nearly a week had passed. team seven had explored every nook and cranny of Hogwarts and Naruto had made very good friends with Peeves the Poltergeist. Sakura had helped the librarian with sorting out all the books, and Sasuke had found something interesting in the Forbidden Forest.

"what do you mean 'creepy horses'?" asked Naruto as they wandered toward the forbidden forest, the weekend before school was supposed to start. the sun hanging over the horizon.

"they're... skeletons... weird, black, winged, reptile, horse skeletons..." said Sasuke softly, walking into the forbidden forest with his two teammates following behind him.

Naruto and Sasuke had trained in the forbidden forest numerous times. but Sakura had refused to set foot in there... but this time, she had been forced to come by her curiosity.

Sasuke walked into a small clearing and looked around. this was the place that he saw the horses last night... why weren't they here now?

Naruto looked around too, Sakura holding onto his arm tightly.

Sasuke rubbed a large gash on his shoulder that he had accidentally made in himself last night and sighed, the dry, crusted blood chipping underneath his fingers, the cloth covering it, ripped.

something bumped against his shoulder and Sasuke growled, exasperated. sasuke turned around to punch naruto for touching him, but what met him was a black muzzle.

Sasuke looked up and saw it was one of the skeleton horses. the horse nudged the cut in his shoulder and sasuke flinched as he felt a tongue brush against the tender flesh.

"oi. sasuke! is that the thing you were talking about?" Naruto asked, pointing at the horse that was nibbling at sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke nodded and lightly pushed the horse's mouth away from his shoulder and placed a hand over it so the horse wouldn't try eating him or something.

"what thing?"

Sasuke and Naruto both looked at Sakura.

"what thing?" Sakura repeated, looking at Sasuke and Naruto. dumbfounded.

"this thing!" sasuke said, poking the horse lightly in the bony forhead.

"sasuke-kun! stop it! i don't like this game. i know there isn't anything there, so stop it!" shouted Sakura.

Naruto and Sasuke's jaw's dropped.

"you... can't see it...?" breathed Naruto.

"see what! there's nothing there!" yelled Sakura, glaring at the blonde beside her.

"sakura... there is. it's a black horse..." said Sasuke softly, leading the horse over to Sakura and taking sakura's hand and making one of her fingers touch the soft muzzle of the horse.

Sakura screamed and stumbled back, yanking her hand away from Sasuke's grip.

"WHAT THE HELL!" she screamed, staring at the two boys infront of her and where the horse was, even though she couldn't see it.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at eachother for a moment, then looked at the horse.

"... we should go back. dinner will be ready soon." Naruto said, stroking the horse's bony forhead softly, the horse moving a little closer and nuzzling naruto.

Sasuke nodded and helped sakura up. Naruto put a nice orange bow in the horse's mane and waved goodbye to it. the horse seemed happy about it's present and beat it's wings lightly in thanks and goodbye.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke left the Forbidden Forest silently as it started to get dark. they didn't speak as they ate dinner that night. their minds were just too full with the information about the invisible/visible horses.

Professer McGonagall glided over to them after they had finished, looking down upon them like a hawk.

the three of them looked up at her.

"it's time for you three to be sorted."

((TBC))