Hogwarts' Shinobi

Chapter 48

Sakura looked nervously around the cramped empty house she had just arrived in. The large bay windows overlooking a busy, cobbled street, their maroon curtains were drawn back and tied with a piece of golden rope. The old-fashioned sofas that littered what she could only assume was a living room, each varying shades of reds and browns themselves.

The large armchair beside the fireplace looking like it had seen better days, with coils of metal and tufts of stuffing sticking out. A mahogany table pushed against the far wall was what drew the girl's attention, however. Its lovingly waxed surface chipped around the edges, and various books were scattered haphazardly across it.

To one side of the desk rested a set of elaborate tubes, their purpose, she could only assume, was for experiments. To the other side of the desk, rested a single piece of parchment. Its lack of age suggested by the fact it was not yet yellow like the others.

Reaching out towards the parchment, she carefully picked it up as though it may break should she be too rough with it. The swirling handwriting that decorated the parchment was unnervingly familiar, she'd recognise it from anywhere.

Dear Miss Sakura Haruno,

I hope this letter finds you well, and if you are in fact reading this, I can only assume that I am dead, and you have upheld your promise to me. So I thank you for that.

The place you currently find yourself in the house of an old friend of mine, who went by the name of Nicolas Flamel. Unfortunately, a fate much like mine befell him recently, and so his house has likely fallen into a state of disrepair. However, this is a fact you can probably tell yourself just by looking at it.

Anyway, the reason I have left this letter to you is to tell you that you must remain here until it is safe for you to leave. There should be a house-elf there somewhere, ask them should you need anything, just tell them that Dumbledore sent you, and they will understand and assist you to the best of their ability.

You are not to leave this house any other circumstances than the war having been won by the light. The wards should protect you as long as you remain inside, they'll likely fall the moment you leave. As well as this, you must remember one other rule.

Under no circumstances are you to allow anyone inside the house.

This is a rule that you must follow for your own safety, for looks can be deceiving, and the wards will allow anyone you allow inside within, and your protection shall be significantly weakened.

I wish you have a good life, and I do hope that you do not find yourself trapped in this house for long.

Best of wishes,

Albus Dumbledore.

Sakura sighed as she re-read the letter. She knew where he was coming from, and that he only had the best intentions in mind. She was also well-aware of the fact that she had just fled the on-coming war the moment she felt threatened. However, the feeling of mistrust in her abilities was one that was painfully familiar. One that made her feel quite uncomfortable.

With a huff, she returned the parchment to the desk in front of her before turning around. Right hand wrapping tightly around the handle of her bag before she began to wander around her new home.

As she walked down the corridor, she opened each and every door, poking her head inside the rooms before withdrawing, shutting the door and moving on. A small elf popped in front of her after only a matter of minutes of seemingly hopeless wandering. 

"Is you the missus that Mister Dumbledore told us about?" the creature asked, its crooning voice bouncing off the walls of the silent corridor. "Is you Mistress Sakura Haruno?" the being asked, following its previous question quickly. Sakura only hummed in agreement.

"May I ask your own name?" she asked as she focused in on the being before her, tugging her curious eyes away from the staring portraits that littered the corridor. "I is called Annie missus" the elf replied, tilting its head as it looked up at her with large green eyes.

"Shall I shows you to your roomses?" Annie asked Sakura's only just managing a nod in confirmation before the elf grabbed her arm and the pair apparated away.

--

"Professor Snape?" Draco asked nervously as he rapped his knuckles against the wall that hid his godfather's quarters. The greasy-haired man opening the door quickly in response to his call. "Yes?" the potions master asked as he looked down his nose at the boy before him.

"I have something I need to talk to you about, it is important. May I come inside? It is best had in privacy..." the boy trailed off nervously, the knowledge of death eaters prowling around the corridors clear in his mind. Snape looked down at the boy in thought for a moment or two, just enough time for Draco to think he may be turned away, before he nodded his head, permitting the boy to enter.

The moment the door shut, Draco whirled around on his heel. The action being performed at such a high speed that Snape feared the young Malfoy heir may fall, but years of training stopped such an accident from occurring.

"Are you aware of what happened to Sakura, sir?" the boy asked hurriedly, his hand ruffling through his hair, the simple action showing his clear distress. The older man simply tilting his head, a knowing look making its way into his eyes.

The boy could only watch as the man moved over to a large portrait in his room. The man pried the intricate frame away from the wall to reveal a shelf with an envelope in it.

"Why yes I do, and as you can see, her current location has been entrusted to me by Dumbledore himself, in the form of the sealed envelope you see before you. However, its actual content is something not even I know, and so it is not something I can disclose to you. The only message I have received is that the location shall make itself known should the war be won. Upon the Dark Lord's death, the wards that protect the envelope shall fall, and it may be opened. Should Potter fail, then the letter shall remain sealed forever."