The first thing Eriol noticed when he woke up was the sound of humming. It was a low, male tone and he knew Spinel didn't hum. The second thing he noticed was the warm body of something big and furry around him.

It took him a moment to realize that it was Spinel, in his true form.

Eriol felt a warm, callused hand brush some of his hair out of his face. It was far too big to be Ruby's and her hands didn't have that feeling to them.

When he finally dared to open his eyes, he came face-to-face with someone he had only seen in his mind.

Clow Reed.

"Am I still dreaming?" he asked sleepily.

"No. Apparently this whole mess was a test. One mainly geared towards me, but also for you as well."

"So...you're really here?" asked Eriol. He hugged the massive neck of Spinel, who didn't even wake up.

"I've been given a temporary body. One that will allow me to interact with the world without you having to give me control. And before you ask, that doesn't mean that I won't still need you," said Clow.

Eriol noticed an odd parchment on the desk. It had an official looking seal on it.

"What's that?"

Clow smiled and handed it over to him so he could read it. He had caused quite the stir when he had shown up at Gringotts...even more so when they learned why he was alive again in his prime.

Fortunately the only ones who even knew who he was were too old and not likely to visit Gringotts. And Dumbledore was in the Ministry that day. Still, the goblins had been more than helpful when they learned Eriol was to take Clow's place as the next natural Sorcerer.

The paperwork had been filed and approved in less than an hour once it hit the appropriate Ministry desk.

Eriol's eyes doubled in size.

"You... you adopted me?"

"Officially your name is now Eriol Reed. I've settled the account with the goblins. Once you and the girl I saw in my vision come of age, the vaults will be split evenly between you. While this girl will be my Heir and Successor, you will be known as my son and apprentice. It grants you both an equal say in my fortune."

And hadn't that been a mess and a half to settle with the goblin. The girl, (who Clow finally learned the name of) Sakura, was his 'heir' in terms of his greatest work. That entitled her to his vault according to goblin law. However since Clow was legally adopting Eriol as his son, that gave the boy an equal share...especially since he was also registered as his apprentice.

As an added bonus, Clow had overridden the order from Dumbledore to seal the will of the Potter family, and had the goblins enact it.

Several people had gotten quite the shock when that happened, particularly when the truth about Sirius Black being a magically bound godfather to the Potter's only son had come out.

Magically bound godparents could not harm the child, or bring the child to harm with direct action. Actions such as leading a dark lord right to their doorstep.

When Clow left London, he heard word that Sirius was finally being given the trial he had been denied for the past nine years. However since Eriol had legally changed his name, he couldn't get custody even if he tried.

Especially since Clow had just adopted him in both worlds.

Eriol was overcome with emotion, and he let his tears flow when Clow gently hugged him and rubbed his back. Eriol had been through enough for one lifetime...he needed some good news for a change.

The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

Shortly after Clow's "return" to the living, Eriol found a pair of cards that hadn't been there when he had collapsed.

LIGHT and DARK had taken form without being painted...a sort of apology from the gods for putting him through that.

Sirius Black had been freed, but he was now searching for his godson.

The woman who had taken him in, his maternal aunt, had no idea where the boy was nor did she care. Sirius hexed her good and proper the moment he learned what the boy had gone through before he even had a chance to attend school.

Because of the minor power boost the gods had given Eriol, he was now able to create three cards at a time. With the major ones already created, he finished his deck in a few short months.

He called them the Night Cards, rather than Eriol Cards.

Which brought up an interesting question.

"Just how are we going to test this Sakura girl anyway? I mean you're no longer attached to me, so our original plan is shot..." asked Eriol.

He had become a little more confident after the adoption and learning Clow would at least remember to ask him what really happened before he got angry again.

At this point Clow was just glad the Li family hadn't found out he was 'alive' again just yet. They could make things more complicated than Eriol needed.

Clow suddenly went ramrod straight as he felt his presence was required. He came face-to-face with an old lover and finally saw the girl he knew was his heir.

Sakura was doing fine, though her powers were still rather unstable. She would have a long way to go before she could truly master his legacy.

And unlike Eriol, Sakura clearly had no prior magical training. She barely scraped the surface of his magic.

"Dad? What's wrong?" asked Eriol.

Clow patted Eriol's head.

"Nothing. My presence was required to help Sakura deal with an old flame of mine."

"What's she like?"

"She's still a beginner. From what I saw of her magic, she's barely even scraped the surface of the cards."

Suddenly the idea of leaving a bell behind didn't sound so silly. That girl would need all the help she could get when she finally faced Yue!

Clow and Eriol were finishing up another round of alchemy training when they felt the pulse.

Yue had been awakened. Clow brought out a mirror so they could watch the battle.

Eriol winced as he saw how half-baked Sakura seemed to go about using her magic.

"She really is a rookie isn't she?" he said.

"I've got an idea. How about a little competition between you and her once she beats Yue?"

Eriol blinked.

"Competition?"

"A little taste of what she'll be learning once she truly masters the cards. I've seen visions of her using ones that I've never made, so I know she has the potential to make her own cards."

"So she's a fellow Sorcerer?"

Only the most powerful of magicals could be called sorcerer. They had the potential to create new magic, and kept the powers that ran inside the magical ley lines fresh and flowing. Clow Reed was the last naturally born sorcerer in the past three hundred years...though now that bragging right belonged to Eriol.

Originally it had been sealed by his parents, who feared the accidental magic might hurt him. But Clow broke that binding when he bonded with Eriol.

If Sakura had the potential to be a sorceress (something that hadn't happened in over five hundred years) then she definitely needed training.

Too bad she was already destined for another, or Clow would definitely try to set her and Eriol up, just to see what would come out of such a union.

Oh well.

"Why not test the powers of your cards against hers? You can even see if those special abilities you added to them will work by letting Ruby and Spinel use them too."

Clow might have helped Eriol with the base, but some of the things he had added to the cards definitely weren't in the original ones.

Abilities like being able to combine them into new forms, or giving the Guardians the power to use the cards directly with his consent. Even his Guardians, Keroberos and Yue, had to have his help in using the cards.

"That...sounds like fun actually. Sakura will eventually have to change the cards, so why train her in battle tactics and thinking outside the box as well? But what about you? If they see you then they'll know something's up," said Eriol.

"Which is why I won't be leaving the house. At least not until the final test is ready. This will be a test for you as well, because you'll need to learn how to use and control your new Cards properly. And I know that the elementals won't be that easy to handle, since unlike mine yours are powered directly by the gods themselves."

Using LIGHT and DARK would be infinitely safer than using the elementals.

Eriol had been having nightmares lately, so he decided to use DREAM to get some only downside was that it would give him a vision of the future to come.

He could live with a warning if he could get some sleep.

Eriol was in the butterfly gardens of the Palace. The Queen had learned of Clow's temporary return and wished to see for herself the child he had chosen as her apprentice.

Eriol had no interest in the talks of the older crowd, so the Queen had given him leave to explore the gardens with Spinel on his shoulder while Ruby stayed by Clow. They acted as bodyguards for the two.

In Eriol's pocket were the Night Cards, and around his neck was the key to using them.

Clow's staff, which had taken a rather gaudy form, had shrunken and changed to fit Eriol once he had his own body. He could still use it, but any major workings would require Clow to hold it with him as he guided the magic.

Eriol was admiring the butterflies when another man approached. He was really familiar, but there was something really wrong with him. Like his soul had been slowly eaten by demons.

He might look sane, but the man needed some serious healing before his magic and soul would be normal again.

He was quite dangerous.

"Pup?"

Spinel growled.

The man stared at the odd cat on Eriol's shoulder.

"Pup!"

Spinel transformed into his true form and stood guard in front of Eriol.

Eriol looked behind and sent a panicked mental shout to Clow.

~DAD!~

Morning light broke the dream sequence.

Eriol woke up with a cold sweat. That was intense.

"So the Queen learned of my brief return and called us to the palace?" asked Clow.

"Yeah. And there was another man there too. He looked like he had been slowly devoured by demons...his soul was a mess."

Clow took out a mirror and brought up a face.

"That's him!"

"Sirius Black. Your godfather, who was illegally kept in Azkaban until I adopted you and overrode Dumbledore's ruling on your parent's will."

Eriol looked nervous.

"Don't worry. If Dumbledore can't force me to return you to those people then he won't either. Though from what you've said about his soul we'll have to make him go through therapy before he's allowed to see you," said Clow.

"How come?"

"Sorcerers outrank any wizards. They're considered the voice of Magic because they alone have the power or talent to successfully create new magic in the world. Dumbledore can posture all he likes, but compared to me he's small fry. The only wizard who could possibly match us is someone who's a mere legend at best...and even then the burden of they're power is heavy."

"Who?"

"The Master of Death. Centuries ago, the spectre of Death appeared to three brothers. One was granted a wand made by Death, guaranteeing that no matter what spell they cast it will be powerful beyond compare. One was granted the ability to speak to the dead to a point. And the last one was granted a cloak that would allow them to escape Death's notice until it was their time to go. One of these items alone would be very powerful, but they were each cursed. These artifacts are called the Deathly Hallows."

"What happened to them?"

"Death claimed the first and second brother. Their arrogance and foolishness lead to their downfall. The third one lived a long life and when Death came for him he greeted him as an old friend. The first brother bragged about his new wand, and was killed for it. The second brought back his dead fiance, but despair at the fact she was little more than a hollow shell made him give up his own life."

"Wow."

"Legend has it that whomever can bring together all three artifacts would be called the Master of Death. Death's equal among mortals. That much power would easily put a wizard on the same standing as a natural sorcerer, though that power is only borrowed and not their own."

"Power gained from outside influence should never be over-relied upon. Power gained through experience and effort never fails unless you let it," said Eriol dutifully.

"Very good Eriol."

It was less than a week after the dream that it came true. The Queen had heard through some of her goblin contacts that Clow Reed, the last true Sorcerer, was alive again for the moment. And she wanted to meet him in hopes that he could help her improve the Ministry of Magic.

Eriol was invited to when she learned of Clow's adoption.

Eriol was given permission to see the gardens and Spinel went with him. If his dream really was going to come true, he would feel a lot better having the Sun guardian with him instead of Ruby.

Even someone like Black would respect a large cat the size of an adult Nundu growling at him. And Eriol could ride him to escape.

Sure enough, Black was at the palace as well, and he left the building to get some fresh air when he spotted Eriol heading into the gardens. The green eyes and faded scar tipped him off that Eriol might be his godson.

Eriol tensed when he saw the man, and just as the dream had told him, Spinel took one look at his soul and went into his true form to warn Black away.

Seeing the wand in the man's hand, Eriol climbed onto Spinel's back and held his key tightly in his hand.

"Pup, step away from the Nundu," said Black. He clearly believed Eriol didn't know what Spinel was, or he ignored the fact that the cat clearly didn't care if Eriol was on his back.

"Actually Mr. Black, Eriol here is Spinel's master. He's safer on his familiar than you would be if you came too close," said Clow, having heard Eriol's distressed call.

Ruby was right behind him, and she was quick to back up Spinel.

"Eriol?"

"Your godson was kind enough to help me out when I needed it, and in exchange I took him as my apprentice. Because of recent events I have adopted him as my own."

"And you are?"

"Clow Reed. I see you've heard of me."

"More like I've seen your portrait once in the Headmaster's office. Didn't you die over a century ago?"

"I was given a temporary revival because of a small matter. Mostly so I can train Eriol here properly," said Clow.

Seeing that Black wasn't about to kidnap Eriol, the boy looked at his father.

"Eriol, why don't you go see the back gardens with Ruby and Spinel while I explain things properly to Mr. Black?"

"Okay dad."

Eriol returned in time for tea with Spinel and Ruby. Black had already left, but Clow had told him he would be back later. Once his soul and magic had recovered from Azkaban enough that Eriol would avoid him on sight.