Disclaimer: I'm a high schooler who writes Fanfiction. What do you think?
A/N- Wow. It took nine months to update this, but it's not because I was pregnant… I swear. I've just been so picky with this chapter that I kept delaying posting until it was perfect.
Note- I've edited the first four chapters as of September 28, 2012. You can re-read them if you've forgotten what's happened, or just look over the summary of changes I've got at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 5: Shopping and Secrets
Snape stalked down Hogwart's corridors, black cloak swishing around him.
Shinobi. Dumbledore hired a shinobi. Assassins who would do anything for money. The people even the Dark Lord had hesitated to involve himself with. This was who Dumbledore chose to guard the school? To protect Potter?
Even the Dementors were preferable.
But as if a shinobi wasn't enough, it was a child. Dumbledore had always been eccentric but this… this took the cake.
"Perhaps you misunderstand Dumbledore-sama, but I am an assassin."
Children didn't belong in battle. They didn't belong in war. Yet there he was, a boy with eyes like a seasoned veteran, who was one. It made him sick. Death Eaters used children and shinobi in their wars. It was something criminals did. At least, that's what Snape had thought.
What was Dumbledore thinking?!
CagedWolfCagedWolfCagedWolfC agedWolf
Harry's first impression of Hogwarts' transfer student was of a juvenile delinquent.
Normally he wasn't one to judge by appearances. After all, Harry wasn't exactly normal himself. But there was just something about the newcomer that was kind of… scary. Looking like he was in a gang only made it worse. Between the white hair, eye patch, and odd clothes- even among wizards Kakashi was weird.
Nevertheless McGonagall had told Harry to show him around, so he really didn't have a choice. The question was why he had to do it. Wouldn't a prefect or Head Boy be better? It was probably just his bad luck to be there when Kakashi arrived.
Harry turned his attention back to the half-eaten breakfast in front of him. Across the table Kakashi was nursing a mug of black coffee and eyeing the other customers like they were going to attack him or something.
"Hey, er…" Harry started hesitantly, and Kakashi gave him a frigid glance. "We should go to Diagon Alley soon. You know, to get your school stuff."
"Mm," was all the other boy said, but he drained his coffee and stood up. Harry took the hint. Stuffing the last of his toast in his mouth, the wizard left a small tip on the table and headed for the back door, mentally grumbling all the way. This really wasn't how he wanted to spend the last day of his vacation. He just hoped he could find Ron and Hermione soon.
When they arrived at the brick wall that was the entrance to Diagon Alley, Kakashi gave him a questioning look. Harry grinned.
"It's a hidden entrance so muggles don't wander in." He explained. Harry took out his wand and tapped the correct bricks on the wall. Immediately they began shifting, and the door to Harry's favorite world appeared.
The street was packed, even more than usual. Witches in pointed hats, wizards lugging trunks, and some teens Harry recognized as other Hogwarts students bustled in every direction.
"We should get robes first, since they take the longest." Harry glanced over at his companion, half-hoping to see some sort of surprise on Kakashi's face. He blinked (winked?), but that was all.
Harry exhaled. "Come on," he muttered.
It was almost noon, and Ron and Hermione still hadn't turned up.
Kakashi was… interesting. He didn't talk much, and the silence was getting uncomfortable. He told himself it was because Kakashi didn't speak a lot of English, but somehow, he doubted that was the only reason. They'd already been to the book store, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, and the apothecary (which Kakashi had refused to enter on account of the smell), and the whole time he hadn't said more than about five compete sentences.
They were on their way back to the robe store when Harry heard his name and saw a welcome sight.
"Oi! Harry! Over here!" Ron and Hermione waved frantically at him from across the street. Harry couldn't help the huge grin that spread across his face as he made his way through the crowd to his friends.
"I thought we'd never find you! We checked the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd already gone and… who's this?" Harry looked over his shoulder; Kakashi, who was balancing a mountain of school things, had just made his way through the crowd.
"Oh, right. Ron, Hermione, this is Kakashi Hatake. He's a transfer student from Japan. I'm helping him get his school stuff."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasely. I thought Mr. Weasely said something about a new student. What school did you come from?" asked Hermione brightly.
"Mahoutokoro," Kakashi replied. (1)
"I've read about eastern wizards. The way they mix modern magic and ancient traditions is so fascinating. So why are you transferring?"
"It is just one year. I am learning Western magic."
"That's so great. And, do you happen to be a metamorphmagus?" Hermione suddenly asked.
The white haired boy shook his head. "What is a meta… what is that?" he asked.
"Someone who can change their appearance at will. Of course, I have read that there are people who aren't real metamorphmagus, but if the gene is in their family they might have unusual features, like odd hair colors. Is anyone in your family a metamorphmagus?"
"Maybe. My hair isn't colored." Kakashi shrugged.
So that weird color was natural. That answered that question, at least. Hermione really was amazing at finding things out even outside the library. Ron hadn't said anything yet, but it looked to Harry that the red-head was just as confused by Kakashi's appearance as he was. While Hermione continued drilling the transfer student, Ron eased over to his friend.
"Oi, Harry," Ron whispered, no doubt eyeing Kakashi's hair and sweatband, "Who is this guy? He looks straight out of the loony bin."
Harry shrugged. "McGonagall said I had to help him get his school stuff. He's not that bad, he just doesn't speak English that well."
"Hey, Harry!" Hermione interrupted, "Kakashi's wand broke on his way here, so we have to go Ollivander's and get him a new one." And with that Hermione was off, practically dragging Kakashi behind her.
Harry grinned. "Well, Hermione likes him, at least. Let's go."
Ron followed, grumbling all the way.
CagedWolfCagedWolfCagedWolfC agedWolf
The last time Kakashi went school shopping he was four years old and it had taken approximately eleven minutes. He'd bought one notebook, three yellow pencils, and Konohagakure Shinobi Academy: Grade One. If only things were still that simple. It had taken hours, and only now were they getting to the good stuff. After spending all morning buying frivolous school things Kakashi was finally going to get what he was looking forward to- the wand. It seemed more versatile than any shinobi weapon, even if it did have drawbacks. Honestly he wasn't really expecting it to be a decent weapon; it was too fragile. But for things like barriers, or genjutsu? A wand could be priceless.
"This is Ollivander's. He's the best wandmaker in all of England, I've heard," Hermione said. She was the most helpful wizard he had met so far, actually. Even if she was a little overexcited at the moment, he could tell that she was smart and would tell him most anything he needed to know about wizards and magic. Best of all she didn't have any ulterior motives or suspicions like Dumbledore or the staff did. Harry and Ron were a little wary of him, but as far as he could tell they were just average wizard kids and shouldn't pose a problem. However Harry had a smell like Snape's Death Eater mark on him; he'd have to ask him about that later.
The wand shop was small, old, and dusty. Shelves overflowing with small cardboard boxes crowded the walls, and more were scattered throughout the room. But despite appearances, Kakashi could tell that there was something special about this shop. The air was saturated with magic that pushed on his senses like a wall, but he was slowly getting used to the feeling.
"Good afternoon," said a quiet voice from the back of the shop. A moment later a small, spindly man made his way around piles of boxes to the front of the shop.
"Harry, Ronald, Hermione, good to see you… but, who is this? Too old to be a first year- did your previous wand break?"
Kakashi nodded, setting his new school things down on a wooden chair. A broken wand was an easy excuse and he was glad the wizards bought it so easily.
"Wizards should be more careful with their wands. But…" the old man shuffled closer and peered very closely at Kakashi, who stood still.
"Why, I don't believe it. I never thought I'd see your kind here again… you must be a Hatake." Kakashi froze.
"How did you tell?" he asked levelly.
"Shinobi have been here a few times before. You have a very… distinct feel about you." Without another word Ollivander went to one of the shelves and pulled out a box.
"Try this one," he said, pulling a wand out and offering it to Kakashi, who eyed it suspiciously. Was it simply his white hair that gave his identity away? Or something else? The old man didn't seem like an enemy, and his magic signature was just as weak as other wizard's. But he didn't really have much of a choice but to listen to Ollivander. He needed a wand.
Kakashi took the stick. For a moment nothing happened. Then, suddenly, his chakra was forcibly sucked into the wand. The energy compressed, until-
Crack! The wand exploded. The chakra literally split it open from the inside, and splinters showered the ground.
"Whoa!" yelped Ron from behind him, "You trying to kill someone?!"
"Ollivander-san. What that? What was that?" Kakashi asked in a steady voice.
"Interesting…" murmured Ollivander. "It just so happens that the same thing happened to the last shinobi."
So, chakra was too much for the little wizard wand to even handle. It was almost funny.
"You know I would break the wand?"
"Yes. It was just for curiosity's sake. I never liked that one anyway."
"You have a wand can I use?"
Ollivander went into a back room this time, and Kakashi was sure he heard the click of a safe.
"This," said the wand-maker coming back, "is my most special wand. I only have one- try it out." Kakashi took the box, which was made of wood instead of cardboard as with the other ones. Inside was an unremarkable wooden stick. It was a dark red and slightly tapered at the end, with a black leather handle.
"Cherry wood, seven and a half inches, core of- well, I think you'll figure it out."
Kakashi picked up the wand, which was heavier than the other. Instead of a sucking sensation like the last one, he felt something different, something familiar.
"Shiroko!" Kakashi gasped. Where in the world did Ollivander-san get this? The wand was coated in wood, but the core was of one of the rarest metals in the Hidden Continent- the shiroko metal that made up his tanto!
Ollivander grinned, showing yellow teeth. "Sure is. Nothing else is strong enough for shinobi magic."
Kakashi focused a bit of his chakra into the wand. A white, blinding light that filled the room before dimming and going out. It had almost the same feel to it as his tanto, except for draining a little more chakra than he was used to. Curious, Kakashi gave it an awkward flick. The wand reacted to movement releasing his chakra again, this time in a silvery mist that he found he could control. More importantly, it didn't blow up.
"Excuse me," said Hermione, "shiro… what? Is that a kind of animal?"
"Not quite, missy. Shiroko is a kind of metal. It means 'white steel'."
"Metal? But… wand cores can only be certain parts of magical animals."
"Well, shinobi are a little different. They can't use normal wands. The only thing I know of that works is shiroko metal."
"Mr. Ollivander," Kakashi interrupted, "I don't understand. I have shiroko, but it cannot do magic. Is the wand different?"
"Maybe. I don't really know, my father made that one. He may have altered the metal, or spelled it."
Kakashi gave the wand a few more waves and a twirl, feeling his chakra move through the metal core. He didn't want to admit it, but Kakashi was impressed. A personalized weapon- it was certainly an idea. Could be used for real jutsu, or even stand up to a chidori?
After paying twenty-four gold Galleons for his wand (an outrageous price, according Ron), they were back on their way. Besides picking up his newly made robes, there were no more things that Kakashi really needed. So for the next few hours they wandered aimlessly around Diagon Alley, going to this shop or another. Harry, Ron, and Hermione insisted on spending his bag of wizard money on things they "swore he needed". At first Kakashi was annoyed at all the useless things he was accumulating. But the kids reminded him so eerily of Obito he didn't have the heart to turn them down. Besides it wasn't a big deal, he'd already bought everything he needed and in an emergency he could always get money from his account in Konoha. That and he was too tired and nervous to put up a fight about something so little anyway.
Because Kakashi were honest with himself, the crowd was getting to him. He didn't like crowds. They were one of his least favorite things. He'd been dragged to festivals and the like before, but Diagon Alley was something else. It was so packed he could hardly breathe, the noise pounded on his eardrums, pungent smells exhausted his nose, and eventually he was so frayed that he nearly knifed a wizard who shoved past him.
But despite the sensory overload, the place wasn't all bad. The three friends talked among themselves, and Kakashi was content follow quietly, observing the town and its people. It had a different feel than Konoha; everyone was rushing and hurrying, yet there was certain lightness in the air he hadn't felt before. No posters on wartime safety procedures, no stone-faced Uchiha police patrolling the streets; and the civilians were cheerful in a way they weren't at home. This was a place war hadn't touched in a long time.
For no particular reason, he thought of Minato-sensei and how he would've loved this mission.
"Hey, Kakashi, do you want to get a pet?" Hermione's questions brought him from his thoughts. "My parents gave me some money for a birthday present, and I thought I'd get an owl."
"Owl? Why?" Well, this place may be peaceful, but it was still odd.
"For post. Wizards send letters with owls."
"Oh. Shinobi use eagles."
"You keep using that word, shinobi, what does it mean?" They entered the pet shop. The smell, though not as bad as the apothecary, was horrific. Cages lined the walls, filled with cats, frogs, rats, mice, rabbits, fish, and owls. A man at the counter was asking about some kind of newt while a pudgy witch helped him.
"Shinobi means wizard. Japanese word."
"Yes, but... I've read about wizards from other places, including Asia. I've never heard of them using a metal wand."
Kakashi inspected a tank of shiny black rats next to the register. He hadn't expected a student to pick up on it so fast. But then, Hermione wasn't exactly a normal student.
"Just my family has the metal wand. Other shinobi have normal wand," he lied. Hermione was about to respond when something large, fast, and very orange shot into Kakashi's line of vision and toward Ron.
Instinctively the shinobi snatched the attacker out of the air.
It was a cat. Kakashi almost rolled his eyes. Ron struggled to keep his rat from running off while Kakashi watched the cat furiously shred his sweater, unsure of what to do. Was it okay to just kill it? Harry, Hermione, and Ron (who had gotten his rat under control) all stared at him with wide eyes.
"Ano…" he said uncertainly, "What do I… with the cat?"
Said cat was trying to claw unsuccessfully through his ninja mail, when it suddenly began floating away.
"What the-" then Kakashi noticed the pet store witch pointing her wand at the cat, who was struggling in midair. Magic could make things fly?
"Oh, sorry!" the witch was apologizing, "He never jumps on people." She negotiated the still spitting orange cat into a wicker basket and shut the little door.
"You should thank your friend here," she said to Ron, "for grabbing him before he got your rat."
"Thanks Kakashi," said Ron honestly.
"Hn." Kakashi inspected his sleeve, which was torn to ribbons. Great, now he would have to explain why he was wearing chain mail to a bunch of civilian kids.
"Oh, dear! Crookshankes didn't scratch you, did he?" asked the witch, who pointed her wand at him. He flinched but watched in amazement as the strands of his clothes wove themselves back together, good as new.
He really had to get uses to this whole "magic thing".
CagedWolfCagedWolfCagedWolfC agedWolf
Harry couldn't fathom why, but Hermione had bought the cat.
"That thing tried to attack Scabbers! And you bought it?" Ron was not happy.
"Well he didn't, Kakashi stopped him, so what's the problem?"
The two friends argued a bit more, and eventually Hermione agreed not to let Crookshankes (the cat) out when Scabbers was around. Ron grumbled a bit but agreed.
"Kakashi, what are you going to name your owl?" Harry asked, hoping to change the subject.
The sleek black eagle owl hooted in his new cage like he knew they were talking about him.
"Fukurou."
"Cool! That's Japanese, right? What does it mean?" asked Ron.
"Owl."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Nice. Very creative." The freckled wizard was getting along better with Kakashi now. Harry guessed there was nothing like saving someone from getting mauled to start a friendship. That had been amazing; he hardly saw Kakashi move. He had to be a star Quidditch player to have reflexes like that. Harry hoped he would be sorted into Gryffindor, he wanted Kakashi on their team.
They were heading back to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. Ron's family was already there, and Harry was starving. After the pet store incident broke the ice, the rest of the day had been lots of fun. Kakashi still didn't talk much besides answering Hermione's questions, but his silence was somehow more comfortable than it had been. I didn't hurt that Kakashi had a gigantic bag of money he let the three wizards spend for him. They'd already gone through most of it. Robes, a potions set, textbooks, a set of gobstones, candies, more books, a spell checking quill and other odds and ends were all packed in a trunk that Kakashi was hauling around with ease. In his other hand was Fukurou's small steel cage.
It was the dinner rush hour when they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, and there was pandemonium, needless to say. The bar was full of loud, laughing men and waitresses ran this way and that trying to fill orders. In the corner two tables had been pushed together to accommodate Ron's huge red-headed family.
"Ronnekins!" said two identical voices from across the room.
"Oh no…" moaned Ron, seconds before he was practically tackled by the twins. It didn't take long before the rest of his family mobbed them with welcomes. George had Ron in a headlock, Percy gave Harry a very professional handshake, and Mrs. Weasely fussed over everyone while Ginny turned bright red at the sight of Harry. Eventually they all made it to the dinner table. It was only after they had ordered their food that Harry realized Kakashi had disappeared.
"Where's Kakashi?" he asked Ron, who shrugged.
"I should go find-" Harry started, but Hermione stood up first. "No, I'll go get him. He's probably just up in his room," she said.
"What's up with her?" asked Ron glancing at where Hermione had gone.
Harry shrugged.
CagedWolfCagedWolfCagedWolfC agedWolf
The day had just been a little much, and it was no wonder Kakashi retreated to his room the moment they returned to the inn. The white-haired boy needed a break from the damn wizard crowds and their awful magic that saturated the air and pounded on his nerves until it felt as if someone were bludgeoning his chakra sensory with a stick.
For barely a half an hour he was left alone and Kakashi cherished every moment. He fed the owl he had bought. It wasn't like he had anyone to write to; it was just best to be prepared just in case. Next he took care of the wound on his upper arm. Some painkillers he'd taken that morning had let him almost forget about it, but they were wearing off fast and the wound had begun throbbing again an hour earlier. Kakashi took off his sweater and mail leaving only a sleeveless black shirt underneath.
Unwinding the bandage he found an unwelcome surprise- infection. The shinobi swore. Rin would be so mad at him, letting a little scratch like that get so bad. He should've known that being in a new place would make him vulnerable to new sicknesses and bacteria. Unsealing his large first aid kit from a scroll in his backpack, Kakashi went about cleaning and disinfecting the wound. He gritted his teeth against the stinging and got out a jar of antiseptic.
Just then there was a knock and the door opened. "Kakashi, dinner's…" Hermione trailed off, her eyes huge.
Hatake Kakashi, known as one of the most cautious and meticulous captains in all of ANBU, had forgotten to lock the door. And now he'd just traumatized civilian girl.
Today was just one of those days, wasn't it?
"Oh my gosh, um, are you okay Kakashi?" she managed.
"Yes. I'm alright."
"How did that happen?"
"Accident. You could leave if you don't like blood." He suggested. This particular antiseptic worked great, but did nothing to stop bleeding.
"No it's alright, I mean, can I help?"
"No." The shinobi smeared on the antiseptic and put a pad of gauze quickly. The blood soaked through almost instantly, but he kept wrapping it in white bandages until the stain disappeared.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yes. I'm going to bed."
"You're going to skip dinner?"
"Not hungry."
"But you haven't eaten all day! You didn't have lunch. If you're hurt you could at least eat something."
Kakashi was about to refuse when he realized Rin had said that exact same thing to him, many times, in a different language.
He pulled his sweater over his head. "Alright."
Kakashi had never been to a family dinner- not since his mother died when he was too young to remember, at least. It had probably been ten years since he'd had dinner with more than five people at a time, and certainly not with strangers in a loud restaurant. So the evening was a new experience for him. The food was alright. He just picked out things he recognized like meat and vegetables, and it took only a few tries to figure out how to use a fork.
The people were what pissed him off. They questioned him about everything, his home, his "school", friends, family. Needless to say almost all of what he told them was either a lie or a glossed over version of the truth. It was suffocating, and he found himself almost wishing a missing-nin would come through the door. The shinobi was much better at fighting than going undercover and talking to people all day.
Ridiculous. A simple meal was putting him more on edge than anything else on his mission had. He just felt so out of place. The way everyone was so carefree, laughing… damn did it remind him of the dinners he used to have with his team. After a big mission they'd always go to the same little tea house on the edge of the village, or if Kushina was around she would cook. He could almost taste her homemade miso soup… his chest clenched at the memory.
Kakashi didn't like this place.
But when he realized Mr. Weasely was saying something important, he forced himself to pay attention.
"So they still haven't caught him?" Harry was asking.
"No," Mr. Weasely's face was grave, "they're even pulling Ministry employees off our normal jobs to look for him. But no luck."
"Maybe we'll catch him. There's a huge reward, right? I wouldn't mind more money…" said Ron dreamily.
"Don't be ridiculous. Black's not going to be caught by some teenage wizards still in school. It'll be the Azkaban guards who get him, believe me."
"But there are Aurors, too, certainly?" asked Percy loftily. He was wearing a shiny silver badge to the dinner table, for some reason.
"Well, most of them are on that case. We aren't trying to advertise it with the whole Black situation, but maybe you boys should know." Mr. Weasely lowered his voice a bit. "We don't know if it's because of Black's breakout, but there are rumors that some of You-Know-Who's people are becoming active again. It's not severe yet, but the Aurors are still investigating."
Kakashi listened intently. Wasn't "You-Know-Who" what wizards called Voldemort?
"Death Eaters? But-" Mr. Weasely cut Ron off.
"Not too loudly!" Hissed the wizard. "We don't want people to panic. The Aurors want to make a full investigation before announcing anything. For all we know it could end up just a rumor. You-Know-Who shouldn't be any more powerful than he was twelve years ago, so we don't know what could have triggered it. All we know is that some suspicious things have been happening lately, and there have been sightings of Death Eaters all over."
Unfortunately the conversation turned to lighter topics for the rest of dinner, so Kakashi decided to talk to Mr. Weasely once everyone else left. The adult wizard had largely ignored him so far, so he couldn't be sure if he'd been told who Kakashi really was. It wouldn't surprise him; obviously the Weasely family had been appointed Harry's escort to school.
After dessert had been cleared away, everyone was very full and sleepy, and began to drift from the dinner table. Kakashi lingered until only he and the two Weasely adults remained.
"Oh, Kakashi," Mrs. Weasely said when she noticed him, "is there something you need?" Mr. Weasely looked at him warily. Was it just his appearance, or did the older wizard really know who he was?
"Mr. Weasely, you know who I am?" he asked. No point in wasting time.
The older wizard ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"It's you, isn't it? The one Dumbledore sent?" he said morosely, like he knew it was true but wished it wasn't.
"Dumbledore told you." It wasn't a question, but Mr. Weasely nodded.
"He just told us a student from the Hidden Continent would be here as extra security. I didn't get any details."
"Do other people know about me?"
"No. Just the people at Hogwarts, my wife and I, and the people from your side. Everyone else just thinks you're a regular transfer student."
Kakashi considered this for a moment. "Why did Dumbledore trust you?"
"I've known Dumbledore for a long time. It's our job to make sure Harry gets to the train station safely tomorrow. I suppose Dumbledore wanted someone outside of the school to know what's going on."
"Arthur, he isn't… the one Dumbledore told us about?" Mrs. Weasely broke in, her voice wavering. "I thought it would be a seventh year at least."
"We might have sent an older person," Kakashi said, "But I have reasons other for coming. I will be enough to make Harry safe."
Mrs. Weasely still looked bewildered. "But…" she squeaked.
Kakashi pressed on. "What do you know about the Death Eaters you were talking about?"
Mr. Weasely's face was grim. "I thought you would ask, but there isn't much more information than I already told you. There are only vague reports. Sightings of Death Eaters have been popping up all across Europe, but primarily around England and London. No one's been hurt yet, but we haven't seen activity like this in years. At least not this widespread."
"No one else knows? It is a secret?" asked Kakashi.
Mr. Weasely shook his head. "I know because a friend of mine is an Auror on the case, and he only warned me because he knew I have children at Hogwarts."
"What about shinobi?"
"What?"
"Shinobi. Like me. There are rumors about shinobi being here."
"I don't think so," the wizard said. "At least not that I've heard."
Had Dumbledore invented the rumor of there being shinobi sightings? It wouldn't surprise him. Either way Kakashi would have to keep an eye on this. He'd been a shinobi too long to assume anything was a coincidence. And there was always the chance that shinobi could be hiding in this world unnoticed. It would be child's play for shinobi to go undetected from wizards, especially if they weren't being specifically looked for.
"Arthur, I don't like this," said Mrs. Weasely, who had finally recovered. "Shinobi or not, he's just a boy. Ron's age! He doesn't need that kind of responsibility!" Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes; he'd certainly heard that before.
At that moment Kakashi heard footsteps coming down the hall, and when he realized who they belonged to he decided it was best to change the subject.
"Weasely-sa… Mr. Weasely," Kakashi corrected himself, "You work in Ministry. Do the Ministry know Black is after Harry?"
"Yes. That's why they're lending us cars to get to the train station."
"Does Harry know?"
Mr. Weasely shook his head. "I think we should tell him. It's best for him to be on guard."
"Arthur, the truth would terrify him! He's better off not knowing!"
"But Harry's always breaking the rules! Can you imagine what would have happened if the Knight bus hadn't picked him up two weeks ago? He would've been dead before we found him! Harry can't go sneaking off this year!"
"But he's not dead, and he'll be perfectly safe at Hogwarts-"
"We thought Azkaban was safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts."
"Harry is safe, Mr. Weasely," Kakashi assured, but there was doubt in the wizard's eyes.
"It's just-" the wizard exhaled. "I thought you'd be older," he said with the pained, pitying look Kakashi had seen so often. After a long day, he didn't really want to deal with that.
"I need to pack," he said abruptly, and headed for the door. Harry had hidden himself in the hall, but there was no point; Kakashi knew exactly when he'd started eavesdropping and had indirectly told the boy about Black.
There were too many secrets around to keep Harry in the dark about something like that.
CagedWolfCagedWolfCagedWolfC agedWolf
Harry shut the door behind him, breathing hard after his flight up the stairs. For a moment there he thought Kakashi was going to see him. The bits of conversation he'd heard floated through his mind.
"Do the Ministry know Black is after Harry?"
"Harry is safe."
"I just… thought you'd be older."
So Black was after him. For some reason it didn't bother him much. Voldemort was more dangerous and nowhere was safer than Hogwarts, or wherever Dumbledore happened to be. What Harry didn't get was why Mr. and Mrs. Weasely were talking to Kakashi about it. Why did the exchange student know so much? The whole thing was just too suspicious for his liking.
The young wizard lay awake for what seemed like hours that night. There was too much going through his mind to sleep. Sirius Black, Kakashi, and the new Death Eater rumors all swirled around in his mind until he thought he'd go mad.
Suddenly there was a knock at his door. Harry got up and undid the bolt, opening it to find Hermione and Ron in their nightclothes, the latter with a flickering candle.
"Harry, we need to talk to you!" Hermione whispered.
"Me too," Harry said as he let them in. "It's about Kakashi, isn't it?"
Hermione nodded. She sat on the floor and took a breath.
"Remember how I went up to get him for dinner? Well, when I went up to his room, Kakashi had this huge slice on his shoulder. I just got a quick look, but it looked pretty bad. He just said he got it in an accident, but… what kind accident could do that?" Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. It was awful."
Harry thought back to earlier that morning. "You know, now that I think about it, he didn't take off his sweater to let Madam Malkin to fit his robes. I didn't think much of it then, but what if he was covering up his shoulder?"
Hermione's voice wavered, and she looked on the verge of tears. "The cut was really clean, almost like a knife. It had to be some kind of hex. But where would he have gotten hit by a curse? Maybe he gets in fights a lot or something… but don't tell him I told you. I promised I wouldn't tell. But I was just worried about him! He acted like it was nothing at all!"
"I think Hermione did the right thing telling us," added Ron. "What if he really does get in fights? You know his sweatband- the one over his eye? I couldn't figure it out, but what if he's covering up a black eye? He probably didn't want us knowing about it. Harry, do you think Kakashi could actually be dangerous?"
"Well I don't think dangerous," said Hermione. "Just getting hit by a hex doesn't make you violent He seemed too smart to-"
"Hermione, you've known the guy for half a day and he barely speaks English! I'd bet you he transferred here because he was kicked out of his old school for fighting."
"No, Kakashi told me that he came here to learn Western magic. He said his great-uncle did the same thing- transferring. His family has a talent for our magic, that's why."
"You still shouldn't trust him."
"I'm not, really," said Hermione, softer. "The moment we get back to Hogwarts I'm looking up his uncle. There must be something in the library."
"Kakashi's not the only one we have to worry about," Harry said gravely. He told them what he had heard from the Weaselys about Sirius Black.
"Bloody hell…" Ron muttered.
"Oh Harry, that's terrible! Why would he be after you?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because he's an ex Death Eater." Harry said irritably. They were taking the news worse than he had, and they weren't even being targeted.
"You'll have to be careful Harry, I mean really careful."
"Of course I'll be careful, Hermione."
"Yeah, Harry'd have to be pretty thick to go looking for trouble this year," said Ron. "Even though no one knows how he broke out of Azkaban. He was a top-security prisoner too…"
"Ron, you're not making him feel any better. Harry will be fine."
"That reminds me," said Harry, happy to change the subject, "Mr. and Mrs. Weasely were talking to Kakashi about all this. At the end Kakashi said that I'd 'be safe', and Mr. Weasely said that he thought 'you'd be older'."
"That you would be older, or Kakashi?" asked Hermione.
"Kakashi, I think. It could just be nothing. Maybe someone said that Kakashi would be older than he is. But what do you think he meant by I'd be safe?"
"Maybe he just meant that Hogwarts is safe place. I mean, with Dumbledore and all," said Ron.
"I don't know. I'm probably just overthinking it. But why was Kakashi talking to them about Black in the first place?"
No one had an answer for that, and soon Hermione and Ron went back to their rooms. Harry still felt ill at ease, especially now that there was the possibility that Kakashi was violent and knew secrets the white-haired teen really shouldn't. But it was late, and eventually the wizard drifted off to sleep.
(1) Mahoutokoro- Literally meaning "Place of magic". According to Pottermore it's the name of the Japanese magical school.
Word Count: 6,757
A/N- Again, sorry about the 9 month delay. I did go back and edit the previous chapters, to improve the quality and to slip in a few things for the prequel (yes, there's going to be a prequel, no set date though). They were edited as of September 28, 2012 (the day I'm posting this), so if you've read before then you could go back and reread. If you don't want to, than here are the things (besides overall quality) I changed-
-I took out all the "hearing voices" parts. That just wasn't working with how I wanted the story to flow.
-In the flashback in the first chapter, Kakashi referred to Tsume Inuzuka as "Tsume-obasan", meaning Aunt Tsume. He also refers to ninken as "Tsume-obasan's" and "Mommy's", instead of his father's.
-Kakashi's mother did not die in childbirth, but of sickness when he was young. (Remember this, it's important later)
-There was a comment that had been called racist which I took out so as to not offend anyone.
****Poll****
Ignoring how much better Gryffindor will be for the mission, what House do you think Kakashi would be sorted into, and why? The best answer wins!
The last poll, "What two Naruto characters will I be bringing into the story?", was correctly answered by Ookami99. Anko and Yamato will both be in this story! But not until around chapter 10 to 15-ish. Anyway Ookami99, for winning how about you give me a quote, any quote at all (as long as it's short, under 30 words) and I will include it in the next chapter. Any quote, even if it's about monkeys making brownies, I'll put it in there it. Let me know!
Sorry about the long Author Note! The next chapter will be soon, for real this time. It's already mostly done, and cough*Dementors*cough.
Review if you want to! I made a goal to answer every one!
^\u/^