Deal
A/N: According to Wiki: Little Whinging is a fictional town in Surrey, but no more background was given was offered at the site I was reading. A little research had me going with a general rail route to London. According to the train map, most routes are about 40 to 50 minutes long and end at Greater London.
Ok, I went a little over-board with the word: bestest. I know it isn't a word, but think like a seven-year-old that has been abused and neglected and still learning English.
Dattebayo – a verbal tick that Naruto used in canon. It means roughly "Believe it" or "You know."
What Japanese I do use is Italicized. Tou-san is what they boys call Minato. Tou-san is Daddy/Father whereas tou-san is daddy/father. One is a proper name and the other a noun.
Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Special thanks to White Angel of Aurelan for not only the challenge but the editing that I needed.
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Chapter 4
Seven-year-old Naruto dug into his pile of Christmas presents. This was the second year living with Tou-san and Har-nii and it's been the bestest. No one was chasing him and trying to hurt him. Har-nii not only wanted to be his friend but his little brother.
Tou-san was the bestest tou-san ever. He would hug him when he needed a hug, give him the bestest things ever – like food, clothing, toys. He even told the bestest stories and would play with him and Har-nii when he could. He protected him from the parents of those bullies that liked to pick on small kids, like him and Har-nii.
Tally-chan was strange and a little frightening at first. She was short with huge eyes and ears and dressed funny, but she made the bestest food. She even taught him and Har-nii how to make biscuits that look and taste just like cookies.
He was now more familiar with this new holiday. According to tou-san and their teachers, it was the day wishes came true. Children received presents from someone called Father Christmas if they had been good. There were feasts with all manner of good food to eat and desserts!
Six-year-old Haru sighed and looked over at Naruto. "I didn't get my wish," he stated, with a sad pout among the scattered wrapping paper.
"What wish was that, Har-chan?" asked Tou-san.
"I wanted Naru-nii to be my true brother and you to be my true tou-san. My parents aren't here anymore, and it isn't fair that you and Naru-nii are family. Why can't I be family, too, and not a ward?"
Naruto didn't hesitate but pounced on the smaller dark-haired boy. "But you are my little brother! You are the bestest little brother ever! Dattabayo!"
"But we aren't related, not really. Mrs. Honda says that since I'm not adopted, a stupid word, I have to be called Harry Potter and not Haru Namikaze. I want to be Haru Namikaze!"
Tou-san came over and smiled as he pulled the pair into his arms. "If that is what you want, we will make it so."
Naruto closed his eyes, feeling the anger and pain his little brother gave off. "Mrs. Honda was a mean ol' hag, a lot like the villagers back there!" he exclaimed.
More that he thought about it, he wished, too, that Har-nii was his real little brother. He hugged Haru tightly as he wished hard. "You are my little brother, Har-nii, Dattabayo!"
Suddenly, Naruto felt something shift within him, and above him, he heard his tou-san gasped as the little family glowed with a golden light.
"Hey Har-nii you're glowing, -ttabayo!"
"So are you, -ttebayo!" came Har-nii's awed filled voice back.
"I believe you got your wish, you two," came Tou-san's voice.
"I think, as we all wished to be a true family, without any differences between us, no matter if we are blood-related or related by the feelings we have for each other, that we chose to become a family, Magic granted our wish. It is said that on Christmas Day, miracles can come true. The magic of Christmas, no matter what you believe, is extremely strong, and there are many tales of it making things happen that have been thought impossible otherwise," Tou-san explained with a smile on his face.
"Like what Tou-san?" Haru asked.
"This is the bestest gift ever this year!" Naruto cheered, interrupting the moment, and Harry joined in, happy that he now was a true part of this family. Whatever or however it happened. Magic was great! They were a family now.
The three Namikazes went to sit on the couches in the living room and the two boys listened, astonished, to the stories of magical wonders and Christmas miracles that their father told them, while Tally supplied them with hot chocolate and biscuits. It was Christmas, after all.
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Harry Potter becoming Haru Namikaze remained mostly unnoticed to the Wizarding World.
The reason was simply: those capable of detecting it, mainly an old man that put his crooked nose into things that he shouldn't meddle in, were busy.
The moment when Harry magically bonded to his new family, Albus Dumbledore was in the Great Hall of the school he headed, enjoying a wonderful Christmas breakfast with all of his favorite foods.
Said school, which was located in a castle in a chilly region of Scotland, housed several silvery trinkets inside the old man's office. They blinked gold for a few times and then stopped working. No more puffing of smoke, no more whirring of the devices.
It took a few minutes before the trinkets returned to their normal settings. Still, if anybody had looked closer, there was something different, but it was very subtle.
The only witness was a red and gold phoenix that trilled what seemed to be a chuckle, before tucking his head back under his wings to sleep. Even the portraits of the previous headmasters of this famous school were currently absent, as they regularly visited friends in other painting on this special day.
It would be years before anyone realized that the trinkets lost their true purpose of monitoring a certain young wizard, but the magic of the castle that made them seem like they were working.
Magic worked in mysterious ways at times, and not even those that had studied it in depth knew everything there was to it. It was one reason why they continued to study.
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The train to London arrived on time surrounded by the spring morning fog. A father with two very sleepy sons waited patiently for it to stop.
Minato ushered his two sons into a nearby car and allowed them to fall back to sleep as the train moved on. It was like every weekday morning for the past five years. They needed to be up at six-thirty every morning. For Minato, it wasn't a hardship, as he was the adult and used to this schedule, but for growing boys. . .
He would give them as much time to sleep as he could, but the train didn't wait for them. They had to get up and out of bed early, as they needed to get their basic morning routine done. At least Minato had worked out a good order of things, to not overwhelm them. The boys would shower or bathe, depending on what they felt like, in the evenings, which meant they could save that time in the morning. Tally prepared their breakfasts while the boys got ready, packed it into boxes for them to eat once they were properly awake again, and then Minato would leave the house with the boys.
The train ride to London only took one hour, but the boys would curl up on a bench of the train, which they always shared, and sleep until their father woke them up again, once they were at their destination. Many regular travelers, the ones commuting to London for their work, had commented on the cuteness of the scene.
Minato had considered the different magical ways to travel to London in the mornings and returning in the evenings. To keep up with appearing normal, he had decided to take the train. He knew he could Apparate with the boys or use a port-key, but the Muggle neighbors would notice something odd.
He thought about using the Floo network and having a fireplace installed but again, if the neighbors didn't see him and the boys leave, they would talk. Besides, the ministry hated connecting the Floo network in a very obviously Muggle neighborhood as it threatened the Statute of Secrecy.
The Knight Bus was out. It was a horrendous and nauseating ride, plus the conductor was a terrible gossiper. Minato didn't want to subject his sons to it.
So it came down to taking the train every week-day morning. Not much of a problem, after all. The boys didn't seem to mind it.
Once in London, they would enjoy Tally's homemade bento breakfast box that magically kept things fresh and hot or fresh and cold as needed. Minato would enjoy his third cup of tea while the boys ate.
Then it was a quick trip with the bus to a stop close to the Japanese Consulate. He was forever thankful that Japan was not part of the International Confederation of Wizardry and under Dumbledore's control.
The consulate has diplomatic immunity and is considered foreign soil within English boundaries and didn't have to adhere to the ICW guidelines. Therefore, they opened up a small school for those children of foreign diplomats that have magical children, be they be members of the ICW or not.
Of course, the English Ministry objected, but what could they do?
The consulate was considered to be on foreign soil and offered to teach children under the age of eleven their primary education before they went to Hogwarts or any other magical school of their parents' choice. It was all regulated in a treaty that had been active for about two and a half centuries, by now.
Since Naruto and Haru started primary schooling, Minato had been concerned about their education as well as social standings.
Surrey wasn't a good place for them, which is why he had enrolled them into the Japanese school.
It became obvious that Dudley and his gang hadn't been reigned in as well as he had hoped. They were still terrors, and their parents weren't willing to do the right and necessary thing to correct their abhorrent behavior.
After turning in the specific members of Little Whinging police force who allowed themselves to be bribed for corruption, the other officers weren't turning a blind eye to the doings of Dudley and his little gang of thugs any longer. They had learned their lesson and didn't want further repercussions from the higher-ups, should they ignore the law again.
Minato, of course, had been keeping tight control on his boys about what they did after school. Their shinobi training was that demanding. So the police force pretty much left the Namikaze family alone.
"See ya later, Tou-san!" the boys called out as they ran into the consulate entrance and towards their classroom, leaving a bemused father standing on the sidewalk.
Minato waved and then bowed to the gate guards. "Things are being quiet lately in the Ministry," he reported in Japanese. Everyone knew he was talking about the British Magical Ministry. "Too quiet. They are waiting for the news that Harry Potter accepts his letter, in a few years. The goblins have reported several interested parties nosing around his vaults."
The tall blonde was very thankful that Albus Dumbledore had kept his hand and nose out of influencing the environment in which Haru grew up. The Ministry had tried several times to find Haru but failed.
The guard nodded.
After all, both of his sons attended the private school. Both boys would be attending the ancient school. Both boys had magic that needed training. They needed to know so they could protect those within the embassy.
"We'll pass it along."
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Haru Namikaze sat beside his brother, pulling out his homework.
Since that magical fusion of magic that Christmas, life remained the same and yet different.
He was still dark-haired, green-eyed, and short. Naruto had remained the same, but calmer.
After the New Years that winter, their father took them to Gringotts. The goblins, in Haru's opinion, were scary, but at the same time, funny. The goblins were impressed with Tou-san, for some reason, and always catered to him.
In the end, they acknowledged that magic had indeed bonded them as a family. He was now Harry (Haru) James Potter Namikaze. Haru was his Japanese name and Harry his English. He liked it that way.
Looking over at his brother, who was also preparing for the day's lessons, Haru stifled a yawn.
He hated waking so early, but normal people needed to know that his tou-san took good care of them. According to Tou-san, they had to keep up the appearance of being normal. After all, they lived in an area where they were the only people with magic. All others didn't have it, so they had to blend in with them.
Their school was special – not only did they learn regular subjects like reading, math, and science, but they also learned magic. They had even been given practical foci to use. Not many of their fellow classmates would be going to Hogwarts later. Maybe the Patil twins, as their father was working for the Indian Embassy in their magical department.
Haru had once asked Tou-san about why they were going to the Consulate for school. The answer didn't make sense to him.
According to tou-san, Hogwarts was known to be the best school for magic in the British Isles. The main reason for it was that there was little competition. The Ministry of Magic, which served all the countries there, even if they officially had different nationalities, like being Scottish, Welsh, English, or Irish for example, didn't see any reason to finance many schools for magic, when the population was small.
In the past, after the concept of Hogwarts, which had been the first school of magic in Europe, had proven very successful, there had been more schools, often they were smaller and cheaper than the large school. Hogwarts, being isolated from Muggle settlements, could offer a large magical curriculum. Centuries back, all other European schools had looked up to the fantastic students Hogwarts turned out. They would go and rise through the ranks of their chosen field and make a name for themselves.
His tou-san went on to explain due to the falling levels of magical power in children, and the very "black and white" opinions of the current headmaster, who was also an influential politician, (meaning he could say which parts of the formed curriculum he deemed too dangerous or too unnecessary for the students to learn), the students didn't have the prime education of the past anymore.
Haru had made a face at the thought.
The Ministry had lowered the demands from the students, when they noticed that the children from the important families couldn't manage the spells asked for in the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams, which were held in standardized form by the Ministry at the end of fifth and seventh year of schooling, respectively.
Again, according to tou-san, right now, only Hogwarts, Shamrock Fields, which was located in Ireland, and Waterlily Academy, Welsh based, remained. The last one was a school that only taught up to O.W.L. level, and was only a day school, which lowered the costs for the school drastically.
Hogwarts was where the rich elite went to, while Shamrock Fields took the middle class, normally. There were exceptions, most famously: the Weasleys, who were sponsored by the school, as all their children had been tested to be powerful. Arthur Weasley worked at the Ministry of Magic, thus they got an exception to the rule. Hogwarts also took only the highly-powerful Muggle-borns, who would get monetary support to allow all those families to send their children there.
Haru had said it didn't sound fair.
Tou-san agreed with him.
The main reason for that was also simple. Dumbledore wanted to keep the powerful Muggle-borns under his close watch, which many at the Ministry also considered a good idea. And if Dumbledore arranged for them to marry into families he liked, those that supported his political agenda, well, his opponents called him 'crazy' regularly. Even if they grudgingly acknowledged his power. For the others, they normally were directed to Waterlily or Shamrock Fields, depending on their financial means.
It was still confusing.
Then the boy's attention was brought back to the present, as their teacher had entered the room.
The consulate teacher that taught Naruto and Haru's class was from Japan and was ancient in their minds, but then again, anyone over the age of thirty was considered ancient.
"So, what do you think we'll learn today?" Naruto asked, quietly as the boys found their seats. "I hope I learn a new move."
Haru shrugged as his mind ran through what they might learn today.
It was discovered that Naruto had not only inherited his mother's facial features and verbal tick but also her visual learning style. He wasn't stupid, not by any means. He just wasn't into long, lengthy explanations. Show him once and he got it. He could think on his feet, and if something wasn't working, he would switch to something else to make it work.
Naruto, due to his hyperactive nature, loved sports and martial arts.
"Not sure, bro," Haru answered, as he pulled out a book. He was a more of a book-learner, like his mother, Lily Potter. He would research a problem and think things through before he acted.
Math and science were his favorites.
Lunch was always prepared for them by the consulate staff, as it was included in the school fees.
Afternoon was spent on physical activities – Magic practices, martial arts, and P.E. All students loved these lessons, as all children, magical or not, were wont to do, hating having to sit in class all day.
When their tou-san came to pick them up, they were ready to go home. Most of their homework would be done on the train ride back.
Of course, they had to be seen by the community as a normal family, coming home from a long day of school and work. People were watching them, especially the local women's league. Minato also knew that Dumbledore had a spy or two in the area. As of yet, he wasn't quite sure who, but he did have an idea.
Because he worked with the Unspeakables, Minato kept strange hours. During the day, he went to the Ministry as a normal worker, a department drone, but occasionally he would disappear within the Department of Mysteries. His specialty in runes and seals was in high demand.
Sometimes he was also pulled into work at odd hours. Thankfully, he could Apparate from home to the Department then. It was the only time he did that. He had to maintain a bit of secrecy. Not even his sons knew.
Thank kami that Tally was there for the boys. She would watch and care for them when he had to spend any time away from them. She would even disguise herself as a human nanny to walk them to the train station and to school or just kept them home.
Minato knew they were just marking time. Haru needed to be ready for his Hogwarts letter, which should be arriving all too soon.
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A/N: Wow! This is the longest chapter I've written in a long time!
Yes, I jumped a couple of years in this chapter. I hope I wasn't too confusing.