"text" English

"text" Japanese

text thoughts or flashbacks

"text" in a flashback is Japanese

The Third Eye Ayame had created followed Harry as he left the courtroom quickly. Ayame didn't blame him at all as she was also glad to be leaving that room full of incompetent imbeciles. Granted a couple of them seemed alright such as that Amelia Bones even though she didn't understand the concept of keeping something that easily identified someone a secret.

Ayame took note of how Mr. Weasley stiffened when Percy Weasley walked by showing that they were more than likely closely related with some bad blood between them. She took particular interest in the sneering blond who was talking with the minister about having an appointment scheduled with him. Something about him screamed off to Ayame's chakra and she resolved to ask Harry about him on their return to the headquarters. She smiled with pride as Harry dumped his whole money bag into the hideous fountain for a donation to the hospital. Could witches and wizards be anymore arrogant than having a statue that glorified them?

As soon as Ayame saw herself she dispelled her jutsu and opened her eyes. "Well that was most enlightening as to how incompetent and power obsessed your leader is," Ayame commented.

"You got that just from watching my trial?" Harry asked.

"Well he was making it blatantly obvious plus I have experience dealing with bureaucrats," Ayame said slowly straightening out her legs. She pushed herself up into a standing position and stretched, cracking her back loudly. Harry and Mr. Weasley both winced at the sound. "I can take Harry back Mr. Weasley if you want to get over to that regurgitating toilet faster."

"Are you sure?" Mr. Weasley asked. "No offense."

"Don't worry," Ayame said smiling. "We won't get lost… on accident." The gleam in her eyes freaked Harry out and made Mr. Weasley nervous. "We'll be fine." It's not like we're going to run into any Mist or Stone nin who still hate us despite the truce, rogue nin, or Sound nin and the Akatsuki are all dead. "In all honesty I'd rather Naruto not hear about the vomiting toilet lest he decide to try to recreate it on some unsuspecting victim."

"He's a prankster then?" Harry asked.

"He painted the Hokage mountain at least ten times between the ages of seven and twelve," Ayame said dryly. "and the Hokage mountain is the most important monument in the Leaf Village as it has the faces of the Hokages, our leaders, carved into the rock."

"Oh my," Mr. Weasley said looking worried. "He, Fred, and George are really going to hit it off."

"Well let's hope Hogwarts remains standing then," Harry said.

"I should probably get going," Mr. Weasley said seeing the time. "Ayame would you mind asking Sirius to pass on a message to Dumbledore? Tell him that Lucius Malfoy is hanging around the Ministry again."

"No problem," Ayame said. Mr. Weasley said his goodbyes and then disappeared with a loud crack.

Ayame and Harry slowly started walking back to the Underground. She could feel Harry keep glancing at her and stopped. "You have questions, don't you? Tell you what, I'll do my best to answer your questions if you'll answer some of mine."

Harry was shocked at how quickly the guard had picked up on his curiosity and that she was willing to answer some of his questions. Just lately people hadn't been answering his questions so this made a nice change. "You weren't hired just to protect Hogwarts were you? You're also supposed to protect me."

"I had a feeling you were going to ask that from your emotions when Mr. Weasley said that I would be coming with you," Ayame said smiling slightly. "You're right. Because of June's events Dumbledore felt it would be a good idea to hire people whose main focus will be protecting you and the other students. So who is the blond peacock, Lucius Malfoy was it?"

"He's the Head of the Malfoy family which is a prominent pureblood family that are a bunch of pureblood supremists. Basically they feel that anyone whether they are half-blood, Muggleborn, or Muggle is beneath them and should be killed."

"Oh that's pleasant," Ayame grumbled sarcastically.

"He's also a Death Eater, one of Voldemort's followers, and his son Draco is in my year. Though thankfully not in my house." Ayame automatically filed the younger Malfoy under People-To-Keep-An-Eye-On and the elder under People-To-Watch-Out-For. He didn't quite make it onto the threat list as despite the fact that Malfoy Sr. was a Death Eater with close ties to high-ranking political figures, Ayame wasn't sure about his ability level or how close a confident he was to his commanding officer.

"So where are you from?" Harry asked feeling like they were playing some form of twenty questions.

"The Villages Hidden in the Leaves in the Land of Fire though I was born in the Village Hidden in the Sand in the Land of Wind."

"Why did you leave?" Harry wondered. Ayame stiffened slightly and Harry realized he had unknowingly brought up a sensitive topic.

Ayame took a deep breath and told herself that Harry was just asking what he thought was an innocent question. She decided to see how open he was to her questions before answering that particular question. "Has Fudge always been that much of an idiot or is it a new development?"

"He's been like that as long as I've known him, cares more about his image than what's right," Harry grumbled. "He's worse this year though. Refuses to even believe for a moment that Voldemort is back, which he is."

Ayame chuckled slightly. "Why in the world would he call himself Lord Voldemort anyway? As Naruto pointed out last night when he wasn't laughing it rhymes with Moldy Wart."

Harry laughed at that. "Lord Voldemort is actually part of an anagram of his real name, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Pretty much he had issues with the act that his father was a Muggle, had no magic, and he wanted a name people would fear. People still won't call him Voldemort and flinch whenever that hear it preferring to call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Names."

"Interesting," Ayame said. "Daddy issues, huh?"

"And hatred of all those who don't have magic, are Muggleborn, or ironically enough are half-bloods. So how did you do that thing with the eye?"

"It's one of the jutsus I can do with the sand I control," Ayame said holding out her hand and sand swirled around it.

"That's how the chair didn't fall over this morning," Harry said in realization.

"Yep, only Gaara and I can do this," Ayame said.

"Who's Gaara?"

"My twin brother."

"You have siblings?"

"Two brothers and a sister, all older and very overprotective, you?"

"No though Hermione's pretty much my sister."

"So why are you such a big deal for the wizarding world?"

"Shouldn't you know that already since you were hired to guard me?" Harry asked stopping to look at Ayame in surprise.

"I like to hear things from the source," Ayame said chuckling. "Much more accurate."

"Oh," Harry said. "Pretty much when I was just over a year old Voldemort came after me. No idea why though. Dumbledore won't tell me. Anyways he killed my parents and then tried to kill me with the same Killing Curse. No one had survived it before but somehow it rebounded leaving me with my scar and Voldemort vanished making people thing that he died."

Interesting, Ayame thought.

"You said that you'd had experience with bureaucrats," Harry said happy that Ayame wasn't reacting like several others had either with fawning admiration or the typical "Oh I'm so sorry for your loss." He could tell that she was truly sorry that he never knew his parents from the look in her eyes as if she knew what he'd been through and was very familiar with the feeling of grief.

Ayame chuckled dryly. "I guess in a way you could say that I am one." She smiled at the look on Harry's face since it was similar to the one she probably had when Tsunade appointed her the Leaf's Ambassador to the Sand and when she found out the reason why.

Ayame walked into Tsunade's office. "You wished to see me Lady Tsunade?"

"Ah yes Ayame," Tsunade said. "Our current Ambassador to the Sand has decided to hand in his resignation. Therefor we need someone to take his place and I've decided that you are the best option."

Ayame's jaw dropped. "Why me though? I'm sure there are far more qualified people than me. I'm only a chunin."

"I know but considering the circumstances I feel you're the right choice." The smirk on Tsunade's face made Ayame slightly nervous. "Now the Sand has just elected their new Kazekage so for your first assignment as Ambassador, don't worry you can still do your duties as a ninja, you are to go to the Sand and present yourself to the Kazekage and give him this message for me."

Ayame took the scroll from Tsunade. "Yes ma'am."

Three days later Ayame was waiting outside of the Kazekage's office having just announced herself to the ninja standing outside. He came back out and told her that she could go in now.

Ayame walked in and had just opened her mouth to great the new Kazekage when she saw exactly who it was. She started laughing. "That's why-"

"Ayame?" Kankuro asked turning around at the laughter. "I thought Leaf's Ambassador was coming in."

"She did," Gaara said standing up from behind what was now his desk.

"You?" Kankuro asked shocked.

"Yes me," Ayame said. "An interesting joke on Tsunade's part, though at least I understand now. Congratulations Gaara." She moved and gave her brother a hug.

"What?" Ayame asked Harry who was still staring at her in shock.

"You don't strike me as a bureaucrat," Harry replied. "Then again the only bureaucrat I really know is Fudge."

"Not all bureaucrats are like him. Most that I've met are at least competent though there are a few that aren't and are complete and utter jackasses." Harry laughed at that. "So what do you get up to at school. I've heard snippets but I'd rather hear it from the source rather than rumors." She gave him a look that said 'Don't lie.'

Harry sighed and started to tell Ayame about his first four years at Hogwarts realizing that she had a point about rumors. The rumor mill in Hogwarts was insane. The tale went on until they reached Grimmauld Place.

Ayame put her hand on his shoulder before they headed up the path. "As to why I left the Sand it was because I didn't have a choice. Though I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell the others."

Harry nodded. "Why are you telling me though?"

"You were honest with me," Ayame said. Harry nodded in understanding thinking that it was just a bad move that she didn't agree with not knowing the real reason she left. With that they went inside.