::06::
Kakashi was having a hell of a couple of days.
It had started with what he thought was a well-deserved weekend off. It was going to be him and Icha Icha and he wouldn't let Naruto wanting to train or Gai wanting another pointless workout disrupt him. But Sakura's kidnapping had dashed his plans before they even began.
His arrival in the wizarding world had been anything but easy. He thought it had been a wise decision to show up on the doorstep of 12 Grimmauld Place and he felt even luckier that the portal had taken him where he wanted to go instead of dumping him on some random street in the greater United Kingdom. Kakashi touched the door, grateful that it opened…only for his tongue to roll backward in his mouth – a feat he didn't know was possible – and to get assaulted by a dusty and certainly much creepier version of Albus Dumbledore. Kakashi had put two and two together by then; Dumbledore was dead and Severus Snape had something to do with it. A further look around Grimmauld Place showed that it had been abandoned long before and a huge waste of time.
When he finally did reestablish contact with the Order of the Phoenix, it had only been for a short while before he had to conceal his presence from the Minister of Magic within one of the Weasley's dusty old broom closets. Something, and Kakashi wasn't sure exactly what, had left droppings on his foot. By the time he got a chance to discuss the potion he had found in Sakura's apartment, he was mentally and physically exhausted. But Harry's revelation about Snape had only helped to prove his nagging theory – that Severus Snape had been the one to brew the potion that subdued Sakura. But worse than that…if Snape was no longer with the Order and had betrayed them for Voldermort, then Orochimaru had someone joined forces with Voldermort.
That thought alone kept him up half the night when he really could have used the rest.
And now…now chaos was erupting around him and he really wished he had gotten at least an hour more of sleep.
The Patronus disappeared, leaving the backyard in hushed silence. But that wasn't bound to last. Two kunai had already made their way into Kakashi's fingers when someone screamed and then the dance floor erupted into chaos. Kakashi threw himself into the crowd, edging toward the last place he had seen Naruto as black shapes started materializing around him. Chairs were knocked over in haste as guests began Disapperating and one of the tables flew across the dance floor, pinning a few witches and wizards underneath.
Kakashi finally spotted Naruto stuck in the middle of the frenzied wedding crowd. His hand was wrapped tightly around a fearful Hermione's who was crying out for Ron.
Kakashi grabbed Naruto by the shoulder. "Keep each other safe." He said, his voice in Naruto's ear before he was pulling away.
Naruto's wide eyes met his for a brief second. "Find Sakura. Please, Kakashi." And then suddenly they were gone, having vanished from the crowd.
The darkness pressed in around them, squeezing them until they only thing they felt was their hands wrapped around each other's. Just when Naruto felt like it was too much, that he could take no more, the pressure released and they were deposited in an alley just off a busy street.
Naruto stumbled away from the group and put a hand to his head. "And I thought they Portkey was bad!"
"Where are we?" Asked Harry looking around. The street before them was alive with summer tourists and people walking in and out of the Tube station.
"Tottenham Court Road." Answered Hermione breathing deeply. "I needed a place…" Hermione shook her head and began rummaging in the handbag she had brought with her. "We need to change out of these clothes, we're too noticeable."
"What about the people at the wedding?" Harry asked, fearful.
"They'll be ok." Said Naruto with a grin on his face. "The whole Order was there and Kakashi, they can protect everyone." He said it with a smile, but even Naruto felt nervous.
Sai silently nodded. Hermione began pulling clothes out of her bag, shoving them at everyone.
"How the ruddy hell…." Said Ron staring at the small handbag.
"Undetectable Extension Charm. I told you I have been ready." Said Hermione.
"Amazing." Said Ron as he began shrugging out of his dress robes.
Naruto's wedding appearance had disappeared and he quickly disrobed, shoving the dress robes back at Hermione but stepping once more into the familiarity of his own clothes.
"We should get going." Said Hermione glancing around.
Harry accepted the Invisibility Cloak from Hermione and threw it over himself. Keeping a brisk pace, they exited the alley and set off down the street. Across the street, one of the tavern doors opened with a clang and a couple of men walked out, their voices rowdy. They spotted Hermione and one of them gave a loud wolf whistle as the others laughed. Hermione rolled her eyes and dutifully ignored them.
"We could try my parent's house, but there's a chance they could check there." Hermione said.
"Yeah, and it's not like we can book a room at the Leaky Cauldron." Harry whispered.
"Hey sweetie! Why don't you ditch blondie and ginger and have a pint with us!" One of the men yelled from across the street.
"Ignore them." Hermione said sharply. "I'm sure they are just drunk."
"Aww, come on, sweetie!" Another one of them called, "We can show you a real good time!"
"Are all Muggle men such prats?" Ron asked through gritted teeth. "Wait…where's Naruto?"
Hermione stopped short, spinning around when the blond haired ninja was suddenly no longer there. Sai gave out a sigh and jerked his thumb across the street.
The Muggles didn't even see Naruto coming until he had slammed one of them up against the building, his hand at his throat. "She isn't interested." Said Naruto through gritted teeth. "Unless you'd like to hang out with me instead?" He cocked his head to the side and watched as the men all vigorously shook their heads.
"Good." Said Naruto with a smile as he released the man's neck and turned to saunter back across the street.
Hermione didn't know what to say as Naruto rejoined them, but Ron gave him a clap on the back and they continued on their way. Further down the road, Hermione found a small diner that was practically empty save for a couple of bums sitting at the counter. She herded everyone in and they all squeezed into a booth. A bored looking waitress came by and Hermione ordered them a few cappuccinos.
"We should stay here and try to figure out a plan." Said Hermione.
"We know what's going on!" Said Ron in an angry whisper as he tried not to get overheard by the waitress.
"Voldermort's taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?" Asked Harry from the corner.
Hermione sighed. "I think we should at least Apparate to the countryside. No one would think to look for us there and then maybe we can get word to the Order…"
The waitress returned, silencing their conversation. She set down their drinks before walking away. Naruto was the first to grab his, taking in a huge gulp. He gagged on it, making a disgusted face before he pushed the cup away from him, coffee sloshing over the edge. "Kami have mercy!" He complained. "That tastes like shit."
"That really is revolting." Said Ron. "What did you call this stuff?"
The waitress seemed to have overheard them because Harry watched as she shot Naruto and Ron a nasty look behind their backs before she stormed off to the kitchen. The door chimed as two large men walked in and headed toward the counter.
Sai's head immediately shot up and he turned, looking at the two men. "Naruto…" He said softly.
Screams resounded around Kakashi as Death Eaters continued to torment the wedding guests. Order members were trying to be everywhere at once as they rushed about, shouting out spells as they tried to defend the guests that hadn't been able to leave. Out of the corner of his eye Kakashi spotted Fleur, a wand tightly gripped in her hand and her hair and dress in utter disarray as she tried to direct the guests to safety. Kakashi commended her bravery and perseverance in such a situation. To the left, he spotted Lupin and Tonks, Lupin stubbornly keeping Tonks situated behind him as he tried his best to defend the both of them. Tonks, however, looked irritated and kept trying to break from his grasp.
Kakashi quickly ducked down, avoiding a stunning spell to the head and whipped a kunai out at his attacker. Surprisingly, his kunai was deflected. Kakashi, being a ninja, expected to have the upper hand, or at least the element of surprise in fighting against wizards. Growling, Kakashi moved the eye patch aside before setting his hands into a flurry of seals.
"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu."
The wizard soon found himself engulfed in flames and his screams filled the tent.
"Copy ninja Kakashi?"
Kakashi whirled around at the sound of his name and who he saw made his blood run cold. Although he couldn't say he knew the black clad boy personally, her certainly recognized the symbol that was displayed for the world to see on his hitai-ate. Otogakure.
The boy turned away, suddenly afraid and maybe a bit surprised. He was going to run and alert them all of Kakashi's presence. With a shunshin Kakashi appeared before the boy and stabbed his kunai through the boy's stomach. The boy gasped and fumbled for his own kunai, but Kakashi twisted the blade and watched as the boy heaved his last breath before throwing him to the ground.
Harry stood up, pulling his wand at the same time the two men did. Harry's curse hit first, but the man conjured a shield, blocking it. Naruto, who had startled out of his seat when Harry stood up, disappeared in a shunshin as the other man threw a curse straight toward Ron. Ron leapt over the table, pushing Hermione down as the spell put a hole in the cheap leather where Hermione had been previously sitting. Sai threw a kunai through the wizard's wrist and he shouted in pain as Naruto reappeared and tackled the man to the ground.
Sai threw a kunai at the second wizard, but he conjured a shield, blocking it.
"Stupefy!" Harry shouted, but the wizard dodged and Harry's spell rebounded off the metal surface and hit the waitress who was coming out of the kitchen to see what was going on.
Naruto was struggling with the man on the ground who was quite a deal larger than him. His big meaty hands kept coming up to wrap themselves around Naruto's neck. The other wizard popped back up and slid over the counter, shooting black rope at Ron. The rope caught the Weasley by surprise as it caught him around the ankles and he crashed onto the tiled floor.
"Expluso!"
Sai reached forward, dragging Ron by his pants leg to safety as the spell hit the floor where his head had been moments before. Harry and Hermione exchanged spells with the wizard from where they were camped out behind one of the booths.
Naruto finally managed to snatch a kunai from his holster and was trying to drive it into the man's throat. He plunged downward, but the man dodged at the last minute and the kunai sank into his shoulder. He shot a spell at Naruto and the blond ninja flew off of him. Sai came at him next, throwing down a few smoke pellets but he was quickly taken down with the same ropes that took out Ron.
"Expluso!" The spell was launched at Harry and Hermione who dove out of the way as the booth exploded, rattling the glass on the windows.
Hermione rolled across the tiles, her wand pointed toward the one who had sent the spell. "Petrificus Totalus!"
The first wizard stood up, his hand pressed against the kunai wound at his shoulder and pointed his wand at the vulnerable Hermione when Naruto appeared behind him and slammed his head into the counter. The wizard dropped like a sack of potatoes, his wand falling from his grip.
The wizards and ninja simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief as they crawled through the wreckage toward one another.
"Damn…" Muttered Naruto as he rubbed his head and looked around the diner. "I don't know how we are going to explain this one…" Debris littered the floor, one of the lights has exploded in its fixture and one booth was completely destroyed. They were lucky the entire place hadn't gone up in flames.
Harry set to helping Ron free himself while Hermione crawled over to where Sai was struggling with his own bonds.
"D-diffindo." She said, pointing at the ropes. Instead, a huge gash ripped through Sai's knee. He grunted as blood began to pour out, but didn't berate Hermione for her mistake.
"Sorry!" Hermione said, even more frightened. "My hand is shaking."
She managed to finally cut the ropes away as Harry helped Ron to his feet. Harry walked over to where the two wizards lay. One was still out for the count while the other stared up at them with wide eyes that darted between them.
"I should have recognized them." Harry muttered.
"Death Eaters, the pair of them." Said Ron. "That's Dolohov." He pointed toward the conscious one. "Think the big one might be Rowle."
"It doesn't matter who they are!" Said Hermione frantically. "How did they find us?"
Harry shook his head. "Hermione the door, Ron the lights."
Ron immediately obeyed, clicking the Deluminator while Hermione hoped over the debris to the door. They heard it lock with a click as Harry lit his wand.
"We should kill them." Said Sai, bending down toward Rowle with a kunai in his hand. "It's what they would have done, just now."
Ron took a few hesitant steps backward before biting his lip. "Sai's right." He said quietly.
Harry shook his head. "That would be too obvious. Someone must have sent them here and if they don't show up again it will be obvious they ran into us. We'll wipe their memories."
"Right, good thinking Harry." Said Ron, looking relieved.
"I know the theory." Said Hermione pointing to Dolohov. She took a deep breath. "Obliviate."
All at once, a vacant sort of expression passed over Dolohov's face. "Nice." Said Naruto, patting Hermione on the back.
While Hermione wiped memories, the boys started to clean up the mess. Naruto and Sai picked up the two Death Eaters and seated them in a booth, making it look like they were conversing with each other.
"I guess they might wonder where the knife wound came from." Said Naruto frowning as he leaned against the booth that Harry and Ron recently restored. "If Sakura was here, she could…" He trailed off, not willing to finish his sentence.
"You don't think you still have the Trace on you, do you Harry?" Hermione voice came as a whisper as they all froze.
"He can't." Said Ron. "That breaks at seventeen. It's Wizarding Law."
"But if we can no longer trust the Ministry," Said Hermione, "Maybe they somehow found a way and cursed Harry…"
"But Harry's only been at the Burrow the last couple of days and if you're implying someone is a traitor…" Said Ron hotly.
Hermione was about to protest when Sai cut in. "This is a good discussion and all, but I think first we should find a place to stay."
Ron took a deep breath. "Yeah, a place where we can think things through."
"Last time I checked, no place was really safe." Said Naruto.
"Grimmauld Place." Said Harry.
Ron and Hermione both gaped at him. "Harry, you can't be serious. That's the last place we should go! You know the Fidelus Charm could fail at any minute and who knows how many Death Eaters Snape has told already…"
"You heard Kakashi." Said Harry shaking his head, "The curses Mad Eye put on the place are working and he said that the place was abandoned! And even if Snape does decide to pop in, I welcome him! There's nothing I would like better –"
"Harry!" Hermione admonished.
"What?" Said Ron, crossing his arms over his chest. "Harry's right. There's a few things I would like to say to Snape myself. And right now, it's the only option we have."
Hermione looked as if she had more to say on the topic, but she just let out a little sigh.
"Good enough." Said Naruto. "Let's go."
With reluctance, Ron restored the lights and Hermione unlocked the door, before they vanished into the darkness.
One by one, the Death Eaters had suddenly vanished as if they had filled their quota of violence for the day. Tables and chairs had been overturned and thrown about, some completely splintered into pieces. Cutlery, broken dinnerware and trampled flowers littered the dance floor like seashells on a beach. A couple of motionless bodies were still lying on the dance floor and Kakashi had a sneaking suspicion that had been his handiwork.
Lupin and Tonks were standing over one body, Lupin's arm around Tonks' waist. Their clothes were torn but they seemed otherwise unharmed. Kakashi felt someone touch his arm and he turned to see Mr. Weasley standing there, a large gash across his forehead.
"Arthur!" Exclaimed Kakashi. "You're hurt!"
Mr. Weasley wiped a finger across the cut, wincing slightly before looking at the blood that came off on his fingers. He shrugged. "Molly will take a look at it later, have you seen Ron or Harry? I can't seem to find them anywhere…"
Kakashi paused, not sure how to explain the situation to the father before him. "They're safe, Arthur." He said simply.
Mr. Weasley looked at Kakashi a beat before sighing. "I suppose I knew this day was coming. I just wish I could have gotten a chance to say good-bye before they set off…"
"Kakashi," Said Lupin calling him from where he knelt over one of the dead Oto ninja, "Could you come here?"
Kakashi and Mr. Weasley both approached and they could see that Lupin had turned the body over. His hitai-ate was glaringly obvious and he had a hole through his chest. Definitely Kakashi's handiwork.
Lupin put a hand over his nose and pointed to the music note engraved on the metal. "This looks very similar to yours, Kakashi. Do you know who he is?"
"He's a ninja." Kakashi confirmed to which Mr. Weasley and Tonks exchanged horrified glances. "But he's not from the same village as I. He's from Otogakure, the Village Hidden in Sound."
"But…" Said Mr. Weasley, "When Dumbledore explained to the Order who you were after the Battle at the Department of Mysteries, he said that no one could cross between the…er…dimensions."
"Except for you, obviously." Mr. Weasley added hastily. "And well, Dumbledore…but now that he's gone…"
"He was right. Was right." Kakashi explained. "I'll explain everything, but perhaps we should move the conversation indoors."
"He's right." Said Lupin, standing. "If the Ministry has fallen, then I think we should be expecting routine visits from our Death Eater friends. Basic protection should be reinstalled so at least we won't be caught unaware."
Kakashi helped to vacate the dance floor of dead bodies lest Mrs. Weasley caught sight of them while Lupin and Tonks set about adding protection charms around the perimeter of the Burrow. Mr. Weasley set about repairing the broken debris, muttering to himself about how they were sure to not get the deposit back from Millamont's Magic Marquees.
Inside, Mrs. Weasley and Fleur had set up a healing station where wounded party guests were getting treated. Luckily, none of the injuries had seemed too bad. Aunt Muriel was tucked away safely in one of the bedrooms, her tiara once again in her possession and Hagrid was sitting in the kitchen nursing a bottle of brandy. Mrs. Weasley was frazzled looking and Fleur's hair was in utter disarray and her dress had been stained with soot and a few drops of blood. She was sitting beside Bill in the kitchen, her hand clasped tightly in his.
"Of all the days this had to happen…" Mrs. Weasley said angrily, wringing her hands together. If she had any of Sakura's super strength, she likely could have put her fist through a wall just then.
"It's alright, Mum." Said Bill with a small smile. "At least I was able to say 'I do'." He looked at Fleur and she beamed at him before resting her head on his shoulder.
When Tonks and Lupin finally returned to the house after setting up the magical barriers, Mrs. Weasley stared at the group assembled before her in abject horror. "Where's Ron?" She asked, her eyes darting among them frantically. "Where's Harry?"
Mr. Weasley grimaced as he walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "They're safe. They escaped before the fighting began."
Mrs. Weasley seemed to deflate before their eyes as she pulled out of Mr. Weasley's embrace and slumped into one of the kitchen chairs. Mr. Weasley followed sat down beside her and pulled her hand into his. "I tried to make them see reason…"
"It's better this way!" Said Tonks reassuringly. "With the Ministry fallen, there is no telling what we can expect. It's better if they don't know where Harry is."
"And Naruto and Sai are with them." Kakashi added. "They won't let any harm Ron, Harry or Hermione."
"But they are just children themselves!" Said Mrs. Weasley desperately.
Kakashi pursed his lips, but didn't argue with Mrs. Weasley. Lupin pulled a chair out, the legs roughly scraping along the floor before he sat down. Tonks delicately perched herself on his knee. "Molly, the situation is worse than we presumed."
"Worse than the Ministry falling into Death Eater hands?" Asked Charlie Weasley. He scratched at his newly shaven chin and shook his head. "I didn't think things could get much worse."
Mrs. Weasley sighed and then stood up. "Out." She ordered, looking at Ginny, Fred and George.
"Mum!" Ginny protested while Fred and George chorused "We're adults!"
"I think they better hear this, Molly." Said Kakashi. He winced as Mrs. Weasley turned her wrath on him. "It's better that they aren't caught unaware." He added hastily.
"Kakashi's right." Said Mr. Weasley. He gave her an encouraging nod and then reached out for her, pulling her back into her seat.
Ginny shared a look of triumph with her brothers before hopping up on the counter to listen.
"In short," Said Kakashi, "It appears Voldermort has somehow figured out the secret to opening the barrier between our worlds and has aligned himself with one of our most powerful enemies."
There seemed to be a collective groan that rippled through the Order members. "And it appears as if this enemy has his own followers that were present today during the initial attack today?" Lupin asked.
"That would explain the strange bloke that tried attacking me with the knife…" Said George in a thoughtful tone.
Mrs. Weasley gasped and pulled the red headed twin toward her, immediately inspecting him from head to toe for any signs of injury.
"Mum!" George complained as Fred stifled his laugh. "I fought him off, didn't I?"
"Great," Said Bill, slumping back in his seat. "A ninja attack force to go along with the Death Eaters. As if we weren't already outnumbered enough."
Kakashi nodded his head. "His name is Orochimaru, and yes, he does have his own…followers. Ninja from his village, Otogakure."
Tonks passed a hand over her face and Lupin wrapped an arm around her waist in support. "Kingsley will have to be informed of this at once, and so will the other Order members and Aurors who haven't yet swayed to the Ministry's propaganda."
"Things have been bad enough; the outright attacks against the Muggles and the murders of both Amelia Bones and Emmeline Vance, but the inclusion of ninja into You Know Who's reign of terror will add a dimension that the wizarding community will not be prepared for." Said Lupin dourly.
"Some form of reconnaissance will be necessary." Said Bill. "But with Dumbledore gone and Snape…" Bill grimaced and shook his head. "Well, Snape was Dumbledore's ace in the hole but even now I don't know if his intel was to be trusted."
"Yes…" Said Kakashi as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the kitchen table. "I believe he may have played a crucial role in the abduction of my student, Sakura Haruno. But," He added, on a hopeful note, "I believe that I know a location where I can begin searching for her. With any luck, my search will give us some answers on exactly what Orochimaru is doing here and what Voldermort has planned."
"That's great, Kakashi!" Said Tonks enthusiastically. "If you'd like, I'd be willing to accompany you."
Lupin looked alarmed and even Kakashi was ready to protest. He knew Tonks was a highly accomplished witch and he has seen her hold her own during the Battle at the Department of Mysteries. But she was pregnant and even Kurenai had been excused from any ninja duties since learning she was with child!
"I won't take no for an answer." Said Tonks cheekily, her expression a bright spot in a room of dour faces. "Besides, Kakashi can barely navigate the good side of Diagon Alley." Lupin looked as if he still had reservations but Tonks' quickly gave him a peck on the lips, silencing any arguments he would have put forth.
Kakashi frowned at Tonks' joke. He was a highly accomplished tracker! Surely he could figure out how to navigate this world…
They reappeared right on the step of the old house where Naruto couldn't help but feel another wave of sadness. Last time he had come here, Dumbledore had taken him and Sakura by Side Along Apparition and he had been amazed at how the house just suddenly appeared where Dumbledore had whispered in his ear that it was there.
Harry tapped the door with his wand and it swung open into the darkness. They walked through the door and stood on the threshold, half expecting something to come out of the darkness and attack them. But instead, the lights in the lamps lit, settling a warm, but still creepy glow upon the place.
"So where are all these jinxes?" Muttered Ron.
"We can't stand here forever." Said Harry, taking a step forward.
"Severus Snape?" An eerie voice called from the darkness. Hermione jumped back and clutched Ron and Naruto's arms.
"We're not Snape!" Harry called out weakly.
Then, a weird experience entered Harry's mouth. His tongue felt thick and he couldn't speak.
"T-Tongue T-Tying Curse." Hermione stammered.
Then Harry stepped forward again and a dusty figure rose out of the ground. Hermione let out a shrill scream, which set off Mrs. Black who woke with a vengeance. Her wretched screaming echoed around them as the ghastly figure sped toward them, its arm raised as it pointed at Harry.
"What the hell?!" Naruto shouted, scrambling backward for the door. "Is it a ghost?!"
"No!" Harry yelled. "We didn't kill…"
At the word 'kill', the figure exploded into a cloud of dust which settled over them. Harry sputtered, spitting dust out of his mouth and turned to find Naruto pressed against the door like he had half the life scared out of him and Hermione was crouched on the ground, her arms over her head.
"It's ok," Ron said soothingly as he knelt beside her, patting her hair. "It's gone now…"
Only Sai remained unmoved by the ghastly specter of Dumbledore. He looked at the now settled pile of dust with a sort of morbid, detached curiosity. Mrs. Black's angry cursing was still echoing around the house until Harry bellowed for her to shut up and closed the curtains over her portrait with his wand.
Then an eerie silence permeated the place.