The Road Less Traveled

Chapter 7: Something Wicked

Why are you obsessed with fighting

times and fates you can't defy?

If you knew the path we're riding

you'd understand it less than I

-Jesus Christ Superstar

Let's go back

Back to the beginning

Back to when the earth, the sun, the stars all aligned...

...Let the rain fall down

And wake my dreams

Let it wash away

My sanity

'Cause I wanna feel the thunder

I wanna scream

Let the rain fall down

I'm coming clean

-Hilary Duff, "Coming Clean"

Playground school bell rings again

Rain clouds come to play again

Has no one told you she's not breathing?

Hello I'm your mind giving you

Someone to talk to

Hello

If I smile and don't believe

Soon I know I'll wake from this dream

Don't try to fix me I'm not broken

-Evanescence, "Hello"

Sakura Kinomoto sighed and leaned back, enjoying the breeze as the sun set on the Scottish countryside. She then immediately scrambled to right herself, having yanked the borrowed broom up perpendicular to the ground. Her pulse raced at the near accident and her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She looked around furtively to make sure no one had seen such a beginner move, and glared death at a chicken-looking creature she was unfamiliar with. Either it was one of the more rare magic creatures, or - more likely - she'd slept through that particular lesson.

The Card Mistress suddenly realized that she didn't know how to stop a wizard's broom. "Kuso," she muttered darkly, and began experimenting. She pulled back gently, and succeeded only in slowly ascending. Frowning, she turned the handle first slightly to the left, and then slightly to the right. Still nothing. Sakura sat still, furrowing her brow in thought. Suddenly the broom began to buck violently, painfully whipping her neck back. She winced, and clung to the handle, forcing the broom closer to the ground so that she wouldn't have such a distance to fall. It stopped just as suddenly as it had begun, and Sakura sagged forward, rubbing her sore neck. If that was a charm to keep the broom from flying too high, it was definitely faulty.

That was what she got for stealing a school broom from the shed.

Fed up with the enchanted object she glared at it, and screamed mentally, STOP!

To her surprise, it obeyed, and she hovered in midair, looking around to get her bearings. She could just see a small town to her right. She smiled. This one had no magic, so finding a payphone would be easy. It would be rather unusual to be carrying a broomstick, but she wasn't about to let it go and lose it.

Sakura sped forward several more meters before alighting on the ground and walking the rest of the way. It was several blocks before she found a phone. Most of the denizens were in their homes, so the broom received few stares.

She shoved in a few coins that Eriol had exchanged for her, and dialed her home phone number.

"Moshi moshi, Sakura-chan," greeted her father immediately. She grinned. He'd gotten into the habit of using his magic to know who was calling.

"Konbanwa, Otousan," she chirped, before remembering that it was a different time zone. "Ah! Gomen nasai! Did I wake you?"

"Hai," he said sleepily, "but I'm glad you didn't forget about me."

"Of course not!" Sakura replied sheepishly. "I could try again later."

"Iie. I'm already up. What have you been up to?"

She paled as the battle in front of Hogwarts surfaced in her mind, but quickly pushed it aside and decided not to mention it. "I found a Rithlan," she said instead. "But she's gone now." Sakura could almost feel her father listening avidly as she described Orenda-san and how she had gone on, though not why. She continued on to talk about wizards and witches when she heard a strange click, and then -

"KAIJUU!!"

She flinched and held the receiver away from her ear, still able to hear Touya clearly.

" - THINK YOU'RE DOING?! DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU TELEPORTED ME?!!"

"Ano - "

"You dropped me TWO FLOORS above my room! I barely got out before its occupants returned, and that was only thank to Yuki!"

Sakura spared a moment to admire all of the detailed spell-work that must have gone into setting up a spell to tap into the phone line. Then she heard a scuffling and Yukito-san's sleepy voice floated over the line. "Ohayo Kinomoto-san, Sakura-san. Gomen nasai, but I really should cancel this spell before Touya wakes the building."

"Sayonara, Yukito-san!" Sakura said cheerfully.

"I should be going as well," her father said regretfully. "I need to give a lecture in three and a half hours."

She pouted, but said her good-byes, and headed back to Hogwarts. The whole trip had taken almost an hour, and when she returned she saw a Muggle family on the lawn, weary, scraped up, and confused. Several professors were attempting to calm them down, but the father and son were having none of it, hurling rocks in their direction.

Sakura quickly cast a notice-me-not charm and landed. Abandoning the broom, she ran closer, creeping up behind the family where the mother was holding a sobbing girl.

"Please calm down," Professor Sprout was saying soothingly. "We mean you no harm."

"No more of your hocus-pocus! You're not touching my family!" the father snarled.

Each of the three professors had cast a shield charm around themselves and were moving closer to the Muggles. Sakura noticed that the Potions Professor - Snape? - had a cut on his cheek.

"Don't come any closer," said the boy hysterically, and grabbed a stout branch to swing at them.

"Listen to us," said Snape calmly, attempting to be patient with them. Sakura was rather surprised at this, since he was one to be more cruel and biased. "The ones who attacked you were Death Eaters. We don't know how you got through the wards onto Hogwarts' grounds, but we only wish to help you."

Sakura quickly pieced together the story and decided to take a chance before the Headmaster arrived. She cancelled the spell and grabbed the branch, stopping it in midair. "Shh," she murmured soothingly, and stepped toward the mother and daughter, before the man could recover his wits. "They need help," she said softly, touching the girl's hair gently. "Your daughter needs help, else she'll be emotionally scarred for life."

This stopped the father in his tracks, but the son was too far gone in his panic. He rushed at her, but she simply pivoted to the side and disappeared.

"Sleep and dream and forget for a while what happened before you injure yourself," a voice whispered from everywhere and nowhere at all, and the boy fell to his knees, and then the ground, and slept.

Sakura watched in satisfaction from the cover of the forest as the family was helped into the castle. It didn't escape her notice that the professors gripped their wands tightly and looked around often. Her lips curled upward. It was rather fun to confuse them. Then her grin became a smirk as she remembered the bulging eyes and dropped jaws. By the way Professor Snape had paled and stumbled backward, you would have thought she was the devil himself.

In fact, maybe they did think that, or something along those lines.

Sakura sighed absently and rested her chin in her hands. She had to be careful; it would be too easy to underestimate someone less powerful. Already, she didn't dare to appear near the Headmaster of Hogwarts. And still, there were nagging voices in her head, whispering, telling her she should stop, that one girl could not make a difference in a full-scale war, no matter that she was the Card Mistress. It would be simple to tear the Wizarding World apart without meaning to.

An icy wind jolted Sakura out of her thoughts and she realized that she was shivering uncontrollably and her fingers and toes were numb. Judging that a sufficient amount of time had passed for the halls to be cleared, she raced for the relative warmth of the castle, forgetting about the broom she had borrowed.

A large book slammed shut and the other two occupants of the Gryffindor Common Room jumped.

"Hermione," Ron complained. "If you're not going to do anything but make noise, go back to bed."

The witch raised an eye at him. "And I suppose Exploding Snap counts as 'doing something?' Besides, the reason I got out of bed at midnight was because I couldn't sleep."

Harry yawned and took a card from the deck. "Fine. Map or Invisibility Cloak?"

"What?"

"If you don't get enough sleep, we're the ones who are going to suffer in the morning. Now go run off that energy or go ask Lupin about the essay, or something. Map or Cloak?" Harry explained patiently.

"Map," she replied at last. She preferred to know if someone was coming than chance it while being invisible. "I need to get tomorrow's homework from him, since I'll be gone."

"Where are you going?" asked Ron in surprise.

She stomped her foot in frustration. "Honestly, Ron, don't you listen to a word I say?"

Ron had to bite back a 'not really, we've learned to tune you out.' He wasn't clueless enough to think he would get away with it unscathed.

"I'm going to Hogsmeade to help with the last of the clean-up crew from the battle a few days ago. Draco's signed up too. It's been posted on the notice board," she continued.

Ron blinked. "We have a notice board?"

Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes. "Next you're going to say you didn't know Hogwarts was located in Scotland," she retorted sharply.

The red-haired wizard gave them an innocent look. "We're in Scotland?"

Hermione sighed gustily as Harry grinned.

Before she knew it, the two of them had placed the Map in her hand and shoved her out the door, fairly slamming the portrait behind her and making the Fat Lady grumble. Hermione smiled and walked off after checking to make sure no one was around. They were worried about her, and she couldn't get very angry at them for that. They probably wanted to go to bed as well. She knew they wouldn't have stayed up for over half an hour playing Exploding Snap after midnight if she hadn't been there, especially after their A(dvanced) P(otions) class. She was only required once a week, while they went twice and Neville anywhere from three to five times. Other members of the Order attended as well as members of the DA, on a semi-regular basis.

Her eyes flicked over the parchment, searching for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. It was empty. She quickly looked for Remus Lupin's office, hoping he'd be there despite the late hour and smiled when his dot appeared at his desk.

Hermione walked briskly toward the fourth floor, and only had to dive into empty classrooms twice, the first to avoid Peeves, and the next to avoid Filch who was cursing under his breath about Peeves. Despite her Head Girl status, she knew they'd give her grief if she was caught.

The hallways were chilly, and she wrapped her robe more tightly around her body. She knocked quietly on the door and waited, but no one replied. Frowning, Hermione checked the Marauder's Map and confirmed that Professor Lupin was still there. Another knock received no answer, so she quietly pushed open the door to see if he was all right. At first glance he appeared to be sleeping with his head down, but upon closer examination she realized that he was sobbing silently into his arms.

Hermione hovered in the doorway, uncertain as to what to do. Would he want comfort or to be alone? She couldn't stand to see the man so sad, though, so she walked over across from him and touched an arm lightly.

He jumped and his head shot up, tears glistening in his eyes and on his cheeks. "Hermione," he said thickly, wiping his eyes with a sleeve. "What are you doing here so late?" That made her realize how out of it he was. He hadn't called her 'Hermione' since the summer before; it had been Miss Granger all school year. Professor Lupin was something of a stickler about things like that.

"Thinking about the war?" she asked softly, instead.

His eyes took on a far away look and he shook his head. "The past."

She nodded in understanding.

"Before all of this, when James, Sirius, Peter, and I had nothing more important to worry about than the next gag. Peter could be quite clever sometimes, you know. Not often enough to keep from being teased, but sometimes. . . . I just can't see how everything could go so wrong in a few short years."

Hermione listened to him silently.

"Nothing could touch us."

He closed his eyes, forgetting that she was there. He tried to put himself back in his childhood, but it wouldn't work. The details were too fuzzy, and when he returned to the present, the situation broke his heart all over again.

Hermione didn't know what to do. She'd never seen him like this before. Professor Lupin had always been so calm and composed. She wasn't sure what he was doing to himself was healthy, really.

Remus shook himself and brushed away the cobwebs of happier times. "Now," he said calmly. "What did you need?"

It was a moment before she could gather her thoughts. "I'm going to be gone tomorrow, cleaning up Diagon Alley, you know, and I wondered if there was any homework that I needed to do?"

He thought for a moment before replying, "We'll simply be reviewing acromantulas. I don't have any written work planned."

Hermione fought a grin at how Harry and Ron had been acting throughout the section on the giant arachnids. She noticed Remus watching her curiously.

"Did they ever tell you about their 2^nd year?" she asked, desperately trying to keep from giggling like a maniac. "No? I'm surprised. Well, the two of them confirmed the rumors of a colony of acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest." She sobered almost immediately. "Could've been killed, the two of them. Honestly. Harry said Ron nearly died of fright before they ever reached Aragog. Hagrid told them to follow the spiders, since he was being taken to Azkaban and I was Petrified. Idiots."

Remus was torn between humor at finally understanding why the two Gryffindors were so jumpy, and fear at what could have happened to them. He decided not to do anything about it since it had been five years. It was rather soothing, actually, having Hermione simply talking to him.

"Anything else I should know about those two?" he asked with a small grin.

Hermione thought for a moment and settled for the simple things. "I remember how shocked Ron was when he became captain of the Quidditch team. I think Harry may have minded a bit at first, but we all knew he would be too busy taking charge of the DA, not to mention having to take all those extra lessons, teaching DADA, and study for NEWTs. It was a good choice, though. That's how we found out what a great strategist Ron was. Came from playing Wizard's Chess when he should have been doing his homework." Hermione sniffed disapprovingly. "Needless to say, he was delighted. Harry's always complaining he's a reincarnated Oliver Wood, and Ginny claims he's a sadistic Quidditch maniac. Harry tells her it's the same thing."

She laughed and Remus joined her, happy to see how her eyes lit up with humor. They had been forced to grow old before their time, and it was painful to see the absentminded weariness in their manner. They hadn't had much chance for a childhood, and it was good that they could still find something to laugh about.

Hermione yawned, and Remus gave a half-hearted chuckle. "It's late," he said in as normal a tone as he could manage. "We both need our rest."

"Mm," Hermione agreed, and slipped the Map out of her pocket. The coast was clear so far, but there seemed to be an inordinate amount of people in the Infirmary. Several were professors, but there were four she didn't know, and their dots were different, somehow. The scrip was faded, the print more block than cursive.

"Professor? What does a Muggle look like on the Map?" she asked slowly.

"Pardon?" He got up from behind his desk and stood next to her, studying the parchment. He frowned, and Hermione fixated her eyes on the Marauder's Map with perhaps more attention than it was worth. "Why are Muggles in Hogwarts?" he wondered absently.

"Go on," Hermione told him as he straightened. "I'll head back to the Tower." She grinned at his hesitant look. "I swear on the Marauder's Map."

Remus smiled back at her, his melancholy forgotten. "Much good that is."

"G'night, Moony," Hermione said, grinning impishly before rounding the corner.

"Good night," he murmured, and strode off to the Hospital Wing.

Sakura hugged herself as she watched them take their leave. "Find happiness where you can," she whispered. "Wherever you can."

The Aurors had arrived on the scene within minutes, and two of them were sent out to make sure the police and other pedestrians believed it was a false alarm.

They found three adults - two males and one female - on the ground, their faces frozen in permanent expressions of surprise. The second floor was much worse. At the top of the stairs was the half-naked corpse of a young pregnant woman, lying in a pool of blood. There was a gaping hole in her belly, presumably from a large dagger, dispelling any thoughts of saving the unborn child.

Several of the Aurors blanched, and one - Jason Greeley, his first on-scene case - stumbled blindly down the stairs, retching violently into the sink. They turned their heads away, giving him a sort of privacy while still watching out of the corners of their eyes for any nasty surprises left behind. The young man's face was red with shame when he returned.

Another Auror, a veteran from the first war, conjured him a glass of water. "Happens to every one of us the first time," he said, offering a rough sort of comfort.

"Is it always like this?" Jason asked unsteadily.

"Sometimes worse. You'll find you become numb to it after a while. Dunno if it's a good thing, though."

Jason didn't know whether to wish he were a veteran and used to such sights or to wish he'd never taken the job.

Artor, the leader of this particular group, called for their Sensitive, Mabon. The term 'Sensitive' was self-explanatory. Sensitives were born with the ability to sense magic: what type, how powerful, and even roughly how long ago it had been cast. They were invaluable to the Forensic and Crime Investigational Magics Departments.

Mabon's skin crawled as she felt the lingering traces of Wild Magic. It was clear to her that it had emanated from the pregnant woman, perhaps released at her death, or near death. There was a certain sense of control, about as much as Wild Magic would allow. The death of the other woman among the Death Eaters was no accident.

She concentrated more on the pregnant victim.

"Extensive Cruciatus; lingering traces of Imperio, used once or twice; full Body-Bind." She spoke monotonously, almost numb from horror. "Wild Magic was released near death under as much control as possible. The dead around her were killed by that release."

"Then we can assume that this other woman was the traitor?" their captain asked.

Mabon paused and closed her eyes briefly and shifted closer to the body. "Yes," she murmured. "I can feel a break - a sort of emptiness - around her in regards to the Secret-Keeper spell. She betrayed them."

Artor sighed. "Right. Let's not just sit around, we have work to do. Eirik."

Another man stepped forward, glancing up from his file. "The three in the front were Marge Sammison, her husband Kevin, and Daniel Westerman. The traitor is Katie McCormick, and this woman is Sarah LeMarnne. The two children of Marge and Kevin, five-year-old twins Carly and Kyle, another couple, Dianna and Adam Moon, and their child, eight-year-old Rhiannon, also occupy this house."

Artor nodded. "Check the rest of this floor, and I don't need to tell you to be careful."

"Constant vigilance," cracked a woman softly as they split up. There was soft, strained laughter.

Twenty minutes later the group reported back. The twins had been murdered in their beds, and the Moon couple had managed to take out three other Death Eaters before being killed themselves.

"The girl," Eirik said excitedly. "Rhiannon. She's missing; maybe still alive."

"Where?" demanded Artor wearily. "Do any of you know anything about this house?"

"A Locater spell," suggested Jason timidly.

"Fine," agreed their leader. "But hurry. We're too exposed."

Jason murmured the words of the spell, and waited for the tip of his wand to glow a soft golden yellow. It led him to an antique full-length mirror, and, scowling in frustration, began running over standard spell-detection charms.

Artor shifted uncomfortably. Something was different... Suddenly he realized that the air had been slowly but steadily growing warmer. Puzzled, he looked around, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable. He didn't like to think it, but the girl was probably dead, and he couldn't risk his group.

The scent of smoke reached his nose, and he nearly vaulted over the banister to check the downstairs floor. Something glowed in the far corner, and then suddenly a corner of the kitchen burst into flames. His mind connected the dots in an instant.

"Everyone out now! They planted an ashwinder!"

Jason, in a panic, used one of the more powerful spells he knew to wrench the mirror aside. Inside a young girl was curled up, trembling in the corner. "Come on, Rhiannon. We need to leave quickly."

She shrank back into the corner. "Sarah..." She licked her lips. "Sarah said not to move. Not until she came for me."

"She can't come for you anymore. This is an emergency, Rhiannon. If you don't come with me you could die." He reached for her, but she suddenly jumped at him, clawing at him in a panic, and stumbled by.

"Catch her!" Jason exclaimed at the few Aurors who still remained to try to counteract the magical blaze caused by the ashwinder eggs as he ran after her.

One of the men pointed his wand and shouted "Stupefy!" but another knocked his arm away.

"Idiot! We don't want to scare her any more than she already is."

The fire suddenly caught on the stairs and leaped to the second floor.

"Everyone out NOW!" Artor exclaimed. "There's nothing more that we can do! Disapparate immediately!" Rather than taking his own advice, he ran after the young idiot and the child.

"Mommy," sobbed Rhiannon as she stumbled through the smoke. "Daddy." By sheer accident, she tripped and fell in time to miss being hit by a burning section of the ceiling. She got her feet under her, and then froze at the sight that met her eyes. Blood, so much blood, and her mommy and daddy. Dead.

She screamed, and then struggled as Jason caught up with her. "Tranquilium," he incanted, and her eyes slowly closed.

Artor jerked the boy around. "Idiot!" he roared. "Get back to Headquarters!"

Jason obeyed, but he felt no regret about rescuing the girl. He would never have been able to live with himself if he hadn't caught her, and resigned himself to the probability that he would be fired.

Across the street a teenage couple watched the house collapse in upon itself. The boy hugged his companion close and rested his chin on her head.

"You can't save them all, Sakura."

She swiped a hand over her eyes. "I didn't do anything this time. I couldn't even watch, since you blocked me." Anger entered her voice, but died almost as quickly. She couldn't fault him for wanting to protect her.

"I helped the only one left alive. Helped. That's all my power amounted to," Syaoran replied in disgust at his helplessness.

"It wasn't your fault. You're not omniscient."

Syaoran had discovered the plot only by chance when the group who had left to destroy the safe-house returned triumphant. By the time he'd learned where and what had happened, it was too late to save anyone. He had been about to leave for the site when Sakura had contacted him and insisted on coming along. They had heard the shouting of the Aurors as the house burst into flame, and Sakura had watched out for Syaoran as he extended his awareness into the building. It was Syaoran's power that had caused the girl to trip just in time to keep from being killed by the collapsing ceiling. It had also given Jason time to catch up and take Rhiannon to safety.

"I can't do anything! Sometimes I'd just as soon we eradicated every last one of them from the Earth! I hope you never see what they do for entertainment. Sometimes..." His voice broke and Sakura twisted around to see the tears shimmering in his eyes. "Sometimes the only way to help their prisoners is to kill them. I can't save them all, can't save even half of them in case they become too suspicious." His voice had become mocking and angry, and his grip on her had tightened unconsciously.

It was this that truly made Sakura realize what a toll their spying had taken on Syaoran. No matter how hurt he was, how much pain he was in, she had never seen him so close to breaking down.

"You can come help me at Hogwarts," she told him softly. "We don't need to watch this Dark Lord's camp day and night, especially if you haven't laid eyes on him yet. Ruby Moon can - "

"Iie," Syaoran said firmly. "We need someone among the enemy, and this camp is one of the most important ones. Ruby Moon is already busy ferreting out the other camps, and it's slow work. Suppi is doing our research, and the stuffed animal is acting as messenger. Eriol and Tomoyo are at the Ministry searching for files and plans, and you are at Hogwarts, the center of the wizarding resistance. We can't bring in any other sorcerers. I am the only one left. We're too knowledgeable of our own spheres to switch everything now."

Sakura sighed, but gave in. "Perhaps," she mused, "it's time to call out Yue. Another Moon Guardian would definitely help in finding more Death Eater camps."

"Hai," Syaoran acknowledged.

"Have you found Xiomara Hooch?" Sakura asked, finally breaking the silence.

Syaoran shook his head. "She's not in the camp. Perhaps send Yue to watch for her as well."

"Hai," Sakura replied and used Fly to speed back to the castle. The house wasn't all that far away, and she landed lightly on the grassy slope. She was about to head indoors when she felt the air thicken with magic. She cocked her head as she heard the burble of a creek and looked around cautiously.

Suddenly a crystal clear creek ran right in front of her shoes, over smooth rocks that hadn't been there before.

"Well," Sakura commented inanely. "That's not something you see every day."

The darkness lightened until it seemed as if it were noon, and Sakura noticed that she no longer shivered from the chill. Indeed, she had the feeling that if she were to take off the scarf and heavy cloak, she would still feel perfectly comfortable.

"Greetings, Card Mistress," said the voice of a woman, and Sakura jumped before bowing low to the beautiful creature before her.

"Greetings," she replied with a deep bow and said formally, "am I correct in thinking that you are the Queen of the Daoine Sidhe?"

"You are, sorcerer," the Faerie said with a small smile. "Well met."

"What brings you here?" Sakura frowned. "Or is it what brings me here?"

The queen laughed. "Whichever you prefer. It does not matter to us. As to why we are together, I have a message for you. Listen carefully. As I am sure you are aware, the fate of this battle has yet to be determined. You must protect the major players in this game, or all will be lost."

Sakura frowned, and then her expression cleared, and she smiled. "In order that they be protected, isn't it also necessary that those they care about are protected.?"

"You have a large heart, little one. If you feel that is what needs be done, then do it, but remember that you cannot save them all. Now you must do more than simply observe, you must protect at all costs. The history of these islands watches over the mortals, but it will require work and sacrifice to triumph."

Sakura bowed again, her heart considerably lighter now that her first priority was protecting lives rather than secrecy. When she looked up, she was back on the path that led to the castle. As she made her way to the doors, she wished she had thought to ask why the Fae were taking such an active interest in who won the war.

It was lunchtime on the campus of Tomoeda University, and the cafeteria was filled with chatter as the students breezed through another day.

Touya glared darkly at his food and stabbed it viciously. He had been in a foul mood ever since Sakura had tied him up and dropped him in a random dorm room.

Well, fouler mood. Foul had been when he'd discovered that Sakura - his little sister - was traveling to England with that...that...that gaki. That evil Chinese gaki he was going to make wish had never been born.

Yukito coughed lightly and Touya realized that he'd completely mutilated his meal and bent his fork tines. His broken chopsticks had fallen to the side of his tray.

The other students who regularly ate with Kinomoto-san and Tsukishiro-san had grown almost used to this disturbing scene, having sat through breakfast, lunch, and dinner like that for the past few days.

"What's his problem?" Ichihara-san asked as Touya stood up to drop off his tray and attempt to explain the fork.

"His younger sister, her friends, and her boyfriend are in England. Touya wishes to tear him apart limb by limb," Yukito explained wearily. "I really must talk to him. I think he's getting worse."

Sakura trudged wearily to her room, deciding to forgo the bath until after she slept. She wondered how long she had been talking to the Faerie Queen. Time moved differently between worlds, after all.

As she passed by the Hospital Wing, she thought to look in on the family Syaoran had teleported to the grounds earlier. She didn't see them, and came to the conclusion that spare rooms had been provided for them. She supposed it was possible that they had been taken back to their house, but surely the family would not only be terrified that they would be killed, they would also demand explanations. Explanations about wizards, witches, magic, et cetera, would take time, and could wait until morning when everyone had recovered.

A small form among the empty beds caught her attention, and she stepped lightly over to the bed. A young girl, maybe seven or eight years old, lay there staring blankly at the ceiling. Pale blonde hair, nearly white, framed an ashen face, and her bright blue were glazed over in despair. Her eyes never flickered as Sakura approached her.

Sakura looked down at the clipboard at the foot of the bed, which began with the child's name: Rhiannon Moon. She skimmed the sheet, and several words caught her eye. '...minor burns...bruises...severe shock...'

She turned to the next and last page, frowning to see nothing but blank parchment. Why would they stick a spare sheet of parchment on the back? she wondered. Surely not to make notes on. It seemed such a waste.

A glimmer of suspicion entered Sakura's mind, and she viewed the clipboard with the Sight. It shone like a lantern, and it took only a moment to shield off the charm, making sure it stayed intact so that she could slip it back on when she was done.

Sakura read through the circumstances of Rhiannon's condition and realized that she was the child Syaoran had helped to save. She hadn't known that Rhiannon had witnessed her parents' mangled bodies, and a friend's ravaged corpse. Wizarding Child Services was searching for any living relatives, but that could take weeks, possibly even months. Her case was common of the violent times.

"Rhiannon?" Sakura asked softly, desperately wishing to comfort her and take away her pain. She received no acknowledgement, no hint of awareness.

'Sometimes,' Tomoyo had once told her, 'holding someone heals them the most. Sometimes silence and the simple fact that the one hurting knows you're there is all that is needed.'

And so Sakura crawled into bed next to the little witch and held her close, as a mother would her child. "Don't worry Rhiannon. You're safe here."

Slowly, ever so slowly, Rhiannon's eyes closed and tears flooded down her cheeks, and she cried silently into Sakura's shirt. It may have been a few minutes or a few hours, but eventually Rhiannon's breathing steadied and she slept almost peacefully. Sakura stayed for a few more minutes, and closed her eyes briefly, planning to leave as soon as she was sure she wouldn't disturb the child. But she was tired and accidentally dropped off as well.

When Poppy Pomfrey returned to the Hospital Wing early in the morning to quickly check on her patient before grabbing her breakfast she was shocked to see a Seventh year girl asleep and curled around her. Madame Pomfrey immediately crossed over to the bed to yank the Seventh year away, but stopped short at what she saw. The Rhiannon who had been brought in acknowledged no one, seemed to see nothing, and constantly trembled with fear. This Rhiannon clung to the older girl as if she were a lifeline, and she slept calmly with no sign of the dark night.

Almost against her better judgment, she left the two alone.

When she returned from breakfast with a tray of food for two, and went to the storage cupboard for a healing potion, little had changed. Poppy called Rhiannon's name and the little witch blinked sleepily, brow furrowed in confusion at where she was. The other girl didn't stir.

Slowly Rhiannon's memory returned and her eyes began tearing up. "I'm - I'm gonna..."

Poppy immediately recognized the signs and Summoned a bowl, quickly but gently forcing her to sit up and lean away from her companion. The nurse held her short hair back and made soothing sounds, rubbing circles on the child's back as she retched into the bowl.

"Mommy," she moaned as she finished heaving, and wiped her face dry of tears with her sleeve.

"Come, dear, rinse with water." She helped her to drink from the goblet. "Then take this potion, it'll get rid of the queasy feeling."

Rhiannon made a face, but obeyed.

"Do you think you can hand some toast and water?" Poppy asked when she was done.

Rhiannon nodded sleepily, and nibbled on a piece of toast.

Throughout all the action, the other girl remained asleep. The medi-witch checked to make sure she was breathing. Poor thing looked exhausted, and there were dark circles under her eyes. It was a wonder the Seventh Years got any sleep between studying for NEWTs and the war. She decided to write a note to excuse her from class when she woke up. She wasn't a familiar face, but Poppy rarely saw students outside of the Infirmary.

"Who's your friend?" she asked Rhiannon.

The witch shrugged. "She came in last night and told me I was safe and held me like Mommy used to." Her voice cracked and a new wave of tears threatened, but she took a deep breath and got control of herself.

"Drink this. It'll help you sleep." Madame Pomfrey handed her a small vial of potion, and Rhiannon drank it without question. Almost immediately she flopped back, sound asleep.

"Nnng," Sakura groaned. "Five more minutes."

She heard someone giggle, and immediately sat up. Her eyes were gritty and it took a moment for her to focus on her surroundings. She was surprised to see a little girl watching her.

"Nani? What?" she corrected herself, having accidentally slipped into Japanese.

"You're funny," Rhiannon told her contentedly. "I've been shaking you forever."

"That's nice," she murmured, about to go back to sleep when she thought to ask, "What time is it?"

"After lunch."

"Wha-" She cut herself off before someone else heard her. "Did anyone come in here?" she asked uneasily.

"Uh huh. The nurse came by to bring breakfast, and then she came by with lunch a little while ago. She left a tray for you. My favorite: fish and chips. Are you a student here? What's your name?"

Sakura laughed, and stood up to stretch. She noticed a flicker of fear and sorrow flash in the little girl's eyes.

"Are you going to leave me too?" she asked in a small voice, suddenly losing her buoyant cheerfulness.

"I'll be back tonight," Sakura promised. "Pinky promise. My name is Sakura."

"I'm Rhiannon, but everyone calls me Rhia."

Sakura grabbed the plate of food to bring with her, suddenly realizing how ravenous she was. "I'll see you tonight Rhia."

"Don't forget," the witch whispered as she left.

She gasped when she stepped into the main part of the Infirmary as she came face to face with Poppy Pomfrey and Minerva McGonagall. Madame Pomfrey was putting Minerva's arm in a sling.

"Someone bumped into him, and the spell ricocheted off of the walls..." Minerva trailed off when she saw Sakura, and the Card Mistress froze. This was it. She was going to be recognized and the game would be up. She'd ruined it for Eriol and Syaoran and Tomoyo...

Wait. Something wasn't right. Her aura was completely different, as if she'd changed personalities over night, the tie that connected her to the real Minerva McGonagall led outside the castle, and there was no hint of recognition in her eyes. Not another one, she thought. But now that she looked, there was no taint, no sense of evil in her aura. She withdrew the name from the look-alike's mind. Nymphadora Tonks.

"Do you need a note for class?" asked the nurse.

"N-no. I'm fine." Sakura sighed in relief as she made it into the hall without further mishap.

"It's about time," said a familiar voice and she jumped, almost dropping her lunch.

"Suppi-san," she breathed, wishing her heart would slow down. "When did you get here?"

"I do not know this 'Suppi' of whom you speak," the small creature replied placidly.

"I'll show you to the library, then," Sakura said, and started off. "What's in the furushiki?"

"They are the supplies you asked Eriol-sama to get. Master asked me to bring it to you."

"Arigato gozaimasu," she said. He sat on her shoulder in silence, which made her almost edgy. She was used to Kero's constant chatter.

"This is it," she murmured, and headed to an empty corner under the watchful eye of the Librarian. "I'm not sure how they organize the books, but I guess I could..."

"Do not concern yourself. I am certain I will be able to figure out the system. Thank you." Spinel immediately began to skim the shelves, and Sakura backed out quietly, carrying her supplies.

Sakura wondered whether she should do the ritual that day since she had everything. She paused and pondered it. Not yet, some sixth sense told her. It was too soon. What she could do was call upon Yue, and so she began the climb to the deserted North Tower with a sigh. So many stairs.

Syaoran strained for a glimpse of the infamous Dark Lord. Apparently he appeared at different camps randomly, and they were going to be graced with his presence for the next few days. Joy.

He sucked in his breath when he caught sight of the man. If it could still be called a man. His eyes were blood red, his nostrils almost slits, his lips almost lipless. He appeared to be little more than skin and bones, and his skin was sickly pale. He had no hair anywhere, and his limbs seemed almost disproportionately long. Voldemort resembled nothing more than the large snake he strode beside, and his aura exuded darkness, and the pleasure of fear and pain.

From a distance he hardly looks threatening. But looks can be deceiving, said a voice in Syaoran's head, and he jumped.

Hiiragizawa, he growled mentally. Where are you?

You'll see.

Don't do anything stupid, he ordered, and almost immediately he heard a commotion somewhere to his left, and two burly wizards appeared, dragging Eriol out from behind the bushes. You baka.

Voldemort stopped mid-sentence and looked over at them in irritation. "What isss going on?"

"We found him spying, my Lord," began the one on Eriol's left.

"Yessss, I can ssssee that, Avery," he said impatiently. "How did a Muggle get passsst the wardssss?"

"The 'Muggle' is not mute," Eriol said calmly, with his customary smile. "Although I would prefer not to answer, of course."

"Sssilenccce. Sssuch impudence will not go unpunished. Sssearch for his wand, and then make an example of him, but do not kill him. He hasss peaked my curiosssity," Voldemort ordered carelessly.

"Does this mean I won't be taken to the prisoners' tent?" he asked, as if he did not notice the two guards who were able to break his arms as if they were twigs.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "Who are you that you sssspeak sssso calmly when faced with your death? Are you mad or sssimply foolish?"

Syaoran was mentally cursing up a storm, and unable to figure out Eriol's game. Was he trying to intimidate the Dark Lord?

Be ready, came Eriol's voice, and Syaoran sighed as he slowly made his way closer, careful not to draw attention to himself.

"Mad, definitely. Living with two sets of memories does that to you." He stood as if he didn't know that the guards were patting him down, searching for a wand, or as if they were beneath his notice.

"You are asss good asss dead, fool. Do not think to resissst. I command hundreds, and every one of them would gladly torture and dispose of you and your Muggle-loving kind. "

Eriol's eyes hardened, and he made as if to step forward, but the two wizards brought him up short. "You have much to learn, I see. I'm rather disappointed. I expected better from the infamous Dark Lord. I'd wager that I could free myself using those Muggle methods you so despise."

"You think I will play gamesss with a mere boy?"

Nagini hissed and drew herself up, but Eriol paid no attention to her. "First lesson: When one is certain of death, you should be most wary, for he has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Duck, warned Syaoran, almost before he had finished talking, and Eriol dropped, landing heavily on his shoulder as the Li clan leader leaped into the air and aimed a kick at the wizard on his right. Eriol rolled onto his back and slammed his foot up into the other one's groin, taking him down.

No magic, he warned, getting to his knees. His hands were behind his back in manacles; they'd clapped them onto his wrists while he was being searched for a wand.

But he didn't take your wager, Syaoran protested, kicking one person's feet out from under her.

Doesn't matter. Eriol awkwardly dug into his pocket for a bobby pin. This will scare him more.

Lean over. Eriol obeyed in time for someone to trip over him and go flying backwards.

"Ow," he muttered, working the bobby pin into the keyhole in the manacles. The clearing had become a scene of mass chaos, and Voldemort was trying in vain to restore order. Eriol was somewhat out of sight on the ground, so he only had to endure people kicking him as he picked the lock. Finally they dropped off, and he swept several people's feet out from under them before standing. Let's go.

The two disappeared, but it was a long time before order was once again established.

Harry sighed and stared out the window. It was sunny if chilly and much more appealing than the theory behind the Wumblebumbus Charm, or whatever it was.

A silhouette at the window of the North Tower caught his eye, and he stared more closely. The figure of a man with wings...an angel?

He blinked, and the image disappeared. There was someone at the window yes, but it looked to be about the size of a student, and there were definitely no wings. Harry shook his head, and focused his attention on Professor Flitwick. He was imagining things.