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.

Note: I've added a brief scene to Chapter 5-3 (73), as a reviewer pointed out that I hadn't mentioned Hagrid's return. Constructive criticism ftw!


While ordinary student shenanigans were hardly a major issue, Iruka couldn't help but feel that whatever Malfoy was doing was anything but ordinary. No amount of glamour charms would make a boy the size of Gregory Goyle able to pass for a First-Year (aside from possibly an eleven-year-old Hagrid); far more likely was Polyjuice, not a potion that was readily available. To use such a potion in this way strongly suggested something far more serious than schoolboy antics, to say nothing of the Malfoy family's close association with Voldemort.

Iruka went to consult with Headmaster Dumbledore that same day.

"I am aware of at least the general nature of young Mr. Malfoy's endeavor," Albus assured him, "and am confident that Severus has the matter well in hand at present. Should that change, we will of course take appropriate action."

"The general nature?" Iruka asked, "So do you or don't you know what he's actually doing in the Room of Requirement?"

"I do not," Dumbledore replied, "but I do know what his end goal is, and Severus is monitoring the situation as best he can without betraying his true allegiances. We would know more, but unfortunately Bellatrix Lestrange took it upon herself to teach her nephew Occlumency over the summer. Young Draco's defenses are far from ironclad, but they are more than adequate to detect and repel subtle intrusions and to make memory alterations far more difficult and apparent. I shudder to think how harsh her training methods must have been to produce such a result so quickly, even if he may have received some rudimentary instruction previously."

"Would you mind if I at least checked? I'm pretty sure I could get in without Malfoy noticing while he's entering the Room, which should let me get a look at what he's up to..."

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Albus had agreed with Iruka's plan on the proviso that he must not allow himself to be discovered. This was why the chuunin was now Disillusioned and traveling via walls and ceilings as he shadowed Draco Malfoy up to the seventh floor after breakfast on Sunday. He'd already informed Harry that he'd likely be indisposed for the whole day and to speak to the Headmaster if he had any concerns; it wouldn't do to worry his students unnecessarily, especially so soon after his abduction that spring.

The blonde was joined by what appeared to be a Second-Year Hufflepuff but again moved like a person in an unfamiliar body. As Malfoy paced the hallway, Iruka quickly wove a subtle genjutsu over the lookout to divert his attention for the few seconds the door to the Room was open; he'd have used genjutsu on both, but didn't trust it to go undetected on the Occlumency-trained Sixth-Year.

The door was only open very briefly, but Iruka managed to make it through before it closed without causing a disturbance. The Room's form this time was cavernous, even larger than the configuration used for S.E.N.'s training, and everywhere the chuunin looked were heaps and piles of... stuff. It truly was a random hodgepodge of just about anything and everything, though it leaned somewhat towards more damaged or distressed items. Books, furniture, jewelry, potions, toys, clothing, weapons - he wasn't sure he wanted to know the story behind the blood on that old battleaxe - it was all piled together seemingly at random, though there was one large collection of empty sherry bottles near the door.

Malfoy moved off down one of the narrow gaps between the piles with the purposeful stride of someone that knows where they're going. Iruka followed, taking care both to avoid disturbing any of the various items strewn on the floor and to memorize the path they were taking. Finally they stopped, and the young wizard dropped his bookbag and pulled out a sheaf of loose parchments. As Iruka watched, Malfoy began working on a large black-and-gold cabinet with damage to its lower portions, looking as if it'd been dropped from a height.

The usually flippant teen was surprisingly meticulous in his efforts, carefully aligning broken pieces before quietly casting various different spells, the only one of which Iruka could recognize was a basic Repair Charm. Sometimes one of the cracks would mend, producing a sigh of relief and satisfaction; usually they wouldn't, resulting in muttered curses and visible frustration. Malfoy also frequently looked back to the parchments he'd pulled out, occasionally using a self-inking quill to make small notes or annotations. Obviously, whatever the teen's project was, it centered around fixing this cabinet, and while it seemed like a decently-built piece of furniture, something told Iruka that he wasn't planning on using it as a gift.

After about half an hour Iruka decided to look around a bit nearby; there wasn't all that much more he could learn with his surveillance target more or less stationary and thoroughly preoccupied, and he couldn't leave yet without arousing suspicions. He still made certain to stay at least within earshot of the Malfoy scion, just in case the situation changed, but exploring this vast collection of lost and abandoned items had to be a more productive use of his time than watching clandestine amateur furniture repair.

It was a couple of alleyways over that the chuunin discovered just how much more productive his exploration would be: Sitting among the assorted junk was a slightly tarnished silver tiara with an oval-cut sapphire at the center - the lost Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, and known Horcrux of Lord Voldemort. Iruka didn't gasp out loud - he wasn't a green genin - but his breath definitely caught at the importance of this discovery. He itched to call Dobby and summon Headmaster Dumbledore with a basilisk fang immediately, but knew that he had to keep his presence hidden.

What followed was a long, long day. Malfoy worked almost ceaselessly, only stopping for brief trips out to the nearest washroom. He didn't even go down to lunch, sustaining himself instead on napkin-wrapped sandwiches and bottles of butterbeer he'd brought in his bookbag. Iruka made do with unsealing a ration bar and bottle of water several alleys away and improvising a bit for other necessities. Each time he went to the door, Iruka followed, listening as Crabbe or Goyle (the two must have been trading off lookout shifts) was told to remain on watch. Finally, as dinner approached, the chuunin's quarry instead told his minion, "I'm done for today, let's get some proper food."

After the two had passed out of sight and earshot, Iruka dropped his Disillusionment spell and again pulled out his Staff Map to make sure that there was nobody around. Confirming that the coast was clear, he pulled out pencil and paper to write a quick note and called for Dobby; the elf appeared this time in a blue pinstripe suit, long tan overcoat, and red trainers. "Please bring this to Headmaster Dumbledore," he instructed, handing over the note. As Dobby vanished with the usual crack, the chuunin walked over to the door and watched the Map.

Around fifteen minutes later Albus's dot on the Map was coming down the corridor, prompting Iruka to push the door open for him. The Headmaster's eyes widened on seeing the form the Room had taken. "Oh my, that is quite the trove. I presume that somewhere within is the reason you asked me to come as soon as I could do so discreetly, and to bring a basilisk fang?"

Iruka nodded. "It's this way. We'll pass the item Draco Malfoy's been working on; maybe you'll be able to figure out what it is and why he's so intent on repairing it. Probably better to save that for after, though."

Soon enough the two had reached the Diadem. The Headmaster's eyes took on a look of sadness as they beheld it. "Indeed, that does appear to be Ravenclaw's Diadem," he said as he withdrew a case from his robes, opening it to reveal a basilisk fang. "Once more, Lord Voldemort's pride and hubris work in our favor: He could have buried his Horcrux deep inside one of these piles, hiding it from all but the most determined of searchers, but instead he placed it somewhere practically on display. It is a pity to be forced to destroy yet another priceless relic, but such is necessity..." With that, the aged wizard brought the fang down upon the sapphire at the Diadem's brow, splitting it and releasing the now all-too-familiar cloud of wailing smoke that announced the destruction of a Horcrux. "I suppose we shall see in some months' time whether William was correct in suspecting the Diadem of being the means by which Lord Voldemort cursed the Defense position. Severus will undoubtedly be less displeased than usual if the curse is indeed broken."

After putting away the basilisk fang Albus proceeded to place the Diadem in a transfigured box and replaced it with a transfigured replica, in both cases using empty packaging from Iruka's "lunch" as raw materials. "I would prefer to disturb the area as little as possible," he explained, "at least for the present. Now, what is it that was the focus of Mister Malfoy's attention?"

Iruka led him back along the way they'd come. "He spent pretty much the entire day working on fixing this cabinet. I don't know what it is, but it definitely wasn't a matter of a simple Repair Charm. Malfoy had a bunch of parchment covered with notes - I couldn't really get close enough for a good look - and was referencing them as he worked."

"Interesting..." the Headmaster mused. "I believe that this is a Vanishing Cabinet. If I recall correctly, the Weasley twins managed to trap an upper-year Slytherin boy inside last year, from which he only escaped by somehow Apparating out and finding himself stuck in the U-bend of a toilet. A most curious incident."

The chuunin furrowed his brows in thought. "He Apparated out? Inside Hogwarts? I wonder if that's related to why Malfoy's working on it - maybe it somehow interferes with the school's wards."

Albus nodded. "Indeed, it would seem that whatever protections the castle has against unauthorized magical transit, this Vanishing Cabinet may well act as a path through them. It is quite possible that anyone trained in Apparition could, were the Cabinet whole and functioning properly, leave the grounds unimpeded by Disapparating from within."

"So he's looking for an emergency escape route? Something nobody knows about to block?"

"Possibly," the Headmaster allowed, "and it would be consistent with his ultimate objective."

"Albus," Iruka said sharply, "you've been very coy about exactly what Malfoy's goal is. I think I, or at least someone else like Moody or Minerva, needs to know the full story. He's clearly up to something nefarious, presumably on his father's orders or Voldemort's, which means he might pose a threat to the castle and the students. We need to make sure all the angles are covered."

Dumbledore sighed. "I suppose you're right, though I would ask you to keep this matter in the strictest confidence unless it is absolutely necessary to protect the innocent. Young Draco has been tasked by Lord Voldemort with assassinating me before this school year ends. He has apparently been told that his parents will suffer for his failure or for any delay, but Severus suspects that it is far more likely that Draco himself will be the one punished if he should fail. Between the destruction of the diary Horcrux and the failure in the Department of Mysteries, Lucius has rather catastrophically fallen from his master's good graces, such as they are."

"Couldn't happen to a nicer guy," Iruka commented.

"Quite." The corner of Albus's mouth quirked upward slightly before his serious demeanor reasserted itself. "In any event, even with these failures Lucius himself is of more immediate use to Lord Voldemort than Draco, given his greater knowledge and experience, and so is being punished by having his son set an all-but-impossible task with a harsh penalty for failure."

"So if he fails," Iruka summed up, "he suffers and thus punishes his parents; if he succeeds, he removes a major obstacle without Voldemort having to lift a finger. Either way Voldemort comes out ahead. What I'm a bit confused by is why you're basically taking a 'wait and see' approach to all this: Are you waiting until you have evidence that would allow you to arrest or expel him without revealing that you have an inside source?"

"That is a part of it," the Headmaster conceded, "but another part is the fact that expelling the lad would almost certainly lead to his death, as he would be of no further use to Lord Voldemort and would thus be 'made an example of' both to discourage failure and to punish his parents. Given that he is still not yet of age, and according to Severus has lost his ardor for Lord Voldemort's cause after witnessing first-hand what it truly involves, I would hope that young Draco might still be able to become a productive member of society."

"So don't expel him, then," the chuunin offered, "confine him somewhere that he's safe and won't pose a threat to others. I doubt Voldemort would stage a jailbreak just to get to Draco Malfoy."

Dumbledore shook his head. "In that circumstance, Lord Voldemort's ire would simply fall upon Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. While Draco's father has a long list of crimes to his name his mother is not herself a Death Eater and has, to my knowledge, kept her hands clean of any wrongdoing, and I am hesitant to condemn her to whatever cruel death her husband's master would enact upon her. Their demise would also greatly hamper any effort to pull their son back from the precipice on which he currently stands."

"She might not have actually joined the Death Eaters or participated in their crimes, but she also doesn't seem to have objected to them at all," Iruka countered. "From what Sirius has said about her, Narcissa was just as much in favor of the Death Eater agenda as her sister Bellatrix. She's fully supported Voldemort right up to the point where he started to cause trouble for her, so I can't really find much sympathy now that she's reaping what she sowed. Her son hasn't exactly been much better, considering I remember him crowing eagerly about the impending mass-murder of Muggle-borns when he was twelve."

Albus sighed sadly. "I cannot truly deny your points, but at the same time I cannot help but wish to minimize the loss of life on both sides of this conflict."

"That's an admirable goal," Iruka acknowledged, "and one I can support, just as long as we don't end up sacrificing the innocent to save the guilty. For now it makes sense to stand back and monitor the situation with Malfoy, at least until you can act against him in some way without revealing that you knew about his plan the whole time. We just need to try and anticipate his moves a bit to make sure the other students don't end up as collateral damage. But first, since we're both missing dinner, would you mind if I called for a bit of food?" At the Headmaster's assent, he called Dobby to ask for some of whatever was being served for dinner that evening. While the eccentric elf was gone, Albus conjured a small table and two comfortable chairs in the cleared patch of floor in front of the Vanishing Cabinet.

"So you said this cabinet could let someone Apparate out of the castle through the wards?" the chuunin asked once the two had tucked in to a nice shepherd's pie. Albus nodded. "Has Malfoy actually learned how to Apparate yet? The other Sixth-Years don't start their lessons until after the New Year."

The Headmaster shook his head in the negative. "His summer was rather consumed with training in Occlumency and Dark curses under his aunt's tutelage. It is of course possible that he might have received lessons at some point previously, or perhaps might learn over the winter holidays, but in all likelihood he will learn no sooner than his classmates."

Iruka frowned. "Then why's he working so hard on this cabinet? Sure, securing an escape route is important, but he seems to be focusing on this pretty heavily when escaping is generally the last step. Does he even have a plan yet to achieve his actual objective?"

"Perhaps he intends to use the Cabinet as more than simply a means of egress?" Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Vanishing Cabinets are generally created in pairs; when the doors of one Cabinet are closed, its contents are transferred instantly to that Cabinet's partner. This, combined with their ability to bypass wards, led many of those families that could afford such to keep one Cabinet of a pair in their homes during Lord Voldemort's previous rise. Should their home come under attack, they could then use the Cabinet in a similar manner to the circles you and Pandora created."

"Unfortunately," he continued, "this in turn led to the Death Eaters actively destroying anything they suspected might be a Vanishing Cabinet. They were already uncommon and rather expensive, but nowadays finding a matching pair is extremely rare. Those that do remain are largely held as prized family possessions, both for their use and for their tremendous monetary value. If, however, this Cabinet has a working partner to which Mister Malfoy has access..."

A chill ran down Iruka's spine. "He could bring anyone or anything right through Hogwarts's wards, straight into the heart of the castle, without any trouble whatsoever."

"Just so," Albus confirmed seriously, looking at the seemingly-innocuous piece of furniture. "I do not know it that is his plan, but I think I will make regular clandestine visits to this version of the Room in order to monitor the progress of the repair effort. Should it reach the point where it could feasibly be completed soon, I will take whatever measures seem most appropriate at that time to prevent any incursions. Until then, I see no reason not to allow a troubled student to occupy himself in productive work."

"And now," the Headmaster said as he stood, "unless you have any other pressing thoughts, I believe we should adjourn for the evening. Should I gain any new information or insights regarding young Draco's plans I will notify you, and I would ask you do the same for me."

"Nothing comes to mind at the moment," Iruka admitted, "though we should make sure this is dealt with so we don't give away the game." He gestured towards the table between them and the dishes on it. "Should I call Dobby to deal with the dishes and leftovers?"

"Please do."

"Dobby!"

*CRACK*

"Yes Professor Umino Sir?"

As the elf gazed longingly at the masses of clutter around them, Iruka was struck by an idea. Given who Dobby had previously served, it was worth asking. "Before you clean up these dishes, can I ask if you remember ever seeing a cabinet matching this one while you were working for the Malfoys?"

Dobby looked thoughtfully at the cabinet for a moment, before nodding his head eagerly. "Dobby remembers! There was being a cabinet just like this one but not broken at a store in the dark alley that bad old master used to visit."

Albus's eyes sharpened. "Do you recall which store, Dobby?"

The elf nodded again. "It is being called Borgin and Burkies."

Iruka smiled. "Thank you, Dobby. Could you clean up our dinner, but leave the rest of this room alone for now? We don't want anybody to know we were in here, and someone might notice if all of these piles were suddenly neat and tidy."

Dobby nodded with a slightly disappointed expression, before snapping his fingers and vanishing along with the dishes and leftovers. Albus then Vanished the table and chairs, and the two men left after checking on the Staff Map to make sure they could do so unobserved.

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It was a few days later, when Iruka was describing the whole Malfoy situation over his mirror, that he felt a surge of tremendous hope coupled with the need to slap his own forehead.

«Wait,» said Kakashi, «so if these things can transport people long distances and through wards, what about between worlds?»

«Well now I just feel stupid.»

The Sixth chuckled. «You can't think of everything by yourself, Iruka,» he chided, «and you talk to us so you don't have to. Ask Dumbledore-sensei about it, and whether he thinks such a cabinet could be shrunk or sealed for transport if he thinks it might work between there and here. If it might work but can't be sealed or shrunk, we'll need size and mass values to make sure Naruto puts enough chakra in for Gamato to carry it back. Oh, and you'll obviously need to get the other cabinet and make sure they're both working, we can't exactly help you on that part.»

«I'll talk to Albus.»

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The Headmaster sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "That is an intriguing prospect, indeed. I obviously cannot know whether Vanishing Cabinets would work between worlds, but the successful operation of the two-way mirrors suggests a strong possibility that they would. Should that prove true, it could allow us to begin bringing over some of those reinforcements Lord Hokage has been readying, and given what I understand of the capabilities of your people that could very quickly provide us with a combat force that Lord Voldemort would be extremely hard-pressed to match."

"As for whether a Vanishing Cabinet could be sealed or shrunk to aid in transport," he continued, "I do not believe so. Many of the more complex or potent magical creations tend to respond poorly to the introduction of outside magics unless designed otherwise. Given the cost of a failed attempt, I feel that it would be wiser to send a Cabinet unaltered."

"Mostly good news, then," Iruka said, "but that leaves the question of whether we can actually get a matched set of Vanishing Cabinets."

Albus shook his head. "Almost certainly not. As I stated previously, there are very few such pairs still extant, with most having been purchased during prior wars and subsequently destroyed. What few remain are unlikely to be available for sale at any price, resting either in the hands of those unfriendly to our interests or with people for whom they represent a possibility of escape from mortal danger. Neither group would be willing to part with their Cabinets, and anyone who would has likely already sold theirs for a substantial sum in the past few months. Had we acted to obtain a set before Lord Voldemort's return, we might have succeeded at considerable expense, but at the time they seemed unnecessary either because there was no chance to send one to your homeland or because you already had a plan in place to establish a two-way link."

"That all makes sense," Iruka agreed with a sad nod, "but what about the pair Malfoy's working on? If the one at Hogwarts is properly repaired and we get our hands on its counterpart, that would both remove it as an asset for the Death Eaters and make it available for our use. Actually, do we even know if the other cabinet's still in Borgin and Burkes?"

"I had Severus take a quick glance into Borgin and Burkes after learning of the possible sister Cabinet's presence there," Dumbledore answered, "and he confirmed that it was still present, though hung with a sign marking it as already sold. And while I have no doubt that I and others in the Order could repair Hogwarts's Cabinet far more quickly than Mister Malfoy's inexpert work, it would still take some time, on the order of days if not weeks. The problem is one of secrecy: The sister Cabinet is clearly not for sale and many of the shops in Knockturn Alley have rather substantial defenses against theft. There is, simply put, no subtle way available to acquire that Cabinet that would not immediately tip our hand regarding young Draco's plotting."

"It might be worse than that," Iruka admitted. "My memory of my time under Voldemort's wand is obviously a bit jumbled, but he did manage to at least glimpse a lot of things from my life. I managed to keep him away from anything vital, like anything about chakra or any fuuinjutsu techniques beyond what I've taught in classes, but the only way I could manage that was by shoving other memories in the way. There's a good chance that he has at least some idea of where I stand in ability compared to other shinobi, and if we can think of the possibility of using Vanishing Cabinets to bring reinforcements through..."

"Then Tom may see it as well," Albus finished the thought. "That makes it all the more important that we take the greatest care if we seek to go that route. Should Lord Voldemort realize that we are poised to gain such powerful allies, necessity would compel him to prevent it at any cost. He would strike at us with all of the forces he could muster in time."

"That could actually work in our favor," Iruka pointed out, "since it would allow us to dictate his actions to a degree. One of the bigger problems we've been facing so far is the way our enemies are sticking to hit-and-run tactics and otherwise hiding out. Dragging them out into open battle could give us the chance to take most of them down in one fell swoop. It may also be our best bet for getting Riddle somewhere he can be put down for good, especially if he brings his snake along."

Dumbledore nodded. "Still, both for the sake of the family Malfoy and to ensure that we are as prepared as possible, we should hold off acting on either Cabinet until all of the Horcruxes save for the snake have been dealt with. Allowing young Draco to continue his repair efforts should also reduce the amount of time we need to complete the repairs once we do seize the Cabinets. For now, we'll get the measurements that Lord Hokage will need and give him as much advance notice as possible of when we expect to have a Cabinet available to send over so that he can begin preparations ahead of time."


A/N: The flip-flop between capitalizing and not capitalizing Cabinet is intentional, basically to reflect how the two characters view it: To Dumbledore it's "a Vanishing Cabinet" whereas to Iruka it's "an enchanted cabinet". And now "cabinet" doesn't look like a real word anymore.

I can only hope that Dobby knowing where the other Cabinet was didn't come across as too forced or contrived. It was really either that or say that Harry snooped on Draco in Knockturn same as canon, which would be plausible (nothing has changed that would prevent it) but too reliant on a convenient coincidence that just happened to be in the canon, and would probably feel at least a bit like I'd forced things back onto the canon rails.

While writing this chapter, I discovered that I'd actually contradicted canon way back in Book One by having Dumbledore able to access Iruka's training room: In the books, nothing Harry tries will open the door to the version of the Room that Draco's been using. Changing it at this point, though (having posted through late in Book Four)... I'd need to make some substantial alterations, since without seeing that training room Dumbledore would be more suspicious of Iruka because he'd have no clue what he was doing with a trio of First-Years in there. It could've been a chamber of horrors, for all he knew. Thus, in the interests of expediency and not having to heavily rework an early part of the story, I am pulling out one of my least-favorite tools - the hand-wave. Dumbledore is able to do something that Harry couldn't in canon because he has higher access privileges as Headmaster. So there.

Another bit that I'm presently having to hand-wave is Malfoy working in the Room of Hidden Things. Knowing about the Cabinet, sure, I don't think events are different enough that the Weasley Twins wouldn't have trapped Montague (or a different Slytherin) in the broken Cabinet. As a reviewer pointed out, without Marietta Edgecombe tattling to Umbridge, Draco wouldn't know about the Room of Requirement. Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with a better way for Team Good to discover the Room of Hidden Things - my best alternatives are either "the house-elves found the Diadem during their search" or "hey, why don't we see if the Room can show us where the Horcrux is?". Any ideas or suggestions are welcomed, but if I don't find/receive a better solution then I'm stuck with "Voldie told Malfoy about the Room".

Fic Recommendation: "Captain Bligh and the Mutineers" by Rico Perrien - After the war, the Ministry and Wizengamot are still just as corrupt as ever, and Harry and Hermione have been hounded out of Britain. It's an interesting and at times quite humorous epistolary.

Posted 16 February 2020