Two Roses Summary
* Chapter 35 was supposed to have one more scene. With the Wizengamot session where Sirius would announce the official return of the Black Family, with him as Lord Black. Also, presenting his wife, daughter and his daughter's betrothed. It'd have made everyone go nuts. Especially when Dumbledore openly backed him. Fudge would have tried to accuse Sirius of anything and everything, only to be reminded Sirius was officially exonerated, which would have made him look like a fool.
The rest of the story:
* The core of the DA meet to discuss "The Plan". It's revealed that they're not in agreement. Susan believes too much in the government, in what her father and aunt fought so hard for, and feels like them stepping in would mean going against all that. Luna feels it's too big a commitment, she's always wanted to travel, see the world, and cannot help but feel that doing what the others want would mean giving up her dreams. While Neville, he's willing to fight, but won't force others to do it. Harry, Hermione and the others feel regret but agree with Neville, they won't force their friends to do something they don't want to.
* A bunch of DE attacks, happening one after the other, seemingly in random locations. The first few, very easy. And then, right as they're growing complacent, Voldemort leads the next. Many dead, civilians and aurors in the first few minutes. The tide would be turned with the arrival of the sorcerers, in their white cloaks and masks. Rose Midori would once again make an appearance in the nick of time, this time saving Tomoyo. The surprise comes when Voldemort is face to face with her and makes her an offer: her loyalty, for her mother's life. He gives her three days to decide. Before Rose Midori, or anyone else has a chance to say anything Scrimgeour shows up with several more squads of aurors. Voldemort disappears, the DEs either dead or disabled by then. Scrimgeour, wanting to look like he's doing something, tries to arrest the sorcerers for suspicious behavior, especially Rose Midori, when hearing someone mention a possible deal with Voldemort. Harry curses at him for being more worried about his image than doing his duty, Eriol points out that's why the Western Magical World is in such a state. In the end Scrimgeour tries to arrest them anyway, only for the sorcerers to break through the aurors' wards and teleport away. That causes further issues, as Scrimgeour, with Fudge's backing declares all sorcerers on par with the DEs, despite some people, like Kingsley and Tonks, trying to convince him they're not the enemies.
* In an unknown house a woman hears about the deal and screams her denials, Voldemort laughs at her, saying there's nothing she can do. He'll get her daughter, His daughter, back… Once he's gone she turns to an empty spot, as if speaking to someone, telling that person to tell her daughter that it's not 'her' fault; she (the woman) made her choice. Something that looks almost like a tattoo is revealed just above the woman's breast, an incomplete kanji. She bites at the pad of a finger until she draws blood, using that to finish the kanji. She'd be looking straight at (someone) before saying "Zai Jian"; then she'd close her eyes and whisper "Kashin Shourai". Fire envelopes her, killing her and turning her body to ash in very little time. Voldemort screams somewhere in the distance.
* On her own bed, Sakura wakes, tears falling down her cheeks as she whispers "Sayounara". Shaoran finds her like that and worries. She tells him about what she saw. Shaoran realizes a number of things. First, the word used to say goodbye, it wasn't just a farewell, it was a final one, with a sense of sadness. And the magic the woman used to kill herself, it's the same kind of magic Shaoran uses. A kind of magic that's exclusively part of the Li Clan… Before either of them can fully process the significance of that, a call comes, Voldemort and his DE have managed to take over St. Mungo's; they will start killing unless the Sorcerers turn themselves in. He's quite specific that he wants the Supreme Sorcerers (the ones who defeated him before).
* The Sorcerers arrive to St. Mungo's robed and masked, there are aurors all around, waiting. Harry asks the others why doesn't Scrimgeour do something, Voldemort cannot have that many followers left. To which Sakura points out that they cannot risk it. Shaoran adds that it's also fear, the British wizards are so used to being afraid of the DE, to put it somehow, that they cannot even think about standing up to them. The DE refuse to let anyone inside masked, claiming that they'll make sure it's them. So Sakura, Shaoran, Eriol and Tomoyo reveal themselves. Naoko and the others step back; not leaving but not giving themselves away either. Then, when demands are made for the fifth… for a moment none of them know what to do. Until May (Elddir May) steps out of the crowd; Voldemort addresses her as May Riddle, calls her 'daughter'…
* The DEs lead the Sorcerers inside, where they immediately realize that they're right, Voldemort has very few people. Sakura manages to get a message outside. Harry, Hermione and the others meet the DA and they organize themselves to break into St. Mungo's unnoticed by the DEs. Several of the aurors notice what's going on and decide to follow the teenagers after realizing Scrimgeour is never going to do anything.
* Tension all around as the Sorcerers spar, first verbally and then physically, with Voldemort and his DEs, making sure to keep their attention on them, while the DA and the aurors get the innocents out. Voldemort realizes what's going on in the last moment, kills one healer, is about to do the same to another who's trying to flee, when Tomoyo intervenes, her staff breaks to pieces, the biggest being the flower, which she manages to catch in her hand. Voldemort cackles and tries to use Crucio on her, Eriol intervenes. Sakura and Shaoran do their best to help. Tomoyo despairs as she doesn't know how to help. And then May's there, taking Tomoyo's hands in hers, calling her sister. The two seem to fall into a trance as they call a new enchantment: "We call upon the powers of the Day and Night, Sun and Moon, Light and Shade; grant the powers of the Eternal Eclipse to us. I am Rose Tsubame/Rose Midori. We the Two Roses summon thee. Release!" And just like that, there are Five Supreme Sorcerers.
* Voldemort is annihilated. With the 5 Supreme Sorcerers working together, this time with their full power, they can make sure he's never coming back. When they exit St. Mungo's to announce it's all over for a moment it's all celebration. And then… then Scrimgeour is ordering the arrest of May Riddle.
* It's an absolute mess. The sorcerers try to intervene, but Fudge gets involved, arguing that the Lis have no business trying to meddle with their government. He also tries to argue that Sorcery is outlawed or something, calling it Dark, and dangerous, and many other things. In the end May surrenders only because she refuses to risk innocents getting hurt, they've been fighting so hard to protect everyone. They won't hurt innocents now.
* There's a Wizengamot session where Fudge intends to prosecute May as a Dark Lady (despite the fact that she isn't and has never been one, not even a DE). He also tries to outlaw Sorcery. Things keep growing more and more insane. And a lot of the young people cannot help but notice that the adults, the people in power, aren't doing anything to help, to make things right. Even the few who speak up, they only do so to ensure their own interests will be affected (like, even if they make Sorcery illegal in Britain, the Lis won't be affected, as they're Asian; they cannot risk ruining business relations). Naoko's own situation is somewhat delicate, as she grew up in Japan, yet she's not actually Japanese but British by birth, and heritage (through Sirius and Naty). Tomoyo being Japanese helps her, as does the fact that Eriol has both British and Chinese citizenship. Harry, Hermione and Long want to intervene, but their own status is complicated enough already. In the end, to everyone's surprise, it's Neville that breaks. He stands and demands that those who claim to be ruling the Wizarding World actually do their job for a change. When Scrimgeour tries to dismiss him, claiming he has no right to demand anything Neville yells that he's Neville Franklin Longbottom, Heir of Gryffindor, Pillar of Magic. Before most of those present can even start to process the shock, Susan stands up from her own seat and calls her own status as Heiress of Hufflepuff. Harry, Naoko, Eriol and Severus follow in quick succession. Then there seems to be a tense moment, as everyone waits to see what'll happen next. Right as Fudge lets out a breath, believing that's it, that they've won, Luna rushes into the room, yelling her own status as Heiress of Ravenclaw. It's all sealed when all seven on them in unison make the Call on Ancient Justice.
* Once the ritual has been completed no one can do anything to stop it. It also ends up being far more complex than how it was explained by the Sorcerers. All those in powers are magically judged, their crimes all made very public. Most of them get away with just losing their position and privileges, some actually find themselves magically charged and either fined or with prison awaiting them. Again, nothing can be done to stop it, as it's all part of the ritual. If they try to stop it, or to deny it they'll lose their magic. The real issue comes when it's all said and done, and there's no one left. Even those who never committed any actual crimes, they're found 'wanting', as they never did anything right either. In the end there's only one solution, and that's to reform the Western Magical Council. The seven of them have the top positions automatically, as the oldest lines (Harry, Naoko and Eriol are actually at the very top, with the other four a close second, but the point remains); yet it's not just them. Many of the lines who form the Wizengamot are granted a spot as well (though with less power than the Pillars, and certainly less than they had before); also, it cannot be anyone who's served in the Wizengamot already (who's been found wanting). They all know it's going to take time, a long time; but they're all committed, they will make things right.
* When it's all said and done and the group's finally splitting, May seems to be trying to slip away unnoticed, when Shaoran calls to her… He calls her Meiling…
* It's her, it's always been her. In her youth, the sister of Shaoran's father rebelled when the Li Elders tried to marry her to a man she wasn't interested in. She fled to Europe, where she met Tom Riddle, fell madly in love with him. Then she realized the kind of monster he truly was and she fled from him. Only finding out she was pregnant afterwards. Her brother took her in, gave her daughter the Li name and forbid anyone from every questioning the girl's parentage. Until Voldemort himself found out (never did decide when exactly). Mother and daughter ran away in an attempt to keep the Li Clan safe from Voldemort and his followers. And then everything else happened. May tells Shaoran she doesn't know if she's that girl anymore, if she can even be that girl. So much has happened. Shaoran assures her that the name doesn't matter, they're still family, and they always will be. He can only hope that it'll be enough.
* Graduation comes, there's a lot of celebration (some joke about how just managing to survive to that day is enough cause to celebrate).
* Tomoyo and Eriol marry less than a week later. A Binding being part of the ceremony. During the wedding May/Meiling does her best to keep to a corner. He knows that many people have trouble trusting her; and it's not just who her father is, but that even in all the time she was at Hogwarts she never really tried to befriend anyone. Which is probably why she's more than a little shocked when Ron approaches her. He's very nervous, hesitant, even stutters a bit, but eventually manages to ask her to dance. He almost backs down while warning her that he's not that good a dancer, he managed to convince his friends to teach him, but he apologizes if he ends up stepping on her or something. It all makes May/Meiling laugh, which calls everyone's attention. In the end she's the one who pulls Ron to the dance-floor.
* Finally an epilogue showing the latest session of the Western Council. There's just four or five of them. Truth is that they don't need to all of them be present for every single session. The seven know each other well enough and usually their decision as pretty unanimous. It's only when things are complex and they cannot all agree that they'll insist on all seven being present. So in the end, Luna does still have the opportunity to travel, see places, discover creatures. It's how she eventually meets a man she falls in love with. Neville is married as well (I think I was going to pair him with Ginny, but cannot remember for sure), and the Herbology professor at Hogwarts; Susan works at the DMLE (don't think I ever chose a pairing for her actually; and while at the time I originally wrote most of this fic and its prequel I didn't write any LGBT+, in recent years I've become a fan of Susan/Hannah, so there's that). Harry and Hermione are married, same as Naoko and Long, Severus and Sonomi, and of course Eriol and Tomoyo; they all seem to take turns spending time in Europe and visiting their friends in Asia. Ron actually ends up living in Hong Kong after marrying Meiling (She still calls him Iron Knight at times, while he always responds to that by calling her his Queen).
Just to clarify a few things. When I first got into the CCS fandom, it was with the ánime, which censores some things, especially the yaoi relationship between Touya and Yukito, and also the future-relationship between Eriol and Kaho. While on the latter I wouldn't have done it anyway, because I'm a huge Tomoyo-Eriol fan, on the former I do regret, because I like those two together. Still, by the time I got my hands on the manga and discovered that pairing, I already had Touya marrying Kaho in "Hope Spell".
I'm not going to go into all the things I'd do different if I were just starting this verse now, because simply put, I probably wouldn't be writing it. I see a lot of characters, and many things, in both fandoms, very differently nowadays. It's part of what made it so hard, for me to even write a summary to give this a somewhat proper ending.
Still, I hope you, if not like it, at least like knowing how this story was supposed to end.
If anyone's interested on adoptiing the story, on actually writing what's missing here. Feel free, I have no issue with it, just respect what's already been written and let me know so I can go read your work (and if possible let everyone know about it too!).
Thanks so much to all who've been so infinitely patient with me, who've waited this long to find out how this story ends. I apologize for any and all disapointments and wish you all the best!
P.S. Nowadays, like I said, I'm not into these fandoms anymore, but I write in a lot of others, if you're interested. I promise I've made a point not to post unfinished works unless I actually have a date for finishing them (a close one), one that guarantees no more fics will be getting abandoned.