My car does hate me. Believe it or not, this explains why I didn't up-date on the 28th. You see, I got into a car accident. I was hit on my passenger's side, and the resulting damage is large enough so that a person could fit in the dent. My car's ruined, and I had just—literally—fixed it from a non-moving condition the day before! And all I got was a scratch on my ankle. I wish I'd gotten worse injured, if it meant my car wasn't totaled, because not only do I heal while my car does not, but I have better insurance.

So yeah, my mind was elsewhere when I should have up-dated. Sorry.

XXXXX

They, as in anyone but Itachi and Peter, had talked well into the night, so much so that when they were finished, the sun was poking through the window in the office.

By the end, a shaken Fudge was apologizing profusely and was shaking Sirius's hand in both his own. Snape had been sent to the Hospital wing, where—as Itachi informed the group previously—he would be for the next week, at least. Fudge never really got much information about Itachi himself, everyone passing it off that Dumbledore had hired him while in Hogshead to track down Black.

"Order of Merlin, Second class—First class if I can wrangle it—for your deeds Mr..." He trailed off, holding a hand out to Itachi, who still hadn't removed his mask.

"Weasel." Itachi replied simply, holding up his bloody hands. "I'm afraid you would not wish to shake these."

"Er, right." He said, quickly retracting his hand as he eyed the gored gloves. "Right then, Mr. Weasel. As soon as I plug in the necessary information—the press is going to have a field day, I know it—and this is all smoothed out, I will see to your award personally." He turned to Sirius, who had the finally passed out (and reluctantly bandaged) Peter hovering next to him. "Let us go to the Ministry Headquarters, Mr. Black. I will warn you, you'll probably be put in a cell first thing while we gather the council, but on my life, I promise you'll be a free man by, at most, the day after tomorrow."

Sirius, looking slightly unnerved at being addressed as 'Mr. Black' by the Minister of Magic, nodded and followed him out the door, tossing a last passing goodbye to Team Six, Itachi, and Dumbledore.

Team Six, not at all tired nor would they be for the next three days, cheerily waved goodbye to him.

Itachi, standing near the door as he had been for most of the discussion, listened as Dumbledore went on some wisdom-filled lecture about knowing the true right and wrong, or something to that nature. But Itachi was having a hard time focusing, a hand gripped lightly at his sluggishly bleeding side as he tried to clear his mind. The soldier pill had revived his energy enough to be able to move and not pass out, but had also made the wound he had gotten from the long claws of Lupin bleed even more freely then it had been. Thankfully, he knew it took a fully transformed werewolf to infect someone else, and Lupin was not at the time he got scratched.

Itachi refused to tell anyone about his injury, or reveal it was there. And not being able to scrounge enough chakra to heal it completely, he could only clutch at it lightly, quietly standing in the corner and watching as the conversation progressed around him, feeling the blood drip down his leg hidden by the skintight black cloth. He had already been weak once tonight, he'd be dammed it he was weak again. He would just have to wait until he could go to his room, where he would have Sasuke dress the wound and then he could sleep away the affects. Yes, that sounded good...

But as Dumbledore was just finishing his (long) speech in what Itachi heard in a warped way, his mind and sight swum, he felt as if the room was spinning, and he knew the choice would be made for him very quickly.

He attempted to shake his mind from the sensation, but it was no use as darkness crept into his vision and the last thing he felt was the world turn on its side. He landed with a dull thud on the carpeted floor of the office, completely oblivious to the world.

"Oh my god, Itachi!" Hermione said, head whipping around to the sound.

"Itachi!" Harry scrambled up, going over to where the young ANBU lay in a crumpled heap on the ground. He crouched next to him, but then gasped, bringing up his hands to see them covered in red, fresh blood. He looked down and saw that in the already dark carpet was a darker outline, a large pool, originating from where the boy had stood for hours in perfect silence.

Dumbledore, looking grim, came up and got his wand—which Itachi had returned after an hour—from his cloak and located the wound, hidden by the black cloth. He cut away at the material, until the entireties of three long, half-healed gashes along his hip were revealed. He poked at them with his wand, quickly stitching them closed. Luckily, they were not the wounds of a full werewolf scratch, but the widened gouge of sharpened human fingernails; Itachi would not be turning into a werewolf any time soon.

"Is he going to be alright?" Ron asked, having hobbled over. His leg was tender and still bound, but it wasn't broken or bleeding, and he had some movement in it. "He's not going to become a werewolf, is he?" He thought of how Lupin was, what he had to go through and didn't wish that on anyone.

"No, he's going to be fine."

XXXXX

OK, he was getting sick of waking up to this. Bad taste in his mouth, far too familiar ceiling, and a raised bed. But then again, waking up for the third time in just short of a year in a hospital was pretty good for an ANBU.

At least this time he felt well enough to get up upon waking, which he promptly did, sitting on the edge of his bed and letting his feet touch the sun warmed wooden floor, feeling the cool air brush past his face and under the collar of his hospital issued nightshirt. He glanced out the large window on the wall behind his bed, seeing the empty grounds bathed in morning light. He wondered, vaguely, where everyone was, but then he remembered it was the end of term, and there was another Hogsmeade visit. Just as if nothing life changing had transpired that night.

He looked to the table next to him and saw his ANBU uniform there, freshly cleaned and mended. His white mask grinned up at him, the red paint signifying the elite of the elite in stark contrast against the smooth white.

"Itachi!" A collective of voices called, and he turned his head to where his Team Six was jogging up to him.

"You're up!" Ron said, limping slightly to him. Itachi's gaze dropped to observe the boy's leg for a moment. Hm, it seems it had healed and set properly, and just needed to be worked out to full capacity again. Good. "We were just coming to check on you."

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked.

"I am well." He nodded to them before slipping off the bed and padding the small distance to his uniform. "Come. I wish to show you my things you have never seen before," He placed the clothes under his arm and coolly watched the group, black orbs traveling from one pair of eyes to another. "I am certain you have many questions in regards to my ninja profession now that you know who I really am."

They grinned sheepishly at him, confirming that they had planned on asking him during this visit. He lead them out the hospital wing, taking advantage that Madam Pomfrey had busied herself with Snape, who hadn't recovered from the small wound Itachi gave him, to the nurse's amazement. How could a small wound affect the whole body? How could it not kill him, even though it went all the way through his neck? It just mystified her.

The castle was nearly empty, as expected, and Itachi lead them to the boy's dorm. Sasuke was there, sleeping, sprawled on the futon without a care in the world.

Itachi blinked, glanced behind him at the others, and then walked silently next to the youngest Uchiha. His duties as an older brother were calling, and he couldn't very well ignore them.

"ARG!" Sasuke jumped up as the some water came out of no where and doused him. Sputtering, he turned to glare at the offender who still had their hands around the now empty jug. "Why did you do that, Itachi?!"

"You shouldn't sleep in, Sasuke. It's a bad habit." He said as he put it back on the table.

"Gr! You didn't have to get me all wet!" Sasuke snarled and attempted to wipe off the water, ignoring how Itachi's charges were snickering at him. Stupid foreigners. "And where were you last night! You never came back!"

"I completed the mission." He leaned down and poked him in the head."Now go shower and change, you smell."

Muttering curses, but obeying nonetheless, Sasuke retrieved his wizard clothes and huffed down the stairs.

Itachi put away the wet futon so it would dry, before gesturing to the others to sit down. He undid the seal on his trunk, and retrieved his black duffle bag. He sat himself on the ground, then turned to them and began a brief base lecture.

He spoke of how ninja trained until they were (normally) 12, when they then rose in the ranks from genin up. At Hermione's question, he spoke a little on the economics of the village, and how it ran. He spoke of the abilities he could do, at Harry's insistence, and what he had done in missions before at Ron's.

Sasuke came in at some point and watched blankly as they spoke in a language he was barely starting to get (as no one was teaching him, he just gleaned). Eventually, he turned back to the scroll and started working on memorizing the battle strategies Itachi had jotted down for him.

It was lunch by the time they finished asking questions. They made their way down to eat, digesting the facts they had been given.

Three days after the whole thing, the Daily Profit had a front page cover titled, simply, "BLACK'S INNOCENT!" and the whole school was a buzz about it. Team Six snagged an issue and read it, noting that any involvement with Hogwarts was limited to the detective abilities of Mr. Weasel, who was not available for comment, but will be granted the Order of Merlin, First Class as soon as he has been located or comes forward. There was a sketch done of Itachi in his ANBU outfit, looking slightly to the side with back lighting, his ANBU tattoo clear as he rested his hands behind the small of his back. Said boy was impressed how well it looked like him, right down to the properly done wicked weasel mask. Itachi would keep it, he decided. The entire thing, just so he'd not forget anything (almost the entire issue was just pages and pages describing the horrors and troubles Black went through, an emotional ploy, if Itachi ever saw one). Harry, Ron, Hermione and Itachi all took a quill to the article, correcting some mistakes in the information or just commenting about how funny it was in their own little quips and differing handwriting styles.

They received their scores on the last day of term. Itachi received full marks in everything, as was his standard. His team also passed every class they had, and promptly celebrated. But soon, as if the time melted away, they were squirreled away in a compartment in the Hogwarts Express. Itachi sat next to the window with Kneazle-Sasuke curled into his lap across from his brother, and he peered out the window as he listened to the conversation around him without joining in, like he had when arriving. Harry and Ron discussed something called the Quidditch World Cup (the thought made him shutter, not that he'd ever admit that.) while Hermione and Sasuke attempted to mime to each other while looking over a book with lots of pictures.

Midway through the ride, after the cart witch came by and they ate a large meal (Itachi bought quite a few Bertie Bott's, scheming deviously though his face was blank as always), Itachi was peering out the window when a large, cream blur appeared, flying along side them, fighting against the slip stream of the train. It was an owl, and it had a letter strapped to its leg. He slid open the window and the creature flew in, circling slightly before finding a roost to land on with Ron's knee, to everyone's but Itachi's surprise at its appearance.

Harry reached over and undid the letter, but the bird didn't move from its spot, instead watching them calmly as almost everyone, including Hedwig in her cage, watched him.

'Dear Harry,' the letter said as Harry read it allowed. 'I hope this finds you before you get to the station.

'I have been released from the Ministry, and all charges have been dropped, as you probably heard in the newspaper. I read it myself, and laughed over it, but it did get a good affect—few people seem to think I'm a criminal anymore. I can walk down Diagon Ally in the open without fear of being attacked, or causing havoc in my wake now. It feels great!

'Oh, I didn't tell you this at the time, but I was the one who sent you the Firebolt—'

"Ha! I told you!"

"And I told you Harry should thank him for the very nice broom he sent him."

Hermione glared and scowled, which Itachi returned with an impassive stare. Harry rolled his eyes and continued. '—consider it thirteen years worth of birthday and Christmas presents from your Godfather, sorry for the delay.

'Also, I would like to apologize for scaring you when you left your aunt and uncles. I had just wanted to see you before starting off on my long journey, but I seemed to have frightened you. Sorry!

'I have moved back into my family's home and am currently fixing it up. The Ministry is helping with this, as part of my retribution for being unjustly imprisoned all these years. They have also given me a hefty sum, but most of that will go to debts and bills and things I didn't even know I had. There is enormous amount of stuff I got rid of first thing—starting with a house elf that I had blissfully forgotten existed. Nothing, it seems, can be done with my mother's portrait, but the best of the best in the ministry are working on it. They seem quiet determined, after she shrieked at them nonstop for five hours.

'Peter has been given the Kiss. I watched and enjoyed every second of it—Lupin did as well. It is about time he paid for what he did to your mother and father. I am glad that Itachi stopped me from killing him outright. After we finally got Peter out of his rut of terror, all we had to do was mention Itachi and he told everything. I don't know what Itachi did to him in that illusion thing, but it worked like a charm; we didn't even need a truth serum. Lupin said he recalled the world turning Black and Red, shadows warping, but it all seemed completely real.

The Ministry is still looking for 'Mr. Weasel,' but they can't seem to find where he has disappeared to. I don't think Itachi will allow them to find him, as I'm certain they're not only just wanting to give him his award—they're just as curious about the technique he used on Peter as I am.

'Oh! I almost forgot, this owl is for Ron. I feel guilty that I caused your pet rat to die—in a way—so here's a replacement. It's a barn owl I picked up while in Diagon Ally. He's a good one.

'See you soon,

Sirius'

"Wow, this is mine?" Ron said, hugging the now ruffled looking owl. "Sirius, I love you!" He wept, oblivious to the bird's distress until it nipped at his arm. "Ouch!"

Harry was re-reading the letter and frowning before glancing at the others. "Hey, Sirius didn't say anything about when I'd be moving in. He hasn't forgotten... Has he?"

"Well... Maybe he is just too busy getting everything in line." Hermione said logically.

"Yeah, after all, only a week ago he had been sentenced to the Kiss himself." Ron massaged the place he was bitten, and the bird fluffed in irritation but didn't move from his perch. "Cheer up! He wouldn't've forgotten about you, mate."

"Yeah... Well, for one thing, I'm really happy to be leaving the Dursleys, no matter when it happens!"

"I'd be too. I'm so glad my parent's aren't like that to magic. They're understanding, even if they're only dentists."

"I can't wait to get home to see my mom. But I'm going to have to have a talk with her about how she always sends me maroon."

"Still going off on that, are you? You should be happy you mother makes them for you at all!"

"It's a sad day indeed when a mother doesn't realize her son loathes something for years and years despite being told over and over."

"Hey, Itachi," Itachi turned to face Harry as he was directly spoken too. Occasionally, one or more of them would do this, but he would just answer and then simply fall off the conversation again until they asked him something again. "What are you going to do once you get home? Your family is going to throw a big welcome home party, or something? You've been gone a long time on this mission."

"..." The ANBU looked back out the window, knowing they were all watching his reflection in the glass, glad that his brother still couldn't understand full conversational English. "Once I get to Konoha, I will find a place to move into with my brother. While away, my entire clan was massacred by Shisui before he came to Hogwarts after my brother and me. Only myself and Sasuke are left of the Uchiha." He turned back to them, to see their once happy faces drained of color. "Such is the life of a ninja. I have accepted it, and I have already moved on. Do not be sad for me." He turned back to the window. "What do you think Sirius will do for a job once things settle down?" He changed the subject pointedly, and they started to discuss that, at first it was forced, but then it smoothed out and became real conversation again with Itachi's slight prodding's.

Soon, Hermione left to change in the restroom, and the boys struggled to change in the small space allotted in their compartment. Itachi and Sasuke looked at the odd clothes the other boys wore (they called them normal Muggle clothes) but when Hermione (Muggle born with good parents) came in wearing normal looking clothes, the two Uchiha just shook their heads.

As this was still an ANBU mission, Itachi had changed into his uniform, setting the mask firmly in place as well as every one of his weapons—he'd be going back into ninja territory in just a few hours.

They pulled into the station and Sasuke waved goodbye energetically, and Itachi nodded his head to them as they took their things and made it out of the train. Itachi walked out of the compartment and peered out the window, seeing Harry gape in shock where he pushed his cart, almost into another person. Why? Because there Sirius stood, looking cleaner and better then ever, was waiting to take him to his new home.

Itachi watched the touching scene impassively, his mask mirroring the blank look he had perfectly.

Soon, all the students were off the train, and it began to plod along on its course to the stop where he and Sasuke would get off at. The ANBU spun on his heel and went back into his compartment, lying down on the vacant bench. Sasuke was silent, staring out the window very much like he had been with Kneazle-Sasuke in his lap, probably thinking about what was going to happen once they were home.

"Sasuke," Itachi said, "When we get home, I'm going to find us a small place. I won't need to take a mission for about two months after his one, so we can get settled in."

"Itachi..." Sasuke replied, looking at the creature named after him. "What's going to happen to us? Everything will be so different. We're the only ones left."

"..." Itachi stared out through the holes in his mask, feeling the train rock under him. "Simple, Sasuke. We follow Ninja Rule number one; Always adapt."

XXXXX

MDF: I'll make an Epilogue if everyone who has this on alerts will leave a review!! Thank you all for reading this story—I enjoyed reading all of your reviews through this story's history!