Hey guys! I'm back! I can say that I'm sorry for delaying the update but I know it's not going to get you guys to forgive me but I'll say it anyways. I'm REALLY sorry! Anyway, extra news on myself since it's been a REALLY long time- I got into college! I know! It's been six months or so this unfamiliar and new environment and I felt like reality just hit me in the face. Haha. Sometimes, I'm really grateful that I have Fanfiction when I need it. It's sooo reliable, if you know what I mean. Hahahaha.
Alright, I don't want to keep you waiting any longer. Onto the new chapter!
DISCLAIMER: ONCE AGAIN, I SHALL SAY THAT I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND HARRY POTTER...(sigh in disappointment)
Chapter 11: The Spy with the Red Hair and the Possible Traitor
Once upon a time, there was a family of red heads. There was Arthur Weasley, Papa Red Head and Molly Weasley nee Prewitt, Mama Red Head. They had met each other and fell in love at first sight, or so Papa Red Head had told his children. Then after their marriage, William Weasley came bouncing along. Bill, as everyone liked to call him, is the most kind-hearted and responsible oldest brother any family would have loved to have. He was also a curse-breaker in Egypt. The family couldn't have been prouder. Then after him came Charlie Weasley, Percival Weasley, Fred and George Weasley, Ronald Weasley and finally Ginerva Weasley.
Percival Weasley is a strict, a-stick-up-his-arse, perfectionist of a red head. The 'Prefect' Red Head. Fred and George Weasley were the 'Prank-It-All' Red Head I and II. Ronald Weasley, being the youngest Weasley boy was the meek 'Weasel' Red Head and lastly, Ginny Weasley as the one and only female Weasley was 'Princess' Red Head. Everyone had their own title and role in the family. However, there is one, who has not found his own title even though they call him the 'Dragon Tamer' Red Head.
Now, Charlie Weasley was not the average redheaded Weasley everyone knew. There was something dark and personal that no one has ever known about him, not even his family. Despite having to find his desire to work in Romania handling dragons, he couldn't help but accept the offer to travel to other places to study the different breeds of dragons. It was through his travels where he found his true dark self.
There were times when he wanted to pour his heart out to his understanding father, his loving mother or even his kind-hearted brother, Bill. But, when he finally got the courage to pick up the quill to write to his family, he found himself hesitating. He couldn't do it. The secret must stay a secret, no matter what. It was his dark side, should anyone reject him for being who he is, Dragon Tamer Red Head could not bear the heavy rejection.
In the end, Charlie Weasley never told anyone of his bitterness. Except, the foreign friends whom he had met on one of his travels in Japan. From time to time, feeling the need to, he would pick up his quill and write to them, telling them of his woes and bitterness. Replies and advices would come flying in almost immediately at least for the past few years the replies were swift. However, there were hardly any replies nowadays and it gave Charlie Weasley a bad feeling in his tummy.
A deafening roar pulled him out of his mental soliloquy and he hastily went to assist his colleagues in handling the caged female dragons in the Forbidden Forest. It had been quite some time since he'd stepped on Hogwarts grounds and a sense of happiness filled him. There were rumors of Japanese foreigners who could do wandless magic taking part in the Triwizard Tournament and Charlie could hardly hold down the urge to see whether it was his friends or not. However, the dragons were his main priority. They were the reason he was back in Hogwarts in the first place. As dangerous as it sounded, the dragons in front of him were the first task the champions will have to go through to make it to the second task. Oh well, he had a job to do now.
"Well, well, if it isn't Charlie Weasley," a deep Asian voice was heard and most of the dragon handlers turned to find a Japanese foreigner who looked to age between 17 to 18 with an irritable smirk on his face. "And I had actually wondered what the challenge would be for the first task. If its dragons, then it'd be no challenge at all."
"Who are you?" One of the dragon handlers grunted. "You're not supposed to be allowed here, boy. What are you doing here?"
"Hn," the boy replied with that smug look plastered on his face. He took another sweeping gaze at the dragon handlers and left the area almost as quick and silent as he came.
"What is Filch doing? Isn't he supposed to be keeping students out of bed?" One of the handlers growled.
"Apparently that old squib is hardly functioning anymore," Charlie joked. "Alright, you guys try getting the Horntail to bed, I'll go get a leak at the castle."
"Make sure to stay hidden, yeah? No one is supposed to- hey, where did Weasley go?"
Charlie was already walking towards a small clearing where he knew he would be waiting for him. And true to his thoughts, said boy was standing there, awaiting his arrival. Neither moved as their eyes continued to stare deeply into each other's. Until finally, the boy moved, relaxing his stance.
"So, how has it been?" the Japanese asked, leaning against the trunk of a tree. He looked at Charlie with a raised brow and waited for the red head's reply.
"Is that how you're going to greet me?" Charlie smirked in return. "Sasuke Uchiha, Captain ANBU of The Hidden Village of Leaf."
"At least you still remember what I rank," Sasuke snorted.
Charlie chuckled in reply before turning serious, his hazel shade eyes darkening every second. "You haven't replied my letters."
"We were busy," Sasuke shrugged. He looked to the right where the dragons were before looking back at Charlie. "The enemy is moving, and they are moving fast."
"That," Charlie let out a sigh. "-Is also what I heard. Rumor has it that they have banded together. I doubt the leaders have met each other. That might become their disadvantage."
"There are no indications whether Madara have actually met with your Lord Voldemort, considering that the latter is…still deformed but according to other resources, Kabuto has met up with the other side for quite a few times. Errands for the Snake, who knows?"
"One thing that I am sure of, however, is that Voldemort plans to use Madara's numbers to overthrow Dumbledore's reign over Hogwarts. Killing Dumbledore would mean the downfall of the Wizarding World and everything would fall neatly into the Dark Lord's hands." Charlie replied grimly.
"As would Konoha would fall into Madara's when Voldemort has what he needs. With wizards by the Akatsuki and Otogakure nins' side, there might be no hope for Konoha."
"There is always hope for Konoha," a new voice spoke. The bushes rustled and a blond haired boy could be seen coming through. "As long as Uzumaki Naruto is still alive, Konoha will always be standing." He grinned at them.
"It's good to see you again, Hokage-sama," Charlie dipped his head in respect.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Charlie-san?" Naruto sighed in exasperation. "It's Naruto. Okay? Na-Ru-To."
"Naruto," Charlie repeated and smiled at the blond. "How does Hogwarts feel? Just like I've told you all, eh?"
"Exactly what you had us to expect, although we had to play the innocent students of Konohagakure Academy of Magic," Naruto shrugged the amusement off and continued to speak. "Tsuande sent your last letter to us. Are you sure about the information?"
"I can't say that I am a hundred percent sure of it. That's why I sent the letter to you stating it loud and clear. If Voldemort truly is using this Triwizard Tournament to achieve what I think he wants to achieve, then there may be someone working for him inside the school. I believe you have a list of the possible moles in Hogwarts?"
"Gaara and Neji are working through it with their teams. We have others observing the teachers too. However, our top three are currently Moody, Snape and Karkaroff." Sasuke answered, pushing himself off the tree trunk to stand beside Naruto.
"Mad-eye? Seriously, I can't see Mad-eye Moody being a mole," Charlie said. "He's a tough Auror who's filled most of Azkaban, you know, that prison I've told you about. Anyway, he's the Dark Wizard Catcher; I doubt it'd be him. Snape and Karkaroff are more likely to be the moles. But Dumbledore trusts Snape…so that just leaves Karkaroff being first on the list."
"That's what we thought so too and with the information you've given us about them, which have been very useful, I realize that there may be more to it. Shikamaru and Hiashi are unsure about it, but we were thinking along the lines of a henge."
The familiar word rang in Charlie's head before his eyes widened in realization. "Polyjuice Potion?"
"What is a 'Polyjuice Potion'?" Sasuke asked.
"It is like your Transformation Technique, which allows you to change to mimic another person. The only difference is that the Polyjuice Potion is a liquid and if one needs to maintain that outlook for certain hours in a day, the potion needs to be consumed regularly."
"Hm," Naruto rubbed his chin and started to think deeply. "Do you have anymore information about this Polyjuice Potion? If you do, send it to me as soon as possible. I'll have Shikamaru and Neji research on it."
"Right," Charlie nodded his head. "Oh, and about the dragons, I hope neither of you have a problem with it?" Chuckles came as his reply and his shook his head in amusement. "It was a stupid question. Although, I have to request that you do not make any major injuries on the beasts, they are a rare breed."
"Of course," Naruto grinned. "We are after all, innocent students of Konohagakure Academy of Magic who does wandless magic."
"Innocent my arse-"
A twig snapped behind them and the three jumped, not realizing that there was anyone that was spying on them.
"Revelio!" Charlie pointed his wand straight at the direction where he heard the twig snapped. At first, nothing happened, until the air shimmered and sparkled and an invincibility cloak was removed.
There stood a boy neither three of them expected to see.
"Harry?" Charlie exclaimed, seeing his brother's best friend shocked him.
"Harry," Naruto frowned seeing the black-haired wizard. "What are you doing out of bed? You know you're not supposed to be here."
"Right back at you," Harry retort.
"You heard everything, didn't you, Potter?" Sasuke asked, smirking. "You know if we weren't trying to keep this meeting a secret, I'd say good job on your stealth techniques. You've learnt well."
"But you are trying to keep this meeting a secret," Harry mumbled. He turned to look at Naruto with accusing looks. "I thought we agreed not to keep any secrets from each other?" Then to Charlie, "What about you, Charlie?"
"Charlie Weasley is not a secret," Naruto blatantly explained to the teen wizard who was gradually getting angry by the minute. "He is our spy."
"A spy?" Harry gasped in shock.
"Very blunt, Hokage-sama," Charlie dryly stated before looking at Harry with sad eyes. "But yes, I am a spy. I've been one ever since I travelled to Japan. I give information when they need it. I'm sorry I didn't mention it to you, but I didn't know that you have established a close contact with the Japanese. Truthfully, I'm even surprised that Naruto told you about them."
"It's his weakness, see," Sasuke grumbled. "Sentimental feelings for another."
"I can tell," Charlie chuckled.
"But Mrs. Weasley doesn't know about it, right?" Harry asked Charlie.
"No one knows, well, you know now, but no one in the family knows. Not even dad."
"Okay, enough questions," Sasuke went over and knocked on Harry's head softly. "What are you doing out of bed? And how did you leave the castle without anyone knowing? Was it that cloak thingy?"
"'Okay, enough questions'," Harry imitated Sasuke and got another tiny bump to the head as a reply. "But, yeah, it's this cloak. It's called an Invincibility Cloak. My dad left it for me. I doubt anyone noticed me leaving the castle but I think Neji might have realized that I'm out of bed."
"HOKAGE-SAMA!" An urgent and tensed voice exclaimed before its owner present itself. "Potter's not in his bed!"
"Understatement of the year," Sasuke grunted. "Calm down, Hyuuga, before you give yourself a heart attack. Potter's right here."
"What?" Neji turned to find Harry standing there with a sheepish grin next to Sasuke. "Potter!" He growled. "Fifty laps around the field tomorrow morning!"
Charlie chuckled out loud. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Hyuuga-san."
"Weasley-san," Neji dipped his head in greeting before turning his glare to the black haired wizard.
Harry groaned out loud. "I didn't mean to leave the castle without telling you guys, alright? Hagrid told me to meet him, said he wanted to show me something. He's right over there, trying to impress Madame Maxime, bleh!"
"Then you know about the dragons already," Naruto stated and Harry nodded. "And since Madame Maxime is here too, Fleur will know it too."
"I spotted Karkaroff lurking on the other side of the forest. I do not doubt that he's going to tell Krum about the dragons," Neji reported.
"Why are these teachers so damn helpful?" Naruto exclaimed. "If Kakashi was at least an ounce like them we would have made Chunnin that year!"
"You don't say," Sasuke mumbled sarcastically.
"Stop being sarcastic, Uchiha. It is unbecoming," Neji retort.
"Blame the dobe, all his sloppiness is rubbing off on me."
"OI!"
"You're going to tell Diggory about the dragons, aren't you Potter?" Sasuke ignored the blond's outcry and frowned at Harry. "If I don't know it better, I'd say you're too kind. Remember what he did to you? Those…Hufflepuffs. And what was their motto again? Loyalty?"
"It won't be fair to him if everyone knows and he's the only champion who doesn't."
"Sasuke's right. You're too kind for your own good," Neji grunted. "In this world, you've got to look out for yourself."
"Then why are you guys protecting me? And don't tell me it's because I'm a mission," Harry defended himself.
"Harry, if your heart thinks that Mr. Diggory should know about the dragons, then you go tell him. Alright?" Charlie smiled gently at him and ruffled his already tousled hair.
"What a nice spy you are, Weasley-san." Neji chuckled. "Alright, it's late and you've got training tomorrow. Get your butt back to bed."
"Make sure he doesn't run off again this time," Sasuke ordered.
"I'll personally take care of it." Neji bowed at Charlie, Naruto and Sasuke before escorting Harry back to the castle.
"Aren't you guys coming?" Harry asked Naruto and Sasuke.
"In a moment, we'll catch up." Naruto dismissed them and once they are gone from his sight, he turned back to Charlie. "I want you to find more information about the small meetings they have and find out whether Madara has met up with Voldemort. We need to know more about the enemy before facing them. We can't be vulnerable at the moment."
"Right, I'll send the information personally to you when I've got what we need," Charlie replied. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Naruto, if I don't give you any reply or indication that I'm still alive, I would be either dead or captured by the enemy. Or my cover has been blown. Don't fall into any of their traps."
"Got it," Naruto nodded his head and dismissed the red head. "Times like these, we really need all the information we can get."
"How did Charlie become a spy?"
Harry asked while walking in between Sasuke and Naruto. Neji was trailing behind them with his Byakugan activated, making sure that nothing invisible was following them. He had already come to terms with himself that the Wizarding World is full of surprises and he shouldn't take it for granted.
"I mean- I know he went to Japan and all, but how did he become a spy, you know, working for you lot?"
Sasuke sighed as he peered around the corner connecting to the east hallway. "That's confidential, Potter."
"But-"
"Even though Naruto promised not to keep any secrets from you, there are some things which he, himself, can't tell, so neither can I or any of our teammates will give you information that you do not necessarily need to know. If news got out that Weasley is our spy then our plan would fail. Do you understand?"
Harry sighed in disappointment and nodded his head dejectedly. "Yeah, I understand."
"Good."
They finally reached the Gryffindor dormitory and were now thinking of a way to go in without awaking the Fat Lady. Not only that, her loud snores was beginning to irritate them. However, before they could execute a plan, Harry muttered the password, awaking the Fat Lady a little, allowing her to open her portrait to grant them entrance.
"Try to refrain yourself from running out in the middle of the night again, alright?" Naruto scoffed and smiled at Harry. "But if there is any need, all you have to do is to inform us and we'll think of a plan to help you, okay? We can't have you be found by the enemy at a moment like this."
Harry scratched his cheek and lifted the edges of his lips into a sheepish grin. He was about to head to bed when the fireplace hissed out loud. He stopped himself and turned to look at the fireplace to only hear the sound again and this time, it sounded more like –
"Sirius!" Harry gasped. So that was what he had forgotten!
"Potter!" Sasuke groaned. "Get back to bed alright? End of discussions!"
"No, no," Harry waved them away and hastily approached the fireplace and saw the face of his godfather in the fire. "It's Sirius, my godfather."
"Harry," the head bobbed and he acknowledged that it was Harry looking at him. "What took you so long? I almost got caught by this girl earlier."
"Whoa!" Naruto gasped. "There's a head in the fire!"
"What are you talking about, dobe?" Sasuke groaned, walking over to where Naruto was pointing at and almost gasped out loud – if only he wasn't an Uchiha. "What is a head doing in the fire, Potter?"
"That's – uh, uhm…this is my godfather, Sirius Black. I think you would know him," Harry chuckled nervously. "Dumbledore must have told you about him, I'm sure."
"Oh, Sirius Black," Naruto nodded before tilting his head in confusion. "Who's Sirius Black again?"
"Dobe!" Sasuke half-screamed in exasperation. "Seriously, act like a Hokage will you? Didn't you read the file Kakashi-sensei gave you from Dumbledore-sama?"
"Aha," Naruto scratched and chuckled out loud. "I might have misplaced that file…somewhere…"
"You mean, this file," Gaara's floated down the stairs and the red head appeared with a file held up in his right hand. "You accidently placed it among my S-rank files. It seemed I was too caught up in my unfinished paperwork to return this." A slight maniac smile appeared on Gaara's face and Naruto felt a chilling shiver went down his spine.
"Your Shukaku side is resurfacing again, G-Gaara," Naruto commented, a sweat dripping down from his forehead.
Gaara shrugged in reply before went up to the fire where Sirius was looking back at him curiously. "There is a head in the fire."
Sasuke mentally shook his head. For a dangerous ex-jinchurriki and a genius Kazekage of Sunagakure like Subaku no Gaara, you'd think that he'd phrase his words more…intelligently.
"What is going on, Harry?" Sirius sputtered. "Are these the students from the Japanese wandless school you mentioned?"
"A-Ah, yeah, they are," Harry continue to grin sheepishly. "This is Naruto, Sasuke, Neji and Gaara. They're my friends."
"Well, it's good to make good friends with other schools, but you better make sure that they're safe to make friends with, pup," Sirius sneaked a look at the Japanese before solely focusing his attention on Harry. "If you want to, I can come back immediately. I'll just get some floo powder from one of the houses and floo over-"
"No!" Harry shook his head furiously. "You can't, Sirius. You'll get caught and I don't want you to go back to Azkaban! You stay where you are, okay?"
(At the background, Naruto asked, "Azkaban? What is that?" Sasuke hit his head to keep him quiet as a reply.)
"Can't make promises I can't keep, pup," Sirius grinned. "Back to your letter. You mentioned Karkaroff? He's the headmaster of Durmstrang?"
"Yeah."
"He's a Death Eater, Harry," Sirius warned his godson. "He was placed into Azkaban before me and he got out of there because he sold some information to the Ministry. He gave names that was within You-Know-Who's rank and allowed immediate release. I'm not surprise Albus had Moody fill in as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year."
"But he's a headmaster. He wouldn't be a Death Eater now, would he?"
"Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater, Harry. Never forget that. That's why I don't trust Snape either, if it weren't for the fact that Dumbledore trusts him and that he's a spy for our side too."
"Snape's a spy?" Naruto questioned out loud. "That…is very curious."
"Anyway, Harry," Sirius pulled his godson's attention back to him. "About the tournament. You cannot lose focus. The Tournament is a serious game, pup. People die in these things!"
"T-Then, what do I do?" Harry whimpered. "I'm scared, Sirius."
"Oh, pup, I really wish I can be there to help you every step of the way!" Sirius hissed. "You have to stay strong, Harry!" He stopped and turned to look over his shoulder before he hurried said, "The owners are coming back, I came in through the back door to use the floo. Whatever you do, Harry, do not trust anyone but yourself- unless you really know that you can put your life in their hands, do you understand?"
And that is it, people! I know, I know. Some of you must be thinking: "What? That's it? Eleven chapters and the First task is still no where to be seen?" I think one of you reviewed about speeding up and I'm sorry I couldn't fulfil that wish yet because I felt like putting Charlie as someone more significant in my story- not just cause in my dreams he's hot, he is (giggle)- but because I am hoping to add a little something something for the climax later. Hee-hee. If you wanna find out, you're gonna have to read on~! Thanks for supporting me all this time even if I disappear for more than a month all the time. ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU, MINNA!
Well, you know what to do. R&R, people! Thank you!
Signing off,
Uchiha Shiyo.
