Disclaimer:I do not own CCS or Harry Potter. I am merely borrowing them.
Bright green eyes stared out the window, watching as the landscape flickered past. Small fingers traced along the curve of a chain, stopping to toy with an irregular pendant. She could see the reflections of her companions in the window, a ghostly world overlying the ever-changing backdrop. A boy, fast asleep with a scowl on his face. A girl, reading a weighty tome, her lips silently forming the shapes of unfamiliar words.
The green-eyed girl smiled and leaned back into her seat. It had been a long trip. She drifted into sleep and began to dream of the year that was to come. She was startled awake when the compartment door skidded open. Brown eyes slitted open, but the boy didn't move otherwise. The girl in the doorway tugged at her robes, her face twisted into a scowl.
She pulled the door closed behind and plopped down on the seat beside the boy, her movements sharp and violent. Crossing her arms in front of her, she pursed her lips and glared at her shoes. The boy sighed in annoyance and closed his eyes completely, rolling his shoulders slightly to face away from her. The girl with the book peeked over the page, her lips twitching in amusement.
The angry girl began to scuff her shoes on the floor. No one spoke. She began to mumble under her breath. The boy twitched.
Green eyes stared out the window, watching as it began to rain. Droplets of water traced across the glass, creating strange patterns. She blinked, once, twice, and the third time her eyes closed in sleep.
In the middle of spring vacation, shortly before the beginning of sixth grade, Sakura Kinomoto received a letter. It arrived by post, not owl, and it was not from Hogwarts. The letter was addressed to Sakura Kinomoto, Mistress of the Clow, and was from the Wizarding Council of Japan. They requested a meeting with her and her guardians to discuss a matter of education.
The family discussed the letter over dinner. The Council wished to send a representative to the Kinomoto house in two days time. Sakura worried about what might be wrong while Kero tried to comfort her between mouthfuls of pudding. Yukito reassured a suspicious Touya that he was sure everything was fine. After dinner, Touya left for his night job and Sakura headed upstairs, still fretting. Fujitaka called Sonomi Daidouji. He endured her ranting for a few minutes and then explained the situation. He smiled slightly when he learned Tomoyo had also received a letter from the Council. Sonomi informed him that some of her people would be watching the Kinomoto house when the representative arrived. He protested that such an action wasn't at all necessary, and then had to hold the phone away from his ear because of the volume of Sonomi's anger.
When Council member Tanaka Yuichi rang the doorbell two days later, he was greeted by a smiling Sakura and quickly ushered into the living room. Pleasantries were exchanged while tea and sweets were being served. Tanaka found himself sitting alone on a couch across a small table from the gathered Kinomoto family. Sakura was in the middle of the other couch, smiling politely, the Key resting on top of her shirt. To her left was her father, Fujitaka, who was calmly sipping his tea. Touya, on her right, had rested his hands on his thighs and had a considering expression on his face. At Sakura's feet, a transformed Cerberus had stretched out, his mouth slightly open so that his sharp teeth gleamed white in the slanting sunlight from the window. Yue stood behind the couch, his wings mantled and his face impassive.
Tanaka, faced with this rather intimidating sight, smiled slightly. He had championed the cooperation between the Wizarding communities over this matter. He was sure that Sakura would represent Japan well and her actions and those of her family confirmed this.
"Kinomoto-san, what, precisely, do you know about the world of magic–that is, the people who use it?"
She cocked her head slightly, thinking. "Well," her tone was cautious, "I know that some people have magic and some don't. It seems to run in families and there are some clans that specialize in it. There seem to be different types of magic, and I don't seem to have the same kind as I sometimes see mikos using. Oh," she sat up a little straighter and clapped her hands together, "And Western magic is different from Eastern magic since Clow Reed is famous for combining the two."
Tanaka smiled, pleased. "Very good. Western and Eastern magic are considered different and the communities are especially different. We specialize our magics more so that you and mikos use different types of magic. As well, we keep our magic secret, for the most part, from people who do not know magic, but we also live at least part of out lives among them."
Tanaka paused to take a sip of tea. Sakura blinked, looking a bit confused. Fujitaka was nodding slightly. Touya's gaze sharpened slightly and Cerberus allowed his tail to flop from side to side. Yue stood still and impassive.
"Most magic-users here are taught by their families, or they are taken in and taught as apprentices. Some people are never trained, either because they are too weak to need it, or because their magic is latent. Occasionally, people manage to develop their own magic without any training at all" and here he shot a glance at Touya. "In Europe, the magical world has become completely separate from the world of non-magic users who they call Muggles."
He paused for another sip of tea. Sakura shifted in her seat, her attention span starting to drift. Cerberus's eyes were closed and she kicked him softly before he could begin to snore. Fujitaka, Touya and Yue remained focused on Tanaka and his words.
"They have a school to train young magic-users. For many decades, the European wizarding world was very focused on some internal problems, but things have become more stable recently. Now, they have the time and resources to focus on other matters. We have been approached by the headmaster of a school in Britain called Hogwarts, and asked to send a small number of students to facilitate a understanding and perhaps to start a more globally integrated magical world. And we would like you to be one the students representing Japan, Miss Sakura Kinomoto."
Tanaka leaned back into the couch. Touya expression had settled into a brooding scowl. Sakura was blinking rapidly, trying to take in what was going on. Fujitaka set his teacup down carefully.
"Well, Tanaka-san, this is certainly very interesting. We, will of course, have to discuss this and think about it most carefully."
"Of course. Hogwarts does not begin classes until September and such an important decision cannot be rushed. Please, let the Council know as soon as you have decided," Tanaka stood and handed Fujitaka a white business card on top of a small packet of papers. "If you do choose to go, we will be honored to help you in your preparations."
The hall was warm and bright, a welcome relief after the cold, wet trip across the lake. Sakura was nervous about the sorting. Tomoyo had read a book about the school and had told the group all about the different Houses and the Sorting Hat, so at least Sakura wasn't worried about having to wrestle a troll or anything, like some of the other students. She was worried that she might end up alone, separated from her friends. After all, there were four of them, and four different Houses! Meiling and Li were much more brave than she was and Tomoyo was much smarter. What if she wasn't able to get in the same House as them?