Hello everyone! I hope you've all had a smashing time since the last update and that you enjoy this one!
I would like to thank the following people for their kind words: SongoftheDarquePhoenix, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, Pissed Off Irish Chick, yuroshima, Lupanari, darthgamer, geetac, Jay and silent bob, MadgirlSBA, Kakashifangirlnumber1000, Megaolix, cardcaptor eternity, Elaienar, MadnessLover, Touketsu HerutsuandNai Homare, KatonRyuuka, ArrangedloveMatch, Lily Yamamoto, yaoifangrl4ever, Maeleana, Johnny boy, Iyrsiiea, Jumpingbeans480, The-Eighth-Sin, Madeline Cullen, Sonia120462, papercliped-angel, SutaakiHitori, ONeill-Fan14, zornoid13, Eillipse, dragoncrazy247, vine, AvatardsUniteMM, bored wonder, Magestig20, sugarcrazedninja, kimcat, the true elec, X59, Lord Dragon Claw, NekoKriszty (3), moonray9, ArchangelX, Fox Loves Shinigami, MichaelaTheUchiha, MichaelaTheUchiha, MichaelaTheUchiha, evil-step-sister, StarsInTheRain, candyman123, YoshiMagick, Gingerleaves, Namikazelil, kittyore9, Cana Hatake, Lupa Lunae, SilverHowler, and shinimoeru.
Cana Hatake—Thanks for the review! So glad you're enjoying it so far and that you liked the sexy jutsu, and that you like the new one that will be revealed in this chapter! And who doesn't like our favorite copy ninja? I also can't wait to get started on it!!
Loesmar—I am unable to answer your question if there is no way for me to contact you! If you could make it possible for me to PM you then I will gladly answer your question.
In other news, bored wonder has also managed to snag the 800th review! As requested here is a batch of snickerdoodles!
Oh . . . and THE LATEST NARUTO CHAPTER (439) IS FREAKIN' AWESOME AND THE COOLEST THING TO HAPPEN IN NARUTO HISTORY!!! AAAAAAAHHHHH!!! (dies from sheer awesomeness)
Just wanted to put out another thank you to my wonderful beta, cardcaptor eternity! I luv you girl! You rock!
As Kakashi made his way through the castle corridors he felt an increasing sense of uneasiness. Maybe I shouldn't have left him alone with Krum, he thought nervously. He paused, glanced over his shoulder, and turned around. That's it; I've got to check up on him.
Just as he was about to transport to the place he saw Harry last he sensed movement ahead. A moment later he realized it was Harry and Dumbledore's magic signatures and they were moving quite fast. Confused, Kakashi body-flickered to their position, startling Harry.
"Blimey!" he wheezed while clutching his heart. "Give a guy some warning, won't ya?!"
"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, directing the question to Dumbledore.
"Harry was talking with Mr. Krum and Barty Crouch appeared, talking about how he needed to see me about Voldemort," the Headmaster explained quickly.
"Where was this, Harry?" Kakashi asked as he stepped closer to the pair.
"Just a few feet away from where Krum and I were talking," Harry said, his body twitching to keep moving forward. "We need to get there now—"
"My feelings exactly," Kakashi said with a smile as he grasped both Harry and Dumbledore's arms. Before they could say anything the Hogwart's corridor was covered in smoke and once it cleared a moment later they found themselves on the grounds.
"Remarkable way to travel," Dumbledore chuckled.
"We were over here by the carriages," Harry said, running over to them. "Viktor?" When there was no response Harry became worried.
"They were here," he said weakly. "They were definitely somewhere around here . . . "
Kakashi closed his eyes and searched for a magic signature, hoping they were within sensing range.
"About two meters from where you're standing Harry," the jounin said quickly. "But I should warn you—" The warning fell on deaf ears as Dumbledore and Harry ran to the spot Kakashi specified.
"Lumos," Dumbledore said as they reached the spot Kakashi told them to go.
"No!" Harry cried out, noticing his body sprawled out on the ground. "Is he dead?"
"No," Kakashi assured Harry as he bent down to inspect the boy. "He's just unconscious."
"Stunned, more like it," Dumbledore said softly. The headmaster then peered at the surrounding trees before sending something silvery towards the direction of Hagrid's cabin.
"Should I fetch Madame Pomfrey?" Kakashi asked.
"No need," Dumbledore said swiftly as he pointed his wand at Krum. "Ennervate."
Krum's eyes shot open and after a second sat straight up. "He attacked me!" he cried as Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder. "The old madman attacked me! I vos looking around to see vare Potter had gone and he attacked from behind!"
"Lie still for a moment," Dumbledore said.
"I'll go see if I can find Mr. Crouch," Kakashi announced as he withdrew a kunai. At Harry's widened eyes Kakashi quickly explained. "This is only for protection. These woods are filled with dangerous creatures and they might hurt Mr. Crouch in his weakened condition." At Dumbledore's nod the jounin took off deeper into the forest.
There was a definite trail left by Mr. Crouch and he was able to follow the trail easily. When he was about twenty meters away from where Harry and the others were, Kakashi ceased running and bent down to inspect the ground.
There was an obvious struggle here, he noted, looking at the bent grass and uprooted earth. That means someone would have been fighting Mr. Crouch . . . The jounin closed his eyes and lowered his head down to the ground and sniffed it, trying to identify the different scents.
His eyes widened at what he discovered. No—that cannot be! To be sure Kakashi lowered his mask and sniffed again, but there was no mistaking it. Suddenly Kakashi sensed someone nearby and stood up instantly, holding his kunai out defensively.
"Who's there?" he called out. "Identify yourself!" When there was no answer Kakashi grew slightly uneasy. Off to his right he sensed movement and spun around to meet the figure, who was too far away to see clearly.
Kakashi sniffed the air and his eyes widened. "So it's you!" he called out. "The one who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire and the one who took Mr. Crouch!"
"My, my, you're so perceptive, Kakashi," a voice called out. It seemed to belong to a young man, near the jounin's own age.
"Well, I don't know what you're planning," Kakashi chuckled as he got in a defensive stance. "But challenging someone like me face to face isn't the brightest of ideas."
"There's no need for threats," the man said in mock horror. "I'm just here to get what I want." He moved closer towards Kakashi and while his form was more defined, he still couldn't make out his face. Doesn't matter though, it'll all be over in a few seconds.
Just as Kakashi was about to charge, the man held up his wand and yelled, "Epotus!" Having never heard the spell before Kakashi figured it would be best to delay his attack for a little bit—just in case he walked into a trap.
Despite the many hours he had spent pouring over the library books this dimension was still largely unknown to Kakashi, so it was wise to not jump headfirst into things like he did in his own dimension. It would be pointless to die due to an error of judgment.
Nothing happened for a few seconds, and Kakashi could not sense anything near the mysterious man or himself, so he decided that it would be best to proceed.
As he stepped forward Kakashi felt an instant wave of nausea and dizziness overcome his senses and he fell to one knee, clutching his throbbing head. Why . . . why is this happening? He thought wildly. There was no chance for him to inject me with a type of poison, nor did I smell or see any type of gas in the air! How could this be?
"It looks like my little serum worked!" His opponent was obviously pleased with himself but Kakashi was barely able to interpret what was said. It seemed like every sensing capability of his body was overcome and his vision and hearing were greatly distorted as well as sense of balance.
"What did you . . . how did you . . . " Kakashi slurred, trying to combat the effects but failed. He pushed himself up off the ground only to fall down again, this time being reduced to a crawling position.
"How did I do it?" the man asked as he grasped a handful of the jounin's hair. "When you smelt the ground over there you inhaled it. Quite colorless and odorless I assure you, and it only is activated by the spell I just cast on you." He grabbed Kakashi by the front of his jounin jacket and threw him against a tree.
"I'm quite pleased that it works on you, because while it worked on other humans, there was the chance that it would have no effect on a person from another dimension," he chuckled, "which is why I gave you an almost lethal dosage just to be on the safe side."
Kakashi struggled against the effects of the toxin but found it to be incredibly strong. He had been able to gather a small amount of strength before but all of it was blocked by the pain of slamming into the tree.
Let's try again, he thought. Without warning Kakashi leapt towards the man, aiming for his heart with a kunai in hand, but stopped cold when he felt a knife in his side.
"I'm impressed by your dedication," the mysterious man sighed as he withdrew the blade and let Kakashi fall to the ground. "This toxin distorts all your senses, and while your attempted attack was impressive, you seemed to be aiming for a person off to my right," he chuckled. "You're no match for me in this state."
The Konoha jounin growled angrily and did his best to ignore the pain in his right side, doing his best to focus on the man beside him.
"The toxin should wear off soon, but I can assure you that I will be long gone by then." The man bent down and grabbed Kakashi's hair again, glanced him over, and then with a smile gave him a hearty punch to the face that sent him sprawling.
"Until later, Kakashi!" the man chuckled before disappearing, leaving Kakashi on the edge of consciousness, swearing as he did so.
"Wake up, kid!" Kakashi was brought back to reality by a harsh slap across the face.
"Alastor, I think that—"
"Nonsense! This is the best way to do it." He was slapped again but this time Kakashi reached out and grasped the hand so tightly as to invoke a sharp gasp from the man who hit him.
"You can let go now!" Moody's gruff voice complained. "See—I told you it'd wake him up!"
Kakashi found himself lying on the ground with Dumbledore, Harry, Professor Moody, Hagrid, Krum and Karkaroff all huddled around him.
"What—"
"You hadn't come back for a while so I sent Alastor after you," Dumbledore explained. "He had heard from Severus that Mr. Crouch was on the grounds and came to see if he could be of any assistance."
"And then I found you knocked out and bleeding on the ground!" Moody wheezed. "Who did this to you?"
"I'm not sure," Kakashi said slowly, rubbing his head. The effects of the toxin were definitely wearing off but it still left him feeling lightheaded.
"Vos it Mr. Crouch?" Krum asked.
Kakashi shook his head. "No, but it was the man who took him apparently." He glanced up and met Dumbledore's eyes. "And it's the same man who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire."
The Headmaster stared at Kakashi in concern. "It is? Are you sure?" At Kakashi's nod he grew worried. "This makes things all the more dangerous. Hagrid, Karkaroff, and Alastor—I need you to accompany me on a brief search of the grounds. It's possible that the assailant has left, but we need to make sure." When all three men nodded (Karkaroff a little less enthusiastic) he then turned to the two young wizards.
"I'm afraid it might be too dangerous for you two," he said, then glanced at Kakashi. "Could you escort Mr. Hatake to the hospital wing on your way back?"
"I don't need an escort," Kakashi scoffed as he pushed himself into a standing position and started to walk forward, yet gasped in pain and almost fell over if it weren't for Krum and Harry stopping his fall.
"Fine," he grudgingly admitted, allowing the two to help him walk.
"So what happened?" Harry asked as they made their way back to the castle, his voice laced with concern. The young wizard had seen the way he fought with his students—how could he have been so injured?
Kakashi sighed, feeling embarrassed and furious at the same time. "He was able to intoxicate me with something that distorted all my senses and left me vulnerable to his attacks," he said angrily, wincing at the pain that walking up the steps caused him. Truth be told, his wound wasn't that severe—but at the moment his body was working on ridding itself of the toxin.
"Are you sure it vos not Mr. Crouch you attacked you?" Krum asked.
"Quite," Kakashi said. "It stands to reason that this man was also the one who stunned you, since it's obvious Mr. Crouch was running from him and you were in the way. Be grateful he didn't kill you."
Krum became silent as the realization at how close he was to death and the walk to the infirmary was just as quiet.
Harry was amazed at everything that was happening. Who was this person who was after him? Whoever it was had Mr. Crouch under their control, and he guessed that whatever he was doing in Snape's office had something to do with whatever the mysterious man had planned.
And now Kakashi had been injured because of him! Harry was fed up with people getting hurt because of him, especially those who he felt close to. He wished that he could just be left alone so no one else would be hurt. It was only a matter of time until Hermione and Ron were severely injured and if they died—he didn't know what he'd do with himself.
As they made their way to the infirmary, Kakashi was busy berating himself, resolving to never again be made such a fool of. First, he had left his charge in trouble, then he was bested by a mere wizard and was unable to capture the one who was endangering his charge's life.
How could he let this happen? He was the Copy Ninja, Sharingan Kakashi, one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha, former ANBU and a common entry into the Bingo Book of every shinobi village. If they knew about what just happened he would be made a laughingstock. At that moment Kakashi vowed to never let that happen again. He was going to train much more and do his best to improve his speed, strength, and knowledge of the wizard world.
"And what are the results of your experiment?" a voice rasped.
"Very good, my Lord," Barty Crouch Junior chuckled as he knelt before his Master. "The serum definitely works on the foreigners."
"Good, good—you have done well," Voldemort said gleefully. "The plan is coming along nicely. How is the rest coming?"
"All is going according to plan, my Lord," Barty said humbly. "Everything will be ready in time."
"Be sure that it does," the Dark Lord warned. "Everything must be ready so that I may get rid of Harry Potter once and for all because then, and only then, will there be no one left to oppose me."
"I eagerly await that day."
"I truly believe you mean that," Voldemort said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "When this succeeds you shall gain your place by my side."
"You are most gracious, my Lord," Barty said happily.
"Wormtail!"
"Y-y-yes . . . m-my Lord?" a timid voice answered, cautiously emerging behind the door that led into the room.
"See to it that my most faithful servant makes it back to Hogwarts," Voldemort spat. "And I would ask you to pay attention to what he does—you might learn something."
"I-I agree," Wormtail squeaked. He walked over to the pair and nervously handed him a small object. "H-here's your portkey."
"You sure this will bring me back to my office?" he scoffed while turning the small pen in his hand.
"P-p—positive."
"Good." Barty reached into a pocket and Wormtail involuntarily flinched, but instead of a wand he withdrew a small flask.
"After a time the taste isn't too bad," he said lightly before drinking it all in one gulp. Wormtail watched in fascination as the man before him transformed into Mad-Eye Moody.
"Well then," Moody's voice said happily as he pushed the unnatural eye into place, "I guess it's time for me to be going."
A few seconds later "Moody" disappeared, leaving behind a very satisfied Lord Voldemort and a worried Peter Pettigrew.
"How's your preparation coming along?" Naruto asked as he sat down next to Harry. He was currently studying various spell books Hermione and Ron had found for him and he felt like his head was going to explode.
"It's going fine," he sighed.
"Would you like a break?" Naruto suggested happily.
As Harry opened his mouth to say yes, Hermione cut him off. "If he wants to be ready for the Third Task then he won't have time to goof around!"
"He deserves a break sometime Hermione!" Ron defended. "At the rate you keep him going at he'll explode before the task even starts!"
"And besides," Naruto chuckled mischievously. "I'm just suggesting a break from what you're doing—not from preparing for the task."
The three wizards frowned at the shinobi in confusion.
"So . . . you have other ideas on how to prepare him?" Hermione asked slowly.
"Yep!" Naruto said happily.
"Would you like us to work on your stamina and taijutsu?" Gaara asked, stepping forward. "We don't know exactly what you'll be going through in the maze, but if you let us, we can make you physically stronger and you'll be better prepared to deal with anything that comes your way."
"Sure!" Harry agreed after a moment of reflection. Anything would help.
"And we'll do it too," Hermione said resolutely. "This way it won't seem like you're helping him out specifically."
"Plus—it wouldn't hurt to get more in shape," Ron said as he stretched out his arms. "How bad could it be?"
The wizards' enthusiasm faltered slightly at the dangerous smile on Naruto's face and the dangerous glint in Gaara's eyes.
Harry collapsed on the ground with Ron right behind him while Hermione leaned against a nearby tree for support.
They had only been training with the shinobi for a mere hour, and already they felt like they were going to die. Naruto and Gaara were tough teachers and they drove them hard. They started off with a five minute warm-up, then continued with 30 laps around the lake, 100 push-ups, 20 pull-ups using a tree branch, and finally 30 more laps around the lake. Naruto and Gaara did it alongside them, and so far they hadn't broken a sweat!
"How can . . . anyone—be this . . . fit?!" Ron gasped, clutching his heart. "I feel . . . like my . . . heart is going—to burst . . . out of . . . my chest!"
"My legs will . . . fall off if I—try to run . . . another lap," Harry wheezed. Hermione said nothing as she slid down the side of the tree, clutching her side as she panted heavily.
"Here's some water," Gaara said in concern as he handed the water bottles out.
"We still have taijutsu to do!" Naruto exclaimed. "Break ends in five minutes!"
The three wizards groaned and Hermione called out weakly, "I don't know if I can stand up."
Naruto paused for a moment and just as he was about to open his mouth Kakashi appeared. He took a moment to observe what was happening, then rounded on Naruto. "What happened?" he demanded.
"We're training them!" Naruto proclaimed proudly.
"But look at them!" Kakashi protested. "They can barely move!"
"Once they have their break they'll be fine."
"No Naruto—you need to understand," Kakashi sighed. "They don't have the same stamina and strength as you do—they're as fit as civilians!"
Naruto frowned and then glanced at the wincing wizards, then bowed slightly.
"I'm so sorry!" he said quickly. "I had no idea you were so weak!"
Harry and Ron narrowed their eyes but discovered they were too exhausted to care about the insult at the moment.
"Here, take a shinobi pill," Kakashi said softly, handing one to each of them. "It will give you enough energy to move, and I suggest you go up to the castle and take a nice bath to rest your muscles."
Harry swallowed the pill and felt an almost immediate burst of energy that let him jump to his feet while Ron and Hermione followed suit.
"Blimey—I feel cured!" Ron exclaimed while stretching his legs.
"This is only temporary," Kakashi warned. "I don't know how long it will last on you three, so you should go to the infirmary and get the necessary medicine that you need."
All three wizards nodded then turned to their "teachers" before bowing slightly.
"By the time the Third Task comes around we'll be able to keep up with you!" Harry declared.
Moody carefully pushed open the door to the infirmary, checking to see if there was anyone awake. Pleased, he started to make his way over to the office, doing his best not to make too much noise as he limped.
If only I didn't have to use this blasted leg! He complained inwardly. He was able to get used to the eye quickly enough and it was actually quite helpful at times, but the leg he could live without.
Soon it will all be over, he consoled himself.
Pausing for a brief moment to place a Sneakoscope at the entrance, Moody let himself in and made his way over to the filing cabinet.
Now where would she put them? After ten minutes of fruitless searching Moody grew impatient and pulled out his wand.
"Accio Kakashi, Naruto, and Gaara's medical records!" he whispered. Suddenly three small files came whizzing towards him from his right and Moody caught them expertly. He spent a minute or two examining them each in turn before pulling out three pieces of parchment and used a quick spell to copy the information.
With his mission complete, Moody carefully put the originals back to their appropriate places, taking care to make it appear as if he'd never been there at all. After picking up his Sneakoscope he glanced once more around at the silent infirmary before leaving with a devious grin on his face.
The rest of that week was—to put it mildly—difficult for the wizard trio. Although Naruto and Gaara went easier on them in their training, their bodies still had to cope with the adjustment. Harry and Ron frequented the prefect's bathroom every night and in order to get back up to the castle (or survive the rest of the day) Kakashi had to give them each a soldier pill.
It wasn't until the end of the week that they no longer required the aid of a soldier pill, and the three wizards discovered that they had more energy than they normally did.
"So is this how you feel all the time?" Ron asked as he curled the weights the shinobi had nicked from the weight room.
"You treat your body well, and you are rewarded," Kakashi sighed as he worked on his push-ups. At the moment there were four Narutos sitting on his back, and none of them looked happy. The genin had made a bet with his sensei that he wouldn't be able to do a push-up with four of him on his back, and Kakashi had taken him up on that. After he had completed his quota of 100 push-ups the four Narutos got off angrily.
"So it seems I win," Kakashi smirked as he pushed himself into a standing position.
"But I don't want to!" the original Naruto complained as the three bunshin disappeared.
"You should have thought of that before. If you'll excuse me I have to go help Hagrid," Kakashi said before disappearing.
"What does he have to do?" Hermione whispered to Ron. The redhead glanced at the pouting shinobi before replying, "He has to eat a plateful of vegetables."
"You've almost got it!"
"This was such a wicked idea."
Ron frowned as he entered the Gryffindor common room, and saw that his brothers and Gaara were huddled around Naruto. "What are you doing? If it's another prank for Malfoy or Snape count me in!" he said, getting closer.
All four of them spun around with a surprised look on their face but once they saw it was Ron the twins and Naruto grinned.
"Well, it's not exactly a prank," Fred began.
"It's more of a—"
"New jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed proudly.
"Really? What is it?" Ron was curious as to how to create a jutsu.
Naruto grinned. "I got the idea from when we were helping Harry with the Second Task. It's not completed yet, but I'm practicing on this," he said as he held up a small teddy bear. At Ron's confused expression Naruto smirked and placed the bear down. "Nijiiro no jutsu!"
For a moment nothing happened, but then to Ron's amazement the fur on the bear started to change slowly from a tawny brown to a neon pink, and then various other colors.
"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed. "But I don't understand how it's incomplete—" His question was answered when the bear turned back into its original color.
"It only lasts for a few seconds," Gaara sighed.
"I'll get it eventually!" Naruto declared. "I promise!"
"Who're you going to try it out on once it's done?" Ron asked.
"I've got a pretty good idea," Naruto answered slyly. "I've just got to get it ready in time." He glanced back at the bear and frowned. "Maybe I should add another hand sign . . . " The four boys waited patiently as Naruto pondered over the jutsu.
"I've got it!" he said happily. "Nijiiro no jut—"
"Naruto!"
"—su!" Naruto finished, accidentally turning towards the source of the name before he completed the incantation. Everyone froze in fear for a moment, but it was immediately interrupted by Naruto's laughter.
"What's so funny?" Kakashi asked. Instead of answering the three wizards and all those around broke into laughter, confusing the jounin even more.
"Your hair," Gaara answered, his mouth twitching into a small smile. As the truth dawned on Kakashi his eye widened in shock and he ran to the nearest mirror.
Horrified, he ran a trembling hand through his (now) neon pink hair.
"Now—now . . . you look like Sakura-chan!" Naruto chuckled, struggling for air. The jounin resisted the urge to chuck a kunai at his student as he struggled to keep his emotions under control.
"Fix. It. Now!" he demanded.
"I don't know how!" Naruto laughed.
Kakashi growled but figured it would wear off eventually. "What were you trying to do anyway?" he sighed.
"A new jutsu!" the genin said.
"You mean—" Kakashi sighed. "Of all the jutsus you could have created, you just had to make one like this."
"It's very strange," George observed as he and his twin encircled the jounin.
"What's strange?"
"Naruto was making it so the hair turned different colors, but yours is staying pink," Fred explained.
"Naruto? Explain!" Kakashi demanded.
Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. "I added a bear sign to make it longer, but I guess I just made the first color stay there longer."
"Now it's green!" Ron pointed out. Kakashi turned back to the mirror and watched as his hair changed to a lime green color, starting at the roots and work its way towards the top. Soon his hair was purple, orange, red, and then finally blue. Each time the transformation went faster and the color didn't last as long, he noted gratefully.
"Be more careful next time, Naruto," his sensei sighed.
The genin folded his arms indignantly. "Well, you interrupted me! What was it you wanted to ask me anyway?"
"I just wondered what you were doing," the jounin shrugged.
Around midday Kakashi and Naruto were in Professor Trelawney's class, listening to her drone on and on about some planet called Mars. This was the one class Kakashi had not attended yet, and he had been avoiding it as much as he could. He had heard about how unbearable the smells were from Naruto and Gaara, but he was admittedly curious about the class. What about it had made Gaara walk out on the first day?
The jounin had smelt the perfume before they even entered the classroom, and decided that the two genin were not kidding when they said it was unbearable. The intensity of the smells made his head spin and to make matters worse, the room was quite humid and stuffy. Once everyone settled in Kakashi stood near the three boys, and then as an afterthought opened a nearby window. The soft breeze was an immediate relief and it also didn't smell as bad. The boys glanced at Kakashi gratefully before turning their attention back to Trelawney.
Kakashi thought she was a very eccentric character, and that was saying something considering who his "arch rival" was. He smiled softly as he thought back on his friend and wondered what his reaction would be if he ever came to this dimension. His musings were cut short by a loud scream.
Harry had fallen out of his chair and was rolling on the floor, yelling out in pain while clutching his scar. Everyone turned and stared at him fearfully while Ron and Naruto rushed to his side, unsure of what to do.
"What's going on?" Naruto asked in concern.
All the color was drained from Ron's face and he tried to calm his friend down.
"Has this happened before?" Kakashi whispered. He could tell that Ron knew something about this. Did he hear something about how he got the scar from that Dark Lord?
"I-It . . . not like this," Ron whispered back. "It's hurt him before, and usually it has something to do with You-Know-Who. It's never hurt him so much before."
Kakashi grabbed Harry's shoulders and shook him. "Harry? Harry! Harry!" That did it. The young wizard's eye shot open and he was breathing heavily with watery eyes and he seemed dazed.
"You all right?" Ron asked.
"Of course he isn't!" Professor Trelawney said, looking strangely excited. "What was it, Potter? A premonition? An apparition? What did you see?"
"Nothing." Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the obvious lie and help the boy stand up. He noticed that he glanced all over the place, as if expecting somewhat to be there and wondered what could have made him so paranoid.
"You were clutching your scar!" Trelawney persisted. "You were rolling on the floor, clutching your scar! Come now, Potter, I have experience in these matters!"
"Really?" Kakashi asked, sarcasm laced in his tone.
Trelawney frowned and glared at him. "Really! And I personally don't like you talking like that to—"
"May I go to the hospital wing?" Harry cut in.
"Absolutely not! You need to—"
"What I need is some medicine for a headache," Harry insisted before grabbing his things and leaving. With the exception of Professor Trelawney, everyone watched Harry leave with slight trepidation, and Kakashi decided it would be prudent to follow his charge.
"I don't think that's the way to the infirmary," Kakashi said as he followed Harry.
"I need to see Dumbledore," Harry protested.
"Why? What happened?"
"I just need to talk to him!" Harry said angrily. He really wished Kakashi would leave him alone just for once!
The jounin sighed. "Fine. It seems like Dumbledore will know more than we do."
A few minutes later they were standing in front of the Headmaster's door, with Kakashi chuckling at Harry.
"You shouldn't have kicked it you know," he teased.
"Stupid gargoyle wouldn't let me in," Harry muttered.
They turned their attention to the discussion going on inside Dumbledore's office. They were being quite loud, so much that even Harry could tell what they were talking about, and it seemed like the Headmaster and Mad-Eye Moody were discussing the disappearance of Mr. Crouch and a Bertha Jones to someone named Cornelius.
" . . . it's just that Potter and Kakashi want a word with you. They're just outside your door."
"So this is a phoenix?" Kakashi asked in amazement, gazing at the magnificent bird fondly.
"Yeah, his name is Fawkes," Harry said offhandedly, glancing at the portraits that were all snoring.
"Such a beautiful creature," Kakashi said as he stroked his feathers slowly. He was finding all the animals in the wizard world to be vastly more interesting than his own. The creature leaned into Kakashi's touch and sang a few lines of what Kakashi supposed to be a song. Strangely enough the sound seemed to boost Kakashi's spirits and he felt strangely at peace.
"So what exactly happened in there?" Kakashi wondered aloud. "Ron said something about—" He stopped talking when he noticed Harry was gone. "Harry? Harry where are you?" The jounin frowned, because his senses were telling him that Harry was over by a small basin, yet he couldn't see or smell him. "Is this some type of new Invisibility Cloak?" he asked, stepping closer. He hardly doubted there was anything dangerous in Dumbledore's office—at least, that he would leave lying around.
Once he reached the bowl, Kakashi noticed that there seems to be images floating around in it, and once he glanced at it further he saw that there was some sort of gathering and once he saw Harry in it he grew worried. Should he try and rescue Harry by himself?
Seeing as how Harry most likely got trapped by touching the stuff, Kakashi knew he wouldn't be much help if he got stuck too, so that meant he would have to find Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore!" he called, suddenly appearing besides him on the school grounds.
"Merlin's beard!" Cornelius gasped, clutching his heart. "H-how did you—"
"What is it, Kakashi?" Dumbledore asked in concern. Kakashi leaned in and whispered it to him. "I see. Well, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me I have some business to attend to."
"So what happened, Headmaster?" the jounin asked as they entered the office.
"This is a Pensieve," he answered. "It allows me to keep my thoughts and memories in one place so I can revisit them in case they carry something important. Seems like young Harry was quite the curious lad," he chuckled. He then reached into the basin and after a brief blinding flash Harry was sprawled out on the floor, looking quite embarrassed.
"Now then, if you'll please excuse us, Kakashi, it seems like young Harry has something he would like to tell me." Kakashi bowed at the quiet dismissal and left the room, wishing that he had a Pensieve himself, though he wouldn't necessarily use it to "revisit" his past.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! There was a request to see what Voldemort is doing, so I decided it was high time to include his plans and there has been a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter—so believe me when I say that everything happened for a reason!
I have no idea when the next chapter will come out. For the next few weeks I will be working on an original novel of mine so some of it can be prepared for this Writer's Workshop I'm attending at the end of March. The next update will probably be the end of April, once I'm out for the college semester because I have got to study my brains out for finals. Have a nice day!
Also, be warned that things are going to pick up in the next chapter! Voldemort's plan is set into action!!