Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. Apply this to every chapter.

Chapter One: Hogwarts

"Where is he?" Naruto demanded, slamming his fists down on Tsunade's desk. Towers of paperwork cascaded to the floor from the impact, but Naruto, Tsunade, and Jiraiya ignored it. "Where's Sasuke?"

She had sent the hawk to Naruto and Jiraiya immediately upon Sasuke's return, but she hadn't expected them to return to Konoha so fast. She should have, though. This was Naruto she was talking about. He always seemed to defy the laws of physics where his teammate was concerned.

She didn't stop to muse over how much he had grown in the two and a half years he had been away training, or how mature he looked in the black and dark orange. Instead, she snapped, "Calm down, brat. He's in the holding cells in the basement. I thought I should leave his sentencing to you. After all, it was your team he betrayed the most."

Naruto gave a sharp nod and marched out of her office. Tsunade and Jiraiya shared a look before hurrying after. They'd at least need to be witnesses if Naruto decided to carry out an impromptu death sentence.

Naruto greeted Sasuke much the same way as Tsunade. He ripped open the barred door with a strength that gave Tsunade a twinge of pride and stomped to the lone figure in the cell.

He ripped Sasuke to his feet and punched him in the face. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU BACK, YOU BASTARD?" he bellowed without preamble.

Sasuke didn't visibly react. He had grown during his time away, too, Naruto saw with a short pang of regret. He was still a pretty boy, though the bags under his eyes were dark enough to make Gaara jealous, and he was still taller than Naruto, if only by a centimeter or two. His eyes looked more openly exhausted than Naruto had ever seen.

When he didn't immediately answer, Naruto shook him. "Tell me, damn it! Why are you back?"

"I'm tired of snakes," Sasuke whispered, staring past Naruto to something no one else could see. Sasuke could still feel Orochimaru's hands, cold, gliding like snakes across his bared skin. He could still hear Orochimaru's voice, hissing in his ear, 'Beautiful. Powerful. Perfect. Mine.' Even his blood was cold, like snakes, when Sasuke gutted him. He shook his head, trying to clear it, and mumbled, "I'm so tired of snakes."

Naruto blinked, his anger forgotten. "Huh?"

Sasuke shook his head again. Why was there always so much blood stuck in his mind? Ever since Itachi, there was blood, and blood, and blood. "Itachi. Orochimaru. Voldemort. They're all snakes. They all want me to replace them. But I refuse. I'll avenge my family as an Uchiha, not a snake, not like Itachi wants. I'll bring justice on my terms. Not his. I refuse to be a snake anymore."

"…Huh?"

Sasuke released a breath that might have been a short laugh. He smirked and muttered, "Usuratonkachi."

Naruto frowned, loosening his grip on Sasuke's shirt. He didn't know whether to demand a simpler explanation, punch the jerk again for calling him an idiot, or let it go and be glad Sasuke was back more or less unchanged.

"So… you're sorry and you're not going to abandon Sakura and me again?" he asked dubiously.

Sasuke snorted at the extreme simplification. "Right, dobe."

Naruto grinned. "Good, teme."

He punched Sasuke hard in the shoulder but caught him before he hit the ground. Naruto righted him then slung his arm companionably around Sasuke's shoulders. They faced Tsunade and Jiraiya, Sasuke rubbing his bruising shoulder and Naruto grinning widely.

"Alright," Naruto announced. "We can keep him!"

On September first, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura met Horace Slughorn, who was to show them to Platform 9 3/4. They had spent the first two weeks of the mission at Hogwarts, familiarizing themselves with the castle and grounds while Dumbledore and McGonagall taught them how to use wands or, in Sasuke's case, which spells were illegal. Just before the rest of the staff had arrived, Dumbledore sent them to stay at the Leaky Cauldron to familiarize them with the culture. How else, he reasoned, could they notice what was suspicious if they didn't first know what was common? They picked up the rest of their school supplies while they were there; they had gotten their wands from Ollivander's the first day of the mission.

"Oho!" said a fat man in a velvet waistcoat as the ninjas stepped out from an alcove into which they had portkeyed. "Look for the girl with pink hair, Dumbledore said! Pink indeed, little missy!"

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke shared looks. Then Sakura led the way forward, pretending to have trouble lugging her trunk forward, like the other girls, and a few guys, they could see in the distance.

"Professor Slughorn?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, ma'am," he chirped, extending his hand to shake hers, and then Naruto's and Sasuke's. "You would be Sakura Haruno. Now which of you gentlemen-?"

"Naruto Uzumaki!" proclaimed Naruto, whose hair looked brighter than the sun against his black school robes. He grinned toothily. "And that grumpy one over there is Sasuke Uchiha."

"Very good!" said Slughorn, pleased with Naruto's enthusiasm. "Alright, then, follow me, young minds! There's a simple illusion over the barrier between platforms nine and ten. We can walk right through it."

He stopped in front of the brick wall with the little circular signs 9 and 10.

"Through the brick wall?" repeated Naruto, giving Slughorn a look as though fearing for his sanity.

"It's a simple genjutsu, dobe," muttered Sasuke, not even using his Sharingan. "You can see the red train behind it if you concentrate."

"Merlin's beard, can you really?" asked Slughorn, staring at Sasuke in amazement. "I've never met anyone besides Albus that could see right through it!"

"Well, come on," said Sakura, once she was able to detect the genjutsu, too.

Naruto gulped as he watched Sakura and Sasuke disappear through the wall. Slughorn chuckled.

'You heard the lady," said Slughorn, patting Naruto on the back. "Let's go!" He pushed Naruto through the barrier despite his, 'Aaii!'

Soon, Naruto found himself surrounded by kids his age and younger, all wearing the same black school robes, along with ties and crests with their house symbols. Sakura and Sasuke were waiting, unamused with his dawdling. Slughorn led the way onto the train and into a compartment, magicking Sakura's trunk into the air in front of them in a show of chivalry. Sakura thanked him with a girlish giggle that had Naruto and Sasuke shuddering.

"Ah, Sasuke," said Naruto, elbowing his teammate with a grin. "Think you'll have fangirls here, too?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Obviously. Sakura's coming with us."

Sakura turned beet red and snatched a book out of her trunk, which she promptly hid behind. Naruto cackled while Slughorn looked bemused.

"Fangirls, eh?" he asked. "Popular back at your old school?"

As according to their cover story, all three's faces darkened.

"He was," Sakura agreed quietly, lowering her book. They knew Dumbledore would probably inform the professors of the ninjas' identities soon, anyway, but they needed practice with their story. Naruto and Sasuke sat down quietly as she perked up and continued, "Sasuke was first in our class; he's something of a prodigy where we're from. I won't be surprised if he does very well here, too."

"You don't say," said Slughorn, looking excited. He turned to Sasuke. "So, m'boy, what would you say your favorite subject is? Have you already decided what classes you'll be taking here?"

Sasuke scowled at the sudden attention and set Sakura a glare. "Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said shortly. "And our Ministry has only just sent our test scores to Hogwarts, so we don't know what subjects we're cleared to take N.E.W.T. level."

And it was true that they didn't know their classes yet. They'd have to find out Harry's so they could plan with his- subtly of course. It would be suspicious if all three of them had the exact same schedule as 'the Chosen One.'

"I'll be the Potions professor, myself," Slughorn said, not in the least upset with Sasuke's answer. "Just came out of retirement because Dumbledore needed a favor. Nice to have influential people like Albus Dumbledore counting on you for favors, you know?"

"I love potions!" exclaimed Sakura, prying Slughorn's attention away from Sasuke. "My focus at our old school was medical magic, so I've had tons of training in potions for their uses as medicines!"

"You should see Sakura-chan whip up antidotes to poisons," added Naruto, grinning widely as he complimented his crush. "She's incredible! As good as our headmistress herself!"

"Is she now?" said Slughorn, turning to Sakura and looking like Christmas had come early. The two dove into a conversation about medical potions, with Slughorn recounting many stories about his exploits with various famous potions-masters and Healers.

Naruto slumped back in his seat. He was across from Slughorn with Sakura and Sasuke on each side. "Ano, Sasuke," muttered Naruto. "Do you understand a word they're saying?"

Sasuke's neutral expression looked suspiciously blank, in Naruto's opinion. "I stopped listening as soon as Sakura started talking," Sasuke drawled, also leaning back farther in his seat. He had much more grace, of course, than 'slumping.'

"You're a bastard," said Naruto without much conviction.

"And you're an idiot," Sasuke responded likewise.

When it neared lunchtime, Slughorn snagged a passing third-year Hufflepuff and asked her to deliver some lunch invitations, and within minutes, their compartment was filled to the brim.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura squirmed as the six seats of the compartment strained with the presence of ten butts.

"Hey!" said Naruto as he found a black-haired boy with green eyes, glasses, and a scar. He attempted to elbow both Sakura and Sasuke, even though students were squashed between them. "That's-!"

"Dobe!" Sasuke cut him off and scowled openly as a random Gryffindor male toppled into his lap. "That's it." He pulled out his wand and swished it sharply.

Immediately, the compartment expanded, and the six seats became a comfortable ten. Still scowling, he jabbed his wand back into the sleeve of his robes and turned a brooding glare out the compartment window, away from the awed faces.

"Excellent!" beamed Slughorn. "Nonverbal spells of this complexity as an entering sixth year! And judging by what Miss Haruno here has told me of her knowledge of potions, you three must have come from a very rigorous school!"

"Um, Professor Slughorn?" said their charge, Harry Potter, eyeing the 'Japanese' students dubiously. "Who…?"

"An excellent question, Harry, m'boy!" said Slughorn, clapping. "New foreign exchange students, straight from Japan's Konoha Hidden Academy of Magic. Allow me to introduce everybody! Miss Sakura Haruno, an excellent potions girl, Mr. Blaise Zabini- he's your year, I believe, perhaps you know-?, and there's Naruto Uzumaki; I believe you already know Mr. Longbottom? Then there's Sasuke Uchiha with the nonverbal spell, a bit of a prodigy, I hear. And over here's Marcus Belby- had the pleasure of teaching his uncle, an outstanding wizard, then there's Mr. Cormac McLaggen, very Ministry family, and I hear you already know Miss Weasley, here?"

The redhead girl waved unenthusiastically at Harry from Slughorn's other side.

For the next hour or so, Slughorn interrogated the Hogwarts students jovially, finding out their connections and skills. Naruto scowled to himself. Slughorn was that kind of teacher- the one with favorites, and if a student wasn't a favorite, that student didn't matter. He crossed his arms defiantly, noticing Sasuke glance over at him as he did so. Sasuke probably knew what was going on, too. But what should Sasuke care? He was always a favorite. Naruto wasn't. If anything, teachers intentionally sabotaged him, the farthest from favorite anyone could get. He had thought he was done with stupid teachers and their stupid favoritism once he left the Academy. It was supposed to be judgment based on real-life skills alone now.

Stupid mission.

He listened along with the rest of the compartment as Slughorn grilled Harry, Ginny, and Neville about the incident at the Ministry and Harry's being the 'Chosen One.' Dumbledore had already explained the situation to the ninjas, so they watched with appreciation as the Gryffindors clammed up and evaded the prying man's questions. It seemed, they were relieved to find, Potter understood something about discrepancy. That would help their mission. If they had to reveal themselves in a matter of life or death, at least Harry wouldn't go blabbing their secret to everyone.

"So, Mr. Uzumaki," Naruto suddenly heard the professor call his name. He snapped his attention back to the present and tried not to fidget under the teacher's judging gaze. Great. Here comes the loss of favoritism. "What's your favorite subject? We know Sakura loves potions and Sasuke prefers Defense. Do you have any specialties from that outstanding school of yours?"

His tone was hopeful, encouraging, but Naruto floundered.

He had trouble with stupid wand magic. He always released too much chakra and caused almost all of his spells to go up in smoke- literally. He could say something random like Charms, but they would find the lie as soon as he reported to his first class. He quickly scanned through all the possibilities, trying to find something he could say and sound just as impressive as Sasuke and Sakura. He pulled up a blank.

"Care of Magical Creatures," said Sasuke, still staring out of the compartment window. Naruto had thought he wasn't paying attention, but he guessed paying attention while looking bored was another thing Kakashi had taught his favorite student. Sasuke continued neutrally, "I wouldn't be surprised if Naruto could teach a mother dragon to play fetch with her own egg. Very handy to have around if this Forbidden Forest is as dangerous as we've heard."

"Is that so?" said Slughorn, looking between Sasuke and Naruto excitedly. His gaze settled on Naruto. "What kind of animals do you have around your academy? I must confess, the Forbidden Forest even makes me a little nervous around dusk."

Naruto grinned, seeing Sasuke's logic. He remembered Gamabunta and the entire day he had stayed on the boss's back. He remembered defeating Gaara's sand monster, not to mention his own constant battle with the Kyuubi, and then destroying Orochimaru's snakes in the chuunin exams. He thought of his work with the other toads and Kakashi's nin-hounds. He could definitely fake a specialty with magical creatures, if it was faking at all.

So he launched into descriptions of the more unusual creatures he had seen in Konoha and on missions, tactfully leaving out their more ninja-world attributes and the situations in which he had come across them. He was saved from any big lying, however, by Slughorn's own long-winded contributions. Eventually, all Naruto had to do was grin and nod.

Slughorn excused the students as the sky outside darkened, saying something about getting close and putting robes on. The ninjas had already donned their school robes.

When they stopped at the train station in Hogsmeade, the ninjas followed an excitable Slughorn into a carriage. They gave no reaction towards the strange horse-like creature pulling it; they had ridden the creatures with Dumbledore on their way to Hogwarts the first time, and Dumbledore had explained their unfortunate reputation. It would be better not to draw attention to the fact that all three had seen death for the time being.

"Wait," Sakura whispered to Naruto and Sasuke as the last of the carriages pulled out behind theirs. She concentrated, overriding the translation spell, and hissed in Japanese, "Harry-kun didn't get off the train!"

"Naruto," muttered Sasuke, barely moving his lips as Slughorn regaled them with stories about some band or something called the Harpies Sisters. He, too, switched to Japanese, though he didn't have a translation spell. "Can you create a shadow clone straight in front of that Auror stationed at Hogsmeade? Tonks?"

"Yeah," said Naruto. He and Sasuke had practiced creating shadow clones over distances in the months since Sasuke's return. Their sparring sessions had gotten much more intense, to the gratification of both. Sasuke was still obsessed with training to defeat Itachi, and Naruto was still determined not to let Sasuke outdo him. They made for good sparring partners that way.

Naruto made the handseals inside his voluminous sleeves and immediately felt his chakra split in half, though the clone was nowhere in sight. They waited silently, pretending to listen to Slughorn. Two minutes later, Naruto absorbed new memories of telling Tonks Harry was still on the train and watching from a distance as she found him and they jumped off the train. Harry's nose was bloody and broken, but Tonks fixed the damage with a wave of her wand, and then the two followed the carriages on foot.

He nodded to Sakura and Sasuke, letting them know their charge was in capable hands, and they returned to listening to Slughorn.

The carriages pulled up to the school, and the ninjas followed Slughorn into the quickly filling Great Hall. Naruto and Sakura pretended to be amazed with the castle and Great Hall's ceiling, to the delight of the professor. Sasuke simply scowled as every girl gasped, giggled, and whispered upon sighting him.

Naruto snorted at Sasuke's dilemma and elbowed him good-naturedly. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

The three passed Dumbledore, whose eyes twinkled at them, and waited behind the line of first years to be Sorted. He had explained that they would need to be Sorted in front of the school to authenticate their cover story. That way, if one of them got in Gryffindor with their charge, Harry wouldn't be able to question their placement (he had explained Harry's displeasure with the Auror guards he was forced to endure outside of school and said Harry would probably be suspicious of more undercover guards). The Sorting Hat never misplaced a student.

"Where is he?" hissed Sakura, scouring the crowd. "Didn't you say he was okay?"

"He is," said Naruto. He lowered his voice as Dumbledore raised a hand to silence the students. "He's walking, so it'll take longer."

They listened, authentically amazed as the Sorting Hat burst into song. Dumbledore had failed to mention that part. Then McGonagall called the first name, and the Sorting began.

After Zedan, Helen, Dumbledore raised his hand again and announced, "And, as many of you have already noticed, we have three new students from a foreign academy that will join us this year. I ask that you make them feel welcome in our land and school. Now," he gestured to the ninjas, eyes twinkling madly as the ninjas shrank under the sudden limelight, "please be Sorted."

"Naruto, Uzumaki," McGonagall read off her list, and Sakura's eye twitched.

"You idiot, you gave them our names Japanese style!" she hissed at Naruto, who had been charged with adding their names to the list.

He laughed nervously, his hand going automatically to the back of his neck. "Um, whoops?"

He went forward, however, and sat on the short three-legged stool. McGonagall sat the Hat on his head, giving no indication that she knew him from over the summer.

"Oh, what have we here?" a voice said in Naruto's head, causing him to jump in surprise.

Who's there? He thought back, wondering if he had somehow been caught in a genjutsu these wizards seemed so fond of. His hands came up, ready to form the seal to release it.

"Calm down," said the voice with a hint of amusement. "I'm looking through your characteristics to find the right House for you. Let's see… very loyal to your friends, and incredibly hard-working. More Hufflepuff than I've ever seen. But you're brave, braver than I've ever seen, too. You never give up, even when you're faced with seemingly insurmountable odds and deadly dangers. You'd die to protect the ones you care for. I know just where to put you…"

Aloud, the Hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Naruto grinned and pulled off the Hat. Perfect. He bounded towards the table that was clapping loudest and sat down next to the bushy-haired girl Dumbledore had mentioned was one of Harry's friends. She eagerly cleared room for him, probably wanting to grill him about his homeland and their school system. The tall redhead across from her rolled his eyes.

"Sakura, Haruno," said McGonagall, and the pink-haired girl stepped forward, shoulders squared.

"Just as strange as the last one, I see," said the voice, and Sakura smirked. She had guessed there was some kind of telepathic magic in the hat allowing it to find the characteristics it had mentioned in the song. "Ah, clever one, aren't you? Yes, I see you'd do very well in Ravenclaw with a mind like yours. But what's this?" Suddenly, Sakura saw in her mind's eye herself in the Forest of Death during the chuunin exams. She stood determinedly over the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke, ready to defend them against all three Sound ninjas, even as her gut screamed at her that she didn't have a chance, that she would die here. She hadn't budged. "Not a very smart move, but brave indeed. And you are beginning to value bravery more and more with Naruto's influence, aren't you? Very well, I see you'd also do best in… GRYFFINDOR!"

Sakura smiled and handed the hat back to an approving McGonagall. She walked calmly towards the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Naruto, who looked relieved at her Sorting.

"See, Sakura-chan?" said Naruto, grinning. "I told you you were brave, too!"

Sakura beamed. "Thank you, Naruto."

"Sasuke, Uchiha."

Sakura and Naruto shared concerned glances, each thinking the same thing. They knew Sasuke was brave enough to be in Gryffindor. After all, he faced the same dangers as them, if not more, without flinching. He had saved their lives countless times at risk of his own. But his ambition was always his driving force. Ambition was a Slytherin quality, according to the Hat.

"Wow," said a girl on the other side of Sakura. She and her friends were staring as Sasuke sat down gracefully on the little stool. "That is one beautiful hunk of man."

While Sakura laughed and said, "Yes, he is," Naruto growled and informed them,

"He's a bastard. Give up now."

Meanwhile, Sasuke told the hat, Put me in Gryffindor, without even waiting for the telepathic voice. There was a silence, and then the hat muttered in his mind,

"Well, you're obviously just as sharp as the last girl, and confident enough not to wait to confirm I existed. But I don't know if Gryffindor is really the right fit for you. I see ambition. You exist for a single ambition, and you'd do anything to achieve it. You almost killed your best friend for it. You'd be in better company in Slytherin…."

No. I didn't kill my best friend, so I obviously value him more than that ambition. And you will not separate us. I will never leave him and Sakura again. …Well, him at least. Sakura is annoying.

"You're planning on finding Itachi with or without Naruto as soon as you're strong enough. You can't lie to me. You really ought to go to… SLY-"

HAT! Sasuke cut the hat off with a thought sharper than a kunai. Tell me, Hat. Do you sleep?

"Um… no…."

Then you do not have… nightmares?

"No, I don't."

Well, Hat, thought Sasuke, letting his rage boil just as far as he could without activating the Curse Mark, if you do not place me in Gryffindor with my comrades, I will be your first, your worst, and your very last. Do you understand me, Hat?

There were several seconds of silence. Then the hat muttered aloud, "…ffindor…"

The Great Hall was silent. McGonagall leaned forward, frowning. "Excuse me?"

"Gryffindor!" the hat snapped irritably. "He goes to Gryffindor!"

Sasuke allowed himself a smirk as he took the hat off and handed it to a baffled McGonagall. He strode towards the Gryffindor table among whispers and pointing (mostly girls) and sat down across from Naruto, beside a tall redhead they had been told was one of Potter's friends.

Naruto, Sakura, and the bushy-haired brunette eyed him suspiciously as food appeared on the table.

"Did the hat try and put you in Slytherin?" Naruto asked, eyes narrowed.

"It thought about it but obviously decided Gryffindor was better suited for me," said Sasuke, his expression returning to neutral as he ladled out some familiar soup.

"…Did you threaten it?"

"Dobe, why would I threaten it? If it put me in Slytherin, at least I would be away from annoyances like you."

"I don't think threats would work against the hat," said the bushy-haired girl, speaking at last. She picked out a few pieces of food, but looked far more interested in the foreign students. She practically glowed with enthusiasm. "My name's Hermione Granger. That's my friend Ron Weasley. So, where are you guys from? I know Hogwarts hasn't participated in foreign exchange programs since the first war almost thirty years ago. And with war breaking out again now, well… your school must be very confident in Hogwarts' protection!"

"I'm Sakura Haruno," said Sakura with a smile as she looked through the food dubiously. She and Naruto still hadn't gotten used to the European food. "We're from Japan. And, well, I think Professor Dumbledore will say a little more about our situation after the feast. It's not exactly foreign exchange."

She smiled wryly and picked out a few harmless looking dishes.

Hermione frowned, and Sakura recognized the expression as one she herself frequently wore. It was the expression of a smart girl working through anomalies.

"What do you mean it isn't an exchange program?" she asked at last.

"You don't see any Hogwarts students missing, do you?" said Sasuke, still appearing as though he couldn't care less. "Hence… no exchange."

Hermione's mien stiffened slightly, affronted at his condescending tone, but before she could respond, Harry appeared on her other side. "Oh, my God, Harry!"

"Where've you — blimey, what've you done to your face?" said Ron, goggling at him along with everyone else in the vicinity.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" said Harry, grabbing a spoon and squinting at his distorted reflection.

"You're covered in blood!" said Hermione. "Come here —"

She raised her wand, said "Tergeo!" and siphoned off the dried blood.

"Thanks," said Harry, feeling his now clean face. "How's my nose looking?"

"Normal," said Hermione anxiously. "Why shouldn't it? Harry, what happened? We've been terrified!"

"I'll tell you later," said Harry curtly. He was suddenly very conscious of the foreign students, Ginny, Neville, Dean, and Seamus listening in. "I've missed the Sorting, then?" he nodded at the students he had seen in Slughorn's carriage and remembered the pink-haired girl saying they hadn't been Sorted yet. If they were sitting at Gryffindor, then….

"Oh, yes," said Hermione, though she still looked concerned. "Harry, this is Sakura-"

"We've all met," chirped Naruto. "Slughorn's compartment."

Harry and Sakura nodded. Sasuke sipped at his soup.

"So what did he want?" asked Hermione. "Professor Slughorn, I mean. You never came back…."

"To know what really happened at the Ministry," said Harry.

"Him and everyone else here," sniffed Hermione. "People were interrogating us about it on the train, weren't they, Ron?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "All wanting to know if you really are 'the Chosen One' —"

He broke off as Dumbledore got to his feet at the staff table. The talk and laughter echoing around the Hall died away almost instantly.

"The very best of evenings to you!" he said, smiling broadly, his arms opened wide as though to embrace the whole room. "To our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you… Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year, Professor Slughorn"— Slughorn stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight, his big waistcoated belly casting the table into shadow — "is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?"

"Potions?"

The word echoed all over the Hall as people wondered wheel they had heard right. The ninjas, who already knew, wondered what the big deal was.

"Potions?" said Ron and Hermione together, turning to stare Harry. "But you said —"

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, raising voice so that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" said Harry, so loudly that many heads turned in his direction.

It was because of Harry's outburst that only Naruto, Sakura, and Hermione noticed Sasuke's head snap up with an expression of shock at the name. They watched as his eyes shot up to the staff table and locked with similar black eyes.

Just as quickly as he had lost composure, though, he had regained it, and returned to his soup as though nothing had happened.

Hermione, Sakura, and Naruto frowned. How did Sasuke know this foreign wizard?

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength." The silence seemed to tauten, and Dumbledore continued, "His strength is extending across the continent and even overseas. It was because of Voldemort's allies that our three new foreign students find themselves among us at Hogwarts. Their school was brought into this war due to those alliances and destroyed. They have requested me to tell you they do not wish to be questioned further about the event, as it was quite traumatic."

The silence strained as many students turned to look at the ninjas, who all looked down at their hands as though to attest to the trauma. Hermione let out a soft, sympathetic, "Oh."

"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe," Dumbledore concluded. "The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that you teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them — in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."

Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students before he smiled once more.

"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

There was a deafening scraping of benches as the student-body stood, and Hermione called over it to the foreign students, "I'll show you to the Gryffindor Tower! I'm a prefect!"

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke followed her, all three noticing how Harry and Ron lagged behind. Hermione explained things to them and the first years as they walked, most of which sounded like Hogwarts, a History, and when Sakura pointed that out, Hermione gushed.

"Oh, how wonderful! I haven't been able to find another Gryffindor that's read Hogwarts, a History! What did you find the most interesting? I personally loved the section about the construction of third floor-"

Sakura followed Hermione to the sixth years' girl's dorm, chatting animatedly with her the whole time, while Naruto and Sasuke followed a helpful Neville.

"Wow!" exclaimed Naruto as he plopped onto the bed corresponding to his trunk. The room had been magically enlarged to fit two more beds comfortably. "This is awesome! We didn't have dorms at our academy; we just went home in the evenings. This is so cool!"

"Really?" said Neville as he pulled on pajamas. "Most everyone lives really far away, here. I mean, this is somewhere in Scotland, but I live in England! It'd be a heck of a ride home every evening."

Seamus and Dean entered and fell into their beds. Dean sat up to take his shoes off, but Seamus started snoring as soon as his face hit his pillow. Naruto cackled.

"You're not writing on his face," sighed Sasuke, who took his time changing into his night clothes.

Naruto pouted.

Harry and Ron entered, both looking downcast about something. Naruto and Sasuke shared a look, wondering what had happened, but neither asked. They had agreed that looking too interested would be a bit of a give-away.

"So, you guys are from Japan, huh?" said Harry, attempting to look more upbeat. "Your English is very good. We had Bulgarian and French schools over here in our fourth year for a tournament, and their accents were horrible. One girl stayed here to work on her English and ended up getting engaged to his brother." He nodded at Ron.

Naruto laughed. "Sasuke's the only one that actually speaks English," he said with a grin. "Sakura and I are using translation spells. See?" He held up his hand, which appeared to have a smiley face tattooed on the back. "Dumbledore did it. He says to come get it redone when it starts to frown, 'cause that'll mean it's wearing off."

Harry, Ron, and Neville laughed.

"That's Dumbledore for you," grinned Harry. "So how come you learned English, Sasuke? Do you have family here or something?"

Naruto saw Sasuke's back stiffen even as the words left Harry's mouth, and he suppressed his own wince. They didn't know not to mention family in context with Sasuke yet.

"I'd better not," muttered Sasuke darkly, not turning around from where he folded his clothes.

At the other Gryffindors' bemused stares, Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Haha, let me translate for you. It's kind of bad that Sasuke's the only one that speaks English because he doesn't really, uh, speak." He laughed again and said, "What he means to say is that he visited Europe a while ago and learned it then. And since he's a ridiculous overachiever, he learned it fluently and hasn't forgotten anything. Right, bastard?"

Harry and Ron looked shocked at his casual use of 'bastard' to the person's face, not only because it was rude, but because Sasuke looked perfectly capable of killing in cold blood, pretty boy or not.

Surprisingly, he only muttered, "Dobe."

While Naruto growled at Sasuke's back, Ron asked, "What's 'dobe?'"

"Dead last," said Sasuke before Naruto had a chance. He smirked at Naruto's deepening scowl. "Because Naruto was dead last in our class at the academy."

"I was sabotaged, I tell you! Sabotaged!"

"Psht."

"You know I'm right! I couldn't have been worse than Shikamaru; he got a zero on every test because he was too lazy to pick up his pencil! I would have had to have made negative grades to be lower than him!"

Sasuke seemed to consider this as he lied down on his bed. Then he answered decisively, "I would have given you negative grades if I were a teacher. Not only were your skills nonexistent, which would have been an automatic zero, they were embarrassing, which definitely puts it into the negatives."

"Why you-!" Naruto made to leap at his teammate only to bounce off Sasuke's suddenly closed and hardened curtains. He growled, but after a few seconds he shrugged and grinned. "G'night, Sasuke-bastard!"

"…Usuratonkachi."

Naruto growled again and ignored Ron's query of what that one meant.

"Useless freaking idiot," Sasuke offered helpfully from behind his curtains.

"Huh," Ron muttered to Harry as Naruto got into his bed, still growling. "He is a bastard."

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I already have eight chapters of this written out, so I'm planning on posting every Friday for those of you whose story alerts are screwed up like mine are. And I promise I'm still going to write the epilogue to FotR, for those readers, too.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!