Hey, this is my remake, and- oh, bugger, all my reviews disappeared. Yeah,
I removed the story and re-did it with longer chapters and the formatting
all of us on PC's must use. For old readers, there may be a few small
changes, but it's not worth re-reading all over. For new readers, I hope
you enjoy!
There is a little bit of Sailor Moon stuff mixed in here (that's anime,
folks) also, so be ready for that
Disclaimer: This gets very monotonous, so I will only say it once, and then will update if I need to. I do not own Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin. I don't own ANY OF THEM (the great JKR does), and I'm not making any money off this, though I wish I were. I also do not own Michelle, Emara, or the Sailor Scouts, they are part of an anime TV show called Sailor Moon. I do own Sass, Sandra, Jessica & Marisa, and basically anyone else you don't recognize from the books. If you want to use them, ask me and I'll probably say yes. In the way of formatting, thoughts and other italics are in /./, and memories are in . If there's more I'll let you know.
Sasina (Sass for short) Chapter 1- An Unlikely Story
"Hey! You get the mail this morning, Emara!" Sasina (Sass, for short) yelled at her new guardian, tucking her short black hair behind her ears. /It's amazing,/ she thought, /I've only known Michelle and Emara for a month or so, and already I'm more at home here than I ever was at the orphanage- and I lived there for eleven years./ She smiled as Emara accepted her rally and went out to the mailbox. Today was another lovely day at the English cottage, which, as Sass had only recently found out, was just a vacation home. Emara and Michelle Lantuan were cousins who had been close friends since childhood, and had a fair-sized business in Tokyo, their hometown. Sass still wasn't quite sure what exactly they did, but she supposed they must be pretty good at it, because they were wealthy enough to have a vacation house in Oxford, which was, by her standards, large enough to be a spacious home. /Of course, my standards were fairly perverted by living in "favor" of Milord- no. I will never give him that respect again. He is just Paul./ Sass' former guardian was not a good person, and Sass simply counted herself lucky she had been adopted before he'd broken her spirit.
/But that's over now./ Sass hoped to move on with her life, and not let past experiences haunt her. She was incredibly happy that Michelle and Emara, Sailor Scouts of love and justice, had sensed a danger here in England that required their attention. She was glad they had seen through her indifferent mask, forced on her by Paul, and touched her heart to show her there was more out there than the pain she knew. That they had then adopted her, not knowing she had met them before, had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. She had revealed her identity to them so she could help thwart the latest plan of the Dark Plane. The evil Lady Niume had attempted to make humans into mindless power generators for her own evil purposes. The three of them had managed to feed Lady Niume's stolen power /back through her/ until she exploded with a grating scream that Sass would /never/ forget. But now the crisis was over, and they were all enjoying the vacation.
Sasina looked up from her breakfast to see Emara looking through the mail. "Hey, Sass! There's something here for you!"
"Really? Hand it over, then."
"OK. Check out the funny ink."
Sasina looked at the letter, and saw to her surprise that it was addressed in green ink to Sasina Celeborn-Lantuan, 2137 Silver Birch Drive. There was no return address. "How in the heck did whoever sent this know my real last name?" She said to no one in particular as she broke the seal.
"What's this?" Michelle, Sass' other guardian, walked into the room and sat down at the table.
Emara replied absently, watching Sass intently. "Someone sent Sass a letter with funny green ink, and it has her old last name."
Michelle looked puzzled. "But who would -"
Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by Sass' exclamations as she opened the letter and read the first words on the page. "What?"
Emara and Michelle were twin pictures in impatience. "What is it? What's it say?" Emara demanded.
"Is it bad news from the other Scouts?" asked Michelle.
Sass was slow to answer. "Noo,"
"Well, read it out then," said Emara.
"OK," Sass said reluctantly. "Here goes."
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)
Dear Ms. Celeborn/Lantuan,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Also directions to Diagon Alley, where they may be found.
Term begins on September 1. We await your response by no later than July 31. Mailing address enclosed.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
There was a shocked silence in which everyone stared at the letter. Sass slowly looked behind it at the other papers in the packet. "There's some other stuff here too," she said. "Just like the letter said."
Michelle looked like she was going to choke. "Well, why don't you read that out too," she managed to force out.
"OK. Let's see,"
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
uniform
First-year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear One pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar) One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothing should carry nametags
course books
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Aldabert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide To Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
other equipment
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"There's also directions to somewhere in London called Diagon Alley, a train ticket from the station there - London, that is - and a mailbox somewhere in Bristol, which is apparently where we're supposed to send our reply. Oh, and there's a sheet of paper that says we get to the train station by walking through the wall between stations nine and ten. What?" Sass looked at the ticket. "Huh. The train leaves at 11:00, on September first from platform - nine and three-quarters?" Sass looked puzzled.
Emara, however, was unperturbed. "Well, it makes sense, if this isn't a hoax. The wizards can't possibly want the whole world boarding the train to this wizarding school. It stands to reason they'd have figured out some way to keep them out. So, they use their exclusive resource - magic - to figure it out." She shrugged. "Makes sense."
Michelle jumped immediately to Emara's first statement. "But what if it is a hoax? I mean, that's actually more likely than this," she gestured at the envelope, "all being true."
"I'm not sure about that, Michelle." Sass replied slowly. "There's something about this that makes me want to trust it. I mean, these people have thought of everything! Right down to the fact that we have to get the barkeep in this place to tap one of the bricks in the alley behind his shop so we can get the supplies. It's too well thought out for a hoax, unless it's a serial one."
Emara frowned. "Well, I hate to say it, Michelle, but I think I have to agree with Sass on this one. I mean, we're the Sailor Scouts! If we told someone about us, they would think we were insane! But it's still true. There's no reason why these people can't exist too."
"I can see I'm outvoted on this." Michelle forced a smile. "But when we go to London to get your school stuff, let's get all of the Scouts to come, OK? We can phone them and they can teleport here. Say they're going to a retreat or something."
Emara smiled. "Sounds like a great idea to me. I've been trying to get them up here all summer. This way there's a chance we'll need them as the Scouts, but most likely we'll all just be able to have a good time. I'll call them now so we can set it up in advance. After all, September 1st is only," she looked at her watch, "five weeks away." She stood up and proceeded into the kitchen to call long distance to Tokyo.
"Hey, can you write out a letter to send to them saying I'll come?" Sass called after her. "We can send it next time you go into town." Emara stuck her head back through the door and waved her assent, already on the phone.
Sass smiled at Michelle. "Don't worry. Even if it isn't what it seems, I can take care of myself. I'm tough."
Michelle bit her lip. "I know. But you've already been through so much, I don't think you ought to have to deal with anything more, at least not for five or ten more years."
Sass grimaced at the reminder. "Don't worry." She said again. "I'm sure everything's fine."
* * * * *
Exactly one month later, on August 27th, the three of them were standing on the edge of the living room at eleven o'clock in the morning, waiting for the other Sailor Scouts - Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus - to arrive. They had arranged it to the minute to make sure Sass, Michelle, and Emara would be out of the way when they teleported into the living room. Emara looked at her watch impatiently. "They're late," she said. "Could something have gone wrong?"
"Don't worry," Michelle said. "They'll be here."
Like magic (which of course, it was), the five of them appeared in their magical Sailor Scout garb, holding hands in a circle. They broke apart and opened their eyes.
Emara smiled. "How's it going?"
Sailor Moon (or Serena), hyper as always, bounced forward. "Great! How 'bout for you guys? Oh, is this the kid? Hey! What's your name? I'm Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice-"
"I'm sure Emara and Michelle already told her." Sailor Mars, or Raye, interrupted. "Why not ask what her name is?" She tilted her head at Sass.
"Sasina. Sass for short."
Michelle, ever practical, cut into the conversation to remind them all to come back to earth. "Why don't you all transform back, and then we can all have afternoon tea? It's a lovely tradition of the locals that I find very relaxing." She raised an eyebrow at Emara, who headed for the kitchen to put on the kettle
"Sounds great." That was Sailor Jupiter, or Lita, if Sass was remembering right. "Jupiter. show me my true form."
Sasina watched, fascinated, as one by one, the five Scouts repeated this phrase (each using the name of their own planet) and whirled from their leotards and short skirts back into normal, if somewhat foreign looking, clothes (of course, she reminded herself, that was probably because they were from Tokyo).
Emara poked her head back into the room just then. "So, I've put on the kettle, what sort of tea do you all want?"
"Mint! With lots of sugar," exclaimed Serena (Moon).
"Any sort of berry," was Amy, also Sailor Mercury.
"One of those cinnamon mixers would be great. But I'm cool however." Mina (Venus) had the talking cat, Artemis.
Lita agreed with Mina; and Sailor Mars, or Raye, asked for green tea. Michelle just smiled. She /always/ had lemon tea.
"Sass? How about you?" Emara grinned.
"I'll have raspberry today." Sass smiled back. It was a running joke between them that Sass had a different flavor of tea every day.
Emara gestured towards the kitchen. "Well, then, if you'll all just step inside and sit down, the water will be hot in just a few minutes."
There was a brief stampede for the best spots, which left Sass and Michelle sitting on the counter, while Mina had opted to sit on the rug. Everyone else had managed to get a more conventional seat.
"So," Mina said, folding her legs to get comfortable. "Tell us about your escapades this summer. From the sound of it, things have been interesting."
Emara entered just then with the tea, and there was a brief pause as everyone took her cup and Emara sat down. Then Sass broke the silence. "Well, I guess the story ought to begin with me. My name was Sasina Celeborn-Arilya, and I lived in an orphanage in London. The caretaker, Paul Kincaid, was not a good person."
"That's an understatement," Emara interjected.
"May be, but they don't need to hear all that." Sass would've continued, but Lita broke in.
"So what happened to your parents?"
Sass shrugged. "I don't know. I was found in the woods in a park. At any rate he - Paul, that is - taught me practically every form of dance and martial arts there is, even though he used methods that are disgusting and cruel. Anyway, a few months ago he entered me in a martial arts tournament that Michelle and Emara had identified as a possible target. Emara entered, and we were the two finalists. She accidentally sprained my ankle, and probably could've beaten me, but she was worried about me. So, when she saw I wasn't going to back out, she withdrew. That gave me back the hope in people that had been missing from my life for years. They just happened to choose Paul's orphanage to adopt a child from, and picked me, not knowing I was the martial artist. They told me about their true abilities, and their real reason for coming to England. I told them about myself." She went on to describe, in brief, how they foiled the plans of the Dark Plane, and what they had done since. She finished up with the strange letter in the mail and their plans to go to London. ". And that's why we called you," she finished.
"Wow." Sasina stared down at her feet as Lita tried to break the silence. Not even Emara and Michelle had heard the whole story from her before. She ignored the sudden burst of conversation as they all tried to lighten the mood. /And that wasn't even the whole story- not even close. They have no idea./ She would have bitten her lip if she were a normal person, but Paul had taught her not to show her emotions, especially not those of weakness. There were only two people who might understand the horror. /No. I will never see either of them again. Not Samuel- the only teacher I had that cared; and not Bobby. Oh God, why did I have to let my baby brother go? Why him?/ She pulled herself out of the black hole that overwhelmed her every time she thought about the two people that had made life worth living in the orphanage. She knew she would have to face it someday, but she couldn't, not yet. She focused on the conversation around her, and banished the memories deep inside her.
"So anyway, after we visit the Underground, you just have to see the Palace. It's absolutely gorgeous. There's nothing like it in Tokyo. I know how much peasants' sweat went into it, but you know? Its still beautiful." That was Michelle. She was positively enamored of the Royal Palace. Sass managed to smile as she listened to Michelle extort the many virtues of the Buckingham.
Emara finally got tired of it. "Michelle, why don't you leave a few things as surprises for when they actually get there?"
Michelle put her hand over her mouth, chastised, but unashamed. "Okay, okay."
"Anyway," Emara continued, "today, we should just show them around town, because they're probably not going to see it again."
Michelle smiled. "Sounds great. What do you guys think?"
The others chimed in with enthusiastic agreements, so as soon as they had put the mugs in the sink, they went out.
* * * * *
They started for London that evening. Michelle and Emara had been taking the train everywhere, but everyone wanted to be able to talk about the whole wizard school situation, so they rented a minivan instead. They packed their bags, and walked down to the rental agency. After filling out all of the necessary paperwork, they were finally on their way. After they got onto the freeway, Amy leaned forward. "Hey, um, Sass? I've been thinking about what you said earlier, and I was wondering. Why was it such a shock that the people at this magic school knew your middle name was Celeborn? I mean, isn't it in all of your records and everything?"
Sass smiled. "Well, actually Celeborn isn't a middle name. I have two last names, and in that circumstance, usually the last-last name is the most important. So, if I were to drop one, I would drop the Celeborn. The other thing is that when a child is adopted, usually they completely drop their old last name. So the fact that they knew both that the Celeborn was more important to me and that I had kept anything at all was pretty impressive."
"Well, then it's pretty likely that this is for real, right?" asked Raye.
"Yes, that's correct. We just wanted you all to come as safety, just in case," Michelle answered.
Emara was driving, but she put in her two cents anyway. "Actually, we mostly just used it as an excuse to get you all out here, like we've been trying to do all summer."
Amy smiled. "We guessed that you had ulterior motives, even before we knew the whole situation. But we decided to come anyway, to see what was up, if nothing else."
Serena was busy plastering her nose against the window. "You guys are so lucky! English guys are way cuter than the ones back home! Except for Darian, of course."
"Darian's your boyfriend, right?" Sass hazarded.
"Yes, we are fated to be together for all time. He was my prince in the Moon Kingdom, and was sent to Earth with me to keep me safe in the form of Tuxedo Mask. His token is a red rose, which symbolizes our never-ending -"
"Emara?" Raye interrupted loudly. "What're we going to do first when we get to London? And when is that, by the way?"
"Well, we started out in Oxford," Emara said over her shoulder, "which is about eighty kilometers from London as the crow flies. Unfortunately, the road we're taking follows the river, which brings the distance up to about a hundred. That'll take maybe an hour and a half, depending on traffic."
Sass grinned at Serena's expression as she was cut off. "Actually, Emara, it'll take longer than that. It's rush hour. We'll probably be on the road for two hours, at least. We might want to consider stopping for dinner on the way."
"No food. Please," Lita croaked. She had discovered that the highly romanticized winding English roads didn't agree with her very much.
Sass shrugged. "That's fine too. I just wanted to bring up the idea. We'll probably be there by seven, anyway."
They spent the time with small talk and suppositions about what all these wizards might be like. Nearly two hours later, Sass broke into a heated discussion about hot actors. "You guys! It's just up ahead, over that hill. See? You can see the lights from here!"
They all looked up and, and saw that the sky was, indeed, much lighter over the hill on the horizon. Then they were at the top, and could see what was actually making the glow. "Wow," said Serena. "It's so big!"
"Yep, that's London," replied Sass.
"You don't sound excited. Why?" asked Amy.
"That's where I lived for most of my life, remember?" Sass told the fear in her stomach sternly to go away. Paul wasn't going to get her, not while she was with the Scouts.
"Oh, right." Sass knew she should apologize for being so bitter, but she couldn't bring herself to. If she only had one chance to see her little brother. No. She broke the silence herself this time.
"Anyway, we should get to the hotel room we booked within twenty minutes."
Michelle looked back at her. "It'll take that long?"
Sass raised an eyebrow. "You bet it will. The traffic's starting to clear up, but it's still pretty heavy. Plus, we're going into the city, so traffic would be thicker there anyway."
"Here we go." Emara called back as they started to descend the hill.
Later, at the hotel, Mina took Sass aside. "Listen, I don't want to pry or anything, but it seems like there's something else about your time in the orphanage that you haven't told any of us. I'm not going to ask what it is, but if there's anything I can do to help you, please tell me. And if you need an ear. well, I'd be glad to listen." She smiled wryly. "Although you probably don't need or want either of those things."
Sass gave her a small smile. "Thanks. I- I'll remember that. I- probably ought to tell- but I just can't. I'm sorry."
"That's okay," Mina said. She turned back towards the others, and Sass watched her for a moment before following.
* * * * *
"So, we have four days until Sass leaves, but we can stay here as long as we want after that, right?" Amy asked the next morning.
"That's the long and short of it." Emara grinned as Serena, still in her pajamas, staggered out of the bedroom. "Sleeping Beauty awakes!" she mocked. Serena gave her a Look, and sat down, swiping an Egg-o waffle off of Emara's plate.
Michelle turned to Amy. "We're going to do all of the stuff with Sass' school first, just in case there's something weird going on. Then, we can sightsee with any time we have left over."
"Sounds great," she replied. "When do we leave?"
Emara turned her back on Serena. "As soon as her Royal Princessness stops stuffing her face and gets dressed."
"Awesome," said Raye. She was already finished eating, and was in the middle of an extremely limited sparring match with Lita (duh, they were in a hotel room). Sass watched them with interest. They were both fairly good, but their styles were limited, and they didn't really the /whys/ of the moves they were doing. She realized what she was doing, and stopped herself. She turned back to the conversation at the table as Serena finished eating and stood up to go get dressed.
".But I think that the movies are probably going to be at least as good as the books, I mean, they've certainly got good actors." Mina said with enthusiasm.
"Yes, but they're going to have to leave so much out," Emara retaliated. "I mean, take the Fellowship- so much happens. There's the whole part about the party, then getting to Rivendell, and then the whole journey, all the way past Lorien."
"Which books?" Sass asked tentatively.
Michelle turned to her. "The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. They're making a movie of them, and the first one comes out this winter. Too bad you won't be able to come and see it with us."
Sass' shoulders sagged. Yet another thing she'd missed as a child. Reading. And another thing she'd miss with Emara and Michelle. As she spiraled down, Serena reentered, dressed this time. Sass shook her head and picked up the packet she'd gotten in the mail.
"Ready?" She stood up and headed for the door. There was a chorus of agreement as everyone followed her to the door.
They took the underground to downtown London, and got off at a stop near where the directions said they should stop. They got their bearings and headed off. They reached the spot and stopped. Sass looked at her paper. "It says here that this place, the Leaky Cauldron, is between the Olde Town bookstore, and World Records. Here they are, but I don't see the pub." She squinted at the wall between the two stores. "Do any of you see anything?"
Emara frowned. "No."
"Well, it's starting to look like maybe this was a hoax." Michelle slumped. "How I wish I wasn't right. It would have been extremely cool to see wizards."
Serena shrugged. "Oh, well. Let's go get something to eat."
But Sass still had the feeling that this was utterly for real. "I-"
"Are you looking for the Leaky Cauldron?" Suddenly, a stranger - hooded and cloaked - popped up beside them.
Ok, sorta a lame cliffie I know, but this story DOES get better! PLEASE REVIEW! Flames accepted, but advice is MUCH more so, so why not just give me some ideas?
Disclaimer: This gets very monotonous, so I will only say it once, and then will update if I need to. I do not own Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin. I don't own ANY OF THEM (the great JKR does), and I'm not making any money off this, though I wish I were. I also do not own Michelle, Emara, or the Sailor Scouts, they are part of an anime TV show called Sailor Moon. I do own Sass, Sandra, Jessica & Marisa, and basically anyone else you don't recognize from the books. If you want to use them, ask me and I'll probably say yes. In the way of formatting, thoughts and other italics are in /./, and memories are in . If there's more I'll let you know.
Sasina (Sass for short) Chapter 1- An Unlikely Story
"Hey! You get the mail this morning, Emara!" Sasina (Sass, for short) yelled at her new guardian, tucking her short black hair behind her ears. /It's amazing,/ she thought, /I've only known Michelle and Emara for a month or so, and already I'm more at home here than I ever was at the orphanage- and I lived there for eleven years./ She smiled as Emara accepted her rally and went out to the mailbox. Today was another lovely day at the English cottage, which, as Sass had only recently found out, was just a vacation home. Emara and Michelle Lantuan were cousins who had been close friends since childhood, and had a fair-sized business in Tokyo, their hometown. Sass still wasn't quite sure what exactly they did, but she supposed they must be pretty good at it, because they were wealthy enough to have a vacation house in Oxford, which was, by her standards, large enough to be a spacious home. /Of course, my standards were fairly perverted by living in "favor" of Milord- no. I will never give him that respect again. He is just Paul./ Sass' former guardian was not a good person, and Sass simply counted herself lucky she had been adopted before he'd broken her spirit.
/But that's over now./ Sass hoped to move on with her life, and not let past experiences haunt her. She was incredibly happy that Michelle and Emara, Sailor Scouts of love and justice, had sensed a danger here in England that required their attention. She was glad they had seen through her indifferent mask, forced on her by Paul, and touched her heart to show her there was more out there than the pain she knew. That they had then adopted her, not knowing she had met them before, had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. She had revealed her identity to them so she could help thwart the latest plan of the Dark Plane. The evil Lady Niume had attempted to make humans into mindless power generators for her own evil purposes. The three of them had managed to feed Lady Niume's stolen power /back through her/ until she exploded with a grating scream that Sass would /never/ forget. But now the crisis was over, and they were all enjoying the vacation.
Sasina looked up from her breakfast to see Emara looking through the mail. "Hey, Sass! There's something here for you!"
"Really? Hand it over, then."
"OK. Check out the funny ink."
Sasina looked at the letter, and saw to her surprise that it was addressed in green ink to Sasina Celeborn-Lantuan, 2137 Silver Birch Drive. There was no return address. "How in the heck did whoever sent this know my real last name?" She said to no one in particular as she broke the seal.
"What's this?" Michelle, Sass' other guardian, walked into the room and sat down at the table.
Emara replied absently, watching Sass intently. "Someone sent Sass a letter with funny green ink, and it has her old last name."
Michelle looked puzzled. "But who would -"
Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by Sass' exclamations as she opened the letter and read the first words on the page. "What?"
Emara and Michelle were twin pictures in impatience. "What is it? What's it say?" Emara demanded.
"Is it bad news from the other Scouts?" asked Michelle.
Sass was slow to answer. "Noo,"
"Well, read it out then," said Emara.
"OK," Sass said reluctantly. "Here goes."
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)
Dear Ms. Celeborn/Lantuan,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Also directions to Diagon Alley, where they may be found.
Term begins on September 1. We await your response by no later than July 31. Mailing address enclosed.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
There was a shocked silence in which everyone stared at the letter. Sass slowly looked behind it at the other papers in the packet. "There's some other stuff here too," she said. "Just like the letter said."
Michelle looked like she was going to choke. "Well, why don't you read that out too," she managed to force out.
"OK. Let's see,"
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
uniform
First-year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear One pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar) One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothing should carry nametags
course books
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Aldabert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide To Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
other equipment
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"There's also directions to somewhere in London called Diagon Alley, a train ticket from the station there - London, that is - and a mailbox somewhere in Bristol, which is apparently where we're supposed to send our reply. Oh, and there's a sheet of paper that says we get to the train station by walking through the wall between stations nine and ten. What?" Sass looked at the ticket. "Huh. The train leaves at 11:00, on September first from platform - nine and three-quarters?" Sass looked puzzled.
Emara, however, was unperturbed. "Well, it makes sense, if this isn't a hoax. The wizards can't possibly want the whole world boarding the train to this wizarding school. It stands to reason they'd have figured out some way to keep them out. So, they use their exclusive resource - magic - to figure it out." She shrugged. "Makes sense."
Michelle jumped immediately to Emara's first statement. "But what if it is a hoax? I mean, that's actually more likely than this," she gestured at the envelope, "all being true."
"I'm not sure about that, Michelle." Sass replied slowly. "There's something about this that makes me want to trust it. I mean, these people have thought of everything! Right down to the fact that we have to get the barkeep in this place to tap one of the bricks in the alley behind his shop so we can get the supplies. It's too well thought out for a hoax, unless it's a serial one."
Emara frowned. "Well, I hate to say it, Michelle, but I think I have to agree with Sass on this one. I mean, we're the Sailor Scouts! If we told someone about us, they would think we were insane! But it's still true. There's no reason why these people can't exist too."
"I can see I'm outvoted on this." Michelle forced a smile. "But when we go to London to get your school stuff, let's get all of the Scouts to come, OK? We can phone them and they can teleport here. Say they're going to a retreat or something."
Emara smiled. "Sounds like a great idea to me. I've been trying to get them up here all summer. This way there's a chance we'll need them as the Scouts, but most likely we'll all just be able to have a good time. I'll call them now so we can set it up in advance. After all, September 1st is only," she looked at her watch, "five weeks away." She stood up and proceeded into the kitchen to call long distance to Tokyo.
"Hey, can you write out a letter to send to them saying I'll come?" Sass called after her. "We can send it next time you go into town." Emara stuck her head back through the door and waved her assent, already on the phone.
Sass smiled at Michelle. "Don't worry. Even if it isn't what it seems, I can take care of myself. I'm tough."
Michelle bit her lip. "I know. But you've already been through so much, I don't think you ought to have to deal with anything more, at least not for five or ten more years."
Sass grimaced at the reminder. "Don't worry." She said again. "I'm sure everything's fine."
* * * * *
Exactly one month later, on August 27th, the three of them were standing on the edge of the living room at eleven o'clock in the morning, waiting for the other Sailor Scouts - Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus - to arrive. They had arranged it to the minute to make sure Sass, Michelle, and Emara would be out of the way when they teleported into the living room. Emara looked at her watch impatiently. "They're late," she said. "Could something have gone wrong?"
"Don't worry," Michelle said. "They'll be here."
Like magic (which of course, it was), the five of them appeared in their magical Sailor Scout garb, holding hands in a circle. They broke apart and opened their eyes.
Emara smiled. "How's it going?"
Sailor Moon (or Serena), hyper as always, bounced forward. "Great! How 'bout for you guys? Oh, is this the kid? Hey! What's your name? I'm Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice-"
"I'm sure Emara and Michelle already told her." Sailor Mars, or Raye, interrupted. "Why not ask what her name is?" She tilted her head at Sass.
"Sasina. Sass for short."
Michelle, ever practical, cut into the conversation to remind them all to come back to earth. "Why don't you all transform back, and then we can all have afternoon tea? It's a lovely tradition of the locals that I find very relaxing." She raised an eyebrow at Emara, who headed for the kitchen to put on the kettle
"Sounds great." That was Sailor Jupiter, or Lita, if Sass was remembering right. "Jupiter. show me my true form."
Sasina watched, fascinated, as one by one, the five Scouts repeated this phrase (each using the name of their own planet) and whirled from their leotards and short skirts back into normal, if somewhat foreign looking, clothes (of course, she reminded herself, that was probably because they were from Tokyo).
Emara poked her head back into the room just then. "So, I've put on the kettle, what sort of tea do you all want?"
"Mint! With lots of sugar," exclaimed Serena (Moon).
"Any sort of berry," was Amy, also Sailor Mercury.
"One of those cinnamon mixers would be great. But I'm cool however." Mina (Venus) had the talking cat, Artemis.
Lita agreed with Mina; and Sailor Mars, or Raye, asked for green tea. Michelle just smiled. She /always/ had lemon tea.
"Sass? How about you?" Emara grinned.
"I'll have raspberry today." Sass smiled back. It was a running joke between them that Sass had a different flavor of tea every day.
Emara gestured towards the kitchen. "Well, then, if you'll all just step inside and sit down, the water will be hot in just a few minutes."
There was a brief stampede for the best spots, which left Sass and Michelle sitting on the counter, while Mina had opted to sit on the rug. Everyone else had managed to get a more conventional seat.
"So," Mina said, folding her legs to get comfortable. "Tell us about your escapades this summer. From the sound of it, things have been interesting."
Emara entered just then with the tea, and there was a brief pause as everyone took her cup and Emara sat down. Then Sass broke the silence. "Well, I guess the story ought to begin with me. My name was Sasina Celeborn-Arilya, and I lived in an orphanage in London. The caretaker, Paul Kincaid, was not a good person."
"That's an understatement," Emara interjected.
"May be, but they don't need to hear all that." Sass would've continued, but Lita broke in.
"So what happened to your parents?"
Sass shrugged. "I don't know. I was found in the woods in a park. At any rate he - Paul, that is - taught me practically every form of dance and martial arts there is, even though he used methods that are disgusting and cruel. Anyway, a few months ago he entered me in a martial arts tournament that Michelle and Emara had identified as a possible target. Emara entered, and we were the two finalists. She accidentally sprained my ankle, and probably could've beaten me, but she was worried about me. So, when she saw I wasn't going to back out, she withdrew. That gave me back the hope in people that had been missing from my life for years. They just happened to choose Paul's orphanage to adopt a child from, and picked me, not knowing I was the martial artist. They told me about their true abilities, and their real reason for coming to England. I told them about myself." She went on to describe, in brief, how they foiled the plans of the Dark Plane, and what they had done since. She finished up with the strange letter in the mail and their plans to go to London. ". And that's why we called you," she finished.
"Wow." Sasina stared down at her feet as Lita tried to break the silence. Not even Emara and Michelle had heard the whole story from her before. She ignored the sudden burst of conversation as they all tried to lighten the mood. /And that wasn't even the whole story- not even close. They have no idea./ She would have bitten her lip if she were a normal person, but Paul had taught her not to show her emotions, especially not those of weakness. There were only two people who might understand the horror. /No. I will never see either of them again. Not Samuel- the only teacher I had that cared; and not Bobby. Oh God, why did I have to let my baby brother go? Why him?/ She pulled herself out of the black hole that overwhelmed her every time she thought about the two people that had made life worth living in the orphanage. She knew she would have to face it someday, but she couldn't, not yet. She focused on the conversation around her, and banished the memories deep inside her.
"So anyway, after we visit the Underground, you just have to see the Palace. It's absolutely gorgeous. There's nothing like it in Tokyo. I know how much peasants' sweat went into it, but you know? Its still beautiful." That was Michelle. She was positively enamored of the Royal Palace. Sass managed to smile as she listened to Michelle extort the many virtues of the Buckingham.
Emara finally got tired of it. "Michelle, why don't you leave a few things as surprises for when they actually get there?"
Michelle put her hand over her mouth, chastised, but unashamed. "Okay, okay."
"Anyway," Emara continued, "today, we should just show them around town, because they're probably not going to see it again."
Michelle smiled. "Sounds great. What do you guys think?"
The others chimed in with enthusiastic agreements, so as soon as they had put the mugs in the sink, they went out.
* * * * *
They started for London that evening. Michelle and Emara had been taking the train everywhere, but everyone wanted to be able to talk about the whole wizard school situation, so they rented a minivan instead. They packed their bags, and walked down to the rental agency. After filling out all of the necessary paperwork, they were finally on their way. After they got onto the freeway, Amy leaned forward. "Hey, um, Sass? I've been thinking about what you said earlier, and I was wondering. Why was it such a shock that the people at this magic school knew your middle name was Celeborn? I mean, isn't it in all of your records and everything?"
Sass smiled. "Well, actually Celeborn isn't a middle name. I have two last names, and in that circumstance, usually the last-last name is the most important. So, if I were to drop one, I would drop the Celeborn. The other thing is that when a child is adopted, usually they completely drop their old last name. So the fact that they knew both that the Celeborn was more important to me and that I had kept anything at all was pretty impressive."
"Well, then it's pretty likely that this is for real, right?" asked Raye.
"Yes, that's correct. We just wanted you all to come as safety, just in case," Michelle answered.
Emara was driving, but she put in her two cents anyway. "Actually, we mostly just used it as an excuse to get you all out here, like we've been trying to do all summer."
Amy smiled. "We guessed that you had ulterior motives, even before we knew the whole situation. But we decided to come anyway, to see what was up, if nothing else."
Serena was busy plastering her nose against the window. "You guys are so lucky! English guys are way cuter than the ones back home! Except for Darian, of course."
"Darian's your boyfriend, right?" Sass hazarded.
"Yes, we are fated to be together for all time. He was my prince in the Moon Kingdom, and was sent to Earth with me to keep me safe in the form of Tuxedo Mask. His token is a red rose, which symbolizes our never-ending -"
"Emara?" Raye interrupted loudly. "What're we going to do first when we get to London? And when is that, by the way?"
"Well, we started out in Oxford," Emara said over her shoulder, "which is about eighty kilometers from London as the crow flies. Unfortunately, the road we're taking follows the river, which brings the distance up to about a hundred. That'll take maybe an hour and a half, depending on traffic."
Sass grinned at Serena's expression as she was cut off. "Actually, Emara, it'll take longer than that. It's rush hour. We'll probably be on the road for two hours, at least. We might want to consider stopping for dinner on the way."
"No food. Please," Lita croaked. She had discovered that the highly romanticized winding English roads didn't agree with her very much.
Sass shrugged. "That's fine too. I just wanted to bring up the idea. We'll probably be there by seven, anyway."
They spent the time with small talk and suppositions about what all these wizards might be like. Nearly two hours later, Sass broke into a heated discussion about hot actors. "You guys! It's just up ahead, over that hill. See? You can see the lights from here!"
They all looked up and, and saw that the sky was, indeed, much lighter over the hill on the horizon. Then they were at the top, and could see what was actually making the glow. "Wow," said Serena. "It's so big!"
"Yep, that's London," replied Sass.
"You don't sound excited. Why?" asked Amy.
"That's where I lived for most of my life, remember?" Sass told the fear in her stomach sternly to go away. Paul wasn't going to get her, not while she was with the Scouts.
"Oh, right." Sass knew she should apologize for being so bitter, but she couldn't bring herself to. If she only had one chance to see her little brother. No. She broke the silence herself this time.
"Anyway, we should get to the hotel room we booked within twenty minutes."
Michelle looked back at her. "It'll take that long?"
Sass raised an eyebrow. "You bet it will. The traffic's starting to clear up, but it's still pretty heavy. Plus, we're going into the city, so traffic would be thicker there anyway."
"Here we go." Emara called back as they started to descend the hill.
Later, at the hotel, Mina took Sass aside. "Listen, I don't want to pry or anything, but it seems like there's something else about your time in the orphanage that you haven't told any of us. I'm not going to ask what it is, but if there's anything I can do to help you, please tell me. And if you need an ear. well, I'd be glad to listen." She smiled wryly. "Although you probably don't need or want either of those things."
Sass gave her a small smile. "Thanks. I- I'll remember that. I- probably ought to tell- but I just can't. I'm sorry."
"That's okay," Mina said. She turned back towards the others, and Sass watched her for a moment before following.
* * * * *
"So, we have four days until Sass leaves, but we can stay here as long as we want after that, right?" Amy asked the next morning.
"That's the long and short of it." Emara grinned as Serena, still in her pajamas, staggered out of the bedroom. "Sleeping Beauty awakes!" she mocked. Serena gave her a Look, and sat down, swiping an Egg-o waffle off of Emara's plate.
Michelle turned to Amy. "We're going to do all of the stuff with Sass' school first, just in case there's something weird going on. Then, we can sightsee with any time we have left over."
"Sounds great," she replied. "When do we leave?"
Emara turned her back on Serena. "As soon as her Royal Princessness stops stuffing her face and gets dressed."
"Awesome," said Raye. She was already finished eating, and was in the middle of an extremely limited sparring match with Lita (duh, they were in a hotel room). Sass watched them with interest. They were both fairly good, but their styles were limited, and they didn't really the /whys/ of the moves they were doing. She realized what she was doing, and stopped herself. She turned back to the conversation at the table as Serena finished eating and stood up to go get dressed.
".But I think that the movies are probably going to be at least as good as the books, I mean, they've certainly got good actors." Mina said with enthusiasm.
"Yes, but they're going to have to leave so much out," Emara retaliated. "I mean, take the Fellowship- so much happens. There's the whole part about the party, then getting to Rivendell, and then the whole journey, all the way past Lorien."
"Which books?" Sass asked tentatively.
Michelle turned to her. "The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. They're making a movie of them, and the first one comes out this winter. Too bad you won't be able to come and see it with us."
Sass' shoulders sagged. Yet another thing she'd missed as a child. Reading. And another thing she'd miss with Emara and Michelle. As she spiraled down, Serena reentered, dressed this time. Sass shook her head and picked up the packet she'd gotten in the mail.
"Ready?" She stood up and headed for the door. There was a chorus of agreement as everyone followed her to the door.
They took the underground to downtown London, and got off at a stop near where the directions said they should stop. They got their bearings and headed off. They reached the spot and stopped. Sass looked at her paper. "It says here that this place, the Leaky Cauldron, is between the Olde Town bookstore, and World Records. Here they are, but I don't see the pub." She squinted at the wall between the two stores. "Do any of you see anything?"
Emara frowned. "No."
"Well, it's starting to look like maybe this was a hoax." Michelle slumped. "How I wish I wasn't right. It would have been extremely cool to see wizards."
Serena shrugged. "Oh, well. Let's go get something to eat."
But Sass still had the feeling that this was utterly for real. "I-"
"Are you looking for the Leaky Cauldron?" Suddenly, a stranger - hooded and cloaked - popped up beside them.
Ok, sorta a lame cliffie I know, but this story DOES get better! PLEASE REVIEW! Flames accepted, but advice is MUCH more so, so why not just give me some ideas?