There was the bare hint of the lightening on the horizon which signaled dawn's approach as Natsumi looked out the door and took a deep breath of the air. Her nose was tickled with the scent of not just the sea, but also the various tropical flowers alongside things as the recent rain. There was a very small hint of ozone from the lightening and thunder from the night before. A happy hum escaping from her, the Kitsune stretched as she could hear the sounds of the rest who were getting ready for the day in the hut behind her, 'Well, the past few days have been nice.'
Lightly snorting, the ancient vixen within gave her the impression that she was now rolling her eyes, '{Yes, I will admit to enjoying the past few days, but please do not say anything, even mentally, which could attract the attention of the Irony Gods.}'
Quirking her eyebrow some, Natsumi hummed a bit, 'Do they actually exist?'
Moments later, she blinked as Tamamo answered back, '{While I cannot say if every pantheon had them, the Celestial Bureaucracy did, indeed, have a number assigned to cause ironic situations and to act as, what I believe you would call, Murphy's Agents, as it were.}'
Completely gobsmacked, the younger of the two Kitsunes stared for a moment or two, 'You cannot be serious…'
Dry tone to her voice, Tamamo once more snorted, '{Very serious as a matter of fact, Child.}'
Odd look still on her face, Natsumi furrowed her eyebrows, 'But… why?'
If anything, the older of the two's tone became even more dry, '{Because it is the Celestial Bureaucracy, Child. They'd come up with such if it did not exist before.}'
Very slowly shaking her head, Natsumi sighed, 'That… should not explain anything… and yet, it does. Why…?'
Yet again, Tamamo spoke in that dry tone, '{Because the Celestial Bureaucracy, Child.}'
At that, the teen shook her head before deciding that it was best to simply leave the conversation at that. Ignoring the amused feeling she got from her previous incarnation, Natsumi looked around until her gaze fell onto Harry. Said young man was on the porch with a steaming cup of tea at his side as he was reading through a rather thin book. Ear flicking a bit, she walked over behind him, making sure that he knew she was doing so, and then sat down behind him before hugging him, "Hmm?"
Turning his head, Harry smiled a bit even as there was a slight hint of a blush on his face from how it felt to have her press up against him, "Natsumi-Chan?"
Just kissing his cheek, Natsumi then leaned her head against his as she rubbed their cheeks together, "What are you reading, Harry-Chan?"
Lips twitching some as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, the wizard shook his head and held up the book so that she could see, "Here."
Reading the title, Natsumi raised an eyebrow, "'Giving it a Twirl, How to Apparate'?"
Upon getting an intrigued glance, Harry shook his head some, "Remember what I told you? About one of the things that I am doing while I have the opportunity to do so?"
It took a moment, but the Kitsune's eyebrows shot upwards before she nodded as she murmured a little bit, "I remember… you made mention of your Godfather teaching you how to Apparate, right?"
Bright smile on his face as he gave her cheek a kiss, Harry then nodded some, "Hai, Sirius is going to be teaching me how to Apparate… well, him and Remus, anyways." He then motioned a bit with the book, "But, they've been having me prepare myself with various books about Apparation and the like." Lips twitching some, the green-eyed teen plucked a leaflet from where it was being used as a bookmark in his book, "This doesn't have that much information on it after all."
Very slowly blinking, Natsumi took said leaflet and unfolded it before staring for several moments. Then, she raised her head to look at the amused boy next to her, "… There's barely anything here."
Snort escaping from him, the wizard shook his head some, "Nope, just the common mistakes done when apparating and how to avoid them, hence the name." Then, he held up the book in his hand and shook his head some, "Meanwhile, this book goes more into the mechanics of it as well as how to go about it. Got two more that also goes over it and notes that my Mum… birth Mum, that is, made in preparation to actually teach me."
Gaze softening, Natsumi reached over and grasped his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, one that he fully returned. Neither of them really said anything, but then she spoke up, "How often have you been reading it?"
Bemused look on his face, Harry chuckled slightly, "Actually, this is the fourth time that I've read this book. The rest, I've read five or six times, or a lot more." Giving a small shrug, he shook his head, "Sirius said that next week, he's going to start me on actually practicing the whole thing. Professor Dumbledore is going to let us use the old dueling classroom for it."
Interested, the fox spirit raised an eyebrow, "Any particular reason for that, Harry-Chan?"
Motioning with his finger, Harry hummed a little bit, "Well… he's going to cancel the Anti-Apparation charms in that one room to let us practice. If I misjudge things and accidently apparate in a way that would have me outside the room, I'll smack into the Anti-Apparation spells around the room and bounce back. Will give me one heck of a headache, but… better that than, say, accidentally having me share space with a wall."
At that, Natsumi cringed and looked down at the leaflet, one of the images being an unfortunate wizard that had apparated partway through a window much too small for him. Only good thing was that he was still alive, somewhat at least, judging by how he was motioning with his arms. Beneath him, there was a broken bottle showing exactly why the Apparition had gone so horribly wrong, "… Are you sure that you even want to learn how to do this, Harry-Chan?"
Only shaking his head, the green-eyed fourteen-year-old sighed a bit, "Honestly? I doubt that I'll be using it that often. But… better to have it and not need it, than to need the skill and not have it."
Considering that for several long moments, Natsumi slowly nodded a little bit, "That's… true enough, I suppose." Frown on her face, she then furrowed her eyebrows some, "Though, still a bit confused. Since I'm guessing that you're learning it so that you have a trump card against that creature… wouldn't he set up spells to prevent its usage?"
With a slow nod, Harry rubbed the back of his head, "Hai, you'd be right about that, Natsumi-Chan." Then, he tilted his head to the side some, "That doesn't mean that it wouldn't be useful in other ways. When I'm part of the JMSDF and need to boot it somewhere, I could just apparate nearby for example.
Finger tapping against her cheek, the Kitsune slowly nodded, "That… is a good point." A small blush rose in her cheeks at her next thought, '… And that could mean that if Harry-Chan has even a little bit of free time while in the Academy, he could just apparate back into Yokosuka…'
Moments later, Tamamo then spoke up, '{Our Harry is quite smart in this, however. While it is not useful in a situation such as against the Creature after him, he could use it in other situations.}' Suddenly, Natsumi's blush intensified at her next words, '{Such as, say, teleporting when hearing about one of his wives giving birth.}'
Quickly shaking her head, Natsumi cleared her throat, '… Good point.' A thought then struck her and she frowned, '… Now I wonder if I could learn it?'
At that, chuckles escaped from her previous incarnation, '{I do not see a reason why you may not be able to do so, my Child. And I do agree, it would also be extremely useful for us as well.}'
Dry tone to her thoughts, Natsumi cocked an eyebrow, 'Such as avoiding traffic on the way to work.' A thought then struck her and she frowned, '… I wonder how that is going to be handled? Someone who knows it could use it to break into places that don't have the countermeasures in place after all…'
That only got a hum from the other fox spirit, but no comment.
Harry, for his part, meanwhile had turned back to his book and shook his head a little bit, 'Dry… but still a better read than that one book.'
Not even a few seconds later, Natsue spoke up from the depths of his own mind, '{Hmm? Which book?}'
Rolling his eyes mentally, the wizard sighed, 'That "I'm going to put some dirt in your eye" by someone named Bully Maguire.'
Upon hearing that, Natsue gave him a small nod, '{Ah, that one. Hai, I remember it now… you scoffed at what was in it from what I remember.}'
Yet again lightly snorting, Harry once more mentally rolled his eyes, 'And with good reason.'
Lightly laughing, his previous incarnation only nodded, '{True since, after all… you're a Rizzard, Harry-Kun.}'
About to nod, Harry paused and blinked, '… I'm a what now?'
Giggles escaping from her, which he did find rather nice sounding, Natsue gave him the mental equivalent of a grin, '{I wonder now…}'
Despite him asking again, he got no further answers and only shrugged some as he went back to reading his book.
Soon afterwards, the rest of the group were gathered around the area with the cooking fire as the Sun began to slowly peak above the horizon in the east, the sky blazing with reds and pinks as it did so. Happily taking one of the plates of cooked food, Shioi looked around with a thoughtful look, "Any idea what is planned for today? Or are we just winging it?"
With a hum, Harry leaned back his head in thought before glancing at Niiyodo, who shook her head slightly. Turning back to the tanned Submarine, he gave her a small smile, "Honestly? Today is our last day here since I'm going to be using the time turner to turn back time to get on the Hogwarts Express back to Hogwarts."
Just taking a sip of juice, Verniy gave a small nod, "Da, so today is a day to simply have fun and relax."
Leaning back some, the teenage wizard nodded at that with a small smile on his face, "Da, that's what I think would be best to do."
It was then that Ren spoke up a little bit as she glanced at the rising Sun and rubbed her chin in thought, "Hmm… A bit of a shame that we cannot practice a little bit, Harry-Kun, and have to wait until our… um… date… is done tomorrow before we can do so in your female form."
Even as Harry nodded, Shinano perked up a little bit, "You're going on a date tomorrow with Harry-Chan?"
Ducking her head slightly with a blush visible on her tan skin, the Huli-Jing/Kitsune nodded, "Hai, myself and Harry-Kun will be going tomorrow on a date with each other to Hogsmeade with him making use of his female form to do so."
Confused and somewhat lost, Ayase frowned and looked between them, "Why would you need to be in your female form, Harry-Kun?"
Only releasing a breath, Harry shook his head with a small grimace, "Well… the issue is that right now, most people know of Ren-Chan as being my sensei, my teacher. While, personally, I do not care and wish that the two of us could be open about being together…"
Realization on their faces, the group of shipgirls and one Abyssals nodded with Hamakaze deeply frowning, "It could cause issues for Ren-Chan if it was found out."
Grimace growing on his face, the green-eyed teen nodded with a grumble, "Hai." Sigh escaping from him, Harry then shook his head, "I have little doubt that if it was found out that the two of us are together, that it would cause backlash, especially against Ren-Chan." A rare look of anger crossed his face, "Remember when it got out that I was dating some of you?"
Nearly as one, a similar grimace to his appeared on all of their faces as they gave understanding nods. Being as popular as shipgirls were, there were protocols and the like regarding them and things that they received, as well as what loved ones might from their more extreme "Fans". It would not be the first time after all.
Thankfully, Dumbledore set aside a small room specifically for said packages sent to them after Rita Skeeter had printed an article about it back in the fall. And even better, they had Haru and several other experienced magical users go over said packages and envelopes. No one wanted injuries and the like, and Aurors were notified about a few of the nastier ones.
Sumiko herself had commented that her mother would have been slightly impressed with how nasty some of the spellwork on a few packages were, which knowing said Kitsune, said some things…
Only shaking her head free of such thoughts, Niiyodo adjusted her glasses slightly, "So, you're getting around that by using your female form instead to go on a date with Ren-Chan tomorrow?"
With a nod and a shrug, Harry smiled a little bit, "Hai… though I am going to be using my time turner first to turn back time so that we can have all day after my classes and such." Then, he grinned a little bit and laughed as he placed his hands behind his head, "Though, it does serve another purpose as well as a matter of fact."
Eyebrow raised, Hachi hummed a little bit, "Another purpose, Harry-Chan? What sort of purpose would that be?"
Chuckles escaping from him, the fourteen-year-old wizard shook his head, "Mainly, I am going to be known to be inside of the castle at the time. People are going to be seeing me in class and the like, going back and forth. Meanwhile, they're also going to be seeing my female self in Hogsmeade at the same time. Doing things like shopping and the like while on a date with Ren-Chan…"
It took a few moments, but Iku's eyes widened alongside the other shipgirls and lone Abyssal. Then, a thoughtful look crossed her face as she leaned forward slightly, "Which means that they're going to assume that the two of you are different people. Especially with how it is known that transforming from one sex to another is impossible for a human."
Large grin on his face, Harry snapped his fingers toward her, "Hai, exactly what I am expecting to happen, Iku-Chan. And that also helps me a lot in other ways as well, as my female form will be a trump card against anyone who might cause me issues. For example, some of the other students in Slytherin as well as the other two schools. At most, they'll consider me a young woman who might know Harry Potter through his sensei, Ren. They won't realize that we're both the same people."
Upon Imuya's face was a grin of her own as she shook her head back and forth, "That… is a very clever plan, Harry-Chan. And one that will probably work out great for you, especially as it is simple."
Very slowly shaking his head, the wizard sighed a bit, "Well, at the least that is what I am hoping for anyways. And I already got a potion brewed that will make me look a few years older as well, which should help out a lot as well." Then, he gave a small shrug and snorted some with an amused look on his face, "Besides which? I kind of need to go shopping anyways, especially for clothes."
Odd looks on their faces, most of the females there shared confused glances. Until that was, Hatsuzuki spoke up with a frown on her face, "Um, why would you need to go shopping for clothes, Harry-Chan? Did something happen with your own clothes?"
Shaking his head, Harry smiled a little bit before transforming once more into "Harriet" in front of them. Part of her was amused at how they gave her a once over before clearing her throat and gesturing at herself with one hand, "Well, as you can see pretty easily? I… can't honestly wear my usual clothes as a guy while in this form. And the crossplay clothes that I have won't really fit that easily to be honest."
Amused quirk to her lips, Natsumi looked her up and down before licking her lips a little bit, "Well… I think that you wearing Hestia's outfit from Danmachi would be quite nice to see…"
That made the transformed teen blink some, especially as blushes appeared on the various other girls' faces before she looked down at herself in thought, "Huh… I'd probably make that work now that you mention it. Maybe something to keep in mind next time that I go cosplay."
Not having expected that response, Natsumi blushed a little bit as she could fully imagine her boyfriend, currently girlfriend, in just such an outfit, '… Can't wait.'
For a brief moment, RO narrowed her eyes in thought and leaned forward. But then, she was back to normal and hummed a bit as she raised an eyebrow, "How much are you going to be buying, Harry-Chan? And where are you going to be putting them once you're done?"
Caught off guard, Harry frowned and looked up at the sky in thought as she hummed, "Well, I am mainly going to be going for the basics that any girl would have, I guess? The essentials basically. As for where I am going to be putting them? I'm going to be using one of the trunks with expanded insides, already set it up and such." Then, she turned back to RO with a frown, "Why?"
Smirk on her face, the tanned Uboat shrugged some, "No particular reason, Harry-Chan…" Despite the suspicious look she got from Harry, RO said nothing more… to her, anyways. Over the airwaves, she spoke up to the others, {Do you all remember the recent gift that Harry-Chan got for us to use for our own clothes…?}
Grins appearing on some faces and smiles on the others, she got nods, even as Harry narrowed her eyes more, 'What are they up to…?'
