Daphne: "Some of you are wondering why I called this story, Leopard Spots
and Zebra Stripes. The answer to that is: James represents the spotted
Leopard, and Lily, the striped Zebra. They are complete opposites, and
everyone says that Zebra's and Leopard's can't be together, because of
their differences. Hence, the title!
Anyway, now that that is cleared up, enjoy this chapter!
~*~*~*~
Leopard Spots and Zebra Stripes
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 5.
"Syaoran, do you think that Lily and James will ever like each other?" Sakura asked softly. They were sitting at the edge of the lake, watching the half-frozen water lap against the bank; Hagrid had left earlier that day to Diagon Alley, and they had found his hut empty, so they had come down here instead.
"It will take a while. You know what Eriol said. It took them until seventh year..."
"We have to stay here that long?!" She wailed. He shrugged.
"I'm not sure. Time may work differently here, Sakura. We have to go through every school day here, but who said anything about holidays? If I am correct, I have a feeling that we will go to sleep tonight, and when we wake up, it will be the end of winter vacation." He said thoughtfully. Sakura sighed and leaned back in his arms. He was sitting behind her, and she was in between his legs, snuggled up to his chest. His warm breath on her neck sent shivers up her spine, and she shuddered.
"Are you all right? Should we go back inside?" He asked in alarm. She smiled and shook her head.
"I am fine. I was just thinking how nice it is to be alone with you. We hardly ever get this sort of break." She whispered, leaning her head back onto his shoulder. He blushed.
"I suppose, but do you think that we could be alone somewhere else? I am getting a little cold." He mumbled. She laughed and then stood up, helping him to his feet. Together, they ran back up to the school, and found their way to the library. It was dark and silent, and there was no sign of Draco and Rika.
"I take it that they were using the library thing as an excuse to get Harry and Ginny alone together." Syaoran said dryly as they looked around. Sakura giggled and shut the library door, putting a locking charm on it. Syaoran didn't seem to notice.
"Oh well. Now we can search for that book I have been wanting to read on Martial Arts." He walked towards one of the far corners of the room, and began to look through some of the books. Sakura giggled and stepped up behind him, slinking her arms around his waist and putting her chin on his shoulder.
"We're alone now." She whispered. Syaoran did a slow turn, and gulped a little. Sakura's arms had released him, but her eyes were glittering mischievously and her head was cocked to one side, as if she were summing him up. He shifted uncomfortably, and then got an 'Eriol' smirk on his face.
"Like what you see, Kinomoto?" He teased. Her smile rivaled his as she took a step forward.
"Oh, yes." She murmured, putting her hands on his chest and shoving him against a bookshelf.
"Saku..." His words were cut off as her mouth pressed against his. All thoughts flew from his mind as he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. She smiled, but was shocked as he began to trace the shape of her lips with his tongue. She shuddered. They had kissed before, yes, but they had never done anything like this! For a moment, Sakura stiffened, unsure of what to do, but as his fingers gently began to massage her back, she relaxed, opening her mouth and allowing him to enter. The kiss was sweet, long, but not so innocent as their previous ones. Finally, they had to pull back for lack of air.
"Syaoran, what was that?" She asked softly. He chuckled and ran his hand through her hair.
"Hey, you pushed me up against the bookshelf, baby. I was just returning the favor!" He laughed, as his mouth descended on hers once more. Sakura moaned in contentment. This was turning out to be a wonderful day!
~*~*~*~
It was just as Syaoran had predicted. They had gone to sleep that night, and the next morning, they were awoken to the yells of their fellow dorm members.
"SAKURA GET UP!" Came a shout. Sakura screamed and sat up, looking into Lily's laughing face. Nearby, Tomoyo, Rika, and Ginny were all getting the same treatment from Bella. Sophia had gone up to the fifth-year rooms to wake up Hermione.
"Did you have a good Christmas?" Lily questioned. Sakura smiled but said nothing. What could she have said? 'No, because I slept through it?'
"It was great, but why did you have to wake us up so early?!" Hermione grumbled, stumbling into the room with Sophia on her heals.
"Well, if you hadn't noticed, today is the first day back. We have classes in fifteen minutes!" Bella stated.
"HOEEEEEEE?!?!"
With this exclamation, Hermione, Rika, Tomoyo, Ginny, and Sakura began to rush about, getting ready to start the day.
"WHAT?!?!" Came another shout, not too far away, that sounded strangely like Syaoran. The girls looked at each other and giggled.
"I suppose the Marauders did their own version of 'wake-up call'." Tomoyo sighed, as she and her friends tripped from their room and down the stairs. A few minutes later, the boys stumbled down the stairs, still looking quite sleepy.
"Why didn't anyone tell us sooner?!" Ron groaned, leaning on Hermione for support. Everyone laughed as they made their way down to their first class, Potions, which they had with the Slytherins.
"I wonder what we are going to do today." Sakura commented, sitting down in her place in between Tomoyo and Syaoran. Lily, who was sitting on the end of the row, turned to see Severus Snape looking at her with a strange look on his face. She frowned and motioned out the door, indicating that he follow her. He did as she told, and they met in the hallway just outside of the classroom.
"What's the matter?" She hissed. He was still looking at her strangely, and suddenly, he pulled her into a monster hug.
"Lily, no matter what you do, stay away from Potter, you hear? He is no good. And watch out for Ivers. I have a funny feeling about him." Severus warned. Lily giggled.
"Severus! Harry is perfectly nice! He may look like Potter, but he is nothing like that screw-ball. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She whispered. He smiled dryly.
"Ivers may not be as far from Potter as you think, Lily." Was all he got a chance to say before the teacher arrived and yelled at them for being out in the hall.
~*~*~*~
*Great Hall, 2002*
Dumbledore motioned Meiling, Neville, Serius, Remus, Arabella, and Sophia to the teachers table and they all sat down in chairs around it.
"Now, explain." Dumbledore instructed. Neville looked at Meiling, and she sighed.
"As most of you know, Sakura Kinomoto, Rika Sasaki, and Tomoyo Daidouji are all members of a group called 'Mortal Angels'. But what most of you don't know, is that my cousin Syaoran Li and I have known them since we were ten." Meiling paused here, ready to launch out into the truth of their living in Tomeda.
"You see, the Li clan are direct descendants of Clow Reed, the most powerful wizard ever. When it was discovered that the Clow Cards had been released, the clan sent Syaoran to Tomeda, Japan to retrieve the cards for the clan, since they rightfully belonged to us. What we didn't know, was that the Cards had already chosen a different master. And that master was Sakura Kinomoto."
As soon as these words were out of her mouth, several people gasped. It was known how powerful and destructive the Clow Cards were, so how could such a young girl handle all that power?
"When Syaoran arrived, he eventually realized that Sakura was a lot stronger than the clan thought, so he stayed with her, even after the Final Judgment was over, and I had been sent back home." Meiling continued.
"What is the Final Judgment, Miss Li?" Dumbledore asked quietly. This time, it was Yue who spoke up.
"The Final Judgment is the test that every handler of the cards must face, to reveal whether or not they should become the master of the cards. You see, they had to fight against me, and defeat me, to become the master. Both Syaoran and Sakura tried, but only Sakura triumphed." Yue finished. Everyone listened to him in curiosity, including Touya and Fujitaka.
"After the Final Judgment, Syaoran stayed on to help Sakura with the cards. Little did they know, Clow Reed had another surprise for them. After he died, he split into two people. One of which is Fujitaka Kinomoto, Sakura's father, and the other is Eriol Hiiragizawa, our friend. He decided to test Sakura, because she had somehow managed to transform the cards and staff from the Clow Cards and staff, to a staff of her very own, and they were now drawing their power from her own star. This of course, led up to some complications, but eventually, Sakura changed all the cards into Sakura Cards, and Eriol could now go back to England. Syaoran left as well, since everything was taken care of, and this caused Sakura to fall into a deep depression. That is actually what led up to them forming the group, 'Mortal Angels'. It was to keep Sakura from becoming too depressed." Meiling explained.
"But Rika..." Arabella began, confused.
"Tomoyo told her, because she was the only one of our friends who realized that something was horribly wrong with Sakura. It was actually her idea to form the group, since we could all sing and we loved it so much. But I suppose fate had a hand in it as well, because you see, Rika is not who she seems to be, either. Her full name is actually Rika Rose Sasaki Potter."
At this, everyone in the room went pale, except for Severus Snape. There were several exclamations and yelps as well.
"And yes, Lily, Harry does know that he has a sister. I managed to tell him a while before this happened, so they could get to know each other. I must say, they have become quite close, and it is almost as if they were never parted." Severus said thoughtfully. This caused Dumbledore to look at him in shock, Remus to gape, and Serius to grumble something about best friends knowing everything. Lily smiled in relief, while James actually managed a small smile at Snape.
"Wait! Lily, James, you had a daughter?! Why didn't you ever say anything?" Molly Weasley yelped. Lily sighed.
"Because it was too dangerous for Rika. Harry was old enough to understand if his parents were taken away, but Rika wasn't, and it would be horrible for her. That was why I asked Severus to take her away." Lily explained. Serius and Remus looked upset, but said nothing. How could James keep such a thing from them?
"Anyway, after Syaoran went back home, he feel into an even deeper depression than Sakura, becoming the way we saw him every day. He didn't care about life anymore, nor about any of his family members. That is why he was the way he was when he first came here; cold, heartless, emotionless. But then, some of you may or may not have noticed his complete transformation when Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika came back. And Eriol, who has been attending Hogwarts since day one, was also happy to see all his friends back together." Meiling added dreamily.
"I will go on from here. When I first arrived here, it was because Voldemort had attacked me, and had threatened my life. Professor Snape brought me here, and that was when I met Sakura, Tomoyo, Rika, Eriol, and got to know Draco. Draco had betrayed Voldemort, and ran away with the little girl that he was supposed to kill. Then Meiling and Syaoran came...and well, the rest is history." Neville finished. Everyone was silent, listening closely.
"So wait a moment...if they are not here right now, then they are..." Lily faltered.
"OH MY BLOODY...THEY ARE IN OUR TIME!" James shouted, looking wildly at Lily. She nodded, smiling.
"Am I ever glad that they were there!" Bella laughed. Serius glanced at her, mischief glowing in his eyes.
"So am I!" He chuckled, swinging her into his arms, ignoring her protests, and kissing her soundly. Remus already had his arms around Sophia's waist.
"Do you really think that they can do it again, though?" Molly asked softly, hugging Arthur close. Remus looked serious (no pun intended).
"I really don't know, Molly. That's up to them." He whispered.
"But wait! Why were Sakura and Syaoran so sad about their separation? I mean, they are only friends..." Serius began. Meiling frowned.
"No, Serius. Not just friends. Soul-mates. They were torn apart, and therefore, their souls were split. It nearly killed both of them with sorrow. You see, they are in love." She said softly.
"In love?! At such a young age?! How preposterous!" Molly exclaimed. Meiling shook her head.
"They have been in love since they were eleven, Mrs. Weasley. In fact, Syaoran and Sakura admitted their love for each other, just before we were forced to go back to China, and then come here for school. Some of you may wonder why we all went back to Japan and China for Christmas Vacation, and the answer to that is: we went back for Sakura and Syaoran's engagement party. They are officially engaged, and they will be married soon after Syaoran's eighteenth birthday. That is how strong their love is. That is how important it is that both of them live through this. It is quite difficult for one to live without the other." Meiling whispered. Molly was now quite pale, McGonagle was gaping, and the rest of the room was stunned into silence.
"But that is not all. There are others who have realized their love for each other." Yue said slyly.
"Yes, Meiling and I have. Hermione and Ron have." Neville said thoughtfully, resting his chin on Meiling's head. Nakuru smirked.
"Harry and Ginny soon will, and the same with master and Tomoyo, hopefully." She quipped. James looked down at Lily.
"Rika and Draco as well." He muttered. Meiling nodded.
"You see? This wasn't all just a coincidence. To quote Kaho, 'there is no such thing as coincidence, only inevitability'." She stated. Touya looked down at little Rose in his arms, who had been silent this whole time.
"But Rose..."
"Will be just fine, Touya. We will take care of her." Nakuru whispered, gently stroking the baby's cheek.
"Everything will be fine. But now, we have to figure out a way to bring them back, and fast. They were only there for four years." Bella commented. With that, everyone began to plan how they would bring the group of friends back.
~*~*~*~
Anyway, now that that is cleared up, enjoy this chapter!
~*~*~*~
Leopard Spots and Zebra Stripes
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 5.
"Syaoran, do you think that Lily and James will ever like each other?" Sakura asked softly. They were sitting at the edge of the lake, watching the half-frozen water lap against the bank; Hagrid had left earlier that day to Diagon Alley, and they had found his hut empty, so they had come down here instead.
"It will take a while. You know what Eriol said. It took them until seventh year..."
"We have to stay here that long?!" She wailed. He shrugged.
"I'm not sure. Time may work differently here, Sakura. We have to go through every school day here, but who said anything about holidays? If I am correct, I have a feeling that we will go to sleep tonight, and when we wake up, it will be the end of winter vacation." He said thoughtfully. Sakura sighed and leaned back in his arms. He was sitting behind her, and she was in between his legs, snuggled up to his chest. His warm breath on her neck sent shivers up her spine, and she shuddered.
"Are you all right? Should we go back inside?" He asked in alarm. She smiled and shook her head.
"I am fine. I was just thinking how nice it is to be alone with you. We hardly ever get this sort of break." She whispered, leaning her head back onto his shoulder. He blushed.
"I suppose, but do you think that we could be alone somewhere else? I am getting a little cold." He mumbled. She laughed and then stood up, helping him to his feet. Together, they ran back up to the school, and found their way to the library. It was dark and silent, and there was no sign of Draco and Rika.
"I take it that they were using the library thing as an excuse to get Harry and Ginny alone together." Syaoran said dryly as they looked around. Sakura giggled and shut the library door, putting a locking charm on it. Syaoran didn't seem to notice.
"Oh well. Now we can search for that book I have been wanting to read on Martial Arts." He walked towards one of the far corners of the room, and began to look through some of the books. Sakura giggled and stepped up behind him, slinking her arms around his waist and putting her chin on his shoulder.
"We're alone now." She whispered. Syaoran did a slow turn, and gulped a little. Sakura's arms had released him, but her eyes were glittering mischievously and her head was cocked to one side, as if she were summing him up. He shifted uncomfortably, and then got an 'Eriol' smirk on his face.
"Like what you see, Kinomoto?" He teased. Her smile rivaled his as she took a step forward.
"Oh, yes." She murmured, putting her hands on his chest and shoving him against a bookshelf.
"Saku..." His words were cut off as her mouth pressed against his. All thoughts flew from his mind as he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. She smiled, but was shocked as he began to trace the shape of her lips with his tongue. She shuddered. They had kissed before, yes, but they had never done anything like this! For a moment, Sakura stiffened, unsure of what to do, but as his fingers gently began to massage her back, she relaxed, opening her mouth and allowing him to enter. The kiss was sweet, long, but not so innocent as their previous ones. Finally, they had to pull back for lack of air.
"Syaoran, what was that?" She asked softly. He chuckled and ran his hand through her hair.
"Hey, you pushed me up against the bookshelf, baby. I was just returning the favor!" He laughed, as his mouth descended on hers once more. Sakura moaned in contentment. This was turning out to be a wonderful day!
~*~*~*~
It was just as Syaoran had predicted. They had gone to sleep that night, and the next morning, they were awoken to the yells of their fellow dorm members.
"SAKURA GET UP!" Came a shout. Sakura screamed and sat up, looking into Lily's laughing face. Nearby, Tomoyo, Rika, and Ginny were all getting the same treatment from Bella. Sophia had gone up to the fifth-year rooms to wake up Hermione.
"Did you have a good Christmas?" Lily questioned. Sakura smiled but said nothing. What could she have said? 'No, because I slept through it?'
"It was great, but why did you have to wake us up so early?!" Hermione grumbled, stumbling into the room with Sophia on her heals.
"Well, if you hadn't noticed, today is the first day back. We have classes in fifteen minutes!" Bella stated.
"HOEEEEEEE?!?!"
With this exclamation, Hermione, Rika, Tomoyo, Ginny, and Sakura began to rush about, getting ready to start the day.
"WHAT?!?!" Came another shout, not too far away, that sounded strangely like Syaoran. The girls looked at each other and giggled.
"I suppose the Marauders did their own version of 'wake-up call'." Tomoyo sighed, as she and her friends tripped from their room and down the stairs. A few minutes later, the boys stumbled down the stairs, still looking quite sleepy.
"Why didn't anyone tell us sooner?!" Ron groaned, leaning on Hermione for support. Everyone laughed as they made their way down to their first class, Potions, which they had with the Slytherins.
"I wonder what we are going to do today." Sakura commented, sitting down in her place in between Tomoyo and Syaoran. Lily, who was sitting on the end of the row, turned to see Severus Snape looking at her with a strange look on his face. She frowned and motioned out the door, indicating that he follow her. He did as she told, and they met in the hallway just outside of the classroom.
"What's the matter?" She hissed. He was still looking at her strangely, and suddenly, he pulled her into a monster hug.
"Lily, no matter what you do, stay away from Potter, you hear? He is no good. And watch out for Ivers. I have a funny feeling about him." Severus warned. Lily giggled.
"Severus! Harry is perfectly nice! He may look like Potter, but he is nothing like that screw-ball. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She whispered. He smiled dryly.
"Ivers may not be as far from Potter as you think, Lily." Was all he got a chance to say before the teacher arrived and yelled at them for being out in the hall.
~*~*~*~
*Great Hall, 2002*
Dumbledore motioned Meiling, Neville, Serius, Remus, Arabella, and Sophia to the teachers table and they all sat down in chairs around it.
"Now, explain." Dumbledore instructed. Neville looked at Meiling, and she sighed.
"As most of you know, Sakura Kinomoto, Rika Sasaki, and Tomoyo Daidouji are all members of a group called 'Mortal Angels'. But what most of you don't know, is that my cousin Syaoran Li and I have known them since we were ten." Meiling paused here, ready to launch out into the truth of their living in Tomeda.
"You see, the Li clan are direct descendants of Clow Reed, the most powerful wizard ever. When it was discovered that the Clow Cards had been released, the clan sent Syaoran to Tomeda, Japan to retrieve the cards for the clan, since they rightfully belonged to us. What we didn't know, was that the Cards had already chosen a different master. And that master was Sakura Kinomoto."
As soon as these words were out of her mouth, several people gasped. It was known how powerful and destructive the Clow Cards were, so how could such a young girl handle all that power?
"When Syaoran arrived, he eventually realized that Sakura was a lot stronger than the clan thought, so he stayed with her, even after the Final Judgment was over, and I had been sent back home." Meiling continued.
"What is the Final Judgment, Miss Li?" Dumbledore asked quietly. This time, it was Yue who spoke up.
"The Final Judgment is the test that every handler of the cards must face, to reveal whether or not they should become the master of the cards. You see, they had to fight against me, and defeat me, to become the master. Both Syaoran and Sakura tried, but only Sakura triumphed." Yue finished. Everyone listened to him in curiosity, including Touya and Fujitaka.
"After the Final Judgment, Syaoran stayed on to help Sakura with the cards. Little did they know, Clow Reed had another surprise for them. After he died, he split into two people. One of which is Fujitaka Kinomoto, Sakura's father, and the other is Eriol Hiiragizawa, our friend. He decided to test Sakura, because she had somehow managed to transform the cards and staff from the Clow Cards and staff, to a staff of her very own, and they were now drawing their power from her own star. This of course, led up to some complications, but eventually, Sakura changed all the cards into Sakura Cards, and Eriol could now go back to England. Syaoran left as well, since everything was taken care of, and this caused Sakura to fall into a deep depression. That is actually what led up to them forming the group, 'Mortal Angels'. It was to keep Sakura from becoming too depressed." Meiling explained.
"But Rika..." Arabella began, confused.
"Tomoyo told her, because she was the only one of our friends who realized that something was horribly wrong with Sakura. It was actually her idea to form the group, since we could all sing and we loved it so much. But I suppose fate had a hand in it as well, because you see, Rika is not who she seems to be, either. Her full name is actually Rika Rose Sasaki Potter."
At this, everyone in the room went pale, except for Severus Snape. There were several exclamations and yelps as well.
"And yes, Lily, Harry does know that he has a sister. I managed to tell him a while before this happened, so they could get to know each other. I must say, they have become quite close, and it is almost as if they were never parted." Severus said thoughtfully. This caused Dumbledore to look at him in shock, Remus to gape, and Serius to grumble something about best friends knowing everything. Lily smiled in relief, while James actually managed a small smile at Snape.
"Wait! Lily, James, you had a daughter?! Why didn't you ever say anything?" Molly Weasley yelped. Lily sighed.
"Because it was too dangerous for Rika. Harry was old enough to understand if his parents were taken away, but Rika wasn't, and it would be horrible for her. That was why I asked Severus to take her away." Lily explained. Serius and Remus looked upset, but said nothing. How could James keep such a thing from them?
"Anyway, after Syaoran went back home, he feel into an even deeper depression than Sakura, becoming the way we saw him every day. He didn't care about life anymore, nor about any of his family members. That is why he was the way he was when he first came here; cold, heartless, emotionless. But then, some of you may or may not have noticed his complete transformation when Sakura, Tomoyo, and Rika came back. And Eriol, who has been attending Hogwarts since day one, was also happy to see all his friends back together." Meiling added dreamily.
"I will go on from here. When I first arrived here, it was because Voldemort had attacked me, and had threatened my life. Professor Snape brought me here, and that was when I met Sakura, Tomoyo, Rika, Eriol, and got to know Draco. Draco had betrayed Voldemort, and ran away with the little girl that he was supposed to kill. Then Meiling and Syaoran came...and well, the rest is history." Neville finished. Everyone was silent, listening closely.
"So wait a moment...if they are not here right now, then they are..." Lily faltered.
"OH MY BLOODY...THEY ARE IN OUR TIME!" James shouted, looking wildly at Lily. She nodded, smiling.
"Am I ever glad that they were there!" Bella laughed. Serius glanced at her, mischief glowing in his eyes.
"So am I!" He chuckled, swinging her into his arms, ignoring her protests, and kissing her soundly. Remus already had his arms around Sophia's waist.
"Do you really think that they can do it again, though?" Molly asked softly, hugging Arthur close. Remus looked serious (no pun intended).
"I really don't know, Molly. That's up to them." He whispered.
"But wait! Why were Sakura and Syaoran so sad about their separation? I mean, they are only friends..." Serius began. Meiling frowned.
"No, Serius. Not just friends. Soul-mates. They were torn apart, and therefore, their souls were split. It nearly killed both of them with sorrow. You see, they are in love." She said softly.
"In love?! At such a young age?! How preposterous!" Molly exclaimed. Meiling shook her head.
"They have been in love since they were eleven, Mrs. Weasley. In fact, Syaoran and Sakura admitted their love for each other, just before we were forced to go back to China, and then come here for school. Some of you may wonder why we all went back to Japan and China for Christmas Vacation, and the answer to that is: we went back for Sakura and Syaoran's engagement party. They are officially engaged, and they will be married soon after Syaoran's eighteenth birthday. That is how strong their love is. That is how important it is that both of them live through this. It is quite difficult for one to live without the other." Meiling whispered. Molly was now quite pale, McGonagle was gaping, and the rest of the room was stunned into silence.
"But that is not all. There are others who have realized their love for each other." Yue said slyly.
"Yes, Meiling and I have. Hermione and Ron have." Neville said thoughtfully, resting his chin on Meiling's head. Nakuru smirked.
"Harry and Ginny soon will, and the same with master and Tomoyo, hopefully." She quipped. James looked down at Lily.
"Rika and Draco as well." He muttered. Meiling nodded.
"You see? This wasn't all just a coincidence. To quote Kaho, 'there is no such thing as coincidence, only inevitability'." She stated. Touya looked down at little Rose in his arms, who had been silent this whole time.
"But Rose..."
"Will be just fine, Touya. We will take care of her." Nakuru whispered, gently stroking the baby's cheek.
"Everything will be fine. But now, we have to figure out a way to bring them back, and fast. They were only there for four years." Bella commented. With that, everyone began to plan how they would bring the group of friends back.
~*~*~*~