A/N: 'Muggle at the breakfast table' was one of the first scenes which popped into my mind when I thought about what Naruto would do at Hogwarts. I laughed at my thoughts of all the confused students and laughed some more at Sasuke's response to that. I wrote that down in a few keywords, came across those a week later, and bam- this fic was born.

A reminder: Daiki Sato is the codename for Naruto.

When you saw the guards, you immediately knew they were the guards. Their uniform was a strange mix of wizard clothes and a military Muggle uniform.

They wore the same Hogwarts robe as the teachers, but underneath that they wore a green vest with a blue sweater, dark blue pants and blue sandals. Sometimes they mixed it up with black clothes, and once Parvati saw Fox run around in bright orange pants, which clashed horribly with his green vest. Crow was sometimes seen wearing a shirt with an incredibly wide collar, forgoing the green vest.

Parvati noticed these kind of things, and most important of all: she remembered these kind of things. Fashion was a pet hobby of hers. At a school where you wore an uniform, it was important to accessorize to keep up with the latest style. The guards stood out because they mixed and matched their uniforms from a set of clothes, and they could be utterly blind to clashing colors. In the sea of black uniforms theirs was as vibrant as a gay parade. Which made Parvati take notice.

"I think I'll finish reading this book in my own bed," said Parvati as she snapped the book shut. She looked around quickly to make sure Madam Pince hadn't noticed her 'abuse of books', but the old librarian busied herself scolding some first-years who accidentally had cracked the spine on a hard-cover book.

"I'll join you in a bit, I can't read in bed. I always fall asleep before I can even read one page," said Lavender. The other girls at the table bade Parvati goodnight and she left the library, carrying the heavy book in a bag slung over her shoulder. It was nice to be alone sometimes, even for a social butterfly like Parvati. The relatively empty hallways of Hogwarts always seemed alive, so you knew you weren't truly alone. The torchlight flickered over the moving paintings and the hallways were warm thanks to an enchantment from mr. Flitwick.

Parvati wasn't in a hurry to get back to the dorm. She walked slowly, scuffing the ground here and there with her new boots, nearly dragging her feet. She looked at them as she walked. They were nice boots. Pricy, but worth every Galleon.

Something metal flickering in the torchlight caught her attention. A piece of metal lay half-hidden in the shadow of a drinking fountain. A piece of metal had no business laying there, so Parvati bent over and picked it up. It was a rectangular piece of metal, with something engraved in the middle. Two lengths of black cloth were attached to the metal plate. When Parvati turned it around in her hands, she recognized it.

Whatever type of uniform the guards wore that day, there were a few constants in their dress code: the white mask, the sandals, and some kind of swirly symbol on a metal plate. Sometimes they wore it around their neck, around their waist or on their arms, and Parvati spotted Fox a couple of times as he used it as some kind of bandana. The cloth of Crow's metal thingy was blue, but Fox's was black.

If they kept it with them at all times... She realized that she'd found something special to one of the guards, and she closed her hand around it. She had to return it.

She scrounged around the area to see if Fox had lost any more items, but other than some water droplets on the ground she didn't find anything.

With a new goal in mind she put the band in her pocket but kept clutching it with one hand to make sure she didn't lose it. She turned around and marched towards the stairs which would lead her to the third floor. Every student in Hogwarts knew where the guards were housed, especially the fourth-years and older. They stayed in the forbidden corridor where Parvati had snuck past back when she was a first-year, to see what was so forbidden about it. Back then she wasn't able to open the doors, but this time she'd be able to see the room. She hoped.

She came across surprisingly little students, but Fox did rush past her. He continually mumbled "sorry" as he dashed past various students. Parvati called to him, but he either he didn't hear her or he didn't want to hear her. He was gone within seconds and Parvati didn't race after him. She wanted to see what the forbidden room looked like.

So she found herself in front of it ten minutes later, with half a mind to turn around and flag down one of the Fox-guards. Parvati felt the edge of the metal plate dig into her palm as she clutched it real tight. She was a Gryffindor, and Gryffindors possessed courage above all.

One, two, three times she knocked. A polite knock. If nobody answered, she'd go back to the dorm room and try again tomorrow. But a muffled voice called "come in". She couldn't make out if the voice belonged to Crow or Fox.

Slowly she pushed the door wide open and peeked inside.

The room... wasn't as spectacular as she'd hoped. In fact, it looked a lot like her own shared room, complete with red four-poster beds and a golden-red rug. It was bigger, but other than that one of the beds was a giant mess, it looked like a typical bedroom. The messy bed seemed to exist in an universe of its own. The other bed was pristine, as if nobody had ever slept in it. But the messy bed, well, 'disaster area' didn't even come close. Discarded empty bowls surrounded it, scrolls with unfamiliar characters covered it and the display was completed with a worn pyjama and a night cap which took up the left-over space. So much stuff laid on it it was hard to see the original color of the sheets.

But that wasn't what drew Parvati's attention. That'd be the man sitting in the windowsill.

For some reason the torches hadn't been lit, but the moonlight streaming in through the big window was enough to light the entire bedroom. And it also lit up Crow, who sat in the windowsill, leaning against the wall. One bent leg leaned on the windowsill and the other leg dangled in the air. A scroll with the unfamiliar characters was rolled out over his lap and bunched together on the ground. He wore his mask, but it was lopsided, as if he'd put it on in a hurry. Other than that, the items he always wore were gone, leaving him in nothing but his black sweater and black pants. The pant leg of the bent leg was rolled up and white bandages shone in the moonlight.

"Yes?" he prodded when Parvati promptly forgot why she'd come here. Her grip on the metal plate reminded her of her purpose, and she stepped into the room, pulling the metal plate from her pocket.

"I found this near the drinking fountain on the second floor. I think this belongs to Fox."

Parvati prided herself on two whole sentences in the presence of this guard. He looked intimidating, especially when he radiated that 'must-kill'-power.

"Yes, that's Fox's forehead protector. He's been looking for it all evening."

He made a 'come here'-gesture and held out his hand. Nervous that she'd done something wrong Parvati walked over to the guard and handed him the ... forehead protector, as Crow called it, making sure to step around the scroll on the ground.

"You're in Gryffindor. What's your name?"

"P-Parvati Patil. Sir."

She couldn't help herself calling him 'sir'. In her eyes, he was a sir, even though he looked young.

"Fox'll want to thank you for finding it and bringing it here, Parvati. I'll pass it along to him."

Before Crow pocketed the metal plate, a noise at the door alerted them both. A voice said something in a strange language, and Fox appeared in the doorway.

He froze at the sight of Parvati, and quickly stepped inside.

"She found your forehead protector," informed Crow, but Fox cocked his head in question. Crow held up the forehead protector and all of a sudden Fox stood right in front of Parvati.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" he cried, and before Parvati could react she was crushed to death against a rock-hard wall. Or his chest, same difference. He hugged her while continuing his mantra of "thank you!", and when he finally let go Parvati was sure she sported the same color as the bed sheets.

"Ah, sorry, but my forehead protector is very special for me," he said, and rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. He walked over to Crow, who handed it to Fox without a sound. Well, Parvati thought she heard him mutter "shutongasji", but it was so soft she might've imagined it.

"If there's anything I can do for you, I'll do it!" said Fox and gave her a thumbs-up with extended arm. "It's a promise!"

There was one thing Parvati wanted more than anything at the moment, and it had been eating at her since the first day of this schoolyear.

"Well," she began, but she didn't know if she should follow through with it. What if he was insulted, or if it was strictly forbidden, or if he became mad? Then again, she'd done him a big favor. It was coincidence that she had been at the right place at the right time, but still...

"Can I see what you look like?" she asked in a whisper, and Fox stilled. Crow snorted, and to Parvati it sounded like an amused snort.

"Ehm..." began Fox, but Crow interrupted him.

"You did promise."

Fox's shoulders slumped and he sighed before nodding. "I did promise. But close please the door. And you can't tell someone... no, anyone about this, right?"

Parvati nodded enthusiastically, and was already on her way to the door when it closed by itself. When she turned around she caught Crow tucking his wand away. Parvati walked the few steps she'd taken back and felt her heartbeat speed up when Fox reached for his mask.

With some flair for the dramatic he paused for a second, and then pulled the mask away in one swift move.

Parvati stared at the face of someone who could be her classmate. He looked so young! His cheeks with three marks each on them still carried some baby-fat, although she already saw the shape of a man's face shine through. The name 'Fox' fit him, because the marks reminded her of whiskers. His eyebrows were the same color as his hair, suggesting either a thorough dye-job, or that really was his natural hair color. But his most striking feature were his eyes. His sky-blue eyes flickered back and forth, searching her face for some kind of sign. A nervous grin played around his lips, showing off white teeth, all the more white thanks to his tanned skin.

"And?" He prodded, and Parvati had to look away from his boring gaze.

"You, ah, have pretty eyes," she managed to say, and she knew she was once again bed sheet-color. His grin grew more genuine and his eyes started to shine.

"Thanks," he said, and Parvati felt her heartbeat speed up even more when he stepped closer to her.

"Well, you have saw my face. Time to go back to your bedroom." His heavy accent seemed charming all of a sudden and Parvati nodded dazedly.

"I won't tell anyone, I swear," she reassured him, and he nodded.

"I know."

Parvati didn't ask how he knew. She let him guide her towards the door and threw back one last look as he closed it.

"Thank you to finding my forehead protector. Good night!"

He waved at her, grinned so wide that his eyes became tiny slits and closed the door.

Parvati fanned some air towards herself to try to cool down. She had always thought of the guards as strong men, way older than her... But Fox, he couldn't have been older than fifteen, sixteen maybe. She remembered his rock-hard body and strong arms surrounding her, a musky smell emanating from his body. That wasn't a boy's body, and he burdened the responsibility of a man. He was a man... but at her age.

Her heartbeat wouldn't calm down, especially not when she thought back of the way his eyes turned from wary to relieved, and she slowly began walking back towards the Gryffindor tower.

Parvati had been through this enough times that she knew what was going on...

She was developing a crush on Fox, and the worst part was: nobody could know that she had seen his face!

There was a Muggle sitting at the Hufflepuff table.

And he inhaled his food so fast Harry feared for the bloke's esophagus. The Muggle was hard to miss, but he seemed oblivious to the stares of pretty much the entire school. Harry supposed the guy could be a Hogwarts student who forgot to put on the school robes this morning, but he didn't remember ever seeing someone dress in that much orange. Or in that particular shade. His blonde… no, yellow hair complimented the attire. That particular hair color tickled at something in his memory and Harry gasped as he realized who it was.

Fox.

The guard who was so adept at hand to hand combat and had such amazing wandless spells in his arsenal was a fifteen year old boy with weird marks on his face.

Harry's breakfast sat in his stomach like one of Hagrid's buns. There was no way that a fifteen-year old had so much skills, be so talented. This had to be some sort of illusion, because if it was not, Harry felt so … inadequate. He was fourteen for crying out loud, and he barely scared off a Boggart and felt so proud when he produced a full Patronus. Fox must have laughed and laughed at that.

Finally Fox noticed something was amiss and his inhalation slowed. His eyes were puffy, Harry noticed, as if he hadn't gotten enough sleep. In fact, his entire demeanor spoke of exhaustion.

Finally Fox slowed down enough to ask a question. "What's the matter? I have something on my face?"

The Hufflepuff girl sitting next to him nodded slowly, but before she (or he) could say anything Crow appeared in the Great Hall (when did he arrive?) and stalked towards them. He held something in his hands, Harry noticed.

"It's what missing from your face, idiot," he admonished and threw the object in his hands on the table. It was the fox mask. Fox looked at the mask before slowly letting his eyes travel upwards towards Crow's face. His face took on a impish grin and his surprisingly blue eyes disappeared behind eyelids as he looked apologetic. To Harry's amazement he spoke English. Maybe out of politeness?

"Err, didn't think about it this morning… And I was really hungry and tired…"

"And you forgot your clothes as well."

Fox looked down at himself and seemed surprised to find orange clothes instead of his usual outfit. At least the guy wore clothes, unlike Crow has insinuated (or what had gotten lost in translation). Fox's hand inched towards the fox mask and he still smiled that horrible smile at Crow.

"Sorry, sorry… But you fighted yesterday too hard and that's why I'm so tired I forget."

Fox's blue eyes flew open and he pointed an accusing finger at Crow, who didn't flinch at the outburst. Or show any emotion at all, really (it was rather hard to emote through a mask). Unlike Fox, whose face was expressive.

"Stop smirking at me! It's your fault!"

That's when their English ran out and they started talking in their native tongue. Or rather, Fox talked and Crow answered in monosyllabics, but that only seemed to aggravate Fox further. Crow finally had enough of Fox's antics and darted forward, grabbing him by the black collar of his jacket. Fox barely managed to grab the fox mask before Crow unceremoniously dragged him over the table, splattering food everywhere. With some amazing acrobatic skills Fox managed to land on his feet but he was dragged off nonetheless, all the while yelling something (probably insults) at Crow.

After the doors of the Great Hall closed behind them with a bang Harry became aware of the silence that hung over the students. But after two breaths the hall exploded with voices.

"He's got whiskers!" Harry heard a first-year Gryffindor exclaim and her friend nodded enthusiastically. Next to him Ron seemed to still be in a sort of daze, but Hermione threw an indiscernible look at the doors.

"Fox is just a kid," she said with a neutral voice. Ron, however, was not neutral.

"Did you see that? Our guard is a bloody kid! He's got to be amazing to learn that much advanced wandless magic at that age!"

"I bet Crow is young as well, " said Hermione. "Judging by his build and voice. Too bad they both didn't forget their masks."

"I can't believe Dumbledore trusts him," Harry heard Simon say.

"He's just a kid, Dumbledore! How could you hire a kid to guard Hogwarts? He's not even of age."

McGonagall stood in front of Dumbledore's desk, hands balled in fists at her side and her lips pursed thin. The two shinobi (Naruto with his mask back in its rightful place) stood in Dumbledore's office, as silent as ever.

"I bet Hideko is a kid as well, aren't you?"

McGonagall took a step towards Crow, who merely put his hands in his pockets and scoffed.

"With all due respect," he replied, "we're not kids. In our village we are considered adults, part of the elite shinobi. We're more than capable to defend this school and guard its students. A young age doesn't mean lack of talent."

"You're fourteen!"

"Fifteen, almost sixteen," Naruto corrected hastily. "At least, I am. Hideko's birthday is in June."

"Besides, I don't think either of us ever had a childhood," drawled Sasuke in a Shikimaru-like manner. "If it makes you feel any better, I've lived alone since I was eight and Daiki was … four, I believe. We've been trained to become shinobi since we were six years old. Please do not call us children."

McGonagall's knuckles were white, but as she opened her mouth the headmaster interrupted.

"Minerva…" Dumbledore said in a soft voice. "I'm aware of their age, but such is their culture. Their village leader has deemed them skilled enough for this mission, and I trust her judgment. And in a way, we're helping them. It's safer to guard Hogwarts than guarding a high-level politician or delivering a scroll to a hidden country far away."

Sasuke noted that the headmaster hadn't mentioned an assassination mission or some other more … unpleasant aspect of shinobi dealings. McGonagall, however, seemed to buy it. She turned to Sasuke. "Alright, I'll accept that you're not children, at least not in mind. But please, at least let me see your face once so I at least know you're … well."

He blinked at that odd wish. She'd sounded hurt, as if she wanted to shield them from the horrors of this world but unable to do so. Sasuke shot a sideways glance at Naruto, who shrugged. It was up to him. But sadly for the woman he felt no need to let her see his face. She'd only want to mother them and protect them, and that's the last thing he wanted from this woman.

So he shook his head and said: "Professor, I can assure you I'm well. There's no need to show my face." He turned towards Dumbledore.

"If that's all, sir, we'd like to finish our patrol of the grounds."

The headmaster inclined his head at them and Sasuke took it as a dismissal. He deliberately avoided McGonagall's look and nearly bolted from the office, Naruto in tow. That woman was far too concerned and he had the feeling she looked down upon children's abilities. Or at least, their abilities.

Then again, they hadn't shown what they were capable of, so that's why the woman regarded them as incompetent children who were in over their heads.

"Hey Sasuke, why didn't you show your face?" asked Naruto as they spiraled downwards on the moving stairs. Sasuke shrugged.

"No need to. Now come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover. You take west, I'll take east, we meet up at the doors to continue in the castle."

Sasuke thought he heard a grumbled "who died and made you Hokage", but he dismissed it as usual Naruto-Talk. He knew he had to prove to the woman that he was no mere child. He supposed he could beat Naruto up in view of McGonagall, but the idiot got stronger every day and McGonagall might not view it as an accomplishment if one guard beat up the other.

Most wizards seemed amazed at their 'wandless abilities', so maybe he could use one jutsu to show that he was a force of nature. One katon and bam, McGonagall would hopefully stop whining and treat them like adults.

But they had to worry about McGonagall's reaction the least. Now that the whole school had seen that Naruto was a teenager, they treated them as such. Rumors got thrown around that Crow was young too, maybe even younger. They were no longer … feared wasn't the right word, but Sasuke started to wish for fear. At least that way he didn't have to put up with kids trying to peek under his mask or patronizing him at every turn.

After Naruto was patted on the head by a cheeky student in his seventh year he had had enough. He threw his mask on his bed and for once looked seriously at Sasuke.

"We need to gain their respect back." He waved his arms about. "I mean, I'm the future Hokage and a current chuunin and some kid who couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag patted me on the head. He petted me and called me cute!"

"Agreed. For the first time since… ever, you're talking sense. Ideas?"

A devious grin lit up Naruto's face. "We'll have to show them we're shinobi. How about a spar on the castle grounds? With lots of flashy jutsus. No Rasengan or Chidori, obviously, but some basic ones which can't be pinned down to a single shinobi in case that Gryffindor girl tries to do research."

"A spar which we 'accidentally' let slip onto castle grounds. We'll have to draw blood."

"Of course. And let's run around on the lake, throw in a suiton jutsu… [1]"

"And finish it up with some taijutsu [2]. Day after tomorrow, Saturday, lots of people on the castle grounds then."

"Deal. Now I'm gonna crash. I've got some bunshins patrolling so you can crash too."

"Only weaklings 'crash'," scoffed Sasuke, but his heart wasn't into it. He'd better start thinking up new ways to curbstomp Naruto's face, because he'd never live it down if his teammate beat him in the upcoming sparring session.

The old man looked gentle, but a reprimand still burned in his eyes. Not at the forefront of his eyes, but if there was one thing Sasuke had learned from Kakashi was looking underneath the underneath. And that meant that the employer might put up a front of gentleness, underneath lay a reprimand. And underneath that was a burning desire to learn more about the shinobi's skills.

Sasuke remained stock still in his seat, and Naruto tried hard to remain from fidgeting. Tried being the key-word.

"I understand your need to deal with the situation your way," Dumbledore began. "But next time, please don't go on a landscaping expedition."

The gentleness remained, and Sasuke swore that the old man was even amused. Sasuke felt glad for his mask, which enabled him to express his emotions more freely. Because he wore a huge smirk right now, one that the employer most likely would not appreciate. Landscaping expeditions, heh.

Outward he nodded sagely and replied: "We will try to keep the destructiveness of our training to a minimum."

Naruto nodded along with that, and in Sasuke's mind he heard Naruto's voice. 'If shinobi turns out to be the wrong career choice, we can always become landscape architects'.

Sasuke then promptly ignored the Naruto voice and shuddered on the inside. When had he gained a Naruto-voice in his head?

"That's all I ask," said Dumbledore. "I've already had a complaint from Rubeus."

"We apologize. Perhaps we can help fill the hole in the forest," suggested Sasuke. Well, Naruto could go help. He created it, after all.

"I think Rubeus would appreciate that. Can he also count on your help regarding the, ah, rearrangement of the trees?"

Sasuke forced himself not to cringe. He was responsible for that one. What he had done to those trees, 'rearrangement' was like calling Orochimaru a harmless scientist. So he nodded, but Dumbledore wasn't done yet.

"I trust that you will also help with the Astronomy tower, the Durmstrang ship, the Quidditch pitch and the lake's addition?"

Both shinobi nodded at each item, shrinking in their seats. Things had ... gotten out of hand. Luckily nobody had gotten hurt (apart from the shinobi themselves).

"We will help with everything," assured Naruto. "That's a promise."

Sasuke resisted the urge to slap his forehead. Naruto and his promises... They'd have to work around the clock to fulfill those. But on the other hand, they'd managed to erase the image of 'weak teenagers' from the collective students' minds so hard it left an impression in the air.

Ever since the lesson where the two guards had joined, Barty couldn't stop thinking about the Dark magic he had felt inside of Daiki. Daiki contained something Dark and powerful. He lacked the real Moody's instincts regarding Dark magic, but you had to be blind to not notice the Dark magic in the guard.

And as a retired Auror, it was his right to confront the guard about it. He would make it look like concern about the safety of the school. Dumbledore must have felt it too, but apparently he had concluded the Dark magic wasn't a threat. Highly unusual for an old geezer like him to deem Dark magic safe. Especially since he had removed so many books on Dark magic from the library.

All the more reason for Barty to confront the guard as soon as possible. But that was easier said than done. He had to catch the guy alone, with no chance that anybody would walk in on their conversation.

He wanted to find out what that Dark magic force was and how he could use it for his own goals. He had some pleasant dreams about presenting the source of the mysterious Dark magic to his Master. The guard's Dark magic might benefit his Master somehow, and Barty would be the one who supplied it, along with delivering Master's most-hated enemy. His place in the circle of Death Eaters would be set in stone.

His chance came precisely one month after the Forbidden Spells lesson. It was late at night and Barty was on his way to his bedroom, cursing Moody's wooden leg. It made traveling a lot harder and longer. But his mood brightened when he saw the blonde hair of Daiki in the distance.

"Hey!" he called, and grinned at the guard when the guy turned around to look at him.

"Got a minute?"

Apparently, Daiki had, because he walked towards Barty, hands in his pockets.

"Hello," greeted Daiki. Barty wasn't in the mood to exchange pleasantries, so he used the gruff voice and reputation of Moody to barge right into what he wanted to know.

"Do you know what I used to do?"

Daiki shrugged and looked at a point past Barty. "No idea."

"I was an Auror," said Barty. The guard didn't react in any discernable way, so he explained: "Someone who hunts Dark wizards. I was one of the best. I can sense Dark objects from quite some distance."

"Oh," grunted Daiki. Then he slumped as he realized what direction Barty wanted to take this in. "Oh."

"Yes. I've retired, but that developed sense never goes away. So..." Barty let the silence dangle until the guard responded:

"You sensed Dark with me."

Barty nodded and tried to keep the manic grin from his face. The guard knew, Daiki was aware, Barty could use him and now he had leverage. He managed to keep his solemn expression intact.

"I sensed it when I tried to cast Imperio on you. Something Dark prevented it. Since Dumbledore trusts you, I'll give you an opportunity to explain yourself."

He used the full effect of the glass eye to bore straight into Daiki's mask, and underneath the wood and paint he saw a resigned face, a sad look. It didn't suit the guy.

"The Dark thing... is inside me. But I control it, don't worry. I will not let him take control."

Him, eh? It sounded like Daiki had been possessed at one point, and a lingering image remained inside him, occasionally bursting out. He wanted to grab the boy and shake him until all the answers poured out, but he restrained himself to talking and asking questions.

"This thing you speak of, what is it?"

Barty crossed his fingers. Please let it be powerful, something he could harness for the Master.

"It's a... I don't know the word... evil ghost?"

Barty ran through all the possible creatures the guard could mean with those words, and he finally settled for: "Ghoul? You can control the powers of a ghoul?"

"Yes," said Daiki slowly, "I think it's a ghoul."

But Barty shook his head. "No, it felt different. More malicious, more chaotic Dark magic. Perhaps a strong poltergeist."

Daiki floundered under all these strange words, and Barty made a mental note to dumb the next conversation down. The glass eye picked up three seventh-year students walking together, bound to cross their paths. He cursed the seventh-years and their way-too-late curfew.

"I'm sorry, I left the dictionary in my room," said Daiki. "I'll search the word. But I control it."

Daiki's gaze was fierce and subconsciously he raised a hand to cover his stomach, Bary noted. He nodded at him. "Dumbledore also knows of this?"

"Yes."

"Carry on, then. Thank you for the information."

Barty inclined his head at Daiki.

"No problem. Take care, that's the right word, yes?"

Barty smiled a crooked smile at the guard and they each went their separate way.

[1] Water style jutsu

[2] Hand to hand combat