Ah, we've finally hit 100 reviews and I'm absolutely giddy . So, i must ardently thank all of you who reviewed or favorited me or my story, gracious thanks once more to my reviewers who continue to utterly rock.

And also to StarsOfYaoi: thank you for the lengthy and lovely review, it was very encouraging

As per usual disclaimer: Naruto nor Harry Potter-sadly-cannot be called my own

Now, on with the story…

Chapter 10: The Dog Days are Over

"I admire your expensive taste." Naruto deadpanned, his eyes absolutely flat and the beginnings of an annoyed tick taking form on his temple. Sakura pouted, thrusting the material at him with more insistence. "At least try it on." He distrustfully eyed the red and black fabrics before grudgingly taking it from her and heading towards the dressing room, muttering obscenities along the way.

Five minutes later, she knocked insistently on the door. "Come ON Naruto, it doesn't take this long to get changed!" The door swung open, and the rest of her complaints died on her lips.

"Wow Naruto…"

He uncomfortably tugged on the long black fishnet sleeves that crept out from under the vibrant red of the T-shirt that clung rather nicely to his slender, toned torso. The black cropped pants she'd chosen for him hung just so on his somewhat angular hips and she felt a gentle smile curling on the edges of her lips. His unruly spikes hung into his face, creeping over his headband and drooping into his ever blue eyes. For one moment she felt breathless, the air curling and settling in her lungs with no intention of leaving. And then it passed as a goofy smile plastered itself on his face and he wagged his eyebrows at her.

"If you think I look so good, how about a date then Sakura-chan?" She felt a familiar, comforting tug on her heart as he looked at her with bright humorous eyes. She pulled her fist back sending it into his head with a crash.

"Not even in your dreams baka."

It felt so natural, and for a brief moment she truly dreaded the day he gave up on their playful games and sought after someone with serious intent. But as earlier, the thought passed and she smiled at the teen that reminded her so often of a childish little brother. She tugged on his arm, pushing him back into the changing room.

"Now wait there while I go pick out something else for you…"

His whines followed her as she dived back into the clothing racks.

The train's familiar rumbling coursed beneath his feet as he settled themselves into their compartment. Harry stretched out along the seat, welcoming the absence of his two best friends for the moment. He felt a surprising peace without them, the quiet air, which was usually filled with their bickering, was truly calming and he took this rare moment of aloneness to get comfortable. Before he knew it, he felt his eyes sliding close, not even noticing when his compartment door slid open.

His black eyes calmly slid along the small space, barely even sparing a glance on the slumbering teen. He stepped into the compartment fully, closing the door silently behind him, and just as silently drew the blind down. Turning back, he finally rested his eyes on the sleeping boy, taking in his appearance and comparing it to the one he'd been given. Messy black hair, round glasses, and just the hint of an oddly shaped scar on his forehead confirmed his mark.

Without a sound he drew a kunai from his robes.

With a casual flick his wrist darted forward, a stray lock of inky black hair snipped precisely. He caught it storing it in a small cloth bag that hung around his neck. And with a barely audible whispered word he disappeared, stolen hair and all.

Naruto had had many experiences of being in front of the desk of someone with authority, especially in his younger years when his pranks had been much more common. So as he sat in the rather plush chair in front of the wizened old man that he still liked to refer to as Dumbly, he felt a touch of discomfort settle within him that was anything but unfamiliar. But as the man's blue eyes twinkled (and damn did he use one of their many odd, and somewhat useless spells to make them do that?) at him, he found himself reflexively smiling back at them as he sucked on one of those strange, lemony candies that he was beginning to become addicted to. In fact, he had the man's candy bowl nestled safely in his lap.

"I hope you find one of these two options agreeable to your plans on getting home Naruto-san."

As always, Dumbly's use of the honorific never ceased to surprise him and bring a tingle of happiness down his spine. The fact that this man who barely knew him used such respect for him was always astounding and he wished that more people could be like this likeable, if somewhat eccentric old man.

His words gave him pause however, as he did indeed consider his options. On the one hand, while he did find the castle exceedingly fascinating, but staying here for the entire year would be crippling in regards for research and hopefully finding a way home. Despite Dumbly's assurances that they had a well stocked library with thousands of references at their disposal, the thought of staying put in a sprawling castle filled to the brim with teenage civilians that practiced magic paired with curiosity worse than the proverbial cat's was most unattractive in Naruto's books.

And as he thought of all those children, running around with wands firing at will, he made his choice.

"So, tell me more about this Department of Mysteries."

If anything, the old man's eyes twinkled even brighter.

The Great Hall had to be one of the nicest places Naruto had ever had the pleasure of having a meal in. The ceiling was absolutely mesmerizing, and currently depicted a blue-hued night sky, with smatterings of stars and dusky gray-black clouds that slid through the enchanted sky lazily. If the food weren't so good, the ceiling would have held his attention for the entire meal.

As it were, for the moment his eyes were dragged away from the rather impressive display above and glued to the table as more food melted into existence. He was proud to say that when the first course had appeared he'd only had the mildest of heart attacks, and had certainly not sworn violently and loudly, causing everyone in the hall to pause and stare. Of course not, what kind of fool would do that?

But as towers of creamy ice cream and mounds of chocolate dipped fruits and multitudes of sweet breads and candies appeared his eyes were tempted to bug out once more. His hand twitched and it took every ounce of restraint he had not to merely drag the closest goodie to himself and devour it accordingly. However, from the corner of his eyes he could see the old man move to his feet and around the table to the podium at the front once more. Naruto frowned, wondering what more he had to say that wasn't stated earlier on before the feast started and in the middle of dessert no less.

Dumbly cleared his throat and began speaking, his words flowing and curling through the ears of all the pupils who supposedly listened closely, their young eyes glued to the impressive figure decked out in a glaring (to some) shade of orange.

"As I'm sure many of you have no doubt noticed, the place of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor has yet to make an appearance, and I'd like to apologize for that fact, but I'm afraid he was somewhat delayed in his journey here. However, when Professor Sang (1) does make his appearance, I expect you all to welcome him warmly into our midst." Muttering broke out through the hall, the students no doubt discussing this odd happening regarding their new teacher.

Naruto frowned, thoughtfully sucking down a large spoonful of chocolate ice cream. Well, he somewhat hoped he'd still be around when this mysterious new Professor decided to come around. In the meantime, there was a slice of chocolate cake that desperately needed his attention.

At the Gryffindor table, there was an uncharacteristic silence between the alleged Golden Trio of Hogwarts. With little enthusiasm, Harry prodded at his pudding. The want to eat had suddenly deserted him the moment he'd stepped into the Great Hall and caught sight of a familiar head of blonde hair at the top of the head table. There Hisoka sat, casually chatting up Professor Sprout, as if he'd been there the entire time, as if he'd not suddenly disappeared two weeks ago without a word. It had been with much surprise at Grimwauld Place that he'd awoken early to pay the odd blonde a visit only to discover his room completely empty of the blonde or any of the few possessions he had had. Add to that, further frustration came in the form of elusive silence from all the adults who inhabited the old house, who merely acted as if his disappearance was no real cause for concern.

With a scowl, he grasped his spoon and poked his pudding violently.

Next to him Ron continued to gulf down his food, barely even seeming to chew as gobbled up bite after bite. Hermione watched him in mild disgust, the years having done nothing to desensitize her to her friend's atrocious table manners. Turning her attention to her other quieter friend, she felt a frown tug on her face. Something about her friend looked different…

"Harry, did you cut your hair?"

Draco Malfoy awoke ungodly early that morning. With an annoyed grunt he climbed out of bed, swinging his feet onto the unforgiving cold floor, hissing as the cold crept into his warm limbs. He slid on a pair of slippers, moving down into the common room where a fire was already blazing. He sought its warmth immediately, sighing in satisfaction as it brought back the lost heat. He looked at the clock as it chimed lowly, and noticed, disgruntled that it was only 4:30. Honestly, why his body had decided to awake at such a time he had no idea, but already the dredges of sleep had left him with no hope of coming back anytime soon.

He quietly returned upstairs, sidling into the bathroom and moving towards the shower. He turned the knob in the stall, stepping back as the water sputtered to life. He waited for several minutes giving the water time to heat before shedding his clothing and getting in. he sighed in content as the warm water rushed over and soothed sore muscles, his body's complaints echoing through him. He didn't stay long though, quickly scrubbing himself clean and slicking shampoo through his hair, slicking it back in his preferred style before stepping out and wrapping a towel around himself. His steps still quiet, he reentered the dorm, changing quickly into a loose pair of black pants and gray shirt, before leaving just as silently as he'd come.

He walked out into the dungeons, his steps loud and alone in the dreary hall. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he vaguely wondered where he should even go. Undoubtedly, breakfast was already being served for the early risers of the castle, but he felt no compelling need to join their numbers. He frowned, considering his options.

'Well, I'm certainly already dressed for it.' He inwardly scolded himself for showering so early as he decided that a nice morning workout would definitely fit into his morning routine. He was positive that most would be shocked that the pompous Draco Malfoy would lower himself to something as menial as physical exertion, but if there was one thing he prided himself on, it was the upkeep of his health and physique, though he usually didn't wake until much later to ensure its upkeep. He usually took solace on tops of the lesser used, but abundant, towers in the eastern part of the castle, where wandering students were scarce. Besides, he noted, he'd be able to watch the sun rise at this point.

He moved through the castle with ease, the years spent here having erased much of the mystery and confusion the castle often exuded to those un-used to its oddities. It felt like no time had even passed before he was ascending the staircase that led him to the outside, the fading dark of the sky bleeding through the cracks of the door. He opened it, and found his footsteps faltering.

With a deep breath the figure exhaled loudly through their nose, their hands rising over their head, arching their back until it curved in a flexible arc. They stilled when their hands met with the ground and they held the bridge pose for several seconds before raising back, their hands resting palms together in front of their chest as if in prayer. They settled in a crouch, extending one leg out, and bending their body over it, leaning forward until the very tips of their fingers went beyond their own toes. They repeated it on the other leg, before sitting themselves onto the ground, legs spread apart in something resembling a split, and their entire torso bent forward until their front was pressed to the ground.

Creeping rays of new morning light hit the tower, reflecting onto dusky golden lashes and sunshine hair. Tan skin stretched taut as its owner went down into another set of stretches, eyelashes lightly fluttering as his eyes lazily moved beneath closed lids. The warmth of new morning light warmed his skin and his eyes slid open, welcoming the new day with bright eyes. The boy smiled as he rose from his last set, reaching down to the ground and picking up his discarded shirt and jacket. A heavy sheen of sweat gleamed on his chest, and his breathing was slightly heavy still from what Draco supposed were his early exercises. He stood just behind the doorway that led to the outside, and his head only just peeked beyond its border to watch the lithe blonde. Why he didn't announce his presence he was unsure, but it would feel terribly intrusive, as if he were interrupting some special ceremony.

'As if standing here watching him was any less intrusive.' He thought sarcastically to himself, an uncomfortable flush creeping up his neck, making him distinctly aware how awkward it would be should the other boy suddenly take notice of his silent audience. Just as he was about to turn and hopefully leave unnoticed his silent wishes were dashed as he suddenly found himself the subject of a rather amused chuckle.

"Was there something you needed?"

Draco frowned as he turned back around, excuses tugging at his tongue already, before he realized how utterly foolish he was acting. Honestly, what had come over him? There was no reason to be so embarrassed. With an acknowledging nod, he greeted the other boy whose eyes seemed to sparkle with mirth, some joke that only he seemed a part of.

"I didn't mean to intrude, I wasn't aware that someone else was up here." He had no inclination to be rude, seeing as the boy didn't appear to have any immediate negative reaction to his presence. He shuffled through his memory, trying to place the whiskered face to any of the multitudes of Hogwarts. "I'm afraid I don't recognize you, what house are you from?"

His eyes crinkled in a smile. "I don't belong to any, I'm just a guest here for the time being." Ah, now he remembered, the blonde who'd been at the head table at last night's feast, he berated himself slightly for not taking note of the other's presence last night immediately. But his thoughts had been occupied by other, less pleasant notions at the time, and the blonde had escaped his notice.

"I hope I'm not disturbing a favorite place of yours mister…?" The question hung with a pause near the end, the other obviously unsure of how to address him.

"My name is Draco, Draco Malfoy, and you are?"

"Hisoka Aoi*, pleased to meet you." Hisoka extended a slim, tan hand which Draco did not hesitate to shake.

"You as well."

Sakura giggled as she wiggled her hips. The shear fabric of her hip skirt clung suggestively to her hips, the dangling coins jingling with every shake. Across from her, her companion smiled, his eyes smiling as he knocked back a shot of sake. Stepping elegantly toward him, she sunk just as gracefully on the couch next to him resting her head on his shoulder. The man's arm slung itself around her shoulders, and she snuggled in close, a fake, pleased smile on her face and a kunai clenched coldly in her hand.

Goodness, a whole six pages. I must say I quite like the way this turned out. I also suddenly realized that I'd forgotten to give little Hisoka a last name...

Aoi=means blue

Please read and review and I'll see you all next chapter :3. -Cherry