This fic doesn't have a complicated plot or something like that. Just some characterization and development about and between the pairing.
I don't think I'll be making this a long fic either.
Also, there's not enough TobiSaku fics out there.
Between the Pages
Sakura sniffed as her face twisted in forced concentration over the pages before her. All in the effort of forgetting the reason for her current heartache that plagued her since a few days ago.
'How could she? How could Ino just… break their friendship so easily?' the question could help resurface in her mind. Making her heart squeeze from the pain once more. 'And for what? All for a boy?!'
Being a muggleborn, stepping into a world she only read about in books, and being socially stunted due to her low self-esteem, it was obvious to say Sakura didn't start out her school life in Hogwarts as she had envisioned. In fact, without the magic, it was a glaring replica of her own life in her old school.
But although it all started uneventful, newfound hope and joy finally came upon her in the form of Yamanaka Ino. A confident, somewhat haughty, strong-willed girl in her year who stood up for her when a bunch of Slytherin girls cornered and bullied her for her blood status one afternoon despite being a Slytherin herself.
She was everything Sakura wasn't and was striving to be.
Sakura herself was a hatstall but however the Sorting Hat came to the conclusion to put her in the House of the Brave, Bold, and Honor, even when it answered her question, she still didn't get it. There was nothing about her that remotely resembled her being courageous and strong that embodied a Gryffindor. She's no lioness. If anything, she's more of a kitten.
It would've made more sense if she was sorted into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Though however the hat also considered her a Slytherin was also another mystery.
For a while, she was contented. And Sakura learned to ignore the judging eyes and sneers of being friends with a rival house- to a Slytherin no less. After all, it was Ino who acknowledged her skills, intelligent, and wit, it was Ino who coaxed her out from her shell, it was from Ino whom she grew her confidence, and best of all- it was Ino whom she could freely call friend.
That was, of course, when she got roped into a certain misadventure involving a certain Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.
How that happened, she wasn't sure herself.
In fact, her first encounter with the Slytherin boy wasn't in the best of terms after all. Which was an understatement, considering that he flat-out called her a mudblood know-it-all after she offered her help in correcting his spellcasting during Transfigurations. She absolutely had no intention of showing off or belittling him! She just wanted to help!
Then Naruto, sweet, brave, Gryffindor-incarnate Naruto, just so happened to overhear her cries and defended her in an act of chivalry. Out of all her year-mates in Gryffindor, Naruto was the only one who openly greeted her with a big smile and wave, and was more than willing to talk to her. As grateful as she was for his help and friendliness, because Sakura wasn't used to such exuberance, she couldn't accept his sunshine-filled friendship at the get go. Though since then, she had taken to tutor and help him on his studies.
Which took exercised her dedication and patience much more than she realized.
It's really a wonder how she wasn't sorted into Hufflepuff.
Since then, Naruto and Sasuke have also created some sort of rivalry. To which she tried her best to mediate when things were beginning to get out of hand. Despite Sasuke's incessant insults and Naruto's stubbornness.
Their misadventure however, didn't happen until a few months just before the end of the term when their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher tricked Naruto into stealing a certain dark book protected by the school. Apparently, the complex wards that protected is only pervious to someone with a true of heart.
Up to now, Sakura didn't understand why such a dangerous tome would be in the castle walls in the first place. Although it would be a lie if she said she wasn't curious about the contents of the book. Dark or light, Sakura learned early on that her insatiable hunger for knowledge knew no boundaries.
Needless to say, either it was just by sheer luck or divine intervention, Sakura and Sasuke came to his rescue, and despite being only first years, it turned out a third-rate 'dark' wizard was no match for Sakura's wit and intelligence, Sasuke's skill and cunning, and Naruto's strength and ingenuity.
Again, she wondered why she wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw.
That incident though, had unknowingly forged a bond between the three of them. One that even Sakura felt deep in her bones even though she couldn't explain it herself. Sakura wouldn't have believed it too if it weren't for the fact Sasuke would unconsciously walk and eat with them under the guise of annoying Naruto and wanting to benefit from the top student of their year.
She would've been offended if Sasuke's ears didn't go red every time he tried to justify his reasons for hanging out with them. That, and he had also stopped insulting her blood status after he apologized.
As it turns out, the little snake was lonely in the pit and couldn't care less of their houses apart from the House Cup.
Sakura ended that year a hundred times happier than when she started. Not only had she made one friend, she made three! And it was her goal for the new term to bring all four of them together. That was, of course, until Ino confessed that she had a crush on Sasuke.
It would be unfair if she blamed their falling out on him. As cute as he was, she was more content on having his friendship. He was surprisingly insightful and made a good study-buddy once their conversations have finally turned civil. Though she shouldn't be surprised considering he's top wizard of their year while she's top witch.
Unfortunately for her case with Ino, it didn't help that Sasuke's practically aloof to everyone else- even to those from his own house. With her being the only exception.
In conclusion, Sakura's high favorability with Sasuke equated her jealousy as betrayal.
'How stupid,' Sakura huffed childishly before turning the page of her book.
Still, it didn't mean it didn't hurt though, and her apparent sadness over the matter had caused even Naruto to notice. She was sure Sasuke noticed earlier on but chose not to comment out of respect- though she would still catch his gaze every once in a while. He had probably told Naruto to give her some space too but with the way things are, it was only a matter of time before Naruto dropped the bomb on her.
And frankly, she wasn't ready for it. It wouldn't be right for her to tell Sasuke to talk to Ino if he wasn't amenable to it. It's not like Sakura demanded his attention. She also knew better than to force people to become friends if one party wasn't willing.
So she did what she did best for the time being.
She retreated, in the sanctity that was Hogwarts's grand library.
This time, after finally having cleared her thoughts, Sakura's emerald pools focused on the parchment before her. Her green-feathered quill scratched calculations after calculations continuously before shifting to a different parchment to write down notes instead. All the while two open higher-level books on arithmancy floated faithfully above her. She figured it would save herself from using a bookstand.
"Hmm… not this either," she nibbled her lower lip before jotting down a new formula. An upperclassman of hers sought her help in reviewing their essay, however embarrassed they were to admit that a junior had better grades and understood their lessons better than them (Sakura was determined to maintain her record of straight O's). Though it was only one time during the evening in the Gryffindor common room, she happened to oversee a rather peculiar set of advanced arithmancy equations on another parchment among her upperclassman's things.
It was an optional equation the professor threw at them if anyone's interested in getting extra credits.
As it was, Sakura loves solving puzzles almost as much as learning something new.
With the rest of the second-year curriculum already absorbed during the summer, Sakura thought the advanced equation was a better distraction than rereading her other textbooks.
"Try the number seven."
The pink-haired second year nearly jumped out of her skin at the foreign voice that burst her bubble of peaceful solitude. Her cheeks burned before she was able to collect herself, and even then, she was hardly able to formulate a response when she finally willed herself to look up.
Her green depths stared immediately at a pair of deep browns.
"This," he said as he pressed a forefinger on her parchment, "I suggest you try using the number seven on this part of the equation."
Sakura blinked to where he was pointing at, and as if she wasn't caught unawares a few seconds ago, Sakura's cheeks returned to its subtle rose-tinted creamy complexion as her pink brows furrowed together.
"Oh!" said pink brows shot up high after a quick mental calculation, "T-That's actually a great idea! Uhm… t-thank you very much."
She let out a small smile for him in thanks, only to be met by a stoic expression and keen eyes.
Unsure of what to say or do, Sakura took that opportunity to study her unexpected visitor. Though her mother taught her to never judge a person by their cover, she couldn't help it if this person's physical appearance was just as eye-catching as her unusual colors. He had a pale complexion that made her initially think he was anemic, along with a mop of disheveled spiked hair as white as snow. There were red stripes that marked his cheeks and chin which, in her opinion, only defined the developing sharp angulation of his jaw and cheekbones, but what really caught her attention the most were the pair of umber eyes that seemed to stare right into her soul.
He was tall, older- an upperclassman of a few years, a Ravenclaw, a prefect, and also very handsome.
She also felt that same gnawing feeling again when she laid her eyes on the unassuming wall between platforms nine and ten for the first time. That same sensation she eventually learned to be a coat of magic, congregated so densely like an invisible wall.
She had never told this perception ability of hers to anyone, yet. Not when she wasn't sure what's going on herself. She had yet to study up on the phenomenon but one thing's for sure, Sakura knew it was magic.
There was magic over this boy's eyes. Literally.
"U-Uhmm…" Sakura stuttered, wanting to break the increasingly awkward silence yet unsure what to say herself.
He blinked, then his eyes flicked towards her parchments scattered over her desk and the books that remained hovering without the slightest hint of wearing off.
"What's a first year like you doing with fourth and fifth year arithmancy reference books?" he asked as his eyes returned to her. There was a slight raise of his brow.
Sakura's cheeks puffed and the space between her brows creased in reflex at his insinuation, "I'm a second year."
He blinked again, "My apologies. I was not aware second years are expected to answer such advanced… equations. Especially since it's the same equation fifth years are meant to solve for extra credit."
This time, Sakura flushed in embarrassment and turned her head away as if she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Since he recognized the equation, it takes no second guess to conclude that he's also a fifth year.
"Did someone forced you to answer this?"
She snapped her head back to him, this time with wide eyes against his narrowed gaze. She shook her head firmly, "No! I-I saw it from a parchment left on one of the desks in the common room."
He clicked his tongue. Whether to her or to the irresponsible year-mate she alluded to, she wasn't sure. Sakura didn't mean to lie- well, it wasn't the full truth either, but nevertheless, she won't be name dropping anyone over something so trivial. Also, she didn't need him to know it was rightly difficult enough to give her the distraction she needed.
"And you thought you could solve it?"
She met his eyes fully, her chin raised resolutely. What she may lack in confidence socially, she more than makes up for her confidence in her wit and smarts, "I'm determined to solve it. I know it's not something a student of my year should be tackling but I always like a challenge- especially if it's solving things."
"I see," his voice, already a deep baritone despite his mid-adolescent age, drawled slightly at the end. Almost as if he was convincing himself of something. His umber gaze flickered from her hovering books to her parchments once more before giving her one last look- this time from head to toe, "Then I best not keep you then. Though I suggest you might as well check the book- Seven: Moste Magicke, if you're so determined. You might find it a most suitable reference."
With that, he turned on his heel and left in long strides. His footsteps light and inaudible Sakura would've initially thought he was a ghost. He didn't even bother to stop and see if she got his message.
"What was that all about?" Sakura blinked confusedly with a comical tilt of her head. Not that she didn't appreciate the advice, in fact, it was just the thing she needed!
Still, it didn't quell the curiosity that piqued her about his character. With her own problems last year, including her own lack of social interaction, the number of people she knew by name and face are as pitiful as her flying lessons (a bit of a sore spot in her records since she's really not as keen into flying as Naruto and Sasuke). Then again, with such striking features, she should've at least seen him around, right?
Shaking that thought aside and mentally noting to thank him again if she ever saw him again (she'll pay closer attention to the people around her this time), Sakura hopped off her chair but not before casting a quick Notice-Me-Not ward around her chosen desk. A really handy charm Sasuke taught her after she confessed some kids would sabotage her materials. Even after she discovered this perfect nook she claimed for her own, tucked away in a corner of the library in a section people rarely venture to, and quiet enough to give her that familiar peace she adored when surrounded by books and scrolls, she still did it anyway out of habit.
Sakura lightly skipped between the shelves to get the book the white-haired boy recommended; all the while completely oblivious to the observing pair of chocolate eyes that widened ever so slightly the farther she left her desk where her books were still hovering in mid-air.
.
"Five more minutes, mom."
"I'm afraid I neither have the will and authority to grant you that, nor am I your mother."
At the sound of that voice she had acquainted herself with not too long ago, Sakura's eyelids shot wide open just as her head snapped up from where it rested over her crossed arms on the table. Her cheeks immediately flushed at the sight of him staring down at her side, as expressionless as ever.
She discreetly checked her surroundings and inwardly winced at the darkness outside the tall window to her left and the lit sconces of the library. She only meant to take a nap after finally solving the equation. But after that sense of triumph, Sakura immediately grew bored, and determined as she was to still want something to distract her with, she read the rest of the book recommended to her before getting distracted by the pleasant chirping and gentle sunlight streaming from outside the window.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to sleep in," she mumbled, teeth chewing her bottom lip.
"That's understandable," he slightly nodded sympathetically, "There are only a handful of areas in the library that give as much peace and quiet to studious students, but sometimes that peace can also be lulling to tired minds. Ravenclaw herself once said: Wisdom there naught in a man's chaotic temple. Nay a jewel lost, if one dusts the shelves of a thousand knowledge. I ought to commend you for finding one of these hidden areas."
Free from her sleepy daze, Sakura pondered his words for a bit, "That just means… it doesn't matter if you know a lot if your mind is tired or troubled, and that you won't miss anything if you decide to stop a moment to rest… right?"
He blinked, and just as she thought she wouldn't be seeing any other reaction from him, the corner of his lips lifted ever so slightly as he said, "Clever."
Sakura felt herself flush further both from feeling humbled and proud at the praise.
"Were you able to finish that equation?" he motioned with a slight nod towards the piece of parchment still tucked under her arms.
The pinkette beamed, her earlier triumphed fueling her once more, "Yes, I did!"
Without any prompt, she all but pushed a new parchment- rewritten in a neat and orderly fashion after solving it in one of her spare parchment- to his chest until a thought came to her.
"O-Oh but I don't think I should…" she stammered. A part of her was reminded that although he had helped her, he was still a stranger, and would he be above crediting this solution for his own? It wouldn't be the first time someone took advantage of her ideas.
Instead, however, the white-haired boy had only raised a brow at her and if she had only looked closer, she would be able to tell he was amused, "Rest assured I have already solved the equation days ago."
She pressed her lips into a thin line, resorting to put her blind faith in his words, and watched nervously as he lifted the parchment to his eye-level. After a moment, he gave it a satisfied nod and said, "This is all correct. Outstanding, even. You're smarter than you look."
The wide smile on her face instantly returned and she felt herself giddy along with her success.
"It's all thanks to you!" she exclaimed, "I couldn't have done it without your help."
He didn't answer. Instead, there was that aloof expression on his face again. His dark brown eyes once more observed her as if she was something he had never seen before. The pinkette would've felt offended if not for the joy she felt at that moment.
"Still, you cannot stay here any longer," he finally said with a slight chide in his tone as he returned her parchment, "It's past curfew and you should be asleep in your dorm instead. Fortunately, the library was the last stop in my rounds. Come, I will escort you to Gryffindor Tower."
"Oh! Thank you but that's not-"
He interrupted with a raised brow, "I suggest you accept my offer. Unless you would rather be caught by another prefect, or worse, a professor instead?"
Wincing at the thought, Sakura shook her head firmly no before gathering her things into her shoulder bag and following suit.
In the night, without the myriad of students and teachers roaming the halls, the castle was serenely silent with only the lit sconces and moonbeams lighting their way. She didn't mind the silence, enjoyed it even. For as much as she was starting to warm up to the rowdiness of her housemates (thanks to Naruto), there was a deep appreciation for companionable silence she highly doubts she would grow out of.
Sakura was panting slightly by the time they had finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady- snoring silently along with the other paintings, no thanks to the prefect's long legs, Sakura had to jog up every now and again to catch up.
"Here," he gestured, finally giving her his attention since they left the library.
"Thank you," she whispered silently with a polite bow, not wanting to disturb the sleeping paintings.
He nodded and without further preamble, turned on his heel and left just as swift and silent as his steps.
.
Breakfast the following morning was met with a bit of a fanfare with Naruto shouting her name for everyone in the Great Hall to hear. His loud tendencies will really take some time to get used to. It had been an inside joke between her and Sasuke that Naruto had been cursed with a permanent Sonorus charm.
"Must you be so loud in the morning? I ought to sew your mouth shut," she heard Sasuke hiss as she took her seat beside him at the Gryffindor table.
Apart from dinner or if his attention is needed elsewhere, Sasuke would take it upon himself to sit and eat with them. Considering that the Slytherins made it clear that she and Naruto weren't welcome in their table (and the fact that she herself was avoiding a certain Slytherin as well). That's not to say the Gryffindors weren't vocal in their complaint about having a snake in their den. But compared to the former, the latter could exercise more tolerance after the initial blowout. In the end, they opted to turn a blind eye towards the three of them whenever Sasuke sat at their table. The only reason she and Naruto haven't become the house pariah is because Sakura has earned the most house points Gryffindor has ever seen in decades and Naruto has a certain charm to him that makes it impossible to hate him even if he can be a bit annoying at times.
As for Sasuke, well, he was the one teaching her to- in his words- "Not give a hippogriff's ass".
"Go jump in the Black Lake," Naruto stuck his tongue out before turning his attention back to his pink-haired best friend. His blonde brows creased with worry, "So where have you been, Sakura? You weren't at dinner last night and Tenten said you came back to the dorm late."
Sakura knitted her brows and smiled in apology, "Sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean to worry you. I uh… I fell asleep in the library."
"Ha! Told you," Sasuke huffed smugly before taking a bite off his bacon.
"Well, how would I know that?! Sakura shouldn't miss a meal!" he crossed his arms childishly, "Good thing you got back to the dorm without any trouble."
"Oh no," Sakura shook her head with a slight flush, "A prefect actually woke me up and escorted me back. He was really nice though. He helped me out earlier and now that I think about it, he didn't dock me points or even gave me detention for staying out late."
Sasuke's brows raised in both shock and disbelief while Naruto couldn't hide his own shock and jealousy even if he tried, "What?! No way! You're so lucky, Sakura! Too bad I got the worst of the bunch last night. I wanted to go look for you but Stripes wouldn't let me!"
"Stripes?" she turned to Sasuke inquisitively.
"Apparently, some prefect caught him wandering out after curfew and docked your house twenty points."
"Twenty?!"
Sasuke shrugged, "He would've given him detention too if Naruto didn't go back to the tower."
"And he wouldn't even let me explain! What an asshole!"
"Naruto! Language!"
And because this is Naruto, Sakura's scolding easily breezed through his other ear as he slammed his hand down on the table while the other pointed shamelessly behind her.
"Ah! There he is!"
Sakura, as well as Sasuke, turned their heads in curiosity and she nearly gasped at the sight of the same 'nice' prefect that had helped her last night eating his breakfast at the Ravenclaw table.
"Usually, I'd say the dumbass is exaggerating, but I take it back this time," she heard Sasuke hiss beside her.
"Do you know him, Sasuke?" she asked, opting to give him a pass on his reference to Naruto as her curiosity overtook her moral compass. They both ignored Naruto's resounding 'Hey!'.
"Not personally," he said, "His name's Senju Tobirama. Senju Hashirama's younger brother."
They turned their heads to the other end of the Gryffindor table where a long-haired Head Boy laughed heartily surrounded by his friends.
"Wha-? No way! Hashirama's awesome! Ain't no way that guy's related to him! They're nothing alike," Naruto pointed and Sakura mentally agreed.
Sasuke shrugged, "He's a stickler for the rules, that one. Makes no exceptions. Not even to his own brother. From what my upperclassmen said, getting caught doing something against the rules by him is the worst. You'll definitely won't be left off easily. But that's the least of your worries-"
He leaned in conspiringly to which the others followed suit.
"-no, the worst I heard, is that his eyes turn red," he whispered the last word so softly they almost missed it.
Sakura blinked, confusedly, "But, Sasuke, doesn't your family's eyes turn red too?"
He shook his head vehemently, "That's different, Sakura. Our eyes have pinwheels and it's a family trait. No, they say Tobirama being a strict disciplinarian is all just an act and his eyes turn completely red because he's secretly dabbling on that."
"That?" Naruto asked dumbly while she blinked again in confusion.
"Oh Indra! I'm starting to forget both of you spent most of your life in the muggle realm," the raven-haired shook his head, "Listen, it's fairly common knowledge so you might as well know. You're both aware that there are extremes of dark and light magic, right? Well, if a witch or wizard gets absorbed into dark magic, their hearts and souls get corrupted that they abandon all hope and reason, and one of the characteristics of that change is having their eyes turn completely red like blood."
"Whoa…" Naruto marveled, wide eyed, "but wouldn't that make it easy to catch them?"
"It would, if only you knew which powerful glamour or illusion spell they used to change the color of their eyes. Because unlike other parts of the body, the eyes are the hardest to transfigure or change so only a mere Color-Changing Charm wouldn't work. Haven't you heard of the phrase: 'The eyes are windows to the soul'? and weren't we taught last year that our magic is tethered very closely to our souls?"
Sakura felt herself swallow a thick lump she hadn't known had formed as her blood ran cold it sent shivers down her spine. Because she knew she could sense magic, she knew she could tell if an illusion had been used or not- she just couldn't tell which and-or why, and she also knew that it was magic that festered over Tobirama's eyes like a veil since the first time she saw him.
Choosing a house for Sakura was a lot harder than I thought, but for the sake of this fic, I placed her in Gryffindor even though she can fit in all the houses (Slytherin being the least). The reasons were…
I didn't put her in Ravenclaw because I would like there to be more meaningful encounters between TobiSaku, which would be a little moot if they're in the same house. Hufflepuff was a close call and I think it suits her second best because she's a hard worker and extremely loyal, not to mention humble, but again for the sake of this fic, I wanted to give Sakura a bit of an isolation since I figured Hufflepuffs would definitely look after her. Ergo, in conclusion, I settled for Gryffindor because I wanted to play on her 'Inner Fire', which would play a part in her character development later on.
Still, I would like to thank everyone whom I've asked and shared their input about which house they think best suits Sakura!
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Will continue depending on your responses.
Ciao~!