Aloha, welcome to my first poor attempt of writing a ccs/hp fic sigh.
Anyway, please bear with me, this chapter will be boring as nothing interesting happens. I just need to lay down the bare facts here. Boring, but necessary. I promise next chapter will be significantly better, thanks to the arrival of a few, dearly beloved characters, you know who I'm talking about wiggles eyebrows... anyway, without further ado, my story:
Oh, oh, wait. Disclaimer: nope, no, do not own this anime and/or manga. Thank god. If I had, I think everyone would hate it.. eep..
Nor do I own Harry Potter D.
"Pure;
Obsidian"
-Prologue-
Two figures sat across from one another, in a room that was an office, discussing mildly important things that may or may not have been about the fate of the world as they knew it.
"Now, Miss. Sakura, which of the houses do you wish to be put in? There is no doubt you have the qualities to succeed in any house you desire."
The professor was uncomfortable and did not trust the girl in front of her.
"I have thought about each and every house and the consequence of being in said house. Actually, I considered being put in Hufflepuff."
A small look of surprise flickered across the other person's face, a look so small it almost went by unnoticed.
A ghost of a smile appeared on the speaker's face.
"However, considering the situation, I shall go willingly to the Gryffindor house. It will give me a better chance to get closer to the target. It may be unnecessary, but it will be easier."
The person nodded, sending an approving glance, however small and begrudging, to the afore-mentioned speaker.
"Very well. You can go, you must be very busy. We shall have everything arranged so your transfer here will go by as smoothly as possible."
"Thank you. I shall be awaiting your owl."
The much younger speaker, identified before as Sakura, rose and headed towards the door. Before she left the room, she turned once more and addressed the older woman.
"Professor McGonagall-san, I know that you are wondering at what professor Dumbledore-sama must be thinking, trusting a young girl like me to provide protection to the much-important Harry Potter. I know that you believe in professor Dumbledore-sama, and he believes in my abilities, so in turn I ask you to believe in me. I have faced my fair share of trials too. I also know that you have been told I have a different type of magic, that I am a sorceress. Yes, that is quite true. However, what you may have not been told is that I am also very powerful."
An acute look of disbelief flashed on the professor's face, before being skillfully removed at will.
Sakura nodded evenly, staring beseechingly into Minerva McGonagall's eyes.
"In time you shall see. Know this, while Harry Potter is under my protection, he shall come to no harm and I will see to it that he is prepared to meet the challenges he shall face."
At this, professor McGonagall opened her mouth, but was cut off before she could say a word.
"As you said before, I am very much qualified. He will be ready to the best of my abilities."
Sakura stared once more into the face of professor McGonagall, willing her to believe, before bowing and walking out the door.
-
It will be a long time before she can go back to Japan, the country she was born to and loved. Might as well, she mused, make new friends. Starting with Harry Potter.
-
And so onwards she walked, the protector of Harry Potter and of Good, towards her new destiny, towards unforeseen circumstances and situations, and towards the small, cleverly disguised Wizarding pub called the Leaky Cauldron.
"Pure;
Obsidian"
(Chapter)
1
Obsidian;
Butterfly..
That conversation took part more than a year ago, and in that time, Sakura had settled down very well. Of course at first, it was challenging to become friends with the 'Golden Trio of Hogwarts'. Then again, after they had gotten over the whole, "A transfer student? There's something fishy going on…I smell a Deatheater plot…" it was easy enough to get along.
And after one long year of constantly running into each other, getting rid of the suspicions, and backward events, the four students (albeit one undercover) of Hogwarts have come to genuinely like the other, and surprisingly -or not so surprisingly- trusting of one another.
Sakura Kinomoto, the new help enlisted under one, Albus Dumbledore, to fight the Good fight and help protect Harry Potter.
With a petite body figure, she is constantly dwarfed by her fellow students and staff (exempted, of course, by professor Flitwick, the charms teacher who is quite miniscule).Graceful and attractive, she is ingrained into more than one boys' thoughts. She has short auburn hair, not unlike of the style worn when she was a kid, though with a much silkier texture. The sharp angles of her face accentuate the curve of her naturally pale pink mouth and sharp nose, while bringing out the shape of her mesmerizing eyes. Her eyes, often compared to the color of jade and the sparkle of emerald, shined as bright as any jewel. Yet dark and untold secrets lurk deep within.
Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, icon of the Wizarding world (sometimes not) and one third of the Golden Trio.
With a lean build, medium to small in height and outlines of a six-pack, he is constantly admired by girls and the center of their dreams. Harry's hair, a mess before, is now perfectly tamed with many layers that make him look 'wild' (with the help of Sakura). Traces of scars can be found all over his body, evidence to the mass encounters of a deranged lord and his minions, although his alluringly cursed, lightning scar is still the most prominent of all, but hidden under his carefully styled hair. His eyes, like Sakura's, a beautiful green. Eyes that speak of hidden pain and hold an air of maturity.
Ronald Weasley, affectionately called Ron, pure-blooded wizard, sixth son out of seven children and part two of the dream team.
With a tall form, scant centimeters away from being 180, many people have had to crane their necks to look at his face. Combined with a great body (almost near that six-pack also), an almost disturbingly tall figure and filled with outrageously red hair, Ron draws many eyes towards him, more than half girls. His deep blue eyes, crinkling at the edge when he smiles, holds kindness and reveals hints of stubbornness. Underneath all that, however, lays insecurity yet a certain kind of strength.
Hermione Anne Granger, Miss-Know-It-All, Bossy-Boots, and the Book Worm, yet much respected throughout the school and the last third of the Golden Three.
With an athletic physique, shaped by mass walking due to her many travels with her family, she too holds a special place inside boys' nighttime pictures. Her bushy hair has been turned into soft, silky-curls that frame her heart shaped face (once again with the help of Sakura), and eyes that somehow attract you towards it, holding far-seeing knowledge.
-
Eyes, as everyone knows to be said, are the windows to our soul. But it is actually a gateway to what lies behind us, before us, and everything in between.
-
"Ah, finally! Back to school, and our sixth year too! I'm so excited, of course I've already chosen what to do for our subjects, but there were so many to choose from! I hope I get into everything I picked…But if I picked everything that I really wanted to do I would have had to use the time-turner and I do not want to use that, not to mention it was very stressful trying to keep up…"
The other three inside the compartment rolled their eyes.
"Only Hermione could be excited about the first day back at school. Ahh, I wish I was back in Japan. Bloody hell, now that is something to be excited about…" Mumbled Ron.
"Speaking of Japan, Sakura that was amazing! Well, more than just amazing! That was, that was..." Hermione spluttered, finally coming to a stop.
"Totally unbelievable!" Ron shouted.
Hermione nodded, unable to think of words to convey her gratitude at being allowed to see something as great as Japan at the expense of Sakura, and trusted Ron to say it for her.
"Absolutely awesome! Hermione? A loss for words? Sakura, it's practically never been done before by a student! You've managed to shut Hermione up!" grinned Ron, a look of hero worship in his eyes.
Hermione may not have been able to think of words to say how much she enjoyed being in Japan, but she could think of many ways of expressing her thoughts about Ron.
His yelp of pain only proved the fact.
"Oh, Ron, honestly! Can't you see how much we've learned? A different culture, a different language, beautiful traditions and living in a new country! I never knew that Asian countries had such different magic! Like Sakura and her cards…" on and on Hermione raved while the other three tuned her out.
"Why can't she just see it for what it was? A vacation for Merlin's sake! There has just got to be an 'educational value' to everything! Bloody mad she is." Ron moaned, while rubbing the side of his head.
The whistle blew and the train began picking up speed, drowning out the voices of the two. When the train traveled more smoothly and the whistle stopped blowing, talking once again resumed.
"Thanks, Sakura. You know, for everything." Harry said quietly, looking out the window, embarrassed.
Melodious laughter reached everyone's ears and Sakura smiled to the three.
"It was no big deal you guys, I have plenty of space. I'm glad all of you enjoyed it. If you want to go to Japan ever again, just tell me and off we go! I mean, it's not like we have to pay anything to get there." She chuckled, fingering the Sakura cards inside of her pockets.
Sakura knew that Harry was thanking her for more then that, and sent a small gesture to say that she had gotten what he tried to get across.
The other two, not noticing what had just transpired, nodded happily with the agreement, excited at the prospect of going to Japan a second, and maybe even a third time.
To them, the Sakura cards were no longer a secret, although the extent of their power has yet still to be revealed.
While Harry was looking out the window blushing about something only he knew of and the two were bickering with each other as usual, Sakura was reliving the moment when the three of them caught her red-handed.
-xx-
The flash of metal in the dark night could be seen, the soft hisses of sword against sword could be heard...
Every night since that fateful night, Sakura has been training herself in the arts of self-defense and weapons handling, desperately wishing to never be weak again and to be able to protect what is hers.
At first, Sakura studied the theory of Jujitsu, Aikido, Kendo and a range of other styles of martial arts.
Next, she coerced Yue into teaching her the basic stances and drills which she practiced dedicatedly every night. Bruised, tired and worn, she progressed steadily.
Not only was Sakura powerful magically, but due to her intense training, she built up her stamina, her strength, and thus her body. She had always been athletic, participating in a wide range of sports, which served to only help in her training.
The last step of insuring success was to test all her knowledge and gained skills against someone, the Fight.
More than once has Sakura gained the upper hand and won. However, the stronger Sakura got, the stronger the cards get. And thus began a cycle.
After school (Sakura was exempted from club activities, since she joined the Kendo club but was much more advanced than even the teachers), she would train with Yue for a few hours and then fight with her card.
Nothing in her routine has changed in the last four years, the only difference was instead of training in a place she magically created in Japan to escape people's notice, she was training in a magical forest to escape the Hogwarts students' notice.
The flash of metal in the dark night could be seen, the soft hisses of sword against sword could be heard...
Thrust, parry, block.
Shift stance.
Arc, parry, thrust, block, block, parry.
Shift stance.
It was a Wednesday night, molding with early Thursday morning. Sakura was training with the Fight, purely swords practice.
Sakura wasn't using the Sword card to fight, but one which she had gotten as a gift from Yue. It was a beautiful sword, one that rivaled Excalibur's greatness. It was all silver, from point to hilt. The only exception was the slight zig-zag pattern of lines across the hilt which was a slight blue tinged with pink.
Sweat glistened down at the side of her face, both sorceress and magic card slowly losing strength. Once again they exchanged quick blows, dodging and ducking at the last second.
Her heartbeat at an accelerated pace and breath slightly out of rhythm, she charged at the girl in front of her, speed unbelievably fast.
The other girl raised her sword to meet the incoming attack, eyes narrowed desperately looking for weaknesses she knew were non-existent.
The charger angled her sword to meet the other one, locked on defense, before abruptly spinning behind and twisting in an arc.
Yet as she twisted, her speed proved to be a second too slow, while the other leapt away on her hands and feet, trying to put distance before them to recover.
Both girls narrowed their eyes in concentration. And then, nodding their heads in accepted challenge, both ran with terrifying swiftness, charging at the other.
What happened in that instant cannot be explained nor understood. The only thing to comprehend was that the mock battle was won by such a small margin of power it was almost hard to believe.
The loser of this fight was pleased to note that she lasted much longer than the mock battle of yesterday and dropped heavily on the ground, while the other girl stood, slightly panting at the effort with which it took to fight.
The winner bowed.
"Shall I return back to my card form, mistress?"
Sakura still sat resting on the ground, nodding her assent.
In a flash of blinding light and unnatural wind, Fight reverted back to her card form and slowly descended towards Sakura, then suddenly disappeared.
Sakura stood up slowly, panting at the effort.
"Mou…I'm so tired…" she mumbled to herself.
As she stood, she called back the Shield and instantly felt five familiar auras, though two much further away.
Sakura's eyes widened.
"Oh crap!"
x
Sakura stared nervously at the fire of the Gryffindor common room, anxiously deciding what to tell the three staring at her.
"You know," came Harry's voice, laced with shock, anger and betrayal, "you have a lot of explaining to do."
Ron and Hermione nodded their heads in agreement, all four of them sitting in large comfy chairs that surrounded the fire.
Sakura gave a lengthy sigh, still undecided as to how much to tell them.
The other female in the room gave a snort.
"How do we know that you're not a Deatheater? Planted here so you could become close friends with Harry and then stick him in a ditch the first chance you get?"
The one which this comment was directed to only rolled her eyes.
"I thought we were over the whole 'I am a Deatheater in disguise' thing. And besides, if I really wanted to, I don't need to bide my time and could've killed Harry (and any of you really) any time I wanted."
She sent a harsh look at Ron, nervous as he was, reaching for his wand inside of his pockets.
"Not that I want to, or am going to."
"Oh? And how do we know that? Miss-I-sneak-out-of-the-castle-and-fight-with-things-that-transform-and-disappear-with-deadly-accuracy."
"And I suppose Ron," Sakura said in a dry voice, staring mockingly at him, "that you and the rest have never sneaked out before? And anyway, what were you doing outside?"
Ron had the decency to blush.
"Ah, well, yeah, you see… We kind of got a detention from McGonagall with Hagrid because…I-we! We! Got a little hungry and decided to have a little midnight snack…"
Hermione fixed her fiery brown eyes at the auburn headed girl.
"Don't turn this on us, Sa-ku-ra, if that is even your real name. We are here to question you, not the other way around!"
"Yes, my name is Sakura, what else would it be? Quasimodo?" She cocked her head to the side derisively.
"Anyway, fire away, Miss-Holier-Than-Thou-Hermione." Said Sakura, irritated and copying Ron from before.
"I want to know, who exactly you are, are you a Deatheater, if not what are you, and what you were doing outside."
Harry's voice stopped any and all bickering and glaring, it being the first thing he had said for quite a while.
Sakura dropped the sarcasm and 'witty remarks,' changing into serious mode and ready to face the music, yet still trying to figure out how much to tell them.
"I, as you know, am Sakura Kinomoto," with this she sent a glare to Hermione, "15 years old and Japanese born and bred. No, I am not a Deatheater, I…was sort of sent here to…get you out of trouble if need be. And outside I-I was training with my…cards."
Sakura took a deep breath, still uneasy telling them about her true 'mission' and the truth about her powers.
"Last time I checked, cards don't suddenly transform into humans and have very, very good fighting skills."
"Oh you are smart Ron," Sakura's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "if only everyone else was as sharp as you."
"Cut it out!" Harry snapped, impatient and wanting to know.
"He's got a point there though, what are these 'cards' of yours?" Questioned Hermione, reverting back into research mode.
"I've never heard of any cards that do anything like that. Well, there was that bit about Gwendell Rosalina, but all her cards where charmed to do were to fly about and bite people if they touched things they weren't supposed to. Somehow, I don't quite think that's what yours are like…"
Sakura stared at Hermione as she mumbled on about some witch.
Harry cleared his throat, getting increasingly impatient, while Ron was getting irritated (relaxed a bit after Sakura denied being a Deatheater, although still suspicious) at Hermione and her incessant ramblings.
Sakura only shook her head and continued on with her explanation.
"First thing you should know about me is that I am not a witch."
That one single sentence forced Hermione to focus back on the topic at hand.
"Impossible! You cannot not be a witch! Obviously you are not a muggle, else why would you be here? And we've seen you perform spells with your wand…"
Hermione still kept talking, listing things off as to reasons why she couldn't not be a witch.
Sakura sighed once again in irritation, speaking and cutting off Hermione's ramblings.
"I said I'm not a witch, I didn't say I don't have magic! I am a sorceress and-"
"Once again, impossible! Only the highest of rank, the most elite of wizards and witches and those voted by the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards can take the name of Sorcerer or Sorceress for themselves. I hardly believe that you are on the same level as Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel becau-"
"Hermione let her speak!"
The girl instantly shut her mouth, scowling at the way she was being spoken to.
"Thank you Ron." Sakura sighed, rubbing her temples. I seem to be sighing a lot, she mused.
"As I was saying, I am a sorceress and I have a different type of magic from you, although I can still wield your type of magic. The Eastern and Western civilization have completely different types of magic, the Eastern being much higher in power."
Hermione once again opened her mouth and Sakura rushed on before she could speak.
"But the difference in power is balanced out by the population. That is why you have never heard of us, except maybe in myths or legends. Our population is dwindling as we speak, or so a…friend has told me. I have only ever been in contact with two sorcerers apart from myself, but they have explained to me that our 'race' is rather reclusive, preferring to stick to ourselves rather than mingle with witches and wizards."
"Sounds rather like the Malfoy's and their fetish of pure-bloodism."
Hermione's eye twitched.
"Honestly Ron, bloodism? If you absolutely insist in making up words of your fancy, make better ones!"
Harry sighed in exasperation.
"Go on, please. And ignore those two dunderheads."
Hermione sniffed and crossed her arms, while Ron glared at being called a dunderhead.
Sakura suppressed a smile.
"Our…race, knows about the Wizarding world, or at least I'm pretty sure they do. And we also have adapted to the 'muggle' as you call it, way of living. I actually…" Sakura blushed, "never had any formal training about anything really. What I know of is what my…friend taught me."
"So, you're really a sorceress, you have different magic (much more powerful at that) and you can wield our type of magic, right?" Ron asked, taking a long time processing all the right information.
Hermione again snorted and began mumbling under her breath.
"But you still haven't answered all our questions. Exactly what are these cards?"
Sakura sighed, fiddling with her thumbs.
"That, Harry, is a long story…"
And so our heroine began to tell the long tale of the wise and all powerful magician, Clow Reed and how he combined the Eastern and Western magic to create one of the strongest forces of power on earth.
She then began to talk of how she came to possess said power, but left out unimportant details (to the dream team anyway).
"Okay, so when you were 10 years old, you suddenly found yourself down a basement releasing the 'most powerful force on earth,' started capturing the cards that the most powerful magician, Clow Reed, created, passed this Final Judgment (that you had to go through twice), and then, amidst the most powerful giant stuffed toys some guy created, you changed said cards and made them into 'Sakura cards.' Am I right?"
Sakura stared at the red-head and his over use of 'the most powerful.'
"You know, I just love the way you summarize everything I say," She rolled her eyes again, "but, aside from that, yes."
Ron squeaked and managed an 'Oh good.'
"You said that you had a staff to capture the cards, right? Then, when those two cards disappeared, how come you didn't have to get your staff out, or say an incantation?"
Sakura gave a slow smile of satisfaction.
"Good observation Harry. That, is because I…put myself through some training, to develop my powers onto a higher level. I have developed it so much that I don't need to use my staff or even say an incantation to release and order the cards. Spiffy, eh?"
All three (surprisingly even Hermione), nodded their heads at the explanation as everything starting to become clearer.
"These cards…would-would they have the power to…almost…train you in your dreams?"
Harry was reluctant to ask, never telling anyone about his dreams.
Hermione looked up sharply.
"What dreams? Harry you never told us about any dreams after last year. Were they also about You-Know-"
She was cut off abruptly with a shake of his head and a small 'no.'
"You're learning. Yes, those dreams are caused by my cards and I."
"But, why train me in my dreams? Also, why have you never revealed yourself to me before? Why couldn't you just have taken me out and train me when I'm awake? And, why do you even train me?"
Sakura gave a slight shrug.
"Well, I didn't want you to know it was me, I kind of wanted to get to know you through my own merits and not because I'm training you. Why I am doing so should be obvious. Harry, you're a wonderful person and a great wizard, but there are some skills that you're lacking. I am training you, as you know, because there will come a time when you shall face a great evil and the world…is a burden you must carry."
The meaning behind that simple statement was not lost to anyone. It was a while before they said anything, the stillness of the night blending into early morning reigned the room. The soft crackles of the dying fire could be heard amidst the low breathing.
Harry breathed out a lengthy gust of air, and spoke three words that made everything in the room less tensed.
"I believe you."
-xx-
"Anyway, I'm a little bit concerned about our N.E.W.T's. I don't know if I've studied enough. I heard about the exam and people said it was a killer!"
Hermione's voice cut through Sakura's memories like a knife.
"Hermione, N.E.W.T's are still next year, just relax a little and study as much as you can while still having fun."
"Harry! You cannot take these exams with that kind of…of...carefree attitude! Besides, no one can be friends with you and not have the most fun of their lives."
Ron gave a hearty chuckle.
"That's true mate, I mean, our adventures may have been deadly, but they've been the best moments of my life!"
Harry blushed madly and grinned while Sakura gave a smile of contentment.
And so the hours passed in the same fashion, the food-trolley came and went and the boys were thrown out so the girls could change and vice-versa.
At last, the time came when the train ended and came to the last stop on their one way journey.
To Hogwarts once again.
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Hmm… so… please review, constructive criticism greatly appreciated and flames will be probably ignored.
Oh; and I still have trouble deciding; who should end up with who? Sakura and Syaoran? Or Harry and Sakura? What about the other characters? Personal opinion, again, greatly appreciated!
Thank you ever so much- .conjectured.