn't help but notice Harry feeling uneasy as if someone was watching him the entire time. However, there was no one doing such a thing. The local vendors knew the Morning Glory children and that they were locals so there was no reason to eye them with suspicion. Even Harry who was a gaijin in all but legal status, who had long since tanned in the Okinawan sun, was seen as a local and would have blended in if it weren't for his European features. And while the two were looked at as to attract their business to their stalls, no one outright stared at him. At least, no one that they could tell was. Harry wore what he usually did on days he didn't have school or school activities, shorts, sandals, and a button-down shirt with a floral pattern made of a lightweight material (see: Hawaiian shirt) that was untucked. Haruka was in a similar state of dress with a tank top layered with a t-shirt; while it was more material, somehow it was just as light. As for how Harry couldn't comprehend how.

"An owl?" Haruka asks as she leans closer to look. The avian was sitting on one of the brick fenceposts that noted the entrance of the orphanage.

"I didn't think there were owls in Okinawa," Harry thought aloud.

"If there are, I haven't seen them before." She looked closer to see that it had something in its beak. "A letter?" She looked closer at the envelope itself. "It appears to be addressed to you."

"What?" Harry asked as he set one of the bags he was carrying down and reached for the letter. Surprisingly, the owl just let him take it. The lettering was cursive English and written in metallic green ink. "Mr. Harry Potter, Morning Glory Orphanage, Okinawa, Japan." He flipped it over, but there was no return address as standard with all letters. All that was on it was a wax seal on the rear with what appeared to be a coat of arms consisting of a lion, badger, raven, and a snake. There was something written on a banner, but he couldn't quite make it out in the light he was in.

"What's wrong? Is it a letter from a pen pal?"

"No, it's just an envelope addressed to me. No return address."

She looked over his shoulder and stated, "We should show Uncle Kaz."

"I was thinking the same thing," Harry muttered.

He placed the envelope in the bag he was carrying and took it inside. As the two walked in, the owl never moved but watched them as they went. Seeing it as a more pressing matter, they put the food away before going to Kiryu's office.

Haruka knocked on the door and asked, "Uncle Kaz, are you in?"

"Come in," Kiryu said from within. The two slid the traditional Japanese door open and entered. "Haruka and Harry? What can I help you with?" Haruka nudged Harry who presented the letter to him. "A letter?" he asked as he took it.

"Addressed to Harry but no return address," Haruka explained.

Kiryu picked up a letter opener from his desk and slit the envelope open. Removing the letter from the envelope, he started to read. "HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY. Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards).
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress."

"What is this?" Harry scoffed. "Magic? I also don't remember enrolling with any schools, either."

"Nor did I submit anything on your behalf," Kiryu added.

"I'm confused," Haruka chimed in.

"I think we all are."

There was a silence in the air until Harry asked, "Now what?"

Kiryu went to his desk and retrieved an envelope, a piece of paper, and a pen. "We reply," he simply stated.

"You're going to enroll me?" Harry asked.

"No, at least not right now. There are many questions that need to be answered. Such as how this McGonagall and Dumbledore know of you being here, nor where this school is, to begin with."

As he started to write their response in English, very well written at that, Harry asks, "How are we supposed to send it? By owl? How would that even work?"

"Harry?" Haruka pulled at his sleeve to get his attention. They turned around to see the owl from before just standing at the threshold of Kiryu's office door expecting something. "I think that's how."

Kiryu finished writing his reply, sealed the letter in the envelope, and wrote on the front of it 'Minerva McGonagall. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' He handed it to the owl who took it in its beak and flew off.

"How did you know that was going to work?" Harry asks.

"I didn't. It just seemed like the most logical thing to do considering how illogical this situation is," Kiryu replied with a shrug.

"What did you write?"

"I offered them a meeting to discuss that letter. If nothing else, we'll clear the air."

Three days passed before another owl appeared at the front gates of Morning Glory. This time it was addressed to Kiryu directly. It stated that one day after the letter's arrival Professor Dumbledore and another teacher would arrive to discuss Harry's future schooling at noon. And so, to be proper hosts, Harry and Haruka went to the market to get fresh ingredients for a light lunch. Meanwhile, Kiryu spoke to both Rikiya and Michio and requested that they take the rest of the Morning Glory children on a small day trip and keep an eye on them. Of course, Rikiya always wanting to impress his 'aniki' instantly agreed. Now that plans were set, they were ready for these guests.

XxXxXxX

Getting an international portkey on top of a local, regional one was never a fun task, Severus Snape had come to the conclusion. Not only was crossing time-zones and making the mental math to know when noon was in Japan as opposed to Scotland; the answer was 3 am. So, to say he was not the most pleasant of people at the moment would be a bit of an understatement. Why the headmaster had agreed to meet with the Potter brat and what appeared to be his legal guardian at their convenience annoyed him to no end. Luckily one of the few pleasures he had left of the Muggle world was coffee and that was in abundance everywhere in Magical Tokyo.

His annoyance was doubled when he had to convince the headmaster's very… colorful choice in wardrobe to be changed out of for a very unassuming set of business attire that would be very common in the Muggle world as long as Western influence had touched it in terms of men's fashion. While the British Ministry was strict about magic use around Muggles, you could take care of the problem yourself or give a donation to a campaign fund to get your way out of trouble; the same could not be said about the Far East and how their magical society worked so it was best to err on the side of caution.

They traveled through the second portkey and found themselves on a dirt road. Houses to the right of them and the sea on the left. The sun was shining and heat bearing down on them. The only relief came from the sea's winds that rolled in with the waves. Or, that would have been the case, if it wasn't for the copious amount of cooling charms Snape applied to himself with but a mutter. He would have been shocked if the headmaster didn't do the same to himself.

"The Japanese Ministry building is certainly a marvel of Eastern-influenced architecture. I must get the Minister to give me a tour one of these days," Dumbledore rambled on. "They say the old yokai and Shinto gods help build the original buildings with their influence." Snape rolled his eyes. Yes, the buildings were beautiful, he'd be a moron to not see that, but they were here on a job not to sight see. "Oh, and the sea appears so lovely! I can see why many journey here and to Hawaii. Perhaps one of these days when I retire, I should do the same, hmm? Perhaps you should join me, Professor. Get some sunlight now and again."

"I get plenty of sunlight, headmaster," Snape rebutted professionally as he started to walk.

"Oh, bollacks!" Dumbledore countered. "You're down in your dungeon concocting whatever you've got your mind set on. Have you considered taking a vacation?"

"I don't know why you're so insistent on-."

"We're here, professor," Dumbledore interrupted his potions master. He pointed to a sign where the characters rearranged themselves to show 'Morning Glory' before returning to their original kanji. "I'm so insistent, Professor, because life is short and we ought to enjoy as much of it as we can while we're still here, hmm? Enjoy the little things in life." They walked up to the open door and knocked on the frame. "Hello!?" Dumbledore called out. A door off to the side opened and a tall man with black, slicked-back hair who looked like he could take on several bulls and survive dressed in a red Hawaiian shirt and slacks emerged. He was stoic-faced and appeared ready for anything. "Kiryu Kazama, I presume?"

"You presume correctly," Kiryu replied with heavily accented English.

"Thank you for meeting with us about young Harry's future education on such short notice."

"I have many questions, as probably do you." Kiryu gestured to the living room to the side where the two instructors could see a low table. "Please, lunch is about to be served."

"Thank you." Dumbledore slipped off his shoes and stepped in but saw that Snape didn't. He whispered, "It's customary and considered polite to remove your shoes before entering someone's residence. I know you have your reservations, but it is good to be on their good side, yes?" Snape scoffed and reluctantly removed his own shoes and left them next to the headmaster's.

The trio walked into the living room where Kiryu stated, "You may sit where you like," as he sat at the head of the table near the kitchen doors. Snape and Dumbledore took seats on both sides of the table near the end.

"I fear we may not have introduced ourselves. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. And this here is Severus Snape, a member of my faculty and head of the house of Slytherin," Dumbledore introduced themselves.

"As you already may know, I am Kazama, I mean Kiryu Kazama. I am the owner, operations manager, and legal guardian of the children living here at Morning Glory orphanage," Kiryu properly introduced himself.

Dumbledore looked around and didn't see who he was expecting to see. "Speaking of children, where is young Harry?"

"He's helping prepare lunch with one of the other children here."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "You make him prepare the food?" Snape asks almost sounding bored.

"He and the others rotate and help when it's their turn. It's important for them to know how to cook for themselves as well as contribute to the home. I too cook meals with them. It's one of the many skills I foster here. It helps them become more independent as they become older."

"Yes, independence and fostering skills are certainly important in a child's growth," Dumbledore agreed. "You must hold their hand for a time, but once they learn the basics you slowly let go and they take over it all on their own."

"Indeed," Kiryu agreed. "But that's not the only reason. I wanted to speak with you first before you meet him."

"Of course. I'll answer any questions you may have."

Kiryu paused as he gathered his thoughts and organized them. "How did you know Harry was here in Morning Glory?"

"The register at Hogwarts may find any student who has been admitted."

"How did he get admitted? I made no inquiries nor submitted anything to anyone. Neither did Harry."

"Harry's parents, may they rest peacefully, registered him as soon as he was born."

"I can tell from your accents you're Englishmen, therefore I must assume your school is in or around England. Why should I permit Harry to go half-way around the world to go to your school when he's doing well in his studies here?"

"Harry's parents paid for all seven years of his tuition in full."

"Seven years?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly. "Hogwarts hosts students from ages ten to eighteen grouped by their enrollment year; years one through seven. Upon completion of their seventh year and the exams that come with them, they graduate."

"How… much is it per year?"

"More than you've probably made now," Snape sniped.

"Severus," Dumbledore chided. "What my companion means to say is that it's not an insignificant amount that was invested and being accepted to Hogwarts is very prestigious and opens many doors in our world."

"Your world?" Kiryu asked for clarification. The more he heard, the more it sounded like a scam, if not very shady.

"Ah, yes. We've neglected that part, haven't we?" Dumbledore asked almost sheepishly. "Magic."

"Magic?" The gears were starting to turn in Kiryu's mind. "This… register as you called it… is it magical as well?"

"Why, yes, it is. It's how we send the acceptance letters by owl to the new students as well as updated school supply lists to the returning students."

"And it can find anyone, anywhere."

"So long as they're admitted."

"Then why was Harry abandoned by his relatives in Tokyo a year ago?"

This made Dumbledore give a genuine double-take and was shocked. "Abandoned?"

"Considering his heritage being European and you coming all the way around the world from where his parents once were, is it not strange that he is not with his relatives?"

"It is, however-."

"'However,' what?" Kiryu growled. "Pick your next words carefully."

"We thought he had perished a year ago."

"Explain."

"Harry's relatives, his aunt and uncle, were killed a year ago. Nobody knows quite what happened, but we knew the Dursleys – that was the family name of his relatives – had recently embarked and returned from a trip to Japan. But days after they returned their house exploded leaving the son as the only survivor. His aunt's body was found mangled and his uncle's half vaporized. It was considered by many that Harry had died that day."

"Why do you have such an interest in him?"

"What do you mean?"

Kiryu started to spell out his reasoning. "You run a school of a few hundred students and have many titles which I have assumed are political in nature, yet you take an interest in an orphan boy to the point where you know of his former family's living situation. Some may call that 'stalkerish' behavior. Unless you have this level of personal interest in all of your students?" Kiryu left this question in the air but didn't allow the older man to reply. "But I don't think that's the case, there aren't enough hours in the day to do such a thing. No, there's something about Harry that had your attention well before he got your letter. What is it?"

Dumbledore was completely silent. "Headmaster, we don't have-," Snape started.

"You're right," Dumbledore admitted, cutting Snape off, "there is something special about Harry."

Kiryu leaned forward and stated, "I'm listening."

Dumbledore went on to explain the geopolitical conflict and shadow war that happened from approximately the 1980s all the way until 1997, the same year that Harry was born. It all surrounded a dark wizard who wanted no less than total world domination and was starting his war in Britain; if he was successful, he would have spread his shadow war to the rest of the world before going public and making it a full-on race war.

"You are taking this remarkably well for someone who hasn't heard of magic before," Snape observed.

"I've seen many strange things in life. Nor is this the first time I've heard about conflicts in the shadows," Kiryu replied. "But getting back on topic, how does this involve Harry?"

"It's not Harry himself, per-se," Dumbledore continued his explanation, "but his parents. You see, many of my former students and I founded a vigilante organization due to the inaction of and sometimes silent endorsement of our government to fight against this dark wizard and his followers. Two of the members were Harry's birth parents. They and two others fought on three separate occasions with the dark wizard to a standstill." Dumbledore looked pensive and remorseful, "They were truly remarkable people and it's a shame that Harry will never truly get to know them." He then swapped topics. "There was a prophecy that surrounded this dark wizard and whether it was fully truthful or not didn't matter, because he believed it. It stated that the child born of those that defied him three times in the month of July would defeat him. And so, he went to kill Harry and his parents and one of his trusted captains to kill another strong candidate for the prophecy's criteria."

"Harry is still alive, clearly this plan of his failed," Kiryu observed.

"Not without the loss of his parents as well as a great personal betrayal."

"Betrayal?"

"Yes. His parents were in hiding under a powerful charm that requires someone to keep the secret. The secret-keeper revealed the location to the dark wizard which allowed him to find him."

Kiryu was enraged but kept his composure. "What happened to this… secret keeper?"

"He was arrested and thrown in the Wizarding World's most secure prison. He'll never see the light of day again," answered Snape. Kiryu observed that it was a very clinical answer. There was something about this prison that seemed to disturb him.

"Since that fateful October 31st, Harry was kept in secret with his relatives – that is until a year ago," Dumbledore added.

"But that doesn't answer why you have such a vested interest in him," Kiryu pushed back.

"It's the nature of his survival," Dumbledore sighed.

"The fact that he lived is why you're watching him?"

"It's not the fact that he lives, but the nature of how this dark wizard killed his foes and Harry's survival. The Dark Lord and his followers were avid users of the three Unforgivable Curses, of which their use is heavily restricted for educational purposes at best and banned for general use with heavy punishments inflicted."

"Those curses summarized as being the torture curse, mind control curse, and the killing curse," Snape added. "The Dark Lord favored the last one for any small infraction." Kiryu didn't miss this Freudian slip, but before he could say anything, Dumbledore continued.

"When the Dark Lord entered the hidden Potter home, he was intent on killing all within and succeeded in killing both of his parents. To this day it remains a mystery, but Harry somehow survived that night with what I've suspected to be something his mother did."

"I'm not following," Kiryu stated his clear confusion.

"The killing curse has no counter," Snape chimed in. "You can put things between you whether they be another person or an object, but there is no spell that can block it."

"At least none that are known," Dumbledore corrected. "The point is, Lily Potter – Harry's mother – did something that night that stopped the killing curse from killing Harry at the expense of her own life. Or, at least I suspect that to be the case. That isn't known to the general public at large. They just think that Harry as an infant somehow defeated the most powerful wizard seen since the Second World War."

"And because of it, he's become quite the celebrity," Snape muttered.

"Celebrity?" Kiryu asks, hinting at a follow-up request.

"Harry is known to many in our world as the Boy-Who-Lived. As stated before, no one has survived the killing curse. Many believe that he killed the Dark Lord that night and hold him up to a standard despite never meeting him. It was the primary reason why I wanted to hide Harry away in the Muggle world-."

"Muggle?" Kiryu interrupted.

"Non-magical. Mundane. No, I don't know where the word originated from, it's been around for so long I believe many forget where it came from." Dumbledore continued, "My decision to hide him away was to make him not a celebrity nor be used by whoever wanted the clout of caring for him. I believed that placing him with his aunt and uncle was for the best. Lily and her sister – Petunia – never got a long since they were children. Petty squabbles about one of them being able to go to a magic school and the other not. I believed that with time they would have grown out of this."

"You were wrong."

With regret, Dumbledore couldn't meet Kiryu's eyes. "I know. With what you've told me it appears the vitriol and hatred ran deep in Petunia. Deep enough to pass her perceived 'sins' from her sister on to her nephew. Everything was done with the best of intentions. I knew the family wasn't too well off and in the will that James and Lily left there was to be a stipend left to the caretakers, whoever they may be, for early education, housing, and so on if they died before Harry's age of majority. What Petunia and her husband did with this money, I suppose we'll never know."

Kiryu was silent for a moment before he came to a conclusion. "You are a flawed man, Albus Dumbledore."

"I never said I wasn't," he chuckled though it sounded he was still remorseful. "If only others could see the flawed man instead of some pseudo-savior. The same way that many will look at Harry."

Before the 'mope-fest' could continue on, the door to the kitchen opened to reveal both Harry and Haruka holding platters of food. It wasn't anything heavy as the Englishmen were probably expecting. The luncheon's components consisted of rolled omelets cut into bite-sized chunks, steamed pork buns, salmon – both smoked and not – sashimi atop vinegar rice, tempura fried shrimp, Takoyaki balls, and cube slices of melon and pineapple which appeared to be drizzled with honey. The dishes containing the morsels were set on the table. The steamer holding the buns was removed letting out all the trapped steam which cleared to show the buns.

"I'm sorry that took a while, we were waiting on the buns," Harry apologized as he sat down next to Kiryu.

"That's not a problem at all," Dumbledore stated jovially. "We were having quite the enlightening conversation."

Kiryu swapped to Japanese and muttered softly, "How much did you hear?"

Harry also swapped and replied quietly, "All of it."

"And who is this lovely young lady?" Dumbledore asked, gesturing to Haruka.

"Haruka, my daughter in all but blood," Kiryu replied.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Haruka greeted in heavily accented English.

The luncheon went smoothly. Complements were given to the chefs as the two national foreigners consumed the provided food. While the one named Snape tried for about five minutes to use chopsticks, he gave up and proceeded to use a fork going forward. Dumbledore continued to struggle but still managed to use them to limited success – in the end having to use a fork to help supplement his attempts. Leftovers were put away quickly only leaving the dirty dishes remaining.

"That was certainly a delight," Dumbledore said as he patted his belly.

"Yes, Harry is quite good in the kitchen," Haruka complimented her housemate.

"I'm not that good," Harry argued.

"Now you're underselling yourself," Kiryu chuckled. "Don't let his humble demeanor fool you. He cooks better than most adults."

"Headmaster," Snape grumbled, "Perhaps we should stay on track?"

"Ah, yes!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Of course!" He turned his attention to Harry. "I suppose you know why I'm here?"

"To convince me to go to your school," Harry replied.

"Correct."

"You see, your parents paid for all seven years for Hogwarts, their alma mater. Sorry, the-."

Harry interrupted, "School they graduated from."

"Quite a knowledgeable young man, aren't you?" he chuckled to which Harry shrugged. He had heard a couple of college students on vacation in Okinawa say that word once or twice so he looked it up. "But yes, your parents paid in full for a full education."

"Why would I want to go to your school? Isn't it in Britain? I already go to school here."

"Technically, Scotland in the north, but there are many reasons why you may want to consider coming. For example, does your current school teach magic?"

"Magic?" Harry said with some skepticism.

"Perhaps you'd like a small demonstration?" Dumbledore said as he pulled out his wand. He pointed to the dirty dishes and commanded, "Episky." Immediately, all remnants of food disappeared, and a sheen that indicated that the dishes had been freshly washed appeared. Harry picked up the plate and started to examine it closely.

"How did you do that?"

"Magic," Dumbledore said in a matter-of-fact tone. "And there is so much more. Learning about magical plants and animals. Learning all sorts of spells from transforming objects into other objects to summoning the elements themselves. Learning about how the planets and stars affect our magic – for they certainly have effects." He gestured to his companion, "My companion, Professor Snape, is the Potions Master, and in his class, you'll learn all sorts of concoctions that do all manner of things." Snape didn't have a speech prepared but nodded in confirmation.

"As his guardian, I do have to inquire. What about general studies?" Kiryu asked.

"General studies?" Dumbledore asked almost sheepishly.

"Math, the sciences, languages, and so on," the former mobster clarified. "Basic curriculum that you'd see in any school around the world whether private or publicly funded."

"We have arithmancy, the magic of numbers and their significance, as an elective as well as magical languages such as gobbledegook for those interested in working with goblins after graduation."

"Goblins?" Haruka asked with her head cocked to the side.

"Short, stubby, long noses," Snape said boredly. "Sometimes green. Always interested in money."

"They sound different than the goblins of our folklore."

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked, suddenly interested. "What do they look like?"

"According to folklore, they're either red or blue with two short horns sticking out of their skull. They do have long noses though. They also have mustaches and like to carry spiked war clubs."

"Very interesting," Dumbledore hummed in what seemed to be genuine interest.

"Is that all?" Kiryu asked, getting the conversation back on track.

"The closest thing is 'Muggle Studies' and that is woefully out of date and consists of examining items from the Muggle world as opposed to anything else that many would consider… useful," Snape stated.

"What about extracurriculars or clubs?"

"There's Quidditch, the most popular sport in the magical world. There's also the dueling club as well."

"I see." Kiryu once again changed the topic. "Are there other magical schools?"

"Why yes, there are. There's one in North America which hosts students from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. There's one in Africa which by the student body is the largest due to servicing all of Africa. There's one in the Middle East which services most of the countries there. There's one in France and one in Scandinavia which hosts students from all over Eastern and Northern Europe. There's one here in Japan. And there's one rumored to have been made in China in the last decade or two though there has been no confirmation of this."

"Why should Harry go to your school when there's apparently one here in his country of residence?"

"I don't know the enrollment criteria for Mahoutokoro. In terms of age, it's the oldest school followed by Uagadou and lastly followed by Hogwarts. From what I do know in conferences with other ministers and ambassadors in the magical world, they are very exclusive and accept only Japanese nationals and rarely accept outsiders."

"Rarely?"

"Those of political standing such as the children of ambassadors living long term in the country or those that the Emperor has personally honored akin to the British Royal family knighting someone. This rarely happens, as you may imagine. Even then, those children are usually enrolled at their parents' alma mater as well due to the ease of magical travel."

"What type of school is Hogwarts considered?"

"It is a boarding school. Students may visit family on holidays, breaks, and of course at the end of the term."

"I see." There was silence once more as Kiryu composed himself. "You're asking a child to make a journey around the world, alone. To leave all of his friends and adopted family behind. To leave his studies behind and stagnate sacrificing any future work opportunities. We will have to decline."

Dumbledore stood up, shocked. "P-please reconsider! It's what his parents would have wanted for him."

"I don't know what my parents would have wanted," Harry chimed in as he slowly stood up. "The only thing I do think they would want is for me to live a long, fulfilling life and find happiness along the way as that's what all parents want for their kids. Maybe even having a few children of my own if that's what that meant to me."

"Will you at least sleep on it?" Dumbledore requested. "It is a very life-changing decision; these many other students know full well. But it'd be a waste to throw away this opportunity. My companion and I will stay nearby until tomorrow morning when we'll hear your decision, whatever it may be."

Harry paused before answering. "I will consider it, that's all I can promise."

Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgment before he and Snape left. For the rest of the day, Harry was silent as he contemplated the offer and what it meant on top of the information that was revealed to him as he eavesdropped on Kiryu's conversation with the two Englishmen. His parents were revealed to be killed by some kind of magical terrorist. His aunt and uncle mysteriously died and Dudley was probably off with Marge. The existence of magic and the entire hidden population that used it.

Soon day turned to evening and the evening meal passed uneventfully considering that he didn't have to cook this time around or clean as it wasn't his turn. Kiryu and Haruka watched him but let him be as he was in silent contemplation over his choices. As the sun set, Harry found himself on his favorite 'thinking rock' – a boulder on the shoreline near the orphanage – sitting down with his knees to his chest. He heard footsteps as someone walked up to him and sat beside him. He looked to the side and saw Kiryu.

"It's a big decision, isn't it?" the older man asks as he settles in.

"Yeah," Harry replies.

"It reminds me of the first big decision that changed my life. Have I told you what it was?"

"No."

"It was the day I decided to formally join up with the Kazama family and join the Tojo clan. Kazama-sama told me that I could live normally on the outside, that he'd use some family connections to get me into a good school and all that I would need to do is do well in my studies and graduate college. But I rejected that offer and chose to join as a yakuza. And thanks to that decision, despite all the hardships and pain that came with it, I came across Haruka and then you and then the rest of Morning Glory. If I had made a different decision in life, none of us would likely be here today. Whatever you decide, there will be upsides as well as downsides; the bad always comes with the good as they are partners."

"What are your thoughts on this?"

Kiryu sighed. "You already know my position on this. Dumbledore-san has no conventional education studies that will help you in the outside world. If this world is as insular as I think it is, this will be a major disadvantage. If you decide to go into a field that isn't part of their world, you'll be behind and that will set you back potentially years. In seven years or so, you'll officially be out of the foster system and will have to make your own way in life, whatever that may be. The opposite may also be true as well. If you decline their offer, you likely won't learn about magic and continue on with your education."

"I also likely won't learn anything about my parents either."

"That is also very true. You may not."

Harry was silent for a bit before he spoke up again, "What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

"I would think about the future and future prospects. I would think about the friends and family I have here and weigh the positives and negatives. The thing you do have to remember is that the other children going to that school also board and won't be seeing their families or friends on the outside for months at a time too. If I were to go, I'd be writing letters to friends and family weekly to keep in contact so that those friendships don't fall apart. You would have to stay on top of your studies outside as while high school here is not required like in other countries, it will affect what jobs you can get into should you decide not to remain in that world on top of if you're able to get into any colleges as well."

"Do you think they'll let me drop out and return if it doesn't work out?"

"Considering that they had to come around the world and beg you to come speaks volumes. They want you there. Whether it's for some political clout, prestige, or a genuine want for you to attend so they don't have to refund your parents' money to you, I don't know."

Harry was silent once more as he contemplated Kiryu's words and advice. This was a great opportunity. One that comes once in a lifetime. Though, he was suspicious of the old man; but then again he was suspicious of all adults with the caveat of Kiryu and his network of friends thanks to being abandoned by adults that were supposed to be his family on top of every adult in Kamurocho walking by him for months on end.

Finally, Harry came to a decision, "I'll go."

The next morning, Harry and Kiryu sat on the bench in Morning Glory's yard as they waited for the two Englishman to return. As they did and walked inside they stood up and approached them.

"Good morning, Harry, Mr. Kazama," Dumbledore greeted. "Did you come to a decision?"

Kiryu spoke up, "We've decided that Harry will attend your school."

"Splendid! We-."

"However," Kiryu interrupted. "There will be caveats."

"You can't be serious-," Snape started to interrupt.

"Now, now, Severus. Let's hear Mr. Kazama out." He turned his attention to Kiryu once more. "What did you have in mind?"

"As Harry won't have… conventional education resources, and still needs to achieve an education level proven to the government to get a certification if he decides to live outside of this magical world of yours, he will need to have materials given to him to study and test for," Kiryu stated his conditions.

"And how often would this be?"

"Once a semester for finals. I will be able to convince the local school here to administer it on a weekend when the time comes."

Dumbledore looked to Harry, "And what do you think about this? Is this not a lot of work and responsibility to take upon yourself?"

"It is," Harry agreed. "However, I know nothing of your world and how it works. There will come a day when I can no longer live off the generosity that Kazama-san has provided me and I will need to move out and live my own life. If things do not work out for me in your world, I will have the non-magical one to fall back on."

"That is a very mature way of looking at this," Dumbledore complimented. "Very well, I can see to this accommodation. How will the materials get to him?"

"I will send it with him as all the yearly curriculum is standardized and predictable as to what he'll need," Kiryu replied.

"That is more than reasonable. Excellent! I will send another owl containing more information this coming week. Until then."

XxXxXxX

As Dumbledore promised, a few days later an owl arrived with a package containing an item called a portkey that would take them to England for Harry to get his school supplies as not all nations kept to the same standard when it concerned school materials making and design. In order to activate it, there was an activation phrase that needed to be said on the day listed. Where it was coded to arrive a professor by the name of McGonagall, the same from the admission letter, who would meet them and take them into the hidden area of London.

After much arguing and discussion, it was decided that Haruka would come along. Her argument was that she'd keep Kiryu in line and on his best behavior, much to his very stoic rebuttals that he wouldn't need her to do that. Secretly, she wanted to see this hidden London as she had never been out of the country – the closest being Okinawa – before. After all, when would the next time leave the country happen? Based on other types of trips like this, they planned on being gone all day, and so Rikya and Michio were called upon again for their assistance to watch the orphanage once again. While the duo probably wasn't happy playing babysitter all the time, the other children liked them.

The day came and the portkey activated with the three of them holding it. One moment later, they were inside what appeared to be a back alley, cars could be heard honking nearby as traffic flowed along. Waiting for them was an older woman, she wore what looked like one would expect a witch to wear in popular anime down to the hat. The only difference was the very conservative dress she wore.

"Mister Potter and guardian?" she asked immediately.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied.

"Right on time. I am Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts as well as the Professor of Transfiguration classes."

"Transfiguration?" Harry asked.

"The art of turning one thing into another through magic. No time to waste on demonstrations, however, you have a full day today." She turned around and pulled out her wand and pointed it at a brick wall. "Mister Potter, please observe the pattern that is tapped on the bricks as you will need to know this." She tapped a pattern that Harry committed to memory and when she completed the wall morphed into an opening that showed off the alley behind it.

"Amazing!" Haruka stated with wide eyes.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," McGonagall said. "Now, come and stay close." She started to guide them down the crowded streets where onlookers gawked mostly at Kiryu and Haruka as they weren't English. However, some of them did a double take as they saw Harry but before they could do or say anything, the crowd hid them. They turned down a street and McGonagall pointed to what looked like a bank but it looked completely structurally unsound. "In case we get separated, please head to that building. That is Gringotts Wizarding Bank."

"Ma'am, if I may ask, why are we going there?" Harry asked.

"Why, to withdraw money from your vault. How else would you pay for your class materials?"

"I don't remember opening any vault."

"Your parents left it to you, there's plenty inside for your school supplies and then some. Come, before the lines get too long."

They walked up the steps to the giant doors which appeared to be made of stone and had a warning about theft, but that's all Harry was able to gather before McGonagall opened the door for them. Inside was a very ornate bank that looked like it belonged to a time period a century ago during Britain's Golden Age of Expansion, but for the elite. The lines were virtually not there due to them coming in right as it opened.

Before getting in line, McGonagall handed Harry a golden key. "Please be sure to take extreme care with that as it is your key to your vault," she explained.

"Why do you have it?" Harry asked out of sheer curiosity.

"While no one else can access your family's vault but a Potter, it was left in the care of Dumbledore."

"Next!" the teller called out. They approached and the teller was as Snape described as a goblin. "Key?" Harry didn't move and was nudged by McGonagall.

"Sorry," he said as he handed the key to the teller.

He looked it over for a second before stating, "The Potter vault, eh?"

"Yes, sir."

"Been a while since that one's been opened. About a decade now." He looked at Harry once more noting his age. "Hogwarts?" Harry nodded. "Ah," he said in understanding. "Follow me," he said as he handed the key back and hopped down from the teller's desk; a door opened to show another goblin who took his place. They followed through a set of doors where what looked like a train was waiting. By train, it was more like an amusement park ride than anything else. Like a car it had sets of wheels on the front and back, but like a coaster car, it had three different wheel assemblies of two wheels each. One set on the top, one beneath the rail, and one on the inner part of the rail. The front and rear 'axels' appeared to rotate and the center car was gyroscopically locked to gravity. "Please take a seat," the goblin said as he took a seat in the control chair. On either side were two sets of seats numbering four each. As there were four of them, they all sat on the same side. A rail came down to keep them in their seats.

The description of the ride to Harry's vault would have been appropriate if it were compared to a roller coaster ride, just minus the loops. As they went on, the caverns that the bank appeared to be on top of appeared to just go on and on. "How large is the bank?" Kiryu asked.

The goblin driver replied, "As large as it needs to be. The older vaults for some of the oldest families are in the lowest levels."

"And that would be?"

"Deep."

"And we're currently?"

"About one hundred fifty feet beneath the earth."

"I see."

"And where would my vault be?" Harry asks.

"A bit deeper still." The ride went on for a few more minutes as the cart plunged deeper and deeper into the earth. As for how deep because of the twists and turns the cart made – likely to throw off any thieves – none of them could really tell. "Here we are, Vault 687," the goblin said as the cart slowed to a stop. He went up to the vault door and asked, "Key?" Harry handed it to him once more and moved aside a hidden panel before inserting it. The key rotated and a series of locks that many may consider overkill unlocked. Once they were all retracted, the door opened with a snap of the goblin's fingers.

What Harry saw next was an outright sea of gold. As in a sea that Scrooge McDuck would be proud to somehow swim in. "Harry?" Haruka asked breaking him out of his shock; but she in her shock reverted to Japanese by instinct, "Just how rich are you?"

Harry turned to the goblin and asked, "H-how much is in there?"

"This vault has enough for one to live comfortably for several lifetimes if invested properly," the goblin replied.

"I-invested?"

"Yes, this isn't the proper Potter vault but a trust vault in your name." Harry could only blink in confusion and shock. "The money present is only a partial sum of the gains made from various business ventures past Potter heirs have made, the rest remain in the main family vault."

"Businesses?" Harry asked absentmindedly as he tried in vain to count just how much money was inside.

"Yes. The Potters and their ancestors have made financial investments in many magical businesses over the centuries. Some failed but others thrived. It was only in the last hundred years the Potter family invested in Muggle businesses such as weapons manufacturers, shipyards, and other ventures."

"This would seem like a discussion for another day," McGonagall said breaking everyone out of their trances.

"While it is Master Potter's decision," the goblin looked at the gobsmacked child, "that may be for the best. I can compile a list of the Potter holdings whenever you wish."

"Y-yeah, let's do that," Harry said still slightly out of it.

"Splendid. I will get to work on that as soon as your visit is concluded today."

"Now, Mister Potter," McGonagall started, "a lesson in magical currency." She picked up three coins from his vault and showed them to him. "The gold ones are called galleons, the silver ones sickles, and the bronze ones knuts. There are 29 knuts to a sickle, and 17 sickles in a galleon."

"How much is a galleon worth in non-magical money?" Harry asks.

"The current exchange rate is about 7.05 pounds sterling to a galleon though the rate has changed over the years," the goblin nearby stated matter-of-factly.

"How much in Japanese Yen?" Harry asks nervously.

The goblin looked up at the ceiling as he thought the math through and replied, "One galleon to approximately 6,794.09 Yen currently."

Harry, Haruka, and Kiryu turned slowly to look at the literal dragon's horde behind them. Kiryu was no stranger to large sums of money, in fact, about two years prior he had seen his oath brother Nishiki and Yumi blow up a billion Yen in a vault that stretched well over 3 meters in height. He had seen literal pyramids of money handed to various yakuza families from others to others in bribes and apologies before. But the sheer amount of money, plus the conversion rate of approximately 192.75 to a single pound sterling, if Kiryu's math was correct – which for all he knew he was off since math wasn't his strongest subject – and he thought it was, would make this tiny trust vault more valuable than the vault atop the Millennium Tower and the main vault even more so. The small pile which was maybe a meter high and stacked in a pyramid formation had to have at least several hundred coins which had to equal well over ten thousand pounds sterling and ergo made Harry a millionaire – at least in Japan – overnight.

McGonagall was the first one to snap them out of their daze. "You will need approximately 100 galleons for all your school supplies and the like which will leave some left over for spending money," she stated. She turned to the goblin, "Master goblin?"

"I'd be more than pleased to offer assistance," he stated. He snapped his fingers and before him appeared a pouch and one hundred of the galleons flowed into it. "One galleon has been withdrawn from your account for the pouch," he said as it was handed to Harry.

"That will conclude our visit today," McGonagall stated. They returned to the cart, the vault locked behind them, and they went back up to the surface. All the while, Harry stared at the sheer mass of money in his hands. Around 60,000 yen right there. And it was but a blip in his vault.

They arrived at the station and walked back into the bank foyer. As they did, the goblin turned to Harry. "I shall compile what was discussed and a copy will be via owl to you for your viewing," he stated.

"Thank you," Harry replied. The goblin nodded as he went back to his workstation.

"Come along," McGonagall said as she started to walk.

Harry turned over the letter where he had the night before reading it in full. He would need:
Uniforms with nametags:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Course books:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
And other equipment:
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales

And so, they started with the least time-consuming materials, starting first with the books. This was made simple as there were prepared book sets for each student's year for the required books all kept together in bundles. There were definitely other books and Harry would need to get a list of what they had if he wished to look into subjects further and order said books. The other miscellaneous materials such as the cauldron, phials, telescope, and scales were obtained easily enough from a potions supply store. Then came the second longest – or longest according to McGonagall – was getting fitted for his robes.

They walked into a shop that had mannequins posing in the window who changed their pose to show off the clothing they wore. "Welcome to Madam Malkin's Robes for Every Occ-, Professor McGonagall, it's a pleasure to see you again," the woman behind the counter stated. She appeared to be in her twenties.

"Indeed," McGonagall replied. "I have a new student with me needing to get his sets of robes fitted."

She looked over the counter to Harry and said, "Oh, a first year?" she asked him. Harry nodded. "Well, follow me, we'll get your sizes in no time."

He stood on a fitting pedestal and a tape measure proceeded to collect all of his sizes. Waist, inseam, cuff circumference, torso, chest, shoulders, arm length, and so on. The tape measure zipped around him at blazing fast speeds all the while the woman wrote down all of the sizes on a sheet of what looked like parchment. She took the parchment and used her wand to summon sets of pants, shirts, and so on. She handed them to him and told him to try them on as she gestured to a changing room. A minute later, he was out and back on the stand once more. Beside him was another boy who appeared to be the same age. His hair was a platinum blonde and his eyes appeared to be powder blue in the current light.

The boy looked at him. "Hello," he greeted. He sounded a bit posh. "Hogwarts too?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Harry.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands." He sounded bored. But then again, what child wouldn't be when they were forced to stand still while someone poked pins at the fabric on them to ensure the right fit of their clothing. It was certainly a new experience to Harry, though Kiryu did say once that a fitted suit – and clothing in general – should feel like a second skin. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." While his memories of Dudley were fading in time, the boy reminded him too much of his cousin. Just less fat. "Have you got your own broom?"

"I do not," Harry replied.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"I haven't had the pleasure of playing. Though I have played other sports."

"I do. Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree." He was full of himself. Though, probably a blind man could see that. "Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No." Harry definitely felt like he was being left out of some important information.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been. Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"I'd try to make the best of it, no matter what happens. Wouldn't it be a bigger insult to our families who have paid for our tuition to just quit because we don't like where we end up?" Harry asks.

"I… suppose so," the boy admitted. He was knocked out of his train of thought when he exclaimed, "I say, look at that man! He's absolutely massive!"

Harry looked out to see Kiryu outside smoking as he looked down the street at the shops around him. "Oh, that's Kiryu."

"Kiryu? What kind of name is that?"

"His name?" Harry replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How do you know him?"

"He's my guardian."

"Guardian? What happened to your parents?"

"They died years ago."

"Oh, sorry," the boy apologized. Though, it sounded more like a hollow one rather than genuine. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean." Harry had a feeling of where this was going and didn't like it.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

Harry's gut feeling was correct. He knew exactly where it was going and this blond boy was just like the kids in Japan when they first met him and many of the adults that still treated him poorly. However, before he could answer the boy's question, the woman from before spoke up, "That's you done, my dear," she said to Harry. He wasted no time in getting down and changing back into his clothes.

As he stepped out, the boy spoke up once more, "Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose."

Harry was shocked at the speed at that she had fitted him and apparently fitted the rest of his clothing on top of getting the correctly sized gloves, hat, and cloak. He didn't know if it was magic or pure skill on her part. But it was a small blessing to be out of the fitting room. He paid for his clothing and Kiryu carried it along with his other things, the man's unseen strength shocked many considering his build leaning towards him being leaner than most others.

As they walked, Haruka noticed Harry's mopey attitude and slipped into Japanese. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Nothing," he muttered back, slipping into it as well.

"It doesn't look like nothing."

Harry sighed. "That boy back there. He reminded me too much of my cousin on top of the many kids and adults at school when I first started."

"Oh," she said knowingly. Harry knew that most of the teachers were out to get him, always looking for an excuse to get him in trouble. The kids were better. When he started to share hobbies and sports with them, they became much more tolerable and even accepting if only on the surface. "Well, I'm sure that there will be other kids there that aren't him."

"I suppose so."

The party finally came to the last shop. On it was written: 'Ollivander's: Fine Makers of Wands since 382 BC.' The shop itself was narrow and shabby looking. The gold letters of the sign were peeling off leaving only the wood underneath that had been weathered so it still showed the shop's name clearly. Because of magic itself, why didn't the owner repair his own shop? In the only storefront window lay a purple pillow with a single wand on it. As they entered, from the back of the shop a chiming bell could be heard. The shop was beyond tiny. There were shelves upon shelves of boxes lining the walls with a single ladder on both sides. At the front of the shop was a chair. The air felt different here. Not stagnant and stale, but alive in its own way.

"Good morning," a voice said from behind him. Harry whipped around to see an older man standing before him with pale wide eyes that were more akin to moons embedded in his skull. Peering just beyond the man, he could see that even Kiryu was surprised at how he got there.

"Hello," Harry greeted.

"Ah, yes," he said. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Harry Potter." Could this man see the future? He peered down to look at Harry. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems like only yesterday she was in here herself buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inch long, swishy, made of willow. A nice wand for charm work." The man moved a bit closer and Harry subconsciously leaned back a little. "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it, but in reality, the wand chooses the wizard, of course." He leaned in even closer to the point where they were borderline nose to nose. If Harry leaned back any further, he'd fall over. "So that's where…" he trailed as he parted Harry's hair to show the scar he hated so much. "I'm sorry to say that I sold the wand that did it," he said with remorse. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… Well, if I had known what that wand was out in the world to do…" His attention changed to the other occupants in the room. "Minerva McGonagall! I remember that one fondly-," he started.

"Mister Ollivander," she chided softly. "While I would be happy to reminisce with you, that will have to wait for another day. I am escorting Mister Potter and his guardian today and have to do this once more with another before the end of the day."

"Of course, of course," he said. "I apologize, in my old age I tend to ramble. Now, shall we?" he asked as he pulled out a tape measure. Unlike the ones that the woman at Malkin's had, this one had silver markings. "Now, which arm is your wand arm?"

"I'm right-handed?" Harry replied unsurely.

"Hold out your arm," he requested and Harry did so, "That's it." He proceeded to measure him from shoulder to forefinger, then wrist to elbow, and so on like the woman at Malkin's did. As he did so, he rattled on, "Every Ollivander wand, like many other skilled makers, has the core of a powerful magical substance, Mister Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two dragons or phoenixes or unicorns are the same. The same as two different trees of the same species isn't quite the same either. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

It was then Harry realized that the tape measure was measuring him without Ollivander controlling it. It was currently measuring the distance between his nostrils much to Haruka's laughter. Meanwhile, the shopkeeper was going about the shelves picking various boxes and setting them down on a table.

"That will do," Ollivander said and the tape measure fell to the ground in a pile. "Right then, Mister Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave." Harry, not quite sure what to do started to wave it, but Ollivander took it from him. "No, no." He placed another in his hands. "Maple and phoenix feather. Quite whippy. Try-." But before Harry could do anything this time, he took it yet again and placed another in his hands. "No, no… Here! Ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, try it out!"

But it appeared that nothing would work. Wand box upon wand box appeared before him and was discarded into a neat pile by Ollivander. The sun's position had changed and was starting to lean toward the afternoon.

"Quite the tricky customer, eh?" Ollivander teased. "Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere. I always do. Hmm… I wonder… Yes, why not? Unusual combination, phoenix feather and holly. Eleven inches, supple." He handed the 'unusual wand' to Harry.

The moment he felt it in his hands, he felt a warm sensation filling him up from his hand to the rest of his body. There was something about this wand that felt right. Just holding it, it felt like it was balanced; like it was an extension of his body. He swished it down through the dusty air and gold and red sparks were emitted from it like a sparkler during the many summer festivals in Japan.

"Oh, bravo! Bravo!" Ollivander cried out in happiness. "Yes, indeed, very good." He paused for a moment if but remembering something. "Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…" He kept muttering the same word over and over again as he packed up the wand and wrapped it in brown paper.

"I'm sorry, but what's curious?" Harry asked.

The shopkeeper stared at the boy with his pale eyes that seemed like they had seen everything. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mister Potter. Every one of them. And it just so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another and just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother, why, its brother gave you that scar," he said as he pointed to the now covered-up blemish on his forehead. "Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. I think I should expect great things from you, Mister Potter. After all, the owner of that wand, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, did great things. Terrible, yes. But great."

Harry wasn't quite sure how to feel about the wand that felt like an extension of his very being related to the same wand that killed his parents. He paid seven galleons for his wand and left the shop. As he did, there was one last task to do, that being a pet. They went into Eeyops Owl Emporium and Harry looked around at the owls for sale. As he did, their jewel-like eyes followed his every move.

"Harry, look at this one!" Haruka called out. He looked at her and saw a snow-white owl sitting on a perch. "Doesn't she look pretty?"

"Yeah, she does. She?" Harry asks. He couldn't tell the difference between bird species' sexes.

"Yeah," Haruka pointed to the tag beneath the cage which stated it was a female owl.

"Oh."

"I think she likes you."

"You think so?"

"Yes. Look at how she follows you around." Harry hid beneath the counter it was sitting on and she followed him. Haruka turned to the bird of prey. "How would you like to come home with Harry?" She started to nod and hoot a bit. "She's a smart owl, isn't she?"

"Mister Potter, have you made your decision?" McGonagall asked from behind him.

"Yes, Professor."

"I see. Shopkeep!" she called out. "This one."

The shopkeeper appeared and took the cage to the front where he provided a care manual. Harry took out his pouch to pay for it, but McGonagall stopped him. "Professor?" Harry asks unsure why she stopped him.

"Your parents were good friends of mine despite being much younger. I would be remiss at you paying for this owl today."

"You don't have to. I have plenty of-."

"Think of it as an early birthday gift," she interrupted. "It is coming up at the end of the month, is it not?" He nodded. "Then it's settled then." She turned to the shopkeep and gave him his payment. She turned to Harry. "I expect you to take good care of this owl. If you do not, detention will be the least of your concerns," she sternly warned. Harry quickly nodded. "Good. Now, it's proper to name your owl as it will be a companion for as long as she's with you."

He looked at the owl for a while before a name flowed into his mind. "Hedwig," he stated. "Her name will be Hedwig."

"Excellent choice."

McGonagall took them back through the twisting streets and back to the bank very briefly as Harry wanted to exchange some of his galleons for Yen as it would be two months or thereabouts before the term started and he wanted some spending money for when they returned home. That short detour complete, they went back through the alley, past the many shops, and entered the same archway as they did before. McGonagall went inside the building and took them to a table. The three sitting down with her around a circular table, they were able to take in the décor.

It was a grubby pub that looked like it had seen better days and was in need of repair. There was a barman behind the bar cleaning some glasses with a rag who noticed them and started to walk over. "Professor McGonagall, it's been a while. Start of term tours?" the man asks as he sets menus on the table.

"Yes, Tom, that time of year again," McGonagall stated. "Just a glass of water for me."

"Of course, on the job and all that," Tom said as his eyes slid to the other occupants. "Well, as I live and breathe," Tom said as he spotted Harry. "Harry Potter, what a pleasure it is to meet you," he said as he shook his hand a bit forcefully. "Welcome back. Whatever you want, it's on the house today."

"O-ok?" Harry replied unsurely. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, it's my small way of thanking you for dealing with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Your companions too! All on the house today!" This started a wave of people coming up to him, shaking his hand, greeting him, and thanking him for whatever people thought he did to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. "Now, now, everyone!" Tom called out. "Mister Potter would like some peace while he eats." The people who had yet to meet him grumbled but sat back in their seats. "Please, take your time," he said to Harry, "let me know when you're ready," he said as he scurried back behind the bar to serve his other patrons.

McGonagall sighs as she mutters, "This is what I was worrying about."

"About what, McGonagall-san?" Kiryu asks.

"As Headmaster Dumbledore probably told you, Harry is unfortunately a celebrity in our world." A glass of water floated over to her from the bar followed by three others for the rest of them. "Not to put too much pressure on the first day of coming into our world, many eyes will be upon you, Mister Potter. They will hold you to standards you've likely never been held to in your life. Keep that in mind." Harry nodded.

"Professor," Harry asks, "who is this 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'? This is the second time we've heard his name."

She sighs. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a dark wizard who once went by another name. She leaned into the table and whispered barely audibly, "Voldemort." That got the attention of some patrons whose eyes whipped to her.

"Who was this Vol-."

"Don't his name aloud," McGonagall said quickly, cutting off the rest of the name. "There used to be a jinx on his name that would summon his followers to whoever said his name that wasn't one of them. As such the moniker of 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' came to be to speak of him without speaking of him. He and his followers terrorized the country until October 31st, 1998. The night your parents died in their final act of defiance and the night he was mysteriously defeated. While those who knew your parents think better of it, many think that you defeated him. His end goal was the eradication of all non-magical people as well as those who were not pure of blood."

"That's-."

"Ridiculous? It is. Unfortunately, many have their minds made up and many have shared this with their children, of which many are attending Hogwarts in various years."

They were silent as they mulled this over. Tom came by and took their orders. Harry decided to change the subject. "Professor, what is Quidditch? I heard that boy in Madam Malkin's talking about it."

"It's the premier sport of the wizarding world. Players fly on broomsticks and try to get the most points against the other team. There are more rules to learn, but you won't need to outright learn them as first-years aren't allowed – normally – to be on their house's Quidditch team until their second year. There will be games played though and you can learn and see if the sport is for you." She paused for a moment before adding, "Your father was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Seeker. He was quite a good one too. One of the best in his generation."

"What about my mother?"

"She wasn't in Quidditch, but she excelled in her mastery of charms. I suspect that this mastery led to your survival that fateful night."

Harry let this sink in but he remembered what that boy said also. "Professor, what are the houses of Hogwarts? The same boy mentioned both Hufflepuff and Slytherin."

"Yes, there are two others. Slytherin is the house of the cunning and ambitious. One might have said fifty years ago that it was the house of future politicians."

"And now?"

"It's the same house that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was in when he was attending Hogwarts all those years ago. It's been tainted as an 'evil' house."

"Vol-, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attended Hogwarts?"

"Indeed. None of us could have seen the future that he had in mind. Otherwise, things may have ended up much differently." She shook her head as she changed subjects. "Hufflepuff is known to be the house of the loyal. The friends they make last lifetimes regardless of what house they're in. At least they're supposed to," she muttered out the last part.

"The boy I met made them sound like a bad house to get sorted in."

"The boy you met is as stuck up as his father," she muttered. "Inherently there are no bad houses. They just have a different set of values. Being ambitious and cunning doesn't make one evil. In fact, it can make for traits for a good businessman."

"What if someone were to turn the house's name around?"

"Do you intend to do such a thing, Mister Potter? If so, I wish you the best of luck for it will be an uphill battle." She took a drink and continued. "To stay on topic, House Gryffindor, the house that I oversee, is the house of the brave and courageous. House Ravenclaw is the house of the wise and seekers of knowledge. I already told you about Slytherin and Hufflepuff."

"Lunch is served," Tom said as he set three platters down for Kiryu, Harry, and Haruka. He went away once more.

"How does the sorting work?" Harry asks.

A smirk grew on her face, "Now that, Mister Potter, is a secret. Rest assured; you'll find out at the start of term." She stood up and bowed slightly. "I must be off; my next appointment is waiting. The portkey you were given is able to be used whenever you wish to return home; just say the activation phrase. Please use the back door that we entered before using it, however." And with that, she left.

The unconventional family proceeded to eat their meal. It all consisted of very heavy, English-style foods. Out of all of them, Kiryu was the only one who drank alcohol for obvious reasons. He had a very strong liquor called Fire Whiskey which when drunk caused the drinker to breathe out smoke through their nose like a dragon. As for Harry and Haruka, they had a fizzy beverage called butterbeer that tasted like butterscotch soda. For Haruka, it was too sweet though she did finish it. As for Harry, it tasted… familiar but he didn't know why.

They returned home and by the time they did, it was locally close to 10 pm. Unsurprisingly, Harry was mobbed by his adopted family. They asked where he had been all day and about the snowy white owl that he had in a cage. As magic had to remain a secret, Kiryu broke it to the kids that Harry was going to study abroad this year for school but would be back for Christmas break and spring break right before his exams. Unsurprisingly, some of the younger kids were a bit disappointed, as they had all expected. Kiryu explained that his birth parents had enrolled him in a school in England before they passed on and that it was an opportunity for Harry to connect with his parents through the school. When they heard this, they accepted it more easily.

The two remaining months passed all too quickly. During this time, Kiryu worked behind the scenes with his school in Okinawa after some convincing had allowed him to take his required exams all in one go at the end of the semester on a Sunday. Harry didn't want to know how he convinced them since some of the teachers weren't his biggest fans being a gaijin in all but legal name. Harry let Hedwig out of her cage as she became more acquainted with the southernmost island and the climate. Being a much more heavily feathered bird than the local birds, she required much more water than what was written in his care manual. But she did feed nightly as was expected; she slept in her cage though the door was always open for her.

As for Harry, he spent the remaining time he had learned more kata and techniques of the Komaki style of fighting, reading ahead in his books a few chapters in, and studying his ass off for his extra studies. He knew he'd be all on his own with this and that it'd be a struggle he'd bare alone while at Hogwarts as the support structure just wasn't there. He spent the money he had converted into yen by spending it on going away gifts for each of the kids at Morning Glory, all of them being a gift that he chose that reflected each of their hobbies and interests. He bought them all in secret and wrapped them without anyone knowing. He wanted it to be a surprise.

The night before he was supposed to leave, he sat on his thinking rock again looking at the sunset. In under twenty hours, he'd be leaving the orphanage and the people he adopted as family for the first time for the longest time in his life. There were a lot of things he was unsure of. Would he make friends? Would they like him for him rather than being some kind of savior he wasn't? He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't notice Haruka sitting down next to him.

"Harry?" she asks.

He was knocked out of his thoughts and looked up at her. "Oh, hi Haruka. I didn't hear you come up."

"I've been sitting here for ten minutes," she said flatly. "What's on your mind?"

"Tomorrow's the day I leave. I'm… worried."

"About?"

"If they'll like me. If I'll make friends."

She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and leaned her head on it. "You worry too much. You'll make lots of new friends and time will pass by so fast it'll be Christmas before you know it."

"You think so?"

"I know so. It feels like yesterday that Uncle Kaz and I met you in Kamurocho. Life with you and the rest of the Morning Glory kids made the last eight months fly by."

Harry paused before asking, "Will you write me?"

"Every week if you want me to."

"I'd like that."

The two of them sat on the rock for a while longer before turning in for the night. Just out of sight, Kiryu watched on in approval. Harry was a good kid. He'd do well in life. As he looked out, Hedwig landed on his shoulder. He looked to the owl and said, "It looks like you'll be getting quite the workout carrying their letters." She just ruffled her feathers in reply. As for what it meant, Kiryu didn't know.

The new day came to pass and Harry spent the entire time packing up his luggage on top of going into town to say his goodbyes to his school friends. His schoolmates knew he was going to leave for the upcoming year. A few of the girls in his class did cry though Harry didn't exactly know why since he didn't really know them all that well outside of their names and what they looked like. He told his friends that since international letters were expensive, to give them either to Haruka or to take them to Morning Glory and Kiryu would send them in a weekly batch and Harry would send his replies in the same way back to Morning Glory for them to send on.

The goodbyes were tearful from Morning Glory as expected, mainly from the younger kids that did look up to Harry as a big brother. It really didn't help that when he gave them all gifts; it was then when the floodgates were opened. If it wasn't for the fact that Kiryu planned on Harry leaving early, he would have been late for the train.

Unlike the previous trip to England, only Harry and Kiryu left this time. Haruka was disappointed but understood why. They weren't under the protection of one of the witches who ran the school this time and there was no telling if shenanigans would be afoot considering the information that the Professor shared with them. If there were to be any danger, Kiryu would face it alone rather than let his adopted daughter be caught in the line of fire.

The portkey activated and Harry and Kiryu appeared in the same alley as previously. They stopped at Gringotts to exchange some of Harry's remaining galleons for British pounds and caught a taxi to King's Cross Station. From there, they made their way to platforms 9 and 10. According to the instructions that Harry received, the platform of 9¾ was hidden between the two platforms three-quarters down the platform. As for what this meant to the two of them, they didn't know. They knew magic was weird, but there was a consistent logic to it even when it seems like there was none. Looking at the platforms themselves, they were one way only leading out due to how the station was laid out, ergo it would be logical that three-quarters to the end of the platform, that's where it would be.

And so, Harry and Kiryu, the older man pushed the cart so they'd keep pace as to not be in a rush. They walked on the platform and started looking about to see if anything stood out, but nothing did. Logically, the next step would be to look for people looking unnatural or people that had similar luggage that Harry had. That being Old Worldish. And sure enough, there was an entire people train of red-heads walking down the platform, what gave them away were two things; the first was that the mother mentioned 'muggles' in a hushed – albeit annoyed – whisper, and that one of the children had a rat in a cage. Remembering from the school supply list, one of the things a student could bring was a toad, rat, cat, or owl. It probably was not a common sight to see a pet rat in a train station of all places. And so, they followed.

Getting close enough now, the woman – a plump sort – asked the girl, "Now, what's the platform number?"

"Nine and three-quarters!" the redheaded child piped out chipperly. "Mum, I can't go…"

"You're not old enough, Ginny – but you will be next year – now be quiet. All right, Percy, you first," she called to one of the boys. He appeared to be the eldest. He walked in between where Kiryu and Harry had guessed the platform's hidden entrance may be and passed right through what appeared to be a hidden barrier. If anyone had passed between them, they would have seen him disappear at all. "Fred, you next."

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," one of the twin boys said. He lined up like his elder brother. "Honestly, woman. And you call yourself our mother. Can't you tell I'm George?" Before he started to run towards it, he got a shit-eating grin and said, "Only joking, I'm Fred!" And he ran towards the hidden entrance followed by his brother.

"Excuse me," Harry said as he walked up.

"Oh, hello," she said cheerfully.

"Is this the way to-?"

"Platform nine and three-quarters?" she finished to which Harry nodded. "First time at Hogwarts?" He nodded. "Ron's new too." She pointed to the last boy on the platform that had red hair. He was taller than he'd expect – almost half a head if he were to make a guess – he was also thin and gangly with larger hands and feet than he maybe would have expected from someone of his age.

"Yes, but the thing is-."

"You don't know how to get on the platform?" she finished and Harry nodded once more. She pointed to where her sons had passed through, "Do you see that spot?" He nodded. "All you need to do is walk through it. If you're nervous though, you may want to take a running start. But don't stop and don't be scared or you'll crash right into it."

"Ok…" he trailed.

He looked to Kiryu who said, "It worked for the others, it'll work for us."

Harry nodded and took the cart from his guardian and started to run, Kiryu following quickly behind him. With his longer stride, it was just a fast walk for him. The wall kept getting nearer and nearer, but he didn't stop. He had seen it work. It'd work. On pure instinct, he closed his eyes and expected to crash into the wall, but didn't. When he opened his eyes to the sound of an old-school train whistle, he saw that he was on a wholly different platform. Unlike the other one which was modern, this one looked like it was ripped right from a Victorian-era storybook. Where the non-descript arch had been was now a wrought-iron archway whose exit was clearly noted.

There were animals all over the platform. Cats weren't caged and weaved in between stationary people who were saying their goodbyes. Owls were chattering in hoots and screeches to one another over the babble of the crowd. He even overheard some conversations. One involving a round-faced boy losing a toad and his grandma being none too pleased with that. A boy with dreadlocks was showing something hairy off to his friends. Harry and Kiryu pressed on through the crowd until they reached the end of the train and where they had a small semblance of privacy.

"Harry," Kiryu said causing him to look at his caretaker. "You already know this, so I'll keep it short. You'll be completely independent this year. I expect you to keep on your studies in order to do well on your exams both magical and otherwise. Stay out of trouble, I don't want to be getting any summons to your school for poor behavior. Make sure you write. I'm not sure what you'll be allowed to disclose to people who aren't part of this new world of yours; use your best judgment."

"I will," Harry replied.

"See you soon, Harry."

"See you soon, Uncle Kaz," he said as he gave the giant man a hug before he went to get on the train.

Soon enough, the train was leaving and Kiryu returned home to Morning Glory.

XxXxXxX

The red steam engine of the Hogwarts Express chugged out of the station at exactly 11 am. A man watched as the train disappeared out of the station and the man that accompanied the Potter child left as well using the portkey that he had been given right away. This was not unusual considering that once you knew the location of the platform you could Floo in if you knew or use a portkey in the case of some people that were from further out. He waited until the families had dispersed and pulled out a cell phone.

He dialed a number and once connected a gravelly voice answered, "Speak."

"The kid is off to Hogwarts, what now?" he asks in return.

"Look into his guardian. I want to know everything about him."

"I can tell you who he is. Name's Kiryu Kazama, or Kazama Kiryu if you're in his homeland. Guy's a legend in the underworld."

"I know who he is. I want to know how Harry James Potter came to be in his care."

"It's obvious, isn't it? The walrus that was Vernon Dursley told us he was forgotten overseas. Plus, it's a dead end, boss. After the accident, the kid isn't going to be talking much about his past, being catatonic and all."

"I can't imagine who to thank for that," the man's voice came back with a sarcastic bite. "Do as I say. His being on that side of the globe with the former Fifth Chairman of the Tojo will change all of our plans. For good or ill remains to be seen."

"Should we just snag the kid when he returns from Christmas break?"

"That would be a fool's errand. We know the man has fought through a literal army before with nothing but his fists and whatever weapons his enemies dropped. Magic or not, somehow he'd come out on top with us on the floor begging for mercy."

"So… the diplomatic approach?"

"Watch and report," the man ordered before hanging up.

The watcher lit up a cigarette as he put away his phone. "Big ray of sunshine, he is," he said before he apparated away.

XxXxXxX

Professor McGonagall had walked to the front of all the tables and before the head table where all the teachers sat. As she had promised, when one of their names was read, they were to sit on the stool in front of everyone. No pressure.

The hat began to sing and as it did, Harry felt like forbidden knowledge was imparted to him. Like he had been included in some grand conspiracy that he was unable to discuss with anyone but those who had heard the song. Like, he wanted to tell Haruka about the hat but felt a very strong compulsion to not do that. Like, he'd suffer some kind of painful punishment if he did. One by one, the deputy headmistress read the last names of students alphabetically. Some of the people he met on the train already were sorted. Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom to Gryffindor. Draco Malfoy to Slytherin. There were even a pair of Indian twins with the names of goddesses of that culture sorted into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. They were notable just due to the less-than-common occurrence that was twins.

"Potter, Harry," McGonagall announced. Harry slowly stepped forward towards the stool, all the while people were chittering. He had been warned of this, but the scale was something else altogether.

"Potter did she say?" / "The Harry Potter?" were a couple of the things he was able to hear.

The hat was placed on his head and the large brim of it covered his eyes which was a small blessing from the stares of several hundred students staring at him. "Hmm…" a small if not deep voice said in his ear. "Difficult, very difficult you are. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either; taking additional studies outside of Hogwarts? That'd make you a shoo-in for Ravenclaw. Talent too, oh my goodness, yes. And a thirst to prove yourself, now that's certainly interesting… Funny, isn't it? You have the potential for all the traits of each house. Difficult, but interesting."

Harry began to whisper, "Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin."

"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin can certainly help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that. No? No thoughts about turning the Dark Lord's former house into something new? In that case, you'd better be-!"

To be continued…?

XxXxXxX

And there we are, just have a few notes to get out of the way before I get to the rest of things. The real big lore dump is the fate of the Dursleys after Harry was abandoned to explain why no one came to log for him, that being Arabella Fig not saying anything for almost a year. She reported the explosion, and members of the Order looked and found no trace of him, ergo he was thought to be dead and was not looked for. As for why the explosion happened, well, should I continue this, it will make more sense. Will there be any repairing of familial relationships between Dudley and Harry? I don't know. The big thing with that and the turning point is the fifth year when Harry saves Dudley when he could have been left to die because of how he treated his cousin. The second thing is Gringotts and the very not-so-hostile goblin. Admittedly, I have played Hogwarts: Legacy and used the design of the carts there rather than the ones in the film adaptation of Sorcerer's Stone as I like it better and I liked that goblin. Now for the conversion rate because someone will want me to show my work. First I went to the Bank of England's official site and compared 1 pound in 1991 and 2008 as 1991 is the first year in canon, but 2008 is where I'm starting for this story. A pound in 1991 is worth 1.41 in 2008. Using the 5:1 ratio presented by Rowling, this would mean 1 galleon is worth 7.05 pounds sterling. Now for the "fun" part. I went to a historical exchange rate website and looked at the end of the year of 2008 and the exchange rate for pound to yen was as listed at 192.74:1 meaning that the math for one galleon to yen is 6,794.09:1 when rounded up. This is likely the most in-depth I'll get for research on this idea because it's hard to get all of it organized. Out of all the encounters, I could not remember the one between Harry and Draco in Madam Malkin's as well as Ollivander at his shop, the dialogue was taken directly from the book. Same with the sorting scene as I barely remember any of it, mainly the internal dialogue. One final note because I know someone will get on a soapbox about it. There is a racism thing in Japan; this is seen in various mediums from first-hand accounts of people that have been interviewed by both foreign and domestic media, VTubers who are half-Japanese, and in various mediums such as games, manga, and anime (most prolific being Persona 5 with Ann and Ryuji though with the latter it's something different). This is the worst-kept secret about the nation and while there are multitudes of wonderful people that aren't asses, there are a few that are not so great.

Notes done, let's go on to the story idea itself. The big deviation is that Hagrid obviously wasn't the one to take Harry on his tour of Diagon Alley nor was he the one who purchased his owl nor was he the one who took him to King's Cross station in the movie adaptation. As of right now, I don't know how this deviation will affect the friendship between Hagrid and Harry because prior to the boat scene which isn't shown here yet, they've never met. The other potential deviation is which house Harry gets sorted into; in that final stinger, I never state what house he gets sorted into either, so that's a potential deviation as well. Some of the main things with Harry is that he still has a distaste for Slytherin due to Draco, but who wouldn't be in the same shoes? I have a generalized roadmap as it concerns the basic story events which would definitely need to be expanded on, but the biggest concerns are how to cover the events of the Yakuza games themselves and how this altered year of Harry's life affects the canon of his various years. In the timeline I've drawn up, Yakuza 3 primary events don't happen until at least his second year's borderline completion meaning a lot of filler content and recapping the years for events that are important to cover that have changed. Again, as for what those events remain to be seen.

Going on, the exact placement of Yakuza 4 and his third year have yet to be settled by me, it's mainly due to when the game happens that makes it difficult. It's not like Yakuzas 1, 2, and 5 where there's a solid timeframe – Christmas – that can help figure when it needs to take place. Based on the Finale's cutscene where the four heroes walk in Kamurocho, there are school age characters wearing winter uniforms it would seem, heavily hinting at this takes place at least in the fall before Christmas or in the early spring after before a uniform change due to some NPCs wearing scarves. Yakuza 5's are easier to set up since they happen right before Christmas (due to decorations and music) and during Harry's year 5 if I've done my roadmap right meaning he'd be involved to some extent during that game. It's the others I'm completely unsure of.

In short, I only have years one and two completely mapped out with some semblance of confidence. All others are a bit in the wind right now.

With my notes and story projections done, on to real world stuff. So… it's been a hot minute, hasn't it? Almost 2 months? Well, I've been busy on top of having severe writer's block from this project. It also doesn't help that I've been trying to get the Yakuza Remastered trilogy finally done. I'm in the fourth part (technically fifth if you separate Haruka and Akiyama's parts) of Yakuza 5. Last, I'm on to Yakuza 6 and then finally Judgement. Why Judgment? Well, I came across a challenge posting here on FFN to cross Judgement with Persona 5. I'd love to do that, however, I need knowledge of the Judgement duology since it's an alternate version of Lost Judgement from what I recall of the challenge itself. And since Judgement is a spinoff from the results of Yakuza 6… yeah, you can see why this may take a while since each Yakuza game is a 30-80 hour game (depending on completion amounts and so on).

As for new story ideas that I have in the works, during the time I've been writing this, I've come up with new ideas for the "happy ending" collection but not really many more in the "bad end" collection. I've also come up with an anthology series concept based on a Twitter artist's paywalled comic. Now, before someone accuses me of just wordifying it and claiming it as my own, I'm not. I'm just taking the initial premise in public pages and running off of that. I have no idea of the specifics after those public pages as I'm not paying for their paywalled content at this moment in time. Yes, I'll give proper credit for the inspiration should I release it.

I do have a bit of an older idea that's been mulling in my brain concerning Harry Potter and Persona 5, but this one would be of Harry as an adult moving to Japan to investigate the mental shutdown phenomenon; that's a story that I've planned with a Kawakami pairing because who doesn't like her? I have written a similar set of notes for a Fate: UBW and Persona 5 one as well based on the concept presented by the "Professor Tohsaka" duology (at the time of writing); basically, Rin and Shirou become teachers at Shujin to investigate the mental shutdowns, end up discovering the Phantom Thieves in the process.

I finished a new 3d printing thing (if you know, you know) and it works flawlessly. Well, almost flawlessly. There are some minor kinks to work out in it. Been trying my hand at FOSS CAD software; basically, remixing an existing file to have an emblem or image embedded in it that's shown when printed out, but I'm having some issues with Fusion360 in getting that to work the way I want it to. Maybe you'll see some of it over on my Odd Sea profile sometime in the future (username in my bio; hint, hint).

Got a new bunch of manga for my collection including Komi 23, Uncle from another world 6, and a new one to me called "Hunting in another world with my elf wife" (and the mangaka/author actually knows his stuff about guns that isn't BS). Work's been… work. Been stuck on a project that's been going on for months and has hundreds of man hours put into it because someone else screwed something up. Many of upper management was not happy about it, wasn't even my team's fault and we need to fix it because we have the access to do so. So, yeah, not happy about that. Been a source of stress and outright exhaustion. I'm willing to bet that played a part in why it's taken so long to post any updates at all whatsoever. It's almost done though, so that's a good thing.

With that all being said, though, I hope you enjoyed this very long pilot. And let me know what you thought about it whether it be on a concept level or just on what I've presented here alone. I haven't seen anyone do Yakuza where Harry is a ward of Kiryu yet, so this is definitely unique in that regard. You know where to leave the reviews.

Until next time.