Please refer to Chapter 2 for Disclaimer.
Summary: In the final battle with Voldemort, things took for the worst. In a last act of desperation, Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall, and Nymphadora Tonks sent the Boy-who-lived to the Dimension witch, hoping for more time for Harry to train. A team is formed and a journey is beginning. Sakura/Syaoran. No other pairings.
Warnings: Character Death, mention of sacrificial of an unborn baby. Please approach with caution, may be triggery to some.
To be on the safe side, the characters' actions and thoughts does not reflect my opinions.
Author Notes: Many thanks to Anbu Fox, who gave me a great idea, which quickly developed into one of the important plot points of this story!
From Chapter 3
"Here you go," he tried to push his hand towards Syaoran, urging him to take it, but the hand merely twitched.
Syaoran took the feather from his hand. "Thank you, Harry." He said gratefully.
Harry gave a weak grin in reply. He was suddenly very tired, and the pain of his injuries hit him all at once. He lost consciousness.
Chapter 4 – Haunting Memories
"It seems too quiet," Ron frowned as he crouched behind a bush with Harry. Sneaking a glance around them, Ron could see the silhouettes of the other Order members behind trees, bushes, or even behind a large rock. "What do you reckon, Harry?"
The dark haired boy crouching beside him moved a little to get a better view of the house. "Maybe they're sleeping or something," he muttered. "Or out on a raid somewhere." He held up an Omnioculars and peered through the device carefully. Ron signalled for the Order to wait.
"Don't see anyone," Harry whispered, twisting the knobs on the Omnioculars to get a better view. He passed it to Ron, who held it up to his eyes and did the same thing. There was no motion at all in the house. He took the Omnioculars away from his eyes, and turned to Harry. "Doesn't it seem sort of suspicious, mate? From the reports, the house should be full of activity."
An owl hooted overhead, causing an Order member to jump. The rustling of the bush caused by the action seemed especially loud in the quiet of the night. Harry shot a glare towards the culprit, undoubtedly a new recruit. "Maybe we should send someone to look around first," he whispered, his green eyes glowing eerily in the dark.
Before Ron could reply, a soft 'thunk' sounded behind them. "What's with the delay, Weasley, Potter?" Mad-eye said gruffly, careful to keep his voice low.
"The house seems too quiet."
Alastor snatched up the Omnioculars and peered intently at the house for a while, before returning it and nodding his head. "I say we send someone down first, to see if the Death Eaters are waiting in an ambush for us."
"I'll go," Harry volunteered, already halfway up. Before he could go off towards the house, Ron stood up as well, following behind him. "You need someone to watch your back," he stated simply when Harry looked at him questioningly. Harry gave a curt nod. Clutching his wand tightly, he began stealthily moving towards the house, hiding behind trees and bushes as he moved. Ron did the same, both men never letting down their guard. When there was no more vegetation to hide behind, both of them dropped to the ground and started crawling towards the house, with as little movement as possible so as to avoid detection.
"Ready, 1, 2…" Harry muttered. Ron stiffened next to him, both ready for a possible attack.
"3!" Both of them sprinted the short distance to the house, Harry hiding behind a pipe. As Harry was halfway through directing a grin at Ron, thinking that they were just too paranoid, he heard Ron scream, and saw his body disappearing around a corner. Horrified into action, he lost his cool, sprinting towards Ron's location, at the same time sending up sparks to warn the Order members of the situation.
He turned the corner, wand at the ready, just to see a green light strike his best friend of 12 years. Ron slumped bonelessly onto the ground, the life leaving his blue eyes. Harry barely had a moment to react before he was hit with a Crucio.
He screamed.
Harry felt someone shaking him frantically, calling his name. His green eyes opened swiftly, and with reflexes honed from years of fighting, quickly attacked the culprit, pinning him down. Having neutralised the threat, he looked down at the culprit, only to see a brown-haired teenager staring back up at him with a hint of alarm.
He stared at him blankly for a few seconds, still not registering his identity, before his mind supplied him with the name Syaoran. In a flash, he remembered the journey, the Dimension Witch, and his fight with Prongs. He rolled off Syaoran quickly. "Sorry," Harry muttered, looking anywhere but at Syaoran.
"It's alright," Syaoran replied, clearly as awkward as he was. The awkward moment was shattered when Harry fell to his knees. "Are you okay?" Syaoran asked, alarmed, as he helped Harry up.
"Just a bit weak," Harry muttered tiredly. Syaoran helped him back to where a pile of clothes were arranged, to substitute as Harry's bed while he was asleep. "Go back to sleep," Syaoran said, gently lowering Harry's head on the pile of clothes. Harry tried to give a smile in thanks, but his lips only twitched a little in response. He felt his eyes flutter shut again, and he returned to the world of memories again.
It was burning. Blood was everywhere, the precious life spilling from motionless bodies. Harry never stopped running, afraid to see the faces of his loved ones. He kept his head high, ignoring the urge to look down, to see exactly who he was jumping over as he made for the Shrieking Shack. Hermione and Ron tried to follow him, but they were quickly engaged by Death Eaters, and they soon lost sight of Harry as he turned the corner.
"Longbottom, was it? I remember your parents well," Voldemort's high voice could be heard. Harry skidded to a stop, just a distance from Neville. Neville was trembling, but he held the Gryffindor sword high, staring Voldemort squarely in the eyes.
"Now don't just stand there, Harry, haven't anyone taught you any manners?" Voldemort turned to him, his red eyes glinting. A fierce sneer formed on Harry's face, but he complied. He stood beside Neville, and both shared a fleeting look, one of fearful determination, the other of reassurance. Harry raised his wand, and before the Death Eaters could react, he brought the wand down in a slashing motion. A streak of purple flames burst out of his phoenix and holly wand, bringing the Death Eaters down in one swoop, groaning and going unconscious.
He smirked.
"What would Dumbledore say now, Harry?" Voldemort mocked, making a tut tut sound. He was still standing, not having been affected by Harry's curse due to a shield he had on himself. "His golden boy casting dark spells."
Harry snorted, ignoring Neville's shocked gasp beside him. "He'll just say 'Good riddance to bad rubbish'."
That seemed to be their cue, for at that, both wizards started duelling fiercely. Voldemort had more experience and power, but Harry wasn't to be underestimated as well. Spells rocketed back and forth between them, and Neville couldn't help but stare for a few moments, until he noticed Harry trying to shoot him looks to direct him to where Nagini was sitting, hissing in pleasure at the fight, which Voldemort was clearly winning.
Neville gulped at the sight of the large snake, but summoned up his Gryffindor courage. With a swift movement, he ran towards the large cobra and brought the blade down, cutting off its head. He grinned in triumph.
Voldemort turned around in fury, realising that he had been tricked. "You'll pay for that, Longbottom," he hissed angrily. Neville paled, noticing Harry lying bloodied on the ground.
"Crucio!" Voldemort cast, brandishing his wand roughly at him. "You'll go the same way as your parents, Longbottom."
The pain hit him like a ton of bricks, and he screamed. He screamed, his body on fire, his veins throbbing with pain. Through the haze of pain, he saw Harry push himself up with a great effort, and threw himself at Neville, screaming a single word, "Phoenix!"
As the pain suddenly stopped and he felt a pulling force at his navel, he heard Voldemort cast one final spell in fury.
And when the pair landed on cold hard ground, away from danger, Neville felt a warm liquid dripping on his arm. Still delirious from the pain, he stared blearily at Harry.
Harry clutched his wand arm tightly, a look of pain overtaking his features, before he fell to the ground, gasping and moaning and thrashing about.
Neville scrambled to his feet, ignoring the soreness in his body. "Harry!" He yelled frantically. "Harry!"
"Harry!" Harry felt himself being shaken. "Harry!" The voice shouted again, more loudly. Harry groaned, and blinked his eyes open with considerable effort.
Mokona stood on his face, peering into his eyes worriedly. Harry startled and sat up, shaking Mokona off his face.
"Syaoran said that might happen," Mokona sat up, looking at him.
Harry shifted awkwardly, pushing all his painful memories behind his Occlumency shields. "I'm fine, Mokona." He pushed himself to a standing position and looked around curiously.
"Where are they?" He mused, mostly to himself. "And where is this place?"
Mokona bounced up and down cheerfully. "Mokona brought all of you to Koriyo. Syaoran left Mokona here to look after you, and Sakura and Chun Hyang. But they left… Syaoran will be angry with Mokona…" Mokona's ears drooped and he shuffled a little. Harry raised an eyebrow. Koriyo? Chun Hyang? It seems that he was missing a lot here. He bent forward, picking up Mokona in his hands.
"Tell me everything that has happened."
Mokona grinned at him cheerfully. "Sure! But first, I think Yuuko wants to talk to you about something…"
His body was tense, his eyes darting about warily, and a grimace crossed his face as the horse he was riding on jerked a little. It was official. Harry Potter hated riding on horses. He maintained an iron-like grip on the reins, trying not to scowl when he saw how comfortable the other four looked on their horses.
"I feel like we're not welcome here," Fai muttered as yet another window slammed shut before they passed by.
They continued on, all of them tense at the silence, before they came across a little girl. Syaoran smiled gently at the girl. "Hello, I want to ask you something about this town…" Before the little girl could reply, she was quickly dragged indoors by her mother.
"Well, if we can't talk to anyone, we can't confirm if that legend was real or not," Harry grumbled in slight frustration. Usually, he would not be as grumpy, but considering the circumstances he was in, what with his wand and everything, he felt that it was justified.
"This wand will help you greatly in your journey. Are you going to, out of some misplaced sense of guilt, be leaving it here?" Yuuko's voice echoed in his head once again.
Harry quickly shoved the memory behind his Occlumency Shields and concentrated on the road. He snapped his head up when he heard the faint sound of galloping, coming closer and closer to where they were at. His wand hand trembled with anticipation.
"Who are you?" A man on a horse snarled at them. Harry resisted the urge to start fighting, especially when their guns were pointing accusingly at them.
Syaoran took the lead. "We are travelling around the world to investigate old legends and architectures."
The man narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious. "What for?"
Without missing a beat, Syaoran replied "To write a book." Fai and Kurogane were clearly surprised by this, but Harry kept his face impassive.
"This person here, he is the writer," Syaoran started explaining as the man continued to look suspicious, pointing at Fai.
Fai picked up where Syaoran had left off easily. "This girl is my sister, the boy is my assistant. And this man here, he is… my manservant." Fai smiled at them, ignoring how Kurogane's face had contorted in rage.
"What about this boy here?"
Fai hesitated, and Harry smoothly continued. "At my age, I can be considered a man, my dear stranger. I'm an expert they hired on legends, and I assist them in that regard." At the man's suspicious look, Harry lifted an eyebrow smoothly, a mask of arrogance fixed firmly in place. During the war, he had had to act often, to get the Order out of tight situations. Considering the fact that he was the Boy-Who-Lived, he often had to act accordingly to the situation, to achieve his various purposes. So he wasn't really concerned about the fact that he was currently emulating Lucius Malfoy.
The man looked rather affronted at his tone, but also rather sheepish that he had been so rude to an 'expert'. "Well, I…" Before he could finish his sentence, however, another man ran towards them, interrupting.
"Why are you pointing your rifles at innocent travellers?" The man demanded, ignoring the other's attempts to explain. "It is precisely because of the fact that they are foreigners that we should be polite to them!"
He turned towards them. "I apologise for our rudeness." With that, he bowed politely.
"Welcome to Spirit!"
"Yuuko." Harry bowed his head politely. The Dimension Witch did the same.
"Mokona said that you wished to speak with me," He started, glancing at a slumbering Mokona, who was currently providing the hologram for them to speak with each other.
"Yes." Yuuko turned and picked up something from a table, before holding it out to him.
"What is it?" Harry asked warily, staring at the elegant box she held in her hands. At his question, she opened the box, to reveal two wands. The elder wand and his first Holly and Pheonix wand.
Harry sucked in a breath, surprised but delighted to see his first wand again. His hand reached out reverently towards the wands, but quickly stopped himself. "What is the catch, for giving me back my wand?" He said suspiciously.
"The price for both your wands," she emphasized on the fact that both wands belonged to him, "has been paid in full."
Harry shook his head stubbornly, firmly keeping his eyes away from the wands. "I think I would have known if I paid a price for the two wands, it would have been a hefty price."
Yuuko sighed in exasperation, and seated herself, clearly preparing for a long conversation. Harry followed her example, dragging a nearby chair to seat himself comfortably in.
"The price was paid by your two friends, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, before you came to me. They requested for the wand to be returned to you when you most need it, which I find to be now, especially with Fei Wong Reed keeping tabs on you and your current lack of defence capability."
Harry ignored the comment about someone keeping tabs on him, more interested in the fact that Ron and Hermione had known of the Dimension Witch, especially when Dumbledore had only told it to a select few.
"What price did they pay?" Harry found himself asking in morbid curiosity. Yuuko looked hesitant for a moment, before her face became impassive again.
"Their lives, as well as their souls' freedom to pass on after death."
Harry felt bile rise up into his throat. "What?" He uttered hoarsely, unable to believe his ears.
A look of pity crossed Yuuko's face, but it was so fleeting it was as if it had never been there. "One afternoon, both of them came here, asking for me to fulfil a wish. Their wish was to for me to retrieve both your wands when it was taken forcibly from you, and return it to you when you need it the most. For that wish, both agreed to sacrifice their lives, but the price was not enough. Their wish involved meddling with yours and perhaps countless others' destinies, and the price would be hefty. In the end, they decided to sacrifice their souls as well to make up the price. When they pass on, their souls would remain here, serving, and unable to move on."
Harry froze in horror, unable to comprehend her words.
"So, they were meant to die all this while? And they knew it?"
"They felt that this was worthy enough, and perhaps crazy enough, to save your world."
Harry remained still for a few moments, his brain struggling to catch up with what he had just been told. He couldn't comprehend the fact that Ron and Hermione knew they were going to die. Did Ron go into that mission knowing he would die? Did Hermione know? Did they sit in meetings, knowing what they were about to face?
"No." Harry said finally. "Return their sacrifices to them, I can do without the wands. I know wandless magic, I can cope. Return their lives to them. Give the wands back to the Dark Lord, whatever, just return the sacrifice."
Yuuko shook her head. "They knew you would say that, and they have said clearly not to revoke their wish."
"I don't want it. I don't care how, just return their sacrifice. I don't want the wands, I don't need it. They need their lives, give it back to them." Harry pleaded, ignoring Yuuko shaking her head. It was so logical, didn't she get it? He didn't need the wands, therefore Ron and Hermione's wish was invalid, so they should get their sacrifice back, right?
Yuuko sighed again. Withdrawing a scroll from her pocket, she handed it to Harry, who took it hesitantly. "Your friends knew you would react like that, and they asked for me to pass you this."
"What is the price?"
Yuuko hesitated, and made to close the conversation, but Harry would have none of it. "I want to know," he demanded fiercely, his green eyes glaring at her.
"The dead and the living cannot communicate, especially when it is in the case of a mortal sacrificing their life."
Harry ignored her attempts at side stepping his question. "I want to know," he repeated.
"Very well," Yuuko sighed. "They sacrificed the life of their unborn daughter."
Harry dropped the scroll in horror.
A loud click from Sakura's room brought him out of his thoughts. He hesitated for a moment. Should he check on her? In a way, it would be invading her privacy. Yet Syaoran had asked him to help look out for her as well.
A loud thump from her room sealed his decision.
"Princess Sakura?" He knocked on the wooden door. "Are you alright in there?"
Empty silence greeted him.
"Do you want me to come in?"
When there was no response, his instincts took over and he pushed the door open roughly, only to see an empty room, with the windows open wide.
He rushed to the window and looked down. There was no sign of anyone, but from where he was he could see faint footprints leading away from the house, already getting covered by the falling snow.
He made to jump out of the window in pursuit, but at the last moment stopped. Climbing down from the window, he quickly penned a note to Syaoran.
Then he jumped.
"Good morning!" Fye greeted cheerfully as he stretched. Syaoran smiled back and nodded while Kurogane just ignored him.
"I'm just going to check on-" Syaoran started, walking towards Sakura's room, only to see her room door wide open. "Sakura!"
The three barged into the room, looking around frantically for the princess. Kurogane's eyes fell upon the open window. "She went out through there," he muttered, pointing to show his point.
"The snow was too heavy last night; the tracks would all have been covered."
Syaoran spied a note on the floor and bent down to pick it up, hoping that it would help to uncover her whereabouts. On the note, in an untidy scrawl, was written:
Princess went out. Don't know why. Am going to find her.
Harry.
Where was she?
Harry shielded himself as much as he could from the falling snow, which allowed himself only limited vision of his surroundings. Sakura's tracks had completely been covered.
Harry walked towards a tree and broke off a stick. It wasn't particularly smooth nor was it long enough, but it would do.
"Point me Princess Sakura."
The stick lay motionless for a few seconds before turning, slowly and laboriously. Harry watched with baited breath as the stick finally pointed towards a direction. He ignored the exhaustion creeping up on him with the magic, which was supposed to be performed with a wand instead of a stick, and ploughed through the snow, never taking his eyes off the stick.
He finally stopped before a raging river. The current was fast and strong, and he doubted that he could cross it in his current state. He looked up at where the stick was pointing.
The sight of a castle took away his breath at first sight, and he frantically looked down, pushing back memories of Hogwarts burning.
I have to save her.
He took a deep breath and stared at the river again, throwing down his stick. Well, that was one route he could count out.
Harry waved his hand at himself. "WIngardium Leviosa!" He smirked as he felt himself rising up, and slowly directed himself towards the other side of the river.
"Easy," he muttered as he landed. He turned towards the castle, feeling a little winded. His long rest had been a good thing; at least he could perform more magic now without collapsing.
He braced himself and entered the castle. For a moment he wished he still had his stick to guide him, but the sight of the footsteps on the ground brought relief to him.
He followed the footsteps carefully, keeping an eye out for any potential aggressors. A loud clank startled him, and he immediately went towards the source.
"Shit," he muttered as he compressed himself against a wall. A group of children, the missing children, he corrected himself, was walking down the corridor.
Harry looked closely at them and let out a sigh of relief. They looked to be unharmed, but the vacant look in their eyes was a little worrying. He resolved to check them out after he rescued the princess.
Another clank. Harry paused for a moment to make sure the children had all gone, before proceeding.
"Princess Sakura?" He murmured, staring into a dark cell.
"I'm in here!"
Harry grabbed the wooden stick holding the door in place and threw it on the ground casually before pulling the door open.
His eyes fell upon the princess, her foot chained securely to a bed. Her eyes lit up with recognition at the sight of him.
"I knew the cell was just too insecurely locked," Harry muttered when he saw the chains, rolling his eyes as he approached her.
He frowned as he stared at the chain. "Don't move."
Harry raised his right hand at the chain. "Incendio!" A small flame erupted from his palm, slowly melting the chains away. When the chains were nothing more than melted steel on the ground, he stood up again and helped her up.
"Thank you," she said gratefully. "But how did you know I was here?"
Harry shrugged in response. "I need to check on some kids in this castle. Did you see them?"
"Oh! I know where they went, this way!" She ran out of the cell and towards a direction where the footprints were leading. Harry did not hesitate to follow.
Their path led them towards a large room, where the children was gathered at, surrounding a portrait. Harry couldn't hold in the sudden intake of breath as the portrait door swung open, much like in Hogwarts.
"Wait!" The princess' voice resonated throughout the room as a child climbed through the door. Almost as once, all the children in the room turned towards her ominously. Harry cursed and stepped in front of her, one arm stretched out protectively in front of her. Children or not, when placed under something like the Imperius curse they were dangerous.
The children started to walk slowly towards them, their eyes as vacant as ever. Harry readied himself to fight, but before he could do anything the sight of the small stature of the children struck him.
Could he really harm the people who he had taken priority in protecting in the war?
"We'll have to run," he muttered hoarsely to the princess. She nodded hesitantly.
Before they could run, however, a form materialised before them. "Princess Emeraude!" Sakura exclaimed as all thoughts of running left her.
Harry didn't move from his defensive position. "What is your purpose here?"
Princess Emeraude looked surprised. "You can see me?" She exclaimed.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yes, of course."
Princess Emeraude recovered quickly and turned back to Sakura. "This is yours." With that, she turned towards a child walking towards them. The child raised the object in her hands up to Sakura.
"My feather," Sakura breathed as she received it. "Thank you."
"Sakura!" The Docter's voice rang out. Both of them turned to see him running towards them. "I was looking for the both of you! Are you alright? Sakura, you shouldn't be running around barefooted, it's not good for your feet."
Sakura looked confused and a little wary. "How did you know I was barefooted?" Harry glanced down at her feet, and sure enough, it was covered by her dress. Doctor Kyle could not have known that, unless…
Harry shifted his stance subtly into a defensive one as he watched him warily.
Silence reigned for a moment before the Doctor started to laugh.
"Just like that Syaoran, both of you are too clever for your own good, huh?" The Doctor laughed before stopping abruptly. "Give me the feather!" He made to lunge at Sakura, but Harry was faster.
"Stupefy!"
Doctor Kyle slumped to the floor just as Syaoran, Fye and Kurogane turned the corner. "Sakura!" Syaoran shouted, running to her side. "Are you hurt?"
Sakura gave him a smile. "I'm alright, thanks for worrying about me."
"Good job!" Fye exclaimed, slapping Harry on his back. Kurogane just stared at him carefully and grunted.
"We need to get out of here," Syaoran said, looking back where they came from.
"Then let's get our arses and them," here Kurogane looked at the children, "out of here."
Before anyone could respond, however, the sound of rushing water reached them.
"Knew that water-controlling device was just too rusty to work properly," Fye said casually, leisurely stretching before picking up a few children in his arms. "Well, I guess we better run."
"What about him?" Sakura asked hesitantly, looking at the slumped figure of the Doctor.
"Leave him here." All eyes turned to Harry who had spoken. Harry thought he saw an approving look on Kurogane's face.
Sakura looked uncertain as she stared between the person who had saved her and the person who had chained her. "But he… he will die if he is left here!" She knelt down beside the slumped figure and tried to carry him. "It's alright, I can… support… him!" She forced out as she struggled with his weight.
"No, Sakura, don't!" Syaoran shouted out in panic as he saw the Doctor begin to stir. In a flash, the Doctor had a knife to her throat, his other hand holding her tightly to stop her struggling. Sakura gasped in surprise.
Syaoran pressed his lips together and his eyes burned with fire. "Let her go." One would have been particularly dense to not catch the dangerous tone in his words.
The Doctor sneered at him, and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the castle began to collapse. The bricks of the castle crumbled and a loud noise of rushing water was clearer than ever.
"Get the children out of here!" Syaoran shouted to Kurogane and Fye, who smirked and started to pick up the children- they looked fearfully at them before deciding that they had no choice but to go with them.
In the midst of the confusion, Harry raised his hand, and aimed carefully. "Expelliarmus!" He cried, deftly plucking the knife flying at him.
Syaoran took the opportunity to snatch Sakura away from the Doctor as he stared at his hand blankly.
"So, another sorcerer, huh?" The Doctor murmured. "How interesting. He must know of this news."
"Who is he?" Harry challenged, ignoring the water swirling round his feet.
Sakura's scream broke them out of their conversation; she had been hit by a falling brick. Syaoran cursed and picked her up bridal style, carefully making sure the feather was still with them. For a moment Syaoran looked at him.
Harry smirked at him. "You go on, I have some matters to settle with him."
Syaoran gave him a smile and nod of thanks, before turning the other way and escaping with the unconscious Sakura.
"Who is he?" Harry repeated coolly, staring at the Doctor again. The water level was rising steadily, and Harry knew he had to escape soon if he wanted to continue to stay in the world of living.
The Doctor smirked at him. "Someone you ought to fear."
Harry made a rude noise of disgust. "Thanks, but the only person I fear is not in this world, buddy."
A large piece of rock came crashing down from the collapsing ceiling, and Harry cursed violently as the rock landed right in front of him, on the Doctor. In the brief moments before the rock impacted, he had felt a flare of magic, which must have meant that the Doctor had escaped. Damn.
Another huge piece of rock fell, and he barely managed to dodge it. "Looks like I need to get out of here soon," Harry murmured, panic coursing through him for the first time as he saw that all the entrances were blocked by the debris.
He closed his eyes.
End Chapter.
A/N: There you go! It is a bit shorter than the previous one, but I thought it was getting a bit draggy so I ended it earlier than I wanted to at first.
Things are moving rather slowly now, so I'm rather dissatisfied with this chapter, but I promise things will move much faster after the gang reaches Piffle, which should be within the next two chapters. Coz that is when more of my plot points will come into place.
I am sorry for the long wait! The next chapter should be a long while away. I am going to keep my laptop and concentrate on my exams soon.
Icylone