My thanks to all who have reviewed/followed/favourited this story so far~! Sorry if I took awhile to post this (originally intended to post this three days ago heh ^^")

Here's the third chapter... Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Harry Potter.


[ "Normal speech in English/Normal speech in another language ('un-translated')"

"Normal speech in another language ('translated')."

§Parseltongue ('translated' obviously)§

Thoughts/Mind speech/Otherworldly (including prophesies) speech/letter writing ]

*Speech/Mind-speech in bold = demon speech/mind-speech

Extra A/N: I realise doesn't allow/have the right formatting for strikethroughs, so purposely cancelled words are now underlined:

[ cancelled words ]

and when something is written in someone else's handwriting but on the same paper e.g. in a letter, it'll be in bold:

[ person A's writing vs person B's writing ]


Chapter 3: The Letters From Someone

Post by hawk, owl or magic, perfectly normal for wizards, but unfortunately, not so normal for the Dursleys.

At least they haven't see the deliverers.


Despite getting locked in her room for the rest of the school term until the summer holidays (which wasn't a bad thing, since she had already learned basic math and science and the like back when Naruko was still a student at the Ninja Academy—and Kurama couldn't be bothered to point out that she had skipped most of her classes back then to play—so she hadn't actually learned much, but Riddle was around to tutor her on what she missed out anyway), Hari had quite an enjoyable time, practicing what jutsu and magic she could in the confines of her room.

Riddle was now Hebi-sensei, and he shared his knowledge of the wizarding world readily enough after the first few lessons. He seemed to enjoy teaching, and was quite good at it, even though he didn't seem like the type to get along well with children. However, he rarely shared anything about his life before becoming Lord Voldemort. So whenever he did, Hari would store the information carefully in her mind, guarding it more carefully than any other information, because his secrets seemed more valuable than many other things.

For one, she did manage to find out that he wasn't actually a pureblood, and that he had been left at an orphanage when he was a baby. It sounded awful, and Riddle seemed to despise his Muggle father, such that Hari began to wonder how many children grew up to become criminals (she was pretty sure a Dark Lord was the worst of criminals) due to a bad childhood and a thirst for revenge. Sometimes, she found Riddle reminding her of Sasuke more than she was comfortable with.

Hari also wrote letters to the actual Sasuke in between magic and ninjutsu training. They were getting to know more about each other, and had officially become penpals, with both of them coming up with pennames for the fun of it. Unsurprisingly, it had been Sasuke's idea and he wanted the pennames to be Japanese and animal-related, reminiscent of Konoha's ANBU codenames. Which made Hari wonder if he actually missed Konoha. She hoped so.


Hari, the letter began one day.

I thought about it the other day... Since we're both shinobi, we should probably come up with fake names in case the letters get intercepted some day. Not that I think Takatsuki (which was the name of Sasuke's Hawk, which Hari found rather amusing and... Ironic) could be intercepted easily, but it's better to be cautious. What do you think?

Azrael

His letters were usually short, which was quite Sasuke-ish. But sometimes, Hari would find that she couldn't imagine Sasuke saying what he wrote, almost as if Azrael were a different person from Sasuke. But perhaps that's how it is, because Hari was a similar yet different person from Naruko. She was once Naruko (a typical Gryffindor, Riddle had said when he had a glimpse of her past life), and perhaps once Harriet (a sort of Slytherin... Or a Hufflepuff said Riddle, as if he wasn't quite sure if Harriet was Slytherin or Hufflepuff enough to be Sorted into one of the two), but now, she felt, she might be a merge between the both of them, or a mix of them, like colours layered over each other.


Azrael,

What kind of fake names are you thinking of? It sounds fun.

Hari

And sometimes, Hari's letters were shorter than Azrael's. And he would rebuke her for wasting Takatsuki's efforts in delivering such a short message.


Hari,

You idiot. It's not meant to be fun. It's a precaution. It's a serious matter. Sometimes I question if you're really a shinobi.

The fake names would work as codenames of sorts. Preferably in Japanese and animal-based, so that it's easy to remember but hard to identify.

Azrael

Hari secretly enjoyed it when Sasuke would scold and insult her though, because it reminded her of the times in Team Seven when he'd call her 'dobe' and she'd respond with 'teme'.


Azrael,

It would be more appropriate for you to call me a kunoichi. And I see nothing wrong in having a bit of fun with something serious. I swear you need to lighten up sometimes. Say, have you smiled before?

Anyway, I've thought of a codename for myself already.

Kogitsune

No prizes guessing who she got the idea for her codename from. Hari only hoped that Sasuke wouldn't suspect too much. In English, the ambiguous 'kit' could mean any young animal. In Japanese, the term which Kurama occasionally used was quite specific to mean 'child fox'.


Kit

You do not sound like any girl I've come across. It is rather easy to forget you're one, when you seem to lack any feminine charm. (Do keep it that way.)

And of course I have smiled before! What kind of weird question is that?

Hiyoko Hina Ko-taka

P.s. Why 'Kit'? And realised I don't actually know how old are you.

Hari had to check up the dictionary for the English term for a young hawk.


Eyas,

I do not know if I should be insulted or not. I am plenty feminine! Though... Don't tell me you've got fangirls?

And I can't imagine you smiling. Your letters always sound indifferent... Or irritated. Heh.

I'm turning eleven... Pretty soon. And don't you dare judge me by my age! How old are you anyway? Are you an old? And by old, I mean above thirty. You sound old. Oh no. I've been talking to a snake pedophile!

Sorry about that. Heh. I think I got carried away. Uh... I chose 'kit' because that's what my guardian calls me. Apparently I'm too annoying and mischievous.

Kit

P.s. Why 'Eyas'? And what's with the different handwriting and cancellations?

Afterwards, Kurama choked when he proofread the letter. Guardian?!

Hari happily chose to ignore him.


Kit,

Maybe you're feminine. I can't tell. And yes, unfortunately, I have fangirls. I don't understand it. And contrary to what they believe, I am not 'cool, dark, angsty and mysterious'. I am normal... As normal as anyone going to Durmstrang can be. (Have you heard of the school? I'm probably not supposed to tell you about it if you haven't, but since you're a kunoichi, it should be alright...)

I'm eleven as well, by the way. I do know of a snake pedophile though. You've probably heard of a missing-nin called Orochimaru?

Wait. You're only eleven. How did you come to have Nibuya-hime as your personal summon?

If you have the personality of a fox, I pity your guardian. Have Are your Why How did you come to have a guardian? My guardian is my annoying older brother cousin. He's also the one who tried to get me to sign off as 'Hatchling' etc. Eyas was a compromise after he threatened not to train with me for the rest of the year.

Eyas

Thus, little secrets are slowly revealed.


Eyas,

I'm aware of the magical world, so you don't have to worry about that Statute of Secrecy thing. But I heard that Durmstrang does not... discourage... the studying of Dark Arts. (Riddle had informed her after all.) You sure you're not 'dark'? I believe a wizard could be considered 'cool and mysterious' as well.

Yeah I've heard of Orochimaru. I don't like him at all. I'm glad he's no longer... He's dead right?

I've got two official guardians and one non-official one, actually. My parents died when I was a baby, so now I'm living with my relatives. Is it the same for you? Your cousin sounds fun.

Kit

His cousin sounds familiar, actually, Kurama had commented then, but would not elaborate, while Riddle said something about giving too many clues. Hari wasn't sure who he was referring too.


Kit,

You're a witch too? Half-blood or pureblood? Both my cousin and I are pureblood. Which magical school will you be going to?

Orochimaru isn't pleasant, I assure you. I doubt anyone really likes him. I think he's dead. I hope he's dead. Unless he reincarnated or came back to life again. He does seem to have a habit of doing that.

My... Parents died when I was young too. But my cousin more than make up for them. He only became my guardian last month actually. He turned seventeen in June. His name's Mercury, but I think I shall assign his codename as Karasu. He's not fun. He's the best cousin I could ever have annoying.

Eyas

P.s. You didn't answer my question about Nibuya-hime.

Hari noticed Sasuke had given up on the fangirl topic and let it be. The Uchiha had his fair share of fangirls back when he was an eleven-year-old Academy student (and he'd definitely been angsty and mysterious then). Sakura had been one of those fangirls. Naruko hadn't been one mainly because she had been too annoyed with him being an almost-prodigy while she had been dead last. Hari did tell Sasuke that she didn't know what magical school she'd be going but was likely to receive a letter from Hogwarts soon. She chose not to comment on his observation of Orochimaru, considering how she wasn't supposed to know about his experience with the Snake Sannin. She also managed to avoid answering his question about Nibuya by asking him about his ability to have two summons. That had shut him up quickly, probably because he realised that there were very very few shinobi who could summon both the Snakes and the Hawks, and that pressing the matter would only reveal who he was.

What are the chances that this Mercury-slash-Crow cousin of Sasuke's is actually Itachi? Hari said, rereading her next letter.

What are the chances that the Uchiha hatchling knows that his cousin was once his brother? Kurama responded. And when Riddle had caught up with their discussion (after Hari had formed a book in her mind made up of selected memories of her time as a kunoichi and gave it to Riddle to study), he added, And what are the chances that the entire criminal organisation—Akatsuki, I think you called it? Well what are the chances that all their members have been reincarnated? Including this... Madara person.

It would be really bad, Hari mused, if the Akatsuki were all reincarnated, and worse if they had magic. Though she doubted that Riddle cared about the fate of the world. He was most likely worried about his position as Dark Lord being usurped. And Hari decided that she'd prefer Riddle lording over the Muggles and Muggleborns than Madara or Kaguya trapping the entire world in an illusion, which would basically be the end of the world. So she desperately hoped that Fate would be kind and not have Madara reincarnated, so that at least she would have only one Dark Lord to deal with.

We don't know for sure if Sasuke's cousin is Itachi anyway, Hari said, and changed the topic to the Hogwarts letter. There had been no news of it, though Riddle said it should arrive in July.


They waited. They, meaning Hari, Riddle, Kurama, 'Kichi, 'Tatsu and Nibuya. All of them were looking forward to the letter than confirmed her magical status. And one week before her birthday, it came.

It arrived with the rest of the morning post, the day after Dudley had gotten his Smeltings uniform and Stick (Hari thought the uniform looked hideous despite having her favorite color on it). Hari had gone down for breakfast to find that Aunt Petunia was dyeing Dudley's old clothes grey. It was supposed to be her Stonewall uniform, and she briefly considered telling her aunt not to bother since she wasn't going to the local public school, but decided against it. She was quite thankful that the Hogwarts school robes looked decent (Riddle had most reluctantly shown her some of his memories) enough, though she thought they seemed rather... Plain. All black with no bright colors. It was disappointing to find that there was no House with orange House colors. But she supposed gold may be alright, regardless of whatever Riddle had against Gryffindor.

During breakfast, the mail arrived and Hari was made to get it. And when she leafed through the mail, she found the Hogwarts letter.

The envelope was somewhat thick, made of yellowish parchment that smelled of old scrolls, with the address written in green ink the same color as Hari's eyes. It must have been delivered by an owl for there was no stamp. Hari stared hard at it.

Ms. H. Potter

The Smallest Bedroom

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

She flipped it over. There was a purple-wax seal with the Hogwarts coat of arms—a lion, eagle, badger and snake surrounding the letter H. She could barely breathe in excitement. It was here. At last.

What now? Hari asked her two resident demons (even if Riddle was actually a part of a human soul, she though he'd fit well into the demon category).

Now, you hide that letter and return to breakfast acting as if nothing unusual just— Riddle was saying, when Kurama interrupted.

I thought it might be interesting to let her relatives know about the letter. I'd like to see their reaction.

They'll take away the letter and Potter wouldn't ever see it again, Riddle argued.

What happens if Hogwarts doesn't get a reply?

They may... I'm not sure. I got my letter delivered to me by Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, Riddle had explained to her one day, was the Headmaster of Hogwarts last he remembered. Though when he received his letter, Dumbledore had been a Transfiguration Professor and Deputy Headmaster. Hari noted that Riddle despised what seemed to her to be a kindly middle-aged man with auburn hair and a fascinatingly long beard and twinkling blue eyes. She once told him so, and an image had flashed across her mind before Riddle hurriedly snatched it away. It had been a memory of a burning closet. She could make no head or tail of it, so she filed it away for the time being. Riddle had found her thought process rather amusing though.

(Hari had once seen Dudley play with a figurine that looked like an older Dumbledore—Riddle said the aging wizard's hair was white the last time he saw him—and a figurine that looked like some horned flaming monster, which she was sure was from some movie, and thought that Dumbledore the Colorful could be a fire wizard.)

In the end, Hari kept the letter and left it in one of the old drawers the Dursleys had given her, where all her works (calculations, drawings, seal drafts etc) were kept. She didn't read the letter let alone write a reply. She figured she could read it some other day. Riddle had mentioned that term starts in September, which was a long way from now, and she should be fine as long as she replied by August. The next day, another Hogwarts letter arrived.


They're a rather impatient lot, aren't they? Hari commented on the third day when three letters arrived instead of just one, and Kurama snorted and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "You're one to talk." She ignored the demon fox and kept all of the letters, wondering how far this would go.

You might want to read the letter, Riddle said. And she did. One portion of the letter stated "We await your owl by no later than July 31."

"That's my birthday," Hari observed aloud. "Five days from now... Well, I can just reply them on Monday then."

Twelve letters arrived on the fourth day, and Hari had a difficult time retrieving and hiding all of them.

On the fifth day, twenty-four letters were delivered, each folded and rolled up neatly in two dozen eggs (Eggs of all things, Riddle had commented) that the poor confused milkman handed to Hari. It had been fortunate that the milkman knew Hari, mostly because Hari was often out in the garden when he passes by and they'd greet each other good morning. She should have known her luck wouldn't last.

There was no post on Sunday, which was also the sixth day (the first letter had arrived on a Tuesday), but when the Dursleys and Hari had begun breakfast when letters started to shoot down the kitchen chimney and out of the fireplace. For a moment, the Dursleys could only stare at the letters pouring out of the fireplace, dumbfounded. Then, like statues suddenly coming to life, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon started yelling and chasing everyone out of the room even as more letters flooded the kitchen.

You can't deny that was hilarious, Kurama laughed as the Dursleys tried to figure out what was going on. It didn't take long for them to place the blame on Hari, especially after Dudley showed them one of the letters he had managed to grab.

They are rather persistent, Hari observed, trying her best not to laugh, wondering who in Hogwarts was in charge of the letters, and tuning out the shouting Dursleys. Riddle had told her there was an enchanted quill that wrote the address of each letter, but didn't say who writes and sends out the letters.

I'll admit that was... Somewhat entertaining, Riddle said. But the entertainment didn't seem about to end just yet.

On the seventh day, the Dursleys had breakfast in the living room, and letters began streaming in from windows, fireplace, under the doors... After that, Hari was locked in her room for the rest of the day while her relatives set about burning the letters in a bonfire in the backyard. That evening, Uncle Vernon told her that she would be moving to Mrs Figg's house for the rest of the summer break if more letters came at breakfast the next day.

Hari spent the rest of the day practicing locking and unlocking charms, silencing charms and warding spells, while experimenting with seals and magic. A letter from 'Eyas' came in the late afternoon, and she read it with much amusement. It was full of complaints about 'Crow', his older cousin. Apparently Mercury had spent the past three days lecturing Azrael on how to behave in Durmstrang before dragging him off to 'purchase his school supplies' (because Sasuke felt that 'shopping' wasn't the appropriate word to use here). In any case, from what she could find in his letters, Mercury sounded like a very caring brother.

Hari said so in her reply letter, before launching into the tale of the Persistent Hogwarts Letters. She had to quickly shove everything 'abnormal' into her closet when Aunt Petunia brought her dinner, including Takatsuki and Gamakichi. This didn't happen very often, but it did occur often enough for Takatsuki and 'Kichi to let themselves be manhandled without causing trouble. However, the Hawk wouldn't stop glaring at Hari after she let them out later.

That night, Hari lay awake on her bed, counting down to midnight. She had already written her reply for the Hogwarts letter but had yet to send it. She could see no owls around, not that she had expected to see any in the stormy weather outside, and figured she'd wait for the morning post. Takatsuki had left earlier to deliver her letter to Sasuke. The Hawk had taken one look at the rain, shot a glare at Hari and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The storm blew itself away as midnight approached, though there was a loud rhythmic thumping that reverbrated through the house as the seconds ticked by. The thumping seemed to get louder and louder, until Hari got quite worried. By then, she had two Toads and one Snake in the bedroom with her. It had been the tradition for four years now, for the three of them to join her in a small midnight celebration of her birthday. Usually, one of them would bring a small cake (most likely 'Kichi, because Snakes didn't seem to know how to bake cake, and 'Tatsu would have eaten the cake before Hari could even look at it) that was plain and generally tasted like sweet bread because they knew Hari wouldn't want anything else in the cake, on the cake or flavoring the cake. It was baked by Toads after all, and they had a different food preference.

Ten. Thump.

Nine. Thump. Thump.

Eight. Thump.

Seven. Thump. Thump!

Six. Thump.

Five. Thump. Thump. Thump!

Four. Thump. Thump!

Three. Thump. Thump! Thump!

Two. Thump! Thump!

One—CRASH!

Happy birthday, brat, Kurama said, at the same time as the summons who all yelled, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Hari scrambled out of bed, distracted from her birthday for the moment. The crash had sounded suspiciously like someone breaking down their front door. Meanwhile, she could hear Uncle Vernon storming through the house with a shrieking Aunt Petunia.

"What do you think that was?" Hari wondered aloud. All three of her personal summons stared blankly back at her. She repeated her question in Japanese sheepishly. The Toads shrugged. But before Nibuya could suggest anything, a loud unfamiliar yell (and she was pretty familiar with the different sorts of screams, shrieks, yells and shouts of her relatives) reached her bedroom. Though perhaps it was less of a yell than the raised voice of thundercloud.

"HARRIET! YOU THERE?"


So it's a relatively short chapter, mostly featuring letters, as the title stated. Next one will be a little longer and will hopefully be up by Monday~

Please comment and review~ and feel free to ask any questions. I can't promise to answer them all, but I'll try my best.

Oh, and do let me know if I've made any error or mistake in writing or facts~! Thanks!