IV. Mistress of the Clow

Albus Dumbledore did not care for Muggle clothes.

Many wizards who take exception to dressing in the Muggle fashion have something against Muggles themselves. In Dumbledore's case, that wasn't the problem at all. He simply had never quite gotten used to the fit of Muggle clothes, and preferred his robes, boots, and cloak.

There was, however, one mode of Muggle dress that the elderly wizard could cope with; in Britain, it was likely to raise even more suspicion than his wizarding robes, but here...well, here, it would be his nationality and not his attire that would draw attention. And given his age, even that would likely be ignored—seniority often overcomes cultural prejudice in polite society.

So it was that the old wizard with the flowing mane of silver-white hair and exceptionally long beard came to be standing at the front door of a residence in Japan, wearing a kimono.

After all, it wasn't that different from robes.

* * * * * *

The absurdity of the sight in front of him almost made him laugh out loud; however, he was not the type to be rude to a guest. "Hello. May I help you?" he politely asked the old, bearded, kimono-clad foreigner at his front door, in somewhat accented English.

The old man seemed pleased that he could speak English, and asked, "Would you be Fujitaka Kinomoto, by any chance?"

Fujitaka nodded. "Yes, that is me."

The elderly man smiled and bowed deeply. "Forgive the intrusion. My name is Albus Dumbledore. I've come a very long way to speak to you. May I come in?"

"Yes, of course," Fujitaka replied, bowing. "Would you care for a cup of tea?"

"Delighted," Dumbledore said.

A few moments later, the two were seated at the kitchen table, sipping tea. "I haven't had this blend in quite some time," Dumbledore mused. "A good cup of tea is very cleansing, but British tea is nothing like as satisfying as Asian tea."

"So, you've come from Britain, then?" Fujitaka asked.

"Thereabouts," Dumbledore replied with a smile. He set his cup down. "As to why I've come...it actually concerns your daughter, Sakura."

Fujitaka blinked. "Sakura? That's the last thing I expected."

Dumbledore smiled. "Understandable." He paused. "Forgive me, I'm trying to think of the best way to broach the subject..."

"Directly would be best," Fujitaka said. His smile was polite, but his eyes held a hint of warning.

"Yes, you're right, of course." Dumbledore leaned back slightly in his seat. "I suppose I should start with this." He unrolled a wrapped bundle he'd been carrying, and removed from within it a thin wooden rod. He gestured at his empty teacup with it... Fujitaka's eyes widened. The teacup turned into a parakeet, and fluttered about the room. "Masaka," he gasped.

Dumbledore spoke in clear, unaccented Japanese. "Kinomoto-san, I am a wizard, and the headmaster of Hogwarts, a wizarding school in Scotland. I've come here because your daughter, Sakura, is what you might call mahoushoujo...a magical girl, or, in simple terms, a witch."

* * * * * *

"I like that cake shop," Kinomoto Sakura said as she walked down the street toward her house. Beside her was her best friend, Daidouji Tomoyo, a dark-haired girl with ivory skin and blue eyes.

"It was very delicious," Tomoyo agreed.

"Yeah, it was great," a third voice entered the conversation. This voice seemed to come from a small stuffed animal in Tomoyo's handbag. "I wish we'd gotten some to bring home—" The voice trailed off.

Sakura glanced down. "Is something wrong, Kero-chan?"

The stuffed animal frowned. "I feel powerful magic in the air. It doesn't feel dangerous, but..." Its eyes widened. "It's coming from your house, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura gasped. "Otousan...! Come on, we've gotta hurry!"

The two girls and the talking plush toy raced for Sakura's house.

* * * * * *

Fujitaka stared at the Englishman, jaw agape, eyes wide. "You...but...I...how..." He trailed off, then focused on Dumbledore's last words. "What do you mean, a witch?"

"You may or may not have been aware, but your late wife possessed a certain degree of latent magical talent. Here in Japan, while there is a wizarding academy, attendance at Mahoutokoro is not nearly what it should be, so the training of young witches and wizards as they come of age is very decentralised, and tends to cause tight-knit focus groups of magical activity. The kind of thing you might read about in a tabloid or see on television but never pay much attention to, because you don't see how it could be real.

"Your children both have magical abilities. Your son, Touya, can see and commune with spirits, and has a few other abilities he's learned to use over time."

Fujitaka gaped. "I...I knew he could see ghosts, but..."

Dumbledore nodded. "His magic, however, is nothing compared to that of your daughter. About a year ago, she came into possession of a particularly rare and powerful magical artifact. How a child so young could not only gain mastery over such an incredible power without any proper training, not to mention manage to keep it a secret from all but a few individuals...well, let's just say it's one of the more amazing things I've seen in my time." His eyes twinkled. "Still, your daughter has a great deal of magical power, and while she's developed a remarkable level of discipline, she needs to be formally educated in the use of her power." He paused. "And she needs to be kept safe, because she may be in grave peril."

Fujitaka swallowed. "I...how can you say this? Do you realise what you're suggesting? I mean..."

At that moment, the door flew open. "Tadaima!" a young voice called, as two girls raced into the room. "Otousan, are you okay?"

Fujitaka looked up to see his daughter and her best friend rush into the kitchen. He swallowed. "Sakura-san," he began, "This gentleman wishes to speak with you. And...if what he's said is true...I may have some questions of my own."

Sakura looked from her father to the strange foreign man, green eyes wide in confusion.

"Sakura," the elderly man began, his blue eyes twinkling as he stood and bowed. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I've come a very long way to talk to you about the Clow."

Sakura blinked. "Hooeee?"

* * * * * *

"How does he know about the Clow?" Tomoyo asked, frowning.

Dumbledore smiled. "I know a lot of things. In fact, I believe the Guardian Beast of the Seal is lurking around here somewhere..."

"I'm right here," a voice piped up. Fujitaka's eyes widened in shock as the stuffed animal his daughter had been carrying around for the past year suddenly flew out of Tomoyo's bag and hovered in front of the elderly man, brow furrowed. "You're a wizard, then?"

"That's right, Keroberos," Dumbledore said.

"And what do you want with Sakura-chan and the Clow?" the diminuitive creature demanded.

"Nothing too terrible," Dumbledore chuckled. "I must say you've done a rather remarkable job of training this girl, and she's shown promise, mastering the Clow at her age. Still..." He paused, a serious expression crossing his wizened face. "There are dark times approaching, and I fear Sakura may be in danger; also, she will need to learn more about her innate powers as well as the Clow before something unfortunate happens."

Fujitaka cleared his throat. "Can someone please explain what's going on here?" he asked.

Sakura blushed. "Otousan," she began, "Umm...you remember having a book in your study called 'The Clow'? Well..."

Sakura, Tomoyo, and Keroberos launched into a rushed explanation of the book, the guardian of the seal, the Clow Cards, and everything Sakura had done during the past year. At the end, Fujitaka looked as though he'd been slapped, shot at, and run over.

"But how...all that...how could you...without anyone knowing? Does Touya know?"

"If he does, he hasn't said anything," Sakura replied. She was looking at her toes, and her voice had become rather meek. "Anou...are you...mad?"

"I'm...I..." Fujitaka paused, took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what to make of it. Mad, hurt, scared, shocked, proud...this is just too much to take all at once."

Dumbledore became solemn. "I'm afraid I have a bit more to add on top of it," he said. "As I said before, dark times are upon us. A terrible dark wizard who was beaten but not utterly vanquished a few years before Sakura was born has arisen and returned to power. The world is not safe, and I fear that he may seek out the Clow to increase his own power."

"So you're here to ask me to give up the Clow," Sakura said.

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, child. I could not ask that of you. You are the Mistress of the Clow, and have proven yourself...you are the only one who can control the cards at this time. However, this puts you in a position of grave danger, as well as great responsibility."

Fujitaka's head snapped up. "You're not going to ask my daughter to fight some lunatic wizard, are you?"

"Nothing so terrible as that, no," Dumbledore replied. "I have simply come here to invite young Sakura to attend a wizarding school."

"Hoeee?"

"A wizard school?" Tomoyo asked. "They have schools for wizards?"

"Ah!" Keroberos shot up into the air, pointing at Dumbledore. "You're here from Hogwarts, aren't you?"

"Hogwarts?" the three Japanese people in the room chorused.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes. I'm the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Keroberos crossed his paws. "I see. I'm sorry I was so rude to you earlier, then. I had no idea you were—"

"Quite alright, I assure you."

Sakura raised her hand. "What's Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Hogwarts is a school that teaches young witches and wizards about magic, how to use it, how to control their power, and all the other things those born with magic in their blood should know. It's a seven-year school, and it's in the United Kingdom, so you would be very far from your friends and family for most of the year if you attend. By no means am I going to force you to go. However, for your own safety, and for the safety of those you care about, I do believe it's for the best if you come to Hogwarts."

Fujitaka frowned. "You said there was a wizarding school here in Japan. Couldn't she..."

"Under ordinary circumstances, I would say yes. However, given the very great danger we all find ourselves in, I would prefer to keep your daughter and her magnificent, powerful cards somewhere much safer, and there is no safer place in the world than Hogwarts." He stood. "Kinomoto-san, thank you for the excellent tea. I imagine you and your daughter have much to discuss, and I don't expect you to make this decision right away. Sakura will get her Hogwarts acceptance letter and supply list in a few days, by owl, and if you decide to let her attend, then I'll be in touch to take care of special arrangements, such as transportation...well. I must go, and I bid you all good day."

Albus Dumbledore vanished with a small pop, leaving a very confused group in his wake.

"...what does he mean, 'by owl'?" Fujitaka asked.