Hello to all interested readers out there! Thank you so much for giving my story a chance to be read, and I hope I won't disappoint you. Just some quick things before you continue on... The pairings are as follows: Sasuke/Sakura, Neji/Tenten, and Harry/Hermione.
::EDIT:: The 3 above pairings are permanent, and will NOT be changed. At all. Thank you. All other pairings are subject to be changed or played with.
This will be Tenten and Draco Malfoy centric so... if you dislike either of them then I advise you to turn back, but if you are still willing to read then please go on ahead! Thank you again!
::Please Note:: This is a revised, edited, and expanded version of the first chapter. I felt that it was not a strong beginning so I redid the first half, and copy and pasted the ending.
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Drama, Dark
Pace: Slow-moving. I'm planning on having Silver Lining as a part series.
Italic texts are thoughts, words in another language, emphasis, flashbacks (the flashbacks will be separated by lines and they come in big sections of italics), spells, or quotes.
"Italic texts with quotations" are people speaking in another language (most likely Japanese), and any type of spells. -Dialogue-
"Quotations with regular font" are people speaking in English. -Dialogue-
Bold texts are just indications that there will be a change in character point-of-view.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own either Naruto or Harry Potter. They belong to Kishimoto and J.K Rowling (respectively).
Silver Lining
Chapter One: The Parchment
Dumbledore
18th of June - Friday
He sat. He stared. And he frowned.
The Daily Prophet lay folded before him. 'Boy-Who-Lived Wins Tri-Wizard Tournament' blared out from the front page along with an ironic picture plastered below the title. A boy and a young man had their arms around each other's shoulders in an act of camaraderie. Their smiles were a bit forced, but it was a smile nonetheless. It was indecent, the paper. It was full of false hopes, blatant lies, and immeasurable greed.
The paper itself was a symbol of loss; his loss, the Diggory's loss, the entire wizarding world's loss, and the loss of Harry's innocence. Voldemort was on the rise, and the Ministry paper had the audacity to cover it up with gossip columns about the Boy-Who-Lived. They used Harry's fame to redirect any attention about the death of Cedric Diggory, and surprisingly or unsurprisingly the 'Four Champions' became the 'Three Champions' without question.
Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment.
He needed to think. He needed organize his thoughts. He needed to protect Harry Potter.
The Headmaster let out a tired sigh, opened his eyes, and picked up a letter from the corner of his desk.
To Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore,
The Ministry has heard of your search for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. We have agreed to send in one of our ministry officials as a way to help the school. We…
The elder man snorted as he crumpled both the letter and the newspaper into a ball, and promptly threw it into the fire. They knew nothing, and they think they have the gall to try and insert one of their pitiful pawns into his school. Never. But the Headmaster was out of options. Every friend, acquaintance, and colleague of his declined the position. He would have to accept the ministry official.
As he stared into the raging fire, Dumbledore's mind flashed with tainted memories.
Harry was calling for help as he clutched onto the unmoving body of Cedric.
The screams that permeated the arena as everyone discovered one of the Hogwarts champion was dead.
Harry Potter was walking aimlessly around the castle before the end of the year.
Dumbledore shook his head from delving further into his negative thoughts. He needed to be strong for his students, and for the wizarding world. But he could help but think that their world has become such a disgrace as his eyes roamed through the pictures displayed on his large desk, before landing on a peculiar photo.
"…Ah, Old friend. I wonder what you would do in a situation like this." Dumbledore gingerly brought up a beautiful frame made of deep mahogany wood and stared fondly at the photograph.
At that moment a surge of fire appeared to reveal a gorgeous bird by the name of Fawkes. The red phoenix let out a calming tune for the old professor and nipped his fingers before tapping the glass protector. A twinkle sparked in his eyes before Dumbledore settled the picture onto the desk and gave Fawkes a soft pat on the head. His solemn mood had taken a positive turn. He then began searching through the various drawers of his workspace in a fevered manner.
"Hm… Now where did I put it?" He continued to move things around before finally letting out a frustrated comment, "Blast it! Where is that bloody parchment?"
Through all his loud scuffling and mild determination, Dumbledore did not hear his office door being opened until his name came out in a high-pitched shriek. "Albus!"
The headmaster winced at the accusing tone before ascending his lowered position under his desk. Oh dear… She heard me. Dumbledore proceeded to stand to his full height before straightening his pointed hat, and patted out the dust from his robes. Then in a calm manner he addressed his Deputy Headmistress as if he was not caught cursing, "Minerva! How good to see you. Is there something that concerns you?"
"Besides your blatant display of language," she shot him a stern look, "And messy office. I am worried about Mr. Potter and the lack of security! How could you hire a fake? Every year Mr. Potter has to deal with some sort danger. A possessed man in his first year, that ancient basilisk for his second, then a werewolf in third year, and Barty Crouch Jr. during his fourth year!" McGonagall drew a breath and narrowed her eyes expecting an answer, and a damn good one.
By the end of her tirade Dumbledore smiled gleefully at McGonagall as if a child with a new and expensive toy. McGonagall looked a bit shocked at his twinkling eyes before recovering and raised a wrinkled eyebrow at his elated look. Sensing that Dumbledore had a solution to her concerned dilemmas, McGonagall strode across the office and took a seat in one of the unoccupied chairs.
Dumbledore followed his colleague's lead and sat in his tall armchair, "Kind as always, Minerva dear. Your well-placed concern with Mr. Potter has been solved. And as for Profess-," McGonagall gave an unlady-like snort, "Forgive me, as for Mr. Moody it was he that I interviewed, not Barty Crouch Jr. And it surprises me that he was even ambushed. You know how he is Minerva."
The Head of Gryffindor merely nodded her head and continued to ask, "Alright then, how will you protect Mr. Potter? More Aurors?"
"Oh heavens no, Minerva! I wouldn't want to leave the Ministry without any sort of defense now that Voldemort is back." Dumbledore's face contorted into an affronted look and then of mirth, "The people I will hire are better!"
His eyes were daring McGonagall to ask him who were better than Aurors. A moment of silence took place before the stern witch gave in and asked, "Albus… Who, may I ask, can be better than an Auror?"
As soon as she finished her question Dumbledore exclaimed with his arms spread out, "Ninjas, my dear!"
She blinked, "Ninjas? That's preposterous! Albus, surely you don't believe in such legends do you? "
"On the contrary, my dear. They undeniably exist." McGonagall sent him a skeptical glance and then Dumbledore sighed; his happy aura dwindled down to a tired state, "Minerva, what I say is the truth. Ninjas exist and to be frank I am beginning to feel, as the muggles say, burned out.
I fear that we can no longer depend on either the Ministry, as they have grown corrupt, or ourselves. We are simply too low on numbers. And who else is left to help us? The community? They have attached themselves to the peace that has blessed us these past years and are ignorant of the signs that Voldemort has thrown at their faces."
At the end of his speech McGonagall's face softened as if seeing Dumbledore in a new light. She saw an old man, wiser and more jaded than any men or women she had met in her life. She stood up from her seat and inquired with a gentle voice, "Alright then, how are we going to come in contact with these ninjas?"
With a new gleam in his eyes Dumbledore replied, "I have a scroll of theirs. It was given to me before I figured out a way to leave their… world, I should say."
"World? Do you mean to say that you have stumbled upon another dimension?" McGonagall stared at him with interest.
Dumbledore nodded once, and made a hand gesture to the seat that she had previously occupied. "Another world indeed. Do you remember when I went missing for three years, Minerva?"
"Why of course! I was absolutely enraged when you left, and without a single word too! We all thought you were dead." The Deputy took her seat again, "Is that where you have been? In that other world filled with ninjas?"
"Quite right my dear!" Dumbledore unfurled the scroll, and scanned its contents before sending a gleeful stare to McGonagall, who stared at him expectantly. "Well then... I must be off!"
The old man stood from his seat, and began to draw a circle etched with symbols with his wand. His unexplained actions caused McGonagall to jump from her chair, and raced to his side, "Wait! Wait! Are you really leaving now? You have yet to explain everything Albus!"
"In due time dear Minerva. See you in a couple of days!" And with that said Dumbledore jumped through a light blue portal which had transformed from the circled drawing.
Hello again! I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter. I know it's kind of short, but I didn't want to give out anything yet. Just to let everyone know... Dumbledore is a grandfather figure, not that manipulative old man that everyone is writing about (yes! even though the books are hinting at it, but they have disappointed me).