Ok....so next chapter....

Also...to those who read the last chapter: Thank you. To those of you who added this to your favorites or story alerts...thank you even more.

Thanks to Flesh Bunshin and for reviewing. You guys are awesome like that.

So..I'm sure at least one person's gunna say...'hey...its only Friday...I thought she updated Sundays.' and normally...that person'd be right. But..I'm going to Darien Lake tomorrow, and camp from Sunday to Thursday. So...you guys get me now instead.

And unlike the previous chapter, this one begged to be written. So...it's pretty long.

I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. I'm not rich like J.K.R. And I'm not king of random plot stuff like Kishi (seriously...anyone see the new chapter...it was...wow.)

so umm yeah...enjoy the party. (we now have ramen and treacle fudge)

thoughts

japanese

'silent communication'

Madam Pomfrey pulled away from Naruto, seeming satisfied with her inspection. She'd checked them over completely, thankfully checking no more than what she had to. They'd been fed as well, though not as much as they would have liked, because apparently, and not shockingly, they both had severe malnutrition upon entering the school. The cover story Shino had used had been accepted, almost to well for one made up so quickly, and so simply. They claimed to come from a foreign land, the name of which they claimed to no know in English. Shino had told them they'd been attacked by wizards, and that the wizards had worn white masks, instantly drawing from the ANBU uniform back home. They suspected the story had done something right, possibly to well, because a look of fear, pure hatred, and quite possibly pain, had crossed the woman's features. She'd drawn away almost instantly, only to point the stick (wand, Shino reminded himself), out the window. A silver dove had burst from it, flowing away, up, and to somewhere else.

Keeping his gave on Naruto, Shino tugged up the collar of his new robes. He'd been allowed to keep his sunglasses, claiming he was photophobic, but his jacket was not and even with genjutsu to hide his real face, he was felt exposed.

Naruto looked at him, giving a quick grin, though he still looked exhausted. Even with the Kyuubi, Shino guessed Naruto still felt as drained as he did, with chakra levels lower than was safe for anything other that complete relaxation. They both knew if it came down to a fight, they'd be in trouble.

Just as Naruto was about to say something, a new presence entered the room. Two new people had walked over to Madam Pomfrey, one a stern faced woman, the other a man who looked worn out, almost shabby. Naruto cocked an eyebrow, obviously confused at their presence.

The woman introduced herself briskly as Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress of the castle, before giving them options. They had two simple choices; they could leave, which they both knew would let them try to return home, or they could stay. However, staying meant getting wands, something that she claimed might be difficult with their 'previous wands' being snapped.

Naruto spoke quickly to the woman, his eyes and voice light, a hint of hidden persuasion in his voice. "Can we talk about this? Alone I mean? This is kinda a big decision...we can't just do it right away. Ya know?"

Shino doubted McGonagall wanted to leave them alone, wanted to give them time to think, just in case they really were a threat. But Naruto specialized in things like that. He'd changed so much from the bright and sunny looking boy in appearance, but his personality had grown more vibrant, attractive. She didn't look like she could resist those odd eyes looking at her like that.

She nodded her consent, taking the others into Pomfrey's office. The moment they were gone, Naruto leaped from his cot towards Shino. He looked as if he wanted to just go from cot-to-cot, not touching the floor, but his common sense had kicked in, and he walked the rest of the way.

Sitting next to Shino, Naruto gave his familiar foxy grin. "Well Shino? What'cha think? We staying in this castle-thing, or wanna try to get home?"

"The real question, is can we survive alone? I can't tell how much of a difference there is between chakra and magic here…the magic is cloaking everything…if we get into an area with less concentration…that could pose a problem, and we can't afford problems."

"There's civilians though. If Shinobi villages have 'em, why wouldn't these wizards have them. They can't all be 'magical', can they? There's gotta be people who aren't."

Shino nodded in consent, "That might work…but we don't know how far away we'd be from them. If we run into wizards on the way…."

Naruto nodded, obviously giving it some thought. His eyes flicked around, first to the windows, then the doors. "Shit! What if they have spies? I mean…they don't look like the happiest people. If they do…well…that guy in there could be a problem. He's giving off more dog-vibes than Kiba….kinda. He's…wilder. If there's more people like him…we'd be easy to find…wouldn't we? Ugh…this is stupid…what the hell are we even doing here?"

Shino shrugged, "I don't like it either, Naruto. But we need to do this wisely." He sighed, "We might…need to stay. At least then we have only some people who can spy on us. And we can hopefully, find out what happened."

Naruto nodded, before calling out to the others, in English. "HEY! We're staying!"

The two shinobi moved through Diagon Alley, eyes darting around to survey the shops as they followed their escort. The shabby man, now known as Professor Lupin looked to them for a moment. "You're safe, you know." He pointed out, referring to the suspicion that flashed through Naruto's eyes at the sight of a dark looking alleyway, where people who looked nowhere near trustworthy were shopping.

Shino shrugged, "Terribly sorry. We didn't exactly have a warm welcome here." He replied quietly, "Trusting people here may take time."

Lupin nodded once, accepting the lie of their supposed fear. "Understandable"

Naruto rolled his eyes at Shino, silently commenting on how easily he'd believed them.

Shrugging Shino surveyed the building they were headed to. Narrow and shabby, it had a sign that read Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC in peeling gold letters over the door. The only display in the window overlooking the Alley was a single wand lying on a faded cushion in the window. He raised an eyebrow, though you couldn't see it behind his glasses. "They sell wands here?"

Lupin nodded, "Ollivander is one of the best wand makers around. If you want a wand, here's where you should come."

"Isn't it a little…umm…run down…?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Yes…but it's the quality of the wand that matters…not the shop." He replied, opening the door.

Exchanging quick glances, Naruto and Shino walked inside as well.

Upon entering, they were greeted with the sight of a man with white hair and pale eyes, who appeared to be sorting narrow boxes into piles. At the sight of them, he moved towards them. "My, you two are definitely interesting customers…" The man said quietly "Much different than anyone who's visited me lately."

Fighting the instinct to preserve their secrets, Shino stood still, surveying the man, "I suppose you're different than people we've met as well."

The man nodded once, murmuring something even the ears of a shinobi couldn't catch, before turning to Naruto. Their gazes locked, and after a moment, Ollivander smiled slightly. "You'll go first." He murmured. He flicked his own wand once, and a tape measurer shot out of a cupboard, towards Naruto.

The shinobi returned to the school, roughly an hour later. They'd been told to borrow books from the school, because they'd yet to find out what supplies they'd need. However, they had been given money, a small bag full for the both of them, from a school fund for children without access to wizarding money. Being stranded had proven to have benefits.

Shino and Naruto both had wands now, Shino's was something Ollivander had deemed 'odd', being a combination of crushed Acromantula fang and oak, while Naruto's was made of pheonix feather and ash wood.

Now however, they were following Lupin through the castle. Surprisingly, they'd seen very few people so far, something they were glad for. Though they'd never be able to blend completely, being seen now would make it worse.

Finally, they reached a stone gargoyle, where Lupin paused, said "Cockroach Clusters", before following the steps up to an office.

The office was full of odd objects. Many were moving, spinning or twirling, some emitted small puffs of smoke. Portraits on the wall moved, and at once, many pairs of eyes were focused on the new boys. McGonagall, who was seated at a desk, writing what appeared to be a letter, focused on them. Her gaze met Lupin's for a moment, and when he nodded she stood.

"Well boys, it appears you've found your wands, meaning you can stay here. However, there's nowhere to keep you, but as a student. You'll need to be sorted. Once we've done that, you'll return to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey has potions for you, and then you'll be sent to your respective houses. By the end of the night, you should find someone to be a sponsor of sorts. They'll be responsible for you, you will attend their classes, is that understood?"

Both shinobi nodded, and McGonagall smiled slightly. "Very well." She moved to a shelf, and pulled from it a shabby and tattered pointed hat. "Which one of you would like to go first?"

Shino stepped forward quickly, instinctively. He was team leader on the mission, and in his mind, that carried over to here. He was in charge, and as such, responsible for Naruto's safety. Naruto's slight shock was almost tangible, but he ignored it, focusing instead on the hat McGonagall had.

The moment it was on his head, a small voice spoke, "My, my. You have quite an interesting story to tell don't you? An interesting past." The voice paused, "Truly interesting, it takes quite a lot of courage, to face the challenges you have, and yet, you have a thirst for knowledge don't you? You need to know everything you can..."

Shino pursed his lips, "What in the world does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything…" The hat replied, "You certainly are loyal to your friends aren't you….you'd make an interesting Gryffindor…but no…you'd need more knowledge than it can give you, more information. They are not your people…"

"RAVENCLAW"

The external shout startled Shino, though he didn't show it, and the kikai buzzed under his skin, irritated with the mental intrusion. Naruto met his gaze curiously, and he shrugged, a silent 'you'll see'

The hat however, had barely touched the blond boys head, before shouting "Gryffindor."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, "Well that was fast…now what's it mean? What the hell is a Gryffindor? And what do ravens have to do with anything? And why the hell their claws?"

Lupin chuckled, "I'll explain on the way to the hospital wing. We should hurry though…dinner is soon. You'll want food I'm assuming…"

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Hell yeah! Do you guys have ramen? I mean the last time I've eaten was…a while…and that was before getting almost killed…I mean sure…we ate a bit in the hospital wing but-"

Shino shut Naruto up with a glare, even behind his glasses, he knew that Naruto could feel his gaze. The blond boy cocked his head. "Naruto…I don't care how hungry you are watch your mouth" The last words were hissed in Japanese, a warning to not only shut up, but to keep their secrets.

Arriving at the hospital wing, Naruto and Shino were greeted with the sight of people, a boy and a girl, each crouching next to a wounded raven. The boy had short black hair and ice colored eyes, the girl had dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders and hazel eyes.

Pomfrey turned to them both, before flicking her wand. A tray appeared almost instantly next to her, and she was handing them each cups that were full of something. The drink was a green-blue, and smelled of mint. She wasn't giving off any dangerous vibes, there was no hint of a threat anywhere, and so, the shinobi lifted the cups in unison, drinking quickly.

Instantly, a feeling of relaxation the two boys, startling them. They exchanged a quick glance, neither liking the changes in emotions, knowing relaxation in a foreign area could be deadly. In their moment of silent communication, Lupin had apparently spoken to Pomfrey, because the woman was talking to the other girl in the room about their situation. Naruto quirked an eyebrow, and his emotions gave away every question he had to Shino, as if her were speaking, 'what the hell? What happened to secrecy? No ones really supposed to know the real story. What're we supposed to do?'

Shino shrugged slightly, and frowning ever so slightly, his actions carrying his own message 'Breathe you damn moron. Listen first would you? She mentioned 'Ravenclaw'. She's probably just my escort, not sure. Calm down.'

Naruto nodded, although he still looked uneasy. Pomfrey had stopped talking to the girl, who had apparently finished healing her bird, or whatever she'd been doing, as it now sat preening itself, perched on a cot. The boy continued working; his bird seemed about half healed.

The brown haired girl gave them a quick smile, before introducing herself. "My names Alexandra-call me Lexi- Rehlem. I'm a Ravenclaw, seventh year. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Naruto nodded, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and this is Shino. I'm a….Gryffindor. And he's a Ravenclaw…"

"Madame Pomfrey told me as much." She murmured, "She suggested I escort him" She nodded to Shino, "To the Ravenclaw dorms. However, if he'd like, he can choose an actual escort later."

Naruto tipped his head curiously, catching the same shift in her tone Shino had. "…Can I come with you at least?"

"No, they're private. Only house members are welcome in each dorm. I'm afraid you'll have to go to the Gryffindor dorms. But we do have to do down to dinner in about an hour, I'm sure you can talk for a bit afterwards."

Shino nodded, "We should go now, I take it? I'd like to get familiar with the school."

After a moment, the two Ravenclaw's exited the hospital wing, Shino's hand resting briefly on the doorknob as he shut the door, a single kikai sliding from his hand.

Naruto was following Lupin, who was apparently the Head of House, whatever that meant. They were on their way to the Gryffindor dorms, so Naruto could figure out where he was sleeping, before dinner. The man was currently giving him advice about who to pick.

"A piece of advice Naruto, if you want to avoid being noticed even more, I'd avoid choosing Harry Potter as an escort. You'll get more attention than any sane person should want with him there. Though befriending him a bit would be rather smart."

Naruto nodded, his gaze still flickering around, focusing on the paintings, and ghosts that floated by them, filing away any information Lupin gave about how houses worked.

However, as they continued walking, a boy came into sight, appearing from what looked to be a moving staircase. He was walking in front of them, in the same direction, allowing Naruto to survey him, without worry. Long, dark hair cascaded down to the boys lower back, and the only thing that even told him that it was a boy, was the simple feeling, an almost instant knowledge of it, that Naruto wouldn't doubt. However, the boy had something shocking about him; magic or chakra, Naruto wasn't sure which, rolled off him, it was pure and raw and there, filling the air around them. It was also far, far to familiar.

Apparently Lupin knew him as well, because he stopped the boy with a call of 'Pagano'. The moment Naruto caught up to 'Pagano', and met those coal black eyes, his voice caught in his throat, stopping the greeting he'd been about to utter. The other boy gave him a slight smile, familiar and yet so different.

"It's good to see you're okay…this morning…well…you didn't look to good." He chuckled at the look of Naruto's face, reading his shock that of all people he had found them. The soft shock of the others voice was there as well, the lack of hostility almost paralyzing. "So what's going on now? Were you sorted or something? You're almost to the Gryffindor common room and dorms.." Naruto managed a mute nod. "Very nice…glad to see I didn't help a Slytherin…they're getting better…but not my favorites…" He turned to Lupin. "I'll take him the rest of the way, Professor. I'm sure we can find him a bed, I mean after all, I did find him, I'd like to make sure he's really ok."

Lupin nodded, understanding. "You're both expected at dinner. And he does have the option to choose another person."

Pagano nodded, "I know, I know. We'll behave. But…I won't let the Weasel boy near him…Or Granger…they crossed the line." He ignored Lupin's sigh. "So…who're you?"

"Naruto…" He managed to say, calmly, "Naruto Uzumaki"

"Nice to meet you, Naruto, I'm Sasuke…Sasuke Pagano."

There was nothing in those eyes, no recognition, no brotherhood, not even hatred that would have felt so good right now. Just the look of someone who'd truly never known Naruto, never known Konoha, never known the life of a shinobi. Sasuke's hatred of him, was finally gone. And Naruto didn't know if he should laugh, scream, or cry.

And there….is the chappie….ain't it wonderful. So yeah…kinda long this time….I think….and it's my baby…cause I wrote it at JCC camp…which was oddly fun by the way.

Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome and loved

Hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon ^_^

~CP