The Road Less Traveled

Chapter 5: Haunted

What is unseen is not necessarily unknown.

-Wendelessen

Between the idea

And the reality

Between the motion

And the act

Falls the Shadow

For Thine is the Kingdom

Between the conception

And the creation

Between the emotion

And the response

Falls the Shadow

Life is very long

Between the desire

And the spasm

Between the potency

And the existence

Between the essence

And the descent

Falls the Shadow

For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is

Life is

For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.

-T.S. Eliot, "The Hollow Men"

Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. Professors and 7th year volunteers were called to the Infirmary to care for the wounded. The moment it was safe, William Anderson was sent to St. Mungo's in critical condition. He died two hours later at 7:18 in the evening and Hogwarts once more went into mourning.

Madam Pomfrey's store of burn ointment and Pepper Up potion ran low and Severus Snape was forced to dip into his own private storeroom. Empty classrooms were cleaned thoroughly by house elves before being used to house more of the wounded.

Ministry Aurors arrived just as Harry Potter's arm was being mended, and searched the grounds for any sign of Death Eaters or the beings that had appeared to drive them away. Students and professors alike were questioned before stumbling off to bed where they would sleep fitfully, if at all. The few in possession of Dreamless Sleep potions quickly downed it and sank into the welcome arms of sleep and the momentary forgetfulness brought with it.

And throughout it all, Albus Dumbledore slept, chest rising and falling rhythmically. When a patient or volunteer was finally released, they bowed their heads once in his direction before parting, thankful that he was not dead and wishing for him to resume his guardianship of the school.

Hermione was one of the last to leave, in the darkness of the night, and she had only left at Madam Pomfrey's insistence. Harry was recovering from a shattered humerus and Ron had sustained a nasty head injury right after the Morrigan had appeared.

She tread softly through the halls of Hogwarts, her progress lit only by the moon. She didn't feel like lighting her wand, and as Head Girl, she had no fear of getting caught, though she doubted anyone but Filch and Mrs. Norris would be patrolling tonight. Hermione hated war; hated it with a passion. She hated Voldemort and his followers so much sometimes, that she wondered if there was something wrong with her. Did Harry feel like this? Did Ron? Draco, she knew, had a large capacity for hate, and with good reason.

But he had a reason. He knew evil, knew its face, had seen it in the face and actions of his father and friends. Harry had a reason. Evil had destroyed the only true family that had ever loved him.

Something was wrong in the world when a person like Sirius could become condemned and die, yet the traitor, the rat, lived and thrived. It was small comfort that Sirius' name was finally cleared when Wormtail stepped out into the open.

Hermione stopped and took a deep breath, trying to calm down and cease the trembling of her hands.

Suddenly a hand covered her mouth and an arm encircled her waist, trapping her hands against her sides as she was jerked into a shadowed alcove. She flailed wildly and was about to lash out with her foot when a familiar voice whispered next to her ear, warm breath tickling her cheek. "Hermione, it's me."

The witch froze and the hand was removed from her mouth. "Professor Lupin?" she breathed.

"Shh. Something's coming, something that doesn't belong."

His eyes were shadowed, but Hermione could feel how tense he was as her slender body was pressed to him. If he was a wolf, she imagined he'd be growling, teeth bared, much like he had been when the alpha male had howled for the werewolves to flee or die.

In the absolute silence Hermione could hear quiet footsteps coming toward them. Perhaps it was her imagination, but something told her that whoever was coming was out of place, maybe too real or not real enough.

She blinked and shook her head slightly. That didn't make sense. But if there was one thing her time with Ron and Harry had taught her, it was that not all things were completely logical.

They saw the light first, steadily becoming brighter, and Hermione blinked rapidly in an effort to get her eyes to adjust quickly. Lupin's grip around her loosened and they both reached for their wands.

A figure walked into view, a glowing glass ball held in one hand. The two waited as the person passed by the alcove.

"Stop," Remus ordered as he stepped into the middle of the hallway.

The person whirled around and Hermione, squinting, managed to make out the face of a girl. A pair of emerald eyes were wide and her lips were parted in surprise. Brown hair framed her face and time seemed to freeze.

Then the light went out and they were left blind in the darkness. "Lumos," Hermione and Professor Lupin said instantly, but the hallway was empty, as if the girl had never been there.

"Accio Invisibility Cloak," said Hermione. No one could have disappeared that quickly unless they were invisible.

But no cloak sped at her, no girl was revealed.

"Revalis persona," Remus Lupin chanted after a moment. Any living thing in the hallway would have begun to glow, but only Hermione and himself were affected.

"Who was that?" Hermione asked when it became clear that they wouldn't find anything.

"Most likely we just terrified a student who was on her way to her Common Room," he replied, but Hermione could tell that he didn't believe it any more than she did. "Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Professor," she replied and absently headed to Gryffindor Tower, her mind going through all the possibilities and mystery surrounding what they had seen.

+~*~+

Sakura sighed in relief. That had been close. The magic of the school interfered with her ability to sense auras, and she only used her Sight when she had to or she'd be blinded by the magic residing in the castle.

She scowled, immediately angry with herself. Just because she was tired and her abilities were limited didn't mean that could relax or let down her guard. There were competent witches and wizards all over the castle. One misstep and her progress, according to Eriol, would be even more difficult, her movements watched and limited. She would be distrusted and would be regarded with awe or even fear.

The last spell had caught her unawares. Apparently Hermione and the professor were used to people who were invisible, yet present. At least she had discovered the man's name: Remus Lupin.

There was something strange about him. Sakura grudgingly postponed her bath and followed him, trying to figure out what it was about him that called to her. She rarely felt the pull of someone who wasn't a sorcerer that needed help only she could give. She wondered what was so desperately wrong with him.

He turned around again for the fourth time. Sakura was beginning to wonder if he could sense her. Finally he stood before a statue of a wizard with a long beard, staff, and old-fashioned robes.

Wait a minute, Sakura thought as Remus murmured something under his breath. That's not a statue of a wizard. That's Merlin!

She was forced to abandon her train of thought as Remus stepped through the door that had appeared in the wall when the statue moved. Sakura had to move quickly before the door disappeared.

Apparently these were his rooms. She followed him through the study, examining his features. His face was lined, hair streaked prematurely gray. His shoulders slumped wearily and he yawned as he ran his hand through his hair. There wasn't anything too unusual until she studied him with the Sight. Then the transparent features of a wolf overlaid his own.

A werewolf, she recognized. No wonder he called to her. But if she was to help him, she'd need to speak with him, and that would mean blowing her cover. Perhaps she could trade with him. Her help for his knowledge of the wizarding world.

But that still didn't solve the problem of whether she could trust him to keep the secret. Or if she should. But there was no time to contact Eriol and Syaoran now.

She trailed him into the bedroom. It was a very homey room with a worn trunk at the foot of the bed, an oak chest of drawers, a bookcase overflowing with books, and moving pictures hanging on the wall. Sakura still couldn't get used to how animated pictures were in the wizarding world. She had trouble remembering to perform magic away from the prying eyes of the portraits hung all over the school.

As soon as Remus turned his back Sakura shed her invisibility and sat on the bed, bouncing a bit with unconfined nervousness, praying to God that this wasn't a mistake. She blushed when she realized that he had removed his robe and had begun to take off his shirt.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she cautioned.

The effect her voice had on him was instantaneous. He jerked the hem of his shirt down so hard she was surprised it didn't tear, and spun around to face her, wand at ready. No doubt, had she been standing, it would have been aimed at her torso, the easiest target. As it was, it pointed somewhere between her eyes.

She opted for the kitsune Akai's approach to begin with, something overly cheerful to catch him off-guard, and keep him there.

"Hello," she said cheerfully. "You really shouldn't point weapons at other people's heads. It's rather dangerous, you know."

"You were in the hallway," he said, wand not wavering.

"Hai - I mean yes. I'm flattered that you recognize me."

"Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded harshly. Sakura was surprised at his tone of voice. He seemed like such a gentle, serene man.

"How rude of me, I should have introduced myself. My name is Sakura Kinomoto." She thought about standing up and bowing, but decided that she'd rather not give him a reason to use his wizardry. Instead she gave him a little bow from a sitting position. "I simply wanted to get to know you better."

"You are Japanese?" he asked.

"How did you guess?"

"I was in Japan for a few months before the war, studying the tanuki." He lowered his wand a bit and sat down on a chair, watching her for any sign of a threat. The sense of wrongness pervaded the air.

"Really?" she said delighted. "I stayed among the kitsune for a while. I've been told that some of their bad habits rubbed off on me. It's rather useful, though, for spying and being interrogated." She smiled, proud that she'd actually remembered that complicated English word.

"Why are you here?"

Sakura sighed and abandoned her carefree, mischievous approach. "Something in you called for me, and I couldn't figure out what it was. Then I saw that you were a werewolf, and I realized what it was that you needed me for. I can alter the curse, make it more of a blessing than a burden. But I need to see if it would upset what I'm doing too much, if I should wait until later." Tears threatened when she saw the desperate, hopeful look he couldn't hide. But she had to stay firm. She could help him immediately, but it might be more prudent to wait until her spying was no longer required. Sakura was determined to do it, she just had to figure out when.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked in a strained voice.

"You shouldn't," she replied simply. "I wouldn't expect you to. You're in the middle of a wizard war without truly knowing who is friend and who is the enemy."

"We've been betrayed," Remus acknowledged. "Several times, in this rise to power and the last."

"There was one before this one?" Sakura asked, startled.

"Yes. How could you not know? You aren't a Muggle."

"Not exactly, no," she agreed. "What do you know of sorcerers?"

"It's a title given to those that have distinguished themselves in some way against evil," he replied confused at this apparently random change of topics.

Sakura blinked. "Okaaayyy. We're not talking about the same type of sorcerer. Do you know a different definition?"

"There are sorcerers in our myths," Remus began, uncertain of where this would lead him. "They are powerful beings and shouldn't be trusted." He wondered at the pain he saw in the girl's - Sakura's - expression at his words, and hesitated before continuing. "They are solitary people, preferring to avoid contact with any wizard or witch. According to legend, there is only one spell that will affect them, but I can't remember what the words were, or what it did. The spell has been tested by researchers several times, but it appears to be a fluke."

"Would a witch or wizard trust a sorcerer?" Sakura asked quietly.

"It's doubtful. Very few of the stories show them in a good light."

"Even if she helped them?"

Remus noticed the change from 'sorcerer' to 'she,' and examined the girl before him closely. "Perhaps especially if she helped him. Why do you ask?"

Sakura stood abruptly and Remus immediately trained his wand on her. "Because I," she said softly, as a card appeared in her hand, "am a sorceress."

The card began to glow and Remus' eyes widened in shock. "Incarcerous," he said quickly, and rope flew out of his wand toward the girl, but instead of binding her, they fell limply to the ground.

"Illusion. Show him what I looked like during the battle."

Remus watched suspiciously as a picture began to take place in the air. Ordinarily he would have gone to Dumbledore immediately, but Dumbledore had yet to recover from the ritual. He couldn't decide if he should flee, but she hadn't threatened him at all, only talked with him and restored a tiny spark of hope.

The picture solidified into the mirror image of Sakura with a few subtle differences. Perhaps it was the lighting of the room, but the illusion-Sakura looked as if she was tinted darker, and black wings protruded from her back.

"You were the one to stop the battle," he breathed, lowering his wand. "And the wolf and the raven. . . ?"

"Were friends," she said.

"Sorcerers?"

Sakura nodded.

"I had wondered," he said softly. "The wolf inside me nearly took over, and would have if not for Hermione Granger's quick thinking. I know that only dire wolves would have that effect on werewolves, and they are extinct."

"So, this Hermione Granger is the one you were with in that alcove earlier?" Sakura asked innocently.

Remus could feel himself flushing at the implication.

"Kawaii!!" Sakura squealed delightedly. Upon seeing his confused expression, she elaborated. "It's my best friend's favorite phrase. Means 'cute.'"

"Which one was she?"

Sakura looked rather perplexed, a common theme for the night.

"Was she the wolf or the crow?"

"It was a raven, and she wasn't either of those. I believe you would call her a Muggle," Sakura replied.

Remus shook his head. Would the wonders never cease. Then he remembered her question and fought to keep from blushing again. "In answer to your question, yes, she was with me in the alcove," he said stiffly. "The wolf could sense you coming and I didn't want a student to be hurt."

"A student? She was teaching a class with Harry Potter when I saw her."

"No one could be found for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, so those two take over when both Alastor Moody and myself are gone," Remus replied.

"Doing what?" Sakura asked curiously.

"I can't tell you. I will not betray Albus' trust in me," Remus told her warningly. To his surprise she smiled at him.

"Good. There is hope for your world if trust in Albus Dumbledore can keep the Light together and strong. I can already tell that I will have trouble hiding from him, even in such a large place as this."

"But I must tell him. He needs to know about your presence and willingness to help, as well as your two friends," Remus said in surprise.

Sakura shook her head regretfully. "I will have to make you forget. Even if you would lie for me there is a great possibility that my secret will be found out. I am sorry."

"Then why did you come to me?" he asked, perplexed.

"To give you hope. In about a week, with the war going on, I can modify your curse so that you can transform at will without the pain. You will no longer be governed by the moon."

"I will be an Animagus?" he asked, not quite daring to believe her. It was too good to be true.

"A what?" Sakura asked blankly.

"A wizard able to change into an animal at will."

"Only one animal?" Sorcerers could choose any number of animals, though they usually limited it to a handful. She shrugged. Learn something new about wizards every day. "Yes, that sounds right. Minerva McGonagall is an Animagus, then?"

"Yes," he acknowledged. "How do you know her?"

Sakura grinned wryly. "She was my cat for a while." Then she was gone.

Remus Lupin was left with an inexplicable sense of loss, tempered by hope he had buried at Sirius' death.

"I feel like I've forgotten something," he said aloud.

+~*~+

Sakura slid down the wall and put her head in her hands, as much from exhaustion as sorrow for Remus Lupin's plight. "That was too much," she gasped, her breath burning her throat as she panted. "I need sleep."

But first she had to wash away the dirt and sweat from her skin, and scrub away the memories of blood and death.

"Orenda-san?" she asked after gaining some control of her breathing. Sakura waited, but no spark appeared. "Orenda-san?" she tried again with the same result. She was quite worried now, but she didn't have the energy to go look for the Rithlan.

It took some time, but Sakura managed to get to her feet and stumbled in a drunken manner down the hall. Her luck was still with her, as it wasn't long until she met a 6th year.

"Could you direct me to the baths?" Sakura asked the girl wearily.

Rachel gave her a strange look. "How could you not know. . . ?" She blinked. "They're just up those stairs and to the left. When you get to the painting of the sea, knock on the bottom right corner of the frame. Just go straight to the end of that hall and the password is unity." Perhaps it was her imagination, but the girl looked even sicker than she had when she asked the question. "Look, have you seen Madam Pomfrey? You're in bad shape."

Sakura forced a smile on her face. "I'm just exhausted, is all. But I really need a bath."

Rachel nodded and continued on her way. Sakura sighed in relief. Her whole body was trembling from that last spell, but she couldn't have anyone become suspicious of her. Not now, maybe not ever.

Sakura nearly collapsed several times on her way up the stairs. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so drained. She gulped at the air as she paused before the painting. Her knock was very weak, but apparently it qualified as the painting slid to the side.

Just a few more yards, Sakura told herself as she walked. Then she found herself in front of a panel of wood.

"Unity," she whispered through dry lips.

A doorknob appeared and she stepped through the door into a room containing a row of stalls, all reading 'unoccupied.'

Sakura felt like crying. This was it? A tiny stall to take a shower in? Not even a tub?

Disheartened, she opened the door, and blinked. Instead of a dingy stall, she found herself staring at a well-lit room about twice as big as her own bathroom with a square tub, twice as long as her own height. Fluffy white towels were lined on a rack on the wall to her height.

Sakura closed and locked the door before taking off her clothes and studying the knobs on the tub. She recognized the knobs for hot and cold, and felt the water as she turned them until she had the temperature she wanted. Three knobs had a picture of different sized bubbles, and she turned the smaller one. Immediately bubbles poured out with the water and Sakura smiled. A bubble bath! That was good enough for now; she'd see what the other knobs did some other time.

She closed her eyes and relaxed as she sank into the water. That felt nice. . .

Sakura caught herself nodding off several times in the course of her bath. Once she was sure all of the suds were out of her hair, and her skin was scrubbed until it was raw, she clambered out of the tub, her muscles feeling like noodles.

The towels felt nice against her skin, and they immediately soaked up the water without becoming soaked themselves. And Sakura could have been wrong, but she thought they kept her warm as she toweled herself off.

She went to put on her clothes before she realized that she hadn't thought to bring any clean clothes. Sakura bit her lip as tears filled her eyes. Her exhaustion was making her emotional.

Then she noticed a closet and opened it for lack of anything better to do. Inside was a bathrobe and slippers. When she took off the towel she had wrapped around her body, she discovered that both the robe and slippers were exactly her size.

Sakura tied the belt securely around her waist, bundled up her clothes and left the room. If she remembered correctly, the third floor was down two flights of stairs.

Gripping the rail tightly, she made her way down and, as luck would have it, recognized where she was and how to get back to her room. The portraits she passed were all sound asleep and Sakura took care not to wake them up. She passed no one and heard nothing. The castle was asleep, and she entered her room and changed into pajamas. She'd return the bathrobe and slippers in the afternoon. After a day like this, Sakura seriously doubted that she would be up before lunchtime.

She was barely under the blankets before she lost all awareness of the world around her.

+~*~+

Albus Dumbledore slowly became conscious of the world around him. His eyes felt gritty with sleep, and he realized that he had misplaced his spectacles. He shifted onto his left side and discovered them on the table next to his bed. Then he frowned and looked around as he reached for his spectacles. Why was he in the Infirmary?

Albus pushed himself up into a sitting position, and then swung his legs to the side. He was relieved to see that he still had his robes on.

He tried to remember what had happened as he slipped into his footwear. There were no aches and pains. As far as he could tell, he was just tired.

It was only when he took one last look around the room that he noticed the tabby cat curled up on a chair. It must be her planning period. Then the events of the previous evening came back to him. The ritual, the ruins and circles painstakingly drawn on the floor. Setting up the two shields, one an anti-Apparition shield, the other to scramble any communication or calls for backup.

He must have passed out from the effort. Albus winced at the thought of what Minerva would do when she caught him awake. He quietly slipped out through the curtain surrounding the bed and had almost managed to escape out the door when a woman said warningly, "Headmaster."

He cringed inwardly as he turned and smiled placidly at Poppy. "Yes, Poppy?"

"Don't 'yes, Poppy' me," she snapped. "You performed a Great Ritual less than 24 hours ago. Back in bed."

Albus looked around the half full Infirmary. "I'm afraid I can't laze about all day. There is work to be done and I'm in much better shape than many of these children," he ended sorrowfully. It wasn't right that these children should have to shoulder the responsibility of an adult, but they did their duties admirably.

"Albus Dumbledore," a new voice growled and he turned to face his rather disheveled and very angry Deputy Headmistress. No doubt, had there not been patients, she would have been shouting at him.

"Hello my dear. I trust you had a nice sleep? Could you tell the rest of the staff that there will be a staff meeting this evening after dinner?" He turned to leave, but Poppy stopped him once more.

"If you want to leave this room, you will drink these." She handed him three different potions, all of them looking extremely unpleasant.

"Surely this isn't necessary," he began, but the glares of the two women stopped him and he sighed before quickly downing all three.

They tasted even worse than they looked.

"If you are satisfied," he said once he was able to speak.

Minerva looked only slightly mollified. Poppy gave a grudging nod and informed him that she would be bringing more potions for the meeting.

Albus prayed she'd forget, but in the words of Mr. Ronald Weasley:

'Not bloody likely.'

+~*~+

"Shouldn't you go pick Tomoyo up now?" Syaoran asked Eriol in a whisper. They were currently rummaging through the offices of the various Aurors, which sounded much easier than it was. At the moment they were going through a man named Shacklebolt's office. He seemed to have an obsession with the escaped criminal, Sirius Black.

The two boys, both somewhat withdrawn because of the events of the day before, were attempting to make a list of Death Eaters and possible meeting places. The latter wasn't very specific, but would be invaluable help to Ruby Moon, who didn't even have the slightest idea of where Death Eaters could be hiding out.

"I nearly forgot," said Eriol. "I'll be back in a bit." He teleported away and reappeared in the men's bathroom at the airport.

"So sorry," he told the man in the stall with him politely and slipped out. The man was too dumbfounded to say anything or do anything other than gape at him. He later attributed the vision to his long flight and vowed to forget about it.

Meanwhile, Eriol strolled through the airport, with his usual smile. He paused in front of the arrival screen before heading quickly to gate D12. The plane had been early and he hoped Tomoyo hadn't been waiting long.

Then he heard screaming and broke into a run keeping to the wall as the panicked crowd ran in the opposite direction.

Another attack? Eriol thought desperately. So soon?

His worst fears were confirmed when he saw wizards and witches in black robes slaughtering the poor people around them as if it was a slaughterhouse. "Tomoyo!" he shouted. "Tomoyo!"

Sakura was going to kill him if anything happened to her best friend. At least Keroberos was with her.

When he caught sight of the purple-haired girl, his heart leaped into his throat and he didn't know whether to laugh or scream. That is, if he was given to screaming. Which he was not.

She was standing between an unconscious pregnant and the Death Eaters, and severely chastising them as only Tomoyo could. Keroberos was in his true form, trying to keep them all in a group, blasting them if they made a move to harm anyone.

"Tomoyo," he wheezed, bending over and trying to catch his breath.

"You're late," she informed him severely. Only her large violet eyes told him how terrified she was.

"I am," he panted, "very sorry."

A group of men and women appeared, dressed in robes. "Arrest the Death Eaters immediately. Then gather the Muggles quickly and charm their memories," the apparent leader informed her group after taking in the situation. The Death Eaters were still frozen in the positions they had been when Eriol cast the spell.

Kero, said Eriol telepathically. False form, quickly.

The Auror was still speaking, but Eriol wasn't listening.

We can't be questioned. They can't find out about us. "On the count of three, run," he murmured, grabbing Tomoyo's hand. "One. Two. Three."

He jerked Tomoyo into a sprint, vowing to apologize later. Flashes of spells shot at them, and Eriol immediately put a skin-tight shield around the two of them. He could see Kero clinging to Tomoyo's braid from the corner of his eye.

"There!" he said upon seeing stairs and yanked Tomoyo into a sharp left turn. "Down the rail, and keep running until you get to the street. I'll find you if I can't keep up."

She gathered Kero into the crook of her arm, and tucked her skirt between her knees before sliding down.

Eriol ducked to make a smaller target, not wanting to give away the fact that he was neither wizard nor Muggle. He saw two men racing after him and quickly tipped over a garbage can right before they came abreast of it. Then he slid down the railing as they scrambled out of the trash. Three quarters of the way down he felt his slide shudder and glanced back. The bars that connected it to the ground were disappearing one by one, and the Aurors were going down the escalator, obviously thinking that they had him. He groaned as he shakily got to his feet. This was something for Syaoran to do, or Sakura. Not him.

Taking a deep breath, Eriol leapt for the ground right before the whole rail collapsed. He landed heavily, and staggered as his right leg twisted.

He numbed the nerves in his ankle before running for the exit and bursting out onto the street. He was immediately lost in the crowd, and snickered to himself when he heard the two Aurors cursing. Now to find Tomoyo.

About to cast a tracking spell, he noticed the designer clothes store across the street and decided to take a chance. He found the Japanese girl almost immediately. She made sure to avoid standing in front of the windows as she browsed through the shirts.

"Are you all right?" she asked upon seeing him.

"I've been better," Eriol replied with a grimace. "I think I sprained my ankle, but I'll heal it later. Ready to go?"

"Please," pleaded Kero from where he was hiding in her purse.

"I suppose," said Tomoyo reluctantly. Then she froze. "I forgot my suitcase. It's still in baggage claim."

Eriol gave her a pleasant smile, but inwardly he wanted to scream. Well, not scream. He didn't scream. He yelled in a. . . manly way.

"You wait here. I'll find it. Purple, right?"

Tomoyo nodded happily. "Hai."

He stepped outside, and noticed a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye near the mouth of an alley. About to investigate, he paused and decided not to leave Tomoyo alone, so returned to the store.

"On second thought," he said, glancing furtively around the store, "you should probably come with me. I don't want to leave you on your own."

"Hey," said a muffled voice from the depths of Tomoyo's purse.

Eriol sighed and said, "I would prefer something less conspicuous than a flying stuffed animal or a winged lion to guard Tomoyo."

"All right," she said amenably, and followed him. To her surprise, he led her down an alley.

'I saw something' Eriol mouthed to her by way of explanation. He looked around and his eyes came to rest on a group of garbage cans. Quietly, with a spell ready to be released at the slightest notice, he pushed aside a garbage can.

He immediately found a knifepoint touching his throat. Tomoyo gasped in horror.

"No magic tricks," growled a dirty, scrawny girl, dressed in tattered clothing, "or I'll slit your throat."

"All right," Eriol said peaceably, not sure if he wanted to frighten her by using his magic or not. She was obviously somewhat accustomed to people who used wands and wasn't aware there were other ways to do magic. "What do you want?"

He saw the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. Obviously she had not thought that far ahead.

"Hand over your stick," she said at last. "And your money."

"I don't have a stick," he told her, thankful that Tomoyo wasn't drawing attention to herself. The street rat snickered at his double entende, and he glared at her.

"Then why were those magicians chasing you?" she demanded.

"We saw something they didn't want us to see, and we didn't feel like being questioned. They're not terribly respectful of privacy, you see." Suddenly the knife was in Eriol's hand and the girl was left clutching thin air. She watched him with wide eyes. "Don't make the mistake of thinking that all magic users depend on wands and magic-imbued objects."

His intense look was replaced with his usual smile and he returned the knife, hilt first. "My name is Eriol, and this is Tomoyo. Nice to meet you."

Tomoyo bowed politely, content to leave the talking to Eriol for the moment.

The girl stared at Eriol as if he had displayed three rows of razor sharp teeth and declared that he was a vegan. "Kestrel," she said finally, regaining her wits and retrieved her jaw from where it hung near the ground. She had just pocketed the knife when the three heard a shout. They looked up and saw the two wizards bearing down on them.

"They'll never catch criminals if they give themselves away like that," Tomoyo observed calmly.

Kestrel, however, jumped and Tomoyo saw an expression of fear and anger flash over her face. "This way," she told them, and slipped through a broken basement window.

Eriol decided that it would be prudent to follow someone who knew the city like the back of her hand, and motioned Tomoyo through before following. Apparently the wizards were wary of using magic in the streets, as no spells shot their way. He figured they'd gained a few minutes using the window since the men would have trouble wiggling through.

The girl led them up rotten, wooden stairs and pushed open a door. Eriol quickly, but quietly closed the door, and, seeing that there was no lock, added a bolt flick of his finger. He looked at Kestrel and found her watching him with a strange expression on her face.

"Quickly," she whispered, "before the owners or the sods get here." They heard the Aurors pound up the stairs, and Kestrel jumped before scuttling to the front door.

They slipped out the front door and down onto the street without further mishap. Apparently the inhabitants were away. Next, they turned down a sidestreet where a boy was rummaging through the garbage. He looked up and his face broke into a grin. "Kestrel," he greeted. "What're you doing with respectables like them?"

"Dan, magickers are trying to get us," she said quickly, looking around nervously.

The boy's expression darkened, and there was a hint of panic in his eyes. "Sewers are empty right now. Help me get this thing open."

With Eriol's help they managed to get the manhole open and climbed down, one by one. "Eriol-san," whispered Tomoyo worriedly as she passed by him.

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "I'll set the shield to grime and bacteria instead of magic."

"Arigatou," she murmured, and clambered past him, holding her skirt with one hand, and using the other to cling to the ladder. Eriol was the last down, and he slid the manhole cover shut just in time, although he didn't know it. The Aurors had just reached the empty sidestreet.

Tomoyo and Eriol followed the two urchins along the walkway in silent, until Eriol could no longer keep his curiosity in check.

"Why are you so terrified of witches and wizards, and how do you know about them?" he asked at last. "From what I know, they mostly keep to themselves."

Kestrel and Dan exchanged glances.

"They don't notice homeless people. We're as good as invisible to them, and we usually hide besides. It's not uncommon for us to witness them perform magic," Kestrel explained. "On the few occasions we're noticed, and can't get away, they erase our memory."

Eriol frowned. Erasing memories among sorcerers was strictly against taboo. He'd only done three times, both during extreme emergencies, when lives were on the line.

Kestrel was looking livid, an expression mirrored in Dan's face.

"Sometimes they get careless, or they just ain't very good," the girl continued bitterly. "Maybe they just don't care. Their reasons don't matter. About a year ago they riddled Anna May's memory with holes and left her as a vegetable. She was a bag lady, and she was nice to us kids. They as good as killed her. You can't survive on the streets for long without your wits. That's why we hate 'em, and fear 'em. I know they probably ain't all like that, but why risk it? They all erase the memories of anyone who stumbles onto them, even if it's their own fault. Why make things complicated? So the homeless all know, and we run, 'cause what do we got that'll beat 'em in the end?"

+~*~+

Nakuru was incredibly, incurably bored. She'd been searching for three days with no sign of a large gathering of Dark Magic.

On the other hand, this chocolate stick was almost as good as pocky. It was too bad, really, that Japan was about as far away from England as one could get. The pocky had been an unexpected bonus, almost as good as glomping Touya-kun.

She should speak with Master about importing pocky.

Nakuru blinked as her cell phone rang, and then smiled as she skipped down the street. "Hello Suppi!" she screeched happily into her phone.

"I do not know a 'Suppi,' Ruby Moon," said a familiar voice.

"You're Suppi, Suppi," she said with a wicked smile.

"I do not have time for juvenile games. Master Eriol requested that I tell you to look near Loch Ness, the Orkney Islands, Ben Nevis, Inverness, Cornwall, Kingston upon Hull, the southwestern tip of Wales, and the hunting grounds of the Huntress."

"Not the Green Knight?" she asked in surprise.

"You know as well as I that that Fae wouldn't stand for them in his forest," Spinel said before there was a clatter and he began muttering under his breath. "My paws are not made to hold a phone. Good bye, Nakuru, and Master wishes for you to make haste."

"Bye-bye, Suppi," she replied gleefully, and then paused and tried to think logically. Where should she start?

Kingston upon Hill was closest. Then she'd make her way to Scotland before flying southwest to check Ireland and Wales.

Satisfied with her plan, she rewarded herself by buying another candy bar. She needed her energy, after all.

+~*~+

Sakura groaned, and her eyes fluttered open reluctantly. It was one of those times when it felt like she'd slept for only five seconds when she needed to feel refreshed and awake. She stumbled over to her suitcase, shivering at the feeling of cold stone on her bare feet, and pulled out her next set of clothes. Her eyes felt gritty and there was a stale taste in her mouth. The clock read 3: 22 in the afternoon.

Not for the first time, she wished her room had windows, and grabbed a sweatshirt just in case the rest of the castle was as cold as her room. As it was, she was surprised she couldn't see her own breath. Maybe her clock was wrong and it was really 3:30 in the morning.

Sakura tiredly evaluated her level of power and found it to only be about half recovered.

You'd think I'd feel more rested after over 12 hours of sleep, she thought sardonically as she dug out and devoured two leftover sandwich, a roll of crackers, a banana, and an apple from a paper bag since it was too late for lunch in the Great Hall, and too early for dinner. She felt better when she was through, and her energy level immediately shot up a bit.

Sakura had fastened her cloak and was about to set out for a class when she remembered that Orenda hadn't appeared since the battle. Feeling guilty and more than a bit worried, she scanned the castle, and then the grounds around it with no luck. Her eyes widened in panic and began to water. It was as if the Rithlan had never existed.

Dipping into her limited supply of magic, Sakura doused for the last person to have seen Orenda. Drawing her cloak tightly around her slim frame, she set out following the invisible tie. She figured that if she looked like she knew what she was doing and had a purpose in walking the halls, no one would stop her, and she wouldn't need a spell to hide herself. It had worked before, and she did have her good luck bracelet.

Either no one was patrolling the halls or her bracelet really worked, because she reached the classroom without any mishaps.

Dipping once more into her decreasing store of energy, she cast an avert spell and slipped inside the classroom unnoticed.

Sakura didn't look around her. She focused on the invisible thread with a single-minded intensity, almost surprised when it ended.

Of course, she thought tiredly. I asked Orenda to watch over Harry Potter. I should have guessed that he would be the last to see her.

Deciding to wait until dinner before interrogating him, she looked around for the first time and recognized her surroundings.

This is the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. But who's teaching? Sakura wondered. She only vaguely remembered the grizzled old man as someone she'd passed in the halls the day before.

He must be the third professor that Lupin-sensei mentioned. What was his name?

Since it would be a while before class was over, and Sakura had no idea what was being taught, she decided to do another exercise that helped her recover her power: meditation.

In the middle of her breathing exercises, she felt someone prod the avert spell she had set up and her eyes flew open. She scanned the room, but no one was paying attention to her, and the teacher's back was to her.

Maybe I'm getting paranoid, Sakura thought, and returned to her meditation.

There it was again. A quick prod at her spell.

Sakura frowned and examined the room more closely. No one so much as glanced in her direction.

The third time she was ready and her subconscious followed it back to the caster. It was the professor?

Sakura opened her eyes and cautiously made her way closer to the man, studying him. It took her a moment to see his false eye, and she nearly laughed in relief. It was a magical eye that allowed him to see through things, and spun around in its socket to see the whole room. It's glance automatically tried to see her; it wasn't a conscious effort.

When she really watched the eye it made her feel a bit queasy, though.

She glanced out the window as she returned to her seat and finally noticed that it was pouring outside. The rain pounded against the window so hard that she was surprised it didn't break the glass. She was also surprised that she hadn't noticed sooner. Sakura had a difficult time returning to meditation, until she fell into the rhythm of the rain. She was so engrossed in her meditation that she almost missed it the class left the room.

Please let me hear what happened to Orenda-san, she pleaded with the universe.

Either the universe was particularly receptive today or the bracelet was one hell of a lucky charm.

"Hermione, I'm telling you, I don't know how I escaped the Killing Curse. All I saw was a spark of light go zooming over my shoulder, and then there was an explosion of light that blinded me for a good minute. Maybe it was a firefly that managed to head off the curse," Harry said irritably.

"You know as well as I that a firefly won't stop the curse. The Killing Curse has too much power to be stopped by a bug."

Harry cut her off mid-lecture. "Maybe it was a hell of a firefly. Maybe an unlucky pixie got in the way. I don't really care how I survived."

"Fine," Hermione snapped, throwing up her arms and nearly poking a passing student in the eye. She stomped off in the direction of the Great Hall for dinner. Ron and Harry followed at a more leisurely pace, hoping that she would have cooled down by the time they got there.

Sakura froze, trying to process the information and piece together the uncertainties. Orenda-san had shielded Harry from getting killed, and had been eradicated in the process? That didn't make sense. No one knew how to send a Rithlan on; everyone just assumed it was impossible. Could it be that they had to have a Purpose before they were used. It would make sense, since Rithlan were made because they lacked a purpose.

Sakura mourned the loss of her new friend, but was pleased that she had gotten a chance to move on.

Yawning, she trotted to the Great Hall, taking a risk and allowing everyone to see her. Part of the reason was to get experience fitting in, and the other part was that she was conserving energy until it reached full strength.

Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a crack of thunder. There were a few muffled shrieks from the Great Hall, but she noticed one girl in the hallway with her nose pressed against the window and a vaguely happy expression on her face as lightning flashed.

She took a deep breath. "Hi," Sakura said nervously, sidling up next to the girl. "I'm. . . Alex Smith. You like watching the lightning?"

"Luna Lovegood," said the girl dreamily. "I'm looking for the rare Lightning Bogies." She turned back to the window.

Sakura blinked. I've never heard of that before. Seeing that Luna was engrossed in her Lightning Bogie watching, she left, slipping into the Great Hall. She decided to sit at the table under the badger banner. Hufflepuff, she remembered from Hogwarts: A History.

Dinner was largely uneventful and contained an almost empty feeling in the air. About a quarter of the seats in the Great Hall were vacant, as their occupants were recovering in the Infirmary. Albus Dumbledore, she noticed, had recovered, although he occasionally trailed his beard in the soup.

Afterward, Sakura decided to tail Minerva for no other reason than variety. Also, she hadn't had much of a chance to visit with the older woman, since she'd been avoiding her class. If anyone would recognize Sakura, she would.

It seemed she had picked a good time to follow her. Minerva led her to the gargoyle statue that guarded the Headmaster's office. She remembered following three professors the night before. However, rather than the candy-based password, Minerva McGonagall looked around suspiciously before leaning close and murmuring, "Aethelweard*."

Must have changed the password, Sakura figured.

She frowned when she entered a large room. A table stood in the center surrounded by padded chairs, and a large fireplace was situated in the back of the room. The flames rose high, and Sakura immediately made her way over to them to warm herself.

Apparently a different password took the person to a different place. Sakura grinned wryly. Clever, she thought.

It was several minutes before all of staff appeared, and Sakura took the time to evaluate her magic level. She sighed and decided to forgo the invisibility spell for her less tiring avert spell. Her energy was about the same as it was this morning.

She glared around the room grumpily, seeing for the first time the whole Hogwarts staff. Another professor was looking at least as irritated as she felt, and she recognized him as the Potions professor that Harry Potter and friends more or less detested.

She only half-listened as they discussed the security measures they could take and reported on the injuries of victims.

"I believe that someone has infiltrated Hogwarts."

Sakura froze. Ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit -

"A few days ago the last shield was penetrated. This shield alerts me when someone who was not invited to Hogwarts enters the grounds. No other shield was touched," the Headmaster continued.

- ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit -

Professors began murmuring in concern.

Albus held up a hand to quiet them.

"In addition, I have felt irregular pulses strange magic. I do not believe that this being wishes us direct harm, or that shield would have also been set off. However, if anyone sees anything strange, please report it to me immediately."

Both he and Sakura noticed Remus Lupin frown in consternation at this last sentence.

Next, the teachers began to describe and discuss Sakura's help in the battle the day before, but she became distracted by small professor with short, feathery gray hair and golden eyes. Another person's features overlaid the physical features of the woman to Sakura's eyes. The apparition had dark hair and dark, cruel eyes. Her face was gaunt, her thin lips twisted into a sneer.

A quick glance around told Sakura that she was the only one who could See the phenomenon.

She studied the professor closely, trying to discern what was happening. What is this? she wondered, nearly bumping into the Potions professor who sat to the right of the woman.

The professor glanced at her watch before drinking from a white waterbottle. The image began to fade as she drank.

Sakura hesitated to reveal the woman, fearing that she might be discovered. I have to, she thought grimly, and stepped out of the way before using a touch of magic to loosen the cap, and then knock the bottle out of her hands, causing the professor to yelp. A thick, murky substance spilled onto the table, and conversation paused.

"Polyjuice potion!" exclaimed Snape as he leaped to his feet a split second ahead of the other professors, knocking over his chair, and drawing his wand.

The gold-eyed witch was a step ahead of them, having drawn her wand the moment the waterbottle flew from her hands.

"Expelliarmus," she hissed, and pointed her wand at his chest. "Nobody move."

"Who are you? Where's Xiomara?" demanded Minerva.

"Guess," she laughed as her voice developed a higher pitch and dark hair grew.

"Bellatrix," growled Snape.

"Incarcerous." Bellatrix bound him tightly in ropes, and he struggled to breathe. "Traitor." Her eyes flashed maniacally. "I'll kill you." The moment she moved her wand, Dumbledore roared, "Immobulus," but the spell bounced off of her shield.

"Be reasonable," said Albus. "You'll never make it out of this room if you resist."

"Perhaps not. But I'll take this traitor down with me! Avada - "

Her wand was wrenched out of her grasp as a girl appeared. Sakura snapped the wand in two. She stepped back and winked at Severus before raising her arms and flinging them in Bellatrix's direction. The ropes released the Potions Master and bound the witch.

"Stupefy."

Sakura flinched as the spell hit her dead center. Her eyes widened in panic and she gasped as she felt her limbs stiffen. She bent over double, and flung the spell off before disappearing. She raced to the door and shoved it open before the professors could regroup.

Sakura had counted on everyone being too surprised to do anything to her. Once again, she had underestimated the Headmaster. She prayed that Minerva hadn't gotten a good look at her face.

Her feet pounded against the floor as she sprinted away from the room. She paid no attention to where she was going or whether anyone pursued her. She just had to put distance between herself and Albus Dumbledore.

+~*~+

Kingston upon Hill was a dud, so she'd teleported herself several kilometers away from the bottom of Ben Nevis and then flying to the mountain, just in case teleporting set off any alarms.

Oooo, Nakuru thought delightedly. A large gathering of Dark magic had registered. Finally, something to do.

Spinel Sun claimed that she didn't have enough room in her head to be properly afraid of things like powerful enemies. Therefore Ruby Moon had no qualms about swooping down among wizards in broad daylight, beaming all around her at the astonished dark wizards and witches.

"HI!" she exclaimed, and brought out a roll of baggies before moving among them. It said much for her eccentric personality that only a few wizards retained their wits enough to attack her. Everyone else was too stunned, and the spells just flowed off of her anyway.

"I just came for a bit of your DNA is all," Ruby Moon explained cheerfully, as she yanked hair off of random people's heads, and stuck them in the plastic baggies. "Oh! I nearly forgot."

She extracted a wicked looking needle from her pocket, and grabbed the hand of the person closest to her. The witch yelped as Ruby Moon stabbed her and tried to attack the moon guardian, who simply froze the woman before getting the blood into a miniature tube.

Spells were flying at her thick and fast, and all of them slid off of her shield, as she did the same for several other witches and wizards.

"That's it for now," Ruby Moon said. "Ta ta."

She disappeared just as two burly wizards decided to dive for her. They crashed into each other, knocking themselves out, and an eerie laugh echoed around the gathering.

"Master won't be happy," whimpered one short, rotund wizard, as he wrung his hands nervously.

Nakuru repeated her performance at the Orkney Islands, Cornwall, and the southwestern tip of Wales. The other places Suppi had mentioned were false alarms.

+~*~+

Severus looked to be in a state of shock, a thing so rare that it did not go unnoticed, even as Anne Vector struggled to get a gag on Bellatrix Lestrange, who seemed to be foaming at the mouth amid her string of obscenities. It was duly noted that she could have given Mrs. Black a run for her money.

"Severus, what is it?" asked the Headmaster in concern, raising his voice to be heard over Bellatrix's screaming.

Finally, Remus couldn't take it. "Silencio," he snapped, and Anne shrugged before returning the gag to her pocket.

"Albus," Severus said plaintively, and extremely out of character. "She winked at me."

"Bellatrix?" asked Minerva in disbelief.

"No, the girl," he snapped halfheartedly.

Albus patted him on the back. "I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it," he said solemnly, not quite managing to keep his amusement from showing. He immediately became serious, and said, "Did anyone recognize the girl?"

No one had gotten more than a glimpse of her, some not even that much. No one, not even Minerva, knew the girl. The sheer impossibility that it could be Sakura, as well as the obscure glimpse, had prevented any recognition from the woman among them who knew her best.

"Who - or what - was she, Albus?" asked Filius Flitwick, "that she could move about undetected? And when did she manage to switch places with Xiomara?"

"I don't know." Dumbledore frowned. "Irma, is there anything in the library that would explain this?"

The librarian shook her head. "No creature I can think of would have that much power, unless she was a demon."

Remus shook his head. "Demons are not friendly or helpful. That girl was both." He paused, and smirked. "Unless you count the fact that she has traumatized Severus."

Several other professors snickered.

"There was no sign of her," Serena Sinistra announced as she entered the room. "I tried Tracking Spells and Revealing Spells, but nothing worked."

Albus sighed and turned his attention to their prisoner, who was determined to make herself understood by any who read lips, since her voice had been silenced. He was extremely worried about Madam Hooch's welfare. "Severus, would you fetch Veritaserum?"

The Potions Master turned and left, his face twisted into its usual sneer.

+~*~+

Sakura leaned against the rail for support. Her limbs were trembling, and she was panting from her panicked flight. She had no idea where she was, and at the moment she didn't care.

Sakura cursed herself for appearing in plain view. She had been trying to conserve energy, but had ended up spending much more than she would have otherwise.

"Password?"

Sakura jumped, and stared at the very large portrait of a fat lady. "Pardon?" she asked.

"If you want to get in, I need the password," the lady said impatiently.

In where? she wondered. "Sorry," she murmured and turned to leave. Halfway down the hall she met a group of students heading toward the portrait.

Sakura did a quick about face, and trailed along behind them, keeping her face down as if her shoes were the most interesting things she had ever seen. No one gave her a second glance as they spoke the password.

"Hippogriff."

She slipped inside before the portrait swung closed, and looked around at the couches and chairs, tables and leftover bits of parchment that were scattered around the room. The dominant colors were maroon and gold.

This must be the dormitories, Sakura realized. Or one of them, anyway, she amended, remembering that there were four Houses.

She recognized Harry Potter's aura, and was about to go look for him when Syaoran called telepathically.

We're in the forest.

Sakura sighed and abandoned her quest, placing a marker on the frame of the portrait as she left so she'd be able to find the place again.

I'm coming.

She looked for a staircase, figuring that if she kept going down she'd eventually get to the ground floor. No one was near the main doors, so she quickly slipped out and a bucket of water was immediately dumped on her head.

Oh, nevermind. The sky was just falling.

It certainly felt like it, anyway. The rain was coming down in solid sheets, and she could barely see a meter in any direction.

She could feel Syaoran in the forest near the lake, and she carefully made her way in his direction, taking cover when she could, and wrapping her black robe around herself in an effort to blend into the night, just in case any eye could penetrate the blinding rain. A dog barked as she passed the large man's cabin. Sakura froze behind a tree as he opened the door. Light flooded the doorway and he carried a crossbow in his hand.

"Who's there?" he called out gruffly, but Sakura was already moving away, walking in silence, wrapped in the night.

She heard the door shut, and breathed a little easier. The lake lapped at the shore, soothing her taut nerves. The man had been the last obstacle to avoid, and she moved a bit faster, scowling as the rain permeated her cloak and plastered her hair to her head. Her clothes felt five times heavier by the time she came upon Syaoran and -

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura exclaimed happily, momentarily forgetting her wet clothes as she stepped into their dry, warm shelter.

"Sakura-chan, daijoubu?"

"Daijoubu," she replied with a sigh. "It's raining," she complained. "This is like a vacation. It's not supposed to rain!"

"Vacation?" asked Syaoran, staring at her.

"Well, aside from the spying and protecting and war and stuff," Sakura amended grudgingly. "The point is, it's not supposed to rain. Where's Eriol?"

"He's up to something," Syaoran said with a suspicious frown. "Nakuru came back and he's holed himself up in his mansion. I'm on my way to Ben Nevis. It's the closest gathering of Death Eaters to Hogwarts that Nakuru could find, as well as the largest. She hasn't seen this Voldemort character, though."

"What are you doing here, Tomoyo?" Sakura asked. "Not that I'm not happy you're here."

"I had to see my Sakura-chan, of course," the girl replied happily. "And I'm here to cut your hair."

"N-nani?" The sight of Tomoyo with scissors unnerved the poor Mistress of the Cards.

"Well, if you're going among the students and don't want to be recognized by Tabby-chan, you need a disguise. The smallest changes can have the biggest impact," Tomoyo explained. "Now sit."

"But it's my hair," Sakura said plaintively.

"Hai, and I'm going to cut it," Tomoyo said patiently.

Sakura resigned herself to her friend's order. "Fine. Cut it," she said airily, flinging her damp hair over her shoulder. "It means nothing to me."

"Is that why you have such a pained expression on your face?" Syaoran asked innocently.

"You be quiet." Sakura gave him a disgruntled glare.

"It's the couch for you tonight," Tomoyo added wickedly as she began snipping.

Syaoran and Sakura both blushed. Tomoyo wouldn't have been surprised to see steam come out of Syaoran's ears.

The three of them conversed lightly as Tomoyo cut Sakura's hair. "Done," she said finally, and fished a mirror out of her pocket to show Sakura her handiwork.

"It looks like it did when I was 11," Sakura commented. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

"What's your opinion of Albus Dumbledore?" Syaoran asked as Sakura stretched.

She froze, suddenly recalling what had happened earlier.

"He's crazy like a fox, and too clever by half," she said hesitantly.

Tomoyo smiled. "You're really picking up these English terms."

"It's a phrase I heard in my dreams," she replied.

"What's wrong?" asked Syaoran when Sakura didn't smile back.

"He saw me. He knew I was inside the school, but he didn't know who or what I was, and then I had to help a professor or he would have died, and I tried to save energy so I let go of the invisibility spell, but Dumbledore recovered so much faster than I thought, and he almost caught me, and I don't know if Minerva saw me or not, and I'm sorry." Sakura realized that she was babbling and burst into tears.

"I'm sorry," she murmured over and over as Syaoran hugged her, looking distinctly awkward.

"Don't worry about it. If we get caught, we get caught. We all knew we couldn't do this forever. It's the most convenient route, not the only one. You've lasted this long. I doubt they even know who or what you are. I'm sure you'll be all right, just be a little more careful now that they're onto you," he told her softly. Then he glared at Tomoyo over Sakura's head and mouthed, 'Turn that off.'

Tomoyo hid the camera as Sakura extracted herself from Syaoran's arms. "You're right," she said, hiccuping a bit as she wiped her eyes. "I'd better be heading back." She hugged Tomoyo. "Good luck at the Ministry."

"Luck," her friend replied as Sakura quickly kissed Syaoran before heading back to the castle. She paused, and turned around, fishing for something in her pocket.

"I almost forgot," Sakura said sheepishly as she handed Tomoyo a rather sodden piece of paper. "Can you give this to Eriol and make sure he doesn't forget that the stones need to be about the size of a fist?"

"What's it for?" asked Tomoyo, examining the list.

"For the werewolf I met. I'm going to return his curse to the gift it used to be."

Sakura recalled vividly T'ai Yat-sen's lecture on werewolves she'd heard as part of her more formal training:

"Lycanthropy was meant to be a gift, a blessing to transcend all magical and non-magical barriers. The transformation into a wolf would be painless, and a miracle for those with little or no magic. Lycanthropy could be passed on to those the werewolf considered worthy. A rash giving of the gift was strictly taboo, and harshly punished if the receiver was unwilling. It was reversable, however, until the full moon. Many werewolves only gave their gift with the waning of the moon, to allow the receiver time to change his or her mind. Werewolves ran in packs, like true wolves, and taught the newcomers about the life of a wolf.

"Something went wrong with the casting of the spell. Over time it morphed into something cruel and ugly. Most believe that someone or something, a rogue sorcerer, perhaps, or a wizard, as some of the more superstitious think, tampered with the spell without the caster being aware of it. As a result, werewolves can only change on the full moon with excruciating pain. They lose their humanity and go mad, killing whatever they come across more often than not. A spell has been discovered that will return the curse to the blessing it should be. The Lupe is a group of powerful sorcerers and sorceresses that search the world for werewolves in order to fix the gift."

"When will I meet wizards?" she had asked.

"There are no wizards. If they ever existed, they are long gone now. No one has seen them in centuries."

"What were they like?"

"Like anyone, I suppose. Legend says that they were not quite as powerful as sorcerers, unless they used the rituals."

"Our rituals?"

"Yes, although I imagine that both wizards and sorcerers shaped the old rituals."

Sakura shook her head. Wizards were no longer legend. "Sayonara," she said and walked away.

"Burn that tape," Syaoran warned Tomoyo as soon as Sakura was gone.

Tomoyo merely giggled.

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

*Aethelweard means noble guard. I think it's old English, or something like that.