"FIRST YEARS!" A large man was calling. He wore a large coat made from skins of some animal. He held a lantern over his head. "FIRST YEARS OVER HERE!"

Sakura could not help but notice how few first years there were. There was, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Chiharu, Yamazaki, Fei, and Kurogane, and herself. Beyond this small group though, there were only ten other first years.

"Got a bit of a small crop this year." The large man said sadly. "Can't blame the parents that sent their kids aboard this year though."

Sakura walked over to Chiharu who gave her a smile. "Thanks for understanding earlier, Sakura," Chiharu said in English. "It was all so overwhelming. I took a nap for most of the day and I feel more grounded now."

Sakura hugged her friend. "I understand. I kind of took it for granted that you were already adjusted to this crazy world we live in. Sorry about that."

Yamazaki started their way, but Chiharu pointed at him. "No lies until after your first full day of classes, or I won't make you any Valentine's treats this year!"

Yamazaki looked up at the sky. "Kami is this salvation you offer me?"

Sakura had to stop Chiharu from attacking her boyfriend, the sure sign they were in fact back to normal.

Syaoran was chuckling from the sidelines. Fei was covering his month as well. Kurogane was looking off, trying to not make eye contact with Tomoyo. Sakura wondered what was going on there.

"All right, you lot." The large man called, and they gathered around him. "Let me be the first to welcome you to Hogwarts. I know your class seems small, but we still need to get you to the Sorting. My name is Professor Rebus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, as well as Co-Care of Magical Creatures Professor. I have the honor of taking students to the castle for the first time. Come with me now."

They walked along and Sakura spotted the older students Hermonie and Ginny climbing into a carriage. A winged skeletal horse was waiting to pull the carriage to Hogwarts.

"Kind of glad I'm going with you," Sakura admitted to Hagrid. "Those horses are a little intimidating."

Hagrid looked down at her. What was in his expression? Pity? Sadness?

"So, you can see them. Did you see someone die, young lady?"

Sakura had to stop and think about that. "I know my mother died when I was very little, but I don't remember it. Beyond that, I don't think I have?"

Hagrid took another look at her. "Oh, your Kinomoto, are you? The Headmistress said you would probably see them. They aren't a threat unless you got a bloody steak in your hands, then watch your fingers."

A pale skinned skin with freckles and dark red hair asked. "Umm, what horses?"

Several others in the area seemed to agree as well. Sakura noticed only Syaoran, Fei, and Kurogane seemed to be looking directly at the creatures.

"They can only be seen by those that have witnessed death," Hagrid explained. "We use a flock of them to pull the carriages to the school or when the Professors need to make long trips and don't want to travel via magic. They are harmless. With any luck, it will be many years before you see one."

Sakura sidled over to Syaoran as Hagrid started to shoo them towards the lake and waiting boats.

"You can see them too, Syaoran?"

He nodded. "I saw my dad die when I was five." He explained. "Magical accident. He was trying to locate a dark artifact that was buried in Hong Kong and the spell backfired."

Sakura put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He gave her a soft smile. "It's alright. He was trying to protect the family and the city, and he died a hero. They did find the artifact with what he managed to glean before he died, so at least he didn't die in vain. Still, I miss him sometimes."

Sakura had wondered why Syaoran had never mentioned his dad. It was always his mother or sisters. She realized he understood her better than anyone else because of their shared loss of a parent.

"Come on, let's not keep the Professor waiting."

*CCSXHP*

Minerva rubbed her temples as she stood in her office, looking out over the lake. The First Years were likely boarding the boats right about now.

There was a knock on the door and Eriol came in. "Did you call for me, Headmistress?"

"I did, Professor. We have a very diminished class size for this year. Nothing we can do about that; many parents don't want their eleven-year-olds learning on the site of a battle. I can understand that. It was Albus who made the parents feel safe to send their kids here despite a massive snake roaming the halls, for example. But we must make sure this year goes as smoothly as possible. We cannot stand any more bad reputation if we want this class to not be our last."

The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher nodded. "I understand, Headmistress. Permission for me to use Sakura and Syaoran in my covert attempts to keep things peaceful?"

"Granted and might as well take Miss Daidouji as well. There is an unbreakable trio I can see getting into mischief if not busy. Like Potter, Weasley, and Granger all over again."

Eriol smirked. "Yet you made Granger Head Girl?"

Minerva snorted. "She is trustworthy enough if Weasley and Potter are not around. Get those three together in a room and you get a recipe for chaos."

"Yet again, you are encouraging Mister Potter's relationship with Miss Weasley? Don't you worry about the results?"

"I'm hoping the Quidditch talent will outweigh the trouble any children are likely to cause. I want my school to continue to do well in Quidditch as well as keep students."

Eriol laughed. "I admire your devotion to your sport. About the new History of Magic teacher…."

"Professor Kaito came heavily recommended by many of his peers in the world of magical history. The only one more qualified was you, given how much of magical history you saw."

He chuckled. "I will say no more, than. Just watch out. Those who bear the name of D do not always make the best friends."

"That sounds like it comes from a place of personal experience."

Eriol gave her a soft smile. "Perhaps I'll share the tail with you one day, Headmistress. I must be going now."

She watched him leave. "I hope we can avoid trouble." She muttered the last thing we need is trouble.

*CCSXHP*

Sakura would never forget rounding the bend and spotting Hogwarts for the first time from the tiny boat she sat in. The castle was lit up and made the water's surface glow closer to the bank. The craft cut through the water and sailed towards the docks. She wished it could last forever.

'Click' said something near her. She looked around and saw nothing, but she could sense something hovering near her. She felt a very slight drain on her powers and realized what it must be.

She reached out and grasped the power, willing it to manifest as a card. There was a tiny flash as another clear card appeared there.

She checked it quickly in the gloom before tucking it away in the pocket of her robes. 'The Record' was its name. She hoped that meant it had recorded this amazing view of the castle as they cut through the dark waters.

All too soon it was over, and they were piling out of the boats.

"At least no one fell in this year," Hagrid said and then winced. "Come on, let's get your lot sorted and fed."

They marched up to the castle and Sakura wondered why Hagrid had winced after talking about someone falling in. Then her mind went back to the fact that mere months ago, this castle was a battlefield.

She looked around but could not see any signs of the battle that had been fought here. She felt a hand push itself into hers and looked up to see Tomoyo giving her a warm smile.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine," She replied, "Just wondering about that battle that happened here."

Tomoyo nodded but said no more as they walked. The grounds seemed peaceful enough. Light spilled forth from the open gates as they filed into the entrance hall. Hagrid led them to a spot and stopped.

"The deputy Headmaster will be taking over from here. See you all at the feast."

Hagrid nodded at Sakura and then lumbered off. He was walking in the same direction as a great amount of delicious-smelling food was wafting towards them.

"I'm so hungry." Yamazaki sighed as the smells became overwhelming.

*CCSXHP*

Anne, the girl who had spoken to Hagrid earlier, was looking around nervously. There were only going to be seventeen kids in her class, way smaller than her older sister's class was even after the war had caused some to drop out. She resisted the urge to reach up and touch her twin braids that her red hair was usually in. She had kept it loose on the train to prevent a braid from getting jammed in a compartment door.

She looked over at the Japanese girl with the jade eyes. She was chatting with her two friends, the serious-looking boy and the energetic girl when a tall looming man came up behind her. Anne started to cry out but the man reached over and grabbed Kinomoto on the shoulder.

She expected the girl to cry out but instead, her usually cheerful face turned to anger and her green eyes flashed as she whirled and kicked the man in the shin. The man hopped away, holding his leg.

"See how the monster greets me, Yuki?" The man cried as he hopped away.

"Onii-Chan!" The girl growled before firing at him rapid fire in Japanese.

A dreamy-looking man with silver hair and eyes came up, hands held in surrender. "Now, Sakura, Touya was just saying hello to his little sister."
Anne blinked. Siblings, these two were siblings? Then why weren't the two men, who looked too old for Hogwarts anyways, in robes?

"Well, he knows better than to sneak up on me like that." Sakura turned; her cheeks puffed out.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here, both of you." Touya scolded as he straightened up.

She noticed he had brown eyes, not unlike those of the boy who was trying not to laugh at Sakura's side.

The doors opened and a tiny wizard came in. "Hello, students. My name is Filius Filtwick, Professor of Charms and Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In just a moment, I will be leading you into the Great Hall to begin the sorting ceremony. First, I have an apology to make. Usually, the one in charge of sorting would greet new and old students with a song. However, the battle in May has left him a little worse for wear. So, for this year-old, we will be skipping straight to the sorting ceremony. My humblest apologies for this."

Anne wondered how many other things about Hogwarts had changed as a result of that terrible battle. She followed the others as they walked into the Great Hall.

*CCSXHP*

Sakura took Tomoyo's hand again as they lined up between the tables. Professor Flitwick brought out a stool and a hat and set them before everyone present.

"I will call out your names one at a time. Please come forward and be seated on the stool with the Sorting Hat on. He will then assign you to your house for the next seven years. Alright, let's begin. Asp, Pablo!"

A boy with bright green hair stepped from the pack and approached the stool. He put on the hat. The hat seemed to come alive, it's stitching resembling a face.

"I see…" The hat said though there was a great amount of weariness in its voice. "Ravenclaw for you, young man."

The table with the blue on their robes applauded as Asp went to join them.

Sakura wondered if the poor magical item needed some extra power. She looked around and caught Eriol's eyes. Eriol seemed able to read her silent request as he nodded.

She gathered a small amount of her power and prepared to feed it into the hat when it was her turn.

"Cross, Edwin!" Was called by the Charms Professor.

Edwin was quickly sorted into Slytherin, getting a cheer from the green table. She noticed Edwin did not look completely pleased but made his way over.

"Daidouji, Tomoyo!"

Sakura gave her friend's hand one more squeeze before letting her walk up to the stool. Tomoyo sat properly, like the lady she was raised to be, and put on the hat.

The hat took some time to ponder her. "Well, I could send you to any of the four houses." It admitted. "But the running into danger kind of spells it out, doesn't it? GRYFFINDOR!"

The red table cheered and applauded but Sakura noticed Ginny and Hermonie exchanging looks.

"Poor Sorting Hat," Ginny lamented. "He's so weak, he can't even speak telepathically right now."

"I hate Riddle for doing that to him, almost more than anything else," Hermione growled.

Sakura turned her attention back to the sorting as Fourpetal, Oriel was sent to Ravenclaw. Then it was time for the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Fai to go up. The moment the hat touched his head, he said.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Wow, that didn't take long," Kero whispered from the pocket inside Sakura's robe.

She nodded but dared not speak. Inkwell, Bud was called up and was sorted into Gryffindor.

"Kinomoto, Sakura." It was not Flitwick who spoke this. It was Eriol, as he rose from his seat. Judging by the way Flitwick stepped aside smartly, this was planned.

She walked forward but Eriol stopped her from sitting on the seat just yet. Eriol whispered, "Before you are sorted, I have a message for you. For everyone else, we will just be shaking hands. But for you, well you've experienced this before."

Sakura took his hand and then she was sitting in the seat of Clow Reed. She wore a wonderful sorcereress outfit with a pointy hat that would put any wizard to shame. She made a note to ask Tomoyo to make this for her. She started to rise from the chair when the door to the garden opened and Clow Reed strode in.

"Hello, Sakura. Good to see you again." The world's most powerful magician smiled at her.

"Reed-Sama, how are we talking?" She asked him.

"Remember, I could see the future. I could see you attending my old school one day. I wanted to offer you some words of encouragement when that day came. So, I made a magical memory of me talking with you, as I predicted what you would say and ask. Sakura, you have a long road ahead of you. Being the strongest is never easy. You must also have balance within yourself. Mediate and find anything you cannot even admit to yourself and accept it. Only when you have done so, will you have full control of your powers."

Sakura nodded. "I will think about what you have said, Reed-Sama. I wish we could have met for real. But then, I wouldn't have been born, would I?"

Clow Reed laughed, the same laugh her father used when she said something amusing. "That is true. Fujitaka might be part of me, but he is a separate person as well. But I can say, even if I had been your father and not him split from me, Sakura is still Sakura. I have seen that in this vast multiverse. I… I even had my own daughter once. She was a Sakura too. I miss her."

Sakura wanted to comfort the man, but this was a memory after all. "I'm sorry for your loss, Reed-Sama."

Clow shook his head. "I will be with her and Yuko soon. I do not regret the life I lived, Sakura. Make sure you too live without regrets."

Sakura found herself back in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, putting on the Sorting Hat. She looked out at the crowds and only Syaoran seemed a little uneasy. Maybe he had sensed something.

"Alright…" The Sorting Hat started but Sakura cut him off with a thought.

'Before you sort me, here. Take some of my power and feel better, Mr. Hat.'

Power flowed from her into the Sorting Hat and she could feel its immediate relief at the surge of magical power within itself.

'Thank you, heir of Clow Reed.'The hat says in her mind.'No one here had the power to replenish what I had lost. I was going to wait for it to come back naturally, but this gift was very generous. Now, I sort you too…'

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat called out.

There was another cheer from the red table as Sakura carefully got up and joined Tomoyo at the table. She was sure she had stumbled a little from the loss of magic, but she hoped no one other than Syaoran would notice. She saw Ginny Weasley give her a wink.

"Welcome to the party house, Kinomoto."

"Thank you, Weasley." She gave the Red-headed girl a bright smile. But she was finding it hard to keep her eyes open.

She felt Tomoyo guide her head to her shoulder. "That was a nice thing you did for the Hat, Sakura. Rest a little. I'll wake you when the food gets here."
Sakura wanted to protest, she wanted to see Syaoran sorted. But her eyes were getting heavy and soon she drifted off into a light sleep against Tomoyo's warm arm.

A/N: A bit of a long chapter, but I had a lot to do lol. We will resume right after Sakura's quick nap next time. I am going to include a list of all the new students and their houses, for my sake as much as yours. Naturally, not every character here is going to be fleshed out and explored, but I'll try to see each gets a little mention here and there. Our focus is going to be on our trio of Sakura, Tomoyo, and Syaoran, with less on Chiharu and Yamazaki. See you next chapter! Also consider checking out my other works on this site. I also do original works, the link to which is below. I am actually cleaning it up more and preparing to try to self-publish on KDP soon. I also stream games /stormermiaand I upload the videos to YouTube at Stormermia Plays as well.

Link to Original fiction/55565/song-of-phoenix-ordeal-part-1

List of new students at Hogwarts in Sakura's First Year:

Asp, Pablo - Ravenclaw

Cross, Edwin - Slytherin

Daidouji, Tomoyo - Gryffindor

Fourpetal, Oriel - Ravenclaw

Flourite Fai - Ravenclaw

Inkwell, Bud - Gryffindor

Kinomoto, Sakura - Gryffindor

Kurogane - Slytherin

Mihara, Chiharu - Hufflepuff

Night, Ila - Slytherin

Poults, Gina - Slytherin

Lavender, Jean - Hufflepuff

Li, Syaoran - Gryffindor

Rosewood, Rowan - Hufflepuff

Staghart, Anne - Ravenclaw

Yamazaki, Takashi - Hufflepuff