Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Previously in Ch. 8:
Naruto was in another of his detentions with Snape so only Harry and Sasuke slipped out of the Gryffindor Common Room to meet Malfoy in the Room of Requirements. The said boy was seated elegantly in a black wing backed chair. As soon as Draco spotted the company Harry had brought, he slightly narrowed his eyes disapprovingly.
"Why did you bring Uchiha as well?"
"I'm accomplishing my mission," Sasuke calmly replied before Harry could utter a word.
Draco merely crossed a leg and ignored the shinobi from then on during the meeting. "Potter, let's discuss about your living arrangements during the upcoming holidays, shall we?"
Xo-xo-xo
Chapter 9
By: En Taiho
"Oh? Why?" Harry asked seating himself in an emerald wing backed chair across from Draco, while Sasuke remained standing.
"Answer my question first."
Harry shrugged slightly. "Most likely, I'll be staying here."
"With Dumbledore?"
Harry smiled bitterly. "It can't be helped. Or you have something else in mind, Malfoy?"
Draco sniffed delicately as if he didn't want to completely admit the following thing he was about to say. "Father, Mother, and Severus suggest that you stay at Malfoy Manor. Tom agrees; there'll be fewer obstacles for you if you stay with us, especially without Dumbledore twinkling his eyes like a searchlight at us."
Nodding, Harry said, "Sounds reasonable. Naruto and Sasuke will be coming with me too. It's their mission. According to them, they have to be wherever I am."
"I suppose that's fine. Severus told Father and he's quite interested in them."
Sasuke scoffed at how the two seemed to talk as if he wasn't even there. "Of course, I assent to this plan as well," he said sarcastically. Turning to the raven-haired shinobi, Harry apologized to which he was answered with an "Hn."
"So it's settled then?" Draco asked.
Harry nodded. "Yes. I'll tell Dumbledore I'll be staying at the Burrow instead. The Weasley's shouldn't mind. I wouldn't be entirely lying though. If it's okay, I plan to stay there for the first day or two of the holidays."
"As you wish." With the meeting adjourned, Draco glided out the door.
"When Naruto gets back, I'll tell McGonagall the news," Sasuke informed his charge, waiting patiently for several minutes to pass before departing with the Boy-Who-Lived.
Xo-xo-xo
It was a Hogsmeade weekend, the last one before Christmas Break began. Ron, Hermione, and Naruto had been informed of Harry's living arrangements during the holidays, as well as Dumbledore and McGonagall. Harry was going to be traveling within the town with the shinobis, even though he told them that he needed to be alone since he planned to buy some presents. Naruto and Sasuke refused to bend and insisted that he needn't buy any Christmas gifts for them. Ron and Hermione were going together with Seamus, Dean, and Ginny.
Being reminded of gifts, Sasuke wondered if he was required to get one for Harry. But in view of the fact that he was accompanying his charge on the last Hogsmeade weekend before the holidays, he couldn't exactly buy one in front of the person intended to be given that gift. On the other hand, Naruto was mischievously plotting away on his perfect present for Harry…and Draco. He might need Sasuke's help though. An evil smirk slowly spread across Naruto's face, imagining his scheme gone well.
As Harry wandered around Hogsmeade with the shinobis, he thought of what he should give Draco for Christmas. It was only proper to buy something for Draco since he was, after all, staying at Malfoy Manor. That meant he also needed to get presents for Lucius, Narcissa, Severus, and Tom. Bloody hell. What in Merlin's name could he get for each of them?! First of all, they were all Slytherins and one couldn't buy anything too…Hufflepuffish or Gryffindorish. Secondly, what could one buy for the Slytherin Prince? And for his father and mother? And for a mean, greasy Potions professor? And for none other but the Dark Lord? Sometimes, Harry wondered what exactly he was doing with all these kinds of wizards and witches, he thought amusedly.
Glancing in the windows displaying their "perfect gifts for Christmas," Harry pondered on what will be the best present for each of his friends. Draco Malfoy, what could Harry Potter possibly give to Draco Malfoy? They passed a bookstore; Potions books or manuals wouldn't do. Draco probably had countless numbers of those kinds of books considering his interest in them, and his godfather, Snape, the Potions Master, was much more knowledgeable in this area than Harry was and he'd probably give Draco them for gifts, if not already on past Christmases. Now that Harry thought about it, he'd like to give something that could protect Draco and it must be something that the blond could bring with him everywhere. And it couldn't be a simple barrier thing. It had to be something impressive, something that even the Malfoy heir would be pleased about.
A jewelry store across the street caught Harry's eye and he strolled towards it, a perfect plan forming in his head to create the best of the ideal. Harry smiled in greeting as he entered the store, Naruto and Sasuke following closely behind.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. Do you have a crystal pendant around this size?" the emerald-eyed wizard asked, curling his fingers to form a circle the size of around half of his palm.
"Good afternoon, young sir. Of course, follow me, please," a lady around the age of twenty-five smiled at her new customers. Her curly auburn hair bounced slightly as she headed towards a certain section of the shop that exhibited pendants sparkling in the spotlights that shone on them. "Are you looking for anything specific?"
"No, this is good. Thank you."
"You're welcome. If you find anything you like in there, just tell me and I'll be glad to take it out for you." The lady smiled, turned, and left to greet another customer.
"What are you looking for?" Naruto asked curiously as Harry examined which pendants appealed to him.
"A present."
"For whom?"
"Draco, since we're staying at his place and all," Harry explained almost too quickly.
"Ri-ight," the blond shinobi said knowingly.
Harry didn't catch the knowing glint in the blonde's eyes as he was too busy eyeing a crystal blue pendant standing elegantly in the centre of the second shelf, causing sparkles of rainbows to reflect on the crystal itself and on the glass around it. It was the perfect size. The crystal was figured to resemble the side view of an azure dragon on its hind legs, its front legs curled out before its body, showing off its sharp little talons glinting in the light. Its great wings were flared up behind it, the represented leather in between almost transparent. Small bright emeralds rested on the dragon's head as sharp eyes. A smooth black string, for one to be able to put the pendant on as a necklace, was twined into a barely seen hole made not to interrupt the dragon's body, therefore placed outside of the dragon form.
"This is perfect," Harry murmured to himself as he approved of the dragon pendant. "Excuse me," he called to the young lady from earlier who was now standing unoccupied. Smiling, she came over. "I would like to see that one, please," said Harry politely.
"Of course." She took out a ring of keys and fitted one into the lock. Gently removing the indicated pendant from its cushion, she carefully handed it to the emerald-eyed wizard. After examining it up close for a few seconds, Harry nodded to himself and said, "I would like to buy this one."
"A brilliant choice, young sir. Follow me if you will."
After purchasing his present for Draco, the three friends left the jewelry shop, only to head into another one down the street. In there, Harry picked a delicate bracelet consisted of thin, silver chains connected to each other. Then he bought five little charms to attach to the bracelet. Thanking the clerk, Harry swiftly left the shop with the shinobis. With two presents bought and done, they strolled purposefully to the Three Broomsticks where they sat down at a table.
With the new knowledge of the fact that even if he secretly left in the middle of the night and even using his Invisibility Cloak, the shinobis will know anyways and follow him. And so making sure no one was eavesdropping, Harry said lowly, "We've still got around a week before Christmas Break. Before we leave for the holidays, I need to go to Diagon Alley in order to get two more presents." Harry smirked roguishly. "At night, of course."
That night, Harry stared pensively up at the ceiling of his four-poster bed. He had already acquired gifts for Draco and Narcissa, and knew what he'd get for Lucius, Severus, and Tom. All he had to do was touch up on the jewelry he'd bought today and buy the remaining ones he needed. Fortunately, he'd already gotten the presents for his close Gryffindor friends, Ron and Hermione, today. On the other hand, Naruto and Sasuke…how in Merlin's name was he going to obtain a gift for each of the shinobis if they were supposed to be with him everywhere? They weren't exactly there to protect him per say; Harry could very well protect himself. He'd gotten much stronger recently due to his study and training of more advanced magic during the summer and this school year so far. 'What did they say again?' Harry tried to recall what the foreigners' mission was precisely, other than the befriending part, which he quickly skimmed over to move on to his next thought. They were here to help him defeat Dumbledore, who they now know is the ultimate villain. And in order to do so, they had to be with Harry at all times. Besides, it wasn't like they had relatives here to stay with over the holidays.
The next day, Harry assigned the "little Diagon Alley trip" to be two nights away. He had something planned this evening. Excusing himself from the common room, Harry slipped out alone and headed to the girls' bathroom. Now why would he do that? It was none other than Moaning Myrtle's bathroom where a specific hall was established under its floor.
"Harry Potter, long time no see!" the ghost girl giggled and swooped around the room. "Whatever brings you back here?"
"Hello, Myrtle," Harry nodded politely to the excited girl who rarely received company. "I'm just here shopping."
"Shopping, Harry Potter? Here?" She cackled. "This is a bathroom!"
"I know. But this is a special one –"
"Of course it is!"
"Because there is a certain chamber located under here."
"Oh," the girl paled, though visibly her face just became more transparent. "I wouldn't want to disturb you then. See you soon, Harry Potter, come visit again!!" And she dived into a toilet in her stall.
Harry approached a familiar tap and ordered, "Open," in Parseltongue. The sink and tap rearranged themselves to reveal a gaping hole that was actually a long tube leading down to the Chamber of Secrets. Fingering his wand in his pocket, Harry jumped in. The ride down was dark and smooth. As he felt that the finish of the journey was near, Harry's muscles tensed. The tube ended and Harry landed lightly on his feet. The emerald-eyed wizard had also trained a little on his physical being. It was hardly called training at all though but it was enough to get the Boy-Who-Lived the least he needed to be fit in battle. He wouldn't want physical weakness to burden him down.
Crossing the chamber on silent feet, Harry drew near to his target: the Basilisk corpse. Though it had been around three years, it takes quite a while for a Basilisk's body to decay completely, and the great snake in the Chamber had a ways to go. Swiftly, Harry took out a couple of vials and two handkerchiefs, spreading them on the floor. Then he got to work. Using his wand, Harry steadily removed the chosen items from the Basilisk's body and carefully directed them into each vial. Now for the hardest part…Harry walked over to the snake's open mouth, now dried up. Slowly, he managed to loosen one of the large protruding fangs. Fortunately, with the help of the dryness and a bit of decay, he got it out pretty easily and wrapped it in both of the handkerchiefs. He checked over each vial again and then stood up, satisfied. After quickly labeling the glass tubes, he mentally checked off Severus Snape's name from the list of people whom he needed to get presents for.
Xo-xo-xo
It was after the curfew check and everyone was asleep in their dorms, except for three certain boys. Harry, Naruto, and Sasuke hadn't bothered to change into their sleeping garments that night. Outside, the sun was almost finished setting beneath the horizon, leaving the sky a dark navy blue with a tint of purple. Harry rose from his bed and quietly slipped on one of his special robes as it wasn't part of the Hogwarts' uniform. No, it was a dark forest green cloak that he had bought when he was shopping for his school supplies during last summer, and when he had spotted the cloak, he couldn't help but purchase it. After all, he needed an outer garment that wasn't the Hogwarts' uniform for going out to other places and that required clothing that clearly wasn't for young pupils, especially if he was going out to some of Tom's meetings or if he was going to let out his Slytherin side, such as tonight.
Harry silently padded over to the washroom, holding the door open until the shinobis came in.
"Don't be surprised. There'll just be a small cloud of smoke and when it clears, we'll be dressed in our ANBU uniforms," Naruto informed the Boy-Who-Lived before he and Sasuke put their hands together in a seal. As said, there were two puffs of smoke that quickly dissipated to reveal two strangely dressed foreigners.
"I'm Hageshii," the blonde ANBU said calmly.
"Hizeme," his dark-haired partner stated.
"Those are our ANBU names, to conceal our true identity," explained Naruto. "So when we're dressed like this, please call us by those names."
Harry nodded slowly, his mind absorbing the unfamiliar uniforms. The masks the shinobis wore were very beautiful that appeared to be made of smooth white porcelain. Naruto's mask bore a resemblance to the face of a snarling fox, while Sasuke's was similar to a big cat's visage, perhaps a panther's. The ANBU sported a flexible black tank top that hugged close to their upper body under a grey vest that was padded for protection but Harry could tell it didn't hinder their movements. On their forearms were arm bracers that extended to cover the tops of their hands as well, though excluding the fingers. The grey bracers were held by two clasps, one near the wrist and the other just under the elbow. Underneath, lithe black gloves lengthened from their hands to cover until immediately above their elbows. Their feet were clad in foreign dark blue, almost black, sandals, the shins protected by cloth with a thick, protective material twined around it that was the same colour as their shoes. Black pants that stopped a little under their shin protectors had a clean white bandage tied around one thigh, which carried a few kunai holsters. Around their hips was an elegant dark crimson belt from which each hung a scroll on the front and a shinobi pouch on the back. Two katanas crossed behind their backs gracefully, allowing for easy access and also providing a shield. Unbeknownst to Harry, a roll of thin nin-wire was hidden in each of the ninja's hair.
"Let's do as planned," Harry said to the ANBU as he swung the dark forest green cloak around him and put on the hood, shadowing his face. Hageshii nodded slightly. "On the count of three, 1, 2, 3!" Three puffs of smoke replaced three boys in the washroom, where another three puffs appeared in a corner of Diagon Alley.
"Your transporting technique feels much better than Apparation," Harry commented, remembering the sucking feeling and being-squished-through-a-tube feeling of Apparating. Hageshii chuckled quietly. "I wouldn't know."
"Okay, first I need a cane for old Malfoy," Harry informed his companions as he swept out of the corner into one of the major side streets of Diagon Alley. "I recall the shop being around here…" Harry muttered out loud as he walked thoughtfully in the direction that he remembered he took during the summer when he was shopping for supplies. "Yes, this is it." Harry entered into the store, signaling for the shinobis to wait outside. Here he needed to act as normal as he could, even though he was wearing a mysteriously dark-coloured cloak that concealed his face.
"How may I help you?" a man with graying hair said absent-mindedly from behind the counter without looking up from polishing a cane's head when he heard the bell sound.
"Let me see your best array of canes."
The man finally glanced up to face his customer to find a hooded figure of whom he wasn't able to see the face of. "Err, right away sir!" he stuttered as he scurried to do as requested.
Underneath the shadows of his hood, Harry smirked. The man probably thought he worked on the Dark side…well technically he was.
"Here you go, sir, these are our best." The man spread seven different canes on the counter on dark violet velvet. After a few moments of pondering, the stranger chose the black polished cane with a golden claw at the bottom and a golden snake twined around a small obsidian stone at the very tip. The store owner stammered out the price and shakily accepted the money from the black-gloved hand of his customer.
"I would like it wrapped." As the man nodded quickly in agreement, Harry lazily added, "And include that for cushioning if you may." The man nodded his head up and down again and frantically snatched the dark violet velvet from the counter and went off to do as bid. Harry thought idly that it was nice being a Slytherin, quoting Draco. When the owner returned with the wrapped present, Harry took it and swiftly left the shop. Nodding to the shinobis, he slipped the cane under his cloak and they silently made their way towards Nocturne Alley. Slouched, old men and several women wandered the street, and wizards and witches, most of them missing many teeth, toothily proclaimed their magical special objects on sale.
"Oh, sir, don't you find this love potion irresistible to buy? Makes anyone fall in love with you; instant effect," a witch with thin grey hair eagerly held out to them a blood red bottle.
Ignoring the woman, the three young men strolled past her. Without giving up, the witch shouted at their backs, "And it lasts FOREVER!" The less crazy people meandering on the street noticed the mysteriously dressed strangers behind the dark-cloaked person. But the young men had a formidable aura and they dared not say anything to them nor approach the newly-arrived group. However, a short stout man, having drunk too many Butterbeers, staggered over to them. "Hey, ain't ya some int'resting lot, eh? Strang' coshumes ya've there, huh? Merlin's balls, it ain't 'allowe'en," he slurred standing in front of them. But as the dark cloaked one was about to step around him, the drunk man shook a finger at him and moved again to stand in his way. "Na-ah. Ya ain' gonna get pas' 'til ya tell me who ya're."
"Move," the stranger ordered menacingly.
The man laughed harshly at Harry, a few drops of spit dribbling from his mouth. "I tol' ya, didn' I? I ain' gonna move 'til ya tell me yar names, man, now c'mon, I ain' gonna wait foreva."
The stranger didn't reply. Suddenly, the drunken man was thrown backwards by an invisible force punching his stomach hard. "I warned you," the cloaked stranger said flatly as he, nor his companions, bothered to pause beside the fallen fool. The small crowd that had gathered realized just how powerful the strangers were and wisely found reason to back away.
Farther down Nocturne Alley, Harry spotted the appropriate store and entered alongside the ANBU. A wizened old man ambled up behind the dusty counter. Hageshii and Hizeme observed the store surreptitiously and saw that the store sold odd objects, very odd objects.
Knowing that this kind of business was risky and the object he needed was strictly forbidden, Harry got right to the point. "I need a Basilisk's egg," he stated.
The old man sneezed. "I ain't –"
Prepared, Harry flared out his aura, allowing a sip of his magic to escape. "Now," he ordered, permitting more of his power to flow from his body, his cloak fluttering from the commanding aura.
"I get many Death Eaters and Dark wizards as customers, sir. My, I'm a Dark wizard myself. You have to convince me in order to get what you want," wheezed the old man, though Harry could see a bead of sweat on his brow.
"I would hate to force you," Harry whispered warningly in Parseltongue.
"Whoa, w-wait, y-you just spoke P-Parseltongue," the owner stuttered, another bead of sweat breaking out of his skin.
"Oh, didn't you know?" Harry purred threateningly. "Now where's my Basilisk egg?"
The old man gulped as he felt another wave of absolute power wash over him, being emitted by the stranger in front of him. The objects around the store trembled in their places from the aura. "I-I was getting on to that, s-sir." Heaving a large egg with wispy black swirls moving on the thick shell from the backroom, the store owner settled it on the counter. "Uh, that'll be 1 million galleons, sir."
"A million galleons?" Harry snarled. "Surely you can lower this absurd price."
"Then you should get a Basilisk egg yourself, sir," the old man said boldly but immediately regretted it when the cloaked stranger lifted the hood slightly so that a pair of emeralds glinted warningly in the shadows. "That wouldn't do, old man," Harry hissed, adding something that didn't all too wonderful in Parseltongue.
"Th-then 950,000 galleons."
Putting his hood on properly, the stranger took a step forward. "Lower it more if you would."
"900,000 galleons."
"Don't make me repeat myself."
"850,000 galleons," said the old man, clutching the egg to himself both for support and to have something to squeeze to stabilize his urge to run.
Seeing that it'll take a while to get the bloody old man to lower it to a satisfying price, Harry turned slightly to the shinobis. Going to Plan B, Hageshii and Hizeme came to stand on each side of Harry.
"800,000 galleons," the owner gulped out when he saw the mysterious foreigners come closer, their faces hidden by white porcelain masks that represented fierce beasts.
"Lower it much more, you old fool," Hizeme hissed, his aura whipping around him, causing the store's objects to shake as if there was a small earthquake on their shelves.
"600,000." The owner fearfully glanced at the other ANBU whose blond hair waved softly in the invisible magic breezes. He blinked but then he couldn't see the fox-masked one anymore! Eyes skimming over the room frantically, the old man froze as he finally noticed the figure standing directly behind him. "And make it quick," the blond whispered in his ear commandingly. The owner knew that the blond foreigner could kill him right then and there.
"300,000," he stammered out.
"Let's make it 250,000," the cloaked stranger said promptly, putting a bag of coins on the counter. "Don't you agree, kind sir?" he added as he casually took the Basilisk's egg.
"Y-y-y-eah," the old man stumbled over his words from fear.
"Excellent." With that, the strange group disappeared out the door swiftly. The old man staggered over to a chair and slumped into it. A drop on his hand made him look down in horror. Was it blood? Had they hurt him somehow? But no, it was his sweat. Having been so terrified and nervous, the old man hadn't noticed just how much he had sweated. He took out a tattered handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face thoroughly, glad that they had finally gone. But wait…Standing up abruptly, he limped over to the bag of coins and paled at the small amount of money inside for such a precious object that he had just sold. Realizing he had been subdued so much in such a short time, he knew that, in his fear, he had given in. Normally, the old man was quite proud of his selling skills but this deal was downright bloody outrageous!
Harry smirked at the scream of "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" from the store that they had just left, echoing in the dark street. He knew that if he had acted like a Gryffindor in there, the old man would have never sold the Basilisk's egg at the price of 250,000 galleons, having reduced it from 1 million. Taking on his full Slytherin personality had been fun, very fun indeed.
End of Chapter
Xo-xo-xo
Sorry for the long wait! I will finish this fanfic so don't worry. Thank you to my reviewers who're keeping me going. To Lord Makura, NaruSasu fluff didn't really seem to fit in this chapter but some will come in due time! :)
I tried to make Harry seem as cool as I could... XD
