Right, so, this took a while. Been busy, but finally reread HP 5 and 6, although new chapters may be a little slow until I reach the end of Harry's 6th year. Sorry this took so long, but I the professors have been piling on the work. Hope you enjoy!

But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
for often through the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
"I am half sick of shadows," said
The Lady of Shalott.

She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
 She looked down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror cracked from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
 The Lady of Shalott.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
 Turned to towered Camelot.
For ere she reached upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
 The Lady of Shalott.
-"The Lady of Shalott"

It was June when the owl tapped on the Kinomotos' kitchen window.

Sakura was midway through her first semester of college, and had settled into life as a college student. Most of her classes were in the morning, which meant that she was always scrambling to get to the bus on time, and had her afternoons free for homework and meeting friends. Syaoran, Rika, Chiharu, Naoko, and Yamazaki all attended the same Tomoeda University as well. Tomoyo attended a smaller college on the other side of town that focused on music and other fine arts.

Eriol called and wrote often, and the four of them, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Sakura, and Eriol, constantly quizzed each other on the Wizarding World until they knew everything about the basics. Eriol had even managed a few trips to Flourish & Blotts so that they could learn more about what every witch and wizard learned at home and at school. Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo had visited the Wizarding community in Tokyo several times, and had even begun to learn about the differences between Western and Eastern wizardry. Eriol was certain that the four of them could at least pass as Muggleborns and answer a few questions should anyone inquire about what was done differently in Japan.

Sakura, who was rummaging through the refrigerator for a snack, jumped at the tapping on the window, and spun quickly, eyes wide with surprise.

A large black owl regarded her solemnly from the other side of the glass and hooted.

Oh, she thought faintly, moving to open the window. Wizards and witches use owls to deliver mail. And Severus-ojisan promised.

Her excitement grew as Sakura realized what this must mean. She could visit Hogwarts again.

"Wait just a minute, and I'll get you something to eat," Sakura told the bird after removing the parchment from its leg. She quickly found the leftover bacon from breakfast and set it out for her guest, who began to eat with gusto. Apparently he was very hungry.

"Thank you for bringing this to me," Sakura said as the messenger finished the last piece of meat.

He nipped her finger affectionately and flew back out the window.

Sakura was about to open the note when her doorbell rang. She opened the door to see Syaoran who was watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"Was that an owl that just flew out of your kitchen window?"

They had been well-matched in battle. Kurogane was surprisingly fast on his feet for such a large man, but Fai was lighter and quicker.

It had been foolish and dangerous to go up against the samurai-wizard alone. But then, it had been such a long time since Fai truly cared whether he lived or died.

The first time the other man had let loose a wall of flame with a swing of his sword, the spy had been so surprised it had nearly hit him. And no matter how he watched, Kurogane did not even attempt to bring a wand into play. In brute force and swordplay Kurogane had the advantage, but Fai had a wider range of spells available. They'd been at a stalemate for quite some time. Throughout the duel they had been plagued with a strange sense of déjà vu, almost as if they knew how the other moved. Fai had enraged the man with cute pet names, and slid a spell under his defense, nearly sacrificing his left arm in the process. Until he decided to lift the curse, Kurogane would remain comatose.

Fai's companions had found them only moments later after finishing their own battles. The lanky blonde wizard, white from blood loss, had been healed, the samurai's sword carefully confiscated, and Kurogane himself taken prisoner, locked in a bare, tower room in the Highlands.

Which brought them to the present moment. Having just cast the countercurse, he examined the prisoner with his usual meaningless smile. He leaned against the door, arms between the bars on the window as his forehead rested against the cool metal.

It took Kurogane very little time to realize what had happened.

"You goddamn son of a bitch!" he roared, and lunged at the wizard on the other side of the door, only to be brought up short by the iron manacle that chained his leg to the wall. "Where's my sword?!" he demanded.

"Don't worry, Kuro-puppy, it's safe and sound," the Spymaster said cheerfully.

A vein in the samurai's forehead pulsed, and his eyes seemed to flash an angry red. "Who the hell are you, and what the hell is up with the nicknames?!"

"Fai D. Flowrite, at your service. And nicknames just suit you better, don't you think, Kuro-woof woof?"

"Stop calling me those stupid nicknames!" he bellowed.

Fai pouted. "But it's so cute," he protested.

Amid Kurogane's raging death threats, he informed the two guards that he would be back in a few days to question their prisoner, and walked away.

It had taken much begging, pleading, and threatening, but Sakura had finally convinced Syaoran to let her visit Hogwarts by herself, at least for the first time. After all, her uncle would be there to protect her, should anything go wrong. Sakura had long ago given up trying to argue that, as she was the most powerful sorceress in the world, she could very likely protect herself. And anyway, most of the books they had found described Hogwarts as one of the safest and most well-protected sites in the Wizarding World.

Sakura and Tomoyo had carefully hidden any rumors of possessions, basilisks, mass murderers, and disguised Death Eaters from the Chinese sorcerer. After all, what were the chances that they were even remotely accurate?

Sakura paused on the road to the castle to drink in her fill of the sight of the castle. She hadn't seen anything of the outside last time, and the view was awe-inspiring. It was a wonder visitors didn't lose themselves in there for weeks at a time.

She ambled up to the front doors, simply enjoying the summer sunshine. It was definitely an improvement over the humid, sweltering heat of Japan. The grounds were beautiful. The grass was a carpet of green, the sun shone off the surface of the lake, and a breeze rustled the trees of the forest. A slight frown graced Sakura's face as she felt the Darkness the forest exuded.

It must be rather dangerous to have children running around near it, never mind actually venturing into it, Sakura thought.

She slipped inside and relaxed, sighing in pleasure as the castle welcomed her with a comforting aura. She looked around, and then paused in confusion, unable to remember how she'd gotten to her uncle's room the first time. Sakura was fairly sure that they had gone down several flights of stairs, but was she above or below the floor with the hospital wing, or was she in some other part of the castle all together?

"Well," she muttered to herself, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "Now what?"

"Welcome, Great One," a warm, feminine voice spoke in her mind. Sakura jumped. "It has been too long since one of your kind last visited me."

"Are you Hogwarts?" Sakura asked, as she moved closer to the stone wall in front of her, placing one hand gently on the stones. She closed her eyes and dulled her senses as she concentrated on the magic flowing through and around her, the building absolutely steeped in ancient enchantments. It was not so surprising that Hogwarts had developed a sort of sentience.

"I am," the castle acknowledged. "I was created many years ago, as humans count, by two witches and two wizards to provide a haven for the children. It is a great honor that one such as yourself has decided to grace my halls."

"Please call me Sakura. It is an honor to be here. You are a wonderful castle."

Sakura could tell that if the castle were human, she would be blushing.

"It is wonderful to be able to speak with you. Very few in this world have the ability. Are more of your kind coming?"

"Eventually. I plan to visit fairly often, and I'm sure my friends will insist on coming with me. I'm afraid that this world has been in isolation so long that few know of it, and even fewer sorcerers visit. There are certain rules…." Sakura trailed off, projecting an apologetic feeling.

Hogwarts was positively beaming, and Sakura had no doubt that anyone in the castle would be picking up on the happy atmosphere.

"Hogwarts? Could you please not tell anyone that we're sorcerers? They think I'm a witch, and I want to blend in."

There was definite amusement at the thought of Sakura being thought of as a simple witch, but the castle agreed with her request.

"The Headmaster is coming," Hogwarts warned in what could be termed a whisper, and Sakura opened her eyes, her mind abruptly returning to her body.

"Hello," said a voice to her left. "Who might you be?"

Sakura turned and was confronted with a vision of horror. She winced, distracted by the neon green and orange robes, before her eyes were able to take in the long, white beard, half moon glasses, and twinkling blue eyes.

"Hello," she said, blinking a bit. "I'm Sakura Kinomoto. Pleased to meet you." She bowed, using her peripheral vision to glance over his aura, which looked to be fairly powerful for a wizard, and well-controlled.

"Albus Dumbledore," he said with a similar bow. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"You're the Headmaster?" He nodded, and Sakura smiled softly, running her fingers gently along the wall before dropping her arm to her side. "She's a lovely castle."

"That she is," the wizard answered with a similar smile, although he was eyeing her thoughtfully, gaze perhaps a little more suspicious than Sakura would have liked. "Can I help you?"

"I was looking for my uncle, but I honestly have no idea how to even begin getting to his rooms," she replied, embarrassed.

"Your uncle?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Severus Snape," she clarified.

"Ah," he said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "You're the one he was telling me about a few weeks ago."

Sakura raised her eyebrows in return. "Telling? You don't mean bellowing?"

They exchanged grins.

"I have been wanting to speak with you about that night actually. You have my gratitude for saving the life of Harry Potter, and likely even your uncle. That must have been – "

Sakura never found out 'what it must have been,' for she had been discreetly looking for a way out of this conversation that wouldn't make him too suspicious when she noticed several pale forms hovering in midair.

"HOOEEEEE!!!!" she shrieked, and somehow found herself hiding behind a bemused Dumbledore. "Ghosts!"

Snape, who had been making his way up to the stairs broke into a sprint at the screaming, heart racing. Death Eaters?

The sight that met his eyes was not what he was expecting. His niece, whom he hadn't expected to see until term began at least, was shaking and hiding behind the Headmaster, while the Fat Friar and Sir Nicholas were staring at the girl in shock.

"Sakura?" he said at last, confused.

"Severus-ojisan!" she exclaimed, and threw herself at him. Dumbledore, curse him, seemed to be amused by the whole thing, and spoke quietly with the two House ghosts while Severus gently tried to pry his niece off of him.

"Enough," he said at last, exasperated. "They're gone."

Sakura stepped back, flushed beet-red in embarrassment. "Sorry," she said, fiddling absentmindedly with her necklace. "I, er, am not fond of ghosts. Spirits are find, but ghosts…. Blame my brother." She frowned darkly.

"How on earth did you manage to survive at school? And what in Merlin's name are you doing here?" Severus demanded, with a glower.

"We didn't have ghosts at school. Well, not usually," she amended. "And I'm here to visit you, silly. Unless you're busy, and then I thought maybe I'd explore Hogwarts?" She directed this last question at Dumbledore, as she gave the stone wall a fond pat. The Potions Master noted distantly that it was rather strange to pet the castle as thought it was a pet or a friend, but mostly he was scowling blackly at the fact that the girl had referred to him as 'silly.'

Kurogane had rested in his cell, chained to the wall as he regained his strength. He knew better than to eat or drink anything, as it was more than likely they would have slipped a potion into his meals. It didn't matter, though. He was used to doing without food. Now that he was mostly healed, though, it was time for him to escape.

The samurai-wizard chuckled darkly as he pulled back his sleeve to reveal a life-size tattoo of a dagger on his muscular forearm. It had been costly, but not so strangely gotten as his sword.

His sword. A burning anger flared to life as he thought of his sword Ginryu. He had traded for it with that strange bitch. She hadn't wanted money or anything physical. Something about true love or similar shit. But it didn't matter. The sword had been worth it, to be able to channel magical attacks through the blade.

Never mind. He was getting out of here now, and he'd find his sword. Murmuring the release phrase, Kurogane grasped the air above the hilt of his tattoo and pulled. The dagger slowly emerged from his skin, and he clenched his jaw to keep from screaming as his arm felt like it was being torn apart. Finally, he was left with a dagger in his hand, and a smooth, unblemished forearm. He panted lightly, sagging as he waited for his body to recover.

They Kurogane began working away at his manacles. The guards would be opening the door to give him his food soon. He would need to be ready.

Ten minutes after he had worked himself free, the door to his cell opened. Kurogane waited, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed as the man cautiously set the tray down. Then, quick as a flash, he leaped at the wizard, covering his before he could make a sound, and drawing his dagger across the man's throat. The second guard, unsuspecting, met with a similar fate. And then Kurogane was gone, racing silently down the spiral staircase.

Less than a quarter of the way down, he heard the faint scuffing of footsteps, and slowed. As soon as he judged the intruder just out of sight, he lunged around the curve of the wall, and his dagger plunged into someone's stomach.

It was Fai.

Shocked blue eyes stared into narrowed red eyes for perhaps a moment, perhaps an eternity. It could have been different, the two wizards knew without a doubt, something akin to déjà vu striking them. It could have been so different if they had they not made the choices they had. It could have been a different world.

And then Kurogane wrenched out his blade, and leaped down the steps as Fai leaned against the wall, clutching at his stomach as pain blossomed.

Well. His eyes narrowed and grew hard and cold as ice. He would not be going down without a fight.

Fai's hands were coated in blood. He raised the first two fingers of his right hand into position just in front of his mouth and began chanting.

It was Blood Magic, Dark Magic, and the Ministry would not approve. But Fai had never cared for the Ministry, and he was of the opinion that as it was his blood, he could do what he wanted with it.

He was dying, there would be no healing that. But he would take his murderer with him.

Kurogane realized immediately what the other wizard was doing, and immediately turned, racing back to forcibly silence the man as his stomach began to bleed from a gash identical to Fai's.

The blonde man watched impassively, forcing himself to remain standing as he completed the spell.

Kurogane crashed into Fai, and they tumbled backwards. Hours later Light Spymaster and Dark Samurai were found on the stairs, almost clinging to each other, peaceful expressions at odds with the blood pooled around the two wizards.