Hey I'm back! Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for the delay. I've got up to Chap. 7 hand written out, but I only get to type it for 1 to 2 hours a week 'cause I don't own a computer. Gotta do it at school. It's a real pain, but I'll probably only get to update once every two weeks or so unless my schedule changes. I noticed some typos and added a bit to the first one too. Enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 2: Explanations...sort of.

Nanoha started. She'd been called worse of course, and by her friends and family no less, but the term 'witch' was not what she had expected. "I am a what?"

"You are a witch," Dumbledore repeated, "a user of magic. I," he placed a hand on his chest, "am a Wizard."

"Oookay," Nanoha said slowly, "but what does this have to do with my scar?"

"In good time. I am here to invite you to be a student at my school."

"There's a school for magic," Nanoha asked, not bothering to hide her shock since Dumbledore assumed that she didn't know anything; everyone in the Time-Space Administration Bureau thought that there were only a minimal amount of mages on Earth/ Unadministrated Planet #97; the fact that there were enough to warrant a school was very surprising.

"I better contact the TSAB about this," Fate sent, having come to the same conclusion, "They'll want to know that there is a secret society of mages.

"I agree, My Master," Raging Heart added.

"No. Let's get in on our own first. If we tell them they might decide to send in someone else because of my injuries. I can't lose this chance to find out about me and Papa. He was killed ten years ago remember Miyuki?"

"Hai. We never did find out what happened on that trip to England. You may be right."

"But if the TSAB doesn't know..."

"We'll tell them eventually Fate," Nanoha interrupted, "I just want to make sure we have an excuse to stay in so I can find out more. If we already have a cover they'll have no choice but to let me stay, injury or not."

"Alright we'll go in," Fate relented after a moment, "But tell him you want me to hear about this first. I won't let you go in alone, without the TSAB for backup, especially since I'm your bodyguard."

"Hai." Nanoha turned her full attention back to Dumbledore, who, unaware of the quick mental discussion between Nanoha and family, had smiled again and was saying, "There are three actually. In Germany, France, and England. I am the Headmaster of the English School, Hogwarts."

"We definitely need to check it out now," Fate sent, "Three separate schools in three different countries must mean there are a lot of these...Wizards."

"Hai." Nanoha agreed, "Exactly what I was thinking." "Dumbledore-sensei," she said aloud as Fate headed their way, aiming for a table on the other side of them, "Would you mind if I ask my sister to join us? Like me she has...hidden talents."

Dumbledore blinked, but then nodded, drawing out his stick device. "I see no problem with that." He dissolved his charm with a flick of his wrist.

"Fate," Nanoha called in Japanese as Fate passed them, "can you take a break? We'd like to talk to you."

"Hai, just give me a minute."

"She is your sister?" Dumbledore asked in slight surprise at the sight of the blonde haired girl.

"She's adopted," Nanoha explained, "She was in a... difficult situation that...separated her from her mother. My family took her in."

"I see," he said in admiration, "That is very noble."

"What is," Fate asked as she came up and sat next to Nanoha.

"Just a moment." Dumbledore, not quite looking at her yet, waved his stick device and casted the charm again with a slight muttering of "Muffliato".

"What did you do?" Fate asked in English, genuinely curious.

"A simple spell," Dumbledore said, putting his device away, only to start and nearly pull it out again when her looked at her and saw her red eyes. He quickly calmed himself, remembering that she was eleven and thus couldn't be a Dark Wizard.

His sudden movement wasn't lost on Fate and Nanoha, and it took all of their considerable self-control not to do anything but look curious when he checked himself.

"What is the matter?" Fate asked, calming down and trying not to think that she'd nearly activated Bardiche and called down a Photon Lancer Bolt on him.

"Please forgive me," he said, speaking in English, "But your eye color, I thought you were..."

"I was not born the normal way," Fate explained, "I was manufactured. My Mother liked exotic colors." That last part wasn't exactly true, but she couldn't tell him that the color was from another planet entirely.

The way that Fate said 'Mother' told Dumbledore that Fate loved her mother dearly, even though she had been made, and although it had been initially rough the feeling was mutual.

"I see. That would explain it, though I do not understand the new trend of deciding the children's genes. I apologize if I frightened you, but we Wizards consider red eyes the sign of a Dark Wizard. I am a well desired mark for Wizard assassins."

"Wizard?" Fate asked, ignoring the fact that he'd have assassins on his tail since she and Nanoha could sympathize with that due to their work.

Dumbledore gave he a quick rundown on the existence of Magic, that Nanoha's Spacial Awareness was a form of it, and that he was an important Headmaster, hence the assassins. "Do you..." He glanced sheepishly between the two mages, obviously not knowing what to call her.

"Fate," Fate provided, since she and Nanoha shared the same last name.

"And you may now call me Nanoha," Nanoha added in English with a grin.

Dumbledore nodded. "Ah, yes; do you Fate-san," for some reason he felt he needed to use the adult honorific, the two seemed to be wise beyond their years, "Do you have any unusual abilities?"

Fate opened her mouth to answer, but Nanoha spoke first. "She has a tendency to electrocute stuff," she said with a laugh, causing Dumbledore to start.

"That's for laughing when he asked me that earlier," Nanoha teased mentally.

Fate glared at Nanoha, "What did you have to say that for? You know I haven't lost control of it in a long time!" Fate then sent a "Shut up," to a mentally hysterically laughing Miyuki- the fact that Miyuki was outwardly calm and still doing business as usual while doing so was itself a testament to her self-control- and then looked at Dumbledore. "It's not that bad," she downplayed, also switching to English, though she knew that she could draw down a bolt if she wanted to, "I'll admit that it took a while but it does not activate on its own anymore. And it's just a small jolt. Nothing lethal." She held up her hand, palm facing upward and her fingers curled and reaching for her magic she concentrated, saying, "Thunder Fist."

Tiny yellow sparks began to jump between her fingers with audible crackling.

Dumbledore simply stared. "I thought I had seen everything," he said thoughtfully as Fate closed her hand, ending the spell, "Evidently I have not."

"Ano," Fate said, causing him to give her and Nanoha his attention, "About the school...if we decide to go, how will we get there? We are on the other side of the world."

"Ah. If you decide to go, I will return for you at eight in the afternoon this Saturday to bring you to England myself. I am afraid you do not have much time to decide," he said apologetically, "the new term starts in three days. I came here in one last attempt to locate Nanoha before the term began."

Nanoha and Fate looked at each other. "I wonder why the Headmaster of the school would take time out of his schedule to escort a couple of students? Fate sent.

"Must be cause of me," Nanoha sent, "He was looking for me specifically remember." She gave a mental chuckle that didn't show on her face. "He's probably afraid I'll disappear again."

Nanoha looked at Dumbledore. "I am fine with that. A magic school sounds like fun. I would like to attend." She looked at Fate. "You?"

Fate nodded. "I would like to go."

"You two should ask Mama first," Miyuki sounded in their thoughts.

"She and Kyouya are on a much needed vacation," Nanoha reminded her, "And Mama gave me full authority in magical matters, and I'm a Sergent of the TSAB remember? I have to investigate."

There was silence for a moment, and then Miyuki conceded. "Point taken."

"Very well then, " Dumbledore continued, oblivious to the mental conversation, "since you have accepted, you will be needing these." He waved his stick. Thick, ancient- looking envelopes sealed in red wax stamped with an 'H' and addressed to both mages appeared on the table. "Here are your letters accepting you to Hogwarts, along with a list of supplies. And now," he said as he stood, dissolving his charm as he did so, "Nanoha-san, Fate-san, I bid you, Sayonara."

"Sayonara, Sensei," Fate and Nanoha echoed as they also got to their feet.

Dumbledore bowed, and then quickly left the cafe.

Nanoha quickly let go of the shield spell she'd been holding ready for the past thirty minutes, sagging into her chair as exhaustion took her.

"You OK?" Fate asked in Japanese, placing a worried hand on her sister's shoulder.

Nanoha nodded slowly. "Hai, but holding that shield spell ready this whole time was more tiring than I thought it would be," she replied tiredly in English.

Fate looked at Nanoha in surprise; she'd known that Nanoha had said she'd have a spell ready, but thought She'd have released it when Fate had joined them, and only then realized that she hadn't. Fate would have been angry if it didn't mean that Nanoha had recovered further than she had thought. "You should not have held the spell so long," she lightly scolded in English, though there was a hint of pride in her tone.

"I know," Nanoha admitted, sitting up again, "I just wanted to be ready." Standing slowly and picking up the thick parchment envelopes she said, "I should go rest and look at these."

"Yes, you should," Fate agreed. "Go on. I'll be up once the shop closes."

Nanoha smiled. "See you later." She turned and headed for the rear of the shop as she informed Miyuki where she was going through the telepathic link. Wearily climbing the stairs behind the door marked "Family Only," Nanoha went into the upper apartment where the family lived. Sinking immediately onto the overstuffed sofa her mother, Momoko, had bought when Nanoha had first came home almost paralyzed, Nanoha opened the letter addressed to herself and after asking Raging Heart to record the contents read:

Takamachi Nanoha,

This letter is to inform you that you have been accepted to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a Guest of Hogwarts due to the lateness of your acceptance. you will be needing several supplies, a list of which has been enclosed. We wish you luck in your studies.

As she read the supply list Nanoha smiled. This is looking better all the time Raging Heart." She grimaced. "I hope Mama doesn't get too upset with me."

Author's note: Hope you guys are still with me after this. Just a quick word of explanation on the contractions: when Nanoha and Fate use them, they are speaking- or thinking, Japanese, their native language, if not than it's English. Also, I have a reason why Fate is much more at ease with her being a clone, but it's a closed circle point I plan to revel later.

See ya next time!