Heading back to the Leaky Cauldron, she saw Shinrei Hikari and what appeared to be a young Chinese monk by the Apothecary shop. There was no sign of Jon Sinclair with them. There had also been no sign of Mahou Amberstone.

Nimue decided to invite Shinrei and her companion to come to the station with her even if that meant risking that Jon would join them as well. The last thing she wanted on the trip was to hear about Jon's 10-part plan for Gryffindor to secure the House Cup this year. He'd mentioned on the last day of term that he would put some ideas down over the summer and have a 'brainstorming session' about them at their first Prefects' Meeting.

Thus, she headed towards them.

Shinrei saw Nimue walking towards them.

Smiling broadly, she greeted, "Ohayo, Nimue-san! It is very good to see you again."

Shinrei gestured to Jian beside her. "Nimue-san, this is Jian Hupi. He is the new exchange student from China and we met him at the Leaky Cauldron earlier today. Hupi-san, this is Nimue Hawkwood, our Fourth Year prefect in Gryffindor House."

Nimue acknowledged Jian with a slight bow of her head rather than seeking to shake his hand. He was a monk by his robes and might well have prohibitions about contact with females.

"I am pleased to meet you Jian." she said. "The prefects were advised by Professor Dumbledore that a student from the Mian-Ju-Tao Northern Order would be joining us this term. I trust your time with us will be fruitful."

Returning her attention to Shinrei, "Shinrei, there is still time to complete your shopping but would you and Jian care to ride with me to the train station? My father will be sending at least one car and perhaps two. It will be much quicker than more conventional transport. Unless you have already arranged to travel with Jon Sinclair?"

"There were no formal arrangements made with Jon-kun, Nimue-san," replied Shinrei. "I would be very much honoured to join you on the trip to the train station."

She turned to Jian. "I would also be very much honoured should you choose to go with us, as well, Hupi-san." She decided that it would be much better for Jian if he was around people his age--and fellow Gryffindors at that. Perhaps he would learn to speak more then.

"Wonderful." said Nimue, "I shall return to the Leaky Cauldron and see you there in a few minutes. I am also looking for Mahou Amberstone, whom you may recall, stayed with us at Gryffindor House overnight in June. If you see her before I do, would you convey my invitation to her?"

It was a rather amusing experience, when Shinrei thought of Jian as a "fellow" Gryffindor. Of course, he had not yet been Sorted and yet she would be willing to bet all her remaining money that he would be in her House. Perhaps she deemed him suited to Gryffindor because he was a trained fighter like herself, bred to be extraordinarily fearless.

"I have not seen Mahou Amberstone, Nimue-san," Shinrei replied. "But I shall convey your invitation all the same the moment I see her. I might see her at the apothecary shop."

Jian had responded to Nimue's bow moments before. Now he was faced with the prospect of travelling to this train station in something that this Nimue would be providing--a car or such? Shinrei, from the looks of things, had very much liked and accepted the offer.

He cleared his throat and lowered his head slightly, not looking at any of the girls. "Pardon me, Miss Hawkwood, Miss Hikari, but I would prefer to travel by Qiao-Yuan. What you call a Portkey," he hastily corrected himself. "My uncle has set the travel course much early for the Portkey. I apologise."

"To Kings Cross Station or further?" Nimue said a slight tone of alarm in her voice.

"It's just that portkeys are quite strictly regulated in Britain and usually their use needs to be arranged with the Ministry. If a muggle - a non-wizarding person was to see you appear out of thin air it would could arise concern or panic.... which is why they are used in remote places not crowded cities."

*********

Branwen grinned and shifted her parcel of books again so she could glance at her watch. It was a great deal later than she had thought. She pulled a face.

"I think I dawdled too long and might have to postpone the butterbeer until the first Hogsmeade weekend" She smiled apologetically. She was genuinely sorry, and dying to introduce Jon to the charms of some of the other Hogwarts girls, but it would have to wait a little longer.

"I expect you've made arrangements to get to the station, but you'd be more than welcome to share the car with Hal and myself. I'd be glad of your company, Hal just whinges about his Summer holidays and it's starting to grate."

He had been about to say that he should probably travel with Shinrei and Jian, when he spied through the bookshop window Nimue Hawkwood emerging from the Owl Emporium and heading in the direction last taken by the two other students.

This put his mind to rest. Nimue was bound to offer Shinrei a ride to the station. He turned back to Branwen.

"That would be great. Thanks Branwen. I've a few people whom I've arranged to see at the train and I expect your friends will be clamouring for your attention as well. We can have that butterbeer in Hogsmeade soon."

Branwen grinned. "Come one then, we'd better retrieve Hal from the pub and get him organised, the car will be here soon."

She shifted the books again and started to make her way to the door. "Got to collect all my things too, that'll be fun. Good job I'll have two strapping young men to help me, isn't it?" She winked.

Jon followed Branwen to the door. She had cheered him up remarkably. It was a gift she had.

"I take it by that remark that you have a lot of luggage." he said with a smile, "Have your parents' organised a car for you then?"

She winced. "Loads of it I'm afraid. It all comes from having 6 older siblings, all of whom want you to do well at your studies and insist on giving you all their old text books, notes and handy hints. Not to mention the three sisters who think I'll look 'adorable' in whatever dress of theirs they happen to have found in the back of a cupboard. My family doesn't really know the meaning of restraint" she laughed.

As they stepped out into the street she began to scan for their car, catching Jonathan's eye as she did. "Grandfather...insisted on it. He thinks we should take advantage of the fact that we have enough money to afford these things and make our lives a bit more comfortable." She said by way of explanation, shrugging her shoulders as she saw that they had a few minutes to wait and started off to the Leaky Cauldron.

"My parents have enough money but they tend to be thrifty to a fault with it." Jon said with a half-smile that betrayed some dismay at this fact.

He had walked beside Branwen towards the Leaky Cauldron noting that Shinrei, Jian and Nimue were still occupied outside the Apothecary.

"You kids better get a move on or you'll miss the train." he called to them drawing a somewhat disapproving glance from Nimue Hawkwood who hated the idea of being called 'a kid'.

It was also with a mixture of satisfaction (proving he and Shinrei were not joined at the hip) and dismay (because he and Shinrei were not together) that he noted Luis Verga was also close to the little group along with that odd little girl from Ireland that had visited Gryffindor last term.

Still he did not falter just passed on by with the lovely Branwen.

**********

Luis smiled down at Mahou. "Do me a favour, Mahou. Don't you go crying on me or anything, okay?" He winked and said in a more conspiratorial tone: "It's not very becoming for us Slytherins to be seen with teary-eyed Gryffindors. I'm sure your self-righteous housemates would beat the wits outta me, thinking I was the one who made you cry."

He looked around and saw her pile of packages several feet down the walkway. The Vacefio Circle was still actively shielding himself and Mahou from others' sight. "Now listen." He placed a hand on her slender shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Your secret's safe with me. I just have one condition: Please put the hat back on so we could go on shopping for your things. We wouldn't want to miss our train now, would we?"

With that, Luis released his hold, gave her another reassuring smile and gently placed Mahou's hat back into her hands. "Now put that on, Mahou, and let's forget I saw anything."

Mahou nodded, running a hand through her short-cropped hair. "You're a Slytherin?" she asked. "I thought tha' Slytherins were mean an' nasty..." She mused. "But tha's been proved wrong a couple times now." She nodded thoughtfully at the comments about making people cry.

Feeling the squeeze on her arm, Mahou looked at his hand, perplexed. No one's ever given her anything to show comfort to her. She smiled up at him, her strange eyes glittering. "Thank ye, Luis.." she said softly, jamming the hat back on her head and tucking in her ears.

"Now, let's go get those potion ingredients."

"Well, I can be mean and nasty whenever I want to, Mahou," Luis replied with a grin and a wink. "It just depends on who I'm with."

He made a move to retrieve his wand from his leather and stopped midway when he saw a trio of people standing and talking a short distance down the street. Shinrei and the monk. And another dark-haired girl.

"Look," he said to Mahou, pointing out the trio with his wand, "that's one of your housemates over there. Shinrei Hikari. The bald boy is new from China. I'm not sure about the other girl though."

"Before I remove the invisibility circle around us, allow me to do this." He pointed his wand at the hat on her head and muttered, "Mitratus."

"There. That should keep it on." He retraced the circle he had drawn around them earlier. "Abrogo vacefio." The invisibility shield fell away.

***********

With Jian's silence, Nimue wondered whether she might have given offence. She blushed slightly and continued.

"My apologies Hupi Jian. I am certain your uncle's arrangements are perfectly in order. You will meet us at the train then rather than travel by car?"

However, as she spoke her attention was caught by a slight awareness of a familiar figure in her peripheral vision. She looked over and saw Mahou Amberstone with an older boy whom she vaguely recognised from a few months previously when he had been with Sarah Taverner in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

She smiled and waved to them.