NARUTO/Harry Potter X-over

Disclaimer: I do not own NARUTO or Harry Potter.

Warnings: Contains some bashing, violence, cussing, adult themes, abuse, some spoilers perchance, mild Slash (male/male pairing).

WILL NOT FOLLOW NARUTO WORLD CANON. WILL DIFFER IN OOTP BEFORE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

Summary: In age of 19 Naruto Uzumaki had enough of his life in Konoha where villagers mocked and hated him, and even his supposed teammates were constantly jeering and jibing at him. He resigned from his shinobi career and left Konoha, with Tsunade's permission. 6 years later found him living in Great Britain, in Scotland, in small village called Hogsmeade. In Hogsmeade Naruto is known as Maelstrom, a local Potions Master and Apothecary owner. Fifteen years old Harry Potter comes to him with his troubles with Umbridge and Occlumency, unwittingly changing his and Voldemort's relationship into completely different direction after intruding his mind.

Pairings: HP/LV, Naruto/?, Severus/?

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Stillnight Presents

Heroes of All Sorts

—◦◦◦—◦—◦◦◦— CHAPTER TWO - OCCLUMENCY AND DISCOVERIES —◦◦◦—◦—◦◦◦—

Usually in Hogsmeade weekends when students from Hogwarts came to visit in village the Maelstrom's Tea House was very busy, more than normally so. And that was the case in that particular weekend when Naruto had stopped the fight in his tea house.

While the blond boy had left with his friends, the other boy with whom he had fought was still in Tea House with his own friends. Said boy had messy, black hair and brilliant green eyes. Another boy with red hair, blue eyes and lots of freckles sat with him, other side of their table. Next to black-haired boy was sitting girl with a bushy brown hair and hazel eyes.

They were Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, fifth year Gryffindor students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

And at he moment, Harry was glaring at his tea mug angrily. "I can't believe Malfoy's audacity! Starting a fight middle of Tea House", he growled and stirred his tea nearly angrily. "He has a lot nerve to try that..."

"Yes, but luckily master Maelstrom was here to stop it before it got out of hand", Hermione said and cast a look at Harry and took then from her favorite fruit dessert. "I have to admit that master Maelstrom know what he does. This place is very popular, no matter the age. Madame Puddifoot's Tea-parlor has gone to bankrupt because it lost all its customers to Maelstrom", she told gleefully. Hermione had disliked Madame Puddifoot's place with everything she had and was very gleeful when she had closed her tea-parlor last year spring.

"That place was awful anyway", Ron agreed. "This may not exactly be romantic place, but it still is favored by couples especially."

"But it's good thing that Three Broomsticks and Maelstrom aren't competing about customers. I'd be sad to see Madame Rosmerta close her bar", Harry said when he had finally cooled down a bit. "I mean does make sense, though, that they aren't competing. They both have different sorts of service and refreshments", he continued and sipped his slightly cooled tea. He admitted openly that Maelstrom sold best tea and food.

Other two nodded and they fell into amiable silence. Silence didn't last long though when Harry noticed something. "Whoa... Look at that. Snape's here too", he muttered and nudged Hermione slightly. "He looks unusually peaceful and he's not sneering..."

Hermione and Ron's heads whipped into direction Harry motioned with his head slightly. "You are right. It's Snape. What he is doing here?" Ron pondered.

Harry raised his eyebrow singularly, as if questioning his best friend that was he really asking it. Hermione scowled at Ron usual display at stupidity. "Ron, this is tea-house He's here for same reason as we are. To have tea and eat something", she pointed out. "And read different news papers, apparently."

Ron had decency to properly embarrassed for his obvious question. "Right", he mumbled.

Harry couldn't help but snort at his friend. If he honestly admitted to himself, his friend was sometimes... quite stupid, honestly saying. His and Ron's friendship wasn't quite the same as it had been last year and after Ron had turned his back to Harry, believing that Harry would willingly want to participate into TriWizard tournament to have more fame and glory than he already had. He sighed and shook his head to get those thoughts from his mind.

Harry knew very well that their professor had seen at least a last part of his and Malfoy's fight, but had not stepped to stop it. He absently wondered if Snape was going to deduct points when they got back to school grounds. Most likely, yeah...

He moved his hand to table, to pick up newspaper at their table, knocking his hand to table top. When his hand collided with table he wince inaudibly. His had started to throb again with pain and he resisted the urge to rub his left hand's back. He would have to soon change bandage in his hand.

He abruptly stood up. "'Mione, Ron", he said. "Could you wait here half an hour or so? I remembered that I have to go buy some potions ingredients. I'm running low", he said. 'Like murtlap essence for my hand', he mused silently.

Hermione looked surprised and Ron suspicious as usual when it came for potions. "Okay, we will wait here", Hermione replied with approving nod.

"I try to be back as soon as I can", Harry said and went to counter to pay his lunch. He headed out of store and toward Apothecary. He entered store and heard from somewhere in distance bell tinkle.

He picked from near door a small basket and headed for ingredients section to get what he needed. After selecting everything he needed he moved potions section. He needed something right now for his hand. It was throbbing painfully and was most likely getting infected. He didn't want to go infirmary because it would cause suspicions at Madame Pomfrey and she would ask questions about how he got his injury.

From shelves Harry selected some cleansing gel, a pain reliever, a numbing salve, a bruise paste and a healing draught (a strongest one), a large phial nutrition potion, a blood replenisher, a mid-sized phial of murtlap essence and two a large-sized phials of Dreamless Sleep potion for his increasing insomnia.

Then he headed to cash register. Familiar blond was behind counter waiting Harry. "Sleeping trouble again, Mr. Potter?", Naruto asked as he made count for Harry's purchase and packed everything into unbreakable box with shrinking charm.

Harry shrugged. "I have insomnia again, Master Maelstrom", he admitted. "If you don't mind, could I patch up my hand here? I don't want my friends to see it."

Naruto's brows rose at first in slight surprise but furrowed then in worry. He had known Harry for two years now and he knew that boy was like a magnet, attracting all sorts of trouble and getting injured for reason or other often times. "Not at all, Mr. Potter. I can do it for you if it makes it easier for you", he said.

"Thanks, Master Maelstrom", Harry said and paid his potions and ingredients. It would certainly make it easier for him.

After Naruto rang the register he motioned the boy to follow him. "If you would follow me to break room", he said, and raven followed him to back of store into break room. "Sit", he said curtly and while Harry sat down to chair he went to get his first aid kit from medic cupboard.

Harry obediently sat down to padded chair and looked around room. Naruto placed aid kit to table and started to open bandage. When Naruto saw his hand, he scowled disapprovingly and made odd noise to convey his distaste. "What happened to your hand?", Naruto asked as he started very carefully to cleanse Harry's wound and dried blood away.

Raven haired teen simply shrugged, but Naruto didn't accept such an answer. "A verbal response, Mr. Potter", Naruto said sternly. He inspected the wound more closely. "This looks like it was caused by something thin and very sharp... Hmm...", he muttered and stared Harry intently. "I'd say it was some sort of torture device."

Harry squirmed under Naruto's piercing gaze and finally swallowed thickly. "I have had some detentions with DADA teacher Umbridge", he explained finally giving in. "He makes me write lines with some sort of special quill that has no ink. It uses user's blood instead."

Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously when he heard that and he let go of Harry's hand. He rummaged his first aid kit and pulled out a small jar with thick purplish goo. He gently dabbed a goo into his hand and Harry winced as wound started to knit close. "Is that the reason why in back of your hand reads 'I must not tell lies', Mr. Potter?" he asked. Something in Naruto's voice cause chills run down at Harry's spine.

Harry didn't look up from table as replied, due the shame he felt. "Yes, Master Maelstrom." His voice was small and nearly inaudible.

Naruto growled angrily, but his anger wasn't directed at Harry. "Tell me, Mr. Potter... Did you know that the device you have been using during your detentions and what caused your wound into back of your hand... Is indeed a torture device with all intentions and purposes?", he asked heavily stressing what he was saying. "Those quills are called a 'blood quill' and they have been outlawed for nearly a century already now. They are only allowed to be used in Gringotts with a special permission only to sign most important documents", he hissed. "Even owning the said blood quill if you are not a Gringotts goblin, earns a life long, a one way trip to Azkaban."

Harry's head snapped up hearing that and he gave bewildered look at blond man. "No-one never tells me anything", he said finally quietly. "And I don't know where to search the information to read up about traditions, customs, laws and other such a things."

Blond hissed angrily and walked away from table when his chakra and magic both started spike up. "Stupid, idiotic school education system!", he raved. "Not teaching children about our own world. What the hell are they doing!?", he spat angrily and hit wall to stress his displease. "And they are calling themselves most exclusive school in Europe! That's a bullshit, I say."

Harry cringed while listening older man's angry rant and sounds of it, Maelstrom had slipped to foreign language that sounded very much like Japanese. "I take it that you didn't attend Hogwarts then?", he asked interrupting Naruto's rant.

Naruto took deep breath. "No, I didn't. I was home-schooled", he said after calming down more.

"Ah, I see", Harry nodded. He understood that apparently being home-schooled helped you to learn more than in school, if it was anything to go by Naruto's reaction. "I wish that I had that sort of luxury to be home-schooled, but when one lives with magic hating muggles..." he shrugged helplessly.

Naruto nodded and added some murtlap essence to clean pad and wrapped then new bandage at his hand to keep pad where it belonged, against the healing wound. Looking somber he said, "Try to take care of yourself better, Mr. Potter. That mark in your hand will scar for life, most likely. And it only can get worse after this, so try to avoid getting any more detentions with that Umbridge person. Your health can take only that much before there will be serious consequences for your body and mind", he warned with grim voice.

Harry let out sharp breath. "I will try to keep out of trouble as much as I can but that toad woman hates me. She gives me detentions for even most slightest reasons", he said, unable to stop angry, bitter tone creeping into his voice. Honestly, she was even worse than Snape. Hell, he would prefer to have his detentions with Snape than Umbridge. But he would rather quit his Occlumency lessons with the man, they were the worst.

Naruto noticed deeply conflicted expression on teen's face and it got him interested about what sort of inner trouble the boy was struggling with. "You are conflicted about something", he stated bluntly. "Care to tell me about it?", he asked.

Harry hesitated. He had known master Maelstrom for about two years or so, but he wasn't particularly close with him. Sure he had stopped to speak with few time when he was visiting village. "Do you know anything about Occlumency?", he asked finally. "I have some very serious problem with Occluding my mind. And that is also part of reason why I do have insomnia. Because I can't Occlude."

Naruto turned thoughtful and he rubbed his chin while thinking. "Mind magic?" he asked thoughtfully. "That's some very difficult and an advanced branch of magic to learn for such a young person. But yes, I do know about Occlumency and how to use it very efficiently."

Harry's expression brightened a bit. "Can you give me some advise, Master Maelstrom? My Occlumency teacher is complete bastard and I know nothing about Occlumency. He won't tell me nothing except that just 'clear you mind' and he expects me to know how to do it without any advise or telling how...", he sighed.

Naruto's thoughtful look turned into scowl. "Honestly... I will borrow you a book about Occlumency. But I will have to find it first from my library at home", he promised. "I will owl it for you. You may expect it earliest at tonight."

Young black-haired teen brightened notably and gave relieved sigh. "Thank you so much, Master Maelstrom", he said and gave Naruto one of his rare, truly and honestly happy smile. Even his friends didn't see it very often in these days. "This is very important for me to learn. My life depends on it, literally."

Naruto's curiosity peaked. "Oh, how's so?", he asked packing his first aid kit now and closed it, leaving it to his table to wait.

Once more Harry hesitated. This was something he wasn't sure he could tell even for his friends, and they firmly believed that he was attending to 'remedial potions' Snape tutoring him privately. "This is something very important and I haven't told about this even to my best friends", he said. Knowing what he had learned about Naruto Maelstrom during those past two years in their occasion chats, he knew that he could trust him with this. And he did need help with this, honestly saying. "I don't know much about it as Dumbledore won't tell me anything, but I know that I have some sort of mental connection with Voldemort. We share dreams and I can see through his eyes, and he sends me odd and disturbing dreams, a visions, as I have started to call them. And those things are major part that causes me a terrible nightmares and insomnia. It has been months since I have last slept whole six hours without waking up screaming murder or crying."

Naruto blanched visibly. He knew exactly what it felt like to share mental connection with unseen, hostile force. Nine-tails had caused him some serious trouble in his teen years until they had finally had a great fight and made peace with each other. Now they peacefully co-existed, fox now mostly was just slumbering when there was no need for his presence or help. "I see. I understand perfectly well your problem, believe me I do", he said, his face contorting into grimace. "But if he can send you a visions and a dreams, then there is 99 percent possibility that your connection works into both ways. You can send him a visions, should you want it. You can use it for you advance and scare a bejesus out of Dark Lord. If you are really determined, then you can learn to snoop around in his mind without him noticing your presence, hopefully. Usually Occlumency shields do not work in cases like these. These sort of connections are, however, extremely rare and there is very little information", he continued and paced thoughtfully around in break room. "I can try to help you to figure out how this connection was formed and why it happened. But I need to know everything I can about the connection. I want you write information up, even the smallest and seemingly insignificant tid-bit of information. If we can learn everything there is possible to know about it, then we may yet find a way to severe the connection. But I wouldn't be too hopeful about severing it."

Despite Naruto's last warning, Harry felt more hopeful than he had felt in ages. "I suppose I can't tell anyone about this?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No-one can know about this. The less people know about this, the better. And safer for you", he added. Then he smirked slightly. "Tonight, try concentrate the connection between you two. Become aware of it and touch on with it, but don't follow it yet to the Dark Lord's mind. As of now, you are still too unprepared for such a confrontation. Use the connection between you two as a focus when you learn to clear your mind", he said sounding a teacher. "Try to start building your mind-scape, place where you can arrange and view your memories, a place which reflects you as in purest form. When you accomplish your mind scape, there should be a doorway to your connection with the Dark Lord. It can be in any shape or form. There also should be some sort of 'mail-slot' in door to send things through it without for you to follow with them. Figure out what could possibly freak him most, something that most likely will scar him mentally but doesn't warrant instant retaliation from him. Something most embarrassing would be good."

Harry gave Naruto a beaming grin. "Okay, I will try my best to do that. I will also write everything up from the connection and owl it for you as soon as I can. I'll start tonight with everything", he promised. "And snooping around in his mind sounds a very interesting. And while I'm at it, I try figure out why he is so hell bent over killing me."

Naruto smiled, his whiskered cheeks giving him especially vulpine expression at the moment. "That's the spirit, Mr. Potter", he said ruffling Harry's already very messy hair grinning.

Master Maelstrom kept his promise to Harry. He did indeed search his books about Occlumency and meditating, and send them to Harry.

Harry spend every possible moment reading those books. He learned that 'clearing your mind' was hardest possible way to Occlude ones mind and it didn't even fit for everyone. What was good and well for another, might not be good method for other person. Harry had huffed few days about Snape's teaching, only when there was no-one to hear him.

Ron and Hermione had their own busy moments when they spend their time fighting about home-work and quidditch. Harry had quit playing quidditch because he had gotten life-long ban from quidditch by Umbridge. So now he focused all of his time to his studies and learning Occlumency.

He was slowly learning. Snape had noticed that and questioned where he had learned the technique he as using now. Harry shrugged and said that Master Maelstrom had borrowed him couple of books about subject since Snape himself hadn't bothered to do that. That had caused a small, faintly pink spots to appear at man's shallow cheeks from pure embarrassment.

Snape also had noticed that Harry had his hand bandaged almost every single day and questioned suspiciously about it.

Harry blushed and looked away. He had really tried to be more careful and his opinions for himself, but Umbridge just kept giving him detentions. Not well enough done home-work, crooked tie, smeared ink in home-work... He still remembered what Master Maelstrom had said about take better care of himself, that his health could only handle so much before he would get ill, or worse.

With resignation he wrapped the bandage open and showed potions professor his hand.

Professor Snape stared hand in from of him. He could see angry red lines that were just healing, to form words. Implications of this sunk instantly in his mind and he could see only one teacher who could do something like this.

Scowling terribly Snape skulked to his potions cabinet and rummaged through it for potions. "Does anyone know about this?", he asked silky, cold voice that was usually prequel to small sort of apocalypse.

"Few other students have had detentions with Umbridge, I'm not only one. I don't think that other professors know about this. Last week when I visited Master Maelstrom to get healing potions and salves for my hand, he took care of it. He also lectured me about taking better care of myself and about how to learn occlumency... Did you know that Umbridge uses a blood quills?", Harry asked.

His and Snape's relationship was getting a bit better now that they had stopped antagonizing each other.

Severus's stony expression told that he had suspected as much already but it had been confirmed now. "And why you have not gone to hospital wing with this?", he asked.

Harry shrugged. "I didn't want madame Pomfrey ask any questions about this and how I got it. I already have enough trouble as it is", he muttered.

Severus raised his eyes brow, he had noticed slightly bitter tone in boy's voice. He didn't wonder it at all, though. He had read what crap Daily Prophet and other newspapers spouted about boy who lived. And it was sure, that if Potter had gone to hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey would have raised that huge fuss that whole school would have known it instantly.

Oh, but that didn't stop Severus from planning something very devious for Umbridge. Despite that Severus didn't generally like students, no-one hurt them or there would be hell to pay. And now Umbridge had hurt a several students from a Gryffindor at least, if not from every house.

Harry shuddered slightly seeing Snape's expression.

Later on that night Harry concentrated to his connection with Voldemort. He had learned to concentrate to it to send emotions and mental pictures through it to him.

Two weeks passed on. Harry's occlumency shields were getting better and better. He was also developing quite impressive poker face. He had kept sending mental images to Voldemort about snogging couples around the school.

At the nights when he couldn't sleep, he amused himself by sending Voldemort a mentally scarring visions.

Every time when Voldemort send him a vision about torturing or Harry felt him cursing someone, he send right back as strong wave of feelings as possible. Usually love and what he had learned to be good counter to torture - a lust. And more often than not, it left Voldemort, if anything was going by feeling that filtered through their link, extremely sexually frustrated, bluntly saying horny. Due those things, Harry was rapidly loosing all of a modesty he had once owned. He didn't even blush anymore when he saw people make-out in some corridors or shady corners.

Harry had taken himself to imitate Snape to develop his blank poker face. Master Maelstrom had given him good advise with that too. Malfoy and his goon didn't manage to get raise out of him anymore when they were trying to pick fights with him. Now they were just that, an attempts.

And to his own astonishment, he had started to improve vastly in potions with his newly acquired patience and concentration. That earned him better marks from Snape and he didn't pick him so much out in class anymore.

Ron was jealous about his improving skills, there was no doubting that. He was always jealous of Harry. Because of his wealth, better marks, his 'fame' he had for being the boy who lived, although at the moment he had more notoriety than fame. Hermione praised Harry. Finally Harry was taking his studies seriously and starting to spend his time into more important things than just fooling around.

That night, however, he was going to try snoop around in Voldemort's mind first time. He sat in his bed, curtains spelled close, while others already slept. He concentrated to their connection, and managed to slip into his own mind scape. He saw the door that was leading to Voldemort. He opened the door and stepped into long dark corridor. Walking down the corridor he arrived to another door that opened for his just as easily as the door in his own mind scape had.

Dark Lord's mind was shaped like a large room. Bookshelves after another filled the walls, full of books. Harry guessed that they were Voldemort's memories and knowledge. He carefully inspected bookshelves before deciding how to take a 'book' to go through it.

He concentrated to thinking, "Why Lord Voldemort wants to kill Harry Potter?", repeating that in his mind like a mantra, while trailing his fingers over the 'books' spines until he felt that he was touching the correct 'book'. He picked the book from shelf and opened it, carefully. He didn't know what book would actually contain and that it wasn't trapped somehow. As soon as book was open it sucked Harry inside to witness the memory.

Harry heard part of memory, spoken by very familiar voice. It was Snape! As soon as the memory was over, the books spat him out again. He closed the book and placed it back where he had taken it originally. He stood there, his hand resting at book's spine, his eyes closed, thinking about prophecy he had heard. Somehow... Now it made sense.

"How in the blazes you managed to get through my Occlumency barriers, Potter?!", asked raspy, sleepy voice behind Harry, startling him. Harry's eyes snapped open and he turned to face speaker.

"Oh, it's just you, Tom", Harry replied, sounding perfectly nonchalant, though he felt nervous.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do not call me by that muggle-name", he said frostily.

"Oh, come on. Come out of it already. It's not that bad", Harry countered calmly. "And I just... walked through that door", he said and pointed at door in his left side, "to come here. In our case occlumency do not work. The mental connection between us, Tom, works in odd ways. I have been studying occlumency to be able to sleep at least 4 hours at night. It helps me to keep Snape out of my mind when we practice Occlumency but it doesn't work against you, because of our mental link", he grinned rather viciously. "I rather hope that you have enjoyed the little... Gifts that I have send you every time I receive a vision or an echo of torture from you."

The Dark Lord's non-existent brow twitched in annoyance. "Do you have any idea what those 'gifts' of yours does for me, Potter?!", he snarled.

Harry's grin widened if possible. "Perfectly aware. That was the point of those 'gifts', you know. If I have suffer insomnia then you will suffer with me", he fired back without missing the beat.

Absolutely furious expression appeared to Voldemort's face. "Those emotion waves, and feelings that you push into me, especially a lust leaves me completely frustrated and aroused for hours if I'm middle of meeting! And it's your goddamned fault, Potter!" he ranted and raked his spidery fingers across his bald head. "I can't believe that you are actually doing it! Who's idea it was? Dumbledore's?"

Harry made disgusted face at mention of Dumbledore. He had been rabidly losing his faith and trust to old man this year. "Don't be disgusting, Tom. Dumbledore has nothing to do with this, he isn't behind what I did. He doesn't even know about this. And he barely even looks at my direction, never mind the speaking", he sneered rather impressively. "His behaviour is getting disgusting and he's losing my trust very rapidly."

Voldemort seemed interested about that tidbit of information. "So, do you know anything else about the Prophecy?", he asked.

Harry just lifted his eyebrow meaningfully. "As much as you do. When I was younger and asked from Dumbledore about why you are so hell bend over killing me in the first place, he said that I was too young to know, that it would ruin my 'childhood'", he sneered in very Snapish manner. "A what childhood, I ask? I have not been child since I was left to my relatives doorstep middle of night. Literally."

Voldemort had sort of dreading gut feeling. "They abuse you somehow", he said, almost hesitantly.

Harry clapped his hand for sarcastic applaud. "Well done stating the obvious, Tom", he said his voice heavily laced with dry sarcasm. "Of course they do, I am a wizard."

Voldemort rubbed his face with sigh. "And that is the reason, why I want a complete separation from muggles", he stated.

Dark haired teen had a skeptical look in face. "Not annihilation of muggles and muggleborns?", he questioned.

The Dark Lord gave him an odd look, as if Harry had totally lost his mind. "Where the hell you got that idea? Is that what they've been telling you all this time?", he demanded to know. "That I want to kill all muggles and muggleborns?"

Harry shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah. Malfoy Jr. promotes that idea at school quite widely and harasses a muggleborns and a half-bloods, calling them 'mudbloods' and that you will kill them and their families all", he scowled. "That Malfoy is just... egh... I want to hex him within inch of his life. Not that Lucius is much better, anyhow. You know, trying to kill me..."

Voldemort's expression turned positively down right frosty. "Did he now...?", he demanded with low voice, hissing quality becoming more obvious. At Harry's nod, he said, "Now I definitely know that I will not mark that useless child. And Lucius...", he hissed, sounding utterly pissed off.

"Draco is a coward. My muggleborn friend Hermione punched his nose in when we were in our third year, when he called her a mudblood and our friend Hagrid a brainless moron. He run away crying for his daddy", supplied Harry helpfully. "Oh, and now that we are discussing about Malfoys and their short-comings and misdoings... Lucius gave your boyhood diary away to Ginny Weasley in hopes of ruining Weasley family, a few years ago. I caused some mayhem at school. I ended up destroying it lest it would have killed me other wise. Hogwarts was nearly closed because of it."

At this point Voldemort was purely murderous. "A mayhem, you say? What it did?", he asked gritting his teeth.

"Possessed eleven years old a Gryffindor girl, Ginny Weasley, and opened the Chamber of Secrets. Uh, sorry about the basilisk, I might have slayed it", said Harry apologetically. "Luckily no-one was killed, other than your memory-self and a basilisk. But I have to say... You were quite jerk when you were teenager."

"The hormones", Voldemort replied darkly, "are root of all evil."

Harry could not help but laugh at the Dark Lord's dark statement. "True that. Luckily they have not kicked much in yet in my case, but maybe the next year."

"Oh good grief", Voldemort face-palmed.

Raven haired teen grinned at despairing Dark Lord. "I believe that it will be Saturday tomorrow and it's Hogsmeade weekend. I'm going to go meet a friend who lives in Village. He owns the Apothecary and Tea House. You may have heard of him", Harry said thoughtfully. "He goes by the name of Naruto Maelstrom. He's a neutral, bordering a Dark, but quite not yet", he continued and grin he had previously worn slipped away. "Leave him alone. Do not target him just because he associate with me", he said dark tone creeping into his voice.

Dark Lord raised his non-existent brow at teen's dark voice. "Is that so, Potter?"

"Yes", Harry reply was adamant. "You threaten him, and I will do something unseemingly to you yet. I will double my efforts to scar you mentally. I will leave you twice as frustrated and horny, I swear to it."

Voldemort stared at teen for a good few minutes, gaping. "Do you realize what you just have said, Potter? At all?", he asked and added then when boy gave him puzzled look. "You just hinted that you would tease me in sexual way, brat, to make me horny."

Harry didn't even blush, he just leered at man. "You think that I wouldn't be able to do it, hn?" he asked. "I'm no Golden boy or Saint, like everyone paints me to be when it suits them. I'm just a human, you know."

"But you are the Boy-Who-Lived", Voldemort stated as if it would have explained everything.

"So?", was Harry's only reply to it. It clearly irritated Voldemort a quite mightily, because he was glaring at Harry for a moment. Harry replied to his glare with a blank stare.

There was silence.

"Go to sleep, Potter", Dark Lord said finally.

Harry's lips twitched slightly, indicating a smile. "Okay, if you say so. We can ponder the Prophecy a later date", he said coolly. "Good night."

And then Harry was already gone, returned to his own mind. Voldemort stared for a moment to a spot where the Potter had stood just a moments ago, and muttered then softly. "A silly child."

Back in Hogsmeade's Village in Maelstrom household Naruto was still a wide awake, researching Harry's and Dark Lord's mental connection, based what the boy had written him about it. What Naruto read from the parchment, was disturbing.

He had been doing this research since Harry had owled the info him about nearly three weeks ago. He had gone through of dozens of books and old tomes about bonds and bindings, telepathic connections, soul based connections and other numerous, various things. Naruto had asked his mother, Perenelle, to lend him some more books, and she had done it gladly when she had learned what he was doing.

He was sitting in his kitchen while reading information once again, in hopes that it would make more sense to him. He had been up nearly all night again, but he wasn't willing to give up on this now.

"Voldemort transferred accidentally part of his powers to me at night I 'vanquished' him, or something of himself", read in parchment written in Harry's scrawly hand writing.

Naruto had stared at that statement for a quite while already. It filled him with odd dread and it bothered him to an extreme. He didn't know why, but it just did. Power and magic transfer were impossible and even a child knew it. A magic could not be transferred from person to another, accidental or not. A magic could be lend out, but it would always return to rightful owner sooner or later, unlike chakra.

But something of himself the dark lord had given to Harry accidentally, that was clear enough. The boy was a parselmouth and that ability wasn't one running in boy's parents blood lines. Unless it had skipped for several generations and families had forgotten about it, and then it had suddenly popped up in Harry when right conditions were met.

Naruto mulled that over in his mind thoughtfully as he absent-mindedly stirred his tea. Harry had indeed presented him with a very interesting puzzle.

A soul transfer, echoed words in his mind suddenly. Voice belonged to Kurama, the Nine-tails. Everything that youngling has told you indicates at a soul transfer, fox added.

That was true. Everything did indeed point toward a soul transfer. "You are right, Kurama. Everything indicates to that", Naruto said out, frowning. He took a long, slow sip from his tea. He looked out of his kitchen's window out at the grounds.

It was snowing again. Snow was covering grounds already. A winter had finally come about two weeks ago. Christmas was not far away, it would arrive in couple of weeks already. It was dark outside. It was very early morning, barely 5 at the morning.

"A soul transfer...", Naruto muttered, thinking. There was something disturbing at this. "To be able to transfer part of his soul to Harry he would have to have a split his soul..."

At those words a sudden cold shivers run down his spine and his hair stood up at end of his neck. "... a split soul.."

Something just suddenly clicked in his mind and he rose abruptly from table, nearly knocking his chair down in process and strode toward his library. He had a very disturbing, a nagging feeling. A dread was filling his mind, he feared that he was correct about this.

He feveredly searched for a correct book. "Secrets of the Darkest Art..." he muttered as he pulled a faded, worn, black leather-bound book from his top most shelf near ceiling and climbed down the ladders. He read the introduction and a table of contents, and opened it then from near end of book.

"A horcrux...", he breathed and skimmed page carefully. He felt ill. It all fit. The Dark Lord had unknowingly created a horcrux, and that was Harry. Book fell from his nerveless hands to floor with thunk and he slumped to his knees as his legs didn't have strength to support him anymore. He had gone a sickly pale. "Harry is a horcrux...", he mumbled. "To kill the Dark Lord Harry have to die first", muttered numbly. "No.. No, this can't be true. Nononono... this just can't..."

And yet it was, he knew it in deep down. He had to tell Harry. He just had to. He could not keep this from the boy, he deserved to know. It was his life, after all.

He wondered that if the Dark Lord were know, would he still want to Harry? After all, Harry was part of him...

March 24th of 2013

Hello everyone. Chapter's finally finished. I apologize for taking so long with this. I have been ill and top of that my rheumatism is not in cooperative mood currently. My joints hurts something fierce despite my medication... But, enough about that.

I apologize about mistakes and errors here might be, I have written this at middle of night, and it has been something like 37 hours since I last slept, so... Well, the wonders of insomnia.

This chapter had less about Naruto and more of Harry and Voldemort. I ended up making Harry a blunt and slightly pervy sort of guy, sorry. Well, not, really. Never mind my ramblings. I'm going to sleep. Good night.

Regards,
Stillnight