A/N: Hey people! Missed me?
-dead silence. Crickets chirp-
Awww. And after I spent all this time working on the new chapter of 'Card Captor Harry'. I guess you don't want to read it, so…
-holds it over the fire-
Oh, what's that? You did miss me? Oh, that's nice. Do you want to read this? Yes? Then page down!
-drum roll-
And now, the chapter you've all been waiting for, I present to you… THE COMING OF HARRY'S RIVAL!
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Card Captor Harry
by Shadow Crystal Mage
Card 6, The Rain: Harry's Rival Appears!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. I wish her well and covet her money. Card Captor Sakura belongs to CLAMP, not me. I have absolutely no right to either. I'm not doing this for money, so please don't sue me. Welfare checks are fine, though. Artists really do starve
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Harry followed Ron and Hermione out onto a rough mud track, wishing he'd brought along an umbrella. He made sure to keep his robe as closed as he could. He didn't know if Clow Cards could suffer from water damage, but he wasn't about to risk it.
At least a hundred stagecoaches waited for them, each pulled, Harry was surprised- but not exactly shocked- to see, by what looked like mutant horses. They had no skin, absolutely fleshless. Their black coats clung straight to their skeletons. Their heads looked vaguely dragon-like, with pupil-less white eyes staring like the glassy eyes of a mannequin. Wings sprouted from each side, large, leathery wings that looked like they belonged to bats. The overall effect made them look eerie and sinister.
Harry took one look at them and went back to following Ron and Hermione, looking for a coach. After the Basilisk, Voldemort on the back of someone's head, and the emotional wringer he recently went through, weird creatures that Hagrid probably found cute weren't very impressive.
Harry followed his friends into a coach that smelled faintly of mould and straw. Idly, Harry thought that the coach must not get much use, since it managed to develop a smell. During the ride, Ron and Hermione kept giving him looks, like they expected him to collapse or something. Harry found this vaguely amusing.
As the carriage trundled towards a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked by stone columns topped with winged boars- another thing that amused Harry, since they were exactly the sort of 'imaginary' creatures found in pretentious Muggle gates of the same nature- he 'felt' a familiar chill, a sense of evil, of nothingness. Out the window, the last Potter saw a Dementor standing guard at either side of the gate. A wave of cold passed over him again, and ice tried to grip his heart anew. With an effort, he forced it down, deliberately thinking of happy thoughts as they passed through the gates.
The carriage picked up speed as it made its way up the long drive towards the castle. The lights of the many turrets and towers shone through the coaches' tiny window.
As Harry stepped down from the vehicle after Ron and Hermione, a drawling, delighted voice sounded in his ear, one he would have rather done without.
"You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?" Malfoy said as he elbowed past Hermione to block Harry's way up the steps to the castle, looking gleeful and very malicious.
Harry had a quick fantasy of The Windy, The Earthy and The Wood tossing Malfoy into the lake via a high parabolic arc, all the while being pin cushioned by The Shot Card while in mid-air, followed by making him go through it over and over again courtesy of The Time Card.
"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron said, pulling Harry out of his happy little daydream.
"Did you faint as well, Weasley?" said Malfoy loudly. "Did the scary old Dementor frighten you, too, Weasley?"
"Is there a problem here?" a mild voice asked. Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage.
"Oh, no- er- Professor," Malfoy said with only the faintest tinge of sarcasm. Smirking at Crabbe and Goyle, he led them up to the castle.
Resisting the urge to kick him, Harry joined Ron and Hermione as the crowd going up swept them along. Getting into the Entrance Hall, Harry was glad to get out of the freezing rain. He was about to follow the crowd into the Great Hall when he heard a voice call out.
"Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!"
Harry and Hermione turned. Yup, definitely Professor McGonagall. Harry got a bad feeling. It wasn't based on anything, just the sinking feeling one sometimes gets when called by a particularly authoritive authority figure.
"There's no need to look so worried," she said as they made it to her. "I just want a word in my office. Move along there, Weasley."
Harry saw Ron staring after them before the crowd obstructed his view. As they followed Professor McGonagall up the marble staircase and along the corridor, Harry suddenly remembered Keroberos. He winced a bit internally at forgetting the little Sun Guardian, and hoped he was alright. Then he winced internally again as he remembered that the little guy probably hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Maybe hoping Keroberos was healthy wasn't such a good idea. He'd probably thrash Harry for forgetting to get him something to eat.
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A while later, Professor McGonagall led them to the Great Hall. Black was the dominant color, lit by thousands of floating candles. At the head of the Hall, in front of the staff table, an ancient hat lay on a three-legged stool. Hermione looked around.
"Isn't the Sorting over, Professor?" she asked softly.
Professor McGonagall nodded. "We have a transfer, however, and it is school tradition not to Sort transfers with first years."
"Oh!" Hermione said. For Harry, however, it was clear as mud. There was a school tradition regarding transfers?
Wait. Stop. Rewind. There was a transfer?
As Professor McGonagall headed for her empty chair in the staff table, Harry turned to Hermione. "Hogwarts takes transfers?" he asked her as they quietly made their way towards the Gryffindor table, too intent on his question to notice the people looking and pointing at them as they passed along the back of the Hall.
Hermione nodded. "Well, it is a school, after all. They take transfers just like Muggle schools do."
"Hmm," Harry said. "You learn something new everyday."
Hermione gave him a sideways glance at that.
He and Hermione sat down next to Ron. "What was all that about?" he muttered to Harry.
Harry started to explain in a whisper, but at that moment, the Headmaster stood up to speak, and he broke off.
"Welcome!" Dumbledore said. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it is best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…"
Everyone listened attentively as he made the proclamation about the Dementors, introduced Professor Lupin, and announced Hagrid's appointment as Care of Magical Creatures teacher, the latter receiving wild applause from the Gryffindor table. As the clapping died down, and Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth, Dumbledore started to speak again.
"Lastly," he said, "It is my great pleasure to announce a new student in our midst. I would like to introduce a transferee from oversees, miss Fei Lee!"
A door behind the staff table opened at this cue, and someone stepped out. Obscured from view by the staff, there was time for a mix of polite applause and curious murmuring to break out in the Hall. It lasted until the girl rounded the staff table past Hagrid and people could see her clearly. The noise died down instantly.
She had short, boyish hair, dark-chestnut in color, with a slight tail-like appearance at the nape. Wine-colored eyes coolly scanned the Great Hall. Harry estimated she was about his height, yet she seemed taller from the way she carried herself. She was... imperious, for lack of a better word, like a princess in her carriage. Or a queen on her throne.
The dead silence lasted for all of two seconds. It was immediately followed by a low murmur, one that tried to be quiet, but somehow still seemed to buzz. From the snatches of conversation Harry heard around him, the boys were regarding her very appreciatively.
The buzz continued as she made her way in front of the staff table to stand beside the Sorting Hat, where Professor McGonagall was already waiting. It died down, albeit reluctantly, as Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak again.
"As with all who enter upon these hallowed halls of learning, she will also be sorted into a House. Whichever House she eventually joins, I trust you will all do your best to make her feel welcome here."
"You can bet on it," Seamus muttered, causing a round of, had they been girls, what would have been considered giggling from the boys. The girls, however, gave them those 'will you grow up' looks they used during moments like these. Harry wisely kept his mouth shut.
Silence descended as Professor McGonagall lifted the Sorting Hat, and the girl sat down on the stool. The Transfiguration teacher placed the Hat on her head, which immediately fell over his eyes. Harry smiled reminiscently. The same thing had happened to him when he was first year.
The girl, to her credit, didn't move when it happened, just sat there, looking dignified. The silence thickened as the moments passed, the tension running so high Harry half-expected the air to turn to jelly.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the rip in the Hat that served as it's 'mouth' opened. Everyone leaned forward, intent.
"SLYTHERIN!"
The cheers from the Slytherin House table were nearly drowned out by the collective disappointed groans of the boys, followed by the sniffs of the girls, of the other three.
"SLYTHERIN?" Seamus raged. "How could someone like that end up in Slytherin?"
Mutters of agreement sounded from some of the other boys, who all ignored the girls' dirty looks, although some could not ignore the shin-kicks, whacks on the heads, foot stomps, elbow jabs, and other painful little things that boys couldn't retaliate for.
"Really!" Hermione sniffed as the girl was greeted with loud cheers and open arms in the Slytherin table. "What's so special about her anyway?"
Ron opened his mouth to respond, but Harry- gently- elbowed him in the ribs while Hermione wasn't looking. "Don't answer that," he mouthed when Ron looked at him.
Looking a bit sullen, Ron kept his mouth shut, instead looking at the girl as she settled down close to Malfoy, who immediately had Crabbe and Goyle make all the people in the intervening distance move. Harry followed his friend's gaze, noting that the blond Pureblood was already making a move on the girl.
The girl wasn't looking at Malfoy, however. Instead, her eyes met Harry's.
A strange feeling came over the Card Captor. The look in the girl's eyes held his as he felt something silent pass from her to him, a sort of promise, a vow of some kind. The look in her eyes, while not exactly unpleasant- it wasn't anywhere close to what Snape usually sent his way- still made him uneasy.
Then the look lost his hold on him as the girl turned, talking to Malfoy, who immediately started to preen. For Harry, however, it wasn't as easy.
Do I know that girl? was the question that came to his mind as the food finally appeared.
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Harry couldn't keep the grin off his face as he entered his familiar dormitory. Finally, HOME, SWEET HOME! As Dean, Seamus, Ron and Neville headed for their beds, Harry opened his trunk.
Keroberos glared balefully at him from his cauldron.
Harry instantly slammed the lid shut.
"You alright there, Harry?" Ron asked as he chucked off his school robe.
"Yeah," Harry lied. "Lid slipped."
Taking off his own robe, Harry opened the lid, and, before Kero could react, dumped it on top of him. Grabbing his own sleepwear, risking a quick look at his dorm mates- they weren't looking at him; good- he grabbed his robes, with Kero in them, and stuffed them behind the bunch of curtains at the corner of his four poster with a muttered "keep quiet".
Hoping Kero wouldn't let his temper get the better of him- for a little guy, he had a healthy set of lungs- Harry quickly changed out of his clothes, not joining in on his room mates' discussion about what a waste it was for the new girl to end up in Slytherin. Making excuses that he was more tired than he thought- which Ron and Neville accepted, remembering what happened to him on the train- Harry dropped his clothes into his trunk and was just about to close the lid when he spied the Clow Book sticking out next to his school books. Looking over his shoulder again- the other boys were all intent on their discussion- Harry grabbed the book and stuffed it next to Keroberos under the curtains. Sliding into bed, he blew out his lamp and closed the curtains.
Kero was already trying to untangle himself from the robes as Harry let go of the curtain pulls.
"I'm fine," Kero hissed as Harry reached over to help him out of the tangle. Shrugging, and not wanting to have a finger bitten off, Harry reached for the Clow Book instead, opening it with his Key. The space inside glared emptily up at him.
"Be careful," he whispered to Keroberos, who was trying to get out rather violently, if quietly. "The Cards are in there."
With a grumble, Keroberos moderated his efforts. He was able to get out quickly after that, since he wasn't doing a tantrum while trying to get out anymore.
"Sorry," Harry said, reaching for the discarded robes and gently feeling for the Clow Cards.
"Sorry?" Keroberos hissed. "Do you know how long it's been since I had anything to eat?"
Harry winced as he reached behind him for the Chocolate Frogs and Cauldron Cakes he had taken from his trunk and handed it to the irate plushy-look-alike. "I said I was sorry. And I brought you food."
Kero looked at the proffered sweets. "Apology accepted," he said, grabbing said morsels and starting to chow done, thankfully having the presence of mind to keep it quiet.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Finally finding the Clow Cards, he was glad to see they were perfectly dry. Carefully, he began to put them in the hollow inside the Clow Book.
"Hey, Kero," Harry asked as he finished, closing the book and locking it. "Are the Clow Cards waterproof?"
"Oh, yeah," Kero said, his voice muffled by food. "You can use them underwater, no problem."
"That's good to know," Harry said, tucking the Book under his pillow.
For a moment, the only sounds inside the curtains of the four-poster were Keroberos finishing off his food.
"Kero," Harry asked suddenly as he lay with his head on his pillow, "What are Dementors?"
Keroberos' head jerked in his direction, a surprised look in his face. "Why do you ask?"
Harry shrugged. "I met something on the train that The Dark Card said was one, and Professor Lupin confirmed it. I was just wondering what you knew."
Keroberos boggled at him. "You've got The Dark Card?"
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Waking up was bittersweet for Harry. On one hand, it was nice to wake up in Hogwarts instead of number 4, Privet drive. On the other hand, the only person Harry knew who was ever enthusiastic about school was Hermione, who practically lived off the thing. Harry, being a perfectly normal- relatively- student, wasn't too hot about the idea. Still, it was very good to be back in Hogwarts.
Leaving Keroberos in the Dormitory with the few foodstuffs left in his trunk and a promise to bring him something to eat later, Harry and his friends headed for the Great Hall for breakfast.
"It's good to be back," Harry said, making a show of taking a deep breath, as if sampling the school's air, before sighing in appreciation.
Ron and Hermione looked at him in bemusement. "Good to be away from the Muggles, eh?" Ron said.
"Always good to be away from those Muggles," Harry said.
As they made their way down the marble staircase, Harry paused, having caught sight of a familiar flash of silver hair. Noticing he wasn't with them anymore, Ron and Hermione stopped. They followed his gaze.
Ron shook his head as Hermione made a sound of amusement that may have been distantly related to the giggle, a knowing smile on her face. "Daydreaming a bit early today, aren't you, Harry?" she teased.
"Give the guy a break," Ron said, his tone equally teasing, as the Potter boy began to sputter in protest. "It's been weeks since Harry's seen his dear, sweet, beloved-"
"-radiant, glorious, beautiful-" Hermione joined in, smiling widely, in one of the rare times where she and Ron ganged up on Harry.
"-dazzling, lovely, wonderful-" Ron kept on piling the adjectives, pretending to swoon.
"-Winter!" Hermione finished, and the two degenerated into peals of laughter as Harry glared at them, blushing red.
"You know, there are other people in Hogwarts I can be friends with," Harry threatened.
"His goddess," Ron continued, completely ignoring him, "his object of worship, the reason for his existence-"
"-the sun of his days, the moon of his night skies-" Hermione threw in, clasping her hands in front of her chest and looking doe-eyed at something in front and above her.
"Good one," Ron said.
"Thanks. I've been practicing."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Get a love life, you two," he muttered as he stalked down the stairs, the two snickering behind him.
They entered the Great Hall, ignoring Malfoy's little one-man comedy show, as well as Parkinson.
Dropping into the seat next to George, Harry reached for the nearest platter of food.
"New third-year timetables," George said, passing them over. "What's up with you, Harry?"
"Malfoy," said Ron, sitting down on Georges other side and glaring over at the Slytherin table. He seemed to have conveniently forgotten the teasing.
Harry followed his gaze, remembering the little fantasy he had yesterday. Ah, well, he figured he'd have to settle for getting back at Malfoy with more mundane spells.
As he was about to turn back to the discussion at hand, he saw that the transferee wasn't paying attention to Malfoy. Instead, she was looking right at him.
Their eyes met, and Harry felt something pass between them again. It was the same unfathomable feeling he got last night.
They looked at each other for a heartbeat, and then, the girl was watching Malfoy make another exaggerated faint, smiling faintly at the antics.
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Harry's first week at Hogwarts, as first weeks went, wasn't too bad. If it hadn't meant Hagrid risked losing his job as teacher, Harry would have been overjoyed about Malfoy's accident. Served the git right for not listening in class. And Defense Against the Dark Arts was, for the first time since Harry had come to school, not a joke, although Harry was kind of disappointed Professor Lupin didn't let him tackle the Boggart.
On the flip side, Harry was able to find a way to sneak food into his bag during dinner so he could sneak it up to Keroberos, who had eventually let slip he didn't really need to eat but had a sweet tooth, and was agreeable to staying in the dormitory when Harry threatened to strangle him for not telling him sooner. The little guy was so paranoid about secrecy, he'd hide from Scabbers. When Harry teased him about this, Kero merely said that it was better safe than sorry. What if Scabbers was some kind of Ministry spy? At which Harry had laughed. Scabbers, a spy? The idea was preposterous.
Later in the year, those words would haunt him…
In the meantime, Harry went through his classes like normal. He kept the Clow Book with him in his bag at all times, at Kero's insistence. What if a Clow Card suddenly appeared? Harry, remembering The Mirror's words- and by extension, the times she slept with him- agreed to bring it along, barely managing to dodge Kero's questions about why he was so red. It wasn't so hard. As long as he kept it way under his other books, no one noticed it was there. Harry wasn't sure what he'd say if anyone asked about it.
When the first weekend came up, however, things took a definite turn…
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Harry woke up on the first Saturday of the school year unusually early. Next to him, Keroberos was still snoozing, and the Card Captor was once more grateful that the little Guardian didn't snore too loudly. Deciding to take advantage of the hour, he quietly got dressed, planning to head down to the Great Hall to snag breakfast and maybe get Kero a morning snack while there weren't too many people around to see him and get suspicious. Not a lot of students- none off the top of his head; none he could imagine, actually- wake up and had breakfast at the crack of dawn, much less bring food up to their dormitory.
For a second, Harry became sorely tempted to tie a brick around Kero and throw him out of Gryffindor tower. If the little plushy hadn't let slip he really didn't need to eat, Harry would have still been trying to sneak him food inside his bag. His school stuff smelling like edibles, he did not need, thank you very much.
Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out the Clow Book. Yes, he actually slept with the thing. He'd gotten used to the Cards comforting presence around him. It seemed only natural to have it as close as possible.
Leaving it on the bed for the moment, he rose, took off his pajamas and got dressed. He had a little difficulty when his top caught on the Key, but he was getting more used to dealing with things like that. He never took the key off anymore, even when he bathed. It gave him assurance, for some reason, a feeling of comfort similar o what he got from having the Clow Cards close by.
Removing the Key from around his neck, he inserted it into the lock and gave it a turn. The clasp popped off, revealing the Cards. Carefully, he pulled them out, laying them out before him. Although he still blushed whenever he looked at the female-sprite Clow Cards- especially The Mirror- it wasn't as bad as it used to be. Tucking them together, he placed them in one of the inside pockets of his robe.
Climbing down the spiral staircase, he entered to common room. Taking a quick look around- nothing interesting- he opened the portrait hole.
"Morning!" he greeted the Fat Lady as the portrait closed behind him.
She smiled at him. "Nice to see you back."
"Good to be back," he said as he made his way down the familiar hallway down to the Great Hall.
About to make his way down the marble staircase, Harry was idly wondering what treat he'd get for Keroberos when a flash appeared out of the corner of his eye. He turned. A girl with shoulder-length silver hair was coming down the hallway, her head bent over a notebook, tapping a quill against her cheek. She walked quickly, her entire body swaying with her movement.
She also seemed to have no idea where she was walking. Her foot was already hovering over thin air as Harry grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back from the brink of the stairway. That jarred the girl out of whatever study she had been in.
"Oh, hey Harry!" she said, looking up from her notebook, and Harry almost lost himself in dark-brown eyes. Blinking, she looked around. "Ugh. I wasn't about to fall off the stairs again, was I?"
"You were," Harry said, trying to sound nonchalant and pulling it off easily. This wasn't the first time this has happened, after all. "But no harm done."
The girl sighed. "I really should pay more attention to where I'm going. One of these days, I'm really going to fall down those stairs."
Harry smiled. The two of them began to walk down, the girl's notebook safely closed and held against her chest. " So, what are you working on now?" asked Harry.
The girl shrugged. "Well, I'm trying to write a Naruto self-insert, but I'm hitting a little writer's block. I can't think of a way for Sasuke to treat my character with a little more respect without making him go OC."
"Have her beat up Sasuke," Harry advised. "That worked for Kakashi."
"I can't," she pouted. "She doesn't know enough taijutsu or ninjutsu, and if I give her a kekkei genkai, it'll be too cliché..."
They talked along those lines for the next few minutes, loitering just inside the doors of the nearly empty Great Hall. Other students soon started coming in, however.
"Thanks for your help, Harry," the girl said as she turned, about to walk to her House table for breakfast. "It was nice talking to you!"
"Any time, Winter," Harry said, heading for the Gryffindor table. "Any time."
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Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. One, since coming to Hogwarts, Harry had come to love very dearly.
See, Harry was thin, no doubt about that. After years of malnourishment at the Dursleys, coupled with weeks-long incarcerations and slave labor, it was only to be expected. After he came to Hogwarts, however, there were those who wondered- Ron and Hermione, for instance- why he didn't look any different after a few months. After all, the food in Hogwarts was free, unlimited, and he didn't have to do all the slaving he had for the Dursleys anymore. Yet, as the weeks and eventually months passed, his body never grew more than it already was, except maybe a bit taller. He was still pretty skinny.
It only came to be obvious what the case was when Hermione had taken the time to really observe Harry's eating habits. She was very surprised to realize that Harry ate more than she and Ron did in a single meal. And not just junk food either. Given his deprivation with the Dursleys, Harry wasn't very particular about what he ate, as long as it wasn't really nasty. As such, he ate as much vegetables and other 'healthy' foods as he did meats and desserts. And yet, there was no change, other than vertical, in his physique. When she'd brought her concerns and observations to Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse had the boy examined. It was revealed that Harry actually had a very high metabolism, although how that survived the Dursleys reign of terror, she could only guess. Perhaps, she theorized, his magic had increased the nutritional value of the food as it came into his system, barely keeping him alive.
In any case, all this meant Harry could eat as much as he wanted without worrying about getting fat, something he had viewed with distaste ever since his cousin Dudley had reached the proportions of baby elephant. Mrs. Weasley hadn't gotten it when he had explained the situation to her last summer, insisting he needed to eat more and build up, until he'd finally given up and just ate whatever she gave him. He would have eaten it anyway.
At Hogwarts, however, he went wild.
Taking advantage of the fact he didn't have too much competition over the food because of the early hour, Harry proceeded to polish off half a platter of sausages, a whole bowl of peas, at least one loaf of bread's worth of toast, three bowls of salad, and any number of eggs cooked in any number of ways. By the time the other Gryffindors started trickling in, he had sated his initial hunger and was eating at a more sedate pace, spreading a mix of berry jams on a piece of bread. From that point on, however, he still ate more than the average Gryffindor. Thankfully for him, he had mastered a pace of eating where he managed to be so smooth no one noticed he was eating enough for three people.
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he stood up. No sign of Ron and Hermione yet. Hermione sometimes slept in on weekends, and Ron liked to laze around in bed, so this wasn't unusual. He usually waited for them for breakfast during the weekends so they could go together, but that morning he had just been too hungry.
Patting his pocket- not the same ones that contained the Clow Cards- he wondered what Keroberos would think of the blueberry muffins he had snitched for him. The little plushy liked things sweeter, but this would have to do. The kitchens hadn't made any of the chocolate ones that morning.
His hand moved towards the Clow Cards in his other pockets. He hadn't seen them all week, not since the Dementors. He knew he didn't have to be worried. After all, Keroberos said they'd been undisturbed since Clow Reed's death. Still, he wondered if that was healthy for them. Granted, they had seemed alright when he met them- and when they weren't trying to do him in- but still…
As Harry walked the halls of Hogwarts, taking the long way to Gryffindor Tower that led him to the other side of the school, he found himself eyeing the door to an empty classroom.
ALRIGHT! he admitted to himself. He wanted to see them again. He wasn't used to this kind of situation, having friends- did he really just use that word to describe the Cards?- that spent their time as inanimate objects unless he felt like it. It wasn't normal! Granted, things stopped being normal for him on his eleventh birthday- Muggle-normal, anyway- but even for wizard-normal, this was stretching it, if not breaking altogether.
Oh, stuff it, he thought, reaching up to his neck to get his Key as he placed his hand on the nearest doorknob. What harm could there be in talking to the-
"Harry Potter?" a voice behind him said.
His hand fell away from the doorway as he turned, running over the possible list of people who'd be asking for his name like that. First years, most definitely, but the voice had sounded older than that.
Turning completely, he found himself face-to-face with the girl transferee to Slytherin. Up close, she was even more good looking, something that he hadn't been able to see clearly during the Care of Magical Creatures and Potions classes earlier that week. There was even more imperiousness in her gaze, bordering on arrogance, but her expression was neutral, even blank.
"Yes?" he said as his hand dropped form his neck as she tried to remember her name. Kay something?
She held out her hand. "Give me the Clow Cards."
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Silence. Harry blinked.
"Excuse me?" he managed to choke out, somehow sounding baseline normal and slightly surprised. That question had completely thrown him for a loop. It wasn't exactly something he had thought would pop up. Granted, Dumbledore asking him about Clow Cards would have been slightly off-putting, but to have a complete stranger, one he had never really met yet, ask him out of the blue like that… Harry thought his reaction was entirely appropriate for the situation.
There was a flash of annoyance in those dark crimson eyes. "The Clow Cards. And the Sealing Wand. Give them to me."
"Huh?" The house was still messed up, so one shouldn't be surprised his responses were so short.
The annoyance returned and stayed. "I don't have time for these games, Harry Potter. Give me the Clow Cards and the Sealing Wand."
It was at this point that Harry decided to try playing dumb. After all, it worked with Snape. Mostly. More or less. Give or take. "The whats? What are you talking about?"
The annoyance went up a notch. Three at least. Her expression now very much annoyed, she reached towards his neck, pulling out the cord around it. The Key fell out of the top, and he instinctively grabbed it. She was stronger than she looked. She actually managed to keep the Key moving in her direction before he stopped it. The cord grew taut, and the Key's notches dug into Harry's fingers.
"This Key," she said, glaring at him slightly. "Give it to me."
Well, playing dumb was out of the question, and it hadn't seemed to work anyway. "No," Harry said with quiet conviction.
"I'm getting tired of this. You have no idea what you have. Give me the Key NOW!" she said, tugging hard.
Harry tugged back, even though his neck was starting to become very uncomfortable. "And I suppose you do? Who the heck are you anyway?"
Her eyes narrowed. "My name is Fei Lee."
"Look Fei-" Harry said.
"Lee!" she interrupted him. "Now give me the Clow Cards!"
"Fine, Lee!" Harry said. "There's no way I'm giving you anything."
Her gaze became an outright glare. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
Not waiting for an answer, she drew herself up, still clutching the cord. "I am a direct descendant of Clow Reed himself! The Clow Cards are mine by right of blood!"
He gave her a withering stare. "And I'm the only one ever to survive a curse from Voldemort. Big deal. What makes you think you deserve them?"
"They are mine by right!"
Harry glared at her. She really wasn't endearing herself to him. "Well, I bled for them. I paid for them! I've risked by life and my sanity for them! And there's no way I'm going just going to give them to you!"
A ghost of a nasty smile played on Lee's lips. "So you don't deny having the Cards."
He gave her a level stare. "I am the Card Captor, and there's no way I'm just going to hand you my charge."
The nasty look went up a notch, becoming less of a ghost. "You have no idea what you have. If you insist on this, your death is all but assured. Aren't you satisfied with your legend? The Boy-Who-Lived, the one who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, savior of the English wizarding world. Must you add another title for yourself? Must you become the Master of the Cards? You are not worthy of the position!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, and I don't care," Harry said, tugging on the key and getting it to move closer to him. "But the Key and the Cards stay with me."
Impasse. Neither moved, both not wanting to look away
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Upstairs, in the Gryffindor third-year's dorm, Kero was relaxing. That Ron kid had finally left, muttering something about the wicked. That left Kero all alone in the room, which he was taking advantage of. Currently, he was reading a paperback book- Harry had referred to it as either a graphic novel or a manga- about a ten year-old wizard who taught at a Muggle school that was nearly as whacked out as Hogwarts. That librarian girl was pretty cute...
Blinking, Kero looked up from his book, head tilted to the side. He could have sworn...
It came again, stronger this time, and the Sun Guardian was torn between sighing in resignation and swearing a blue streak. On the one hand, he knew they would start encountering Clow Cards again eventually. On the other, he wondered if some cosmic, all-powerful being- or maybe just the ghost of Clow- was playing a joke on them. Of all the Cards that could have activated, why did it have to be him? The guy was unpredictable, and coupled with his power made him more dangerous than the other Cards who, with notable exceptions, were usually levelheaded.
Granted, nearly all of them were weirdoes, but levelheaded weirdoes...
Sighing, he carefully put away his reading material- Harry might be mad at him for the food thing, but that was tame compared to what would happen if Kero wasn't careful with his books- and flew out the window, searching for his charge...
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The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled a split second before his magic senses screamed 'CLOW CARD!'. That was all the warning he had before something bound threw the window next to them with a crackle of electricity and a whiff of ozone.
Harry barely managed to jump back as the Clow Card landed, for it was a Clow Card, unless Hagrid had been fooling around with illegal creature traders again. It was four-legged, and it's head looked like a cross between a big cat and a wolf's. Its limbs were slender, with oddly curved claws that looked like fangs. Thorn-like spikes on either side of its head gave an impression of a mane. Strange flame-esque bursts rippled across its body, which was white with highlights of electric blue.
The familiar rush of adrenaline started to course thru his body as his heartbeat went up to notch entitled 'In dire danger of loss of life via Quidditch or misadventure', with the add-on 'and Clow Cards' appended to it. Lee's grip had loosened a split second before the Clow Card had appeared, allowing him to get free, Key still in hand. He thanked his lucky stars- and amended that when he remembered Trelawney- that he had the reflexes he did, otherwise he was a dead man. All that running away from Dudley and his gang looked to be finally being good for something.
Growling, the Clow Card turned to face Harry, who gulped.
On the other hand, he'd better hope he was still as good at outrunning as he used to be.
Turning around, he ran as if the hoards of Voldemort were after him, the Card only a split second behind and hot on his heels.
Behind them, the girl blinked as she looked at their retreating backs as they disappeared around a corner. With an irritated look, she began to jog after them, reaching into her robes as she did so...
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There's a saying. It can't claim to be old, but since it's said, it can be considered a saying.
Luck protects fools, small children, and the main protagonist of stories. Exceptions include Shakespearean characters, soap opera characters, Urashima Keitaro, Ranma Saotome near any body of water, and Archie Andrews.
Hence it was pure luck that Harry ducked just as a bolt of electricity nearly took off his head. Glancing over his shoulder, Harry felt as if he flew two feet forward when he saw the Clow Card mere inches behind him. Quickly, he summoned the Sealing Wand, muttering the incantation under his breath. He breathed a sigh of relief as it lengthened, glad that it worked even though he hadn't said the words that loud.
Spotting a side corridor ahead, Harry made a quick right turn. He sighed relief when he heard the Clow Card overshoot. Quickly, he pulled out his Clow Cards, taking advantage of the breather and appreciating the fact that it was still too early for anyone to be anywhere else in the castle but their dorm or the Great Hall. He fanned the Cards before him, trying to think of which could be useful.
The 'feeling' of the Clow Card made his decision for him. Drawing The Dash Card, he activated it, again merely muttering the incantation. The Card dissolved and energy began to course through his legs.
This time, Harry kept decently ahead of the Clow Card. Heck, if he wanted to, he could have outrun it and left it eating his dust. Unfortunately for Harry, merely running away was not an option. He was the Card Captor, after all, and that meant he had to catch this thing.
"ANSWER MY CALL! FIRE!"
A burst of fire erupted behind the Clow Card, blasting it and causing it to stop, roaring as it turned around. Harry did so as well, as soon as he deemed it safe to stop and turn around. He wondered what spell that was. It didn't sound like any spell he knew.
Leaning so he could look around the Clow Card, his eyes widened. At the other end of the hallway stood Lee. She was holding a sword in front of her, parallel to the ground, edge down. One palm rested on the flat of the blade. The sword itself was a bit unusual, although Harry's only experience with swords came from the time last year, when he had pulled out Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat, and from anime, and in his opinion, it was a toss-up over who's sword was cooler, Fuu Hououji's, Lantis's, Haru Glory's, Goury Gabriev's or Squall Leonhart's (yes, he knew Squall's was technically called a gunblade, but it was still WAY FRICKIN COOL!). The blade was wide, as wide as her palm, the hilt looked like Fuu's except cut in half, and attached to pommel was a tassel with a bead at the end. It was obvious from the way she stood and the look on her face that the fire was her doing.
Apparently, the Clow Card thought so too. With a growl, it stared to stalk toward her, seemingly forgetting about Harry. Quickly, Harry seized the moment. Pulling out The Windy Card, Harry felt nervous jolt as The Dash Card's effects left his body. Oh well, it couldn't be helped. "Clow Card, show me your true power! WINDY CARD!"
The air around Harry picked up, becoming a strong breeze as the yellow sprite of the Windy Card appeared. "Capture him," Harry said, gesturing at the as-yet-unnamed Clow Card between him and Lee.
The Windy Card raised an eyebrow, and her lips twitched slightly. "Isn't that your job?" she said, but did as she was told, sending yellow streams of magical wind at it.
Harry blinked. Now besides everything else, she was suddenly a comedian? What next?
The bands of magical wind reached for the beast, yet before they got there, Harry realized there was a problem. The minute they appeared, the breeze in the hallway had increased to hurricane force, nearly knocking Harry over and buffeting the target. Tapestries- thankfully mainly of animals or landscapes- fluttered violently, threatening to fall off their moorings. "Stop, stop!"
The Windy Card lowered her arms, giving him a slightly annoyed, slightly bemused look. "Will you make up your mind?"
"Change back," Harry said, taking another Card. The Windy Card shrugged.
"You're the boss," she said, before pouncing on him- so to speak- capturing his lips with hers and kissing him hotly, her tongue in before her mouth even made contact, not letting go until she had completely dissolved back into her Card form.
Harry, thankfully, only froze for a split second as his mind reminded him why he blushed so vividly whenever he so much as thought of the Cards. Recovering quickly- he felt he was getting used to this; was that a good thing?- he took out the Earthy Card, reminding himself of the consequences of using it. Thankfully, the Card he was Capturing had been between him and Lee, so she hadn't seen anything. He wanted his private embarrassment kept private, thank you very much!
Before he could active the Card, however, there was a cry, and Lee launched herself at the Clow Card in front of her, slashing at it with her sword. She missed, but that didn't deter her. She just kept at it. Swing and miss, swing and miss, again and again…
It wasn't that she was doing it wrong, or even badly. On the contrary. Even though Harry was no real expert, having had all his experience with swords- with the exception of the Basilisk incidence- and swordsmen from anime, he could see that Lee knew what she was doing. There was no wasted motion, all her movements were smooth and economical, and her feet moved as much as her hands.
Good as she was, fast as she was, the Card was faster however, and Harry knew it was only a matter of time before it eviscerated her.
Also, they were getting closer to him, and Harry figured that wouldn't be good for his health.
Harry raised the Card in his hand before him and repeated what he had said. "Clow Card, show me your true power! EARTHY CARD!" In a burst of power, a tracing of Clow Reed's symbol beneath Harry's feet, and a swirl of magic threads, The Earthy Card appeared.
"Let's try this again," Harry muttered, pointing at the Clow Card Lee was fighting. "Bind him! But don't trap the girl."
The Earthy Card nodded, raising her arms in that oh-so-common gesture. Dust began to shoot from her hands, quickly congealing into small pebbles, then rock, until, when they finally reached their target, they had become arms of pure stone. They encircled the Card as he dodged one of Lee's strikes, covering first his limbs, then the rest of him, and quickly covering him in a layer of solid rock until only his head was visible, roaring defiance in vain, pulling him towards Harry. Lee had stepped back after her last failed attack, her sword raised in front of her, her eyes widening when she saw what had happened to her target.
Harry grinned at her reaction. Apparently, she didn't know as much about the Clow Cards as she'd like him to think. He raised the Sealing Wand over his head. "I am the Card Captor and it order you to return to your true form! Um-"
"Thunder Card," Earthy muttered out of the corner of her mouth, just loud enough for Harry to hear, an amused look in her eyes and a slight twist in her mouth.
"Thanks," he answered back the same way. "Thunder Card!" he finished, bringing down his wand.
A decent lightshow later, and Harry was holding a new Card in his hand. Grinning, he made to tuck it in with the rest.
"No!" Lee yelled, striding towards him, one hand outstretched as if intending to take the Card from his hands, the sword held in her other. "The Cards are MINE!"
Harry moved a little bit behind The Earthy Card, wary of the blade, but he need not worry. With a wave of her hand and a burst of magic, a low barrier rose between Harry and Lee. The message was clear: come no closer.
Harry, meanwhile, had had enough of this girl. "Yours? Why don't we leave that up to them. Earthy, do you want to go with this girl?"
Earthy's mouth twisted. "Not a chance."
Harry turned back to Lee, who was looking at the Card sprite in surprise. "See? For all your claims, you know nothing about the Cards! They're not things, they're beings to themselves. And I really don't think they want to go with you." The Earthy Card nodded in agreement.
Lee stared at him for a long moment. "Maybe you do have what it takes, Potter. But mark my words. On the Final Judgment, I will stand as the Mistress of the Cards."
Abruptly, she tuned around, sword still in hand, and strode down the corridor. Turning the corner, she disappeared from sight.
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Harry sighed in relief as the Slytherin girl went away. They were alone in the corridor. He turned towards The Earthy Card. "Thanks for standing by me."
The Earthy Card nodded as she dissolved away the remnants of the encounter. "It was nothing, Master Harry."
Harry paused. "You know, I'm not forcing you. You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to."
The Earthy Card looked at him and chuckled slightly. "But we do want to be with you. You are the chosen Card Captor, but not only that, we want to. Even Time and Shot. Shot is already raving about how powerful you are, and can't wait for you to call on him."
Harry blinked. "That's what you all really think?"
Earthy nodded. "All of us are behind you. You're a good Master, and you care about us. Different from Master Clow, sure, but we don't expect you to be him." For a moment, her voice became wistful. "Besides," and she leaned close, whispering into his ear, "you're pretty cute."
Harry only had time for a shiver to pass through him before she kissed his cheek, inhaling deeply, sensuously, before moving on to the other and doing it again. She gave him one more smile, that smile he was beginning to think all the female Clow Cards knew, that enigmatic Mona Lisa smile, before she dissolved back into her Card form.
Harry caught her Card, tucking it in with the rest, his face red as usual. Tentatively, he raised a hand to his flaming cheek, his mouth opening slightly as he did so. Then, shaking his head, he turned around and started walking back in the general direction of Gryffindor Tower.
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In the empty hallway, now devoid of life, Clow Cards and magical boys and girls, a door stood ajar. From inside, a light scratching noise could just be heard…
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- To be continued...
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A/N: And the score is: Harry, 13; Fei, 0
Harry's Cards so far: Windy, Jump, Dash, Mirror, Shadow, Earthy, Flower, Wood, Shot, Time, Dark, Light and Thunder.
Fei's Cards: ixnay, nada, none, nothing, nobody home, null, zero, zilch, zip. No Cards. XD
A bit plain-vanilla-Capture-the-Card, but I feel there are enough other stuff to make up for it. Still, I'll try to do better. At least it's long. And I know that the Cards never spoke to Sakura much in the anime- as I recall, it was only The Mirror, The Light, The Dark and the Sealed Card who spoke to her, but I might be wrong- but here, I think it's more interesting if the Cards talk to Harry.
Yes, I know I announced who the rival was, but I had to set things up for Harry. The build-up was necessary.
Ugh. Well, I knew I would have to write about Dorco Malfeasant eventually (check the dictionary to get an idea what 'malfeasant', derived from 'malfeasance', means).
My, my, a lot of people get transferred to Hogwarts in fics, don't they?
So what do you guys think of the rival? To paraphrase something Ron said in book six, "there's no rule saying only one person at a time can be fighting with Harry in this place.". I have this wonderful little dynamic planned out, but any suggestions would help. I don't promise to take it, though. No slash suggestions please, I'm sticking to canon. The Clow Card girls? They don't count. I just put them in those situations for laughs.
Okay, there will be slash if I feel like it, but I hope you guys can take lesbians. XD
The following is Fei's bio, what little I've thought up. And just to confirm, no, you guys didn't miss an episode of CCS, and yes, she is OC.
Name: Fei Lee (English convention)
Age: 13
House: Slytherin (Be honest. Who saw that coming?)
Gear: wand, ofuda, Rashin (?) board, Sword (the one Syaoran uses. Can someone give me info on that? I'm not sure I got it right. What does he yell out when he uses his ofuda? I think he has at least three different ones, but I'm not sure. I think I got it wrong in this fic.)
Info: sorceress from Hong Kong. A descendant of Clow Reed, she was sent to Hogwarts when her aunt felt the Clow Cards awaken. Believing that the Clow Cards are rightfully hers, she intends to become the Mistress of the Cards. Likes Arithmancy. Sound familiar?
If you want a clearer idea of what Fei looks like, think of a female Syaoran with slightly long hair at the nape of her neck (but nowhere else!), with Meiling's red eyes. It would be too hard to think of any other image, and it underlies the CCS connection.
Her personality will be as much like Syaoran as possible, slightly tweaked, of course. My memories of him aren't too fuzzy. Any Syaoran psych bits would be appreciated, though.
Why name her Fei? I got the name from Negima! It sounded nice, so I used it. I have no idea what it means. :)
About the thestrals, my reasoning is this: Hagrid said that the only ones who can see thestrals are those who have seen death. Harry was there when his parents were killed, but in canon, he doesn't remember it, so it took Diggory's death to make him see thestrals. Here, however, he managed to drudge up the memory of his parents' deaths last chap, so he now remembers it and therefore qualifies as having 'seen death'. So he can see the thestrals. Simple, isn't it? He isn't freaked out because this is the first time he's taking the coaches, and thinks that Ron and Hermione can see them as well.
Why is Harry so jaded? Um, I'm making a reasonable assumption of how a long time anime viewer, who also happens to be a wizard, and was chosen to be the Card Captor not four days ago, would react. Really, fewer things surprise Harry every year, unless it's a cultural or psychological thing. This jading is a reasonable characteristic. And we can also lump in shock because of the emotional roller coaster the past week has been.
I refuse to believe Harry only got his first crush at the age of fourteen with Cho Chang! He's more human than that!
Ron and Hermione, OC? Maybe a little, but Hermione certainly has her fun side, and Ron is… well, Ron.
The graphic novel/manga Kero is reading is Magister Negi Magi, or Negima!, specifically, volume two, my favorite when it comes to funny. What, you think brooms and weird magic books are the only thing Harry would lust over and buy?
The saying was inspired by an old Shaun Garin fic, which can be found somewhere on his personal website. I really admire the guy as a writer. The man sure knows how to do funny.
Can someone please tell me what Syaoran really says when he uses his elemental Ofuda in the original anime? I only know the fire and lightning attacks, and I'm sure I'm wrong, as the subtitled (and now lost -sob-) copy of the second movie I have doesn't say, and I've had to play it by ear.
I might have to go back on what I said about Syaoran not showing up. I had a brainwave recently, which suggested a way I could introduce him and the CCS gang without having them loose their individuality or having them 'take over the world', so to speak, as Mage-Alia once put it. It's something I hate to see in a crossover; one series completely dominates the other. Really ruins it for fans of the other series. For me, who's a fan of a lot, and usually of both series in the crossover, it's heartbreaking to see characters plucked out of their environment and become completely adrift in another series. -ends rant-
To Ran Hoshino: Thanks for the Eriol test info. I agree, 'Harry Cards' sound horrible. So far, I'm thinking 'Wild Cards' (he is the wild card in the books), 'Lightning Cards' (after his scar), or 'Sprite Cards' (after the Cards' nature). Can you think of other alternatives? And as for Snape, I'm thinking of having the Cards hate his guts. What do you think? And yes, no crush on Cho Chang (though Cho to Harry is another matter entirely.) Harry's thoughts about women are messed up already as they are. XD
To Mage-Alia: Thanks for the review. Don't worry, next time, I'll draw up a nicer mental picture.
To Pakerin Pyros: Ooohhh, a new reviewer! Great to hear from you! If you want to find out what Cards, look page up and keeping reading this series. Harry will deal with the Dementors as canon, with maybe a little Card help, but no attempts to destroy them (not yet, anyway). I plan to make the Cards sneakier than they were in CCS, but some of them are perfectly dangerous as they are. I have, however, thought of a really nasty Card combo, which I'll unveil in two or three chaps. Watch for it. And to clarify, Harry and Mirror only slept in the same bed. Nothing happened!
To nefer tenshi: Why, thank you… (see, I can be laconic too…)
To Warbl65: Whatever gave you that idea? -snicker-Am not going to say just yet, but those of you who watch CCS will be able to figure it out yourselves with no help from me. If you do, don't leave the info lying around the review board, it'll make it too easy for the others. Sadistic, ain't I?
To Katy Crumb/Nova: regarding your e-mail, yes, I would be honored if you did so. Just direct them to the ff dot net version so they can put in reviews, 'kay?
Next chap (might take a while, though, probably even 'til mid-October. I have finals and junk coming up): the Card Captor-Lee dynamic really kicks off. Fei gets more appearances. Personally, I think this is what Sakura and Syaoran would have been like if she had more backbone, or at least as confident as Meilin. Another single-carder, but it will have funny bits. And until further notice, Harry will refer to her as 'Lee', since a) they don't seem to mind calling each other by their last name in Hogwarts, and b) she hasn't given him permission to call her by name yet. I'm dropping the honorifics, as I have no idea if Japanese honorifics apply to a Chinese girl, even if the original anime was Japanese. Enjoy!
Please review, C&C welcome. If you don't know how, all you have to do is click that little button to the left that says 'Go'.
Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.
Oh, yeah, I need help. When Harry becomes the Master of the Cards- when, not if- what do his Cards and the Book become called? For some reason, I am faintly turned off by the idea of calling them the Harry Cards and the Harry Book. No pizzazz, if you get what I mean. I have some weird thoughts of calling them Wild Cards, since Harry is sort of a wild card, but other suggestions would be nice. Unless you guys really do what to hear them called the Harry Cards. –UGH!–
(Dang, I make long author notes… is it just me or are they getting longer?)