Itoshii Sune-ku

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.


Itoshii Sune-ku

Chapter 7: Taimen Ato Ookami.

"Who are you?" Harry spun around, looking for the person the soft voice belonged to. Rhapsody had said to stay there until she got back from the bathroom, but he wasn't sure if she wanted him to stay when there was someone he didn't know around. Aunt Petunia always said never to talk to people he didn't know. And though the voice SOUNDED familiar, didn't mean he knew'em. 'Hooboy. I'm in trouble...Wait. Maybe not. What was it she said? I'm meeting my family at different places. I have to pick up one sister near 'Fresco Cafe Bar.' And another at 'Action Bikes' eight blocks away. Hmm...We're at 'Fresco Cafe Bar' right now. Maybe...'

"Who are you?" He called, trying not to let on that he was even remotely scared.

"I am me. Who are you?" The Voice retorted. Harry turned in a full circle. Looking up, then to his left, he thought to himself. 'Well, all right. I'll play.' Replying to The Voice, he said,

"I am me, too. Where are you?" The Voice giggled, but it didn't sound like a little kid's giggle. Not a twittering one, nor really high pitched. More likeone of thosetiny puppy's growling, in an attempt to sound menacing.

"I am here. Where are you?" The Voice repeated.

"I am here. Do you have a name?" Harry asked, feeling a little urge to giggle like The Voice had done moments ago.

"I have a name. Do you?" The Voice giggled out, It had begun giggling before the end of Its question.

"I have a name. Will you tell me yours?"

"I will. If you tell me yours." Harry did giggle this time. And at the sound of his laughter, The Voice squealed and clapped, saying excitedly.

"I did it! I made you giggle!" Then, sounding slightly abashed, The Voice backpeddled.

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself. I'm not usually this hyper. It's the food. Got to be." Harry giggled again, smiling from ear to ear.

"You were attempting to get me to laugh?" The Voice giggled again, sounding a little nervous now.

"I was." Said The Voice, sounding as if from Harry's right, which he turned to.

"Hope you don't mind. I think I ate too much sweet butter. It's made me a little loopy...I think..." The Voice giggled once again, though this time it sounded repressed. Harry smiled, turning again in the direction of The Voice.

"Sweet butter? What's that? Is it good?" Harry asked, smiling still.

"Oh! It's wonderful! You must try some sometime! Basically, it's butter, with cinamon, sugar, and just a tad of white vanilla flavoring. It's wonderful! Oh! I'll have to get Rhaps to make it for you! Yay!" The Voice stopped suddenly and seemed to stare at him, questioningly.

"Um...No offense meant, or anything, but...What's your name? I can't exactly ask her to make something for you if I don't even know who you are. I seem to forget things like that. Humph...Stupid memory." The Voice pouted. Or at least, that's what Harry assumed it was doing, since he couldn't very well SEE a face--or body for that matter, to go along with 'The Voice' as he's dubbed it.

"What's wrong with memory?" Harry asked.

"Nothing. It's just mine's not as good as Rhaps'. Plus, whenever I'm on a butter buzz, I kinda get a little out of it. I know. I know. I wasn't supposed to eat all of it. Rhaps is going to be so mad at me now. I'm supposed to be lucid, darn it." Yep. Still pouty. Harry looked around, he still couldn't find the body to go with The Voice. He sighed, threw his hands up in the air, and exclaimed.

"Will you please come out now? It's kinda eerie talking to a voice that basically has no body. It's really strange!" The Voice didn't respond for a few moments, and Harry was beginning to think The Voice had left. Just as he was about to call out, The Voice asked him.

"How old are you?" Harry blinked once. He certainly hadn't been expecting that, just then.

"I'm six." Harry answered. When The Voice answered, it seemed as if it shrugged before doing so.

"Okay. Whatever." Harry, who had been standing, facing the Fresco Cafe Bar, jumped back when a shadowy figure fell from the sky. The figure stood, and Harry saw that it was wearing a huge cloak, like Rhapsody was wearing. The hood of the cloak was pulled down by very deathly pale looking hands, in the flourescent street lights. Once the hood was down, the figure placed their hands on their hips.

"Well? Are you going to say anything?" The Voice asked. The Voice, turning out to be a girl that looked near EXACTLY like Rhapsody. There was only a few subtle diferences, but still. VERY nearly. Where Rhapsody has straight black hair, this girl has curly black hair. Where Rhapsody has DARK blue eyes, that look nearly black, so much so that you can't even see the pupils. This girl has bright, BRIGHT amber colored eyes. They positively glowed. The heavy cloak didn't cover her whole figure. She was just as tiny as her sister. Her features weren't all like Rhapsody's, either. While his new friend's features were thin, with high cheek bones, she looked like the innocent little seven year old she supposedly wasn't. Well, that, and one of those little glassdolls that Mrs. Figg seems to enjoy collecting.

But this girl looked a bit older than seven, maybe nine, or ten. Still childish looking, but not so much as her own age. Harry huffed, looking at her high cheeks and filled in face.

"Why is it that you and your sister look like angels?" Harry blurted out, before he could stop himself. The girl laughed, amber eyes glittering.

"We're not human. What do you expect?" She retorted.

"Well, I expected you to look a bit different from each other. A bit, as in, I am able to tell you apart." She laughed once more.

"We may not be the same species, but we're still the same. We do have the same blood, you know. So, there are only subtle differences between us all. Well...Umm...Besides the one difference in gender. But that's about it." She coughed, a bit embarrassed at the last part. Harry raised a brow.

"Mm-kay. So. What's your name?" She giggled, feeling extremely giddy all of a sudden.

"Puddin' Tai. Ask me again, I'll tell you the same."

Harry stared at her, gobsmacked.

"Please, Aji, don't tell me you're buzzed." Harry jumped at the sound of another voice and turned to see Rhapsody walking up to them, holding what looked like two cups of coffee. Which turned out to be right.

"You drink coffee?" He gasped.

Rhaspody stared at him as she handed one of the cups to her sister, for which she squealed, and drank happily. Rhapsody rolled her eyes.

"Yep. She's buzzed." Harry looked at her, bemused.

"What's buzzed?" The pale girl sighed longingly, looking at her cup.

She tell you about sweet butter?" Harry nodded, and she continued.

"Well, as you know, this is Aji. She has a thing for sweets. And normally that's not a bad thing for a child her age. But her bodyworks differently from others. Her system reacts to what she eats, most of the time anyway. Other times it's just when she's in aenormous bad mood. But, when it reacts to the sweets, she becomes excessively hyper. And giddy. Like one of them flower girls. Or a prep. I've heard of them. Though, I've never seen one before. That'd be so neat. Anyway! Getting off track. She gets hyper from sweets. And when she's in a bad mood, she basically becomes mute. Which is sometimes better than being hyper.

When she gets hyper, we just say she's Buzzed. Because she pretty much is. And she likes that phrase for some odd reason none of us has been able to figure out yet. Soo...That's about it. Any questions?" Harry stared at her. Then slowly, unblinkingly shook his head, 'no.' Rhapsody giggled.

"Struck dumb, are you?" Harry snapped out of it, and replied indignately.

"Hey! I'm not dumb. I can speak very well, thank you oh so flippin' much." Harry watched as Rhapsody and her sister, Aji, looked at each other, then back to him, and burst out laughing.

"Oh, my gosh! Harry! This is wonderful!" Rhapsody gasped, between giggles.

"You're beginning to talk like Rhapsody!" Aji bounced up and down, holding her cup out in front of herself, to keep it from spilling.

"You said 'flippin'! That's my word! Oh yay! You're going to fit right in with us!" Harry flushed a dark red, and bowed his head. Fighting a smile, he thought to himself. 'Maybe Aunt Petunia judged her right. Maybe she is the perfect family for me.' Harry sighed, looked up, and smiled brightly at them.

"Well, are we going? Come on! There's still two more sisters, and a brother to go! I want to meet them." Harry laughed. Rhapsody, Harry, and Aji, picked up their things, their backpacks and shoes, (Aji, whose shoes were on the roof) and decided to set off. Harry counting the blocks to the next stop.

Fifteen minutes after getting to know each other.

"I'm hungry!" Aji. (Still fairly buzz-y)

"You're always hungry!" Harry & Rhapsody.