Mission: Hoguwatsu
A Naruto & Harry Potter Crossover
By: GoldenDragonClouds

Chapter 5: Talking Hats

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, nor do I own Harry Potter

Thank you for the reviews! And sorry for the lateness!

Previously in Mission: Hoguwatsu

Tenten gathered her things and opened the door to find the little creature she had seen before standing straight yet nervously waiting for her. It then occurred to her that she should say thanks to the professor, but when she turned around, McGonagall was gone.

Shrugging, Tenten smiled at the trembling Fanny and together they made their way up to Tenten's temporary quarters.

Tenten walked down the hallways of the giant castle of Hogwarts, still being led around like a child by the small creature named Fanny. Not that she didn't want to be; Tenten knew she would have lost her way down with all these moving stairs and portraits and whatnot. Furniture and pictures weren't supposed to move dammit! Unless they were shinobi in disguise, but no, none of these… things, were using any shinobi arts whatsoever; they were using magic. Tenten had accepted the thought that something such as magic actually existed in this world pretty easily after seeing Dumbledore's demonstration and reading the books he had given her- hell, she even thought it was cool- but this magic… was not what she expected it to be.

Magic seemed to defy the laws of nature. Sure, the shinobi arts- using chakra- may seem like magic to most civilians, but there were actual rules that all techniques adhered to and as far as she'd seen, with magic, anything was possible. Transformation and teleportation were just two in a growing list of magical abilities she was carefully listing down. Tenten caught herself wondering if the Fourth Hokage's hiraishin jutsu was a magical jutsu and not a shinobi art. Perhaps she could… of course not.

Tenten fidgeted with her new dre...robe. It was plain, black, and she wore it over some kind of uniform Fanny had brought to her room, complete with a blouse, a tie, a vest, and a skirt and stockings(1). Tenten had, of course, taken the liberty to wear short pants- obviously stocked with weapons- under the skirt. At least the skirt had quite a lot of folds, therefore not being nearly as restrictive as it looked.

She suddenly stumbled, quickly straightening herself. Fanny had stopped in front of her, looking up at the gigantic wooden doors before them. Tenten presumed that these were the doors to the Great Hall. The doors stretched up and up, surely reaching at least the second floor of the castle. There were intricately carved images in blocks of the door's surface, yet the wood looked solid, sturdy, and overall, heavy. How did they ever push open the doors without someone as strong as an Akimichi… or Gai?

"We has arrived in the Great Hall, miss," said the creature, snapping its fingers. The massive doors started to creak open in response.

Oh. Of course. By magic. Except in this world, they made the doors move instead of strengthening themselves to move the door. Fanny disappeared with a 'pop' again, leaving Tenten to walk into the Great Hall alone.

The Great Hall was, to put it simply, great. Massive. With a fireplace. And lit by floating candles. It was a large room with five tables, four of which were lined up lengthwise in front of her and the fifth on a raised stage behind a large podium with a large, golden, spread-winged owl statue splayed on it. Judging from the fact that this particular table had elaborately carved chairs behind it as opposed to the benches at the other tables, it would be where the teachers sat.

At the moment, however, the men and women Tenten presumed to be the teachers sat at the table second to the left of the doors. Yes, she could see McGonagall there, and the greasy-haired man, and the short woman, and the tiny man. And was that a giant? The man with the long white hair and beard, Headmaster Dumbledore, who sat on a separate chair instead of the bench, beckoned for her to come closer, blue eyes twinkling.

Tenten nodded curtly, gathered her robes around her, and briskly walked, head held high, towards the gathered teachers.

"This is Miss Tenten Long," Dumbledore started as she approached the table.

Tenten could see various documents, crammed with charts and pictures and scribbled notes, scattered around the table and surrounding the random platefuls of half-eaten food. She wrinkled her nose. Some foreigners were disgusting(2).

"… the Hogwarts champion for the Triwizard Tournament." Dumbledore was saying when Tenten reached his side. Cue the disbelieving looks from various teachers.

"Albus," a dark-skinned woman started, "this Miss Long, no matter where she is from, barely looks as if she is old enough to even participate in the tournament, not to mention be a bodyguard!"

Tenten blinked. She didn't understand all of what the woman had said, but it was obvious she was against the mission.

"She must be barely seventeen!" Another, light-haired woman cried, throwing a sympathetic look at Tenten. Tenten frowned, and opened her mouth before the woman could continue.

"I am five-ten years, no am seven-ten years(3)."

"I presume you mean fifteen, Tenten?" Dumbledore smiled at her, and she blinked.

"Fee-fu-tee-nu," Tenten tried, frowning. "Yes. Fifutin."

The teachers started to protest again, louder this time.

Tenten turned to Dumbledore and started speaking in Japanese. "I don't get all of what they're saying, but why are they protesting against my mission because of my age?"

Dumbledore only chuckled slightly. "The age of maturity, in Wizarding Britain, is seventeen. One must be of age in order to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, and as you can see, you're younger than our professors expected."

Tenten tilted her head. "None of the books you lent me mentioned an age limit for the participants of the Tournament, sensei."

Dumbledore chuckled again. It was getting annoying. "That, my dear, is a restriction imposed starting this year. We have felt it is necessary, as tournament tasks will be extremely difficult even with the precaution of a bodyguard, such as yourself. It is highly unlikely that students under the age of seventeen would have learned enough to cope with such tasks. I'm sure you have read of past Triwizard Tournaments that had been canceled half way through because of champion deaths, yes?"

Tenten stared back at him defiantly. "I myself am only fifteen, and we shinobi are considered adults when we earn our places in the shinobi world as genin. Do you really consider the younger students incapable of performing such tasks? My first kill was when I was thirteen, and some of our finest shinobi were ANBU captains by that age!"

Was she mistaken or were those tears in his eyes?

Dumbledore sighed. "Nevertheless, we choose to protect those who have a higher chance of failure…" Tenten interrupted him.

"Does the Goblet of Fire not choose those who are worthy? Those who, per se, have chances?" She didn't have time to register that her voice was rising. "Age. Does. Not. Ensure. Skill!"

Tenten would have gone on, if not for the crash that made her whirl around, kunai in hand.

The greasy-haired man, Snake, or something like that, steadily held her gaze, his own wand in hand.

"Raising your voice at the headmaster? I'm sure the previous, ah… exchange student, Namikaze, would be very displeased when he hears of your insubordination."

Tenten's mind reeled as it worked to translate what the professor had said to her in a haughty voice. Kind of reminded her of Neji. Or Sasuke, for that matter.

When she finally understood what he had said, her face went stony.

"Namikaze-sama, four-ten year ago die. Here no more," she deadpanned.

Silence filled the Great Hall.

Tenten tilted her head to her side again. Death was a taboo subject in the wizarding world as well, it seemed.

"Well," Dumbledore said brightly, disrupting the silence. "I suppose I must introduce your teachers to you, Tenten."

In a flurry of robes and glancing and bowing, Tenten was introduced to Professors Babbling, Burbage, Hagrid, Vector, Sinistra, Hooch, and Lupin(4) and their subjects, then reintroduced to Professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout and Flitwick and their subjects. Two more professors, Binns and Trelawney, were mentioned along with the fact that they were, currently, indisposed and unable to attend the meeting.

Professor McGonagall, for a moment, looked contemptuous at the mention of those two names.

But all introductions aside, Tenten now had to decide on her courses… and her house.

"You will have to take the main classes, of course," Dumbledore explained to her cheerfully, pushing a piece of thick tan paper towards Tenten. They were in McGonagall's classroom, the other teachers having dispersed after the meeting. "Transfigurations, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Charms, Astronomy and History of Magic are required courses for all fifth years and under. Other than that, however, you will be taking three elective courses for the O.W.L. examinations as well. I believe you have read the course descriptions in one of the scrolls I gave you?"

Tenten had to stop and think for a moment before formulating a reply. "The elective choose middle(5) Ancient Glyphs, Study of Non-magical People, Arithmatic, Fortune Telling, and Caring for Magical Creatures, correct?"

Dumbledore cringed a little. "The correct names of the classes," he stated, still smiling, "are Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, Arithmacy, Divinations, and Care of Magical Creatures."

Tenten sighed. She had to think for a moment before she could reply. "The class middle three I can take, yes?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Have you decided which ones you would like to study?"

Tenten nodded. "Choice no is easy, but I take Ancient Glyphs, Arithmatic, and Fortune Telling."

"Ancient Runes, Arithmacy, and Divination, Tenten."

Tenten waved him off, busy scribbling on the piece of paper with a pencil she had taken from her pocket.

"Assuming that you have already read through the theoretical knowledge behind the subjects you've chosen…" Dumbledore looked at Tenten, who nodded at him, "you will be tutored for the practical applications of those subjects during the three weeks before the start of term."

"Prati…?"

"But, without further ado, let us figure out what house you are in. Professor McGonagall is here with the Sorting Hat."

Tenten's thoughts screeched to a halt. Wait… what?

Had she understood that right?

Was there another meaning for the word "hat?"

Apparently not, because McGonagall was walking towards them with a very old pointed hat in her hands.

Well, at least it wasn't some sort of magical ability test…

Was it?

Tenten could have sworn it talked.

Hats didn't talk.

And moreover, a hat doesn't talk in your mind, in Japanese, when it's covering your entire face. Which, apparently, it had, just now.

"Ah, another doubter," said a small voice in her mind. It wasn't her own, so it must have been the hat's. "Ooh, yes, very good, a sharp mind. It took longer than that for the other child from your village… let's see… Konohagakure - yes? You could put away that weapon now, you know, your professors are probably startled."

Tenten slowly replaced the kunai into the folds of her skirt. "I don't get it," she said. "I've read about the houses and their characteristics, but isn't there a test of some sort?"

"Logical, eh?" the voice continued. "Plenty of courage and brashness… Ambitious, too, and oh, what's this? Very strong loyalty to your team and your village. The other shinobi here, that blonde kid, was in Hufflepuff, you know?"

"I think I like Ravenclaw sounds better," Tenten said quietly. "I like researching and an environment llke the Ravenclaw house would be helpful, I suppose."

"Are you sure? I believe you want to follow in the previous Hokages' footsteps, no? Well, you seem sure, so - RAVENCLAW!"

The hat's voice still ringing in her ears, Tenten blinked at the bright lights that greeted her back in McGonagall's office.

"Yondaime-sama was Hufflepuff?" she blurted out as soon as her eyes focused on a bemused Dumbledore. His eyes were twinkling. Annoyingly.

"Hufflepuffs are particularly loyal(6), and I do believe the Sorting Hat has a knack for seeing things the wearers themselves may not be aware of. Minato did become the fourth Hokage, correct? I'm sure a position like that requires quite a…" Tenten interrupted him.

"Okay! I know! Now explain other. What magic when I will learn fractional."

"You mean practical, Miss Long."

"Practical! Okay, tell now?"

McGonagall handed her a sheet containing a timetable, marked clearly in both English and in Japanese writing... correction, crammed with both English and Japanese writing...

"Here's your schedule, Miss Long."

Tenten gulped.

(1) In the movies, or the first two at least, this is how the Hogwarts uniform is shown.
(2) Throughout this fic I will not only try to bring in language barriers, but cultural differences and prejudices that different cultures have of each other.
(3) Totally using Chinese grammar here… I have no idea how that corresponds in Japanese. Wait, don't say anything, I'm not talking about the numbers!
(4) Will be explained in future chapters.
(5) In Korean and Chinese, the words "in the middle of" and "from" (as in choose from) are the same. And I'm using pseudo-Korean grammar here.
(6) I was very, very, tempted to put "particularly good finders." Guess where that came from!

Author's Note:

Yes, I did put Minato in Hufflepuff. Think about it; he's calm and thinks about his actions before he executes them, and 'Puffs are known to be very loyal, not to mention friendly.
Chapters are getting longer starting from now. I hope you were satisfied with the method I chose for the sorting… I put a lot of thought in it but wasn't so sure about what others would think.
As those of you that follow me on Deviantart may know already, there were quite a few setbacks to my uploading this chapter… first of which is that my laptop broke down a few months ago, and while I was able to save most of my files because I was working on this story when my laptop broke down, the file turned corrupted, and the 80+ pages of planned scenes, omakes, and outtakes are all *poof*, gone. :( On the bright side, I did get a new computer). Second, I discovered that my chronic shoulder pains were because of hypermobility. (Those of you that don't know what hypermobility is can look it up on Wikipedia) I am currently still going though a rehabilitation process, but it's really taking a long time.
I'm really sorry for not uploading for this long, however. And really, thank you all for stopping by and taking time to read this story. Love you 3 :)
Oh, and I sincerely thank all of you that reviewed to keep me motivated. Thank you, thank you, so much.

Ja Ne,
~Golden