Well....I have amazing news!!! I HAVE A LAPTOP!!!! Meaning I'm writing this chapter during a Christmas party at my grandma's house, instead of in my free time in my stuffy office. So while I still need to transfer over documents and stuff, this might make updating easier. Key word is might. I've been on a Bleach kick....so Naruto/Harry Potter inspiration has been very very hard to find. But....I'm actually kinda happy with this chapter. I like it more than the last one at least.

Anyways....

Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers: Mitsu-Aya33, Nime. Lee, FallenHope-Angel, killing u with umbrellas, TrenchcoatMan, grey-shadow-horse, mangamaniacgurl and Sandninjanaru
nd remember....

I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.

ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!

thoughts

japanese

'silent communication'

Naruto smirked, pressing Sasukes body fully onto the dirt floor of the Room of Requirement. The Uchiha had assumed he'd be able to spar on even terms with him, that there wouldn't be much challenge, he had his memories back, and he'd been stronger than ever before he left.

He was horribly wrong.

It had taken three minutes. The first was spent assessing Sasuke'smovements, he was fast, graceful, but relatively untrained. He lacked stamina he'd once had. The second minute was his turn to attack; to move forward with chakra enhanced speed and aim a flurry of attacks at the Uchiha's body. The third was now, one handin the others hair, forcing the side of his face against the dirt, the other bracing him against the ground. His legs pinned the others back andlegs to the ground. He was sure Sasuke had bruises that were already forming, though they were all hidden beneath clothing; Naruto didn't want to cause trouble after all.

"You were right Sasuke....that was an easy fight for one of us. Me."

Sasuke thrashed slightly, attempting to throw Naruto off. It wasn't about to work, Naruto was far to well trained for that, and no matter what Sasuke had once known, it wasn't half as much as Naruto now did.

"Poor, poor Sasuke." He mused, "I'm sure you're proud of how much you can do. You've let yourself get weak, a genin could take you down."

"Shut the hell up, Naruto!"

"But it's true, Sasu-chan." He teased, his voice taking on a different tone, his eyes bleeding slightly more crimson. "You've gotten weak, you're untrained. You won't be able to do half of what you could once do. I mean, I guess if you tried you might be able to keep up with a genin....but that's it. You're muscles are weak, they're soft, because you were to busy being a wizard,so you've gotten fat andlazy. You rely on magic, not yourself. You don't work with your wand, you use it as a tool, you've forgotten how to work with something or someone as a real team. You might've worked with people to stop this Voldemort guy. You might be able to say you've held another's life in your hands, but it isn't the same. You forgot what it was like to trust someone with your life, not because there was no other option, but because you wanted too. You may have truly trusted some, but not all, never all. You protected so many, because of fear of death in general, not their deaths in particular." As he spoke, the Kyuubi's energy filled him. It was a struggle to keep control, to stop the chakrafrom forming around him, to let the Kyuubi truly have a say, to merely allow Naruto to voice his opinions.

"You know nothing about what happened." Sasuke growled out.

"No, I don't. But, you aren't denying it's the truth." Claws dug slightly into Sasuke's skin as the Kyuubi's influence continued to grow "You're a damn brat, Uchiha. You think you have control and power. You think you can hide in this place from everything you've done. From all the lives you've cost, all the people you've destroyed. Your clan is the reason so many suffered. Your founder is the reason the village was caused so much destruction, at MY hands. It seems only fitting no? The heir to the name Uchiha, the one clan who could destroy a demon's control, is the one who did so much harm to the host of that same demon." Fangs were bared in fury, "You aimed to kill your flesh and blood with little information on the truth. Of who the true criminal was. You were after the wrong Uchiha you fool! And because of that, many have died. To be tied to humanity has given me perspective of a conscience. It's obvious that you lack one." He snarled quietly

Then he was off of Sasuke, the Kyuubi's chakra and prescence gone, and the room was shifting back to a normal room as the door swung open and in walked Shino and Lexi. Naruto grinned as Sasuke pushed himself up. "Have a nice dinner guys?"
--------------------------

Sasuke shook himself mentally to clear his mind of Naruto's words. In the hour since Shino andLexi had come for the lessons on magic, he'd found himself distracted more times than he could count. He couldn't help but wonder, was Naruto right?

He'd never thought himself to have helped others(mainly by breaking hundreds of school rules, attacking teachers, pranking people and breaking things) as a form of cowardice. As a way to avoid death in general. He knew he would have as easily put his life on the line for Ginny, Harry and at the time, Ron and Hermione. But in all reality....that was all. None of the other's meant something special, they were just people, and therefore he hadn't wanted them dead. But now, he could remember scenes from the past, from protecting Naruto in the Land of Waves with every ounce of his strength, not because he didn't want him to die, but because it was Naruto, his teammate, someone important to him, and he couldn't let the blond boy die.

The way he'd wanted to protect his friends from Hogwarts was so weak, compared to the way he'd wanted to keep his team safe. It was comparing the strength of a small spark, and the chidori. There was no real comparison.

He loved his friends greatly, but there was more than love between shinobi, there was dependency and trust, often they shared common ground in their loss.

So even when he compared the relationship he'd formed with Lexi, one where they'd saved each other's lives almost every other day, still paled greatly in comparison to the relationship with his team.

But that left another question; what did that make the witches and wizards he cared about?

Did that make them less important? Or was it just important when compared to his shinobi friends? He knew that, if the choice came, he would give his life for Naruto, far sooner than he would for someone from Hogwarts.

The past didn't matter, he could see now.

He could see it with a startling clarity, just what a fool he'd been. He had once had everything, true friends, that were becoming family, people who loved him. He'd had precious people, and as much as he wanted to kill Itachi, he shouldn't have given up his family, his Home, for that man. And then, because he'd chosen power to avenge his dead family, he'd lost his new one.

Now he had a chance to make it right, in a way. But would Naruto take him back? Would they agree to accept him when he returned to Konoha? Could he possibly be forgiven?

Somehow, he doubted it. But that didn't mean he wouldn't fight for his forgiveness. He would do anything he could to bring things back to the way they were. And if it didn't work, he supposed he would accept the punishment.

Karma was only fair, after all.

Something had happened, it was obvious from the moment Shino had entered the room with Lexi. One of them had done something, said something, taken action somehow. And now, the tension that filled the air was almost palpable. There was chakra subconciouslyflaring from the both of them, surging around them, filling the air with energy. If they weren't careful, even the witches and wizards would notice. He was shocked they hadn't noticed the chakra, demon's chakra that was just scarcely under control. That scarce amount of control was the major factor that kept him from rushing into the room. Well, that and the fact that Lexi had steadily become on edge as well. It wouldn't be good to encourage her suspicions.

Years of reading people, of working with the far to secluded Hinata, and Kiba who would hide what he really felt with false bluntless made it far to easy to read the fury mixed with sorrow in loneliness in Naruto's gaze. It was just as easy to read confusion and guilt in Sasuke's features, no matter how well the Uchiha thought he'd once hid it.

Narutocould pretendhe didn't feel anything as he took out his frustration on spells that wouldn't work well for him. He could pretend nothing was wrong as he swore, ranted andraved at his wand, that wouldn't channel his energy the way he wanted to, he could feign frustration on the wandthat required him to re-learn how to channel his energy the right way, the way that would make the wand work.

Sasukecould try to hide his emotions behind flat-black eyes, he could stay almost mute, so his voice wouldn't give him away, but it also wouldn't work. It was just as ineffective as Naruto's efforts, if not more so, because Sasuke normally spoke when they were alone. He'd adjusted and opened up to them. So to be as silent was he was, confirmed any suspicions. The only difference was that Lexi was probably able to detect his emotions too.

But if she could, she was tactful, she wouldn't mention anything until she knew more. There would hopefully be no more problems. Not now at least.

------------------

It was at a for more reasonable hour the three shinobi and witch returned to their respective rooms. It was only after another far to silent walk to the common room, and up to the dormitories that the silence was finally broken.

Sasuke and Naruto had both changed silently, not waking anyone with a practiced ease. But Naruto didn't look ready to sleep, he stood their, standing at the window, gazing steadily at the grounds beneath him.

Sasukesighed quietly, sliding back the curtains of his four poster bed, as he looked to the blond shinobi.

"Umm...Naruto."

The blonds gaze slid to his features, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry, for what I've done I mean. You were right, then and now. I was a fool. Forgive me."

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY KWANZAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

For presents.....you guys.....should all review. It'd make this the best holiday season ever!!!

So...hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon!

~CP