Again, guys. Chaotic schedule. Until the next update then. Hopefully this wouldn't... make you people angry. Much.
However, despite the fact that Itachi won, he had given his role over to Ron simply because it wouldn't do for him to meddle. It wasn't a part of his job, so why even bother? Though Angelina and all the others tried to change his mind, the Uchiha heir made it clear; he didn't want to dip his fingers into Gryffindor affairs, although he would guard Harry, from a distance.
While the Potter boy and his friends celebrated for a job well done, Itachi sat in a corner, seemingly being eaten up by his armchair, clutching his wand in two hands.
…
It was just that the incident with the Sharingan and the bludger during the tryouts… he had lost control. He was sure of that. That should not happen again. He glanced at his wand, as the Potter boy talked of Umbridge and her sick and twisted reign over the school….
It wasn't like him to be so… unsure of his own ability. In fact, he wasn't sure why he was pondering on it. Was he not the Uchiha genius? The youngest ANBU in history, second only to Hatake Kakashi?
But then again... that momentary lapse in concentration…
He acknowledged the fact that he… enjoyed it, that game, but then that was not enough for him to simply turn the Sharingan off….
…
Yes. It should never, ever happen again. If he didn't train harder, if he didn't improve… if the three tomoe was the very limit the Sharingan could give him…
He gripped his wand.
Until he grew stronger then.
The next day was a sluggish, annoyingly irritating day for Itachi. The Potter boy's detention was over, but still, whenever he looked at his hand…
I must not tell lies.
…
It was etched on his hand so deep that even Uchiha Giyasu, his 90 year old blind grandmother could see it in the dark.
Needless to say, it also ached a lot, which did not improve his mood. Once he had gotten changed , he went down to the Common Room to wait for the potter boy only to find that his charge was already awake and writing onto a piece of parchment…
"What are you doing?" Itachi called out, straightening his tie before sitting on the nearest armchair. The Potter boy looked up from his work, quill tip stained a deep black.
"I'm writing a letter." Harry replied. "To my godfather."
Itachi didn't care to pry. Whatever message that letter contained, surely he would know about it.
He had the right.
Harry stood up, sealing the letter as he made his way to the portrait hole. Itachi followed, quickly falling into his old stalk. As soon as they had left the Common Room, however, they found themselves along a passage Itachi hadn't seen before, but obviously the Potter boy knew where they were going…
"I wouldn't go that way if I were you." A voice piped up. Itachi halted, but upon seeing it was just one of those 'ghosts', the Sharingan melted back into black. "Peeves is planning an amusing joke on the next person to pass by…"
"Does it involve something falling on someone?" Harry called out with an amused grin.
"Quite. He has no subtlety, none at all." Nick said in a bored voice, as if he had seen that trick done so many times. Itachi tilted his head. "I'm off to find the Baron then, see if he can stop Peeves from doing nonsense…" The old ghost moved off, no doubt to find this… 'Baron'….
That made Itachi think. From what he had heard, Peeves never listened to anyone, except the Bloody Baron…
…
When Itachi had spare time he had often gone to the library to read. This place was so interesting, and it never failed to keep him amused on how these people lived their lives… In any case, while he had been probing around the library, he had come across a very interesting encyclopedia entry about a 'Bloody Baron' who had been a mighty medieval wizard with access to the most illegal spells-
"Who is the Bloody Baron?" He piped up, and Harry blinked in surprise.
"I hadn't thought you were… oh…. He's the ghost of Slytherin House." Harry shrugged. "Only one who can control Peeves."
…
"And is this Baron… powerful?" If his hunch was right…
Harry shrugged as he walked. "I guess so. Otherwise, Peeves probably wouldn't listen."
Itachi gave a soft, satisfied smile.
Well then, if he had the time, maybe he could find the Baron himself.
As Harry talked with a woman named Cho Chang and a troublesome man named Filch who seemed to thinl that all students had something against him (Itachi sent him away with a Sharingan-look from behind Harry), he was already planning on how to find this 'Bloody Baron'.
"What are you looking so pleased about?" Ron spoke up over breakfast, eying his best friend with surprise. Itachi busied himself over a plate of breakfast bagels and milk.
"Nothing, really." Harry said with a smile. "Quidditch… you know…"
"Right." Ron replied with a skeptical look. "Hey Harry, can you practice with me later… just before training? I want to sharpen up… get my eye and all…"
"Sure." Harry said, still oblivious to the world and everything in it as he took a swig of pumpkin juice.
"Look, you two are behind on homework as it is-" Hermione was about to say, but Itachi cut her off, bagel halfway to his mouth.
"Owl." He said, pointing as the morning post owls arrived, dropping their packages with practiced ease.
Hermione pushed a Knut into the owl's pouch and sent it on its way as she scanned the headlines. Itachi, brandishing a bagel and a knife loaded with cream cheese, moved closer so he could look over her shoulder as he spread the cheese with practiced ease.
"Anything interesting?" Ron piped up from a plate full of bacon. Hermione shook her head.
"Nothing really, just some stuff about one of the Weird Sisters getting married…" She paled. Itachi blinked and raised an eyebrow at the headlines.
"What?" Harry said, rising up from his chair. "What happened?"
Itachi stared at it.
TRESSPASS AT MINISTRY
…
Hm.
Taking up a round disk of cream cheese that seemed to have grown a bagel, he backed away from Potter's congregation and slinked off.
…
Dumbledore was going to hear from him.
He made his way up the Castle, coming to a stop at the gargoyle. He finished off his bagel and cleared his throat.
"Dog Star."
He watched the gargoyle spring aside before moving onto the spiral staircase and letting himself into the office once he had reached the top.
Hm.
Nobody home.
Itachi probed around the office, inspecting the curious little silver trinkets that he hadn't noticed before. Intriguing, really. He used the Sharingan to watch the chakra playfully spin about, and was quite… interested when the Sorting Hat burst to life on the shelf.
"We meet again, young Uchiha." The sorting hat spoke sagely, dipping what seemed to be its head at him.
Itachi only stared at the hat.
"And how is Gryffindor?"
"Entertaining." He replied. His eyes never left the hat.
The Sorting hat laughed. "Quite. I hear a lot of things in this office, young heir, and some news is best left unsaid."
…
"True." Itachi stared at the hat with his Sharingan. It was quite entertaining, really, watching the chakra play within to bring a useless scrap of cloth life…
…
"I know every soul that comes within my reach, young Itachi." The Sorting hat began. "And you.. are very similar to-"
"Voldemort." Itachi spoke, crossing his arms.
"Yes." The Sorting Hat raised a wrinkly eyebrow.
"So people say." Itachi turned to probe around.
He wasn't troubled by that fact.
Not at all.