Chapter Four

Sasuke's Boggart

Later that evening Sasuke perched on the window ledge in the hospital wing, allowing the frigid night air to chill his skin. Madam Pomfrey would have had a fit if she saw him and would have ordered him down but he was fairly sure she'd retired for the night so he didn't have to worry about her screeching at him.

There was no moon out but the stars were bright in its absence and there were a number of constellations Sasuke had never seen before. As a kid, he vaguely remembered a few stories his mother had told him about the stars and doubtless, the ones above had there own. Mentally he noted that it might be wise to learn some of them so that he could track any destination if he needed to.

Sasuke felt tired but he couldn't sleep. The thoughts of the last three days were crowding his mind and he couldn't seem to sort them out. It'd been two days since he'd really thought about Itachi or Orochimaru. Otogakure and the last three years seemed like a far away dream. In contrast, though Hogwarts was no Konoha, for some reason it felt like the days with Team 7 again. Ron and Hermione were strangely alike to Naruto and Sakura although at the same time, there were some very obvious differences.

Hermione shared Sakura's brains and her bossiness but she was in no way in love with him and she was far more confident in herself and her abilities than his pink haired team mate was. Ron on the other hand, shared a love for food and fun just like Naruto. He was also just as hot headed but he lacked Naruto's distinctive stubbornness. He gave up easily and he seemed quite happy playing second place to Harry who was the evident leader of the trio.

Sasuke considered it a little strange. He'd always competed with Naruto over everything and hadn't liked Sakura's clingy nature. Now, he didn't actually mind having Hermione around and Ron always went along with whatever Sasuke said. He still didn't like being around people and their presence made him uncomfortable but their company was the easiest he'd ever had to endure.

Tomorrow however, worried him more than his personal opinion of Harry's friends. He'd only learnt one spell and while he wasn't a stranger to 'winging' it, he didn't feel comfortable not being in control. What he needed was more time and he couldn't understand the push to get him back out in society.

He sighed and tossed a chip of rock he'd broken from the castle wall into the darkness below. Even though he strained his ears, he couldn't hear the sound of the rock hitting the grass below. That wouldn't have happened in his old body. He would have heard it clearly but despite Harry's relative fitness, his body just wasn't on par with Sasuke's own. He was going to have to do some serious training, especially if he wanted to stay ahead of the likes of Malfoy and his goons. He needed to build up the speed necessary to dodge spells which travelled just as quickly as any shuriken and he also needed to keep his training up. He didn't know how long he'd be stuck like this but he couldn't afford to go back and be at the same level or worse that he had been when he'd left.

"Sasuke?"

Startled, Sasuke turned at the sound of Hermione's voice. He hadn't even heard her come in and now she was standing in the soft lamp light by his bed.

"Hermione," he acknowledged. "What is it?" Her face looked funny, like she was struggling to smile but actually wanted to burst into tears. She opened her mouth to say something, paused and finally buried her face in her hands and broke into loud sobs.

Sasuke watched her passively, a little alarmed by the tears but with a soft sigh, he hopped off the window sill and went over to the crying girl.

"What's the matter?" he asked bluntly.

It took her several moments to collect herself and wipe the tears away. "I'm sorry, I know you're not Harry but I had a fight with Ron and none of the other girls were around to talk to. It happens a lot but this one got a little ugly."

"So?" replied Sasuke feeling a little awkward. "Like you said, I'm not Harry. Ron's an idiot though so if you want my advice, ignore him."

Hermione smiled a little. "Thanks Sasuke."

Sasuke snorted derisively at her apology. He didn't like tears. They were a sign of emotion and he hadn't cried since he was eight. At least Hermione had stopped.

"I actually didn't want to talk to you about that," confessed Hermione. "You see, as much as you won't admit it, I'm sure you're worried about tomorrow."

"Hn," replied Sasuke neither admitting it nor denying it as Hermione had predicted.

"Anyway, I have a solution. It's illegal and will get us in a whole lot of trouble if anyone finds out but Dumbledore actually suggested it to me and he's right. I'm sure you'd like to be a little more prepared. After all, Harry Potter isn't just anybody."

Watching curiously, Sasuke observed Hermione as she pulled something out from beneath her robes. It was a strange, round golden thing secured to a chain that hung around her neck.

"What's that?" he asked suspiciously.

"A time turner," she replied. "It'll take you either backwards or forwards in time. In my third year I took a large number of classes and I was given this to allow me to have enough time each day to go to each one. Of course, the reason they're so dangerous is because if everybody had one anyone could go back in time and change the past. It's also imperative that under no circumstances are you seen by your past self. Harry did that once but was lucky that his past self thought he was seeing his Dad."

Arching an eyebrow, Sasuke stared at Hermione in disbelief. "The whole magic thing I can fathom but isn't this stretching it a little far?" he asked.

"Nonsense," answered Hermione swiftly. "When you think about it, I'm sure things you've experienced in your world I'd find just as unbelievable as you find in ours."

"So what exactly is Dumbledore's plan?" asked Sasuke. She had a point and after all this he supposed he could just go along with it. Still, time travel sounded completely ludicrous.

"Professor Dumbledore has given us five days for me to teach you as much as possible. You got Wingardium Leviosa so quickly, that I'm sure you'll be able to learn a lot in that time," replied Hermione. "Here." She motioned Sasuke closer and he reluctantly obeyed. Somehow the chain seemed to become long enough for her to slip it around his neck to.

"Ready?"

"Just get on with it!" he retorted impatiently.

Hermione shrugged and began winding a knob on the time turner. She did this several times and abruptly, the room distorted and changed. The blurring of colour and sound was slightly nauseating without the Sharingan but after roughly twenty seconds it died down and stopped. The sun was now setting and Harry's black robe was missing from were Sasuke had tossed it on the bed.

Stunned, Sasuke didn't resist when Hermione grasped his wrist and began pulling him away. She led him out of the Hospital Wing and down a number of corridors. They were deserted because the students were at dinner apparently and luckily they saw no one. They reached a girls bathroom and without hesitating, Hermione led him aside. There was water on the floor but the place was deserted otherwise.

"We should be safe enough here," said Hermione. She quickly searched each cubicle to check they were alone and then turned back to Sasuke. "So, are you ready?"

Reluctantly he nodded. He didn't like this and he was impatient to return to his training but if he was stuck this way then Sasuke wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize his chances of returning home. It might be Harry's fault he was like this but ultimately, these people were the only ones who could return him to normal and if they wanted him to play the part of Harry Potter then he'd do it and well enough even they'd have trouble telling he wasn't Harry.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The Fifth Hokage Harry reflected, was like Mrs. Weasley at her worst. The blond woman Shikamaru, Ino and Kiba had brought him to, appeared to be in her early twenties but the large bosom coupled with the serious brown eyes gave her a much more mature air. He tried not to stare at the Fifth's chest which revealed more flesh than he'd ever seen on a woman before. Shikamaru had released the henge the moment they'd been allowed into the office, thoroughly startling the Hokage who looked to have been snoozing amongst her paperwork.

The Fifth's gaze was now firmly fixed on him, a frown drawing her elegant eyebrows together.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" she queried.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," replied Shikamaru.

He and the other two had taken up their position in a line behind Harry. As lazy as ever, Shikamaru had shoved his hands into his pockets and was already looking bored. He'd given Harry something called a soldier pill before they'd come in to see the Hokage. As a result, his head had cleared and he'd been able to throw off his stuffy nose and actually talk properly. Kiba was looking around the office with apparent disinterest, his dog lying at his feet. Only Ino stood at attention, his eyes resolutely planted on the village leader.

"We picked him up near the border," he continued. "Claims he has memory loss."

"Memory loss?" Tsunade's eyes flickered to Harry and he knew she didn't believe him.

"That's what he said," repeated Shikamaru. "He also didn't fight us if that means anything to you Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment. Harry shifted nervously, awaiting her decision. If she was the village leader he was betting only she could help him but he couldn't afford to tell anyway else. He cursed the precarious position Sasuke's past actions had put him in. If he'd switched with someone like Shikamaru he was sure this would have been a whole lot easier.

"Alright," said Tsunade. "Good job you three. Shikamaru, I want a detailed report on my desk first thing tomorrow. You're dismissed. Uchiha – you stay here."

The three ninja left quietly and then it was just Harry and the Hokage. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap.

"Well I must admit this is a pleasant surprise," she said. "Naruto's been away training with Jiriya, tyring to get strong enough to bring you back and you've come back all on your own."

She shook her head, amused at the situation. "However, you haven't forgotten a thing, have you Sasuke?"

Tsunade's eyes were hard as they assessed Harry, making him feel distinctly uncomfortable. She was by no means Dumbledore but all the same, her brown eyes seemed to look straight though him. It was now or never: he was going to have to tell someone about the ridiculous predicament he'd found himself in.

"Well, you're either going to think I'm completely off my rocker or you might actually believe me," began Harry. "You see, the thing is I'm sure Sasuke still knows who he is if I do but I'm not really Sasuke. My - "

But that was as far as he got. Tsunade was on her feet in an instant; eyes wide in alarm and her chair crashing to the floor.

"Orochimaru?"

"Err…what?" asked Harry confused.

The door opened and two masked men stepped into the room.

"Hokage-sama? Is everything alright?" asked one of them. They'd obviously been drawn by the loud noise and the moment they saw Harry they stopped in surprise.

"Toad, Hawk; take Uchiha to the prison block and get Hatake Kakashi in my office A.S.A.P. Make sure he isn't late," ordered Tsunade.

Shocked, it took Harry a second to react when Toad and Hawk took hold of his arms. He was going to prison? What an earth for? They tried to walk away but Harry dug his heels in and struggled.

"Hey wait a second!" he protested. "Why are you throwing me in jail? I haven't done anything wrong!"

The Hokage's warm hued eyes studied him sternly. "You're making completely no sense Uchiha and if it is Orochimaru hiding in there then I'm taking no chances."

He didn't have a clue what she meant. Did she think Orochimaru had possessed him or something?

Harry tried to protest again but Toad and Hawk were bigger than him and their combined strength was easily enough to drag him backwards. The abrupt change in her demeanour had taken Harry completely by surprise. One moment he'd been reluctantly trying to come up with a way to make her believe his story and the next thing he knew she was throwing him in jail.

Toad and Hawk dragged him backwards through the corridors and down the stairs. Harry struggled and objected the whole way which drew more than a few shocked stares. Self conscious about all the looks, Harry stopped protesting loudly by the time they got outside the tower and demanded they at least let him walk forwards rather than be dragged backwards.

Toad and Hawk reluctantly complied and then they marched Harry up the street to a low, squat building. It was dirty looking and run down but the inside looked to be in a lot better condition then the outside. The room was plain with white walls and a tiled floor. A row of locked cupboards ran around the length of the room and left gaps for the front door and another door on the opposite wall.

Four more masked men were seated around the table when Toad and Hawk led Harry into the room. One of them stood up and took away Harry's bag of clothes and Sasuke's sword. He locked them in one of the cupboards and Harry then had to stand uncomfortably while another masked man patted him down for concealed weapons. He didn't find any so he turned and led Toad and Hawk to the opposite door. Harry was dragged with them and down the stairwell concealed behind the door.

At the bottom they emerged into a corridor lined with stone. It was eerily reminiscent of Snape's dungeons and Harry shivered a little in the cool air. He was led along the corridor past several locked cells to one about half way along. The masked man opened the door which was covered in strange looking patterns and then Harry was roughly shoved in by Toad and Hawk.

"Hey wait!" demanded Harry as the door was slammed shut and locked. "How long am I going to be down here? I didn't do anything wrong!"

Toad and Hawk had already disappeared from his line of sight already but the last masked man paused for a moment. "You're a traitor," he told Harry through the bars and then he too was gone, leaving Harry in the near pitch darkness.

He cursed savagely and kicked the door but it was solid and he just ended up hurting his toes. He leant against it and rubbed his foot fiercely for several moments before the pain dulled. Sighing, he tried to put a lid on his temper and then he began to feel out his new residence. There were no apparent weaknesses in the door and Harry wished he had his wand so that he could charm the lock open. The room seemed to roughly be three by three with a bench set against the back wall. There was a bucket in one corner presumably for his needs but besides that, there was nothing. The dim light from the fires in the corridor didn't give him nearly enough light to see by and when he sat down on the bench he realised his two wounds from the ninja stars had torn open and were bleeding sluggishly again. The one on his collarbone soon stopped but the wound on his leg was painful and hot when he touched it. He wasn't sure what that meant but he didn't think it boded well for him.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Once Sasuke actually got used to the concept that he'd gone back in time, it was easy enough to avoid detection and start getting seriously accustomed to the person that was Harry Potter and everything it entailed.

Hermione was a diligent teacher and Sasuke readily applied himself. He didn't like having to do it but it was a challenge in the end and he decided to consider it as a holiday from his 'real life.'

Hermione taught him a few more basic spells they'd learnt in their first and second year and then began focusing heavily on their third and especially forth year. Sasuke found the spells difficult in some cases but mostly easy enough so long as he copied exactly what Hermione did. She confessed she was a little stunned by his progress and natural talent but he brushed it off with a general comment about those kinds of things coming easily to him. It was true enough. Sasuke was a prodigy and had never had any trouble getting his head around concepts and retaining knowledge. He only had difficulty when training his body physically or attaining the necessary chakra control because those things always took time.

In order to eat, they snuck down into the kitchens at night and received food from little creatures Hermione said were called House Elves. They nearly ran into Ron's twin brothers the second night but luckily Sasuke heard them before they saw he and Hermione and they managed to hide.

After that Hermione decided it was imperative that Sasuke learn the faces and identities of as many people as possible. They spied on students in the school corridors and once, Hermione even took Sasuke to the Gryffindor tower while she knew their other selves weren't there. It was a risk but one they had to take so that Sasuke could learn everyone's faces.

The hardest thing Sasuke discovered however; was Quidditch. It was an extremely popular game played on broomsticks and apparently he was the Gryffindor team's best player. Hermione wasn't much good herself but she knew the basics and had been able to show him that much. Naturally, Sasuke was brilliant at it even if it did unnerve him to hurtle around the pitch a little at first. What he had trouble with however, was conceiving the rules of the game. Although he only had to worry about catching the small golden snitch, Sasuke still had to know the rules for the other players and without a demonstration, it was hard to get his head around the facts. He knew the basic idea but couldn't imagine what it looked like in reality.

On their last night Sasuke shouldered Harry's broom (which Hermione had managed to smuggle out of his dormitory) and walked with her back across the lawns to the castle. His face and ears stung a little from the cold night air and Hermione shivered in her long, dark cloak. The days were still warm but the nights were quickly becoming colder with the onset of winter.

It was quite late and they only had to worry about running into patrolling teachers as they climbed the castle steps and snuck into the front entrance hall. Sasuke shut the door behind Hermione once she stepped through but paused. He was fairly certain he could hear footsteps on the marble floor and a moment later Hermione stiffened. She too had heard the sound.

"Umbridge!" hissed Hermione when a distant figure appeared. She groaned to herself and looked frantically around. They were partially shrouded in darkness so the person wouldn't be able to see them yet but they would soon. The main doors squeaked too loudly when you opened them to think of retreating in that direction.

Spotting a near by door half hidden behind a tapestry, Sasuke grabbed Hermione and yanked her after him. He threw the door open and she quickly followed him inside and shut it hastily behind them. Hermione leaned against it with Sasuke close behind her as they listened to the clicking of Umbridge's heels on the marble floor.

The footsteps stopped for several moments and they held their breath and then they distinctly moved away again, this time up the marble staircase to the left of the main doors.

Hermione sagged against the door the moment she could no longer hear the footsteps and Sasuke stepped back. As soon as he moved away however, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he stiffened. He'd only given the room a cursory glance over when they'd entered but now he was sure they weren't alone like he'd first believed.

He turned slowly, unsure of what to expect. He wasn't prepared for the roiling mass of darkness floating in the centre of the room.

"Hermione," he called and she immediately turned upon hearing her name.

"What's that?" asked Sasuke. He tensed his muscles, prepared to attack or defend should the strange cloud try anything. Hermione however, only looked confused at the sight of it.

"I don't know what it is," she said with a small frown. "Hogwarts isn't unknown for having unusual things in it though. The castle is full of all sorts of strange creatures and artefacts. I wouldn't be too worried about it although you might want to be careful anyway."

Sasuke's unease only decreased slightly at her words. Something about the cloud made him wary of it.

"Come on Sasuke, let's just - "

But Hermione broke off when the cloud abruptly shuddered and shrank rapidly. The form it took was distorted at first but gradually firmed. Horror flooded Sasuke at the sight that appeared. His stomach clenched painfully and his heart sped up horribly. The blood was pounding so loudly is his ear drums he barely heard Hermione's frightened gasp.

The cloud had condensed into a broken figure lying sprawled upon the floorboards. His body was sopping wet and blood mingled with the water running in rivulets off his body. The Jounin jacket was torn to shreds and his silver hair fell gracefully across his features.

Sasuke fought the urge to be sick at the sight of his sensei's obviously dead corpse. He'd seen death before but for some reason this one affected Sasuke like an illness did. It was the scenario he'd envisaged when Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, had trapped Kakashi in his water prison. He'd almost been certain Kakashi would die and he'd had nightmares about it for weeks.

With a crack, the body suddenly turned into another corpse. Sakura's lifeless green eyes stared at Sasuke from a head bent at a strange angle compared to the rest of her body. Her expression was terrified and though there were no visible wounds, the sight made him sicker than Kakashi's body had. His arm protectively went around his roiling stomach as he sank to his knees.

Another crack suddenly rent the air and Sasuke was now staring at a mangled Naruto. His ex team mate's body looked as it had went he'd driven Chidori through his chest and sent Naruto deep into the watery depths of the lake at the Valley of the End. Though Naruto had survived the encounter, Sasuke had suffered never ending nightmares after that whenever he dropped his guard enough and allowed the guilt to consume him.

Orochimaru didn't know the extent of his remorse and never would. Sasuke had gone to great lengths to conceal his true self from the Sannin and the rest of the world but he still knew himself and he couldn't forgive what he'd nearly done. It'd all been an act of madness, fuelled by the power of the Curse Seal but Sasuke didn't use that as an excuse. He'd tried to kill Naruto.

He couldn't tolerate the sight of Naruto's corpse for another second so he pressed his head to the floor and desperately tried to starve off the fear.

He heard footsteps and another crack. Hermione said something and there was a loud bang. Sasuke flinched but didn't dare look up. He heard Hermione come back and it took a great amount of effort not to react when she placed a hand on his back.

"What was that thing?" Sasuke whispered to the floorboards.

"A Boggart. It must have been hiding in here. They take on the form of a person's greatest fear," she replied softly. "I didn't realise it was one but that's probably because it didn't know how to react when we came in. You were closer to it and it probably couldn't decide if you were Harry or Sasuke. It must have realised when I said your name…I'm sorry."

Hesitantly Sasuke raised his face. The Boggart was gone and Hermione was looking away from him, her face a mixture of shame and sadness. "Were they your family?" she asked.

"No," he replied. He straightened slowly, suddenly disgusted with his reaction. So what if he'd been scared? Hermione had beaten off the thing and he'd just cowered on the floor like a child. What would Itachi have thought if he'd seen a display like that? The thought of his brother infuriated him and he pressed his lips together firmly and dug his nails into his palms in an effort to curtail his rapidly rising temper.

"Were they important to you though?" pressed Hermione.

Sasuke didn't want to answer her but he surprised himself. "Once they were. Maybe they still are but at this point in time they don't mean anything more to me."

He stood up and left so quickly that Hermione didn't have a chance to question him. Sasuke refused to talk to her for the rest of the night and eventually she went to bed in the hammock she'd conjured to hang between the stalls. Sasuke fell into his own but for a long time he couldn't sleep and he moodily stared at the ceiling, lost in memories long gone and resenting his own weakness.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The passing of time was certain but how much had passed, Harry was completely unaware of. He supposed he'd been in the darkness for several days before someone came down to find him. By the time the door was swung open, Harry was fairly simmering with resentment and thoroughly sick of the long, tedious hours he'd spent in the gloom.

An unfamiliar ANBU (which Harry learnt the masked men were called) unlocked the door, set a lantern on the floor and stepped back to allow a man inside. Harry recognised him immediately as the silver haired ninja from the Team 7 photo.

Hatake Kakashi didn't look any older than the picture and was even wearing the same thing. The eyelid of his visible eye dropped, as if he were either tired or just incredibly bored. The spiky, silver hair stuck upright to one side and he had his hands firmly entrenched in his pockets. The door shut behind him leaving them both in the gloomy cell.

"Sasuke?" he asked. His voice was deep with a smooth baritone. If the face beneath the mask and forehead protector wasn't horribly scared or anything, then Harry imagined he probably made woman swoon at the sound of a voice like that.

Harry however, wasn't going to lie anymore. Sasuke used to know Hatake, Harry reminded himself, so he answered, "Sorry, my name's Harry."

Hatake's eyebrow arched but he took the reply fairly smoothly.

"Uhuh…you know, Tsunade said you were acting out of character but I wasn't expecting this," Hatake replied.

Harry had been cooped up too long not to be a little resentful though. "Well you'd be a little upset if you'd been locked up for days without an explanation."

If possible, Hatake's eyebrow climbed higher and Harry plunged on before he could reply.

"Look, you're not going to believe me and you're going to think I'm totally insane but I have to tell someone," he said. "I'm not Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke's in my body back in England and I'm Potter Harry. I'm a…" Harry clenched his teeth and forced himself to go on. "I'm a wizard and I had an accident in potions class. I'm not Uchiha Sasuke!"

Harry had stopped looking at Hatake some time ago and was now waiting for the inevitable sound of laughter. When there wasn't any, Harry looked up at Hatake who was staring at him. The boredom had vanished and his single eye was wide in apparent shock.

"You don't believe me, do you?" asked Harry. Although he'd prepared himself for this, he still couldn't help the disappointment that flooded him.

"Well I do actually," replied Hatake, surprising Harry. "It's just I wasn't expecting something like this. It's plausible but I've never heard of something like this happening before and I didn't imagine it happening to Sasuke of all people."

Hatake looked at Harry thoughtfully and then sighed. "Come with me then Harry. I suppose I'm going to have to explain a few things to the Hokage."

Hatake turned and banged on the door. The ANBU came back and Hatake explained that he was taking Harry to see the Hokage. He still called him Sasuke though Harry noticed.

They went back upstairs and out into the street. The brightness of the sun stung Harry's eyes but it was a relief to be free. His leg throbbed painfully but he followed Hatake dutifully back up the street to the Hokage tower. It was very late in the day and there were few people about. Most didn't even look twice at Harry as he trailed after Hatake.

Luckily, the Fifth was still in her office, grumbling over a sheaf of papers she held in one hand and staring at another group strewn across her desk.

"Hatake, Uchiha," she acknowledged when they walked in. She set the papers to one side and folded her arms on her desk. "You've spoken to Uchiha then?" she asked. Fixing them with an expectant stare, she waited for Hatake to say something.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," replied Hatake. "Are you aware of the seal that was placed around our lands?"

Tsunade frowned. "Are you referring to that old wives tale about witch craft and what not?" she asked.

"I am," confirmed Hatake, inclining his head. "And it was never an old wives tale."

Hatake went on to explain the story of the 'Lost Ninja Lands' and the fact that Uchiha Sasuke no longer resided in his body but someone called Harry Potter did. The Hokage's eyebrows steadily climbed towards her hairline and by the end of it Harry too, was staring in disbelief. He'd never heard of anything like it before. True, he knew Hogwarts was subject to similar spells but the sheer size of the lands hidden was on such a grand scale that he wondered how it could have possibly been hidden at all. Then Hatake revealed something that neither Harry nor the Hokage apparently, had known.

"My clan was the driving force behind the seals used to cut off our lands and was also a major part of the negotiations with the wizarding community. That's why I'm the last one of my clan, as my father was before me. We've kept the clan going for many generations but for some time there has only ever been a single or two heirs. Most of the Hatake clan was assassinated by shinobi not wishing for the seal upon our lands," explained Hatake.

"So that's why you know so much and you're certain he's telling the truth," deduced Tsunade.

"Aa," confirmed Hatake. "Even if Orochimaru realised the tale is more than what it is, the chances of him using it to infiltrate Konoha if he'd already taken over Sasuke are slim to none. I do however; have a way to be certain."

"Well let's see it then," prompted Tsunade.

Hatake turned to Harry with such an unnerving look in his eye that he was sure he wasn't about to like what was coming.

"Hold still Harry," instructed Hatake. "This won't hurt but it will feel a little strange."

Reluctantly Harry complied while Kakashi formed a strange shape with his hands in front of him. With a completely straight face, Hatake looked back over his shoulder and asked, "Hokage-sama, please don't tell Yamanka-san I know this jutsu."

The Hokage might have rolled her eyes but it looked like she suppressed the urge and sighed instead. "Only you, Kakashi, would be mad enough to copy a jutsu like that."

"Well I'm assuming you don't want all that many people to know," he replied with a small smile although it was difficult to tell beneath the dark cloth stretched across his face. "So I guess it's a good thing I did."

The Hokage grunted and made some comment under her breath that sounded like 'the Sharingan was invented for cheaters and lazy perverts.'

Hatake turned back to Harry and said something so rapidly Harry didn't quite hear it. An invisible force slammed into him. Distantly he heard a dull thump but he was too caught up in the rush of images playing before his mind's eye. He caught a flash of the confines of the cupboard under the stairs, followed by Ron and Hermione's smiling faces around second year. There was one of the Quidditch grand final, Lupin's first class, a glimpse of Snape prowling through the corridors and suddenly, it stopped.

Gasping, Harry staggered sideways and tripped over his own feet. He hit the floorboards painfully and bit back a cry as he landed on his wounded leg. Agony washed over him and he thought he was going to be sick. Peering through blurry eyes he watched as Hatake stood up. His body had been lying on the ground Harry realised – an effect of the jutsu thing he guessed but he appeared to be perfectly fine. His visible skin looked a little white though as he looked over at Harry. "He wasn't lying," said Hatake. "His name's Potter Harry."

He walked over to him but Harry barely noticed. His vision was swimming and he was at a loss to explain the cause.

"Oi, Harry? Are you alright?" asked Hatake.

Harry clenched his teeth and shook his head. "I think I'm going to be sick," he muttered.

He heard footsteps and then the Hokage's legs appeared within his field of vision. She crouched down in front of him, peering thoughtfully at his face. "Yamanka-san's jutsu can sometimes be uncomfortable but not like this," she remarked.

She gently pulled back Harry's eyelid and then felt his forehead. "What is it?" asked Hatake leaning over her shoulder to look at Harry.

"Harry, have you got any wounds anywhere?" she asked.

"On my leg," replied Harry.

"Let me see," ordered Tsunade. Obediently Harry rolled up his pant leg and showed her the wound. He'd taken off the bandages but hadn't had anything to rewrap it with. The cut wasn't big but it was deep and the flesh around it was red and swollen.

Tsunade gingerly examined the area and with a sigh, released his leg. "You're wound is infected. That's why you're sick."

Harry blinked stupidly at her. "Oh," he replied after a moment and then he mentally cursed himself. He really was an idiot sometimes. How the hell had he survived long enough to reach his fifth year?

Author's Note: There you go, another chapter. I had a hard time deciding what Sasuke's greatest fear was and then I decided he was probably afraid of loosing his precious people again. Do you guys think I'm writing Sasuke alright or do I need to make him more anti-social? Sasuke's always been a practical person so it's hard to write him going along with things and yet still being true to his stoic demeanour.

Anyway, I'm off to update another fic now. I'm on a role so I might as well.