AN: Okay, so it's a little late, but I got called into work everyday and it turns out that the loaner laptop I got doesn't format the printing the way my professor wants so I got a little busier than I expected. This isn't a real long chapter and I did minimum editing when transcribing it from paper to word so it's not the greatest but it's something. I'll find the other pieces of this chapter and flesh it out later, which will add some more context to the dynamics between Harry, the gang, Naruto, and the Order, but this will have to do for now. Please forgive me! Thank you so much for everyone's patience!

Naruto sat in the darkness, listening to the dripping water, the echo reverberating off metal and stone, adding depth to the sound of the silence. Hands resting on his knees, ankles crossed in front of him, he let out a breath. The movement swept across the glassy surface, disturbing the stillness, sending ripples out past the shadows, bouncing back as they collided with the edges of their space. A light wind brushed past his cheek, rustling the unkempt strands hanging against his ears and forehead. Another breath escaped him, eyes opening, "What is it Kurama?"

Large ripples, easily small waves, reached him, bobbing him across the surface of the water like driftwood, as the large shadow crawled over the dimly lit walls. A grumble rolled through the chamber, "You came to me, brat".

He sighed, breaking his meditative stance, and used his hands to swivel around to face the massive orange creature, legs still crossed. Resting his chin in his hand, elbows on his knees, his eyes passed over the giant muzzle that had settled near him on the water, sharp teeth longer than he was tall poking out just below red slit eyes. "I came to meditate".

Hot air washed over him as the nine tails huffed, "Yeah, meditating". Naruto could have sworn the beast rolled his eyes. "It's the middle of the night, get some sleep," he grumbled.

"No."

The fox's ears pinned back, "No?". His lips started to curl, ivory flashing in the low light as more of the deadly canines were exposed. "Stop being difficult, brat."

"Difficult? I'm being a Shinobi," he declared firmly. "I'm in an unknown place, basically detained by foreign people, with techniques I don't understand, who can call reinforcements that will be here in less than 5 minutes, who are only tolerable because Baa-chan's connection, who seems to be their leader, said to be."

"I don't care what that old hag assigned you or made you think, but depriving yourself of sleep won't make you a better Shinobi, or any more likely to be able to defend yourself in case of an attack."

"Says you," he scoffed.

"You're horrible on no sleep. I would know."

"How? You're in here, and not forced to interact with me, you big furball."

"No, but I have to be stuck in here listening to all of your internal complaining."

Blue eyes squinted at red.

"Now stop bugging me and get some sleep."

"Hey, this is my mindscape! And I wasn't being loud."

"For once," he muttered. "But your thoughts are annoying," he stood on all four paws, tails swishing behind him, dipping only slightly into the reflective surface, "and they're disturbing my rest".

"So it's all about you. Should have figured."

The tailed beast growled and flicked his tails, "Stop bugging me, kit."

Naruto grinned and opened his mouth to quip back, seriousness evaporating with the familiar back-and-forth, but the dim yellow and orange glow that shimmered over the damp stones and rusted metal blurred and his stomach churned. He opened his eyes to blackness of the hallway, the old dusty lamplight of the house similar yet different than that of the sewers of his mind, and scowled at the rug several feet below him. "Stupid fox, stupid sewers, stupid weird non-chakra jutsus," he grumbled, not unlike that of the fox he cursed, as he rose to his feet.

A bright blue light illuminated the shadows of the ceiling, hitting him as he blinked blearily at the source. His sensitive eyes traced greasy hair down to black eyes settled above a hooked nose in a swallow complexion and remained silent.

"Uzumaki," the voice drolled, "please remove yourself from the rafters".

Their eyes met for a moment as the Shinobi didn't move, studying the permanent glower before releasing his chakra's hold in his feet, dropping quickly to the floor, spinning to land upright in front of him, still silent.

They held their gazes for a moment and Naruto could see Snape's tightened grip on the stick slowly relax. "Thank you," and the light emanating from the object snuffed out as he tucked it away in his dress (which, honestly, why did all the adults wear those?) and turned to patrol the rest of the house.

The blonde wrinkled his nose and couldn't help sticking his tongue out at the man's retreating back. He had a slimy attitude and was always sneering at everybody. He didn't like him one bit. But he had to play nice, for now. Tsunade had said this was a special mission, that he had to represent all of the elemental nations, that he had 'to be on his best behavior', but damn it that just wasn't him. Parroting "yes sir", "no ma'am", and using a quiet reserved voice, or just not talking. He'd rather knock some heads together, specifically that black haired brat that rivaled a young Sasuke in Glowering 101 and Advanced Angst.

What was his problem anyway? Naruto hadn't even done anything to him. Yet, anyways. He knew himself, and an unfortunate part of that was it didn't matter if he tried or not, he would end up offending the brat one way or another. And if it kept up like this, he would probably end up confronting the kid. And he didn't seem like the backing down type. He frowned and wrinkled his nose again. But Tsunade said it was and S-rank mission. And if the mission demand he get along with broody, then he'd try until he exploded (which was very, very likely). He would prove himself to the council of Kages and return to Baa-chan successful.

He blinked. What was the S-rank mission? Granny had handed him the scroll but he had been yanked away before he had the chance to read it. Then with the experience of….this place…he hadn't thought of it. He beamed to himself, walking to the stairs since running was 'frowned upon' by old greasy. As he lifted his foot to the first step, a feminine voice cleared its throat behind him.

"And what are you doing out of bed?"

He turned to confront the matronly red headed woman. She was clad in a pale nightgown, hands on her hip, eyeing him with a raised brow. He opened his mouth but was cutoff.

"Never mind," she waved her hands about, "off with you. Up, up". They fluttered around his shoulders for a bit as the two trudged up the steps.

"But I don't have a bed," he managed to protest between stuttering, her hands now lightly on his back, preventing him from slowing his steps.

She peered at him from bleary eyes. He guessed she had been asleep but had made a run down to the kitchen after she had remembered last minute chores before Snape had found him. After a pause she seemed to come to a decision and ushered him along more firmly. They took a hard right down the upstairs corridor, past several doors he knew housed her sleeping children. At the fourth ornate wooden door, they stopped. She grasped the handle, paused for a moment, listening to the quite creaking of the ancient house, and turned it silently. The heavy slab swung inward, what little light in the hallway behind them spilling over the two beds and disheveled lumps occupying them. One stirred at the intrusion, but neither woke as the mother bustled about the room, clearing floor space, gathering blankets, quilts, pillows, and throws. He watched as a small pallet formed near the foot of the beds next to the wall, perpendicular to both soundly sleeping forms.

She huffed as she stood, admiring her work before turning to the blonde. "To bed with you now. I know it isn't much but it'll have to do until we can make arrangements in the morning".

He bowed, "It's more than enough. Thank you". He raised his head and took in the surprise on her face. Apparently bowing wasn't common courtesy here. Note to self.

She shook it off and smiled weakly, "Well I'm glad, but I insist you have a proper bed as soon as possible". She nodded and squeezed past him into the hall. "Goodnight dear," she called quietly as she shut the door just as silently as she had opened it, leaving Naruto alone in the dark with the softly snoring figures curled up in their comforters.

He sighed and sat on the fluffy bundle. His hands roamed to his thigh, removing his weapons. His jacket came next, then his mesh shirt, and finally his sandals. The tips of his fingers brushed against his hitae-ate, tracing the familiar swirled leaf. He was so incredibly far from home, from everything he knew. He was somewhere so alien that they spoke a different language, just like the ancients Iruka-sensei tried to lecture about in the academy. None of the other countries did that, not even the Land of Snow. It shook him, not that he'd let these people know, but he wished he could have Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, even Sai beside him as he laid in the darkness. He hadn't even seen the sky of this place, or the stars. For a moment he wondered if they had any. He smacked himself in the forehead, wincing at the distant sting of the sharp metal edges striking his palm. He wasn't that stupid. They had to have those things. He lifted one of the layers of covers and hesitated, but decided to leave his pants on along with the spring loaded kunai on his wrist. Burrowing under the covers, he let out a pleased hum. It was surprisingly comfortable. He peered through the dark as he settled in, he was a lot more tired than he had thought. With the excitement of the day and the flying back from the Kumo island with the Tsuchikage he hadn't had much rest. Maybe he should sleep. Just a little…