Update! A lot later than originally supposed. Mostly because I haven't been in the mindset to write more and I didn't want to make it endless before I updated again. But then, that already happened. So voila!
Review people: (there are still few enough for me to address individually, how nifty...and sad. Sigh.) NET: Thank you for your compliment. I work hard to make sure that they do combine so well. That is the main reason this takes so long to write. Arigatou! Nightglider: Thank you! Hikari Mizu: Nope, it's the Cleansweep Eleven. Though Cloud Nine does sound like a nifty broom. StarsLover: Again, thank you! I'm glad that people find appreciation in trying not to deviate. Personally it bothers me when people get too far off base, but I'm just anal like that.
Anyway, thank you for the reviews! Read! Review!
Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter or Card Captor Sakura. Actually, I own all books and videos. All together that is one heavy load let me tell you. Hard to lift.
The High Inquisitor
Harry was the first one awake in the boy's dormitory the following morning. For a long while he thought over the previous night's events and the discussion he had had with Hermione before she tiredly crawled up the stairs to head for bed.
"Harry, you should tell Dumbledore about your scar hurting like that," she urged, echoing what Ron had said earlier.
"I'm pretty sure the only thing about me that Dumbledore cares about is my stupid scar," he had muttered in return, causing Hermione to frown and look a little upset. He didn't want to upset her really, since he knew she was tired and just trying to help but when she reminded him that he wasn't supposed to write letters to Sirius, the only person he knew outside of his friends that really cared, he was just irritated.
Rolling out of bed, Harry decided to ignore her and write a short letter to his godfather, making sure to keep it in code. He spent a lot of time agonizing over it before thinking it was good to send. Glancing around to make sure that Ron was still asleep, he made his way down the dormitory stairs and through the common room. Once out in the hallways, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The walk to the Owlery was more or less uneventful, putting aside a warning from Nearly-Headless Nick to steer clear of Peeves while the poltergeist was still in the mood to do bodily injury. However, when Harry entered the Owlery he was startled into immobility.
"You are such a pretty bird, Ying Fa. I can see why Syaoran's mother liked you so much. Now go straight to my daddy and brother. I'll tell Syaoran where you went and he won't mind."
The brown owl hooted out her briefly before setting off into the sky. She watched it, wistfully Harry thought, before turning to give him a friendly smile. "Morning Harry. Are you sending a letter to?"
Again, Harry wondered just how they managed to sense people's presence, even who they were, without looking. It was rather eerie. But Harry only thought of it for a moment before saying, "Morning" and motioning for Hedwig. "I'm sending a letter to my friend."
"Oh, is that your owl! She's so pretty!" Sakura cooed, petting Hedwig. The white owl loved the attention and hooted at her affectionately. "I bought a kitten and named it after my brother. I should have named it Kero though because all he does is sleep!"
"Who's Kero?" he asked.
For a moment she stilled, as if realizing she had said something wrong. Then she smiled again. "He's one of the creatures bound to me. Anyway, I have to be going. I promised to spend the whole day with Tomoyo." She turned to leave and skipped down the stairs. Harry watched her for a moment, noticing how beautiful she looked in the early morning light. With a small sigh, he gave returned his attention to Hedwig.
"Make sure this gets to Sirius," he instructed, petting her feathers. "Have a safe flight." He watched her fly off for a minute and was turning to leave when he noticed something peculiar. Above the trees of the forbidden forest, a green horse looking creature with wings circled before diving into the treetops. It was unmistakably one of the creatures he had seen drawing the carriages on the first day.
The whole scene shocked Harry so much that when the door to the Owlery opened behind him, he leapt around in shock. Quickly he realized it was Cho Chang with a letter and parcel.
"Morning," he said without thinking.
"Oh! Hiya Harry." She was panting and had obviously run from somewhere to here. "Didn't think anyone else would be here this early on a Saturday. Me, I only just remembered a few minutes ago that it's my mum's birthday."
"Right," Harry replied, still mentally stuck on what he had just seen. However, somewhere in the back of his head he realized that he wasn't as excited to see Cho as he usually was. Finally he shook off the weird feeling and motioned to the windows. "Nice day isn't it?"
"Good Quidditch weather. I heard that Tornado-hater became Keeper. Is he any good?"
Harry shrugged, "He's got potential to be a really good Keeper." In truth, Ron hadn't been the best who had tried out but the others had been iffy in other categories. Again Harry wondered why Sakura didn't tryout but didn't say anything.
"I saw that new transfer student when I was coming up here. Her name is Kinomoto right?" Harry nodded. "Apparently, she and Tomoyo Daidouji are best friends. Tomoyo and I get along pretty well and she's always telling me about Sakura."
"Sakura told me they were in school together since the beginnings of primary." Harry shrugged, wondering where this conversation was going. He also couldn't help but feel a little antsy talking to Cho about Sakura.
"Half the guys in school think she's pretty. Do you?" she asked, only looking at him through the corner of her eye.
"Uh, well she is pretty. But then you are pretty too," he said quickly when she began to look upset.
Smiling, Cho straightened her shoulders, as if with new confidence. "That other new Gryffindor is pretty cute. I heard his name is Li Xiao Lang. I have relatives in China and they've mentioned the Li family being really powerful magically speaking. No one knows how really, but..." she broke off with a shrug.
"He's kind of a bastard," Harry muttered, missing the small smug smile Cho gave briefly when he said this. "I get the feeling that it would take years with a torch to get past that guy's coldness."
"Really?" she asked, genuinely interested.
"Yeah, he hardly talks except when Sakura is around. I think Sakura told me once that he doesn't do well with new people.' Harry shrugged, not particularly caring about the situation. "Anyway, I've got to go. Talk to you later, Cho."
"See ya, Harry."
"I still wish I had my camera! You just look too kawaii in your uniform, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said for probably the hundredth time since the day had started. She and Sakura were free range roaming the halls.
"Hoe, I'm almost glad that you don't. I mean, there are so many people who watch me everywhere I go as it is. If you were recording me half the time as well I don't think there would be any privacy left for me."
Tomoyo sighed. They walked in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Unbeknownst to either party, every male eye within eye sight was trained on their figures. Seeing amazingly beautiful girls was something unusual to begin with, but to see two walking side by side, completely unconscious of the fact that they were drawing so much attention, was a rarity. And it was because that neither Sakura nor Tomoyo seemed to notice the attention they attracted that very few girls cast them evil glances. Those who did were from Slytherin anyhow.
"So," Tomoyo began slyly after the long pause. "Have you and Li-kun kissed yet?"
Immediately the other girl blushed the deepest red. "Tomoyo-chan! Don't ask me things like that so loudly in public!"
"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo laughed. "We are both speaking Japanese."
"But the lovely Sakura-san and you are not the only ones who know the language, Daidouji-san."
"Eriol!" Sakura whined, her blush deepening, if possible. "Tomoyo I'll never forgive you for this."
Tomoyo laughed evilly, covering her mouth with one hand. "Just answer the question, Sakura-chan. I'm sure Hiiragizawa-san won't tell anyone."
Blushing furiously, Sakura shook her head. "Not yet. We just started seeing each other after years apart! I mean..." she trailed off, no longer capable of speech.
Eriol's lips twitched a little as he pat the girl on the shoulder. "OH, I'm sure my cute descendant won't mind something like that."
"HIIRAGIZAWA ERIOL-SAN!" the slip of a girl screamed attracting all attention in the hallway. Everyone went silent, staring at the beautiful girl who was shaking her fist at the new professor. Even more amazingly he was backing away with his hands held up in surrender. What was so threatening about her?
"Gomen nasai, Sakura-chan. Still, I do believe I'm right."
"Hai! I think a dare is in order here, Sakura-chan. I dare you to kiss Li-kun the next time you see him alone."
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura gasped, blushing again. "I-I-I," she stuttered unintelligently.
"I'll take that for a yes. If you don't do your dare I'm sure we can find some way to torture you." Tomoyo and Eriol grinned at each other, much like two teens with a secret, causing the other students to look at each other in amazement.
"Hoeeeee."
Harry had a rotten day. After he had gotten back from the Owlery Hermione and Ron showed him the Daily Prophet. Apparently someone had recognized Sirius at the station and reported that he was seen in London, causing the three to wonder furiously who could have seen him. Hermione also noticed a small article that made them all even more nervous. One of the Order, Sturgis Podmore, had been sentenced to six months in Azkaban for attempting to break into the Ministry. They figured it was a frame up but nothing could be certain at the moment.
To make matters worse, Qudditch practice had been a nightmare. Half the Slytherin house had showed up to hassle them as they practiced. Everyone managed to ignore them except for Ron who hadn't ever had to deal with the heckling. And that was on top of him already being nervous. Practice had barely lasted a half hour before they had to stop when Katie's nosebleed, arguably from either Ron hitting her in the face with the quaffle or one of the twins new inventions, wouldn't stop and she had to be taken to the hospital wing.
Hermione naturally assumed that Ron was the source of the horrible practice, which in truth Harry had to admit he partially was, which set Ron off further. He and Hermione were yelling at each other when Sakura entered the Common Room and quickly stopped the argument. Harry thanked each of his lucky stars by name that someone managed to shut the two up.
"Now, Ron, without yelling, tell me why practice was so bad?" Sakura asked with patience.
Ron blushed furiously, much to Harry's amusement, before stuttering out what had happened. He didn't even bother to leave out his own bumbling, which Harry was sure he would have in the other boy's position, especially when such a pretty girl was the one listening. But Sakura didn't tease and only nodded at all the right parts, her jade eyes showing that she was furiously thinking of a solution to their problem.
"Okay, when is the next practice?" Sakura asked after Ron had finished and lapsed into an embarrassed silence.
"Angelina rescheduled it for next Saturday," Harry answered. "Why?"
"What time?" Harry answered her, his curiosity growing. "Okay, I think I may be able to help this next time. But really Ron, you have to learn to play with distractions anyway. I'm sure they won't let up on you during the actual games." She said it in such a sweet way that Ron didn't get riled again.
Harry watched her leave a few minutes later, promising to return in a few minutes. In just a few minutes she had calmed the situation completely, something no one else had managed before. Hermione and Ron's squabbling was almost legend in the Common Room and she had silenced them in moments.
He was still musing over this when she and Ginny came back to the common room, chatting amiably. Sakura was holding a small kitten, most likely the one she had told him about earlier. When they reached the floor, the kitten leaped from her hands and immediately went up to Crookshanks, who stared at it for a moment in consideration. With what could be construed as a shrug, the marmalade cat looked away and began flicking it's tail to entertain the younger cat.
"Your cat is very intelligent, Hermione. And so pretty too."
Hermione smiled at the younger girl. "Thank you. What is yours named?"
"Touya," Sakura replied with a sad smile.
"You named him after that idiot?" someone behind them asked. Harry turned around and saw Li holding a few books in his hand and staring at Sakura with incredulity. Harry remembered that she had named her kitten after her brother and thought it was kind of funny that Li obviously didn't get along with him.
"I really wish you and oniichan would get along with each other," she sighed. "Besides, little Touya here acts like him a little."
"You mean he is ridiculously overprotective and threatens violence on anyone who comes near you?" Li muttered. Harry bit back a laugh at the mental image their conversation brought forth. For some reason he found it hard to believe that anyone would threaten this imposing looking boy.
The jade eyes got a sly look in them as she smiled mischievously. "Oh, he just doesn't like you. And after all, can you blame him? The first time he met you, you were attacking me. And then..." she trailed off. The sentence was full of implication, leaving their audience dying to know just what else had happened.
"You attacked Sakura?" Ginny asked. "I don't think I can imagine that at all. You act so protective towards her."
"Oh, we argued constantly when we first met. Eventually things changed but at first we didn't get along at all!" Sakura giggled entrancingly. Harry wondered how anyone could not get along with her or any reason why anyone would attack her. She was too genuinely likable.
Li sat down in the chair beside Harry heavily. He looked a bit irritated and more than a little embarrassed at the way the conversation was flowing. Harry wanted to laugh at him almost, that the great Li would be so easily discomfited by such a slip of a girl. But something told Harry that he'd have a much shorter life span than already expected if he did so, so he repressed his amusement and turned to watch Hermione as she and Ginny began talking.
After a few minutes had passed in separate conversations, Sakura spoke up again, drawing everyone's attention. "Umm, what are all of you doing tomorrow?"
"Normally, Harry and me would be doing homework all day, I think," Ron laughed. "But thanks to Li here I have most of mine done." Harry agreed, feeling slightly nervous as to why she was asking.
"It's the first weekend of term so most things aren't scheduled yet. I'm free anyway, so is Ginny," Hermione answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, well, Tomoyo said that she wanted to talk with all of you again since she got a good impression from you when we first met. Meilin is coming too. We were all going to meet out by the lake tomorrow if you wouldn't mind coming."
Harry felt even more butterflies pop up into his stomach. More than anyone she was looking at him with her pleading eyes. Why did she want him to meet her friends so much? Did they want to pester him about being the Boy Who Lived? Whatever it was, it meant he got to spend the day in her company so he quickly agreed. The other three quickly gave their assent as well and Sakura grinned.
"Oh, and Syaoran, ignore Tomoyo. She has another one of those ideas in her head and she teamed up with Eriol this time." Again, Harry noticed she said Eriol and wondered just how close they were to the professor, especially since her best friend and he were obviously plotting something that made her nervous.
"Sakura, I found that where Tomoyo and Hiiragizawa are concerned, it's almost always best not to know."
"Yeah and Rika and Mr. Terada are getting married in three years. They finally announced it. They've been engaged since the fourth grade too, can you believe it?"
Sakura was gossiping cheerfully with Tomoyo and Meilin while they waited for Harry and Ron to meet them. Hermione and Ginny were listening to their conversation, asking questions about this and that. After all, no matter what country you are from or if you even know the people involved, girl talk is girl talk.
"You mean your friend was engaged to her teacher in the fourth grade?" Ginny breathed. "That's gross. I mean can you imagine to being engaged to anyone here at Hogwarts? I mean think about it. Snape?"
The girls were still giggling when Harry and Ron finally made their way to the small group. Immediately everyone was reintroduced, though really everyone remembered each other quite well. Almost instantly after that, Tomoyo grabbed hold of Harry's arm and started to drag him away from the others.
"We are just going to take a walk around the lake. Don't worry we'll be back shortly," she chimed over shoulder while Harry got a hunted look.
When Harry was allowed to walk on his own again, he kept his silence, occasionally glancing at the pretty girl walking beside him. Earlier on the train he had received the impression that she wasn't part of the Harry Potter fan club and was somewhat startled by her actions now.
"Oh, I think we are far enough away now," Tomoyo finally said, glancing back towards the others who were laughing and talking to each other.
"Er, far enough for what?" he asked nervously. There was a look in this girl's eye that he just didn't quite trust.
"Oh, you needn't worry, Mr. Potter, I just wish to talk to you. It's been my priority to get to know all of Sakura's new friends. She is very trusting, as I'm sure you've noticed, and I want to make sure no one hurts her. She's had enough of that," the raven haired girl finished with a sigh.
Harry wondered at the last statement. When he looked at Sakura he couldn't imagine her having been hurt once in her life, or that anyone would want to. "Er, okay, but can you not call me Mr. Potter? Makes me feel like I'm talking to a professor."
"I apologize. I'll call you Potter than," she smiled. Briefly he wondered why not his first name but then he remembered that she called Li by his last name as well. "Anyway, can you tell me more about yourself? I really don't know that much about you or, actually, anyone here since I'm so new to this place."
Harry blinked and a wash of bitterness came over him. Of course she wanted to know about the great Harry Potter, perhaps see if he was really insane and would hurt her best friend. Really he should have been expecting it. "I'm not insane, no matter what you read in the Prophet."
Surprisingly, Tomoyo giggled. "I never thought you were. Nor do I care about anything to do with Voldemort. If I did I'd ask elsewhere since I'm sure you are tired of hearing about it. After all, even Sakura got tired of talking about everything after a while."
Harry actually stopped walking from the shock. Even Hermione and Ron never told him to stop talking about Voldemort. Even more she was expecting it and she also said his name instead of that ridiculous You-Know-Who.
"You know, I think I like you, Daidouji. Can I call you Tomoyo?"
She nodded. "But only on the condition that you tell me something about yourself."
"Done," he smiled.
For the next quarter hour, Harry and Tomoyo discussed his likes and dislikes. He told her how much he hated living with the Dursley's and how much he envied everyone around him for having at least one parent there to love them.
"You have the Weasleys don't you?" she observed in response making Harry pause to think. True, since they had met on the platform and shown him how to get to the train, the Weasleys had more or less acted like a family to him ever since. Well, perhaps Percy wouldn't anymore but he didn't miss that.
When they were once again approaching the group, Harry's eyes were immediately drawn to Sakura as she laughed with Ginny and Hermione. The sun shone down on her honey coloured hair and sparkled as she turned her head every so often.
"You are always looking at her, Harry," Tomoyo observed quietly.
Harry blushed and tore his eyes away from her. "I don't even know why really. Am I that obvious?"
Tomoyo shook her head. "Not really, to me perhaps since I watch those who watch her. But you have a kindness in your eyes and curiosity." She paused, chewing on her lip a moment as if trying to phrase something correctly. "It is not mine to tell," she finally started, furrowing her brow a little, "but you are not the only to watch her like that. But she has eyes only for one person, Harry. It is her nature."
Harry nodded, pretending he understood the cryptic meaning behind her words. Never since he met her had she trained her eyes on one person, following them. If she had, Harry would have noticed. More often than not, Sakura's eyes were fixed on him when he was around. Did that mean she liked him?
"Tomoyo! Meilin said that she found a Ravenclaw guy she kind of likes! You have to introduce them!" Sakura laughed, running up to them.
"Kinomoto! You are going to pay for that," Meiling hissed as she joined them. Harry watched as the three girls began talking furiously for a moment before breaking off into giggles. They rejoined the group and Tomoyo latched on to Hermione in the same fashion that she had to Harry a half hour before.
"We'll be back!" she cried as she left. Harry wondered as he watched her leave, just how much Tomoyo knew. And how much information would forever remain concealed behind those amethyst eyes.
Night had fallen many hours ago, and while the day had been eventful and tiring, Sakura simply couldn't get to sleep. It had been both nice and a little weird to sit with everyone like that, new and old friends meeting and getting along just as well as if they had known each other for more than a couple days. It made Sakura feel more at home and miss her family less when she was able to have fun like that.
As she turned over in her bed yet again, Sakura felt another spurt of magic from the common room downstairs. It had been occurring about once an hour for some time now. It only lasted for a couple seconds so she had for the larger part, ignored it. This time however, it returned quickly and sustained itself.
Yawning tiredly, she wrapped her robe around her loosely and picked up Touya, making her way down to the Common Room. Walking silently, so as not to scare any body who she was trying to spy on, she slipped slowly down the stairs, only to find Harry, Hermione and Ron kneeling before the fire talking to someone whose head was sticking out of it.
Curious, she approached them still silent until she was able to recognize the face as it turned to look at her in surprise. "Oh, hello Mr. Black," she yawned.
Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped and whirled towards her. "Sakura," they nearly shouted in unison. Sakura jumped a little in response and rubbed her eyes.
"What?" she yawned.
"How do you know Sirius?" Harry asked after a moment.
"I had a dream about him," she replied tiredly. It was close enough to the truth to count.
"Do you normally dream about real things," Hermione asked with a touch of incredulity colouring her voice.
"Yes," she replied shortly. Looking back towards Mr. Black she found herself asking, "Doesn't that hurt?"
The head in the fire laughed a little. "I'm going to assume you are Miss Kinomoto. Dumbledore told me about you."
Sakura watched as the three turned to look back at him in shock. "You know about her too?" Ron asked.
"When you are stuck inside a house twenty-four/seven you tend to learn a lot of things. At one of the last Order meetings they mentioned four exchange students and then later Molly told me that two of them had been sorted into Gryffindor."
Harry was about to ask something when Syaoran poked his head from the stairwell, briefly assessing the situation. "Is that what it was?" he asked Sakura, indicating the spurts of magic.
"Yeah, go back to sleep, Syaoran. You look tired."
"I'm fine," he replied, joining them. "Isn't that Black?" he asked when he got close enough to recognize the head, ignoring the three stunned figures.
"Don't tell me you dream about real things too," Harry muttered darkly.
"No, but his picture was in the Prophet this morning. He doesn't look quite as scraggly but it's still him."
Sakura wanted to giggle at the look of amazement that spread over their friends faces as she pet Touya absently. She had no clue why Mr. Black was sitting so comfortably in the fire or what reasons he had to be here anyway. Still she didn't think it was too polite to ask.
"I guess, I'll leave you alone now. I just wanted to know what the magic I felt was."
"Oh, I need to leave anyway, I can hear Kreacher coming. Still, I think I would be a good idea for me to-," he started before Hermione and Harry cut him off with an abrupt, "NO!" "Fine, fine. Good night then. Take care, Harry." A moment later he was gone.
The five Gryffindors stared at each other for a moment. It was obvious that three of them were still trying to understand some things and the other two were merely staying out of politeness.
"I think we all need to have a talk," Hermione finally said. "But tomorrow. I'm tired." Everyone nodded in agreement and gathered their things to head up to the dormitories. Sakura stayed behind to look at the fire for a moment. She was tempted to stick her hand in it, to see if she too would be unharmed.
"Don't risk it, Sakura," she heard Syaoran say, his voice tinged with amusement.
She turned around and shrugged. "I want to know how he did that. But I guess I can just ask them all tomorrow." Suddenly she realized that it was just the two of them now, alone. The dare Tomoyo had given her sprang go her memory as she looked over at Syaoran who was standing at the windows.
It was now or never.
Hesitantly, chewing on her lip, Sakura slowly made her way over to Syaoran, who was staring at her intently. When she was finally standing in front of him, still not speaking, she drew in a deep breath and went to her tip-toes, quickly brushing her lips over his. At least that was what she meant to do.
Syaoran quickly realized what she meant to do and as soon as he felt her lips on his, he quickly put one hand on the back of her neck, effectively trapping her there. Sakura stilled in surprise for a moment then slowly slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. Encouraged, Syaoran wrapped his arm around her waist and deepened the kiss.
When they separated a couple minutes later, Sakura stared up into his amber eyes and they both smiled in a shared happiness. As it had happened so many times in their past, no words were needed and they just stayed as they were for a few moments. At last, Syaoran bent another brief kiss on her lips before letting her go.
"Good night, Syaoran," she said sweetly as she gathered Touya in her arms again. The kitten swiped his claws at Syaoran when he tried to get near her again, causing them both to laugh.
"He really is like your brother," Syaoran muttered as he followed her from a distance to their separate dormitories.
"Oniichan just doesn't like you because you are stealing me away from him and he won't have his little sister around anymore."
"Too bad for him he's right," he grinned back at her before leaving her at the door that entered into her rooms.
"Good for me though," she giggled as she slipped into her bed once more, hoping to dream about what had just happened all over again.
But no explanation was to come the next morning as the tired Gryffindors filed their way into the Great Hall. Murmurs were circulating through the room as people looked at the Head Table. There was unmistakably one additional figure sitting among the rest, though no one could tell why. Everyone asked each other if they knew the answers and some were even trying to find the courage to go up to the Headmaster and ask themselves.
However, they needn't have worried. As the flocks of owls came sweeping down bearing letters and the Daily Post a large front page article answered them as efficiently as any of their questions could have. Everyone pored over their or the nearest copy of the Daily Prophet in fascination.
Sakura finally pulled away from Syaoran and looked at Professor Umbridge in both the picture and real life. At last, after a thorough inspection of both, she turned back to Syaoran, chewing on her lip slightly. Everyone near her at the table saw the obvious confusion and malcontent written across her face. It was almost like a drop of black on a Monet such was the contrast to the usual.
"Sakura what's wrong?" Ginny finally asked as the girl remained silent.
"I just have a very bad feeling about this," she answered slowly.
"How bad a feeling?" Syaoran asked, a calculating look lighting in his eyes.
She chewed on her lip for a moment longer then shook her head. "I think I'm going to talk to E- Hiiragizawa after breakfast."
Syaoran rose his eyebrows in surprise. Sakura never distrusted anyone, never disliked being around any particular person. Now she was going to go warn Hiiragizawa about someone? Did this lady really spell out that much trouble?
The hum of voices was suddenly silent as the toad-like lady in question rose from her seated position and in a surprisingly high pitched voice coughed. "Hem hem."
(A/N: shudders)
"Students, as I'm sure you just read, I am Professor Umbridge, the new High Inquisitor for this school. You may be asking what someone such as me would be doing at a school that many consider to be completely out of the realm of the Ministry of Magic. Perhaps it is time that I clarify my position here...."
And thus she began a long and drawn out speech that had half the student body falling asleep in their chairs or talking quietly. But a few students were riveted. Hermione, Syaoran, Sakura and Tomoyo could scarcely draw their eyes away from the horrible little figure until finally she stopped droning on and the students were allowed to go to their first classes.
Sakura watched as the four fifth years got up and started heading towards class. Quickly she reached out and grabbed Syaoran's sleeve. He turned to look back at her with a questioning look. She frowned and let go of him.
"Whatever you do, Syaoran, please don't make her mad. I don't think she'll take it very well."
Syaoran looked down at her as she pleaded so desperately. Without caring who saw them he reached up and caressed her cheek. Carefully brushing the hair away from her eyes he smiled down at her.
"Don't worry, Sakura. I won't do anything stupid."
She grinned up at him and while no one was looking, a fact of which she mad certain, she reached up and kissed him quickly before heading over to talk to Tomoyo. Syaoran stared after her with a small smile on his face, the kind he would be afraid to be caught dead wearing unless it was for her. Then at last, he turned to join the others for History of Magic.
Lunch came and went. It was as Sakura was leaving with Tomoyo that Eriol pulled them both aside. Sakura quickly assessed the situation as a bad one as the two exchanged grins.
"So...Sakura-san. Have you done your dare yet?" Eriol asked as Tomoyo giggled a little. "I'd hope so considering the display I saw this morning."
Sakura turned a bright shade of scarlet and Tomoyo's eyes widened. "Nani? What did I miss? And me without my video camera! What did they do, Hiiragizawa-san?"
"Nothing much. Just exchanged a kiss where all the school could see."
"You didn't," Tomoyo breathed as Sakura pointedly looked away. "You did! But this wasn't the first time was it?"
Sakura shook her head, still unable to speak. Matters were made worse when Syaoran walked towards the three, curiosity plain on his face.
"Why is she a bright shade of red?" he asked Tomoyo, gesturing towards Sakura.
"Why don't YOU answer that question, Li-san?" the raven haired girl giggled.
Immediately, the Chinese boy's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. Quickly he calculated whether or not he could escape intact or if he might be able to bring Sakura with him. With a second glance at the gleeful look on their faces, he decided it.
"Uh, I just remembered I have, uh, class. Sumimasen. I must be going." Quick as lightening he turned around and ran from the room.
Sakura stared at his retreating figure before screaming after him, "Li Syaoran you coward!"
A number of heads turned to see the interesting scene as the beautiful new transfer student screamed at the equally good looking boy who was running away as if his life depended on it. She had shouted in English leaving all of them wondering just what this boy who seemed so fearless would be running from so quickly.
Sakura sighed. "Hai, we kissed before, last night."
"How was it?" Tomoyo asked quickly.
"It was...nice," Sakura blushed. "Anyway, can we please change the subject before I start talking about why Eriol-kun keeps staring at you Tomoyo-chan?"
Tomoyo's violet eyes immediately lighted on Eriol, who was suddenly looking nervous.
"Uh, actually, I had something to ask you about Sakura-chan before you head to class." Whit his calm demeanor regained he smiled at Sakura serenely. "You have the second afternoon class free don't you? How would you like to help me out with that beastly woman Umbridge?"
Returning from what had to be the worst Divination class yet, Ron, Harry and Sakura were talking quietly over the actions of the new High Inquisitor. Harry had never really felt sorry for the teacher before until she was set against Umbridge. Sakura had even tried to help the poor witch by giving suggestions but Dolores Umbridge seemed to have something against the young green eyed girl and had told her to stop speaking or else.
Ron and Harry were about to jump to her defense when Sakura stopped the both of them, obviously afraid of the circumstances if such a thing happened. Harry was upset with her for taking the harsh blow but had kept silent. Still in his eyes he wondered at anyone who would take abuse and not fight back. Lost in thought, it wasn't until they reached the classroom that Harry and Ron realized that Sakura had walked with them the whole way instead of leaving them early as she usually did. When Harry asked her why she just smiled and shook her head.
"Er- Professor Hiiragizawa asked me to come talk to him for this class. He informed me that Professor Umbridge would be monitoring it."
Ron and Harry looked at each other with a pained look before entering. Sakura quickly waved at Hermione and Li but remained outside the door, surprising both of them. Harry went to his seat and looked at the Chinese boy for a few minutes before shrugging. He hadn't even waved back to her, but that was his problem not Harry's. He and Ron continued to talk about Divination until shortly before class started, when Umbridge walked in and stood against the far wall of the room, looking pointedly at the two of them.
"Where is Professor Hiiragizawa?" Hermione asked, pointing out something that they hadn't noticed earlier. "I hope he's not late for his own class when Professor Umbridge is here."
"Don't worry about that bastard," Li said, startling the other three. "He's too smart to fall into her traps and is probably setting one of his own."
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Experience," Li answered succinctly leading Harry to wonder just what happened between the two.
They were all interrupted in their conversation when Professor Hiiragizawa entered the room shortly before class was due to begin. Paying no mind to Umbridge, who was still standing on the far wall, he strode in, pausing to stand in front of his desk.
"Good afternoon, students. I'm sure you have all come eager to learn and I am, as ever, eager to teach. Now, today we will begin-," he stopped, cut off by a permeating noise.
"Hem hem."
As polite as ever, the professor turned to look at Umbridge where she stood. "Yes, professor?"
"Good afternoon, Professor Hegasawa," she said with her unnaturally girlish voice, causing Harry to shudder. "You received my note, I trust? Giving the time and date of your inspection?"
"I beg your pardon, but it's Hiiragizawa," he smiled politely, with a daring glint in his eye, causing Harry and Ron to quickly suppress laughter at the shocked look on the frog lady's face at being corrected. "And yes I received your note of course. Please, why don't you take a seat?"
"I would prefer to be near you, to better view your actions, professor," she insinuated slyly.
"Then I'm sure you would be more comfortable seated since I will be as well for most of the class, or at the board. Please, sit," Hiiragizawa ordered crisply, a touch of authority slipping into his tone.
Harry was sure that the professor would immediately get sacked but instead Umbridge merely sniffed and took a seat in an unoccupied chair towards the back of the room.
Hiiragizawa turned to the class once again, smiling as calmly as ever. "As I was saying, today we will begin learning a different defensive method than you have learned before. It will have nothing to do with your wands so please, put them away."
As Harry looked, Hermione's eyes widened as she looked at one of her respected teachers in anguish. It was the year for O.W.L.s and he was going to be teaching them things that weren't on the exam? The students began to murmur amongst themselves but obediently put there wands away. This was much to the satisfaction of Umbridge who began marking in her notebook with a small smile.
"Now, settle down. It is best known that the best way to protect yourself is not offense but a good defense. And the best way to defend yourself is to know your opponent. Correct?"
The students around Harry murmured affirmation, looking around shiftily. Were they going to be learning spy methods? What was the professor talking about? Harry looked at Li who was, characteristically, frowning at Hiiragizawa. However, unlike everyone else, he seemed to know exactly what the professor was talking about.
"Now, who in here can tell me what an aura is?" Hiiragizawa asked.
As expected, Hermione's hand shot up and was called on. "An aura is the manifestation of a person's life force. It is said to flow around every living being like light."
"Very good, Miss Granger. 10 points to Gryffindor. Does anybody else have anything to add?" he asked, looking around. When no one else spoke up, he seemed to be even more amused but not disappointed by the lack of information his students had.
"Well, it is to be expected perhaps," he smiled before walking to the door and opening it. Immediately everyone craned their head to look at what was going on and many gasps could be heard as Sakura was led in to the room. She was being led because she was blindfolded. He whispered something quietly, to quiet for Harry to make out, that caused her to nod and stand still where he left her to close the door.
"Hem hem," a voice coughed from the back of the room.
"Yes, Professor Umbridge?"
"May I ask what that Fourth Year student is doing in this Fifth year class, Professor H-, professor."
"Why, Miss Kinomoto graciously accepted when I asked her to assist me in this class. She has a free period at present and was more than happy to help."
"Do you normally need the help of...students...to teach, professor?" Umbridge asked, her voice touched with disdain.
"When the student is as exceptional as Miss Kinomoto, perhaps. Could I teach this class without her help, of course. Does her presence make it easier, indeed. Now, your pardon, but if you wish to judge my teaching methods it would be helpful to allow me to teach."
Harry was barely able to suppress a loud bark at laughter when he said this. Li may think Hiiragizawa was a bastard, but Harry couldn't help liking him. Nor could Hermione or Ron, judging by the looks of it.
"Now, as I said, Miss Kinomoto has more than graciously offered her assistance. Now, if you please, miss?" Sakura nodded and smiled pleasantly, before stepping a little closer to the students in front of her. "Will you please tell me who is seated in each seat, starting with Professor Umbridge?"
Sakura nodded. "There would be Professor Umbdrige then the rest of the row is empty. In the row below that there is a girl I don't know, Miss Brown, Miss Patil, another girl I do not know. In the row below them is Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger and then Syaoran. Below them there is a boy I don't know and then Mr. Longbottom and another boy I don't know who is beside an empty chair."
Harry's breath caught as she unmistakably placed everyone in the room, even being able to tell if a boy or girl sat where she didn't know people's names. It was unbelievable. Looking around, he noticed that everyone very much agreed and was whispering about it. Everyone but Li who looked a little amused and proud of Sakura. Something about the look on Li's face irritated Harry, but at the time he was still too awed to analyze it.
"Settle down, children. Now, can anyone tell me what Miss Kinomoto did that allowed her to spout that information?"
"She peeked in while we weren't looking," Dean Thomas laughed.
"Oh," Sakura blushed. "I'm sorry if you think so, but please don't believe that. I'm sorry I don't know your name either!"
Dean blushed causing everyone else to laugh a little. "I was only joking."
"Does anyone have a serious answer?" Hiiragizawa asked again. "Ah, Mr. Li why don't you enlighten us?"
Harry looked over at Li, who had pointedly not raised his hand, and tried to gauge just how much the Chinese boy wanted to murder their professor. However, after a minute the rage passed from his features and he sighed.
"She read our auras," he stated succinctly.
"But, if everyone has an aura what is so special about that? Please clarify, Mr. Li," Hiiragizawa prodded.
Sighing once more, Li sat up further. "While everyone has an aura, each person has an unique aura. This is even more noted when the said person has magic. The stronger the magic, the larger and more powerful a person's aura is. They are also extremely distinctive. Once someone has felt another's aura it is possible to tell it from every other aura they come across, much like a finger print. They are also associated with colours. Is that enough?" he muttered at the end, so low that only those on his row could here.
Hermione stared at Li in blatant respect that bordered on adoration for a few minutes before hurriedly trying to take all of that into notation. Harry was not so adoring and felt almost murderous towards the other boy who seemed so sure of himself. He was a show off, and a despicable one at that.
"Correct, Mr. Li. 15 points to Gryffindor. Now, before I begin teaching you the methods to learn how to be able to feel your own individual aura's I will ask Miss Kinomoto to do one last thing. Oh and you may remove the blindfold."
Smiling, Sakura untied the cloth that covered her eyes and politely handed it back to Professor Hiiragizawa. Without further instruction, the petite girl closed her jade eyes and breathed deeply. Suddenly her eyes flashed open again and Harry felt something hit him. It wasn't a hard hit or even really physical but still he felt as if something hand encompassed him. When he thought on it, it felt pleasant and warm, inviting.
"I am going to assume all of you felt that?" Hiiragizawa asked, pausing a moment to wait for stuttering affirmation. "That is what someone's aura feels like when it is projected on to you. This happens in one of several occasions: when you are close to them, when they are particularly strong, or when they have mastered the ability to project their aura. Are there any questions?"
No one raised their hand and Harry couldn't blame them, still awed by the sensation that was now slowly fading. Concentrating on Sakura again, he blinked his eyes a few times. It may have just been the light, but he was sure the could see a soft pink glow around her. But when he looked away and looked back it was gone.
Harry was barely able to concentrate as Professor Hiiragizawa went over the mediation methods they would use to try and sense their own aura. He caught just enough to be able to use them during the rest of class, or at least pretend to. Harry was actually striving to meditate when he heard Umbridge stand up and walk to the front of the class.
"I know I won't have to ask how long you have been working here, Professor, but I would like to ask what makes you feel qualified to hold such a position," she asked, eyeing Sakura where she still stood near the desk.
"I have years of knowledge in defensive magics, professor. If you want a full list of my accreditation I would ask that you get it at a later time when we both have longer to discuss."
Her eyes narrowed as she marked a few things down furiously and receded to one side of the room. When there was ten minutes left of class, Hiiragizawa interrupted them in their meditation. Harry had become so quieted that the sound of his soft voice startled him near to death and by the looks of it, he wasn't alone.
"It is understandable that not much progress will have been made in this short amount of time. However, for homework I want everyone to meditate until they believe they can tell me the colour of their own aura. With that said, are there any questions?"
Harry, all of a sudden had the greatest curiosity. Upon reflection of what he had felt earlier and the slight prickling he was beginning to feel now, an idea struck him.
"Professor, does Voldemort have an aura that he could overpower people with?"
Harry was able to catch the softening of the professors eyes before he was cut short of a response by Umbridge who quickly stood up. "I believe, Mr. Potter, that asking such hypothetical questions would be misconstrued. There is no need for useless knowledge."
Harry looked at her as if she were mad. "But it's not hypothetical. Voldemort is alive and back!"
"You are mistaken, Mr. Potter," she breathed, her voice rising in volume.
"I'M NOT MISTAKEN! I FOUGHT HIM!" Harry found himself shouting.
"DETENTION, Mr. Potter! With me for one week starting tomorrow."
"Bu-," Harry began before he felt a hand on his arm. Startled he glanced over at Li who was looking at him warningly. After a moment he shook his head. Tearing his arm away, Harry breathed deeply, trying to calm himself in the face of that monster.
Hiiragizawa looked around pointedly. "And with that, class is dismissed."
Everyone began packing their things and left the room in silence. Harry couldn't help but feel the eyes boring into him as his classmates filed out of the room, that Umbridge woman leading the way. He wanted to scream at all of them that he wasn't insane and that they were being foolish. But something inside him told him it was useless. With a sigh her rose and began looking around at the only occupants left in the room, Hermione, Ron, Sakura, Li and himself were left with the professor who sat down tiredly on his desk.
"Sudden change in lesson plan, Hiiragizawa?" he heard Li ask causing him to pay closer attention on the conversation. Ron and Hermione were doing the same and the three of them walked towards the professor and two exchange students.
"I had a feeling that if I started teaching you counter curses I'd be gone within a day. Beastly woman. I think you should turn her into a toad, Sakura. She looks enough like one."
The jade eyed girl giggled a little before shaking her head furiously. "No, Eriol. Everyone deserves their chance. Maybe she is a good person, just misguided."
Li rolled his eyes. "It would take her sacrificing children before you believed badly of her." Glancing around he caught sight of Harry and the others. "And you shouldn't let her get to you, Potter."
Not wanting to be patronized, Harry stiffened. "Stuff it, Li."
"Really, Mr. Potter. He is only trying to be nice, despite his seeming inability. He's right too." Hiiragizawa sighed. "She seems to be out for you, so be careful. And remember, if you let her get to you, let her cause you to react so she can punish you, she wins."
"He's right, Harry," Hermione interjected. "Promise me you won't look for a fight."
Harry sighed, outgunned and outnumbered. "Fine."
Hermione then turned to the professor. "Um, not to be disrespectful, Professor Hiiragizawa, but if you do not teach us what we need to know, how will we pass the O.W.L.s?"
The professor stared at her with twinkling blue eyes for a long moment before grinning softly. "Perhaps you can find someone else to teach you." Hermione looked at him oddly before a sort of understanding flooded her features. "Now, it is almost time for dinner so you should all be off."
"Bye, Eriol!" Sakura waved before hooking arms with Hermione and leading the way from the room.
"Goodbye, Sakura. And thank you for your help again."
Harry, Ron and Li watched as the two girls trailed before them in the halls. "I wonder why he got Sakura to help so specifically. Li, you obviously knew what he was talking about, which means you can probably do all that aura nonsense," Ron pointed out. "Why didn't he ask you? Or why didn't he do it himself?"
Li shrugged. "Because she is better at it."
"Wow, that's some high magics, like he said. To be better than a teacher!" Ron marveled.
"You have no idea," Li muttered low enough that Harry could barely hear. But he did hear it and in addition to everything else, it made him wonder all the more.
(A/N: LOOK! I found the EDIT/PREVIEW section! Anyway, I have no clue when I will be updating next. Hopefully I will begin writing this fic again soon, since I haven't been at all lately, and will have more up relatively quickly. In the meantime, Shameless plug Go read my other stories if you haven't already and tell me what you think! I promise that the more happy things I get to read the better I write.
Well not really, but it at least makes me feel like my writing is appreciated since this is the fic I can profit off of the least. Sigh. REVIEW! Ja!)
Review people: (there are still few enough for me to address individually, how nifty...and sad. Sigh.) NET: Thank you for your compliment. I work hard to make sure that they do combine so well. That is the main reason this takes so long to write. Arigatou! Nightglider: Thank you! Hikari Mizu: Nope, it's the Cleansweep Eleven. Though Cloud Nine does sound like a nifty broom. StarsLover: Again, thank you! I'm glad that people find appreciation in trying not to deviate. Personally it bothers me when people get too far off base, but I'm just anal like that.
Anyway, thank you for the reviews! Read! Review!
Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter or Card Captor Sakura. Actually, I own all books and videos. All together that is one heavy load let me tell you. Hard to lift.
The High Inquisitor
Harry was the first one awake in the boy's dormitory the following morning. For a long while he thought over the previous night's events and the discussion he had had with Hermione before she tiredly crawled up the stairs to head for bed.
"Harry, you should tell Dumbledore about your scar hurting like that," she urged, echoing what Ron had said earlier.
"I'm pretty sure the only thing about me that Dumbledore cares about is my stupid scar," he had muttered in return, causing Hermione to frown and look a little upset. He didn't want to upset her really, since he knew she was tired and just trying to help but when she reminded him that he wasn't supposed to write letters to Sirius, the only person he knew outside of his friends that really cared, he was just irritated.
Rolling out of bed, Harry decided to ignore her and write a short letter to his godfather, making sure to keep it in code. He spent a lot of time agonizing over it before thinking it was good to send. Glancing around to make sure that Ron was still asleep, he made his way down the dormitory stairs and through the common room. Once out in the hallways, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The walk to the Owlery was more or less uneventful, putting aside a warning from Nearly-Headless Nick to steer clear of Peeves while the poltergeist was still in the mood to do bodily injury. However, when Harry entered the Owlery he was startled into immobility.
"You are such a pretty bird, Ying Fa. I can see why Syaoran's mother liked you so much. Now go straight to my daddy and brother. I'll tell Syaoran where you went and he won't mind."
The brown owl hooted out her briefly before setting off into the sky. She watched it, wistfully Harry thought, before turning to give him a friendly smile. "Morning Harry. Are you sending a letter to?"
Again, Harry wondered just how they managed to sense people's presence, even who they were, without looking. It was rather eerie. But Harry only thought of it for a moment before saying, "Morning" and motioning for Hedwig. "I'm sending a letter to my friend."
"Oh, is that your owl! She's so pretty!" Sakura cooed, petting Hedwig. The white owl loved the attention and hooted at her affectionately. "I bought a kitten and named it after my brother. I should have named it Kero though because all he does is sleep!"
"Who's Kero?" he asked.
For a moment she stilled, as if realizing she had said something wrong. Then she smiled again. "He's one of the creatures bound to me. Anyway, I have to be going. I promised to spend the whole day with Tomoyo." She turned to leave and skipped down the stairs. Harry watched her for a moment, noticing how beautiful she looked in the early morning light. With a small sigh, he gave returned his attention to Hedwig.
"Make sure this gets to Sirius," he instructed, petting her feathers. "Have a safe flight." He watched her fly off for a minute and was turning to leave when he noticed something peculiar. Above the trees of the forbidden forest, a green horse looking creature with wings circled before diving into the treetops. It was unmistakably one of the creatures he had seen drawing the carriages on the first day.
The whole scene shocked Harry so much that when the door to the Owlery opened behind him, he leapt around in shock. Quickly he realized it was Cho Chang with a letter and parcel.
"Morning," he said without thinking.
"Oh! Hiya Harry." She was panting and had obviously run from somewhere to here. "Didn't think anyone else would be here this early on a Saturday. Me, I only just remembered a few minutes ago that it's my mum's birthday."
"Right," Harry replied, still mentally stuck on what he had just seen. However, somewhere in the back of his head he realized that he wasn't as excited to see Cho as he usually was. Finally he shook off the weird feeling and motioned to the windows. "Nice day isn't it?"
"Good Quidditch weather. I heard that Tornado-hater became Keeper. Is he any good?"
Harry shrugged, "He's got potential to be a really good Keeper." In truth, Ron hadn't been the best who had tried out but the others had been iffy in other categories. Again Harry wondered why Sakura didn't tryout but didn't say anything.
"I saw that new transfer student when I was coming up here. Her name is Kinomoto right?" Harry nodded. "Apparently, she and Tomoyo Daidouji are best friends. Tomoyo and I get along pretty well and she's always telling me about Sakura."
"Sakura told me they were in school together since the beginnings of primary." Harry shrugged, wondering where this conversation was going. He also couldn't help but feel a little antsy talking to Cho about Sakura.
"Half the guys in school think she's pretty. Do you?" she asked, only looking at him through the corner of her eye.
"Uh, well she is pretty. But then you are pretty too," he said quickly when she began to look upset.
Smiling, Cho straightened her shoulders, as if with new confidence. "That other new Gryffindor is pretty cute. I heard his name is Li Xiao Lang. I have relatives in China and they've mentioned the Li family being really powerful magically speaking. No one knows how really, but..." she broke off with a shrug.
"He's kind of a bastard," Harry muttered, missing the small smug smile Cho gave briefly when he said this. "I get the feeling that it would take years with a torch to get past that guy's coldness."
"Really?" she asked, genuinely interested.
"Yeah, he hardly talks except when Sakura is around. I think Sakura told me once that he doesn't do well with new people.' Harry shrugged, not particularly caring about the situation. "Anyway, I've got to go. Talk to you later, Cho."
"See ya, Harry."
"I still wish I had my camera! You just look too kawaii in your uniform, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said for probably the hundredth time since the day had started. She and Sakura were free range roaming the halls.
"Hoe, I'm almost glad that you don't. I mean, there are so many people who watch me everywhere I go as it is. If you were recording me half the time as well I don't think there would be any privacy left for me."
Tomoyo sighed. They walked in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Unbeknownst to either party, every male eye within eye sight was trained on their figures. Seeing amazingly beautiful girls was something unusual to begin with, but to see two walking side by side, completely unconscious of the fact that they were drawing so much attention, was a rarity. And it was because that neither Sakura nor Tomoyo seemed to notice the attention they attracted that very few girls cast them evil glances. Those who did were from Slytherin anyhow.
"So," Tomoyo began slyly after the long pause. "Have you and Li-kun kissed yet?"
Immediately the other girl blushed the deepest red. "Tomoyo-chan! Don't ask me things like that so loudly in public!"
"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo laughed. "We are both speaking Japanese."
"But the lovely Sakura-san and you are not the only ones who know the language, Daidouji-san."
"Eriol!" Sakura whined, her blush deepening, if possible. "Tomoyo I'll never forgive you for this."
Tomoyo laughed evilly, covering her mouth with one hand. "Just answer the question, Sakura-chan. I'm sure Hiiragizawa-san won't tell anyone."
Blushing furiously, Sakura shook her head. "Not yet. We just started seeing each other after years apart! I mean..." she trailed off, no longer capable of speech.
Eriol's lips twitched a little as he pat the girl on the shoulder. "OH, I'm sure my cute descendant won't mind something like that."
"HIIRAGIZAWA ERIOL-SAN!" the slip of a girl screamed attracting all attention in the hallway. Everyone went silent, staring at the beautiful girl who was shaking her fist at the new professor. Even more amazingly he was backing away with his hands held up in surrender. What was so threatening about her?
"Gomen nasai, Sakura-chan. Still, I do believe I'm right."
"Hai! I think a dare is in order here, Sakura-chan. I dare you to kiss Li-kun the next time you see him alone."
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura gasped, blushing again. "I-I-I," she stuttered unintelligently.
"I'll take that for a yes. If you don't do your dare I'm sure we can find some way to torture you." Tomoyo and Eriol grinned at each other, much like two teens with a secret, causing the other students to look at each other in amazement.
"Hoeeeee."
Harry had a rotten day. After he had gotten back from the Owlery Hermione and Ron showed him the Daily Prophet. Apparently someone had recognized Sirius at the station and reported that he was seen in London, causing the three to wonder furiously who could have seen him. Hermione also noticed a small article that made them all even more nervous. One of the Order, Sturgis Podmore, had been sentenced to six months in Azkaban for attempting to break into the Ministry. They figured it was a frame up but nothing could be certain at the moment.
To make matters worse, Qudditch practice had been a nightmare. Half the Slytherin house had showed up to hassle them as they practiced. Everyone managed to ignore them except for Ron who hadn't ever had to deal with the heckling. And that was on top of him already being nervous. Practice had barely lasted a half hour before they had to stop when Katie's nosebleed, arguably from either Ron hitting her in the face with the quaffle or one of the twins new inventions, wouldn't stop and she had to be taken to the hospital wing.
Hermione naturally assumed that Ron was the source of the horrible practice, which in truth Harry had to admit he partially was, which set Ron off further. He and Hermione were yelling at each other when Sakura entered the Common Room and quickly stopped the argument. Harry thanked each of his lucky stars by name that someone managed to shut the two up.
"Now, Ron, without yelling, tell me why practice was so bad?" Sakura asked with patience.
Ron blushed furiously, much to Harry's amusement, before stuttering out what had happened. He didn't even bother to leave out his own bumbling, which Harry was sure he would have in the other boy's position, especially when such a pretty girl was the one listening. But Sakura didn't tease and only nodded at all the right parts, her jade eyes showing that she was furiously thinking of a solution to their problem.
"Okay, when is the next practice?" Sakura asked after Ron had finished and lapsed into an embarrassed silence.
"Angelina rescheduled it for next Saturday," Harry answered. "Why?"
"What time?" Harry answered her, his curiosity growing. "Okay, I think I may be able to help this next time. But really Ron, you have to learn to play with distractions anyway. I'm sure they won't let up on you during the actual games." She said it in such a sweet way that Ron didn't get riled again.
Harry watched her leave a few minutes later, promising to return in a few minutes. In just a few minutes she had calmed the situation completely, something no one else had managed before. Hermione and Ron's squabbling was almost legend in the Common Room and she had silenced them in moments.
He was still musing over this when she and Ginny came back to the common room, chatting amiably. Sakura was holding a small kitten, most likely the one she had told him about earlier. When they reached the floor, the kitten leaped from her hands and immediately went up to Crookshanks, who stared at it for a moment in consideration. With what could be construed as a shrug, the marmalade cat looked away and began flicking it's tail to entertain the younger cat.
"Your cat is very intelligent, Hermione. And so pretty too."
Hermione smiled at the younger girl. "Thank you. What is yours named?"
"Touya," Sakura replied with a sad smile.
"You named him after that idiot?" someone behind them asked. Harry turned around and saw Li holding a few books in his hand and staring at Sakura with incredulity. Harry remembered that she had named her kitten after her brother and thought it was kind of funny that Li obviously didn't get along with him.
"I really wish you and oniichan would get along with each other," she sighed. "Besides, little Touya here acts like him a little."
"You mean he is ridiculously overprotective and threatens violence on anyone who comes near you?" Li muttered. Harry bit back a laugh at the mental image their conversation brought forth. For some reason he found it hard to believe that anyone would threaten this imposing looking boy.
The jade eyes got a sly look in them as she smiled mischievously. "Oh, he just doesn't like you. And after all, can you blame him? The first time he met you, you were attacking me. And then..." she trailed off. The sentence was full of implication, leaving their audience dying to know just what else had happened.
"You attacked Sakura?" Ginny asked. "I don't think I can imagine that at all. You act so protective towards her."
"Oh, we argued constantly when we first met. Eventually things changed but at first we didn't get along at all!" Sakura giggled entrancingly. Harry wondered how anyone could not get along with her or any reason why anyone would attack her. She was too genuinely likable.
Li sat down in the chair beside Harry heavily. He looked a bit irritated and more than a little embarrassed at the way the conversation was flowing. Harry wanted to laugh at him almost, that the great Li would be so easily discomfited by such a slip of a girl. But something told Harry that he'd have a much shorter life span than already expected if he did so, so he repressed his amusement and turned to watch Hermione as she and Ginny began talking.
After a few minutes had passed in separate conversations, Sakura spoke up again, drawing everyone's attention. "Umm, what are all of you doing tomorrow?"
"Normally, Harry and me would be doing homework all day, I think," Ron laughed. "But thanks to Li here I have most of mine done." Harry agreed, feeling slightly nervous as to why she was asking.
"It's the first weekend of term so most things aren't scheduled yet. I'm free anyway, so is Ginny," Hermione answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, well, Tomoyo said that she wanted to talk with all of you again since she got a good impression from you when we first met. Meilin is coming too. We were all going to meet out by the lake tomorrow if you wouldn't mind coming."
Harry felt even more butterflies pop up into his stomach. More than anyone she was looking at him with her pleading eyes. Why did she want him to meet her friends so much? Did they want to pester him about being the Boy Who Lived? Whatever it was, it meant he got to spend the day in her company so he quickly agreed. The other three quickly gave their assent as well and Sakura grinned.
"Oh, and Syaoran, ignore Tomoyo. She has another one of those ideas in her head and she teamed up with Eriol this time." Again, Harry noticed she said Eriol and wondered just how close they were to the professor, especially since her best friend and he were obviously plotting something that made her nervous.
"Sakura, I found that where Tomoyo and Hiiragizawa are concerned, it's almost always best not to know."
"Yeah and Rika and Mr. Terada are getting married in three years. They finally announced it. They've been engaged since the fourth grade too, can you believe it?"
Sakura was gossiping cheerfully with Tomoyo and Meilin while they waited for Harry and Ron to meet them. Hermione and Ginny were listening to their conversation, asking questions about this and that. After all, no matter what country you are from or if you even know the people involved, girl talk is girl talk.
"You mean your friend was engaged to her teacher in the fourth grade?" Ginny breathed. "That's gross. I mean can you imagine to being engaged to anyone here at Hogwarts? I mean think about it. Snape?"
The girls were still giggling when Harry and Ron finally made their way to the small group. Immediately everyone was reintroduced, though really everyone remembered each other quite well. Almost instantly after that, Tomoyo grabbed hold of Harry's arm and started to drag him away from the others.
"We are just going to take a walk around the lake. Don't worry we'll be back shortly," she chimed over shoulder while Harry got a hunted look.
When Harry was allowed to walk on his own again, he kept his silence, occasionally glancing at the pretty girl walking beside him. Earlier on the train he had received the impression that she wasn't part of the Harry Potter fan club and was somewhat startled by her actions now.
"Oh, I think we are far enough away now," Tomoyo finally said, glancing back towards the others who were laughing and talking to each other.
"Er, far enough for what?" he asked nervously. There was a look in this girl's eye that he just didn't quite trust.
"Oh, you needn't worry, Mr. Potter, I just wish to talk to you. It's been my priority to get to know all of Sakura's new friends. She is very trusting, as I'm sure you've noticed, and I want to make sure no one hurts her. She's had enough of that," the raven haired girl finished with a sigh.
Harry wondered at the last statement. When he looked at Sakura he couldn't imagine her having been hurt once in her life, or that anyone would want to. "Er, okay, but can you not call me Mr. Potter? Makes me feel like I'm talking to a professor."
"I apologize. I'll call you Potter than," she smiled. Briefly he wondered why not his first name but then he remembered that she called Li by his last name as well. "Anyway, can you tell me more about yourself? I really don't know that much about you or, actually, anyone here since I'm so new to this place."
Harry blinked and a wash of bitterness came over him. Of course she wanted to know about the great Harry Potter, perhaps see if he was really insane and would hurt her best friend. Really he should have been expecting it. "I'm not insane, no matter what you read in the Prophet."
Surprisingly, Tomoyo giggled. "I never thought you were. Nor do I care about anything to do with Voldemort. If I did I'd ask elsewhere since I'm sure you are tired of hearing about it. After all, even Sakura got tired of talking about everything after a while."
Harry actually stopped walking from the shock. Even Hermione and Ron never told him to stop talking about Voldemort. Even more she was expecting it and she also said his name instead of that ridiculous You-Know-Who.
"You know, I think I like you, Daidouji. Can I call you Tomoyo?"
She nodded. "But only on the condition that you tell me something about yourself."
"Done," he smiled.
For the next quarter hour, Harry and Tomoyo discussed his likes and dislikes. He told her how much he hated living with the Dursley's and how much he envied everyone around him for having at least one parent there to love them.
"You have the Weasleys don't you?" she observed in response making Harry pause to think. True, since they had met on the platform and shown him how to get to the train, the Weasleys had more or less acted like a family to him ever since. Well, perhaps Percy wouldn't anymore but he didn't miss that.
When they were once again approaching the group, Harry's eyes were immediately drawn to Sakura as she laughed with Ginny and Hermione. The sun shone down on her honey coloured hair and sparkled as she turned her head every so often.
"You are always looking at her, Harry," Tomoyo observed quietly.
Harry blushed and tore his eyes away from her. "I don't even know why really. Am I that obvious?"
Tomoyo shook her head. "Not really, to me perhaps since I watch those who watch her. But you have a kindness in your eyes and curiosity." She paused, chewing on her lip a moment as if trying to phrase something correctly. "It is not mine to tell," she finally started, furrowing her brow a little, "but you are not the only to watch her like that. But she has eyes only for one person, Harry. It is her nature."
Harry nodded, pretending he understood the cryptic meaning behind her words. Never since he met her had she trained her eyes on one person, following them. If she had, Harry would have noticed. More often than not, Sakura's eyes were fixed on him when he was around. Did that mean she liked him?
"Tomoyo! Meilin said that she found a Ravenclaw guy she kind of likes! You have to introduce them!" Sakura laughed, running up to them.
"Kinomoto! You are going to pay for that," Meiling hissed as she joined them. Harry watched as the three girls began talking furiously for a moment before breaking off into giggles. They rejoined the group and Tomoyo latched on to Hermione in the same fashion that she had to Harry a half hour before.
"We'll be back!" she cried as she left. Harry wondered as he watched her leave, just how much Tomoyo knew. And how much information would forever remain concealed behind those amethyst eyes.
Night had fallen many hours ago, and while the day had been eventful and tiring, Sakura simply couldn't get to sleep. It had been both nice and a little weird to sit with everyone like that, new and old friends meeting and getting along just as well as if they had known each other for more than a couple days. It made Sakura feel more at home and miss her family less when she was able to have fun like that.
As she turned over in her bed yet again, Sakura felt another spurt of magic from the common room downstairs. It had been occurring about once an hour for some time now. It only lasted for a couple seconds so she had for the larger part, ignored it. This time however, it returned quickly and sustained itself.
Yawning tiredly, she wrapped her robe around her loosely and picked up Touya, making her way down to the Common Room. Walking silently, so as not to scare any body who she was trying to spy on, she slipped slowly down the stairs, only to find Harry, Hermione and Ron kneeling before the fire talking to someone whose head was sticking out of it.
Curious, she approached them still silent until she was able to recognize the face as it turned to look at her in surprise. "Oh, hello Mr. Black," she yawned.
Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped and whirled towards her. "Sakura," they nearly shouted in unison. Sakura jumped a little in response and rubbed her eyes.
"What?" she yawned.
"How do you know Sirius?" Harry asked after a moment.
"I had a dream about him," she replied tiredly. It was close enough to the truth to count.
"Do you normally dream about real things," Hermione asked with a touch of incredulity colouring her voice.
"Yes," she replied shortly. Looking back towards Mr. Black she found herself asking, "Doesn't that hurt?"
The head in the fire laughed a little. "I'm going to assume you are Miss Kinomoto. Dumbledore told me about you."
Sakura watched as the three turned to look back at him in shock. "You know about her too?" Ron asked.
"When you are stuck inside a house twenty-four/seven you tend to learn a lot of things. At one of the last Order meetings they mentioned four exchange students and then later Molly told me that two of them had been sorted into Gryffindor."
Harry was about to ask something when Syaoran poked his head from the stairwell, briefly assessing the situation. "Is that what it was?" he asked Sakura, indicating the spurts of magic.
"Yeah, go back to sleep, Syaoran. You look tired."
"I'm fine," he replied, joining them. "Isn't that Black?" he asked when he got close enough to recognize the head, ignoring the three stunned figures.
"Don't tell me you dream about real things too," Harry muttered darkly.
"No, but his picture was in the Prophet this morning. He doesn't look quite as scraggly but it's still him."
Sakura wanted to giggle at the look of amazement that spread over their friends faces as she pet Touya absently. She had no clue why Mr. Black was sitting so comfortably in the fire or what reasons he had to be here anyway. Still she didn't think it was too polite to ask.
"I guess, I'll leave you alone now. I just wanted to know what the magic I felt was."
"Oh, I need to leave anyway, I can hear Kreacher coming. Still, I think I would be a good idea for me to-," he started before Hermione and Harry cut him off with an abrupt, "NO!" "Fine, fine. Good night then. Take care, Harry." A moment later he was gone.
The five Gryffindors stared at each other for a moment. It was obvious that three of them were still trying to understand some things and the other two were merely staying out of politeness.
"I think we all need to have a talk," Hermione finally said. "But tomorrow. I'm tired." Everyone nodded in agreement and gathered their things to head up to the dormitories. Sakura stayed behind to look at the fire for a moment. She was tempted to stick her hand in it, to see if she too would be unharmed.
"Don't risk it, Sakura," she heard Syaoran say, his voice tinged with amusement.
She turned around and shrugged. "I want to know how he did that. But I guess I can just ask them all tomorrow." Suddenly she realized that it was just the two of them now, alone. The dare Tomoyo had given her sprang go her memory as she looked over at Syaoran who was standing at the windows.
It was now or never.
Hesitantly, chewing on her lip, Sakura slowly made her way over to Syaoran, who was staring at her intently. When she was finally standing in front of him, still not speaking, she drew in a deep breath and went to her tip-toes, quickly brushing her lips over his. At least that was what she meant to do.
Syaoran quickly realized what she meant to do and as soon as he felt her lips on his, he quickly put one hand on the back of her neck, effectively trapping her there. Sakura stilled in surprise for a moment then slowly slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. Encouraged, Syaoran wrapped his arm around her waist and deepened the kiss.
When they separated a couple minutes later, Sakura stared up into his amber eyes and they both smiled in a shared happiness. As it had happened so many times in their past, no words were needed and they just stayed as they were for a few moments. At last, Syaoran bent another brief kiss on her lips before letting her go.
"Good night, Syaoran," she said sweetly as she gathered Touya in her arms again. The kitten swiped his claws at Syaoran when he tried to get near her again, causing them both to laugh.
"He really is like your brother," Syaoran muttered as he followed her from a distance to their separate dormitories.
"Oniichan just doesn't like you because you are stealing me away from him and he won't have his little sister around anymore."
"Too bad for him he's right," he grinned back at her before leaving her at the door that entered into her rooms.
"Good for me though," she giggled as she slipped into her bed once more, hoping to dream about what had just happened all over again.
But no explanation was to come the next morning as the tired Gryffindors filed their way into the Great Hall. Murmurs were circulating through the room as people looked at the Head Table. There was unmistakably one additional figure sitting among the rest, though no one could tell why. Everyone asked each other if they knew the answers and some were even trying to find the courage to go up to the Headmaster and ask themselves.
However, they needn't have worried. As the flocks of owls came sweeping down bearing letters and the Daily Post a large front page article answered them as efficiently as any of their questions could have. Everyone pored over their or the nearest copy of the Daily Prophet in fascination.
Sakura finally pulled away from Syaoran and looked at Professor Umbridge in both the picture and real life. At last, after a thorough inspection of both, she turned back to Syaoran, chewing on her lip slightly. Everyone near her at the table saw the obvious confusion and malcontent written across her face. It was almost like a drop of black on a Monet such was the contrast to the usual.
"Sakura what's wrong?" Ginny finally asked as the girl remained silent.
"I just have a very bad feeling about this," she answered slowly.
"How bad a feeling?" Syaoran asked, a calculating look lighting in his eyes.
She chewed on her lip for a moment longer then shook her head. "I think I'm going to talk to E- Hiiragizawa after breakfast."
Syaoran rose his eyebrows in surprise. Sakura never distrusted anyone, never disliked being around any particular person. Now she was going to go warn Hiiragizawa about someone? Did this lady really spell out that much trouble?
The hum of voices was suddenly silent as the toad-like lady in question rose from her seated position and in a surprisingly high pitched voice coughed. "Hem hem."
(A/N: shudders)
"Students, as I'm sure you just read, I am Professor Umbridge, the new High Inquisitor for this school. You may be asking what someone such as me would be doing at a school that many consider to be completely out of the realm of the Ministry of Magic. Perhaps it is time that I clarify my position here...."
And thus she began a long and drawn out speech that had half the student body falling asleep in their chairs or talking quietly. But a few students were riveted. Hermione, Syaoran, Sakura and Tomoyo could scarcely draw their eyes away from the horrible little figure until finally she stopped droning on and the students were allowed to go to their first classes.
Sakura watched as the four fifth years got up and started heading towards class. Quickly she reached out and grabbed Syaoran's sleeve. He turned to look back at her with a questioning look. She frowned and let go of him.
"Whatever you do, Syaoran, please don't make her mad. I don't think she'll take it very well."
Syaoran looked down at her as she pleaded so desperately. Without caring who saw them he reached up and caressed her cheek. Carefully brushing the hair away from her eyes he smiled down at her.
"Don't worry, Sakura. I won't do anything stupid."
She grinned up at him and while no one was looking, a fact of which she mad certain, she reached up and kissed him quickly before heading over to talk to Tomoyo. Syaoran stared after her with a small smile on his face, the kind he would be afraid to be caught dead wearing unless it was for her. Then at last, he turned to join the others for History of Magic.
Lunch came and went. It was as Sakura was leaving with Tomoyo that Eriol pulled them both aside. Sakura quickly assessed the situation as a bad one as the two exchanged grins.
"So...Sakura-san. Have you done your dare yet?" Eriol asked as Tomoyo giggled a little. "I'd hope so considering the display I saw this morning."
Sakura turned a bright shade of scarlet and Tomoyo's eyes widened. "Nani? What did I miss? And me without my video camera! What did they do, Hiiragizawa-san?"
"Nothing much. Just exchanged a kiss where all the school could see."
"You didn't," Tomoyo breathed as Sakura pointedly looked away. "You did! But this wasn't the first time was it?"
Sakura shook her head, still unable to speak. Matters were made worse when Syaoran walked towards the three, curiosity plain on his face.
"Why is she a bright shade of red?" he asked Tomoyo, gesturing towards Sakura.
"Why don't YOU answer that question, Li-san?" the raven haired girl giggled.
Immediately, the Chinese boy's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. Quickly he calculated whether or not he could escape intact or if he might be able to bring Sakura with him. With a second glance at the gleeful look on their faces, he decided it.
"Uh, I just remembered I have, uh, class. Sumimasen. I must be going." Quick as lightening he turned around and ran from the room.
Sakura stared at his retreating figure before screaming after him, "Li Syaoran you coward!"
A number of heads turned to see the interesting scene as the beautiful new transfer student screamed at the equally good looking boy who was running away as if his life depended on it. She had shouted in English leaving all of them wondering just what this boy who seemed so fearless would be running from so quickly.
Sakura sighed. "Hai, we kissed before, last night."
"How was it?" Tomoyo asked quickly.
"It was...nice," Sakura blushed. "Anyway, can we please change the subject before I start talking about why Eriol-kun keeps staring at you Tomoyo-chan?"
Tomoyo's violet eyes immediately lighted on Eriol, who was suddenly looking nervous.
"Uh, actually, I had something to ask you about Sakura-chan before you head to class." Whit his calm demeanor regained he smiled at Sakura serenely. "You have the second afternoon class free don't you? How would you like to help me out with that beastly woman Umbridge?"
Returning from what had to be the worst Divination class yet, Ron, Harry and Sakura were talking quietly over the actions of the new High Inquisitor. Harry had never really felt sorry for the teacher before until she was set against Umbridge. Sakura had even tried to help the poor witch by giving suggestions but Dolores Umbridge seemed to have something against the young green eyed girl and had told her to stop speaking or else.
Ron and Harry were about to jump to her defense when Sakura stopped the both of them, obviously afraid of the circumstances if such a thing happened. Harry was upset with her for taking the harsh blow but had kept silent. Still in his eyes he wondered at anyone who would take abuse and not fight back. Lost in thought, it wasn't until they reached the classroom that Harry and Ron realized that Sakura had walked with them the whole way instead of leaving them early as she usually did. When Harry asked her why she just smiled and shook her head.
"Er- Professor Hiiragizawa asked me to come talk to him for this class. He informed me that Professor Umbridge would be monitoring it."
Ron and Harry looked at each other with a pained look before entering. Sakura quickly waved at Hermione and Li but remained outside the door, surprising both of them. Harry went to his seat and looked at the Chinese boy for a few minutes before shrugging. He hadn't even waved back to her, but that was his problem not Harry's. He and Ron continued to talk about Divination until shortly before class started, when Umbridge walked in and stood against the far wall of the room, looking pointedly at the two of them.
"Where is Professor Hiiragizawa?" Hermione asked, pointing out something that they hadn't noticed earlier. "I hope he's not late for his own class when Professor Umbridge is here."
"Don't worry about that bastard," Li said, startling the other three. "He's too smart to fall into her traps and is probably setting one of his own."
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Experience," Li answered succinctly leading Harry to wonder just what happened between the two.
They were all interrupted in their conversation when Professor Hiiragizawa entered the room shortly before class was due to begin. Paying no mind to Umbridge, who was still standing on the far wall, he strode in, pausing to stand in front of his desk.
"Good afternoon, students. I'm sure you have all come eager to learn and I am, as ever, eager to teach. Now, today we will begin-," he stopped, cut off by a permeating noise.
"Hem hem."
As polite as ever, the professor turned to look at Umbridge where she stood. "Yes, professor?"
"Good afternoon, Professor Hegasawa," she said with her unnaturally girlish voice, causing Harry to shudder. "You received my note, I trust? Giving the time and date of your inspection?"
"I beg your pardon, but it's Hiiragizawa," he smiled politely, with a daring glint in his eye, causing Harry and Ron to quickly suppress laughter at the shocked look on the frog lady's face at being corrected. "And yes I received your note of course. Please, why don't you take a seat?"
"I would prefer to be near you, to better view your actions, professor," she insinuated slyly.
"Then I'm sure you would be more comfortable seated since I will be as well for most of the class, or at the board. Please, sit," Hiiragizawa ordered crisply, a touch of authority slipping into his tone.
Harry was sure that the professor would immediately get sacked but instead Umbridge merely sniffed and took a seat in an unoccupied chair towards the back of the room.
Hiiragizawa turned to the class once again, smiling as calmly as ever. "As I was saying, today we will begin learning a different defensive method than you have learned before. It will have nothing to do with your wands so please, put them away."
As Harry looked, Hermione's eyes widened as she looked at one of her respected teachers in anguish. It was the year for O.W.L.s and he was going to be teaching them things that weren't on the exam? The students began to murmur amongst themselves but obediently put there wands away. This was much to the satisfaction of Umbridge who began marking in her notebook with a small smile.
"Now, settle down. It is best known that the best way to protect yourself is not offense but a good defense. And the best way to defend yourself is to know your opponent. Correct?"
The students around Harry murmured affirmation, looking around shiftily. Were they going to be learning spy methods? What was the professor talking about? Harry looked at Li who was, characteristically, frowning at Hiiragizawa. However, unlike everyone else, he seemed to know exactly what the professor was talking about.
"Now, who in here can tell me what an aura is?" Hiiragizawa asked.
As expected, Hermione's hand shot up and was called on. "An aura is the manifestation of a person's life force. It is said to flow around every living being like light."
"Very good, Miss Granger. 10 points to Gryffindor. Does anybody else have anything to add?" he asked, looking around. When no one else spoke up, he seemed to be even more amused but not disappointed by the lack of information his students had.
"Well, it is to be expected perhaps," he smiled before walking to the door and opening it. Immediately everyone craned their head to look at what was going on and many gasps could be heard as Sakura was led in to the room. She was being led because she was blindfolded. He whispered something quietly, to quiet for Harry to make out, that caused her to nod and stand still where he left her to close the door.
"Hem hem," a voice coughed from the back of the room.
"Yes, Professor Umbridge?"
"May I ask what that Fourth Year student is doing in this Fifth year class, Professor H-, professor."
"Why, Miss Kinomoto graciously accepted when I asked her to assist me in this class. She has a free period at present and was more than happy to help."
"Do you normally need the help of...students...to teach, professor?" Umbridge asked, her voice touched with disdain.
"When the student is as exceptional as Miss Kinomoto, perhaps. Could I teach this class without her help, of course. Does her presence make it easier, indeed. Now, your pardon, but if you wish to judge my teaching methods it would be helpful to allow me to teach."
Harry was barely able to suppress a loud bark at laughter when he said this. Li may think Hiiragizawa was a bastard, but Harry couldn't help liking him. Nor could Hermione or Ron, judging by the looks of it.
"Now, as I said, Miss Kinomoto has more than graciously offered her assistance. Now, if you please, miss?" Sakura nodded and smiled pleasantly, before stepping a little closer to the students in front of her. "Will you please tell me who is seated in each seat, starting with Professor Umbridge?"
Sakura nodded. "There would be Professor Umbdrige then the rest of the row is empty. In the row below that there is a girl I don't know, Miss Brown, Miss Patil, another girl I do not know. In the row below them is Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger and then Syaoran. Below them there is a boy I don't know and then Mr. Longbottom and another boy I don't know who is beside an empty chair."
Harry's breath caught as she unmistakably placed everyone in the room, even being able to tell if a boy or girl sat where she didn't know people's names. It was unbelievable. Looking around, he noticed that everyone very much agreed and was whispering about it. Everyone but Li who looked a little amused and proud of Sakura. Something about the look on Li's face irritated Harry, but at the time he was still too awed to analyze it.
"Settle down, children. Now, can anyone tell me what Miss Kinomoto did that allowed her to spout that information?"
"She peeked in while we weren't looking," Dean Thomas laughed.
"Oh," Sakura blushed. "I'm sorry if you think so, but please don't believe that. I'm sorry I don't know your name either!"
Dean blushed causing everyone else to laugh a little. "I was only joking."
"Does anyone have a serious answer?" Hiiragizawa asked again. "Ah, Mr. Li why don't you enlighten us?"
Harry looked over at Li, who had pointedly not raised his hand, and tried to gauge just how much the Chinese boy wanted to murder their professor. However, after a minute the rage passed from his features and he sighed.
"She read our auras," he stated succinctly.
"But, if everyone has an aura what is so special about that? Please clarify, Mr. Li," Hiiragizawa prodded.
Sighing once more, Li sat up further. "While everyone has an aura, each person has an unique aura. This is even more noted when the said person has magic. The stronger the magic, the larger and more powerful a person's aura is. They are also extremely distinctive. Once someone has felt another's aura it is possible to tell it from every other aura they come across, much like a finger print. They are also associated with colours. Is that enough?" he muttered at the end, so low that only those on his row could here.
Hermione stared at Li in blatant respect that bordered on adoration for a few minutes before hurriedly trying to take all of that into notation. Harry was not so adoring and felt almost murderous towards the other boy who seemed so sure of himself. He was a show off, and a despicable one at that.
"Correct, Mr. Li. 15 points to Gryffindor. Now, before I begin teaching you the methods to learn how to be able to feel your own individual aura's I will ask Miss Kinomoto to do one last thing. Oh and you may remove the blindfold."
Smiling, Sakura untied the cloth that covered her eyes and politely handed it back to Professor Hiiragizawa. Without further instruction, the petite girl closed her jade eyes and breathed deeply. Suddenly her eyes flashed open again and Harry felt something hit him. It wasn't a hard hit or even really physical but still he felt as if something hand encompassed him. When he thought on it, it felt pleasant and warm, inviting.
"I am going to assume all of you felt that?" Hiiragizawa asked, pausing a moment to wait for stuttering affirmation. "That is what someone's aura feels like when it is projected on to you. This happens in one of several occasions: when you are close to them, when they are particularly strong, or when they have mastered the ability to project their aura. Are there any questions?"
No one raised their hand and Harry couldn't blame them, still awed by the sensation that was now slowly fading. Concentrating on Sakura again, he blinked his eyes a few times. It may have just been the light, but he was sure the could see a soft pink glow around her. But when he looked away and looked back it was gone.
Harry was barely able to concentrate as Professor Hiiragizawa went over the mediation methods they would use to try and sense their own aura. He caught just enough to be able to use them during the rest of class, or at least pretend to. Harry was actually striving to meditate when he heard Umbridge stand up and walk to the front of the class.
"I know I won't have to ask how long you have been working here, Professor, but I would like to ask what makes you feel qualified to hold such a position," she asked, eyeing Sakura where she still stood near the desk.
"I have years of knowledge in defensive magics, professor. If you want a full list of my accreditation I would ask that you get it at a later time when we both have longer to discuss."
Her eyes narrowed as she marked a few things down furiously and receded to one side of the room. When there was ten minutes left of class, Hiiragizawa interrupted them in their meditation. Harry had become so quieted that the sound of his soft voice startled him near to death and by the looks of it, he wasn't alone.
"It is understandable that not much progress will have been made in this short amount of time. However, for homework I want everyone to meditate until they believe they can tell me the colour of their own aura. With that said, are there any questions?"
Harry, all of a sudden had the greatest curiosity. Upon reflection of what he had felt earlier and the slight prickling he was beginning to feel now, an idea struck him.
"Professor, does Voldemort have an aura that he could overpower people with?"
Harry was able to catch the softening of the professors eyes before he was cut short of a response by Umbridge who quickly stood up. "I believe, Mr. Potter, that asking such hypothetical questions would be misconstrued. There is no need for useless knowledge."
Harry looked at her as if she were mad. "But it's not hypothetical. Voldemort is alive and back!"
"You are mistaken, Mr. Potter," she breathed, her voice rising in volume.
"I'M NOT MISTAKEN! I FOUGHT HIM!" Harry found himself shouting.
"DETENTION, Mr. Potter! With me for one week starting tomorrow."
"Bu-," Harry began before he felt a hand on his arm. Startled he glanced over at Li who was looking at him warningly. After a moment he shook his head. Tearing his arm away, Harry breathed deeply, trying to calm himself in the face of that monster.
Hiiragizawa looked around pointedly. "And with that, class is dismissed."
Everyone began packing their things and left the room in silence. Harry couldn't help but feel the eyes boring into him as his classmates filed out of the room, that Umbridge woman leading the way. He wanted to scream at all of them that he wasn't insane and that they were being foolish. But something inside him told him it was useless. With a sigh her rose and began looking around at the only occupants left in the room, Hermione, Ron, Sakura, Li and himself were left with the professor who sat down tiredly on his desk.
"Sudden change in lesson plan, Hiiragizawa?" he heard Li ask causing him to pay closer attention on the conversation. Ron and Hermione were doing the same and the three of them walked towards the professor and two exchange students.
"I had a feeling that if I started teaching you counter curses I'd be gone within a day. Beastly woman. I think you should turn her into a toad, Sakura. She looks enough like one."
The jade eyed girl giggled a little before shaking her head furiously. "No, Eriol. Everyone deserves their chance. Maybe she is a good person, just misguided."
Li rolled his eyes. "It would take her sacrificing children before you believed badly of her." Glancing around he caught sight of Harry and the others. "And you shouldn't let her get to you, Potter."
Not wanting to be patronized, Harry stiffened. "Stuff it, Li."
"Really, Mr. Potter. He is only trying to be nice, despite his seeming inability. He's right too." Hiiragizawa sighed. "She seems to be out for you, so be careful. And remember, if you let her get to you, let her cause you to react so she can punish you, she wins."
"He's right, Harry," Hermione interjected. "Promise me you won't look for a fight."
Harry sighed, outgunned and outnumbered. "Fine."
Hermione then turned to the professor. "Um, not to be disrespectful, Professor Hiiragizawa, but if you do not teach us what we need to know, how will we pass the O.W.L.s?"
The professor stared at her with twinkling blue eyes for a long moment before grinning softly. "Perhaps you can find someone else to teach you." Hermione looked at him oddly before a sort of understanding flooded her features. "Now, it is almost time for dinner so you should all be off."
"Bye, Eriol!" Sakura waved before hooking arms with Hermione and leading the way from the room.
"Goodbye, Sakura. And thank you for your help again."
Harry, Ron and Li watched as the two girls trailed before them in the halls. "I wonder why he got Sakura to help so specifically. Li, you obviously knew what he was talking about, which means you can probably do all that aura nonsense," Ron pointed out. "Why didn't he ask you? Or why didn't he do it himself?"
Li shrugged. "Because she is better at it."
"Wow, that's some high magics, like he said. To be better than a teacher!" Ron marveled.
"You have no idea," Li muttered low enough that Harry could barely hear. But he did hear it and in addition to everything else, it made him wonder all the more.
(A/N: LOOK! I found the EDIT/PREVIEW section! Anyway, I have no clue when I will be updating next. Hopefully I will begin writing this fic again soon, since I haven't been at all lately, and will have more up relatively quickly. In the meantime, Shameless plug Go read my other stories if you haven't already and tell me what you think! I promise that the more happy things I get to read the better I write.
Well not really, but it at least makes me feel like my writing is appreciated since this is the fic I can profit off of the least. Sigh. REVIEW! Ja!)