Chapter 30. The Knight, the Sister and Death's Archway

There was a silent pink-tinted ripple-like aura as a group of teenagers in silver hooded robes and white masks appeared in the middle of an unknown room.

"Where are we?" Sakura asked as she returned Move to her pocket.

"This is…it can't be…" Eriol looked quite surprised at their surroundings. "We're at the Ministry's Atrium…"

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, not quite believing it.

"Look behind you." Eriol instructed.

Half the teens spun around, as they had teleported while in a circle formation, their backs to each other. It was then they all could see the golden statue of the Magical Brethren, which had had to be restored after the fight at the Ministry between six members of the D.A., several more from the Order of the Phoenix, and about a dozen DEs…

"We are in the Ministry…" Harry confirmed.

"What the hell are we doing here?" Long asked, not very comfortable in their surroundings.

His tension was to be expected, considering what had happened the last time they had all set foot in that place…

"I was just following Tomoyo-chan's guidance…" Sakura answered quietly.

"I followed the bond." Tomoyo answered softly but strongly. "It's so weak, and only half-formed, but it's there. She's here."

"What is Rose Midori doing here exactly?" Eriol asked.

"That's something we're going to find out." Naoko commented as she focused and then turned to the lifts. "I can feel her too now. This way."

No one else said anything, they all followed Naoko to the lift, where Tomoyo pressed a button following her instincts. In a matter of minutes they all emerged in a place where they could all feel a magical trace, very dim, but they all knew it was there, and Tomoyo, Eriol and Naoko all knew who it belonged to.

Things seemed to be pretty simple, until they entered a circular room, and suddenly there were closed doors all around, spinning like crazy.

"Stop!" Eriol ordered, his voice infused with magic.

The doors did stop, but they still had no idea where to go now.

"Any of you remember anything useful about this?" Shaoran asked to the English sorcerers and half-sorcerer, who had been there before.

"We know what's behind some of the doors." Hermione commented. "But we have no idea how to know which door leads where."

"Do we know where we need to go?" Shaoran asked, turning to Tomoyo this time.

"Not really." Tomoyo admitted. "I know she's here, but either she's been through several of those doors, or the magic protecting this place is blocking me from being able to track her down with precision."

Shaoran nodded, then turned back to the others.

"What rooms do you remember?" Shaoran inquired.

He needed to be sure there was nothing around that would kill them all just for stepping inside, they had really no idea what they were getting into, no plan whatsoever for anything; the only reason they were there at all was Tomoyo…

"There's the Time Room." Hermione began. "It's full of Time-Turners, or at least it used to be, a lot of them were smashed our last time here, so I don't really know if there are any left."

"There's another room full of Brains, or something like that." Ron added, remembering his very bad experience with those things.

"And the Hall of Prophecies." Harry added. "It's supposedly filled with True Prophecies, and only those mentioned in them can take them from the shelves."

"I heard a legend once." Hermione added then. "About a room that seems empty, but is filled with the most powerful magic ever known, it is said to be used for very special rituals…"

"And then there's the Veil Room…" Harry added quietly.

"The Veil Room?" Sakura asked, she had no idea what that was, but something in the way Harry said it made it so she didn't like it at all.

"The Room of Death." Ron confirmed, he'd talked about it with his father once. "We ended up there, accidentally, two years ago, when the DEs were against us…"

"It's where I…we lost Sirius." Harry added in a hollow voice.

Naoko had to cover her mouth with both hands to silence her sudden sob. She'd never known her father, or at least she had no conscious memory of the time she'd had with him…and yet, knowing how he'd gone…it hurt.

"I think we need to split in groups." Tomoyo announced after a long silence. "Three groups, each with someone who can sense Midori."

They all nodded in agreement, Eriol was about to propose some teams, but once again Tomoyo acted ahead of him.

"Eriol-kun, you could go with Sakura-chan and Shaoran-kun." Tomoyo suggested. "Naoko-chan can go with Long-kun and Ron-kun, while I'll go with Harry-kun and Hermy-chan."

They all nodded yet again, Eriol with some reticence; he didn't exactly liked being separated from his fiancée, in particular considering how strangely she seemed to be acting; yet he understood the reason for the groups being formed the way they were. They weren't totally balanced, with him being paired with Sakura and Shaoran rather than others who weren't as powerful, but he supposed Tomoyo probably just didn't want Sakura to harass her just yet about what she was feeling; the green-eyed sorceress may have the best of intentions, but Tomoyo just was a bit too private at times…

So the groups split in three, with each of them choosing a door randomly, marking them with some of their magic (in a way that couldn't be seen but sorcerers could sense) and then walking through.

.-.

Eriol, Sakura and Shaoran ended up in a room with different pieces of furniture, each which seemed to hold nothing more than transparent glass jars with a viscous liquid and what looked very much like brains swimming inside.

"By all the spirits, what is this?" Sakura cried out as she tried to stand as far away from the jars as possible.

"No idea." Shaoran answered honestly, an arm around her shoulders to help her calm down. "I knew Wizards were a bit odd, but this is ridiculous…I mean, I know Ron-san mentioned a room full of brains but…"

"It just didn't seem real." Eriol finished for him. "I know, I thought he was wrong, or probably had been hallucinating at the time; what with all of them being just a group of teens, apprentice wizards and witches running for their lives while terrorist-like psychos with delusions of grandeur pursued them…"

Shaoran nodded; neither of them had believed Ron much when he'd talked about a room full of brains, particularly since he'd said 'or something like that' which just reinforced the idea that they could have been anything…how wrong they'd been to underestimate Ron's memory!

They had no idea what those Brains were there for, if for some kind of strange experiment or something else entirely; in the end, it didn't really matter, they weren't there to spy on the Ministry, or the so-called Department of Mysteries; they were there to find Rose Midori, and hopefully learn why she'd called on Tomoyo, consciously or unconsciously.

And so they just kept moving, kept looking.

.-.

Ron looked all around before letting out a sigh. He, Long and Naoko had entered the Time Room, and at least he'd gotten lost in no time at all. It was really frustrating for the redhead, the moment they had gotten inside Naoko had declared she could sense her Mistress very strongly in the room and rushed after the trace, with Long on her heels trying to make sure she would be alright, it was almost like they'd completely forgotten he was there…

"Not like it would be the first time everyone forgets about me, but still…" Ron muttered to himself with another sigh.

The truth was, no matter how he pretended it meant nothing, it meant a lot, it hurt, when the people he considered his friends forgot about him. It had been the same with Harry and Hermione, and while he understood that they couldn't tell him the truth, and that he didn't have the power to be part of everything back then, it had still hurt. He'd felt so good when they wanted him to help in the creation of The Plan, and while Long's quip of 'Commander Weasley' had been meant in jest, at least a few of the members of the DA had called him that once or twice since. It was good to be recognized…

Now if he could just somehow find Naoko and Long and make sure they wouldn't forget about him again…

"They didn't forget about you, Iron Knight…" A voice whispered.

Ron spun around, instantly dropping into a defensive crouch, with a spell-chain already in mind, and the first jinx almost on his lips…

"Easy Knight, I do not mean you any harm." The voice whispered.

Ron could track it down to a figure half-hidden behind a couple of mostly empty shelves, he made it out to be female, but had no idea who or what it belonged to.

"What guarantee do I have of that?" Ron questioned, remaining in position, wand at the ready.

"I give you my word, and that is not something I do lightly." The female declared. "I take my honor very seriously, after all." She made a pause before adding. "Will you still try to attack me then, Iron Knight?"

Ron took a moment or two to consider it and the straightened up, his wand ended up pointing downwards, though he didn't let go of it.

"Guess that's the best I can expect." The female commented.

It took a couple of seconds more, but finally she stepped away from the shelves, letting Rom actually see her, or as much of her as could be seen. She was completely covered in a long robe of a red so dark it was practically black; the hood was up, it covered her head completely and hid her face in shadows, except for a small black lock that seemed to have slipped from the hood somehow.

"You are…the Rose!" Ron stammered, absolutely shocked.

"I am one of the Roses, that is true." The woman nodded slightly. "Though I much prefer my middle name, which actually separates me from my sister, we might have been twins, but we're far from being the same person. So please call me Midori."

How was it that those who supposedly could actually sense the woman ended up going elsewhere and he, who barely even had enough power to be part of the group, ended up being the one to find her…or was it she who found him?

"You should put yourself down like that, Iron Knight." Midori declared in a low but hard voice as she stared directly at Ron.

"Wha…?" For a moment Ron didn't know what to say, he was totally shocked. "Did you read my mind?"

"I certainly did not!" Midori stated strongly. "I did not have to. You thought so loud anyone with the slightest psychic talent would have heard you."

In an instant Ron flushed to the roots of his hair, which only caused the woman to chuckle slightly at his predicament.

"Anyway." Midori calmed down her chuckles to finally answer him. "I couldn't help but hear what you were thinking, and I really don't like that you would put yourself down like that. It is true that you aren't as powerful as others, but if you try to compare yourself with people like Hiiragizawa Eriol, Li Shaoran or Kinomoto…Li Sakura…well, truth is, not even other sorcerers are as powerful as them." She shook her head. "In any case, you shouldn't allow your own worth to be dependant on someone else's, you are worth something, on your own, you do not need anyone else for that. Remember that, Iron Knight."

Ron flushed even more at those words, he'd never heard someone chastise him, and yet at the same time pretty much praise him as strongly as she was doing.

"Why do you keep calling me Iron Knight?" Ron asked suddenly, confused about that, and wanting to change the topic.

"I find it a fitting name for one such as you." The female answered him.

"One such as I?" Ron repeated, brows furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I assure you my words were not meant as an insult in any way." Midori assured him immediately. "I just…a Knight is supposed to be a Warrior, right? That's what you're supposed to be. And as strong as Iron…Hence, Iron Knight…"

"I'm not that strong…or that much of a Warrior, really." Ron muttered under his breath.

"Warrior, or Knight, isn't the one who emerges victorious from every battle, but the one who keeps going, who fights every battle regardless of how bleak the chances for victory may seem." Midori declared wisely. "You are a Knight, Ronald Bilius Weasley, never doubt that, I know I don't."

It took Ron a second to realize something, as he was lost in the pride he felt at the praise, but when he did, he immediately was suspicious yet again.

"How do you know my name?" He asked cautiously, his hold on his wand tightening. "Any of our names?"

"I know many things, Ronald, some which you yourself cannot know just yet." Midori told him in a cryptic tone.

"You called us here." Ron stated, referring to all of them being in the Ministry, particularly the Department of Mysteries.

"I called my sister here, and the rest of you chose to come with her." Midori pointed out.

"You knew that would happen." Ron declared. "If you truly know us, you had to know it was only logical, that we, particularly Eriol and Sakura, would never allow Tomoyo to go alone; that anything that involved you would automatically involve Naoko, with her came Long, and with all of those already involved Shaoran, Long, Harry, Hermy and I would follow."

"True, I did know that." Midori admitted.

"You said they hadn't forgotten about me…" Ron said, realizing something abruptly. "Naoko left because she was sure she'd sensed you in a different direction, yet you came from the opposite side. You tricked her!"

"Somewhat." Midori nodded.

"Why?"

"Because as dear as she may be to me, and really, only my sister is dearer to me, I didn't mean to meet her today."

"You mean so much to her, why would you not want to see her?"

"The more Naoko comes in contact with both my sister and I, the more she'll remember of her time as Noelle."

"Shouldn't that be good?"

"It should, but it isn't, not now. She isn't yet ready for some of the things that are to come. If she remembers too soon…it will not be good."

"Why should you be the one to decide when she should remember something or not?"

"Because someone has to look out for the rest of you. My sister, as much as I love her, isn't the best for this right now. There are things she herself does not remember, and she won't, not yet. I will not place that burden on her, on them, on anyone, until I have no other choice."

"But…you're being too hard on them, and on yourself. It isn't fair, for you to have to bear this burden alone. You shouldn't be alone."

"I will protect my sister from all the pain I can, for as long as I possibly can, particularly pain caused unwillingly by myself."

"And therefore hurt yourself, I still say that's not right."

Ron had just said that when suddenly he found himself practically frozen in place, though it was more than that, he was being held in place, by arms that weren't restraining but embracing…Rose Midori was hugging him!

With his face buried in the crook of her neck, by the opening of the hood, he still couldn't see her face at all, nothing but a patch of sun-kissed skin; though the most prominent detail was the scent of cinnamon and wild berries coming from the dark hair hiding under the hood.

"You're too kind…" He heard Midori whisper into his ear. "My Iron Knight…"

Ron closed his eyes briefly, in an attempt to keep himself in check; however, when he heard the way she'd addressed him he immediately wanted to question her on that. The question was on the tip of his tongue, when suddenly a rush of air enveloped him, and Midori was gone.

Ron blinked a few times, as he tried to fully process the fact that Midori had vanished, and the speed with she'd just left…

"Ron-san!"

The redhead's attention was called away and he could see Naoko moving as fast as she could without bumping into shelves and smashing anything, right in his direction, with Long hot on her heels and panting.

"There you are!" Naoko cried out as she reached him. "I'm so very sorry, I didn't realize we had left you behind. I was so focused on finding my Mistress…and I didn't even find her…"

"I saw her." Ron blurted out.

"What…?" Naoko hadn't been expecting that at all.

"She was here." Ron said honestly. "I talked to her…then she just vanished…"

"You…talked to her…but…I…" It was like a punch to the stomach for Naoko, that her Mistress had apparently refused to see her.

Long sighed, he could guess where his girlfriends' thought-process was taking her and had no idea what to say to help. Ron, who, more-or-less realized too, opened his mouth to try and explain what Midori had told him when, abruptly, Naoko's mood did a 180…again.

"I can sense her!" She cried out.

"Wha…?" It took Long a second to catch up with her thoughts again.

"I can sense Mistress Midori! She's…" Naoko repeated as she spun around to pinpoint the trace. "She's with Tomoyo-chan!"

Without further ado, Naoko was off yet again, this time with both Long and Ron at her heels.

.-.

It hadn't been hard for Tomoyo to lose Harry and Hermione shortly after they had gone through their chosen door and into the Hall of Prophecies; the glowing spheres made it harder for two of the newest sorcerers to track her aura as easily as her other friends would, which is exactly why she'd chosen to 'team up' with them rather than any of the others. Truth was that the reincarnated Rose really wanted to talk to her once-sister; Midori had been evading her, evading them all for so long, it wouldn't be easy, less of all with a committee following, so Tomoyo was focused on finding her, alone.

The young Sorceress/Enchantress was about to mutter in her anger at not being able to find her sister, when suddenly she could see something from the corner of her eye. She turned sharply, just in time to see the tail of a long dark robe as someone walked around the corner; since all of her group were wearing silver cloaks, she knew it had to be the one they were there to find.

"Midori!" She called, going after the retreating figure.

There was no answer, but Tomoyo managed to keep the edge of the figure in sight and followed her, through several shelves full of prophecies and eventually through a door, back to the main circular hall. The lavender eyes was about to go nuts, believing she'd lost the other woman again, when yet again she saw the edge of the robe from the corner of her eye and saw the figure walking through yet another door. Tomoyo didn't stop to consider anything, she ran after the figure.

"Sister!" she cried out as she stepped through the door.

There was no answer, but Tomoyo knew she was there, she could sense the other's aura, and the way it connected with her own.

"Midori?" She called yet again as she began turning around slowly. "I know you are here. I can sense you."

Almost a full minute more passed, allowing Tomoyo to realize she was in a room that seemed to be pretty much empty, except from some kind of structure near the very middle of it, though it was too dark to see exactly what it was; right as she was considering moving around to find out more about the strange room, there finally was an answer.

"I am, indeed, here, sister." A voice called from behind Tomoyo.

Tomoyo spun around sharply, coming face to face with a figure about her same height and form, completely covered in a red-black hooded robe. The shadow of the hood covered her face, not that Tomoyo thought she would have been able to see it anyway, with how dark the room was, but still.

"Midori?" Tomoyo asked, hesitantly.

"It is, indeed, I, sister." The other woman nodded calmly.

"You called me here." Tomoyo commented, wishing to know more.

"I began something I alone cannot finish." Midori informed her. "It is an Incantation so powerful, so complicated, only the two Keepers of Balance together can hope to achieve it."

"Yet you began it alone." Tomoyo pointed out, brow furrowed.

"I hoped that, since I've been aware of the truth, of the past, longer, my power would be strong enough…" Midori said simply.

"You know that's not how it's supposed to be." Tomoyo's voice took a soothing quality. "There is a reason why the Two Roses were twins…"

"I did not believe I had any right to call on you…" Midori admitted as she turned away. "Not after how…it ended."

"I've told you before, and I'll say it again, and as many times as necessary, what happened back then, that tragedy, it was not your fault…"

"It was! It really was! I killed you! I'm a murderer! And a blood-traitor in all the sense of the expression! I…"

"That wasn't you…"

"Tsubame…"

"I think that's the problem. I'm not Rose Tsubame anymore, I'm her reincarnation, just like you're Rose Midori's reincarnation and not Midori herself…"

"I am her! We are them! Even if the names change, or the faces, that doesn't! I was jealous of you, of the love you had. It wasn't that I wanted Clow, not really, it was that you had love and I didn't! I let that jealousy control me! I destroyed your life, and pretty much Clow's as well!"

"The idea that we shouldn't feel anything because we're the Keepers of Balance was wrong. You tried too hard to remain emotionless to all around you, and when the emotions were finally strong enough to get past your barriers, you couldn't handle it. That wasn't your fault any more than it was mine. The mistake was in our masters, who made us believe we had to be unfeeling in order to fulfill our duty."

"You could fight against their orders, I did not."

"You were always more of a stickler for the rules than I was." She sighed. "That actually might have been Clow's fault, somewhat. But still, the past is the past, sister, leave the pain there and move on. I am here, and so are you, we can start over…"

"I cannot do that."

"Yes you can, I know you can. You are so strong…"

"No I'm not."

"Sister…"

Midori's reincarnation tried to turn away from Tomoyo again, only for the lavender eyed to try and take a hold of her at the same time, as a result the hood slipped, and the other woman's face was finally revealed. It was a face that Tomoyo knew well, almost painfully so, and not just because of their past lives, but also because of their current one; as she looked at her, as she knew her, the ashen-black haired young woman really couldn't understand how she hadn't seen the truth before; in any case, in that moment she knew with outstanding clarity just who Midori's reincarnation was.

"Sister…" She whispered hoarsely. "M…"

"Sh…" Midori's reincarnation shushed her with a finger to her sister's lips. "You cannot know this, sister mine. Not now, not yet, it's too soon." She placed her free hand on the other girl's forehead. "I'm sorry." Her voice took a sing-song, hypnotic quality. "Forget me."

Tomoyo could feel the enchantment falling upon her, she wanted to fight her, the two of them were supposed to be equals in power, she was supposed to be strong enough to fight that magic…and yet, the other had known about her past, had trained on her powers as a Rose for much longer than the other had. In the end Tomoyo couldn't help it, she succumbed to the Enchantment and let her eyes drop.

Shaoran had just decided they really weren't going to find anything in that room, except for the creepy brains, when suddenly Eriol went stiff.

"Eriol?" Both Sakura and Shaoran asked at once, confused and worried.

"Something's happened." Eriol murmured, not quite paying attention to them, and instead turning in the opposite direction.

"Eriol-kun?" Sakura asked, extending a hand to touch him.

"What is happening?" Shaoran asked at the same time he stopped his wife from touching the other sorcerer. "What do you sense?"

"Sense?" Sakura asked her husband. "How can he be sensing something when we aren't?"

"There are some things…and some people, that Eriol can sense with more ease than we do." Shaoran reminded her softly.

"Some…" It suddenly dawned on Sakura. "Tomoyo-chan!"

"And possibly Midori's reincarnation as well." Shaoran nodded seriously before turning to Eriol. "What are you sensing Eriol?"

"Them…I sense them both." Eriol answered slowly.

As if his own words were a spell, he suddenly straightened up sharply.

"Tomoyo and Midori's reincarnation are together!" He cried out before dashing away.

Still not quite understanding what had happened, Shaoran and Sakura could do nothing except follow the midnight-blue-eyed sorcerer as fast as they could.

They met with Harry, Hermione, Ron and Long as they all stepped back into the circular hall at the same time, with the two other boys following Naoko as she too acted pretty much the same way Eriol did; while the other couple had finally given up on finding Tomoyo in the Hall of Prophecies and decided to look for her elsewhere.

For a handful of seconds it seemed like they may have lost it, until suddenly both Eriol and Naoko turned in the same direction at the same time, they rushed to a slightly open door, throwing it open as they rushed inside, without a care to the darkness inside; the others could only follow as fast as possible.

When Eriol and Naoko finally stopped their mad run, it happened so abruptly the other four practically crashed into each other in an attempt not to crash into them. Ron had just opened his mouth to complain about what was going on, when suddenly he, like everyone else, became aware of what had caught their attention:

Tomoyo was standing just a couple of feet away from Eriol and Naoko, completely frozen, facing nothingness…

"Tomoyo-chan…?" Eriol called softly, almost fearfully, as he approached his beloved slowly, not daring to touch her just yet. "Koiishi?"

It took a few seconds, and some more calls of her name, but finally Tomoyo blinked once, very slowly, before turning to face Eriol, tears began cascading down her eyes rapidly.

"K…Koibito?" Tomoyo asked in a voice so low, so scared, it didn't seem like her. "Eriol?"

"Koiishi?" Eriol cried out, rushing to embrace her, alarmed. "Are you alright?"

"I…I don't know." Tomoyo mumbled, her voice like that of a lost-child. "I…sister…she was here…she…I talked to her…"

"I…we know…" Eriol told her.

"She was here and now she's not…" Tomoyo went on, her voice getting stronger little by little. "I…I knew something…I knew something and now I don't…"

"You knew something?" Harry asked the question that was in everyone's minds.

"Yes, I…I cannot remember what." Tomoyo admitted, her voice soft, but once again her own. "I have no idea what it was, but I know it was important, so very important and…she didn't want me to know, said it wasn't time yet."

"She?" Sakura repeated. "Midori? She tampered with your mind?"

"Somewhat." Tomoyo admitted. "It's okay." She assured them. "I don't know why she didn't want me to remember… whatever it is I knew, but I trust her. She's my sister. I love her."

With some reticence, the others nodded.

"Hey, what is that?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Under the light of the lit wands, the group could see the offerings laid in a semi circle, less than two feet away from some stone steps…steps leading to a strange, dark, horrible veil… they were in the Room of Death…

"What's the meaning of this?" Shaoran asked, looking at the offerings laid.

The water and salt remained the same, though the candle and the incense were extinguished.

"Mistress Midori did this." Naoko informed the others as she approached the offerings. "I…I have no idea what she was trying to do, but it was she who laid the offerings, and began a very powerful Incantation right here…"

Tomoyo reacted at those words, she might have forgotten how her latest meeting with her once-sister had ended, but she still remembered with painful clarity how it had begun…

"This is why I'm here." Tomoyo said as she approached the offerings as well. "What Sister tried to do…it cannot be done by just one. I have to finish what she began."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Tomoyo-chan?" Eriol asked hesitantly.

Seeing Tomoyo looking so empty, hearing her voice so much like a terrified child's, it had really shaken the sorcerer deep to his core; he didn't think he would be able to take another scare like that, if something happened to his beloved…

"I trust her." Tomoyo repeated as she dropped to her knees before the offerings. "If you can't, or won't, then at least trust me."

Still not quite convinced, Eriol nodded, allowing Tomoyo to proceed.

The Sorceress/Enchantress waved her wand and the incense and candle lit again, then she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and continued the unfinished chant:

"By the Sun and the Moon, by the Planets and Stars…Powers of Life and Death gather round, let the Bridge of Existence come forth now. The balance has been broken, an injustice was served, now I call on you, to make things right again!"

The moment Tomoyo began her chant, her voice took a singsong quality, and as soon as she finished the invocations her aura began flaring brightly. It took a few seconds, but soon enough the other teens noticed something very particular: overlapping Tomoyo's violet aura was a dark-red one, so similar and yet so different from Tomoyo's own.

The Incantation Midori had begun, even if she hadn't been able to finish it on her own, the power had still been there, ready to join Tomoyo's own when she finished the task.

The moment the last word of the chant was pronounced, there was a blinding flash of light, and at the same time all the wands lost their light, they were enveloped in absolute darkness.

Seconds passed, as slow as centuries each of them, until suddenly someone coughed.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Several voices called at the same time.

"Light!" Sakura cried out, practically hysterical.

The light that came then was bright enough to banish each and every shadow in the room.

Eriol and Sakura immediately rushed to the prone half-unconscious form of Tomoyo as she laid on the stony ground; her mask had been knocked off, as well as the hood of her robe, but other than that she seemed to be fine.

Sakura was about to ask what had happened, when suddenly another cough called everyone's attention, and it was until then they realized it hadn't been Tomoyo who had coughed.

"Oh Merlin!" Long and Ron cried out at the same time.

"Padfoot!" Harry cried out as he rushed to the kneeling form of the man on the steps; he looked half-dead and yet, surprisingly enough, he was alive.

"I cannot believe this…" Long muttered in absolute shock.

"Sirius Black." Eriol said, not quite believing it himself.

The man looked up, as he apparently noticed he was being called, but right as he did his eyes suddenly rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.

Madness was absolute and immediate:

"Padfoot!/Sirius!/Dad!"


Wow...if anyone is still reading this, you might just want to kill me after this cliffhanger. I'm having trouble to convince Calliope of cooperating with me, which makes it harder to update. But I promise I will do all I can to not stop updating this fic until it's finished. I won't go on another years-long hiatus.

So, I hope you liked this. My latest bomb...and there are still a lot more coming!

Please don't forget to review, your comments help me keep my muse around...

Ja ne!