Chapter 23: First Meeting in Tokyo, and the Grey Family's Bad Winter
The holiday ended, and the Astre siblings were busy once more.
After America, another invitation arrived—this time from Japan. At this rate, their rise to global stardom felt inevitable.
What made it absurd was the timeline.
They had officially debuted for barely three months.
In 1986, the Tokyo Dome was still under construction, so the concerts were scheduled at Nippon Budokan instead—a venue steeped in history and reverence. Seven consecutive nights. December 14 through the twentieth.
By the time they returned home, Christmas would be waiting.
From the moment they landed, Hydrus Lestrange felt the difference.
She was escorted everywhere, surrounded by flashing cameras and waves of fans pressed behind police lines.
Rick leaned close, visibly tense. "Hydrus… this is a bit much. I don't know if I can handle this."
Hydrus smiled calmly, lifting her hand to wave as screams erupted in response. "It's just how fans show their affection. Try not to let it get to you."
Cradled in her arms, the golden-striped beastlet flicked its tail in agreement. Humans did love to make a spectacle of everything.
Most of the shouts weren't even for Rick.
They were calling her name.
At this point, Rick was still known more as the composer standing beside her than a star in his own right. That would change—but not yet.
On the day of the concert, Hydrus lingered near the stage entrance, watching a purification ritual unfold.
Young shrine attendants danced gracefully, wooden wands tracing patterns through the air.
When they stepped offstage, Hydrus blinked.
Pink robes?
She frowned. That didn't match anything she'd seen before.
As she pondered this mystery, one of the young attendants didn't leave with the others. She hovered nearby, head lowered, whispering urgently.
"Dochii, come back. Hurry."
Hydrus understood enough to know she wasn't being addressed.
There was no one else beside her.
Then the girl's voice trembled. "Please don't do this. I'll be expelled if they find out."
Something suddenly wrapped around Hydrus's leg.
She looked down.
Nothing.
But the pressure was unmistakably real.
The shrine girl looked on the verge of tears.
Hydrus reached out, fingers brushing against something soft and warm.
Fur.
The sensation clicked into place.
A new magical constitution settled over her like a second skin.
She laughed softly. This one was useful.
An Invisibility Beast.
The creature slowly revealed itself to her senses—still unseen by others, but perfectly clear to her now.
She crouched. "Hello. Are you Dochii?"
Large, sorrowful eyes widened in shock before the creature lunged forward, wrapping her in a tight hug.
Silver-furred and gentle by nature, the species had been hunted nearly to extinction for the value of their pelts.
Hydrus guided Dochii back to the shrine girl, placing the small paw into her trembling hands.
"Keep better watch next time."
The girl stared at her, stunned. "You… not… Muggle?"
Hydrus only smiled.
"I'm Kamo Tsuru," the girl said carefully. "Nice to meet you."
Their exchange was brief—words limited, meanings imperfect—but sincere.
Dochii was dragged away reluctantly, glancing back over its shoulder with heartbreaking reluctance.
Hydrus watched until they disappeared.
The encounter stayed with her.
And so did the gift.
Invisibility beasts didn't just vanish from sight.
They glimpsed the future.
Not far. Not clearly.
But even fragments of tomorrow were power.
They returned to Britain on December twenty-third.
The delay came from additional recording commitments, leaving Hydrus exhausted.
The moment she stepped off the plane, she groaned at Peter Waterman. "I'm done. Completely done. From now on, I sing—and nothing else. Try to force me, and I walk."
Given that she was eleven and already priceless, the threat worked.
Hydrus singing wasn't work.
Everything else could burn.
December twenty-fourth.
Disguised with Kamo Tsuru's appearance, Hydrus entered the Leaky Cauldron alone. No familiar this time—too conspicuous.
The tavern was quiet.
She ordered butterbeer and newspapers.
"Anything interesting lately?" she asked.
The innkeeper sighed. "Construction next door."
She followed his gaze to the wall being dismantled. "Expanding?"
"No. A certain singer's music keeps drawing crowds outside. Ministry didn't like wizards gathering in Muggle streets. So we're letting the sound through instead."
Hydrus nearly choked on her drink.
Her music.
She grinned.
The headline caught her eye next.
Shame! Ministry Fooled by an Old Servant—Rita Skeeter
She skimmed.
All speculation. No proof.
Then the doors burst open.
"New wanted notice!"
Aurors strode in, parchments in hand.
"Bord Grey," one announced. "Armed robbery. Murder. Fraud. Bounty—twenty thousand Galleons."
The room erupted.
Hydrus stared.
Grey… wanted?
Details spilled freely.
A failed ambush. A traced vault. Inconsistencies too large to ignore.
The Grey family was ordered to surrender stolen gold—or face arrest.
Hydrus leaned back, eyes flicking to the crude photograph.
A half-mask. A feral grin.
She compared it to her own wanted poster.
Side by side.
She smiled.
Best Christmas gift she could have asked for.