Daphne: "Ohhhhhhh!!!!!! Fourteenth chapter! Only one more to go, and then
the sequel! Well, I will quit blabbering and let you continue with the
story, before you all blow up at me!!!!"
~*~*~*~
Hogwarts-Sakura Style
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 14.
"...James Potter." Snape finished. Rika and Harry gaped.
"WHAT?!" They chorused, much to Snape's amusement.
"He, as were all of us, was brought up to hate muggle-borns and think them inferior. Lily was no exception...at the time. Like I said, Lily withstood a full year of torment, until one day, Dumbledore decided to take things into his own hands."
*Flashback*
"I am going to kill you, Potter!" A furious Lily Evans screamed, as she left the Great Hall amid mean laughter. Her hair was green and matted, and her skin was brown with black splotches on it. At the Gryffindor table, James, Serius Black, and Peter Pettigrew laughed hysterically, while their close friend and fellow Marauder, Remus Lupin looked half-amused, half- anxious.
"That will teach 'muggles' to keep away from our school!" James yelled after her.
In the hallway, Lily stomped her foot angrily and worked to keep her tears in check. She stomped off through the halls to the Gryffindor common room, fully intent on going up to her room, that presently had 'GO AWAY MUGGLE', and 'MAGICALLY-IMPAIRED' painted all over her part of the room. But a voice stopped her.
"Miss Evans?"
It was Professor McGonagle. The older woman looked upset, and she gently put her arm around Lily's shoulder, something she did to no one else. The first lesson that Lily had learned at Hogwarts, was that most of the teachers were un-prejudiced towards muggle-borns, and tended to be quite fair when it came to dealing with the student body as a whole, and not just whether they were muggle-born or not.
"Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you." McGonagle said softly, her eyes showing a warm-ness that they rarely showed anyone. Lily smiled and followed her. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily caught sight of a black haired young man gazing after them attentively. Lily turned and gave a quick, sly wink to her secret friend, Severus Snape, who was actually a Slytherin, and then continued to follow the professor. A few weeks into the school year, Lily had met up with Severus Snape in a hallway, and a large fight had broken out between them. She finished it by insulting the pure- bred witches and wizards to his face.
"If you were really what you claim to be, you wouldn't tease people who aren't as lucky, smart or as talented as you! Magical people are *supposed* to know better, you scum-bag! But you know what? They are no better than simple ogres, because they do not practice what they preach! You are just like them, Snape! Just like them!" She had screamed, before running in the opposite direction. The next day, Severus had captured her in another hall, dragged her into an abandoned room, and apologized. Lily, surprisingly enough, had forgiven him, and ever since then, they had continued meeting in empty classrooms to work on homework or talk. Snape was probably the only thing keeping Lily from running away and never returning to Hogwarts.
"We are here Miss Evans." McGonagle stated, leading Lily into Professor Dumbledore's office. Lily snapped out of her reverie and turned to see Dumbledore smiling knowingly down at her. He was the only other person who knew of her friendship to Severus. Lily shot him a small smile, and then sat down in the chair that he indicated.
"Now, I have a proposition for you, Miss Evans..."
*Time-skip*
"HE WHAT?!" Severus yelled later that night. He and Lily had met in an empty classroom to do some last-minute homework, and Lily had just finished telling him of her meeting with Dumbledore.
"He asked me if I would like to be the companion of Arabella Figg, the daughter of the Wizard British Prime Minister of America. I am to leave next week, and I will be living there until at least our fourth year. I will be taking private lessons with her and her brother, and maybe some other people." Lily finished excitedly. The prospect of actually living in America for three years was quite exciting for her, and she was already looking forward to it; Severus, however, felt his heart drop. Now he wouldn't have anyone intelligent to talk with or do homework with! He tried to smile, but failed horribly. Lily saw this and hugged him like a sister would.
"Don't worry, Severus. I will write as much as I can and I promise to send you a birthday and Christmas present. But I will have to write under a code name, so no one will suspect. From now on, my pen-name is Water lily." She giggled as she said this, and Severus grinned. To his surprise, he felt a brotherly-love enter his heart, and he reached over and hugged her.
"You had better write every week! I want all the details." He chuckled. She smiled and nodded, hugging him back tightly.
*End Flashback*
Snape pulled a bright gold box from behind his back and handed it to Rika, who gazed at it in awed confusion.
"What is it?" She questioned. Snape smiled.
"Those are all the letters that Lily sent me over those three years. Why don't you read the first one tonight, before you go to bed, and then finish them tomorrow? Luckily, tomorrow is a Saturday!" The professor laughed. The two nodded and then left the room in silence.
"You like him, don't you?" Harry suddenly asked, as they neared Rika's common room. Rika looked at him in confusion.
"Who?"
"Draco Malfoy. You like him, I can see it." Harry said thoughtfully. Rika blushed, but said nothing. Suddenly, Harry turned, took her arm and faced her.
"I don't know what is going on, but I am going to trust your judgment. After all, mum was friends with Snape, and that turned out alright." Harry said, quirking his eyebrow. Rika blushed even redder, and then led him into her common room. From there, she took him up to her room and placed a locking charm on the door.
"Let's read mum's first letter." She whispered, sitting down on her bed and opening the gold box. She took out the top letter gently, and opened it. Harry sat down next to her, and put his arm around her shoulder. He didn't feel ready to let her out of his sight yet, not now that he knew that someone from his family actually *was* in fact, alive.
//Dear Severus:
I am having a blast! I arrived yesterday and already, I have become close friends with Arabella. She is so nice and lovely. She is quiet, but has a mischievous streak in her and she likes to play pranks on the maids. She has lovely shoulder-length blonde hair and the brightest cornflower blue eyes. I am sure that if you could see her, you would like her. And guess what! She doesn't even care if I am muggle-born or not! She says that we are all equal, no matter how we are born. I must say that I agree!
Anyway, she introduced me to two of her friends, an English girl named Molly Shepherd, and Sophia Heath. Sophia has short black hair and black eyes. She is rather small, but very curvy and pretty! Then Molly...well, she is not exactly slim, but she is not fat either. She is really beautiful, with a curvy figure and ruddy red hair and hazel eyes. She is thirteen, but she fits in with us just fine!
There is to be a ball here tonight, and Bella, Molly, Sophia and I are to attend. I am very excited, because I get to meet some more people my age...most of them boys, Bella tells me (Arabella insists that I call her Bella).
Oh, there is the dinner bell! I must end this, but in closing, I will say that I miss you, and I hope that you are well! Owl me as soon as you possibly can!
Lovingly, your friend,
Water lily//
"Oh, Harry! Just a few more letters? Please?" Rika begged. Harry smiled and then pulled a second one out. This one was actually a letter from Snape, to Lily, and her response letter was attached to the back of it.
//Dear Water lily:
All ready, people are becoming suspicious of me. I almost never get letters, and suddenly, here I am with one this morning! Boy, were they surprised. Even Potter didn't tease me until after lunch.
Anyway, I am glad to hear that you are getting along well there. Boy, that Sophia sure sounds pretty. I will have to meet her someday! I am also glad that they don't care about your being muggle-born. That is something that you need to get away from!
Oh, and don't worry about anyone reading this. I snuck into one of the empty classes to write it, and my owl is here waiting, so I won't have to leave the room to send it! HEHEHEHE! I'm sly!
Oh. By the way, Potter has found a new target to prank. You know that Amos Diggory that always used to hit on you when no one was looking? Well, lets just say that it will take a few days before the purple hair dye washes out. It was a muggle product, and the teachers couldn't find a spell to take it out. Now...where Potter got a muggle product I will never know...
Anyway, I had better go...Oh, man! That red-headed, Gryffindor third-year, Arthur Weasley just came by and poked his head in. He ran away laughing when he saw that I was writing. I heard him yelling that I was doing homework, or something like that. Now Potter will have something else to tease me about tomorrow.
Hope things are better where you are,
~Severus//
Then they read Lily's response.
//Dear Severus:
Oh, I am so sorry that you had to be teased about that! That Arthur! He can be so nice at times, but horrible on others.
Things here are going well. Bella just told me that this summer, we are going down to the state called 'Florida', and staying at her summer-home there. She says that it is more like a large cottage, and that she even has a boat that we can take out on the ocean! I can't wait! Sophia is already packing...she is taking at least seven bikini's. I saw her packing them all in her huge suitcase this afternoon. And Molly...she is laying on the lounge-chair next to me, reading a book. Now she is looking up at me and frowning...hehehehehe! She just told me to do something constructive with my time, instead of staring at her and breaking her concentration. (We are in Bella's huge library right now, by the way!)
Across the room, Bella is climbing on one of the ladders, trying to reach a book, and Sophia is laughing at her, while curling her hair up in curlers (She just took a shower). Now she is coming over and looking over my shoulder, and I just told her to 'go away'. And she just laughed and told everyone what I wrote to you...please wait for a moment, while I strangle her!
All right, I'm back now. Sophia ran out of the room screaming (hehehehehe, I'm evil! ^__^), and Bella is laughing her head off. Molly just rolled her eyes and told us to quit being so immature. That is pretty much what I am doing...all right, exactly what I am doing right now!
Oh, poor Amos...although I can't say that he doesn't deserve it, so keep up the good work, Potter!
Oh, my! What is the world coming too?! I just gave Potter a compliment! Someone, call in the army and kill me now!
As you can see, I have gained a slight sense of humor while here, and I have also become a lot more sure of myself. Hmmm...Bella must be rubbing off on me!
Anyway, I had better go. Sophia is back, and she doesn't look happy. Her curlers are all messed up!
Your friend who is about to be strangled by a multi-tube-headed girl,
~Water Lily//
After reading this, Harry and Ginny burst out laughing. It was hard to believe that Lily had such a sense of humor!
"Mother almost seems more...real, after this, doesn't she?" Rika whispered, leaning back into his arm. He smiled and then yawned.
"She does. But we should go to bed. It is late." Harry pointed out, looking pointedly out her window. Rika nodded and then sighed as Harry lay back on her pillows and pulled her into his arms; he still wasn't ready to let her go.
~*~*~*~
"He is your WHAT?!"
This came from a chorus of stunned friends who were seated around Harry and Rika the next morning. Meiling was sitting on Neville's lap, in an arm- chair, while Sakura and Ginny had seated themselves on a poufs near the fire. Draco was sitting next to Rika, looking shocked and slightly nervous. Tomoyo and Eriol had taken seats across from Harry and Rika, while Syaoran leaned up against the mantel of the fireplace with his arms crossed.
"He's my brother. Uncle Severus just told us...earlier this morning." Rika repeated, looking uncomfortable from all the attention. Harry looked no better.
"That is wonderful, Rika. You have finally found your family!" Sakura exclaimed softly, getting up to hug her friend. Everyone joined in with congratulations, except Draco; even Syaoran gave a gruff comment. Harry noticed Draco's silence and knew what it was about. With a sigh, he stood up and leaned over so only Draco could hear his words.
"We need to have a little chat." He hissed, jerking his head towards the door. Draco nodded hesitantly and followed Rika's irate brother out of the room, fully knowing what was about to happen. When they got out, Harry turned to Draco and glared at him.
"I will tell you right now that I do not approve of this; but it is Rika's choice. I will not be like Touya, and try to protect her from you, but keep this in mind. If you hurt one hair on her head, I will personally see to it that all the little birdies have small chunks of Draco Malfoy to munch on for a while." Harry growled. Draco sighed.
"I will not hurt her, Harry. I...I love her." Draco mumbled, a blush staining his pale cheeks. Harry's mouth dropped open and he couldn't think of anything to say.
"Well...I get to be the best man at your wedding." He finally commented, looking shocked at himself. Draco looked up in astonishment, and then amusement; their eyes met, and they both burst out laughing.
"You're alright, Potter." Draco chuckled. Harry shrugged.
"So are you, I suppose. Now, lets go talk about the limits you have with my sister." Harry said, slinging his arm across the other boy's shoulders. Draco groaned and followed. Inside the portrait hole, Neville and Meiling were leaning against the wall, grinning.
"Now that is the start of a beautiful friendship." Neville commented.
"Or a crazy sister-rivalry!" Meiling laughed, as they joined the others back inside the room.
~*~*~*~
"Now, in light of the situations that have been...occurring lately, your parents have made some complaints about the security of their children here. Therefore, we have set a specific day next week, where the parents will come and gather in the Quidditch pitch and meet with their children for the day. There will be food and games, so do not worry about being bored." Dumbledore announced a few weeks later, his eyes sparkling. There came groans from the majority of the students, causing several of the teachers to duck their heads to hide their smiles.
"Ugh! Usually, we have almost a full year of freedom from our parents, and now they decided to set a play-date?! What bloody bad luck!" Ron exclaimed, miffed. Hermione and Harry grinned at his words, but Sakura looked uneasy.
"I don't like this. I don't like this one bit." She whispered to Syaoran. He frowned even deeper then usual, and moved closer to her, protectively.
"What is the matter?" He hissed under his breath. She fidgeted.
"I don't really know. But I can sense a black aura, and it is getting nearer by the day. But it is strange. Sometimes I can sense it, and others I can't. I wonder what it means." She whispered thoughtfully. By now, Tomoyo, Eriol and Rika had discretely moved closer to their friends, and were listening anxiously. Eriol growled for the first time since they had met him.
"I know who." Was all he would say.
"Do you think that something is going to happen?" Tomoyo breathed, her breath tickling Eriol's ear. Both Sakura and Eriol nodded.
"I do not 'think', I know. And it is not 'if' it happens, it is *when* it does." Eriol murmured back, causing Rika, Tomoyo, and Sakura to shiver.
"We will be ready." Syaoran growled. Eriol shook his head.
"You can never be prepared for everything, descendent. Please try to remember that." He hissed back, his voice biting; it was obvious that he was worried. By now, all their surroundings had melted away, and their conversation had taken supreme rule in their minds; but not for long.
"Ahem? *AHEM!!!*"
The five talkers stopped their murmuring and turned to see Dumbledore still standing, his eyes sparkling with half-annoyance, half-amusement.
"Would you like to share with the others in this room?" He asked.
"NO!!!" They shouted, causing everyone to give them funny looks. The group ignored this, however, and went back to eating their deserts, while Dumbledore continued his speech.
~*~*~*~
"Oh no! My mother is coming! And my sisters..." Syaoran groaned, looking down at the letter that he had received via owl that morning.
"Grandma is coming, too." Neville said in a doubtful voice. He was no happier than Syaoran. Although, Harry couldn't blame him. He had witnessed several encounters where Neville's grandmother had...not been overly pleasant.
"Otousan is coming! Onichan, Nakuru, Yukito, and Rose are too!" Sakura squealed, looking down at her own letter.
"Mother will be there." Tomoyo added.
"My parents are coming," Ginny sighed, "so are all my brothers." She grumbled. Ron groaned in dismay.
"OH NO! Percy!" He moaned, causing the others to laugh.
"It won't be so bad, Ron. Just remember, he has Penelope to occupy his time, and Bill has Fleur, so all you really have to worry about is Charlie, and he won't bother you." Hermione said soothingly, making him perk up.
"Serius and Remus are coming too." Harry whispered, looking down at his own letter. This worried the group. If Serius were to be found out...well, it wouldn't be pleasant.
"Don't worry, Harry. It will be all right." Ginny murmured, squeezing his arm gently. He felt an electric charge race through his body at her touch, but he chose to ignore it; their kiss was still fresh on his mind.
"Everything will be fine." Sakura breathed, causing her friends to look at her in worry. Syaoran let out a bit of his aura and let it mingle with Sakura's. She was scared and to tell the complete truth, he was as well.
~*~*~*~
"NO! I refuse!"
"Come on, Syaoran! It isn't that bad!" Eriol chuckled slyly, gazing at his irate friend. It was the day of the parent-student get-together, and suffice to say, no one was particularly happy about it. Syaoran growled and looked down at his outfit. He wore a black tank-top under a green short- sleeved top that was left unbuttoned. Light black pants finished off the outfit. Eriol was dressed in a dark blue, short-sleeved, button-up shirt, that had the top few buttons undone, and black pants.
"Why me?" The amber eyed boy groaned.
"You've worn worse." Eriol reminded him with a smirk.
"I hope Gran approves." Neville said anxiously, looking down at his own outfit. He wore a black shirt similar to Eriol's, and black pants. Tomoyo had made all three outfits, and she had been determined to get them to wear them.
"Don't worry, Nev. You look better than you usually do." Draco commented with a sly look. He was, of course, referring to the less-than revealing Hogwarts robes and uniforms that they were forced to wear almost every day. Draco was wearing a light blue shirt, and gray pants; presently, his hands were shoved into the pant-pockets, and he was leaning against the fireplace casually, looking amused.
"Are we all ready to go?" Came Tomoyo's voice. The young men looked up to see her gliding down the stairs towards them, with Ginny, Rika, and Meiling on her heals. The girls were also dressed in outfits that Tomoyo had concocted. Rika was in a light-blue shirt and skirt, with blue sandals on her feet. Meiling was in a light-red dress with spaghetti-straps and red sandals. Ginny wore a white, short-sleeved blouse with a forest-green skirt that reached just above her knees. She wore dark green sandals on her feet. Lastly, Tomoyo had made a light lavender dress for herself, complete with a boarder of white lace around the neck-line and short sleeves. She had slipped on a pair of white sandals.
"Where is Sakura?" Syaoran asked, looking around. Tomoyo smiled knowingly.
"She finished early and went down to the 'garden' for a while. She said that she would meet us outside." She explained, as the group made their way out the portrait-hole.
"Oh! I promised Ron that I would go down with him and his friends. We could pick up Sakura on our way." Ginny suggested, as she turned down the hallway that led to the Gryffindor common room. Eriol gave her a nod, and then the group continued on its way.
"I can't *wait* to see my sisters." Syaoran groaned sarcastically, as they ventured out onto the grounds. Eriol smirked, while the others groaned in agreement.
~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~
Hogwarts-Sakura Style
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 14.
"...James Potter." Snape finished. Rika and Harry gaped.
"WHAT?!" They chorused, much to Snape's amusement.
"He, as were all of us, was brought up to hate muggle-borns and think them inferior. Lily was no exception...at the time. Like I said, Lily withstood a full year of torment, until one day, Dumbledore decided to take things into his own hands."
*Flashback*
"I am going to kill you, Potter!" A furious Lily Evans screamed, as she left the Great Hall amid mean laughter. Her hair was green and matted, and her skin was brown with black splotches on it. At the Gryffindor table, James, Serius Black, and Peter Pettigrew laughed hysterically, while their close friend and fellow Marauder, Remus Lupin looked half-amused, half- anxious.
"That will teach 'muggles' to keep away from our school!" James yelled after her.
In the hallway, Lily stomped her foot angrily and worked to keep her tears in check. She stomped off through the halls to the Gryffindor common room, fully intent on going up to her room, that presently had 'GO AWAY MUGGLE', and 'MAGICALLY-IMPAIRED' painted all over her part of the room. But a voice stopped her.
"Miss Evans?"
It was Professor McGonagle. The older woman looked upset, and she gently put her arm around Lily's shoulder, something she did to no one else. The first lesson that Lily had learned at Hogwarts, was that most of the teachers were un-prejudiced towards muggle-borns, and tended to be quite fair when it came to dealing with the student body as a whole, and not just whether they were muggle-born or not.
"Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you." McGonagle said softly, her eyes showing a warm-ness that they rarely showed anyone. Lily smiled and followed her. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily caught sight of a black haired young man gazing after them attentively. Lily turned and gave a quick, sly wink to her secret friend, Severus Snape, who was actually a Slytherin, and then continued to follow the professor. A few weeks into the school year, Lily had met up with Severus Snape in a hallway, and a large fight had broken out between them. She finished it by insulting the pure- bred witches and wizards to his face.
"If you were really what you claim to be, you wouldn't tease people who aren't as lucky, smart or as talented as you! Magical people are *supposed* to know better, you scum-bag! But you know what? They are no better than simple ogres, because they do not practice what they preach! You are just like them, Snape! Just like them!" She had screamed, before running in the opposite direction. The next day, Severus had captured her in another hall, dragged her into an abandoned room, and apologized. Lily, surprisingly enough, had forgiven him, and ever since then, they had continued meeting in empty classrooms to work on homework or talk. Snape was probably the only thing keeping Lily from running away and never returning to Hogwarts.
"We are here Miss Evans." McGonagle stated, leading Lily into Professor Dumbledore's office. Lily snapped out of her reverie and turned to see Dumbledore smiling knowingly down at her. He was the only other person who knew of her friendship to Severus. Lily shot him a small smile, and then sat down in the chair that he indicated.
"Now, I have a proposition for you, Miss Evans..."
*Time-skip*
"HE WHAT?!" Severus yelled later that night. He and Lily had met in an empty classroom to do some last-minute homework, and Lily had just finished telling him of her meeting with Dumbledore.
"He asked me if I would like to be the companion of Arabella Figg, the daughter of the Wizard British Prime Minister of America. I am to leave next week, and I will be living there until at least our fourth year. I will be taking private lessons with her and her brother, and maybe some other people." Lily finished excitedly. The prospect of actually living in America for three years was quite exciting for her, and she was already looking forward to it; Severus, however, felt his heart drop. Now he wouldn't have anyone intelligent to talk with or do homework with! He tried to smile, but failed horribly. Lily saw this and hugged him like a sister would.
"Don't worry, Severus. I will write as much as I can and I promise to send you a birthday and Christmas present. But I will have to write under a code name, so no one will suspect. From now on, my pen-name is Water lily." She giggled as she said this, and Severus grinned. To his surprise, he felt a brotherly-love enter his heart, and he reached over and hugged her.
"You had better write every week! I want all the details." He chuckled. She smiled and nodded, hugging him back tightly.
*End Flashback*
Snape pulled a bright gold box from behind his back and handed it to Rika, who gazed at it in awed confusion.
"What is it?" She questioned. Snape smiled.
"Those are all the letters that Lily sent me over those three years. Why don't you read the first one tonight, before you go to bed, and then finish them tomorrow? Luckily, tomorrow is a Saturday!" The professor laughed. The two nodded and then left the room in silence.
"You like him, don't you?" Harry suddenly asked, as they neared Rika's common room. Rika looked at him in confusion.
"Who?"
"Draco Malfoy. You like him, I can see it." Harry said thoughtfully. Rika blushed, but said nothing. Suddenly, Harry turned, took her arm and faced her.
"I don't know what is going on, but I am going to trust your judgment. After all, mum was friends with Snape, and that turned out alright." Harry said, quirking his eyebrow. Rika blushed even redder, and then led him into her common room. From there, she took him up to her room and placed a locking charm on the door.
"Let's read mum's first letter." She whispered, sitting down on her bed and opening the gold box. She took out the top letter gently, and opened it. Harry sat down next to her, and put his arm around her shoulder. He didn't feel ready to let her out of his sight yet, not now that he knew that someone from his family actually *was* in fact, alive.
//Dear Severus:
I am having a blast! I arrived yesterday and already, I have become close friends with Arabella. She is so nice and lovely. She is quiet, but has a mischievous streak in her and she likes to play pranks on the maids. She has lovely shoulder-length blonde hair and the brightest cornflower blue eyes. I am sure that if you could see her, you would like her. And guess what! She doesn't even care if I am muggle-born or not! She says that we are all equal, no matter how we are born. I must say that I agree!
Anyway, she introduced me to two of her friends, an English girl named Molly Shepherd, and Sophia Heath. Sophia has short black hair and black eyes. She is rather small, but very curvy and pretty! Then Molly...well, she is not exactly slim, but she is not fat either. She is really beautiful, with a curvy figure and ruddy red hair and hazel eyes. She is thirteen, but she fits in with us just fine!
There is to be a ball here tonight, and Bella, Molly, Sophia and I are to attend. I am very excited, because I get to meet some more people my age...most of them boys, Bella tells me (Arabella insists that I call her Bella).
Oh, there is the dinner bell! I must end this, but in closing, I will say that I miss you, and I hope that you are well! Owl me as soon as you possibly can!
Lovingly, your friend,
Water lily//
"Oh, Harry! Just a few more letters? Please?" Rika begged. Harry smiled and then pulled a second one out. This one was actually a letter from Snape, to Lily, and her response letter was attached to the back of it.
//Dear Water lily:
All ready, people are becoming suspicious of me. I almost never get letters, and suddenly, here I am with one this morning! Boy, were they surprised. Even Potter didn't tease me until after lunch.
Anyway, I am glad to hear that you are getting along well there. Boy, that Sophia sure sounds pretty. I will have to meet her someday! I am also glad that they don't care about your being muggle-born. That is something that you need to get away from!
Oh, and don't worry about anyone reading this. I snuck into one of the empty classes to write it, and my owl is here waiting, so I won't have to leave the room to send it! HEHEHEHE! I'm sly!
Oh. By the way, Potter has found a new target to prank. You know that Amos Diggory that always used to hit on you when no one was looking? Well, lets just say that it will take a few days before the purple hair dye washes out. It was a muggle product, and the teachers couldn't find a spell to take it out. Now...where Potter got a muggle product I will never know...
Anyway, I had better go...Oh, man! That red-headed, Gryffindor third-year, Arthur Weasley just came by and poked his head in. He ran away laughing when he saw that I was writing. I heard him yelling that I was doing homework, or something like that. Now Potter will have something else to tease me about tomorrow.
Hope things are better where you are,
~Severus//
Then they read Lily's response.
//Dear Severus:
Oh, I am so sorry that you had to be teased about that! That Arthur! He can be so nice at times, but horrible on others.
Things here are going well. Bella just told me that this summer, we are going down to the state called 'Florida', and staying at her summer-home there. She says that it is more like a large cottage, and that she even has a boat that we can take out on the ocean! I can't wait! Sophia is already packing...she is taking at least seven bikini's. I saw her packing them all in her huge suitcase this afternoon. And Molly...she is laying on the lounge-chair next to me, reading a book. Now she is looking up at me and frowning...hehehehehe! She just told me to do something constructive with my time, instead of staring at her and breaking her concentration. (We are in Bella's huge library right now, by the way!)
Across the room, Bella is climbing on one of the ladders, trying to reach a book, and Sophia is laughing at her, while curling her hair up in curlers (She just took a shower). Now she is coming over and looking over my shoulder, and I just told her to 'go away'. And she just laughed and told everyone what I wrote to you...please wait for a moment, while I strangle her!
All right, I'm back now. Sophia ran out of the room screaming (hehehehehe, I'm evil! ^__^), and Bella is laughing her head off. Molly just rolled her eyes and told us to quit being so immature. That is pretty much what I am doing...all right, exactly what I am doing right now!
Oh, poor Amos...although I can't say that he doesn't deserve it, so keep up the good work, Potter!
Oh, my! What is the world coming too?! I just gave Potter a compliment! Someone, call in the army and kill me now!
As you can see, I have gained a slight sense of humor while here, and I have also become a lot more sure of myself. Hmmm...Bella must be rubbing off on me!
Anyway, I had better go. Sophia is back, and she doesn't look happy. Her curlers are all messed up!
Your friend who is about to be strangled by a multi-tube-headed girl,
~Water Lily//
After reading this, Harry and Ginny burst out laughing. It was hard to believe that Lily had such a sense of humor!
"Mother almost seems more...real, after this, doesn't she?" Rika whispered, leaning back into his arm. He smiled and then yawned.
"She does. But we should go to bed. It is late." Harry pointed out, looking pointedly out her window. Rika nodded and then sighed as Harry lay back on her pillows and pulled her into his arms; he still wasn't ready to let her go.
~*~*~*~
"He is your WHAT?!"
This came from a chorus of stunned friends who were seated around Harry and Rika the next morning. Meiling was sitting on Neville's lap, in an arm- chair, while Sakura and Ginny had seated themselves on a poufs near the fire. Draco was sitting next to Rika, looking shocked and slightly nervous. Tomoyo and Eriol had taken seats across from Harry and Rika, while Syaoran leaned up against the mantel of the fireplace with his arms crossed.
"He's my brother. Uncle Severus just told us...earlier this morning." Rika repeated, looking uncomfortable from all the attention. Harry looked no better.
"That is wonderful, Rika. You have finally found your family!" Sakura exclaimed softly, getting up to hug her friend. Everyone joined in with congratulations, except Draco; even Syaoran gave a gruff comment. Harry noticed Draco's silence and knew what it was about. With a sigh, he stood up and leaned over so only Draco could hear his words.
"We need to have a little chat." He hissed, jerking his head towards the door. Draco nodded hesitantly and followed Rika's irate brother out of the room, fully knowing what was about to happen. When they got out, Harry turned to Draco and glared at him.
"I will tell you right now that I do not approve of this; but it is Rika's choice. I will not be like Touya, and try to protect her from you, but keep this in mind. If you hurt one hair on her head, I will personally see to it that all the little birdies have small chunks of Draco Malfoy to munch on for a while." Harry growled. Draco sighed.
"I will not hurt her, Harry. I...I love her." Draco mumbled, a blush staining his pale cheeks. Harry's mouth dropped open and he couldn't think of anything to say.
"Well...I get to be the best man at your wedding." He finally commented, looking shocked at himself. Draco looked up in astonishment, and then amusement; their eyes met, and they both burst out laughing.
"You're alright, Potter." Draco chuckled. Harry shrugged.
"So are you, I suppose. Now, lets go talk about the limits you have with my sister." Harry said, slinging his arm across the other boy's shoulders. Draco groaned and followed. Inside the portrait hole, Neville and Meiling were leaning against the wall, grinning.
"Now that is the start of a beautiful friendship." Neville commented.
"Or a crazy sister-rivalry!" Meiling laughed, as they joined the others back inside the room.
~*~*~*~
"Now, in light of the situations that have been...occurring lately, your parents have made some complaints about the security of their children here. Therefore, we have set a specific day next week, where the parents will come and gather in the Quidditch pitch and meet with their children for the day. There will be food and games, so do not worry about being bored." Dumbledore announced a few weeks later, his eyes sparkling. There came groans from the majority of the students, causing several of the teachers to duck their heads to hide their smiles.
"Ugh! Usually, we have almost a full year of freedom from our parents, and now they decided to set a play-date?! What bloody bad luck!" Ron exclaimed, miffed. Hermione and Harry grinned at his words, but Sakura looked uneasy.
"I don't like this. I don't like this one bit." She whispered to Syaoran. He frowned even deeper then usual, and moved closer to her, protectively.
"What is the matter?" He hissed under his breath. She fidgeted.
"I don't really know. But I can sense a black aura, and it is getting nearer by the day. But it is strange. Sometimes I can sense it, and others I can't. I wonder what it means." She whispered thoughtfully. By now, Tomoyo, Eriol and Rika had discretely moved closer to their friends, and were listening anxiously. Eriol growled for the first time since they had met him.
"I know who." Was all he would say.
"Do you think that something is going to happen?" Tomoyo breathed, her breath tickling Eriol's ear. Both Sakura and Eriol nodded.
"I do not 'think', I know. And it is not 'if' it happens, it is *when* it does." Eriol murmured back, causing Rika, Tomoyo, and Sakura to shiver.
"We will be ready." Syaoran growled. Eriol shook his head.
"You can never be prepared for everything, descendent. Please try to remember that." He hissed back, his voice biting; it was obvious that he was worried. By now, all their surroundings had melted away, and their conversation had taken supreme rule in their minds; but not for long.
"Ahem? *AHEM!!!*"
The five talkers stopped their murmuring and turned to see Dumbledore still standing, his eyes sparkling with half-annoyance, half-amusement.
"Would you like to share with the others in this room?" He asked.
"NO!!!" They shouted, causing everyone to give them funny looks. The group ignored this, however, and went back to eating their deserts, while Dumbledore continued his speech.
~*~*~*~
"Oh no! My mother is coming! And my sisters..." Syaoran groaned, looking down at the letter that he had received via owl that morning.
"Grandma is coming, too." Neville said in a doubtful voice. He was no happier than Syaoran. Although, Harry couldn't blame him. He had witnessed several encounters where Neville's grandmother had...not been overly pleasant.
"Otousan is coming! Onichan, Nakuru, Yukito, and Rose are too!" Sakura squealed, looking down at her own letter.
"Mother will be there." Tomoyo added.
"My parents are coming," Ginny sighed, "so are all my brothers." She grumbled. Ron groaned in dismay.
"OH NO! Percy!" He moaned, causing the others to laugh.
"It won't be so bad, Ron. Just remember, he has Penelope to occupy his time, and Bill has Fleur, so all you really have to worry about is Charlie, and he won't bother you." Hermione said soothingly, making him perk up.
"Serius and Remus are coming too." Harry whispered, looking down at his own letter. This worried the group. If Serius were to be found out...well, it wouldn't be pleasant.
"Don't worry, Harry. It will be all right." Ginny murmured, squeezing his arm gently. He felt an electric charge race through his body at her touch, but he chose to ignore it; their kiss was still fresh on his mind.
"Everything will be fine." Sakura breathed, causing her friends to look at her in worry. Syaoran let out a bit of his aura and let it mingle with Sakura's. She was scared and to tell the complete truth, he was as well.
~*~*~*~
"NO! I refuse!"
"Come on, Syaoran! It isn't that bad!" Eriol chuckled slyly, gazing at his irate friend. It was the day of the parent-student get-together, and suffice to say, no one was particularly happy about it. Syaoran growled and looked down at his outfit. He wore a black tank-top under a green short- sleeved top that was left unbuttoned. Light black pants finished off the outfit. Eriol was dressed in a dark blue, short-sleeved, button-up shirt, that had the top few buttons undone, and black pants.
"Why me?" The amber eyed boy groaned.
"You've worn worse." Eriol reminded him with a smirk.
"I hope Gran approves." Neville said anxiously, looking down at his own outfit. He wore a black shirt similar to Eriol's, and black pants. Tomoyo had made all three outfits, and she had been determined to get them to wear them.
"Don't worry, Nev. You look better than you usually do." Draco commented with a sly look. He was, of course, referring to the less-than revealing Hogwarts robes and uniforms that they were forced to wear almost every day. Draco was wearing a light blue shirt, and gray pants; presently, his hands were shoved into the pant-pockets, and he was leaning against the fireplace casually, looking amused.
"Are we all ready to go?" Came Tomoyo's voice. The young men looked up to see her gliding down the stairs towards them, with Ginny, Rika, and Meiling on her heals. The girls were also dressed in outfits that Tomoyo had concocted. Rika was in a light-blue shirt and skirt, with blue sandals on her feet. Meiling was in a light-red dress with spaghetti-straps and red sandals. Ginny wore a white, short-sleeved blouse with a forest-green skirt that reached just above her knees. She wore dark green sandals on her feet. Lastly, Tomoyo had made a light lavender dress for herself, complete with a boarder of white lace around the neck-line and short sleeves. She had slipped on a pair of white sandals.
"Where is Sakura?" Syaoran asked, looking around. Tomoyo smiled knowingly.
"She finished early and went down to the 'garden' for a while. She said that she would meet us outside." She explained, as the group made their way out the portrait-hole.
"Oh! I promised Ron that I would go down with him and his friends. We could pick up Sakura on our way." Ginny suggested, as she turned down the hallway that led to the Gryffindor common room. Eriol gave her a nod, and then the group continued on its way.
"I can't *wait* to see my sisters." Syaoran groaned sarcastically, as they ventured out onto the grounds. Eriol smirked, while the others groaned in agreement.
~*~*~*~
