Chapter 16: The Fluffy Realization

"Team 8 will be Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka. Your Jonin-Sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi," Iruka-sensei said.

"What kind of order is this?" Ino couldn't help but ask quietly with a frown. She wanted to know what team she was on already. She had a hunch, but she didn't dare say it out loud for fear of forcing it to come true.

Shikamaru was nearby and gave a shrug in answer. Ino rolled her eyes. That wasn't helpful at all. She couldn't really blame him this time though. There really wasn't a better answer.

It was team assignment day for the freshly minted Genin. Two days ago, they had their academy graduation exam. Ino wasn't really surprised by most of the people who passed the exam. She did feel some vindication Ami, Sakura's bully from when they were younger, didn't pass.

"Team 2 will be…" Iruka-sensei started.

Ino groaned to that. She still paid attention in case her name was called, but it wasn't. That was the thing about team assignments. They weren't in any particular order. It started off with team 420, Ino was pretty sure the number was made up as a joke.

"Team 10 will be Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka. Your Jonin-Sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi," Iruka-sensei said.

Ino had a really bad feeling after hearing the first two names. She sighed in resignation. She was a bit conflicted here. She was tolerant of Shikamaru and Choji and figured it made sense given they had their fathers' skill sets. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio were well known for their success as a team and how well their abilities worked with each other. She kind of wanted to be on the same team as Sasuke though.

Her crush on Sasuke had cooled off some after he bad mouthed Naruko for graduating early, but he was still handsome. She hoped that maybe there might be hope for him or something. She wouldn't know now though. She wasn't on his team.

Ino gave a frown to her two teammates. "I'm only going to tolerate your slacking off to a certain point," she said dangerously.

Choji gave a nervous laugh. "O-o-okay… Ino-chan," he said.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru said with a lazy yawn. He wasn't that bad in his mind. Ino was just too high strung, like pretty much all women were. Besides… it isn't like he would just sit back if his teammates needed his help or something. Not only would it be extra troublesome to lose either of them, it also wasn't how Konoha ninja were.

"Team 123784 is…" Iruka-sensei continued.

"Okay. That number is made up!" Ino huffed out loud. A couple of nearby Genin laughed at her outburst. She was staring at Iruka-sensei as if daring him to say otherwise.

Iruka-sensei just kept going and acting like her interruption never happened. Ino groaned and deflated. She really hoped their sensei was cool at least. She was still really happy she graduated. It would be nice to tell Naruko all about it when she returned for the summer.

"Team seven will be Sasuke Uchiha, Zane Barash, and Sakura Haruno –" Iruka was interrupted.

"Ha! Take that! All of you," Sakura shouted with a very self-pleased grin. Sasuke seemed completely indifferent. Zane looked like he would be in for an annoying time with Sasuke and his biggest fangirl on the same team.

"Especially you! Ino-pig," Sakura said looking to the blonde girl with a smirk.

"That's nice, Sakura-chan," Ino replied rather neutrally.

Sakura blinked in disbelief to that. It had been a long time since Ino called her something other than Forehead Girl or Billboard Brow it felt. Ino had been calling her just Sakura a few times lately, but Sakura didn't know what to make of this.

"Why are things turning out so very differently lately?" she wondered to herself. She was in thought for a moment and barely heard their Jonin-Sensei's name was Kakashi Hatake. She might have thought on her feelings longer, but then Sasuke got up to go once the lunch bell rang.

She immediately went back into stalk—fangirl mode. They were teammates now and should naturally have lunch together. She needed to hurry up though. If Sasuke really didn't want to be found, he usually couldn't be found.

Sakura smiled to that. It was only natural he was that good. He was the Last Uchiha and the Rookie of the Year. If anyone could find him though, it would be her. She was the Top Kunoichi!

"I'm surer than ever! We're destined to be together and married in the future," Sakura thought to herself with a dreamy smile. They were the top in their class and on the same team! It made so much sense they would be together forever. She just knew all of the other girls would be jealous.

[-] [-] [-]

Harry was huffing as he supported himself on the castle's wall. Ron was laying on the grass panting. He decided to join Harry, even if it was just in the evenings, for training. Both of them felt like they were covered in more sweat than they had ever been in the last two summers combined. Harry was at least a little used to it by this point. Ron wasn't used to it, but he powered through it the best he could.

"Wow… They really should do some kind of physical education here. I know you two aren't ninjas, but that was kind of well… pathetic," Naruko said with a chuckle.

"I never knew moving around could be so exhausting," Ron said as he stretched out. The grass felt good under the evening sky.

"I didn't even know it could be this tiring, and the Dursleys had me spend most of my summers doing outside chores," Harry said.

"I was doing this kind of stuff in the very early stages at the academy," Naruko said. She gave a giggle as she said, "I pretty sure even Sakura could handle this and she's pretty much an annoying kunoichi version of Hermione."

"I'm not sure I want to meet her ever, if that's the case," Ron said with a grimace. He liked Hermione as a friend, but the two of them bumped heads fairly often. He was pretty sure an annoying version of her would be worse, even if they were a kunoichi.

Naruko gave a shrug. "It's mostly just how crazy she is about Sasuke that's annoying. I have a feeling if she got over crushing on him, she would be alright… Now that I think about it, Sakura would be like an annoying Pansy and Hermione hybrid," she said with a frown.

"She's that bad about this Sasuke fellow?" Ron asked in disbelief.

Naruko gave a serious nod. "Not only did she end things with her best friend, just because they both liked the same guy, she'd probably also drop her pants and bend over in a heartbeat if Sasuke asked," Naruko said with a frown. There was nothing wrong with liking guys, but Sakura took it kind of far.

"Wow… That's just… wow…" Ron said.

"Like I said. Her obsession with Sasuke's the problem. I tried to get her to be more serious as a kunoichi a couple of times, but she figured I was trying to sabotage her efforts in winning over Sasuke. She doesn't realize it is completely hopeless with how Sasuke is," Naruko said.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked out of curiosity.

"The only things he wants are to get stronger and hunt down his brother. I mean he has a good reason… But still… he is taking it too far," Naruko said.

"Why does he have a good reason?" Ron asked.

"Let's just say he has a good reason and leave it at that. But it isn't any excuse to look down on everyone else and not bother with actually living your life," Naruko said. She wasn't going to go into details. She probably said more than she should as it is.

"So why is it you call Draco, Blonde Sasuke?" Harry asked.

"They're both from really rich and well-known families. They both think their superior to everyone else just because they were born and their family's status. They both will at times go out of their way to try and insult others. Blonde Sasuke is actually preferable, since he can at least be tolerable so long as he doesn't open his mouth," Naruko said.

"I don't see how Draco can be preferable to anyone," Ron said while folding his arms and scoffing at the mention of Draco's name.

"That just goes to show how much worse the original is. Even if he could easily kick Blonde Sasuke's ass and make him go home crying to daddy," Naruko said with a chuckle.

"Could you bring him along just one time?" Ron asked with far too much glee in his eyes.

Harry and Naruko both looked to him with raised eyebrows.

"No," Naruko answered simply.

"Aww…" Ron pouted.

Naruko shook her head. "Since you two have finished your laps…" she started.

Ron and Harry looked to her unsure what she was going to say.

Naruko's lips curled a little as she said, "Time to do some push-ups!"

The two boys groaned as they got in position.

"Give me 20!" Naruko said.

"That isn't too bad," Ron thought.

"For a start," Naruko added. Ron whimpered a little, but started his push-ups. Harry was already on four. Naruko would admit she had little doubt about Harry's resolve. She really liked that about him.

[-] [-] [-]

"Can't believe exams are right around the corner!" Ron said in a bit of a panic one evening after dinner.

"This is exactly why I kept telling you to study," Hermione said.

"The only problem is you started talking about that right after Holiday Break," Ron grumbled. He really didn't like how smug she sounded.

Hermione gave him a frown, but said nothing more on the topic.

"I'm just glad Hermione gave us those schedules, even if I didn't follow it exactly," Naruko said.

"I suppose so long as you have studied... That is good enough. Though you seem to have a lot of time off. I've seen you helping them train. And disappearing to do your own thing," Hermione said with a doubtful frown.

Naruko grinned as she said, "That's a Kunoichi secret."

Hermione's frown deepened.

Naruko sighed. "Fine. Not only do Shadow Clones come in really handy when it comes to information gathering in all forms, but I am a kunoichi. We are trained to absorb knowledge quickly and recall almost perfectly at the very least. It can be important on missions," she said.

"You cheated…" Hermione frowned.

"I prefer to think of it as being extra efficient," Naruko said still grinning.

"Still cheating…" Hermione pouted.

Naruko giggled and leaned in to whisper, "We both know you're just jealous you can't do something similar."

Hermione blushed to that, but didn't refute the claim. Naruko really did like how cute her bushy haired friend could be.

"Speaking of training though," Ron said. He looked to Harry. "How do you feel its been coming along? I still think it is rough at times."

"I think it's great! Now that I've gotten used to it. It was tough at first, but I like the results," Harry said. He felt more confident in himself now than ever before. He also felt less too skinny and instead lean muscled and strong. He still knew he had a long way to go before he was actually properly strong.

Naruko nodded and said, "Soon you can start weights." She then gave him a grin. "You've only been exercising to get to an acceptable level to finally start actual basic level training," she said with a slightly dark giggle.

Ron gulped. Harry felt nervous and hated how the giggle was also somehow cute. He was even more determined though. "I made that promise. I'll see this to the end," he said to her.

"Ohhh. We'll see about that. Of course, you aren't getting full on ninja training from me. I don't know how that could even work for a magical," Naruko said with a thoughtful frown. It was something she was going to have to really look into.

"Could a regular magical get in touch with their core?" she wondered to herself. Ninja and Kunoichi were able to use and sense their chakra. Chakra was in a sense energy. Magic was in a sense energy as well. Wandless magic was rare, but this wouldn't be true wandless magic if she could get him to use his magic in place of chakra.

Chakra had to be focused, just like magic was focused. However, chakra used hand signs to focus it. There were some ways you could just use Chakra to enhance your body in general, which didn't need focus in the same sense. Maybe magic could be used in a similar way with the right training from her.

It would make sense if it was possible. Why else would Firenze say her facing and defeating that thing would be bad? She couldn't think of something much more terrible than a dark wizard who learned to use magic in the ways ninjas used chakra.

"Hey, Hermione?" Naruko asked.

"Yes?" Hermione replied quickly.

"Do you happen to know if there is a way to sense your own magic or magic core?" she asked. It was a long shot, but this was Hermione. If someone happened to have come across something like that, it would be her.

"I'm not sure…" Hermione said in thought.

"Does this have something to do with training?" Ron asked.

"It might. It could determine the best way to start training you two more," Naruko said.

"That sounds pretty serious," Harry said.

Naruko frowned to him a little.

"I'm not trying to come up with an excuse," he reassured her.

Naruko sighed. "It is serious. You talked about how Hagrid said many don't think Voldemort is really gone," she said and ignored how Hermione and Ron flinched at the name.

Harry's eyes widened for a moment then he narrowed them in determination. "If he does come back. I'll be his main, if not first, target," he said.

Naruko nodded to that. "There's also that whole The-Boy-Who-Lived business. I hate you have such a nickname, but it doesn't change the fact it puts a target on your back," she said.

Harry gulped, but nodded. He worried about that a little, but didn't dare say it out loud.

Ron grimaced to that and looked to Harry. "I've never thought about that… I always figured it just meant you would always be famous. I know that fame stuff annoys you, but I never thought it would be dangerous, even without You-Know-Who," he said.

"And you, Ron. Will be a target as well, unless you stop being friends with Harry," Naruko said.

"I'm not about to do that! I'm not some slimy snake who only sees people as a means to an end or something like that," Ron said.

"Then you need to take it seriously as well," Naruko said.

Ron sighed. "Okay… I'll try… to start morning training too. I just wish morning happened later in the day," he said with a frown.

Naruko giggled and said, "Then it wouldn't be morning and you would have classes to attend."

Hermione giggled to that. She also realized that while Naruko hadn't pointed her out as well, she too was in the target by association boat. She wasn't about to stop being friends with Harry, Ron (even if he was annoying at times), and Naruko.

[-] [-] [-]

Harry was actually surprised how easy he found his exams, even Potions. He was pretty sure it was because of what Naruko told him about the mind being just as important as the body. He didn't go as overboard with studying as Hermione's schedule would have had him go. It was still great to use as a reference for when to study what though.

Ron gave out a groan. "I hate exams…" he muttered.

"They weren't that bad," Naruko said.

"Not all of us are ninjas… You probably could have used your clones if nothing else in some way," Ron said.

"I could have, but the point of the exams wasn't to cheat without getting caught," Naruko said.

"Are ninja exams like that? Wait… Do ninjas have exams?!" Ron asked. He was always very interested when it came to ninjas and kunoichis.

"I wouldn't be surprised. The academy exams weren't about that, but if you got the answers by cheating without getting too obviously caught… Well, no one is going to be upset with you," Naruko said with a shrug.

"What are exams like for ninjas?" Harry asked.

"We had to know how to approach missions and what our rules would be as ninjas. They also had practical tests on our Taijutsu and the basic four Ninjutsu," Naruko said.

"Just four? Didn't you say Ninjutsu was like spells?" Ron asked.

"They are, but they also aren't. Besides… the basic four are not easy, even if you looked at them as just spells," Naruko said.

"Is that transformation jutsu one of them?" Harry asked.

Naruko nodded. "It is. There is also the basic clone, which is just a… projection of yoruself… I'm not sure how to best describe it. I had to actually bend the rule on that one and used the shadow clone instead. Too much chakra and nowhere near enough chakra control for regular clones. Hand signs are more versatile, but wands also give you most of the control you need to cast spells, even if Seamus is an expert at exploding spells," she said.

"Jutsus still sound cooler," Ron said with a grin.

"What other Jutsus did you need to know?" Harry asked.

"There is the Rope Escape Jutsu. That one is pretty self-explanatory. The last of the basic four is the Replacement Jutsu. It is also kind of self-explanatory. I essentially use a nearby object and swap places with it more or less. You need to complete all four to pass. And that's only if you did well enough on both the Taijutsu and written tests," Naruko said.

"What is Taijutsu?" Ron asked.

"Oh. Hand to hand combat," Naruko said.

"Can I learn that?" Harry asked.

"You can…" Naruko said. Harry seemed excited about that. "But I don't really have the materials for you to start training on that really. You also can't really read Japanese, so a scroll won't really help you with that."

"How come you can read and speak in English so well?" Ron asked. He had never really thought about that much. Naruko speaking to them in English seemed just natural to them, but he knew it was a second language for her.

"I had some help there. I was essentially handed down the knowledge of the language. I then received even more knowledge when I visited my clan's vault. I really don't know how my ancestors did it. So, I can't easily do the same for you two," she said.

"Man… I wish I could just have a second language put into my brain like that," Ron said. Naruko gave a giggle to the way he said that.

"I'll try to see if I can still figure something out. There could be some kind of magic way of doing it as well," Naruko said.

"We could ask Hermione to also look then," Ron said. He gave a chuckle. "Now that she isn't focused on just studying, she might be able to bring herself to do something else." Their bushy haired friend was currently taking a nap. She stayed up way too late last night studying for their final exams.

"She'd probably also like the idea of learning a second language with us," Harry said.

"She knows French, so it would be a third language for her," Naruko said. Harry and Ron were a bit impressed their other friend knew a second language as well.

[-] [-] [-]

Harry raced back quickly to Gryffindor. He had to tell the others what he just overheard! "Pickled wand!" Harry quickly said as he came to the portrait of the fat lady.

The painting swung open as the fat lady said, "My my we are in a hurry."

Harry quickly found his friends. They were all sitting together talking. He came over to them and looked to them seriously. Naruko made a couple of hand signs and soon they had a secured space.

"What is it?" Ron asked as soon as he knew the privacy seal Naruko had shown them earlier was working. That was something he found really cool. It made it so no one would notice their area while it was up. No one would overhear them either. The fact it wasn't magic, meant it couldn't be felt out either.

"Quirrell gave in! He's telling Snape how to get past his anti-dark arts protections," Harry said quickly.

Naruko frowned and was about to say something, but Harry kept talking.

"I was taking a walk around the castle halls to remember them even better over summer. I heard him whimpering in his classroom. I got close so I could overhear without being noticed. He was talking about how it was too much and he was sorry and he couldn't take it anymore. He was begging to be left alone!" Harry said.

"That is bad…" Ron said.

Hermione seemed at ease as she said, "At least there is still Fluffy and Dumbledore. I doubt he's figured out how to get past Fluffy and Dumbledore is still here. Vol-Voldemort… even feared Professor Dumbledore."

Ron shivered at the use of the name. It bothered him now Hermione was using it as well.

Harry and Naruko both had wide eyes. They looked to each other. "You don't think…" Harry started.

Naruko nodded. "Yeah. I do. It makes too much sense," she said standing up now. She didn't think it was Professor Snape, but there was someone going after the stone.

"What are you two going on about?!" Ron asked in worry.

"Funny. Isn't it? Hagrid's always wanted a dragon and he's never been really quiet about it," Harry started.

"And someone just happens to arrive in a dingy bar wanting to get rid of a dragon's egg quickly?" Naruko asked in a leading manner.

Hermione slapped a hand to her forehead. "It was whoever is going after the stone…" she said.

Ron seemed a little nervous as he said, "Maybe Hagrid didn't tell them all about how to get past Fluffy."

"We have to see him now," Harry said as he started to lead the way.

[-] [-] [-]

"Ahhh. Good ta see you all. Enjoying the time off before end of term?" Hagrid asked with a friendly smile.

"You could say that. I was walking around the castle to better remember it over the summer," Harry said.

Hagrid chuckled to that. "I've known many who did that. Come on in," he said as he held the door open for them all. "Anyone want something to drink?" he asked.

Naruko closed the door and Harry nodded to her. "Hagrid. We need to talk about how you got that egg," he started.

There was a time for tact. This was not such a time. This was important.

Hagrid seemed a little dejected after hearing Harry's tone. "I miss Norbert," he said. "What do ya want to know?" he asked.

"The guy who gave you the egg. What was he like?" Harry asked.

"He was a bit skittish at first. Probably cuz of the egg. I shared a couple of drinks with him and got to talking about working at Hogwarts," Hagrid said.

"I bet he was interested in that. It isn't often you meet the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts," Naruko said. She was implementing a little tact.

"That he was. Asked me about the different creatures in the forest and such. I told him they're all alright. Most of them are just misunderstood. We had a few drinks together. Got to playing cards and then he mentioned the egg he had with him. This was after I told him how I've always wanted a dragon," Hagrid said.

"What more did he ask after showing you the egg?" Harry asked.

"Well. I don't really remember it all specifically. He was also a bit difficult to hear at times. He was wearing this cloak that kept his face hidden," Hagrid said.

"And you didn't find that suspicious at all?!" Ron asked in shock.

"Told ye before. You get all kinds down in the Hog's Head," Hagrid said with a slight frown.

"After you won the egg… Did he just hand it over?" Hermione asked.

"Nope. He asked me some more questions. Wanted to make sure I could handle a dragon. I told him after Fluffy—" Hagrid said.

"Still can't believe that's his name…" Ron muttered with a shake of his head.

"—After Fluffy I told him. A dragon would be a piece of cake," Hagrid said.

"I bet he was very interested in Fluffy," Harry said.

"Course he was. Ain't every day you hear about a three headed dog," Hagrid said. "Anyways I says to him. Fluffy is real easy. All ya got to do is play him a little music and he sleeps like a baby."

Hagrid then blinked to that and frowned. "I shouldn't have said that. Forget I said it. I think ye should get going back now!" he said.

The four left without saying another word.

"Not going to get on Harry's case about tact?" Hermione asked Naruko as they headed back.

"There's a time and place for tact. There's also a time and place for being direct and to the point," Naruko said.

"I figured this was such a time," Harry said.

Ron sighed. "Doesn't change the fact Snape knows how to get past Fluffy and whatever Quirrell did," he said.

"We need to go straight to Dumbledore," Harry said.

"But… We could get in trouble! We could lose house points! Or get expelled," Hermione said in worry.

"Probably both," Ron added with a frown.

Harry was getting impatient with that. He was about to shout at Hermione for having her priorities wrong.

Naruko spoke first. "Hermione," she said calmly.

"Y-yeah…" Hermione asked a little wary.

"Priorities… Voldemort coming back and getting immortality is far worse than losing house points or getting expelled," she said.

Hermione looked down to the ground.

"Besides… I'm sure even Dumbledore will realize that," Harry said.

"He might scold us later or something, but he will take action first on such an important matter," Naruko said.

"I get it… I'm just worried," Hermione said with a frown.

Naruko gave her a quick hug. "We all are," she said with a comforting smile.

[-] [-] [-]

"What are you all doing here?" Professor McGonagall asked.

She came across the group outside of Dumbledore's office trying to get the gargoyle to move.

"We need to see Professor Dumbledore, but don't have the password," Harry said quickly.

"I don't see why you need to see the Headmaster for anything," the stern professor said. There was a chain of command to follow. What could possibly be so important they didn't go to a prefect first or at least her?

"We know about the stone! About Fluffy and everything!" Harry quickly said. "Sna-Someone's going to try and steal it really soon. Probably tonight."

Naruko frowned to him. He seemed to have forgot his lesson about a time and place. This was not the time for being direct and sounding panicked. You had to be careful about these things. Coming off too strong worked against them here. The same went for slipping up like that and almost accusing a professor.

Professor McGonagall scowled at them. "I ought to give each of you at least a detention for this! Students are not supposed to know anything about any of that," she said.

"This is important!" Harry said.

"Even if what you said was true. Which I doubt. There's no way you could reach Professor Dumbledore anyways. He left to go and meet the Minister of Magic not too long ago," Professor McGonagall said with a frown to them.

"He's gone now?!" Ron asked.

"Yes, now. You all should go and forget all about this business. Again. You are lucky I'm not giving you all detention. However… If you insist on this… theory. I will have to take appropriate actions. Regardless of my feelings," she said before shooing them off.

[-] [-] [-]

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked.

Harry was in thought. "We spy on Professor Snape. We try to keep an eye on the third-floor corridor. It will happen tonight," he said.

The others were about to take action, but Naruko stopped them. "There's no way I could spy on Professor Snape without being caught and I'm a Kunoichi. You three wouldn't last five seconds before he caught you," she said.

"What do you think we should do then?" Harry asked with a slight frown.

"We do this properly. You messed up on the time and place thing regarding tact. Professor McGonagall is very stern and should have been handled differently. You started blabbing about the stone and let slip enough she could tell you were accusing a professor. So, she got defensive and she discounted what you said immediately because of that. I'm not saying she handled it the best… but we need to do this right," Naruko said.

Harry lowered his head and frowned to himself.

Naruko placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "You are still learning. And this isn't a regular situation. You did good with Hagrid earlier. You were direct but not overwhelmingly so."

She then looked to Hermione and Ron. "We get ready and go straight there. We will have even less luck with the other professors, especially since you all believe Professor Snape is the one going after the stone," she said. Naruko couldn't shake the feeling Professor Snape would probably take this the most seriously, if they were together when talking to him. Harry, Ron and maybe even Hermione all believed he was the bad guy trying to steal it.

Ron sighed. How could she not get it even now? He put that thought to back of his mind. She did at least agree this was serious. He looked to Harry and said, "We'll need your cloak."

"That's a good start. We should quickly grab something to eat as well to have our energy. Do any of you have snacks left?" she asked.

The others shook their heads.

"Grab anything you think you will need. We meet back here in an hour and leave together. If anyone asks… We're going to enjoy the outside air a little longer and want to do something with just the four of us," Naruko said.

"Okay," Harry said with a nod.

Despite everything, Ron was a bit excited. "This is like one of those missions you ninjas do," he said.

"It is," Naruko said. She then looked to them seriously. "You will all need to follow my instructions. I'm more or less the Jonin-sensei and you three are the Genin," she said.

"Huh… That actually makes a lot more sense saying it out loud. Well, if Hermione joined us for training as well," Naruko said giving Hermione a look.

Hermione blushed. "I've never been good at physical stuff," she said.

Naruko gave a giggle that didn't sound fully wholesome and innocent. "Be careful what you say, Hermione. Some might think you're talking about that kind of stuff," she said.

Hermione's jaw fell open and she blushed furiously. "I-I-I… Narukoooo," she whined a little with a pout. Naruko just giggled more before going to the stairs with a pouting Hermione in tow.

Ron and Harry looked to each other and shrugged before heading upstairs.

Ron didn't really have much to get ready for the mission. He had his wand and wore his robes. He looked over the items in his trunk thinking if any of it would be useful. He couldn't think of anything. He mostly had books and clothes in his trunk. He would have put Scabbers away, but the rat was sound asleep on his bed. Ron held no doubt Scabbers would still be there once they got back.

Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak. He also grabbed the flute Hagrid got him for Christmas. It was something at least. He merely hoped a simple note or two would be all Fluffy needed.

"Good thinking on the flute," Ron said as he saw his friend grab it. "Wish we were further along in our training. Then maybe we could actually have some kind of mission kit or something," Ron said.

"Yeah. We can still make one anyways. I planned on doing that when getting supplies for next year. Didn't really think it would go over well with the Dursleys before then," Harry said.

"Let's go," Ron said as Harry nodded.

[-] [-] [-]

Naruko packed for the mission and also told Hermione a few times she couldn't bring any books with her. "They'll just slow us down," she said again.

"I can't think of anything else that would be helpful then," Hermione said with a frown.

"Make sure you have your wand. Make sure you have clothes that are sturdy. That kind of thing," Naruko mentioned as she got dressed.

Naruko wore a black sports bra underneath a short sleeve jacket she zipped up. The jacket had blue shoulders and was bright orange otherwise. She also wore black leggings with an orange short skirt on top of them.

"I don't have any outfits like you do," Hermione said with a worried frown.

"We can work on that for the future another time if you want," Naruko said. She then frowned to herself. She really should have made that emergency potion kit she was planning. She hadn't done so yet, because she wanted to use it as a ninja. She hadn't figured out how best to handle that yet, since she didn't really know ninja world equivalents. She also didn't think she would need it while in the wizarding world.

Naruko tossed something to Hermione. Hermione luckily caught it. "What is this?" she asked.

"Eat. It's a meal bar. We have no idea how long we'll be down there and no one had anything else," Naruko explained.

Hermione nodded and opened the bar and bit into it. She blinked a little surprise.

"Yeah. It doesn't really have a taste. It's all about function," Naruko said.

Hermione shrugged and finished it. The bar was small, but she felt energized and ready. "Wow… It sure packs a punch for such a small thing," she said.

Naruko grinned. "Like I said. All about function. No reason for it to take long to eat," she said.

"Let's go," Naruko then said as she stood up.

[-] [-] [-]

Luckily, they were able to keep from being bothered as they made their way casually through the halls. "Good thing we left when we did," Ron said.

"Yeah. We easily could be students just taking a stroll together," Harry said.

"I also feel more than ready," Ron said. "Well… As ready as we can be at least."

"That's how the meal bars are supposed to make you feel," Naruko said. She gave one to both of them and helped herself to one as well.

The group soon arrived to the door on the third-floor corridor. They each took in a deep breath and looked to one another in turn.

"Are we ready?" Hermione asked again.

The others nodded and got in position. Hermione would unlock and open the door. Harry was ready with his flute. Naruko held a kunai with a flashbang tag on it. Ron held his wand ready to use if the thief was just inside the room.

"Alohomora," Hermione said as the door clicked. She pulled it open and the others quietly jumped inside.

They blinked for a moment. They looked to each other. Ron was about to say something, but Naruko placed a finger to her lips. He nodded in understanding.

Fluffy was fast asleep and there was a magical harp playing a soothing tune. On the plus side, they didn't have to worry about the three headed dog. On the minus side, it was a clear sign the thief was already ahead of them.

Naruko motioned towards the trapdoor. She kept watch, ready to use her kunai and the flashbang tag. She focused on the dog's steady breathing. She was listening for any hints of a pattern change.

Ron went first and slowly opened the trapdoor. He whispered to the others, "Can't see the bottom."

Naruko suddenly tossed a tag of some kind into the hole.

Ron watched as it brightly lit the bottom. "There's a plant for a soft landing," he said quietly.

Hermione nodded and walked over to the hole carefully. She then took in a breath and let it out before hopping down. She covered her mouth so she wouldn't scream and accidentally wake up the dog. She soon came to a soft landing on several large and thick leaves from the plant. She looked it over with a critical eye as she motioned up to Ron.

Ron jumped down and let out a small sound. It might have been louder, but he stopped himself. He too hit the plant as well. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Get off of it," Hermione said. She was pointing her wand at the plant.

"Figures it would be something more," Ron said with a sigh. "What is it?" he asked.

"Devil's Snare. Keep calm, but be ready. We need to do something in case Naruko's flare tag burns out before we're all down here," she said.

Ron swallowed but nodded to her. He then waved up to Harry.

Harry came next and quickly got off the plant. Naruko came soon after him. The door above shut behind her. Luckily, her flare tag was still brightly shining and they didn't have to worry about the plant.

"Hermione said that plant was a Devil's Snare," Ron told the others once they were clear of the plant room.

"It was a good thing you threw in that flare tag. Devil's Snare doesn't like intense light," Hermione said.

"I was just doing that so Ron could see the bottom. Seals are still amazing though," Naruko said.

"What do you think is next?" Harry asked.

"Depends. Does each professor only have one defense? Were they allowed to have fun and go to town? Sadly, we will just have to see. Keep your wits about you," Naruko said as she led the way with the others following her. She hoped they were ready for this. There wasn't any way to know for sure until they continued with their self-appointed mission.


A/N: This won't be a Sakura bashing fic. She will grow out of her Uchiha obsession. Eventually...