Hidden Tears/ Family Pain

Summery: When, in a bout of accidental magic, eight-year-old Harry James Potter escapes his abusive relatives he discovers a new world of Chakra and ninjas. After his escape he finds a new family, one forged of pain and tears. But this new family is incomplete…

(Chapter Nine)

(A/N: We know that JK did names alphabetically but we couldn't be bothered. If you don't like it go away or ignore it. But flames will be ignored and deleted… Or… you could always pretend that it's in alphabetical order...)

Harry took a deep breath and sighed leaning slightly back into Sasuke. He felt Sakura take his other hand and Naruto's hand on his shoulder. He didn't even jump when Potter, Harry was called and dead silence filled the room as everyone looked for the boy who no longer existed to come forward.

Naruto smirked. They were in for a big surprise. He knew what was going on, but nobody else did. They would be sadly disappointed. Harry-chan would never answer to that name again!

The old woman said the name again, but still no one came forward. She pursed her lips. They couldn't wait for the missing boy to step up forever. She liked to think that he had found a new family and had gotten so attached that he changed his name, not… that he was dead. Minerva hoped that the boy was here. Even if it was under a different name.

"Uchiha Sasuke." She called after ten minutes of waiting.

Sasuke gave Harry's hand one last squeeze before going and putting the hat on. He needed the reassurance the touch would give him.

"Hmmm..." the hat muttered in his ear, "you aren't what you seem."

"Maybe not, but I am here for my brother."

"So loyalty, bravery, a drive to get things done, and a thirst for knowledge, so where to put you?"

"Wherever you think I'd fit best." Sasuke replied. "I don't have a preference." It was true, he didn't care where he went; he wasn't here for anyone but Harry. Learning magic was just a bonus.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat called out after a moment of deliberation. He was one of the most loyal people the hat had the pleasure of meeting. The hat would keep his secrets, it was the right thing to do, that fact that this boy was too old and yet made himself look the same age as his precious person was something else.

The yellow table exploded with yells and clapping; Sasuke smirked as he pulled the hat off, sending a reassuring look to Harry as he went to sit down. He wasn't sure he would make any friends; he wasn't really here to do that. He was here to protect his brother, but if someone approached him for friendship he wouldn't turn them away.

"Uzumaki, Naruto!" She called

The blond squeezed Harry's shoulder before leaving his side and putting the hat on.

"Umm…are there a lot of you who are not what you seem to be?" The hat asked hesitantly.

"Only two more, and we are technically family." Naruto answered, not at all surprised by a talking hat that could read minds. Talking dogs, toads and other summons animals were much stranger than this talking hat. Weird was practically part of the job description.

"So do you want me to put you all together?" the hat asked almost apprehensively. Would they all fit in the same house? It wasn't sure.

"You don't have too. If we don't fit in the house Sasuke is in now then..." Naruto trailed off, shrugging. Like Sasuke, he didn't care where he went. He wanted to get this stupid custom over with so they could eat. It had been a long time since lunch after all. He was hungry.

"Gryffindor!" The hat shouted after looking around in Naruto's head a bit longer. This boy was so brave, with everything he had gone through, the hat was sure that lesser men would have curled up into a ball and shook rather than face each and every challenge this boy had. And yet this boy had faced everything head on with his head held high, unafraid of anything.

Naruto stood up; he gave Sasuke a nod and then Sakura and Harry a smile as he walked to the Gryffindor table. It didn't matter, though several years ago it would have. Naruto had calmed down a lot in the last six or so years.

"Granger, Hermione!" Minerva called.

Hermione grinned at Harry as she put the hat on.

"Ravenclaw!"

She waved as she hurried to her seat. She loved to learn; hopefully Sakura would be with her in her house.

"Haruno, Sakura!"

Sakura gave Harry a quick hug. "Don't worry ok?" Then she went to put the hat on.

The hat didn't even touch her pink locks before it called out, "Ravenclaw!" Geez! All that girl had on her mind was medical books! Although some of those techniques looked rather interesting…

She giggled as she went to sit with Hermione, giving Harry a reassuring smile and wave. She hadn't cared but letting Hermione have a familiar face would be good, and it would be easier to teach her if they were in the same house.

"Uchiha, Harry!" she called, already wishing that the sorting was over. Minerva was hungry and tied. She didn't want to stand anymore.

Harry ran up and put the hat on, sitting down quickly.

The hat seemed to sigh, "Well Harry no longer Potter, I am sure you would like to be in with your brother or one of the others, but there is someone who needs you in… Slytherin!"

Harry nodded as he went to sit at his new table.

"Weasely, Ron" she called tiredly and watched as Ron walked up to the stool. She was surprised when she noticed that Ron was a girl, not a boy.

"Gryffindor!" the hat called out hastily. It didn't want to be on that head longer than it absolutely had to be.

Ron seemed to wilt with relief but when he, well she now, went to sit, the table became "full."

Naruto looked at his team, each sitting at a different table. "We aren't going to let anything get between us..."

The old man in the middle looked grave as he looked over trying to find the hidden Harry Potter. Harry giggled quietly. Dinner was a scrumptious affair; the best part was when Naruto actually stood up looking for Ramen. Sasuke had gotten up and had gone over to explain that there wasn't any and to suck it up. Sakura had made it a point to go over and hit them both on the head before they started to argue.

Harry just shook his head and looked up at the staff table relaxing further when he saw Itachi, Kakashi and Deidara sitting up there. They looked like they were having a lot of fun up there with the teachers.

He waved at them. Deidara was laughing at his younger cousin's plight and so didn't see him, but the other two did and gave their patented small smiles in return. Harry looked at his house mates and wondered who needed him and why.

He shrugged and listened to the conversations, listening not just with his ears, but with his heart. Theodore Nott was abused, as was Tracy Davis and Draco's bragging hid a deep fear of rejection. Pansy hated herself, Millicent was insecure and Blaise was grateful to get away from his current 'step'-father's roving hands. Maybe…they all needed him and his family...

"The third floor corridor is completely off limits," Dumbledore said before dismissing them and the ninja's felt a tug on their senses to go and visit the third floor and be a 'hero'. Dumbledore couldn't wait to see who tried to go there.

(End Chapter Nine)