Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.

Harry woke up in a cold sweat that morning. The lightning shaped scar on his forehead was burning again and he knew he must have dreamt about something involving Lord Voldemort. However, no matter how much Harry tried to remember, he just couldn't seem to recall what he had seen. Everything came out blank, although Harry was able to picture the face of the strange man in his previous dream and the figure of someone next to the man. But even then the details were limited, and as Harry began to regain his senses, the less he could remember. Harry laid breathing heavily on his bed at the Burrow. The sound of rain splattering on the window and the steady breathing of his best friend, Ron, served to calm his beating heart, but the sense of anxiety didn't seem to leave him. The Weasleys had taken him to the Quidditch World Cup and the events that unfolded there made his stomach churn. Many questions plagued his mind as the memories of the Death Eater attack and the mayhem at the ministry came back at full force. His worries of what the casting of the dark mark meant pushed away prior thoughts about his dream.

Who conjured up the dark mark? Does this mean Voldemort is coming back and becoming stronger? Has his followers begun to gather once again?

What does this all mean?

When he couldn't stand just laying there and brooding over the matter by himself anymore, Harry got up and changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. With the amount of information he has now, there's no chance that he would be able to solve this puzzling mystery. Perhaps tackling the tough task of waking up Ron would help to ease his mind for a moment. After much grumbling and blanket pulling, Ron was finally up and changing. Once Ron finished the two began to bring down their trunks and get ready for their journey to Hogwarts. However, the rainy weather and gloomy atmosphere from the past few days served to dampen the cheer of the usually joyous occasion.

On the same day in a land far, far, away, the Akatsuki members were sleeping blissfully, well, except for one. Deidara had been up since sunrise. Given the fact that he had to share a home with about ten other people, Deidara had developed a habit of waking up at that ungodly hour. The early bird gets the worm as the saying goes and so there were always fewer fights for the bathroom. Since there was only one bathroom, it was always a battleground in the mornings and evenings, and even when members were out on missions (the frequency of these missions has unfortunately diminished; business has been slow lately), there was always someone left at the base to compete against for bathroom use. Frankly, there was another reason why Deidara preferred to get up earlier than the other members. It gave him the opportunity to wake them up.

With a mischievous smile he stood outside his door holding a pot and pan. He knew choosing the room near the entrance of the hallway was a brilliant decision. It was the perfect starting point. Although he would've preferred to wake the members up with a different method, he had settled on the old pots and pans trick after being left to die by Kakuzu for blowing up nearly the whole house. Taking a deep breath, Deidara sprinted down the hallway with the pot and pan clanging against one another. As soon as he had reached the end of the hall a gleeful shout suddenly joined in with the cacophonous racket.

Tobi burst out of his room, orange mask bobbing up and down as he skipped over to Deidara, arms wide open for a hug. "Good morning senpai! Tobi is awake!" Stopping mid-clank, Deidara kicked him away.

"Make yourself useful and help me wake everyone else, yeah."

"Yes! Tobi is a good boy!" The energetic male proclaimed before scampering off to the kitchen and returning with his own pot and a ladle. "Tobi will wake up Leader and Konan!"

"Fine by me, yeah," Deidara snorted before shuddering. There was no way he was going to barge into their rooms again.

The noisy din started up once again. Deidara quickly moved away from Pein and Konan's rooms once he heard Tobi begin to cry. He proceeded to move down the hallway kicking open doors and entering the rooms while singing a wake up song to the rhythm of the loud clanks. Deidara decided to skip Zetsu, Sasori, and Kakuzu's rooms. He didn't want to go into Zetsu's room since it was filled with various plants that made his eyes water. Besides, with all those plants he wouldn't be able to pinpoint Zetsu's location quick enough to avoid getting something bitten off. Deidara avoided Sasori's room since it was most likely that his partner was already up. Sasori really didn't need any sleep. Kakuzu's room was omitted over the fact that Kakuzu was still annoyed with him for the damages caused months ago and would most likely attempt to kill him (again).

An angry fuck off from Hidan and many variations of shut up and get the hell outs later, the Akatsuki were finally up and moving. Deidara was sitting at the table with a smug look. Harsh bangs and shouts greeted his ears as the Akatsuki shuffled about and argued for the bathroom. It seemed like Hidan was duking it out with whoever was in there. The sound of gushing water and Hidan's splutters made apparent that it was Kisame. A seething Hidan soon appeared from the hallway, muttered profanities and puddles of water following him as he made his way to the kitchen. A few moments later Kisame appeared as well as Itachi and Sasori. They went about their usual morning routines and slowly the other members began to trickle into the area. Tobi still hadn't appeared after entering Pein's room and Deidara hoped that Pein had finally done him in. Unfortunately that wasn't true since Tobi suddenly skipped into the room followed by an irritated Pein and a seemingly emotionless Konan. The tiny pulsing vein on her forehead however said otherwise and her lips twitched into a vengeful smile when she saw Tobi slip on a puddle of water and knock his head painfully against the counter.

"Morning, Konan. Morning, boss. You look chipper." Hibiki said with a cup of coffee raised to her lips. An apathetic look was the only response she received.

Never one to waste time, Sasori went right to business and asked, "What's on the agenda today?"

"We'll discuss it once Zetsu returns," Pein replied before taking a seat. Konan went to the kitchen and began to cook pancakes. Konan, Itachi, and surprisingly Hidan were the only ones from the group who could cook a decent meal consistently, although Hidan was the only one who was never willing to cook anything.

Deidara raised his eyebrows in surprise. "He's been gone, hm?"

Sasori rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Of course he has, who do you think has been providing us with information on the client? Don't tell me you forgot." Why was I paired up with that idiot? However upon reflection Sasori decided that he could have done worse. After all, he could have been paired up with Tobi. Hibiki, on the other hand, did not luck out. He sent her his sympathies before he proceeded to stop caring.

Deidara opened his mouth to say something snarky but then decided against it. The mission had slipped his mind. Deidara frowned as he tried to remember the details of the mission. If his memory was correct, then they were supposed to be guarding a school and protecting its students while some type of competition went on. Today is going to be interesting, Deidara concluded. Not only were the Akatsuki finally going to have a major mission in which all members would be partaking, they would also be leaving for a magical school soon. Deidara still couldn't believe it. Who knew witches and wizards existed? Although considering there were hidden villages, it shouldn't have come as a surprised that another secret society was out there. If Sasori could hear what Deidara was thinking at the moment he would have banged his head on the table. How could you forget something as monumental as the existence of magic?

By the time Zetsu materialized from the floor, breakfast was already over. The black and white male took a seat next to Tobi, who was busy omnoming cookies at an alarming rate. How he was able to do so without revealing his face was a mystery.

"The Portkey Dumbledore told us about will be activated in an hour. The old man said it would be a shoe."

"What the hell's a Portkey?"

"Silly Kisame, it's Tobi's shoe!"

"Shut the fuck up Tobi."

"Hn."

"Anybody here speak Uchiha?"

"Tobi's stupidity must be rubbing off on you, Hibiki."

"Shut it, Pinocchio."

"Hey I take offense."

"Your face offends me."

"Real mature."

"I know."

"Oi, Hibiki, you and Hidan still owe me money."

"I'm not paying you a dime, damn heathen!"

"Do you want me to sew your head on your ass again?"

"NOOO! Tobi still has nightmares from that, Kakuzu-senpai!"

"Enough."

All conversations stopped once Pein spoke. His rimmed eyes stared at each member to make sure he had their full attention. Despite the fact that they were mercenaries, they tend to act like a bunch of children whenever the whole group was assembled. Once all eyes were on him, Pein took a moment to revel in the fact that he could finally get them to be serious.

"Where will the Portkey be located?" Pein asked.

"Dumbledore said it would be west of our base in a clearing," the white half of Zetsu said. "We could go check", the black half added.

"That won't be necessary. Just go pack your things quickly. We'll be leaving in ten minutes."

Alarmed, Deidara sat up quickly. Crap. He didn't even do his laundry yet. "Ten minutes? What's the rush?"

"It would be better to get there earlier to make sure we don't miss the Portkey." From the corner of his eye Deidara could see Sasori staring at him intensely. He could practically hear Sasori saying, "You better not keep us waiting."

Deidara grumbled. Pein still could've sent Zetsu ahead to check so that they wouldn't have to leave so quickly. It's not like Zetsu had much to bring with him any way and it would take a long time to get to the clearing. A voice in the back of Deidara's head told him that it was probably Pein's way of getting back at him for allowing Tobi to enter his room.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, hm."

"Good. You're all dismissed."

The storm was getting worse as the train went on. The dark mood in their compartment still hadn't lifted after Malfoy's lovely visit. Ron was still fuming by the time they had arrived at Hogwarts and the pouring rain wasn't helping matters much. The trio and Neville hurried along inside the castle, dodging water balloons being chucked by Peeves and slipping and sliding on the wet ground. Once they managed to duck into the Great Hall, they went and took a seat at the Gryffindor table. Students all around them chattered happily as they reunited with friends. Unable to resist the cheery atmosphere, Ron was finally pulled out of his funk.

The Sorting had barely begun before Ron doubled over and moaned, "Oh hurry up already! I'm starving over here." Harry couldn't help but agree. Minutes later, the two boys, and many others, gave a shout of joy when Dumbledore finally said the magic words, "Tuck in!" Plates filled up and emptied quickly before being filled once more. Hermione, however, refused to eat another bite once Nearly Headless Nick made it known that it was house-elves who made the delicious food. Ron merely shrugged his shoulders at Harry before continuing to stuff his face when Hermione began to go on a rage about how their food was being made from slave labor. She gave Ron a look of disgust when he tried to tempt her with a treacle tart.

The feast wore on uneventfully. Harry sat back and took in the sight of the filled Great Hall that he missed so much during the summer at Privet Drive. Hufflepuffs were conversing amiably. Over at the Ravenclaw table Harry could see a few students subtly reading while their peers talked animatedly about something. He also caught a glimpse of Cho Chang and had to divert his eyes less he start staring. Harry wasn't particularly interested in what the Slytherins were doing, but from the corner of his eye he could see Malfoy gesturing madly while laughing, probably at someone else's expense. A flash of lightning made Harry look up and he noted with surprise that the ceiling was the stormiest he had ever seen in his time at Hogwarts. Despite the raging storm, it didn't diminish the beauty and awe of the enchanted ceiling. Moving his gaze again, he glanced towards the staff table and noticed for the first time that there was an additional table with eleven empty seats as well as an empty seat among the teachers.

By then Dumbledore had started his annual announcements so Harry leaned towards his friends and whispered, "Why do you suppose there's an empty table at the front?"

"Beats me, mate. I don't see any new teacher either. Do you think they couldn't find one this year?" Ron whispered back.

"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will answer that if you just pay attention." Hermione replied with a stern look that made her resemble Professor McGonagall.

Just as soon as Hermione uttered those words, a large bang caught everyone's attention. A man with an extremely scarred face stood at the Great Hall's doorway. Silence filled the hall as the stranger limped towards Dumbledore, the two exchanging words before the man sat down to the right of Dumbledore's seat.

"Bloody hell, that's Mad-Eye Moody!" Ron exclaimed in hushed awe. "Only the best Auror around!"

"What happened to him?" Hermione whispered in shock. "What happened to his face?"

"Dunno," Ron whispered back, looking intently at Moody. "But that eye is freaky."

Harry agreed. It seemed to have a mind of its own as it whirled in impossible directions in Moody's socket. Harry's heart stopped for a moment when the eye looked directly at him before rolling to the back of Moody's head.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody."

Silence from the staff and student body greeted him back, the only sound echoing in the Great Hall were the lone claps of Dumbledore and Hagrid, but even then it stopped pretty quickly. Everyone else seemed too transfixed by Moody's bizarre appearance to do more than stare at him.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, unfortunately the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

Shouts of outrage erupted. Harry was at a loss for words and could do nothing else but open his mouth in disbelief.

When the clamor did not die down, Dumbledore raised his voice above the din, "Silence!"

All noises ceased and Dumbledore went on, "This painful decision was made due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy—but I am sure that you will all enjoy it greatly." At this Dumbledore smiled his signature smile that reached his eyes and made them sparkle. "We are to have the honor of hosting a very special event this year, an event that hasn't been held for over a century. It is my immense pleasure to announce that Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament!"

"WHAT!" said Fred and George loudly, comically shocked expressions on both of their faces.

The Great Hall rumbled with laughter at their outburst and Dumbledore smiled appreciatively at them for breaking the tension. This didn't last long, however, once Dumbledore mentioned the age restriction that will now be in place and a fresh burst of outrage erupted once again. From down the table Harry could already hear the twins plotting a way to get around the restriction despite the clear message from Dumbledore that they were to do no such thing.

Even though he was slightly disappointed, Harry didn't mind the new rule as much as Fred and George did. He was perfectly content with just watching and not have to be the hero for once. However, Harry couldn't help but imagine that he had won the tournament and was being lifted up onto the shoulders of his peers, Cho beaming up at him from the sidelines… Gasps suddenly brought Harry out of his reverie. The empty table at the front was suddenly filled. The strangers all wore black cloaks with red clouds and many looked amused as the students turned to each other, whispering and pointing.

"Ah, you have finally arrived. It's a shame that you missed dinner," said Dumbledore to the new guests.

Harry couldn't hear what the orange haired man sitting in the middle said to Dumbledore, but whatever was said drew a chortle from him. The orange haired man didn't seem very amused.

Dumbledore coughed, "Now, where was I… Oh yes, the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of the year. In addition to that, I have employed the Akatsuki to help make sure that there will be no casualties at our school. Let me introduce their leader, Pein." Dumbledore then gestured towards the orange haired man whose strange eyes scanned the room. Hermione looked appalled by all the piercings that covered his face.

"And this lovely flower is Konan," continued Dumbledore. To the right of Pein a lavender haired woman with a paper flower adorning her hair nodded at the students. She too had a piercing.

Dumbledore repeated the process for each person, saying their name and then pointing out who they were. The member would then greet the students in their own way.

To the left of Pein was Zetsu, or the plant man as Ron had dubbed him. Zetsu gave a short wave to which a few tentative first years waved back, but the rest of the students were too transfixed by the large fly trap that seemed to be growing out of him.

Next to him was an uncomfortable looking woman with black hair tied back into a ponytail. Harry had briefly heard Dumbledore say that her name was Hibiki, and before she could say anything, the bouncing male beside her cut in.

"HELLO! Tobi's name is Tobi!" he said while waving wildly. "Nice to meet you!"

The tall blonde next to Tobi, who Dumbledore addressed as Deidara, looked irked and his agitation became even more apparent when Tobi's flapping hands whacked him in the face. Deidara made a move to hit Tobi, but the red head adjacent to him, Sasori, murmured something that made him freeze.

Seamus nudged Ron and said, "Look Ron, it's your long lost brother!" Surrounding Gryffindors laughed while a scowling Ron told them to shut it.

On the right side of the table a black haired man dipped his head down when Dumbledore said, "Itachi Uchiha." Ron turned to Harry and gagged when several girls blushed. The girls stopped swooning once they turned to look at Kisame as he was introduced next. The large blue shark-like man smiled wide and sharp teeth was revealed. A muggle-born at the Gryffindor table started to hum the Jaws theme and for a split second Kisame looked ready to tear someone apart. Hidan who stood beside him snickered and Harry thought that he could have passed as Malfoy's older brother, despite the obvious silver hair and pink eyes.

The last member to be introduced was Kakuzu. Like the other members his appearance warranted hushed whispers and stares. He towered over the other members, with the exception of Kisame, and his face was covered by a white hood and a black mask. The only part of his face that was visible was his unnatural red and green eyes. They were almost as terrifying to look at as their leader's.

Much like Moody's earlier introduction, there wasn't much applause. If Mad-Eye Moody's appearance had startled them, the Akatsuki's topped the cake. Some of them didn't even look human.

Dumbledore's amused expression did not leave his face as he said, "I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"

On the way to the Gryffindor dormitory the Akatsuki were the topic of every conversation.

"Where do you think Dumbledore found them?" asked Hermione, brows furrowed. "I've never heard of the Akatsuki before."

"Maybe he found them at the circus freak show," suggested Ron.

"Ron! That's so rude!" Hermione reprimanded. "Just because they look a little… different… It doesn't mean—"

"A little different? Hermione, those were the strangest muggles I've ever seen! Makes me wonder why Dumbledore would ever hire them to do a wizard's job." said Ron.

Hermione stopped walking. "Muggles? What makes you think they're muggles?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I would've heard of them if they were wizards."

With that answer, Hermione moved along silently deep in thought, brows furrowed and a frown present on her lips. Harry recognized that look immediately and knew that she was planning to do some research later. Shaking his head, Harry decided to carry on the conversation as they entered the common room.

"This is going to be an interesting school year."

"You bet. If Fred and George find a way to get around the judge, I might just go for it. Dunno if we've learned enough though…"

"Weren't you listening, Ron? People have died in the tournament! I, for one, think it was a brilliant decision to put an age restriction. Now get to bed. It's too late to be thinking up half wit plans," Hermione ordered before making her way up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Her mood had suddenly gone south when she saw the warm lit fireplace. While she was going up the stairs Harry could distinctly hear her muttering, "Slave labor."

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged.

Yeah, not much was happening in this chapter. It's going to be a slow start. I used some quotes from the book, but I'll try not to do it too often in the future. There are also going to be elements from the book and the movie in this story, but mostly stuff from the book since I have a copy of it with me. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too much of a bore to read.
If you were wondering why the Akatsuki showed up so late at the feast, it was because they missed the Portkey. :)
That explains why there was so much rain.