Disclaimer: I don’t own HP or CCS. I do own my fanfic. Don’t take it!

Notes: <> for telepathy and ** for thoughts.

I dislike Ron and Hermione. In later chapters they will not receive good treatment at my hands.

Chapter 28 – Syaoran

I suppose that staying at Harry’s house really wasn’t that bad. Those stupid Dursleys let me alone after I threatened them. I finished all my homework in the first two weeks when we weren’t busy exploring. The only bad side was that since Harry and I were sharing a small and cramped bedroom, Yue couldn’t take on his true form except when we were gone. I don’t think he was too happy with that.

But then again, those three weeks weren’t bad, except for the house-elf interruptions. The food – what can I say? They didn’t starve us, but they served us separately from their own son, and they tried to poison us. Twice. Harry didn’t know the first time, it was Arsenic, and he seemed to have immunity to it, but retching and then using the Toxicology card to get it out of my system wasn’t fun. Not that creating a new card wasn’t rewarding, but…

Well, then, the second time, they used… something else, I’m not sure what. I really should study chemistry, but we’ve never done that in school and now that I’m going to wizarding school it’s not a class. In any case, I was feeling tired after all the shopping we’d done, so I was up in the room rearranging my jewelry case, glad with the three protective amulets that I’d found at a junk shop, hidden by Shadow, with Mirror downstairs chatting with Harry. Of course, Mirror didn’t get poisoned, being a card spirit, but poor Harry…

Luckily, we had the ingredients necessary to make a simple anti-poison potion, although I had to do it since he was lying in bed in agony. After that though, the Dursleys probably realized that trying to poison us was useless and quit it.

I do hope Harry will be all right here alone, but he does have four vials of the anti-poison potion left…

Besides, he could always owl Snape.

Speaking of Snape… he sent Harry several books and other items. I think he’s trying to make up for his rude ways in class. It’s odd though.

Harry… if he weren’t so bold sometimes, I could swear…

Perhaps I am not the only one who tricked the hat into Gryffindor. Harry Potter is a hero, a ‘great wizard’. And Slytherin is for those with ambition…

He seems to despise the fame though. I suppose that if my parents had died for my sake I’d feel the same way.

But they aren’t dead.

Eriol – no, I won’t call him my father, is leaving me alone. Good. And I will be seeing my mother in a short time.

She will be proud of me, if nothing else. Does she love me? She loves my sisters, I know that. But maybe I am just a pawn.

Still, I need the ancient texts at home… and so, the end justifies the means does it not, my dear father?

As soon as we fade from view, Yue takes on his true form. “Are you ready, Master Syaoran?”

I sigh inwardly. He’s gotten back into the habit of formal speech. Clow must have really hurt him. With the kind of sadistic person Eriol is I believe it!

“Yes.” I nod. “Fly!”

My wings are long and thin and white-feathered, but with a tint of gray. Two pairs grow from my back, almost like a butterfly’s except both boast angel feathers. With a quick application of the Dash card, and the Loop card, it’s only half an hour to Hong Kong.

Flying is nice. Flying with a friend is nicer. Although Yue is my guardian, I do consider him somewhat of a friend.

He’s certainly not my servant!

Unfortunately, I think that was what he was for Clow and now, he might not be able to adjust. But I shall try my best. It is what Sakura would have done.

Surprisingly, I do not miss my little sister much. She is happy, she has her cards, and her love and her sun guardian…

Yes, I am a year older… strange, but I was always mature for my age. Now… here we are, approaching the complex.

I see several of my cousins practicing magic. Weak.

I see Meiling kissing a boy! Now that could be interesting! She has not yet cancelled our engagement.. but now I can pressure her to. Excellent.

Hm. is that a Slytherin way of thinking? Well, why not? I was supposed to be sorted into Slytherin after all! But now I’m at the front gate and I hear gasps from the five elders, who are there with mother, awaiting my arrival. Perhaps they had expected a plane, or car, or bicycle even, but not this.

Elder Li Xia (Sunset clouds) – Fire magic specialist

Elder Li Ping (Fair) – Water magic specialist

Elder Li Ming (Bright) – Expert swordsman and combat specialist

Elder Li Long (Dragon) – Weather magic specialist

Elder Li Ying (Eagle) – Expert archer and combat specialist.

Elder Li Xia greets me, she is one of my closer aunts. “We are glad to see that you have arrived home safely, Syaoran.” Her gray hair is tightly bound into two braids, her golden eyes kind. She wears a red tunic and pants, two daggers tucked in. I like her.

Elder Li Ping ignores me. She has been rather cold since her son, Li Ann, wasn’t chosen as heir. She wears a white tunic and blue pants, and carries no weapon. Black hair falls to her waist in a free waterfall. She’s rather vain…

Elder Li Ming taught me swordplay for three years, so I have grudging respect for him, but he’s rather rude. He’s dressed in gray, his brown hair closely cropped to his head. Beady black eyes squint at me, as if I’ve got something nasty on my body. I can see him reaching for the huge broadsword on his back. Obviously he distrusts me…

Elder Li Long – I don’t know him well. He’s wearing yellow, a kind of goldenish yellow. His set of four bells for controlling the spirits of weather hang from his belt, a flute of the same tucked into the other side. Never let it be said that musical instruments cannot be weapons. Although he’s outwardly calm, he is sweating slightly…

Elder Li Ying wears a green so deep my eyes swim staring at the color, his bow tucked behind him, along with his quiver of arrows. They are never far from his reach. He does not make eye contact.

Are they really all afraid of me?

Now, my mother steps forwards and embraces me, words of praise in her mouth. But I am not listening… with contact, the mind is most open… with the cards help, I can see clearly…

And I see.

She loved me as a child, for perhaps a year – before she realized that I was a bastard, not of my half-sister’s father. Then, she hated me. She hid it well though, putting me through intensive training, all for my best interests.

Still…

I despise her for it.

How dare she use me as a weapon.

If she will use me, then I shall do the same. Turnabout is fair play.

The others have converged on Yue. Awe rings through their minds, as it should. In their eyes, I have finally proved my worth.

Grudging respect. Good.

I don’t need their love. I have Yue and my cards. I have Harry and Ron as friends. That is all I need.

Now though, I’m heading to the library to research… interesting.

Using the Twin card, I have managed to copy every single volume, and save for the two on blood magic I am now perusing, the rest hide in my trunk. They will never know.

I will not stay long… well, I ought to stay for the rest of summer. They are my family… right?

But somehow, that rings no bells of family and I do not care.

Hmm… this is interesting…

“Time!”

I could revel in this feeling forever… I cannot believe it, the Time card and I don’t even feel tired. My magic really is growing stronger.

Now then… to check…

Yue looks at me curiously, as if wondering why I’m bothering. I re-read the line again, just to make sure and concentrate on Harry’s image in my mind.

“Revelation!”

And as the smoke clears, I can see our family trees… but what shocks me is Harry’s… because…

Next to mother, it reads Lily Evans, as usual. But next to father it says – Severus Snape? How on earth?

Dumbledore must be manipulating things. I don’t trust him. He’s in cahoots with Eriol, for goodness’s sake.

I don’t trust anyone, almost. Except for Yue, and Harry… and I guess Snape. He may be cold and practical, but he knows his potions.

Plus, he’s Harry’s father… even if I didn’t know that, I think I’d trust him still. Odd… maybe it’s the Slytherin in me.

Now that Harry’s is done, on to my family tree… yes, there it is. Eriol really is my father. Pity. I was hoping I’d dreamed that.

Yue looks at me, wondering how long I can hold Time. He’s impressed though, silver focuses on me with almost tangible warmth.

I’ll need this information later, perhaps.

Create…

There we go. All done. Everything’s been written down. There’s my corporeal evidence. I’ve got to be careful though.

Everything I write in Create will come true, if written at night. It’s tempting, the ability to mess with fate, but I won’t use that power. Yet.

It might corrupt me, and I don’t want that.

Now though, I release Time, feeling slightly tired, but not much, as I lie down on my bed and watch the birds flying around outside.

I can’t wait to go back to Hogwarts. I wonder what will happen this year?

It won’t be boring at least.

Hm. And last year, I didn’t even want to go. How things can change… but it’s the best place for me.

Here is not home at all…

And to think that last year… ah, how things have changed… I can feel the cards, so alive, inside of me…

And this the way it should be.

End Chapter

Completed 3/27/05

Syaoran: I’m suddenly a philosopher?

Phantomness: Only a little. You want power though. Just found out that – in the dub, Syaoran seems asexual and might have feelings for Touya. Oh my dear sweet Lord…