Sorry for the long delay. For those of you who haven't noticed, CHAPTER 5 WAS COMPLETED AND REPLACED some time ago. Read and review if you haven't already. I'm a little out of touch with this fic, so I hope this chapter isn't too badly written.
O.o.O.o.
Already she had, it seemed, been accepted as a witch. It was not an entirely unlikeable disguise.
-Wicked, Gregory Maguire
Sakura visited Hogwarts once more before September 1. This time Syaoran insisted on accompanying her, and Kero hid in her book bag.
Hello again, Sakura thought at Hogwarts, pausing just inside the front entrance.
Hogwarts hummed in pleasure. Not one, but two Great Ones, sorcerers, were here in her halls. The light seemed brighter, the stone cleaner, and a feeling of happiness pervaded the castle.
This is my friend, Syaoran, Sakura introduced silently.
At Sakura's prompting, the Chinese boy bowed. I am honored to be here in such a wonderful castle.
Be welcome, sorcerers, Hogwarts murmured happily, and her presence withdrew from their minds.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Sakura commented as she led Syaoran down to the dungeons, passing portraits, tapestries, statues, and empty classrooms.
He grunted noncommittally, and Sakura laughed. "You know it is, you just don't want to admit it. How does it compare to the Li mansion?"
"Not bad," Syaoran said at last, grudgingly. His eyes darted around, looking for anything that would dare threaten the girl beside him.
"Off your high horse, gaki, Hogwarts is plenty – mmph!" Kero was cut off when Sakura shoved him back into her bag.
"Kero!" she hissed. "Quiet." Sakura grinned weakly at the portrait of witch in a Victorian dress who was giving her a strange look.
"Stupid stuffed animal," Syaoran said quietly, pitching his voice so that the Sun Guardian could hear him perfectly.
Sakura whacked her bag before Kero could start screaming.
A short time later they arrived at the Potions Master's office. She had only taken two wrong turns, and had quickly realized her mistakes. Sakura knocked, calling out, "Severus-ojisan?" and stepped back. In a moment the door was yanked open and her uncle's scowling visage greeted them.
"You're back then?" he stated, and his obsidian eyes focused on Syaoran. "And who's this?"
"This is Syaoran Li, my boyfriend," Sakura introduced. "Syaoran, this is my uncle, Severus Snape."
The professor inclined his head, and Syaoran did likewise. Sakura looked from one to the other. Really, the similarities were quite startling.
"I am afraid I cannot entertain company today, as I am working on a rather delicate potion at the moment," he said neutrally.
"That's all right," Sakura said cheerfully. "Syaoran and I can just wander the castle. We'll stop by again before we leave." She turned to leave, not noticing that Syaoran had stayed behind.
"Good day," he addressed the Chinese sorcerer coldly, and moved to shut his door.
Syaoran, not so easily put off, stuck out his arm to catch the door, stopping it before it could close. Severus' nostrils flared in anger, and he glared at the boy. Even so distracted, however, he noticed the flex of muscle as Li forcefully restrained his door, the way the boy held himself, the look in his brown eyes. This boy was a fighter, a damn skilled one, if he wasn't mistaken. Dangerous.
"I don't like Sakura being here, and I don't like you dragging her into this world," Syaoran stated, meeting the man glare for glare. "She doesn't belong here. It's dangerous."
"I did not invite her to follow me," Severus retorted angrily. "In fact, I believe I specifically told that stubborn girl to stay away."
"I don't care," Syaoran interrupted. "I don't trust you, and I don't trust the situation she has been put in. This is not her fight."
"It may very well be eventually if we fail to defeat him before his influence spreads beyond the British Isles."
"Doubtful," Syaoran replied. "You wizards deal with your own problems."
Snape was a bit taken aback by the boy's words, although only the narrowing of his eyes gave any indication of it. He had felt that there was something suspicious, something just a little bit off with his niece. Now he noticed the same with this Syaoran Li. And the way he spoke, as though he was not a wizard….
"Syaoran?" Sakura peeked back from around the corner. "What's going on?" She took in the scene before her, and emerged, hands on her hips, an annoyed expression on her face. "I just had a talk with you and Touya, do I have to have one with you and Severus now?"
Syaoran, whose expression had softened on seeing her, flinched at the question. He remembered clearly how she had cowed the two of them, and then guilted them into being marginally civil to each other. He certainly did not want to go through that again. Not if he could help it.
"I was just speaking with your uncle for a moment, Sakura," he defended himself, turning away from the older man with one last warning glance. "Shall we explore now?"
Her brilliant smile evoked a small return grin on his own face, and she led him away excitedly.
Severus watched them go, expressionless.
It wasn't long before the two of them were hopelessly lost. Or Sakura, anyway, as Syaoran had a very good sense of direction and a vague idea of where they were. Neither of them cared, however. It was fun to explore blindly, just the two of them, and Sakura had even accidentally stumbled upon a secret passage. Kero was not quite so happy, as he could only peek out of the bag and was forbidden to talk much.
Syaoran paused, and Sakura stopped to look at him questioningly. "Someone's coming," he said quietly.
A moment later Albus Dumbledore rounded the corner.
"Hello," he greeted with a friendly smile, seeming not at all surprised to see the couple. "I heard we had visitors. The castle seemed strangely excited as well. I don't suppose you know what that is about?"
"I couldn't say," Sakura replied politely. "This is my boyfriend, Syaoran Li. Syaoran, this is the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my boy," the wizard said.
Syaoran nodded. "Likewise," he replied neutrally.
Dumbledore seemed not at all taken aback by the boy's coolness. Sakura was distracted from the conversation, however, by a niggling feeling, on the edge of her senses. With a frown, she closed her eyes to concentrate on the feeling. Darkness, a faint trace of evil…death. A curse? She opened her eyes, and narrowed in on where the feeling was coming from. Sakura frowned. Dumbledore-sensei's right hand? It was hidden within the folds of his long sleeves. If only she could see….
"Miss Kinomoto?"
She was startled from her reverie by the Headmaster calling her name. Looking up, Sakura met intense blue eyes, completely focused on her face. He appeared to have noticed what she was staring at. She blushed. "Gomen – I mean sorry. I was…distracted." Avoiding his piercing gaze, she glanced at Syaoran to see him watching the wizard with a small frown tugging at his lips, brow furrowed. So he had noticed it as well.
"Can I direct you somewhere?" Dumbledore offered.
"That's all right," Sakura replied with a smile of gratitude. "We're just exploring. It's rather like a maze, isn't it?"
"That it is," Dumbledore agreed with a chuckle. "Even some of our third years still get lost."
Once the two were gone, continuing on their way, Dumbledore focused on his connection to the school.
Are they a threat?
If Hogwarts were human, she would be shaking her head vigorously. Instead he was swamped by feelings of positive emotions, trust, motherly feelings of joy, and even…awe? Respect?
Perhaps they weren't a threat to the school or its inhabitants, Dumbledore acknowledged, but they were certainly extraordinary children with a secret he was determined to discover.
Sakura visited Hogwarts often during the school year, usually accompanied by one of her friends. Even Yukito had come at least once, although Touya had not come at all. It was Tomoyo, however, that had had some trouble at first. None of them had been aware of the Muggle-repelling charms. Tomoyo was perceptive enough that she had known something was there, and something was preventing her from seeing it. It took a carefully crafted spell by Eriol before she had been able to move about Hogwarts as easily as anyone else. Students and staff had yet to discover that she was a Muggle, and none of sorcerers felt the need to inform anyone.
All was not well in England, however. Sakura could tell. Every time she visited, she could sense the darkness pressing closer, the despair in the air pressing down on her, and she fought it with her naturally cheerful personality. The only time the halls of Hogwarts seemed consistently lighthearted was when Sakura arrived. Eventually, nearly everyone could tell when Sakura and her friends had arrived by the atmosphere in the school.
The first students Sakura had ever met were Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. She had come across the two Slytherins while lost in the dungeons. She had stunned them with the information that Snape was her uncle, and they had walked her to the Entrance Hall. By the time they arrived, Draco and Blaise had, despite themselves, become somewhat fond of Sakura. Indeed, within a few months Sakura had the school and most of its residents wrapped around her finger, whether she knew it or not. It was near impossible to dislike such a cheerful, genuinely kind girl, and she brought out the best in everyone, from any House.
Ordinarily, her life would have been in danger, as she was closely associated with a Death Eater and several Death Eaters' children, but no one saw her as a threat. When reporting to the Dark Lord, she had been described as a Hufflepuff, weak in terms of power, too trusting, and a liability should she be recruited by the Dark Lord. In addition, Voldemort did not want to draw the attention of such a powerful country as Japan prematurely.
Sakura particularly enjoyed sitting in on classes for the practical sessions, although she had little use for theory. So far she had managed to avoid giving any demonstrations, mainly because she was a visitor and not a student, but she had taken to carrying around a stick shaped like wand so as to blend in. Sakura was, after all, supposed to be a witch. She felt rather foolish walking around with a stick in her pocket, however.
Although Sakura had managed to spend some time with her uncle, it was not nearly as much as she would have wanted. He was a hard man to live with, she acknowledged. She wasn't too bad at the few potions she had tried during his class. It rather reminded her of cooking, truth be told.
She could tell he loved what he was doing. Not teaching, heavens no. He had neither the patience, nor the temperament to teach children the basics of brewing potions. She suspected his career tied in greatly with his position as a spy. It was the act of brewing that inspired him, tinkering with instructions and developing new potions.
So she honestly had no idea why he was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Could they really find no one else that they needed to use a Potions Master?
Sakura rarely ever saw the Headmaster, as he was often away or busy. Even when he was at Hogwarts, she only ever saw him from a distance, so Sakura could be forgiven for not noticing his ruined hand, the source of the faint evil she had felt that first time in his presence.
"Draco, are you sure you're all right?" she asked him quietly as they walked towards the Great Hall. "You've been acting strangely lately."
The Slytherin opened his mouth to reply, but snapped it shut upon seeing the Golden Trio approaching from the other direction.
"Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione," Sakura greeted with a smile.
"Hi Sakura," Hermione replied, and the two boys waved.
A tight nod was the only acknowledgement Draco gave, which was returned by Harry. Neither wanted to upset Sakura, and it was only in her presence that they sought to restrain themselves.
At that moment Dumbledore passed by, on his way out of the Great Hall having finished his lunch. His sleeve had ridden up a bit, and Sakura caught an unhindered glimpse of his hand.
It looked dead. Blackened and charred, she saw the glint of a ring on one of his fingers. Hopeless, perhaps, but she wanted to heal it if she could. She was a protector, a healer.
Excusing herself, she hurried after the Headmaster.
"Ah, good afternoon Miss Kinomoto," he said pleasantly.
"Good afternoon," she replied. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to your hand?"
If her question startled him, he didn't show it. "I'm getting old I'm afraid," he replied ruefully. "My reflexes aren't quite what they used to be."
Sakura sighed inwardly. An answer that didn't tell her anything. How Eriol of him. Focusing her Sight on his hand, she saw traced of the curse lingering, and a faint ball of darkness around the ring. She raised her eyebrows at him. "You put on a cursed ring?" she asked in disbelief.
"I assure you, it was not intentional," Dumbledore said.
She hesitated before speaking. "Would you allow me to examine your hand? I am a healer of sorts, and I want to help if I am able to."
"There is no cure for my condition," he warned her. "But you may come into my office and examine it if you wish."
Sakura followed him in silence up the spiral stairs and through the door. He seated himself on an armchair by the fire, and she sat on his right. His expression was guarded as she reached out to touch his blackened hand. She gasped and jerked her own hands back upon touching his.
Dumbledore could not quite hide the sorrow he felt at her reaction, and withdrew his injured limb. "It is not pleasant to the touch," he acknowledged wearily.
"No, that's not it at all," Sakura replied, shaking her head. She reached for his hand once more. "I was surprised. I had not realized the curse was still alive and active." Deep in her healing trance, examining with her Sight before pushing her awareness up through his arm, she did not notice an expression of surprise upon the Headmaster's face. He was intrigued by this girl.
Sakura did not know how long it took, whether moments or hours. She was only aware of blood and tissue, and the sticky black strands of the curse. His hand, even in her Sight, was a mass of black, but the further up his arm she traveled the clearer it became. Around his elbow, thick strands of black thinned until they were as thin as thread. She saw it following his veins, only just threading its way into his heart.
Death, it hissed. Decay. Poison.
No, Sakura thought furiously. Stop. She reached for the threads, but they slipped through her fingers as though she wasn't there. A thin rope of the shimmering rope of white light that denoted her own magic was tangible, at least. She pulled, straining to at least contain it to his hand. But no matter how much power she put into it, no matter how she exhausted herself, the black magic gave not at all.
Reluctantly she found herself back in her body, muscles aching, and she released his hand, staring blankly into space until Dumbledore's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Dear child, why are you crying?" he asked.
Surprised, she wiped away tears she had not realized she had shed. "I'm sorry." Her voice trembled. "I can't heal it. Maybe, if I had seen it right away I could have healed, or at least contained it. But the poison has spread too far. It has a foothold in your heart, and no matter what I do, it won't let go. I'm sorry. But I took away the pain."
And it was true, Dumbledore realized. The constant ache he had trained himself to ignore had gone. That, at least, was a great relief.
"Thank you," he said sincerely. "It is, indeed, a miracle." His gaze sharpened. "I have never seen anyone heal or perform magic in such a way.
"What are you?"
"Human, of course," she said evasively.
"You would not grant a dying man's request?" he asked with some humor, attempting to lighten the situation, and immensely curious besides.
"Emotional blackmail?" Sakura said in surprise.
He merely smiled that all-knowing smile Eriol often used to infuriate Syaoran.
She hesitated, and then gave in at last. "Do I have your word on your silence?"
"I will take this secret to the grave," he promised solemnly with a nod of his head, silver beard glinting in the sunlight.
She sighed, and spoke at last.
"I'm a sorceress."