^_^ YAY!! One Year Anniversary of "The Fourth Potter"!! And 20 chapters already up. ^_^ And it won't be the last… for another chapter is on its way! I want to thank all of you for your kind, helpful, and wonderful reviews. And for those that had sent personal e-mails, thank y'all a bunch as well! 3 All of ya and keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying future chapters of "The Fourth Potter"!!

Today's Song Stuck In Author's Mind: Chinese Opening Theme to "Cardcaptor Sakura"

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!!! Happy reading!! ^_^ And read and review!! [( I am also going to try a new way of writing… uhm… you'll see… ^^ )]

The Fourth Potter

By: Emerald May

Chapter 21

``Wow, Sakura! You did great! And now you are Seeker!`` Hermione congratulated her younger friend as they all settled down for their dinner. Virginia Weasley, best known as Ginny suddenly came bursting through the Great Hall's main doors, her face stricken, nearly white with fear.

Ron leaned over to Harry and whispered in his ear. ``She had to serve detention for Filch… who sent her with Hagrid… and they went into the Forbidden Forest.``

Harry gave Ron a peculiar look. ``Wonder what happened to her…``

Ginny, not caring that the Slytherins were snickering at her, ran up to the Staff Table, Hagrid right behind her. ``Professor Dumbledore! Hagrid and I… we… we found someone in the forest and he was--``

Hagrid filled in her last sentence, a hand placed on her shoulders to calm her hysterical wailing. ``--dead.``

A few gasps were heard throughout the Great Hall – then whispers, some pointing at both Ginny and Hagrid. Bits and parts of sentences were caught, such as "Could Ginny been have possessed to kill… him?" or "I think they killed him… for some odd reason."

Sakura, Hermione, Harry, and Ron all stood up, and Ron shouted at the top of his lungs, hearing the remarks made about his sister. ``SHUT UP!`` And the room went dead silence at the anger of the Gryffindor, while Draco smirked, replying back, ``Why should we, Weasel?``

His hands clenched, Ron proceeded to advance on Slytherin's rich boy, but Harry and Hermione held him back. Unfortunately, they didn't have an extra hand to hold back Sakura, who walked up to Draco and nearly spat in his face. ``You keep out of this, Ferret.``

He glared at her, his steel blue hues burning into her own emerald orbs. ``Why, mudblood?`` And yet another gasp rang out the room, but she simply smirked, murmuring in a low voice. ``How can I be a mudblood if both of my parents have magical abilities… Besides, I am not a mudblood… exactly. My adoptive father is the half reincarnation of one of the most powerful sorcerer of Hong Kong… too bad you forgot…`` She straightened up, leaving him opened-mouth at her words. His fellow Slytherins nudged his forearms.

``What is she yapping about?`` A Slytherin asked, disgusted at the fact that a Gryffindor would even think to challenge Malfoy, much less a "Potter".

``Something you don't even want to know about…`` Draco said as she watched Sakura return to her friends and follow Professor Dumbledore, McGonongall, Snape, and Hagrid, Ginny whimpering behind them, trying to avoid the stares of her schoolmates. Lily and James took a one glance at each other and hurridly followed them.

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Professor turned to look at Ginny, his eyes no longer holding that twinkle. ``You say you found this body in the Forbidden Forest? Just in view of the Quidditch Field?`` Ginny could only nod her cranium of ruby red tresses.

Severus Snape walked over to the boy, lifting up his left arm, but it revealed no trace of a Dark Mark. ``Hm… This boy doesn't have the Dark Mark… But looked like he was in process of getting it…`` He rested the nameless boy's arm down, and turned to look at the Headmaster. ``What do you suggest we do?``

The voices of her professors droned out of tune, for Sakura was looking at the boy's other hand… seeing something clutched in it. ``Hey… what is that? It looks like some sort of parchment…``

Albus glanced up and looked at where the Clow Mistress was prodding at the hand. ``Let me see, Child.`` With a flick of his wand, a spell was said and the paper came flying out of its master's hand. But, it didn't fly towards the Headmaster… instead it came streaking to Sakura, and was hovering merely inches away from her face. ``What the…?`` She took the parchment, but handed it back to the professor. He grasped it in his frail hand, and managed to keep it from going back to Sakura. He opened it and read what it said:

Great danger awaits… for the one that beholds the staff…

Mistress of the Cards… be on your guard…

If you are reading this letter, Card Mistress, then I am gone and dead.

You may never know me, but I know you.

A great evil approaches you…

Let the Power of Clow guide you through your hardships…

And I shall be by your side…

Professor Snape quirked an eyebrow, "Clow" ringing in his ears. Yes, he had heard that name before… but where? ``What does that mean, Albus?``

A thud was heard from behind, and Sakura had backed up against the bookcase, the hard cover books tumbling down on her. ``AH!``

Before she fell any further down, James grabbed his daughter's hand, bringing her up back to her normal stance. ``Are you alright?``

She nodded weakly, embarrassed at her fall. But who else knew about her secret?

Albus looked at his youngest, advanced student, his face filled with concern, but not because of her fall… but because of her reaction that had caused the fall. ``Miss Kinomoto… Do you know anything of this message?`` This wizened wizard could not be fooled, but the Clow Mistress could not give out her secret… even if it meant that she might be falling into the culprit's trap. Her body was rigid with fear, but however, her voice was clear and stead.

``No, sir… I don't.``

Albus Dumbledore peered over his half-moon glasses, his clear blue hues speculating her, debating on whether or not to believe her. ``Very well.`` He turned and shuffled a few papers around before handing a stack to Professor McGonangoll, whispering something to her and she nodded, turning out the room through a secret passage. Headmaster Dumbledore then turned to Professor Snape. As for James and Lily, they had already departed because they had to go talk to Hagrid about the boy and about how Lily could trace the genetic codes using Muggle Technology.

``Severus, do you think you can escort these Gryffindors back to their common room?`` He asked, an obvious smile lingering in his voice as he awaited for the protests that would be emitted from him.

But, surprisingly enough, he simply agreed, weary from the day's events. ``Yes, yes, I will.`` Besides, he had a suspicion that Sakura Kinomoto might be the one to possess the cards… from her fall and surprise, and felt like he needed to protect Sakura, feeling that he was still in the debt of James, even though had had well protected Harry during his First Year. ``Follow me, Potters, Weasleys, Granger.`` He said in his normally cold voice. They shuddered a bit and followed him, his cloak billowing behind him as he stalked down the corridor.

There wasn't much talk going around, silence heavy above and around them. Sakura had her hands in front of her, crossed, as if she still held her Japanese school bag, her eyes averted her jade hues to the ground as they walked. Harry, obviously wanting to protect his friends and sister, was the head of the group, behind Severus of course. Thoughts were running through everyone's mind, all directed to one – Sakura.

Yet, each thought was different from the next… I wonder… where have I heard that name before… Clow… Clow Cards… It's been so long ago… Forgotten… Severus Snape thought, nearly running to a wall from not paying attention.

As for Harry, he was set on getting to the bottom of this, and was going to confront his sister, whether he or she liked it or not. He couldn't bare to see his "new-found" sister get hurt, even though she probably trusted her adopted brother, Touya, more than she did him.

And they all arrived at the entrance door… yet Severus didn't move. He sort of stood their as he waited for his pupils to go into their Common Room.

Hermione cleared her throat. ``Uhm, Professor… we need to go to our Common Room…`` She said trailing off as he looked at her with ungentle looks… but then again, the Potions Master's looks were never kind… always cold and vacant.

``Well, then, Miss Granger, do so. No one is here to stop you.``

``Professor… You are head of Slytherin house… and we are Gryffindors with a separate set of passwords not to be revealed to any other…`` Sakura said, filling in the void of Hermione's sentence.

``Of course,`` He muttered, surprised at the words that the 11-year old First Year student had taken to, and without further comments, he turned and went about his way.

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The four of them sat around the Gryffindor Common Room, but Ginny got up from the floor and, as if in a daze, walked back to her dorm, still feeling as if reality had betrayed her with its death presence.

Ron looked at Harry and Hermione… and then to Sakura. Then, without warning, ``Are you the Clow Mistress?`` He asked, nearly blurting it out, for Ronald Weasley was a curious pupil…

Harry glared at his best friend and kicked him hard in the shin.

``OW!``

Sakura, her eyes widening a bit shook her head, trying to keep her voice steady as she lied about it, though she was protecting herself, guardians and friends in the process. ``N-no way. I have not a clue who the Clow Mistress could be.``

Hermione searched her eyes for a second or two. ``Are you sure, Sakura?``

Determined, her emerald hues were set. ``Yes, of course. Why would I lie about something like that?``

``I don't know…`` Harry muttered under his breath so softly, that no one could hear. ``Sakura…`` He said, but hesitated.

``What?`` Sakura inquired.

``Are… you sure there isn't anything you want to tell us?``

``Ron, Harry, Hermione… I promise you. If there is anything you need to know about me, then I'll tell you. Other than that, I am hiding nothing from you guys,`` She said. 'Course, it wasn't really a lie she just committed. They didn't need to know about her secrets… For one day she might regret it… and already had with Draco. From the dream incident, she had hoped that nothing else happened to him, and it went along her way, but one could not foretell the future – except for perhaps a seer. But what was done was done, and there was no point in vexing over it.

The three nodded their heads, Harry taking off his glasses and rubbing his sore eyes.

``Alright Sakura, we believe and trust you,`` He said as he stifled a yawn. ``But I think we best be on our way to sleep… it's been a long day.`` When her brother said "trust", Sakura's heart sank a bit, for she was keeping it away from him.

As if in agreement, Ron stood up too, his eyes now about to droop right to the ground. ``Yeah, I agree.`

Hermione simply nodded her cranium of chestnut-auburn tresses.

And so, the now "Quadrupled Four", since Ginny was usually out with her own friends, headed up the circular stairs and their separate ways to their dorms – Harry and Ron in one, Sakura and Hermione in the other.

As Harry slowly began to drift off to sleep, he thought of his sister. I don't know why… but I have this feeling that something bad is bound to happen… with Sakura invovled… He thought to himself as he was lured to sleep by the soft wind that howled outside.

And there was that mysterious voice once more, yet this was in Sakura's dorm, and she alone could here it.

He wears a mask…

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Author's Note: -click ; update- YES I FINISHED!!!!!! ^_^ Gomenasai!!! I didn't expect for me to never update is so long… Probably the longest ever, but here it is! It's probably crappy (;-;) but here it is anyway. I am so bummed out… And I think I might be banned from the net… which I hope not. _ My teachers are evil. –nod nod– So, yeah. =/ But I hope everyone enjoys this "episode" of "The Fourth Potter". I have decided to not post up "The Elementalists" because I don't want the pressure of anymore fanfics. I mean, I haven't even updated "The Mirror of Erised", or "Heirs of Hogwarts" in like nearly a year. (Mainly due to the fact no one ever reviews. Guess it's not interesting… Boo hoo hoo. ! And I had such great ideas in my mind for them… Maybe I'll update one chapter each… But I dunno. =X) Well, as I always say, READ AND REVIEW!!! ONEGAI!!! =D