Oh god everyone, I'm so sorry! I submitted the wrong document and chapter! will you please forgive me???

I resubmitted the chapter 9, so please read on and support me! I'm reeeeeaallly sorry minna-san!

-chii-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clang, clang.

Dumbledore tapped his goblet with his spoon; immediately everyone in the great hall shut up.

"Thank you, everyone. Now, a few words before the sorting and the feast. This year is a very special year for you all, to meet and befriend our new exchange students!"

Whisperings erupted in the great hall.

"Of course, they are not like the Durmstrang or Beuxbatons students you met last year, but they will be sorted into our houses, and will be staying for a year. They lean other forms of magic, but the word for magic is different in their world. Do not laugh when they ask what is magic, as they will try not to laugh at what you cannot do what they can." Dumbledore paused to temporarily x-ray the students in front of him.

Dumbledore tipped his head.

Immediately, the doors banged open.

Everyone gasped as they watched the exchange students strut through.

Harry could distantly make out Naruto's blonde head, Sakura's pink locks, and Sasuke's spiky hairstyle.

Ron nudged Harry, and pointed at some girls in the Ravenclaw table; apparently, they had taken to some incurable giggling as they watched Sasuke, Gaara and Neji pass them by. Harry was relieved to see that Cho wasn't giggling.

Professor McGonagall took out a roll of parchment, while Professor Flitwick hurried to take out the sorting hat.

"Uzumaki, Naruto!"

Naruto stumbled as Sakura gave him a forceful push. He hurried up to Professor McGonagall, who handed him the hat.

"What the-?" Naruto started when he saw the filthy and patched hat. "I just washed my hair; I don't want to dirty it with this piece of junk!" He shouted, pushing it back to Professor McGonagall. Some people laughed.

"It is needed for the sorting!" Professor McGonagall shouted back, engaging into a sort of tussle match with Naruto.

"JUST PUT IT ON, NARUTOOOO!"

Everyone fell silent when they heard the scream; Sakura flushed as thousands of eyes turned to her.

Naruto pouted fussily, but caught the eye of Sakura He muttered something under his breath and yanked the hat out of McGonagall's grasp.

"Hm….interesting…you've got quite a personality…"

"W-who the heck are you?"

"I'm the sorting hat, and lots of courage in here, no brains, sadly; Ravenclaw could do with some new ones…"

"YOU IDIOT OF A HOST! WHO DARE YOU LET THIS THING INTO OUR MINDS? GET IT OUT NOW!"

"A host to a demon? Interesting…I will not trespass not much longer."

"GRYFINNDOR!" The hat screamed.

Naruto punched the hat off his head, which Professor Flitwick caught, and the sheer force of it knocked him off his feet, sending him rolling into a leg of the staff table.

"I'm alright!" He squeaked, picking himself off the floor.

"Haruno, Sakura!"

Sakura calmly walked forward, a smile on her face.

"You've got a lot of knowledge, strength, bravery…and a thirst to prove yourself…my, my, you're as hard as Potter four years ago! Gryffindor, perhaps?"

GRYFFINDOR!

The Gryffindor table cheered as Sakura took a seat between Naruto and Harry.

"Uchiha, Sasuke!"

Hundreds of girls sighed, cooed, squealed and giggled as he walked past them, a stoic, emotionless look on his face.

The hat was at least a foot above his head before the hat yelled "SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table erupted in cheers, and Sasuke was warmly welcomed by Malfoy with a pat on the back and a grin.

Harry saw Ron snort with disgust.

Hyuuga, Neji!"

Neji scanned the hall with his blank eyes, and strutted to the hat.

"Ravenclaw!"

Subaku no, Gaara!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Tenten!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Rock, Lee!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Nara, Shikamaru!"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Yamanaka, Ino!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Subaku no, Temari!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Subaku no, Kankurou!"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Hyuuga, Hinata!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Inuzuka, Kiba!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Aburame, Shino!"

"Ravenclaw!"

As the last was sorted, everyone crowded around the new students for a chance to talk to them.

But the clanging sound of Dumbledore's goblet rang through the hall, silencing everyone.

"We will be having the same kind of format eating our meals during the Yule ball. But there are no menus, so eat what you like!"

Ron gave sort of a strangled cheer from being over hungry, and immediately started bellowing "pork chops" so loudly, Professor McGonagall had to go and cuff him around the head with her wand.

"Ramen." Naruto ordered, and immediately a steaming bowl of what seemed like noodles to Harry appeared in front of the hungry blonde. Meanwhile, Sakura ordered something called "Tonkoro Ten" and a plate of black-sauce covered noodles with honey appeared.

After everyone had been well fed and drowsy-feeling, it was time for them to go back to the common rooms.

Harry launched himself at his bed, and Ron laughed sympathetically as Harry massaged his nose where his glasses had crunched into.

"You must've missed your bed." Ron said as Harry repaired his glasses. "You have no idea." Harry said, rubbing the edges of his nose.

"Hey, anyone here?"

Naruto poked his head around the bedroom.

"Hey, Naruto! Where's your bed?" Ron asked, helping Naruto lift up one of his bags.

"I think it's over there. There, that one." Naruto said, pointing to an empty four-poster next to Harry.

"Brilliant! You're right next to Harry!" Ron whooped, unlocking Naruto's trunk.

"NO!"

Naruto jumped on top of the trunk so quick Ron fell backward in shock.

"What was that?" Ron gasped, lifting himself off the floor.

"E-heheh…nothing. Don't open that trunk…it's…top secret…" Naruto said, still grinning. But Harry immediately saw through the grin. Naruto was hiding something from them.

"Naruto, you're hiding something, aren't you?" Harry got to his feet.

Ron did not back Harry up. "Leave the bloke alone, Harry! What's gotten into you? He just doesn't want to show something in a trunk and you get all riled up!" Ron looked flabbergasted.

Harry glanced up at Naruto's towering figure; after all, Naruto was 6 foot and taller. Naruto looked a bit guilty, but passive nonetheless.

"Sorry." Harry muttered, and retreated back to his bed.

Just then, Kiba walked in with Akamaru, Gaara and Lee. "Yo, everybody! How's it going?" He shouted happily, swinging his backpack around. Lee looked as though he might explode with excitement any minute. Gaara stared at him and Ron, scowling slightly. Ron smiled and went to greet them along with Naruto, but Harry sat staring at the trunk.

After a while, Harry heard Ron start to snore. Immediately, Harry flung the invisibility cloak over himself, and went to check on the new students.

Later, Harry came back frustrated. None of them were in their beds.

He was about to go back into his bed, until he heard whispers.

Flooded with uncertainty and excitement, he rushed towards the voices, which led into a space behind a tapestry he never knew.

Kiba was sitting with Lee, Gaara and Naruto, Akamaru at his feet sleeping.

"What happened?" Kiba asked Naruto.

"Ron tried to open our weapons trunk. Luckily, I covered it up, but Potter's suspecting." Naruto whispered back, his face serious as Harry had never seen before.

"You better be careful, Naruto. If we blow this, Tsunade will kill us." Kiba warned. Akamaru whined in his sleep.

"I'll keep watch tonight. You all can rest. You all know I don't sleep because of the shukaku." Gaara said, getting to his feet.

Kiba nodded and got to his feet as well, gathering up Akamaru in his arms.

"What about Kakashi?" Naruto asked.

"Never mind him, he'll be somewhere gathering information." Lee assured him, and helped Naruto up. Naruto nodded.

They left one by one, returning to their beds. After ten minutes, Harry heard all three of them start snoring.

"Come out."

Harry froze in a position of clambering into his four-poster, but did not respond.

"I know you're there, Potter." Gaara's voice came from behind. "Your cloak can't hide you from me."

Harry sighed, and shrugged the cloak off his shoulders.

"I trust you heard everything?" Gaara whispered, his light blue opaque eyes never leaving Harry's bottle green ones.

"Y-yeah, I did." Harry said defensively.

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't eavesdrop on others, Potter." He hissed, raising his wand.

Harry whipped up his wand, his arm shaking. To his surprise, Gaara smirked.

"There's no need to be frightened, I won't do something as lowly as attacking somebody weaker then me. I've taken the time to learn a useful spell before I've arrived."

Before Harry could respond, Gaara whispered, "Obliviate" and Harry's mind was wiped blank of all that he heard of the meeting and the trunk encounter previous to it….