Disclaimer: Being neither British nor Japanese, it should therefore come as no surprise that I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto, nor anything from their respective franchises.
Iruka awoke in a substantial amount of pain; he felt like he'd been extensively tortured and then nearly killed.
Of course he had been, but that didn't mean he was happy about anything but the actual "waking up" part. He'd honestly not been expecting that part, which made it a pleasant surprise, tempered somewhat by the fact that he was in pain.
On the positive side, his quick evaluation of his circumstances upon this awakening was far more promising than the last two, considering he was once more in a bed in the Hogwarts infirmary. Judging by the darkness outside the windows and the fact that the candles had almost all been extinguished, it was some time late at night.
Despite the late hour, it wasn't long before Madam Pomfrey emerged from her quarters. She was wearing a more casual robe than usual and slippers rather than shoes, and her hair was tied back in a simple braid, suggesting that she'd already retired for the night. There must have been some kind of monitoring spell set up to alert her when Iruka regained consciousness.
The hospital matron helped Iruka into a sitting position, an absent flick of her wand piling pillows behind him to prop him up, before handing him a goblet of cool water. As he wet his dry throat, she cast a couple of quick diagnostics before putting her wand away with a satisfied nod. "Glad to see you back among us once again, Professor," she commented kindly.
"We have got to stop meeting like this..." he croaked with a half-smile. "How long?"
"A bit over two days since your misadventure in the Ministry," she informed him, "though at times it's felt a bit longer. You were at death's doorstep for a while, and we very nearly lost you once or twice. If it hadn't been for that odd little house-elf bringing you straight here, you'd have been beyond saving by the time help arrived, something I'll certainly be asking the castle's elves about in case there's ever such an emergency again."
"Now," she said, "everything seems to be on track, and I can explain things in more detail in the morning, but for now I think it best that we both get some sleep." Iruka wanted to protest, he really did, but his eyelids were already starting to feel heavy. A bit of rest, he decided groggily as he was lowered back down into a recumbent position, would do him a world of good.
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The next time Iruka woke up, it was late morning. He ate a light but nourishing breakfast, took several disgusting potions, and spoke with Madam Pomfrey until the Hospital Wing doors burst open to admit a quintet of teenagers.
"Iruka-sensei!" came the cry from five throats and one mirror - Ginny had somehow obtained his two-way mirror and called Naruto. Iruka suspected her twin brothers.
"Hey guys," he said with a fond smile, "I'm awake."
«So I've heard,» Naruto said dryly, prompting a weak chuckle from Luna and Hermione. While the Seventh could still only speak very stilted English, he'd managed to learn enough to at least understand most of what was being said as long as nobody spoke too quickly or with too thick an accent.
"I'm also gladder than I can say to see all of you here. Those were not good odds you were up against, regardless of my attempts to even them a bit, and it's a credit to your training and teamwork that you all made it through in one piece." His students' reactions varied slightly, but all were a mix of pride and embarrassment. "Now, why don't you all tell me what happened..."
And so Iruka was treated to the story of their fight to escape the Department of Mysteries. He praised Ginny's use of a flash bomb ("It wasn't quite the perfect setup for a flash bomb, but it was as close as any of us are likely to encounter."), Hermione's presence of mind to seal a door behind them, Neville and Luna's idea to use the spinning room to confuse their pursuers, and Harry's use of the brightly-lit room and his decisive leadership. He also noted that it sounded like it was time to give Neville the Other Talk.
Albus's battle with Riddle sounded spectacular, something Iruka hoped he could watch the memory of at some point. Naruto pointed out (with Iruka translating) that it sounded like the kids had witnessed their first true S-Rank battle. When they related their desire to join in to support the Headmaster, both shinobi supported their restraint. «It can be hard, watching someone fighting and wanting to help them,» Naruto affirmed, «but if they're too far above your level it'd put both you and them in more danger.»
"Their opponent could well be able to attack in ways you can't effectively defend against," Iruka explained. "If they realize that, they might target you to force your ally to protect you, which in turn distracts your ally."
«Of course, your attacks can also distract the opponent,» Naruto admitted, «and bad guys that don't care about their minions will happily use this, sacrificing their own people to create an opening. It's scummy, but it does work, and your Orochimaru-knockoff sounds like the type to do it, so watch out for that.»
"Anyway," Hermione cut in, "after Voldemort fled, Professor Dumbledore sent us back to Hogwarts while he helped handle things at the Ministry. The Minister finally seems to have acknowledged that it's really Voldemort returned rather than an imitator, and everybody's scared and confused and trying to figure out how to prepare for war."
"There's rumors that Fudge may be on the way out as Minister," Harry added, "but so far everything's been kept fairly quiet when it comes to what's actually going on."
"What about the prophecy?" the chuunin asked, "They didn't get it, did they?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I gave it to Professor Dumbledore. I didn't know how to actually listen to it or read it or watch it or whatever, except for maybe smashing it, so it wasn't doing me much good anyway, and he'd have a better chance of keeping it safe. He did promise no three-headed dogs this time, though."
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A couple of days later, Iruka had been released from the Hospital Wing and Albus had finally found a bit of time free from the frantic planning and politicking that had occupied his every waking moment since the battle in the Ministry. Moody had visited the Hospital Wing the day before to hear Iruka's rundown of his capture and interrogation, since Madam Bones felt that it would be easiest to send someone that already knew about Iruka's abilities so that the chuunin wouldn't have to constantly stop to explain everything or convince a skeptical Auror that his report was accurate.
Now Iruka, Harry, and Sirius had been gathered in the Headmaster's office. Iruka's mirror was also up and connected to Konoha, with Shikamaru and Kakashi listening in.
"It is clear to me," Dumbledore began, "that I can no longer withhold the contents of this prophecy from Harry. Sirius, you are here because you as one of his guardians have a right to know, and Iruka, I am also quite certain that Harry would soon share this information with you anyway. As far as our friends in Konoha, they provide a failsafe in addition to their differing perspective, as I am certain that Lord Voldemort will be quite unable to extract information from people in another world. In that regard, I would also ask that the prophecy orb be sent back with Gamato for safekeeping, to preserve it while placing it forever beyond the reach of Tom and his followers."
«Good idea,» Naruto agreed with a nod.
After explaining the circumstances under which he'd heard the prophecy, Albus pulled out the glowing glass orb and tapped it thrice with his wand. The misty light within swirled upwards, forming the ghostly image of Sybil Trelawney, who spoke in a deep, hoarse voice very unlike her usual airy tones. "THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES... BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES... AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT... AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES... THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES..."
"Troublesome..." Shikamaru piped up, "just like every prophecy I've ever heard of, even the one about Naruto. The only real actionable intelligence is that Harry has to be the one to put Voldemort down, and that in theory only Voldemort could possibly kill Harry. Even that's not as helpful as you might think, though, since it doesn't say anything about capturing or incapacitating, which means while the Death Eaters might not be able to kill Harry themselves they could still capture him and hand him over to be killed."
Harry was looking decidedly green.
"Maa, maa, don't be such a pessimist," Kakashi said. "It also said that Harry's marked as his equal. That right there sounds like an even fight, but then look at their actual track record:" He turned to look intently at Harry, his tone becoming serious. "He came after you when you were a baby, and you survived. You fought him head-on - or is it on-head? - at eleven and you beat him. You went up against his giant killer snake at twelve, and sure you had some help, but you beat it. You faced him at his full power while he was surrounded by minions and you were tired and hurting, and still you beat him. Just a few days ago, you and your friends faced his best fighters outnumbering you two-to-one and you beat them. Every time you two have met, you've managed to win and he's been left looking like an idiot. Now consider the fact that he's already peaked in terms of power and skill, while you're still growing and training. Consider the fact that you've been outmatched or outnumbered almost every time up to this point, but now you've got a whole load of people ready to fight beside you, including a lot of ninja if we can find a way to join in. You can do this. We all believe in you."
«You got that right, y'know!» Naruto shouted proudly as Sirius put a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.
"So, based on the fact that Riddle actively targeted Harry as a baby, I take it that he knows at least something about the prophecy's contents?" Shikamaru asked, conveniently steering the discussion toward less emotionally fraught topics.
Albus nodded. "Unfortunately, a young Death Eater had been eavesdropping, and was only caught and ejected after he'd heard the beginning of the prophecy, the portion which identifies the child. This was enough to prompt Lord Voldemort to target Harry, choosing the Half-blood like himself rather than the Pureblood candidate to whom it could have also referred. It was this choice act, more than the physical scar, which I believe constituted the 'mark' portion of the prophecy."
"That sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy, then," Harry commented. At the somewhat surprised looks he received, he explained. "With things as nerve-wracking as they've been the last few days, and exams already over, Hermione's been researching everything she could find about prophecies and talking about it with the rest of us." He wore a fond smile here, one mirrored by everyone who knew the brilliant young witch. "In a lot of old stories, like the old Greek tragedy of Oedipus, prophecies cause people to act in ways that make the prophecy come true, a lot of the time even when they were actively trying to stop the prophecy. Voldemort came after me to keep the prophecy from coming true, but that was exactly what made it happen."
"Where prophecies come from and how they influence the world has long been a subject of much debate," Albus acknowledged, "and it will likely surprise none of you that it is also a field of study pursued by the Department of Mysteries."
"But you said there was someone else, a Pureblood candidate," Harry said, "but who else was- wait, Neville?!"
Albus nodded. "Frank and Alice Longbottom also could be said to have thrice defied Lord Voldemort, and Neville was born only hours before you yourself were. It is quite possible that because of Neville's candidacy Tom paid particular attention to the Longbottoms, which in turn prompted the Lestranges to target them in search of their fallen master."
"I'm just glad neither of us ended up taking Divination," Harry stated. "Having to go back into Trelawney's classroom, put up with what I've heard her classes are like, after finding out that she gave the prophecy that destroyed our parents? No thanks..."
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In the end, nobody had any more concrete insights into the meaning of the Prophecy and how they should respond, though Albus did suggest that the mysterious power Harry was supposed to have might be love, something Voldemort had long dismissed as worthless.
After the meeting broke up, Iruka was asked to stay behind to get caught up on what had happened during his convalescence; those listening through the mirror were invited to participate as well, but only Kakashi remained as Naruto and Shikamaru were both incredibly busy (much to the latter's predictable grumbling).
They started with a quick review of the events following Harry's receipt of Voldemort's ransom note and going up to when the five teens returned to the Ministry Atrium. Dumbledore also explained his own path to that point.
From there, Albus moved on to the fallout from the incident. "Apparently the alarm raised spread beyond just the Order and DMLE, and Minister Fudge was one of the later arrivals during my duel with Tom. This proved fortuitous, as witnessing that with his own eyes has finally brought Cornelius around to recognizing the true nature of the threat our world faces. With the public revelation of Lord Voldemort's return, the Minister has had to answer some hard questions, but thanks to the preparations he authorized he's been able to weather the storm quite ably. The furor caused by Lord Voldemort's return has, fortunately for Cornelius, largely overshadowed the revelation that one of his closest advisors and backers was an unrepentant Death Eater."
Iruka winced. "Yeah, without the distraction that could have done him some serious damage, coming so soon after the Umbridge debacle."
Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgement before continuing. "Public reaction has been largely one of shock and disbelief so far, gradually shifting towards fear. Minerva and I have already fielded a number of inquiries seeking reassurance that Hogwarts will be a safe place for children during this coming conflict. You and your students have been treated remarkably well in the press, as someone in the Auror office seems to have leaked the information that your abduction only succeeded because you were unwilling to permit harm to children and that Harry and his friends faced Death Eaters to rescue you. It is not entirely good news, however: The leak also included the fact that the Death Eaters were seeking a prophecy regarding Harry and Lord Voldemort. This has led the Daily Prophet to jump to a conclusion, as is their custom, but in this instance their conclusion is uncommonly close to the truth - Harry Potter, they claim, is the Chosen One who will save us all from Lord Voldemort. They point to not only the existence of the prophecy, but also Harry's survival that terrible Halloween and his recent success in battling Death Eaters."
"That's not good," Iruka frowned. "If everyone sees Harry as some miraculous savior, many will take that as an excuse to not contribute to the war effort themselves. After all, it's unnecessary when Harry Potter will save us all again," he spat with bitter sarcasm.
"Indeed," Albus nodded, "I have foreseen a similar trouble, but it is a difficult rumor to quell, both because it is mostly true and because it is an attractive thing to believe for many people."
"You can't really kill a rumor," Kakashi commiserated, "just wait for it to die on its own. On the other hand, you could try and use it..." Both of those physically present in the office blinked in confusion. "Take the rumor and shape it. Tell people that Harry-kun can save them all, but he needs their help. Use him as a rallying point to motivate support."
Iruka cringed. "Harry would hate that."
"It would also make him an even greater target than he already is," Albus stated, "and come far closer than I am comfortable with to revealing the contents of the prophecy publicly."
"Only the part that Riddle already knows," Kakashi countered.
Dumbledore sighed. "I will consider it, but only if Harry agrees. He will, after all, have to bear the brunt of such a plan."
Iruka nodded his agreement before changing the subject. "What about the results of the battle itself?"
Albus's mien turned deadly serious. "Two of the responding Aurors were killed covering the children's escape. While both men's families have been notified, their deaths will not be announced to the public at large. The Ministry's reason for this is to save face and maintain public morale, but my reason lies closer to home: I refuse to burden those five kind young souls with this knowledge. They would undoubtedly blame themselves, Harry more so than the others, for something that is in no way their fault. It is the duty of all adults to protect children, especially those such as Aurors who take up a profession dedicated to protecting the innocent. The deaths of those two brave men were solely the fault of Lord Voldemort and his followers."
"Exactly," Iruka agreed, "both in terms of actual responsibility and the fact that Harry in particular would blame himself. His friends, Sirius, the Grangers, and I have all worked to help him heal from his time with the Dursleys, but ten years of childhood conditioning aren't so easily overcome. Normally I wouldn't advise keeping secrets from those five, but in this case there's good reason to do so."
The Headmaster nodded, looking somewhat relieved. "Thank you for your support in that, Iruka. In better news, none of the Death Eaters who went to the Ministry managed to escape. Three of them - Rabastan Lestrange, Dominus Crabbe, and Augustus Rookwood - were killed, and the other ten arrested; Antonin Dolohov, the one that tortured Miss Blaine in Hogsmeade, will likely walk with a limp for the rest of his life. Beyond the obvious damage caused by the deaths of three of his best and the capture of ten more, Lord Voldemort has also suffered a severe loss of face due to the abject failure of this operation and the apparent defeat of his Death Eaters by less than half their number in schoolchildren. Severus has also informed me that Voldemort killed a further two of his followers in his rage at learning the full depth of his defeat in the Ministry. While such loss of life is always regrettable, under our current circumstances I cannot help but be thankful that none of those five deceased wizards will again take up wands against the good people of Wizarding Britain, and that the last two were eliminated without putting any of our own people in danger."
"There's nothing wrong with being relieved at an enemy's death," Kakashi reassured the aged wizard, "especially in a conflict like this one. You're not up against decent, ordinary people that are just following orders and fighting for their homeland and their families, you're fighting a mix of power-hungry psychopaths, genocidal bigots, and violent sadists. None of those groups are the type to ever settle down peaceably as productive members of society; you're going to have to kill, capture, or otherwise incapacitate every single one of them either during or after this war. Any that slip through are just going to keep hurting people, even if they do it more quietly and subtly than they're doing right now."
"I know that all too well," Albus sighed sadly, "but you must remember that I was either teacher or Headmaster to most of these wizards and witches. With a bit of effort, I can recall the moment each of them stepped into the Great Hall as an eleven-year-old child waiting to be Sorted. I mourn less for the monsters they have become than I do for the innocent children they once were." His expression firmed. "That past innocence, now cast aside, will not however prevent me from doing what must be done to protect those who remain innocent in the present."
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"Ah, Severus, come in and have a seat."
The perpetually black-clad Potions Master stalked across the Headmaster's office to the proffered chair, eyeing Iruka suspiciously. "You called for me, Headmaster?"
"Indeed. With the present conflict escalating, it occurred to me that a time may soon come when you might wish to be able to disregard a summons from Lord Voldemort." At this statement, Snape's eyes narrowed, glancing between Iruka and Albus in suspicion. "Do not worry," Dumbledore placated, "Iruka is aware of the vital role you play in gathering intelligence from within the enemy's ranks."
"As I was saying," Albus continued, "there is a way in which Seals can be used to suppress and contain cursed marks like the one you bear, thus Professor Umino's presence for this discussion. An individual from his homeland made use of something quite similar to the Dark Mark, though often on subjects who were less than willing. This Sealing technique functioned as an effective counter on those unwillingly marked, and should work at least as well in this circumstance."
The greasy-haired Professor sneered, though Iruka got the impression that he was masking some other emotion. "I highly doubt some foreign scribbles would be sufficient to counteract the knowledge and power of the Dark Lord. This... 'individual' was probably just a weakling with a modicum of talent." His look at Iruka clearly indicated that his last comment was deliberately referencing the chuunin's relatively limited magical power.
"Actually," Iruka replied, "he was and still is considered one of the most singularly dangerous people known to exist, the kind of man that could slaughter a small army single-handedly. In one incident, in a fit of anger, he brought down an entire castle with nothing more than a single kick. By now you've probably heard of the amount of trouble I gave the Death Eaters who captured me, but Orochimaru would destroy me as effortlessly as swatting an insect."
"More tellingly," the Headmaster said with just enough haste to preempt whatever caustic response Snape had just opened his mouth to deliver, "this method has already been successfully tested against Voldemort's work."
Snape's mouth snapped shut as he once more looked between Iruka and Albus. "And what would be this... procedure entail?" His voice held skepticism, caution, and an almost hidden trace of hope. "And what would be the cost? Dark magic is not easily countered or suppressed, and dealings with it almost invariably come at a cost of some kind."
"From your end, it would mostly involve sitting still on a hard stone floor for several minutes in nothing but a pair of shorts while I draw symbols on and around you in my own blood," Iruka explained. He figured that someone working as a double-agent would probably prefer directness and honesty over beating around the bush and half-truths, especially after dealing with Albus for a decade and a half. "Once all of the symbols were drawn, I'd activate the array. That point's where most of the 'cost' comes in - it'd be pretty exhausting for both of us and fairly painful for you. Nowhere near Voldemort's Cruciatus, according to the previous recipient, but definitely not pleasant. You'd probably be asleep for a few days and tired for a few more after that."
"The seal itself would be visible on your arm," the chuunin continued, "but we've found that a bit of charmed makeup covers it well enough that people don't seem to notice. You'd also be able to control whether it's blocking the Mark or not, since the strength of the seal is based directly on your will to reject whatever it contains."
"That," Snape drawled, his dark eyes burning with emotion, "will not be a problem."
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They placed the Fūja Hōin a few days later, after making sure that Snape had an excuse to be incommunicado for the next week. It took most of that week for the man to be able to stay awake for more than a few groggy minutes at a time, but unbeknownst to Voldemort his "spy" now had the means to refuse his call.
A/N: A somewhat short chapter, but that seemed like a good place to break it.
A lot of fics paint Dumbledore as this extreme pacifist, refusing to use or permit the use of lethal force against the Death Eaters. I have found no canon evidence to support this interpretation, so I am instead writing him as someone who captures or incapacitates when he can because he absolutely hates killing, but who will use lethal force when necessary.
Fic Recommendation: "Harry Potter and the Gaining of Faith" by chadmaako on Archive of Our Own - a Buffy crossover, with an amazingly well-done Harry/Faith relationship.
Posted 26 January 2020