Chapter Twelve: Making Plans
Author's Note: Just a random quote to put here. I love walking in the rain because no one can see me crying.
Disclaimer: I do not own the fantastical world of Harry Potter or Naruto. They are the rights of J. K. Rowling and Masashi Kishimoto. The only thing I own in this story is Bridgette and the storyline plot.
English
"Japanese speech"
Long paragraphs with italic font: flashbacks
Short words with italic font: thoughts
When Harry rose and went down to the common room that Sunday morning, he was greeted with cheers and applause. Not quite able to stomach it without the solid presence of a once-faithful sidekick, Harry climbed out of the portrait hole to escape the Creevy brothers, only to find himself face to face with Hermione and Bridgette.
"Good morning," Bridgette said cheerily, holding up a stack of toast. Hermione smiled as well, and showed the fruit and flask of juice she had—most probably—stolen from the breakfast table.
"We got you this…I know you won't want to go down there right now, but do you fancy a walk?" Hermione asked casually. "Outside?"
"Sure," Harry replied gratefully.
They went downstairs, passed the Entrance Hall quickly and were soon striding across the lawn towards the smooth surface of the lake, where they plopped themselves down under their favorite tree. Bridgette put down the plate of toast carefully and leaned back, pretending to stretch lazily. She caught the eye of Kakashi, who blinked once in acknowledgement and shifted further up the tree, away from sight.
"…knew you hadn't entered yourself," Hermione was saying, "Bridgette and Kakashi told me everything that happened, and Professor Namikaze vouched for you, so don't worry. I suppose his vouch counts for something, Bridgette?"
"Of course," the ANBU replied, nodding. "Minato-sensei is one of the representatives from my academy. They won't want to cause anger between the schools participating in the tournament…might ignite a war, even."
"Oh," Hermione said dismissively, not quite interested. Bridgette knew she was worrying the fact that one of her best friends was in the tournament against his will. "I don't think any student could have put your name in though…they'd never get over the Age Line or fool the Goblet. It'll probably take some very advanced—"
"Have you seen Ron?" Harry interrupted.
Hermione's hesitation cost her greatly. Bridgette answered the question instead, in her detached, professional ANBU tone. "Yes, he was at breakfast, with Dean and Seamus."
Harry winced.
"Does he still think I put my name in?"
Bridgette nodded, then paused, observing the situation before she checked her watch, rose and said, "Excuse me, I have a training session with Minato-sensei in ten minutes. I'll catch you two later. Enjoy the toast, Harry!"
She waved and walked off, confident that Kakashi will note the rest of their 'private' conversation.
Harry waited until Bridgette had walked out of sight before turning to Hermione and saying quietly, "I think she put my name in the Goblet."
"What?" Hermione was stunned. "Bridgette? It's impossible, no student can get over—"
And then she paled. "Oh no…"
"See?" Harry drove on, "She said she was an insomniac and walks the corridors at night. She can get over that Age Line anytime she wants. What if their little academy is teaming up with Voldemort to get me?"
"But it's not logical, Harry." Hermione frowned. "After all, they seem good enough. Remember how Professor Namikaze stood up for us in the train, and Bridgette pinned Malfoy to the wall? If they are with Voldemort, they won't be helping you like that. Besides, Dumbledore trusts Professor Namikaze. And Dumbledore's usually right, right?"
Harry was caught off-guard for a mere moment. "How do you know he trusts Professor Namikaze?"
"Harry," Hermione rolled her eyes and began to explain patiently, "Professor Namikaze is forbidding the use of wands and training us to throw knives and build stamina. Don't lie—you know his sessions are hard and always leave us tired out. Some of the Ravenclaws fooled around and got nicked by the knives, so they're not toys either. It's the real thing. Dumbledore must trust Professor Namikaze, else he won't be letting him teach this kind of dangerous things in school."
"But his students—"
"I know, Harry, and I'm sorry." Hermione said quickly. "I asked them to be friends, and they've been tailing us all this while…I don't know if we can trust them. Kakashi's quiet and doesn't ask questions—or answer them, for that matter—but Bridgette talks, except that she never talks about herself. I've done research in the library and nothing tells me about this wandless magic that all three of them can do. I've seen them, Harry, I know! You did too. Bridgette can make a perfect Vanishing Spell without saying anything or using a wand; Kakashi always wolfs his food down without us ever seeing him take off his mask, and he can do Ancient Runes faster than me; Professor Namikaze's speed is extreme, it's unnatural…Harry, do you understand? We have to keep an eye on them, make sure we can trust them. And—"
"Should I tell Sirius?"
Hermione paused. "Sirius will want to know, Harry. He wants you to keep him updated on what's happening in the school, and you have to do it."
"What do we do about Bridgette and Kakashi?"
"We can't shake them off; they'll get suspicious of us. We have to make excuses for them to stop tailing us…you leave that to me. You, Harry, concentrate on keeping an eye on them. We must—"
Hermione stopped talking as she caught sight of Bridgette and Minato exiting the castle and making for the grounds silently. They approached the lake, as they had done the last time she saw them fight. She nudged Harry. The view was perfect. The tree's trunk would shield them from the professor and student's sight, and give them cover as they watched.
"Best to know what they can do," Hermione murmured when Harry voiced his dubious thoughts about spying on a teacher and a possible enemy.
"Besides, we've never seen them do it in broad daylight before," Hermione shushed him, "They've always done it before breakfast and out of sight since that time when McGonagall blew up at them. It'll be an educational experience."
However, both the professor and student turned sharply just before they reached the lake, and started to make for the tree under which Harry and Hermione were watching. They stiffened, suddenly afraid.
"What gives?" Hermione whispered, but Harry just shook his head.
Bridgette and Professor Namikaze paused as they surveyed the pair under the tree, then the blonde smiled and said, "Enjoying the weekend, you two?"
"Yes, sir," Hermione replied quickly, seeing that Harry was still slightly stunned. "It's a lovely day. Are you going to train with Bridgette, sir?"
Minato shrugged. "We might. I'm not sure what to teach her now, as Kakashi's in bed with a slight cold and it wouldn't be fair if I taught her more than him."
Bridgette masked her growing smirk as she detected the quietest of snorts from above, accompanied by the slight rustle of protesting leaves—since ANBU, she had always known more than Kakashi. She had been given access to places Jounin could not reach, but Kakashi's talent was on par with her. She still did not quite know why he had not applied for ANBU; someone of Kakashi's skills could have gotten it easily enough.
"Oh well." she said, glancing at her sensei, "I remembered that you two were here when I left, so I thought I'd pop by again." She seemed to ponder, before asking, "Harry, I know you're playing in the Triwizard against your will, but since you're going to play it already, why not join me and Kakashi for more in-depth training? It'll be a variation of your Self-Defense lessons."
Harry winced. He was pretty sure that whatever additional training offer Bridgette was making, it was going to hurt a lot more than the Self-Defense lessons.
"Do you mind, sensei?"
"Not at all, Bridgette. So, Harry, would you like to join us? Hermione can tag along too if she wants as well." Minato smiled again.
"Oh yes!" Hermione practically squealed. She hadn't found any books about the three shinobi and their wandless magic, but if she can use these lessons to gain knowledge about them, she didn't really care if Harry protested against it.
"Wonderful," Bridgette cut in dryly as Harry gaped at Hermione's sudden enthusiasm. After all they have said and planned, she just agreed to train with us...
"We have a session tomorrow morning. If you go to the lake before day breaks, you'll find us there." And with that invitation the two foreigners turned away and walked off.
"Hermione! I thought we were supposed to stay away from them?" Harry exclaimed.
Hermione was still beaming. "Come now, Harry, it would be a splendid chance to know what they are capable of. They don't seem to suspect anything yet."
"But-"
"No buts. Eat your toast, and let's get back up the castle."
Over the next few days, despite attending the training Bridgette offered, Harry and Hermione tried to distance themselves from the shinobi whenever they could make up a plausible excuse. This behavior did not go unnoticed by Bridgette and Kakashi, but both of them made no comment on it.
Harry was also studiously avoiding Ron, who had started to hang out with Dean and Seamus instead and had refused to talk to or look Harry in the eye.
"He's just jealous, Harry. Go apologize!" Harry knew Hermione was exasperated at the strained relationship, but he refused to apologize to Ron when it was most likely that his apology would be flung back at him. He didn't think he was ready for this outright rejection yet.
Hermione went from Ron to Harry and Harry to Ron, trying to make the both of them apologize to each other, but Harry always mumbled some excuse and ran off, while Ron brushed Hermione's pleads aside with a half-sorry, half-angry gesture.
Kakashi was displeased by the behavior of both boys, but he only commented on it when they were safely in their quarters. Bridgette suspected the reason for this behavior, but it was Minato who truly knew why: Kakashi's arguing and differences with his teammate had resulted in the death of his dearest comrade, and he did not like seeing history repeat itself.
Sirius was also upset that Harry had shaken the deep friendship he shared with Ron, again relating by experience: Sirius and Harry's father, James, were after all, best friends. Several times Minato had to seal their quarters so that Sirius would not try to escape and go out to see Harry and tell him exactly what was on his mind.
Once Bridgette had to forcibly drag him back from the corridor he had been hiding in.
"Harry's my godson!" Sirius argued as she dropped him unceremoniously on the couch, "Ow! My best friend—his father—died because of me and my stupid carelessness, and I'm going to make sure James didn't die in vain!"
Kakashi had lost count of how many times he had to cuff Sirius around the collar for that. He sighed, "We know, Sirius, but you're a wanted criminal, you can't just so barging into Gryffindor Tower demanding to see Harry Potter. You'll land yourself another cell in jail, and I doubt they'd let you escape this time."
Sirius just grumbled.
"Sirius," Minato began patiently one night. The wizard looked up from the scroll he was attempting to read. "Yeah?"
"Minerva has just given out the announcement that the first Hogsmeade weekend will take place this week. Would you like to carry out the plan?"
Sirius nodded. "I have a lot to say to my godson."
"By the way, Sirius," Bridgette slipped into the room, balancing a stack of newspapers and old books, "did you write that letter to Harry, telling him about the meeting?"
"Yes, I did. I received a reply from him just early this morning."
"What did he say?"
Kakashi entered the room through a window, his cloak flapping around him. The night was cold indeed. "I left a clone watching," he added in response to his sensei's questioning look.
"As usual, Harry told me to be careful, and says he'll bring along some food if I'd tell him my location. He thinks that I'm hiding out in Hogsmeade." Sirius chuckled, "But his letter also included descriptions of you three…both Harry and Hermione suspect you all are ganging up with Voldemort to kill him."
"Ganging up with Voldemort?" Bridgette exclaimed, eyes wide. "That's ridiculous!"
"Is there no stopping the wild imagination of young wizards?" Kakashi murmured.
Minato looked thoughtful. "You mentioned this during your observation of Potter and Granger's private conversation a few days ago, Kakashi. I'll be seeking Professor Dumbledore's permission to reveal the mission, then. We can't have our target be suspecting us all the time. It might bring about a disadvantage."
"He's already distancing himself from us, you know?" Kakashi inserted dryly. Bridgette nodded sadly in agreement. "We haven't yet asked him why, but everyday he's looking for reasons to stay away from us."
"Then all the more must we reveal the mission to him," Minato said firmly, "I don't like it anymore than you do-after all, we are breaking protocol-but this is necessary. We have to know when to be flexible, and when to be unbending. Sirius, would you prefer to meet him in or out of castle grounds?"
"Definitely outside. I miss the space." Sirius affirmed, looking out the window longingly.
"We'll take time off this week to scout for a good meeting place, then you can send him the location," Bridgette added.
Sirius shrugged. "It's fine by me. Just pray that Harry won't take your presence badly."
"He's a bit of an unpredictable child, isn't he?" Minato asked. "But nothing like that Slytherin Malfoy. During the last Self-Defense session, I asked the lot of them to walk up a tree—basic chakra control exercises; I wanted to judge their level of chakra before moving to bigger things—but he told me flat out that no one can do it and climbed the tree manually afterwards."
"Did anyone manage to get up, though?" Sirius asked, interested. He had heard of these chakra-control exercises, and they sounded extremely fascinating. He'd love to walk up walls and yell "Boo!" at unsuspecting people.
Minato shook his head. "They don't have the right capacity," he said regretfully. "I'll have to continue teaching them basic taijutsu, and maybe teach them to fend off some easy ninjutsu, though that wouldn't be of much use as Voldemort doesn't have wizards on his side."
"Are you sure about that, sensei?" Kakashi asked. "Just before we left on this mission, there were rumors abound that Orochimaru had fled the village to become missing-nin, and he's close to Sandaime."
"You think the old man might've let something slip to his favorite pet snake?" Bridgette wondered aloud.
"For everyone's sakes, let's hope it is not so." Minato interjected quietly. "Orochimaru is one of the Sannin, and you two are not likely to survive an encounter with him."
"Who is this Orochimaru?" Sirius asked.
"I have a picture of him with my teacher, Jiraiya-sensei, and his team." Minato replied, rising. "Let me show you."
The two left Kakashi and Bridgette alone, and they merely sat in silence, watching the flames of the fire as they contemplated matters of their own.
"What is it, Wormtail?"
"M-My Lord, there appears to be a...a visitor."
"Who is it?"
"I-I-I don't know, my Lord. But he requested an...an audience with you alone."
"Destroy him. I do not care for such visitors."
"...I couldn't."
"What did you say?"
"I couldn't, m-my Lord. There was a green magic surrounding him the likes of which I've never seen before, and he was laughing when I tried. He told me I was weak and a fool to serve someone as...-gulp-...as silly as you, my Lord. Those were his exact words."
"Who dares to insult Lord Voldemort? Bring him in. He has intrigued me. Who is this man who thinks himself stronger than I?"
"There will be no need to bring me in, Riddle. I am already here."
"Who is this? Insolence against the Dark Lord is punished by death!"
"My name is Kabuto. I am here on behalf of my master, who wishes to make you a generous offer."
"And who is your master?"
"I am not allowed to tell you his name."
"Very well. What is the offer?"
"We know that you wish to revive yourself with the death of Harry Potter. However, three guards have been hired to protect him. They are all quite powerful, and one of them has recently been slated to become the next leader of my country. My master will help you kill Harry Potter if you would arrange the deaths of the guards without revealing our side to it."
"This is truly a generous offer. Are the lives of these guards worth so much?"
"To my master, yes."
"Very well, very well. I will contact my spy tonight and give him new orders. Now for more pressing matters: how do you intend to kill Harry Potter?"
The white-haired man paused, hand on the doorknob. His glasses flashed as he smiled sweetly. "By ensuring that he doesn't live to see the next year."
Author's Note:
Ah, cliffhanger! So Kabuto's entered the fray now. Things are just going to get more and more exciting.
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