Disclaimer: Nope, don´t own Harry Potter or Naruto.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who read, favoured, alerted and especially reviewed this story. I´m sorry to say that this chapter is a fair bit shorter than the first two, but work´s currently absolutely killing me and it´s a miracle that I managed to come up with this at least.
CHAPTER III
„Where´s Tonks?" Harry asked Mrs. Weasley.
„She´s waiting for us," Molly answered as they were approached by an elderly woman.
„Wotcher, Harry...Molly," she smiled at them.
Only as a happy bark escaped Sirius Harry noticed the second figure that was waiting with Tonks, he was a bit older and taller, around Harry´s age and height, but other than that he seemed an awful lot like one the younger of the shinobi pair.
„Konnichiwa, Potter-san, Weasley-san" Harry´s suspicions were confirmed when he heard the deep voice than undoubtedly belonged to the ninja. Harry thought that the voice seemed to fit the older version of Itachi much better than his own eleven year old self.
„Itachi?" Mrs. Weasly asked slightly confused.
„Yup," Tonks answered. „It seems that I´m not the only metamorphmagus in town anymore," she continued beaming at Itachi.
„As I already said, I´m not a metamorphmagus, this is just a simple henge...every shinobi can do this...though the time they can hold the technique varies, it depends on age and skill and especially of the amount of the users cha...magic...but really this is just some of the basics,"
„Wow, you lot are really something, eh?" Tonks asked cheerfully.
„I guess," Itachi answered sheepishly. „But our world is ours and your is yours...you wizards have thought of using your power in so many ways that no shinobi would ever even think off. And this," he pulled his new wand out of his pocket: „shows that they would be able to if they tried."
"That also seems to apply vice versa though," Harry commented.
"I guess," Itachi sighed looking up at the sky.
"We should get moving," Mrs. Weasley finally spoke up.
"You´re right, Molly. Mad-Eye´s gonna make us run some stupid errand for him or something if we arrive late….,"
"They´re over there," Mrs. Weasley smiled as she noticed the group with all the Weasley children still attending Hogwarts and Hermione together with their protectors.
After Moody warned Harry not to stick out and lectured the kids about being careful about what they include in their letters home, he turned to Itachi.
"Where´s the other one? Kakashi?"
"He´s late….as usually," Itachi sighed.
"Not a very reliable guy, that one," Moody growled.
"Ehh, he´s pretty reliable….being late just is one of his quirks…..and when it actually really matters he´s always on time….but that´s not what you wanted to talk to me about, is it, Moody-san?"
Moody lowered his voice: "Keep an eye on them…..especially on Potter and his two friends, they will get themselves into some kind of trouble sooner or later…..probably sooner than later…..also, you guys are warriors…I can see it…I´m one too after all…..I hope you can teach the kids something…."
"Hai, wakarimashita?" Itachi nodded as he followed the others to the train.
"Let´s find a compartment," Harry said.
"Um, Harry, Ron and I have to go to the prefect carriage, " Hermione said sheepishly. "But I don´t think we have to stay the whole way," she added more cheerfully.
"Right, " Harry said quietly.
"Let´s go," Ginny told Harry and Itachi as Ron and Hermione left.
"Hi, Harry…Hi, Ginny," they were greeted by a boy with a round face. "I can´t seem to find a compartment, everywhere´s fully already."
"Hi, Neville," Harry and Ginny greeted him.
Harry noticed Neville was eyeing their third companion and he said: "Oh…this is Itachi Uchiha, Neville and Itachi, this is Neville Longbottom he´s in our house and in my year actually….Itachi is…?" Harry stumbled over his words, not sure what to say.
"I´m a foreign exchange student from Japan…..me and one more student from Konoha Academy of magic will be joining Hogwarts for this years…..I will be in your year and senpai…uh, Kakashi will be in seventh year…Hajimemashite, Neville-kun," Itachi bowed his head slightly, taking Neville by surprise and unsure how to answer.
"Look, there´s only Luna Lovegood in this one," Ginny gestured towards a compartment breaking the ambarassing silence.
"But….," Neville muttered something incomprehensible.
"Don´t be stupid, she´s perfectly normal."
Neville didn´t seem to be convinced by Ginny´s words but he followed Ginny, Harry and Itachi into the compartment anyway.
"Hi, Luna," Ginny said and continued: "Can we sit here?"
The blond haired girl looked up from the magazine, which she was holding upside down and looked Neville over, then her eyes stopped on Neville and then she noticed Itachi. Her eyes were glued to him for a long while and it almost seemed that she wasn´t able to tear her glance away.
"How was your summer?" Ginny asked her breaking the silence once again.
"It was nice," she said as she turned her glance to Harry: "You´re Harry Potter."
"I know, " he answered.
"But I don´t know who you are," she continued turning to Neville.
"Umm, I´m no one."
"Don´t be silly, you´re not. Luna This is Neville Longbottom, he´s also in Gryffindor in Harry´s year. Neville this is Luna Lovegood, she´s in my year in Ravenclaw."
"Wit beyond measure is men´s greatest treasure," she sing-sang dreamily.
Then she turned her attention back to Itachi once again staring at him deeply.
"Are you a hakarira? You have the aura of one….," she finally said dreamily.
"A what?" Itachi asked and noted that the other three wizards seemed to be about as confused as he was himself.
"They´re ancient warriors from Asia…...they have special magic….most of them already died out…..well they were wiped out by wizards to be more precise…..but my daddy says that he met one when he was very young…"
"Ano…I´ve never heard of these hakarira fellows, but I´m from Japan, so that might be it…..my name´s Itachi Uchiha and I will be attending Hogwarts this year as an exchange student this year together with another student from my school…..Konoha Academy of Magic…"
"Speaking of that, where´s Kakashi?" Ginny wondered out loud.
"Who knows," Itachi answered her. "But I´m sure he´ll join us soon….usually he´s two-three hours late at most."
Harry and the other wizards, well all but Luna, sweet dropped and were still surprised that Itachi didn´t seem to be even a tad bit bothered or annoyed by his companions constant lateness.
Speaking of the devil….
"Yo!" a new voice said as Kakashi erupted to the compartment from a puff of smoke.
The occupants of the room observed the newcomer with various degrees of interest. Neville seemed to be a bit frightened by his appearance, Harry was still rather annoyed by the silver haired jounin, while Luna remarked something about some nonexistent magical creature eating away Kakashi´s face and Itachi...well, Itachi didn´t even look up from his book...
"You´re late, senpai," he stated without any emotion.
"Eh, well you see...there was this huge snake in my way, so I had to take a detour..."
While Neville stared at Kakashi probably believing he was serious, Luna just smiled and Harry, who had already witnessed the young ninja´s antics during his stay at Grimmauld Place was not surprised at all. Itachi just continued reading his book silently.
„What, you´re not angry that I´m late?" Kakashi asked him.
„Well, you see, I think anyone who´s known you long enough is already beyond being angry at you being late...the sole reason why they still keep proclaiming you´re late is because they want to hear what kind of absurd excuse have you decided to come up with this time...the only person in the world...in all words, who´d ever bet on you not being late would be Tsunade-sama...and they don´t call her the Legendary Sucker for nothing..."
Kakashi smiled sheepishly under his mask.
Then he noticed the two children he hadn´t met before.
"Hello! I´m Kakashi Hatake, the other exchange student from Japan, I think Itachi probably already explained it all, so…."
"This is Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, "Ginny explained.
Kakashi nodded and gave them one of his trade mark smiles: "It´s nice to meet you, Luna…Neville…"
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts offered little interesting events to the two shinobi including Harry getting embarrassed infront of the girl he obviously had a crush on while Neville was showing off mimblus mimbletonia-his birthday gift and to everyone´s else surprise both Itachi and Kakashi managed to come out of this situation unharmed thanks to their supernaturally fast reflexes. Other than that they were only joined by Hermione and Ron for the latter part of the ride and the biggest excitement was either Luna´s hysterious laughing at a joke Ron cracked or an absurd article about Sirius´ innocence in the magazine that the strange girl Luna was reading. Well and of course then there was Hermione and Luna almost jumping into each other's hair.
"What´s that?" Harry shrieked looking at the creatures pulling the carriages.
"What´s what?" Ron asked annoyed.
"The horse-like creatures pulling the carriages…can´t you see…," Harry asked.
"Blimey, Harry….are you sure you´re alright?"
"Don´t worry, you´re perfectly normal. I can see them too," Luna told Harry approaching him.
"Yeah, it´s alright…..we can see them too, " Itachi said gesturing towards Kakashi who was wrinkling his nose apparently disgusted by something.
Harry noticed that both Itachi´s eyes had turned crimson red and when he turned to look at Kakashi, the other ninja´s forehead protector was up and he was met with a pair of mismatched eyes and one of them seemed to be almost identical with Itachi´s eyes.
Suddenly Itachi was stroking one of the horses and he smiled slightly: "They seem quite nice."
The other shinobi didn´t seem to be that fond of the creatures as he backed away when one of them tried to lick his hand.
"They reek of death," he muttered darkly and then he turned away from the carriages: "I think I´m gonna use a different route to get there."
"Do as you wish, senpai. And try not to be late for once?" he asked teasingly.
"I might," Kakashi answered jokingly. Then his voice turned more serious and he changed from English to Japanese: "Itachi….are you sure you can spare so much chakra in order to hold this henge for all the time we´re here….even when you´re sleeping….or when we have to fight…?" he asked worriedly.
"I´m not too happy about that either….but I guess it can´t be helped…..with my real appearance I could only pass for a first year, second year at best….and that would be of no use to us….this way I can be everywhere where he is….," Itachi answered thoughtfully, but then he smiled once again and added: "But shouldn´t you be more worried about yourself, senpai? You´ll be in 7th year together with those devilicious twins and they really want to get back at you…."
"Che….that´s about the last thing I worry about…..like I would let them get me. Well, then…ja ne," he told Itachi as the younger ninja stepped into the carriage together with the Golden Trio and Kakashi summoned Pakkun in order to get a better coverage of the grounds.