Er….
Quote: "Believe you and me, this is a nightmare."—me
***
Chapter 16: Explanations
"Are you all right?!" Ron and Harry yelled upon our immediate entrance.
"Why'd you go without telling us?" Ron said.
"And why didn't you say anything about those two being the ones that—"
"Calm down, boys, calm down," I patted them both on the heads, a difficult thing when it came to Ron. "We're all getting explanations here. Believe you and me."
"But—"
"Just shut it, Weasel," said Draco.
"Don't start with me, Malfoy," Ron growled.
"BOYS!" Hermione yelled.
"Now, let's get this explained in totality," I said. "Fujitaka/Eriol and Clow Reed/Eriol, explain away."
"I suspect this will take a long time," Clow Reed/Eriol said. "Fujitaka, can you put your son in one of the beds?"
"Of course."
And that was what the scene looked like in the living room of the ancient Clow Reed. Eriol/Clow Reed seated in a high-backed armchair, and all of us gathered around him.
Behind Eriol/Clow Reed were his four creations: Yue, Cerberus, Ruby Moon, and Spinel Sun. However, two of them had changed shape. Cerberus was now a tiny little teddy-bear-like creature and Spinel Sun was a cat-like one. According to Yue, he would not be able to remember what had happened one he returned to his "temporary form", the guise of a human teenager that I had come to know as Yuki. Ruby Moon would be able to, but chose not to.
Standing before the high armchair was my "team", I suppose you'd call us. The eight people, including myself, who had come with Fujitaka/Eriol from Hogwarts. Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo (the raven-haired girl) were all with us, yet they were separated.
I sat down on the floor, and everyone but Draco followed me. There was no couch to speak of, and I was tired even before I'd begun.
Once Fujitaka/Eriol returned, the questions began.
"Who are you?" came several voices.
"What are they?"
"What's going on?"
"Why?"
And many more. Fujitaka/Eriol and Eriol/Clow Reed finally held up their hands, and were greeted with silence.
"The story is long and enduring," said Eriol/Clow Reed. "And each of us only knows a part. So this tale will begin, as all do, at the beginning. First off, I think we both owe you all an apology. There have been many lies told here, and many of them have effected you in several different ways.
"Hundreds of years ago, the magician Clow Reed lived. He was our former self. He crafted the nineteen Clow Cards by combining aspects of both Eastern and Western magic. He created Yue and Cerberus to protect them.
"Clow was also a fortune teller, and knew the date and time he would die. He also knew the girl who would soon become Mistress of the Clow Cards. And he knew that the Moon Guardian of the Cards would be especially hard to win over to a new Master, and crafted a Bell full of the Moon magic he used so well.
"However, he also knew that if the Cards were not changed to use the magic of the girl's own, the Cards would lose their power and become worthless pieces of paper. With Sakura's magic being so new and sudden, it would have destroyed her if she did not have something to work against to change those cards. That is why I have been here, giving Sakura so much trouble.
"And she's done so beautifully. However, that is not the whole tale. Upon the day that I was to die, I split my soul into two entities. One was myself, Eriol Hiiragizawa. The second was this man, Fujitaka Kinomoto, Sakura's Father. There is more, however."
"More?" Sakura said.
"I was…troubled by the amount of power that I had as Clow Reed," said Eriol with a smile toward Sakura. "Something went wrong when we were split. Somehow, the memories, which were all supposed to be inherited by myself, were copied into Fujitaka as well. And he had a different plan than mine."
"A different plan?" I said.
"Yes," Fujitaka said. "When I was born into this world, here in Japan, I realized very early on that there was a very hearty lack in government. The Chinese magical world had disappeared, taken out by their hopes for full-blooded magic alone."
"So the East had problems with mudbloods, too, how convenient," said Draco.
"Yeah, Draco," I snapped. "They were nearly wiped out because of the so-called pure-blood sentiment." He bit his tongue.
"I put my plea into Dumbledore, the only man that I knew I could count on to get a new government going," said Fujitaka. "However, there was a problem."
"A problem?" Sakura cocked her head to the side.
"I was without magic," said Fujitaka. "Couldn't sense a thing. A first year boy at Dumbledore's school saw my problem. Despite his entire future as a wizard, he cut me a deal. He would give me his magic if I would get married and have two children." He smiled at Sakura. "He made me promise that I would send them to his school and become magicians themselves. That eleven-year-old boy was Timothy Malfoy."
"Timothy…Malfoy…" my eyes grew wide. "That's my dad! My daddy gave you his magic to save the East?" I'd never, in my life, heard that my strict and stern father had ever been such a hero. My father had been inside the Enterprise during the Gulf War, almost completely out of danger.
"That he did, Angel," said Fujitaka, grinning. "That sort of makes you related by magic to Sakura. Sort of like a cousin, I'd say."
"And Tomoyo!" said Sakura brightly.
"When I heard that you were coming to Hogwarts, I took action," said Fujitaka. "I wanted you to know as much about Japan as possible before you came. And I wanted you to find out just why your father is a Squib. I also wanted you to help me find more recruits to Hogwarts."
"But wait," I said. "What about Toya? You said you promised you'd send your children to Hogwarts. Why didn't you send Toya?"
"Well…unfortunately, he turned out to be a Squib," said Fujitaka, laughing. "He had magic in him, yes. He had enough to sustain Yue, when Toya gave it to him, but not enough to do a decent charm."
"Oh…" I nodded.
"I was beginning to think Sakura would turn out the same way," Fujitaka laughed. "Until I began to feel her magic all over Tomoeda. For a while, I thought we'd been invaded by the Chinese undercover wizards again, but it was only my little Sakura. Her, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and the Cards, anyhow."
"Tomoyo?" I asked. "We've tried everything we can think of to get her to show herself as magic."
"Did you ever try tapping her on the shoulder when she wasn't paying attention?" Cerberus asked, laughing. "ZAP!" He acted as though he'd been shocked.
"I didn't mean it, Kero! Honest!" Tomoyo protested.
"Don't worry," Sakura said. "That means you get to go to school with me. Right, Angel?"
"Right you are, Sakura!" I grinned.
"There is…one more thing," said Eriol. "I would like Angel to perform a spell for me. Between myself…and Angel's father."
"But my father is all the way back in Kansas," I said. "And besides, I think he likes his job now. I don't think he'd like being magic."
"Do you know anyone related to you who'd like it?" Eriol asked.
"Why related to me?" I asked.
"To repay you and your father."
"Hmm…" I thought for a few minutes. My mother would hate it. I had no aunts or uncles or cousins who would like it. However… "David."
"Your brother?" Syaoran turned to me in surprise.
"My parents mailed me a while ago," I said, now feeling a little guilty that I hadn't told them. "My brother hasn't shown any signs of being magic. If there's anyone who deserves it, it's David."
"How do we get him here?" Hermione asked.
"We're not Solid Dreamers for nothing, 'Mione," I said. "We just wait till we're asleep. Then I'll bring Sakura and Eriol and David here."
"You're a Solid Dreamer?" Eriol blinked.
***
"Sissy!!!" David yelled. "I've missed you so much! Guess what? I gots an A on my report card! In English! I can read now! I can read!"
"That's great, kitsune," I smiled at him.
"Sissy? You're talking," David said.
"Oh! Darn, I forgot about that," I said. I conjured up a glass of water. "Todos Languas. English. That better?"
"Wow…magic!" David gasped. "How'd you do that?"
"Very simple," I said. "You'll learn how later on. Right now, we've got a special present for you."
"For me? Really?" David grinned. "Who's he?"
"This is Eriol Hiiragizawa, a friend of mine," I said. "He wants to give you half of his magic." David's mouth dropped open.
"Really? Wow, that would be so great, then I would be even stronger when I get to school, right?"
"Right," I smiled.
"Angel, are you ready?" Eriol asked, speaking English. I glanced at him in surprise. "I learned Japanese and English the hard way a long time ago."
"Yeah, I am," I said, nodding.
"Then repeat after me. Magic sealed within one…"
"Magic sealed within one…"
"The Magician Clow Reed…"
"The Magician Clow Reed…"
"Let the magic that he locked be divided…In the two entities decided…"
"Let the magic that he locked be divided…In the two entities decided…"
Both David and Eriol suddenly collapsed, being caught by myself and Hermione, who was standing by. She looked up at me, startled.
"Was that supposed to happen?"
"Yeah, I suppose so," I said. "I'll put David back in his bed. You put Eriol to his, okay?"
"Okay," she nodded.
I conjured up my baby brother's bedroom, the real place, the real house. I settled him gently to his pillows and looked around, smiling at the memories. I pulled his covers gently over him and walked out into the house. It was just as I'd left it. The halls were the same. I walked into my room. It was untouched, save my bed. I'd never made my bed before, and now it was neatly made.
Sighing, I went back to the hotel room, and glanced over at Hermione, who was also sitting up. She smiled at me and nodded. We settled back to sleep.
The week passed by quickly again, as we still went to school. Everyone was wondering what Fujitaka would do. Would he really go back to Hogwarts for the remainder of the term? Would he stay with his daughter? Would he find a replacement for either place?
No one could guess and no one asked. On the day we were to return to Hogwarts, Eriol held a large banquet at his home, just for those involved. Rika and a boy named Kitsune Kusanagi, from the other class, were also invited. We explained the entire messy situation to them, and they agreed to talk to their parents about a seven-year exchange program to England.
It was then that Fujitaka announced his decision.
"I will be coming back to Hogwarts, yes," he said. "I am trusting Toya, Yue, and Kero to protect my daughter. And also Syaoran, of course." His eyes twinkled in Syaoran's direction.
At seven o'clock, we carried our things to the airport and Sakura said a tearful good-bye to her father. Eriol waved us off.
"Hey, Syaoran," I said, pulling him aside. "You never kept your promise to Sakura. You were going to tell her that you like her, weren't you?"
"But—"
"Butts are for ashtrays, never for love, Syaoran," I said, grinning. "Go on and tell her. Fujitaka supports you as well." He nodded, still stammering away. He approached Sakura and stuttered several times. As Fujitaka ushered me on to the plane, I saw Sakura wrap her arms around Syaoran in a hug, his face so bright red you'd think she was choking him to death.
"Finally," I whispered. Then we took the long flight back to Hogwarts.
***