The Road Less Traveled

Chapter 3: Point of No Return

Taking one's chances is like taking a bath, because sometimes you end up feeling comfortable and warm, and sometimes there is something terrible lurking around that you cannot see until it is too late and you can do nothing else but scream and cling to a plastic duck.

-Lemony Snicket, The Slippery Slope

If you understand, things are just as they are. If you do not understand, things are just as they are.

-Zen saying

Like an obelisk towards which the principal streets of a town converge, the strong will of a proud spirit stands prominent and commanding in the middle of the art of war.

-Clausewitz, On War

It was a big castle.

It was a very big castle.

It was a very very big castle.

These thoughts occupied Sakura's mind when she wasn't cursing the barriers.

Sakura felt very small. She was beginning to regret having volunteered to stay at Hogwarts. Of course, she probably would have ended up there anyway, since Eriol and Syaoran were both much more skilled at doing research than she was, Syaoran having to do that sort of thing all the time in the Li Clan's library, and Eriol being the book type of person, never mind his being the half reincarnation of a sorcerer who had been very big on research.

Sakura regretted being so persuasive. Her decision had been challenged, mostly by Syaoran. He wanted her to be with someone, preferably himself.

"Would you rather leave Eriol on his own?" she had asked.

"Are you crazy?" he demanded.

"Then you'd rather Eriol and myself be alone together?"

Syaoran had turned several shades of red and had had trouble replying.

"All right then," Sakura had said. The discussion was closed.

Sakura was now willing to reopen the discussion.

The three of them had debated on whether the boys should accompany her inside, but one look at the barrier said everything. It was tangled, confusing, foreign, and contained several layers, and the boys, having gotten in, would have to get out again. It was decided that it wasn't worth the effort.

"Careful," said Eriol. They had discovered that a portal of communication could get through easily, so Eriol was using the window to help her through while Syaoran drove the car a safe distance away. Since Sakura couldn't very well go tearing through and alert everyone and his brother that she was there, she had been slipping through layer by layer. In other words, once she could ascertain the structure of the shield, she could become insubstantial to it and slip through undetected. This was tiresome work that required patience and subtlety; neither being one of Sakura's strong traits.

"I am being careful," Sakura snapped, gingerly feeling the next curtain of silver wizardry. She was trying to do this quickly and accurately, since she wasn't invisible to spying eyes, and any personal spells or otherwise had to be put on hold so as not to interfere with the shields. It was enough to make anyone irritable.

Eriol, or rather the portal that showed his head, swung around, looking at the ground. "Sakura, do you sense that? Silly question," he answered quickly, before Sakura could. She was limited to the Sight and insubstantiability, and was much too preoccupied to go about sensing auras. "Sakura, I think someone's coming."

She growled as she finally made her way through the next layer. Two more left.

"I know this can't be much help, but hurry," hissed Eriol.

"Shut up," she said through gritted teeth. So close. This one was so familiar. Aha. It was like the ward on her house that kept away spying eyes.

"Last one," she whispered.

"Sakura, if you don't solve this one in 10 seconds, someone will see you," Eriol warned.

"I can't go invisible tangled up in this stuff, or it'll set the whole damn thing off," she growled, trying, trying to concentrate.

"Then just push through the last one. Now!"

Sakura did so and then immediately became invisible, reestablishing her personal shields, as well as hiding her aura, in case wizards could see or sense them.

At that moment a giant, bearded, wild-looking man strode out of the woods, swinging some sort of dead bird by the feet and whistling something tuneless. To Sakura immense frustration he was allowed through the inner barriers unchallenged, whilst she had spent at least 20 minutes trying to get through, not counting the outer barriers that seemed to prevent Muggles from getting close. She doubted he even realized there was anything there.

She sighed and trotted towards the doors as soon as he was out of earshot. "Bye Eriol," she murmured. "I'll call you tonight."

"Bye," he said, and blinked out.

Sakura cracked the door open, peeking inside. Seeing no one, she slipped inside and shut it as quietly as she could.

I'm in, she realized giddily, and clamped her mouth shut on her giggles. Wondering where everyone was she glanced at her clock and decided that they must be eating lunch.

She followed the smell of food and the dull roar of conversation to another set of large doors. With any luck they wouldn't spy the doors opening and closing by themselves.

Her stomach growled as she surveyed the large room. Four tables were set up with a fifth at the front of the room. That was where the professors sat. The stone floor was worn smooth by the passage of many feet of students and professors across time. This place was old. Sakura could feel it in the stone, in the very magic that hung in the air like a blanket.

She wasn't welcome. She was foreign to their world, uninvited. The castle knew her to be an intruder and she wondered what power the Headmaster had over it. Sakura guessed that they were connected in some way, and perhaps Minerva had some limited authority over the magics as well. She recalled the vague purpose of each shield outside the castle. As she had slipped through she could feel that a few of the outer layers were to keep non-magic people - Muggles - away. Many of the shields were for protection and an anti-Apparition spell extended several yards into the forest, just inside the one that kept out uninvited, dangerous beasts.

Sakura wished she knew which alarm she had set off and hoped it was just something minor, that they would think it was a glitch.

Sakura looked up and her eyes widened. Sugoi, she mouthed, not that anyone could see her.

The ceiling was a mirror image of the sky outside, bright blue with a few fluffy white clouds. It took her a moment to realize that it was a spell, nearly blinding herself in the process. Wizardry was so flashy and bright. Sorcery was so much more subtle, which made it more difficult to track a sorcerer.

Next she noticed the banners, one over each table. The students under the snake decal were rather shifty and angry looking. The other students seemed to go to great lengths to avoid them. Sakura wondered why.

Her stomach growled again, reminding her how hungry she was. She stood in a corner and made sure her avert spell was in place. It would keep anyone from noticing her or finding her suspicious if they did. Only then did she let the invisibility drop. At the same instant she summoned her black robe and slipped into it before making her way to the nearest table and slipping into an unoccupied seat.

Thankfully, nobody tried to start a conversation and she ate absentmindedly, examining the entire room, and especially each professor. 20 minutes later she gathered some food into a napkin and exited the room behind a group of girls.

Now, she thought, dusting her hands off. It's time to explore and find a place to stay in the night.

The first floor's main feature was the Great Hall (she learned the name later).

The next floor was full of classrooms and closets. Sakura had the surprise of her life when the stairway begain to move while she was still climbing. She yelped and hung on to the rail for dear life. When it stopped she waited to make sure it would stay before stepping out into a dimly lit hall.

"This looks promising," she murmured. Just then she heard a shuffling around the corner and someone's loud breathing. Without thinking about it, Sakura summoned Jump and leapt up onto a ledge conveniently located fairly close to the ceiling.

Looking down she saw a rather grubby old man with stringy hair. His aura had an unpleasant feel to it, and was most remarkable in that it only contained a tint of silver. Behind him strode a rather mangy cat, nothing like Tabby-chan (Sakura had come to separate Minerva's two forms in her mind, so that the cat was Tabby-chan and the woman was Minerva).

The cat paused and sniffed the air.

"What is it, Mrs. Norris?" croaked the man. "A student wandering the halls during class?" He sounded delighted and Sakura lay as still as she could.

Don't look up, she prayed. Eriol had warned her not to use more magic than she needed in case the Dumbledore-sensei had ways of discovering her.

Sakura sighed in relief when he turned the corner and dropped back to the ground. "Whew," she murmured, brushing herself off. She leaned against the wall and sighed. "This is much harder than I thought," she murmured, and slapped the wall behind her.

"Kyaaaaaa!!!!" Sakura shrieked as she fell backwards, through an opening in the wall that definitely hadn't been there before.

"Oof. Owwww," she said weakly as she landed on her back. The opening closed.

Don't panic, she told herself. Don't panic, you'll be fine, you can get out of here.

It took her a moment to realize that there was a faint light emanating from the walls.

"Okay," she murmured to herself, "it's not totally dark, and I can find a way out. I can . . ." She trailed off as she looked around the room. The room contained only a desk and an empty case. It was clean, but felt rather deserted. Sakura felt for the echoes of human presences, and grinned. The most recent echo was from at least two months ago.

Perfect, she thought. This was the perfect place for her to stay. It was out of the way, and the hallway was nearly deserted. A few 'avoid me' spells would keep her unnoticed and unknown.

It only took her a moment to take her baggage out of a pocket of space. She simply made an unzipping motion and the bags appeared on the floor.

"Right," she murmured, rifling through her backpack, searching for her cell phone. "I promised Eriol I'd call him when I found a room."

Retrieving the small pink phone she quickly dialed the number and put it to her ear. She frowned, puzzled. There was no ringing, only a heavy silence that seemed to grow with each second. Sakura examined the phone closely and her eyes widened when she realized what was happening. Too late.

She shrieked when the cell phone exploded in her hand.

"Ow," Sakura muttered, absently rubbing the cuts on her hand as she stared at the bits of plastic scattered at her feet. What am I going to tell Tomoyo?

She shook herself and scowled. There was too much magical interference for technology to work. She berated herself for not figuring this out, although how she could have, she wasn't sure. Sorcery was a natural force. It didn't matter what was near, it only affected what it was intended to.

Sakura would have to be careful of what she did. Knowing only sorcery and creatures of magic would be a liability more than it would be an asset.

Right now, she wondered how she would be getting messages beween Eriol and Syaoran, and herself. She supposed Spinel could do it until Kero arrived. They would either be identified as harmless animals or inanimate objects by the barriers surrounding Hogwarts, so it wouldn't be a problem for them to get through.

Sakura sighed and decided to wait until the appointed time before opening a window between herself and the two boys. It would be less likely to startle them, or anyone around them.

Maybe telepathy would get through? she wondered, but decided to try when she was more accustomed to her surroundings.

Sakura turned to leave and was happy to find a doorknob on this side of the wall/door. Now, if only she could figure out how she had gotten in . . .

It took her a few minutes, once outside, to discover the small hole in the upper corner of a stone. If she hit the stone directly over the hole, the door would open.

All right, thought Sakura, delighted at how well she was doing so far. Let's explore some more.

Now that she had found a room to stay in, Sakura decided to begin getting to know the castle seriously. She brought a notebook and a pencil to roughly sketch a map to remind her of where things were. It was nowhere near the correct scale, just boxes for rooms and lines to show approximately where the doors were located. She was by no means an artist, nor an architect, but the map was somewhat discernible. Sakura was worried about how to find secret passages and rooms (there had to be more than the one she had found) and how to draw them so that she could make some sense of it.

Sakura tensely walked the halls of basement/dungeons, afraid of getting caught even though there were no classes on Sunday and students were technically free to roam the halls. She was not willing to make herself invisible yet.

She stopped when she sensed a presence behind a door, and softly opening the door after checking to make sure that she had her 'notice-me-not' spell in place. It would make everyone overlook her and her actions as unimportant. Their gaze would slide off of her and they would forget her presence if they even took note of it.

A man with black, greasy hair was standing over a cauldron. He looked at her with a small, vague scowl, but his focus immediately returned to his work. He added a drop of some liquid, making the steam billow up and turn a dull copper color.

Sakura retreated back out into the hallway and continued walking. She snickered. "Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

*~*

"She's in," Eriol said with a sigh as he opened his eyes.

"So what's the problem?" asked Syaoran, gazing fixedly at the road.

"Who said there was anything wrong?" asked Eriol calmly.

"I've known you for years," Syaoran said with a scowl. "Unfortunately," he added under his breath. "I can usually tell when you're not saying something."

"Sakura had a little trouble getting through the wards. A rather large man nearly caught her. She had to push through the last shield, which activated it."

"Tell me again why we're simply researching these people rather than actively talking with and helping them."

"My dear little descendant," Eriol began in Mandarin, ignoring the grinding of teeth. "'Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still.'"

"Don't quote Chinese proverbs at me," Syaoran growled, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. He realized that he had ceased to pay attention to his driving and abruptly swerved to the left, back into his own lane.

Eriol gripped the door handle rather tightly. "'Even a thousand-mile journey begins with the first step,'" he quoted in Japanese.

This time Syaoran barely managed to keep from going over the edge of a ravine. Eriol had become rather pale and decided that his good health was more important than needling the driver. It was going to be a long trip back to Edinburgh.

"40 kilometer per hour turn! 40 kilometer per hour turn!" Eriol yelped, seeing that the arrow on the speedometer was hovering somewhere in the upper nineties.

"Tomoyo's coming the day after tomorrow," Eriol said conversationally after a half an hour of silence.

Syaoran grunted in acknowledgement. "Tuesday, right?" he asked.

"Yes. Nakuru and Spinel have agreed to pick her up and escort her to Hogwarts. She should be able to get in without any problem since she doesn't have any magic. And since she's been exposed to magic for years, any Muggle-averting spells shouldn't have an affect on her."

"Interesting theory," Syaoran muttered.

"Sakura will be there in case anything goes wrong," Eriol replied with a shrug.

They were silent the rest of the way to Edinburgh. Once Eriol had returned the car, they teleported back to his mansion.

"Ready?" asked Eriol after hefting his duffel bag over one shoulder.

"Hai," replied Syaoran, wearing a rather large backpack. "Are you sure you know where this Ministry of Magic is?"

"I've got a map. How hard can it be?"

*~*

"Jeez," Sakura panted, leaning against a railing and wiping her brow. "I am so . . . out of shape."

She was currently on the sixth floor, having explored every inch of the levels below. So far she had found three secret rooms and five secret passageways. She still hadn't found out where the students slept.

Right now she was climbing a particularly large amount of stairs that she assumed led up to one of the towers. She wasn't quite sure how she got there or where exactly she was. Sakura hadn't thought to mark her progress on the sketches of the castle.

If she failed to find her way back, she'd just fly out the window and come back in the front door. She hoped she wouldn't have to. She needed to be able to find her way around the castle relatively well.

"All right," she muttered. "I can do this. Just a little more."

Sakura looked up at the stairs and groaned.

"Okay, a lot more." She scowled and dragged herself upward.

Sakura nearly banged her head against the trap door before she realized that she had reached the top. Which was very good, since her legs were beginning to tremble.

"Right," she wheezed. "After this I'm going down to eat dinner and then sleep for several days until I no longer hurt." Sakura realized that she had been talking to herself constantly and should probably stop.

She opened the door and dropped the notice-me-not spell upon seeing that no one was there. A telescope in front of the large window across the room showed her that this tower was used for star-gazing.

Another smaller window let in light from the setting sun, spilling onto . . .

Sakura gasped.

*~*

"Eric Copper and Aliza Zimmerman?" asked a voice in the dark.

The hooded and masked man trembled. "My lord," he began nervously, "Copper is dead and Zimmerman has been taken custody."

Silence. The hiss of a snake.

"The attack was successful. It took the Aurors a long time to arrive in Diagon Alley. Durn and myself were checking the rooves for any wizards when we stumbled across Copper and Zimmerman. They were . . ." Here he paused and licked his lips nervously.

"Go on," hissed the voice.

The Death Eater gulped. "They were bound to the roof in ropes of iron. Durn and I used every spell we could think of, but nothing would work. Then the Aurors began to arrive and I could see my fellows Disapparating. I was about to leave as well when Copper began screaming, cursing the three children who had done this to him."

"Potter?" Now the voice was cold, full of hate and loathing.

"No, my lord. Zimmerman was more sane. She told us that there were two boys and one girl, and one boy looked similar to Potter. She had never seen them before, but they had an Asian look about them.

"Then I was forced to leave because of the presence of Aurors, but not before the iron vines shifted their grip on Copper and snapped his neck."

"No matter," said the Dark Lord. "Copper was a fool. Zimmerman was loyal, but there are more to replace her. Prepare the Dark Beasts and the newer Death Eaters. They will be unleashed within a fortnight."

"W-where shall I t-tell them they will be located, m-m-master?" stuttered the man.

Voldemort smiled and the man found it much worse than his frown. "They will be hounding Hogwarts."

His hand rested on a giant snake and he threw back his head and laughed. The Death Eater scurried away before the Dark Lord decided to punish him.

"How will you deal with my army, Dumbledore, when they hound your school and haunt your students? Will you barricade yourself in that castle? Will you shut yourself and your students off from the world? Or will you fight and allow me the chance to kill you?"

*~*

Harry stiffened and his hand automatically flew to his scar. It had been hurting on and off for over a year, but it had been a while since it had been this bad. Voldemort was happy about something, and perhaps a little angry at the same time.

"Watch it," hissed Draco. "You almost knocked over the powdered dragon scales."

Every Sunday students targeted by Voldemort were given self-defense lessons, both magic and Muggle, as well as an extra class that would help offense and defense. This evening it was Potions. They were learning to brew and identify poisons, as well as their antidotes. Harry was just waiting for Snape to slip a poison into his cup.

"Sorry," Harry muttered throught gritted teeth.

"Is there something you wish to share with the class, Potter?" asked Snape with a sneer.

Yes, Professor. I would just like everyone to know that Voldemort is happy right now, thought Harry sarcastically.

"No, Professor," he replied.

"Then I suggest you pay more attention. 10 points from Gryffindor."

Draco studiously ignored the exchange and meticulously added the crushed beetle wings.

Harry suppressed a sigh and avoided glancing in Ron and Hermione's direction, not wanting to see their sympathetic glances. He returned to cutting the stalks of celery and glanced speculatively in Draco's direction. Just a year ago he would have laughed himself sick if someone had told him he and Draco would become friends.

At the end of their sixth year Voldemort had attacked the train when they arrived back in London. The older students and members of Dumbledore's Army (it had been re-established at the beginning of sixth year) had held their ground until Aurors arrived.

Five First Years, two Second Years, and seven other students had died. Many others had been severely injured and taken to Saint Mungo's.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been the main targets. In the confusion Hermione had gotten separated from the others and ended up near a group of Slytherins. She wasn't one to listen to prejudices, so had trusted them at her back and concentrated on fighting the Death Eaters.

One of the Slytherin students had decided to follow in her parents' footsteps and fired a Bone-Crushing curse at Hermione's back.

Draco had protected her, saved her life, and the girl had been taken into custody.

That one act had betrayed the Malfoy and he spent the summer at Grimmauld Place.

In his month at the Dursley's, Harry had had a lot of time to think about his actions. Although Ron had thought that Malfoy was a Death Eater-in-training, Harry had just thought of him as an insufferable, arrogant git.

His assessment was fairly accurated Harry noticed with some amusement as Draco regally held out a hand for the celery without saying a word.

He complied and went back to his contemplations.

Harry had returned to Grimmauld Place in the middle of July, still unsure of how to deal with this new guest. It didn't help that he still felt the hole that Sirius' death had left in his life.

Hermione and her family had been moved to Grimmauld Place for their protection. Ron and his family were there as well. Back then they had only just begun moving targeted families to safe houses.

Draco had been quiet, reticent. He and Hermione had developed a grudging friendship. Ron avoided him as much as was humanly possible.

But there were some things that happened that you couldn't help but become friends afterward. Saving lives was one of them. It could also lead to hero worship, but Harry doubted that applied to Draco.

He couldn't even believe that he'd used the words "hero," "worship," and "Draco," in the same sentence.

By the time Hogwarts was in session the four of them had become friends. It took a lot of work on Ron's part, but when Ginny joined the group, she'd had no trouble. Which was rather strange, since Draco and his father had terrified her since her first year when she'd been possessed by Tom Riddle and left as basilisk bait.

Harry shivered and slowly stirred the cauldron. "Basilisk bait" had a rather ominous ring to it.

"Right, Potter. Let's bottle this up and get cleaned up," Draco ordered.

"Right away, Your Highness."

The sarcasm was lost on Malfoy.

*~*

"I thought you knew what you were doing?" said Syaoran.

"How was I supposed to know that we'd need a code?" demanded Eriol.

"Doesn't it say in the guidebook?"

"If it had been, don't you think I'd have used it by now?" retorted Eriol.

"Who knows how your mind works?" muttered Syaoran. "Right. Stand back."

"Wait! You're not going to blow it up, are you?"

"Yes, of course. My goal is to alert everyone to our presence and make it twice as hard to do our spying," replied Syaoran sarcastically.

"Never let it be said that Syaoran Li was unnecessarily friendly," muttered Eriol. He smiled enigmatically when Syaoran shot him a glare. "Go on," he said encouragingly. "You can hotwire a car, I'm sure a telephone booth is no problem."

"Who told you about that?" sputtered Syaoran. "Never mind." He didn't really want to know.

Syaoran turned to the telephone and narrowed his eyes, using the Sight to examine the magic wiring. Eriol did the same, watching as Syaoran's green threads of magic patiently wove themselves into the silver tangle.

Next, the Li clan leader made a sharp twisting motion, and four squares glowed brightly.

"Wait," hissed Eriol, too late. He made a quick motion with both hands and coated a red section with his blue sorcery stifling the alarm a split second it would have been triggered.

Syaoran snapped a finger and the ground beneath them dropped.

"Just because they're not as powerful as we are, doesn't mean they don't have the regular precautions. The very fact that they're so weak should make them trickier," warned Eriol in a low voice as they descended into the Ministry of Magic.

Syaoran grunted in acknowledgement. He didn't make some rude comment, which Eriol took as his way of being grateful.

"You're welcome," he told the surly Li cheerfully.

Syaoran's expression darkened.

Then the two of them found themselves in some sort of large lobby. They walked forward cautiously, but there were very few people about ;just a few men carrying a large box. One of the wizards cursed and nearly dropped his end. Eriol couldn't be sure, but he thought the box was moving. He wasn't too keen on finding ouut what sort of large creature happened to be in there, and was relieved when they passed into an elevator.

He heard Syaoran snort in disgust and turned to see him in front of a fountain. It looked as if it had been hastily glued together, and then forgotten. Eriol walked closer and saw that Syaoran wasn't disgusted with the repairs alone (although it looked like several figures had been rendered headless), but with what the figures represented. A wizard and a witch were the main focus. The wizard may have been made to look noble, but to Eriol he looked weak and feeble. The witch looked like an airhead. He immediately recognized the centaur, but it's adoring expression was foreign. From those centaurs he'd met, none of them had been much given to adoration, especially not of the human race. One looked like a goblin. Although he'd never met one, a surly, angry expression would have fit what he had researched better. The last creature was one he didn't recognize. It cringed devotedly and had somewhat floppy ears. Eriol wasn't positive, but he thought what it wore as a loincloth was a towel.

"How arrogantly false," sneered Syaoran. "Even if it didn't look like a three year old had glued it together with less than the full number of pieces, I wouldn't want it to see the light of day."

Eriol wrinkled his nose. "I quite agree. We should be going now, though." His eyes followed the main hallway, and saw it ended at another elevator after passing a booth where a burly wizard sat reading a magazine. Several fireplaces lined one wall, looking as if they hadn't been used in years. Their purpose mystified him. "Let's try this way."

Syaoran shrugged and followed, nearly bumping into Eriol when he stopped short. "Now what?" he snapped quietly.

"It says wand check-in," Eriol murmured in reply. "I have the one Sakura took, but it's going to take a minute to replicate it. Shield me."

Syaoran knew he meant magically, from any sensors, and he closed his eyes after moving between Eriol and the security wizard, just in case. The fountain would block the view of any new visitors. At least it's good for something, he thought wryly.

"Done," said Eriol, handing a wand to Syaoran. "You might want to change it a bit so they don't look exactly alike."

Syaoran shrugged, extracted a pocket knive from his pocket, and began whittling away at the point.

"I should have guessed," muttered Eriol with a lopsided grin.

"Look at this," said Syaoran suddenly. "They put some sort of fur in the middle."

Eriol peered at the gray hair that was sticking out of the tip. "Some sort of magic animal. We'll analyze it later, after we get into the offices."

The two walked over to the desk. The wizard barely glanced at the wands before handing them back and waving them through. A red light flashed and a piercing whistle was cut off when the security wizard tapped his wand on the door.

Eriol and Syaoran were frozen in place, watching the man with some apprehension.

"All righ'," the wizard said. "Where're yer badges?"

"Badges?" asked Eriol in a puzzled, innocent voice he'd perfected years ago.

"Th' ones the spell on the booth gave yeh."

Syaoran and Eriol stared at him blankly. Syaoran had a sinking feeling that maybe he shouldn't have used such forceful means on the door spell.

"When yeh were asked yer business?"

Syaoran decided it was time to speak up. "We weren't given any badges. Sir," he added as an afterthought, inwardly glowering.

The wizard groaned. "Don' tell me it's broken again. We jus' had it fixed las' week. The mechanics're chargin' extra what with You-Know-Who 'n all."

"Terribly sorry, sir, but we really must be going," said Eriol.

"Go on, go on," said the man, stomping over to his desk again. A moment later a paper airplane went zooming by them and waited in front of the lift.

The moment the two got inside, Eriol made a grab for the paper. "Ow," he muttered as it shocked him and tried to get away. Eriol shielded his hands from the spell. Luckily, the lift was empty.

"What's it say?" asked Syaoran, looking over his shoulder.

"It's just a note saying that the spell on the MOM entrance needs to be fixed," replied Eriol, rubbing the welt on his hand as soon as he let it go. "Is that how they usually send mail, I wonder?"

"I doubt it," said Syaoran, punching every button in the lift. They really had no idea where they were going. "It's too conspicuous. They probably send it the normal way unless it's an emergency."

"Actually, I think one of the books said something about owls," commented Eriol.

"Really. How do they train all of them?" asked Syaoran.

Just then a female voice said, "Level seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club, and Ludicrous Patents Office."

"I'll search this floor and you take the next one. Call me when you're done," Syaoran ordered and blinked out of sight.

"Right," agreed Eriol with a mock salute that Syaoran didn't see, before he too became invisible.

The lift rattled and ascended another floor. The voice once again rang out. "Level six, Department of Magical Transport, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office, and Apparition Test Center."

Eriol stepped out and into a stark white corridor. Names and titles were embossed on the doors, none of which meant anything to him. What was the Floor Network? And a Portkey Specialist? And Broom Testers?

He kept walking past the small offices until he came to a large company door that said Brooms: Main Office.

He stepped inside quickly and quietly. The young witch behind the desk didn't even look up, not that she'd see anything if she had.

Eriol peered at what she was reading and fought the urge to snigger. The title read, Ten Ways to Get a Good Wizard and Keep Him. Witches or Muggle teens, they weren't so very different. It was rather sad, really, that one race would profess superiority over another.

He slipped past her and let himself into the back room. It was almost like a hospital for brooms. They were stacked orderly against the wall with a folder to the right of each one. Eriol opened one and scanned the paper inside.

"Baker, Allen. Standard Comet 360, made in 1988 by Broom Creations Inc. located in Glasgow. Complaints: stuttering and sudden drops.

"They actually ride brooms," Eriol whispered in surprise. "Ouch."

However, on further inspection of the various brooms he discovered that there was actually a rather comfortable place to sit. "I definitely need to try this." His eyes glinted with delight and mischief. When this was done with, he had an old-fashioned broom that he didn't need. It would be fun to experiment with.

He stepped through a side door and groaned when he saw the stacks and stacks of paperwork. After nearly a half an hour of investigation, he ascertained that this was a dull occupation. The papers were only laws, regulations, and records.

He stepped out of the office and into the Floo Network's Headquarters. It looked deserted, without even a receptionist in front. Eriol only stayed long enough to discover that Floo powder was a way to travel different places using the fireplace before leaving. The last place was Portkey Headquarters. There were several people waiting or filling out forms. Against one wall was a Portkey schedule in and out of Diagon Alley.

"Number 34," a bored-looking wizard called out and a twitchy witch hurried up to the counter and handed him a sheaf of papers. He examined these for a minute, left, and returned with an empty, battered pop can. The witch took it, shoved it in her purse, and left.

Eriol watched this exchanged, completely uncomprehending. After a long trip to the back room he understood that a Portkey was a timed teleportation spell used on objects that Muggles wouldn't look at twice, much less pick up. By the time he was through and heading back to the lift, Eriol had managed to understand the structure of the spell and was itching to try it out.

Syaoran? he sent to the boy. I'm near the lift. Are you done?

Yes, replied Syaoran, sounding bored to tears. I'll be there in a minute.

Eriol side-stepped a short, somewhat fat, man, and then, with nothing better to do, eavesdropped on his conversation with another wizard in a nearby office.

Eriol quickly grew bored with the fat wizard's obviously fearful babbling about his personal protection spells. His attention was quickly caught when the skinny wizard addressed the man as "Minister Fudge."

Eriol couldn't believe his ears. This weak, terrified, mentally challenged, wizard was their Minister of Magic?!

"They'll be dead by May," he muttered cynically.

"What was that?" demanded the Minister, drawing his wand with a shaky hand.

This gave Eriol an idea and began his invisible, almost harmless torment of the Minister, being sure to leave the other innocent wizard alone.

Syaoran found Eriol hovering near a small, fat man wearing a bowler hat.

Eriol, stop torturing wizards. We have work to do.

He deserves it, the half-reincarnation snorted. You'll never guess who this idiot is.

Can't be anyone important. Syaoran watched the weak man babble incessantly about adding protection to his home and office.

Depends on how important you consider the Minister of Magic to be, Eriol told him derisively.

. . . Surely you jest.

No. I heard him called Minister with my own two ears.

Syaoran blinked, and then said incredulously, Not only is he weak physically, he has very little magic power. I very much doubt his mind is any stronger.

Why do you think I'm making him nervous? Eriol asked, idly producing small breezes and sending them in various directions, often scattering papers.

Syaoran caught one and examined it. This looks promising.

Hm? The other boy leaned close, skimming the details. Ooo. Keep this and remember where we got it so we can return it later. I doubt it would cause any panic if it goes missing, which is an added bonus.

Why do they leave records of former conflicts around for anyone to see anyway? asked Syaoran as they headed for the elevator.

Either they aren't used to war, or they take after their Minister, Eriol suggested, pointing at Fudge right before they stepped into the lift. The seat of his pants ripped, and the wizard remained oblivious.

"Kami-sama," Syaoran said suddenly. "Are all wizards and witches like that?"

"I sure hope not. We'll see what Sakura says about Hogwarts' Headmaster and staff tonight."

They reached the next level and the quickly-becoming-annoying-voice spoke once again. "Level five, Department of International Magical Cooperation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law, and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats." This floor sounded promising.

"Same as what we did with the first two floors," Syaoran said and stepped out. Unfortunately, a few people were waiting to get in, and Eriol had to do some fancy footwork to stay out of their way, being invisible still. Lunch break must be about over, Eriol thought to himself regretfully.

"Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau."

The two of them met once more in an hour and continued down.

I think Level Five would be a good place for us to stay. Although I didn't find any private records yet, I'm sure that's the best place to look; it's just a matter of time, Syaoran told Eriol from his position on the ceiling. The lift was packed with people and there was an increasing risk of getting their eyes poked out by an errant paper airplane.

I agree, but we should look at the rest of the floors first, Eriol replied.

"Level three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad Obliviator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."

Ja ne, said Syaoran, relieved to get out of such an enclosed space intact.

The lift descended and Eriol impatiently waited as it passed the Atrium.

Finally, "Department of Mysteries," was announced, and Eriol stepped out. By then there was only one unpleasant-looking wizard in the lift. He kept his hood up as he walked up to the door and inserted his wand in a hole, murmuring some long phrase in a foreign language at the same time.

Magic flared so brightly that Eriol shut off even his natural bit of Sight to keep from being blinded. When he dared open his eyes, the wizard was gone.

Eriol searched for a weak spot in the spells and pushed through without any preparation. An alarm sounded immediately and Eriol caught a glimpse of a room with hundreds of strange objects before wizards and witches Apparated into the room and he was forced to teleport away before they discovered him.

"As I thought," Eriol murmured, lounging in the Atrium waiting for Syaoran. "Pure research, no corruption from this Dark Lord. Objects they are still discovering the use and origin of. An attempt to help the war."

Eriol had sensed the raw power of that Department and his intrusion and glance into the room had confirmed that this would be a formidable department to explore, and impossible to stay in undetected. He would just have to trust that there was nothing essential in that department that needed knowing. It was rather frustrating to have to give up so easily but that was life. It didn't help soothe his curiosity though.

Syaoran met him twenty minutes later. "Nothing interesting," he said. "I think Level five's Room of Records is where we should stay. Did you find anything?"

"Nothing that would help," Eriol replied truthfully.

"Then let's go."

*~*

Sunlight poured through the window and onto a table where a cat no larger than Sakura's palm lay on its side, dozing. She wasn't fooled by its shape, and at her gasp, the kitten shot up to it's feet and crouched near the window.

"Rithlan," murmured Sakura soothingly. "I am Sakura, Mistress of the Cards, and wish no harm upon you."

Rithlan were a sorcerer's miscast spells that had never fulfilled their purpose. They were extremely rare, and the older they were, the more sentient they became. Sakura judged that this one was extremely old by it's ability to know how to blend in to its environment. Rithlan rarely took on a concrete shape. They appeared to be no more than a spark of light to a keen eye.

The 'cat' crept up to her and took in her scent, examined her aura. Abruptly it disappeared and she felt the quiver in the air above her shoulder.

"Friendly, aren't you?" she commented, gently cupping her hand around the spark. "You must have been here since before this school was built."

Sakura was delightedly surprised when it bobbed up and down in agreement.

"You must know this school very well," Sakura continued, an idea forming in her mind.

The Rithlan bobbed up and down once again, in agreement.

"Would you mind keeping me company and showing me to places I need to go?" Sakura asked. "It'll give you something to do, and I'm sure - "

She stopped when she felt the invisible presence nuzzle her cheek. It had been centuries since the Rithlan had been recognized, much less kept the company of a sorceress.

"It's agreed. Do you eat anything? I have some food around here if you're hungry . . ."

But the spark swung side to side in negation.

"All right. I think I'll call you something other than Rithlan. That's like saying, 'Hey, human.' How about Orenda-san? I saw it in one of the books we bought yesterday."

Sakura received a sort of mental purr and she grinned. "All right. Um . . . how do I get back down to the third floor?" She decided that she had explored enough of the castle for today, and she was still getting adjusted to the time zone, anyway. So, somewhat tired but happy, Sakura followed Orenda with a slight spring to her step.

She passed unchallenge through mostly deserted hallways, and had only a little trouble getting into her room. Once there, she summoned several blankets from home, including her comforter and sleeping bag, before climbing into bed and falling asleep with a murmured, "Thanks," to Orenda.

She was woken what seemed like minutes later by a familiar voice calling her name.

"Wake up," a male voice hissed. "Sakura."

"Is anyone else in there?" asked another familiar voice.

"I don't know. Sakura!"

She grunted and peered around bleerily. "Ima wa nanji desu ka?" she asked, automatically slipping into Japanese.

"It's about 9:00, when we promised we'd contact you."

That was Eriol, Sakura realized.

"Gome - I mean, sorry," she said. "I was tired and fell asleep." She set herself cross-legged in front of the portal. Orenda zoomed over and settled by her shoulder.

Sakura giggled at the boys' shocked expressions. "This is Orenda-san," she introduced. I found her in one of the towers. Orenda, this is Eriol-san and Syaoran-kun." She turned back to her friends. "She's agreed to help me navigate the castle. How are you two doing at the Ministry?"

"We've settled on the fifth floor in the Room of Records. Eriol thinks that they've hidden the records of their Dark Lords, so we're looking for them."

Eriol said, "Sakura, I've been studying this war against Voldemort. Apparently, it's the second war. A baby named Harry Potter defeated him about 17 years ago, and he was resurrected again about two years ago. Harry Potter attends Hogwarts. I think you should find him, and trail him part time as well.

"Also, I believe that Voldemort favors guerilla war tactics."

"Go-ree-la?" said Sakura questioningly, her accent becoming more pronounced. "Isn't that a type of monkey?"

Eriol and Syaoran sweatdropped. "Not exactly," the raven-haired boy replied. "It's a hit-and-run tactic, used to strike quickly when the enemy least suspects it. Voldemort favors subtle tactics, but that doesn't stop him from an all-out battle."

"I think that the forces of Light are losing ground to Voldemort," Syaoran added. "They've been lucky, but Voldemort is willing to harm innocents and more to achieve his goal."

"All right," Sakura sighed. "I guess that's it. Let's do this again tomorrow. Same time?"

The other two nodded in agreement and the window faded out.

She sighed and stood. "Orenda-san. Do you know where the center of the magic is?"

The Rithlan bobbed and Sakura followed it out the door and down the stairs. The halls were lit with candles and torches, and Sakura shivered, wishing she'd thought to bring her jacket.

Twice she was forced to hide from patrolling teachers before she was led to the Great Hall.

"Here?" asked Sakura in surprise.

Orenda sped on, and Sakura followed her up to the teacher's table, and then along it until she reached a door. It opened into a small empty room, and Sakura could feel the supernatural stillness at the center of the web.

"Here," she whispered, blinded by the darkness, but seeing the vast web of magic that infused the school This was old, centuries old. A reflection of Camelot, tied to the threads of fate.

It was here she sent out her sorcery. It was here she immersed herself in the foreign magic that steeped the castle and its surroundings. She lost herself to the castle, became one with the castle, breathed with the castle. A beat sounded in her head and she could not tell whose heart it was.

I am a friend, her intentions cried. I am here to help, and I must be a secret. You guard so many already, keep this one until we are ready to show them. Until we understand who and what these people are.

Slowly the castle ceased to fight her presence. Slowly it accepted her and slowly she regained her individuality.

When she emerged from the room, the quarter moon was over halfway across the sky. Her watch read 3:00. Sakura had been in there for over five hours.

Kami-sama, I think I'm going to be sick. She sank down onto a chair and concentrated on taking deep, even breaths. Her muscles ached, her head pounded, and her vision wavered. She hadn't realized what an averse affect the witchcraft and wizardry would have on her body. The last time she'd felt like this was when she'd been attempting to absorb shaman power (she'd been a rookie then). There were different types of power in the world, and one needed to gradually get used to each one when in its environment.

"God, it feels like a hangover," Sakura moaned softly. "I think I need asprin. Is it safe to down the full bottle?"

A nudge at her elbow startled her and her head shot up. Spots of light danced in her vision and she really wished she hadn't done it so quickly. When she could focus her gaze, it landed on Orenda in owl form with a small bottle in her claws.

"Huh?" Sakura inquired intelligently, taking the bottle and staring at it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. "You want me to drink it?"

Orenda nodded, so Sakura grimaced and swallowed. Her aches and pains quickly disappeared, as did her overwhelming need to hurl.

"Arigatou gozaimashita," Sakura said with a grin. "I wonder where you got that?"

Several hours later, Severus Snape could be heard bellowing about a missing healing potion, but by then Sakura was curled up in bed, taking a much needed nap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Orenda means magic power