Deal

1937

A/N: Sorry for the lame fight scene. As I have said before in other stories, I suck at them.

Chapter 12

The castle was gearing up for Halloween. Huge magical pumpkins decorated the floor of the Great Hall, and from its the ceiling, paper bats flitted around the hanging candles. One or two would flutter down to scare a student or two.

Both Namikaze boys grew very quiet as Halloween grew near. Neither wanted much to do with the holiday – Haru, because it would be the tenth anniversary of his parents' death, and Naruto missed seeing Jiriaya and Kakashi, as it was their time to visit the Elemental Countries.

The day of the Halloween feast, neither boy felt like celebrating as they listened to the older students tell of feasts past. None of their friends or classmates could understand why they were so quiet and neither brother was willing to explain.

After a very boring Charms Class, Haru was suddenly knocked to one side as Hermione Granger pushed past him.

"Mental, that one," came Weasley's voice, behind them as they exited the class room.

Naruto started to round on the red-head when Haru stopped him. "Leave him. We need to find Granger."

"Why?" asked Seamus Finnegan, another first year Gryffindor.

"She's a menace," Weasley chipped in. " 'sides, Halloween Feast will be starting soon. You'll miss it."

"We plan to. I hate today for very good reason!" Haru looked over at his brother and the blonde nodded, before hurrying off. Naruto turned back and glared. "Baka! Because it is the right thing to do, -ttebayo!"

Weasley shook his head and repeated. "Mental! The lot of you."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hermione slumped against the stone wall within the girls' lavatory, crying. They were right. She was a know-it-all and had no friends. She was forgetting the two brothers in her misery.

She had hoped that being in Hogwarts would be different from her old school, but it wasn't. She wanted to go home.

Suddenly, two figures plopped down beside her. An arm went around her. Looking up, she gasped.

"What are you two doing here!? Don't you know this is a girl's loo?"

"We have our reasons," Haru told her. "We're friends. You don't call my Harry or Potter, for one."

'"Yeah," Naruto added. "Besides, our Oniisan says, 'those that don't follow the rules are scum, but those that let their team-mates down are worse than scum. We are not worse than scum."

"Yeah," Haru chirped. "Besides. . ." his voice turned sad.

Naruto nodded. "We don't want to go to the Feast, anyways. We don't celebrate Halloween. Haru lost his birth parents ten years ago tonight, and I lost my mum twelve years ago this month. She died giving birth to me."

"Besides, this is the only night we get to see our older oniisan and god-father, but with us here. . . it had to be canceled," Haru added. "So, we're planning on spending the night in our dorms, anyways, but this will be as good as any, I guess."

They hoped that Tou-san wasn't too lonely. He didn't go and see Kakashi-nii and Jiriaya-jiji this year because they couldn't. In fact, they had plans on calling Tou-san to the castle after everyone was asleep, so they could observe Sainhaim together.

"You know, Hermione-chan," Haru said, sounding thoughtful. "If you just let go of trying to be first all the time, you might do better."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Naruto nodded before saying, "Tou-san is a genius, very brilliant, but he says that sometimes, even he has to pull back and not show others up. They get angry for feeling stupid. It frustrates him that they can't understand what he is trying to say."

"Yep. Tou-san says being book smart is all good, but you have to have situation awareness, also. That means being able to read the situation around you. We all know that Weasley's a lazy baka and we know you like to help, but your helping comes off as showing off."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "Instead, the situation awareness made clear we should've let him stumble until he asked for help. He didn't and then you made him look stupid. So of course, he would mouth off."

Hermione took on a thoughtful look as the boys talked to her. She was used to their switching back and forth between English and Japanese. She knew that the professors were trying to stop that, but so far, that wasn't happening.

"That baka will never change." Haru shook his head while making a face. "He still calls me Potter and expects me to be his best mate. Not going to happen, no matter what the teachers or others say."

Hermione remembered that day when Malfoy and Weasley took a tumble over the Hufflepuff table. The funny thing was the point counter didn't register the point difference.

"It must be closer to the Feast," Naruto commented. "I'm hungry."

"Don't worry, I brought food," Haru smiled. He pulled off his book bag and began to pull out several plastic containers, a candle, and a small container of incense. "As well everything we need to remember my birth parents and your mother."

Hermione wiped her eyes and blew her nose as the boys set up the small picnic supper. "Are you sure there will be enough? I've seen Naruto eat."

"OI!" Naruto protested causing the other two to giggle.

They were just starting to light the candle so they could say any prayers when there was a loud thumping noise in the hallway that was coming closer.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Halloween feast was starting, when Neville noticed that the Namikaze brothers and Hermione Granger weren't there. Lavender Brown mentioned she saw the Know-It-All duck into a girls' lavatory.

However, no one seemed too concerned.

After checking with the other first years, Neville started to stand to report it to a prefect when Professor Quirrell burst through the great doors.

"Troll! Troll in the dungeon. Thought you should know." Then he fainted.

Neville's report was dismissed before he could say anything.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The boys, sensing the danger as they had been trained to, leaped to their feet, pulling out their kunai.

Naruto made several clones as Haru weaved a spell to protect Hermione. A golden dome-like shield formed around her.

"Hermione, stay here," Haru told her. "You'll be safe."

Hermione frowned. "I can help…"

"No, you can't," Haru informed her. "Naruto and I have been taking defense lessons since we were five. It's best that you stay as you are."

The huge troll roared and charged at the trio. Two of Naruto's clones jumped in front of the dome-like shield as Haru pulled a very familiar tri-pronged kunai.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Minato was indeed home and feeling a bit lonely. He had told the pair from Leaf that he and the boys would not be there this year. They started their kekki genkai training that year. Although the boys were advance for their age, they still had to go because Haru's birth parents wished him to go.

Taffy had out-done herself for dinner, but it was too quiet without the boys' chatter about their day. Sirius was quietly getting drunk in the basement, thus missing the delicious food laid out.

After leaving the table, the tall blond decided to go over some reports in his office and maybe work on a new seal project. He glanced up at the clock as he waited for the boys to call him. They would later celebrate Sainhaim together. Still too early.

It was Haru's tenth year without his parents. They had planned a special ceremony for it.

Suddenly, he felt the call. He stiffened in concern. It was too early. According to the time, they should be sitting down for dinner.

He frowned as he grabbed up his white cloak that had his spare weapons and wand in and left – with a yellow flash.

He arrived, not in the dojo that the boys had set up to train in, but a girls' loo.

Minato turned as he heard a deafening roar. Kami Above! How did THAT get into a school of children!?

Haru was guarding a girl, who was safe behind a golden dome, as Naruto was facing off with the troll with several of his clones.

'This was almost as bad as when the Nine-tails tried to destroy Konoha,' he thought as he took in the situation.

Although he was proud at the team-work the boys were doing, as a father, he was appalled. They were only eleven and not even in the Academy yet.

The troll swung his club, allowing Naruto and a clone to jump up to land on it. Minato also moved to land on the back of the Troll's neck.

Naruto, with the help of his clone, was forming a glowing blue spiral of whirling energy. Minato was forming the same thing, but his was brighter and stronger.

"Rasengan!" both blonds shouted as they pushed their ball of energy forward at the Troll's head and upper body. The force of the energy balls caused the Troll's head to explode upward, spraying everyone with blood.

Haru sighed with relief when both Naruto and his Tou-san landed next to them. The dark-haired pre-teen turned to release his shield, spell only to see that Hermione had fainted.

"Report," Minato said.

Haru with Naruto started to report when they heard someone approaching.

It would not do for him to be here every time the boys encountered something outside of their training.

Minato gave them a quick nod and flashed out just as several professors burst into the lavatory. The boys looked at each other and shrugged as the professors stormed into the girls' loo.

In the end, Haru told his Head of House an edited version of the truth. Being able to summon their father must be kept a secret, for now. Thankfully, Hermione was still out of it and didn't see much.

"We," he looked over at his brother. "didn't want to celebrate tonight. Who would want to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their parent's murder with a party? When we heard what Weasley said to Granger, we decided to find her and cheer her up. In fact, we were about to ask her if she wanted to do a small candle ceremony with us to pay tribute to my deceased birth parents, and Naruto's mother, who also died twelve years ago this month." He glanced over at the ruined candle ceremony in the corner.

Minerva McGonagall wanted to take off points for being in a girls' loo and give them detention for missing the Feast. After she heard their explanation, she gave them points, instead.

Professor Flitwick examined the troll's headless body, but said nothing when he noted that Naruto couldn't have done this on his own. He wished he had seen the attack, as it had to be quick and deadly.

"Why don't you take your young lions back to their dorms, and I'll take Miss Granger to Poppy?" he offered.

Severus Snape limped up behind McGonagall and shuddered at the damage to the lavatory. He, too, wanted to take points, but with one look at the boys' faces, covered with blood and brain matter, he turned and left.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Once the castle was quiet and everyone was settled in their different Houses, two boys and two adults met in a small clearing just within the Forbidden Forest.

Minato and his sons, as well as Professor Flitwick, held a small ceremony for their lost loved ones. Questions could wait.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Sorry this is late getting out. Life happens.

Baka - fool/idiot