Haruno Sakura and the War of Two Worlds
By Inner Self
Ellesra-san, I am so sorry that you thought Sakura was a Mary Sue in disguise or something. Everyone can be like someone else, and everyone can relate to a character more than others. I'll do my best to implement your advice. I hope what I do to start off this chapter works. ::smiley face:: Of course it will!
Omg, the Magical World of Harry Potter is so beautiful! Outrageous waiting lines, but beautiful. I bought a pigmy puff and ALMOST named it Sakura… until I checked…and well, (congratulations?) it's a boy! So I named him Pinkerton; a nice, Harry Potter-like pet name. I'm just kidding about the sexing part.
Pumpkin juice tastes too sweet, but it's 81 percent juice. Butterbeer is awesome (cream soda, butterscotch syrup, and …?). I'll post the supposed ingredients on my profile…soon?
1/3/11: REdone boggart scene. Makes more sense and is less confusing (I hope). It still has to be read between the lines. Like a contract. This story reads like a business contract, for which I AM terribly sorry. Thank you for reviews. Need suggestions for earlier chapter small reworkings. PM me if something confuses you and is fixable. All will be said in story in due time.
Chapter 6: Crossing Boundaries
When Naruto was summoned bright and early to the Hokage, he optimistically expected good news. He gave his usual tactless, familiar greeting of "Morning, baa-san!" etc., etc. while he stretched to get the morning sleepiness out of his system.
"Please close the door behind you, Naruto," she said forebodingly.
His cheerful grin dropped a margin.
Tsunade poured a glass of sake and sipped. "Please do not lie to me, Naruto," she said shortly. "That grin doesn't suit you right now. You and the team failed to rendezvous with Sakura when she went after Sasuke. You are worried about her, about them, whether you show it or not."
"Hey, obaa-san, I would not be Naruto if I didn't smile, dattebayo!" he said adamantly, though a little worried at the bitterness that entered her tone. Maybe that's why she was drinking… this time. She was not angry at him, per se.
Tsunade massaged the ridge of her nose.
"Any news of Sakura? It's been a few weeks," he asked.
Tsunade steeled her gaze on him, as best as she could with red, moist eyes. "Naruto, I doubt Sakura is still alive. We have heard nothing of her from her hypothetical abductors."
Naruto got defensive. "So what, granny? Are you going to give in to doubt that easily?"
"People die everyday, Naruto. There haven't been any demands from abductors," she responded. Tsunade mulled over her theories silently. "It had to have been Akatsuki."
"Well, there you have it! There's no way Akatsuki would be stupid enough to kill a medic, dattebayo!" Naruto said vehemently.
"What Akatsuki? There's hardly an Akatsuki to speak of-well, thank kami-sama! The only remaining members are Madara, Kisame, and Zetsu, and possibly the blue-haired kunoichi."
Naruto lifted an eyebrow. "And how does this prove that Sakura's life is in danger?"
"Any other medic, aside from Shizune, and I would agree with your optimism, Naruto, but I have trained her beyond medical ninjutsu. They'd be fools to not look elsewhere for a medic. The Akatsuki have no need to lure you in with her. They know you will not sit and wait for them to hunt you down. Hell, you've turned the tables so far. They will want take out your allies as you did them. They will want to fight you alone."
"But what if they were desperate enough to capture a konoha ninja? And keep that ninja alive? Four members at most?"
"Five. I forgot to count your former teammate. He may have comrades working with Akatsuki as well. Three others, including the red-headed kunoichi, if he still operates in standard shinobi protocol."
"Well, they could get desperate and try to negotiate-promise a comfortable stay for her, dattebayo!" said Naruto. "They have all five great nations at their throats now!" Was he grasping at straws now? Or thinking for once in his life?
"I wish I could believe in the best outcome like you do, Naruto," she sighed, "Unfortunately, I have lived longer than you."
"Sasuke would not let-"
"-Akatsuki kill her?" she interrupted, slamming her hand on the desk, just enough to rattle it. "Naruto, Yamato told me what happened months back on the second failed attempt at a rescue mission! He could kill her himself! He is not your teammate-right now-that you once knew."
That reality check cooled him down. Naruto solemnly inquired. "What does Kakashi-sensei think?"
"He will not say. He prefers to wait and see. He thinks he will be less heartbroken that way," she answered.
"What did that red-haired girl have to say?"
"She's a mess right now. She lost a lot of blood on the way back to Konoha. She awoke a few days ago from her coma. The interrogators were lucky to get anything out of her before she succumbed to exhaustion. She told us that Sasuke killed Danzo and almost herself in the process. A masked cohort, Madara, had watched from a safe distance. She remembers seeing Sakura. The kunoichi still in recovery. Hyuuga Neji is in charge of watching her. She is in Ino's care."
"What will happen to her?" Naruto asked, diverting off-topic.
"She was one of the many children Orochimaru kidnapped from civilian villages to start his own. We'll let her decide if she wants to leave or apply for citizenship once we can trust her."
"Ah," he responded noncommittaly.
You did great in the impromptu chuunin exams. You and two others passed," she said as a non-sequitor. "You're the only one of the three that I would suggest for the jonin exams six months from now. Work hard like always, and don't let your ego get in the way."
Tsunade took another shot of steaming sake. "The memorial service will be held a few more weeks from now if we do not gain word of her."
Naruto nodded to show he heard her. Thoughts were buzzing about in his ears. Naruto felt it was about time he left. He couldn't stand being in the company of his hokage anymore. Tsunade-sama was discouraging his optimism him with her distrust in Sakura's willpower. He for one knew with all his heart that she was out there somewhere. He just had to hold on to that belief. If ever he were to trust his gut feelings, it was now.
… … … … …
Sakura complained the whole way down to the Quidditch pitch. She tried to explain to Draco that she had never played Quidditch. How could she possibly get onto the team without any previous experience?
"Quite simple. The tryouts are not until later in the afternoon. So lucky you gets to train all morning with captain Draco. Isn't that wonderful?" he said with a sadistic grin. Ah. Why did he not mention that detail earlier? "If you do not do as well as the others, you can still get on the team. All I, the team captain, have to do is promise to grill you with extra Quidditch practice."
"So you're rigging the system," she stated rather than questioned. After all, it's what Slytherins do.
"Precisely. Trust me, you can't be any worse than last years team. Now, seeing as you are a girl and my friend, the school body views you as my girlfriend," he said, and Sakura was not seeing the logic. Did that make the Granger girl a polygamist? She disguised her laughter as a cough.
"As my 'girlfriend'," he continued, this time gesturing quotations, "you need a top of the line broom. I'm giving you my old Nimbus 2000. My father bought me a modified Nimbus 2000X for my birthday. Consider it an early Christmas gift. "
"What's Christmas?"
He stared at her a good long while, then abruptly shook his head. "Never mind. Just take it and think nothing of it." He walked towards the middle of the field mumbling about ignorant foreigners and the burden the English carried as educators to the world.
Draco instructed her to set it on the ground. "This is the aptitude test. It will evaluate your affinity toward air magic. With flight training and practice, the test becomes easier. You must be able to command the broom or it will not fly. To command it, simply say Up!"
Sakura looked from Darco to the broom. She held her hand over the Nimbus 2000 and said "Up" loudly and clearly, more as a question-even after all she's seen in the Wizarding World-than a command. The broom wobbled into her hand.
"Of course, confidence is key," Draco drawled proudly. He commanded his broom, and it practically jumped into his awaiting hand.
"I'll say he's had a little too much practice," Sakura mumbled.
Draco mounted his broom, and she followed his example. Curiously, she asked, "Should I fear falling off?"
"Not if you relax. Think of the broom as a really big wand. You've got potential, so don't freak out on me up there."
Sakura nodded and continued to follow his lead. He let her get attuned to the broom before he taught her the basics. After a few hours, they were flying leisurely. Draco left Sakura to her own devices and began setting up the pitch for the tryouts.
"Just remember," he called from the other side of the field, "elegance matters, whether you're beating bludgers or chasing snitches. Don't let that Potter fool you into thinking otherwise."
Draco beckoned Sakura. He had summoned a large trunk to the field. "This is the game equiptment. Do you know how to play?"
"How could I not?" she said, rolling her eyes. "You and the other Slytherin boys are either Potter-bashing or talking Quidditch. I've only been here-what?-three weeks and I know the game's ins and outs."
"Do you want to try out or not?"
Sakura felt her stubborn streak rise up, but she beat it down. Pouting, she said, "that's not what I mean. It's beginning to grow on me now that I don't fear for my life. I just believe the fun of a sport is all in the doing."
"Well, which one do you think is suitable for you?" he asked, smirking.
She thought about it for a few moments. A grin broke out on her face. "Beater, shannaro!"
"How could I have guessed?" he said rhetorically. "You would do perfectly well in that position. Oh, during tryouts, please don't aim at the Slytherins if you're going to show off. Save it for the Gryffindorks."
Of course she got the part.
… … … … …
Later that afternoon, Sakura ditched Draco to find Professor Snape. She had received a letter from him at breakfast. She knocked, and he answered back with a snappish "come in!" She creaked open the old double doors to his office. "You wanted to see me?"
He looked up from a large tome. "Yes. Close the door."
She did so. He picked his wand up from the desk and cast a silencing charm.
"Let's talk business. I'll make this short since these are my office hours. I will be needing your services tonight. Get some sleep if you can. I will send an elf to wake you some time after midnight but before dawn."
"And I am not to know the details?" she asked. He did not give an answer.
'Alright. It's not my job to interrogate him,' she thought. 'He can keep his thoughts.'
"That is all," he said in a cold voice.
Sakura left him to his book and, for the thrill of it, took off on a stealth run up to the seventh floor Room of Requirement. (Imagine any ninja and the Grand Staircase).
'I need a place to train,' she repeated thrice to herself. She opened the great doors to the vision of Team 7's training grounds. She could almost cry. It made her homesick. She could almost imagine Naruto and-dare she think of him?-Sasuke picking fights during training sessions. She took off her robes to reveal a pale pink crop bra and form-fitting dark shorts. After a few warm-up exercises, she pulled her fighting gloves out of her robes and slipped them on. A bunch of roughly collaborated wooden dolls-like totem poles with joints really-materialized on the field. The pond stirred.
Sakura dropped smoothly into a sparring stance. "Here we go, shannaro!"
… … … … …
"That horrible Umbridge woman!" hissed Hermione, concluding a terrific rant. It was a rant surely worthy of applause, but Harry and Ron were too amazed at her unleashed anger towards a-le gasp!-professor.
"We're a hundred percent behind you, Hermione," Ron cheered. Harry patted her on the back.
"If this meeting gathers any recruits, we're going to need a place to practice," said Harry, marching on down the seventh floor corridor.
"If the Room of Requirement is indeed up here, the only security issue will be the secrecy of the club members," Hermione mused aloud.
"Don't worry, 'Mione, it is here," he assured her. "Neville said he found the room we seek up here. Dumbledore's bathroom my foot!"
"Oi, look, Harry! The wall is shifting!" cried Ron excitedly.
Indeed it was. Their need was the same as Sakura's, a room in which to train in secret. The wall morphed into majestic double doors before their eyes.
"Harry, Ron…" Hermione said uncertainly. "Did either of you think the magic words? Could it be that someone is using it?"
"Should we come back later?" Ron asked.
They were about to leave, when Harry said, "No, no… there must be room to share. And who could it possibly be, I wonder?"
"Curiosity killed the kneazle," Ron muttered. Harry ignored him, but Hermione shot him a glare.
… … … … …
The wooden mechanisms attacked without mercy. Of course they were easy to dodge individually, but the Room had created a dozen and a few extras. They couldn't twist and were slightly more flexible than a contortionist's spine. Totem snakes, Sakura dubbed them. They attacked by curling and quickly releasing the kinetic energy. Whenever Sakura saw a curl, she leaped away. She'd run across the field while evading strikes to fight the fastest ones. She eliminated half that way. As time progressed, they got creative. Instead of charging, they circled. Sakura already had a lump on her head that she'd be feeling the next morning if she were not a medic.
Hmm. Maybe the wooden spines knew that. They weren't cutting her any slack. Sakura dodged another one, which had come at her with a motion like a dancer demonstrating The Worm. Fueled by magic, they got faster and more aggressive. They attacked at once. Sakura found an opening and jumped off one high into the air. The mechanism busted and disapparated below her. A totem snake tried to curl around her midsection. Sakura channeled chakra and repulsed it with a smack from each hand. It shattered and disapparated. Another flew up behind her followed by another and another…
She surged protective chakra into contact spots in her legs and feet. She focused the chakra in the tops of her feet. She shattered the first one with a well placed roundhouse. She stepped off the next one and twisted her body. A whirlwind kick, courtesy of Rock Lee, destroyed two more of her targets. She kept up her midair battle as long as she could. "I know you can't die, but please stay down!" she growled at a broken one that was not disapparating. She dropkicked it on her way down, splintering any functional mechanisms the totem snake had left. "Uzusuke Combo Finish!" she coined it. Sakura was quick to jump when the remaining two attacked from either side.
"Double kick!" Sakura yelled and threw a kick down at either target. (Boys don't try this at home. Or limber up first). Looking around, Sakura sighed in relief. "Well, that concludes today's training exer…cize!" she shrieked. One shot out of the water. She quickly surged chakra to the bottom of her foot. She dashed backwards and she brought up her foot and struck. The shockwave carried through the joints and throughout the mechanism, destroying it. Sakura did a back-flip to avoid the debris. Then the totem snake disapparated.
"Okay, I'm getting tired!" she hollered to the room. Sakura growled, "I better have enough chakra to heal Professor Snape, do you hear?" She waited for another attack. Nothing. She started to grab her things.
The doors creaked open. Sakura gasped in shock. Luckily, she did not drop her things. 'I wish it were dark,' she thought hard. The sunlight was sucked out of the room, but the moonlight still lit up enough features to give away her presence.
"Who's there?" an intruder called.
… … … … …
"Who's there?" Harry called out as the door creaked open.
All of a sudden night had vanished the day. Fortunately, the moon was full. It seemed the three of them had some sway in the appearance of the Room.
The Trio had appeared at the edge of a thick forest. There were plains ahead of them. Three posts fashioned from tree trunks stood proudly on the other edge near a goodly sized pond. The Trio saw a silhouette and ran toward it. The silhouette took shelter behind the middle post. Trees began sprouting sporadically around them. They impeded their search. Even the posts shifted their appearance. The plains had turned into the perfect hiding spot.
"Where are you?" Harry called again in a friendlier tone. He unsheathed his wand and the others did the same. Ron's gaze was locked onto the direction in which the silhouette had disappeared. Hermione's eyes were fixed on a random point as she tried to remember the movements for the Homenum revelio spell. Harry about decided he was tired of waiting for movement from the mysterious person.
"Harry, we need to stay together! We could get lost in this thicket. If we get lost, we get distracted. And then we lose the person," Hermione rationalized. Harry sighed and relaxed his wand arm.
"I'm going to close my eyes and see if I hear anything," Hermione decided.
"We'll keep you safe, 'Mione," Ron promised. He readied his wand arm.
After only a few minutes, Hermione was getting creeped out. She kept her eyes shut and searched for the sound of footsteps. The door slammed a minute later, and she flinched violently. The trio rushed for the door.
"Impossible. That's bloody impossible. How could he-" Ron started.
"-or she-" Hermione corrected automatically.
"-get past us without so much as a peep?" When he finished, his mouth hung open, dumbfounded.
"Excluding the door slam," Harry said bitterly. "How am I supposed to go up against Voldemort if I cannot catch one of his minions in the making."
"You think it was a Slytherin?" Hermione asked.
Harry sneered. "Who else?"
"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione consoled, "the defense club will be just what we need."
… … … … …
Sakura did not get the best of sleep when she napped, as advised by Professor Snape. She fell asleep at eight and awoke from a nightmare at eleven-thirty. Sakura ran her palm flat through her hair. She went to the girls bathroom and washed water on her face. Staring at her reflection above the sink, she asked, "Why were people dying in my dream? In my occasional nightmares, the victim is always me. Usually the dreams are about Orochimaru." Her stomach growled. She looked away from her visage to her stomach, as if it were a child whinging for some candy. "I'm so glad I eavesdropped on the upperclassmen. Time to visit the kitchens."
Sakura dropped in for a bite and barely finished when a messenger elf popped in. She introduced herself as Tipsy, Professor Snape's personal assistant, and told her that Professor Snape had arrived. She was to "meets 'im quicks in 'is office!" Sakura took off in a stealth run back towards the dungeons.
Sakura caught a pair of yellow eyes at the end of the hallway. Filch's cat, she realized. Sakura flipped unto the ceiling and continued running, hoping the cat hadn't spotted her and thankful Filch was not a dog person.
She quietly let herself in. The door creaked. 'That's another spell I'd like Professor Snape to teach me.'
Sakura closed the door and searched the room for the presumably wounded man. Soft lamplight was pouring out another door on the far side of the room. She went to the door and pushed it further. He was sitting on his bed, legs thrown over the side, waiting for her.
"Miss Haruno, please heal this," he commanded or asked, Sakura was not sure. He gestured toward his side.
"What happened?"
"You will know when you see it. Do you know how to cut clothing with your wand?" he asked, barely the hint of pain in his voice.
Sakura shook her head "no". "I have a kunai on me. I can cut through the material if you can magic it back together."
Professor Snape shook his head. "It's charmed material. It would never be the same. Ease it off me."
"I will do my best not to aggravate the wound," she promised. Snape only grit his teeth once. Professor Snape unbuttoned his shirt with the hand opposite the agonizing bruise and shrugged it off his shoulders. Sakura applied chakra to her hands and ran the diagnostics.
"To add to the bruising, you also have a cracked rib. It's one of the floating ones. This might take a while longer than expected," she concluded.
"I've had worse. Can you talk while you work?"
"About what, Professor Snape?" she queried.
"Anything."
"Well, although I was lucky your business did not take all night, I took a nap as you suggested. It was not as restful as I had expected. I had a nightmare."
"So you are a kunoichi who has unrestrained fears materializing in nightmares," Snape mused.
"Everyone has fears," she retorted, "and this was not my usual nightmare. Ever since I was twelve, I would have a recurring nightmare-not often mind you. It was always this ninja, Orochimaru. He betrayed konoha. He convinced a teammate of mine to defect, for whatever reasons. The point is that this guy was scary as hell. If I ever had to meet this man again, it would be too soon."
"I hope you do not, then," Snape said…sincerely?
"Well, he's dead, so I just have to pray I don't go to hell," she said with a wry grin.
"Do you know who killed him?" said Snape with quirked brow.
"Duh, I'm a kunoichi," she sobered after that and told him, "the news of Orochimaru's death spread like wildfire. It was my teammate who killed him. The one who betrayed my homeland. He always looked out for himself first. He avenged his family a while after, but never came home. I guess I understand that much," she adds, as if by saying she does, his choice would not feel so much like a punch to a weak gut. Sakura had finished healing Snape. Snape shrugged his undershirt back on and buttoned it.
"He assassinated a politician of Konoha," she said, shivering, "who wasn't a saint, to be truthful. Still, I suspected that was not the end of his agenda. And he sacrificed a comrade-I can only hope survived!-to get what he wanted. He was turning into a monster."
"I see," he replied, knowing not to pry further.
"And my job description includes putting down monsters," she said. She felt the tears begging for release and held back only just. Professor Snape sensed it but did not acknowledge. After calming down, Sakura realized how far off she had diverted from the original topic. She managed a chuckle.
"Um, well, I had this nightmare. It was not as scary as it was just sad. It was horrible. I saw people dying," she told him.
Professor Snape froze. "Have you ever had dreams that came true?"
Sakura placed a hand over her heart. "Heavens, no! I'm so glad I haven't. It was still horrible. I think it was a family; a fairly numerous family. Otherwise the dream just repeated over and over. I think…I think in the dream I was killing them. Why else did they die at my feet?"
"The mind likes to intensify dreams. Or it could have been metaphor," he rationalized an interpretation. "Why you had the dream is a question you will have to answer at a later time. Speaking of which, there are classes to attend and to teach tomorrow morning."
"Right. Don't sleep on your back, sir. Lie on good side. Put a pillow behind you to keep you in that position. Goodnight, Professor Snape.
Sakura had to wade through that horrible dream again, but when it ended, she dreamed of visiting foreign lands like Suna and Mizu, and Konohagakure's cherry blossom festival. And there was Sasuke, as innocent as she'd ever seen him, sitting next to her, smiling up at her, loving her unconditionally. Sakura felt as if she were forgiven. She woke with tear streaks on her cheeks, but she had not felt happier in a long time.
… … … … …
Sakura glanced at the pink and green calendar on the wall next to the sink. It was the twelfth of October. "Hogsmeade weekend!" she shouted at her reflection amidst her washing. She was going to be last to get there if she did not hurry up, and this was her first Hogsmeade trip. "Where's Draco?" she wondered frantically. Sakura threw on a set of standard black school robes and shot out of the fifth year girl's dormitory.
She spotted Crabbe and Goyle going out the portrait, and called, "Crabbe, Goyle, have you seen Draco?"
Crabbe and Goyle turned around and pointed to themselves. "Yes, the two of you," she almost hissed, "now where is he?"
"Well, he's still in the dorm," Crabbe answered.
"He was angry about something Potter did at dinner last night. He told us to leave him alone," Goyle explanded.
"Thanks. You can get back to leaving him alone now," Sakura said as she ran past. Crabbe tried to say something, but Sakura was already gone.
Sakura went up to the room and knocked. "Draco?" He didn't answer. She heard a shout and, without thinking more of it, invited herself in.
Draco, stark naked but much blocked from view, flailed at the sight of her and yelped again. He threw himself behind his bed. Outraged and embarrassed, he yelled, "What the bloody hell are you doing? Did I say you could come in?"
"Well, you could have said Don't come in just as easily," she countered.
"Why are you still standing there?" he shouted.
'Will he ever stop shouting?' she wondered irritated. "Oh, please, Draco. I've seen it all before. Clinically speaking. I used to help out at hospitals." 'Yeah, I was basically a doctor,' she added internally with an internal scoff. She turned around anyway as to be courteous and let Draco compose himself. She heard the swish of a wand and a mumbled Scorgify.
"Well, be quick about it," she said as kindly as she could, "after all, this is my first Hogsmeade weekend."
She waited in the common room for thirty minutes. A good portion of the time was spent pacing, singing the Hogwarts theme song, or pacing while patting her head and rubbing her belly and singing the Hogwarts theme song. Anyone who had gone to the Great Hall for breakfast must have been done already and on their way to the merry little town she had barely glimpsed on the first night. Alas, Draco finally ascended from the boy's dorms.
"Oh, what took you so long?" Sakura questioned childishly. "Does it really take you that long to make yourself 'presentable'," she asked, gesturing quotations at the proper intervals.
Draco strolled up to her and poked her square in the sternum, gray eyes alight and fierce with pride. He said defensively, "You are never to speak of this incident to no one. I was just relieving some frustration. Blokes do that all the time."
"So I should tell anyone? Just kidding!" she protested when he shot a thunderous glare. "Wow, so angry you cannot talk properly. Don't worry. I will not tell anyone. Besides, it's never going to make good gossip. Everybody does it. Okay, maybe not everybody, but a lot of healthy people do it. It's healthy! It would make a good conversation topic for a whole of two seconds. People would nod their heads and whisper behind my back the rest of the evening. And what part of 'I'm a medic, I've worked in hospitals, etc., etc.' do you not trust?"
Draco raised a brow.
"How about prerequisite classes? Patient confidentiality?" She sighs in vexation. "Part of my job is knowing the functions of the male body. Testosterone and all that. I will not tell about your secret. It's not much of a secret anyway. Don't feel like I'm holding anything over your head okay?"
"Can we stop talking about this and go get breakfast?" he drawled.
Sakura cracked a smile and followed his lead. She shook her head as they strolled. 'How's it a secret if every guy does it?'
… … … … …
Draco and Sakura hung around Hogsmeade until half past one. They walked to the woods on the outskirts of the village. The infamous Shrieking Shack stood in the background. "Oh, yes, you were bound to find that haunted house sooner or later. Do you find it fascinating or frightening?"
Sakura shrugged. "Not really either. It just looks like a sad, beat up house to me. Why is it called the Shrieking shack?"
"Well, it was named the Shrieking Shack back in the days when my father attended this school. The howls could be heard on chilly nights. They would go on endlessly, or so it seemed, until dawn broke across the sky."
Sakura looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure it was not just the wind?"
Draco rolled his shoulders gracefully. "First years usually believe that story. Everyone else dreams of being the first person to set foot in it decades after it was abandoned."
"Have you done it?" she asked, grinning. "Or are you as afraid as the Firsties?"
"I do not feel like climbing through barbed wire into a sealed off area. That is all," he drawled.
A voice spoke up from behind them. "More like you're not Gryffindor enough to take on an empty house."
"Potter." Indeed it was, flanked by Ron and Hermione.
Ever the Gryffindor, Harry strode up to Draco and taunted him to his face. With a twisted grin, whe asked, "What's the matter Malfoy? I find you here two years later and you are still looking at it from a safe distance."
"Two years later, you are still tailing me around on Hogsmeade weekend," Draco sneered back.
"Why not go in, Malfoy? Is it because your afraid? You big, blubbering pansy?"
"Hey!" Sakura called out in Draco's defense. "Stop this libel. The only pansy around here is Pansy!" Sakura tried to cut the bloodlust with an inane joke, and unsuprisingly it failed.
"Why, thank-you for that, Sakura," said Draco dryly. Sakura gave him a 'What could I do?' gesture.
"Harry, you can't blame him for not rushing headlong into trouble," Hermione taunted. "If he can't handle a boggart or whatever's in there, then why dare him to go? We'd have to rescue him in the end. I would rather go to Honeydukes."
"I don't get anything out of this. I don't see why I would bother," Draco retorted.
Ron sneered. "Funny how Slytherins always think they can get something for free."
"No, Ron, it's alright. After all, what he's facing could be a matter of life or death," said Harry, holding back laughter. "If you stay the night in that house, I'll give you anything you want."
"Confidant, are we, Potter?" Draco sneered. "And it's the same if you win?" Harry just smirked knowingly back at him. It unsettled Draco. "Alright," Draco agreed apprehensively, cursing himself once his back was turned to Harry once more. "But how would I get back into the castle without anyone noticing?"
"I'll tell you if you win the bet. If you're going to back out Malfoy, it's best done sooner than later," Harry winked, he actually winked, at Malfoy. "I'd give you three hours tops. The howling starts after dark."
"I want a basic wand oath."
Harry shrugged. "Fair's fair."
… … … … …
"POTTER!"
The group turned to Sakura, her face strawberry pink in anger. "You did not just egg my idiot boyfriend into an unknown situation!"
"Your boyfriend is a big baby. He'll come running back before sundown, so don't get your knickers in a twist," Harry said grouchily. Ron nodded smuggly in agreement. Hermione backed off; three against one weren't fair odds. She rubbed her mittened hands together.
"Wait. You said nothing about me staying in there with him," a grin spread across her face. "You have no idea what school gossip you've set into place, Potter. I can follow him in, pretend fright, make him put on a manly front… The whole school will know he's mine after that."
Harry's face scrunched up as if he were holding back vomit. "Oh, please, as if you haven't already."
Ron added, "Yeah, what Slytherin girl wouldn't sleep with a Deatheater's son?"
Sakura appeared thoughtful. She fluidly lied, "Hmm, you're right. We have, haven't we? Well, I'm glad I bought plenty of Honeydukes to last the night." She secured her school scarf and made to go under the barbwire.
She felt Potter's hands grip her arms above the elbows, but refrained attacking him. "You're not going into that shack," Harry said cooly. "If Malfoy wants to one up me, he's going to do it by himself."
Sakura turned and glared at him. "Have it your way, Potter." Sakura broke free of his surprisingly strong grip and started her walk toward the cozy village. Remembering her job description, she called back, "Did the antidotes work?"
Harry's face lost its trace of hostility. He looked humbled and said begrudgingly, "Yeah, they did. Thanks."
Sakura cupped her ear and waited, despite her chakra-enhanced hearing.
Harry said once again, louder. "I said thanks."
"Good. Just don't tell anyone I made them or I'll beat you up," she replied with pseudo-polite tone, "and you're welcome."
… … … … …
Draco swooped down onto the front steps of the Shrieking Shack within two minutes. He looked from the front door, exposed of a multitude of cracks from chipped paint, to his means of a quick getaway. With an aggravated sigh, Draco unsheathed his wand and alohamora'd the door open. The downstairs was a wreck so he went in search of a bedroom to tidy-up and sleep the afternoon away. He had to levitate the broken canopy off the dusty bed and onto the floor. He spent an hour undusting the room. As he fell asleep, Draco reminded himself that the Shrieking Shack was just an abandoned shithole. With ripped furniture and signs of struggle.
Draco awoke with a start. He cast a non-verbal tempus charm, learned from Professor Snape. It was almost midnight. He heard a crash downstairs and thought to quietly investigate. But no, that was the Gryffindor thing to do. Draco walked slowly and carefully towards the door leading to the downstairs. He felt for loose noisy floorboards. He turned the doorknob, closed the door, and then let go of the doorknob. Draco cast a silencio spell and a reinforcement spell, also taught by Professor Snape. He cast them on the walls and windows as well. After a giving it thought, the cast them on the floor as well.
There. He should be safe for the night.
Draco's head snapped around when he heard a floorboard creak. He was not alone. Draco paled. He hadn't noticed how dark the room was, with the exception of pale moonlight, until then. He froze, not knowing what to do first. The floorboards creaked again. Draco stifled a gasp. He carefully moved towards the wall by the bed.
The creaks were getting closer. He pointed his wand straight ahead and wiped perspiration off his brow with the other.
An ominous voice disrupted the silence. "Malfoy," it said, "I am here for your soul…you will taste the kiss of death…"
The voice had to stifle laughter before it just broke uproariously. A hand appeared out of thin air. Draco shrieked in a not-quite-manly voice. When Potter's head appeared, his eyes lit with anger. He did not waste time for words, as was tradition. Draco instead launched himself at Harry. Harry gripped Draco's biceps firmly, but Draco's momentum and alertness was too great. Draco tackled Harry into the ground. Harry landed with an 'oomph', barely registering the pain in his arse and mid-back before Draco gripped his shirt collar and proceeded to slam him into the floor.
"Why-you-little…filthy…cocksucker…," Draco growled an exclamation with every shake. Draco was fit, but he was a lean kind of fit, whereas Harry was... just fit. Harry was a slave to manual labor off the pitch. His anger was making Harry disoriented more than anything. Harry hardly registered any of the explications-aside from cocksucker. Harry felt his face heat up. The thought of anyone doing such a vulgar act…it was puzzling.
Draco's shaking of Harry's person was slowing. He was breathing hard. When he finished, he had barely enough strength to sit up. He was leaning six inches over Harry's face. Harry open his eyes and stared tiredly at Draco's exhausted form. "Are you done?" he asked calmly and slightly humored.
Draco glared at Harry as he thought about it. "I suppose I am. Strangling you will have to wait until after my prize, Potter."
"Do you know what you want? Or are you going to keep considering it atop my person, Malfoy?" Harry asked complacently.
Draco gracefully dropped Harry's shirt collar. Harry landed on the floor with an 'oomph'. Draco stood up and brushed off his attire. He casually folded his arms and scoffed, "A Slytherin does not jump to decisions as quickly as it's idiotic Gryffindor counterpart."
"Ha, ha. That's really funny, Malfoy. At least we don't stand around waiting to be killed. Which is the least I can say for you," Harry retorted.
"I had my wand aimed at your heart, Potter, and you know it," said Draco, glaring fiercely into his rival's eyes.
Harry did the same. "A good defense is a great offense," he said grinning.
Draco sniffed gracefully and abstained a retort by changing topic. "You said you had a way back into the castle undetected?"
Harry nodded. He gathered his cloak and told Draco to follow him. Harry led Draco into the basement and they took the tunnel to Hogwarts, much to Draco's disgust. They exited the base of the Whomping Willow and ran as quietly as possible to the side passage, which took them up 1000 spiral steps too many for Draco. When they exited to a tapestry-covered alcove, Harry unfolded his cloak and signaled for Draco to get under with him. "I promise you'll reach the dungeons, and Filch will be none the wiser."
Draco sneered, "I'm not getting under there with you. Since when have you known you were into this kind of things?"
Harry glared. "You're the one who was happy enough to straddle me for a count of five minutes." Again, Harry's heart fluttered, puzzling him.
"Look, why don't you give me the cloak for the night, and I'll owl it to you tomorrow?" Draco queried with a confidant grin.
Harry glared at his nemesis. He hissed loudly, "Draco, that belonged to my father. There's no way I'm letting you keep it over night!"
Draco looked around for signs of others. He leaned in close. "Will you keep it down, Potter?" Draco whispered. "Either give me that cloak or I'm dragging you down with me when I get caught walking back to my common room eight floors below."
Harry grit his teeth. Fuming, he whispered back frustrated, "Fine." Harry practically ground his teeth with the confirmation. He tensely handed his family heirloom to the blond brat.
Draco made for the cloak but grabbed Harry by the wrist. Harry's reaction was to try and yank his hand away. He gave up.
Draco's eyes glinted as he stared down his rival. Draco drawled so only they could hear, "Relax your grip, Potter. You're too tense. It will rip." Draco's cool fingers slid down the inside of Harry's wrist to the cloak. In the dark, Harry's eyes glazed over. Draco eased the invisibility cloak out of his hand.
"Thanks, Scar-Head," Draco smirked obscurely. With a flair of cape, he vanished into thin air. Harry stood thunderstruck for a reason beyond him. On his way back to the Gryffindor Tower, Harry drew a conclusion. Draco Malfoy was hiding something. Unfortunately, Harry had more important things to do, so he told himself, like train and prepare for the possibility of a face-off against Daddy Deatheater.
The next day, however, a note arrived at breakfast. Draco had decided upon his favor and was borrowing the cloak until the end of the month. Harry could have strangled the wanker. Draco swore he would return it on the first of November, to teach Harry a lesson on fairness. Draco claimed that Harry's dirty trick, which he obviously still begrudged, earned him the reward. Besides, Draco could always inform Professor Delores of the cloak's existence. It was surely a banned artifact. Harry confronted Draco about it during free period. He shoved Draco not-so-softly into the trunk of a barren oak tree. Harry made Draco swear to be the sole possessor of the cloak the duration of the month. Sakura would never get to try it on. And Lucius was never to hear of the deal.
… … … … …
First game of the season was Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. It had taken place late September. Hufflepuff won 175 to 80. It was a total blow to Ravenclaw minds everywhere. In the last days of October, Gryffindor and Slytherin had prepared for the biggest rival game of the semester.
"And that is the reason not too many Ravenclaws enjoy the game. The only thing valuable about the Hufflepuff team is their seeker," Draco droned on about, arrogant voice uneven as he, Sakura, and their teammates bounded down the steps into the standby pit. Garbed in Quidditch gear, they prepared to put months of training to the ultimate test. On a cold, late-October day, Sakura and Draco steeled themselves for the most exciting event of the semester: the Gryffindor-Slytherin match. Well, the most exciting for their Houses.
"Sakura, I want you to go for Potter's head," he snarled maliciously.
"Shannaro," she replied with a sly grin. "I'll give it my best shot."
"Alright everyone!" Draco called heatedly. "Listen up! Potter's out there and he's the only one that stands in the way! Keep him from getting the snitch, and I will not be forced to murder the lot of you!"
Sakura shuffled her feet nervously. They were starting to get a cold.
"Mount your brooms. Good luck out there," Draco concluded his rallying speech.
The gates whipped open. They shot out of the pit uniformly and landed at the center. Draco and Harry shook hands, their off-hands, and deceitfully wished each other good luck through clenched teeth.
Madame Hooch blew the whistle and they were off to the skies, carefully spelled with fall-easing charms since Harry's third year. So they could really knock each others brains around. Sakura sped towards the bludger as one of the opposing seekers, either George or Fred Weasley, did the same. In mid-flight, Sakura smacked the bludger with a sweeping stroke into the Gryffindor chasers, whom immediately broke formation and played evasive maneuvers. She flew at breakneck speed for the other bludger near the Slytherin goalpost.
Fred or George Weasley caught up and soared beside her. "You call that flying? I call that dying with style," of course he didn't mean it offensively, "Your flight patterns are too reckless. You're new to Quidditch, I can tell. Want me to give you private lessons?" Sakura could practically feel George or Fred wagging his eyebrows.
Sakura smiled coyly. "No thanks. I have a boyfriend."
"Oh, you hear that George?" Fred, who had swooped in, asked conspiratorially. Sakura shifted her gaze from one to the other, wary of the ploy.
"Why yes, Fred! But I've never seen Drakikins give this pretty flower a smoochipoo!"
The proverbial vein popped onto Sakura's forehead as well as a furious blush on her ivory cheeks. She reminded herself to be calm and play the game. Sakura went to maneuver out of her sandwiched state. That was when the beater twins closed the distance and trapped her. Sakura tried to jostle one or the other from either side with no such luck. The twins caught an air current and followed it, doubling their speed. Sakura knew they were going to release and watch her go crashing into the pit. She'd read this strategy and should have known better. She shut her eyes fearfully.
"Heads up!" called Bulstrode from above. Sakura could almost see her counterpart's play. It was a feint of course. Fred and George broke away from the air current by dodging left, Sakura still secured between. Bulstrode went rushing past. She returned on the other side of the trio and jabbed Fred covertly with her bat. Sakura rolled away from the Gryffindors and sped across the field. Cries of foul play arose from the twin beaters.
A Slytherin chaser bumped her broom as he flew past. "Get your head in the game. Don't make Millicent bail you out again!"
Sakura felt something coming at her. She crossed her ankles and dropped into a hanging position. When the bludger, aimed by one of the red-headed minions, shot past, she quickly recovered and flew after it. Sakura tailed it to a Slytherin seating tower and knocked it across the field. All the chasers dispersed at the Slytherin goalposts. They ran evasive maneuvers until the bludger shot after the seekers.
Sakura took the time to watch Harry and Draco go after it. She couldn't tell if Draco was fainting, but he was leading Harry through the stadium's framework, carefully weaving through the beams. Sakura flew to the side of the field. She could now see Harry was catching up, as he knew many of Draco's ploys. Draco shot up along the back of one of the Gryffindor seating towers. He did a corkscrew and shot down into a nose dive. Sakura was too green to be of help in Draco's strategy. So she just let him lead Harry on. Harry would not let go of his chase, and he was gaining on Draco. Draco determinedly picked up speed.
So it's not just a silly mid-game battle of wills. They really see the snitch, she thought, mouth open in awe. They're going to get themselves killed! Sakura rushed closer but was sent in an unexpected direction by a pain in her side. She was so close. She could have stopped them from their madness! She felt like she could orbit the earth at her speed, but something stopped her unexpectedly. Her broom fell out from under her as she swayed mid-air, secured by another player.
"Good catch, Fred!" said the beater circling the air directly in her field of vision.
"Thanks, George! It's not everyday I get to be the hero!" he called back cheerfully and relieved. "You really are a rookie. George and I really thought for a moment you were going to stay out of that mess. Three Hospital Wing visits is more tragedy than the school Quidditch program can handle!"
Sakura gulped air as Fred pulled her onto the front of his broom, legs dangling off one side. Sakura recovered and growled, "You could have killed me, you Gryffindor bakas!"
"And instead-"
"-we saved you," Fred and George said in unison.
"That Wrongski Finish-"
"-Nearly finished them."
Sakura gasped in horror and turned her attention to the rivals lying battered on the ground. Sakura forced Fred to land them. Harry and Draco were understandably unconscious. She quickly jumped off and helped Madame Hooch run diagnostics. Sakura let out an abated breath. Harry Potter would suffer from a couple nasty bruises. Draco looked much worse, for he had increased his diving speed later into the dive. He was bruised about the same, but with multiple breaks and a radial fracture in his forearm.
Their audience was silent and fearful. Sakura and Madame Hooch conjured stretchers to carry the players to the Hospital Wing. As Sakura was placing Draco onto his, she noticed his tightly fisted hand. Curiously, she applied chakra to relax the muscles and ease it open. She gasped.
"The snitch!" She gasped.
The players gathered around yelled in unison, "Draco caught the snitch!"
The announcer, Lee Jordan, must have realized because he was soon voicing his disbelief over the loudspeakers and the crowds erupted into pandemonium.
"Draco, Draco, wake up," Sakura whispered jubilantly, even though she knew he was dead to the world. She could hear distinct calls from the Slytherins in the audience now. "Can you hear it? They're cheering for you."
… … … … …
Professors Snape and McGonagall were quick to meet their students on the field and help move them to Hogwarts. Madame Pomfrey was ready and waiting with a bottle of Skel-e-Gro when Draco arrived. The mediwitch fed it to Draco and massaged it down his throat. "If you'll be a dear and fix up Harry, I can take care of the more difficult case. Skel-e-Gro is painful. I need to focus on Mr. Malfoy's treatment."
"Hai, Madame Pomfrey." She got up and went to Harry's side. A crowd of Gryffindors stood around his bed. They removed themselves from one side and crowded on the other and at the foot of the bed. All eyes were on her, she noticed, whether curious, wary, or simply intense. The twins were gripping the bedrails and the Trio's other two-thirds, seated next to Harry, were holding his hand.
There heads were bowed. Hermione's face was hidden by a mass of curly brown ringlets and frizz. Sobbing, she asked, "Can you really help him? He hit his head pretty hard, no matter what precautions were put in place. I know we haven't treated each other decently, but we'll try harder. We will, just please help Harry."
Red-headed sidekick voiced concern as well. His strategy was more efficient. He just tilted his head up, looked Sakura dead in the eyes, flashed his baby blues, and said the magic word. Wham! If Sakura had felt hesitance about upholding her medic oath, it had vanished.
She quietly nodded her head. "Okay."
The crowd watched her work silently. They were awestruck by the warm, ironic green glow of her healing chakra. Even Professors McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore, a recent arrival, paused in conversation with Madame Pomfrey to observe the phenomenon. It took Sakura ten minutes to heal Harry's head injury. She worked ten more on his abdominals. Sakura alleviated the bruising on Harry's forelimbs but did not worry much over them. When finished, she wiped the sweat off her brow.
"Now he just needs rest," she kindly told the crowd of Gryffindors. They broke out into furious, gratuitous applause. Aggravated, Sakura was quick to order them out.
Of the visitors, only Harry's mates and the professors remained.
"You were right, Severus, Albus," said Minerva. "She has quite the talent and the air of mystery about her."
Professor Dumbledore called to Sakura, "Thirty points to Gryffindor, Miss Haruno, for aiding a fellow in need."
"Indeed," supplied Professor Snape.
Hermione and Ron thanked her. Sakura left the Trio alone. She asked Professor McGonagall to conjure a miniaturized chest to store the snitch in. "It will only be until he wakes up. So he can hold victory in the palm of his hand." The professor complied. She took out a transfiguration trinket and fashioned the little box.
Professor McGonagall politely congratulated Sakura for her teams win. Sakura thanked her in turn for her sportsmanship. Sakura pulled the snitch out of her pocket and secured it in the box. She placed the box on Draco's night table.
The door's abruptly flew open. Sakura turned around quickly despite her surprise.
"Is my son, here, Albus?" boomed a cool voice hinted with concern. The headmaster motioned Lucius and his wife to the far bed, its hangings half-drawn.
"What happened, Severus?" He queried heatedly, anxiously.
Snape smoothly responded, "Calm yourself. He's been given Skel-e-Gro. He should be fine within the hour."
Draco's moaned in his sleep. He was magically paralyzed or he might have fisted his broken hand to try and cope with the pain. "Madam Pomfrey, is there anything I can do for him?"
Madam Pomfrey sighed sadly, "I am afraid not. It would be too risky to let you try and speed up the healing process."
"Who are you? Draco has never mentioned you," said the regal wife. Lucius quirked an eyebrow, silently agreeing with Narcissa.
"We met abruptly before. At the robe shop?"
"Ah, yes, now I remember," said Narcissa, "and you are his girlfriend?"
Sakura confirmed so politely.
"How delightful," Narcissa said, gracing Sakura with a pleased smile.
"Charming," Lucius added with a cool smile of his own.
"I shall leave now," She said shuffling her feet. She knelt down and kissed the top of Draco's head. "Be strong, Draco." She turned on heel and escaped. Ron and Hermione slid out behind her as the adults talked heatedly once more about the endangerment of the life of a student, Potter's uncanny way of dragging others into trouble, etc., etc. Ron and Hermione politely departed at the Grand Staircase and Sakura trudged down to the freezing dungeons.
… … … … …
Harry was released early. It was during breakfast time and he was able to hear the bad news: Quidditch cancellation. There was to be no more quidditch as it was violent and had no correlation towards academia. Many of the students nearly choked on their morning meal and sputtered in outrage. They complained in unison, except for Sakura, who kept her head down. She pretended intense study of her transfiguration text, which soon became genuine as she was lacking in that area of magic. No matter the students' protests of a "bad, rare mishap", the Ministry would never back down on its decision. The Quidditch program at Hogwarts would be cancelled until further notice. Harry stormed out, followed by the Gryffindor team. Sakura quietly excused herself and went to train in the Room of Requirement. Luckily, the door was not malfunctioning this time.
Sakura stayed in the Room until noon. She went to the Great Hall and took lunch to the hospital wing. She heard conversation between two boys and opened the door an inch or two. She stumbled upon a strange sight. Potter was with a conscious Draco. She looked closer. The mini chest lay open. Draco was gingerly examining the golden ball in his healed hand.
"I guess you earned it, Malfoy," Potter said. "That was a stupid and reckless thing you did, but you got the job done. You won fair and square."
Draco drawled, "That better have been a compliment, Potter."
Harry shrugged. He didn't really know either. "I would call it Gryffindorish, but you'd take that as an insult."
Sakura thought she saw Draco quirk his lip.
A Chinese girl prodded her shoulder gently from behind. It was the Ravenclaw seeker. Cho. "Excuse me?" She was hoping Sakura would move and let her pass. Sakura apologized and followed the quiet seeker inside the wing.
"Oh, Harry, so you are here," she said unevenly, struggling to find words. "I asked around." She strode to meet Harry. Sakura went to Draco's chart on his bedside table and then the supply closet. Madam Pomfrey was still worried about any idiopathic reactions to the Skel-e-Gro and forbade chakra healing on Draco. She set to work on him as Harry and Cho conversed quietly, albeit awkwardly.
She finished with her slightly moist eyes focused intensely on Harry, "So I was hoping, Harry, if you're feeling well by Halloween, if you would go to the party with me."
Draco's stomach began to feel upset. He motioned for Sakura to grab the sick bucket. Sakura quickly placed it on the floor and helped him to lean over the bed. Draco proceeded to make vomiting sounds to the best of his ability. Sakura made soothing coos and circled her cool hand on his back. "There, there, Draco. Let it out, but don't force it," she instructed sweetly.
Harry stared at them, as if he'd never seen someone ill before. "Come on, Cho. We need to give them privacy."
"Will he be all right?"
With a curious edge of bitterness, Harry said, "I'm sure Haruno has everything under control."
… … … … …
When they left and the massive doors shut, Sakura stopped her care. "Why did you do that?" she asked Draco, who was asymptomatic for nausea. "You could have made yourself sick."
Draco glared defensively up at her. "Do you know how embarrassing it is to be caught carrying on a decent conversation with your enemy? It's disgraceful. Besides, I know he had ulterior motives waiting to be made known. He must have visited to get the duration of the favor lessened."
Sakura was about to ask what favor.
"One which you will have no knowledge of. No one will for that matter. I almost didn't get it, and I have waited too long," Draco said vaguely.
Sakura pursed her lips, "You are an eccentric one, Draco Malfoy."
Sakura finished up her lunch. Madam Pomfrey was discharging Draco today, but he was to go to his room and take his meals there for the remainder of the day. Sakura escorted him before heading back up to the Room. Alas, it was once again locked. She cursed and went all the way back down to her room in the dungeons to study. She did not feel like visiting Professor Snape for pointers today.
Draco spent his night with a faint, comforting scent on a cloth threaded with pure demiguise hair.
… … … … …
Soon after midnight, Sakura awoke from another dream.
Sharingan eyes like hers, charismatic and falsely comforting. Telling her, "You did the right thing". Snippets of conversation. Rushed and muddled together. Tears of blood run down her cheeks. Sasuke's innocence being stripped from him as he runs past piles of bodies in the streets. Sasuke's face, dazed and horrified. For her. Everything she tried to do right. It was all wrong. This was not the way it should have happened. She thought she was making the best decision available. It was all her fault.
Sakura was glad to wake. She went down to train. When she entered, the room was dark, lit only by the illusion of moonlight. Also, she was met with a haunting presence: Itachi. She halted in her steps, paralyzed with shock. His eyes were black. She could take him without the Sharingan. But why would the room conjure Itachi?
"This is all your fault," she screamed harshly at him and threw a punch at the dark figure. His body darkened like smoke, perhaps water, and collected slowly on the ground. She wanted to rule out her Boggart theory. She definitely was feeling more anger than fear. Boggarts showed a person's worst fears and their tricks could be countered. Could the Room have gotten a hold of a boggart? Could it be upping the level of my training sessions? She grinned. "Shannaro." The Room had powerful, old magic's. The controlled boggart theory was highly likely. "I just hope the Room doesn't bring out Madara any time soon." When it reformed, she threw another punch.
"Che! Why can't I hit you?" she queried aggressively.
Sakura backed off as soon as Itachi started up his attack. He was relentless, but mercifully sent only taijutsu her way. Sakura broke a sweat while evading every hit.
"Why don't you speak?" Sakura asked with breath to spare. She made sure to pace herself for this exercise. She watched his eyes but they were empty and his actions indeterminable. Itachi threw a side kick and Sakura went to deflect some of the damage so she could start pounding his face in. Only, his kick never landed. His leg evaporated into smoke, followed by his body. Sakura turned around to watch him reorganize behind her. He would have hit her in a real fight.
Sakura stared at the apparition and calmed her anger. She needed more focus. She wasn't ready to fight an Itachi boggart. If that was what the apparition was. While she had the chance to do so, Sakura pulled out her wand and said a quick incantation. "Ridikulus!"
The whole scene faded before her eyes, replaced with a Japanese-styled Room and a toddler-version Itachi, who still stared at her blankly with big, dark chocolate eyes and a pouty lip. Sakura had to contain the urge to "squee". The apparition was indeed a boggart.
"Room," she called upwardly, focusing on the lurking shadows of the training setup, "this is still a creepy Boggart. How about a nice spring day? And get rid of this, please. I feel like giving sleep another try."
Her wish was the Room's command. Grass grew under her feet. Had Sakura not known better, she'd mistake the time of day (and the season). Itachi's boggart did not disappear, however, the atmosphere lit up dramatically. He instead turned into his self from their encounter during the Gaara rescue mission. He was missing his Akatsuki cloak and wore a navy kimono with geta sandals. His raven-colored hair was tied high on his head. He looked life-like except for his characteristic blank boggart stare.
"I wonder how you got into the Room? You are a boggart, ne? You can't leave now, can you?" she asked the handsome visage. The boggart gave a nod and then a shake of his head. "The room easily controls you for my training purposes, but why are you still here?"
The boggart stared at her for a pause. It disregarded what it thought a rhetorical question. Then its mischievous nature made itself present, and the boggart's eyes glinted with delight. Against the powers of the Room, or perhaps the room allowed it, the Itachi boggart cupped her face on one side and kissed the cheek on the other. He disappeared with a Cheshire grin gracing his Itachi-like features.
Sakura blushed furiously. Was that her thought? Was that her thought? There was absolutely no way she'd allow herself to dream of Itachi ever. Except for that one time after rescuing Gaara. She had accidentally glanced into Itachi's eyes, and was lucky enough he had not noticed. Or if he had, she was not his target. Her life could easily have been snuffed that day. She fantasized of a tragic villain a few nights in a row and had one foggy dream about the encounter, but she never spoke of them, not even to Ino.
… … … … …
Sakura was too exhausted and somber to scale down the Grand Staircase again, so she requested a bed of the Room. She slept in and missed her opportunity for breakfast. Luckily, twenty minutes was plenty to grab her books from the dungeons, change her clothes, and be on time for double potions. She opened the door carelessly while rubbing her eyes, and immediately was confronted by the Gryffindor Trio.
"Were you looking for us again?" Hermione initiated the interrogation. "It must be difficult to steak out a night in there hoping someone will show up."
… … … … …
There you have it. 10k of words. Yikes! How many was the prologue? Wowza, I have outdone myself. I hope you enjoyed. Please review, especially if anyone finds grammatical errors. I tried checking, but it's just too damn long for my poor attention span. I checked as I went. I'm counting on spell check. 8/24/13 Someone messaged me about Dumbledore not knowing what house Sakura's in and giving points for her to Gryffindor. Oops. I combed the document. Didn't find it, but I changed a couple things that were not as clear as I originally thought. Also, I gave Draco the gift of modesty in the bedroom scene.
Once again, Please Read and Review!