A/N: I am so, so, sorry I haven't updated in years. My Sophomore, Junior, and my Senior year basically kept me busy. With the end of the "Harry Potter era," I think it's a good idea to pick this story again, eh? Hopefully, I can use the many writing skills I picked up over my long hiatus... I'm gonna try to increase this by 3,000 words per chapter. Also, I've switched to OpenOffice, so I'm still not sure what the format will be like. On with the story!
Chapter 12: The Quidditch Cup Incident!
Slithered along the grass, Harry found himself heading towards a decrepit looking manor. He looked behind him as an old man stepped out of a cabin, carrying a gas lamp as he walked up the path to the manor. Harry picked up the pace, intending to warn his master of the intruder. Harry could not feel his limbs, instead, feeling a serpentine body wind through the furniture and reached an open door. A man, 'WORMTAIL!' Harry thought to himself, was kneeling over a chair as a hissing voice spoke.
"I cannot afford anymore delays!" the voice began, "How much more time until Crouch is in position?"
'Crouch?' Harry thought to himself as he winded around the chair in the middle of the room.
"M-my lord," Wormtail stammered in fear, "Moody's house is not easily breached! You must give me more time! I shall breach his wards after the Quidditch World Cup!" The figure in the chair's response was an angry hiss.
"I have given you all of summer to accomplish this task, Cr-!" The voice was interrupted as Harry found himself face to face with a weird, ugly...baby. She hissed at the baby-like creature, "Master, an intruder arrives." 'Voldemort...'
"Ah, Wormtail, Nagini has just informed me that the old muggle caretaker is just standing outside the door. Adjust my seat, let me greet this interloper." Wormtail did as he was told, turning the chair only to see the old man fall to the ground, revealing a mysterious masked figure behind him.
"Hello, Voldemort. I believe I can help you with your...nemesis." A man, framed in shadow, walked into the room, the fireplace illuminating only his mask. It was an interesting mask, spiraling towards his one red eye. Harry found himself backing away as the man's red eye spinning while it narrowed. It was then he heard her voice...
"Harry. Wake up, Harry!" Harry found himself shaken, eyes opening to a welcome site. He smiled at the girl in front of him, though he frowned at the sling around her right arm. The injuries they received from the Worm invasion wasn't life threatening, but they had to be covered in bandages after. The Worms especially, focused on disarming Hermione from her sword, resulting in her current inability to use her arm. Noticing Harry's look, she smiled at him again, "I'm fine, Harry. The armor took the brunt of the damage. How about your chest, is it-" She made for Harry's blanket.
"Whoa, Hermione!" He moved away from Hermione's hands, "Let a bloke take care of things, eh?" He blushed, not intending to let Hermione see his...'morning salute.' She stared at him before remembering the physical reaction.
"Oh, OH! Erm..." She all but jumped away from his bed, "Right, erm... I just came to wake you up. Er, sensei's waiting for us. I, um..." She turned away, Harry was sure she heard him mutter, 'this is so embarrassing...,' causing him to chuckle.
"It's all right, Hermione. Even the smartest witch of our generation isn't at her best in the morning, eh?"
"Oi!" A shout startled both teens and awakened the other boy in the room.
"Hey! What the-?" Ron, grumpy at the unceremonious wake up call, glared at the intruder poking his head through the window. A smiling blonde greeted the three teens. "It's still three hours until the bloody Cup, and it's what? 7 AM?"
Ron's grousing was met with a chuckle. "What's that saying? An early bird catches the most bounties?" Naruto's attempt at wise idioms was met with confused stares from the three. "Erm, I think it's early bird catches the worm..." Hermione interjected.
"Really? Huh...should talk to Kakashi-sensei sometime..." Naruto muttered and looked away.
"Anyway," he turned back to the kids, "It's training time! Grab some breakfast and go outside. So, chop chop!" He then backflipped away from the window back to the ground.
"Wait, it's 2 stories from the ground, how does he-? Argh, mental that one." Ron slammed back down to his bed, covering his head with his pillow. "Wake me up when we're about to leave."
"Honestly, Ronald..." Hermione shook her head as Harry laughed at his friend's antics. "You comin'?" Hermione looked at Harry, who took the time to dress while Naruto distracted everyone else.
"Right with ya, 'Mione." Harry patted Hermione's back as he walked outside the room.
Reaching the dining room of The Burrow, Harry sat down on the dining table and tried to recall the dream he just had. He was deep in thought and was surprised when Hermione nudged him with his elbow and gestured at Mrs. Weasley's worried look.
"Are you ok, dear? Maybe you still need some sleep?" Mrs. Weasley asked Harry as she placed breakfast in front of Harry.
"Oh, er. I'm ok Mrs. Weasley, just thinking about a dream I had." He smiled to reassure Mrs. Weasley. She had been watching the two teens like a hawk after they arrived in The Burrow with bandages from their encounter with the Worm aliens. She gave Naruto an earful for "leaving two defenseless children while he gallivanted about." Naruto took it in stride, grinning and scratching his head. "I've had worse," he had told Harry.
"Well, dear, don't worry about rushing so early." She turned towards the door leading to the back yard, "I'll take care of that hyperactive loon if he tries to force you to run while you two are still exhausted."
"Don't worry about us, Mrs. Weasley. We're recovering nicely." He smiled again as he began eating his breakfast. Hermione just nodded as she looked at Harry again, concerned about his reticence. Still wary about Harry's condition, she placed her hand on Harry's shoulder before turning back to her cooking.
"Harry, what happened in that dream?" She asked cautiously. She had come to the boys' room at the tail end of his dream and saw him shaking and sweating. "At one point, I swore you started hissing."
"Well, it started like this..." Harry imparted what he could remember about the dream. "...And Voldemort had Wormtail turn his seat to kill the intruder then..." He closed his eyes, trying to remember the end, "...then nothing. I could've sworn there was something else." He rubbed his eyes with his hand, removing his glasses with the other and setting it down the table.
"Hmm." Hermione glanced up to his scar, "It seems your scar's connection to Voldemort extends beyond headaches when he's around." She wrapped her arm around Harry's shoulder, "You should tell Dumbledore." Harry felt Hermione's head lean on his shoulder. It was...nice. "I'll be fine, 'Mione, thanks for listening." He gave a slight smile. The two were preoccupied with each other they didn't notice Mrs. Weasley's mouth twitch up a bit in a small smile. "Ah young love..."
After finishing their breakfast, the two teens walked outside, where they found Naruto sitting on a log with one foot crossed over the other. He was slurping as he finished the last of his ramen noodles. Sitting up, he began talking, "Now, I'm glad you've come quite a bit on your martial arts training." Naruto looked at Harry, then at Hermione, "But you're obviously not ready to kick my ass." Naruto chuckled at the slightly dejected look from his two students. While it was true that they practiced every day they could, the two were probably just above white belt in terms of martial skills. "However, my main focus has always been your endurance and stamina. That's why I've had you ran more than actual fight training. If you've noticed, I've also trained you in dodging and maneuvering. This is more evident in your sword training." Harry looked at Hermione, whose face was scrunched in thought.
"These are more universal skills, right?" Harry said, somewhat tentatively.
"Right in one, scarhead!" Naruto smiled his toothy grin at Harry's slight discomfort with his nickname for him
"And the chakra exercises? The meditating?" Hermione questioned.
"Also applicable for magic. Guys, I'm not training you to be ninja, I'm training you to defend yourselves. The old man told me-" "Old man?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Dumbledore. He told me how wizards rely more on their magic and wands than anything. Get close to them and you're within their guard. Right in place for an easy knockout, believe it!" Naruto winked at them, along with a thumbs up. "It's not a bad idea to pursue martial arts during your spare time, but you both aren't in the best of shape right now. So, like we've been doing since the Worm invasion, a 30 minute jog and then some tree-walking for the rest of the hour." Harry and Hermione nodded as they began their exercise. Naruto sat down at a rock nearby as he watched his students run around the Burrow.
"He does make a fair point..." Harry began, once they were halfway into their 30 minutes, "I haven't been too out of breath." The two smiled at each other as they made their circuit.
A quick shower after their exercise, the two found themselves seating down in the living room, watching the chaos that is the Weasley family. "I told you to wake up early! But nooo, you just had to have a bit of a lie-in!" Mrs. Weasley chastised Ron as he rushed to get ready for the International Quidditch World Cup. "I know Mum!" Ron replied back as he finished his breakfast before running up the stairs, almost running into the Weasley twins who were on their way down, finished with their bath.
"Ah, my dear brother-"
"-we apologize, but you must wait,"
"-aye, wait you shall, for our dear sister!" The twinspeak was met with a loud groan from Ron as he had to wait a long time for his turn, with the bathtub in its recharge phase for its warming runes to heat up the water.
"So..."
"How are our little adventurers?" Fred and George sat down on either side of the couch, trapping the two teens in the middle.
"Fine, I guess." Harry shrugged. He really had nothing to say and was merely content not to be hurrying for once. Naruto's training regimen had instilled in him the habit of waking up early.
"Oh?"
"Just fine"
"Why Gred?"
"Yes Forge?"
"We must fix this of course!"
"Indeed, my twin. Have a candy." George, or Fred, either one, held out a hand with a piece of candy.
"Er...I don't think I trust you with anything..." Harry trailed off, glancing at Hermione before looking at the seemingly innocent piece of candy laying on George's (or Fred's) hand. "And you would be right to do so." A voice spoke from behind them, causing the four to flinch. The twins looked behind them to see their mother, hands crossed, eyebrow raised.
"Um...Dear mother!"
"Oh, great caretaker!" If it was possible, Molly's eyebrows raised even higher, causing the twins to look at each other, chuckle at Harry, and ran out the backyard. "Huh...could've sworn they left an afterimage." Hermione mused as she watched the twins rush out, almost running into Naruto, who was walking through the door.
"Whoa!" the blonde ninja cried out, "Watch where you're running!" Naruto grumbled as he patted his clothes for any leftover 'gifts' the pranksters may have left behind. Nodding in satisfaction that the pranksters didn't leave a farewell gift, he stood in front of the couch. "So! Ready for this Quidritch thing?" He smiled his toothy smile at the two teens.
"It's Quidditch." Harry corrected.
"Whatever." Naruto shrugged. Mrs. Weasley turned her glare from the garden door to Naruto. "As Harry's guardian, I expect no shenanigans from you."
"Ulp, yes ma'am!" He stood straight. Mrs. Weasley's imperious stare was even worse than Yamato's creepy-ass ghoul face. He nodded along as Mrs. Weasley explained the rules, what time they were to be back, watch for strangers, "And for Merlin's sake, don't let them get hurt again! Some guardian you are." Ginny chose this moment to come down the stairs, sitting next to Harry.
"Hiya Harry! Hey Hermione." The two gave Ginny a little wave, then turned back to Mama Bear Weasley. "She's oddly more stringent than usual, is she?" Hermione mused.
"Stringent?" Ginny asked, not familiar with the word.
"Protective, strict." Hermione answered back.
"Oh, eh." Ginny shrugged, "She was quite cross with your bodyguard after you guys came here all bandaged up. She does think of you as part of the family y'know."
Hermione, still curious at what the Twins tried to offer Harry, asked Ginny if she knew what the Twins were up to the whole summer. This caused Ginny's mood to worsen. "Oh...those candies." She crossed her arms and frowned. "Well, those idiots got it into their head that they should expand their pranks and created these candies that do a variety of things."
"I take it, you were a victim of the Twins?" Hermione's inquiry was met with a disdainful snort. "A victim? Their first. So, I'm preparing to leave to hang out with a neighbor of ours, Luna, right?" Ginny adjusted her position so she faced Harry and Hermione, "Well, all of a sudden, they come from behind me, putting their arms around me. 'Oh dear sister!' George says, 'I've heard of a wonderful Muggle candy called a Chocolate egg!' so they give me the egg, telling me to try some. Well, it would've been funny had Luna not chosen that moment to arrive the moment I turned into...a canary." Ginny blushed in embarrassment as her audience begin to laugh. "That's not the worst part. All Luna says is 'Oh dear! I've always told daddy I wanted a pet. I didn't know you can turn into a Canadian Poof Bird. Oh what fun we shall have' and she starts clapping like Christmas arrived early." This caused Harry to laugh harder while Hermione tried to control her own laughter. "Yeah, yeah...laugh it up, but don't look to me for help when Fred and George target you for their pranks..." Ginny just sighed.
"Sorry, Ginny -eheh- the image is just too much. I think I wanna meet this Luna." Harry said, once he got his laughter under control.
Somewhere nearby, on a castle shaped house, a blonde girl with wondrous gray eyes sneezed a few times. "Hrm...I wonder if Wrackspurts are infesting my ears again...Oh dear...Or maybe the author needed some way to introduce my silliness into the story."
"What's that, dearest?" a male voice called out from the hallway. "Nothing father," Luna responded, "I'm merely breaking the fourth wall again."
"Ah, do be careful when you do that, dearest. It ruins the pacing of the story."
"I'll try my best, father."
Back in the Burrow...
"...Do you understand?" Molly finished, hands at her hip, smoldering stare causing Naruto to back up a bit. "Yes, ma'am!" Naruto didn't know why but he felt he needed to salute this Mama Bear. Arthur, having entered the house from searching for their tents smiled in amusement as he went to Molly's side and placed a placating arm on her shoulders. "Now, now, dear. Don't worry, I shall be there. Everything will be fine." Molly harrumphed as she turned to the kids, angry, protective mode seemingly turned off for a maternal smile, "Now children, do have fun and be careful, okay?" She was met with a "Yes Mrs. Weasley" and a "Yes mum."
After another piercing stare aimed at Naruto, she left to clean up the kitchen. After making sure she was out of range, everyone started laughing.
"Heh, scary mom. I heard my mother was like that when she was alive." Naruto sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Forgive my wife, she can be a bit...overbearing." Arthur apologized. Naruto just waved it off. "Oh, I'm still not sure how you'll be able to fulfill your duty. We only have enough for me, the twins, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione." Harry looked expectantly at Naruto who scratched the back of his head.
"Eh...Well you'll see when we get there." Naruto only winked.
After finally leaving with barely a few minutes to spare (Ron had to rush through his bath, soldiering through the cold water), the group were walking up a path when they saw an old boot up a hill. They were greeted by Amos Diggory and his son Cedric along the way. Arthur introduced the children and they made amiable banter, also introducing Naruto as Harry's bodyguard.
"Blimey, Harry, nothing's ever just normal for you huh? A bodyguard! Should keep Sirius Black away from you, eh?" Harry tried to hide a grimace as he thought of that fateful night during Sirius's escape. Though it was slight, Hermione caught it and surreptitiously grabbed Harry's hand while Ron placed a hand on his shoulder. Harry squeezed Hermione's hand gracefully while nodding at Ron. "Yeah, Sirius Black." Noticing the change in mood, Cedric changed the subject again, this time to Quidditch.
"Oh, Krum! Of course Bulgaria might actually take the Cup! What with their star seeker..."
When they reached the boot. Arthur gave a crash-course in Portkey travel as he checked his wristwatch for the appointed teleport time. "And 3, 2, 1!" Naruto gasped as he felt a hook grab him by the navel. Only Arthur's warning and his self-control prevented him from throwing the boot away once he felt the magic take effect.
"Well..." Naruto began as he landed on his feet, chuckling as the kids around him fell to the ground, "..that's a weird way to travel." Arthur, Cedric, and Amos Diggory laughed with him as the kids groaned, picking themselves up. After recovering from their first time portkeys, the group bid farewell to the Diggorys and moved towards their reserved campsite.
"Hang on. You gotta see this." Naruto called out, making the others stop. "Ready for your first taste in Ninjutsu?" This peaked the group's interest as they continued watching Naruto. He flashed through seals and spoke, "Kuchiyose No Jutsu!" A small puff of smoke revealed a normal sized frog on the ground in front of Naruto. Everyone looked expectantly at Naruto, with Ron commenting, "That's it?"
Naruto smiled again, "I'm not done. This one came from my master." He flashed through some seals again, "Gamagakure No Jutsu!" Then, slowly, Naruto began to get sucked inside the frog, causing Ron to flashback to his slug-vomiting incident.
"Bloody Hell!"
"Ronald! Language!" Hermione quickly looked at Ron, chastising him.
"But...look at that! It's freaky!" Ron gestured at the frog, any traces of Naruto gone.
"Well..." Arthur began, recovering from the odd piece of Ninjutsu, "shall we keep going?" He turned towards the campsite as the rest followed him, looking back to the frog now hopping behind them.
"Why Gred..."
"Yes my dear twin..."
"I wonder if we can top that?"
"My dear twins." Ginny interjected, "Why would you top getting eaten by a frog? Want to emerge filled with warts?"
"GASP!" Yes, the Twins said that out loud, "What a brilliant idea my dear sister!"
"Yes, indeed! Think about it, a charm that makes the target turn into a frog!"
"...Then when the charm wears off, you're cursed with warts for a few days..."
"...Weeks even!" The twins put their arm around Ginny, "Why I must say, we've done our best." Fred sniffed an imaginary tear. "But you've now joined the Dark Side."
"The Pranking Side! They do grow up so fast..." George pretended to cry, causing Ginny to roll her eyes and Harry to chuckle. Hermione pretended to ignore the Twins while Ron tried to get a hold of his stomach from vomiting.
After getting their tickets checked out by a guard who continuously memory-charmed a muggle, the group entered the camp site. The teens looked in awe at the celebration around them as the Irish caused a riotous party with fireworks. There were even stands selling Quidditch merchandise and team shirts. Reaching their reserved spot, Arthur put up the two tents he carried with a wave of his wand.
"Okay, kiddos. Here's the set up. Me and the boys will be in the right tent," Arthur pointed at the right, somewhat reddish tent, "while Ginny and Hermione will be in the left tent." He gestured to the left tent. Naruto chose this moment to exit his frog. His arm first came out of the tent, then followed by the rest of his body. Ginny uttered a disgusted groan as the Twins and Harry looked on in amazement.
"Bloody disgusting mate..." Ron's face wrinkled in disgust, "...but still pretty cool, somewhat."
"Well, don't worry about me, Mr. Weasley." He smiled as if nothing happened, "I'll be fine outside." He tossed a frog a piece of candy who caught it with its tongue and did a thumbs up. "Thanks Gamataro." Hermione gaped in disbelief as the frog spoke, though in Japanese, "No problem big bro." before disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Um...What did he say?" She looked at Naruto who repeated the frog's farewell. Shaking their head in disbelief they went inside the tent, where Harry proceeded to yell "I love magic!" upon seeing that it was bigger on the inside.
Before the start of the match, Harry and his group was treated with the less than pleasant welcome from the Malfoys. "So, Draco, these are the...dissidents of the school that you speak of?" Lucius looked at the Weasleys as they walked up the ramp into the stadium. He hmmphed at Harry and the so-called blood traitors, the Weasley family. "Such a ragtag company you keep, Mr. Potter. Come, Draco, we mustn't sully ourselves with such peasants."
"Oh?" Naruto began, "I guess I know why they call you Lucius." He appeared suddenly behind Lucius, running a hand through the man's long, blonde hair. "Your hair is just oh so luscious! Surely you take care of it using the same hair products as my old master's dog?" Lucius growled as he turned sharply to look at the grinning man who insulted him "Why, you disrespectful mudblood!" He moved to unsheathe his wand from his cane before Naruto moved closer, halting Lucius's arm and gripping it harder. Lucius could've sworn he heard his wrist bones creak. The Twins and Ron cackled as Arthur moved to play peacekeeper.
"Gentlemen please..." Arthur placed an arm between the two men.
"I look forward to wiping that disgusting smile from your scarred face." Lucius all but growled to Naruto. Naruto's grin became even more predatory, his mouth opening to show fangs as his whiskers became even fuzzier, giving him a feral look. A sort of pressure emanated from him, causing everyone around them to try and grab onto anything lest they fall to the ground. "And I would like to see you try...that is, if you can even stand right in front of me." Lucius felt something he had not felt since serving with Voldemort; fear, fear strong enough to reduce you to your knees. He could feel his legs shake as he tried to prevent himself from falling. As sudden as it appeared, the pressure disappeared and Naruto's feral whiskers and fangs disappeared, his grin friendlier. "Nice to meet ya Lucy-chan!" His grip on Lucius's arm turned into a handshake. "Hope to see you again!" He finished the handshake with a parting grip that almost broke Lucius's hand before turning back to the surprised Weasleys and the other two teens. "C'mon! Let's go find a seat!" Naruto exclaimed in excitement as he herded the teens away.
"W-who was that?" Draco shook, not forgetting that pressure anytime soon. Lucius turned to Arthur, the man also recovering from Naruto's stifling presence. "That was Mr. Potter's bodyguard. Someone that Dumbledore appointed himself... And, it seems, a man not to be trifled with." Arthur's normally jovial blue eyes were sharpened to an icy stare, meeting Lucius's shocked grey ones. For this one moment, Lucius recalled the deadly duelist he once fought during Voldemort's first reign of terror. "Do not provoke him, Death Eater..." Arthur whispered the last words in a warning and hateful undertone before snapping back to the jovial persona as both he and Lucius turned to Naruto's yell.
"C'mon old man! We're gonna leave you behind!" Naruto waved, his foxy smile in place as if nothing happened. "Coming along, Mr. Uzu..er, Uzu!" Arthur spoke as he made his way towards his charges.
"HEY! It's Uzu-maki! Get it right!" Naruto said as the man caught up as they moved along the masses, leaving Lucius standing, ragged from the intense showdown. It was only after Draco had pulled several times on his arm that he snapped back to his senses and moved to the Minister's box.
The post-game mood was raucous as Irish fans and Bulgarian fans everywhere were arguing and heckling each other. Disbelief at Krum catching the Snitch yet losing the match because of the Irish team's leading score was the hotly debated topic. Naruto chatted excitedly at the action he witnessed with the Twins and Ron as they walked.
"And when that guy, what was it? Crumb?"
"Krum!" Ron corrected for the umpteenth time.
"Yeah! Krum! He did that swooping maneuver and pulled up before hitting the ground! IT. WAS. AWESOME!" Naruto's hands went up in the air. "So awesome!" Everyone else chuckled at Naruto's excitement as they reached their tents. Everyone but Hermione, who found herself unknowingly wrapping her arms around Harry's right as they walked. She found herself curious at what happened when the Veela danced during the pre-game celebrations.
A few Hours earlier...
Taking their seats, the group watched as the Irish leprechauns used their magic to create gold raining down the spectators. Seeing Ron hoarding some for himself, Hermione reminded Ron that leprechaun gold was a magical illusion and would fade in time. Ron dropped his pile and grumbled, sitting back down.
It was the next event, however, that shocked Hermione.
Seeing the Veela dance their way into the field, she saw all around her, men trying to get out of their seats to try and reach the Veela. She saw Ron to her left trying to get out of their balcony, held only by Naruto's, who was next to him, seemingly unaffected. He looked at her and shook his head in amusement. "Boys will be boys." Looking farther down the row, she could see Arthur grabbing the twins, preventing them from going overboard, also unaffected. However, when he looked to her right, she felt a hand around hers and saw Harry's face, grimacing as if he was trying to keep his control. She tightened her grip on his hand as he turned to her, smiling slightly causing Hermione to blush slightly. Their interaction didn't go unnoticed as Naruto smirked. 'Ah, he's so got it for her and and he doesn't know it.' He thought to himself. Ginny frowned a bit, looked away sadly and sighed to herself as she saw Harry turn away from the Veela to look at Hermione.
Hermione asked Mr. Weasley why he wasn't enthralled by the Veela after the match, he replied, "Ah, Hermione, only those in deep love with their significant other can resist their charms." She repeated the question to Naruto who replied with less eloquence, "You kiddin' me? Those girls were certainly hot, but my Sakura-chan's the best woman in the world!" His lively blue eyes turned wistful as his thoughts went to his beloved.
Far away in Konoha...
A certain pink haired kunoichi halted in her walk as she looked out in the distance, suddenly feeling warm and sighed, putting a hand on the turquoise crystal around her neck. "I miss my blonde haired idiot..." Her tender moment was ruined however as Konohamaru ran past her with a quick "Hiya!" before Moegi and Hanabi followed clad only in towels from a nearby hot spring chasing after the boy with killing intent. "Grr...that PERVERTED IDIOT!" 'I better increase my alone time with little Naruto...' Sakura thought with a blush as she ran after the self proclaimed '7th Hokage.'
Back in Wizarding World.
The two men's answers confused her. Harry hadn't shown any kind of feelings towards her except for platonic ones, right? She shook her head, 'No, of course not, I'm probably like a sister towards him...' As if sensing Hermione's inner confusion, Harry turned to Hermione, "Hey, you ok?" However, he noticed how close they were, smelling her vanilla scent. Hermione looked at Harry and blushed as she saw her kind, green eyes. 'I could lose myself in those emeralds...Yet he'll always bring me back'
Harry stared back, noticing her cheeks coloring red, 'She's..cute...Ulp.' He gulped at the foreign emotions he felt within. They hardly noticed the world around them as they walked straight onto one of the poles holding up the boys' tent. Knocked back into reality, Harry and Hermione unclasped their arms from one another. "Oh, erm...You must be tired, long day and heh, and everything." Harry scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling timid around her. Hermione backed away too, nervous at how close they were to each other. "Um...yeah. It's been a long day." She faked a yawn, "I'll er, see you later." She turned and noticeably walked quickly into the girls' tent. Naruto and Arthur glanced each other in recognition and quiet amusement. The Twins took this time to tease Harry. "Oi, Harry."
"Honorary Brother. We heard this muggle song..."
"Perhaps you've heard of it?" Clearing their throat, the Twins began, "Harry and Hermione sitting in a tree..." Harry's eyes widened as he recognized the chant and promptly ran inside the tent, the grinning Twins following after, singing along. Ginny rolled her eyes, yet looked a bit morose before muttering good night and following Hermione. Ron also looked a bit confused, feeling an odd emotion of sadness for some reason. Shaking his head, he followed the Twins. Arthur walked towards the tent, stopping near the flaps to talk to Naruto who sat down on a log that appeared in a puff of smoke.
"Will you be all right, Mr. Uzumaki?" Arthur's inquiry was met by a nod, however, he noticed Naruto's frown. "Something wrong?"
"Yes, a bunch of idiots are getting drunk. There's gonna be trouble..." Naruto said cryptically, feeling the clone trailing the Malfoys dispel itself.
Harry awoke to chaotic rumbling as he was shaken by Naruto. Rubbing his eyes while his guardian handed him his glasses, Harry looked around to see the Weasleys rushing to put on proper clothing.
"What's going?" Harry got up, putting on his own traveling cloak.
"Quickly Harry, get ready. We'll need to move soon." Naruto merely said. Arthur entered the tent, looking stressed, followed by the other girls who were also dressed up. Speaking to the gathered kids, Arthur explained what was happening. "We must go, now! Run for the forest, a bunch of wizards are causing a riot outside. The Death Eaters have returned." The Weasleys exploded in action as they ran outside of the tent, bringing Harry and Hermione with them. "Keep going! I'm going to help the Ministry!" Arthur yelled as he ran towards the commotion.
"What? Death Eaters?" Harry ran with the other teens. Ron answered, "They're You-Know-Who's..."
"Voldemort." Naruto corrected, causing the Weasleys to do a collective shiver. They ran with the crowd, away from the devastation that the Death Eaters were causing. Fire raged as the drunken wizards caused the riot.
"Yeah, him...They're his former followers during the war." Ron finished explaining as they headed for the forest. Naruto narrowed his eyes in anger as they ran past a group of Death Eaters, levitating the muggle they saw earlier. This caused the group to stop. They could hear the Death Eaters in their dark cloaks and skull masks insulting the muggle, as if he was their plaything.
"Ha! Mudblood bastard. You like this eh? Where's your whore of a wife!" This brought another round of cackles as they levitated the muggle's wife and son, bringing them up and down like a yo-yo.
"I think he pissed himself! Like the muggle dog he is!"
"Sons of bitches..." Naruto growled. "Wait here." He barely spared a look back as a clone popped into place next to Ginny as a substitute guard. "I'll show them the meaning of the word Death." He brought up a white, ANBU-like mask, however, this one had no markings or paintings, just simple round eye holes for him to look through. Putting his cloak around him and a hood up his head, he created a haunting image of a ghost. Behind him, the clone urged them to keep running towards the nearby forest. When they reached the forest, the kids crouched down some bushes and watched as Naruto stalked the Death Eaters playing with the muggle, his dark cloak causing him to look like a vengeful wraith.
"Hahahaha..." The DE levitating the muggle was cut off as something choked his neck and lifted him from the ground. The muggles fell as the Death Eaters turned to see who interrupted their fun. A few shadow clones popped to catch them from hitting the ground.
"Well, well...look who wants to play with the big boys." Naruto merely stared at them, the dark eyeholes hiding his blue eyes. The Death Eater continued to struggle as Naruto's grip tightened.
"Put down Jugson." When Naruto didn't respond, he added, "NOW!" Naruto's grip tightened again, causing Jugson to gasp. The smoke from the fire around Naruto coalesced behind him, forming the image of a giant fanged creature, growling at them. In response, a few Death Eaters panicked, shooting a few spells towards Naruto, who threw Jugson aside and nimbly dodged the spells. He weaved towards the group, causing even more panic. "Hit him! HIT HIM!" As Naruto reached the closest Death Eater, he grabbed the wand and the DE's hand.
"No. You won't," were his only words before he kneed the Death Eater and threw him to the rest. He spun as he moved forward, building momentum for an elbow to a Death Eater's stomach before spinning again to grab another's wand and arm, crushing the man's arm before throwing him to the ground. "Confr-AGH!" The Death Eater was interrupted as Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him, headbutting him before kneeing the man and twisting his wand arm. Naruto moved on from one Death Eater to another, subduing them with grapples and holds. He grabbed one Death Eater's head and brought it down to his knee, then spun to land a kick to another Death Eater.
A short distance away, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys watched, mesmerized as Naruto bobbed and weave between the Death Eaters in the blink of an eye. "Look at him go..." Ginny trailed off.
"Bloody Hell..." Harry barely registered that Hermione did not call out Ron for his language, merely nodding in agreement. "Is this what he's training you for?" Hermione and Ron looked at Harry, "..what he's training us for?" Harry merely shrugged, "I doubt we'd ever reach that level." They turned back to watch Naruto subdue the Death Eaters with the grace of a rampaging gorilla.
Before long, the Death Eaters were mangled and laying before the Shinobi, trying to crawl away.
"Wha-What are you?" One spoke as Naruto walked menacingly towards the fallen wizards.
"I am the one who strikes from the shadow to serve the light." He took a step as the wizards backed away. "I am the vengeance of the weak." He took another step forward, the stench of puke and piss reaching his senses. "Stupid drunk bastards," he thought to himself. "To my people...," he kneeled and moved closer to the Death Eater in front of him, almost touching his white mask against the frightened wizard's skull mask, "...I am known as the Demon of the Crimson Wind. To you, I am only...a mudblood." The wizard who had the misfortune of being in the front could've sworn Naruto's eye-holes narrowed as he pissed himself once again.
"You're no mudblood! Impossible!" Naruto leaned back, laughing. "How does it feel to be beaten by a 'so-called' mudblood. Without using magic any less!"
The clone next to Harry chuckled, "Oh boss...So theatrical." He shook his head.
"Theatrical?" Hermione turned to the clone.
"Yes, boss is known for something jokingly called 'Therapy No Jutsu' or 'Therapy Style. He's made so many of his enemies become his friends by giving them a kind of monologue before a big fight. People tease him saying that he doesn't fight people, he 'befriends the shit out of them.'" the Naruto clone chuckled again as they watched from within the bushes. "The efficiency rate of that technique's frighteningly high. He's doing the opposite of that, painting himself as a frightening figure and throwing back to their face that they were defeated by someone they consider weak. A mudblood, I guess the term is." The Fourth Shinobi War had hardened Naruto and while it didn't stifle his signature optimism, it did force him to see that not everyone deserved kindness, especially those who could not be steered from their arrogance and perceived superiority.
"Therapy Style? That's weird." Ron, confused, ignored and return to the awesome ass-kicking. Harry and Hermione just looked at each other and shrugged, tucking that piece of info away to ask Naruto lately. However, Harry looked back as he heard a deep voice utter "Morsmordre!" from behind them. He caught a glimpse of a beam of green light before it hit the sky, forming the image of a terrifying skull and a serpent sticking out of the skull's mouth. The commotion caused the teens to run out of the bushes, gazing at the sky, while the clone dispelled itself, uttering a quick "Uh oh..." The spell gained Naruto's attention who turned from the defeated wizards in front of him, taking off his mask and narrowing at the sight of Voldemort's signature signal. Witnessing the spell, the drunken Death Eaters took this time to apparate or side-along if they couldn't. Turning back to the spot where the Death Eaters were, Naruto tsked in frustration when he found them gone. He walked back towards the kids who were staring at the Morsmordre sign.
"What is that?" Ron asked. Hermione, for once, didn't have an answer. Harry, feeling an odd compulsion, looked to his left towards a row of tents to see a man in a leather jacket grinning insanely at the sight. Naruto followed Harry's gaze towards the man who, feeling eyes on him, turned to look at Harry and Naruto and began laughing, flitting his tongue occasionally like a snake before turning around and walking back to the darkness. Harry's gaze was broken as several adults rushed to them, wands out and uttered "Stupefy!" to the group. Acting quickly, Harry pushed his friends down as Naruto pulled a sword out of nowhere and spun around deflecting all the spells away from his wards.
"What is the meaning of this!" The man who seemed to be in charge marched up to Naruto, who stopped him by pointing the edge of his katana towards the man. Getting up, Harry, Hermione, and Naruto all thought "He looks like Hitler." The man looked at the group with a sneer, "Did you do this, did any of you cast You-Know-Who's sign?" He demanded. "SPEAK!" Naruto growled as he stepped in front of Harry and his friends.
"STOP! Barty! Stop!" Arthur ran towards the group and stopped next to Barty. "You can't be serious. These are my children, Crouch! The Boy-Who-Lived! He couldn't have cast the spell!" The word Crouch registered in Harry's mind as he looked at the man. He bared a resemblance to the man they saw earlier. "Sir..." Harry began, "I heard a voice behind me say something like...Morsmodred or something."
"You mean...that spell?" The adults began muttering and gasping. Crouch moved towards the bushes and cried out, "COME OUT! We have you surrounded!" Naruto steered the kids behind him as he prepared to face whatever was in there. Everyone looked on in surprise as a House Elf wringing her hands stepped out shyly.
"What?" Crouch spoke again, "Winky?" The Elf winced as Crouch called her name. "How could Winky serves you master?" Her squeaky voice rung out. "Did you cast the spell?" Crouch glared at the Elf whose head went down. "Well?" Winky's response was to pull out a wand from the bushes behind her. "How dare you...How dare you dishonor me!"
"Um sir...I saw a man run over there..." Harry pointed to where he saw the mysterious figure escape. Crouch, upon hearing this, widened his eyes. Growling at Winky, he gave her his bowler hat in dismissal, "You shall not shame me again!" causing the House Elf to burst into tears.
"No! Master...Winky has serves you faithfully! No!" Winky cried, holding the bowler hat close to her chest. Crouch barely spared a look as he urged his companions towards the direction Harry pointed out. Hermione walked towards the crying Elf and kneeling next to her. "How dare he..." She muttered, "He didn't even turn to look at her after..." She hugged Winky as she cried on Hermione.
"I wish I could help you. Maybe Dobby..." Harry was interrupted as the enthusiastic House Elf suddenly appeared in front of Harry. "What can Dobby be doing, Great Harry Potter Sir?"
"Whoa! What the?" Naruto once again took a defensive stance. Harry placed himself between the ninja and the Elf "Whoa! Calm down, Dobby's a friend."
"The Great Harry Potter calls Dobby...Friend?" Dobby blinked as tears appeared in his eyes and hugged Harry, "Dobby knew Great Harry Potter is Great...to call Dobby Friend!" Harry felt awkward as he held the hysterical Elf as he looked at Hermione who was hugging the other hysterical House Elf.
"Erm...Dobby, could you take care of erm, Winky over there? She just got dismissed by her master." Dobby gasped and walked over to Winky who looked up to see what the commotion was about.
"Dobby is Dobby. Who is you?"
"Winky is.. sniffle...Winky. You find me a new Master?" Dobby took Winky's hand as she untangled herself from Hermione's hug. "Oh yes! Dobby takes you to great Goat Man! He will take care of you! And pay you! And treat you like friend!" Winky just had a second to look aghast before they popped away. Naruto just looked on and said, "what," a sentiment echoed by everyone else. Shaking his head, Arthur said, "C'mon, let's go home," before he sighed at the destruction.
"Wait." Naruto looked up to the Morsmordre sign. "What about that?"
"Specialists from the Ministry will come and try to clean it up. Might take a week or two." Arthur just shrugged, disheartened by the devastation. Naruto adopted a determined look before drawing his sword again. "This symbol, Voldemort's?" Arthur nodded in agreement. "Then it will not stay as a symbol of the people's fear. Not when I'm around." Naruto slashed his sword as a red flare of energy flew next to the skull. Everyone watched in amazement as the red mass of energy expanded and formed into a Nine Tailed Fox that grabbed the snake-tongue with its mouth and bit it off. The fox's paws then stepped over the skull, projecting an image of a fox ripping the skull's tongue away from the skull. "Not when I'm around. Let's go."
So, I've updated. Some stuff to clarify: Naruto's tricks such as the fox projections are Wind Manipulation with a bit of chakra. That 'pressure' that he projected was like a Killing Intent, only without the 'seeing your death' bit. It's also taken from Bleach, powerful spiritual pressure makes everyone feel as if gravity increased. This Naruto's different from canon. He's more terrifying to his enemies, less forgiving of prejudice and bullies. Everything I've done when he fought those Death Eaters is designed to emulate Batman. Even his fighting style is reminiscent of Nolan's Batman and the one used in the Arkham Asylum video game. Also, Sakura's 'little Naruto,' is not Konohamaru. It's her...self-relief substitute. Use your imaginations.