Disclaimer: Two of two of my foreign raised Harry ideas. Posted because I have a lot of ideas cluttering up my HD and wanted to get them up before dropping off the face of the earth for six months (hopefully).
Ore No Nihon
Every eye in the neighborhood turned to watch number four as a limo pulled to a stop and the doors opened to reveal an old Japanese man dressed in a business suit.
With the assistance of one of his large bodyguards, the old man levered himself out of the back seat and made the slow, painful journey to the door.
"Ring the bell," the old man ordered.
The bodyguard complied, a hint of a tattoo exposing itself on his wrist as he reached forward.
The door opened to reveal the pinched face of Petunia Dursley. "Thank you for coming."
"My debt to you has been paid, Petunia." the old man announced. "Why have you called me here?"
"To give you a chance to repay the portion of your debt that my sister inherited," Petunia replied. "And to pay off whatever I owed her."
"Wait outside until I call for you," the old man ordered. He followed the woman into the house and collapsed onto one of the chairs. "Explain, please."
"My sister was murdered along with her husband," Petunia replied.
"You wish me to arrange vengeance?"
"I wish you to look after her son. He's . . . Vernon doesn't approve of the sort of people my sister was. It would be best if he were raised somewhere else," Petunia admitted.
"Bring the boy to me," the old man ordered.
Petunia rushed out of the room and returned with a one year old child in her arms. "Here he is."
The old man inspected the boy for a few seconds. "Give him and anything that belongs to the child to my man outside. This repays my debt to your family, I do not believe we will have a reason to see each other again."
"Thank you," Petunia whispered.
The old man forced himself up and walked out of the house without a speaking another word until he was back in his limo and on the way to the airport.
"I want you to find a playmate for young Harry," the old man ordered. "One that can double as a bodyguard if need be. I also wish him to have a nanny from his homeland so that he may go back when he comes of age."
"Yes, sir. Where do you wish us to put him, sir?"
"We have a house in Hokkaido, do we not?"
"We do, sir. It is currently unoccupied."
"Put him there and put it in his name. I want him to have the finest education available until he leaves our care."
"You are aware of what his mother was, sir?"
"Arrange that sort of instructor too, if you can find them."
"Yes, sir."
"I will inspect the child in six months and once every six months after that, see that I am not disappointed by what I find."
"Sir!"
Harry had a happy, if odd, childhood.
Though never starved for affection, spending his life surrounded by friends and never living more than one meter from his constant companion. It was a rare thing for the boy to have much human contact aside from his nanny, an occasional instructor, and the visit from his benefactor every six months to check his progress.
That all changed one day when a letter appeared, or rather when the man delivering the letter appeared.
IIIIIIIIII
It had taken Hagrid almost two weeks to follow the trail to the northern most island of Japan to deliver his message. As he walked up the path to the giant gates that marked the entrance to the boy's home, the forest went quiet and every one of the visible animals seemed to be focused on him.
Shaking off that bit of oddity with the long familiarity of one who has never had a normal moment in their life, the man walked up the path and raised a massive hand to knock on the gate.
Before he could strike it, the gate swung open to reveal a short woman with black hair tied in a severe bun and a pinched face.
Shaking his head to indicate that he did not understand a word that was coming from her mouth, Hagrid pulled out a dictionary and flipped through it for a few seconds before finding something and pointing it out to the woman who'd confronted him.
"I was raised in London," the woman said after a glance at the book.
"Ah, good. Woudda got 'ere sooner, but I had ta find out where you were from the Dursleys and then it took me a bit ta find you in this 'ere country," the giant man explained.
"Who are you?" Harry's nanny demanded.
"Forgot ta introduce ma'self. Ah'm Rubeus Hagrid, 'ogwarts' groundskeeper and keeper of the keys. I'm 'ere to deliver Harry's acceptance letter." The man's hand disappeared into his pocket and emerged a few seconds later clutching a grubby envelope.
The animals seemed to relax after it seemed that the man presented no threat to their charge.
The woman's eyes flicked to the letter for a few moments before she relaxed and gave a short nod.
"I see, I have been expecting you," she said.
"You 'ave?" Hagrid asked in surprise, putting the letter back into his pocket.
"We have had Harry tutored in the magical arts for some time now, though not of the sort taught in your school. It was thought best to focus mainly on the native arts." Not that they hadn't touched upon those taught in the boy's land of birth, along with a dozen others, but that is all they had done, touched upon them.
"Good, that way 'e won' be bored at 'ogwarts," Hagrid rumbled.
"I suppose that is one way of looking at it," the small woman agreed.
Hagrid followed the small woman to a small courtyard where a boy was playing tag with a many tailed fox.
"Harry," the woman called out. "You have a visitor."
The boy and fox immediately stopped their game and walked over to inspect the giant man.
"I'm Harry," the boy introduced himself.
"Rubeus Hagrid, call me Hagrid, Ah'm here to deliver yer 'ogwarts letter," he announced, pulling a grubby envelope out of his pocket and presenting it to the boy.
"Thank you." Harry opened it and began reading.
"Lovely little fox ye' got there," Hagrid said, stooping to inspect the animal.
"Her name is Yoko, she's been with me since I can remember," Harry said, scratching the fox under the chin.
"Gorgeous thing she is. Shame about the tails, though," Hagrid rumbled.
"What about them?" Harry asked.
"Ministry is probably gonna want to cut 'em off her," the half giant explained. "So's the muggles don't get suspicious."
"They can try," Harry replied.
The fox on his shoulder just gave a haughty sniff. As if she'd allow a bunch of smelly apes to destroy her charm point.
"Right." Hagrid was perfectly willing to let sleeping dogs, or in this case foxes lie. "Ah'm also suppsed to take yeh ta Diagon Alley ta get yer school things."
"I shall arrange suitable transport to and from London, but it shall have to be tomorrow. Do you require accommodation, Mr. Hagrid?" Harry's nanny asked.
"Appreciate it," Hagrid agreed.
"Have a seat, please," the woman commanded. "We were just sitting down to our evening meal."
Hagrid was momentarily taken aback by the size of the portion put in front of the young boy until he saw why. The big man watched in approval as Harry divided his meal equally with his constant companion. Not many people shared his love of animals, the boy seemed to be shaping into one of them.
When the meal had finished, the fox left Harry's side and walked into the yard where several animals and many of the household servants were already waiting.
"The half giant wishes to take Harry away from us for his education," the fox announced.
"The thing we must decide is if we should let him," one of the crows replied. "I am in favor of it."
"You would be," Yoko growled. "I am not, I do not like the thought of my Harry cast adrift in a foreign land."
"He will have to grow up some time," the crow retorted. "Besides, he needs an education."
"Something we have been giving him." Yoko glared. "Something you have been in charge of, are you saying that you have been lax in your duties, that a group of barely literate barbarians could provide better?"
IIIIIIIIII
Hagrid awoke with a chill, something almost unique in the big man's experience as even the harshest cold rarely seemed to affect the constitution he'd inherited from his mother. A knock sounded on the door.
"Yeah?" he called out.
The door slid to the side to reveal a kneeling woman with almost colorless skin and platinum hair. "It has been decided that Harry will accompany you back to the land of his birth to complete his education," the woman announced.
"Right pleased ta 'ear that," Hagrid rumbled. He hadn't known that there was any chance the boy would not. "When do you wanna go?"
"Now would be best, before she has a chance to wake up," the woman stated. "It would also permit you to arrive at such a time that the shops would be open."
"Right, gimme five minutes ta get ready."
"Harry shall be waiting at the front gate," the woman replied. She looked up to reveal a pair of cold blue eyes. "You will guard him with your life, you will not permit any harm to come of him, and you will do your best to answer all his questions or this one will be forced to do many unpleasant things to you."
"Ah'd never allow anyone ta hurt a hair on his 'ed," Hagrid replied.
"We have an understanding, then," the woman agreed, sliding the door shut.
IIIIIIIIII
The trip back to England was fascinating for Harry. He'd heard stories about the land of his birth from the nannies, but to actually visit, to have his first real trip to a foreign place, the boy was barely able to contain himself when the portkey deposited them in a busy shopping area.
"Suppose we'd better go to Gringotts first to visit your vault," Hagrid announced.
"Why?"
"So's we have enough gold to buy yer school things," Hagrid replied.
"I've got plenty of gold," Harry said brightly. "Galleons even, my nanny got them for us last night."
"Right clever of her," Hagrid rumbled approvingly. "Better have yer key anyway, not right to keep it from you now that you're old enough."
"Thanks." Harry took the item and reached up with his other hand to nudge what appeared to be a fox fur scarf around his neck. "Wake up, we're here."
The scarf's nose twitched and it's face transformed into a picture of haughty annoyance.
"The key to my vault here," Harry announced, holding up the object.
One of the fox's tails twitched and the key vanished.
"She can get it back if you need it, can't she?" Hagrid asked nervously.
"Of course," Harry agreed.
"Dead useful that is," Hagrid laughed. "Guess the first place we should go is . . ." he cut off when he noticed an old man walking up the street. "Olivander's, since that's him coming to open up his shop right now."
"Mr. Potter," the old man greeted the boy. "I was wondering when you would arrive. Here for your wand?"
"I already have a wand," Harry interrupted. And a mirror, and a sword, and a staff, and a dozen other spell foci. His guardian had thought it best for him to be familiar with a with a wide array of magical schools.
"Let me see it please," the wand crafter requested. "Hmmm. Heartwood from a cherry tree with a handle wrapped in shark skin. What is the core?"
"Tail hair from a possessive kitsune," Harry replied. The tails around his neck tightened a bit at that.
"I see." The wand crafter glanced at the creature on the boy's shoulder. "I expect to hear many interesting tales from your time at Hogwarts, Mr. Potter, many interesting tales."
"So he doesn't need another?" Hagrid asked.
"The one he has should be quite sufficient to meet his needs," Olivander agreed.
"Okay, what d'you wanna get next?" Hagrid asked.
The fox leaned in and seemed to nibble on his ear.
"Could we get something to cure a hangover?" Harry asked.
"What?" Hagrid shot the boy an odd look.
"Yoko had a bit too much to drink last night," Harry explained.
"Ah, know just the place."
After one short stop to procure a cure for his friend, Harry and Hagrid visited a dozen more shops to secure his school supplies and another portkey back to Japan.
"Do you need a return portkey?" the woman at the desk asked.
"He'll need one to get on the Hogwart's Express," Hagrid replied.
"Alright." She slid two copper bracelets across her desk. "This one." She pushed one towards Harry. "Will take you to Japan. This one." She slid the other one towards him. "Will get you on the platform in time to board the Hogwarts Express."
"Thank you," Harry replied. "Ready to go home?"
The fox nodded in reply.
"See you in a few weeks, Hagrid," Harry said before he disappeared.
IIIIIIIIII
After what seemed like no time at all, Harry and his companion were on the Hogwarts Express as it steamed north towards his new school.
Harry received his second visitor a few hours into the ride, the first had been a snack lady who Harry had been forbidden to purchase anything from after Yoko had inspected her wares and pronounced them not healthy enough for a growing boy. His newest visitor was a buck toothed girl with bushy brown hair asking about a toad.
"Haven't seen it," Harry replied. "Have we, Yoko?"
The fox shook her head, prompting a curious look from the girl.
"I didn't know we were allowed to have pets that weren't on the list?" the buck toothed girl said, staring in fascination at Harry's pet. "What is it?"
"She's a fox," Harry said quickly. He placed a restraining hand on the animal.
"I thought she looked like one," the buck toothed girl agreed. "But I'd never seen one as a pet. Why does she have so many tails?"
"Because she's . . ." Harry tried to think of the best way to phrase his answer, old was probably the wrong word to use. "Amazing."
The many tailed fox puffed her chest out. She was amazing, wasn't she?
"She's so beautiful," the buck toothed girl cooed. She got down on her knees. "Is it okay if I pet her?"
Harry glanced down a the fox. "I think it would be okay," he agreed.
IIIIIIIIII
Harry walked forward after the stern looking woman called his name and allowed her to place the hat onto his head.
"Hmmmm, interesting," the hat muttered. "On the one hand, you don't seem to fear anything, understandable thanks to the friends you've made, I dare say that Tom is in for a rather large surprise if he comes back. On the other, you place a rather high value on those friendships. Either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor would suit you perfectly."
"Which one has a better view?" Harry asked.
"Gryffindor tower has a rather nice one of the lake, Hufflepuffs have a rather poor one of a stone wall."
"Gryffindor, please."
"Right, then it had better be." The Hat raised its voice, "Gryffindor!"
IIIIIIIIII
Harry's first week of classes was rather boring, nothing he hadn't already learned to do in a couple other systems of magic. He forced himself to make allowances, not every student had been fortunate enough to grow up with private tutors.
So far, he was quite enjoying his Hogwarts experience which was marred only by an unpleasant blond boy who'd decided to be his rival. After nearly a full second of thought, Harry had chosen to pay the boy as much mind as he paid every other annoyance in his life, none at all. Something that annoyed his self proclaimed rival to no end.
"You can't just ignore me, Potter!" Draco squealed.
"What do you think they'll have for lunch, Yoko?" Harry asked. "Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll have some chicken, you like chicken, don't you?"
The fox sniffed, she was of the opinion that none of the things they laughingly labeled food were suitable additions to a growing boy's diet.
"Urinare!"
Harry dodged the other boy's hex and prepared to respond with one of his own when the fox on his shoulder decided to resolve things herself. One twitch of her tail and Draco was thrown ten feet to impact into the wall with a sickening crunch.
"You shouldn't have done that," Harry hissed.
The fox just raised her chin into the air as another one of her tails twitched to lightly smack Harry in the back of the head. She did not appreciate his tone.
IIIIIIIIII
Harry's lunch was interrupted by his stern faced Head of House who brought him to the Headmaster's office which was playing host to a number of unfamiliar men.
"I told you, you shouldn't have done that," Harry whispered as the men began shouting at each other about what had happened and suggesting any number of dire fates for the fox on his shoulder.
"I've had quite enough of you lot talking about me as if I weren't here." Every eye in the room turned to regard the fox with a look of extreme shock. "I did what I did to that twit because he was a danger to my Harry. Let it be a warning to the rest of the smelly monkeys infesting this place and let this be a warning to you all, I will not be so forgiving in the future. And stop talking about cutting off my tails, I'm not going to let you do it and I'm starting to worry that your stupidity will infect my Harry."
"What is that thing doing around the boy who lived, Dumbledore?" Fudge hissed.
"I think it would be best to ask it," Dumbledore replied.
"Her," Harry said firmly.
"Yes, her," Dumbledore agreed. "Care to answer the question, Ms. Fox?"
"Someone had to look after him," the fox replied. "You yourself said he needed protection."
"Now who's being talked about like they weren't there," Harry muttered.
"So you're his . . . guardian?" Dumbledore asked slowly.
"I don't see why you're having such trouble figuring it out," the fox sniffed. "You've got that smelly bird cluttering up your office."
"Chirp!" Fawks objected.
"You want a fight, you overgrown peacock?" She growled, tensing up to launch herself at the bird.
"Be nice," Harry admonished.
"I've had enough of this charade," Snape barked, taking a step towards Harry. "All that matters is the fact that that creature harmed my student and . . . aaaaaaahhhhhhhhrrrrgggghh. Cobras, cobras, cobras!" the man squealed in fear. The others watched as he fell to the ground and began tearing at his clothes.
"Does anyone else wish to try their luck?" the fox demanded.
"There's no need to resort to violence," Dumbledore said loudly, hoping to calm things down.
"He directed a mental attack towards my Harry, he should count himself lucky that I didn't kill him," the fox replied. "Next time something like that happens, I will not be content to confine myself to illusions. Consider that a warning."
"Why do you call him your Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"Because he's mine," the fox replied, wrapping her tails protectively around the boy's neck. "Mine to protect, mine to love, mine to care for."
"I think it's best that we handle things internally, Cornelius," Dumbledore stated firmly.
"But what will we tell the press?" Fudge demanded.
"How about we say that Harry Potter's bodyguard was a bit rough when her charge was attacked," one of the Aurors offered. "Mention that the Ministry takes the safety of 'the-boy-who-lived' quite seriously and that the matter is being handled."
"Yes," Fudge agreed, seeing how he could turn the situation to his advantage. He eyed the fox. "It'd be better if we could say it was Ministry employee guarding him."
"I'm perfectly willing to allow you to give me gold to do a job that I would do anyway," the fox announced. "And I'm more than willing to keep my mouth shut about this not having been the state of affairs before if you give me enough."
"I think we can work something out, Miss . . ." Fudge said with a smile.
"Yoko," the fox introduced herself. She leapt off Harry's shoulder and assumed human form. "At a bare minimum I would like my Harry to have his own room in the castle."
The men in the room stared at the kimono clad beauty the animal had become. She had shoulder length black hair and a heart shaped face. She frowned and her hair lightened to a rusty red, her bust expanded, and she grew a couple inches in hight. When in Rome, it was probably best to look like the Romans did. With a sigh, she shifted her beautiful kimono into a set of unfashionable student robes.
"Yoko," Harry hissed.
"Your roommates snore and do not seem to know what soap is for, that is not a healthy environment for a young man," she said firmly. "I will not have you catching something from one of them." She knew it had been a mistake to allow the boy to come to the land of barbarians, he could have studied his heritage when he got older, she never should have listened to that damned tengu.
"Of course," Fudge agreed. "We'll say that he's getting it due to the security situation."
"Good, now let's discuss pay. I'm going to need at least enough to bring over our cooks."
"How many do you have?" Fudge asked.
"Two, one for summer and one for winter." She reached over to poke Harry in the side. "I do not like what the diet here is doing to his health."
"We could get that lumped into the budget too, sir," one of the other Aurors whispered. "Along with a couple Ministry people to keep an eye on things."
"Yes." Fudge waved the woman to Snape's recently vacated seat. "Why don't you tell me everything you need and I will tell you what I want in return."
"You want my Harry's support," the fox replied. "You may have some photos with him but I would rather keep him out of politics until he's had another twenty or thirty years to grow."
"Never too early to start looking at a future career though," Fudge interjected. Being known as the boy-who-lived's patron could be quite valuable.
"True." She twitched one of her still visible tails and the boy in question floated out of his seat and into her lap. "That's why you must do good on all of your exams," she explained to the sulking boy. "I would not suggest that he take your job," she said thoughtfully. "As I have a feeling that it would take too much of his time away from me." Something that could never be permitted.
"We'll think of something," Fudge said cheerfully.
"I would also like to get a couple of his other instructors here to supplement his lessons," she added. "There is no physical education classes for one, and I do not understand how anyone expects the children to learn potions with that smelly creature instructing the class." She poked the still man with the toe of her shoe. "Harry will not be going back to that place."
Dumbledore sighed, he'd told Severus not to go overboard. "Would you be willing to offer time with his potions tutor to the other students?"
"Maybe one or two," the fox allowed. The problem was that the only tolerable barbarians, those who knew what soap was, were female, and thus, something to be regarded with great amounts of suspicion.
AN: Basic idea, Petunia and Lily's father did something to help someone when he was stationed in Japan after WWII. With his death, the debt transferred to Lily and Petunia. Petunia called in the marker to get something, a house, a job for Vernon, something. Lily died before she had a chance so it was transferred to Harry. The old man is a high ranking or the leader of some branch of the Yakuza, doesn't really matter since that won't be explored. This is not a Harry the tough mafia don fic, it's a Harry that has been raised in another culture and comes to Hogwarts with a formidable bodyguard fic.
Beta by dogbertcarroll
Typos by: Larry Fontenot, Jenifer Winterbine, Simon Mountney