me the second i finished writing and editing this chapter at 6 in the goddamn morning: YEET

—An Explanation, A Confession, An Apology—

I should have done something.

Harry lost count of the number of times the thought had rolled through his head since they arrived at the Hospital Ward with Kagome in tow; now, under Madam Pomfrey's stern instruction, he was sitting on the edge of a cot, looking on with watchful eyes as the nurse casted her diagnostic spells over Kagome's unconscious body.

His fingers curled around the edge of his cot as he looked on, clenching around the soft cushion. Kagome had passed out before they had made it to the ward, finally succumbing to her exhaustion, and once she was left to Madam Pomfrey's care, Professor McGonagall left to report to the Headmaster while Snape went – where, Harry didn't know, and honestly couldn't really find it within himself to care much at the moment.

Left to waiting and watching as Madam Pomfrey looked Kagome over, Harry couldn't stop himself from thinking about what happened, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became – at himself.

He had done… absolutely nothing.

Harry almost laughed, thinking back on how he stubbornly refused to listen to Kagome and leave her behind. What good did it even do? When all he did, when all he could do was stand behind Kagome, rooted to the ground by his fear and shaking like a leaf as he pointed an unsteady wand at the demon?

And Kagome…

Harry's gaze fell to her face – her complexion was still waxy and pale, covered in a sheen of sweat that had yet to dry. Her brows had drawn together in an uncomfortable furrow, lips pressing tightly together to form a tight line. While her breaths had evened out a little once she slipped unconscious, they were still shallow, her chest rising and falling at an uneasy pace.

Looking at her now made him recall the standoff between her and the demon that confronted them with vivid memory – the words that were said, the power that Kagome displayed in defense, the look on the demon's face – the fear, as if he'd recognized it and knew it to be deadly…

It wasn't just magic.

Harry's hand drifted to the bracelet tied around his wrist, fingers running across the smooth, round surface of the beads, recalling the words Kagome had said that Christmas morning…

"Miko and monks, shrine priestesses and priests that is, they once possessed holy abilities – you know, tied to our Shinto gods – to fight demons and such."

Kagome wasn't just a witch.

Kagome was a priestess too, one of these miko of old.

Harry felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner – why else, how else, could she possibly protect the artifact that hung around her neck, why she was the only one capable of doing so when it was craved by demons and wizards alike, if not because she was one of the few left with abilities to defend against them?

Harry only wondered why Kagome never mentioned it to him before…

"Harry?"

The sound of his name jolted him out of his thoughts so suddenly that he jumped, almost lurching off the edge of the cot – would've too, had it not been for the white-knuckled grip he still maintained over the edge.

"Professor?" Harry said as he looked up to find Dumbledore standing above him, peering closely over the rim of his silver spectacles.

Dumbledore gave him a considering look, eyes passing over Kagome for a moment, who was still being looked over by Madam Pomfrey, before turning back to Harry. His gaze was kind and knowing and made Harry duck his head, shifting in his spot as heat began to pool in his face.

"Are you unharmed?"

Harry jerked at the Headmaster's gentle question, his head popping back up to stare up at him. "I—yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

Madam Pomfrey paused in her diagnostics at that, eagle-eyes scanning over him in a quick cursory glance. She gave her wand a quick flick over her shoulder, lips pursed in concentration. "But how are you feeling, Mister Potter?" she pressed.

"Fine, I'm fine," Harry quickly assured her to wave off her attention. "Just… tired. It's Kagome I'm worried about."

The nurse gave him a small smile. "As I expected." Behind her, a small vial floated up, passing her to make its way towards Harry. "Just something to perk up then, and calm you as well, if you'd like. You seem a little frazzled, I must say."

Taking the vial, Harry stared at it for a long, considering moment before popping the cork and downing it in one go. "Thank you," he said after swallowing. A cool, soothing sensation began to steadily spread outwards from his stomach, and as he took a deep breath, he felt something in his chest settle. "Kagome though, is – is she alright? She didn't…" He stopped suddenly, swallowing thickly as the memory of Kagome, pale as the snow and her breathing labored, rose to the forefront of his mind. "She didn't sound too good…"

Madam Pomfrey turned back to regard her primary patient. "Magical exhaustion, it seems to be," she mused with a curious lilt. "I'm not quite finished yet, of course, but that does appear to be the likeliest suspect. If so, a calming potion and rest should do the trick." She gave him another smile, this one a bit kinder, if a little knowing as well, and it had the heat returning to his cheeks once more. "Don't worry, Mr. Potter. She'll recover easily enough."

"Harry," Dumbledore's voice gently interrupted, drawing his attention back towards him. "If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me what happened outside Hogsmeade?"

"Oh, right," Harry said, scratching at his cheek. Of course Dumbledore would want to know more about the demon lurking outside the village. "Well. So, we were on our way back when Kagome began acting… funny, I guess. All of a sudden she was saying she had to go back into the village, that she left her wallet, but… she wanted us to go ahead without her. I didn't listen," he admitted, a little shamefaced as he recalled their row about it, his fists curling over his thighs. "It wasn't long after that someone just – appeared behind us on the way. A… a demon."

A soft hum escaped the headmaster as he listened, thoughtful with a note of curiosity. "She told you?"

Harry wondered if he meant the demon in question, or about demons in general. "No, she… Kagome didn't need to."

Blazing scarlet eyes that glowed with an unnatural light – that was what confirmed it for him, that whoever it was wasn't truly human. But even without it, Harry just knew – like some kind of instinct that warned him something was amiss.

"I… I could tell? There was just something… Different." A shivered threatened to crawl up his spine, just thinking about it. "And then it was obvious when he later…" he trailed off in search for the word, "Transformed, I guess you could say. His eyes, they were red, too. Never seen anything like it…"

"I see," Dumbledore murmured, a severity to his tone. The older wizard gestured for him to continue.

Harry sighed, his brows furrowing as he continued to recall the encounter for the Headmaster – what the demon said about the rumors being true, of "a power like no other hiding at Hogwarts," even as he didn't expect it to be with someone like Kagome. How Kagome kept her cool despite it all, despite the threats, to stall and keep him talking long enough for the others to let the Professors know even if the demon knew of her plan the whole time.

How the demon didn't even care, so confident in his abilities, so arrogant.

"I had my wand on him the whole time, and he only seemed annoyed by it," Harry muttered, annoyed himself and frustrated to boot.

Dumbledore didn't seem surprised. "Demons do happen to possess a natural resistance to magic," he commented, echoing what Kagome had told him before. "Though the degree depends on a number of factors of course: the strength of the demon, as well as the one casting, not to mention the spell used."

Harry felt his head tip to the side, studying the Headmaster. "So, you mean you'd be able to cast a spell on a demon?" The thought didn't surprise him much.

After all, if anyone could it would be Dumbledore.

The wizened man let out a soft chuckle, the sound a touch wry. "Against most, perhaps. I have my doubts, however, that any of my spells would have much of an effect on someone of say, the Minister of Japan's caliber. But… Harry, there are always ways around such obstacles."

Harry filed that away to consider later, though he did wonder how strong Kagome's guardian would have to be, to be able to match someone like Dumbledore.

"It wasn't until the demon threatened me that Kagome… reacted. I don't…" Harry paused, concentrating back on the weapon Kagome had summoned. "It's like she conjured a bow. Except it wasn't really? It was made of this really bright pink light, and when she shot an arrow made of the same light, it was like she burned the demon."

Dumbledore didn't reply to that, though his gaze did sharpen. Harry couldn't help but notice there was a glint to his otherwise glittering pale blue eyes – one that made him shift on the edge of his cot, unsettled and uncertain. But when he blinked, the glint was gone as if it was never there in the first place and left him wondering if he was only seeing things.

Harry shook his head, pulling off his glasses and wiping the lens with his sleeve for good measure. He had seen a lot of things today, his head was getting fuzzy from it, he was sure. Steering his eyes away from the Headmaster, he turned back to Kagome instead and when he did, he was suddenly hit with the strong desire to see her open her eyes, to hear her voice.

Madam Pomfrey had carefully administered a potion earlier as he was talking to Dumbldore – a calming one, considering that Kagome's brow had smoothed over – and had left her to rest. Now, she was no longer sweating and as it was, Harry was pretty sure the colour was returning to her face.

Seeing it eased the worry fluttering nervously in his chest, allowed him to relax, if only a little. But it wouldn't be until she finally woke that he'd be able to rest easy, that much he was sure.

He just really hoped it would be soon.

When Kagome came to it was to every inch of her body aching and stiff with exhaustion. Her head felt fuzzy, her senses dull, and it took her a moment for her eyesight to focus before finally she realized she was laid out in one of the cots in the Hospital Wing.

It took her another moment to register the people standing at the end of her bed, and that they were clearly in the middle of a conversation that had so obviously paused upon her stirring.

"You're awake."

"Ah…" Kagome breathed out, eyebrows rising. Between the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall at either side of the foot of her cot stood Sesshomaru and Shippo, the former sporting his usual indiscernible expression and the latter wearing his worry openly. "Nishimura-sama, Himura-san," she greeted, only to clear her throat when her voice came out roughly.

She wasn't expecting to see them so soon, at least not until the second task next week.

"Kagome…" Shippo moved to her bedside to crouch beside to her, so swift in his steps that she almost suspected he used a bit of his demonic speed. "Thank the gods you're alright," he murmured, and though his hand hovered over her own for a blink of a moment, it settled on her arm to give a comforting squeeze.

Sesshomaru then spoke up. "Your… friend," Kagome couldn't help but shift uncomfortably at the noticeable pause before the last word, so much meaning suggested in just a lone second, "Already informed us what happened. I am pleased to see neither of you were harmed."

"Harry?" Kagome said, sitting up upon realizing the boy in question was nowhere to be seen, or rather tried to. She struggled a bit at first as moving felt like trying to push through sludge before Shippo placed a hand on her back and helped to guide her into a sitting position. "Where, uh, where is he?" she asked, faintly out of breath.

"Ah, right here."

Kagome craned around Shippo and audibly breathed out in relief at the sight of her boyfriend sitting on the cot next to hers, safe and sound while giving her an awkward little wave.

Thank the gods, she thought, bringing a hand to her chest, as if to help calm her rapidly beating heart.

"Kagome?" Kagome turned to Shippo at the concern in his voice, and knew that he could hear the hard, fast rhythm himself.

Before she knew it, her eyes were stinging something fierce.

"I never should have came here," she quietly moaned, sinking into the cot and burying her face into her hands, ignoring the alarmed noises that erupted around her. "This was such a stupid mistake."

"Kagome, hey, no, calm down." Shippo hastily tried to soothe, but she shook her head. "You're fine, you're both fine, everyone is fine."

She gave a shaky scoff, pulling her hands from her face to stare up at the kitsune. "Demons," she stressed, voice cracking, "I brought demons to the school."

Shippo was already dismissing her claim with a shake of his own head before she was finished. "One," he interjected, voice tinged with exasperation and a plea – to stop, to believe him. "It was one, Kagome. Not an army."

The sound that worked itself out of her throat was near hysterical. "One is more than enough to get someone killed."

"Enough," Sesshomaru said, cutting in, and though his voice was quiet he spoke with a finality that demanded compliance. "We all had agreed that this school was the safest place for you to learn magic, despite the risks."

The look she shot the daiyoukai was incredulous. "The risk being wizards."

The one Sesshomaru slated her in return was one that brooked no further argument. "That was not the only risk that was brought into consideration, nor was it the only one prepared for."

Many things occurred to her at once then: that they knew demons would come for her even here and that they did not see fit to warn her; that that was also the real reason Kirara came to the school, not because of her kidnapping.

But she cared for neither – all she cared was one thing.

"This was never supposed to put anybody else in danger!" she snapped, tears finally spilling over her cheeks. Kagome swiped at them roughly.

What she cared about was that the whole reason she left Japan was so that the rumors surrounding the resurgence of the "Shikon miko" and the jewel wouldn't be traced back to her family and put others at risk – that the massive amount of pure, sentient magic of Hogwarts was supposed to help mask her presence.

What she cared about was the fact that she put her friends, put Harry, in danger.

And now that she was here, with not just wizards but demons after the stupid, worthless glass bauble, she couldn't help but wonder what was the fucking point?

She was so lucky today. So incredibly lucky.

Armed with no bow but a wand that was practically useless, there was no way she could fend the demon off on her own. All she could do was create a barrier and hope it would hold up against him long enough until someone could come.

But what stuck with her the most was that the demon had been watching her. Watching them.

He had tracked her down and stalked her like prey and she had never even realized it, not until it was almost too late, and because of that Harry was put right into the demon's sights.

Because they were on a date together.

The demon had no problem with using Harry as a means to get the jewel from her in the end – and she couldn't help but shudder at the thought of what could have happened if instead of confronting her at first, the demon had gone straight after Harry at a time she wasn't there to stop him.

This wasn't like the Feudal Era, where even herself and Shippo had some way to defend themselves. Demons weren't by any means immune, but they did have a natural resistance to magic. And while Harry was a talented wizard Kagome couldn't for the life of her think of any possible way he'd be able to put up a fight on his own against a demonic threat.

And that absolutely terrified her.

There was a tremor in her voice when she spoke once more, her fingers curling and clutching fistfuls of the blanket that covered her. "When the demon threatened Harry…" she broke off, choking up because all she could remember was thinking back to Inuyasha dying – how absolutely helpless she felt back then, when she could do nothing but watch, how raw panic consumed her whole, overwhelming and all-encompassing because she couldn't lose someone important to her, not again, not because of the jewel, not because of her.

Most of all she just couldn't lose Harry, not like that, not while she was there to do something about it.

She heard Harry himself say her name, pulling her back to the present. Closing her eyes at the sound of his stricken murmur, she tried to steady herself, pulling in deep, slow breaths. "I don't know what happened," she said after a long moment, the desolation that clawed at her chest audible in her voice. "How I did what I did…"

The snap she felt, deep in at the base of her sternum, the current of pure energy washing over her before it pooled at her fingertips, coalescing into blinding pink light swirling around her hand, the weight against her palm, feather-light and yet at the same time, substantially solid.

Instinct was what propelled her forward, what had her charging forth, drawing her bow and releasing her arrow.

Kagome felt heady, just thinking about it.

"I just knew I couldn't let the demon… I couldn't…" She swallowed, eyes clenching shut against the growing ache deep in her chest. "Not again," she confessed at last, her voice dropping to a small whisper.

Not because of me…

Only Shippo and Sesshomaru knee what she meant by that, tellingly by the way the kitsune sucked in a breath and the daiyoukai stiffened. She could feel Harry's eyes boring into her and avoided it – knowing if she met them, she'd see the inquiry within.

She'd tell him. Soon, she would – about the time travelling, the trips to the past, the battles she fought, and the friend she lost at the end.

She was tired of hiding it now, and there was no point when he already knew about the jewel and her. And he deserved to know, especially after today.

Just… just not yet. Not right now.

"Kagome…" she heard Shippo murmur, and she couldn't stand the pain in his voice.

She shook her head instead, peering at the windows – the curtains were drawn together, but she couldn't see any light behind them. "How long have I been out?" she asked, turning to the other adults, "What time is it?"

"Time for Mister Potter to leave if he wishes to attend dinner tonight," Professor McGonagall answered. She had been quiet during her argument with Sesshomaru and Shippo, as had Professor Dumbledore, electing to watch instead with thoughtful deliberation. She spared Kagome a sympathetic look as she continued, "Madam Pomfrey will be keeping you for observation through the night," before turning to Harry to add, "And I believe Miss Higurashi's guardians wish to speak to her alone," when her boyfriend looked like he was about to decline.

Sesshomaru dipped his head in a polite nod, letting his steady gaze settle on Harry. "Yes, that would be appreciated."

The expression on Harry's face was nothing but reluctant, but still he stood up from the cot, nodding in deference. "I'll see you tomorrow morning?" he murmured quietly as he moved closer to Kagome's cot. He placed his hand beside hers, close enough that they were brushing, too conscious of their current company.

Not that she could blame him – though the Headmaster was kind enough to turn his attention elsewhere and feign an interest in the drapery himself, Professor McGonagall was trying to hide a small smile and failing.

Shippo on the other hand didn't even bother to try and hide his own grin, while Sesshomaru only raised an eyebrow and waited with infuriating patience.

"Hopefully," Kagome eventually murmured, nudging her hand against his. "I mean," she said louder this time, enough so that Madam Pomfrey could hear from her desk. "I feel loads better already. I'm sure I can make it to dinner too."

"Only to return when you end up vomiting it right back up?" The healer's response was prompt and decisive, her head never looking up from the tome she was studying. "I think not. I doubt you'd even make it three steps from that cot before dropping."

Kagome sighed heavily, giving her boyfriend a sheepish shrug. "I tried."

Harry was biting his lip trying not to laugh and just looking at him made Kagome want to hug him all of a sudden. "G'night, Kagome."

Instead, stuck in bed as she was with five pairs of prying eyes upon them, she settled for placing her hand on top of his and giving it a quick squeeze. "Night…"

Harry left soon after that escorted by Professor McGonagall, though not without one last look over his shoulder before the doors closed behind him, and when he had finally left and Kagome turned back to her guardians it was to one with a indecipherable expression while the other was grinning broadly.

Settling her gaze on the latter she opened her mouth, a warning on the tip of her tongue.

"That's so adorable," Shippo cooed before she could get a word out edgewise and the miko-witch groaned, sinking into her cot and wishing it would consume her whole. The kitsune let out an exaggerated, wistful sigh, rolling his neck to turn his sappy gaze onto Sesshomaru. "Young love…"

Sesshomaru's own gaze went skyward, expression growing pinched. "If you're done…"

A soft huff of laughter escaped Dumbledore as he shook his head. "Though I am pleased to see how close you've grown with one another," he murmured, voice raspy and amused, "I agree, there are other more… pertinent things to discuss at the moment."

Kagome sunk into her cot as Dumbledore slipped his wand from his sleeve. "My apologies, Poppy, for the rudeness, but the information we will be discussing is rather sensitive."

The medi-witch waved him off, unoffended. "Do what you need to, Albus."

The wizard nodded. Twirling his wand in a circle, a golden, sparkling tendril of magic followed, tracing the floor around them before rising into the air above to form a dome that shimmered in place for a few seconds before fading away.

Once it was done, the wizard gave a silent nod to the other two adults to indicate it was safe to talk before all three of them turned to face Kagome.

Dumbledore was the first to speak, his voice soft and kind. "Does Harry know about the burden you carry?"

It certainly wasn't the first thing Kagome thought he'd ask about. "About the jewel?" she said, eyes flickering to Sesshomaru and Shippo. They were watching the Headmaster rather closely. "He knows that it's under my protection and why there are people after it."

"Good," Dumbledore murmured, thumbing the end of his beard. "I'm glad you were able to find someone to confide in."

Kagome was still watching Shippo and Sesshomaru, the former smiling when he noticed. "Hey, you know we trust you," he said, moving back to crouch by her bed. His hand fell on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "If you think the kid is trustworthy enough, you can share whatever you want with him."

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was notably silent right up until the moment Dumbledore spoke next.

"I trusted your judgement when we spoke in front of the International Council, and I stand by it now. I feel that I must ask, however, in light of recent events…" He waved a hand over to Kagome, his expression becoming somber and imploring, "Why can we not relieve young Kagome of the burden she carries?"

Sesshomaru met Kagome's gaze for a very long moment. Her throat went dry, an unsettling feeling in her stomach, but she didn't speak. Fortunately, Sesshomaru did so in her stead. "The Shikon corrupts," the daiyoukai calmly said, features stoic as he turned towards the headmaster. "The reason it must stay in her hands is because she is the only one that can keep its presence hidden, from it beckoning demons and humans alike, and the one that can resist it the best. Even in the hands of humans, it would inevitably tempt them."

Dumbledore gave a thoughtful hum, rubbing his beard. "According to Harry, the demon said it was able to sense it."

"Not the Jewel," Kagome interjected at last, "They said it themselves, they just sensed… power." She thought back to what the demon said, recounting their words. "Someone told them about a power being here, but they didn't know about me or the jewel. They seemed surprised that it was with me."

"The demon has already been taken care of," Sesshomaru informed her, "But as for rumors… we will need to investigate their origins. That he knew of it but not what it was is… curious."

Kagome recalled one other thing the demon had said to her. "He implied he learned it from a wizard," she said, looking up at the daiyoukai.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Is that so…" His gaze flickered toward the headmaster.

Dumbledore met his stare evenly. "You've said it yourself," the wizard began, still idly stroking his beard. "Curious and in need of investigating with regards to their origins. A matter that can be discussed later, of course," he then added, letting his hand fall away to lock with his other behind his back. When he turned back to Kagome, the headmaster gifted her with a kind smile. "I am glad to hear you will be making a swift and full recovery, Miss Higurashi. I'll leave you three to chat."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Kagome murmured, watching the wizard step out of the privacy circle and wander over to Madam Pomfrey. She shifted her gaze to her guardians, about to speak when Shippo interrupted her.

"You must be tired," he said, and while his voice was gentle there was a twist of his lips that seemed a little off. "When you recover, we'd like you to come over to our suite to talk about what happened, but for now…" he trailed off, a ghost of a sigh passing from his mouth. He took hold of her hand, clasping it between the two of his as he met her gaze with a steady look as he softly spoke. "What happened wasn't your fault, Kagome."

Kagome's lips thinned but didn't respond.

"It wasn't," Shippo pressed, "Today, and… and before." The kitsune ignored Sesshomaru's quiet murmur – of what, Kagome couldn't tell – and charged on. "I didn't even know you blamed yourself for that, but – Kagome – you have to know, these things – they're not ones anyone can control."

"Later," Sesshomaru cut in, and Shippo sagged a little but didn't protest any further, releasing Kagome's hand with a parting squeeze. "We'll discuss this later. For now, there are things we need to take care of and you must rest."

"Don't worry about any more demons," Shippo added, wanting to reassure her. He gave a soft couple of pats on her shoulder. "Just focus on yourself and this next task you've got coming up. So long as you stay within the castle's boundaries, you'll be safe. We'll figure something out before your next trip to the village."

"That won't matter if someone's running their mouths about some stupid power around here," Kagome muttered, mocking the demon's words.

Shippo laughed quietly under his breath. "We'll take care of it," he assured her. "We'll talk more later, okay? Just try to rest now."

Kagome relented. "Fine, dad," she said, and shot a wry smile up at the kitsune.

Shippo barked out a laugh at the irony, leaving Sesshomaru to shake his head at the two.

Going to the Great Hall was the last thing Harry wanted to do, even if his stomach disagreed. It was only for the fact that McGonagall had escorted him all the way to the doors themselves and waited that he headed in, and he regretted it the moment he sat down across his friends without Kagome.

He didn't say anything at first, didn't know what to say, and ignored their questioning looks, grateful that because they weren't alone they couldn't voice the questions he could see burning at the tip of their tongues. Even from the next table over and despite the fact that he couldn't see her, Harry swore he could feel Luna's eyes burning into the back of his head.

Every bite of his food tasted like dry ash on his tongue – he barely managed to swallow down a quarter of his dinner before he had to call it quits and settled with sipping at his pumpkin juice to try to delay the inevitable.

He didn't make it long – the moment they finished their dinners Ron and Hermione stared Harry down to the point of surrender, and it was with great reluctance that he stood and went to find somewhere they could talk.

He told them what happened after they left, how Kagome tried to get him to leave only for the demon to show up before she could convince him – not that she could, not when he knew deep in his gut something was wrong. He told them how the demon demanded the jewel Kagome carried, how he threatened them, revealed that he'd been watching them the whole day and how Kagome reacted when the demon turned the threats onto him.

Their faces were grim as they listened and showed their concern when he said Kagome had to stay in Madam Pomfrey's care for the night. Ron was appropriately surprised to hear about Kagome's abilities but it was Hermione's reaction as he revealed it that niggled at the back of his head, how she turned pensive but otherwise didn't react to the news, how it was Ron that asked questions but no sound save for a few thoughtful hums ever fell from her lips.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows at Hermione once he finished talking, studying her closely. "You're not surprised," he said aloud as the thought occurred to him at last, her uncharacteristic silence the last five minutes standing out to him. He stared at Hermione incomprehensively. "You knew?"

Hermione fidgeted, before turning away in avoidance. "I suspected," she muttered, almost inaudible, only she sounded a little too uncomfortable admitting the fact, a sign Harry knew full well to mean she was stretching the truth.

Just like Harry knew Hermione too well that if she had a suspicion about something, she wouldn't stop looking into it further to confirm it.

Harry stared at her and shot a quick look over to Ron, wondering if he knew as well, only to find the read similarly agape. When he turned back to Hermione, he couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Across from Harry, Hermione threw her hands up in the air and began pacing. Clicking followed her steps, quick and sharp against stone, and every time her face turned to him and her eyes found his, she fixed him with a severe glare. "I don't feel right about this, Harry!" she exploded at last. "Snooping around, prying for information. It's even worse now that we've become really good friends. Friends don't do that."

Her words awakened a small amount of guilt inside him, but Harry pressed on. "We're looking out for her," he defended, "She's no idea what Voldemort and his lackeys are like."

Hermione paused in her pacing long enough to look at him solemnly, and after a moment of silence she quietly replied. "Would she see it like that?"

Harry opened his mouth but no words came to him. Instead, he just looked away, not knowing what to say to that.

She might, said a small voice in the back of his head, She might even understand once you explain it to her, but it won't change the fact that it'll still hurt her. That she'll still be upset about the sneaking around, about trying to find out her secrets for some ulterior motive. It won't change the fact that once she finds out, there goes any trust you've gained right out the window.

"Things have changed, Harry," Hermione said more gently this time, and he looked over to find pleading in her brown eyes. "We're all such good friends now. We shouldn't be prying like this, trying to fish for clues with every talk we have, it isn't right anymore. We should wait until she's ready to tell us herself."

She was right – Harry knew it, deep inside him no matter he how tried to deny it, to ignore it, and yet…

"She's still in danger, Hermione," Harry insisted, stubborn as the latest dream or vision or whatever they were that he had was fresh in his mind. Voldemort called Kagome out by name and the sheer thought of the fact that she was in the middle of his plotting, that he wanted her, still sent chills racing down the length of his spine. "That hasn't changed. Obviously. Look at what happened today!"

Looking back at her, he found her to be pursing her lips, nostrils flaring. Disapproval. It rankled to see it on his friend's face and directed at him at that. A look at Ron, who had yet to put in a word edgewise either way, and Harry wasn't sure if he was comforted by the blank neutral expression on his friend's face.

It didn't look like he was going to disagree with Harry, but he wasn't about to go agreeing with him either.

"What happened today has nothing to do with Voldemort—"

"The demon said he was told about the jewel—"

"And?" Hermione cut him off, dismissing the fact. "It wasn't Voldemort that came after her today, it wasn't even one of his Death Eaters. A demon, Harry." She let out a disbelieving laugh. "We're fourth years – a demon wouldn't even blink at us. Kagome is the only one out of the four of us that is actually equipped to deal with a demon and she's in the hospital ward! What good is us knowing that Kagome has these abilities?"

"It could be another reason why Voldemort wants her and not just that jewel," Ron finally chimed in, the calmest of the three of them for once. "Especially since according to her there's not a lot of people with those abilities anymore."

Harry threw an arm out widely towards his best friend as if to say 'Exactly!' "And there's still more that we don't know," he solemnly said, "And what if it also has something to do with why Voldemort wants her? What if knowing helps us keep her safe?"

For a moment, he was about to mention what went down in the hospital after Kagome woke up. "Not again," she'd said, whispered more like and to herself at that. Clearly it wasn't the first time a demon made an attempt for the jewel, and while he wondered what happened, the magnitude of Kagome's distress was telling in that it couldn't be anything good.

The thought of it, her distress, the way she'd crumbled into tears, was what moved him into holding his tongue.

"Let me put it this way, then." Hermione's tone turned curt and icy and it had both of the boys tensing in response. "Harry, you're dating each other now. If you want it to stay that way, then you'll stop this nonsense, stop trying to a wheedle out every secret you think she has, and confess because if she ever finds out what we've done, if she ever finds we've been talking behind her back all because some ridiculous prophecy, that we became friends with the ulterior motive of making sure she doesn't join Voldemort, there's no excuse you can give to make it right. Forget dating her, I doubt she'll even want to remain friends with any us."

Harry was stunned to find that Hermione's eyes were tearing up. Next to her, Ron was grimacing now, leaning back away. "Hermione—"

The girl cut him off with a firm shake of her head. "Kagome has been nothing but kind to us Harry, she doesn't deserve this from us, and you especially. I won't—" Hermione stopped short, an angry sigh working its way out of her throat before she fell silent for a beat.

Then, she pinned him with a look and quietly said, "I hate you a little for making me pick sides like this, Harry James Potter," and the boy himself winced at the sound of his full name, "But I won't say anything. I won't help dig for more information either, though, not anymore. It isn't right. It hasn't been for a long time."

When Harry looked over at Ron, desperate for—he didn't know, reassurance? Advice? Something to help—the redhead gave him a long look, before he shut his eyes and gave a heavy sigh. "Look, mate," and Harry cringed because that tone meant this was something he wouldn't like but probably needed to hear. "I don't—this is a shite situation but if there's a chance that it'll help keep her safe, you gotta do it, right?"

"But…" Harry should have known it was too early to give the sigh of relief that he did. "But Hermione's right. Right now, Kagome would get pissed because no matter how you spin it, we became friends to gain her trust, learn what we can, and keep her from going dark. But she might forgive us. You, though, what's gonna to stop her from thinking you've only been dating her to do the same?"

Harry felt his throat tighten at the thought, felt whatever argument he had queued up lodge in the back of his throat and had to look away from his friends. It would hurt her, he knew it. The few times Kagome had opened up to him, it was difficult enough for her to talk about it, so to know he had gotten close to her for an ulterior motive…

It would hurt her, but Harry had a foreboding feeling that it would break them.

Despite it though, deep inside him Harry knew this wasn't something he could let go, not when the image of Kagome's unconscious face lingered so vividly in his head.

Rest, Shippo asked of her and rest Kagome did. It was all she could, until Madam Pomfrey finally deigned her well enough to leave her ward – which was well into the evening the following day. And while she was tired in the beginning, she spent the day in and out of naps so by the time the sun was setting she was practically buzzing to leave.

Dinner was still going when she slipped into the common room so it came as no surprise to find it empty, quiet save for the crackle of the fire still going in the fireplace. Scratching idly at her cheek, Kagome debated between going upstairs or staying in the common room. Heading down all the way to the Great Hall for dinner was pointless as Madam Pomfrey refused to release her without making sure she ate. In the end, she made the decision to run up and bring down her book bag – there was still homework left for her to catch up on, and it was due tomorrow in class.

That was how her friends found her thirty minutes later, sitting on the floor, cross-legged, books cracked open surrounding her in a half-circle, and scribbling an essay on a lengthy piece of parchment.

"Y'know, the whole point of spending the weekend in the Hospital Ward is to get a free pass on homework for an extra day."

Kagome's quill didn't pause for a second even as she snorted at Ron's remark. "Somehow I doubt Professor Snape would be that lenient."

And by somehow, she really meant that she knew if only because the Professor himself had stopped by the Hospital Ward to drop a bundle of potions for Madam Pomfrey to restock her stores during her stay. He only spared her a single, withering look that sent chills down her spine before he had turned on his heel and stalked away, the hem of his robes swishing around his ankles in a dramatic snap.

To say the Potions Professor wasn't pleased with her was an understatement – her memory of Harry carrying her back to the castle was fuzzy at best, but she faintly remembered meeting Snape and McGonagall at some point. And while she couldn't recall exactly what was said then, she distinctly remembered the former scolding her, and harshly so judging by the look on his face at the time.

Finishing up the sentence she was at, she dropped her quill into the inkpot nearby and twisted around to find Harry, Hermione, and Ron standing behind the sofa at her back.

Awkwardly, she offered them a wave and a half-hearted smile.

Like a shot, Hermione darted around the sofa, dropped to her knees, and dragged Kagome into a tight hug, barely missing clipping her inkpot on the way and prompting a winded grunt out of the girl herself.

"Oh, I was so worried," Hermione breathed out beside her ear, and Kagome barely contained her wheeze when the other girl's grip squeezed even further. The girl was deceptively strong. "Harry told us what happened – how could you be so reckless!" she whisper-shouted in Kagome's ear, giving her a furtive shake, "You could've gotten yourself killed!"

Kagome craned her neck just enough so she could meet Harry and Ron's eyes with pleading ones of her own. 'Help!' she mouthed, desperate.

Harry ducked his head, just a few seconds too late to hide his twitching mouth. Ron on the other hand sniggered outright, but at least he pulled through for her request. "And if you squeeze her any tighter Hermione, you just might finish the job."

Mercifully, Hermione let go if only to shoot the redhead a scathing look over their shoulders. "Don't even joke about that, Ronald!"

Ron winced at the sound of his proper name but shrugged off her scolding.

Patting Hermione's arm, Kagome murmured her apology, "I'm sorry I worried you." It wasn't until then that the brunette's words finally caught up to her and she pulled back to look up at Harry. "Wait, you mean you know…" she trailed off, swallowing uncomfortably as she looked between the three.

Harry grimaced, and he opened his mouth to explain before Hermione beat him to it.

"That a demon came after…" Hermione trailed off with a meaningful look at the small bulge resting at her collarbone beneath her jumper, where the jewel rested. "But… I've already known for a while," she confessed. "During the First Task, well… Conjured barriers are normally blue, not pink. I suspected since then, and then Harry's gift, when you mentioned miko… You're one, aren't you?" she blurted out, eyes bright and curious. Wide-eyed, Kagome could only stare, caught out. "You made and blessed the talisman yourself. You fought the demon."

Kagome let out a sharp exhale. She shouldn't have been surprised – if anyone had caught her slip during the First Task, it would be Hermione.

"Barely," Kagome scoffed out at Hermione's remark about fighting the demon, looking away. Extracting herself from her friend's arms, she sat back and pursed her lips. "A wand doesn't do me much good against demons."

"But you can fight them," Hermione persisted. From the looks of it, the brunette already knew the answer and only sought confirmation. After a moment, Kagome reluctantly nodded, and felt a distinct curl of discomfort stirring in her belly when her friend's mouth parted in awe. "That's… incredible, Kagome. Everything I've found about miko implies it's been hundreds of years since one possessed corporeal, holy abilities. The last was recorded to be nearly four hundred years ago, but theirs were nothing compared to the Shikon Miko that fought in the war in Japan's Warring States period."

Kagome hummed, if a little absently. Hermione had certainly done her research, that was for sure. A distant part of her wondered how her friend would react to the fact that said fabled miko was sitting right across from her.

"How do you fight them?" Ron asked curiously, moving to sit on the sofa.

Kagome plucked at a snag in her jumper. "Any weapon can work, really, as a conduit. Like our wands, you could say. But with arrows, normally," she admitted softly, eyes flickering between the three before sliding away, towards the fireplace. She let her gaze linger there, watching as the dancing flames flicker.

"Like the ones you conjured," Harry said as he took a seat next to her. Her head shifted a just a little in his direction, even though she didn't face him completely. He pulled his legs to his chest, wrapping his arms around them, and leaned against the edge of the sofa as he studied her closely – she could feel it, his stare, and couldn't help the tension coiling in her shoulders. "…You've used them before, real ones I mean. It looked like…" he trailed off, as if he suddenly realized what he was suggesting, or rather, accusing.

Kagome shut her eyes.

Gods.

There was a pause before she answered, lasting a split second in which her jaw set and her eyes narrowed at the ground, where she could see their shadows cast next to one another on the carpet. "It wasn't the first time I've trained an arrow on a demon before?" she guessed, voice falling flat.

For a beat there was an awkward, heavy silence.

Kagome watched as Harry's shadow hesitantly nodded before he said, "You never mentioned that before…" and she almost laughed, glad that the unkind sound had lodged itself deep in her throat before it could come out into the air.

There were… so many things she hadn't mentioned to him just yet, because she wasn't ready, because she just couldn't say the words, because she couldn't admit…

Kagome's hands, which she realized had been clenching in the fabric of her jumper, slowly flattened against her belly as she raised her head. She held herself precariously still as she braced herself, staring blankly into the fire flickering in front of her once more.

"Because I've killed before, Harry," she said with a tired exhale, the words numb as they fell from her tongue, and she turned just in time to watch her quiet confession physically rock through the trio. They flinched back a little – whether it was the admission itself or the fact she said it so plainly, she couldn't be sure, and it forced her to look away from them once again. "It's… it's not something I'd…" She shook her head, finally letting out a bitter laugh, and let her face fall into her open palms. "We're fourteen," she whispered into, "How do I even work that into a conversation?"

Hermione tentatively reached out a hand to touch her arm, giving it a weak squeeze. Kagome pulled her hands away to glance up at her. "I'm… I'm sure if there were any other way…" she said, starting off strong before trailing off.

Kagome looked away, only barely tamping down on the bitter noise working its way up her throat once more. Though she tried, Hermione couldn't quite completely mask her discomfort as she attempted to allay Kagome's own shame.

For such a long time when she traveled in the past with Inuyasha and their friends that's exactly what she thought. There was no other choice. It was kill or be killed. And she did, she tried – to find another way, to give them a choice, a chance. But they weren't going to stop, not until they got what they wanted, and… and she didn't want to die.

And it was easier, too, at first. The lines were clearer. Black and white. But then she met demons like Kouga, who weren't so one-track minded, who were willing to change their ways. She met demons like Sesshomaru, who might seem cold and unkind and merciless at first, but then take in an orphaned girl and care for her, clothe her, feed her, and go out of his way and into the depths of hell to save her.

She met demons like Kagura and Kanna, who only desired to be free, who had no choice but to dance to the strings that controlled them, who couldn't change even if they wanted to.

It wasn't black and white, it never was – just shades of greys, some darker and lighter than others. And knowing that, acknowledging that, made it all the harder when her hands were forced to draw her bow.

"It sounds like you didn't have a choice." Kagome's train of thought drew short at the sound of Ron's voice, his tone level and carrying a note of resolute surety that had her glancing up. The redhead had no trouble holding her gaze. "You were defending yourself, and these demons…" His eyes narrowed in contemplation. "From how Harry told it, they don't give you much of a chance but to react and defend yourself. He was going to kill you guys. And…" He looked distinctly uncomfortable now, pale cheeks faintly colouring as he went on. "And I know we haven't known each other for a long time, but… Hermione's right! You wouldn't hurt them if you had the choice, not without giving them a chance if you could. Bloody hell, just look at how you are with Kibbers!"

Kagome stared at Ron, mouth agape. She couldn't help the grateful smile that began spreading across her face. Just as she couldn't help how her mouth twitch and the coo that slipped past her lips.

"Awh, Ron, you called him Kibbers."

Ron sputtered wildly, his face going a bright beet red now. "I meant that beast! That ugly rock of a beast you call a pet name like it's a bloody puppy!"

Kagome clutched at her stomach, threw her head back, and laughed.

Any further talk about demons then had to be put on hold as students began to return from dinner – it was only Madam Pomfrey's offhand comment about releasing a certain charge of hers as she passed them in the Great Hall that had the trio cutting their meal short and rushing to the Tower, allowing them their privacy.

As their fellow Gryffindors began filtering through the common room, Kagome couldn't help but notice the lingering looks she was getting and the hushed whispers that accompanied them, and though it set off a growing suspicion in the back of her head, she left it alone and ignored them.

It was difficult, though, especially when the twins came flouncing through, took one look at Kagome and Harry, before bursting out laughing and making for the stairs.

She wanted to ask then – but Hermione muttered to just ignore them, shot Ron a Look when he opened his mouth, and distracted Kagome with her unfinished Potion's essay. Harry was suspiciously silent as he pulled her Potions text towards him and flipped through it, mumbling something about the essay topic being somewhere around here.

But it wasn't until Padma and Parvarti eventually came up to greet Kagome and say they were glad that she was feeling better all the while giving Harry the stink eye – leaving her looking confused and Harry like he wanted to sink into the floor – that Ron gleefully saw fit to inform her that rumors had been going wild about how she ended up in the hospital wing in the first place, especially after the disastrous scene that was Madam Puddifoot's.

Gods, after everything she had actually forgotten about Puddifoot's. And now she wished she'd kept it that way.

The general consensus at first was that there was obviously a nasty breakup following the teashop debacle, but the specifics about how it ended had the Hogwarts' rumor mill split. Some were saying Kagome ran to the infirmary begging for a cure for a broken heart weeping all the way; others were saying the once couple had a row that ended up with spells flying and either Harry sending her to Madam Pomfrey for treatment of a nasty curse or Kagome getting hit from one of her own that had backfired.

Harry had buried his face behind his hands the moment Ron began to talk, and so missed the transformation of Kagome's face from disbelief to increasingly horrified the longer their friend went on.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked, after Ron was done and had sat back with a snigger, looking between the three. She zeroed in on her now rumored to be ex-boyfriend. "Harry."

Said 'ex'-boyfriend shook his head and she groaned.

"Harry tried to clear them up, when people from the tower started to ask," Hermione began to say, but the delicate tone she had taken up only had Kagome groaning further and hiding her own face, "But, well—"

"He just said you were sick," Ron interjected with another snicker, "But no one stays overnight in the infirmary for a cold, obviously, so now everyone here thinks he gave you food poisoning or something when he tried to give you chocolates to make up for Puddifoot's." He reached over to clap Harry on the back, still with a shit-eating grin. "Which, hey, is slightly better than people thinking you cursed your ex into the infirmary so, silver lining, innit?"

"Ron, shut it," Harry groaned aloud, glaring at the redhead through the cracks between his fingers. "Please."

Ron's grin only widened, and he leaned around closer to Kagome to loudly whisper, "Some older bloke even asked Harry if you were available now, said he was gonna visit you in the infirmary. Nearly wet himself with the look Harry shot him, he did," and burst out laughing when Harry's hand shot out to cuff him over the head and dunk his head down.

Eventually the traffic through the common room dwindled as they lingered around to talk while Kagome halfheartedly worked on her assignments, and before long students were clearing out for the night. They were still down there when it came down to just the four of them remaining, and during a lull in which Kagome wasn't looking, Harry shot the other pair a meaningful look and jerked his head towards the stairs.

Ron and Hermione shared a look and rolled their eyes, but got the message. They said their goodbyes for the night before leaving to give the couple a moment to themselves – though not without the latter sending Harry a pointed look before heading for the stairs.

"How're you feeling?" Harry softly asked after a quiet moment once they had, when it was just the two of them still sitting next to one another in front of the sofa, just across from the fireplace. He scooted closer to Kagome, leg brushing against hers, and stubbornly forced Hermione's look and how much it irked him out of his mind.

Kagome's head dropped down, gaze falling to her lap as she dropped her quill aside into the inkpot. "We should probably talk, yeah?" she replied instead, just as quiet, and it was that, that had Harry shaking his head.

"Hey, no, we don't have to," he offered, because… because that wasn't what he meant. Contrary to what Hermione had obviously thought, he wasn't so callous to prod for answers literally the first moment they were alone.

He wanted them, of course he did, he wanted to understand but… but only if she wanted to. And only if she felt up to it. And after yesterday in the Hospital ward, after tonight, all Harry wanted then was to make sure she was alright first and foremost.

"Kagome, it's getting late, and you just got back from the infirmary for magical exhaustion…"

Kagome's lips twisted something wry. "After what happened?" She laughed, and the sound of it held little amusement. Her head tilted, just enough so that her gaze could flicker up at him under weary eyelashes. "I think I do."

"You look tired," Harry tried to reason, "And earlier with the others, you already said…" but Kagome reached out to stop him with a hand over his and he trailed off.

"I am," she sighed, fingers gripping his hand tighter – his hand twitched, a little, and when she tensed a bit and her grip loosened soon after, he turned it over in her hand to wrap his fingers around hers instead turn.

She froze a bit, once more, before some of the tension coiling her body bled out a bit. "But I think I owe you a bit more of an explanation, considering you could've died."

"Could've," Harry agreed, only to stress the following, "But didn't." He squeezed her hand. "Kagome, he didn't even touch me. I'm fine. We're both fine. Hey," he added, reaching out with his other hand. Cupping her face, he guided it towards him. "Look at me," he asked, voice dropping into a whisper, and when she did, he gave her a crooked smile. "You stopped him, and this honestly isn't the first time I've ever almost died. Not even the first time this year. Dragon, remember?"

It was a tiny one, but he managed to pull a laugh out of her, so he considered it a small win. "Still," she murmured, leaning into his hand. Blue eyes stared up at him under long, dark lashes, and Harry recalled a saying, how eyes were windows to the soul. In Kagome's, he could see something somber brewing, troubling her and therefore him. "I want to tell you. I already decided yesterday… You deserve to know this much."

"Okay," Harry relented, if only reluctantly. "But before you start, can I just say one thing?"

Blinking, Kagome's eyebrows furrowed, but she nodded for him to go ahead.

"Earlier…" Harry started, hesitantly, "Back in the infirmary. When…" He trailed off when he saw Kagome's face tightening, "No, hey, just… Please, don't blame yourself? I don't blame you – Merlin, I'm mad at myself, for not doing anything. So – so what I'm saying is just… if nothing else, know that I don't blame you at all, okay?"

Now that Harry got that out, he sat back and waited.

Blinking rapidly, Kagome nodded hastily, and squeezed his hand as if to say 'okay' in return.

"Right," she muttered after a moment, giving a shaky breath. "So... you know about this," she said, dipping her fingers under her collar to tug the pink bauble hanging on the delicate silver chain around her neck, and Harry nodded. "You know that I'm meant to protect this, and you know how I can now, but…" Her fingers tightened around the chain as she held up the jewel. "I never really told you why."

Harry nodded once more, remaining quiet as he listened closely.

Kagome lifted her eyes, meeting his. The look in her eyes was... startling, rooting Harry to his spot. She seemed so... old, so tired.

"I was born with this. Literally," she added as Harry's face only twisted further in confusion. She dropped the jewel to reach over and touch at a spot on her waist. "I was fourteen when a demon attacked me – it pulled me into an old well on my family's shrine. Ripped it out of me."

Her eyes slid away, teeth digging into the flesh of her bottom lip before she dragged in a deep breath through her nose and finally said, "It's a long story, Harry, but to keep it short, the well transported me 500 years in the past, where demons roamed freely and in great numbers, where the jewel had disappeared for only 50 years before its reappearance threw things in chaos, and eventually, war."

Harry felt his heart stop cold, hand tightening around Kagome's as he connected the dots. "Which you fought in," he said, because of course she did, when else would she not only learn to fight demons but had been forced to kill them than in a war five hundred years in the past? When, as she said, priestesses were all but powerless this day and age, and demons peacefully coexisted in magical society under Japan's Minister of Magic? After all, the IWC was quick to jump in to protect Kagome and the jewel the moment they had heard of it.

Earlier Hermione had mentioned a Shikon Miko, but it never occurred to him that very person was sitting right before them. The times lined up, though.

Kagome was this Shikon Miko, one of the last, powerful miko, who'd fought demons in a war.

Ron was right – this had to be why Voldemort wanted her, Harry thought. The demon was terrified just at the sheer thought of the power Kagome held. If she joined him… he could easily see Voldemort using her to control demons with that fear, to fight for him against those that would stand against him.

Kagome's shaky breath pulled him from his racing train of thoughts, and he glanced up to see her nod and hear her mumbled, "Yeah." At her waist, her fingers curled to clench her jumper, and Harry's heart honest-to-Merlin ached to see the tears pooling at her eyes. "A lot of people died. One of them, in the final battle before the war ended... he was my best friend. And…" Her breath hitched, shoulders trembling and voice cracking, "And I couldn't do anything to stop it."

Harry froze, his stomach swooping as Kagome's words hit him hard.

She blamed herself – the realization struck Harry with a jolt of horror. Not again, she had said yesterday with the others, in the smallest of voices he'd ever heard her speak in. At the time he wondered at the stricken expressions on her guardians' faces, but now he realized even they hadn't known about the guilt she was carrying.

It was all starting to make sense, and Harry felt sick that he hadn't realized… something sooner. No wonder she'd been so reluctant to talk about the Shikon, about her abilities, about why she came to Hogwarts. No wonder she blamed herself for his close brush with the demon. After losing her friend, she wanted them as far from any business with the Shikon as possible to keep them out of the crossfire.

How long had she been carrying this, he wondered, how long has the death of her friend been weighing on her?

Harry wanted answers, but never did he think this was what Kagome was keeping so close to her chest.

She must have only noticed just then that she was crying now, for she started swiping at her face with hasty jerks as she valiantly tried to forge on. "That's why, when the demon yesterday… and you…"

Red-rimmed eyes pinned Harry in his spot, the sheer distraught twisting Kagome's face wrenching his heart.

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Kagome," Harry said, keeping his voice soft, and he reached out to place a gentle touch upon her shoulder. He tried ducking his head to catch her gaze, but she avoided him. "The only one to blame for your friend's death is the one that killed him."

Kagome only shook her head, and Harry rubbed the back of his neck, unsure. He felt so lost, fumbling on how to help her, convince her that her friend's death wasn't her fault when he barely knew the details themselves, knew why she was so set on blaming herself.

All he could offer were empty platitudes, and he didn't want to push her on such a sensitive subject. With a sigh, Harry decided to let the matter go for now. He had a feeling it would take more than words for it to get through to her.

"You said," Harry paused, swallowing roughly, hesitant to ask. But then, with a sniffle Kagome raised her head to look at him, silently asking him to go ahead and ask. "You were fourteen when you were pulled through the well…" he trailed off, scrunching up his face in confusion, because while he knew Kagome was older than him he'd thought it was only by a month. "You're fourteen now."

Kagome little out a soft 'ah' before she sighed and shrugged halfheartedly. "Sure, but… when the war ended, something happened? I'd traveled for over a year, but when I woke back up it was my birthday again, the day the demon dragged me down the well, like… it never even happened. My brother… he found the jewel beside me where they found me passed out at the bottom. I would have thought I'd gone crazy if it wasn't for this."

She tugged at the hem of her jumper and the shirt she wore underneath, pulling it up high enough to reveal a scar of her own – it was pale pink and raised, spanning the spot above her left hip bone in a jagged pattern about the size of his palm.

If Harry didn't know any better, it almost looked like an animal tore out her side.

"All the other scars I'd gotten, all the signs that I've been travelling across the country on foot for over year were gone. Like time rewound, erasing it all. Except this. And my memories." Kagome blew out a watery scoff. "Not even my family remember, of course."

Harry's mind raced with this information. "And… the Minister of Magic of Japan and his undersecretary…"

Kagome snorted, the troubled look on her face passing in favor for amusement. "Old friends, literally. We meet in the past. Shippo, Mr. Nishimura," she corrected, face twisting in a grimace, "He looked like he was like, eight, when we actually first met."

"And the Minister?"

"My best friend, who died… he's his brother," Kagome confessed, more somber now. "I… I don't know what I'd've done if they hadn't come find me, after… I couldn't even imagine…"

Neither could Harry, if he was honest. Most of what Kagome said already was hard to swallow. Living a year no one else remembered, losing her friend, and then discovering she was a witch?

Harry reached out, gently brushing a hand to Kagome's arm. "Hey," he murmured, dipping his head to peer into her face. As she looked at him, eyes rimmed red and puffy, her face similarly blotchy, he tugged her elbow gently, pulling her close and wrapping her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he said after a long moment, and Kagome buried her face into his chest. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. I'm sorry for your friend."

Kagome didn't say anything, but she didn't need too; he felt her finger curl into his jumped, nose digging into his chest as she buried her face further in, and it wasn't long before he felt his jumper start to grow damp.

He held her silently and rubbed at her back as she curled into him further and cried.

After, after her crying subsided and her tears dried out, the two of them moved to curl up against the sofa together, Harry found himself voicing one more apology, one that had been weighing on his heart since before their friends had left.

"I'm sorry."

Startled, Kagome's head snapped up so she could look at Harry. "What—what are you even apologizing for?" she wondered, bewildered. "Again?"

"For back in Hogsmeade, to start off with?" Harry said, equal parts wry and guilty. "You tried to get me to leave, before the demon came, and I didn't listen."

"You knew something was wrong, and you didn't want to leave me alone. You were worried…" Kagome shook her head, squeezing his hand. "I'm not mad at you, Harry, I can't be. I was worried, and I'm sorry I snapped at you when I tried to get you to go."

Harry nodded, flashing her a shaky smile that didn't last very long as his eyes slid away. "But that's… that's not it. Earlier, I'm sorry I asked about…"

"Does it bother you?" Kagome quietly interrupted him. "That I've… that I've killed before?"

"No," Harry said, without hesitation. "Hey, Kagome," he murmured, gathering her hand and holding it firmly. "There's a difference, between choosing to kill when there's another way and defending yourself when there isn't. And it's like Ron said – I know you. You wouldn't, not before trying anything else to avoid it. You did it today – you tried to get the demon to leave us alone, and he wouldn't. I never meant to give you the impression that I thought otherwise."

Kagome let out a shuddering breath, and before he knew it, he was being pulled into a very tight hug.

"I've gotta say though," Harry murmured, trying to lighten the mood and thinking back to the way she'd easily yanked him back and placed herself between him and the demon. "You're, like, really strong. You'd be a terrifying beater if you ever decide you want to join the Quidditch team."

Kagome broke out into a startled laugh, pulling back just enough to shoot him an incredulous look. "Harry."

Harry grinned and leaned in just enough to press a kiss on her forehead before pulling her back into a hug.

The next time Harry saw Hermione and Ron, he thought back to what Kagome told him, back to the argument he had with Hermione, the words Ron said to him, and said nothing save for a murmured good morning.

"Your nurse mentioned something that was curious," Sesshomaru said as soon as Kagome took a seat next to Shippo, getting right to it.

When Kagome received the summons after her Monday lessons, she wasn't surprised – they did mention back in the Hospital Wing that they would talk later, after all – and so made her way to their usual shared quarters in Hogwarts' guest wing.

Sesshomaru sat across from Shippo and herself, reclining in an red, ornate, antique looking chair. His eyebrows had drawn together in pensive thought, clawed hands folded in his lap, as he studied Kagome with an analytical eye.

"According to your friend, you used your priestess abilities against the demon; however, you were admitted under magical exhaustion."

Kagome nodded. "I don't know how," she began, repeating what she had said in the Hospital Wing, "But I somehow… made a bow? It was made of spiritual energy, though."

"It drained you immediately after, too," Shippo mused from her left, leaning back into his seat. His head tipped to the side to allow his eyes to narrow on her in concentration, a spark simmering deep inside emerald. "It's as if you conjured the bow, but used your spiritual energy in its place. Filled in the mold, so to speak."

Kagome paused, slowly turning to stare at him. "You make it sound like I… combined my abilities."

"Why not?" Shippo challenged, leaning forward now with a fanged grin upon his face. "You were able to combine your arrows with Inuyasha's Tetsuaiga and those energies were polar opposites!"

"No, but you're talking about… merging."

Shippo threw his hands up into the air and shrugged. "Kagome, there's never been, at least to our knowledge, a miko-witch in existence. Both of those energies live in harmony within you – who's to say what that means. For all we know, your magic gives form to the power of your priestess abilities."

"It is obvious, but it requires saying," Sesshomaru cut in with a pointed look to Kagome, "You must take care when using the two abilities in tandem. Conjuring the bow and arrow alone was enough to send you into medical care."

"Which if I had to guess," Shippo mused aloud, "Was caused by drawing out your magic without your wand or any incantation. Wandless, wordless magic. They don't teach you that until your sixth year I believe, so it isn't any wonder it knocked you out after."

Sesshomaru hummed his agreement, his gaze heavy and expectant as it settled on Kagome next. "You need to practice, to train and strengthen your magic, and build your endurance before you attempt this again. More importantly, you need to study how your spiritual and magical energies connects with one another."

Kagome grimaced, already knowing what he was leading to.

Meditation.

Kagome tuned out the whistle of the wind, the way it tousled her hair and rustled the branches of the willow tree overhead.

Meditation was always a tedious task for her, even as helpful as it proved to be in the past – in the beginning, back when she was in the Feudal Era and Miroku finally sat her down and forced her into a meditative pose, it was almost impossible. She was always fidgeting, always distracted by little things and idle thoughts, straining to find that awareness he said to search for so he could lead her into the next step.

But Miroku was incredibly patient with her – he'd drag her to somewhere quiet whenever the chance arose, be it in a hut or an empty clearing in the forest just far away enough from camp for some quiet, and sat down with her to try to guide her into a meditative state. He'd even thrown up a barrier and sound-proofed it to block the noise of Inuyasha pounding against it to get them going already, Kagome didn't need to sit around and meditate, she needed to point them towards some jewel shards so they could set out and get them already!

Not that she ever actually heard that or his cursing personally, made blissfully unaware until Sango took her aside after they were done, smirking and hiding her laughter, because by the time they were done, Inuyasha had gone to sulk up in a tree for the night.

It took weeks of failed attempts to even achieve the first step, to empty her mind and cast away stray thoughts, before he was able to guide her to focus inward and examine her soul.

Bright. Bright was her first thought once she did so, so bright that it startled her out of her meditation, almost blinding she'd say, despite the fact she hadn't actually used her eyes. It took time to become used to it, to view her spiritual energy flowing through her body, swirls of brilliant pink light that shone its brightest where her heart, her soul, laid – its nexus.

Just that simple step opened Kagome up to an awareness she hadn't known until opening her eyes – it wasn't just shards she could sense, could see, but auras too. Demons were more noticeable than humans, of course – even before she could sense demons in a vague way – but all humans possessed some amount of spiritual energy be it small or large and now she could sense them too with stunning clarity.

And from there, with practice, she could reach out with hers to sense others around her. To sense even the state of their auras and their souls. But like she once told Luna, such a thing could easily become overwhelming, and it took further practice to control it, to dial it back and even suppress it.

Slipping back into meditation was like… slipping into a pair of rarely used shoes. It took a bit to calm herself and settle her thoughts, to find that focus once again – even more so to direct that focus inwards.

The sight of the brilliant pink of her spiritual energy was a familiar sight, running through her body in peaceful, swirling motions. The threads of vivid blue following the same paths, on the other hand, were not.

Her magic.

While Kagome had meditated since coming to Hogwarts, it was before she came, before the emergence of her magic, before the final battle, that she had last meditated into this particular state. The threads of magic were closely intertwined with that of her spiritual energy, but her magic flowed differently than the latter. More chaotic, like some kind of charged current.

But what had her staring was where all the threads led back to.

One of her first classes at Hogwarts during the summer, what all first years are taught, was the theory of magic, where they learned of the magical core that resided in every magically-capable person. Even squibs possessed a magical core, although not at large as those that can cast magic, nor with the pathways that enabled them to use their abilities.

Where once was the nexus of her spiritual energy, a calm, swirling mass of pink, now churned an intense lilac – a representation of the combined natures of her energies.

Shippo had been right, Kagome realized. While the divided threads allowed each energy to be used separately, at its base they came together in harmony. Magic and spirit: merged.

Now it was just a matter of bringing them into sync once more at will.

hey everyone, long time no see! i know it's been a while and i'm so sorry about that! this chapter was super hard to get through and write, and it got so loooong. i was thinking about splitting it up actually, but in the end decided against it - if i'm gonna make you guys wait over a year for the next chapter i figured i might as well give you a long one to make up for it lol

next time though! it is definitely time for the second task (FINALLY) and i cannot wait, i've been looking forward to this one for such a long time lmao.

anyway hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you think! see you guys next time, and hopefully soon! thanks for reading and sticking with me through the long wait! and thank you for all the reviews, and favs, and follows over the course since the last update, i know i'm shit at replying but know i read them all and that they really help to encourage me to keep writing even when it feels like all i'm doing is just... hitting a brick wall. repeatedly. lolol

oh oh oh! almost forgot - since the last chapter m-ilk on tumblr drew the cuuuutest art of witch!kagome from iwd! go check it out and the rest of her blog!

till next time lovelies,

rain