Hey there! Here's that fifth chapter I promised. Ugh, it's earlier than it should be, but that's only because you beautiful people reviewed. I bet if I got even more I'd be quicker.

Grumbles And to think, I wanted to make you wait a little longer. Curse you all for being so wonderful.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter.

Lush green fields zoomed past the window as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of London. Naruto watched, fascinated, as buildings turned to grass, grass to trees, and finally, trees to nothing but wide open spaces.

Lying limp in his arms was a copy of Defense Against the Dark Arts: The Unforgivables, A Revised Edition. He had yet to pick it up and read through it; he was so absorbed in the scenery.

'What would you like to eat, then, kids?' A jolly old man with a short, trim beard, slid the door of the compartment open and suddenly popped his head in, his eyes crinkling as he smiled at them.

Naruto snapped out of his reverie. Kiba quickly withdrew himself from his passionate snogging session with Hinata, who was blushing to her hair roots. Sasuke hastily retreated slightly to the left as Naruto looked up, for fear of being caught staring wistfully at the blonde's neck.

'You have any Kit Kat, sir?' Naruto asked, standing and rummaging in his jean's pocket for a few gold coins. Sasuke swallowed loudly. The pocket was on the back, giving the raven a full view, and Naruto's black jeans were tight.

'Ain't got no idea what that is, sonny,' the old man said, grinning toothily. 'But I'll tell you what I do got, I will. I've got Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, I've got Fanny…'

Sasuke let his mind drown out the voice of the man, his eyes on Naruto. Kiba was rolling his eyes at Naruto's comment about Kit Kat and muttering 'Muggles' under his breath, while Hinata had produced a purse, and was currently looking through it for some change.

A few minutes later, Sasuke's eyes widened as he took in the load of sweets Naruto and Hinata dumped in a large heap on the floor of the carriage.

'Right on, Hinata,' he said, high-fiving the girl. 'We are going to eat like kings.'

'Or get as fat as kings,' Sasuke pointed out drily.

'Or that,' Naruto nodded thoughtfully, pulling out a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, opening it, and then popping an odd, blackish-brown colored one into his mouth. It made a loud crunching noise as Naruto bit down on it. 'Ugh,' he said, making a face. 'This tastes horrible.'

Kiba pulled the box out of his grip ('HEY!' Naruto cried indignantly) and rummaged in it for a bean the same color. Finding it, he sniffed it suspiciously, and then took a tiny, cautious bite.

'Tastes like a Cockroach Cluster,' he announced, his nose scrunching up.

'Argh!' Naruto yanked open the window and started spitting what remained of the bean outside. After a minute, he drew his head back in and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. 'Ugh. Cockroach. They really mean it when they say every flavor, huh?'

'Never underestimate the power of the bean, Naruto,' Kiba said solemnly.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him.

10 minutes later, Sasuke was feeling decidedly drowsy. Good food and no good conversation did that to you. His eyes raked the assortment of sweets on the floor. Finding the last, lone Sugar Quill, he leaned down quickly to pick it up, just as Naruto hastily reached out for it as well. Their heads met halfway, colliding with a muffled thud.

'Owwww,' Naruto moaned. He rubbed the part he'd knocked tenderly.

Sasuke groaned as well, clutching his aching head. 'Watch where you're going next time, dobe.'

'ME?' Naruto said, glaring at him as he continued to rub his head. 'Ever thought it might be YOUR fault, teme?'

'Shut up, Naruto,' Sasuke sighed, his head throbbing with the volume of Naruto's voice. What a brilliant way to start the school year. Arguing with the one guy he'd been interested in since…okay, ever.

'I've got some bandages in my trunk,' Hinata offered.

Naruto smiled at her, wincing as he accidentally rubbed particularly hard. 'It's fine. It's just a little bump.'

'Sasuke?' she asked.

Sasuke shook his head. He'd be alright in a minute.

Kiba offered to pass the time playing Exploding Snap. Naruto took him up on the offer at once. Sasuke leaned back and watched the several games they played (Naruto lost all but two, and Hinata had to douse his easily-flammable eyebrows several times). He noticed, from a corner of his eye, that Naruto's book lay forgotten on his seat.

'Naruto, look outside!' Hinata abruptly said during the 16th game. 'You can see Hogwarts from here!'

Naruto immediately glanced outside. 'Where?'

'Behind you!'

Naruto twisted around and stared. Hinata was right. You could see the castle in the distance, painted an eerie black against the red sky, moving steadily closer with each passing second.

The door suddenly slid open with a loud clatter.

'Sasuke?'

A pink-haired beauty with green eyes stood at the doorway, surveying the group. The light from the corridor outside shone around her slim, curvy figure. When her eyes landed on Sasuke, they lit up.

'Hey there, Sasuke,' she said, smiling prettily. 'How was your summer?'

'Hn.'

The girl's smile faltered, and then returned with full force. She had caught sight of Naruto, who was looking back at her with interest.

'Hi,' she said softly, batting her lashes. 'I haven't seen you around before. Got a name, tiger?'

Sasuke glared at her, while Naruto blushed lightly. 'Uh, hi. I'm Naruto.'

'Cute,' she said, her head cocked to one side as she looked him over. 'I'm Sakura. You're the new kid?'

Naruto nodded. 'How did you know?'

'My aunt works at the Ministry,' Sakura explained. 'Well, Naruto, if you need me to show you around or any-'

'Sakura,' Sasuke said, annoyed. 'That won't be necessary. I'll be showing him around.'

Naruto glanced at Kiba, meaning to exchange confused looks with him as to why Sasuke was suddenly acting so weird. Kiba didn't meet his eyes, though. The dog-lover seemed to be smirking to himself at some inside joke as he watched the raven.

Sakura's eyes flicked to Sasuke once more. 'Alright. One more thing.'

Sasuke almost snarled at her. As it was, he merely appraised her with a cold look. 'What?'

'Would you like to go out next Hogsmeade weekend?'

'No,' Sasuke said at once.

Sakura shook her head, not in the least fazed by the rejection. 'You'll come around someday. Anyway, I'll see you guys later. Later, Naruto!' she said as she shut the door, and then walked away.

'Bye!' Naruto called after her. 'Well, she was nice,' he said, when they no longer heard her footsteps. 'Who is she?'

'Sakura Haruno,' Hinata said. 'Sasuke's number 1 fan.'

Naruto glanced at the raven in surprise. 'This bastard has fans?'

Kiba laughed. 'Like you would not believe,' he told Naruto. 'He's practically got half the female population in school stalking him.'

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a newfound respect. 'Awesome,' he said to him seriously.

Sasuke ignored him.

As they neared Hogwarts, the group pulled open their trunks and got out their school robes. As soon as they had donned them, the train squealed to a stop.

Naruto was the first one out of his carriage. Other students jostled him about, and he had no choice but to move with the flow. As he was pushed forward, he felt something catch on his sleeve, near his elbow. Ignoring the pressure there, he continued to move.

When he got out of the train and into open air, Naruto breathed deeply. The September air was a tad chilly, and he shivered slightly.

Warm air suddenly breathed in his ear. 'Cold?' a voice whispered.

Naruto whipped around. Sasuke smirked at the stunned expression and released his hold on Naruto's sleeve. Sasuke, the blonde realized, must have been what he felt near his elbow just as he left the carriage.

'N-No,' Naruto stammered in response to the raven, his face suddenly flaming.

'Come on,' Sasuke said, dragging Naruto to where the carriages were waiting. 'We have to get one before those stupid girls do.'

Naruto looked at him quizzically.

As if in answer to his unasked question, a high pitched shriek rang out over the noise of general chatter among the students. 'Sasuke!' a girl with long black hair screamed, waving frantically as she hung out the door of a carriage. 'There's room in here! Come on!'

Grimacing, Sasuke pulled Naruto into a nearby, empty carriage. 'We'll wait in here for dog-breath and his girlfriend,' he said, settling down in a seat near the far window.

Naruto sat quietly in the carriage, contemplating something. He glanced up at Sasuke regularly, but then looked away immediately.

'What?' Sasuke asked irritably, after Naruto had looked at him and away again for what seemed like the hundredth time. 'Have I got something on my face?'

'Do-Do you really have that many fan girls?' Naruto asked hesitantly.

Sasuke looked at him in surprise. 'Well…yeah, I guess. If the way they keep ambushing me is in any indication. It's like they wait for me at every corner,' he said, shaking his head.

'Oh,' Naruto said, looking back down. Then he glanced up again. 'So do you have a girlfriend, then?'

Sasuke sputtered as he choked on air. 'No!'

The last thing he wanted was for Naruto to think he was unavailable.

Naruto looked visibly relieved. 'Oh. Okay.'

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the blonde suspiciously. Then, seeming to realize something, he suddenly smirked.

'What?' Naruto asked, frowning at the look of sudden, subtle glee on the raven's face.

'Nothing,' Sasuke said innocently, continuing to smirk.

'Hey, guys,' Kiba said loudly, yanking open the door to the carriage. He climbed in, then turned around and chivalrously offered a hand to Hinata. 'Glad to see you made it alive.'

'Kiba,' Hinata chided, shaking her head and letting her boyfriend haul her in. 'In his own way, he's thanking you for saving us a carriage,' she explained to them.

Sasuke nodded to Hinata, his face back to its normal, inexpressive mask.

The carriage started moving with a sudden jolt, the wheels below them creaking to life. Naruto glanced out the window opposite the carriage door, watching as they moved past the Hogwarts train and towards the large castle.

'So we're being pulled by magic?' he asked suddenly, trying to crane his neck through said window.

Sasuke leaned over and yanked him back in. 'Don't do that,' he said sternly. 'You could lose your head.'

'Overprotective much, Sasuke?' Kiba said teasingly.

'Shut up, mongrel,' Sasuke retorted.

'The carriages are pulled by Thestrals, Naruto,' Hinata told the blonde. 'They're these horse-like things that are invisible unless you've seen someone die. We learnt about them last year.'

'Wow. Morbid,' Naruto commented, settling back into his seat.

The rest of the ride was quiet, save for the rattling of the carriage as it made its way up the road. Kiba made it his duty to point out every single thing that they passed. Right after their carriage moved through tall, granite pillars, on top of which were winged boars, on either side of the gates to the school grounds, Kiba said, pointing at the darkness, 'That, Naruto, is the Forbidden Forest. Obviously, it's off limits to all students, except when you have a Care of Magical Creatures lesson in there, or a detention with the caretaker, Zabuza, who is really nice and never gives anyone a detention anyways.'

Naruto squinted through the window. 'I don't see anything.'

'I'll show you in the morning then,' Kiba said, ignoring the small scowl Sasuke sent his way.

The carriage eventually came to a halt in front of the stone steps leading up to the huge, oak front doors. They all got out, and Naruto stared up the castle in awe.

'Wow,' he murmured, mesmerized.

What looked like over a hundred turrets were outlined against the dark sky. The entire structure was pitch black, save for the few windows here and there that looked like fireflies as the glow from the fires inside flickered.

'Naruto Uzumaki?' a soft voice called out from his right. 'Is Naruto Uzumaki here?'

Naruto and the group looked to find a pretty young woman staring at him. Her eyes were a shade of brown that could easily be mistaken for red. Her hair, shoulder-length and black, pooled around her neck, contrasting with the rich crimson of her robe.

'I'm Naruto,' he said.

A smile of relief broke out on her face. 'Oh, okay. Brilliant. If you would step this way, please.'

'Why?' Naruto asked, bewildered. Had he already done something wrong?

'Professor Shizune is looking for you. She'll be taking you to see Professor Tsunade,' the woman explained. 'She'll bring you back in time for the sorting. Oh, I'm Professor Kurenai, by the way. I teach Transfiguration, and I'm Head of Ravenclaw.'

'Naruto, you go ahead,' Kiba said, ushering him toward Professor Kurenai. 'We'll see you in the morning.'

'Morning?' Naruto frowned. 'Why in the morning? Won't we see each other tonight?'

Sasuke hadn't moved his eyes from Naruto. Now, he said, 'If you get into Gryffindor, I'll be saving you a seat.'

'Oh.' Realization dawned on the blonde. When he was sorted, he would go to one of four houses, each with a completely separate dining table and common room. He might not go into the same house as his new friends. 'Hey, what houses are you in?' he called out desperately.

'Gryffindor,' they answered unanimously, just as Kurenai pulled him out of sight.

Sasuke had, true to his word, kept the space next to himself free. Kiba and Hinata sat opposite him, holding hands and whispering to each other. The raven glanced down at his own hands on the table, his thumbs twiddling as he waited for the sorting to begin. He couldn't believe he hadn't realized that Naruto might not be in Gryffindor. He scowled at the thought.

A memory suddenly hit him, full force. He managed a small smirk as he thought of it. Naruto had seemed worried that Sasuke might have a girlfriend. That only meant one thing: Naruto liked him. As more than a friend, he reasoned. Of course, the dobe might not have realized it yet. But he will, Sasuke thought assuredly. I'll make sure he crawls right into my eagerly waiting arms.

The double doors from the Entrance Hall swung open. A long line of twitching, terrified little first-years followed Professor Shizune – a short-haired, tough-looking but sweet woman that, in addition to being Deputy Headmistress, also taught Care of Magical Creatures – into the hall. Professor Shizune was carrying an old, worn out wizard's hat, which had a wide rip near its brim, and a scroll. She placed the hat on a stool in front of the staff table at the other end of the Great Hall, and then moved away as the first-years lined up.

Kiba had exploded into a fit of muffled snorts while Hinata had slapped a hand over her mouth, her body shaking slightly and her lips turned upward. Even Sasuke had to smirk.

Toward the end of the line stood Naruto, looking exceedingly disgruntled. His height, being around 5 feet 9 inches, made him stand out, and the way the candlelight played on his bright blonde hair did it even more. Almost all the first years just reached his elbow. The midgets at the end of the line just before and after Naruto, kept glancing up at him in awe. Naruto stood with his arms crossed in front of him, and a slight pout on his face.

The entire hall was silent. For a second, Sasuke thought they would burst into laughter at any given moment. Instead, the rip at the brim of the hat suddenly opened wide, and started to talk:

As I sat upon my shelf
In the year that's past
I pondered how to sing this song
To make the memory last

For don't think that I do not know
That you will all forget
As soon as you walk out these doors
That leads you to your bed

So thinking in the dark, I was
About the Founders four
But I cannot keep dwelling on
The brilliance that's no more

So let me tell you all a story
Of the legendary Bright that meets the Black
Of the Bright infectious happiness
And the darkness that attacks

The two are destined, entwined
One is Yin, the other Yang
Without one, there is no other
Without the other, the world is sad

So Bright will make the whole world smile
And laugh with their happy faces
While Black will lock it all away
So that Bright may have many more cases

And Black will comfort those who need
The closure, to let life go on
And Bright shall come and stand by him
And take Black away, when he's done

So think hard about this, my friends
When I've sorted out you lot
Black and Bright come in equal doses
But separate, they're not

For without one, there is no other
Without the other, the world's a sin
But Ah! I've tired you all out
Let the Sorting now begin!

The Great Hall burst into scattered applause, some of the more serious ones frowning as they thought about the hat's message.

'Odd, isn't it?' Hinata leaned forward and murmured to Sasuke, who glanced up at her. 'Do you remember the Sorting Hat ever telling us anything that didn't have to do with the four founders?'

Sasuke shook his head mutely.

'And it was so short this year,' Hinata continued, her eyes moving to lock onto the old hat.

'Hinata,' Kiba laughed, slipping an arm around her waist. 'You're overanalyzing things again. Whatever, it's about time he got something new to talk about, anyway.'

'But the students have to be told of the founders!' Hinata said, indignant. 'How will they know why they are going to a particular house, otherwise? How will they know if deep down, they're brave, or smart, or cunning, or anything?'

'I'm sure the Sorting Hat thought of that, love,' Kiba said soothingly. 'We'll ask Naruto when we get a chance, okay?'

Hinata nodded, still not looking convinced, and then settled for watching the sorting.

'Brown, Magnolia!' Shizune, who had stepped forward after the hat was done with its song, read out from a scroll of parchment she had.

A shy, pink-faced blonde walked as quickly as her hasty legs could carry her and sat on the stool, placing the hat on her head. It was too large for her, and slid down to cover her eyes.

After a few seconds, the hat called loudly, 'HUFFLEPUFF!'

The table on the right cheered encouragingly as they girl took off the hat, put it back on the stool, and ran as quickly as possible to hide in the throng of students that crowded around her to welcome her.

'Boot, Peter!' A boy with black hair and sharp ears hurried forward out of the line and placed the hat on his head.

'RAVENCLAW!' the hat yelled.

It continued this way, with Shizune calling all the new students' names until finally, she reached the U's.

'Uzumaki, Naruto!'

Naruto walked forward, acutely aware of the fact that the entire hall was silent. He inwardly groaned. He hated making more of a spectacle of himself than he should. What he didn't know was that the female population of Hogwarts had already started gossiping as to the new, extremely hot blonde that had started school with them this year. Most were waiting with bated breaths to find out what house he would be in.

Naruto sat on the stool and placed the hat on his head, feeling ridiculous. It fit him perfectly. Twiddling his thumbs, he looked out at the tables that were staring right back at him. He gulped audibly.

'Let's see, now,' a low voice suddenly whispered in his ear, startling him. His blue eyes darted left and right nervously, trying to find the voice's source.

'Intelligent, I see,' the voice continued. Naruto realized that the voice was from the hat. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edges of the stool tightly. 'Ah, but terribly brave, too. Confident. AND cunning!' the hat added. Naruto could have sworn the hat sounded surprised.

The blonde wasn't sure if he should talk back to it. That might look ridiculous if he wasn't supposed to, he decided. So he thought really hard. If the hat could read his mind's qualities, surely it could just read his mind?

Am I supposed to talk to you? He asked curiously. I mean, do you need me to tell you anything?

'What do you take me for, boy?' the hat said. 'I can decide perfectly well without your help as to which house to put you in.'

Oh. Just checking, Naruto said.

'Anything you'd prefer?' the hat suddenly asked. 'You'd do well in any of the houses, you know.'

Nah, I'm good, Naruto assured it, talking to it as if they were friends of old.

'Bah! Well, I'll put you in Gryffindor, then,' the hat said. 'It seems like your kind of house. Brave of heart, and all that.'

Okay, Naruto said.

'GRYFFINDOR!' the hat yelled out to the hall. Naruto cringed slightly at the volume.

The Gryffindor table burst into loud applause. Screaming and cheering girls waved Naruto over, who stood and put the hat down with a flourish, generating a few good-natured laughs.

Naruto's eyes roamed the table. Finding Sasuke, he grinned and made his way to the empty space next to him.

This chapter didn't have everything I wanted it to. I meant to include another important bit in the story, but I couldn't fit it in. I'm already past my average word limit per chapter, and I'd like to keep everything even.

So I'll put that in the next chapter.

As for the song that the hat sings, know that it is completely original. I know it's weird, but try replacing the words, so that Bright is Naruto, and Black is Sasuke.

Thanks again for the reviews! You guys rock. Special love to FrostyIceCube, Kyorose, and Prauge.

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