A/N: hello again, this is the second fiction in my Naruto!Hogwarts AU (the first being Naruto Uzumaki and the Rise of a Wizard which can be found via my profile) I'm still working on this fan fiction so I was thinking about uploading new chapters monthly as opposed to my usual weekly updates, this will give me times to review what I've written and continue dealing with personal issues between writing.
I'd to say a big thank you to those who supported me throughout my last fan fiction and an apology for the long wait. I've enjoyed writing again and hope I'll continue to do so throughout this publication.
This is currently an unbeta'd fanfiction but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and any Harry Potter hard terms and themes belong to J K Rowling, please support the official releases.
Summery: Naruto embarks in his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with his friends, but soon finds a strain on his friendship with Iruka and his school friends. Especially in light of a dark secret that has been kept from Naruto for twelve years.
The sun beat down over London; the roads and pavements were packed with commuting sightseers and Londoners - many huffed impatiently or would waste their breath in yelling insults to one another while others remained blissfully oblivious to anything that wasn't within their immediate surroundings. Drivers tooted their car horns and revved their engines at the pedestrians who used the still traffic as an opportunity to cross the busy roads or just passed through oncoming traffic without a care in the world. Due to the large population - and the time of year, of course - the train lines were just as stuffy and claustrophobic; this made the journey to Birkenhead Orphanage a rather unpleasant one for one Iruka Umino.
The brunette haired man suspected that there was something amiss when he had first stepped foot onto the underground train station and boarded a train on the Central Line; he had assumed that the other passengers had been giving him quizzical stares due to the large scar that stretched across the bridge of his nose - even in the wizarding world, this feature drew much unwanted attention - but the brunette was beginning to wonder if there was a different reason for their gawking. He tried to diffuse the awkward situation by giving the other passengers a small smile in greeting or pretending that he hadn't noticed their stares by shifting his own gaze to the windows. The staring had continued after Iruka had disembarked from the train and returned to the bustling streets that resided above the London Underground; he was certain that he had heard a few murmured comments from the odd by passer.
Iruka shrugged off his experience as he jogged up a set of stone steps that led to a large wooden door with peeling silvers letters above it that read 'Birkenhead Orphanage'. The brunette grinned to himself a little as the memories of his first visit came back to him and he rang the doorbell, he then waited patiently while humming to himself happily.
Iruka waited a few moments before he rang the doorbell again; he wondered if he should've sent Naruto an owl to forewarn the boy of his visit - but he wanted to surprise the boy. Judging by the letters that he had received from Naruto since July, the young blond had been having a rough time at the orphanage, this was the reason why Iruka wanted to take Naruto out of the orphanage for a day trip to Diagonal Alley - the brunette had even gone to the trouble of getting Naruto's shopping list from Professor Dumbledore.
The brunette haired huffed as he fidgeted impatiently and pressed the doorbell once more. He glanced about himself; feeling even more self-conscious at the fact that he was still being ogled by the Muggles who were passing by on the pavement below.
"Good afternoon!" Iruka forced a friendly smile over his shoulder and waved at a man who was taking his dog for a walk in the summer sun. "Lovely weather." Iruka added with a slight nod at the sky while the man closely surveyed Iruka with a calculating expression.
Iruka gave a startled jump as the wooden door in front of him opened rather abruptly and he came face to face with a familiar looking woman - who he recognised to be Mrs Birkenhead; the woman who managed Birkenhead Orphanage.
"M- Mr Umino?" Mrs Birkenhead gave the man an astonished look as she hastily surveyed him.
"Ah, Mrs Birkenhead." Iruka greeted the woman with a large grin and a handshake. "You remember me, right?"
The speechless woman slowly nodded; shifting her gaze to the pavement below - where Iruka was still drawing the attention of passers-by.
"Why don't you come inside, Mr Umino?" The woman stepped to one side and frantically beckoned at the brunette haired man into the orphanage.
"Thank you." Iruka inclined his head as he stepped over the threshold.
Mrs Birkenhead quickly closed the door behind Iruka while the man observed his surroundings with interest.
"I came to speak to Naruto." Iruka told Mrs Birkenhead. "I hope I'm not imposing on you by turning up unannounced."
"O- of course not." Mrs Birkenhead shook her head and adopted a warm smile as she motioned towards a wooden staircase. "If you would like to follow me please." The woman began to ascend the staircase with the brunette following in her footsteps. "I'm sure Naruto will be excited to see you. His bedroom is number Twelve A; straight down the bottom of this corridor. Although, you should know Mr Umino, Naruto has locked himself in his bedroom since yesterday morning."
"Oh?" Iruka frowned quizzically.
"Naruto's been refusing his meals and he won't speak a word to anyone; not even those of my matrons who he regards as close friends." Mrs Birkenhead added the lie easily with a saddened tone as two of her assistants passed through the corridor; staring at Iruka curiously as they slowed to a halt behind Mrs Birkenhead. "We can't get him to open the door and the spare key has gone missing - I'm sure he's taken it! He's been rather defensive since one of the other children had a bit of an accident."
"An accident?"
"She fell down the stairs." Mrs Birkenhead confided in Iruka in a quiet voice and with a solemn look upon her face. "Naruto was the only other person present at the time."
"Surely he wouldn't have -" Iruka's frown deepened.
"Let me speak to him, I'm sure he'll talk to me." Iruka reassured the woman as he started heading towards Naruto's bedroom. "I'll let you know if he tells me anything about the incident." Iruka called back over his shoulder; knowing that he wouldn't stick to his word - even if Naruto had been implicated.
"What's that man wearing?" One of the assistants whispered in Mrs Birkenhead's ear as she nodded towards Iruka's strange attire.
The man was wearing yellow football shorts and a pale blue shirt beneath a tattered poncho along with a pair of tanned sandals and red socks; a fishing hat was perched haphazardly upon his head - it was sticking up unevenly where Iruka had tried to conceal his messy ponytail beneath the fishing hat.
"I haven't a clue." Mrs Birkenhead murmured back as they watched Iruka move further down the corridor. The three women shared a small shrug and decided not to question the matter anymore. "When the man leaves, come and tell me straight away." Mrs Birkenhead added in a quieter undertone. The two assistants nodded before each of the women separated to return to their individual tasks.
Iruka stopped in front of the door with the worn, metal number twelve and a crooked 'A' nailed into the wood and rapped his knuckles against the wood of the door.
"Naruto." Iruka called through the door. "Is it alright to come in?"
The brunette waited a few minutes for blond to answer; calling out to the blond every now and again - he even pressed his ear to the door to listen silently for any movement within the room beyond as he tried the door handle; but quickly discovered that it was locked, as Mrs Birkenhead had said it would be.
The man swiftly glanced down toward the end of the corridor to make sure that he was quite alone before he retrieved his wand fro, the elastic waistband of his shorthand aimed it at the lock on Naruto's bedroom door.
"Alohamora." He muttered; grinning smugly to himself as the door swung open and he stepped inside - the smirk quickly slid off of his features as he came face to face with a vacant bedroom. Iruka quickly shut the door behind himself. "Naruto?" He called out more urgently as he tore across the room, dropped to his knees and checked under the bed. "Naruto?" Iruka called out again; checking the Naruto's bathroom and wardrobe this time - he was surprised to see that the boy's Hogwarts trunk and clothes were missing too. "That little sh-"
"Is everything alright?" Mrs Birkenhead's issued from the other side of the door.
"Er… yes of course." Iruka lied quickly. "He's being as stubborn as always, we'll be with you in a few minutes." The man added with small chuckle.
Iruka waited until he heard Mrs Birkenhead's footsteps fade away before he conducted another brisk search of the bedroom for the missing blond.
After his second search proved to be as futile as his first, Iruka perched himself on the edge of Naruto's bed and closed his eyes while he thought of a solution to his current predicament.
"Mrs Birkenhead." Iruka called from the top of the staircase as he and a blond boy - who was wearing an orange and blue jumpsuit - began their descent. "I hope you don't mind, but I want to take Naruto with me today. He needs to get his supplies for the new school year, so we have a bit of shopping to do." The brunette held up a parchment envelope for Mrs Birkenhead to see.
"Yes, of course." Mrs Birkenhead gave Iruka the pleasant smile that she usually reserved for foster parents. "If you could just step into my office, we'll go over the usual paperwork and then you two can be on your way."
"Just wait here for me, okay Naruto?" Iruka instructed the blond as he followed Mrs Birkenhead.
"Right." Naruto nodded; leaning against the wall beside Mrs Birkenhead's office door with his arms folded while he hummed to himself quietly - he examined his surroundings as he waited for the brunette's return. He spotted three of the younger children; running from one room to another and giggling while they chased each other. "Hey there!" Naruto grinned brightly.
The three orphans stopped in their tracks to give Naruto an odd stare before they shared uneasy glances with each other and began to whisper behind their hands.
Naruto arched a curious eyebrow at the children and pushed himself away from the wall. "I don't bite, y'know." He told them as he began to walk towards them; but as soon as he took so much as a step closer to the three children, they backed away from him - as though they were horrified to be within his vicinity - the three children then ran back into the room that they had originally come from; slamming the door behind themselves.
"That was weird." Naruto muttered to himself with a dumbfounded expression as he returned to his position outside Mrs Birkenhead's office door.
Minutes later, a boy - who appeared to be slightly older than Naruto - entered the hallway through the door that the three youngsters had disappeared through. The older boy's eyes instantly locked with Naruto's and narrowed into a glare.
"Uzumaki." The other boy snarled. "Did you really think that you could pick on Casey, Tommy and Darren and get away with it?"
"I - what?" Naruto spluttered in confusion. "I didn't pick on anyone!"
"Then you tell me why Casey is in there eying her eyes out!" The boy pointed towards the door that he had come through.
"I don't know!" Naruto replied defensively; quickly realising that the boy was talking about the three children who had been playing in the hallway moments ago. "All I did was say hello to them."
"So what, you're trying to be our friend now? You're trying to get close to us so we'll fall into your next trap?"
"Look, I think there's been a misunder-"
"I'm not buying it." The boy cut across Naruto as he squared up to the blond. The boy grabbed the white collar of Naruto's jacket as he balled his free hand into a fist "I know it was you who stole Casey's photo of our parents - you're jealous because we knew our parents, aren't you? I bet you did push Lucy down those stairs too."
"I didn't push anyone down the stairs!" Naruto retorted furiously. "And I don't know anything about any photos!"
"Then why is Lucy too scared to tell us what happened?" The other boy growled; shaking Naruto by his collar. "Weird things happen when you're around, we were all happier when you were gone."
Naruto tried to shrug out of the other boy's grip.
"Naruto, are you ready to go?" Iruka's voice asked as he and Mrs Birkenhead stepped out of the office - as soon as the door creaked open, the boy had let go of Naruto's collar and had taken a swift step backwards.
"I -" Naruto stared between the boy and Iruka. "Yeah."
The blond followed Iruka out of the front door; giving Mrs Birkenhead and the other boy a final glance before the door swung shut after Iruka and Naruto had crossed over the threshold. He followed Iruka down the road until they reached a small alleyway without saying a single word to the older man; instead he silently dwelled on the other boy's words.
"Weird things happen when you're around, we were all happier when you were gone."
"Right, I think this should be alright." Iruka muttered more to himself than to Naruto as he gazed around to make sure they couldn't be seen by any passing Muggles; his voice pulled the blond out of his stupor. "If I had known about this alleyway, I would have apparated here instead of travelling by train, but there's too many Muggles to consider anyway." The brunette reasoned with himself. "Oh well." Iruka raised his index and middle fingers of his right hand to form a single hand seal. "Release!"
Naruto disappeared in a plume of smoke leaving Iruka quite alone. The man's lips curled downwards into a grimace as he gained the memories from his transfigured shadow clone.
"Please don't tell me that you're involved in any of this, Naruto." Iruka sighed to himself as a worrisome expression spread over his face.
After a moment of thought, Iruka withdrew his wand again and spun on the spot. He disappeared from the alleyway with a loud crack.
Iruka stumble slightly as his feet slammed against the cobblestoned pavement. He straightened himself up as he came face to face with a brick wall in a small courtyard behind a shabby looking building; the brunette swiftly tapped the bricks with his wand and waited patiently as the bricks wiggled and slid into place to form an archway - revealing a bustling alley full of shops and stalls.
"If he's not here, he must've got himself lost somewhere in London." Iruka muttered to himself; hoping that his statement wouldn't prove to be true.
He manoeuvred himself through the crowd of shoppers and between displays and stands that stood outside of the many shops; even in this mass, a bright orange jumpsuit would be hard to miss.
"Iruka?" A familiar voice reached the brunette's ears.
Iruka whirled around on the spot and his eyes fell upon a man who had white hair that was swept to one side; he was wearing a navy blue, long sleeved t-shirt with matching trousers and a bandana that covered at least two thirds of the man's face - including his right eye.
"Kakashi." Iruka inclined his head at the other man while simultaneously watching out for the elusive blond. "What are you doing here?"
"Picking up some new supplies." Kakashi replied; holding up a bag full of potion ingredients along with another full of books for Iruka to see. "It would've probably been easier to send an order by owl, but it's nice to get out every once in a while."
Iruka quirked a suspicious eyebrow at the books. "A new volume of Make Out Paradise by any chance?"
"No, still waiting." Kakashi chuckled as he ruffled his hair with his free hand.
"I wonder." Iruka mused to himself before speaking up a bit louder to address the white haired man once more. "Do you think you can help me? I can't find -"
"Naruto." Kakashi finished the sentence for the brunette. "Don't worry, he's alright."
"Huh?" Iruka tilted his head to one side with a bewildered expression. "How do you know?"
"I've just seen him." Kakashi gave another laugh.
Iruka felt a scowl spread across his face. "Oh really? Where is he?"
"Hm? He's at Ichiraku's ramen stand." Kakashi replied in a slow voice as he eyed Iruka suspiciously. "I was under the impression that he was with you."
"No." Iruka fumed. "He snuck out of the orphanage."
"And got all the way to Diagon Alley on his own?" Kakashi asked in a surprised tone. "Well, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't impressed."
"I can't believe this kid! What an idiot!" Iruka shook his head furiously. "Thanks for your help, Kakashi. I'm gonna go and get the knucklehead."
"Uh oh. Looks like someone's in trouble." Kakashi sniggered to himself; following Iruka as the brunette headed further into the crowd. "I can't wait to see this!"
"This kid is going to be the death of me." Iruka tutted under his breath and shot Kakashi a reproachful glare as the silver haired man began to chuckle to himself again. "It's not funny, Kakashi!" He barked at the other man over his shoulder.
"I'd rather you than me." Kakashi held his hands up defensively; feeling thankful that he had his bandanna to hide his smirk. "I had enough of him last year, it's your turn now."
"How long ago did you see him?" Iruka asked impatiently; deciding to make use of Kakashi presence as they navigated their way towards the familiar ramen stand.
"Only a few minutes ago." Kakashi answered; speeding up into a jogging pace in order to keep up with the brunette. "May I ask, what's up with your outfit?"
"My outfit?" Iruka asked; glancing down at his attire with a small frown. "I was blending in with the Muggles."
"Ah, of course you were." Kakashi pursed his lips to hold back another bout of laughter. "There he is." The white haired man pointed towards a boy with vibrant blond hair and three infamous whisker-like markings adorning each of his cheeks. The boy was wearing his usual orange and blue jumpsuit that made him stand out in crowded places such as Diagon Alley.
The boy was chatting animatedly with three other boys; one who had short brunette hair and was carrying a small white dog on his head, another who had red hair and wore shabby clothes and the last boy who had his hair tied back into a ponytail that was similar to Iruka's and seemed to be half listening to Naruto and his friends with a bored expression. The four boys were helping themselves to bowl of ramen while Teuchi and his daughter happily joined in with their conversations in between cooking more noodles and serving other customers.
"Ah, I see he's caught up with Mr Weasley and Mr Inuzuka." Kakashi observed; although he didn't recognise the last boy, he had often seen him talking talking to Naruto during their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Naruto, you knucklehead!" Iruka rounded on the blond; making Naruto flinch and turn in his seat. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Iruka!" Naruto tried to greet the older man with a grin; but his smile quickly faltered. "What are you wearing?"
"Never mind what I'm wearing! How could you just leave the orphanage like that?" Iruka lectured the blond. "What would you have done if you got lost? How did you even get this far on your own?"
"It's easy to sneak through the barriers at train stations when you're as small as I am, y'know." Naruto told the brunette haired man nonchalantly. "And if I get caught, I can just put on the water works and tell the station guard I was looking for my mum or something, that kinda stuff always works so all I really had to do was remember which station we got off as last year. Besides, London has maps everywhere, I wouldn't have got lost."
"Pfft, yeah right!" Kiba snorted into his ramen while Akamaru gave a happy yap. "You did get lost, you were just lucky that Hana recognised you."
"Shut up, Kiba." Naruto shot back at his friend.
"You have a lot of explaining to do." Iruka warned Naruto in a low voice.
"Alright, alright, I won't do it again." Naruto huffed as he waved Iruka's comment away.
"It's not just that." Iruka frowned. "Mrs Birkenhead told me what happened the other day."
Iruka's last sentence was met by curious stares from Kakashi and the blond's school friends.
Naruto's expression instantly dropped into a scowl. "There's no way I'm taking the blame for that, I didn't even do anything!" Naruto growled as he jumped off of his seat - promising Kiba, Bill and Shikamaru that he would return shortly - before tugging on Iruka's poncho and moving further away from Ichiraku's Ramen. "She tripped on a toy and fell down those stairs and I tried to catch her before she fell. She won't tell anyone what happened, so I got the blamed for pushing her down the stairs." Naruto told the older man bluntly in a low voice and with a hard stare.
"Why didn't you just explain that to Mrs Birkenhead?" Iruka enquired; feeling his grimace deepen.
"Because she hates me." Naruto answered simply with a shrug. "They all do. They won't listen to what I have to say."
A lump rose in Iruka's throat. "Okay, but what about the photo?"
"What photo?" Naruto wrinkled his nose in confusion.
"The photo of the girl's parents, it's gone missing." Iruka pressed. "I think her name was Katie… Cassy -"
"Casey." Naruto corrected the man with a quizzical expression.
"That's it, they seem to think you stole her photo."
"Stuff goes missing in that orphanage all the time." Naruto heaved a deep sigh. "Besides, it's not unknown for the other orphans to hide stuff just to get others in trouble. They think it's funny."
"And your bedroom door key is -"
"Right here." Naruto pulled out a silver key from his pocket. "If she was really that worried about me, she would've kicked the door down yesterday. I guess she'll change the lock now though so this is useless." The blond fiddled with the key for a moment before staring at Iruka coolly again. "Anything else you wanna interrogate me on?"
Iruka surveyed the blond closely for a moment before he slowly shook his head at Naruto. "No, I believe you."
Naruto pouted at the brunette as he turned away and walked back to his friends at the ramen stand; leaving the guilty lump in Iruka's throat to swell for having doubted the boy in the first place.