Thank you everyone for your reviews and comments! They make me very happy! I apologize for any mistakes, because my laptop officially has a freaking VIRUS on it, and now I'm having to RETYPE this WHOLE ENTIRE THING on my dad's computer!! Yeah, I'm pretty mad about that. So anyways, thanks to everyone who voted! Here are the results so far:

Votes:

Itachi: 5

Sasori: 2

Madara: 1

Hidan: 1

Fred: 1

George: 1

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

The crackling sound came from all around as ice spread across the window and door. A bottle of strange clear liquid beside the window became little more than a bottle of ice. A few cries of surprise were audible from the other compartments. The air became shockingly cold and the trio looked around frantically. The four shinobi locked gazes and an unspoken message passed through them. Whatever was happening, it was a threat, and they had to protect their charge at all costs.

The Akatsuki members sent out chakra to try and sense whatever it was that was coming. The trio paid no attention to them, too busy attempting to look out the ice-covered window. Sakura stiffened and whipped her head around to the sliding door. Itachi's gaze followed a split-second later, closely mirrored by Deidara and Kisame.

Sakura took a step forward and reached back for her gloves, getting ready to unleash her superhuman strength, only to find that she didn't have her pack on and that she was wearing those god-awful robes. She inwardly cursed. She couldn't use any jutsu; she'd have to use that...wand...

Fuck. came Inner Sakura's very ladylike response.

She pulled out the wand and grimaced at it.

I can't believe this. I can't fucking believe this.

A WAND! A goddamn WAND!! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF PROTECTION IS THIS?!?

Her thoughts froze like the ice-covered windowswhen she felt a dark presence drawing nearer. She stood at the ready, gripping the red cherry wooden stick tightly. The thing drew nearer and nearer, Sakura tensing even more with each passing second. It felt like hours, but finally a dark shape appeared outside the frosted door.

Kisame's jaw went slack and Deidara gasped quietly. The trio looked up and saw the shadow, while Itachi's eyebrows shot up. The thing - it obviously wasn't human from its outline - raised what looked like a bony hand and curled its fingers. The door slid open almost as though the thing had were using chakra strings to pull it. With a chilling scrape, the door opened fully. The thing was like nothing any of them had ever seen.

It was a giant cloaked figure that had no face and secreted a cold, dead aura. It seemed to float a mere foot from the ground, and the thing had no legs. A black hole appeared to open on the thing's head where its mouth should have been, a spine-tingling air-sucking sound emitting from it.

The air grew at least fifteen degrees colder when the thing entered their compartment. From the lack of screams and gasps in the other cars, the shinobi figured this was the only one on the train. Sakura wasn't about to let this thing take their charge or kill one of them, so she did what any teenage girl would do.

She leapt into battle with a ferocious inner war cry.

Sakura's let hand - which was pulled up to her chest - flew through a series of hand signs, too fast for the human eye to follow, and her right hand - which held the wand - was extended as far as it would go towards the thing.

Sakura sent chakra to her right hand and carefully channeled it into the stick.

Water Style: Jet Stream Jutsu!

Sakura jerked her right arm backwards to the left and snapped it forward to intensify the attack. A spurt of water - far greater in force than that of which those in Harry's world called a 'fire hose' - burst from the tip and blasted towards the cloaked figure.

It raised one bony hand and the water collided with what seemed to be an invisible wall. Sakura's eyes snapped open wide and she inwardly cursed.

She faintly noticed the one called Malfoy and his two friends peering out their frozen door to observe the battle, but she paid them no attention.

The rosette flew through another series of hand seals - grateful for the speed, for she would have to explain later if the wizards saw - and channeled another burst of chakra into the wand.

Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!

This was a favorite of hers and the Uchiha's.

She whipped her arm backwards and to the right, and flung it back towards it. A gigantic blaze in the shape of a fierce dragon exploded from the stick and struck at the creature. With another slow movement of the hand, the dragon was split down the middle and blown into flares. Sakura had to shield her face with her left arm as hot air blasted back upon her. The other three shinobi grunted and protected their faces as well.

Sakura was fed up with this thing, her Inner going on an all-expenses-paid cursing spree. Deidara, Kisame, and Itachi - who's eyes were flickering dangerously as he tried to suppress the Sharingan - threw their own attacks as well, hands blurring through the signs do the wizards wouldn't notice.

Earth Style: Stone Entrapment Jutsu!

Deidara's speech impediment didn't affect his thoughts as he inwardly yelled the name of his jutsu. Long tendrils of solid rock surged from his wand and flew towards the creature. They encircled it and were constricting when the thing lifted its hand again. The stones burst into dust and fell to the floor. Deidara cursed.

Kisame and Itachi sent their attacks together.

Water Style: Water Bullet!

Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.

Six bullets of water and eight or nine fireballs flew at the creature together. Sakura and Deidara quickly sent jutsu of their own at it.

Lightning Style: Storming Thunder Jutsu!

Earth Style: Mud Dragon!

Four jutsu, each of different styles, were launched at the thing, but with a lift of its hand, all four were blown apart.

God damn it! Sakura yelled, gritting her teeth.

God damn mother fucking shit!! Needless to say, her Inner wasn't pleased. She continued to scream endless flows of curses, most of them beginning with 'f'.

Sakura prepared to fire another jutsu - this time a Wind Style - at the thing, but was stopped when it raised its hand. The trio, who were splitting their time between gaping at them and gaping at the thing, gasped and the shinobi stiffened. The creature flared its fingers out and Deidara was sent skidding across the floor on his back. He slammed into the wall, under the window, and gasped and coughed for breath. The trio jumped away so as not to be hit and stared in shock at the blond. With another flick of its gray fingers, Kisame smashed headfirst into the wall. He slid to the floor, clutching his throbbing skull.

The thing drew its fingers in and Sakura was wrenched forward, her wand clattering to the floor. She crashed into it, surprised when she could actually feel it, and stumbled. Her body nearly turned to ice where it brushed against the creature, and she gasped as it grabbed her shoulders. The gaping hole on its face opened wide and it lowered down towards her mouth. She felt a strange force on her face, and felt as though it was trying to suck her skin off. A dark unhappiness settled over her and cold seeped into her lungs. She couldn't breathe. Sakura let out a strangled battle cry and thrashed under the thing. There was no way that she as going to let it absorb her, or whatever the thing was doing. She flooded chakra into her legs and kicked violently up at it, growling when they were sent slamming down back onto the ground from the thing's repulsion power.

"Get OFF!" she screamed, smashing her forehead against its head.

The thing recoiled with a small screech, hitting the door, and blood spilled down Sakura's face. Sakura, driven by sheer blind rage, jumped up at flew at it with her fists. She drew her fist back and snapped it forward, hitting the thing in the middle of where its chest should have been. It was pushed backwards slightly.

"Mother fucking BASTARD!" she shrieked, punching at it again.

The thing avoided her fist, and Sakura just barely drained the chakra from her fist in time before it smashed into the wall. It let a small hole in the wall and her knuckles split. More blood spurted from her knuckles, but she didn't even wince as she threw another punch.

God damn it! KILL THE THING!!

Sakura sent another fist at it, but her eyes zeroed in on its hand. Her muscles instinctively tensed and she knew that it was about to do something. Sakura's eyes snapped open wide when its fingers began to move. With an inward curse, Sakura drew her arms into a protective X-formation over her face and upper body. Her hair was sent streaming behind her and she hurtled into Itachi. Both ninja were sent careening into the back wall, grunting from the impact of the blow.

The thing drifted forward, pausing slightly. It twitched its head back and forth between Sakura and Harry - who stood with wide eyes between Ron and Hermione - as though it couldn't make up its mind. With renewed confidence, it seemed, it glided towards the rosette. As it neared the three ninja - Deidara still on the floor and gripping his now-broken ankle - the sleeping man's eyes flew open.

He jumped to his feet and drew out a wand. Quick as a snake - but still nowhere near the speed of a ninja - he shot a bright white light from his wand that formed a giant shield. The thing screeched and backed up. He took a step forward, thrusting the safeguard at the creature, and it disappeared out the door.

The windows and doors in all the compartments began to unfreeze and the air started to warm back up. Gasps were heard, echoing through the train as students poked their heads out of their cars. Malfoy and his companions stared with eyes rounder than the full moon at the four Akatsuki, but mostly at Sakura.

Sakura groaned, rolling off of Itachi and gripping her head.

"Ow, fuck," she mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut.

Itachi sat up, rubbing his forehead. If the other three Akatsuki hadn't been busy with their injuries, they would have gaped at Mr. 'I Never Get Hurt'. Deidara was spilt between clutching his ankle and demanding to know if Sakura was alright. Kisame fisted his right hand into his hair and rubbed his head with his left.

"What the hell was that?" the shark-nin growled, blinking to get rid of the bright spots in his vision.

"I have no idea, but if it shows up again, there'll be hell to pay," Sakura muttered, wiping blood from her forehead.

"That thing tried to kiss you, yeah!" Deidara snarled. "I'll fucking blow it to bits, yeah!"

"Not if I do it first," the rosette replied darkly, choosing to ponder about Deidara's obvious jealousy later. Kisame, however, took the opportunity to laughed rather then focus on his pain.

"Oh, you jealous, Deidara?" he joked, grinning as he rubbed his head with his right hand. "Better watch out. Kitten might choose it over you."

Deidara bristled. "Fuck you, Kisame, yeah," he spat indignantly.

"Don't call me kitten." Sakura rubbed her sore knuckles and winced slightly. "Jeez," she grumbled.

Usually, the Akatsuki wouldn't flinch if their entire arm got torn off. Now, however, they were groaning and complaining about big bruises and blood. For some reason that they couldn't understand, these injuries hurt much more than usual. It felt as though their wounds were on fire, but also bitingly freezing. Almost like burning ice.

"Are you alright?"

The four ninja looked up in surprise. They had forgotten about the man.

He had brown hair, slightly messy from sleeping so long, and a small mustache. His eyes were a warm blue-gray and we wore a small smile. He had on the traditional Hogwarts robes, but the four could tell he was a teacher.

"Yes sir," Sakura replied for them. "Thank you, though."

"Did it drain you?" The shinobis' confusion must have shown on their faces, because he clarified a moment later. "Did it feel as though it was draining you? Did you feel cold and upset?" They all retook their seats as the train began moving again. Apparently it was safe now.

Oh, I was upset alright. "Could you please be more specific?"

"Did it suck out your happiness?" he repeated. Sakura's eyebrows twitched upwards in surprise.

"Yes," she answered, wiping even more blood off her forehead. It seemed to be gushing, but Sakura didn't notice. The man, however, did. "It felt like it was trying to suck out my soul."

"That's exactly what it was doing," the man replied, sounded impressed. "Here." He pulled out something from his robes. "Eat this."

The Akatsuki stared at it.

"...what is it?" Sakura asked after a minute.

The trio were shocked.

"It's chocolate," the man said with a smile, but the shinobi could tell he was surprised.

"That's chocolate, yeah?" Deidara questioned, studying the brown bar.

"Yes."

"That's so strange," Sakura murmured, eyes trained on the candy bar. "I've never seen chocolate like this. Only on pocky." Deidara and Kisame nodded. The man inferred that pocky was candy and didn't bother asking.

"Are you the three from...Japan?" he asked, pausing to remember where Dumbledore had specified. The wizards and witch passed it off as nothing.

"Yes sir," Sakura murmured, chewing a bite of chocolate.

"Come with me," he said. "We need to get you and your blond friend help."

"What do you mean (yeah)?" they asked at the same time.

The tall wizard looked surprised again. "Well, um, you're bleeding," he explained. "And your friend's ankle looks very bad."

Sakura and Deidara looked at each other blankly.

"We'll be fine, yeah," Deidara assured him. He had had his arm torn off once. He could handle this. The man looked like he wanted to object, but said nothing.

"Here," he said finally. "At least take these." The wizard grabbed a couple cloths from his bag and handed them to the two.

"Arigatou," the both chorused, bowing, and took the cloths. He understood that to mean 'thank you' and nodded.

Sakura wiped off her knuckles and put the cloth against her forehead. Deidara attempted to put the cloth on his ankle by lifting his foot into the air, but failed miserably. He nearly fell over and Sakura, with an amused sigh, reached across the compartment and caught his shoulder. She sat him down. Sakura took the cloth from him and settled on the floor in front of him.

"What would I do without you, yeah?" Deidara joked, laughing. Sakura grinned back, wrapping the cloth around his ankle and tying it. She made the knot tight, but not too tight, and slid it around to the back so that it wouldn't be visible.

"You just remember that the next time you complain about getting a sling," Sakura laughed. Kisame chuckled and Deidara grinned.

"Hn," Itachi murmured, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips.

Hermione's ears perked up.

She must know a lot about being a nurse. she mused.

"My name is Remus Lupin, but you may call me Professor Lupin," the wizard greeted.

"I'm Sakura," the rosette said with a fake smile.

"Deidara, yeah."

"I'm Kisame."

"Hn. Itachi."

Lupin nodded to each of them. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Lupin-san, you know what those things are, don't you?" Sakura guessed. He looked at her in surprise.

"Why, yes I do," he said. "How did you know?"

"You knew what they were doing, so you must know what they are."

He chucked quietly and smiled.

"Very well, then. They are called Dementors."

"Dementors?" Harry spoke up.

"I've read about them" Hermione chimed. "They-"

"Yes, thank you," Lupin interrupted. "I can handle it." An embarrassed expression came over her face and she ducked her head sheepishly. "Dementors are the guards of Azkaban. They absorb the happiness of the prisoners and leave them depressed so that they don't attempt to escape. Eventually, they perform the 'kiss', which sucks out the prisoner's soul."

The shinobi shared a glance.

"And I suppose Azkaban is a prison?" Sakura question. Lupin nodded.

"You don't know what Azkaban is?!?" Hermione exclaimed.

This brat is going down if she doesn't shut the hell up.Inner Sakura growled, eyebrow twitching.

Oh, definitely.

"We're from Japan, remember, yeah?!?" Deidara snapped, quickly getting irritated. "We don't know what the hell the prison's called here, yeah."

Hermione was flabbergasted. "W-well, you don't have to be rude about it," she stuttered, sending him a small glare.

"Well, you don't have to be so annoying, yeah," the blond shot back. She stumbled over her words and was unable to reply.

"H-hey!" Ron stammered. "Don't talk to-"

"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized, even though she completely agreed with Deidara, her fake smile in place. It was becoming increasingly harder to keep it plastered to her face. "He's just in pain. He gets irritable when he's in pain."

Ron blinked and exchanged a confused look with Harry while Hermione nodded slightly, looking a little embarrassed.

"It's alright," she murmured.

Well, at least she's quieter now.

So very true.

"How do you feel?" Lupin asked, taking the chance to break up the tiny argument. Sakura glanced at him.

"I'm fine," she repeated. "The injuries are just flesh wounds-"

"No, I was talking about how you feel," he interrupted. "Emotional-wise. Do you feel depressed or anything like that?"

"Oh. Not really, no."

"Hm." He nodded.

Something's not right about him. Inner Sakura commented, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

I know. I sense it, too.

What do you think it is?

I'm not sure, but it reminds me of the jincuriki we capture.

Yeah, now that you mention it...

"Are you sick, Lupin-san?" Sakura asked suddenly. Itachi cut his eyes over at the kunoichi. He had sensed it as well. The wizard looked startled and glanced at her with a shocked expression.

"N-no," he stammered, surprised. "Why?" Sakura studied him for a moment before replying without removing her eyes from his.

"No reason."

Hermione shot her a skeptical look, but said nothing. Sakura met her gaze evenly. The brunette looked away and focused on something else to distract her.

"When does this end, yeah?" Deidara complained.

"Excuse me?" Lupin asked in confusion. The ninja were constantly throwing him for a loop without even realizing it.

"When do we get to the school yeah?" the blond repeated.

"Well, according to my watch and our rather unfortunate delay, we should be arriving in about ten minutes."

The pyrotechnic sighed and rested his forehead in his hands.

"Daijoubu desuka?" Sakura murmured, a sympathetic expression crossing her face.

"Could you please speak in English?" Hermione demanded. "It's very rude to speak a different language in front of others."

That was the last straw. Sakura dropped her fake smile altogether and flat-out glared at Hermione. The brunette gasped quietly in surprise. Sakura was infamous for her Uchiha-level death glares.

Mesuinu, yeah. "Hai, hai, yeah," he mumbled, dragging his hands down his face and settling them around his nose and mouth. For once, Deidara was glad to be wearing fingerless gloves.

"Hontou desuka?"

"Hai, yeah."

Yet another awkward silence filled the air. It was quiet for at least four minutes before Hermione, who just couldn't resist, spoke up.

"What did you ask him?" she questioned, looking at Sakura but not meeting her eyes. The rosette sighed.

"I asked if he was alright," she bot out, staring back at the witch's eyes.

"O-oh."

"Would you like to know what he said? And what I asked next? And then what he said after that? Hm?" Sakura was getting very annoyed.

"N-no, thank you..."

It was quiet for another minute before she asked another question. What it was and who it was directed at, however, surprised them all.

"So, um, Itachi, was it? How old are you?"

The Uchiha's emotionless black eyes locked onto the witch, seemingly unfazed.

"Hn," he grunted. "Thirteen."

Hermione's eyes lit up.

"Thirteen?" she confirmed, smiling. "When?"

Itachi just stared at her unblinkingly.

"He doesn't give out his birthday, girl," Kisame supplied, chuckling roughly. "He has trust issues."

Kisame was suddenly the recipient of the infamous Uchiha death glare.

"Hn."

"O-oh..." That seemed to be Hermione's new favorite word. "Then, uh...what about the rest of you?"

"Thirteen," Sakura muttered.

"Thirteen, yeah," Deidara mumbled, debating over whether he should blow up the witch.

"Fifteen," Kisame answered.

The trio looked at the shark-nin in surprise.

"Fifteen?" And Hermione's annoying inquisitive voice appeared once more. "How are you fifteen? You're a fourth year."

Kisame sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You know, girl, you really are getting annoying." She ducked her head slightly in embarrassment and her face went red.

"He started a year late," Sakura replied for him, making up an excuse off the top of her head. "His mother was a muggle and didn't want him to go to a wizardry school."

"Oh..." Yet again with the favorite word. "So, um, are there house at your school?"

Sakura paused and the four shared a confused look.

"Houses?" she asked. "You mean like buildings to live in?"

"No, houses."

Aw, shit. Here we go.

"They're the groups that we're separated in for different dormitories so that there aren't too many of us in one single place," Hermione explained, sounding an awful lot like a book. "Don't you have them? How could you all live together without the,?"

Deidara twitched and Sakura's jaw clenched.

"Tell me, Hermione," she hissed. "You looked like the type that knows nearly every word in the dictionary."

"I do," Hermione agreed, meeting her gaze as if to boast about her intelligence.

"Ah, as I thought. Now, you see, there's this new word - or should I say words - in the dictionary that I believe you haven't heard of yet."

"Really?" She sounded intrigued. "What are they?"

"It's 'shut' and 'up'. Has a nice ring to it, ne?"

Hermione was silent and Ron choked on a cough. Harry's eyebrows shot up un surprise while Lupin glanced down at Sakura. Deidara snickered and Kisame coughed to cover up a laugh. A smirk formed on Itachi's lips. Lupin pressed his lips together in a tight line to keep from smiling. He had a feeling that he would like Sakura.

They all sat up straighter. When the train came to another halt. To their relief, however, the window and door didn't freeze. Harry looked out to window to his right and his eyes lit up.

"We're here!' he called, his accent ringing distinctively in the voice. "We've arrived at Hogwarts!"

Daijoubu desuka? - Are you alright?

Mesuinu - bitch

Hontou desuka? - Are you sure?