Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story that you recognize as someone else's.


Chapter Four

The next morning, Harry trudged lazily towards the Great Hall with Ron and Neville and the two male shinobi in tow. Last night was spent catching up with his two fellow fifth years until a murderous Sasuke threatened to kill them if they didn't shut up and go to sleep. Instantly, both of his friends leapt towards their own beds, leaving Harry with no choice but to go to sleep also, although it didn't come to him as quickly it did to his two friends. He came to a conclusion last night: Seamus and Dean were a million times better roommates than these two shinobi.

Harry sighed, as he opened the mahogany doors to the Great Hall. The excited chatter of the students inside did nothing to Harry's tired mood. Neither did the silence that followed when they saw him enter.

"Come on Harry," Ron said as he pulled on Harry's robe. "I see Hermione and Sakura over at the table."

Slowly, the noise in the Great Hall increased to a roar again, as the Head of Houses passed out schedules to the students. The rest of the staff sat in the front table, getting ready for morning classes and quietly talking to their fellow teachers.

"So, how are you going to convince your uncle into letting you take the class?" Ron managed to say before shoving buttered toast into his mouth.

"I don't really know. I guess I'm just going to wing it for now. I still have a few days until Dumbledore sends out permission slips," Harry replied, reaching for a biscuit.

Hermione let out a sigh. "You'll have to get around to it someday, Harry. You might as well start it now. What's so good about this class anyways? I wish you didn't push me into signing up, Ron."

"Come on, 'Mione. This class might help Harry defeat Voldemort some way. Besides, it'll be fun! Those bodyguards of Harry's seem strong. It's almost as if you can see their aura of power around them," Ron said.

Harry had to disagree. "I don't see what is so special about them. Especially that Sasuke; he seems pretty suspicious to me," he whispered softly to Ron, making sure that no one, including Sasuke, could hear him. Ron chose not to comment back.

Professor McGonagall stopped by the table to hand the trio their class schedules, and while the three compared with each other ("Eurgh, Binns and Snape, just in one morning. Can it get any better than this?"), a whoosh was heard throughout the Great Hall, and students prepared themselves for an onslaught of owls. Harry saw Hermione giving a large barn owl a few knuts, narrowing his eyes when he noticed it was for a Daily Prophet.

"How can you still be reading that?" said Harry.

Hermione snorted. "Don't worry, Harry. I'm still on your side. I just want to see what lies the Ministry is putting into it."

--

The bell rang, signaling to the students and professors that it was time to head for classes. The chatter in the Great Hall increased even more as students grouped together and followed the crowd out into the corridors and hallways that mapped out Hogwarts.

After separating with the three shinobi – they were suddenly called away by their silver-haired teammate – Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville walked towards Binns' class, mentally preparing themselves for the most boring subject in the history of boring subjects. (Or at least the boys were. Somehow Hermione got a kick out of learning about the signing of treaties or what the Goblin King did in 1107.)

Surprisingly, Harry managed to survive listening to the professor's droning voice for ten minutes… until he decided to give up – didn't he learn last year to not even try and just survive by copying Hermione's notes?

In the back of his mind, by calculating from the intensity of Ron's snoring, Harry deduced that he fell asleep as soon as his arse hit the chair. He saw Hermione glare at Ron and soon her laser eyes were directed towards him, as if he was responsible for Ron's disrupting noises. 'Hey, he got more sleep than I did last night, so stop staring at me,' Harry tried to telepathically tell her.

He busied himself by taking out a sheet of parchment and his quill and ink when it seemed like Hermione didn't get the message. Harry decided that if he wasn't going to pay attention in class, then he should use this time wisely to write out the letter to his uncle and aunt, asking for permission to join the Combat class.

Minutes later, Harry groaned as he stared at the sheet of parchment, wasted with scribbles and ink splotches from writing in anger. A whole sheet filled with Dear Uncle Vernon and Please Aunt Petunia, and yet he still couldn't think of a way to ask his guardians to sign his slip. He almost resorted to banging his head on the table, but everyone would have thought that the Boy-Who-Lived finally cracked under pressure. Almost.

But he wouldn't give up! Gryffindors never back down in a fight, and this was a battle in itself. All he needed was some help from a certain pair of red-headed twins…

--

"Are you sure we can just leave him alone, Kakashi-sensei?" inquired Sakura as she and her teammates, minus Iruka-sensei, walked down a hallway.

Kakashi didn't look up from his book but still managed to successfully navigate the four of them while dodging students heading towards class. Oh the skills acquired from being an ex-ANBU.

"Hm? Oh yes. The boy has survived four years at this school without anyone constantly following. I'm sure he can survive another day."

Naruto began to jump around the three. "Where are we going? Where is Iruka-sensei? When are we going to start training? Will we be-"

That boy never lost his energy, even in a new environment. "Calm down, Naruto ("Shut up, Naruto," Sakura growled ). All questions shall be answered once we reach our destination," Kakashi said mysteriously, while never taking his lone eye off of his book. "And that, my cute little students, is where Iruka-sensei and I are staying."

The shinobi took one more left turn and reached a deserted hallway with a room on each side.

"Dumbledore-san was generous enough to give Iruka-sensei and I our own rooms in a secluded area that most students don't know about." Kakashi snapped his book shut and pointed to the room on the left. "This is my room, and this room," he said, moving his hand to the right, "is Iruka-sensei's room. I trust that you've already memorized the route on how to get here."

"EH?! We were supposed to do that?" Naruto shouted as both Sakura and Sasuke nodded their heads. "Hehe, I guess I just wasn't paying attention, sensei," he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. 'Why am I not surprised?'

A whap brought Kakashi away from his thoughts and saw Naruto whining to Iruka as he came out of his room.

"Iruka-sensei! Why did you hit me?" the blonde complained.

"Baka! A shinobi is always watchful of their surroundings, no matter what. Haven't you learned that from me, Kakashi-sensei, or even Jiraiya-sama?"

The nine-tailed container immediately became flustered. "Well…yeah! O-of course I did! It's just that…stuff happened…and yeah," he explained lamely.

Iruka gave Naruto a disbelieving look before shaking his head and chuckling. "Right, Naruto. Well come in everybody. I'm almost done tying up the loose ends of this mission, so now Kakashi-sensei and I will explain what will go on for the coming year."

The Academy sensei's room was sparsely decorated: a bed on one side of the room next to a writing table buried under piles of paper. The walls were painted a soft blue, and in the corner was a potted plant, which seemed to be moving back and forth on its own.

Kakashi and the teens settled down as Iruka dug and placed out their mission scroll and used parchment with two sets of handwriting: Iruka's neat and legible characters compared to Kakashi's thin and scraggly writing.

"Right," the scarecrow said as the three teens surrounded the table. "So our mission objectives have changed due to an agreement we reached with Dumbledore-san. From now on, not only are we to guard Potter-san, we are also in charge of protecting the school. In addition, Iruka-sensei and I will be teaching a class for those who are interested in protecting themselves. I have no doubt that Potter-san will be joining."

Iruka took over. "This is how we will be dividing the work load. Even though we were assigned to protect Potter-san, we are not required to follow him every second. Don't forget that he is a wizard himself, and surrounded by other experienced wizards such as Dumbledore-san. Therefore, we will assign check-ups between the three of you so from time to time you can keep track of our charge."

"Now, you two have been placed in the same room as Potter-san?" Kakashi asked and received a nod from both male teens, though Sasuke's was more subtle than Naruto's.

"It was horrible, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto interjected. "I couldn't sleep until teme here asked Scar-san and his friends to shut up because they kept talking."

"Don't call me teme, dobe."

"Well then stop calling me dobe, teme!"

Kakashi chuckled and placed his hands on both of their heads as Sakura snickered in the background. "Alright, alright. Save it for the bedroom you too."

"WHAT?!" Naruto squawked. The pinked-haired shinobi stopped laughing immediately and even Sasuke looked oddly at Kakashi. Inside Kakashi was laughing; it wasn't hard to get a reaction out of the three.

Iruka rolled his eyes and brought his fist down onto Naruto's head. "In all seriousness, Naruto, let's continue."

"Dumbledore-san told us that this school would be safe for a few months until this Voldemort gathered his followers and attacked. So for now we won't be too strict on guarding the school, but to be safe, Naruto, how long do you think you can cover this school with your Kage Bunshins without getting tired?" inquired Kakashi.

Naruto thought for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure, actually. I think I can hold it pretty long if I summon a few clones."

"Great," Kakashi said as his single eye curved into an upside-down U. "Think of it as training. The longer and more you can hold at a time, the better." 'But it shouldn't be too hard considering your endless chakra reserves and stamina.'

"YOSH! Training!" Naruto exclaimed, immediately brightening up. "Let's go, Sasuke, Sakura-chan. Training awaits us!"

Sakura groaned as her teammate gave a perfect impression of Rock Lee. "Wait a minute, Naruto. I still have a question for Iruka-sensei."

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"I still don't understand this Combat class that you and Kakashi-sensei will be teaching."

Iruka nodded understandingly. "Well, it's as the name says. We will only be teaching taijutsu and different tactics and battle strategies, not any jutsus since they don't have the chakra reserves for that. Since you reminded me, though, I will have to ask you three, especially you, Sakura, to help me some days while I teach. That way I can have examples and help watching over them practice while I do something else. Sakura, I need you especially to help heal the students on the spot if they manage to get hurt. No need to do it perfectly, though. There is an infirmary at Hogwarts."

"Hai, Iruka-sensei. I'll do my best," Sakura replied.

Naruto stood, pulling Sasuke by the elbow with him. "All right! Let's get this party started!"

"Wait!" cried Iruka. "We still have to assign the workload between the five of us. And one of you will have to check up on Harry during lunch today."

Sasuke raised his hand and muttered, "I nominate dobe over there."

"I second that nomination," Sakura giggled.

A cry of agony and whines of training, oh when will I train? came out of Naruto's mouth, and was dutifully ignored by everyone else.

--

At lunch, Harry excused himself from Ron and Hermione's company and headed towards the Weasley twins. His two best friends were helpful at sometimes, but no two people were as persuasive and cunning and still be in Gryffindor as Hogwarts' resident troublemakers.

George (or was it Fred?) noticed Harry coming towards them and nudged his brother. They both grinned and made way so Harry could sit between them.

"Hello, Harry," both of them said simultaneously.

"So to what pleasure do we owe-," one twin started.

"-For having been graced by your company?" the twin on his right continued.

Harry looked at the two oddly before saying his case. "Right, hello. Remember how I said that I would need to convince my uncle in order to join that new class?" He waited for the both of them to nod before going on. "I'm…not doing so well…writing the letter. So…I was just wondering…if you guys could help me. Since I imagine you two to be good at…persuading others."

At his words, the two Weasley's began laughing loudly, catching the attention of everyone around them.

"Shut up, you two!" Harry whispered. That only made them laugh louder. 'Seriously, how immature can they get?'

After the two wiped their eyes, George said, "Mate, you've come to the right place. All you need is just a little push in the right place."

"Imagine, the boy who single handily defeated the Dark Lord, coming to us for help!" Fred stood and bowed. "We're honored that you've come to us," he said mockingly, as George clutched his heart and looked up to the ceiling in wonder.

"Stop joking you two. I'm being serious over here."

"We're always serious. We're also the Princes of Persuasion. How do you think we got Mum to buy us new brooms?" Fred said as he elbowed his brother.

("You mean second-hand".)

"We, the Weasley twins, sons of Arthur and Molly Weasley will give it our all in order to help you on your quest!" jested George, ignoring Harry's little comment.

"I just want to make sure whatever I write in this letter will convince Uncle Vernon to sign the permission slips," Harry said.

Fred wrapped his arm around Harry's neck, putting him in a headlock. "No worries, young Harry. You're asking help from the best."

"Princes of Persuasion, remember?" George grinned cheekily.

--

Ron glowered as he saw his two brothers laugh with Harry. Their first lunch at Hogwarts and all Harry could do was leave him for his older siblings, while he was stuck with Hermione and Ginny. Of course Hermione was their best friend but her best (and worst) attribute was –

"Hermione! Why are you reading right now?"

– being Hogwarts' resident bookworm and Queen Know-It-All.

Hermione glared at Ron at the top of her book. "Honestly Ronald. Just because Harry's left you all alone does not give you the right to bother me. I know you thrive on attention, but just this once let me reread Hogwarts, A History."

The tips of his ear turned scarlet as Ginny snorted into her pumpkin juice. "It's true. At home he causes a ruckus when no one pays attention to him."

"Oh shut up, Ginny. I do not act five, unlike someone I know. 'Oh mummy! May I have this new jumper? Please? It looks so good on me and maybe Harry will finally pay attention to me!' "

Ginny glared at her brother. "That's it. You die now." And she splashed her pumpkin juice right into Ron's face.

Hermione slammed her book in a huff, whipped out her wand, and pointed it at Ron's dripping face. "Scourgify. Now, if you two cannot act like siblings, I'll be forced to find a spell that ties you together for the rest of your life."

Ron and Ginny suddenly became quiet, but they continued to throw furtive glares at each other until the bell rang. Threats from Hermione were never to go unheeded.

On the other hand, Hermione nodded, happy with her work. Finally, she could read her book in peace…

CRASH!

Hermione looked up irritably at the interruption, only to find Naruto squatting right in front of her on top of the table.

"Na-Naruto!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here? An-and get off that table this instance!"

The orange blob nodded and slipped right in between Hermione and Ginny, and began to stare at her. Hermione felt her personal space being invaded when Naruto closed the space between the two. 'So close…'

"I-is there s-something on my f-face?" she stammered faintly.

Suddenly, the space between them grew, and she saw an irritated Ron putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "No need to get so close there, mate," she heard him say, detecting a hint of jealousy. No, that mustn't have been what she heard.

"Haha! Sorry," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's just that I wanted to see her freckles up close because they looked so faint compared to yours, Ron-san."

For a second time lunch had started, the red-headed boy grew incredibly red, all the way to the tips of his ears.

"So…What are you doing here?" Hermione inquired, still a little creeped out by what just happened. 'Someone needs to teach him about giving others the respect of their personal space.'

"Oh yeah!" Naruto cried, jumping up and down and causing a ruckus. "Do you know where Scar-san is?"

"Scar…san? Do you mean Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Yes!" Naruto's eagerness at finding Harry caught everyone's attention to their area, including the boy himself and Fred and George. "I need to find him as soon as possible so I can go train."

Harry stood up. "I'm right here. What do you need me for?"

After staring at Harry for a few seconds, the young shinobi opened his mouth and was about to say something, when the bells rang to signal the start of classes. "Oh nothing," he said, showing off his pearly whites. "Well! It's time to train!" With that said, Naruto quickly turned and exited the Great Hall, leaving behind a mass of confused Gryffindors staring at the swirl on the back of his jacket.

--

"So what was that all about?" Ron implored as the Golden Trio walked to their next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Harry looked to his right. "What are you talking about? Do you mean that thing with Naruto, because I'm as clueless as you are."

"Well, no. I was talking about eating with George and Fred instead of Hermione and me."

"You must tell Ron immediately, or else he might get jealous," Hermione said in an annoyed tone.

"No I won't! What the hell are you talking about Hermione?" Ron exclaimed.

The Boy-Who-Lived glanced at both his friends and asked, "Did something happen while I was away?"

The Gryffindor genius sighed. "It's nothing. I just didn't get as far as I wanted to in my book, and Ron and Ginny's quarreling was distracting."

Harry nodded understandingly. The three of them reached the entrance of the DADA classroom, where they met Neville outside.

"Are you guys ready?" Neville queried. "I'm nervous since it is Dumbledore teaching now. What if something happens to him? No other professor has lasted longer than a year."

Hermione placed her arm on the doorknob. "I'm sure he'll be fine. This is Professor and Headmaster Dumbledore we're talking about." She opened the door and stepped inside, leaving the three boys to follow.


Author's Note: I'm alive! So what's up you guys? School's almost ending, so that's good news for me and the rest of you students.

What the hell took me so long? you might ask. This chapter was a bitch to write. I wanted to start out funny and I had this section written up and even sent it to my friend. It never made it to the final cut… I ended up starting all over…four times. Add in a dosage of procrastinating and here we are today instead of a month ago. Anyways…

Next chapter: First DADA class and maybe an introductory class to those accepted into the Combat class.

Maybe. As long as I can fit it in.

Hope you liked this chapter! See you next time.