Notes:

So, I had some spare time in between my birthday and anniversary with my lovely husband, so I figured I'd spoil you :') I'm sure none of you mind.

I know I keep saying this, but the next couple of weeks will be a bit hectic for me, so there's a possibility that the following chapters will be a bit slower. But I like you guys, so that may not be the case xD

A big thanks to my friend lostindetail for helping me with ideas and all that. I appreciate it immensly! :D

Without further ado: enjoy!

Chapter 32: Unofficial Mission

"Sirius Black?"

"Yes, or well- Black Sirius, for you." She responded, not really paying attention.

Hermione still had to wrap her mind around what she had seen. How was this possible? She was there when he had died. When he had fallen into the veil. And it was known that whoever fell through it, had died. It was a one-way portal. This just wasn't possible. Unless- No. There's no way of knowing. Maybe it wasn't him. Maybe it was someone who looked a lot like him. That's possible right? That must be it, yes.

"Hermione-san?" The Hokage's voice brought her back to the present. She thought she heard him say something else as well, but didn't fully understand what was being said to her. She looked up at him in confusion, not knowing what to think anymore.

"Hm?"

"I asked if Black-san was a potential threat in your eyes, like the men who came with you?"

"Threat? Sirius? No!" She said, standing up suddenly. The Hokage, however, looked none too impressed by this action. "I mean, no. No, he's not. He's a friend. He's my best friend's godfather and- Blimey, he's Teddy's cousin too! Which means he's family. So-"

"Being family doesn't mean he's not a threat, however." The man stated. And he was right of course.

"I know. But, no. If that is Sirius, then he's no threat. I swear it."

The Hokage hummed at that, leaned back and seemed to be in deep thought for a moment. Hermione didn't dare to say anything, her heart beating so hard she could hear it. Even Teddy seemed to understand something was happening that wasn't all good. What would happen now? Would he believe her? Or would he think Sirius was a threat? If that even was him, she still wasn't sure. But if it was... What did it mean?

The suspense was killing her. She hated not knowing. Should she speak up? Hermione liked to think she was allowed to do as much, right? "Um, Hokage-sama?"

"Ah yes, I apologise for that, Hermione-san. Let's talk about your current situation first. Then I'll decide how to go forward with your friend, if he is who you think he is, of course." So he caught onto that, huh? Well, in all honesty, she would be the only one who would be able to tell if it was him, so she figured he'd keep her at least a little up to date about it. Hopefully.

"Right."

"How is it going between you and Inoichi? I understand from him it's going quite well, but I'd like you to tell me if it isn't."

She shook her head, "no, it's going quite well, actually. Both him and his wife are incredibly kind and supportive. I really couldn't have gotten a better family to stay with. Thank you again for making it possible."

"It's a bit of an exception, for sure." He said with a smile, "but it seems Inoichi has gotten quite fond of you as well." Shuffling through the papers on his desk, he produced a folder, opening it. "Yesterday he actually came to inquire about an adoption process." He looked up at her, meeting her gaze.

"Yes, I mean. He mentioned it, asking if I ever considered adopting Teddy and well. Honestly, I hadn't. Everything has been happening so fast and a part of me still expects Remus- But I also understand it would give me parental rights. Rights I would need in case anything were to happen."

"That is true, yes. I explained to him what the process was, but I don't think he's spoken to you yet?"

"Not yet, no. I was quite busy with Shikaku-san yesterday and then the thing with Kakashi..."

"I completely understand. I'll tell you what I told Inoichi. At this time you would be able to adopt Teddy. You've been the only caretaker since the both of you arrived here, so you're a logical choice. However, giving you parental rights, doesn't automatically mean he's safe in your care. Which means there has to be someone to vouch for you."

Hermione frowned at that. Of course Teddy was safe in her care. On the other hand, she could understand the rule that someone couldn't just adopt a kid, without a safety net. "So, I need to find someone who will vouch for me?"

"Yes, someone who will vouch for you and who will be able to take care of Teddy, in case something happens to you."

She nodded slowly, taking in the information he was giving her. Biting her lip, she went over all the people who would be able to vouch for her and honestly, it wasn't a long list. The first person coming to mind would be Inoichi and his family, but she doubted they were jumping at the chance to take in another kid. And her. She wasn't a kid anymore, but she was still dependent on them. She hated being a burden, so she didn't want to do so anymore than she already had.

"Okay, I'll have to see what I can do about that then. Because I really do want to adopt Teddy."

"Of course," he said with a smile. Maybe try and talk to Inoichi about this, hm?"

"Yes, I'll definitely do that. Thank you."

"As for Kakashi-" The moment he said his name, the blush was back on her cheeks. "Do you want to talk about that some more?"

"No!" She squeaked. She definitely didn't. Hermione had already said way too much on that subject. It did help to blurt it out, but she'll just have to take some time to think that through. She could do that.

"Very well, then. I'm afraid the meeting next week will have to be postponed, but I'll see you the week after that, alright?"

"Sure," Hermione replied. "But, what about-"

"Ah yes, I'll make sure you'll be informed of that. If he turns out to be like you."

"Of course, thank you, Hokage-sama." She said, standing up and picking Teddy up as she did so. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

"You too, Hermione-san. Thank you. Dismissed."

All in all, it took them five full days to get to their destination. It had taken considerably longer than he had expected, all due to the weather when they crossed Aisu Bay. While they were on the boat, Kakashi explained the full mission to them, disclosing the parts that weren't disclosed to them before. It was anything but simple. They were hired by Asama Sandayuu, who was the personal bodyguard of the Princess of the Land of Snow, Kazahana Koyuki. There were concerns of her being a target ever since her father was murdered. Their mission was to get her out of the country. Which meant they had to tread very carefully. Any connection to Konoha could start up a new war, no doubt.

Since Kakashi was too recognisable with his hair, Tenzou would take up the role of portraying a bodyguard so that he could meet with Sandayuu. Tenzou then would report back to him, while Yugao, Shisui and himself would patrol the area to make sure they could make a quick and quiet getaway. He rolled his eyes and held back a sigh as he heard Shisui whine about the cold for the umpteenth time that day. Yugao had been smart to keep her mouth shut, but she too struggled with dealing with the weather. There was no complaint coming from him. And he knew why. But he wasn't about to tell them about it. He would keep it to himself for the time being. It would only cause them to whine even more. Plus it would do Kakashi some good to not think about her. He needed to keep his head in the game.

After spending a few hours in the cold, Tenzou met up with them a few miles outside of the castle. "Report, Tenzou." There was no need for codenames as none of them were wearing their masks. Well, not their Anbu masks. It would draw too much attention to them if one of them was spotted.

"I spoke with Asama-san. He's the head bodyguard of the princess. They want to get her out of the country as fast as possible. He was hesitant but I convinced him to wait at least another day, for us to come up with a better plan so that they don't get caught. Because the plan they had now was bound to get them all killed."

"Good. How many are we dealing with?" Kakashi asked, purposely ignoring the look Tenzou threw at him as his kohai noticed both Shisui and Yugao shivering, fighting their hardest against the tremors of their bodies, as Kakashi just stood there without a care in the world.

"Six. The princess and five bodyguards, including Asama-san."

Six, damn. It's not impossible but with only four of them, it sure made it harder. They'd have to make sure they had a clear way out, that none of Kazahana Dotou's people, who was the princess' uncle, noticed them and that they could leave the country without any issues. While they had a clear plan, there were too many variables to make it a simple in-and-out mission.

Then again, sometimes you just had to plan for a simple mission like that and hope for the best. While there was a lot at stake here, Kakashi was tempted to just treat it like that. Especially when the head bodyguard was hesitant to follow their plan. Honestly, their main objective was to get the princess out. It wasn't mentioned in the mission that the guards needed to get out too. Of course, if all the guards died, they'd have to find someone to take care of her. At fourteen, he doubted she would have the skills to take care of herself, living the life she has lived up until now.

"The princess is our priority," he stated. "While in the best case scenario, we'll get them all out. We can't make any guarantees. Asama-san needs to be aware of that."

Tenzou nodded at that. "I'll make sure he knows. But after speaking with him, I think he'll agree with you. I'm just not sure if the rest agrees as well."

"That's up to Asama-san. It's his staff."

"Agreed. I'll head back there now, to relay your message. What time do you want to go?"

"Midnight tomorrow night. That'll give everyone a night to rest up and make arrangements. Don't get caught." Kakashi warned.

"Of course. See you tomorrow, senpai." Giving a nod to Shisui and Yugao as well. "Make sure to stay warm." He turned to walk away, when Shisui spoke up.

"Pff, easy for you to say. You get to spend your time in a nice warm castle. Lucky bastard." Shisui grumbled.

"Speaking of, how come you're not cold, captain?" Yugao asked suspiciously, turning to Kakashi.

He, in turn, shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Cut the bullshit, captain. It's not possible for you not to be as cold as we are." Shisui accused.

"Just because I thought to bring warm clothes, doesn't mean-"

"Senpai, they have a point. This entire journey you've been as comfortable as can be. What's up with that?"

Kakashi groaned internally. If only Shisui and Yugao would have mentioned this after Tenzou had left. He could easily deal with those two, but Tenzou knew him too well for him to just bullshit his way out of it. He knew it was best to just give in straight away. His way, of course, "I have a scarf that keeps me warm."

For a moment none of them said anything, they just stared at him. He could see Tenzou getting annoyed with his vague answer, because wasn't that what he always did? It made him crack a smile. If they were going to demand answers from him, he might as well have some fun. Yugao always managed to keep her temper down. Shisui however, didn't. Not like that at least. Not in these kinds of situations. No. Out of all of them, Shisui would break first. Then Tenzou.

"Captaaain," Shisui groaned. Called it, Kakashi though. "What, you think we're stupid? You're not wearing a damn scarf. So cut the bullshit."

Not wearing a scarf? "Of course I'm-" It's charmed. If you wear it, only you will know about it. Hermione's voice rang through his head. She hadn't been lying about that either then. Because he was wearing the scarf, it's what kept him warm. But none of them seemed to be able to see it. He looked down, glancing at the scarf that was wrapped around his neck. "I'll be damned."

"Senpai?"

"I am wearing a scarf," Kakashi answered. "You just can't see it as long as I'm wearing it." He put his hands up, pulling the scarf from his neck. The moment he did, his entire team gaped at him.

"What the actual-"

"How the f-"

"How's that possible?" Out of the responses, he wasn't surprised that Tenzou was the most calm. "You weren't wearing a scarf just now, but-" It seemed this was too much to simply understand for even Tenzou.

"It's a gift." He clarified to his team. "From Hermione."

Again, he was met with silence. What was it with his team? Did the cold get to them? Did it slow down their minds? They know Hermione can do magic. Is it really that far-fetched that she's able to produce a scarf that can do this? Geez, he thought as he wrapped the scarf back around his neck. He had to admit, he was rather enjoying the comfort it provided.

"You got a gift… From 'Hermione'?" He knew his team well enough to know whatever Shisui was thinking wasn't good. He did not trust the look in his eye. "Not Hermione-san? Just Hermione?" Oh, damn it.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Yugao commented, raising an eyebrow.

"It's none of your business. You wanted to know why I wasn't as cold," not cold at all, he amended in his mind. "I told you why. Now, Tenzou, get back to the castle and tell Asama-san our plan. The rest of us, we'll find a place to stay for the night. Let's go."

Tenzou seemed all too happy to leave the three of them in the cold and head back to the castle. "Understood. Again, I'll see you tomorrow at midnight." With a nod from Kakashi, he left.

"I don't want to hear a word from the two of you about this. We're going to find a place to stay, to get out of this cold. And even then, I don't want to hear it." He ignored any and all complaints from the pair of them and set out to one of the small towns nearby.

Hermione sat nervously in the hallway of the Hokage Tower, tapping her foot on the floor. Half an hour ago, she had gotten a message to come and report to the Hokage, but she wasn't told what about. Inoichi's wife had taken Teddy with her, so she had nothing to keep herself busy with either. Not that her mind wasn't whirling with the conversation she had had earlier that week.

Flashback earlier that week:

After the meeting with the Hokage, she went back home. Inoichi sat at the kitchen table. Waiting for her to come back, if the extra cup of tea was anything to go by. "Did your meeting go well?" He asked.

"Yes, quite, thank you." She replied, happy that he was challenging her to speak their language again. With the last subject fresh on her mind, she decided she might as well ask Inoichi about the adoption process straight away. "I did have a question, however. About adopting Teddy?" She glanced at the boy who was happily crawling around the living room behind her.

"Of course, what do you want to know?"

"Well, he said that I would need to get someone to vouch for me, before I'd be able to adopt Teddy? As a safety-net?"

She waited as he processed what she had asked. His face didn't betray a single thought and she didn't know what to think of it. All this time, he'd been very open. She always had some sort of idea what he was thinking, but seeing him now, proved to her that he only showed her what he wanted her to see.

As she waited for his answer, Inoichi's wife came home as well. With a quick murmur from Inoichi - she couldn't understand what was being said - she sat down at the table as well. This only served to make Hermione even more nervous. What did this mean? Did it mean that they wouldn't help her? That it was fun while it lasted, but they weren't going to allow her to stay any longer, sending her off to find someone else to help her?

"Hermione," Inoichi started, forgoing the suffix, which confused her even more. What in Merlin's name did that mean? "We know you haven't had the easiest time here. And you haven't been staying with us that long. While I'd like to think we've gotten to know each other a bit, there's still a lot to learn."

This was it. He was just being nice, breaking it to her slowly. She was going to be homeless after this, wasn't she?"And by no means are we trying to replace your parents. Not in any way, shape or form."

This… wasn't something one usually said when you let them down, was it? Replace her parents? What did he mean by that?

"But, my wife and I have been discussing it. And, if you'll let us, and if you want to... We would like to permanently take you in. Make you a member of our family. Again, this is totally up to you. I understand if you don't feel comfortable enough to accept our offer. It's completely fine if you decide against it. It's your choice."

Hermione didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to

think. Did they- Did this mean they wanted to adopt her?"I-" Nothing else came out. So many questions came and went from her mind. There was one question that kept coming back to her, however. The only question she could bring herself to say out loud. "Why?"

Both Yamanakas smiled at her question.

"Now, that's an easy question to answer. We've grown quite fond of you. Why wouldn't we want you to be a part of our family? I already think of you as if you were my little sister," he joked. "Also, I don't think Ino-chan would forgive us if we didn't offer this." Hermione cracked a smile at that. He was so right about that. She had her dad wrapped all around her little finger."And Teddy, of course." Inoichi added. "This concerns him too. With this, you'll be able to adopt him, and in turn both of you will become part of our family. You'll both be protected by our family name, by our clan." Inoichi looked at his wife, grabbing her hand, before looking back at Hermione. "What do you think?"

This answer came to her as quickly as the one regarding the adoption of Teddy.

"Yes." Tears appeared in her eyes, a few escaping as they fell down her cheeks as she suddenly stood. Surprising the pair in front of her with her actions, making them stand up as well, she moved around the table. In a few quick steps, she bounded towards them, throwing her arms around them both. "Yes, I'd love to."

End of flashback

Hermione had to blink away the tears that threatened to spill again at the thought. She still couldn't believe it. Didn't think that after her parents were taken from her, she'd have a family again this soon. Right after their talk, they had filed the paperwork in order to make all of this official. It had been a bit more complicated than just filling in a simple form and filing it, though. Because she was being taken in by Inoich's clan, she would officially be seen as a Yamanaka. Which meant they had to make her first name more local as well.

It had actually been Ino who had commented on that, that girl was much smarter than she had realised. And a whole lot more observant. She offhandedly said that since Hermione was going to be her big sister now, she was going to be the one to come up with a name. But then she just had to make Hermione's heart melt and say that she had gotten the idea from Teddy and that Hermione was going to be named "Mai" from now on. She refused to call her anything other than 'Mai-onee-chan', almost throwing a tantrum when Inoichi mentioned that it was up to Hermione.

After that, they also had to think of a new name for Teddy, well, a local name. Not new. To her, he'd always be Teddy. But he would need a name to be able to fit in more. For protection. She ended up deciding on 'Takeshi'. It was a name she had heard about in the past few weeks, and felt it was something that fit him.

Hermione was brought out of her musings when the door to her left opened and revealed the Hokage's secretary. Or, that's what she dubbed her in her mind, seeing that whenever she saw the woman, she was carrying some paperwork for him to sign. "He will see you now," she said in a flat, professional voice. With a nod, she stood up and walked into the office, closing the door behind her. It wasn't until she turned to face the Hokage, she noticed she wasn't alone with him.

In front of her, three other figures stood. They had been facing the Hokage but turned to look at her as she entered. One of them was a young boy, no older than 12 if she guessed right. He had long black hair, with bangs that framed his face. The other two, she recognised. One was Kakashi's friend, the enthusiastic one with the green jumpsuit. His name was Gai, if she remembered correctly. She was happy she would now be able to properly talk with him and hopefully understand what he was saying. The last one she knew all too well. Genma looked at her with an unfamiliar look on his face. He didn't meet her eyes, which was just as well. She was still quite a bit angry at him for what he had said and done to Kakashi.

"Hermione-san, thank you for coming on such a short notice."

"Of course, Hokage-sama." She replied politely, as she moved forward. Stopping next to Genma.

"I've already informed these three, but I'll briefly explain it to you as well. It's regarding the man we spoke about earlier."

That got her attention immediately. She wasn't sure what he was about to explain, but if it concerned the man that looked like Sirius, she was all for getting as much information as she could.

"I'm sending you on an unofficial mission."

Hold on. Mission? She was being sent on a mission? Was he crazy?

"This will be off the books, but necessary. We need to assess if this man is a threat. And in order to do so, we need you. If he's like you, I fear you would be the only one to be able to get him to speak with us without feeling threatened. This mission will take several days. I've made sure Inoichi is aware of the situation. He'll take care of Teddy for you."

"Of course, Hokage-sama. I understand." She said. And she did. Hermione knew like no other that any shinobi would easily be able to overpower any wizard. But that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to do any damage before they could overpower him. Also, she would be lying if she said that she didn't really want to know who he was. Hermione was very curious by nature, so she just had to know. And it was good to know Teddy would be in good hands.

"You'll be a team of four. Hermione-san, you already know Genma," the Hokage said to her, Hermione nodded in acknowledgement. "The other two are Maito Gai and Uchiha Itachi." He said, pointing to the other two. She gave both of them a nod as well. Itachi nodded in return, Gai gave her a thumbs up, combined with a dazzling smile. Still very enthusiastic then, she thought to herself with a small smile.

"I want you to leave as soon as possible, so you would need to pack a bag straight away, Hermione-san. They will take you back to your house so that you can do that. They'll also inform you of the mission in itself. Itachi will take the lead on this. You're to follow his orders." The Sandaime said, nodding at Itachi. Hermione followed his gaze, looking at the young teen. He would lead this mission? Wasn't he too young to do so? "Also, Hermione-san. Please keep in mind that this doesn't mean you're not on probation anymore. Break any of the rules and you will regret it. All three of them are aware of it and they will respond accordingly. Dismissed."

The three men turned to leave the office, Hermione closely behind. While it hurt to hear the Hokage threaten her, she knew he was right. She had only been here for a short couple of months after all. Nowhere near long enough for them to completely trust her, even if Inoichi offered to officially take her in. She would have to prove to them they could trust her. That she had no reason whatsoever to do any of them harm. No intention either.

Once they were in the hallway. Genma turned to her. With a blank face, he held out a hand. She gave him a look, before grabbing his hand. A second later she stood in front of her home. Neither spoke a word as she opened the front door and stepped inside. She heard Genma and the other two silently follow her as she made her way to her room to pack her bag. Moving around the room, she noticed them standing almost awkwardly in the door opening, watching her.

While the boy- Itachi, she reminded herself- and Gai didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that they had to wait for her to be done, the same couldn't be said about Genma, if the hard look he was giving her was anything to go by.

"Just speak what's on your mind, Genma-san." She said with a sigh, breaking their silence.

"I've got nothing to say." He replied stiffly.

She paused in her movements, before turning towards him. Placing her hands on her hips, she gave him a hard look. "You and I both know that's not true. Besides, you had plenty to say to Kakashi the other day." She challenged him. "I'm not sure in what universe it would be considered that you've got nothing to say after you've told a friend he should just kill himself." As she said this, she could feel herself get angry once again, barely noticing the other two react as she watched Genma flinch.

He didn't say anything to that, just shrugged awkwardly. After a moment he finally noticed she wasn't going to continue packing, letting out a sigh. "Look, I know what I said was stupid-"

"Stupid?" She called out. "It was downright disrespectful and hurtful what you did!"

"Granger-san," the boy said in a soft voice, interrupting her, successfully turning her attention to him. "Please refrain from hurting Shiranui-san." He said.

There really wasn't any emotion visible on his face as he said this. She wasn't sure what he had meant, until she followed his line of sight and looked down at her hand, which was holding her wand tightly. Oh. She hadn't even realised that she had grabbed her wand. Muttering a 'sorry', she put it away, feeling somewhat embarrassed it had gotten to that point. Giving Genma a hard look, she went back to packing. He better not think she was done with him.

Once she had packed everything she would need, she could almost taste the tension in the air. Genma wouldn't meet her gaze, which made perfect sense to her. Gai looked… Off. The few times she had met him, he seemed impossibly cheerful. Him looking as serious as he did, made her uncertain of what she could expect of him. The young teen just looked curious and wary at the same time, while also schooling his expression from them. It was just the way he looked at her.

Whenever his gaze dropped to the small bag in her hand, she could see him trying to figure out how that many items fit in there. She had to hold back a grin at that. If only he knew, she thought. But he also seemed to keep a close eye on her as well, no doubt wary about her abilities. She wasn't sure to which extent he was told about what she could do. Either way, she would probably have to inform him about it.

"I'm done." She stated,

With that, Itachi met her gaze, with a raised eyebrow as he eyed the bag in her hand. A moment later he nodded. "Good. Let's get going."

It surprised her how easily Gai and Genma followed his lead, while being considerably older than the teen. She had to admit, she was fairly hesitant in simply following his order. He looked like a first year Hogwarts student for Merlin's sake. He was still a child! She then remembered herself, Harry and Ron and the things they had witnessed and dealt with at their age, knowing they were far less equipped to deal with all of that then Itachi probably was. She also knew the Hokage wouldn't have appointed him as the team leader if he wasn't able to handle it. It just didn't mean she didn't have doubts.

Hermione looked at Itachi as he was the one to offer his hand to transport her from the home this time around. They appeared near the gates, just inside of Konoha. Genma and Gai appeared behind them, both ready to go. Hermione wasn't sure what to expect. The two times she had left the village, both ended up with her getting attacked. Never had she thought she would be allowed to leave like this, even if it was to find out of one her friends had appeared in the same world she had.

"We should go, Granger-san. I'd like to get there before nightfall tomorrow." Itachi spoke up. She quickly nodded and started walking towards them, while clutching the bag she had slung over her shoulder. A mission. How exhilarating, she thought, a smile forming on her lips. Hermione hadn't felt this kind of adrenaline since she had been Horcrux hunting with Harry and Ron. It was going to be a new kind of adventure, she was sure. She easily fell in step with the others, following them to whatever place it was they were going. A mission, she thought again, feeling giddy. She could get used to this.

End of chapter notes:

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