Okay, so far I have rushed, done excitable things, and turned Draco into a clock! But now we are getting serious, this chapter is my favorite so far, albeit one of the shorter ones, however the most detailed.
Pronunciation for the names:
Sasuke is said Sas-kay
Orochimaru is said Ori-chim-a-roo
Naruto is said Nara-too
Also, in Japan when talking of a person you put their last name first. Dont ask me why.
Sensei means teacher/ professor.
ENJOY
Harry opened the note with caution, once again afraid of bad news. He stood back, unable to see the writing on the note. He needed attention to his eyes; they were starting to give him hassle.
Mr. Potter,
I am sorry I was delayed to our meeting earlier this evening; however I am requesting your presence at 8pm this evening.
There is no need for your instrument.
Thank you,
Dumbledore.
XXXXXXXX
Draco paced quickly towards the Gargoyle statue that concealed the ageless, but old, head teachers office. He was trying to avoid any contact with Harry, whom he had seen leaving his room at the same time.
And in response to Draco's malicious look and quick walking, Harry lacked behind, without a care to any late arrival on his part.
Naruto and Sasuke still hadn't returned to there dorms after there training, because both boys had showered and dressed in the quidditch changing rooms, and had b-lined for Dumbledore's office.
XXXX
On Harry's arrival, he was met with the three boys he had been 'jamming' with earlier, his house master McGonagall and Severus Snape.
"What going on here?" He asked shyly, standing in front of the door. Draco was looking away fiercely, trying his best not to look at Harry, who had exposed hips due to his shirt riding up.
"I think its best if you sit down and shut up, Potter." Snape drawled.
Harry did so, looking at the professor suspiciously, before his eyes travelled over to Draco, who was still looking directly in front of him.
Sasuke and Naruto were both looking ahead, trying there best not to make eye contact with Harry, which left the scarred boy with an uneasy feeling, as if this meeting revolved around him.
Professor Dumbledore was not present once again, and in turn this made Harry feel uneasy; Dumbledore was never later for a meeting.
But all cares were shattered when the old man walked through the door, holding a bunch of letters and a new packet of sweets.
"Ah, I see most of you are here," Dumbledore looked upon the students and staff with twinkling eyes, "Where is Sensei Kakashi?"
"Not present Sir." Snape stated, "That man is continually late, it really is rude!"
"Thank you Severus, however your opinion is not needed when it comes to Kakashi, I have every faith in him," Dumbledore winked at Naruto, whose grin was mile-wide, "So let him be late!"
Snape scowled, glaring at the headmaster, before his glare went to Naruto, resulting in a scowl in return.
"I think it is best if we wait for him for the meeting to start, so talk among yourselves!" With that Dumbledore exited the room, into a little side-door that connected to the office.
XXXXXX
Half an hour later, neither Dumbledore nor Kakashi had made there presence known, and all six people in Dumbledore's office were sitting silently, transfixed by the very precious and random objects that stood brilliantly in every corner of Dumbledore's room. Even the paintings in the room were silent.
However, soon the door that branched to the exit of the office soon opened to Kakashi, his nose in a book with a rather bright and explicit picture of a woman covered by clouds. The title of the book, to anyone able to read Japanese, was "What teased me rotten: A real life account of Sexy no Jutsu."
Kakashi walked over to the empty seat and sat down, still avidly reading, oblivious to the six sets of eyes still upon him.
"Ah, glad you joined us, sensei!" Dumbledore chirped, resulting in gasps and quickly turned heads from everyone except Kakashi.
"Yes," he said placing his book down, "shall we get on?"
"Indeed." Dumbledore stood in front of the students and staff, "I think if we moved into the meeting room, we might be more comfortable."
He gestured for them all to follow up the stairs and into a side room, which held a small circle of chairs and a table with enough cups and coffee to serve fifty people.
When everybody had sat down, Dumbledore entwined his fingers and looked carefully at each person in the room. Naruto looked back expectantly, "Can you please tell us what is going on here professor?"
"Certainly, Mr. Uzumaki." Dumbledore smiled, "You all are here because of the war."
To this everybody, including the teachers, gazed upon Dumbledore with very confused and lazy expressions. If it wasn't the fifth-hundred time that they had been in meetings and discussions about the war, then it certainly was above the hundred mark.
"Professor, I urge you to explain." Draco asked, tied down with fatigue and emotional problems. He stupidly sat across from Harry, and for this his eyes were continually resting on the ruggedly cute brunette. Harry kept his eyes on Dumbledore, very aware of the blonde's discomfort.
"As you all know, the war between Voldemort and the light has become an inevitable thing. All hopes of his weakness overbearing his mortality have ceased." Dumbledore looked directly at Harry, "And all thoughts of just one saviour have been diminished." Dumbledore's eyes rested on McGonagall, who sensed the opportunity to cut in.
"Last summer, Dumbledore and I had a vision that countered one that we had the year previous. The visions told us of two young students, one dark and one light, who had something very important to play in the war.
To say we were shocked in an understatement, we believed that Harry was to be the only one needed in the war, because of the implications of the scar placed on his forehead, and the result of the prophecy.
However we were wrong, how could one young wizard, who hasn't even graduated Hogwarts save the entire wizarding world, and muggle alike, from an evil so great it could shatter the very structure of heaven?" Her rhetorical question needn't be thought out, for every body had thought it, especially Harry.
"And in the visions, beside the light and dark, we saw another pair, headed by an auror that all of us had heard of, at one time or another. The stories told of him are legend. And because of this we knew who it was immediately."
"Kakashi?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes, Sensei Kakashi who had never passed any students in his vigorous and intense training in all five years of teaching." Naruto smiled, praise subtly suited his ego.
"So, you had a vision of all four of us playing some part in the war?" Harry asked, confused yet thirsty for the meaning of the meeting.
"Yes," Dumbledore cut in, "And that is why I took the time to withdraw Sasuke and Naruto from Durmstang, offer Kakashi a place to work and place you together.
Somehow all four of you have to be together, for a long time." He smiled at the rather disgusted yet interested faces of the four students.
"We have to live together to fight the war?" Harry asked.
"Not necessarily, you have to be together to gain the power needed to fight.
More recently I received a vision, detailing all four of your parts in the war. I don't know how it happens, I don't when it will happen, however I know that if in anyway you four split apart, you die, you lose touch, power will be lost and so-"
"You mean I have to be with four people I don't know and don't necessarily like for the rest of my life?" Sasuke screeched.
"Not necessarily the rest of your lives, just for a good part of it. But it isn't just the war against Voldemort you need to worry about." Dumbledore's permanent calm façade seemed to falter slightly.
"Yes, you see, you four have to fight against the greatest evil, whilst using it to defeat the very thing itself!" McGonagall seemed to cower under the very thought.
"You lot are making no sense what so ever!" Naruto hollered.
"Naruto, just sit down and shut up!" Sasuke scolded.
"I am sure you all are very taken back by this, however its simple if you look at it with clear and unmisted eyes.
All four of you are tools, weapons even. Sasuke because of the mark placed on his shoulder by Orochimaru. Harry because of the connections with Voldemort and his great natural power obtained before he knew how to talk. Naruto because of his determination and strength. And Draco, because he can manipulate, deceive, lie and kill without a second thought, even if it will take some training." Dumbledore winked at Draco, who seemed slightly annoyed at the lack of expertise on his part, he didn't want to be seen as evil and twisted anymore.
"There is the war, battle, menace we need to overcome in order to save the wizarding world from the discrimination that Voldemort has placed upon us, however there is an evil that is threatening to bring down the very core of the wizarding nation
And for reasons unknown you all are the ones we have envisioned bringing down the heart of the Soul Catchers" Dumbledore sighed the last word, as if this burden was way too much to be bearing.
"The Soul Catchers?" Draco and Harry said in unison.
"Yes," Sasuke answered, "The Soul Catchers are an elite group who relish in the death of random individuals. The head of this clan is Orochimaru, who's grudge that fuels this group was born and bred from resentment from his own failure to become the Minister of Magic for the Japanese Wizarding Board.
Because of his lack of power over our home country, the evil that was apparent inside Orochimaru from birth manifested itself into something greater, and pure hatred, unlike any other, was born.
As a result of the evil and wickedness that had multiplied, Orochimaru went mad, claiming to need the power and secrets of each and every wizard that walked heaven, hell and earth.
But fickle is he, for death is what he is afraid of most." Sasuke sighed and looked to the floor.
"So, there is a mad man out there, who is more powerful than Voldemort?" Harry questioned slightly unstrung.
"No, however he will be in time," Sasuke responded, "The thing about Orochimaru is that he had learned a very powerful way of gaining power, hence the Soul Seekers.
The Soul Seekers are manipulated people, brainwashed if you like, that believe in the seventh heaven, which is a plane of paradise that far exceeds heaven itself. However, Orochimaru convinced these people, that the Wizarding world is corrupt, and should be brought down with the random killings that are becoming more popular as the days go on.
The Soul Seekers themselves do the one thing that Orochimaru is to weak to do for himself at the present, which is gain power, which he eventually sucks from them, like a vampire, leaving only a little bit of life left so that they can continue to carry out the deed of kill, bleed, retrieve and give." Sasuke stood up, looking towards Dumbledore for a form of permission for an act that no one else in the room knew about.
Dumbledore nodded and Sasuke went to the middle of the circle, pushed the table away slightly and took his black polo neck off, revealing an abdomen of strong, combat defined muscles. His shirt was thrown to his chair and he knelt down, stretching his back muscles.
"See this?" He asked, "The mark on my left shoulder?" Multiple 'yes' were heard from all directions, "This is the mark that I'm scarred with, by Orochimaru himself. He is using me, because he needs my strength as someone with double sharinghan to place his soul in when he becomes to old in his current body, which I assure you will be soon, seeing as the guy is reaching the ripe age of a hundred and fifty."
"Sharinghan?" Draco asked.
"Yes, it enables me to copy any form of curse, charm or combat move that an opponent happens to make, with no training needed.
When my Sharinghan is turned on, which is whenever I am threatened in fight, or about to commence battle, I am able to fight without much energy, or chakra needed."
"So Orochimaru wants you because then he can use your body to become powerful enough to seek revenge as he sees fit?" Draco commented.
"He is using me, because I am an avenger, just like him. And one day, he will call for me and I do not know if I will be able to stop myself from going.
I am an avenger; I need power, even if it comes from the devil himself." Sasuke smirked at the astounded faces in front of him.
"So we are being put into a position in which we have to live along side each other, with someone who may, just possibly, betray all that we are working for!" Draco stood to leave, giving Harry one last glance however the cold hand of Snape was placed on his shoulder.
"I assure you, Mr. Malfoy, that by no means possible will Sasuke betray you or the alliance to the light. He has something that Orochimaru hasn't; love."
"No professor, that isn't true. Orochimaru loves power, he thrives on it, the relationship between him and power is as strong as the relationship between Romeo and Juliet, completely impossible yet overtly unavoidable," Sasuke stopped and looked between Harry and Draco, "It's something neither he, nor I, nor anyone else can ignore. Love can conquer all.
I loved my parents and my brother more than life itself, more than I love music today, more than I love my girlfriend Sophie, more than Naruto loves ramen," He smiled towards the excitable blonde, "And yet my brother Itachi, for unknown reasons, decided to kill our guardians." Silence ran through the room.
"I think what Mr. Uchiha is trying to say is that Orochimaru spawned from love which manifested into evil. He then used the love that spawned into the need for revenge on Sasuke's part to try and gain more power, the thing he loves more than anything, and for that Sasuke won't deceive the light because he still knows love, for he has it as we speak.
Am I right in saying that Sophie is of the light?" McGonagall inquired.
"Yes, she thoroughly believes in justice and fairness," Draco had sat down again, staring at Sasuke who was still in the middle of the room, who in turn had a smile on his face as he was able to talk about Sophie so openly, "She hates Durmstang for the evil that seems to breed there."
"Well then, I think its time we moved Sophie from Durmstang to Hogwarts. Something tells me that she might just keep you guys in line." Dumbledore stated without care.
"Sophie!" Naruto beamed, "You think she will keep us guys in line? Try her mate Katrina, now that girl…" He broke off, smiling at memories of countless demands and orders from the small brunette that ruled the days of Durmstang, Sophie's partner in crime.
"You cant break those two apart sir, one will die without the other." Sasuke added.
"Well, I think that I can pull some strings." Dumbledore nodded towards the other professors, resulting in an adrenalin rushed Sasuke and an amazed Harry and Draco. Naruto neutral to the situation, albeit happy to know that two of his best friends were to be returning to them, smiled thinking of Ramen.
"I think there is a little more explanation due here Dumbledore, sir." Kakashi pitched in.
"Yes, yes. All four of you are recluse from your houses yes?" All four nodded, "Well, fate has funny ways of doing things. I had an inkling that something might happen that would pull all four houses together. Sasuke the Ravenclaw, Naruto the Hufflepuff, Draco the Slytherin and Harry the Gryffindor, and I was right. All four of you are close together due to your rooms, all four of you are to start vigorous training, all four of you are to be receiving longer holidays in which to train and indeed rest, and I am offering you four the chance to soothe your problems by starting up your own band, without any implications on homework or studying."
"What?" Draco questioned.
"I am asking you four to stay together as much as possible without getting too sick of each other," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "I want you too start a band as an outlet for any angst, anger, depression and hate that may lie inside of you.
I know for a fact all of you play well, and will do more so with practice," he winked at Draco, "And I know that you all love music. As professor McGonagall said, you shall defeat this evil with the thing spawned from it, use this as a way of training for the war."
Dumbledore stood to leave, "Look, we have been here for an hour, so go and all of us shall talk soon."
