Tadaaaa! As promised, here is the next chapter and at the end of the next few I'll explain my reasoning behind the placement of certain characters in certain Houses. Today we'll start with Sakura, so please let me know if you'd like to know about another character for the next chapter!


"For someone who just got rejected again he seems pretty damn happy," Karin muttered.

Suigetsu stretched an arm across the table to steal a book from a first year Ravenclaw. "Oh don't look at me like that, I'm doing you a favor," he said with a scowl as he propped open the book to hide his and Karin's faces from view. The kid grumbled as he scurried away to join other younger students. "Sasuke's pretty damn weird. Always has been, did you just notice?"

"Don't start with that," Karin hissed. "Do we help him win her over or what?"

"Why would we do that?" Suigetsu glanced at her with a growing smirk. She only huffed, angling her face away but remaining behind the cover that the book provided them. "Come on! Now that you're officially over your stupid crush you can finally enjoy some of life's pleasures."

Karin's eyes returned to him, challenging as ever. At least some things never change. "And those are?"

His smirk grew wider as he leaned forward. She didn't move away. "Sasuke-watching." Karin raised an eyebrow as he elaborated. "I promise you'll have the time of your fucking life if you sit back and enjoy the show. "

"Well I kind of don't want him to die. If Hyūga can help him then so be it."

"Neither do I, mostly. He'll wear her down in a month, max. You don't think that Miss-guardian-angel-Hyūga would actually turn her back on someone who's sincerely asking for her help, do you?"

Karin sighed heavily. Yes, that's true but was she ready to admit that Suigetsu is right? Absolutely. She was bored out of her mind. In fact Sasuke-watching without rose tinted lenses did sound pretty fun, but Suigetsu didn't need to know that. "Well, maybe we need to give him space—"

"You need to learn how to whisper."

Sasuke stared unamused as they jumped at least five feet into the air together. He raised an eyebrow as Suigestu immediately unwrapped his arms from Karin, a grimace covering his face. She recoiled and ended up plastered to the opposite end of the couch.

"What the fuck?"

Sasuke did not seem very amused as he stared down at Suigetsu. "You know Sakura from Ravenclaw." It was not a question. "Keep her away from Herbology." That was also not a question.

oOo

Professor Anko scanned the kid from head to toe before shrugging. "Don't come crying when the Fanged Geraniums bite you." If he wanted to spend his free period with a bunch of cranky carnivorous plants, who was she to judge?

Sasuke ignored the curious eyes that followed him as he plopped his bag on Hinata's workspace. "It's alright if I sit here, isn't it." He had the terrible tendency to make statements rather than questions in case no one has noticed yet.

Hinata looked at him thoughtfully, neither a smile nor a frown, and he found himself unable to determine whether it was a good sign or a bad one. She simply gestured at the empty seat to give her approval, though her eyes betrayed the gears turning in her head. "Be my guest."

He immediately pulled out parchment and a muggle pen and Hinata briefly glanced at the strange utensil as she pulled out her own quill and ink.

"I know I don't need to tell any of you what will happen if you fail," she said cheerily as a piece of chalk floated around her. The gaze of her students all casually headed to a poor Gryffindor who shuddered at a probably very traumatizing memory. The piece of chalk rose to the board as she continued. "If you did your homework you already know how to differentiate between a Japanese Fanged Geranium and an English Fanged Geranium and you also know what each of them like to eat. Feed them and bring me a vial of their post-meal residue, we'll see if you followed my instructions this last month properly."

Behind her, the chalk quickly wrote down a few vague pointers and Hinata's hands quickly started moving. It was a new notebook, Sasuke noticed. It also had a string of tracking runes along the edges and he quickly noted to check out any spells on her original notebook. Somehow, he didn't think she would be particularly enthusiastic to join him if she knew where it was.

Fanged Geranium residue dissolves meat → possibly capable of dissolving other elements → would the results of a potion that uses crushed or melted materials be any different if Fanged Geranium residue were used…

Sasuke lightly tapped her shoulder with the muggle pen and slid his essay before her. She glanced at him questioningly before reading. A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips as she allowed a pleased hum.

"Theories of alternatives to concentrated pixie bones…" Hinata murmured as eyes softened. "I see, so that's why you're here. Fanged Geranium residue might be a viable solution."

"Did you think I would harass you into helping me?"

She glanced away as a pretty flush covered her face. "I was just concerned, it's not like Sakura to skip and… and you're suddenly here after you talked about Akamaru."

Sasuke's smug expression was quickly replaced with genuine surprise. That explained her sudden wariness around him. He curled a hand into a fist under the table and smacked himself within the realm of his apparently not quite brilliant mind. You scared her, dumbass.

"I meant no threat, my intention was only to offer a compliment and explain why I seeked you out."

Hinata's small flinch reminded him to soften his expression. "I'm sorry for assuming your intentions instead of confronting you," she said. "I don't mean to excuse myself, but I was under the impression that you weren't fond of Kiba so I thought…"

"I hexed the last person who threatened my mother."

Hinata laughed a little. "I was there, it was a well executed spell."

I know, he wanted to say. Instead, he settled for, "you did an internship in my brother's department, right?"

"He showed me around. It was an interesting experience."

Pity. If there were someone who would reveal at least a little bit about the Department of Mysteries in compensation for the misunderstanding he'd think it would be Hinata. Itachi must've warned her about him.

"I see, it seems that we all had an eventful summer." Hinata nodded as she turned back to her plant and pulled out a bundle from her bag. He added almost casually, "perhaps that's why Sakura isn't here. I'm sure she misses her family."

oOo

"What do you think you're doing?" The dangerous pause between each word and the strange gleam in Sakura's eyes promised violence.

It didn't help that Suigetsu currently had her bag in one hand and what was most definitely the Transfiguration essay that was due in a couple of hours in his other hand. "Uh… cleaning?"

Suigetsu didn't need to hear the cracking of knuckles to start running. It was either a pissed off Uchiha or a pissed off Sakura. He chose life dammit. Screw them both.

oOo

"I suppose so," Hinata murmured. While she didn't exactly miss her family, Sakura's was close enough to warrant some homesickness. Perhaps she and Ino should brainstorm to prepare something nice for Sakura.


So. Since the very beginning one Sakura's biggest character traits that separated her from her powerhouses of teammates and enabled her to keep up with them is her intelligence. Once Sasuke is out of the picture, she landed herself on a top spot when she graduated from the academy and was able to solve on her own the questions of the chuunin exams which were meant to be found by cheating. She was able to follow Tsunade's lead very quickly and succeeded her eventually.

I figured that Sakura would be great in Gryffindor, she really is brave and willing to put herself in danger for the sake of those she loves, but at the same time all of that implies that such traits stem from external factors (Sasuke and Naruto). That's why I chose Ravenclaw, it's the place where she is free to embrace her sweet nerdy self without feeling the need to push herself to catch up to teammates who have their own special qualities. It's the place where her physical insecurities don't matter and she is motivated to accept herself and her brilliant mind without the need to rely on Ino or anyone else.

What do you guys think?