"Alright Naruto listen. This is very important alright?" Harri asked, "You can't ever let anyone know this. No one okay? No matter how much you trust them, okay?"
Naruto gave a small nod, surprised by Harri's intensity.
Harri reached out and grabbed onto Naruto's shoulder, actually shaking him a little, "Swear to me. Swear you won't tell anyone."
"Okay, okay. I won't tell anyone. Happy?" Naruto agreed, more eager to hear the secret than anything else. No one ever trusted him with a secret, worried that he would scream it to the world. But really, if you could get him to swear sincerely, he would take the secret to his grave.
"I usually don't tell Summoners this, mainly because they would use it against me, do you understand the severity more?" Harri questioned.
Now Naruto was starting to get worried, what could it possibly be? But he nodded his head and gestured for her to continue.
"I can't touch the lamp. At all. It's why when we went out that I had you pick it up." Harri told him, "But that's not really the issue. I can't leave a certain area from the lamp."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, confused.
Harri gave a short sigh, "I mean if you were to pick up the lamp and walk out the door, eventually I would be summoned back to the lamp. I have to stay a certain distance within the lamp before it will summon me back into it. Do you understand now? Don't let anyone else take the lamp because I won't be able to stop them. I can't touch the lamp."
Naruto nodded slowly, "I get it. I'll be careful. I won't tell anyone." He swore.
Harri stuck her small, pale hand out, pinky up, "Pinky swear." She said seriously.
Naruto could vaguely remember someone saying that a pinky swear was the most sincere swear that could ever happen, and if she was using it, then that meant it was serious. Solemnly for him, he stuck his own pinky out and linked with hers.
"Pinky swear."
{{LINE BREAK}}
"Do you want to go to the Academy with me tomorrow?" Naruto asked once they were done with their ramen.
"What's the Academy?" Harri asked, taking his cup and her own to throw away.
"It's where kids go to learn how to be shinobi." Naruto answered.
"Shinobi?" Harri asked as she tossed the trash into the trashcan. Taking the opportunity to sneak a look at the cabinet and nearly groaning at the sight of only ramen in the cupboards. No wonder the kid was so small.
"Yeah, they go out and protect people and do all sorts of things." Naruto answered proudly, "I want to be just as good as the Fourth Hokage. Better in fact! Then people will respect me."
"Kid, you're going to have to get me a history book or something because I don't know half of what you just said." Harri eventually said after sticking her head out of the kitchen to stare at him. None of what he had just said made any sort of sense to her at all, "That'll be your mission for me. Get me some history books or a dictionary or something like that."
Naruto made a face, "You can just come with me tomorrow and then when I cut class, because I will because it's so boring! I could just leave your lamp there and come get it later. I usually end up being caught by Iruka-sensei anyways and then I have to do detention with him and it sucks!"
Harri rolled her eyes, "So long as you find an excellent hiding place I don't see why not. But if the spot sucks, you'll have to take the lamp with you. Also, you really shouldn't be cutting. How do you expect to learn anything and become the Hokage or whatever the term was if you aren't the best?"
Naruto shrugged, "Don't worry about me! I'll still be the best! Believe it! By the way, what do I call you? Genie?"
Harri laughed, "Nah kid, my name's Harri. Harri Potter."
"Weird name." Naruto wrinkled his nose. Harri shrugged in response. To her, everyone here had odd names, but because of majority rules, Harri didn't bother to argue.
{{LINE BREAK}}
"Hey Harri, I've got breakfast ready!" Naruto called loudly, tapping her side and preparing to leap away in case she reacted violently to being woken up like most of the ANBU and shinobi. Harri mumbled into the pillow and vaguely swatted her hand in his direction. Last night she had merely just gone back to her lamp, but when Naruto offered her the couch, her eyes had lit up. Obviously she wasn't used to having such comforts as simple as sleeping on a couch.
Naruto poked her again, this time in the side and she jumped a little bit before raising her head to look at him through blurry eyes.
"What's up kid?" she mumbled out, her hair sticking up in some places. Harri momentarily cursed the Potter hair before she used a simple spell to pull it back into a French braid.
"Breakfast. I got ramen ready." Naruto said happily, he didn't remark on her blatant use of magic in front of him, but that was most likely because he thought it was just more of that genie power. At least here she wasn't likely to get hauled off to prison if she used magic around others.
"You know kid, to save money you don't have to feed me. I don't necessarily have to eat while I'm bound to the lamp, it's nice, but I'm suspended in life while I'm in the lamp. I don't need any necessities like food, water, sleep. Don't worry too much about me." She explained, trying to offer him a bit of relief. She could easily tell that he was poor, his apartment was pathetic. To be painfully blunt. Plus, only ramen? She still couldn't believe it; surely the kid had heard of a balanced diet, then again, it wasn't like Harri had a lot of room for criticism with her childhood.
Naruto's shoulder's slumped the tiniest bit, "I want to though."
Harri stared, then sighed, "Alright kid. Let's have some ramen for breakfast." Inwardly Harri shivered lightly at the thought of having more ramen, especially since they had had it for dinner the night before, but it was obviously all the poor kid could afford. Naruto brightened and darted into his kitchen. Harri slammed her head back into the pillow for a moment, just relaxing in the opportunity to sleep on something soft before she reluctantly threw off the blanket Naruto had let her borrow before heading to the table.
Naruto was waiting for her with an already made cup for her and one for him with several others in various stages of cooking.
Again, by the time Harri had finished one, Naruto had downed a significantly larger amount than her. It was amazing and reminded her of the irritating Weasley boy, but in a good way. He must have an amazing metabolism.
"That's almost insane. Definitely weird if nothing else." Harri said as she watched him inhale another cup, "But, if you're done, let's go. Lead the way my friend."
Naruto brightened, threw away their trash, and picked up her lamp, "How do you want to get there? I mean I could…"
Harri interrupted him, "Don't worry. I'll ride in my lamp so you can do your super… ninja… jump… thingy." Harri struggled to find the words to describe it, and just knew that Naruto would burst out laughing at her. Sure enough, he let out a large laugh.
"No problem! I'll give you a tap when I'm by the Academy! Let's go!"
Harri shot him an amused look before returning to her lamp, settling back for the ride. It was an interesting experience. For once, Harri chose to stay awake for the ride and was pleasantly surprised to find that his jumping skills weren't as… bumpy… as she had expected. Obviously she needed to pay more attention to her surroundings if she hadn't noticed it last night when Naruto had returned to his apartment after that fight.
Not too long afterwards, Harri felt a light tap on the side and exited her lamp, interested in what this world was really like. Teuchi's friend all those years ago didn't count, especially since all she could remember of that kid were his shoes.
The classroom was sunny, which was always a good sign to Harri. Madam Pomfrey's infirmary had always been bright.
Naruto was setting her lamp discreetly under the desk. He had found that some of the desks in the back had a little shelf in them, and since only the 'dead-lasts' sat there, no curious person would find it. Hopefully. Harri nodded in approval when she saw the spot and Naruto beamed at her. It seemed he had a short attention span because soon he was up in the face of another kid. Harri watched in interest as the two, mainly Naruto though, started an argument which quickly descended into a brawl. Although it was quickly stopped by the arrival of who Harri was assuming was the teacher.
Harri liked his face, he had one of those faces that always had a kind tint to them even if said person was yelling at someone else. Like he was doing to Naruto and the other kid now.
"Naruto! Go sit down!" the man yelled, picking Naruto up by his collar and dropping him on his butt a few inches away. The other kid merely sat up and brushed his arms off like it was all a terrible inconvenience for him.
Naruto made a face at the other kid before darting up to his seat, avoiding the girl who tried to smack him on the head.
"Leave Sasuke alone!" she shrilled, her pink hair swinging around as she tried to land a hit on Naruto. Harri just stood there for a moment surprised at the colour. Pink hair. Then again, people jumped around like a kangaroo or grasshopper and that was considered normally apparently.
"Who was that?" Harri asked Naruto. He shot her a look before putting on a dazed expression, one Harri recognized as having a crush on a person.
Then he shouted, "But Sakura!" he whined, like actually whined, "Sasuke's being a teme!" Harri raised a single eyebrow at the sight.
"Shut it Naruto! You were bothering Sasuke again!" she snapped, surprisingly very vicious. Harri sighed and raised her eyes heavenward as though that would give her patience. Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea if they all acted like this.
"Sakura! Sit down!" the man snapped, "Naruto! I already told you to sit, so sit."
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto complained, but one look from the teacher, Iruka, made Naruto simply huff once before sitting down.
"You're all a bunch of children." Harri said dryly from her spot next to Naruto, "Who can only see skin-deep. Frankly, I hope you're only joking with this infatuation of yours, because at this moment in time, that girl is a complete harpy."
Naruto shot her a small glare, but all it did was make Harri shrug, "Just noting a fact. She'll get better with age. Hopefully. So long as she gets rid of her fan-girl tendencies." His glare increased the slightest.
"Naruto!" Iruka's voice made Naruto jump and face the front of the class. Iruka glared at him, his eyes narrowing slightly, "Are you planning on paying attention today? I asked you a question."
Naruto grinned, his hand raising to scratch the back of his head, "Sorry Iruka-sensei, I didn't hear the question. And I probably don't even know the answer so you might as well ask someone who does."
Iruka sighed, but turned to another student for the answer to his question.
{{LINE BREAK}}
Naruto had ended up ditching right before lunch, leaving with a rushed good-bye to Harri before he disappeared out the window. Harri noticed that Iruka caught the end of Naruto's foot as he leaped out and gave a very small frustrated sigh before he continued teaching. Barely anyone noticed that Naruto had left, although Harri saw how one kid who had seemingly been asleep open one eye as Naruto opened the window before he closed his eye again as the window gently shut. Beyond him, no one else seemed to notice.
Harri had decided that this world was just as weird as the wizarding world, but better. She finally understood what Naruto had been talking about thanks to a book she had picked up from Iruka's desk to Iruka's actual lesson.
After the kids had had their lunch, in which Harri heard distantly shouts and a boom that sounded faintly like she should be worried, they moved onto their more ninja-y things. Like throwing sharp things and fighting each other. It was odd to Harri to watch as these 12 year olds threw sharp objects and toss each other around the yard, but to them, it was normal. Much like how she had been handed a deadly weapon when she was 11, her wand, it was normal to them.
The wizarding world and the ninja world (shinobi, that was the official term at least) weren't that different from each other. Hopefully this place was better though.
In the middle of the afternoon, Iruka left after getting a message delivered by a man in mask. It seemed to be normal for the class though because another guy came in with white hair that totally freaked Harri out. She thought about diving into his thoughts, but with the revelation that some clans could apparently access others minds', decided to take the safe course and until she knew who that clan was, avoid diving into any shinobi's brain.
Naruto was hauled back to the Academy by Iruka in the afternoon, and Harri observed in amused silence at the sight of the bright blue man hauling a paint splattered Naruto into the building. The rest of his class was dismissed seeing as it was the end of the day and Naruto and Iruka waited in stubborn silence until everyone was gone.
"Seeing as how it for once didn't take place on the Academy property, you won't have detention here. The Hokage doesn't trust you to take down the traps though, so don't even ask." Iruka started, "But, come on Naruto, how do you expect to pass the graduation test if you constantly skip class?" he asked exasperated.
"When is the test?" Naruto asked, chin jutting out as he avoided eye contact with Iruka.
"Next month. And at this rate, you won't pass." Iruka told him, "So please, study and try to actually stay for the entire day tomorrow." He pleaded, "But for now, head home and wash up. And don't pull anymore pranks today!" he scolded Naruto lightly. But Harri could see the barely hidden affection in Iruka's eyes as he patted Naruto on the head before leaving. Clearly Iruka saw Naruto as a younger brother, although one who tested his patience constantly.
"Ready Harri?" Naruto asked brightly, grabbing her lamp from its hiding place before tucking it into his jacket.
Harri gave him a smile, "Lead the way. I assume we are going to that same ramen place as yesterday?"
Naruto nodded eagerly before grabbing her hand and leading her out, pulling her the entire way to Ichiraku's. The old man seemed genuinely glad to see them again and without prompting put out bowls for them. He didn't even blink at seeing Naruto covered in different kinds of paint, and Naruto spent the rest of the meal describing in detail the prank he had just pulled. Leaving out the essential parts that were critical to the prank in case anyone with payback in their thoughts was listening in. Harri recognized it from her interactions with the Weasley twins and smiled into her bowl of ramen as Naruto kept talking.
{{LINE BREAK}}
Whew! That seemed like a long chapter! So, this one was mainly filler, nothing exciting happened. But it was necessary so Harri could learn about Naruto's world, I didn't feel like describing every new thing she learned though, so I hope it was decent. Also, Iruka, Sasuke, and Sakura made an entrance! I feel as though Harri will have little patience when it comes to Sakura just because of Sakura's fan-girling, but we'll see how it ends up. Thank you to everyone who followed/favorite/reviewed, they make me happy! Also, calling all prank ideas! When it comes to pranks, I'm limited to about putting a rubber band on the sink hose thingy and letting people spray themselves, so any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Also, concerning parings, as soon as I figure out how to do that poll thingy, I'll put one up, but be forewarned that I write spontaneously basically, so I have no idea where this story is going and Harri could end up with pretty much anybody at this point. Also, I'm trying not to intermingle the Japanese terms and English, mainly because I don't speak Japanese, so don't expect them to start speaking more Japanese.