Here again is the new chapter for Demon Siblings. I'm sorry for the nearly month delay, but a combined effort of work, school, family, and a trip to the Renaissance Festival, topped with a hearty dose of writers block for the chapter worked against me. If this chapter feels a bit different than the previous ones, it's mainly due to having been written recently. Nearly all of the previous chapter and all of the prologue, were written at the beginning of February, and I finally decided to post and continue it.

That said, I must once again remind you that I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.

It was bright and early the next day as Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, made his way into the office. In all actuality, it wasn't very bright out, with an overcast sky and drizzling rain, but that's beside the point. He groaned slightly at the stack of paperwork already gathered on his desk and had barely gotten comfortable in his chair when there was a knock on the door. Giving permission to enter his secretary wordlessly drifted in and served him a cup of tea before giving him a small smile and leaving the room. He took a sip and smiled, it was just the way he liked it. Steeling his resolve, he picked up his pen and began perusing the top-most important document.

It had been a few hours since he had arrived, and the rain had only gotten worse. As he finished the last of the original stack, he rose and watched the village from his window, the only sound the constant pattering of raindrops against glass. He let his mind wander away from work as he thought more about the situation with Harry. The boy was obviously a wizard, and had more than likely used accidental magic to get here. He was familiar enough with how magical beings worked, as his predecessors had left detailed notes on just what to expect if he were to ever encounter one, as well as the official classified missives from both the Daimyo and Emperor. Accidental magic was just that, an accident, and was often found in children with magical cores. From what he understood, a magical core was similar yet different from a chakra system.

Anyone could use chakra, save those with a debilitating handicap, but those were individual circumstances. At a young age, they had to learn to develop their coils, as well as exercise, to start the production of the energy from the mere trickle it required to live on. As they were taught to harness this energy, their individual stores were built up as well as their bodies pathways enlarged and streamlined for effective use on a battlefield. A tedious process that could begin no later than the age of 10 else the body develop too far to safely expand the coils, but effective on the masses for any who desired to try. Granted, everyone had different levels of natural skill, control, and raw levels of chakra, but that was the same with anything. Training could make up for a lot, but your base genetics described how great a ninja you could eventually be. The formal written report for Harry, compiled by Hiashi, stated that his potential was great, but the longer he waited, the smaller his coils would get, as though they were atrophying due to lack of use like a muscle. Neither had seen anything like it before, at least to that extent, and Hiashi had theorized it was due to his coils being forced almost completely open in an instant, and then left alone.

As for a magical core, he was positive Harry had one, but had no idea how to check if others did. They were hereditary for the most part, and you either had one or you didn't, no in betweens. The documents he had stated that accidental magic happened in times of extreme emotions or longing, with examples of toys or treats floating to the child, or things breaking or changing when they got upset. There were no diagrams of what a magical core looked like, so he couldn't ask a Hyuuga or a medic to check him out. And as Hiashi had not stated anything wrong with the boy, he doubted the Byakugan could readily see it. But still, he was positive that the scar on young Harry's forehead was magical in origin, yet Hiashi had claimed it to be chakra contained within. Perhaps at first glance the energies looked similar. But he had never once heard of any of his villagers talking about levitating toys, strange occurrences around upset children, nor anything else that could only be described as "magic". He made a mental note to have Hiashi do a detailed scan, as deep as he could go, to see if anything popped up. Maybe he could train the child a bit, based off of what he knew, and give him at least a rudimentary ability.

The final problem he thought about was the academy. He wanted both Harry and Naruto go to, but he was sure that the results would be sub-par. He may be able to find one teacher to teach them properly, but the students had many instructors over the course of their schooling, and it was unfair to ask a single teacher to try and teach all levels of the school to the boys. In all honesty, he expected Naruto to be purposely neglected, and that neglect would more than likely transfer to Harry when they saw them together. The best case scenario would be the two stuck through it and came out a little lacking in the educational department, to be made up by a Jounin-sensei. The worst case, when Harry put two and two together and realized that Naruto was the source of his neglect, he stops being his friend in a hope to garner better attention from the instructors. While he was sure that Harry would make a connection, his deduction skills already showing as evidenced by their conversation about the Hokage Monument, how he dealt with it was another matter, especially since the boy has been neglected his whole life. Would he stand for it for a friend or cave and try to get in their good graces.

The more he thought about their education, the more he felt that private instruction would be the key to unlocking their potential. While it was true that all ninja must graduate from the academy, he could work around that with a bit of finagling. It would be years before the students manipulated their chakra enough to begin to develop their coils beyond the very minor. Most of the first four years are theory and learning how to get in touch with their chakra, as well as physical exercises. According to Hiashi's report, as well as a previous report on Naruto, both boys had larger than average chakra coils for their age and the earlier they started extensive training on them, the better off they would be in the future. But all young ninja operated in teams of 4, three Genin to a Jounin, so unless he paired the two with an older Genin who would most likely know about the Kyuubi and treat Naruto poorly, they would be stuck with a teammate far below them skill wise, and their progress would be stymied until the weakest link could get through at least the first two portions of the Chunin Exam, or they would have to have separate apprenticeships. If he could find them a third member now, it could save some hassle, but he didn't know of anyone that age that had shown the potential.

He was brought out of his thoughts when his intercom buzzed, announcing his first meeting of the morning. He made his way back to his chair as he told the secretary to let them in. He raised his eyes towards the door as one Hyuuga Hiashi entered his formal presence nearly palpable in the air.

"You wished to see me, Hokage-sama," the regal man began.

"Hai, Hiashi. I have a mission for you, long term. Are you interested in hearing more," Sarutobi asked, knowing full well that the man before him would at least listen to his entire explanation before giving his thoughts.

"My time is becoming increasing constrained now that Hinata is old enough to begin more of her formal training, however I shall hear you out."

"Well, the mission I have for you is to teach etiquette and the English language to Uzumaki Naruto and Potter Harry, as well as just the language to their guardians. Harry-kun only understands basic English at the moment, and I feel it would be in Naruto-kun's best interest to learn a second language, as well as a large dose of social manners. As for their guardians, I want them to be able to understand the boys if they decide to scheme. As I understand it, these are some of the things that you would be teaching to Hinata-chan anyways. Perhaps having people her own age learning with her will help her confidence a bit, or at least give her people to practice with." There was a twinkle in his aging eyes as he looked upon the Hyuuga patriarch.

Hiashi was silent as he pondered this mission. It was definitely a worthy investment, as kami knows the Uzumaki boy needed manners. As for the Potter child, he was an anomaly. He had seen the potential in him, and he would be powerful if he could harness that latent ability. Having him affiliate himself with the Hyuuga would be a great advantage when he reached his peak. As for his own daughter, the Hokage was correct that she had a confidence problem. It was always present, at first in the normal shyness of a child, but had only grown after the botched kidnapping. He was positive he could also be to blame, as he pushed her and called her weak. It had worked for his confidence problem, but it only seemed to push her farther into her shell. Perhaps these boys could help her gain the spark of Hyuuga respectability she so desperately lacked. Lastly, any time Naruto was studying was time he was not pulling pranks. "Hai, Hokage, I accept your mission. Lessons begin Monday at 1pm. I expect them at the complex no later than that. English lessons will begin at 3pm so his guardians can learn as well. They shall be finished by 5pm, as I do not expect young boys, Uzumaki especially, to have an attention span much longer than that."

"Thank you Hiashi-san, I know it was a lot to ask, but I have failed Naruto-kun thus far, and I wish to make it up to him. I will personally see that they are on time." He rose from his chair to see his guest out. "I hope you have a pleasant day." Hiashi nodded and left. Looking around, he saw that his paperwork was caught up enough to let him out for a bit, and decided to go check on Harry, and then take him to see if Naruto was awake yet. Grabbing an umbrella, he made his way out of the Hokage Tower and into the village proper.

Naruto was sitting at a small desk he had conjured himself in his mental realm at the Kyuubi's urging. He had been sitting for hours, practicing making a little design that the great beast sealed within him had shown him. He hadn't been able to get much information out of the demon, save that the Yondaime had sealed Kyuubi inside him, and that he wanted to make Naruto stronger, to be worthy of being his vessel. After that, he had set him to task recreating the design, claiming that he could wake up as soon as he could draw it perfectly. He set the calligraphy brush down carefully as he massaged the cramps out of his hand. His attempts were getting better, and he was sure that he had gotten it right this time. He grabbed the scroll he had been practicing on and went over to present his work.

"Kyuubi-sama, I got it, I got it!" The young boy excitedly shouted. The great beast opened one of his eyes and examined the design. His critical gaze swept over it looking for any discrepancies, and after finding none that would cause it to work improperly, commanded him to make twenty more to ensure he had it correct. The blonde boy nodded and practically ran back to the little desk he made for himself to do what was asked of him.

At least the boy doesn't complain about work. I don't want to imagine the headache I'd have if he did. He closed his eyes again to await the completion of the last task he had set his jailor to.

Naruto frowned, his face tight with concentration as he put the finishing touches on the twentieth design. He didn't know what drawing the same pretty design over and over again could do for training, but figured that someone as old and wise as Kyuubi-sama knew what they were doing. He stretched and made his way back to the cage. "I did it, Kyuubi-sama, twenty more times. Now what should I do?"

Kyuubi looked down at the boy and smiled. No whining about unfair tasks, no griping about sore arms, just hard work. "Good, while you were working I took the liberty of healing your body with my chakra. When you wake up, I want you to speak with the Hokage as soon as possible. You will tell him you met me, and then you will draw the design you were practicing on a sheet of paper and place it on your stomach, over the seal that holds me. It will allow me to take control of your face so I may talk about your training with him. You will still have control of your arms, so at any point you can cut off my control by simply removing the paper. Do you understand?" He looked down at the boy who was nodding his head vigorously. "Good, now I believe it's time for you to wake up." With a small mental push, the boy disappeared from his mindscape and back to the world of the living.

Petunia Dursley had just finished the last of the breakfast dishes when she heard the click of the letter chute, signifying that the mail had arrived for the morning. It was odd, she thought, as the mail usually didn't arrive for a few more hours. She made her way into the entrance hall and saw a single letter sitting upon the mat. Stooping to pick it up, Petunia realized it had a wax seal on the back with the letters MoM along with a small crest of four, she didn't know what kind of creatures they were. With shaking fingers, she broke through the wax seal and pulled out the single piece of parchment inside.

Dear Family Dursley

It has come to our attention that there is a chance of magic in one or more of your family members. As per standard protocol, we will send one of our staff to conduct a magical aptitude test this evening. Please have all family members present in your home at 7:30pm. The test itself is painless and only takes a few short moments. Should one or more of your family have a magical core, you will receive further information on how to integrate yourself into our world as per your new heritage. If no one has the aptitude, then the memory of this letter and the test shall be removed from your mind and you can continue with your lives as though nothing has happened.

Sincerely,

Bonnie Abbot

Head of Magical Testing

Ministry of Magic

There was a thump in the hall as Petunia fainted dead away.

Sarutobi and Harry had just entered the hospital room of one Uzumaki Naruto. The Hokage had filled young Harry in on who the boy was, his likes and such, on their trip over. They both sat in the chairs offered by the room as they gazed down upon the tiny occupant of the hospital bed. He looked better, much better than he should, and the Sandaime wondered if it was due to the Kyuubi's influence that he had healed so rapidly. A few moments after they arrived, his brilliant blue eyes fluttered open and gazed around the room, finally coming to rest upon one of the only people to care for him.

"Jiji, I was told I needed to talk to you," the small voice rasped out. Smiling, the Hokage grabbed a glass of water and held it out to Naruto, who drank it greedily before handing it back.

"Oh, and who exactly told you that?"

"Kyuubi-sama." At this, the old mans eyes opened in shock. Naruto wasn't supposed to know about the Kyuubi yet, he was supposed to have a normal childhood before learning of the burden placed upon him. But he never had a childhood, the villagers made sure of that a nagging voice in the back of his mind protested. Shaking his head, he fixed his gaze back on the young boy in front of him.

"And what, pray tell, does the Kyuubi want you to tell me?"

"Um, I'm not sure, actually. I'm supposed to draw it for you. Can I get a brush and some paper?" Wondering about the strange request, Sarutobi pulled out his sealing set and placed it in front of his surrogate grandson. He watched in awe as the boy deftly inked the brush and set about drawing a complicated design. The more he drew the less the Hokage recognized it. He knew it was a seal, and although he was by no means a master, he could at least recognize various aspects in their design. Finally, the boy finished, and then lifted his shirt. Realization dawned on the leader as he made a mad scramble to prevent him from possibly destroying the seal. He was too late however, and as soon as the seal touched the flesh above the multiple seals holding the great beast at bay, the design flashed red.

"Hello, Hokage-sama, before you do anything rash, this seal only allows me control of his face. I can talk to you, look at you, but I can't move anything below the neck, and Naruto-kun is awake and aware of his surroundings. He also knows that all he has to do is remove the paper and I will be gone again." Naruto's now blood red eyes scanned the room and came upon the small boy looking at him with awe."Who is this little fellow? I don't recognize him from any of the boy's memories."

Sarutobi was in shock at hearing about the seal. He never knew one existed that would allow the contained partial control. The question about Harry brought him out of his pondering. "That is Potter Harry-san. I was hoping he and Naruto-kun could be friends." He decided to keep information about training out for now, as this was a diplomatic discussion and he needed to hold his cards close to his chest. "He just arrived in the village yesterday."

"The boy does need friends. Hopefully he will do well. Now, onto what I wish to discuss with you. I want to train the boy, but I know I can't do it alone. I wish for you to set him up with unbiased tutors to help him progress faster with his training."

"Why would you want to train the boy anyways? I thought you would want him weak so you could take over and possibly escape."

The great beast sighed. "Multiple reasons, actually. The first being that this seal would kill me if I ever took control or tried to escape. I do not want to die, not yet. As I can at least partially experience what is happening through our connection, I will be living vicariously through him. The second is my pride as a demon. I refuse to have a host thought of as weak. And finally, a promise I made to the one who sealed me."

As the Sandaime thought about it, the first two reasons made a lot of sense. He knew that the seals holding him were strong, but never that strong, and a demons pride was legendary. "What promise is that? I didn't know of any deals between you and Yondaime?"

"I came to Konoha looking for a fight with the rumored strongest human alive. When he defeated me, he was granted one wish from me. He asked me to protect and train the boy and those he holds close. I gave him my word. Now, about his training, I can train him in chakra control exercises, as well many of the theoretical aspects. Now that we've met, I can also speak in his mind to help him out a bit more on the practical side. However, I know pitifully few jutsu, and absolutely no taijutsu. That's where your help comes in for a practical teacher."

Sarutobi was deep in thought as he listened to the reasons behind the Kyuubi attack. So deep in thought he almost missed the information about the training. One thing bothered him though. "What do you mean you can speak in his mind? I will not have you poisoning his thought process!"

"You misunderstand. Now that we are aware of each other, the seal itself has set up a communication link between us. Naruto-kun controls that link, and can block me out with a thought. I can speak with him, but I can't influence his decisions any more than you can, nor can I "poison" his mind. Talk only."

"That's a relief. As for the training, I'm sure I could arrange for a few of my Jounin to help. Maito Gai would be a definite help to his taijutsu and I know for a fact he doesn't see you when he looks at Naruto-kun. Once he gets his chakra control down, I can then look for nin and genjutsu instructors. Now, I'm not going to allow you to just teach Naruto. Ninja work in squads to achieve maximum efficacy, so I would like you to train his teammates as well."

The boy with the glowing red eyes thought for a moment, before returning his gaze to the elderly leader. "I will agree to teach his teammates, however, I must approve of them personally. I refuse to teach just anyone you feel should become more powerful."

Sarutobi inwardly smiled. "My first candidate for your teachings is Potter-san here. He would benefit greatly from an advanced pace due to having his coils forcibly enlarged in an accident. From what I have garnered, he has also had a childhood very similar to Naruto-kun's, although not nearly the scale, having been placed with unloving, neglecting, and abusive guardians. I was hoping they would be friends, as both boys desperately need one."

"I have a feeling that you were going to talk about training today whether I surfaced or not." Getting a nod, he continued. "Boy, come here and let me see you closely." When Harry stared blankly at him, he got angry. "If you want this training you will listen to me." Another blank look. "Fine, you will get no instruction from me. Do you have any other candidates Hokage-sama?"

An amused smirk was all that the Kyuubi saw when he turned his face back to the Hokage. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that young Harry-kun here doesn't speak any Japanese. He didn't understand a word you just said. I'll relay your message now, though." He forced the laugh in his throat down at the scowl the young boy/demon was giving him. "Harry, I need you to go up close to my friend now, as he needs to get a closer look at you before he will teach you to be a ninja." Harry nodded quickly, excited about being trained. He stood up and marched right towards the hospital bed until he was standing right next to it. He felt a warm feeling in his body as the slit red gaze traveled over him. After a few moments, the blonde head made nodded, and then gestured back towards the chair Harry had been previously occupying.

"He has potential in his body, lots of it. So long as he promises to work hard, I will train him. Training starts as soon as we find a suitable third member, and not a moment before." Naruto's hand came up and removed the paper from his body, his eyes returning to their vibrant blue.

"You mean it jiji! I'm going to be trained as a ninja!" Excitement was pouring out of his young frame.

"Hai Hai, as soon as we find you a suitable third teammate. Now, we still need to discuss your punishment for yesterday's prank." He watched as the excitement left in a hurry. "Your punishment is to learn to speak to Harry-kun here in his own language. I will provide you both with a tutor to ensure that you are taught correctly." The light in his eyes returned at the thought of learning something, even as punishment. The thirst for knowledge hadn't been shattered by the village yet. "Also, the two of you will be living together in a house with Kotetsu-kun and Izumo-kun. I know you like living on your own, but after this attack, it would make me feel better if you had adults around. Don't worry, you can still have your own bedroom if you want."

Naruto, for the most part, was floored. He was going to be taught to be a ninja way before others his age, along with a boy who, from the sounds of it, could be a real friend for him. He looked at the small boy across from him, with messy black hair oddly reminiscent of his own untamed locks, and a cool looking scar on his forehead. Deciding to make friends right away, he stuck out his hand. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the best Hokage ever," he loudly proclaimed to his new teammate.

Harry looked at the hyper boy, and, although he couldn't understand what had been said, realized it was a greeting. Having gleaned his name from the rest of the conversations he'd heard since he arrived, he introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Harry Potter." He then took the offered hand and gave it a small shake along with his own smile. Sarutobi just looked on with a grandfatherly smile as he watched the two abused orphans start their friendship.

At precisely 7:30 that evening, after having had a very nervous dinner, their doorbell rang. Rising from her spot on the couch, Petunia Dursley made her way over to the entry hall. She opened up the door expecting any nature of freak to be on the other side of the door. However, what she saw was a sharply dressed young man who introduced himself as Kingsley Shacklebolt. After inviting him in, lest the neighbors wonder why a man was standing outside their home, she led him to the sitting room and gestured towards an empty chair as she resumed her place beside her son.

"As I told your wife, my name is Kingsley Shacklebolt, and I work as an intern at the Ministry of Magic. I am here tonight to test the three of you for magical aptitude."

"Get on with it so we can prove that my family has no such freakiness in it. Then you can get your freakish self out of our house." Vernon Dursley all but shouted, his face taking on the reddish tinge of his anger.

"Yes, well, I will explain what I'm about to do, then examine the three of you. Won't take more than five minutes and I shall be gone. This," he began, pulling out a long rod connected to box with a trio of gems. "Is a magical device which reads your aura and displays the amount of magical talent, or lack thereof, of the person being scanned. If the blue gem lights up, it indicates that the person has no magical core, and can never do anything associated with magic. Should the yellow gem light up, it indicates that the person is a squib. A squib is a person who has a magical core, but not enough magic within it to power any spells. They can interact with magical devices and the like, but will never be able to cast even the most simple of charms. Finally, should the red gem light up, it means that the one being scanned is a potential witch or wizard." He scanned himself with the device and the red gem lit up. "See, no problems at all, just a slight tickle as the magic inside it reads your aura. Now, I shall go down the line."

He started with Vernon, and as he scanned the rod over his body, the blue gem lit up. "You sir, have no magical ability. I'm sorry if you were hoping."

"Hoping, why would I want to be one of you freaks. Now just finish up so we can get back to our evening." His face was turning a shade of puce now.

"Moving right along then," he ignored the jabs of the elder Dursley. "Onto the young lad." The rod swept over the large child's body and a ticklish feeling swept through Dudley, causing him to laugh a bit. Looking at the meter, Kingsley saw that the red gem had lit up. "Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on being a wizard, Mr. Dursley. After this is finished I have some pamphlets for you to read through."

Vernon was at this point furious. "It had to be that freak we had living with us, he pushed his freakishness off on our little boy. I will not stand for any of this, get out of my house." He made to rise out of his chair, but Kingsley waved his wand and the walrus of a man sat back down, a content look in his eyes.

Seeing the looks of fear given to him by the other two, he explained himself. "It was a simple calming spell, not as effective as a calming draught, but still helpful in our field of work. He isn't the first person to get upset that their child was different. Now, onto the missus." He raised the rod one more time and swept it over Petunia, raising a ticklish feeling in her own body. "I'm not sure how you slipped past the system, Mrs. Dursley, but you are most definitely a witch. Have you had any training?"

Petunia sat in shock as she was proclaimed a witch. She had always been envious of her sister and her abilities, and had even gotten herself admitted to Hogwarts, though she never attended out of fear. She had been told that her magical ability, being untrained, would atrophy away as she grew older, in the letter she had received after denying to go to the school. "But, I thought my magical power had dwindled," she nervously stated.

"Where did you hear that? If you knew you had magical power, you should have been trained before this, as a safety precaution to you and those around you, or else had it magically sealed away."

"I don't know about ever having been sealed, but I never went to that school my sister did. I was told that my magical power would go away if I never did anything with it."

"Oh, it would definitely dwindle through lack of use, but it would never be gone. Well, here are some pamphlets about your newly discovered heritage. We shall arrange a day coming up soon to have your family take an outing into Magical London, perhaps set up a bank account and get you some beginner books. We will owl you with a list of proposed dates and you choose which one fits the best in your schedule. Well, I must be off, I have one more house in Manchester to hit tonight. Have a good evening." He stood quickly and made his way towards the door, leaving the shocked family to themselves. Just before he left, he stuck his head back into the sitting room. "The calming charm should wear off in a little less than five minutes." And with that the door shut and he was gone.

Finally it was Monday, and Harry and Naruto were going to get their first lessons from their mystery tutor. The Hokage hadn't told them anything about him besides that he trusted him, and they would be having lessons with his daughter. The two boys had become fast friends, even with their language barrier, but that was shrinking daily as Harry was absorbing the Japanese being taught to him like a sponge. He was by no means fluent but he could both understand and be understood. Naruto had been staying with Izumo since he got out of the hospital, and they spent every day at Kotetsu's place with Harry. They had run around a bit outside, but spent a lot of time sitting under trees having simple conversations since Harry's stamina was dismal. At night, they would all help to make a meal to eat together before going to their separate apartments and getting packed for the big move.

Sarutobi led the two boys, dressed in new clothes, to the Hyuuga complex shortly before 1pm. As he neared the gate, he saw the guards give Naruto a glare before bowing to him. "You will inform Hiashi-sama that we are here for our meeting." The guard he addressed turned and went into the complex, gesturing for them to follow. The trio entered after and were led to a sitting room where Hiashi was waiting for them.

"Exactly on time. Excellent. We will get my daughter and then begin our training." He motioned for the guard that had led them to retrieve Hinata. Sarutobi excused himself as well and left. Hiashi fixed the pair in front of him with a critical eye and was pleased to see that neither boy shied away from him. After a moment he spoke. "I am teaching you as a favor to our Hokage. You will pay attention and you will behave, or I shall end your instruction." Both boys nodded in understanding. "Good, it appears my daughter is here," as he spoke there was a knock on the door. Hiashi bade her enter and she shyly made her way to the third unoccupied cushion next to Naruto. "This is my daughter, Hyuuga Hinata. Hinata-san, these are Uzumaki Naruto-san and Potter Harry-san. They will be joining you in your etiquette and English lessons from now on." She turned to look at the two boys and blushed, before nodding. "Let us begin with formal introductions. When meeting someone for the first time…"

Four and a half hours later Hiashi sat alone in his private office thinking about the first day of lessons. Both boys had paid him full attention and definitely responded to his commands. His daughter, although hesitant, had also exceeded his expectations. Whenever she had started to pull into her shell, one of the boys would give her a smile and a nod, and she'd regain a bit of her confidence. He could honestly say it was the best lesson she'd ever had with him. He had to admit that he was proud of the progress made today. With his own daughter's shy nature and the exuberant energy of the Uzumaki boy, he expected to have to take a lot of breaks, and perhaps a lecture on behavior. Instead, they had worked straight through without a complaint, only taking a small break as they switched subjects from etiquette to English as the boys guardians arrived. If things kept like this, he wouldn't mind teaching them.

Naruto and Harry were sitting under their favorite tree discussing their first day of lessons.

"Hey Naruto, wasn't that etiquette stuff interesting," Harry asked his new friend.

"I suppose, after all a Hokage needs to know that stuff." His blue eyes raised towards the clouds as he enjoyed relaxing his mind. "It's a little dull, but I need to learn all I can." He felt a feeling in the back of his head that felt strangely like agreement. "It seems Kyuubi-sama agrees with me learning."

Harry nodded to his friend before lying back on the grass to stare at the sky. He had been informed of the Kyuubi and it's relation to Naruto after they had left his hospital room that first day. He understood the difference, and that he would be instructing them when they found a final teammate. "What did you think of Hinata-san?"

"She was really quiet, and she kept going red on me. I wonder if she has a fever or something."

"Yeah, but she seemed really nice. I hope she feels better." At this a peal of laughter spread throughout Naruto's head.

"Why are you laughing at me Kyuubi-sama?" he demanded.

"You will find out in time. Let's just say she's shy."

"Why would she be shy?"

"I'll tell you when you're older." And with that the voice left his head and became a feeling of intense mirth in the back of his mind.

"So what did he say," Harry asked his friend, recognizing the spaced out look in his eyes as when he was talking with the Kyuubi.

"That she's just shy."

"Oh," he replied. He had a lot of understanding in that department, as he had always been shy and embarrassed about his hand-me-down clothes. "I think it's time we went back to get dinner ready, I'm starving."

"Okay, race ya!" and with that Naruto sprung up and ran full speed back towards Kotetsu's apartment, with Harry following behind muttering about cheaters.

As soon as the boys got back to the apartment the first thing they noticed was that it was empty. As they were looking around, Izumo entered. "Hey guys, the Hokage got our house ready. We hired a Genin team to move the stuff while you were at your lesson. C'mon, we have take-out Ichiraku at the new pad waiting for you."

After dinner that night they explored their new house. It had five bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. Kotetsu and Izumo had claimed the two bedrooms on the lower level, and let Harry and Naruto pick their own out of the three upstairs, deciding to use the last room as a guest room. As the boys were looking at the rooms, Harry turned to Naruto. "Hey, do you want to maybe share a room? I'm not used to sleeping in big spaces yet."

Naruto thought about it for a few seconds before running to the biggest room on the floor. "Let's take this room!" The raven-haired boy laughed and went to grab his things.

After having figuring out owl post, with the help of the pamphlets, Petunia and Dudley were awaiting their magical tour guide. Vernon had adamantly refused to accompany them, insisting that he had too much work to do and couldn't be bothered to traipse around the countryside looking at freakish things. As soon as the clock chimed the top of the hour, there was a sharp knock on the front door. Petunia made her way to answer, opening the door to see a greasy-haired man in black robes. A hint of recognition triggered in her brain, but she couldn't place it. "My name is Severus Snape, and I shall be showing you around Diagon Alley as well as answering any questions you might have." It was obviously a forced speech as he looked less than thrilled to be there. "Well, you and the boy, come along." He turned around brusquely and started down the front walk. Petunia motioned for her son and they followed.

After walking for several blocks, Snape stopped suddenly before drawing his wand and raising it towards the street. A moment later there was a loud bang as a purple triple-decker bus appeared. Severus turned towards the surprised people following him. "This is the Knight Bus, not a favored way to travel, but since you know nothing about other magical transportation, it will have to suffice. You only have to stick out your want on the curb and it will pick you up momentarily." He turned towards the teenager manning the bus and told him their destination, the Leaky Cauldron, paid, and found himself a seat towards the back. Petunia and Dudley followed, taking up seats near him as the bus took off with a jolt.

The spark of recognition would not leave Petunia's mind. As she watched the man leading them, his posture and expressions finally clicked. "I remember you, you and Lily used to play together before she went off to school."

"Indeed, although we did have a…falling out before we graduated." He didn't want to volunteer any information if he didn't have to. "Ahh, we're here." He hurriedly got off the bus before she could ask any questions about his past.

Several hours later they once again disembarked the Knight Bus onto Magnolia Crescent. Severus bid them goodnight and apparated away with a CRACK. Petunia was smiling as the pair walked home. She had discovered, when they went to Gringotts, that her parents had set up a trust fund for her when they thought she would go to Hogwarts, and had never done anything with it. With the accrued interest, it had a substantial sum of galleons, which she then turned into a trust fund for Dudley, as well as a small family vault for herself and Vernon. They had gotten robes and a number of introductory books to the wizarding world. In rare form, Dudley had hardly begged the entire day, but it could have been due to Snape's glares whenever he started. Petunia just hoped he could keep it up, since it was nice to have a whine free outing with her son.

The duo had just walked into Privet Drive as they noticed a moving van in front of their home, with some of Vernon's work friends moving what appeared to be Dudley's bed frame into it. As they got closer, they heard the men tell Vernon that it was all of it, and they drove off. Breaking into a run, she made her way back into her home. As soon as she entered she noticed something was wrong, as many of the things around the house were missing. It looked like it had been stripped bare of anything except Vernon's favorite things. A smug looking Vernon rounded the corner on them and sneered at them. "I will not be related to any freaks. You can find somewhere else to live. This is my house and I refuse to have your type under this roof." At their looks of disbelieve, he started again. "This should be enough money to hold you up for a month if you're smart about it. Now get out. Oh, and the moving van is due back by the end of the week." With that, he handed a wad of notes to Petunia and forcible pushed her and Dudley out of the house, locking the bolt behind them.

Not knowing what else to do, they got into the van and drove to a cheap motel, leaving Privet Drive behind forever.

It was nearing the end of the second week of lessons when the Kyuubi told Naruto to speak with Hiashi privately. After lessons that day, Naruto hung back and asked if they could talk alone, saying it was urgent. Then, with the Hyuuga head's consent, Naruto drew the seal that would allow Kyuubi to communicate and applied it to his stomach.

To say that Hiashi was surprised when the brilliant blue eyes of the young boy turned blood red would be an understatement. He instinctively activated his doujutsu and stared in wonder as the red chakra of the demon bled out of the seal and into his face. A deep voice cut him out of his examination.

"I have a proposition for you Hyuuga-sama." Hiashi slowly nodded. "I wish to take Hinata-san under my wing. I have already given my word that I would train both Naruto-kun and Harry-kun, with a stipulation that they be trained in a cell of 3. I wish for your daughter to take the final spot in my team."

"Why Hinata, and does the Hokage know of this?" He was flabbergasted that the Kyuubi of all beings would instruct anyone, let alone three small children.

"It was the Hokage's idea for a three-person cell. And as for Hinata, I refuse to teach just anyone, only those I find worthy. She works well with the boys, and has a strong work ethic. With your leave I would instruct them in the mornings in chakra control and theory. Once they had progressed far enough, I would allow others to teach what I don't know, so your precious style can be conferred upon her."

As he thought about it, he realized how powerful his daughter could become, and quickly warmed to the idea. "Alright, I shall inform her of her training. When shall she meet you? And shall I inform her about your presence before hand?"

"Please have her briefed about the situation. We will meet her out front of your complex Monday morning at 6am. Tardiness will not be tolerated." With that Naruto removed the paper and politely excused himself from the complex to catch up with Harry.

1 Month Later

The three new friends were sitting underneath their favorite tree once again, relaxing and remembering their training thus far. Harry's Japanese lessons were completed, and they all now had an extra two hours with Hiashi learning kanji every day. Naruto was taking to it the fastest, mainly due to the work he had put into drawing the seal which allowed their instructor to speak with them. The others weren't far behind though, and every day they advanced even further, absorbing everything the Hyuuga head threw at them at an astounding rate.

Their lessons with Kyuubi were going well, but not nearly as much as Hiashi's lessons. The main factor was it was difficult to listen to an instructor who couldn't show you with his own hands, and although he could put the image in Naruto's head and correct the others, it was slow going. They had finally learned all twelve of the regular seals to the point where they could run through all twelve in any order in under five seconds, an excellent speed for beginners.

The other problem in Kyuubi's lessons was that Harry, due to the abuse and malnourishment, had to train his body to be able to stand any of the physical workouts the other two were doing. He would try his hardest, and listen to Kyuubi, but his lack of muscle or stamina was holding them back. He had started taking extra physical lessons with Kotetsu and Izumo to try and catch up, and although it was progress, he was still behind. The demon wanted to do tree climbing next, now that his squad could actively find and access their chakra, but the lack of stamina could end up fatal for Harry if he were to fall and be unable to catch himself.

"Hey," Naruto said, getting the attention of his friends. "The Academy starts on Monday. I'm not sure I like the fact that we still have to go even though we're getting trained by Kyuubi-sama."

"Naruto-kun, I'm sure that the Hokage has a good reason for sending us. I'm sure that there are things we would learn there that Kyuubi-sama can't teach us." Hinata had broken out of her shell, at least around the two boys. She was still a nervous wreck around strangers though. "Things like history, or village specific knowledge."

"She's right. That is one of the reasons you're going," the voice in the back of Naruto's mind spoke up. "Also, it's a chance for you to make friends your own age, as well as hide how powerful you are. Remember that a true ninja hides his skills until he must reveal them, not because he wants to." As Naruto relayed the information back to his friends, none of them noticed the stranger sneaking up on the group. They sat in silence until their worlds went black.

Harry sat up from his spot on the ground, holding his aching head and muttering under his breath. He looked around as he tried to dispel the stars in his eyes and saw Naruto still lying on the ground face first, a trickle of dried blood along the side of his face, and no sign of Hinata. He looked up as Izumo and Hiashi ran towards them.

"What happened? Who did this? WHERE IS HINATA?" Hiashi was asking questions as fast as he could. He activated his Byakugan and scanned the area, seeing no one suspicious. "Kuso, they're beyond my range, which means they're probably nearing the border already. Kamizuki-san, take the boys to the hospital to get them checked out, I'll get a search party started." He ran off towards the Hyuuga complex.

Izumo nodded and picked up Naruto and moved towards Harry. As he got closer, Harry finally found his voice again.

"Where, where's Hinata-chan? Is she hurt?"

"We think she's been kidnapped, hopefully they haven't hurt her, but the longer we take to find her the more likely she is to be hurt. Now lets get you checked out at the hospital." He moved to pick him up, but stopped as a strange aura flared around him.

"NO, HINATA-CHAN CAN'T BE HURT, WE'VE GOT TO FIND HER, WE'VE GOT TO GO FIND HINA" CRACK. Izumo's eyes widened in surprise as the aura suddenly compressed around the boy as he shouted, and he vanished.

"Well, I guess I'll take Naruto to the hospital and report this to the Hokage then," he said to no one as he used Shunshin no Jutsu and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

CRACK

Harry looked around himself after having felt the weird pressing feeling all over his body again. It hadn't been nearly as bad this time as it had when he came here. He looked up at three surprised faces. It isn't every day that a small glowing boy appears with a loud burst of noise and no chakra smoke. Just as they were recovering and reaching for their weapons, Harry noticed Hinata bound and gagged behind them, her eyes wide with fear. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" The aura surrounding Harry flared, and all three enemy shinobi were propelled away by an invisible force and into the surrounding trees. One was clearly knocked out as he had caught his head on a branch, while a second had his shoulder impaled by a broken limb. Only the leader hadn't been taken out of commission, and he was already making his way his way back to his feet.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" He reached to his back and unsheathed a small sword, before flourishing it to taunt the small boy. "I'll remove your head for that boy."

Harry's mind was screaming at him to get away from there, and to take Hinata with him. With his limited stamina, he knew he could never reach her before the enemy got to him. I've got to get her out of here and somewhere safe! The aura flared again, and Hinata flew towards him, landing in his arms. She had time to manage a small gasp behind the gag before the pressure covered both of them and they vanished with a CRACK.

Izumo was standing in Naruto's hospital room, recounting what he had seen for the Hokage. It had been about ten minutes since the boy had vanished, and neither man knew where to start looking. Although Izumo had no idea what had happened, Sarutobi knew it was another burst of accidental magic. The boy had teleported himself again, and there was no way to trace where he had gone that he knew of. Strong emotions indeed the aged leader thought with a smirk. He was brought out of his silent mirth when Harry and a bound Hinata appeared in the center of the room in another great CRACK. Harry looked around quickly, having gotten slightly used to the feeling, and whispered in her ear "You're safe now," before passing out from exhaustion.
Petunia Evans sat in her small living room in the flat she shared with her son Dudley overlooking Diagon Alley. The divorce had gone through quickly, and she had made no mention of any of the wizarding money she was in possession of. She had gotten a solicitor from the magical world, which had done magnificently in their case, and they had left Vernon with little more to his name than the house and his car. Most of Dudley's possessions had been sold or trashed, especially the electronics, since they didn't work around all the magic anyways. Dudley had been a bit put-off by this, but the prospect of a magical education had seemed to temper his selfishness a bit. She had gotten a job at Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions as an apprentice seamstress and had received her first wand, a swishy elm wand of thirteen inches with a Unicorn tail core, and had been receiving a basic education nightly from Severus.

Severus Snape had helped her greatly since they were kicked out of Privet Drive, getting her the flat and wand, and helping her acclimate herself into the new world. The lessons had started when she invited him to dinner to say thanks, and it snowballed from there. They would talk about her sister and the memories they had of her, and she guessed about the feelings for her. As much as he denied it, her persistence caved him and he admitted that yes, he had held a very large flame for the elder Evans sister. He enjoyed the nights at her flat, although he would never admit it, since he didn't have any preconceived notions to live up to. Petunia saw him as Severus, the boy she had known in childhood, and nothing more. Not the potions master, not the Death Eater, and not the spy.

Petunia got up from her reminiscing to change into more formal robes for tonight, as she and Severus were going out to dinner, and, oddly enough, Mrs. Figg had agreed to watch Dudley for the night. It had given her quite a shock when she admitted her own magical heritage, squib though she might be. Her life was finally starting to look up again.

Harry woke up groggy, with the first rays of sunlight streaming into his window. He reached for his glasses and took a look around. Naruto was in the other bed of the room, and Hinata was no where to be found. Panic shot through him and he was just about to jump out of bed and start looking for her when the door opened revealing Hiashi. "Hiashi-sama, where's Hinata-chan? Is she alright? Did they hurt her at all?"

A genuine smile played on the patriarchs face. "Calm yourself Harry-kun, she's just fine thanks to you. We owe you a great deal of thanks, as it took our scouts over an hour to find the spot you confronted them. Now tell me, what happened out there, it looks like you injured at least one of them if the blood was any indicator." He listened with rapt attention as the boy recounted his experience from the pressing sensation, to watching the grown shinobi fly backwards with just a shout from him, and watching as Hinata flew towards him. He would have played it all off as a child's tale if he hadn't heard much of the same story from Hinata, even the same pressing when they teleported. After the explanation, the Hokage came in.

"Well, Harry-kun, I do believe I've got a few things to tell you. You can listen as well, Hiashi-san, as I want your input, as well as your eyes." Both conscious occupants nodded, and they all made themselves comfortable. "You, Harry-kun, have a very special gift. It's so rare that I'm quite sure you are the only person in the Elemental Nations to have it. It's called a Magical Core, and like it sounds, it allows you to perform magic. What happened today, as well as when you arrived here, is called Accidental Magic, as you were not consciously trying to cause it to happen. It reacts to extreme longing or emotions, and therefore is quite unreliable in most situations. Are you following me so far?"

He looked around and saw nothing but wide eyes. Laughing slightly, he continued. "One of the privileges of being a Kage is knowledge of the lands outside the Elemental Nations borders. We are only a small area compared to the rest of the world, but we are the only ones who utilize chakra. We branched off from the magical beings many hundreds of years ago, and have since cut off all contact with each other. I have a little bit of information available, and I can see if I can find more for you, but I would like to train you to use this core to help protect yourself and others. Well, I'll leave you to think about this information, but I do have to ask you not to tell anyone about it, since, well, no one else can do it and I don't want jealousy to tear apart your friendships. Good day." Sarutobi walked over and mussed the still-stunned boy's hair before leaving to go and finish arduous combat with his arch-nemesis: paperwork.

Hiashi excused himself as well, promising to bring Hinata by for a visit later. Neither adult realized that though Naruto was unconscious, the Kyuubi could still hear every word. The great beast sat back in his cage and began pondering how to utilize the new-found information.

There you have the 2nd chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I know that my dialog is sub-par, and sometimes my ideas seem a little...out of it. I would like a beta to help me with this, and to help keep me on time.

I'd like to thank all 24 readers who took the time to review, as well as the 38 C2's that include my story.

Peace Out
Lord Retro