Chapter 1- Small Steps
Harry was getting worried now. The longest hand of the clock felt like a ticking time bomb. It would be 11 O'clock in just ten more minutes and his dream of escaping to the wonderful world of magic would be over before it even began! At this rate, he'd have to go back to the Durlsey's, the thought alone felt like someone poured a bucket of ice cold water on his head! He imagined what he'd say to his uncle and aunt, 'Sorry but I'm a useless wizard who couldn't even find platform 9 3/4, mind if I stay with you?' Harry shuddered.
"Hey, four eyes." He turned around to see a blonde boy standing behind him with a trolley and a trunk similar to his own. He looked to be about his age, with blue eyes and wild and untamed blonde hair that could catch your eye from a mile away. But even so, Harry's attention went to his cheeks, where the boy had distinct whisker like markings, three on either side. Harry managed not to stare. Afterall, he himself felt really uncomfortable in Diagon Alley when everyone stared at his forehead, so it was only logical that the kid wouldn't appreciate a stranger staring at his whiskers.
"Are you lost?" The blonde boy asked.
"Y-Yeah, I'm supposed to board a train from platform 9 3/4, do you know how to get there?" Harry asked in a polite tone.
"Yeah, I'm going there too," the boy said as he pushed his trolley towards a wall between platform nine and ten. "Did no one tell you how to get there?" Harry shook his head in negative.
"Follow me."
Harry's eyes widened as the blonde kid simply walked through the wall. "Alright, here it goes!" Harry muttered and walked through the wall as well. There was darkness for a moment but he quickly emerged to the other side.
A smile appeared on his face as he read 'platform 9 3/4' in bold letters. There was a red locomotive standing on the tracks and the platform was crowded with students and their families. Harry looked longingly at a couple hugging their daughter in what appeared to be a tearful send off.
"Who gave you the letter?"
Harry was startled by the sudden voice. It was the blonde kid from before. Apparently he had waited for him. Harry felt grateful at the gesture.
"Hagrid," he replied.
"Is he a professor?" The blonde began to push his trolley towards the nearest car.
Harry followed suit, "No, he's the keeper of keys and grounds."
The blonde nodded in understanding, "Didn't he tell you how to get on this platform?"
Harry shook his head, "No, he was in a hurry. He must have forgotten."
The blonde shrugged. He lifted his trunk and carried it inside. Harry attempted to lift his own, but it was much too heavy for his scrawny arms. He struggled for a minute until the blonde came back.
"I thought you got lost again," he said as he watched Harry struggled with the trunk. The blonde proceeded to lift it with one hand without any effort and carried it inside. The boy had managed to find an empty compartment.
"Thanks for the help!" Harry extended his hand. "I'm Harry Potter."
The blonde boy took his hand for a brief handshake, "Naruto Uzumaki."
They both sat down opposite to each other near the window.
"Are you a first year too?" Harry asked when Naruto didn't speak.
"Yes," Came the short answer.
Now that Harry got a closer look, he realised that Naruto had a bored look on his face, his eyes were a deep blue but there was no life in them. Harry imagined them to shine like sapphires if Naruto were to laugh. Harry had to make a conscious effort not to stare at his whiskers again.
"So, who gave you your letter?" Harry was not dettered by the detached attitude. Dudley wasn't here to scare off kids so maybe he could make friends for the first time in his life! And who better to start than Naruto, who had not only showed him the platform but also helped carry his very heavy trunk?
"Professor Flitwick," Naruto replied. "Tiny dude, teaches Charms."
Harry chuckled at the description. "How tiny?"
"Around three and a half feet."
Just then, a loud whistle blew and the train began to move. They both fell in a comfortable silence.
"Are you excited about learning magic?" Harry asked, unable to hide his smile at the thought. And for the first time that day, he saw a ghost of a smile on Naruto's face.
"Yeah, it sounds wonderful! Did Hagrid show you any magic to convince you it was real?"
Apparently it was normal for people to doubt strangers when they tell you magic is real, Harry was glad he wasn't alone in that regard. In response to the question, Harry almost blurted 'yes' but stopped himself at the very last moment. "No. What about you? How did professor Flitwick convince you?" He wasn't going to break his promise to Hagrid!
"He made my sandals tap dance on their own," Naruto smiled at the memory. "Not gonna lie, I was gonna stab the sandals at first when they began to move."
Harry laughed out loudly.
"But then he conjured a flock of birds with a wave of his wand and I was convinced."
"That sounds pretty awesome!"
The friendly chat between the two was interrupted when the compartment door slid open and a kid about their age walked in. He had pale blonde hair that were slicked back, probably with a lot of hair gel, and was already wearing the plain black robes first-years were required. He was flanked by two dumb looking fat kids that were much larger than him.
"Father told me Harry Potter will be attending Hogwarts this year. Are you him?" The kid asked in a demanding tone. Harry recognised him from the Madam Malkins store.
"Who wants to know?" Harry asked instead answering. The kid looked at his forehead and Harry fought the urge to cover it with his hand.
"So it is true!" The kid smiled, apparently satisfied that he'd finally found Harry. "I'm Draco Malfoy by the way. This is Crabbe and this is Goyle." He pointed at the two trolls behind him.
"I'm Harry Potter."
"Why are you sitting alone? Come sit with us, I'll introduce you to right type of people."
"I'm not sitting alone." Harry gestured towards Naruto with his head, who was looking out the window and ignoring everything that was going on around him.
"Oh, who are you?" Draco turned his attention to Naruto.
Naruto finally tore his gaze away from the window and introduced himself, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."
"Never heard the name before. Are you a half-blood?" Draco asked.
"What's a half-blood?"
An ugly sneer appeared on Draco's face. "The fact that you don't know can only mean one thing, you must be a mudblood!" He spat 'mudblood' like it was something vile. It was probably a bad word, Harry thought.
Now, over the years of going to the same school with Dudley, Harry had developed a very important skill to detect when a fight's brewing. This seemed like one of those situations. If it came to it, the odds were not in their favour in a three against two. Odd, he didn't even realise he was ready to fight for someone he'd just met. But to his surprise nothing of the sort happened, Naruto simply ignored Malfoy and resumed his very important task of looking out the window.
Draco turned his attention back to Harry, "Are you coming, Potter?"
"No, I'm going to take a nap. Walking to another compartment with a very heavy trunk sounds like opposite of a nap." Harry leaned back in his seat and promptly closed his eyes.
For a moment, Draco couldn't form proper words, "A-Alright then, I'll see you at school."
Harry opened his eyes when he heard the compartment door close. Naruto was still looking out the window. Without turning his gaze, he said, "He seemed to know who you are."
Harry fidgetted a little, "Apparently I'm pretty famous."
"Are you a criminal or something?"
"No, no, nothing like that!" Harry protested. "When I was one, a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort killed my parents, he attempted to kill me too but somehow I survived and Voldemort died instead. I survived the killing curse when no one else could. That's why I'm famous. At least that's what Hagrid told me." Harry slumped back in his chair. He might not remember his parents but still it felt awful to talk about their deaths.
"So you are a orphan too?" Naruto asked.
Harry looked at him in surprise, "You don't have a family either?" A moment too late Harry realised what he had asked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
Naruto gave a reassuring smile, "It's alright, I was the one who asked you first. But yeah, I don't have a family."
Awkward silence hung in the compartment for a couple of moment.
"I have an aunt," Harry said suddenly. "She, Uncle Vernon and my cousin Dudley don't like me very much."
"I have a sensei, back home. He's the closest thing I have to a family." 'Or a friend, for that matter.'
"Where are you from?"
Naruto looked uncomfortable at the question but thankfully he was saved from answering when the compartment door opened once again. It was some bushy haired girl this time.
"Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one." She asked.
"No, sorry." Harry replied.
"I saw a toad hopping towards the toilet." Naruto told her.
The girl smiled, "Thank you!" And the compartment door was closed once again.
"What do you think of our subjects?" Naruto asked, hoping that Harry forgot about his previous question.
"They all sound awesome but I'm looking forward to Charms and Transfiguration the most!" Harry was giddy. "What about you?"
"Everything aside from Astronomy sounds amazing!"
"You don't like astronomy?"
"I tried reading the book but I quickly found out that I don't care about the constellations. And frankly, I'm just not interested in Uranus."
Harry laughed out loud at the last sentence. "That one never gets old!" Harry wiped a tear from his eyes. Even Naruto smiled.
"Have you practiced any spells?" Naruto asked when Harry's laughter died down.
Harry shook his head, "My aunt hates magic and everything that's related to magic. When I got my supplies last month, she called me a freak and locked away my books."
Again, a couple of minutes passed in silence.
"I read the books but I didn't get to practice any spells. Tiny professor said, if I practice magic outside of Hogwarts, they'll expel me."
"How would they know if you performed magic?"
"Apparently they have something called a Trace which detects when underage wizards use magic." Naruto explained.
Harry nodded in understanding, "That makes sense. Would they expel you if you perform the magic now?"
Naruto thought about it for a little while, "I don't know but I don't want to risk it."
"Be a shame if they sent us back in the same train!" Harry frowned.
"Yeah. Did you buy your wand from that creepy old guy?"
"Creepy old guy?" Harry loved Naruto's habit of giving nicknames to people. "You mean Ollivanders?"
"Yes, he made me hold almost every wand in his store. Hours later, the pile of wands was almost as tall as me. In the end, he gave me this," Naruto pulled out his wand. "Apparently his grandfather made it, so it's like a thousand years old."
Harry was unable to control his laughter, "Yeah, thousand years sound about right. What is it anyway?" He asked as he eyed the handsome brown wand with beautiful grain pattern. It's handle was thicker than the rest of it with some white bandage wrapped around it for easier grip.
"Acacia, core of dragon heartstring, 11 inches and unyielding." Naruto mimicked Ollivanders voice perfectly. Harry was impressed by the mimicry and slightly amused.
"Apparently Acacia wands are tricky to place but once they find their master, they can be really powerful." Naruto added.
"Wand chooses the wizard," Harry repeated the wandmaker's words. He then took out his own. "This is mine; Holly, phoenix feather core and 11 inches same as yours." Harry didn't mention the creepy fact that his wand was twin of Voldemort's wand.
For the third time that day, the compartment door slid open. An elderly lady poked her head inside, "Do you want some sweets, children?" She asked.
Naruto and Harry looked at each other.
"Er, what do you have?"
"I have Cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, Acid pops, fizzing whizzbeees, Bertie Bott's every flavour beans and a dozen different things!" The old lady provided happily.
Naruto and Harry both walked towards the trolley. Naruto was satisfied with two cauldron cakes and a couple of fizzing whizzbeees, Harry on the other hand took two of everything. He even made a second trip when his hands got full. They both paid the lady and thanked her.
"So you like sweets?" Naruto asked once they both settled down.
"Not particularly," Harry picked the acid pops to try first. "I just never had a lot of money growing up, only last month I found out that I have a vault of my own at Gringotts."
Naruto whistled, "Making up for the lost time then?"
"Something like that."
"I thought you were some sort of street rat at first, to tell you the truth." Naruto admitted.
"What? Why would you think that?" Harry felt a little insulted.
Naruto just shrugged, either not noticing or not caring, "For one thing, you're way too scrawny with clothes that are obviously not yours. And when you said your parents were killed, I thought either you grew up in some run down orphanage or on the streets."
"...well, when you put it like that..." Harry didn't say anything else, and Naruto happily dropped the awkward subject. Harry instead unwrapped the sweets and ate one. His eyes closed automatically and his face contorted like he'd eaten the sourest of lemons.
"How does it taste?" Naruto asked. Harry did not have to open his eyes to know that Naruto was smiling.
"Soltha thweet an thoul thes aster a while!" Harry's tongue was heavy.
Naruto interpreted it as, 'Sort of sweet and sour taste after a while.'
"Imagine the fizziest cola you've ever had, It's a hundred times worse than that!" Harry described the acid pops when he felt his tongue become normal again. "You have to try this!" He offered Naruto his remaining acid pop.
Naruto took and ate it without hesitation, "youa bigth!" He said and Harry laughed at his broken speech.
The rest of the journey to Hogsmeade station passed with them swapping question and trying out the weird and fascinating sweets of wizarding world. It was night when their destination finally arrived.
Naruto stood with the rest of the first years, waiting for the teacher to return. They were going to be sorted in four different houses apparently, he did not know that before. Neither did he care much about it, in his mind it didn't make much difference where he slept. Others cared greatly, by the looks of things. He paid close attention to their whispered conversations while looking at nothing at particular and appearing absolutely bored out of his mind. His sensei's habits were bound to rub off on him! The children thought Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were best choices, while majority wanting to avoid Hufflepuff if they could. Slytherin had some takers eventhough most of them wanting to avoid it. The ginger kid went so far as to call it, 'House of evil wizards'. Naruto didn't have any opinion on the subject, anything was fine as long as he got to learn magic.
When he arrived in this world, he was prepared to leave his short career behind and live as a civilian where no one knew him. A fresh start where no one knew of his burden. But his Uzumaki luck reared it's head once again and he found out there was a magical world hidden in plain sight! Not only that, he himself had the rare ability to wield magic! At first he thought that the tiny professor was pulling his leg when he talked of magic, he was glad he stuck around to see the demonstration.
Education was free at Hogwarts, but he still needed money for the supplies. Tiny professor told him there was a fund that provides for orphans and such, Naruto politely declined the offer. He didn't want to be in anyone's debt- some gambling here and some illegal fights there, he made the money in no time. Normally, he wouldn't resort to such things, especially when he had to rely on transformation jutsu for the illegal fight, but he told himself that it was an exception. He'd get a real job next summer.
The professor came back and led the first years to the great hall. She called the students one by one to try on the old hat. The sorting hat would tell the students where they belonged.
So far, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Sally-Anne Perks were sorted in Hufflepuff; Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, Sue Li and Padma Patil went to Ravenclaw; Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Hermione Granger, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown and Lily Moon were welcomed by Gryffindor where as Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Milicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass were put in Slytherin.
"Potter, Harry," the professor called out and the chatter of great hall instantly died down. Everyone was looking at Harry who was doing all he could to avoid everyone's wondering gazes. He gently sat down on the stool, like he feared it would break at any time. The professor put the hat on Harry's head and the great hall held it's breath. Even the teachers couldn't hide their curiosity. The hat took a long while, longer than it took for anyone so far. Until finally, "Gryffindor!" The hat yelled and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers. Harry ran towards his new housemates.
After that two other first years were put in Gryffindor, Sophie Roper and Dean Thomas while Sally Smith and Lisa Turpin were sorted in Slytherin and Ravenclaw respectively. And finally, after what felt like an eternity later, the Professor called out his name.
Naruto walked towards the stool and the hat was placed on his head. Whoever made it probably didn't meet many 11 year olds because it was way too big for him. The hat blocked his view of the great hall and rested on his nose.
"Hmmm, interesting, very interesting!" Naruto felt proud that he didn't rip the hat off his head and chuck the bloody thing to the other end of the great hall when the voice startled him.
"Er, hello?" Naruto replied in his mind.
"We don't have to make small talk."
"Alright then, carry on."
"Difficult, very difficult! Most of your mind is blocked by something I've never seen before!"
"Thank my sensei." Genjutsu walls so the enemy couldn't get information out of him.
"I do like a challenge. I can tell you are not afraid to confront any challenge and you are not afraid of new experiences either. You'd make a great gryffindor."
"Thank y—"
"Settle down, I'm not done with you!" The hat continued, "Not a bad mind but knowledge is obviously not your first priority. You work hard and push yourself to the limit I see!"
"You know what they say, 'Don't stop 'til you drop!'"
"Behind that hard work is thirst to prove yourself, a deep rooted ambition to be the best of them all!"
The hat kept talking about his bravery, hard work and ambitious nature for a long while, it kept arguing to itself among Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, not settling on any one. It was amusing at first but now it was just getting ridiculous! He was hungry, for fuck's sake!
"I don't want to be late to my lectures, you know. They must be starting any minute now!"
The hat disregarded his very valid concern and then the saga finally came to its conclusion after eight long minutes. "Better be, SLYTHERIN!" The hat yelled out far too loudly than necessary, in his opinion.
Naruto removed the hat and handed it back to the professor, "Thank you. Would you mind telling me what year is it, professor?" Naruto asked in an innocent and completely serious tone. Those within hearing range chuckled but McGonagall stubbornly fought down her own smile.
"Go and take your seat, Mr. Uzumaki."
Naruto bowed a little and turned on his hill. There was an empty seat near the hair gel kid but he chose one near the far end of the table. He didn't have anything against the kids but he preferred if no one glared at him at dinner table. They thought they were being discreet but Naruto clearly saw the look in their eyes. He barely heard when Ronald Weasley and Blaise Zabini were sorted.
Naruto sighed, "So much for a fresh start." He muttered under his breath.
The feast began soon and Naruto filled his plate with a dozen different kinds of foods. If anyone looked at him, they would think that he was completely focused on eating. Even so, his ears were open and very much alert. The other Slytherins were clearly talking about him, he heard when they ridiculed his whiskers and called him a freak, he also heard when they called him a mudblood and he definitely heard when they discussed something called 'hatstall' while pretending like he was deaf.
After the tables were cleared, Dumbledore listed a few warnings and instructions for students. Then he made everyone sing a song. He conjured a ribbon which spelt the lyrics of the song while using his wand as a conductor baton. Everyone sang at their own pace and to their own tune. The twins from Gryffindor were last to finish the whacky song and Dumbledore even had tears in his eyes by the end. Naruto kept his mouth shut during the whole ordeal. He even thanked god when it was over.
After that, a prefect who introduced herself as Gemma Farley led the first years to the dungeons. They walked deep inside the castle, down the stony steps. Naruto followed a step behind everyone else, taking in portraits and armors that stood guard while watching his fellow first years through the corner of his eye. He took in their style of speaking, their way of walking and other small habits, it was out of habit than anything else. When they came face to face with a huge bare wall, Gemma Farley spoke in a loud and clear voice, "I'm going to say the password, do not forget it. You'll need it if you don't want to sleep in the corridor."
She faced the wall once again, "Asphodel." She said and the wall opened a passage for them. Gemma led them inside, "The password changes every fortnight and you'll be alerted accordingly."
Naruto took in the sight of the common room, it was decorated in green lighting with a huge portrait of a serpent on the mantle. 'How creative!' He thought. There were plenty of dark green sofas scattered about, and there were many coffee tables and chairs as well. A fire was lit in the hearth, providing warmth to the otherwise cold room. The dungeon-like room partly extended under the lake and walls were covered with tapestries depicting great deeds of previous members of house Slytherin. Overall, it looked quite grand. Naruto was impressed. In the same breath he wondered about the common rooms of other houses.
"Boys' Dormitory is up those stairs," Naruto's eyes followed Gemma's finger. "Girls' Dormitory is this way. Your luggage has already been brought and put in your respective rooms. Your timetable for the rest of the year will be handed to you tomorrow. The curfew is at 10 O'clock everyday, no one will leave the common room after that. If you have any questions, contact a prefect. Good night." With that miss Farley led the girls to their dormitories.
Many of the boys decided it was too early to sleep and they hung back in the common room. It was obvious that they knew each other already, he was the only stranger among them. So he decided to find his bed for the time being. Up the stairs, there were seven different hallways, Naruto followed the sign that said 'First-year'. His room was the last one at the end of hallway, Naruto was pleased that he got a seperate room for himself. The door held a green nameplate with his name written in silver.
The room was quite spacious, with a large bed, a study table, a cupboard and a sofa, a door to the left led to the bathroom. It was decorated in the same style as the common room, green and silver with plenty of snake-themed decorations. His trunk was at the foot of the bed. He unpacked his clothes and books, and plopped down on the soft, comfortable bed. It was tempting to just close his eyes and fall asleep but he was too excited to sleep just now, besides he didn't want the nightmares to ruin his perfect first night. So, he took out his copy of 'Magical Theory' by Adalbert Waffling and sat at his table with a parchment and quill.
He had already read the book but it always took him more than one reading to understand theory. He much preferred practical side of learning. He began reading the first chapter, which told him that magic had 'no clear definition', unlike chakra. It was difficult for most wizards and witches to channel their magic consciously without a medium, children sometimes channeled their magic unconsciously which was dubbed 'accidental magic'. Waffling assured him that magic was much easier to access if you had a medium to channel it, i.e. a wand. It was also mentioned that if he became good enough he would one day be able to use magic without a wand, but it was very rare and very very difficult skill. And harder spells didn't work as good without a wand.
Naruto held his wand and a faint warmth spread through his body, just like back in the creepy guy's shop but a hundred times fainter. The wand was drawing his magic on it's own. He gave it a simple wave and rainbow coloured sparks shot out the tip. He put down the wand and tried to make sparks with his fingers. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened.
Naruto spent the next few hours reading and rereading the book, taking notes every now and then. When he was done, it was well past midnight. He stretched his arms over his head and let out a loud yawn. He decided to sacrifice his sleep to explore the castle. Hallway was empty and no noise came from his neighbors either. The common room was mostly empty, with only a few older students studying near the fire. No one noticed when he slipped out of the common room.
Harry made his way down to the great hall with his new friends Seamus and Dean, they tried to wake up Ron but it was lost cause. The red head was a heavy sleeper. Harry didn't blame Ron for over sleeping, the beds were very comfortable. Last night was the best sleep Harry had in his whole life, and not having to cook breakfast was to be celebrated as well. It felt amazing, so far Hogwarts had not disappointed him. The three of them took their seats and piled their plates with sausages and eggs. They ate while speculating what their classes would be like. Dean was eager for transfiguration while Seamus was waiting for Charms, mostly because he wanted to learn how to turn water into rum. Harry was just happy to be free of the Durlseys and he made friends for the first time in his life. Dean, Seamus and Ron were good kids, even if Ron kept talking about his scar and how 'wicked' it was.
Harry didn't believe in luck, mostly because his was crappy to begin with, but he felt it was lucky that he met Naruto at platform. The blonde was really helpful, even going so far as to carrying his trunk for him. Naruto was his first friend. It was a shame he was in Slytherin, he had hoped that they both be in the same house. He looked towards the Slytherin table where Naruto was eating alone, other first-years were chatting and laughing while the blonde completely focused on his breakfast. Unlike him, it didn't seem like Naruto made any friends from his house. Harry felt a little bad for him.
"-arry? Harry?" Dean brought his attention back. "Where were you lost, mate? Look, Seamus is trying to turn his water into rum!"
Harry looked towards Seamus who was chanting, 'Eye of Rabbit, harp string hum, turn this water into rum', over and over again. After like tenth try, the water turned a light red colour. Seamus, in his excitement, put a little too much into the next. But instead of turning into rum, the water exploded with a loud bang. The Gryffindor table laughed at Seamus's expense.
After the breakfast was over, Professor McGonagall handed them their schedules. They had three classes today, Potions in the morning with Slytherins, History of Magic with Hufflepuffs and Transfiguration with Slytherins in afternoon.
Naruto watched as the greasy guy tore Harry a new one as soon as the class began. His tirade was supposed to humiliate Harry, but in Naruto mind, it only proved that the greasy guy was mean, nothing else. Naruto felt bad for Harry, when he first met him, he saw loneliness in his green eyes. So similar to his own. That's why he talked to him more freely than he would have otherwise. No kid should have that look in their eyes.
Naruto had guessed that Harry was an orphan too, given the state of his clothes and scrawny appearance. Which was half true, Harry's parents were dead but he had an aunt. And judging by how Harry's mood dropped when talking about his relatives, it wasn't exactly happy life for him. Harry wasn't keen on sharing the details, nor did Naruto ask. Some things were better left alone. Even so, Naruto was glad he met Harry, maybe he'd make a friend for the first time in his life, Hogwarts was magical afterall.
When greasy guy was done with insulting Harry, the class was finally assigned a task to do. The professor flicked his wand and instructions for Cure for Boils potion appeared on the blackboard.
Naruto was paired with a blonde girl, with blue eyes a shade lighter than his own. Grass or something, her name was.
Naruto put a liter of mineral water in the cauldron and the girl started the fire.
"Crush the snake fangs, I'll slice the pungous onions." She told him and both of them got to work.
Naruto put six fangs in the mortar and began to crush them into fine powder, the girl was slicing the pungous onions in equal pieces with a silver knife. When the water came to boil, Naruto carefully dropped the powder in the cauldron and exactly one minute after that the onions were added with dried nettles. Five minutes later, Naruto added the disgusting, slimy green Flobberworm mucous from a glass phial and began to stir vigorously.
Snape was walking around the classroom, peering in the cauldrons, giving advice to Slytherins and insulting Gryffindors. Seemed like the Professor had a special place in his heart for Gryffindor, Harry and the fat kid in particular.
After forty five minutes of stirring, the girl added powdered ginger root. Shrake pines were added shortly after that and Naruto switched to gently stirring the mixture. They both worked in silence, following the instructions as accurately as possible.
After ten minutes of gently stirring, the girl added a glug of pickled horned slugs and killed the heat before adding a couple of porcupine quills. Naruto stirred the potion for another ten minutes and finally the girl waved her wand in a circular motion over the cauldron. The potion was blue in colour with pink smoke rising from the cauldron, exactly as described in the book.
Just then they heard a shriek of pain from two table over. It was the fat kid Snape was tormenting earlier, his cauldron was melting on the stove. Pungent smell filled the classroom as the horrible looking potion spilled on the poor kid. There were ugly boils all over him and kid was crying in pain. Snape was berating him for not removing the cauldron from heat before adding the porcupine quills. The boy was hurried to the medical wing.
"What's your name?" The girl asked him.
Naruto saw that she had already filled two phials and she had a quill in her hand.
"Naruto Uzumaki," he answered.
She wrote down his name and put the label on a phial. Naruto read the label of the other phial, 'Daphne Greengrass', it said.
"You are good at potions," Daphne told him.
"Thank you."
"Are you a muggle-born?"
"..."
"I mean, are your parents magical?"
"No idea. Never knew my parents." He replied as he took his phial and picked up his backpack. He walked away from the conversation to submit his potion at the desk and left the dungeons.
"Rude." Daphne said when he was out of earshot.
It was lunch time and once again Naruto was sitting alone at the Slytherin table. History of Magic had been beyond boring. In fact, it was only thing that he found boring at the castle. Naruto wasn't a big fan of random stuff that happened centuries ago to begin with, on top of that the the ghost professor had voice that would put anyone to sleep. So it was no surprise that Naruto's eyes began to droop. It probably didn't help that he didn't sleep last night. He had slept through the whole lecture, just like everybody else.
After lunch, he had a free period before Transfiguration with Gryffindors. Speaking of, he looked at the table at the opposite end of the hall where Four Eyes was chatting animatedly with his fellow first-years. Naruto smiled. Maybe now that lonely look will go away from his eyes.
Naruto was aware that his housemates were making jokes at his expense. That hair gel kid was describing his whiskers and spiky hair and the rest of them were laughing like it was the funniest thing they had heard in their lives. Only two first-years didn't join the comedy session, one was that Daphne girl from Potions and another girl whose name he didn't know. Naruto realised he was bad with names. He thought about putting in more effort, but then again, why bother?
After lunch, he went to library to get started on his Potions homework. It wasn't due till next week but right then he had nothing better to do. And this way, he'd be free to roam the castle after Transfiguration.
In the library, he found out that he wasn't the first student to make it there. He saw the bushy haired girl from the train writing furiously, half hidden behind a pile of books. Naruto scanned the potions section until he found 'Book of Potions' by Zygmunt Budge. He found a nice table by the window and got to work. The book was very helpful, with detailed information about all the ingredients of 'Cure for Boils'. It took him less than an hour to finish his essay.
After that he was off to next class. Here, he was first to arrive, there was a cat sitting on the professor's table but an animal didn't count. Naruto chose the second last seat by the window. He had a great view of the lake and Quidditch stadium. From what he overheard, Quidditch was the most popular game but for the life of him, he could not make sense of anything he heard so far. All the things he heard about the sport sounded like gibberish to him, including the name of the game. Maybe he was just biased because he never played a team sport in his life before. He had tried once when he was five, but the women took their kids and ran from the playground like he had the plague. He avoided playgrounds after that. Closest thing would be when he played with his shadow clones when he first learnt the jutsu, which was just sad now that he thought about it.
Everyone else had arrived when he was lost in his thoughts. When it was time to begin the lecture, the cat jumped off the table and turned into professor McGonagall. The class erupted in applause. Even Naruto couldn't hide his surprise. He didn't know the professor could do that! But then again, he should have expected something like this, it was called magic for a reason!
"Welcome, to your first lecture of Transfiguration." The professor began. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you'll learn at Hogwarts. That being said, I should warn you that anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back." She said in a firm tone.
A few students gulped.
"Ignoring the horrified look on Mr. Finnigan's face, let's continue with the introduction of the subject, shall we?"
Most of the students laughed.
"Now, transfiguration, in simplest terms is an art of changing the form and appearance of an object or a person. It sounds simple I'm aware but believe me when I say it's one of the more scientific forms of magic with it's own sub-branches and specially defined rules."
The quills began moving as McGonagall began to describe four branches of transfiguration- human transformation, trans-species transfiguration, Conjuration and Vanishment, and Untransfiguration. Human transfiguration was exactly what the name suggested, transformation a person into something else. Trans-species transfiguration dealt with turning a living thing into something else, like turing a rabbit into a peacock. Conjuration and Vanishment were more complex with former dealing with making things appear out of nowhere while the latter being the opposite. Untransfiguration was used to undo a transformation spell.
"Now, we shall learn about all four branches in due time. But for our first lecture, let's begin with basics." She waved her wand at the board and alphabet appeared on it with another alphabet just beneath it. Naruto recognised it as transfiguration alphabet from the book.
"Please note down the transfiguration alphabet and try to memorise it, it will be very useful in learning the subject." With that she turned back into a cat and sat on the table.
After about five minutes, the door to the classroom was thrown open and Harry and Ron ran inside.
"We made it, thank god the professor isn't here yet!" Ron was saying.
The cat jumped and once again turned back into professor.
"That was wicked!"
"Thank you Mr. Weasley but you're both late. Maybe I should turn one of you into a pocket watch? At least that way, the other would be one time?" She scolded.
Harry and Ron had the sense to look embarrassed.
"W-We got lost," Harry said weakly.
"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats?"
They both practically ran to a couple of empty seats. The situation was funny but no one dared to laugh in the classroom.
Rest of the time passed uneventfully.
Naruto was walking by lake. First day was more fun that he could have ever imagined, History of Magic being the only exception. He thought magic would be amazing to learn but it was so much more than that! He was never the studious type but even he couldn't resist reading the books, again, history was the only exception. If the first day was any indication of things to come, the next seven years were going to be awesome!
Naruto arrived at the wharf where small boats were tied, the same ones the first-years used last night. He rolled up his jeans and sat down on the wooden platform with his feet submerged in ice cold water. He wiggled his toes and sighed at the pleasant feeling. On the grounds, students were out on strolls, some were sitting on cool grass with their friends and some upper classmen were flying on broomsticks, which weren't very fast but it still looked pretty cool. First-years weren't allowed broomstick, not that Naruto wanted one, of course. It looked cool from afar but he imagined it would be uncomfortable to sit on a wooden broom like that. (He liked his family jewels uncrushed and intact, thank you very much!)
He would have liked to hang out with other kids, but he refused to approach anyone for friendship on his own. He had stopped trying to befriend people a long ago, it hurt too much when they acted friendly one moment and then ran away from him when they knew of his burden. Naruto shook his head of depressing thoughts. 'Get a grip, dude! It's only been one day!' So what if he couldn't make any friends with people? He had way better friends than some snot nosed brats!
Naruto bit his thumb and swiped the blood on his palm.
'Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram—Summoning jutsu!'
In a puff of smoke a large toad appeared in front of him, it was easily six feet tall with crimson coloured skin with blue markings on it. Toad had bandages wrapped around his stomach and legs and was clad in samurai armor. It also had a necklace of seven glass beads with the kanji for 'loyalty' on centre, largest one.
"Hey, Mr. Gama!" Naruto greeted his friend. "I know how much you like fresh cold water lakes, so I summoned you!"
Mr. Gama croaked in delight and jumped in the water. Naruto watched his companion swim merrily until the sun set and he got hungry.
"Alright, I'm heading inside, you can go home too." Naruto got up and the toad dispelled itself. It was always fun to hang out with his toads.
Unbeknownst to him, a pair of dark eyes were watching him the entire time through telescope from Astronomy tower. Professor Sinistra frowned at the accidental discovery. "I should probably talk to Silvanus, he would know more about toads." She wondered out loud, which wasn't an unusual reaction when you see a toad as big as that for the first time in your life.
—The Next Day—
Naruto was bright and early for Charms that day. Well, early but not very bright because for the second night in a row he went without sleep, only taking short naps when he was tired. (There was just so much magic to learn!) He had spent most of last night preparing for the lessons today. He practiced the softening charm until he got it right and he also read about how to treat werewolf bites for the defence against dark arts lecture. In the morning he even had time to read about the Devil's Snare in '1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi'.
But right now, he had nothing better to do than stare at the tapestry depicting the four animals of Hogwarts' crest. They would break away, roam the trees woven of silk and come back together to complete the crest of the school.
One by one, his classmates trickled in. They didn't share Charms with any other house so it was Slytherin only.
"Well, well. Looks like Whiskers is first to arrive again!" Mocking him was the first thing Malfoy did when he walked into the Charms classroom. His lackeys dutifully laughed.
Naruto looked at Malfoy for a second and turned his attention back to the tapestry once again. 'Every other turn, the lion is jumping in that river before coming back!' He noticed.
After seeing his reaction, or lack there of, Malfoy was infuriated. He turned things up a notch. "I reckon he's a filthy half beast of some kind! That's why he's got those whiskers like an animal!"
'The snake on the other hand, prefers the lake! Badger mostly sticks around the gate.'
Malfoy was about to say something else equally enlightening but was interrupted when the tiny professor walked in the classroom.
"Welcome, welcome!" The professor greeted in his squeaky voice, drawing the attention of everyone. "Please, sit down and let us get started with your first Charms lesson!" Looked like the professor was more excited than the students.
His lovely classmates kept trying to get his attention by glaring a hole through his skull but Naruto completely ignored them in favour taking notes about the theory of the first spell in their Charms syllabus, the softening charm. When the theory was done with, Tiny professor made them pack away their parchment and quills and with a lazy flick of his wand, he arranged the tables in a neat pile at the far end of the classroom.
They all stood with plenty of distance between each other so as to practice the charms without interfering in other's work.
"The incantations is fairly simple" the professor told them. "—Spongify. Repeat after me, SPUN-ji-fye."
The children obeyed and practiced the incantation until Professor Flitwick was satisfied.
"Very good! Now I'll show you wand movement. If your wand movement is even slightly wrong, the charm won't work, so pay close attention." Flitwick cleared his throat and drew a tilted 'S' with the bottom slightly shorter than the top.
"Now get to practicing! If you cast the Charm successfully, the floor should become spongy and bouncy."
Naruto pointed his wand at the floor in front of him, "Spongify!" He said and at the same time drew a tilted 'S' in the air with his wand. The texture of the floor changed, it looked much softer now. He stepped on the spot to make sure and the floor acted like a trampoline. He was satisfied with the result.
"Very good, Mr. Uzumaki! Very good! Five points for Slytherin!" The professor squeaked.
"Thank you, sir." Naruto bowed a little and went back to his previous task watching the animals on the tapestry. Again ignoring the looks of everyone else, even if this time the sneers were mixed with jealousy and a tiny bit of admiration.
A couple of minutes later, a loud bang shook the room. Naruto looked towards the source of the noise, it was Grab or was it Coil? Whatever his name was, had managed to blast a small hole into the floor. 'How the hell did he get the spell so wrong?!'
The damage was undone by Flitwick with just a simple wave of his wand.
After the class, Daphne fell in beside him as he was walking towards the great hall for lunch.
"I'm sorry about my friends, their parents didn't teach them any manners," she said.
"Don't worry about it," he replied without even looking at her.
"Why don't you defend yourself?"
'Trust me, you do not want me to defend myself!', Naruto wanted to say but held his tongue. Instead he just shrugged, "Your friends mean nothing to me. So what they say or think about me doesn't matter in the slightest." Before she could reply or say something else, Naruto vanished in a body flicker. Daphne's jaw dropped when she saw he him vanish on the spot. Not that she knew it was body flicker of course, she just saw him shimmer for a moment and then he wasn't there. She passed her hand through where he was standing but didn't feel anything there.
"Rude." She said for the second time in as many days.
"Harry, what do you think, mate?" Ron asked.
"No, I don't think I'll go for try outs."
"What? Why not?" Ron acted like it was the most absurd thing in the world, refusing to attend Quidditch try outs.
"Well for one thing, I don't know a thing about Quidditch."
"Only that it's played on brooms." Dean chimed in.
"Yeah, I forgot you grew up with muggles. Sorry mate."
Harry waved of the apology, "Even if I was brought up by Godric himself, first-years aren't allowed brooms, remember? What am I gonna fly on?"
Ron hung head. "Yeah, you're right. Forget I said anything."
Harry felt a bit bad for Ron, but cheering him up would have to come later. Right now, they were outside classroom 31 for their first lecture of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry walked in behind Dean and Ron. One look at the classroom told him they were the last to arrive. He spotted an empty seat next to Naruto, second to last and near the wall. Naruto was currently sleeping at his desk, using his hands as pillow. Harry smiled at his sleeping friend and quickly sat down next to blonde slytherin.
"Hello, Four Eyes," Naruto greeted him without opening his eyes.
Harry hid his surprise well, "Didn't get enough sleep?"
Naruto sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Something like that," he said.
"Yeah, I was up practising spells till one in the morning too."
"Learnt your lesson, did you?" Naruto was referring to the fiasco of potions class.
Harry blushed. "I swear Snape has out for me!" He whispered conspiratorially.
Naruto nodded in understanding, "Wouldn't surprise me if he did. He was looking at you like you kicked his puppy or something."
"Pfft, as if I were that special! He treats most Gryffindors that way."
They were interrupted by their Defence Against Dark Arts professor walking in the classroom. Harry was very much looking forward to this class. The book was really fascinating to read and he was very much excited to learn more about the plethora of dark creatures. But his excitement took a hit when professor Quirell began the introduction of the subject.
The stutter was worse than he remembered. So much so that it was hard to understand what he was saying. Harry was glad he already read all that stuff the professor was talking about, otherwise he wouldn't have understood a thing.
After the introduction was over (Harry only knew that because everyone was putting away their quills in favour of wands), it was time to practice some basic spells that would be useful in defending yourself.
Harry saw Malfoy raise his arm with a very eager look on his face.
"Y-Yes, mr. Malfoy?"
"Aren't we going to see any dark creatures?"
Quirell looked frightened at mere mention of dark creatures.
"I t-thought we'd learn some sp-spells first to avoid a-accidents, eh?"
God damn that stutter was annoying!
First spell taught in Defence class was 'Lumos', you just had hold the wand and say the word. It was so simple that even Crabbe and Goyle managed it on their first try. They were taught 'Nox' after that, which was opposite of 'Lumos'. Red sparks and Green sparks were next, these two spells were supposed to be used in emergencies in case you needed help and want to alert people of your location. The desks were cleared and they were told to practice the spells until the end of class.
"That wasn't as exciting as I hoped." Naruto said as he walked together to the Great Hall with Harry.
"What were you hoping?"
"First chapter covers how to treat werewolf bites, so I was hoping to see what a real werewolf looks like." Disappointment was clear in Naruto's voice.
"Yeah, the drawings in the textbook were pretty ugly." Harry admitted.
"They were black and white!" Naruto said with obvious disgust in his voice.
Harry laughed. "You want coloured pictures like a toddler?"
Naruto's gaze settled on Harry, in a deadpan tone he said, "We live in a magical castle where moving and talking pictures is considered 'normal'."
"At least the drawings moved on the page. Besides, we learnt some useful spells today."
"Yeah, it's not Charms but it was decent I guess," Naruto replied.
"Yeah, we too had fun in Charms yesterday," Harry smiled at the memory, "Seamus managed to set the floor on fire somehow!"
"No kidding! In your class too?"
"Yeah!" Harry laughed, "Wait, don't tell me someone in Slytherin torched the floor too?!"
"Not torched. But one guy managed to blast the floor. Grab or Coil, or whatever his name is."
Harry laughter managed to turn a few heads around. "It's Crabbe and Goyle, mate."
"...You sure? That sounds wrong." Naruto mouthed the words a couple of times.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure. Don't tell me you've been calling them by those names!"
"No, I never spoke to them before."
"Well, I'm going to the common room now. See you later." Harry ran off to the Gryffindor tower and Naruto headed to green house 4 for Herbology with Hufflepuffs.
Green House 4 was a large building near the Raverclaw tower. It's huge metal doors were locked as students waited for professor Sprout to finish the obligatory introduction to the subject. Naruto hung at the back as the professor told them to put on their dragon hide gloves and safety goggles before entering. Once the professor saw that everyone had obeyed her instructions, she opened the doors.
Green house 4 was dark and damp place where smells of compost and plants and flowers hung in the air. Also, the inside of the green house was much much larger than outside appearance might have suggested. Naruto stared wide eyed at various weird looking plants that were very faintly visible in the dark. No one aside from his sensei knew, but Naruto loved gardening. It was his only hobby aside from cooking. And now he was going to get to play with all these weird and magical plants! He was giddy with excitement, eventhough his expression and body language showed just a mild interest.
Professor Sprout flicked her wand and torches were lit, illuminating only the part of green house where the students were standing.
"Now, before we begin, I'm going to teach a very useful spell. Pay attention because it'll come in handy when dealing with dangerous magical plants." The plump middle aged witch had a motherly voice and a gentle tone. "Also, remember this rule of thumb, if you ever come across a dangerous plant and you don't know how to deal with it; your best course of action would be to burn it."
Most of the students were excited. Until now, they thought they'd just be taking care of 'boring' plants but now they'd get to burn stuff! What could be more fun than that?!
"There's a very simple spell to create fire and you'll learn the theory behind it from professor Flitwick in Charms. Put away your wand for now miss Bones, we shall learn the incantation first."
A slightly embarrassed Susan lowered her wand.
"in-SEN-dee-o." Professor Sprout told them the incantation.
Students dutifully repeated the word until professor Sprout was satisfied. Then she showed them wand movement- sort of like a silhouette of a small flame of a candle but not connected at the bottom, to be performed in one smooth clockwise motion.
With one wave of her wand, professor Sprout conjured wooden dummies for everyone and students lined up, eager to try a new spell. Shouts of 'incendio' rang in the green house, many getting it right on their first try while some took two or three efforts.
"Incendio!" Naruto said firmly as he copied the wand movement he'd seen earlier.
A large orange beam erupted from the tip of his wand and struck the wooden dummy dead in the chest. The spell was powerful, it not only torched the dummy in an instant but also knocked it several feet back.
Naruto frowned at his wand. 'I need to learn better control!' He decided. That creepy wandmaker's words were still fresh in his mind, 'Dragon heartstring produces strong magic but it's also susceptible to fluctuations, more so than phoenix feather or unicorn tail hair.' Naruto would have to improve a lot if he wanted to get the best out of his wand. 'Shame on me if I let that Chinese Fireball's heart go to waste!' He was unaware of the shocked looks on his teammates faces.
They practiced until professor was convinced that everyone had got the hang of the spell.
"Good. Now on to our first magical plant of the year." Without saying anything professor Sprout led them to the middle of the green house and lit up torches there.
In the yellow light, students saw a row of magical plants, although it looked more like very big coiled snakes. Snakes with huge yellow, deadly thorns. Some students looked visibly afraid, and rightly so.
"This is called 'Spikey Bush'."
As soon as the professor said this, Draco and the others began pointing at Naruto and giggling behind their hands. Even the Hufflepuffs joined in. Naruto grudgingly admitted it was fairly accurate comparison. What with his spiky blonde (almost yellow) hair and all.
"If you all stop sniggering, we can learn how to deal with this plant." The firm tone put a stop to their giggles.
"From the appearance, many of you have correctly guessed that it's a very dangerous plant. If anyone were to be foolish enough to get near it, the plant shoots those yellow thorns at very rapid speeds. These thorns are so fast that they are barely visible to the naked eye, which oftentimes results in a very serious or even lethal injury."
Naruto saw that many students had turned pale.
"Those of magical background might have heard from their elders that, 'potions and Herbology go hand in hand', which is true but in this case 'spiky bush' is completely useless as far as potions are concerned."
Again the class started sniggering.
'I'm good at potions, you pricks!'
"So, the only thing we have left is to remove it. Safest and easiest way to do that is to burn it. Now, line in front of a bush but don't get closer than six feet and cast the fire conjuring spell you just learnt." With a wave of her wand, professor Sprout drew a safety line for them.
They all moved to line up but Slytherins being Slytherins, tried to push Hufflepuffs out of their way to get first crack at the plant. In this, Crabbe pushed Justin Finch-Fletchley a little too hard and the later found himself beyond the safety line. Justin's eyes went wide in horror and he quickly jumped back but one of the plants had already fired four thorns his way. In panic, he covered his face with his arms and waited for the inevitable as everyone held their breaths.
After a couple second, when he didn't feel a scratch on him, Justin slowly opened his eyes. He saw that Naruto was standing before him with all four thorns in his hands, two in each. Naruto had snatched the deadly projectiles from midair, right as they were about turn Justin into a pincushion.
"Thanks you!" Justin somehow managed to get the words out.
"Don't mention it." Naruto said and walked back to his spot.
In his shock, Justin barely heard professor Sprout berate Crabbe and gave him a month's detention, he just watched open-mouthed as Naruto burnt a bush.
"There you are!"
Naruto heard a voice and looked over his shoulder (actually, he'd sensed her coming from like a mile away, but he had to keep up pretenses), it was one of the Slytherin prefects. The brunette that showed first-years to common room on first day. He already forgot her name.
"I still have half an hour before curfew." Naruto simply said and turned to watch the lake once again. It was beautiful night and he was once again at the wharf with his feet plunged in cold water. Since the classes were over, he was wearing his navy blue shirt and white shorts to enjoy the fresh air.
"I know that. I'm just here to relay a message. Professor Kettleburn wants to see you in his office, tonight if at all possible."
'Might as well see what he wants,' Naruto reluctantly got up from what was becoming his favourite spot on the grounds. Cool breeze on his wet legs felt very pleasant. He picked up his sandals in his hand, he wanted to walk barefoot on the cool grass. Together they headed back to the castle.
"How long did it take you to find me?" He asked.
Gemma looked at her wristwatch, "One hour and thirty-six minutes," She said.
"Did you search the whole castle before coming here?" Naruto said with just a little amusement in his voice.
"..."
Naruto managed not to laugh. She must have done so, for her to come to the lake of all places to look for him.
"You could have just waited in the common room you know, I would have been back before curfew."
"...Professor wanted me to find you as soon as possible. Besides, you have no idea how many first-years get lost because of the changing staircases."
They walked in silence for the rest of the way as Gemma led him to the professor's office on the second floor. Professor Kettleburn was an old wizard, all of his hair were white, even his moustache; his face was riddled with scars and he had a bandage over his left eye. Naruto suspected his right hand was a prosthetic since it was moving a bit unnaturally.
Kettleburn wasn't alone in his office, there was a middle aged, dark skinned witch with him too. Naruto recognised her as one of the professors he saw sitting near Dumbledore at the welcoming feast, but he didn't remember hearing her name.
"Ah, miss Farley! Welcome, welcome!" His energetic nature made Kettleburn look ten years younger, "Come join us for tea."
Farley sat down opposite the two professors and accepted the offered cup. Naruto was still at the door.
"And this must be young Uzumaki!" Kettleburn beamed at him. The other professor eyed him curiously. "Come, join us! Don't be nervous, you're not in trouble!" Kettleburn laughed.
Naruto took the chair besides Gemma.
"You sure it was him you saw, Aurora?" Kettleburn asked turning towards his colleague.
"Yes, the hair is unmistakable."
Naruto realised that the lady hadn't taken her eyes off of him since he had stepped in the office. 'The hell do they want from me anyway!'
"Excellent!" Kettleburn clapped his hands. "Mr. Uzumaki, I understand you saw that giant toad in lake yesterday, yes?"
"...How do you know about him?" He asked instead of answering.
Kettleburn's smile became even wider, "Professor Sinistra has a habit of watching the grounds through her telescope."
"Mostly to keep an eye on students." Professor Sinistra replied.
"She watched you interact with that giant toad yesterday." Kettleburn told him.
"To be honest, I was a bit worried when that giant toad appeared out of nowhere near you. But when I saw you interact with it, my worry became curiosity."
'She saw me summon mr. Gama.'
"And she came to me for answers and even I didn't know of any toads that can grow that big. So, we are hoping you can help us out."
After thinking about it for a little while, Naruto couldn't see any harm in that, "...Sure, what do you want to know?"
"Do you know where it came from? For starters. I've been teaching Care of Magical Creatures at this school for decades now, and I've never even heard of a toad that big!"
"Silvanus knows every creature that lives in the forbidden forest or the lake." Professor Sinistra praised. "So you can imagine his excitement at learning about a new animal on Hogwarts grounds."
Naruto nodded in understanding, "I met mr. Gama when I was ten. He's been my companion ever since." He answered.
"And where is it now?"
"He went back home."
"Home?"
"I don't know where is it," Naruto lied, "But he comes whenever I call him."
"Could you call him now? Please?" Naruto could see the excitement in the old professor's eye.
"...one moment," he said and got up from his chair. He walked to the middle of the room and bit his thumb. Ignoring the wince from Farley, he went through the familiar hand signs. A moment later, Mr. Gama stood in front of him, clad in his usual armor.
"MARVELOUS!!" Kettleburn screamed and jumped out of his chair, startling the ladies in the process. "He's wearing an armor!"
"Yes, mr. Gama is a very good fighter." Naruto said with pride.
"What else can it do?" Kettleburn asked, examining the toad from every angle.
"Not much else." He let them meet his friend, didn't mean he was gonna spill all the secrets.
The professor spent a good part of next half an hour admiring mr. Gama, he even took pictures from every angle, he also wrote down height and weight.
"That about concludes it," the professor said finally.
"Thank you for coming mr. Gama! You can go home now."
"Yes, thank you mr. Gama!" Kettleburn copied Naruto and bowed to the toad.
"I owe you one for introducing me to the most magnificent toad I've ever seen, mr. Uzumaki!"
"It was no trouble, professor."
"Can you tell me more about how you called the toad?"
"When I first met mr. Gama, I was taught a...ritual, I don't know much about it." He couldn't very well tell him what summoning contract was, now could he? And it seemed like the old man bought his flimsy explanation so there was no need to elaborate further.
"This ritual requires blood offering?"
Naruto just shrugged.
"Very well, then. I think that'll be all, mr. Uzumaki. Miss Farley, if you'd take him back to the common room, please?"
Naruto had almost forgotten about the girl.
"Uh, one more thing before you go mr. Uzumaki," the professor asked when he was at the door.
"Yes?"
"Would be like to be my assistant?"
"I'm sorry?"
"My assistant. It's been a long tradition at Hogwarts, a Care of Magical Creatures teacher is allowed to pick a student to assist him. My last student graduated this year, and Hagrid was my assistant too, you must have met him? The teacher gets some help, and the student gets to learn, even earn a small stipend on top of that! What do you say?"
Naruto thought about the offer seriously. He'd like a clean source of income; in the muggle world he constantly had to use transformation jutsu for various jobs since they didn't normally hire children as young as him. It was a bit frustrating really. He also wondered what kind of magical creatures there were in world. He decided it was a good offer. His decision was made.
"That sounds good." Naruto nodded.
"Great!" Kettleburn beamed. "I'll send for you tomorrow then!"
Thank you for reading! Have a nice day!