And here is the sixth chappie. Fall to your knees now, and thank the lord that I am so extremely thrilled with your reviews. If not for them, believe me, this would have taken another week.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief as Naruto approached him, realizing just then that he had been holding his breath. He had been slightly apprehensive as to which House the Sorting Hat would call out. A pleasant, tingling sensation flooded his body as Naruto sat down on the bench next to him, slipping in between himself and a redhead next to him, beaming.

'Welcome to the best House in Hogwarts, Naruto,' Kiba roared over the cheers of the still-screaming girls. He leaned over the table and rapped knuckles with the blonde, grinning.

'Thanks, Kiba,' Naruto said, once the table had settled down. He glanced at Sasuke. 'Glad to see me, teme?'

Sasuke rolled his eyes, smirking. 'Sure, dobe.'

Naruto grinned at him, and then turned to watch the sorting continue.

When the last student had been sorted (Lourdes Zefferman went to Ravenclaw), the blonde was delighted to turn and find that the table was filled with mouth-watering dishes. Kiba had already started digging in, shoveling heaps of potatoes onto his plate. Hinata had started with a sip of her pumpkin juice.

The only other person besides Naruto who hadn't touched his food was Sasuke. The raven was openly gaping at the staff table.

'What's up, Sasuke?' Naruto asked while glancing up curiously in the direction Sasuke was looking at.

'Nothing,' Sasuke said, his eyes snapping to Naruto. 'I thought I saw something.'

'Oh,' said Naruto. 'Well, dig in!' With that, the blonde speared a bit of turkey on the end of his fork and shoved it onto his plate. Sasuke watched with an amused expression before he picked up a knife, sawed the turkey neatly into a quarter, and then took a piece for himself.

'Hey, Naruto,' Kiba said, swallowing a mouthful of food. 'What did Tsunade want?'

Naruto gulped down his third piece of turkey. 'Ah, nothing much,' he said, waving his fork dismissively. 'Just wanted to meet me, let me know a few things.'

Naruto didn't mention what had really transpired between him and the Headmistress. He thought back to the events as he continued to eat.

He followed Professor Kurenai as she led him through the large, double oak doors to the Entrance Hall. At the base of the wide marble staircase opposite the doors stood a kind-looking witch garbed in black. Professor Kurenai led him to her.

'Professor Shizune,' said Professor Kurenai, upon reaching the stairs. 'This is Naruto Uzumaki. Is there anything else you'll need?'

'Thank you so much, Kurenai,' Professor Shizune smiled. 'No, that's quite all for tonight. I'll see you at the sorting, then.'

Professor Kurenai nodded, then turned and made her way to the Great Hall.

'So you're the elusive Naruto Uzumaki, are you?' Shizune said, looking the blonde up and down. 'You seem well enough. If you will follow me, please.' The witch turned on her heel and led the way up the stairs.

Naruto followed, maintaining five feet between them. She seems nice enough, he thought, watching her. Looks like most people here are.

Professor Shizune paused at a hallway and pointed down it. 'If you go down there,' she said, 'you'll come to my office. I'm Deputy Headmistress, and if you ever need anything, feel free to come and see me.'

Naruto nodded, trying to fix the location in his head. Hogwarts, he thought to himself, was decidedly huge.

As they moved on, she pointed down yet another hallway. 'That,' she said, 'is the Hospital Wing. Conveniently enough, it's located on this floor.'

'Why is that convenient?' asked Naruto curiously.

'I'm a certified Healer, so I handle most student cases. If the matter is serious, Professor Tsunade will step in. Lucky for me, both offices are mine.' She grinned at Naruto, and he guessed that she was proud to have such an important role in the school.

Shizune continued until they reached yet another staircase. When they reached the top, she led them across the floor till they reached an ugly stone gargoyle. Naruto stared, bewildered, at the statue, as it stood at rapt attention, never moving from its stony position.

'Mandragora,' said Shizune.

Naruto was baffled for a moment. He remembered reading in one of his new second-year textbooks that mandragora a plant used in medicines. Why, then, would Shizune suddenly say it to him?

To his astonishment, the hideous gargoyle in front of them leapt to a side, revealing a long, winding staircase.

'Come on, then,' Shizune urged, smiling at the befuddled look on the blonde's face. 'Get on.'

Naruto obeyed at once. He moved forward until he was standing next to the dark-haired professor on the first stone step. All of a sudden, the staircase started to move, spiraling at a slow, steady pace upward.

'It leads to the Headmistress's Tower,' explained Professor Shizune.

Naruto nodded, dumbstruck. Magic never failed to amaze him.

When they reached the top, the steps came to an abrupt halt. The two stepped out, and Naruto gaped at the splendor that surrounded him.

He was in a circular room adorned with portraits of witches and wizards, every single one of them moving around, and most taking no notice of him. Stars twinkled merrily at him from behind the large windows, while different odd-looking instruments whirred and popped for no apparent reason. Behind the large desk near one of the windows sat a large-busted blonde woman, in robes of emerald green.

As Naruto stepped forward, moving behind Professor Shizune, he noticed her looking at him with a bored expression. Her fingers lay interlocked on the surface of her desk, propped up by her elbows, and on which her chin rested. Next to her, glinting by the glow of the fire was a bottle that read 'Saké'.

'This is Naruto Uzumaki, Professor Tsunade,' Shizune said to the blonde woman, presenting the boy behind her.

'Ah,' said the woman, and her expression cleared. She looked immensely interested now.

'Hullo,' Naruto mumbled, trying his level best not to let his gaze stray to her intimidating chest.

'Welcome, Naruto,' Tsunade said warmly. 'I'm sorry I have to skip the formalities, but I'd like to finish this quickly so we can get you downstairs and sorted as soon as possible.'

'That's fine,' Naruto said quickly.

'Okay then,' she began, reaching behind the desk and pulling out a drawer. She rummaged about before extracting a miniature golden hourglass that was attached to a chain. 'This is a Time-Turner,' she said, holding it out for him. 'It can take you back through time. These are very rare, so I'd like you to use it carefully, and then return it to me at the end of the year.' She handed it to him, along with a scroll. 'The instructions are in there. Wear it wherever you go, and keep it safe. A friend of mine, Hermione, went through a lot of trouble to get that for you.'

Naruto nodded and took the two items, handling them carefully. Under the watchful eye of the Headmistress, he slipped the chain around his neck, and then hid the tiny hourglass underneath his robes.

'Good,' Professor Tsunade said, looking satisfied. She looked down at some notes. 'Ah, yes. Your exams. Due to your…delicate…situation, you will be taking two exams.'

At the look of horror on Naruto's face, she held up a hand, making him hold his questions until she was finished speaking. 'You will need to, of course, decide what subjects you are taking. You need only take your OWLs and your sixth-year exams in those subjects.'

'Oh,' Naruto said.

'I've tried to make it as easy as possible, Naruto,' Professor Tsunade said, her eyes sympathetic as they locked on with Naruto's. 'I realize that it must be hard, having no parents and-'

'Jiraiya is a great dad,' Naruto interrupted hotly.

'I'm sure,' Tsunade said soothingly. 'But you're a sixteen-year-old wizard with no training…so I've done my best. Do you think you could decide on your subjects by the end of this week?'

Naruto looked slightly overburdened. 'Isn't that…isn't that a little too early?' He asked uncomfortably. 'I mean, this is my future we're talking about.'

'I'm sorry,' Tsunade sighed. 'But considering the circumstances, I'll need to have everything organized by this week.'

Naruto nodded, resigned. 'Sure. I'll try.'

'That's all I'm asking,' Tsunade said, suddenly brisk and all-business. 'Other than that, I think I only have to make sure you realize the importance of keeping that Time-Turner confidential. You'll have to do a lot of sneaking around to make sure you're not spotted at the same time as your past self. Keeping this information a secret will be for your own safety, as well.'

Naruto's face fell. 'A secret?'

'I'm afraid so,' Tsunade nodded. 'If anyone was to find out, the disasters that could occur as a result could be devastating.'

'Oh. Okay.'

'Good boy,' Tsunade said, standing up. 'If I need to talk to you again, I'll summon you to my office.'

'Okay,' said Naruto, shaking her hand. 'Thank you for everything.'

'It was nothing,' she said. 'Shizune, lead him down to the Hall, would you?'

Professor Shizune, who had stepped back and watched the exchange, now motioned for Naruto to follow her.

With one last smile in his new Headmistress' direction, Naruto left.

'You okay, dobe?' Sasuke said concernedly. 'You've been spaced out for a while.'

Naruto snapped out of his reverie. 'Yeah, sorry,' he mumbled, grinning sheepishly and polishing off the piece of turkey that had been dangling off the end of his fork. He surreptitiously ran his left hand along his chest, making sure the Time-Turner was still there, and intact. It was.

Naruto glanced up at the staff table. Professor Tsunade now sat there with the other teachers, on the left of Professor Shizune and right of Professor Kurenai, her eyes trained on him. As soon as he made eye-contact with her, she looked away.

When everyone had very nearly stuffed themselves full, the remains of the food faded away from their plates, leaving them looking as sparkling and new as dew on the end of a fresh mint leaf. A second later, the desserts appeared. Pies, tarts, puddings and ice creams in every flavor imaginable decorated the four long tables, and suddenly the students found that they hadn't quite eaten as much as they would have liked. They dug straight in.

As Naruto spooned some ice cream into his bowl, several girls approached him.

'Hi,' giggled one, wriggling into the space between him and the red head he'd sat next to.

'Um, hi,' Naruto said, pausing. He let his spoon fall back into the bowl.

'I'm Ino,' said the girl, her blonde hair whipping a bewildered Naruto's face as she tossed her head proudly. 'Ino Yamanaka. My father is the owner of Yamanaka Flowers.'

'That's nice,' Naruto said, glancing at Kiba for support. Kiba just shrugged.

Ino looked incredulous. 'Haven't you ever heard of us?'

'No?' Naruto said sheepishly, scratching his head with his left hand.

'Oh.' Ino looked stunned.

'Pig!' The girl that had earlier identified herself as Sakura now stood behind Naruto, glaring at Ino. 'Shouldn't you be at your own house table?'

'Don't call me that, Forehead,' the blonde replied, standing up. She faced Sakura. 'And it seemed fun over here.'

'Whatever, Ino-Pig,' Sakura said, grabbing her hand. 'If you want to sit with the Gryffindors so much, you might as well sit with –' she glanced around, then spotted the pale Hyuuga heiress, '-Hinata!'

Ino rolled her eyes. 'Please, Forehead. Like I so don't know you're after Blondie here.'

Naruto noted with amusement that Itachi's nickname for him seemed quite popular.

'You two.' A cold voice sliced through the friendly, bickering atmosphere between the girls. 'Leave. Now.'

Naruto glanced at his neighbor, from whom the voice had come from. The red-head glared at the girls, daring them to defy him.

Without another word, the two turned on their heel and marched away.

'Cool,' Naruto grinned, turning to face him. 'Hi. My name's Naruto.'

'I know.'

Naruto looked taken aback. 'Oh. Well, are you in Gryffindor too?'

The red-head glared at Naruto like he was stupid.

'Okay, I'll take that as a yes, then,' he muttered, stealing a look at Sasuke. The raven was watching the exchange, his lips pressed into a silent, hard line.

'Teme,' the blonde whispered loudly, 'who is this guy?' He made an obvious motion toward the red-head.

'Gaara.'

Sasuke hadn't replied. No, it had been the red-head. Naruto turned to him now, a new-born smile on his face.

'Gaara, huh? Cool name,' he said cheerfully.

Gaara stared at him in stony silence. Naruto continued to beam at him. They stared at each other for a while, before Naruto's smile eventually slipped off his face.

'Hey,' he said, poking his new friend in his ribs. 'What's wrong?'

Silence roared as the people near enough to watch what was going on took a collective gasp of breath. Gaara stared at the new kid, incredulous, but his mask of indifference never slipping.

'I don't like being poked,' he said, his voice deathly silent, so quiet that Naruto had to lean forward to hear.

'Oh. Sorry,' the blonde shrugged.

'Hn.'

'What is with you people?' Naruto said exasperatedly, throwing his hands into the air. 'My god, you're just like the teme!'

The corners of Gaara's lips twitched. 'Teme?'

'Sasuke,' Naruto explained, indicating with his thumb who that was.

Although he didn't smile, Gaara's eyes lit up. They landed on Sasuke's rigid form. 'I see.'

'Dobe,' Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth.

'Don't call me that!'

Gaara watched as the two argued, amused. He hadn't, of course, introduced himself properly to this interesting new blonde. He would have to get to know him better some time. He seemed a fascinating person to observe.

Just when Naruto was starting to feel warm and sleepy, the puddings disappeared, and Professor Tsunade stood up. The students fell silent.

'Before we all turn in for the night, there a few start-of-term notices I'd like to give you.

'Our new students should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. The only exception to this rule is when a teacher or myself makes special allowances, and not otherwise. This is in the student's best interest.

'Our caretaker, Mr. Zabuza, has asked that you all mind your magic in the corridors between lessons.

'Finally, Quidditch trials will be held next week. Anyone interested in playing for their teams should contact Madam Hooch.'

The other professors at the table stood as Professor Tsunade finished her speech. 'Move along, then. Bedtime.'

Naruto caught sight of the Gryffindor first-years standing and following a quiet, pale-eyed, dark-haired male, whose long locks were secured behind his head in a long ponytail. He stared uncertainly after them. Might he look ridiculous if he, too, followed the pale Gryffindor prefect as a lost puppy would follow after a stranger?

'Hn. Dobe,' said Sasuke. He reached out and plucked on the collar of Naruto's robe. 'Follow me.'

Relief made itself evident on the blonde's features. He immediately grinned at his duck-haired savior, who led him through the doors of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase. Naruto's legs felt like they weighed a ton, but only because he felt so sleepy and full. He didn't notice the several hidden doorways, or count the number of moving staircases they crossed. He barely acknowledged the occasional girls they passed that would shriek something out suddenly, trying to catch his or Sasuke's attention.

Finally, at the end of a very long corridor, they arrived at the portrait of a very fat woman decked in green.

'Password?' she said.

'Padfoot,' said Sasuke, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a circular hole in the wall. Sasuke leapt gracefully into it with ease, then turned and offered a hand to Naruto, who took it gladly. Sasuke heaved him in, and Naruto found himself in a round, cozy room filled with comfortable looking armchairs, and a merry, crackling fire.

Sasuke led Naruto through a door that took them up yet another spiraling staircase. They must be in one of the towers, Naruto tiredly mused. At the very top of the tower was the sixth-year dormitory, with beds for five people.

Naruto wearily stumbled into the room and landed face-first on the very first four-poster bed, which had been hung with scarlet, velvet curtains.

'I'm so tired,' he moaned, hugging a deep-red pillow to his chest.

'Your things are already here, dobe,' Sasuke said. 'Better get changed.' As he spoke, he took off his shirt and reached for his pajama top.

'But I'm so tired, Sasuke,' Naruto whined, his face buried in the pillow, so his voice came out muffled.

Sasuke sighed. 'Naruto. Change.'

Naruto groaned and hefted himself up. He suddenly caught sight of Sasuke's pale, naked torso.

Flames engulfed his face as he blushed to his hair-roots, his earlier weariness entirely forgotten. For reasons unfathomable to him, seeing Sasuke change was embarrassing and, at the same time, a very pleasurable past-time. His nose threatened to bleed as he watched the fabric of Sasuke's blue silk pajamas rustle against his pale skin.

Sasuke caught sight of the tomato-red Naruto. He paused, his arms already through the sleeves, but his body yet to be covered. Then he smirked.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he lowered his pajama top. Inch by delectable inch, it covered him. Naruto unconsciously licked his lips. The, abruptly, Sasuke brought the entire thing down.

Feeling almost indignant, Naruto's eyes snapped to meet Sasuke's, when he promptly realized what had transpired and turned an even darker shade of red. Mumbling about needing to change, he hurriedly grabbed the pajamas lying at the foot of his bed, and then drew the curtains around his four-poster, now refusing to make eye-contact with the raven.

Sasuke chuckled as he changed into his pajama bottoms in an instant, and then tucked himself in.

'Goodnight, dobe.'

Naruto growled inaudibly.

Special love to my fave reviewers, for revieweing in more than a single word: FrostyIceCube (You always reveiw first! I love you!), Cadinya, Prauge, Kyorose, Jadej.j, Sangostar and anomie86. Seriously, you guys. If you were cookies, I wouldn't eat you, and instead preserve you in a timeless cookie jar. That's how much I love you. )

Sorry if this chapter doesn't have many fluffy parts in it, but a story can't all be fluffiness and joy, you know?

Read and Review!