Harry Potter and the Antiquity Link

Chapter 17

Ronin

The next two days were mildly frustrating for Harry, as the lessons focused mostly on group spells, which he still couldn't come close to coordinating with the others. The professor introduced new spells slowly, only one per day; Harry could do them adequately by himself, but that was all, and it was impossible to disguise the fact that he wasn't contributing to the group spells. The professor seemed to have no interest in the fact that Harry was having a hard time; Yosuke speculated that the professor's attitude was that every student in the class should be able to do group spells, so if Harry couldn't, it wasn't something that he should be concerned with.

He did extra practice with the others on Tuesday, and would have done so on Wednesday, but he had his appointment with Takenaka, which he looked forward to. It was more interesting to practice tactics and strategy, and learn new spells he could do, than futilely try to do group spells.

He headed off to meet Takenaka at the same place they had last week, this time by himself; he didn't want Yasunori around, in case something happened. Not that it would, he reminded himself; he imagined that Murata had learned his lesson last week. Hope so, anyway.

He walked up the path and through some trees to the open area where he'd practiced last week, but when he got there, no one was there. Strange that he's not here yet, thought Harry. He seems like the punctual type--

He saw a low-level spell twenty meters ahead, and walked forward briskly, wand out; it was at the edge of the open space, near a tree. When he had reached the center of the open area, four wizards, one of them Murata, suddenly stepped out from behind trees in front of what he'd seen. He now knew what the spell was; Takenaka, on the ground, in a Freezing spell. Looking around, he now saw that there were three groups of four: one ahead, one to his left, and one to his right. All were about ten meters away. Here we go, he thought.

All three groups were readying their group spells; Harry decided not to do the Patronus again, since they'd be expecting it. Without moving his wand to show that he was doing a spell, he shot a Full-Body Bind ahead, hitting one of Murata's group. To his right, he put up the wall-type shield he'd used against Voldemort. Just as the group on the left's spell was coming together, Harry Disapparated, appearing right behind them. As they whirled around to face him, he was able to get off two more Full-Body Binds, the second as he darted away in anticipation of the spells that would be coming. The three remaining members of Murata's group advanced on Harry's current location; the third group stayed where it was.

The shield had proved effective at disrupting the second group's spell, so Harry knew how he would win. He ran back to the center in a circular pattern, getting off one more Full-Body Bind as he ran. It was almost bound not to miss, as it was sent into a group of five people. Again, he tried to cast it inconspicuously.

In the center of the open area again, he saw the intact group start to set up another group spell. What's wrong with them, thought Harry, didn't they notice that it didn't work last time? Maybe it's that Japanese thing about 'this is the way things are done.' He put up the shield again, turning to look at the other four. They were setting up a group spell, but this was a group that had two members from each; Harry wondered if their spells would harmonize properly. Deciding to find out, he held his defensive spell as their four spells came together. As he thought might be the case, they didn't mesh, and the four spells veered off in different directions. Harry sent off yet another Bind, making a purposeful decision to save Murata for last.

Just as Harry was wondering why they didn't try individual spells rather than group ones, Murata and the two with him started doing just that. Harry darted forward, staying equidistant from both groups, trying to get to where he could see both at the same time. The group of four wound up for yet another try at a group spell. Wow, thought Harry, they don't learn, do they. Deciding to do something different, he waited until the spells had just been cast, then dashed directly at Murata's group. The group spell formed its circle, but Harry just escaped its field of effect, shooting a Bind at the student next to Murata as he ran, watching their spells to make sure he didn't run into one.

He then Apparated to just two meters behind the intact group, shooting off Binds as they turned to face him. He dodged spells from two of them as two went down; Murata and the other one from the other group ran forward, and Harry had to dodge their spells as well. By running, blocking, and dodging spells, Harry soon took care of the others, leaving only Murata. Harry felt a powerful urge to use Levicorpus again. He almost did, but resisted the temptation. Going to do this by the book, he thought. But boy, would it be satisfying. He blocked a spell from Murata, then sent a sinker. Murata fell forward, his block missing, and Harry cast the Bind on him while he was on the ground.

Harry looked for the magic he'd seen before the fight, and found Takenaka, still Frozen, lying on his side. Casting the counter-curse, Harry helped him up. "Sorry about that. I didn't think they'd go after you."

Takenaka nodded. "I was just incidental, of course; they would not have bothered with me had I not already been here. They must have followed me here. As for the apology, it is not necessary. The fact that I was able to watch what happened made it quite worth it." Takenaka gave Harry a wicked smile, showing the satisfaction he felt.

"Glad you enjoyed it," said Harry, also grinning. "But what's with them? They can see I can block the group spell, so they just keep on doing it? Why?"

"This is a result of being raised in what, compared to yours, is a regimented society. This is why I wanted to practice with you, besides the..." Harry nodded, understanding that Takenaka was referring to the Gift, but didn't want to be overheard. "You think on your feet, adapt your tactics to the situation. Aurors value these traits, but schools do not. They just think that they have to keep at it if it does not work the first time."

"Wow," said Harry. "Amazing. Hey, didn't they break social protocol by attacking you, since you're their senior?"

"Yes, they did. I will be discussing retribution with my classmates." Takenaka leaned over and whispered, "I said that for their benefit. In fact, my classmates may not wish to take revenge on so many, especially as the attack on me was incidental to the one on you. I don't care that much, but I would prefer that they worried about the prospect."

"I can understand that," Harry whispered back. "I was tempted to use your spinning spell, but I didn't think you'd want people knowing you taught it to me."

"I appreciate that," agreed Takenaka, still whispering. "I have had a few requests, which I've fended off."

"Well, I guess I'd better get their wands," said Harry, now speaking normally. He walked over from person to person, resisting the temptation to say something to Murata, who he guessed would be in enough trouble as it was. Wands in hand, Harry and Takenaka walked off towards the castle.

* * * * *

Three hours later, Sato was waiting in the Minister's outer office, politely listening to the receptionist, who was pretty, pleasant, and never seemed to stop talking. Suddenly a tall man with red hair and ungainly scars on his face walked out. Sato thought that he would pass him by and head out of the office, but the man glanced at him. Sato thought that the man thought he knew who he was, but wasn't sure. The man extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Bill Weasley."

"Ah, yes, the bank. I'm Kenichi Sato. It's good to meet you."

"You too. You're here about Harry, right?"

"Yes, I am." Sato decided it would be imprudent to deny what was obvious, but he would offer little information.

"How's he doing?"

"Fine. He is slowly adjusting to our society. There are many surprises and differences, but it is stimulating for him. It is probably better, as it may help him keep his mind off things."

Bill's face took on a darker expression. "Well, there's a lot for him to keep his mind off. Listen... do you know what happened to him?" Sato could tell from Bill's tone that Bill knew, and wanted to know if Sato also knew.

"I... do not have all the facts," said Sato cautiously. "He does not talk about it."

Bill nodded. "As well he wouldn't. But you know it's bad. We appreciate your looking after him. We heard a little from Fred's visit, of course."

"Ah, yes, he is your brother? The honored ancestor?"

Bill quickly smothered the chuckle that escaped. "Yes, he is. He said the Japanese ghosts were a bunch of fuddy-duddies."

Sato frowned. "I do not know that particular idiom."

"It means they're conservative, and don't have a sense of humor."

"I see. Well, that is true, but the honored spirits usually do not."

"Yeah, that's true. Fred's kind of an exception."

"In any case, Harry enjoyed his visit; it seemed to pick up his spirits."

Bill grinned. "Well, I would tell Fred you said that, but his ego's already too big as it is. Look, I don't want to hold you up, but I wanted to say hi. Give Harry my regards, and tell him the bank is so busy I still have no free time."

"Nice to have met you," said Sato, not intending to do as Bill had asked; it was clear to him that Harry needed to be reminded of home as little as possible.

"You too," said Bill, and left the office. Darlene showed Sato into the Minister's office. Sato's first impression on meeting Kingsley was that he was taller than Sato had thought, and that his clothing style was slightly unconventional for a Minister. They exchanged introductions, and sat.

"So, how is Harry doing?"

"Generally well, except when certain topics come up. Most of the time, he is pleasant and even-tempered. But he sometimes reacts emotionally, especially when matters related to his past or his homeland come up. This happened two days ago, when Foreign Minister Shelton requested a meeting with him."

Wearing a poker face, Kingsley nodded. "Well, as you know, he's been through a lot."

He's not giving anything away, thought Sato. Not that I expected him to. "Indeed. The fact is, however, that in refusing the meeting, he expressed a, forgive me, strong antipathy towards you. It would help me greatly in dealing with him if I were to know the source of this feeling, and I assure you that I would repeat nothing you told me, to anyone. I would testify to this under Veritaserum."

Kingsley's eyebrows twitched; he seemed to suppress his reaction. "I understand. He didn't tell you?"

"No, he did not."

"Well, Mr. Sato, unfortunately, there's a reason for that. I appreciate your offer, about Veritaserum, and I have no doubt that you are sincere. But certain things are too sensitive to be divulged, even under such conditions. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," said Sato. "But I would not ask this if it were not important. Minister... he has said nothing about this, but we know that he is Auror Leader."

Sato had decided in advance to surprise Kingsley with this, to say it at a point in the conversation when Kingsley would not be expecting such a revelation. Kingsley had a good poker face, thought Sato, but his eyes betrayed him. The eyes speak when the mouth is silent, went the old saying.

"What makes you say that?" asked Kingsley, as casually as he could.

"When Harry was apprehended, the Auror scanned his forehead for the invisible marking, a temporary one of course, that the Japanese government gives foreigners with permission to be in the country. He of course did not have it, but he had another invisible mark, which we did not mention to him. I have researched this mark, and found it to be the mark of the Auror Leader. When a new Auror Leader is announced, there is a ceremony in which this mark is revealed; this serves as confirmation of his status.

"Now, before I continue... when I talked to Mr. Shelton yesterday, his behavior was most peculiar; he seemed to remember the events of the day before differently. I checked with a simple question, and he could not answer a question he absolutely should have been able to answer. This fact, combined with the knowledge that Harry's feelings toward you could cause you great political peril if they became known, have prompted me to take certain precautions." He saw Kingsley's eyes take on a harder edge.

"I have written down extensive details of what I know, what I suspect, and the reason I came here today. Please forgive my rudeness for saying this, but if I leave this office with a less than perfect memory, things will be made widely known in England that you do not wish to be widely known. As things stand now, I have no intention to repeat anything, and my Veritaserum offer still stands."

"I appreciate that," said Kingsley dryly. "May I ask what your point is?"

"Based partly on research and partly on a few unguarded comments he made to the ghost of Mr. Fred Weasley, I have been able to piece together much of what happened after he was rescued from the goblins. Not the details, only the broad strokes. He took a test to become Auror Leader, not of his own volition, but of yours. The test, I believe, requires one to sacrifice one's family in order to save society. Not in reality; perhaps in a dream, or some such unreal state. He passed, is now grief-stricken, and blames you. Is this a fair summary of the current situation?"

Kingsley stared at him. "Before I answer, I would like to know the reason you are telling me this."

"There is something I must know. I could ask him, but I strongly prefer not to. However, I will if I have to. My question is: does he know that he is Auror Leader?"

Kingsley was silent, clearly weighing his answer. Sato fought to keep his expression level and his nerves under control; rarely was he ever involved in such a serious confrontation, and this man was not a politician, but an Auror, someone no doubt used to getting his way.

Kingsley finally answered. "Yes. He knows."

Sato nodded. He dearly wanted to ask what had prompted Kingsley to take such a drastic step, but he didn't, because it wasn't crucial for him to know. "Do you want me to, if the opportunity occurs, nudge him in the direction of returning home?"

Kingsley's answer was emphatic. "No. When he comes back, it's going to have to be because he decided to, not because he felt pressured to. You should know that since he defeated Voldemort, he responds very badly to pressure. Tell him he has to do something, and you increase the likelihood that he won't want to do it. But he'll be no good to us if his heart isn't in it. Just follow his lead. If he wants a quiet life, do your best to see that he gets it."

"Not totally quiet, anyway," said Sato. "He made an enemy at the school, an older student whose first words to him were an insult. He retaliated, and a few hours ago, he was ambushed by a dozen older students."

Kingsley chuckled. "I bet he kicked their asses."

Sato nodded. "Because he holds the Elder Wand?"

"Not only that. He's a fighter; he doesn't back down."

"So I have observed. Minister... no offense is intended, but I hear that the current political gossip has it that you may not last the year in this position."

"Not to be repeated, but I give it two, two and a half months," responded Kingsley casually.

Either he doesn't care, thought Sato, or he hides it well. I suppose he is an Auror, not a politician. "It occurs to me that Harry could be a political asset of great value to an unscrupulous politician, and that whoever replaces you is likely to immediately request his return from my government, which is likely to feel obliged to do so."

Again, Kingsley chuckled. "I pity the politician who thinks he can use Harry as an asset. Harry hates politics, and he's no fool; he'll keep his distance. But yes, your thought has occurred to me as well. He would never believe this, but I do care about him." Sato saw regret in Kingsley's eyes. Either he's telling the truth, thought Sato, or he's a great actor. "I did what I did under great pressure, the nature of which I can't reveal to anyone. But it failed, and I realize now that he needed time to get over the Voldemort experience, almost his whole life, really. I should have known how passing the test would affect him, and that he simply couldn't do what I was asking of him. Our society's need is great, but he's been through too much, and you can't do what you can't do.

"I will ask one thing of you, Mr. Sato. If I lose my position, let him know immediately, before my successor has the chance to request his return. Suggest he go to North America or Australia."

Sato understood the reason: since those wizarding governments allowed long-term visits without official permission or paperwork, England would be unable to demand his return. He was satisfied that Kingsley did in fact care about Harry, or he wouldn't have made the suggestion. "If the time comes, I will do so."

Kingsley nodded. "You offered to encourage him to come back. Why?"

"That was before you said what you just did, though I was only referring to subtle encouragement. I said it because the values of my country would suggest such a thing. We feel that one should put society's interests ahead of one's own, no matter how heavy the burden."

Kingsley shook his head. "I understand that, but everyone has a breaking point, and what I did pushed him over, hopefully only temporarily. If we try to make him come back, it'll be permanent. Thank you, but no. Just do what's best for him, and things will take care of themselves." After a short pause, he added, "I assume you arranged this appointment through Arthur because you wanted to come in under the radar?"

Sato blinked. "I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with that phrase."

Kingsley grunted. "Sorry. I was under cover with Muggles for a while, and picked up some idioms. I mean, you wanted to avoid notice, especially from your government."

"That's right. My government would not understand the personal aspect of this; they would want to know details, which out of consideration for Harry I am reluctant to provide."

"That's good," said Kingsley. "I'm sure Harry would approve, if he knew. Well, if you need to see me again, just do the same thing, go through Arthur."

"Thank you, Minister," said Sato, and left. Thank goodness it didn't go as badly as I'd feared it might. Struck by a sudden impulse though he knew it was irrational, he decided that when he got back to Japan, the first thing he would do was check his notes. Just in case.

* * * * *

Harry was sitting in a wooden chair in the backyard, looking around at the immaculately kept yard. With both Sato's wife and mother here, thought Harry, you couldn't say the house wasn't being cared for. It always looks as if it was clean enough to eat off the floor. They'd probably find that phrase disgusting, though.

Yasunori walked into the backyard. "Ah, Harry, there you are. I didn't know you were home, I thought you might still be with the headmaster."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "You know what happened?"

"Of course. Since last week, we've been keeping an eye on Murata, without his knowledge, of course. We didn't know if he would try this again, but we weren't shocked. We followed Murata and his group from a distance, and Yosuke did a remote visual recording spell."

"Yosuke's pretty into the surveillance stuff, isn't he?"

Yasunori nodded. "I said that to him once. He said, 'everyone needs a hobby.' Anyway, we watched the whole thing, and then spent most of the next half hour laughing about it. Then we showed it to most of the other first years, the ones who were still at the school. It was a really big hit."

"Glad you enjoyed it. But aren't you going to get in trouble with the second years? They're going to be furious that you saw that."

"They won't know."

"That many people can keep a secret?"

"It's very rare to have a cross-grade friendship, and there aren't any here," said Yasunori. "We don't talk with the older students, certainly not as friends. Anyway, so what happened with the headmaster?"

"Well, Takenaka came with me. When I gave the headmaster all those wands, he said, 'I'm not sure I want to hear this story.'"

Yasunori laughed. "I didn't know he had that kind of sense of humor. I don't think he'd make a joke like that with one of the Japanese students."

"So, I told him the story; he didn't make me hold the white thing this time. He said we should go ahead and practice, asked where we'd be, and told me he'd send for me after Murata and the others came back for their wands.

"An hour and a half later, he did. I went to his office, and there's Murata, who looked furious, but never made eye contact with me the whole time."

"He's probably embarrassed," suggested Yasunori. "I can only imagine what the headmaster said to him. Probably that his parents would be called, maybe even his patriarch. We hope, anyway."

"The headmaster gave us both a talk; it was mainly directed at Murata, but he acted like it was both of us. He said this had to end, and anyone who continued it would be expelled. He said that tomorrow, five minutes before the first class, we have to meet in front of the castle and apologize to each other, publicly. Murata has to do it first, since he insulted me first. I have to do it more humbly, since I humiliated him worse than he humiliated me. Then that's that, he said, and we move on, it's done."

Yasunori nodded. "Murata should have agreed to this a long time ago, of course. I think Okada-san did it this way to help Murata save face; your apologizing more humbly gives him a way out with some dignity."

"What about my dignity?" Harry joked.

Yasunori chuckled. "You just defeated twelve older students. The last thing you need is more dignity."

Yasunori's father slid the glass door and stepped into the backyard. "Konbonwa," Yasunori and Harry said in unison.

"Konbonwa," he greeted them. "Harry-san, your accent is getting better."

Harry shrugged. "Yasunori's been bothering me about it. He says I've been here long enough that I shouldn't rely on my translating device all the time."

"Just standard phrases," protested Yasunori. "Good evening, good morning, thank you, hello, I'm sorry..."

Grinning, Harry continued the sentence. "I'm very sorry, I'm very very sorry, words can't begin to express how sorry I am..."

Yasunori frowned. "Very funny." Sato suppressed a smile.

"Hey, I have to practice for tomorrow. The headmaster said I had to do it in Japanese; he doesn't want to take any chances on the wording being a little off. He made sure I'd memorized the phrase before he let me go."

"What are you saying, both of you?" asked Yasunori.

"Apparently, he's supposed to apologize for insulting my dignity, or something like that, and use the phrase 'moshiwake gozaimasen,' and bow 20 degrees. I have to apologize for dueling in an insensitive and unsportsmanlike manner, say 'taihen moshiwake gozaimasen,' and bow 30 degrees." Harry's translator had given the phrases as 'I apologize' and 'I deeply apologize.' "So, is this really how disputes are resolved in Japan? By bowing lower than the other guy?"

"If necessary, yes," said Sato. "It is not uncommon for a third party in a position of authority to impose a settlement, and dictate the terms. Sometimes the terms are equal, sometimes unequal, as is the case here. Keep in mind, Harry-san, that the headmaster has paid you a compliment here, one that you might not recognize. By imposing the more humble apology on you, he has in a sense said that Murata must be placated, for the sake of social harmony. Observers will know that you are the more reasonable one, having agreed to the apology. In a sense, the headmaster has said without words that you are the 'bigger man,' as you would say, deserving of more respect.

"Now, in adult society, Murata would recognize this, and be shamed by it. He would have an opportunity to reclaim more respect, however: knowing the terms, he could voluntarily apologize in the same way as you must. Bow at the same angle, use similar words. Then, people would see his willingness to repair the problem, and he would be seen with respect equal to yours."

Harry shook his head in wonder. "All this is giving me a headache."

"Would you like some aspirin?" offered Yasunori.

Harry grinned, as did Sato, who said, "Harry-san is using a phrase which in English is not to be taken literally. It just means that he cannot easily wrap his mind around what I was saying. But you do understand, do you not, Harry-san?"

"Yes, I do. But it's really strange."

"What would happen in England, in this situation?" asked Yasunori. "How would it be resolved?"

Shrugging, Harry responded, "It probably wouldn't be resolved. They might go back and forth, who knows how long it would take. As long as the students didn't break any school rules, teachers wouldn't get involved. They wouldn't see it as their job to resolve social disputes between the students." He went on to tell them the story of his first meeting with Draco Malfoy, and the lasting effects of his rejection of Malfoy's offer. "We would have been enemies anyway, though. I wasn't going to put up with his attitude, and he wasn't going to put up with my not putting up with his attitude. It was unavoidable."

"Interesting," said Yasunori. "The same kind of thing could happen here, though. The difference here was that Murata was causing a huge social disruption, so the headmaster thought he couldn't ignore it."

"In addition," added his father, "no doubt part of the headmaster's action was prompted by Harry-san's foreignness, and his high diplomatic standing. If Harry-san were Japanese, the headmaster might have taken no action. Murata would have tried again with a larger number, and if no number was sufficient to defeat Harry-san, then they would have attempted to take vengeance on Harry-san's classmates, hoping to make him unpopular. If this succeeded, they would accomplish their objective by socially isolating him. If he was popular, his classmates would band together to resist the pressure, and a state of open warfare could occur. This is another substantial part of what the headmaster was trying to prevent."

"I hadn't thought that far ahead," mused Yasunori. "Harry is pretty popular among the first years now, so it might not work. But I guess part of the point of this is that you shouldn't be able to upset the social structure just by being more powerful than everyone else."

"Yes, exactly," said Sato. "Within one's own age group, yes." Turning to Harry, he added, "But in our society, seniority trumps everything, including greater power. Were you Japanese, you would be expected to bow before your seniors, no matter how much your magical power exceeded theirs." Glad I'm not Japanese, then, thought Harry.

"Oh, and Harry-san, something from the office. I have confirmed that Foreign Minister Shelton's wish to meet with you was purely of his own initiative. He now understands that he need not, and should not, concern himself with you."

Wonder what happened there, thought Harry; he quickly decided that he didn't care, and was happy to be left alone. "Thanks," he said to Sato.

"Not at all," responded Sato. "We should go in, dinner is almost ready."

* * * * *

The apologies went off as planned the next day. School gossip was that the matter was over; Harry certainly hoped so. Yosuke joked that Harry should be made to apologize to the twelve second years he defeated, for making them look so bad.

The next week went by quietly, with nothing out of the ordinary happening. Near the end of Harry's third week with the Satos, he commented that he wanted to spend some time that weekend poking around the Japanese Muggle world. Having already established that there was nothing stopping Japanese wizards from visiting the Muggle world anytime they wanted, Harry was also interested in testing the limits of his freedom there. Would he be allowed to do so? He couldn't see any reason why not, but then, this country was pretty strange.

Sato's response was to agree, but to suggest that Yasunori accompany Harry, largely to give Harry advice if he needed any guidance on dealing with anything that might come up, since though it was Muggle, it was still Japanese. Harry agreed, but he knew there was one thing he wanted to do that Yasunori wouldn't be able to do with him.

The way from the 'downtown' shopping area to the Muggle world turned out to be not unlike how one reached Platform 9 ¾. Harry walked through a door into what seemed like a dark room, and the next thing he knew, he was standing in an apparently little-used alleyway in Tokyo Station, which according to Yasunori was the most-used station in the Tokyo area. It certainly looked like it, and a look at a wall map of the interior of the station confirmed the impression. The underground area was vast, and included quite a lot of shops, including two long arcades. Harry's first thought was that there was nothing like this in London, but realized that he hadn't been in London enough to really know.

They walked around the station and the shopping areas for about an hour, Yasunori almost as much out of his element as Harry was. Yasunori explained that his family almost never visited Muggle areas, though his family had climbed Mt. Fuji, Japan's tallest mountain. Harry was impressed, but Yasunori explained that it wasn't a very tall mountain by global standards, and anyone in reasonably good health could climb it. He said it was one of the places in Japan that was important to both Muggles and wizards; Harry recalled that he had seen artwork related to the mountain in one of the wizarding shops.

"You could always Apparate to the top, though," commented Harry.

Yasunori gave him a peculiar look. "For us, the important thing is the effort involved in getting there, which would--" Interrupting himself, he sighed. "Is that one of those things you say to get a reaction?"

"Not exactly," said a grinning Harry, "but I was kidding. It's not for a reaction exactly, but it's my way of saying, why go to all that effort when you don't need to. I do know why, of course."

"You're just making fun of our culture," observed Yasunori, his tone neutral.

Harry's eyebrows went up; that was as sharp a comment as he'd ever heard from Yasunori. "I don't mean to do that," he said defensively. Yasunori was silent and expressionless as they walked on; Harry thought about what he'd said, trying to think about how it might be interpreted by someone who was proud of their culture.

"Look, I'm sorry," said Harry. "I mean that. I guess it's just a cultural thing; if someone criticized British culture, said something was silly or pointless, I wouldn't care. Even if I disagreed, I wouldn't take it personally. But I know I need to look at it as you would, not just as I would. It's just hard to break habits."

Yasunori shrugged. "Don't worry about it; maybe I'm just being irritable. You know very well what Yosuke would say if you said that to him."

Harry nodded. "He'd agree with me."

"Exactly. Of course, his parents criticize him for not having enough respect for Japanese customs and traditions. And sometimes I get irritated with him, too."

"And Yusuke never gets irritated at anything," joked Harry.

Yasunori smiled. "Yes, that's true. Everything just rolls off his back. But it just shows that despite our culture, we do think differently about things. We just act as if we're the same."

"I'm kind of curious to see one of the major shopping areas," said Harry. "Where would that be?"

"I don't know. Remember, I--"

"Haven't seen that much of the Muggle world, sorry. Could you ask someone?"

Yasunori looked startled. "Who?"

"I don't know, just anyone."

"I can't just walk up to someone I don't know and ask something like that!"

"Why--oh, never mind, I'll do it," said Harry, just having seen a Western-looking couple walking in their direction. Harry stepped towards them. "Excuse me," he said politely. "I was wondering if you could tell me what's the biggest or most famous shopping area around here?"

The couple, who appeared to be in their late twenties, exchanged a glance. "I guess Ginza, that's the most famous, and you can walk from here," the man said. "It would take ten or fifteen minutes."

"Or, most young people go to Shibuya," the woman added helpfully. "It's cheaper, and more interesting. Ginza is mostly for rich, or upper-middle-class older people."

"Not necessarily," protested the man.

"Well, anyway, you might try those two," said the woman.

"Thanks very much, I appreciate it," said Harry.

"No problem. Is this your first time in Tokyo?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, it is. I don't know anything about it."

The man gestured to Yasunori, who looked embarrassed. "Doesn't he?"

"He's... not from around here. We came to Tokyo together."

"Oh, is it a homestay?" asked the woman, interested.

Guess that's as good a way as any to say it, thought Harry. "Yes. Yes, it is. It's been really interesting. The culture's really different."

"Oh, tell me about it," agreed the woman. She identified Harry's accent as British, said that she and her boyfriend were from Canada, there on working holiday visas, and they had talked for five minutes before Harry thanked them again and moved off to rejoin Yasunori.

"Okay, they said we should walk over there, past that kiosk, and out the exit straight ahead," said Harry, starting to walk. "Then we see a big street, turn right, and it'll lead us there."

Yasunori looked at Harry as if something was very wrong. "What?" asked Harry.

"Those people... you had never met them before?"

"No, of course not."

"But you talked for five minutes!"

Harry shrugged. "Well, they were friendly. You mean in Japan, you don't have such a long chat with someone you just met?"

"I mean, we don't talk to someone like that, at all. Not even to ask directions, never mind talk for so long. I can't believe you did that! You just talked to each other, as if you'd known each other for a long time!"

Harry had been through this enough to not be shocked at yet another cultural difference. "Yes, we did. Sometimes we do that. Okay, well, not me so much, because if I walked up to someone in the wizarding world, the first thing they say is, 'oh, Merlin, it's Harry Potter!' Makes me not want to do it. But for people who aren't famous, sure, there's no problem doing that. To tell you the truth, that was really nice, just to talk to people for a few minutes like that, and for them to have absolutely no idea who I am, I could just be anybody. That's been very rare for me."

Yasunori was silent for a minute, apparently baffled. Finally, he said, "I'm just surprised that there are so many foreign people around here." Harry was about to protest that he'd seen no more than a dozen, out of maybe a few hundred people, when Yasunori went on, "I mean, there've been at least nine or ten, so far. Maybe this is some kind of place where foreign people congregate."

"What we've seen doesn't seem like that many," said Harry as they walked up the stairs towards the street. "I guess you rarely see non-Japanese in your world."

"It's more like, almost never," Yasunori corrected him. "That's why you got so much attention at first, still do somewhat, although people are starting to get used to you now. For some people, you might as well be from another planet."

Harry found himself tempted to tell Yasunori that some people in London were from other planets, wondering if Yasunori would believe him, but decided it would be unkind. "Well, it probably isn't a bad thing for them to learn about foreigners."

Soon they had reached Ginza, and after a half hour of walking, Harry found that he wasn't so interested. There were several large department stores, mostly focused on clothing, and most of the small shops were restaurants or clothes shops of some sort. Yasunori was interested in the shops, but not what the shops sold. Harry decided he wanted to try Shibuya, and started looking for Westerners to ask how to get there; the first person didn't know, but the second told him how to get there by subway. As they headed for the subway station, Harry couldn't help but think, here I am walking around with a Japanese guy, and I have to be the one to figure out how to get around. He won't even talk to the Japanese Muggles.

On the subway, Harry was very interested to read the advertisements, especially the surprising frequency of English words; he had also noticed that many Ginza shops had English names. Yasunori, of course, was no help in explaining why this was, and Harry had seen no English in any public area in wizarding Japan.

Ten minutes into the ride, the man next to Harry got off the train, and a young woman sat next to him. To Harry's great surprise, she took out an English book and started reading it. Unable to restrain his curiosity, he decided to talk to her, being careful to take off his artifact first. She appeared surprised that he had talked to her, but was polite, and friendly in a reserved way. He asked questions about Japan, and found that her English was a little better than Kaz's had been.

They talked for fifteen minutes, until they reached Shibuya. He thanked her for talking to him, then decided to ask one last question. "I heard that it's not usual here to talk to people you don't know. Is that true?"

She gave him a small, embarrassed smile. "Usually, we don't. But I know they do in your country, and I don't mind. I was able to practice my English. It was good to talk to you."

"You too," he said. She smiled again and went off. Harry put his artifact back on, turned to Yasunori and said, "It's okay, she's gone. You can admit that you know me now. I know you don't like it when I break social protocol."

They walked in silence, Yasunori saying nothing. Harry wondered if he'd somehow offended Yasunori. "Are you okay?"

Yasunori nodded quickly, then spoke with the tone of someone who'd been debating whether to say something. "You know, she liked you."

Translation problem? "What do you mean, she liked me?"

Still embarrassed, Yasunori replied, "I mean, if you'd asked her out for a date, she probably would have said yes."

Harry was utterly mystified. "What makes you say that?"

"I... look, this is a secret, okay? Please don't tell a single person." Harry nodded earnestly. "You have an artifact that lets you understand Japanese." All foreign languages, thought Harry, but he decided not to interrupt Yasunori with a nit-pick. "I have one too, this ring." He held up his right hand to show Harry the thin silver band on his ring finger. "It's an artifact that allows me to 'see' a person's body temperature, especially temperature variations. My father gave it to me when I was fifteen. Its purpose is to let me know when someone is lying, which it does well, though not perfectly. Usually, when someone lies, there's a little flush. Small, and it can be different with different people, but visible. It's to help me socially; if I know someone is lying, I can understand the true situation better.

"There are other things that cause a person's body temperature to suddenly change, and one of them is being attracted to someone. Other things can cause it, like being embarrassed, but I can tell the difference. Especially at the end, it was pretty clear. She was attracted to you."

Wow, thought Harry. Interesting. Pleased but embarrassed, he was suddenly curious. "Are you getting temperature variations from me now?"

Yasunori nodded. "You're embarrassed. I would be, too. I knew you would be, which is why I almost didn't tell you. But it's a good thing to know.

"Anyway, your artifact was off, so I couldn't understand what you were saying. What did she say?"

They walked down the steps from the platform. "She said, first of all, that everyone learns English in school from seventh grade to twelfth grade, it's one of the core subjects. Everyone has to take it."

Yasunori gaped. "You're kidding! You mean, all Japanese Muggles can speak English?"

"I asked that, and she said no. It's mainly to pass a college entrance test, she said, and they study reading and listening but not speaking. So, most of them can't speak all that well. They can read or understand a lot more than they can speak. As for the shop signs and advertisements, she said that English is considered 'cool,' a kind of fashion. A lot of it doesn't make sense, but she said that's not the point. Just the letters and words are kind of cool. And I asked how many foreigners are in Tokyo. She had no idea, but guessed about fifty or a hundred thousand, out of ten million in Tokyo."

"Fifty thousand?" exclaimed Yasunori. "Incredible. In wizarding Japan, there may be about... ten or fifteen people, I think."

"Is that all? No wonder my being here was such a big deal."

"Exactly," agreed Yasunori.

They stepped out of the station into a sea of people, most of them young; the first thing Harry noticed was the clothing. People wore more standard, conservative clothing in Ginza, but here, there was a great variety of fashions worn, almost all casual. Young women wore eye-catching makeup; people wore t-shirts with nonsensical English. Harry glanced at an obviously awestruck Yasunori, then noticed a statue of a dog, which many people were looking at, or standing near. He wandered over, keeping an eye on Yasunori, asked a foreign bystander about it, then came back to Yasunori.

"Pretty interesting, huh?"

"I... had no idea that Muggle Japan was like this." They walked toward the vast, pentagonal crosswalk near the station building. "I've heard people say things like, we don't want to end up like the Japanese Muggles. Now, I understand why."

"What's wrong with this?"

Mildly annoyed at the question, Yasunori answered, "I think you know, or can guess."

Harry shrugged. "Okay, kind of. It's different, and for you, different is bad."

"Not only different, but... really different, and really strange. What was the situation with that statue?"

"The guy I asked--he was British too, judging by his accent--said that when people meet around here, they meet at that statue. The dog, apparently, many years ago waited for its master at the station every day, and walked home with him. The man died, but the dog kept waiting at the station, every day, until it died. The guy said that Japanese made the statue because the dog was famous for its loyalty, and loyalty is important to Japanese."

"At least we have that in common," mused Yasunori.

Two hours spent walking around Shibuya cemented Yasunori's opinion that Muggle Japan was a very strange place, but it was very interesting for Harry. The shops were far more varied than Ginza's, and he and Yasunori had lunch at a Japanese fast food restaurant, having burgers and fries. Harry felt the food was of barely adequate quality, but a welcome change from the steady and somewhat boring diet of mostly fish-based Japanese food he'd been eating. Yasunori appeared to barely tolerate the food, but he ate it.

Harry asked a foreign bystander how to get to the area of Tokyo where there were a lot of skyscrapers, and he and Yasunori walked back to the station. "Look," said Harry uncomfortably, "there's one more thing I want to do while I'm here today. There's a guy I met my first day here; he lives not far from where those skyscrapers are. I'd like to visit him, see how he's doing. But I'm not sure he'd want someone in his home he didn't know, at least at first. So..." Harry let the sentence hang, hoping that Yasunori would get his drift.

"I understand," said Yasunori. "It was not your idea that I come along, after all."

"Don't get me wrong," said Harry. "I'm glad you came. It's better to do this with someone. But just for this, I don't want it to be awkward."

"What is his name?"

"He didn't say his last name; his first name is Hirokazu."

"He is a wizard?" Harry nodded. "Then I could not see him anyway; he is ronin. I cannot visit or spend time with such a person."

"Why not?"

Yasunori didn't react, but from his tone, Harry guessed that he wasn't happy. "You have a tendency to ask questions that you should be able to guess the answers to."

Harry shrugged. "Isn't it easier for you to answer than for me to guess?"

"I suppose. Maybe I notice it more when it is a sensitive topic."

"Why is this a--" Harry cut himself off, with a self-deprecating grin. "Okay, I'll try to guess. You can't see him because the whole point of being a ronin is that you're cut off from society. And it's sensitive because... the fact that they exist doesn't make your society look good?"

"The first, yes. The second, more or less. Partly that, and also that we're saddened that such a thing is necessary. We prefer not to talk about it."

Struck by a sudden concern, Harry asked, "It isn't actually illegal to visit one, is it?"

Yasunori bought his ticket for the train, then waited for Harry to do so. "Another cultural difference. You ask whether something is illegal; we would ask whether it is inappropriate, or whether it would cause trouble."

Harry wondered whether this was an observation or a criticism. "I'm going to take that as a no." As they walked through the ticket gate, Harry understood Yasunori's meaning: he shouldn't go. Too bad, he thought, I'm going anyway. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and I'll apply my own judgments about whether or not I'll see him. I may be staying with Japanese people, but I'm not Japanese. I know they'd think I should act as if I was, while I'm there. But I'm not going to.

* * * * *

It was agreed that Yasunori would walk around on his own while Harry was visiting Kaz, though he would observe from a distance Harry knocking on Kaz's door, in case Kaz wasn't home or didn't want to see Harry. Harry remembered the way to Kaz's home from the last time. He walked up the stairs to the fourth floor, and knocked on the door.

There was a fairly long silence. Maybe he's not home, thought Harry, or maybe he doesn't want to see anyone. He was about to try again when the door slowly opened a few inches, but no one could be seen.

"Kaz? It's me, Harry."

The door suddenly opened, and Kaz gaped at Harry. "Harry!"

"Yeah, it's me. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Kaz just stared, then finally seemed to recover. "Would you like to come in?"

"Yeah, thanks," said Harry, and stepped inside. They walked to the living room, but instead of asking Harry to sit down, Kaz just looked at him, still shocked. "Why are you here?"

"Um... like I said, I just wanted to see how you were doing. I hoped I didn't get you into any trouble before."

Kaz grunted in embarrassment. "It's funny that you would say that, since I was the one who Disapparated, and left you alone to face those guys. I felt bad about that, and I want to apologize."

"No big deal," said Harry, trying to be magnanimous while knowing that he never would have done such a thing. "I could have taken them anyway, I just didn't know that a Stunning Spell was illegal, and would bring the Aurors. I just meant that I had to tell them that I'd met you. I would've rather not, but I felt like lying to Aurors while in the country illegally wasn't the thing to do."

Kaz finally gestured to Harry to sit. "You didn't tell them about Chieko, though. Why didn't you?"

"I wasn't going to lie to them, but I wasn't going to give them information they didn't ask for. They never asked if there was anyone with you."

"Well, I appreciate it. It would have caused a lot of problems if you had told them."

Harry decided to be more direct. "Because you're a ronin?"

Kaz glanced at him sharply, then looked down. "They told you?"

"No, I figured it out. Japanese society is really cohesive, and you're in the Muggle world, living by yourself. It wasn't hard to work out. I assume you know that I don't care."

Kaz nodded. "I could guess. Anyway... Japanese wizards aren't supposed to spend time with ronin. But, she does it. If she was found out..."

"She'd be ronin too."

"Well, they'd give her one chance. She thinks, anyway, and she's probably right. They'd give her a huge lecture, her patriarch would get involved, maybe even the local magistrate. And if it happened again, that would be that."

Harry understood the situation. She had to love him, or else she wouldn't take such chances. He no doubt loved her, but was torn between his feelings for her and his concern that she would suffer his fate. If I was him, thought Harry, part of me would want her to join me, and maybe I'd be ashamed of myself for wanting it, since it would mean that she'd be cut off from her society. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes, either of them.

He knew from all he'd heard form Yasunori that he shouldn't ask the question, but he decided to ask anyway. "Kaz... why did they make you a ronin?"

Kaz's eyes met Harry's for a few seconds, then he looked away. "It's very... Western of you to just come out and ask like that. Japanese would never dream of doing that. They'd find out some other way. First, why do you ask? Just curious?"

"Well, I am curious, but I wouldn't ask just for that reason. The people I'm staying with aren't going to be happy that I visited you. I don't think they have any right to stop me, but I expect them to say something like you're a bad influence on Japanese society, I might get negative ideas from you, and so forth. But they probably wouldn't tell me what you did, even if they knew. So, I'd like to be able to say that I know what you did, and I don't care."

Kaz slowly nodded. "That makes sense, in your way, anyway. They probably would say what you said. Sato may not be conservative, for a Japanese wizard, but he's conservative enough." Noting Harry's surprise, Kaz added, "Yes, I know who you're staying with. You're gossiped about in certain parts of Japanese society, and Chieko has been keeping her ear to the ground. Her... cousin's friend's brother is a third-year student at the tactical school, and she's been asking for regular updates.

"Anyway, of course, I know Sato. I would have to; he's the deputy minister for English-speaking countries, and I went to an English-speaking country. I met him several times, listened to some lectures from him, and had to submit monthly reports when I was in America."

"Monthly reports?" exclaimed Harry. "That makes it seem like it's a job."

"The purpose is to make sure you're not 'going native.' Sato didn't tell me this, but if you don't submit the reports, or if the tone changes, they yank you back. I'm an example of what they consider the grave risk of Japanese spending time overseas: I liked it better there, and when I came back, found Japanese society too confining. I tried, but it was very difficult for me to fit in anymore."

"And they made you a ronin for that?"

"No, but I suspect it would have happened anyway. I'd never gotten along with my father all that much. He was very strict, never said anything nice or kind, and really got all over me when I started acting up. Bear in mind, in Japan, not bowing low enough in certain situations or asking the wrong question at the wrong time are considered 'acting up,' but a Westerner would be amazed at what they get upset about. Anyway, to make a long story short, things built up with him badly, and I had a lot of resentment. On my twentieth birthday, I had the--do you know about the Antiquity Link?" Harry nodded.

"I suppose you would, by now," said Kaz. "I had the ceremony where I establish the Link with my father. I really didn't want to do it, because I was so angry with him. But I felt I had to. Over the next few months, things got worse, he was yelling at me almost every day, referring to me as 'my American son.' I held in my anger at him, but I found out you can only hold in anger for so long. One day, I just lost it, and... I broke the Antiquity Link with him."

Wow, thought Harry. "I... guess that's a pretty big thing."

Kaz grunted. "That's a massive understatement. Once a thread of the Antiquity Link is broken, it can't be re-established. That's it. And what was worse, I was his only child. So, his line ends with me. Breaking the Antiquity Link is an enormous offense, it's like..." He gestured with his right hand, raising his middle finger in a gesture he'd no doubt learned in America. "It's like doing this to society. It's considered to be unforgivable."

"Chieko was your girlfriend then?"

He nodded. "We were seriously thinking about getting married." Harry cringed inwardly as the loss Kaz had suffered. "At first she was furious that I did this, messed up our future, but at the same time, she knew what I'd been through with my father, and we think both sets of parents would have opposed our getting married anyway. The whole situation... as the Americans would say, it sucked. Sometimes I wish I had never gone to America, and sometimes I'm glad I had the opportunity, even though this happened, because for once in my life, I got to be free. In America, I suppose in England too, you can do any damn thing you want. That was such an amazing thing, and once I had it, I couldn't let go. I'm amazed that this doesn't happen to everyone who goes to a Western country."

"Did other ronin become that way for similar reasons?" asked Harry.

"Not really. I think only one of them has been overseas. They just couldn't get along in Japanese society for their own reasons."

"Why don't you just go and live in America?"

"I can't. Any country that Japan has exchange programs with has to agree not to keep anyone who isn't authorized to be there. Also, it's very hard to leave the country. You'd have to do it by Muggle methods, and you can't get a passport, because you don't have a Muggle birth certificate."

"Do what I did. Just Apparate onto a plane."

"I assume you did some spell on the people on the plane, to make them think you were supposed to be there. That kind of spell is illegal here; they'd detect it and catch you. Also, I don't know how to do those spells anyway. No, we're locked up tight. It's like being free, but being in prison at the same time."

"How do you make a living?" Harry wondered.

Kaz looked distinctly displeased with the question. "Theft. Except for the kind of day-to-day, unofficial physical labor that they have to import people from poor countries to do because even Japanese Muggles won't do it, there's no job we can get without Muggle identification, which we can't get. We don't steal from individuals, at least, I don't. Banks, mostly. They can afford it. Wizarding society knows, of course; they make it so we have no choice. Their attitude is that there aren't so many of us, so having us steal is a way of making Muggles foot the bill for us. They could make it so we could get Muggle identification, live in Muggle society, but they won't. They want us to steal so we feel as though we're criminals, because that's how they see us."

Harry closed his eyes and shook his head. "When I first got here, I wouldn't have believed that. But after... I guess it's almost a month now... I can believe it. I'm really sorry."

"Thanks," said Kaz. "So, tell me what's been happening with you. I've heard some of it, of course, but I'd like to hear it from you."

Harry spent the next hour recounting his experiences so far in Japan, Kaz interrupting once in a while to ask questions. Sometimes a question would spiral off into a discussion of one of the many cultural differences Harry ran into, which would remind Kaz of the opposite experiences he'd had in America. Kaz burst into uproarious laughter when Harry told him about the time Fred had appeared in the Sato family shrine. "Oh, it's so funny... I'm sure they acted as if nothing was wrong, but they must have been going crazy on the inside. The shrine is the most sacred place in a Japanese home, and for someone like him to come out, making jokes..."

Harry was glad he could provide Kaz with a good laugh. "I guess they would be surprised, considering what Japanese ghosts usually act like. I've heard that not everyone thinks it's so great to talk to the 'honored ancestors,' even if they have to pretend that it is."

"That's one of the stupidest things about Japanese life, if you ask me," said Kaz disgustedly. "I'm sorry I broke the Antiquity Link because it got me exiled, but I'm not sorry I don't get to talk to my ancestors. They never had anything interesting or valuable to say, like you said about the one you talked to. They don't have a clue, at least not in my family."

His voice dropped low, as if he feared being overheard. "I've been talking to some other ronin about this. Don't ask me how, but one of them got ahold of a shrine, and has been using it to talk to various ghosts, even ones he's not related to. He says there's a lot of ghosts who don't want to be there, who want to just move on."

"Why don't they?"

"They can't. I didn't know this... Japanese society says that they stay so they can help their descendants, that they want to, and the Antiquity Link just helps them do so. But this ronin I talked to says that maybe some want to stay, but in any case, they have to stay; the Antiquity Link functions as a trap, and even if they wanted to move on, they couldn't. I'm sure the Japanese government would deny this; they may not even know. But this guy swears it's true, and that it's why a lot of ghosts aren't that helpful. They're sick of hanging around. In America, there were very few ghosts, and the ones there were, people seemed sorry for them. How about in England?"

Harry explained what Nick had told him two years before, and recounted Fred's experience right after his death. Kaz nodded. "That pretty well supports what this guy said. You said that Fred said that the natural human tendency is to want to move on. Well, Japanese can't. I'm sure many of them deal with it as best they can, mainly talking to other people, I'd guess. But I must say, hearing that, it almost makes me glad I broke my Antiquity Link. When I die, I'll be able to just move on, like you're supposed to."

"If the Japanese ghosts don't want to stay around, why don't they say so? Why don't they tell people how they feel?"

Kaz looked at him in surprise. "You've been here for almost a month, and you don't know the answer to that question?"

"Well, I would know for living people," protested Harry. "They're supposed to pretend they agree with what society does, even if they don't. But why should ghosts care what Japanese society thinks of them? They're ghosts."

Kaz shrugged. "They have a social structure too. You may be dead, but you still have the psychology you grew up with, the customs. Doing what you're supposed to do may be so ingrained in them that they don't think to question it, even after death, even if they're miserable. I can't know, but I think it's a reasonable guess."

They talked more about the Antiquity Link, and about Japan, America, and England. Finally, regretfully, Harry had to tell Kaz he would have to leave; he felt bad because he was sure Kaz was happy for the company. He said he would try to visit again, but of course, couldn't guarantee anything. He left with a heavy heart, wishing something could be done for Kaz and people like him.

* * * * *

"Of course, it is very regrettable," said Sato two hours later over dinner. "We wish it did not have to happen."

"But it doesn't have to happen," argued Harry. "They could be allowed to live as normal Muggles do, or to leave the country. So, why not?"

"They turned their backs on our society," said Sato's mother. "Why should they be comfortable?"

Harry held his tongue, knowing it would be considered very impolite to argue directly with the oldest person in the house. Sato spoke again. "There would be some people who agree with you." Harry got the feeling that Sato himself might be one, but he wasn't sure. "The argument against such leniency would be that becoming ronin is a punishment, and so should not be more comfortable than it currently is. The harsh life of a ronin very likely exists as a deterrent to those who might rebel against society. In any case, it has been this way for many years, and it is difficult for such things to change."

Harry sighed. "It's just... hard to talk to him for a few hours, and not think that his situation, how he has to live his life, is an unjust punishment for what he did."

Sato nodded. "It speaks well of you that you have such sympathy. Many would agree with you, at least in principle, which is probably part of the reason that we are not to visit such people, lest we take pity on them." Harry noticed that Sato avoided words like 'forbidden' or 'illegal,' so Yasunori must have been right about it not being strictly illegal. "But you may want to consider the wider scale, the extent to which there is suffering in each country. Suffering is, sadly, a seemingly inescapable part of human existence, and is widely present in every country." Sato spoke earnestly, as if devoutly hoping Harry would understand and agree with his point.

"In wizarding America, for example, there are currently three times as many people, per capita, incarcerated than in Japan, even if one includes both wizarding jail and ronin. In such a socially loose society, it is much easier for people to fall through the cracks. Children may be neglected, treated badly, brought up in poor conditions. Poorly supervised teenagers may not receive the proper guidance, fall in with bad elements, and turn to crime. Even adults may behave selfishly and destructively, with no one empowered to give them forceful guidance, or have influence over them. With our tightly-knit society, we almost completely avoid such situations.

"Unfortunately, human nature being what it is--and to be honest, it is little different here than anywhere else--enforcement of social norms simply cannot be avoided. We are a culture that prefers persuasion to coercion, so coercion is a last resort. But for acts that society considers shocking--such as breaking the Antiquity Link--most feel that if we did not take firm action, people would feel that it was all right to do such things. Breaking the Antiquity Link is irreversible, so the punishment is as well. If it were not, people could break it with relative impunity, possibly leading to the breakdown of one of the most important and unique aspects of our society."

Harry dearly wanted to tell Sato what Kaz had told him about the ronin's talks with the ghosts, but he knew he couldn't, as it would not only violate Kaz's confidence, but also cause the Japanese authorities to vigorously investigate the ronin community until they discovered the stolen shrine.

"I guess I see what you mean... it's just hard to see beyond your own culture and accept that what for us wouldn't be a big crime is for you. It's hard not to see it as an injustice. I wonder how much going to America had to do with what happened."

Now, Harry saw definite sadness on Sato's face. Before he could speak, his wife did. "It's not your fault," she said kindly but firmly. Harry's face registered his confusion.

"My very kind wife is referring to the fact that due to my position, I was one of two people responsible for Harada's visit to America." Harry gathered that Harada was Kaz's last name. "The other was a deputy culture minister. We were both responsible for his oversight while he was there, to the extent that such oversight can really happen. It was our job to see signs of his losing touch with his Japanese values, and to bring him home if that seemed to be happening. The deputy culture minister, Uchida-san, at one point felt that there were subtle signs that this was happening. We met with him, and he assured us that this was not the case. Uchida-san wanted to bring him home, but I disagreed, and unanimity was required to do so; he stayed. After what happened later, of course I could not help but feel that had I decided differently, things would have gone differently."

Most of the Satos were looking down; Harry felt extremely awkward. "I'm sorry, I had no idea that..." He shrugged helplessly. He now remembered that Kaz had mentioned Sato's involvement, but he hadn't put two and two together.

"You could not know," said Sato, rather generously, Harry felt. "It is not difficult to unknowingly step on what is for someone else a sensitive spot." He paused, then added, "As your country's Foreign Minister did with you recently."

Hard to argue with that, thought Harry ruefully. Of course, it wasn't Shelton I was angry with, it was Kingsley. Still, it's a reasonable point. "I understand."

To Harry's surprise, Sato went on to answer his question. "Of course, we cannot say for certain how much Harada's trip to America had to do with his later behavior; as is often the case, multiple factors were involved. In interviews with his family before he left, a picture of perfect family harmony was painted for us; we later, too late, learned that this was far from true. His father had not taken an active role in his son's social and moral education, relying exclusively on criticism rather than positive reinforcement. This tendency only accelerated upon his son's return, and his actions were an integral element in what later occurred. It is almost as much a tragedy for the father as for the son; unless he is in deep denial, he knows his responsibility, and as Hirokazu was his only son, and his father had no brothers, he will likely be summoned by no one once he becomes an honored spirit; he will be no one's ancestor."

"We call such a person an 'orphaned spirit,'" said Sato's mother sadly. "Usually, it happens due to being childless. We consider it a very unfortunate fate."

"It points up the interconnectedness of our society, and the fact that there is a great deal of collective responsibility," said Sato. "Children are responsible for listening to and obeying their parents and elders, but elders are no less responsible for giving proper advice and guidance. It is a two-way street, and we are responsible for each other. Harry-san... is there someone of your acquaintance who did not end up as he should have, or who suffered from insufficient or poor parental guidance?"

"Well, me," said Harry, only half-joking, and went on to explain the Dursleys' treatment of him, to the Satos' shocked expressions. "They were indulgent toward their own son, but as Professor Dumbledore said to them, they may have done him a worse disservice than they did me. Anyway, I seem to have ended up okay, but it was difficult that there was never really anyone looking out for me. Professor Dumbledore tried to, but I wasn't his son, and there was only so much he could do.

"But to answer the question, I would mention a same-year student named Draco Malfoy. Sato-san, I assume you're familiar with his parents, from the newspaper at least."

Sato nodded. "I met his father once, at a governmental social event. I found him... chilling, the easy, casual, subtle malevolence he exuded. I was stunned that one such as him could have influence in the government. I can only imagine what kind of father he was."

Harry told them much of what Draco had told him about his upbringing, and the events of the sixth and seventh years, including his confrontation with Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore had hopes that Draco could overcome his upbringing, and so far, that seems to be the case. But I was able to see very closely what can happen when you get the wrong kind of upbringing."

"Amazing," said Yasunori. "Such events could never happen here. I don't mean bad upbringing, I mean, the environment that produced Voldemort, and all that happened because of it."

"Probably not," agreed his father, "but we must never be overconfident. And as for Malfoy... Harry-san, it was very kind of you to take an interest in his welfare, even after your negative history with him."

"Well, it was mainly because of Professor Dumbledore."

"Exactly; that is an excellent example of what we seek in authority figures. They teach by their words, and by their example. When you have children, Harry-san, they will look to you the same way. You, and of course Yasunori and Masako, must always keep in mind that your actions will always be seen as an example by those who look to you for leadership. For their sake, you should consider your actions carefully, and... forgive the cliché, but, do your best." With a small grin, he added, "Sometimes clichés are there for a reason."

Harry couldn't help but think about the fact that if he were to go back to England, a lot of people other than potential future children might be looking at his actions as an example to be followed. Yeah, well, that's part of why I'm here, he thought. I don't know if I can deal with that.

* * * * *

The weeks flew by; Harry's eighteenth birthday passed unobserved, which was fine with him. He studied, productively practiced dueling with Takenaka once a week, and unproductively practiced group spells with the three Y's who, to his surprise, never expressed annoyance or suggested giving up. He read the books Sato had bought for him, and except for his discomfort with the punishment that had been handed out to Kaz, for the time being, he could live within the rules of Japanese wizarding society. Just as long as they don't try to tell me who I should marry, he thought wryly.

He started a custom of going to the Muggle world once a week, every Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Yasunori didn't go with him again; he assumed the Satos knew he was visiting Kaz, but they said nothing about it. Harry imagined that this was how things were done in Japan: if Sato knew he was visiting a ronin, he would feel obliged to tell Harry he shouldn't, putting Harry in the position of not doing something he felt was the right thing to do, or defying the advice of a senior. Pretending not to know, Sato bore no responsibility for Harry's actions.

Kaz and Harry went out to walk around Muggle Tokyo sometimes, discussing the difference between the Japanese Muggle and wizarding worlds, which Kaz explained was quite substantial. Kaz said that he had become friendly with a group of like-minded ronin; Harry wondered if some of them were the ones who had been harassing him before, but didn't ask. These ronin, the ones who had access to the stolen shrine, were telling Kaz of a growing feeling communicated to them by some of the Japanese spirits that they weren't happy where they were, and that the spirits had been hinting that a way might be found to escape the bonds of the Antiquity Link and move on so they wouldn't have to suffer another half-century of boredom while they waited for the living descendants to call on them in what had become far more a ceremonial duty than a genuine wish to commune with the ancestors' spirits. Harry sympathized with the rebellious ghosts, and hoped they would start making their wishes known to those around them. Maybe they can change the system, he thought, but then realized it wasn't likely. Change came to this country very slowly.

* * * * *

Sato took a Portkey from his home to the office after dinner on a Friday night in late August. His family was well used to this, as the time differences with North America and the U.K. sometimes required him to work at odd hours. He went to the international travel section, and was soon walking across the Asian and European continents in two minutes, as he'd done so many times before. Emerging in the British Foreign Ministry, he greeted the staff and headed off to his appointment.

He hadn't wanted to bother the Minister at such a difficult time, and four hours ago had left word with Arthur Weasley that he wanted to see the Minister, but he completely understood if the Minister wanted to put it off for some time. To his surprise, just before he left for home that evening, he got word that the Minister would see him at noon, England time.

When he reached the office, Darlene waved him into the Minister's office immediately; the two men shook hands and sat.

"Minister," said Sato, "First, please allow me to convey the deep condolences of my government over yesterday's terrible events."

"Thank you," said Kingsley politely. Sato could see the toll the disaster had taken on Kingsley; compared to their meeting two months before, Kingsley looked beaten down and distraught, though he hid it from his face; again, it was in his eyes. Sato wanted to tell him that what had happened was not his fault, but in addition to his not knowing for sure that it was true, it was in any case not his place to say.

"I assume that you've had offers of help from other countries," said Sato. "I wish we could offer, but the uniqueness of our country's culture would make it very difficult."

Kingsley nodded. "I can understand that, and I thank you for the sentiment. Yes, the wizarding governments of the English-speaking countries, and a few European governments, have offered their help. We are considering their offers. As you can imagine, we hesitate to give such responsibility to outsiders, but of course we may have little choice. I'm considering accepting their offers, if only so that if things go badly, the new Minister has the option to change course, and I would take the political blame for having made the decision."

"I'm sorry, Minister, I did not know that a change was imminent."

"Not officially," Kingsley clarified, "but at this point, it's just a matter of time. The Council won't want to do it so soon after this kind of tragedy, but after the dust settles, so to speak, everyone expects that a change will be made. There's been no progress with the dementors, and now this... anyway, may I assume you're here about Harry?"

"Yes, Minister. It occurs to me that now, more than ever, he could be the unifying force that your country clearly needs. Not to mention the fact that if your country ever needed an Auror Leader, one who happens to be a national hero, that time is now."

"Have you told him what happened?"

"No, not yet. I would have, but I was waiting for your guidance."

Kingsley shook his head. "Don't tell him."

Sato had half-expected the answer, but was still surprised. "But, Minister--"

"No," said Kingsley, more firmly. "When he's ready, he'll come back. If he hears about this, he might come back out of a sense of obligation, but I think it would be bad if he came back for that reason. When he comes back, he'll practically be carrying the whole country on his shoulders. That's a lot for anyone, never mind what he's already been through. He has to be ready."

Sato found that though he disagreed with Kingsley, he admired his determination. "But would it not be better for him, as Auror Leader, to have a Minister who was his ally, rather than a more standard politician, who would look for ways to use him politically?"

"You may not understand the power of the Auror Leader. No matter who it is, he has vast influence. That'll be doubled with it being Harry, already a national hero. Whoever the Minister is will be scrambling to stay in Harry's good graces; it won't matter whether it's me or not. Harry will be the boss."

Sato decided to try again. "But surely, when the need is so great, the needs of the individual must be subordinate to the needs of the group."

"That's one of your cultural precepts, I gather. Well, it isn't ours. I mean, to some extent, some people would generally accept it, but it always depends greatly on the circumstances. Harry has already literally given his life for this country, and been put through a hellish ordeal because of me. I simply will not ask anything more of him until he is ready. If most people knew my general situation, they would call him back. But if they knew everything I know, all of what he's been through... I do believe most people would agree with my decision. He's more than earned such consideration, and for now, we'll have to get through this without him."

Sato wondered whether Kingsley's attitude would be different if he were not personally responsible for whatever ordeal Harry had suffered in the test for Auror Leader; it seemed clear that Kingsley's conscience disturbed him greatly. Still, Sato had to accept the fact that it was Kingsley's decision, not his. Amazing, Sato thought, that he can refrain from using a resource that could greatly help his people, all for the consideration of one person. In Japan, it would be unthinkable. It would be assumed that he would want to help, no matter his personal situation.

"Very well, Minister. I remain at your disposal if there is anything I can do."

They both stood, and shook hands. "And Mr. Sato, what I said before still goes. When I lose my job, please tell Harry immediately."

"I will, Minister. Thank you."

* * * * *

Two days later, early Sunday evening, Harry and Kaz sat next to each other on a Tokyo train. Kaz had told him that there was a popular local festival called awa-odori in an area of Tokyo called Koenji, which was not far from where Kaz lived. They had spent a lot of the afternoon at home with Chieko, but she hadn't wanted to go with them. Harry realized that she had never been with them in public; it seemed fairly clear that she was worried about the danger of being seen with Kaz in public, even though the chances of a Japanese wizard venturing into the Muggle world and seeing them together were very small.

"How's it going at the tactical school?" asked Kaz in English, which he still tried to use with Harry as much as possible, especially when Chieko wasn't around.

"Not too good," replied Harry. "I mean, what I'm learning is interesting--the way to use group spells in tactical situations--but as I've told you, I haven't been able to do the group spells."

"Are your friends angry with you?"

"You're Japanese. What would you guess?"

Kaz slowly nodded. "They are not happy with you, but would never say such a thing. Their idea is just to practice harder. Is that right?"

"They did that for a month," affirmed Harry. "But they sort of gave up on it at some point. I think they just accept the fact that our group isn't going to do well with the end-of-term testing this Friday. So, there's really nothing you can tell me about being able to do that?" Harry thought he had already asked for Kaz's advice, but wasn't sure.

"No, I can't," replied Kaz. "I think it is a matter of being on the same wavelength as them. That would be difficult for you, of course."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you know that word. Wavelength."

"I learned it in America, of course. A few of the wizards I knew were interested in Muggle life; I learned it from them."

"Did you see any festivals in America?"

"I saw one; the theme was the Salem witch trials. Have you ever heard of that?"

"It was talked about in History of Magic a little, I think. We have the word 'witch-hunt,' I guess it comes from America, meaning to find someone to accuse of something whether they did it or not. I imagine it comes from that time."

"Yes, it does. The festival is mostly humorous," said Kaz, switching back to Japanese, as he did when he wanted to say something more difficult. "There's an event called the 'witch hunt,' in which witches who've been Disillusioned are chased by men dressed up in the costumes of the time, who deliberately look and act foolish, as they imagine the people who hunted witches did back then. It was quite a cultural shock for me to see a festival at which a people's ancestors are mocked and ridiculed."

Harry chuckled. "I'll bet. So in Japan, the ancestors can do no wrong? There are no records, no stories, of ancestors who did stupid things?"

"Not really," said Kaz. "In history classes, they emphasize the good things the ancestors did. If there's any reference to bad decisions being made, it's usually with some explanation, like, 'it was the best decision that could be made, with the information available at the time,' like that. We knew that it wasn't really true, that it was just a bad decision. It's part of Japanese culture's reverence for the ancestors. They consider it bad form to say anything bad about them at all."

Harry had noticed that when Kaz spoke about Japan or Japanese, he used words like 'Japanese' or 'they,' whereas a Japanese citizen in good standing never failed to use 'we' or 'us' when talking about Japan. Again, Harry felt saddened at Kaz's fate.

They had arrived at Koenji station, and got off the train. Apparently, this was a popular festival; Kaz had said that this wasn't a station with a lot of traffic, but so many people got off at that stop that it took almost five minutes just for them to make their way down the stairs and out of the station.

They walked to the north side of the station, slowly making their way through a crowd of people. The place, Harry felt, was like an assault on the senses. Old-fashioned Japanese drums and music blared over the hundreds of conversations, some held loudly, that were going on all over, and people manning food stands shouted greetings in attempts to attract attention and customers. The smell was of the food they sold, mostly a fishy smell, and to top it all off, it was a hot and very humid evening. People constantly bumped into Harry as he and Kaz made their way forward.

"So, you said the purpose of this festival is to honor the ancestors?" asked Harry, raising his voice to be heard.

"Originally, it was," replied Kaz. "But now it's more or less just a festival, with no particular meaning. A few people consider it for its meaning, but it's a lot like Christmas in America. It's supposed to be a religious holiday, but people think mostly about decorations and presents. This is a little like that."

Harry could vaguely see, twenty meters or so ahead, a group of people in traditional clothes dancing a slow, stylized dance. It was hard to see through the crowd, even though he was taller than most Japanese.

Suddenly he heard a man shouting, "Hiro! Hiro!" He would have dismissed it as one of the Japanese Muggles looking for another, but Kaz started looking around, and grabbing Harry's arm, headed in the man's direction.

"Naoki!" Kaz greeted him in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"There's big news. Come on." As they walked through the crowd towards the nearest building, Naoki asked, "This is the foreigner you were telling us about?"

"Yes," said Kaz.

Reaching a sidewalk, the three slid into the small space between two buildings; Kaz put up a spell that caused it to look to observers as if nothing was happening there. "How do you feel about the Antiquity Link?" Naoki asked Harry.

Surprised at the sudden turn of events, Harry shrugged. "I think it's kind of strange. It could be good in some cases, but if I were a ghost, I'd want to have a choice whether I stayed around or not."

Naoki nodded. "Good enough. Come on, you'll want to see this." He proffered a portable Portkey to Kaz; he grabbed Harry's arm and took it.

The three were suddenly in what seemed like a rural area, twenty meters from a small building, which Naoki started heading towards. "We can't go in, only the senior ones are operating the shrine. But we can listen."

Harry suddenly wondered whether it was advisable for him to be anywhere near a stolen shrine, but curiosity made him follow his companions. They walked up to where a van was parked near the small house, which looked like it hadn't been lived in for decades. Naoki motioned for them to be quiet so they could hear, but Harry found that hearing would be easy. A ghost was speaking.

"...exactly the right time to make our bid for freedom. We perform like monkeys for our masters/descendants, at a festival that is supposedly in our honor! It is a bitter irony, but it will be for the last time."

A human voice inside spoke. "Will it work, honored ancestor? Is everything arranged?"

"You may be assured, young one, that it will work. We have been in consultation with the others. They have explained what will happen, and the method by which it is to be accomplished. You need only do your part, as we have asked of you. In return, you will be doing your countrymen, those who have cast you out, a great service. They will not appreciate it at first, but once they end their physical existence, they will appreciate it greatly. To be free! To go on to the blissful afterlife! It will be such a relief--

"I am told that outside, listening, is one from a land where the spirits are free. Please come in, there are a few questions."

Alarmed, Harry looked back and forth to the two Japanese around him. "I shouldn't go in there! I shouldn't even be here!"

"Harry, it's just a ghost!" said Kaz. "He wants to talk to you! What's the harm?"

All kinds of things, thought Harry, but against his better judgment decided to go in anyway. "You come with me, at least," he instructed Kaz, who followed Harry, a few steps behind.

He walked into the dilapidated structure; a few magically-generated artificial lights provided what little illumination there was. A shrine sat on a coffee table in the middle of the room; above it hovered a ghost. Surrounding it were five Japanese men, ranging in age from thirty to forty; they pointed their wands at Harry, whose wand was already out. "Put your wand away," said one.

Not a chance, thought Harry. "You first," he responded.

"Young men, put your wands away," instructed the ghost. "I requested the young man's presence." Reluctantly, they did so. Harry did too, but kept it within ready reach, and made sure that if any of them moved for theirs, he would move for his.

He looked up at the ghost. "Hello. I'm Harry Potter."

"My name was Gantaro Morishita, but it seems to matter less and less with each year," responded the ghost. "Where are you from, young man?"

"England."

"Are there ghosts in England?"

"Only a few. Most people when they die, just move on."

The ghost's face took on an if-only-I-could-be-so-lucky expression. "Those who stay, why do they stay?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm not an expert, but I've been told, by a ghost, that they're sort of afraid to move on, they like it where they are now. A lot of them have emotional problems of some sort, which is part of the reason they stay."

"A purgatory!" cried the ghost. "A purgatory on Earth, is it not?"

Harry couldn't disagree with the ghost, but was a little unnerved at his overt emotionalism. Then again, he thought, if I'd been trapped the way he has for seventy or eighty years, maybe I'd be emotional too. "Well, it's not for me to say, but yes, it seems that way. For a lot of them, it just seems like they're mired in their own sadness, and it feels like they'd be happier if they moved on."

"Yes! He understands! Only someone who comes from other lands, who knows what is the natural state of ghosts, who has not been brainwashed by our society, can understand the truth! Oh, young man, what sprang naturally from your lips I have labored for so long to tell others, to little or no avail. We are shackled, chained here by that hideous spell. I tell you, the Antiquity Links are the true 'chains of society!'"

Slightly confused, Harry asked, "I don't think your descendants know it's like this for you. Why don't you tell them?"

The ghost laughed, a sardonic and bitter laugh. "I have told them! I started telling them forty years ago, and have said little else for the past twenty! Tell me, young man, what do you think their answer was?"

Harry thought, and after a few seconds, the answer came to him in a one-word flash. "Gaman."

"Gaman!" shouted the ghost. "Exactly! They think I have some unusual weakness, and I must just gaman! They are ashamed of me, and have stopped calling on me, because they know what I will say. I tell them that other ghosts say the same thing, and they do not believe me."

"Don't the other ghosts who feel like you do tell their descendants too?"

The ghost hung his head. "Sad to say, the chains of society still wrap around them in other ways. Most of them refuse to say anything to their descendants, because they know their descendants will be ashamed of them for their 'weakness.' I ask them, why should they care anymore? What do they have to lose? But for most, the rules of society regulate them after death, and they will not break them. They will mouth platitudes to their descendants, tell them everything is fine, and gaman. There are only a few like me who will speak the truth, and their fate is the same: to be ignored.

"Wait a moment... another wishes to use the shrine. I will, for a moment, make way for him." The ghost disappeared, and Harry wondered whether he would now see someone even more emotional and erratic.

"Bow down deeply before the honored ancestor, for we deserve to be treated as living gods, not that you little twerps could ever comprehend--"

"Oh, shut up, Fred," said a grinning Harry. "They can't understand you anyway. It's good to see you."

"You too, Harry. Have you heard any news from home lately?"

Harry shook his head. "Not exactly my priority; I wouldn't even read the Prophet if I could get it here. All the Weasleys okay?"

"Weasleys are all okay," repeated Fred. "Since you're here, I've been having some chats with the somewhat excitable fellow who summoned you here, and some of his friends."

"How did you get hooked up with them?"

"Easy. They were the only Japanese ghosts who would talk to me! What nerve most of them have. Beneath their dignity to have a word with me, don't you know. What a funny country you picked to visit."

"Well, it wasn't me so much as British Airways who picked it, but your point is well taken. What do you think of this whole Antiquity Link business?"

Fred shuddered. "Scary. I'd be doing exactly what he is, only louder. This would never last in England; ghosts would have rebelled as soon as it started. I already told you what it's like. I stayed back by choice, but at least I have the comfort of knowing I can move on any time I want to. It's ironic: the Japanese say the Antiquity Link is so ghosts can help the people they left behind. That's what I'm doing, but it's my bloody choice! Why don't they let people decide?"

"Not the way this society works, I'm afraid," said Harry. "The group comes first; tradition comes first."

"Older people are supposed to come first!" exclaimed Fred. "That's an even bigger irony! Some of these fellows have explained Japanese customs to me. Now I know I'm only getting one side of the story, but they're supposed to respect the elderly. How can you respect something by imprisoning it?"

Harry shook his head. "No argument from me."

Fred sighed. "Well, I suppose if you have a society that makes suffering seem like a noble thing, this gaman thing, combine that with obsessive respect for tradition and a disapproval of anyone who opens their mouth to complain, this might be what you'd get. A sad, sad situation. I hope these blokes can get something done. I really feel for them."

"I do, too," agreed Harry. "Is there anything you could do, like, round up some ghosts from different countries to persuade the Japanese ghosts to change their minds and say something?"

"It could be tried, but these seem like stubborn ghosts. How about you? You're living in the home of a reasonably high-ranking Japanese official--"

Harry laughed. "Don't even think about it. One thing I've learned about this country is that even if I were the Minister of Magic, I couldn't change this system by myself. They revere it, they wouldn't listen to anyone, certainly not me. The only way any change is going to happen is if it comes from the ghosts."

"Yes, it is very strange," agreed Fred. "All right, well, I'll talk to these blokes a little more, see if there's anything I can do. Not that it's so much my business, but I feel bad, because I'm free and they're not. Okay the gent who was here wants the floor back, so I'll be off. Good to see you, Harry."

"You, too," said Harry.

The old ghost returned, apparently full of energy. "Now, that was something to see! Young man, what was your relationship with that ghost?"

Harry shrugged. "We're friends."

"You mean, you were friends."

"No, we're friends now. It doesn't matter that he's dead."

"Do you not revere him?"

Harry laughed out loud. "I would say it as a joke, but no. We're equals, that's all."

The ghost turned to the Japanese men. "We should learn from this. A living person talks to a ghost as if he were another person, exchanging news, making jokes! A ghost who voluntarily stayed behind, to help others! This is all we ask for, the chance to make a choice. If I could be useful to my descendants, perhaps I would stay. But I am worth nothing more than fulfilling a role in a stale ceremony. This Fred should be held up as a model for all of Japanese society!"

Harry laughed again. "He'd love that."

The ghost eyed Harry expectantly. "So, young man, you will help us?"

Harry gave a start. "You heard me tell Fred, there's nothing I can do."

"Nothing with the living Japanese," the ghost clarified. "But there may be much you can do to help the young men here, to help us."

"Whoa, whoa," said Harry. "Look, I'm sorry, but I just can't get involved in this. I sympathize, I really do, but the family I'm staying with would get into really big trouble if I were to do anything like that. I'm afraid my moral support is the most you're going to get."

A strange sensation hit Harry: the knowledge that at least one of the men on the other side of the shrine was going to reach for his wand. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew. Trying to be subtle, he reached for his own.

They all produced their wands, but his was in his hand as well. One of them said, "You know too much--"

In a split second, Harry evaluated his options, and chose a course of action: he Disapparated. The next thing he saw was the section of Tokyo Station which led back to the wizarding world. Acting quickly before anyone might guess where he had gone and follow him, he walked through the portal.

As he walked to the Portkey station in the wizarding downtown area, he thought it over. I could have taken them, obviously, but the prudent thing to do was to get out of there. And unfortunately, I'd better not be visiting Kaz anymore. He didn't mean to, but he nearly got me into a load of trouble. I didn't know that he was so close to the guys who were doing that.

He again thought over whether there was anything he could do for the ghosts who considered themselves trapped, and again came up with nothing. Even if Sato were inclined to help--which he wouldn't--there would be nothing even he could do. And what if most Japanese ghosts didn't agree with that one? For Fred and me, it seems terrible, but what if most really don't mind? No, it's like I said back there. If the ghosts want to change something, it's on them to do it.

He reached the Portkey station, then hesitated, as he had one more decision to make before entering the Sato home: should he tell Sato what had happened? He knew that technically he should, but Sato might feel obliged to report to Aurors that ghosts were planning to do something to disrupt the Antiquity Link, and were being helped by ronin. Harry would be interrogated, asked to give Kaz's location, use him to round up the others... no, he thought, I'm not doing that. I'm not going to help them, but I'm not giving them up, either. It's not my society; I'm staying out of this. He grasped the Portkey.

* * * * *

Next: Chapter 18, The Festival of the Departed: Harry and his host family attend the biggest festival of the year, but Harry finds that the hints of a rebellion by some of the ghosts are more substantial than he had thought.

From Chapter 18: Damn it, thought Harry. He turned to Sato, his tone very serious. "Listen to me. You've got to get the Aurors up there, you've got to let people know what's happening. And you've got to do it right now. This very minute! Do you understand?"