He's here, the castle called, voice faint as Sakura was nowhere near Hogwarts at the time

Sorry for the delay. I hadn't realized that so much time had passed since my last update. You would think with such short chapters I'd be able to update more quickly. Oh well. Enjoy.

Kusanagi, Yuzuriha, and Inuki are from X/1999. The Neko Bus is from My Neighbor Totoro. Aislinn and Kestrel are random original characters.

Your heart is not open so I must go

The spell has been broken, I loved you so
You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress you had to burn
Fate is a warning that something's wrong
I pray to God that it won't be long
There's nothing left to try
There's no place left to hide
There's no greater power
Than the power of good-bye
-Madonna, "The Power of Good-bye"

He's here, the castle called, voice faint as Sakura was nowhere near Hogwarts at the time.

Thank you, he sorceress replied, grateful that she was at home simply studying at the moment, and immediately appeared in her uncle's former rooms. It would take Severus some time to slip through the wards and building unnoticed, and she knew he would head immediately for his potions stock. No one had gotten around to clearing the rooms out.

Sakura was worried about the Potions Master. Internally, at least, he had been a wreck, the last time she had seen him. Having spent weeks in constant contact with criminals, murderers, and psychopaths, not to mention being victim of a nationwide man-hunt, she had expected him to have shown up on her doorstep long ago, even if only for a few days. It was time for a check up, and Sakura had asked Hogwarts for help.

"Nothing for it but to wait," she sighed to herself, and decided to do so in the study. Opening the door, she was startled to find herself face to face with Albus Dumbledore.

Sakura blinked. "I didn't think you would show up so soon."

"I was rather thinking you would scream," he commented, and had the gall to look disappointed.

The young woman huffed at that, and Dumbledore suppressed a chuckle. "There is a large difference between spirits and ghosts," she informed him.

"Indeed," he said, and laughed out loud when she scowled at him.

"My mother often visits us at home," Sakura commented. "Have you met her? Nadeshiko?" She continued when he shook his head. "She comes by more often now that Otousan can see her. And now that I have become the Card Mistress, life has become a bit more dangerous. She does what she can to help."

"Speaking of," Dumbledore said, looking at her over his half-moon glasses as though she were an errant student. Sakura realized with some amusement that she could perfectly make out the landscape portrait on the far wall through his head.

"Hai?" Sakura asked.

"You seem to have…forgotten to mention that you are the most powerful sorcerer in existence," he said reprovingly.

"Bit of a shock, ne?" she questioned with a faint smile. What she wouldn't have given to be a fly on the wall during that revelation. "I suppose I might have understated things, but it's not something I really like announcing." Sakura paused and scowled. "Especially when those idiots keep challenging me for cards that no longer exist," she muttered irritably.

"Why are you here?" she asked when it seemed he would not speak.

"I have come to…check on things," he said quietly, losing his good humor.

"Syaoran's keeping an eye on Harry and his friends as they travel," Sakura reassured him. "Have you seen McGonagall-sensei?"

"Yes. I have. And now I wait for Severus, but I cannot stay long."

What must it be like, Sakura wondered, to watch as others suffered and be completely unable to make yourself known?

"I don't think he will forgive you for this, Professor," she said softly and watched with regret as her words seemed to strike his insubstantial form. "I tried offering sanctuary, but he has not appeared. It killed him to fulfill the Vow."

Severus frowned as he encountered unexpectedly little resistance as he snuck into the castle. Certainly the wards would alert Minerva. She would have removed him from his position, surely?

The doors to his quarters, however, were another problem entirely. It seemed that no one had had the time to clear out his rooms, and had instead decided to ward the doors as to make them nearly impenetrable. The Order apparently didn't want to risk that he might return for anything he or the Dark Lord might need.

By the time Severus finished dismantling the spells, he was even paler than usual, and sweat stood out on his forehead. But he didn't have time to recover. He needed those potions he had hidden away, and his best tools were there as well, and he couldn't risk being discovered.

Vials went into his shrunken trunk, Dark texts thrust hastily into a bottomless bag. He moved toward his study, but checked himself as the murmur of voices reached his ears.

One voice.

Sakura.

Severus slammed the door to his study open and glared daggers at the startled girl.

"Who were you speaking to?" he demanded.

He noticed as her gaze flickered momentarily sideways to empty air before turning to meet his dark eyes. "No one," Sakura replied innocently.

The man thrust out with his Legilimency to the empty space and encountered nothing. A muttered infrared spell revealed the same.

Sakura exchanged a sad look with the spirit of Albus Dumbledore.

"Why are you here?"

"I came to renew my offer," she said. "We hadn't heard from you, and were getting worried. You look like you could use a rest."

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It looks like I may need to lay low at your home after all. Goodness knows, I can hardly get anything done anymore. The manhunt for my head is becoming ridiculous. It almost seems that I am a greater danger than the Dark Lord himself. He will likely send me away soon until the fuss dies down."

"Please come soon," Sakura said with a smile. "I want you to feel better. You look horrible."

Severus snorted.

Thank you, Dumbledore said. For looking after them now that I no longer can.

"You're welcome," she replied absently.

"What was that?" her uncle inquired sharply.

"Nothing. Is your curiosity getting that best of you yet?" she asked, and disappeared with an impish grin.

"But you can't apparate inside Hogwarts," Severus said blankly, unknowingly echoing the words of the know-it-all Gryffindor.

Sakura decided that since she was already in England, she might as well stay for a day or two. Was this what the rest of her life would be like? she wondered. Jumping around from situation to situation, in between school and a career? Oh well. It would be an interesting, if not particularly safe, life.

Eriol's mansion was surprisingly quiet, as Spinel Sun and Nakuru had been sent to run errands, and Eriol was off monitoring the Golden Trio's progress. As such, it was Sakura who answered the door when the bell rang, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she did so. Having spent so much time in two very different time zones, her inner clock was extremely confused.

"Hello?" she said, greeting the young girl and her spirit dog.

"Konnichiwa," the stranger replied with a cheerful smile. "Are you Sakura Kinomoto?"

"Hai, that's me," Sakura replied. "How can I help you?"

"I'm Yuzuriha Nekoi, pleased to meet you, Card Mistress." She bowed, and her dog mimicked her. "This is Inuki."

"Pleased to meet you as well," Sakura said. "Please come in." She stepped back and let them through before closing the door. She leaned down to stroke Inuki, who tilted his head back and licked her hand. "You're from the Mitsumine Jinja, aren't you?"

Yuzuriha smiled widely. "I am. And I'm so glad you can see Inuki! He's been my companion and friend for as long as I can remember."

"It must be difficult when so few people can see your lifelong friend," she said sympathetically. "What can I help you with? And how did you find me?"

"One of your friends said that I might find you here, so I took the Neko Bus. England is so interesting! And it's very different from Japan."

"Hai, it takes some getting used to."

"The caretakers at Mitsumine Jinja have noticed some strange and malevolent magic at work. From what little we've witnessed, it seems to be some sort of cult of magic-users. They are weaker than sorcerers, certainly, but we do not know what they are. We thought the Card Mistress would like to be notified," Yuzuriha stated, face serious and determined.

Sakura nodded, lips turned down in a faint frown. "Thank you for informing me. I am actually working to take care of these magic-users, and this may give me a little more leeway. I hadn't realized they had spread so far, as they are based in the United Kingdom."

"It's rare that they appear," Yuzuriha assured her.

Sakura pressed her to stay for lunch, but the energetic younger girl was determined to explore the city before she was required to return to the shrine.

"Be careful," the sorceress warned her as she waved good bye.

"I will," Yuzuriha said and, bowing at the end of the driveway, she skipped off.

For a long while she walked through the city, strolling along the Thames and taking in Big Ben from a distance. Inuki was constantly by her side, and though Yuzuriha kept an eye out for anyone who could see him, no one gave any indication that they had.

For such a cheerful, innocent girl, she had not had a particularly happy childhood. Too young to know any better, her first time among normal children her age she had not realized that no one could see Inuki unless they were magic. They had teased and made fun of her, believing that Inuki didn't exist. Children could be cruel, and often she cried. As time passed, she grew to think that she and Inuki would be lonely forever. That feeling had faded a little as she grew up and more people who wielded magic, but it remained in the back of her mind.

She walked along the trails of a small park, lost in thought when she bumped into a large figure. Stumbling back with a breathless, "oof!" she was caught by strong arms before she could fall.

"Careful, Missy," said a deep, kind voice.

Yuzuriha looked up at the broad-shouldered man, burning with embarrassment. "I'm very sorry," she said with a deep bow.

"Iie," he said, and she was startled to hear Japanese in this foreign country.

"Are you from Japan?" she asked, glancing at Inuki from the corner of her eye. He wasn't growling or baring his teeth, and she relaxed, trusting his instincts.

"I am," he said with a friendly smile. "I'm stationed here for the next several months. Call me Kusanagi."

"I'm Yuzuriha," she said shyly. "Pleased to meet you, Kusanagi-san."

"Likewise," he said. "That's a nice dog you have here." He nodded toward Inuki, and reached out a large, gentle hand to stroke him.

"You can see Inuki!" Yuzuriha gasped, and grinned widely. "Oh, I need to get home soon. Do you like ice cream? We should go out for some next time! Goodbye!"

Kusanagi chuckled as he watched her wave as she raced away. She really was a sweet girl. He wondered if they would meet again. It would probably be better if they didn't. He was an Auror, and it was dangerous for those of his profession in this time. He didn't want her to be injured, whether she was a Muggle or not.

Yuzuriha grinned to herself as she ran to the area the Neko Bus had dropped her off at, Inuki easily keeping pace. A warm happy feeling suffused her as she thought of her most recent meeting. Here was someone she had met by chance, someone not part of the shrine or the sorcerers, who could see her dearest companion. It was such a wonderful omen.

Sakura thought to check up on Hogwarts one last time before returning to Japan. She had a feeling that it would be quite a while before she returned. She wasn't too surprised to see Eriol was there as well. He always seemed to pop up at the oddest times. Sakura might have begun to worry if he didn't.

"Hey Eriol," she said easily, leaning against the wall near the Great Hall. The corridors were eerily quiet, the students gone for the summer. "How are things?"

"As well as can be expected," he replied, and Sakura relaxed minutely. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were relatively safe for the moment.

"Miss Kinomoto, Mr. Hiiragizawa," said a familiar voice, and they turned to see the new Headmistress approach with two curious young women following. "What are you doing here?"

They exchanged glances briefly, Sakura nervously licking her lips. She wasn't very good at lying.

"We thought to see Hogwarts one last time before returning home," Eriol said smoothly. "We had forgotten that school was out for the summer."

Hogwarts sent a pulse of sadness and reluctance. She had been so happy to have sorcerers in her halls once again. It had been nice to have someone other than the Head to communicate with.

"Yes, well," Minerva said in her usual clipped tones, looking far too thin and weary, but one of the young women stepped around her to get a better look. Her skin was pale, almost unnaturally so, and her long, brown hair hung down to her waist. Her eyes, large and dark, seemed not altogether human, and they widened upon seeing Eriol and Sakura. She bowed low, almost prostrating herself before them. "Card Mistress," she breathed.

Sakura darted a questioning glance at Eriol

Part selkie, said his voice in her head.

She wondered briefly whether what the girl was doing on land here at Hogwarts. Did she have a sealskin of her own?

"Please don't bow," Sakura begged, blushing in embarrassment, as the selkie motioned for her friend to bow as well. "There's no need really. And call me Sakura."

As the girl straightened, Sakura caught her companion frowning in confusion. It was Headmistress McGonagall, however, who made her nervous. The witch had a suspicious and calculating look in her eye.

"It is an honor, Sakura-sama," she said. "And…"

"Eriol." He bowed gallantly. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"And you as well. I am Aislinn." She gestured to the other girl. "And this is my close friend, Kestrel."

Kestrel grinned and bounced over to the pair enthusiastically, shaking their hands. Sakura detected an American accent when she spoke.

"Nice to meet you all. I don't think I've seen Ash so respectful towards anyone." She opened her mouth, perhaps to question further, but Aislinn caught her eye. Something passed between them in that moment, and Sakura took the time to examine the American.

Her short and spiky hair was a lighter brown than the selkie's. Strangely enough, there seemed to be tawny feathers mixed in with her hair. Her eyes were gold-rimmed, like a hawk's, and her nose was sharper than was usual. Her fingernails were blackened and pointed, bearing a passing resemblance to claws or talons.

Both young women seemed to notice Sakura's scrutiny.

Kestrel bowed as she said, "I'm the living breathing example of why students should not attempt the Animagus transformation on their own. Still, it has its uses. The eyesight, for one."

"Yes," agreed Aislinn. "And we might not have become traveling companions otherwise."

"Two magical part-animals," Kestrel commented lightly. "A match made in heaven."

"At least you finally got rid of the dreadlocks," Aislinn sighed as though put upon.

Eriol was somewhat surprised. Selkies, even part selkies, tended to act aloof, particularly towards humans. He could see that attitude somewhat in Aislinn, but she seemed very comfortable around Kestrel. They must have been together for a long time.

Indeed, the two had first met on the coast of Spain five years ago when Kestrel had been backpacking across Europe. Aislinn had been surviving on her own. Spain, while more liberal than the English Wizarding World, was still rather prejudiced against part-humans. One thing had led to another, and they had rarely been apart since.

They had discussed at great length the decision to join the war effort. Aislinn might have preferred to stay out of the conflict, but both were far-sighted enough to see that the Dark Lord would hardly stop with the borders of the United Kingdom if given the chance. The longer the problem was left, the more difficult it would be to fix. They might not be able to do much, but they would do what they could.

The group conversed briefly before Eriol and Sakura took their leave.

"We're doing all we can," Sakura said quietly, holding Aislinn's gaze.

She nodded in understanding and trust as the two sorcerers returned to their respective homes.

Goodbye, Sakura thought, brushing a hand against the stones of the castle one last time.

"You meet the most interesting people in war time," commented Eriol.