Chapter 19: The Truth
With Harry
Harry goes down a long staircase, and he enters an empty room with pillars around it, but what shocks him is that in the center of the room stood a familiar window and a man with a turban. Harry walks up further and as he does so his scar burns, "Y-You?!" he said in shock. The man turned around revealing himself to be Professor Quirrell. "No, it can't be… Snape, he was the one" Harry said with wide eyes. Quirrell smirked, "Yes he does seem like the type doesn't he? Next to me who would suspect, p-poor st-st-stuttering Professor Quirrell" he mocked. "B-but, that day, during the Quidditch match, Snape tried to kill me" he said. Quirrell scoffed at the boy's stupidity, "No dear boy, I tried to kill you! And trust me, hadn't Snape's cloak had not caught on fire, I would've succeeded, even with Snape muttering his little counter-curse" he snarled. Harry was even more shocked, "Snape tried… to save me?" he asked. "I knew you were a danger right from the start, especially after Halloween" Quirrell muttered. "Then you were the one that let the troll in?!" Harry now realizing what happened.
"Very good Potter, yes, Snape unfortunately wasn't a fool. While everyone left for the dungeons, Snape tailed me on the third floor, and he of course never trusted me again. He rarely left me alone" Quirrell stated, before turning his head back causing the boy's scar to hurt. Quirrell was talking to himself in the mirror trying to find how to get the stone, until a voice says "Use the boy" as both Quirrell and Harry hear it. Quirrell commands Harry to come forth to look at the mirror, which he does hesitatingly. Harry looks at the mirror and sees himself and his parents, but what was shocking was that the reflection has the stone in his pocket, but tells the real Harry to keep quiet. Quirrell demands to hear what Harry saw in the mirror, so Harry decided to lie, "I-I'm shaking hands with Dumbledore, I just won the house cup" he stated.
The voice however knew that was a lie and demanded to speak to the boy, although Quirrell was unsure, but nevertheless complied. Harry gasps in shock, as Quirrell finally unwraps his turban to reveal a snake-like face behind his head. "Voldemort," the boy whispered. "Yes, you see what I have become. You see what I must do to survive? To live off of this pathetic human body like a parasite, while feeding on unicorn blood to sustain me, but alas I cannot truly have a body of my own… but there's something that can help me, something so convenient, like in your pocket" Voldemort stated. The boy tried to run away but the room was surrounded by fire. Voldemort attempts to coerce Harry to join him and even offer eternal life, but Harry refuses. "HaHa, bravery, your parents had it too… tell me would you like to see them again?" Voldemort offers to help revive them as Harry's parents appear in the mirror's reflection. Harry was tempted at first, but in the end refuses, and Voldemort orders his host to kill him.
Both Harry and Quirrell fight each other almost to the death, as they use spells such as expelliarmus and protego to either attack or defend. Soon Quirrell got the upper hand and was strangling Harry, and as Harry almost lost his breath, he heard a voice, "You Will Not Harm My Son!" Harry wonders if that voice belonged to his mother, as Quirrell lets go of Harry due to him burning. "AHHHHHH!" Quirrell screamed in agony as his hand burned, yet he was still ordered by Voldemort to grab the stone. Quirrell tried to grab the stone, but Harry grabbed his face, effectively burning the man until he was reduced to ash. After catching his breath, Harry went to grab the stone and pocket it, until he heard a strange sound. He turns to see a black cloud with Voldemort's face on it. "AHHHHHHHHH!" They both yelled as the cloud passed through, while Harry was knocked out.
Hospital Wing
Harry wakes up to see his friends by his side. He put on his glasses and smiled at them. They congratulated Harry for his success. It wasn't until Professor Dumbledore arrived to see the group, "Ah, tokens from your admirers?" he asked. "Admirer's?" Harry asked before he turned to see a mountain of get well cards, candy, and balloons, along with a special gift from a certain blond female Slytherin. Harry blushed at that gift, while Naruto and the other's snickered at his own expense. "Yeah, Harry, what happened down there in the dungeon between you and Quirrell was a secret… so basically everyone knows" Naruto explained nonchalantly making Harry sweatdrop, but smiled nevertheless. After a brief little banter, things became serious as Harry asked about the stone. Dumbledore decided to explain that the stone was destroyed, and it was probably for the best, which shocked the group. He elaborated by saying that Flamel wanted the stone to be destroyed so settled his affairs before passing over.
Harry also asked about how he got the stone, and so Dumbledore explained that the stone was meant for someone to find it, but not use it. Basically in simple terms, even if a person were to get the stone, they can't use it. "Since the stone is gone, does that mean Voldemort will come back?" Harry asked. Dumbledore shook his head "I'm afraid there are other ways in which he may return, Harry do you know why Professor Quirrell couldn't bear to touch you?" he asked, receiving a no from the boy. Dumbledore explained, "It was because of your mother, she sacrificed her life for you, and that kind of act leaves a mark" he states, they watch as Harry touches his scar.
Dumbledore chuckled, "No not that kind of mark, this kind of mark cannot be seen, it lives in your very skin" he said. Harry asks what it is, and Dumbledore responds, "It's love." After Dumbledore left after trying a really nasty multi-flavored colored bean, this is where things climax. In Naruto's head he was thinking, 'You can do this! You can do this' he said in his head. The fox decided to interrupt, "Kid just tell them already, you'll be fine!" He said very irritated.
"Guys, I have something to tell you about what happened last night along with Halloween," Naruto said. Everybody's attention was towards the blond. They motioned for him to continue, "Before I begin to explain those powers, you need to know the full truth about myself." The three were shocked, but decided to hear Naruto out. He explains about how he is from a parallel universe and what his life was like back home. Granted they knew since he told bits and pieces of it, but they were shocked when they heard the real complete story as it feels more messed up. As he finished going over the whole jumping from his universe to this universe, he finally explains why he was hated back home as he has finally discovered the truth here. He explained about the fox and what he was, which is the holder of the tailed beast, a jinchuriki. After this explanation, the group couldn't even comprehend what they had just heard. On one hand it feels far fetched as his backstory felt like a myth, but then again most wizards don't have the exact kind of powers Naruto holds, so they choose to believe him.
"I understand if you guys don't want to be my friend anymore, granted I'm used to this my whole entire childhood. Probably for the best cause I almost got you guys hurt. But I want to say that you guys were the best thing that ever happened to me and I'm eternally grateful for it" Naruto said softly as he closed his eyes, ready to hear them call him a freak or declare that they aren't friends anymore, even though it pains his heart. It was silent until Hermione decided to break that silence, "Do you really expect me to run and hate you? I would never do that as you're my best friend and a great person. Just because you hold a monster inside you doesn't make you a monster, you have been protecting people ever since you were a baby so in a way you're a hero, and if the people from your home can't see that, then they don't deserve you" she said softly while placing a hand on his shoulder.
Naruto was shocked, his best friend had just accepted him despite him holding the nine-tails. He looks to his other friends, as Harry said, "Remember what I said back in the train, we'll always be friends no matter what and I intend to keep it that way. Besides you and I aren't so different" Harry assures him. Ron decided to add in, "Yeah mate, you saved our lives and besides you're still you, so there's no problem here. Oh and you're a fellow Gryffindor like us, so we don't leave anyone behind" Ron declared.
Naruto was moved to tears, 'they accepted me, even with the nine tails and all' he thought as he began to cry. Hermione wrapped him in a hug and comforted him as both Harry and Ron placed a hand on his shoulder. Naruto had finally stopped crying and looked at his friends. "Thank you guys so much, you have no idea what it feels like to get this off my chest. Dumbledore and the teachers knew ever since they learned about my predicament and accepted me, but you guys didn't know as much and yet you still accepted me." He said with a large smile on his face. "You're right guys, if the people of my home won't accept me as a person or as a wizard, then they don't deserve me, but I vow to make my own destiny and protect the ones I love" Naruto said with a fire in his eyes. "My old dream was to become the hokage of my village, but now my new dream is to surpass Dumbledore and become the greatest wizard alive and make my parents who died for me proud" Naruto said as he held out his hand. "And we will be right there beside you, every step of the way so you aren't alone on this journey" Hermione said with a smile as she placed her hand on top of his. "Since you helped me stop Voldemort from getting the stone, I'll be with you till the end of the line" Harry said as he placed his hand on top of theirs. "As long as you got my back, I got your back as well so we're all in this together" Ron said as he too placed his hands on top of theirs. This is the moment where the bonds of the squad will never break, for once Naruto finally feels at peace with himself.
