Finally! Sorry for the late update. Wow, it's been two months, sorry. I accidentally deleted my files in my computer (including this and my other story) so I have to rewrite it, and I forgot most of the plot already *cries*.

Please, I'm already begging for reviews =(( It keeps me going, and fast, and ideas would be much appreciated.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BOTH CCS AND HARRY POTTER

"Text spoken in English"

'Thoughts in English'

"Text spoken in Japanese" /*I think this would be seldom used from now on*/

'Thoughts in Japanese' /*Also this, but it won't hurt to know, right?*/

*Flashback*

They were just half an hour away from Hogwarts when Sakura woke up. Slowly opening her eyes, she found that they were back in their carriage.

"Hoee?" Sakura winced when she realized her head was still throbbing.

"Oh dear, Miss Kinomoto, are you all right?" Neville rushed to Sakura's side then helped her sit up. Sakura tried to massage her temples to ease her headache, but the throbbing didn't stop. Their compartment door suddenly opened, revealing Professor Quirrell and a girl wearing the same uniform as the two girls in the compartment, except that the girl's uniform was accentuated with the color blue and she was wearing a black robe with a badge with a raven on it on the left side.

"M...Miss K..Ki..Kinomoto! I'm ... happy that y...you're awake!" Professor Quirrell shifted uncomfortably. The girl with him then entered the compartment and gave Sakura what looked like a medicine.

"Here, take this, it will relieve you of your headache." Sakura took the tablet and the glass of water from the girl and popped the tablet, followed by the water. It only relieved her headache a bit; the throbbing was still there.

"Do you feel much better?" The girl asked.

"I still have the headache, but I feel better than earlier. Thank you." Sakura smiled, still holding her head. The girl stood up and went out of the compartment, then turned to Sakura again.

"If you need any help, I'm just in a nearby compartment. I'm Penelope Clearwater, by the way, Ravenclaw prefect." She and Professor Quirrell went away but not before the said professor waved nervously.

"He sure is a weird professor." Neville commented.

"Tell me about it." Hermione, who just arrived, agreed. Sitting down across Sakura, she then turned her attention to Sakura with a worried face. "Are you sure you are all right? You looked pale a while ago."

"Yeah, it is a good thing that we are nearby the professors' and prefects' compartment, so you were brought into attention immediately. What happened back there?" Neville looked at Sakura, who was rubbing her forehead. "You sure gave us a scare there."

"I'm fine, don't worry now, I think my headache's gone." Sakura smiled, then sat properly. Neville sat back down opposite to her beside Hermione. "How long was I out?"

"Long enough for me to search the train for Trevor." Hermione answered rather bemused. "You were out for hours, dear, we were beginning to think you wouldn't wake up in time for our arrival."

"I'm sorry, Hermione-san, for making you worried. Well, I'm not sure what happened back there myself." Sakura mused to herself, looking at the ceiling of the train.

"San?" Neville asked quizzically. Hermione chuckled.

"It's an honorific, Neville, used by the Japanese." Hermione explained, Neville nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry, should I drop it?" Sakura asked, tilting her head.

"No, no it's fine." Hermione smiled a reassuring smile. "After Professor Quirrell took care of you, I told Neville here that I would continue to look for Trevor, but no luck, I haven't found it. But guess who I found on one of the carriages." Hermione smiled excitingly.

"Who?" Neville and Sakura asked.

"I met Harry Potter!" Hermione beamed, while Neville dropped his mouth.

"Who is he?" Sakura's question was left unheard and unanswered when the train whistled and stopped.

"PLEASE LEAVE YOU BAGGAGE IN THE TRAIN WHEN YOU STEP OUT." A prefect announced while ushering the students out. Grabbing her robe, Sakura tried to ask again but her question was drowned in the sound of students hurrying to go out of the train. Hermione suddenly grabbed her hand and lead her out of the carriage and out of the train, following Neville.

"FIRS' YERRS, FIRS' YERRS, OVER HERR" Sakura heard a man shouting outside. Gripping Hermione's hand tight, they went out of the train.

When Sakura stepped out of the train, she gawked at how different the surrounding was from Tomoeda and from the place around Eriol's manor. It felt like she stepped back in time. Hermione tugged her robe, snapping her from her own thoughts.

"Look! There he is!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing to a boy who just finished talking to a giant-looking man.

"Hoee? Who is he again?" Sakura tried to ask Hermione again, but when she turned her head to where Hermione pointed, she yelped in surprise.

"Hoeeee!" She was surprised to see the giant man hovering over her.

"Oh, please, I don't bite. Calm down, will 'ya?" The giant smiled, making Sakura feel a bit relaxed.

"I'm sorry. It was rude of me." Sakura bowed down to the man, surprising him and even Neville.

"Don't bow down, kid! It's unnecessary. The name's Rubeus Hagrid by the way, keeper of keys at Hogwarts! Pleased to meet 'ya!" Hagrid said, reminding Sakura of Kero's Osakan accent and manner of speech. "Well, go to the boats now!, firs' yerrs, right? Fall in line for the boats there." The three of them started to walk towards the boats. Sakura noticed that there were only first years on the line, while the other students are nowhere to be seen.

"The older students go by carriages that are pulled by Thestrals. I've read about it in a book." As if reading her mind, Hermione explained.

"Hoee? Thestrals?" Sakura turned to Neville, tilting her head a bit.

"Hmmm ... if you ask me, Thestrals look like horses." Neville said.

"You've seen one?"

"Nope. Only in pictures."

Sakura looked at where she assumed the carriages were. She then saw moving carriages with some kind of beast in front of it.

"Oh, you're right I guess, it looks like a horse, but they have bat-like wings." Sakura silently commented, still looking at the direction of the carriages. Although it was barely a whisper, Hermione heard her clearly.

"You can see it?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Uhh, yes. Is there something wrong?" Sakura looked at Hermione.

"Have you seen death?" Sakura was taken aback by Hermione's question. Looking at Neville for support, she realized that he wasn't paying attention. "I mean, have you seen anyone die?"

"Hmm ... no I didn't, why are you asking?" Thinking about it, although her mom died, she didn't see how she actually died, so she didn't count it.

"Are you sure?" Hermione's shock doubled.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. Why is that?"

"Because only those who have seen death can see Thestrals." Now it was Sakura's turn to be shocked. She looked at the direction of the Thestrals again, hoping that she was just hallucinating, but dismayed when she still can see the beasts.

"Hoeee? But, why? ... what? ... how can I see it?" Before her question was answered, they were already in front of the line for the boats.

The first years marvelled at the sight before them; the Hogwarts castle. The boats were moving on their own, much to Sakura's amazement. Her mouth was kept open as she gawked at everything she was seeing.

'Only those who have seen death can see Thestrals.'

Hermione's words troubled her. She couldn't understand why she could see the beasts. She looked to her right to see Hermione gawking like the rest of the students, she was about to ask a question when a thought struck her.

'Can it be because of my dream?'

Sakura continued to ponder until they reach the foot of the castle.

"Sakura, c'mon, we are here!" Hermione squealed as she dragged Sakura out of the boat and towards the big stairs in front of the castle.

The students continued to gawk as they reach the steps of the school castle. Various stone and wall patterns made them marvel. At the top of the stairs, Professor McGonagall was there, waiting for all of them.

"Would you please follow me." She motioned the students to follow her inside of the castle walls.

Sakura can't help but stare in awe at the insides of the castle. The school gave her an ancient feel, as if they travelled back through time. She didn't notice Hermione letting her go, until she bumped into a fellow student.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know where I was looking." Sakura deeply bowed down.

"It's all right, please, don't fuss about it." A very friendly voice said, prompting Sakura to look up. She saw two boys in front of her. The boy who she bumped into and spoke had black hair and was wearing glasses, the other had red hair and freckles all over his face. They were wearing the same uniform Sakura was wearing, except that they wore pants instead of skirts, and the red-haired boy was wearing old robes.

"My name is Ki-Sakura Kinomoto." She bowed down again briefly. The two boys, on the other hand, were taken aback by her politeness. "May I ask what your names are?" Sakura made sure that she told her name the English way; saying her given name first before her family. She remembered how Neville had mistakenly took 'Kinomoto' as her first name. /*LOL*/

"Oh, uh, I'm Ron Weasley, and THIS is Harry Potter!" The red-headed boy exclaimed, half-expecting Sakura to react with the other boy's name.

"I'm pleased to meet you." She smiled, lifting her hand for a handshake. Ron, however, just looked at her hand incredulously.

"You're not gonna say anything? Or react?"

"Hoee?"

Before Ron could say more, his companion, Harry Potter, who was grinning, suddenly took her hand, shaking it vigorously.

"The pleasure is mine ... ours!" Harry smiled nervously while he elbowed Ron to snap him from his thoughts. They immediately went upstairs when they noticed they were left behind.

After a few more minutes of walking, they were abruptly stopped by the teacher in front of them. The students were now in front of a big double door.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall with a booming voice, shutting the students immediately. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

The professor was interrupted when Neville suddenly rushed forward.

"Trevor!" He shouted. The professor then noticed a toad by her foot, being taken by Neville. Glaring at Neville, the boy slowly stepped backward, in nervousness.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school." She continued. "I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

"I will return when we are ready for you," said the Professor, entering the hall. "Please wait quietly." /*As you can see, this is almost a direct quote ;)*/

After the professor left, murmurs were heard from the excited first years. Even Sakura, who forgot her thoughts for a while, was caught up in the excitement. She was about to talk to Hermione when a booming voice suddenly was heard.

"It is true then!" A boy with blonde hair sneered. Everybody present in the hallway immediately hushed, showing hints of recognition. "Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts!"

Almost immediately, all students gasped in surprise and started murmuring at each other, except Sakura, who was confused as to why everybody reacted the way they did.

"Is he really that famous?" She whispered to Hermione, who as in front of her.

"What? You don't know him?!" Hermione whispered, raising her eyebrow. Sakura chuckled nervously.

Sakura can't remember the next few moments that happened between the blonde-haired boy and the famous Harry Potter. She instead shifted her attention on how the students were reacting to the situation.

'These two boys must be quite famous to get such reactions.' She thought.

The next time she looked at the boys in question, she noticed how flustered the blonde was, looking incredulously at Harry Potter. By then, all of the first years have entered the hall already.

The older students, who were looking at the new comers intently, were already seated in four different tables in the hall, wearing the same uniforms as the first years, but accentuated with other colors. Sakura thought it was depending on which house they belonged to, like how Professor McGonagall explained. They were also wearing black pointed hats. Looking up the ceiling, she noticed that the sky is visible, although on the outside of the castle, the roof is not open.

"The ceiling is charmed with magic. I've read about it, in Hogwarts; A History." Hermione, who was in front of her, whispered to another student. Sakura smiled, her question answered.

In general, the Great Hall gives off a very calming aura, she thought.

After a few moments, she found herself looking at Harry Potter again.

'He sure looks like Eriol-kun. But something is odd about him.' Sakura mused to herself. As they stopped in front of the teacher's table, she noticed a stool with an old pointed hat on top of it. All the first years huddled closer to the front.

"When I call you name, you will be sorted in your houses." Professor McGonagall's voice boomed around the Great Hall. All the student's whispers ceased, having their attention shifted to the stool and hat.

"Abbott, Hannah!" The professor called. A girl with medium-length blonde hair slowly walked towards the stool, seemingly nervous. She sat down the stool and the hat was placed on top of her head. Immediately, the hat started to move, as if talking to the girl, but nothing was heard from it.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat's voice boomed across the hallway after a few moments of silence. Cheers from the Hufflepuff table erupted as Hannah Abbott skipped towards the table, her necktie and badge turning from its grey color to yellow stripes.

After a few more names, Sakura started to feel anxious about the sorting, not knowing what to expect.

"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione slowly went to the stool while breathing deeply. After a few seconds, the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Sakura clapped her hands for her friend, who gave her a thankful glance.

"Kinomoto, Sakura!" Sakura jumped from her thoughts as her name was called after a few more minutes. All eyes were on her as she slowly went towards the stool. When she reached the stool, she slowly sat down, and the hat was slowly placed on her head.

"Interesting ..." Sakura jerked when she heard a voice from the hat. The old hat immediately moved, as if contemplating. Sakura noticed that the hall wasn't hearing what the hat was saying.

"Yes, that is correct, this is between you and me." The hat said, still surprising Sakura.

"Very difficult ..." The hat continued to ponder. "You're hard working and temperate, much like your father. But your bravery is not something to ignore hmm, similar to your mother eh? ... and your desire for western knowledge is something as well ... your heritage shouts power and ambition ... where to put you hmmm?" The hat rambled to himself, making Sakura uncomfortable, unaware of her surroundings except for the hat.

After a few more moments, the hat sighed.

"Where should I put you eh? You're compatible with all four houses, I didn't think that was possible ..." The hat chuckled. "Your father was much easier, between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw."

'Uhh, hat-san?' Sakura managed to choke out. The hat chuckled again.

"How about putting you in hmm ... Hufflepuff like your father? Ravenclaw? Or Slytherin? Slytherin will lead the way to greatness!" The hat exclaimed.

At the mention of the Slytherin house, Sakura shuddered. She remembered the rumors about the house and how, in general terms, it produced evil wizards. She doesn't believe in such, but then, she saw a certain Crabb's face when he was sorted a while ago.

"Please don't put me in Slytherin." Sakura pleaded.

"And why not? If you want to retain your status as the 'most powerful sorcerer of the present'," Sakura stiffened, "then Slytherin is good for you! Clow Reed was Slytherin, if you would like to know ..."

'What?' Sakura's eyes widened, not knowing that piece of information. 'But Clow-san isn't bad.' There was silence for a few moments.

"If I end up in Slytherin," Sakura finally managed to say, "would it help me to have the power and courage to protect the ones I love?" The hat was silent for a few seconds.

"You just made my decision easier." The hat said. "If you don't want to be in Slytherin, I'll put you in GRYFFINDOR!"

Sakura visibly relaxed as the hat was removed from her head. Most of the students cheered as Sakura skipped towards the Gryffindor table /*Guess those who didn't cheer for her ohohoho*/. Sakura sat beside Hermione who was clapping non-stop. Other Gryffindor students were patting Sakura's back and shaking her hand while the sorting continued.

"Didn't think I would see a hatstall during my stay here!" A student exclaimed, earning agreements from the other students.

"Holy cricket, I thought you wouldn't be sorted!" Hermione exclaimed. "You were sitting there for 10 minutes!"

"Hoee? Hatstall?" Sakura asked.

"A hatstall is someone whose sorting took longer than 5 minutes. Basically it's because the hat had a hard time sorting. I'm Percy Weasley, by the way, Gryffindor prefect." A red-head student explained and shook Sakura's hand.

Just then, Harry Potter's name was called, making everybody shush, even the faculty in front.

'He's so nervous. I wonder what house he would be sorted in.' Sakura thought as Harry sat in the stool. As expected, the hat became animated as soon as it was placed on top of Harry's head.

After a few minutes, some of the students started to murmur. Harry Potter still wasn't sorted.

"It could be the first time in history, two hatstalls in one sorting ceremony." A boy named Seamus whispered to Sakura and Hermione, who were across him. Sakura's attention was towards Harry, she didn't hear it.

"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin." Sakura can vaguely hear Harry's whispers to the hat.

'Not ... Slytherin?' Sakura thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when the hat shouted Gryffindor, causing the students from the said house to cheer wildly, Sakura included.

Harry ran towards the table and was assaulted by various handshakes and congratulations from the older students. He sat down beside Sakura.

"Let me guess, the hat wanted to put you in Slytherin?" Sakura asked, smiling. Harry, whose hands are still being held by students in handshakes, turned his head and simply nodded.

"How did you know?" Harry inquired when the students calmed down and the sorting continued.

"You were whispering to the hat," Sakura said, "not Slytherin?" She titled her head.

"Ah, it's because it was said that you-know-who was a Slytherin." Harry whispered so that no one would hear. Sakura responded with a silent o.

"Anyway, Mr. Potter, I'm sorry," Sakura lowered her head a bit, "I didn't know who you were earlier." Harry simply chuckled.

"Don't apologize. I'm actually happy you didn't know me." She gave him a questioning look. "I mean, all the people wanted to meet me because I was famous. But you didn't know me, and introduced yourself."

"Is it all right if we become friends? Can I call you Harry?" Sakura smiled and stretched her hand towards Harry.

"Of course! Of course you can, Sakura!" Harry enthusiastically shook Sakura's hand as the sorting ceremony ended with Ron ending up in Gryffindor.

I'm truly sorry for the delay. Please review! Reviews are highly appreciated :D