Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter; they belong to Masashi Kishimoto and J K Rowling respectively.
I am making no profit from this story, it is only for entertainment.
Thank you to all who reviewed, favourited and followed this story. I am ever grateful for your support.
I can only apologise for the length of time that it has taken me to update. It has been a crazy couple months and I just haven't found the time to write or plan or anything. Things should settle down now, but no matter how long it takes I will finish this story.
I am officially going to the University or Dundee and should be able to stop my physiotherapy soon. So now none of that will be taking up my time.
Thank you Secret Identites to for kicking my butt into gear and finally finding the time to write out this chapter and for the most amazing and thoughtful review ever.
I have so many ideas and every review I receive goes into the story one way or another. So you guys are writing right alongside me. I doubt it would have been half as good without your contributions. So thank you.
I have had a couple of reviews about the length of chapters so I will be making them longer, though I won't be able to immediately jump to massive numbers quite yet. This chapter is not so much about what happens, but about Kakashi being introduced to Hogwarts. The plot should speed up a bit now, especially when he meets Umbridge in the next chapter.
So this chapter might not be the most exciting but it is definitely important.
I hope you like it and are not disappointed.
Chapter 9: Hogwarts
The children were still chattering as the carriage neared what Kakashi deduced was the front entrance, if the floods of students passing through the doors were any indication. He took a moment to survey the outside of the castle, constructing a mental map.
The castle was made up of mainly towers topped with cone shaped roofs and soaring archways leading to different sections. It was also easy to defend, as the rocks at its base would make it difficult for non-shinobi to climb unless they used their 'magic'. Even then, they would be seen.
Most of the windows were small making it more difficult to attack through them with projectiles and the foundations looked sturdy; they could take a few explosive tags and remain upright. There also seemed to be little sense of order about the layout, as if they haphazardly placed the different structures wherever they felt like at the time.
Though he could see basic cubes and cuboids making up the structures.
The courtyard that the carriage had entered seemed closed in, with the surrounding walls creating the feeling of being in a box despite the lack of roof.
The overall impression he got from the castle was defensible and pointy. They really had far too many of those pointy roofs.
However, there must have been a magical element protecting the castle to ward off those kinds of offensives. Like some kind of shield jutsu or something similar to Minato-sensei's seals.
Memories danced at the edge of his vision.
Summer days spent doing calligraphy with Minato-sensei; a storage seal backfiring on Obito when he sneezed and jolted the brush; Rin and her perfect chakra control making it easy for her to use to correct amount of chakra. Though his sensei had managed to impart some of his knowledge in fūinjutsu, his team was never the greatest at them though not through lack of effort.
Kakashi was proficient enough, so setting up defenses in addition to what Hogwarts already had shouldn't be difficult. He just needed to find out the jutsu they used so they would not clash.
Potter disembarked the carriage first, occasionally glancing at the skeletal horses. Kakashi followed behind him, shoving away the thoughts of his team and filing away the fūinjutsu for later, feeling the scarf around his neck tighten slightly.
They joined the sea of students, climbing the steps to pass through the highly arched threshold. Kakashi scanned his surroundings, noting the stares he had attracted with the modified uniform and the fact he was the only one with the sense to keep his equipment with him. This would aid with the persona of the strange foreign student.
He also noticed that the stares varied depending on the colour of tie they wore.
The reds kept glancing between himself and Potter, curiosity evident in their features. The yellows only allowed their eyes to stay a mere second, as if they were nervous of being caught. The blues focused merely on him, cataloguing and analysing what they saw to form a more complete picture. Those wearing the same colour of tie seemed to exhibit similar characteristics and responses.
And then there were the greens.
The moment they saw the colour of his own tie and whom he was with, they labeled him as an enemy. For a moment, it reminded Kakashi of home. It was petty compared to Konoha and Iwa but the principle was the same.
Hating others for where they come from, for what they wear; it was the way things were and always had been. Kakashi would prefer someone die from another village than his own.
He supposed that was why it would never change; it was human nature.
But it didn't mean he had to like it; he just had to do his job and protect the village his sensei had treasured, that he treasured. Home, despite the emptiness that lay there.
It was not as if the glares themselves bothered him, but something about the reasons behind them poked at his instincts. He doubted any of the reds had done anything that would warrant this level of intensity, especially Potter. The boy was hardly a threat physically though in regards to jutsu, he had not had the chance to determine his level yet.
The footsteps of the students bounced around the chamber as they approached an open set of large wooden doors. As they passed beneath, Kakashi efficiently catalogued his surroundings, ensuring there would be no immediate threats.
The room was huge, Konoha's academy seeming tiny in comparison. The ceiling seemed to go on forever, the roof being replaced by the image of the sky outside and candles floated above their heads, casting a soft orange glow on the long wooden tables that spanned the length of the room with benches to match. The candles seemed a bit extravagant and a waste of chakra, the same with the sky. They seemed to serve no defensible purpose, though the candles could be used to produce a katon jutsu far more quickly.
At the far end of the hall was another long table, with separate chairs rather than a bench. It was raised slightly and one of the chairs seemed like one the Daimyo would use, rather than a sensei. Strangely, a batted black hat sat on top of a stool in front of the table.
Kakashi strode to his seat next to Potter, noting the slight discomfort of the boy at his presence. True Kakashi had avoided them when possible back at the headquarters, but the situation now required him to stay near Potter.
Taking a moment to look around, out of the corner of his uncovered eye, he saw a thing. Or rather, he saw right through that thing. It looked human but it looked as if chakra had taken shape of a man. His hand fiddled with the end of the kunai in his sleeve, the idea of trying to kill it put on hold when it started talking to students.
It seemed harmless, and reminded him of a ghost, but he would need to hunt it down later to find out what it really was; people do not come back from the dead. He could afford to leave it for now, as his cover and Potter were more important.
Not only that, but there was no assurance that his kunai would have any effect. That nightmare back at headquarters was prominent in his mind, causing him to breathe deeply, controlling his heart rate. He also could not afford to reveal his jutsu here.
He quickly scanned the top table, noting Dumbledore-sama in front of the ostentatious throne. He looked further down the line, taking careful notice of the black-robed man who looked though he was permanently smelling the Inuzuka kennels.
His gaze narrowed as he stopped on the pink lump at the table, the toad. His ears twitched at the memory of her voice. She was Ministry; what reason would their council have to get involved with education? Was there an issue with the teaching itself, or was there something more going on?
He gaze switched to Dumbledore-sama. The sensei looked straight back at him, a strange look in his eye.
The hall started to fall silent as the students looked to the back. Kakashi did the same, although he had not quite determined why yet. An instructor strode down the length of the hall, her robes fluttering behind her. She vaguely reminded Kakashi of a cat, much like the more animal based clans in Konoha.
A gaggle of small children followed her, their eyes darting around the hall as fast as their hearts were beating. They looked Genin age, but they were only starting their jutsu training now? Were these people so slack in their preparation for future battles?
They stopped in front of the stool, the sensei stopping behind it. The hall seemed to be waiting for something, those sitting near Kakashi barely breathing. Suddenly the hat started to sing.
Kakashi just stared.
An old singing hat?
They could not be serious.
It was a hat and it was singing.
Kakashi had seen some strange things in his shinobi career so far, but the singing hat pretty much took the top spot. The most prominent question that thundered through his brain was why?
What was the point? A secondary thought passed as he thought about how it was powered, but it was pushed to the back of his mind as he listened to the… hat's… words.
Was this the history of Hogwarts? Was the hat warning them of something?
The song ended and applause slowly built up. Murmuring around him informed him that this song was highly unusual for the hat, as if it were a living construct capable of its own thoughts. It had to be powered by a jutsu of some kind, but it would have to be very complex to produce this level of interaction.
The sensei at the front then proceeded to call forth students and place the hat on their heads.
It proclaimed a house for each student, leading Kakashi to wonder what qualified them for the house they were place in. Was it a certain quality they possessed?
He looked up as Dumbledore-sama stood, asking for silence.
"To our newcomers, welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! Both I allow you to tuck into a most delightful feast there is one more student to be welcomed" he said, he voice echoing in the hall.
"After the tournament last year, and the tragedy that befell Cedric Diggory, we formed solid bonds with our fellow schools. It is with this result in mind that I reached out to another school, though this time out with the continent of Europe. Japan, which is found in Asia, was willing to lend us one of their finest students for the year in order to build stronger relations between us"
Dumbledore-sama motioned Kakashi to rise. He stood, his eye flickering over the sea of faces turned towards him.
"Kakashi Hatake of Mahōtokoro Gakuen, a fifth year student, will be staying with Gryffindor house for the duration of the year. Please respect his culture and privacy, and welcome him with the same enthusiasm and kindness we gave to our guests last year" Dumbledore-sama continued.
Kakashi bowed, and sat down.
'School of Magic' in his mother tongue, how original.
Dumbledore-sama clapped his hand and endless varieties of food appeared in front of them on massive platters.
"Let the feast begin!"
Harry shoveled a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth, half-listening to the conversation between Nick and Ron. Out of the corner of his glasses, he could see Hatake looking at the food in front of him.
The shinobi had managed to try everything Harry had picked before he had even taken a bite from his plate. The mask covering his face had not moved, though Hermione was making quite an effort to burn a hole through it.
After the initial tasting the shinobi had not eaten anything since, choosing to sit and watch the hall, occasionally answering questions when they were asked. His answered flowed, as though he really was a student at some foreign school.
Much like before, in the train, it was difficult to identify this aloof stranger to the shadow that had followed him for a month. His duffle sat at his feet, though that could be explained by the weird look he had given Hermione when she had suggested he leave it behind.
It was still strange to be so close to him, to see him interact with people. The man that Harry had built up an image of was gone, though bits of him peaked out at different moments. He was still unfriendly but that could be explained by being thrust into a foreign country and being surrounded by strangers.
Harry had no idea was to expect from Hatake anymore, but if anything this made him more curious about him. He was a murderer-for-hire, whose worst fear was dying people. He was cold and rude, but could speak and blend in as though he were not much different than them. He was strange and Harry found himself questioning whether this made him good or bad.
Right now Kakashi was just like any other student, if a little distant with a weird uniform.
Though if he kept it up, he would starve before Harry could find out if this was permanent.
Harry leaned over slightly, causing the grey eye to lock onto his own.
"The food is safe, you know. The elves prepare it in the kitchen and magic is used to transport it to the hall" he explained, hoping this would convince him.
In the corner of his eye he saw Ron looking at him the same way he had in second year, before they entered the forest to find Aragog. Harry gave him a look, agreeing to talk about it later.
He turned back to the shinobi, spotting him looking between himself and Ron. Kakashi turned back to the table, not once glancing at the food in front of him.
"Arigatō, Potter-san, but I merely wished to sample your cuisine. I have had my fill but I thank you for your concern" Kakashi replied, his eyes darting back to Harry once before looking around once more.
Harry sighed and exchanged another look with Ron. He shook his head, denying his insanity at casually chatting to the murderer next to him, but what else could he do? He may have grown up in a place that forced him to kill, but could he really be a bad person?
His worst fear was dying people. That wasn't the thoughts of a cold-hearted killer. Voldemort was a real murderer; but there more time he spent around the shinobi, the less he believed the words he had hurled at him at their first meeting.
Harry happened to glance down at their arms when a potato fell from his fork to the floor. He spotted a glint from Kakashi's sleeve, his fingers fiddling with whatever was there. His gaze snapped up, the potato forgotten.
Hatake's sole eye turned to steel for a moment, as if scolding Harry for believing he could treat him as he did others, even if it was only for a moment. He may not be a bad person, but he was dangerous.
Harry turned back to his meal, glancing once more to the foreigner to his side.
The shinobi was glaring at the fork and food in front of him. He seemed to come to a decision, and completely pushed them away from him, returning to watching the hall and answering the odd question.
Harry shook his head, turning fully to talk with the other Gryffindors. He had enough problems this year without adding in a killer who seemed to have something against the school's food. He had survived the month at Grimmauld without eating a meal with them, he'll be fine now.
Kakashi sighed slightly as the academy finally finished with their meals.
The samples he had tested for poison under the guise of trying their cuisine were far too rich and slightly sickening. He would have to settle for his rations for now, until he could determine if there was anything leaner or lighter.
When Potter had spoken up about the elves, Kakashi had added another task to accomplish before the end of the academy year. Locate the kitchen and research these 'elves' they spoke of.
He had sensed Potter growing more comfortable in his presence during the meal; a stark contrast to their first meeting. Though it might prove an advantage if Potter were to start trusting him more, he couldn't afford to let the boy become too friendly.
So when the boy had dropped a potato between them, he adjusted his kunai, allowing the boy a small peek. A gentle reminder that he was not here a student but as Potter's protection.
Kakashi had stared down at the plate before him, deciding to make it clear that he was done. He pushed it away so others would not be tempted to comment, and returned to surveying the halls, doing his upmost to avoid as many questions as possible.
The masses of plates and dishes were cleared away, and Dumbledore-sama had once again stood, delivering the rules and restrictions. The pink toad had stood up after the introductions of the new sensei, coughing to gain the attention of Dumbledore-sama.
Umbridge's voice was just as painful as it was at Potter's trial. For some reason, she set Kakashi on edge, though she was no physical threat and the pink attire did not allow others to take her seriously. He could sense the other students around him become on guard as well at the start of her speech.
There was just something about her that bothered Kakashi.
The speech itself was patronizingly insignificant, as if she were speaking only to attempt to lay down some sort of authority. She twisted and weaved words with precision, but an untrained ear would not be able to identify anything wrong.
From her speech, Kakashi gleaned that the Ministry were displeased with Hogwarts and had decided to try and exert some control on the situation. Though by the blank, bored faces around him, it appeared no other had seen underneath the underneath.
Except for Granger.
Once the speech had ended, Kakashi listened as she explained what Umbridge was really trying to say. Granger was intelligent, more so than her two companions. Kakashi filed away this information for later use, and grabbed his duffle, following Potter from the hall.
Many whispers and stares trailed them, but Kakashi could tell that not all were for him. Potter hunched over slightly as the murmur of the crowd passed over him, as if he could hide from those who spoke.
Kakashi followed Potter as the younger boy strode through the halls of the castle, adding each place they passed through to the map in his head, the image becoming more detailed. He took note of the animated paintings and the moving staircases, the strangeness of the wizard seeming never to cease.
Potter came to a halt in front of a large painting, the girth of the woman within taking up the entire space. As Potter mumbled about a password, Longbottom-san came running up from behind them.
"Harry, I know it! Guess what it is? I am actually going to be able to remember it for once. Mimbulus mimbletonia" he announced, the door swinging open in response.
Kakashi committed the strange words to memory, remembering it was the name of the putrid plant that had burst on the way here. He entered the room, taking in the shades of red.
The overall feeling he got from the room was warm. The red colours that dominated the room, the large fireplace against one wall, the general comfortable look of the place. Kakashi eyed the seats, suspecting that he was would be smothered by the cushions.
The room was almost suffocating. While the effect was warmth, Kakashi could only think of different shades of blood that would match these colours.
The drapes over there were the colour of Minato-sensei's stomach when they had found them and the deep red over by the bookshelves was the same charred red as the hole in Rin's chest. Some reds matched Kushina-nee's hair, while others matched Obito's Sharingan. Some were identical to the swirls on Minato-sensei's coat.
There was even some crimson to match Rin's scarf, which constricted his throat, causing his breaths to come out shallow. All around the room he could see what he had lost in the warmth, the heat reminding him of the flames that had consumed Konoha the night of the Kyūbi attack.
Potter turned back to him.
"I'll show you where our room is going to be. We share between a bunch of us so don't expect a lot of privacy" he said, setting out towards a set of stairs.
Kakashi jolted slightly, focusing on Potter as the boy turned towards the stairs. The shinobi breathed more deeply, shoving away the thoughts. No doubt they would resurface later, but it would be at a time when he was not in the midst of a new environment.
Looking around the room, and ignoring the memories, Kakashi identified a few ideal places to hide defensive seals.
Two other boys were already in the room when Potter and Kakashi arrived. They were unpacking and as Potter went to do the same, Kakashi located the unclaimed bed and set his bag on it.
"Hi" Potter said to the boys, sounding as if he were expecting it react like an incorrectly designed seal.
"Hey, Harry" said the one who was changing.
The boy turned to Kakashi and waved.
"Hey, Kakashi, was it? I'm Dean Thomas and the guy over there is Seamus Finnegan" he said.
Kakashi bowed his head once in greeting, looking over the two boys.
"Hello, Thomas-san, Finnegan-san. Please call me Hatake" Kakashi replied.
"Hatake? Isn't that your surname?" Thomas asked, pausing in his activities to look at the shinobi.
"Hai, but it is considered polite in my country to use the family names, rather than the first" Kakashi explained, watching a confused look pass over the other boy's face.
"Alright, Hakate" Thomas replied, the name coming out slightly wrong. He turned back to continue unpacking, glancing at Potter.
"Good holiday? Had to be better than Seamus from what he has been saying" Thomas said, chuckling.
"What happened, Seamus?" Longbottom-san spoke up, finishing tending to his plant.
Finnegan was silent for a few moments, fiddling with some coloured paper he was attaching to the wall. Did it serve some defensive purpose, but if so why was it so large and easily targeted? Kakashi thought, not quite understanding the function. It reminded him of flyers that were hung around the village, but why would he have something like that here?
"Me mam didn't want me to come back to Hogwarts" the boy said, his accent making it difficult for Kakashi to understand.
"It was because of you Harry. You and Dumbledore… er…well, she…"
Potter paused in his undressing, staring at the boy.
"She believes the Daily Prophet?" Potter exclaimed, shock obvious in his features.
Kakashi made a mental note to locate and assess this 'prophet', as the argument between the two boys escalated. There must be something about it that was causing this. From what he could understand, it was about the events that led to Diggory's death, though something about it was causing differing opinions.
Why would there be two different accounts of the same night? Potter was an eyewitness, while it seemed the other source was not so why would they believing the more inaccurate one?
Weasley-san stepped into the room, immediately supporting Potter, and threatening the other boy. There was a moment of balance after Longbottom spoke up, also taking the defense of Harry. There was a moment of balance when neither side moved, nor spoke.
Finnegan snorted and stormed from the room, the tension diffusing as he left. The mood of the room was still unpleasant as the other boys went to bed, silence suffocating any motion of speech.
After locating the bathroom, and washing his hands, trying to free himself of the wet sensation that had covered them since he had entered the red room, Kakashi shed his own clothes until he was down to only his trousers and his black shirt.
He kept on his mask and the strip of cloth covering Obito's eye. After neatly organizing his equipment he packed it away, placing a seal on the drawer he stored his belongings in, while keeping the books for the year on the bed.
He climbed into it and felt himself sink with the softness. Pulling the curtains closed around him he settled into a sitting position, grabbing the book on 'charms'. Once all the boys were asleep he would go and recce the area, but for the next hour or so he may as well begin devising ways to use his chakra to make it look as though he could do their jutsu.
He would need to start on the mental list he had been constructing tomorrow, once he had secured the castle with fūinjutsu.
It had certainly been an interesting day but Kakashi knew that this was just the beginning.
Katon= Fire jutsu
Mahōtokoro Gakuen= Japan's equivalent of Hogwarts
Arigatō= Thank you
Sensei= Teacher
This concludes the ninth chapter.
I hope I managed to get the reactions and thoughts of Harry and Kakashi right and that you were not disappointed. Hopefully, Kakashi pulling himself together was believable.
Please could you review about what you like and what I can improve upon.
Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita
