My Promise

Sesshy's Mistress

Summary: While fulfilling a promise to a friend, Cosmos find's she is in a world of magic far beyond anything she could ever imagine. She will have to help guide and teach the soul of one of her friend's descendants. Will she succeed or will she fail to fulfill her promise?

Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even the idea; it was all Lawliet's Bride's idea! I do, however, own some pocket lint, want some?

Note: Sorry for the long wait; however, the reviews took forever to flow in and inspire me to write another chapter. Also, I've been sick and that has made me fall back in my college work. Sorry, but college will come first!

::IMPORTANT NOTE AT BOTTOM OF PAGE!::


...

For the next couple of weeks, Harry continued to take the advice of the Half-Blood Prince, much to Hermione's dismay. Though she no longer voiced her complaints as often, she still bestowed disappointed and angry looks upon Harry during Potions class or while he was working on his homework.

Ron, on the other hand, was happy for Harry, if not slightly jealous. Still, he and Ron were on better terms than he was with Hermione. Potions with Professor Slughorn was much more enjoyable than it had ever been with Snape. Even if he did not have the help of the Half-Blood Prince, Harry would still bet this would be his best year yet in Potions. Now, if only Slughorn would keep his position. Nobody knew yet if the new teacher would continue, but Harry was hoping.

If not Slughorn, Serenity would make an excellent teacher. Yes, Professor Slughorn did most of the work; however, it seemed that his assistant had a special talent in certain potions. Though, from the looks of it, Serenity did not seem to be enjoying her position as much as Slughorn was enjoying her.

Unfortunately, while his skill in Potions grew, the same could not be said for the rest of his classes. Not only were nonverbal spells expected in Defense Against The Dark Arts, but also now in Charms and Transfiguration. Thankfully, Harry was not the only one struggling with using non-verbals. He had watched many a times as his housemates would turn purple faced from the strain of trying to successfully cast a nonverbal spell.

When Harry was not trying to figure out who the Half-Blood Prince could be or struggling with nonverbal spells, his mind was most often occupied by what he had learned in his and Dumbledore's private lessons. Harry still was not sure why it was so important to delve into Voldemort's past. Dumbledore seemed to believe it was best to look into such matters. Who was Harry to question Dumbledore? The man had never led him astray before and Harry highly doubted that Dumbledore would begin now.

Though, Harry did find it rather disappointing that Dumbledore refused to acknowledge Harry's suspicion of Draco Malfoy or his inquiry of Serenity Tsukino. His accusations towards Malfoy had been waved off rather nonchalantly and as for Serenity Tsukino, he had received one of Dumbledore's 'all knowing' smiles.

"I have it on the best of authority that it is safe and within everyone's best interest to allow Ms. Tsukino a place here in Hogwarts..."

Harry was really beginning to wish Dumbledore would give him a straight answer for a change. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon for him.

"Harry, Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow so you best get some rest," Ginny interrupted Harry's musings as she made her way towards the girl's dormitory. Blinking back the haze that came from reminiscing, Harry nodded and watched as Ginny's form vanished up the winding staircase.

…...

"Hagrid, are you sure it is wise to do this?" Serenity questioned as she followed the half-giant into the Forbidden Forest. Since coming to Hogwarts, she had learned much of Hagrid from various students. The Ravenclaws, the first house she had resided in, were more than happy to inform Serenity of Hagrid's love for Magical creatures.

Serenity applauded his care for the animals, but, to an extent, she had to agree that most of the things Hagrid did or brought were dangerous for the younger students. Still, she had not managed to work up the nerve to tell him her thoughts. Serenity did not wish to hurt Hagrid more than he was already hurting.

"Aragog needs me," Hagrid spoke while pushing forward. "I can' think o' nothin' else ter do, but maybe yeh can help 'im."

Serenity tried to hold back the shiver of dread that slid it's way down her back, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She had never been a fan of spiders, and going to see the head Acromantula made her stomach do flips. From what Hagrid had told her, Aragog was dying and he was doing everything in his power to stop it; however, Serenity doubted that she could stop the affects of time without severe repercussions.

Beside her, Sirius' large form kept pace with her; however, she refused to acknowledge his presence after the scene he made earlier that night.

"Don't tell me you're scared of a few spiders? You! Queen of Stars! Scared of a few –"

"I wouldn't say several hundred, maybe thousand, spiders classify as just a few!" Serenity hissed while throwing the closest thing she could grab at him – a clock. She only grew more annoyed when the laughing man ducked and dodged the projectile. Huffing, she stood and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and effectively blocking the mocking look he was sending her.

"Aw, don't be like that Serenity," Sirius chuckled. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll go fur and be your four-legged body guard." An irate scream was all that answered him for the next two hours.

"We're almost there," Hagrid spoke while pushing away a large, web-covered piece of foliage and allowing Serenity to pass under it without harm.

Indeed, the rest of the forest area was surrounded and covered in many fine threads of web. Each glistened and seemed to glow in the bit of moonlight that managed to break through and to the forest floor. Being careful not to trip, Serenity moved forward, this time taking stride with Hagrid.

Out of the corner of her eye, Serenity noticed something large move, but she tried her best not to react to it. Her senses were going haywire, screaming for her to protect herself, but Hagrid was with her and he had promised her that no harm would come to her. Serenity, however, was beginning to wonder how good his word would be compared to the dark intent of the things that went bump in the night here.

"Hagrid," A strained voice spoke, startling Serenity. She stopped and allowed Hagrid to go forward, watching as a giant spider appeared from within the darkness. All around, several other spiders of various sizes appeared. All of their black and beady eyes gleamed as they focused intently on Serenity and Sirius.

"You are not alone," The giant spider of which Serenity assumed was Aragog spoke in a weak voice. The other spiders surrounding him moved restlessly. Serenity could not hold back the thought that the others were just waiting for a chance to strike. If Aragog and Hagrid were not on such good terms, Serenity wondered what would have become of Hagrid should he have tried to approach them.

"I brought her 'ere to take a look at yeh," Hagrid spoke honestly while motioning for Serenity to come closer. Reluctantly, Serenity did so with Sirius hot on her heels.

"There is nothing to be done," Aragog spoke, but his voice held no fight.

Hagrid placed a large hand on Serenity's back and moved her forward. Together, the two approached closer to Aragog, but Hagrid held back much to Serenity's chagrin. Swallowing, Serenity stepped closer until she reached one of Aragog's long, hairy legs. Reaching out, she allowed her fingers to brush the brittle hairs.

"You are not comfortable in my presence," Aragog spoke intelligently while his eyes visibly dissected Serenity. Though she didn't wish to, Serenity turned her head to meet the many eyes of Aragog.

"I will be honest in saying that I have not had the best of experiences with spiders," Serenity pushed her fingers forward until her hand rested completely on the leg. The feel of him was coarse and brittle; it felt like he would fall apart if touched too hard. Something was definitely wrong with him, but it was nothing she could heal.

"Why come then?" Aragog questioned.

"I hold no grudge against any living creature, and to see one suffer is not something I enjoy. If I can help to ease your pain, I will," Serenity pushed some of her powers into his limb, allowing it to spread through his body and numb the pain encompassing him. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she spoke so that only he could hear, "It won't stop your progression, but you already knew that, right?"

"How's he comin' along, 'erenity?" Hagrid questioned from over her shoulder.

"I am feeling better, Hagrid," Aragog confirmed as Serenity stepped away from him.

"I knew it," Hagrid smiled as tears began to leak down his face. "I jus' knew she could help yeh."

"Hagrid, I think it's best that we leave Aragog to his rest," Serenity spoke while placing a comforting hand on the taller man's arm. She gave it a reassuring pat and motioned for him to lead the way. "I just want to speak to him for a moment and I'll be right behind you."

Hagrid seemed unsure as to weather or not to do as she said.

"I will see that she is given safe passage, Hagrid," Aragog spoke reassuringly.

"O' course," Hagrid nodded and sniffled. He lifted his large hand to dag away the few remaining tears of joy that leaked down his face. Turning around, he trotted back the way he came. "Come on, boy," Hagrid called for Sirius, but the dog would not move.

"I'll bring him back with me," Serenity waved away Hagrid and turned back towards the spider. All around her, the smaller ones were moving around, and all of their beady little eyes were glued on her form.

"Hagrid doesn't wish to see the truth," Serenity informed the Acromantula even though she knew he was aware of the fact already. "He doesn't, however, seem to realize the growing animosity within your family web."

"As long as I live, my children and I will stay in our forest, far from those of your kind who walk among Hogwarts," Aragog defended his young.

"And after you have passed?"

Aragog had no answer to provide her. Seeing that, Serenity nodded and turned away. Her body moved gracefully among the many strands of sticky web that now seemed to fall about like curtains. Just before she cleared the entire way, she turned and spoke directly towards Aragog.

"When you have passed, if the need arises, I will use force to reason with those you leave behind. It is their choice on whether they fight for the right cause, and it will decide on which end of my powers they will befall," Serenity warned. Aragog took the warning to heart, but held no hatred for her decision. The ones around him, however, only grew more restless. Taking this as her cue to leave, Serenity summoned a portal and quickly stepped through it. Sirius' large form followed with a giant leap.

…...

Harry sighed as he, Ron, and Hermione made it out to the Quidditch pitch. Over half of Gryffindor had signed up for try outs and, given some of the people who stood around, it seemed that people from other houses had also shown up for try outs.

"If there is anyone not in Gryffindor, I ask that you move off of the field," Harry shouted over the loud whispers that had erupted since his appearance on the field. There were many disappointing moans as several people moved off of the field and in the direction of the stands.

Shaking his head, Harry took a look at all of the ones left. Their ages varied from nervous first years to intimidating seventh years. Harry briefly wondered how many had any honest interest in Quidditch and not just him. As his green eyes continued to scan the crowd, he found a familiar face.

Catching Harry's glance, the boy stepped forward. "I'm Cormac McLaggen. We met on the train in Slughorn's compartment." He stuck his hand towards Harry, who took it and shook it. "Keeper."

"Have you tried out before?" Harry questioned as he took notice of Cormac's strong build. Harry had no doubt that the guy would be able to guard all three goals without having to move at all.

"I was planning to last year, but I was stuck in the Hospital Wing after taking a bet and downing a pound of doxy eggs," Cormac chuckled.

"Okay, well, you should go wait over there," Harry pointed to the end of the pitch, close to where Hermione had taken a seat. For a moment, he could have sworn he saw a look of annoyance flash across McLaggen's face. As fast as it appeared, it was gone.

Taking a deep breath and praying to whatever god was listening, Harry called for the attention of everyone. To begin with, he made everyone sort themselves into groups. Each group was based off the position they were trying out for – Chasers, Beaters, and Keeper. Next, he started with the basics, asking for everyone to take laps around the field.

Thankfully, this allowed for him to automatically dismiss most of the players. All of the first years were disappointed and forced to take to the stands seeing as they had no knowledge of how to fly a broom. Only one boy managed to stay in the air, but that only lasted until he realized it and accidentally flew into one of the goal posts. Another group to go was made up of nothing but girls who giggled and fluttered about as Harry blew his whistle.

It took two hours, a lot of yelling, and several tantrums before Harry had successfully been able to get through the Chasers and Beaters trials. Katie Bell, a return from the previous year after an excellent trial; a new and great find, Demelza Robbins, was particularly amazing at dodging Bludgers; and Ginny Weasley who was the fastest of all of those who tried out and managed to make the most goals! Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote were the two prime Beater choices. Though they did not have the old and preferred brilliance of Fred and George, Harry was still pleased with them nonetheless.

Jimmy Peakes knew how to handle a Bludger and had also managed to raise a lump the size of an egg on the back of Harry's head. Ritchie Coote had and excellent arm and even better aim. Given the circumstances, Harry couldn't have asked for more.

The last position to fill was one of which Harry was not looking forward to at all. He had high hopes that people would grow bored with the try outs and leave the stadium, but the opposite had happened. The crowd grew, and Harry feared that Ron's nervousness would cause him to mess up and not make Keeper. Dread filled Harry as he noticed the lovely shade of green coloring Ron's face.

Harry blew his whistle, signaling the start for the Keeper position. The first five applicants failed to save all but two goals. Harry's eyes glanced in Ron's direction, wondering if their failure helped settle his nerves much. To his surprise, Ron did look a little less green and a bit more positive.

Then, Cormac McLaggen strode up and mounted his broom. With a kick, he flew to the three large goals and positioned himself. Harry watched with growing disappointment as McLaggen saved four penalties out of five. The last one, however, Harry noticed that something seemed off where the large boy was concerened. For some strange reason, McLaggen had flew in the wrong direction entirely, causing the crowd to boom in tremendous laughter.

Finally, it was Ron's turn. The red head took extra time in mounting his Cleansweep as he allowed his eyes to sweep the crowd. Harry groaned. If Ron kept up this behavior, McLaggen would be sure to get the Keeper position.

"Good luck, Ron!" A girl yelled from the stands. Harry had assumed it was Hermione; however, it was Lavender Brown who smiled and waved towards the nauseous looking Ron. Harry sighed and had the urge to bury his face in his hands. Seeing as he was Captain, he felt it would not be the best thing to do until he was in the privacy of his room. So, gritting his teeth, he watched as Ron flew to the hoops.

The dread that had continued to build soon melted away as Ron successfully saved all five penalties in a row. Relief flooded Harry as Ron's ecstatic face beamed in nothing but pure pleasure. Ron was not the only one happy. The entire crowd, minus McLaggen, cheered for the new Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Harry wished to join his friend in his jubilation, but he had to be the one to inform McLaggen that Ron would be Keeper. Turning around, Harry jumped in surprise to see McLaggen red faced and stalking towards him.

"His sister didn't even try," McLaggen accused while pointing an accusatory finger towards Ginny. Red, hot anger surged through Harry at the false accusation. "She gave him an easy save!"

"He nearly missed that one," Harry stated coolly, dismissing McLaggen's claims.

McLaggen took a threatening step closer, but Harry held his ground and refused to back down. "Give me another go." The guy's face continued to get redder and, at this rate, Harry couldn't help but to compare him to a tomato.

"No," Harry said firmly. "You had your chance and saved four. Ron saved five. Ron is Gryffindor's Keeper. He won it fair and square. Now, get out of my face."

For a moment, Harry thought McLaggen might rear back and punch him clear across the face. Thankfully, however, someone interfered and managed to make the other boy collect himself.

"I have to say that was quite exhilarating," Serenity spoke as she and Hermione walked across the pitch and toward Harry and McLaggen. Hermione, for some reason, refused to look at either boy. Instead, she was looking towards Ron who, by now, was flying around the field in several victory laps.

"Professor," Harry nodded towards her in acknowledgment, but Serenity made a 'tsk' sound and lightly flicked his nose.

"I'm Serenity, not Professor, at the moment," She smiled warmly and Harry felt all the tension in his body leave. For some reason, her presence seemed to take away all the anger and strife bubbling just beneath the surface.

"Um, yes, Serenity," Harry corrected before turning his attention back towards McLaggen. "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were we interrupting something?" Serenity questioned as she noticed the tension mounting again between the two boys. Harry and McLaggen seemed to hold a silent conversation before the taller boy scoffed and turned to leave.

"It's nothing, we just had a disagreement," Harry assured Serenity and caught sight of Hermione wincing ever so slightly. Serenity nodded and excused herself once she caught sight of Ron's approaching form.

"I can't wait to see if the game is as exciting as you've made this out to be," Serenity waved as she turned and followed the path McLaggen took.

"Did you see that? I saved all five!" Ron shouted out in glee once he was safely on the ground. "I thought I was going to miss the fourth one, but I got it. Demelza sent me a tricky shot, ya know? It had extra spin on it –"

"Yes, we know, you were magnificent," Hermione interrupted Ron with an amused smile.

"Better than that McLaggen guy, at least. Did you see how he just flew the other way? Almost like he was Confunded …" Ron trailed off then started to laugh about how it was a tough break.

Harry did not fail to see how Hermione turned a bright pink at the mention of McLaggen. Suspicion crept up as Harry recalled how McLaggen missed the last penalty. Indeed, his movements did resemble those of someone who had been Confunded.

Seeing Harry's suspicious stare, Hermione quickly changed subjects. "I could have sworn I saw Buckbeak at Hagrid's earlier today." It managed to do the trick. Though they were all hungry, this would be the only time to visit Hagrid for a while.

...

"Serenity, there you are," Slughorn's voice boomed through the hallway, making Serenity stop in her tracks. Turning, she bestowed Slughorn a smile and made to approach him; however, the portly man was quick to catch up to her before she could make a move.

"Professor Slughorn, how nice to see you today," Serenity smiled politely towards him. Slughorn chortled and slapped her on the back.

"Call me Slughorn, my dear. No need for that Professor business. Not between the two of us," Slughorn put his arm over her shoulders, leading her down the hallway. Serenity, though surprised by his forward behavior, decided to play along.

"Of course, Slughorn," Serenity acknowledged his request. "Tell me, where is it that you are headed?"

"Oh, my dear, we have been summoned by the headmaster," Slughorn removed his arm temporarily to pull out a scroll. He handed it towards the small woman who read over the elegant writing quickly. "I thought it best to find and escort you there since you have not had the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the entire castle as of yet."

"That was kind of you, Slughorn. I'm not sure where I would have ended up had it not been for your generosity," Serenity rolled the scroll back up and returned it to Slughorn who was preening under her compliments. He stuffed it back into his robes and continued to escort her to a Gargoyle.

"Acid Pops!" He exclaimed. Serenity watched as the Gargoyle jumped out of the way and gave room for them to pass and climb a long, winding stairwell. Serenity held back and allowed Slughorn up the stairs first. When they made it to the top, Slughorn knocked on one of the elegant double doors. Almost immediately, they could hear Dumbledore's voice calling for them to enter.

"Slughorn, Serenity, welcome," Dumbledore waved a hand towards two elegant chairs that had been positioned before his desk. Slughorn freely strode forward and took his seat. Serenity, on the other hand, was not as quick to take her seat. For some reason, the gleam in the old man's eyes had her on edge.

"Don't be shy, my dear," Slughorn called her over when he noticed Serenity had failed to take her seat. "I assure you that Dumbledore's bark is worse than his bite." Chuckling at his own joke, Slughorn turned to Dumbledore, questioning him on something to drink almost immediately.

"Of course," Serenity offered an apologetic smile to both men as she took her seat and folded her hands neatly in her lap. She watched as Dumbledore summoned three cups of tea and a tray of sweets. It all looked appetizing, but she wasn't in the mood for brunch.

Slughorn, it seemed, was in the mood for he immediately began to dig into the treats while slurping down his tea. Dumbledore smiled at the man's haste but sent a questioning look towards Serenity who had only taken the cup and not drank from it.

"Are you not thirsty, Serenity?" Dumbledore questioned her.

"No, but I thank you all the same," Serenity answered while setting her cup back upon his desk. "I'm sure Professor Slughorn would enjoy having mine since I'm not in the mood."

"Of course, of course," Slughorn added as he finished off his tea and reached for Serenity's. She made no move to stop him, but noticed how Dumbledore restrained himself from moving to prevent the action. Curiosity sprang and suspicion arose.

"Would you care for a pastry then?"

"No, thank you, but I'm trying to watch my weight," Serenity smiled and gave a few pats to her stomach for emphasis. Dumbledore gave her a small smile, but to her, it seemed forced.

Next to her, Slughorn seemed to have had his fill. He began to shake off any more polite offers from Dumbledore to take more of the sweet and dainty treats.

"Headmaster," Serenity spoke softly once Slughorn had made it clear he was quite full. "Professor Slughorn told me that you had requested my presence, but neither he nor your note clarified for what that was, exactly."

"Quite right," Dumbledore smiled again. "First, I need to ask my dear colleague here a couple of questions. Then, if you do not mind, I have a few questions for you."

"Whatever could you want to know that you have not the knowledge of already, dear chap?" Slughorn chuckled as he unconsciously began to mess with the hem of his sleeves on his expensive robes.

"Oh, it is only one trivial thing," Dumbledore waved off Slughorn's worry. "However, it is still something I wish to know. As for Ms. Serenity, she is quite the mystery of which I am finding myself hard pressed to figure out fully."

"Isn't she? I find her quite charming; it sure is a pleasure to have her assisting me in my class," Slughorn commented while failing to realize the double meaning to what Dumbledore truly meant. Serenity, however, was not so easily fooled. Her mind went on full alert as Dumbledore gazed serenely at her.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she recognized that look and a sense of déjà vu filled her. Why did it feel like she would come to regret this meeting?


...

Dun, Dun, DUUUNNN! Sorry this is short, but I'm sick. You all are so lucky to get this, and I doubt this is any good whatsoever. Now, as for my important note!

NOTE: As of this update, this story has 67 Alerts! 67! It is on the favorites of 36 people! 36! It is also in 7 different C2 communities and OVER 6,600 HITS! Overall, I think this is a popular story; however, it's kind of disappointing that most of the time I can't even get 10 reviews per chapter. Chapter 6 only had 4 reviews! I would love it if some of those 67 people who have alerted this story would review it. Actually, it would make my day to see this review have a crap load of reviews. I don't want to guilt anyone into reviewing, but it's about the only time when I get some really good commentary.

The only reason I post stories here is because I like to have feedback about my writing style, creativity, originality, etc. Your opinions matter to me, but I am not getting them; it's one reason this chapter was so crappy! I wasn't fully motivated and able to better the chapter based on the feedback I received.

To those of you who reviewed, you are awesome. I love ya! Keep it up!

Also, take note, I started a Fushigi Yuugi / Sailor Moon Crossover! Check it out!

Anyway, see you all next time! OH OH OH! Anyone wanna guess what Dumbledore is gonna interrogate – er - question them about?

Hehe

Sesshy

RxR