Magical Fishcake

Chapter 3: Hogwarts

Today was the day, the 1st of September, and in two hours, at 11, he would be leaving London and heading to Hogwarts. Naruto wouldn't lie, he was fairly excited to finally leave the isolated island and to learn something new. And while he already read some of his books, the blond was sure the school would have a lot to offer.

After eating breakfast and assuring his house elves that he would be fine on his own, Naruto appeared in the Leaky Cauldron through the use of his portal. He was welcomed the same way when he came here last time with Hagrid, but quickly excused himself and left the pub, entering the busy streets of London and blending with the crowds.

It was about a 30-minute walk from the Leaky Cauldron to the King's Cross, but Naruto had decided to take it easy and see what the muggle world looked like. He was amazed by the amount of people on the streets, but what he found more curious were the cars. He read about them and had already seen them, but even so, he couldn't help but stare at them, people would kill hundreds for such technology back home.

For a moment, the blond thought about stealing one and sealing it away or at least finding blueprints for it but then decided not to. For Naruto, this whole outer world business was like an overdue vacations and he decided to just have a good time while here. He has been working in ANBU for seven years if you count the rigorous daily training that was more akin to torture, so he felt he deserved some rest.

Back in Konoha, being a member and then Captain of the ANBU team Ro, who was not only sent on the most dangerous missions but also the Hokage's bodyguard, Naruto had hardly time for relaxing since if he was not on a mission, he was either in hospital, standing guard in the Hokage office or training. So in his opinion, this was the closest thing he would get to vacation, even though he would be attending school.

'No missions, no killing, no snake-like men that want power. Just me and magic, it's going to be wonderful,' Naruto thought with a smile and turned a corner, entering an alley, and blinked. 'Huh, I don't think that's the right way,' Naruto thought and took out a map he had prepared yesterday.

"Well, well, look what we got here boys," Naruto looked up from his map and saw five male young adults standing in front of him, blocking the main road from him.

"A rich boy, look at his jewelry and clothes," The blond looked at his white button-up shirt, black pants, and brown shoes, together with his open black jacket and jewelry, two rings, and a necklace. He wouldn't say the clothes were expensive, but then again, he didn't exactly know how much they cost, since Ichi had acquired them for him.

On the jewelry part, however, the blond had to admit, it was pretty expensive. The First Hokage's Necklace itself was worth three mountains with gold mines and Naruto guessed the two rings were not much cheaper either.

"Alright, brat, cough up your jewelry and money or else," One of them said dangerously and took a step forward, placing his hand in his pocket.

"Or else what?" Naruto asked with an amused expression, chuckling and seeing them glare at him. It was funny, ever since coming to the Leaky Cauldron for the first time, Naruto had come into the muggle part of London two times, both times at night, to see if the muggle-born people were any threat to him. The first time, he sent a Kage Bunshin, transformed into a random adult he saw on the street, and made him start a fight in a pub.

The real Naruto, who sat on the roof of the building, was surprised when it dispelled after only two minutes and smiled while going through its memories. It was a massacre his clone bumped into some kind of gang, twenty people, and took them out with ease. The muggle civilians were just that, civilians, even the greenest of Genin wouldn't have a problem taking them out, so for him it was a walk in the park.

His ears perked when he heard the sound of a knife being taken out fill the alley and saw the five muggles give him intimidating looks, or at least that's what he thought they did.

"Alright, alright, I will give you one chance since I am kinda in a hurry. Run along or you gonna regret this," The blond said, giving them a mischievous grin for a moment, he thought they would listen to him, but sighed when he heard them laugh.

"Last chance, punk," One of them said and took a step forward, only to glare when Naruto gave him an unimpressed look.

"Come and get it, idiot," The first ran towards the blond, swinging his fist widely. Naruto sighed and started to dodge his attacks, thinking about why the man didn't attack him with a knife, but went with the version that he was simply afraid of killing someone and used it merely for intimidation.

"So, can we move this along? I have a train in about forty minutes," This only seemed to anger them even more, and soon, Naruto found himself dodging and blocking attacks from five people. 'Alright, enough,' With this, he ducked under a punch, delivering a hook and sending one away.

He spun on his heel, caught a kick aimed at his back, and with a single jab, broke the attacker's knee before punching him in the face. The three others took a cautious step backward upon hearing one of their friend's cries of pain and seeing the other one emptying his stomach.

"Come on, I don't have a whole day," Naruto said, beckoning them forth, before deciding it was time he attacked. He ran to the one in the middle, delivering a powerful haymaker and sending him sprawling on the ground. He moved his head to the side, avoiding a knife aimed at his throat, and caught the attacking wrist, breaking it and picking up the knife.

A quick parry to defend his eye from a second knife, before quickly jumping up, and kneeing one of them in the face before moving just enough to the back to avoid a punch aimed at his temple. Naruto looked at the last thug standing before running up to him landing a savage punch to the man's nose, hearing it break with a satisfying crunch.

"Well, that was fun, see ya around," Naruto said and started to walk out of the alley, only to stop when he noticed the blood on his pants, more exactly on his right knee and knuckles. "Ah, shit," With a shrug, the blond started his way towards King Cross once again, this time, with hopes of not entering alleys that were not marked on his map.

"Shit! shit! shit! I am gonna be late!" Naruto shouted as he rushed through the streets of London. 'How did I go in the wrong direction?' Navigating through the city was by far more difficult than finding a missing-nin in a forest, how did the muggles manage to get anywhere on time in this city?

In his attempt to get to King's Cross, he managed to somehow meet another three groups of punks that tried to rob him, but unlike with the first group, the blond had no time for them, so he just blitzed right through them, leaving them bleeding and unconscious in the alleys he found them before resuming his journey.

Even this didn't help him once he went in the wrong direction and couldn't figure out his exact location. In desperation to not be late for the train to Hogwarts, the blond jumped on a nearby building, and with the view of the nearby streets, he was able to find the right direction, before joining the crowds and making his way towards the train station.

'There it is!' Naruto jumped for joy when he saw the entrance to the stations and ran there without hesitation. Suddenly, he heard someone shout to him and his instincts kicked in.

"Watch out!" Naruto saw a car coming in his direction to his right quickly, at least for the muggles and he was about to be hit by it. Jumping at the last second, Naruto spun in the air and over the car, he landed on the sidewalk and spun on his heel, waving in the direction the shout came from.

"Thanks!" He answered with a grin and went into the Cross King's station. He looked around, trying to find the 9th and 10th stations, before spotting them and heading their way. He knew he had to walk through a hidden entrance that was between these two stations since Hagrid told him about it, but he was not sure where it was exactly

Once close to the secret passage that would take him to the train, Naruto saw a family of redheads, with the parents bidding farewells to their sons, seeing two of the older redheads walk through a wall, showing him the entrance. Without waiting much, he passed the remaining redheads and headed straight for the wall, passing through it and for a moment all went black. He opened his eyes and grinned at the sight of a large red and black locomotive, labeled Hogwarts Express, on a platform filled with kids and the train staff.

"Alright, onward to Hogwarts," He muttered and entered the train, walking down the compartments filled with students, hoping to find an empty one. "This one," The blond opened the sliding door and sat down, stretching his back before unsealing his suitcase and placing it on the free space overhead.

"Now, what to do," He wondered silently and his question was answered when the doors to the compartment were opened by a boy with black hair and glasses, wearing oversized clothes.

"Hey, are these seats taken?"

"Nope, come on in," Naruto grinned and extended his hand for a handshake. "Name's Naruto,"

"I am Harry, nice to meet you," Harry sat down opposite the blond and a short silence came, followed by a loud whistle and the sound of the train starting to move.

'Harry, hm, could be Potter. So that would mean our moms were friends' Naruto thought, looking out of the window, before turning to the black-haired boy.

"So, you're a first year too?" Naruto asked casually, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Yeah, I am so excited to finally go to Hogwarts and learn magic, what about you?" Harry said with a grin.

"I have been waiting a month for today, I wonder what they will teach us," Naruot answered with barely contained excitement. While he did read the theory and learn a few basic spells, the blond was resolute to not spoil all the fun with too much training. After all, if he came to the school and didn't learn anything new because he taught himself all of it, it would be no fun.

The doors to the compartment opened once again, and this time stood there the youngest red hair he had seen on the station.

"Hey, do you mind? All the other seats are taken,"

"Sure, come in,"

"Thanks," The redheaded boy sat down next to the blond and extended his hand. "I'm Ron, by the way, Ron Weasley,"

"Naruto," the blond shook his hand, and then Ron extended his hand to Harry.

"I am Harry, Harry Potter," So his theory was indeed correct, he was a Potter. Naruto saw the redhead's eyes widen in amazement before he pointed to his forehead.

"So it's true? You know, the scar?" Ron asked with a slightly hushed tone. Harry grinned, lifting his hair to show the lighting-like scar on his forehead.

"Wow," The Weasly muttered with wide eyes. "Wicked! What about your scars? Are they even scars?" Ron asked, turning to the blond, who scratched the back of his head.

"They are birthmarks, no idea where they came from, though," Well, he did know, but he wouldn't go tell them he got it from the demon sealed inside him.

"Cool,"

"Anything from the trolly, dears?" An elderly woman asked through the doors Ron didn't close.

"Hm, never had wizard candy, let's see," Naruto said, looking at what was available.

"No, thanks, I am all set," Ron said with a grimace, showing the lunch packed by his parents.

"We will take the lot!" Harry said, taking out a handful of Galleons, amazing the redhead at the amount of money he was carrying.

"Chocolate frogs?" Naruto asked out loud, looking at the small blue box.

"They aren't real frogs, but it's the card you want," The redhead said with a mouth full of sweets. The blond opened the box and saw a frog made out of chocolate before it tried to jump away, but he caught it midair, making the two other boys look at him with wide eyes.

"You caught it!" Harry said, opening his box, trying to do the same, but the enchanted frog was too fast for him and escaped, making the blond chuckle and Ron smile.

"Hey, I got Dumbledore,"

"I got about six of him,"

"Hey, he is gone,"

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day. Who did you get Naruto?" The two boys turned to the blond who was smirking.

"I've got Merlin,"

"Nice, he is very rare,"

'Very rare and I've got him, huh? I guess my luck is as good as always,' The Irony that the man was his ancestor wasn't lost on Naruto, who put the card in his pocket.

"This is scrabbers, by the way. Pathetic, isn't he?" Ron said, looking at the small rat eating the leftover of some candy from a box.

"Just a little bit," Harry answered with a shrug.

"Well, he is a rat, can't expect too much of him," Naruto said with a small smirk, making the rodent look at him oddly.

"Fred gave me a spell to turn him yellow, wanna see?"

"Yeah,"

"Oh, now you've got me interested," The blond said as Ron took out his wand and cleared his throat. However before he could start, a familiar girl walked up to their compartment.

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one," The girl asked.

"No?" Ron asked with a confused look and Harry shrugged.

"Hey Hermione, good to see you again," Hermione looked at the blond and smiled, before shaking her hand with him.

"Oh, Naruto, how have you been?" She asked, taking a seat next to the blond.

"Good, what about you?"

"I've been good too,"

"You two know each other?" Harry asked seeing them being all friendly.

"Yup, we met in the Diagon Alley about a month ago,"

"Holy Cricket, you're Harry Potter. I am Hermione Granger, and you are?" She asked, looking at the redhead, who was stuffing his mouth full of another candy.

"Ron Weasley," He answered. his voice muffled, making the girl give him a slightly disguised look.

"Pleasure,"

"What about the spell, Ron?" Naruto asked with a small grin.

"Ah, right," He said clearing his throat once again.

"You are doing magic? Well, let's see then," She said with an expectant look.

"Right," Clearing his throat again, Rn began. "Sunshine, daisies, butter, mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow," The redhead waved his wand before the rodent squicked and the box it was eating from flew away. Ron looked at Harry and Naruto with a shrug, getting one back from the black-haired boy while the blond chuckled.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" Hermione asked with a slightly condeating look. "It's not very good, is it?" A small smile on her face, annoyed the redhead, making him turn to Harry and give him a look, his eyes pointing at the bushy-haired girl.

"Of course, I've only tried a couple of simple ones myself, but they all worked for me," She took out her wand and pointed at Harry's broken glasses. "For example, oculus reparo," In a blink, the tape on the glasses bridge went away and the black-haired boy was looking at his newly repaired glasses in wonder.

"Oh, nice work," Naruot congratulated with a grin, making her smile.

"Well, I would advise you to change clothes, we will be arriving soon," She stood up and waved to the blond. "See you later," getting a wave in return, she turned to walk away, but not before telling the red-haired boy he had dir on his nose.

Finally, they arrived at Hogwarts, or at least the blond thought so. They were told to leave their luggage inside and come out, arriving at a train station. Somewhere in the crowd, he lost the other two boys and before he could look for them, he heard a familiar voice call all the first years to him.

"First years, gather roun'!" He saw the giant of a man that was Hagrid waving his hand and walked up to the man, who after a few moments led them all towards a lake, on which coast were mall wooden boats.

"No more than four per boat!" The man shouted and they started to board the small vessels before they started to magically swim forward. Naruto sat with two girls and a boy, whom he didn't know, but before he could talk to them, the boats turned around the corner of a large rock and Hogwarts came into sight.

"Wow," Naruto muttered in pure amazement. There, in the distance stood an enormous medieval castle on a hill, lit with countless lights under a full moon. The beauty of the sight was further enhanced by the clear and starry sky. Even when compared to his castle on Avalon, Hogwarts was a sight to behold and if the gasps and wows around him were any indication, he wasn't the only one thinking this way.

After the short voyage, they were led through the castle's massive corridors until they arrived before massive wooden doors with an elder witch in green robes waiting for them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," The witch started, a small smile on her face as she looked at the first-year students. "Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryfiddor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slitherin. Now, while you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule-breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup,"

Just then, from the middle of the group, Naruto heard the sound of a frog followed by a shout of 'Trevor'. While he couldn't see well from his position -curse his short legs- he noticed a mop of brown hair move. He heard some of the kids chuckle and giggle at the sight and noticed an exasperated look on the old witch.

"Sorry," A male voice said meekly before the witch started again.

"The sorting ceremony will start momentarily," She said before leaving for the doors in front of them, leaving them to wait. Not a moment later, he caught a boy talking something about the Potter but ignored it, not like he could see what was happening at the front, but from what he gathered, hard as it was for some students were talking loudly around him, Brako or some name like that just introduced himself to Harry, before insulting Ron for wearing second-hand clothes.

Before long, the old witch came back, a piece of parchment in her hand, before leading them into the room behind the big doors. It was a large hall, filled with four very long tables on the sides, filled with students of various ages, while another tale was at the far side of the room, where Naruto saw who he assumed were the teachers, with the headmaster in the middle.

The room was lit by flying candlesticks and larger, metal bowls with a big fire in them, giving the space a nice, relaxing atmosphere. While they were walking towards the teacher's table, in front of which a wooden chair was standing, he looked up with amazement at the ceiling, which looked like the night sky.

"It's not a real ceiling," Just then, he heard Hermione's voice to his left and turned to her. "It's just bewitched to look like a night sky. I read about it in 'Hogwarts; A History',"

"Still, it's impressive, I wonder if I will be able to do the same with the ceiling in my room," The blond answered with a grin.

"Alright, will you wait along here, please?" The witch said, waving her hand slightly in front of the wooden chair. "Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledor would like to say a few words," As she said that, the old man with a long beard and dark purple robes stood up.

"I have a few start-of-term notices I wish to announce. The first years, please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students,"

'Well, that's one possible place to train,' Naruto thought with a smirk. What? Even if he was off duty, he wouldn't let his hard-earned skills rust and the first sounded like a perfect place for a bit of privacy.

"Also, our caretaker, Mister Filch, has asked me to remind you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bound to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death,"

'Huh, wouldn't it be just easier to not tell anyone about it and seal it away or something?'

"Thank you," Dumbledore said before sitting down and the green-wearing witch unrolled the parchment she was holding, gaining the attention of all the students.

"When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head and you will be sorted into your houses,"

"A hat?" Naruto muttered in confusion.

"It's magical, I read about it. What house do you think you will be sorted to?" Hermione asked with a hushed tone, getting a shrug from the blond.

"No idea, what about you?"

"Ravenclaw doesn't sound bad,"

"Hermione Granger,"

"Great, just relax, relax," She muttered and straightened her robes before getting a pat on the shoulder from the blond and walking up to the chair. The witch placed the hat on her head

"Mental, that one, I am telling you," Ron whispered, just loud enough for all of the first years to hear.

"Ah, right then, hmm, right. Okay, Gryffindor!" Shouts of approval and clapping came from one of the tables, along with some teachers applauding, as Hermione ran up to the Gryffindor table and greeted her fellow housemates(?).

The sorting ceremony continued with many students being placed in their respective houses. From the few the blond recognized, Ron, was placed in Gryffindor, and the Brako kid- apparently, he was called Draco- was placed in Slytherin almost as soon as the hat touched his head.

"Harry Potter,"

The room fell silent before excited muttering between students started, all looking at Harry, hoping to get him in their house. The professors looked curious as well and as all waited in anticipation, the black-haired boy sat down on the chair and the hat was placed on his head.

"Hmm, difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There is talent, oh yes. And a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?" The hat pondered out loud, reading the Potter's head, while the boy muttered 'Not Slytherin,'

"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great you know. It's all here, in your head. And Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness, no doubt about that. No? Well, if you're sure. better be... Gryffindor!"

If the previous applause and shouts of happiness were loud, this time it was thunderous. Among the noise, some of the other houses groaned with defeat.

"We've got the Potter! We've got the Potter!" One of the two redhead siblings shouted towards the Slytherin table, while the other welcomed Harry at their table.

"Silence, please," The older witch commanded and soon the festivities died down, yet the great mood at the Gryffindor table stayed, while the other houses, especially Slytherin, were still sour about it.

"Next, Naruto Uzu-," Silence reigned as the witch read the name, confusing the students before she cleared her throat and started anew. "Naruto Uzumaki!"

Disbelief, excitement, and shock filled the great room. Students buzzed about him even more than about Harry, the teachers sat on the edges of their seats in hopes of getting a good look the the last Uzumaki, while Hermione and Ron, the two people who knew the blond looked in disbelief.

"Hey, who is he?" Harry asked them with a lost expression. From what he heard from the other students, Naruot was as famous as him, if not even more!

"You don't know?!"

"No, I don't," Harry answered dryly, making Ron chuckle in embarrassment before Hermione answered the question.

"The Uzumaki are the most noble of the Wizarding families, dating back to Merlin, who was their ancestor. If there was anything like a royal family in the wizarding world, it would be them and Naruto is the last of them, making him... a prince?"

"Wow, I didn't know he was so important, I wonder why he didn't tell us our full name,"

"By the way, why are you surprised?" Ron asked the bushy-haired girl. "Didn't you guys meet in the Diagon Alley?"

"Yes, we did, but he didn't tell me his last name back then,"

"Silence, please. Silence!" Finally, after the students calmed down, as much as they would, the witch placed the hat on the blond's head, before it spoke. There was silence, the hat spoke nothing for a few moments, before with a sheepish voice it asked.

"Mind taking down your mental barriers?"

"Ah, forgot about them,"

While the students found it weird he had mental barriers at such a young age, the professors couldn't believe it. The hat was very powerful when it came to Legilimency, so much so that one had to be a master of Oculumency to even think about blocking the hat's mind-reading abilities. For a first-year to be already able to resist the hat's magic without any effort, showed how prodigious the blond was.

Unknown to all but him, Naruto wasn't using Occulumency, but Fuinjutsu and Genjustu to create an impenetrable defense for his mind, one that even the best of Yamanaka couldn't pierce. He had them ever since he became an ANBU captain, for by then he knew many dangerous Village secrets that couldn't get into the wrong hands. He lowered some of the barriers, allowing enough to sort him into a house, without showing too much of his Ninja life.

"Ah, now I see. Yes, courage unlike anyone else, braver than any man. Hm, mind sharpened since childhood, smart and calculative, yes, yes. Loyal to the core, a promise like an eternal vow. Difficult, difficult. Ambitions beyond that of a simple man. You embody the core values of every house without fail, what to do, what to do. I think I know... Slytherin!"

Just as when Harry was placed in Gryffindor, this time it was the Slytherin who applauded and shouted with pride. While Gryffindor was slightly disappointed, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were completely sad. All of the Slytherin was thrilled, bah, let them have Potter, they had someone better, and before long, someone said it out loud.

"Ha! We've got the Uzumaki! We've got the Uzumaki! Suck it!"

The mood at the Gryffindor table turned sour, some of the older students muttering something about bad luck. Harry listened with a frown, feeling as if he failed.

"Don't worry about it, mate. You're five times better than any Slytherin, even the Uzumaki," Ron said, placing a hand on the black-haired boy's shoulder. As Naruto walked toward the Slytherin table, he caught the gaze of Hermione and gave her a small shrug and a sad smile.

As soon as he sat down at the table, he was swarmed by his fellow first years, followed by the older students. Food appeared on the table, Dumbledore saying something in the background and the voices of many students filled his senses.

"So, you're the last Uzumaki? Name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, this is Crabble and this is Goyle,"

"Nice to meet ya," Naruot shook his hand and then the other boys.

"I'm Daphne Greengrass,"

"Hey, Pansy Parkinson,"

"Still can't believe we are in the same house as the last Uzumaki, but it should be obvious you would be placed in Slytherin, it's the best house after all," Draco said with a proud smile all of the others agreeing with him.

"Really? What do you think about the other houses?" Naruto asked with an amused smile. The blond found it funny, from his perspective, it was like looking at a group of children squashed about what candy is better. It put things in perspective for the blond, even if he was their age, he was far more mature than them.

"Well, Ravenclaw is not bad, they are smart, but the other two? Please, Gryffindor is those that are strong only in group and they also have the least of pure-bloods. The Hufflepuff on the other hand is a house for losers, who weren't playing anywhere else,"

"So being pure-blooded is required to be a part of the Slytherin?"

"No, but the pure-bloods are better than half-bloods, don't even get me started on mud bloods,"

"Ho, you know, I am a half-blood?" The blond said with a smirk, making all the eyes around him wieden at the fact that Draco insulted him so blatantly.

"Well, but.. you know! I-I mean!" Draco tried to backtrack, only to make the blond laugh and wave it off.

"Don't worry about it, I don't care,"

"Really? You don't have a problem with non-pure-bloods?" Daphne asked with a surprised expression.

"Nope, I mean, nobody can control their birth circumstances, right? So why would I judge someone on that?"

"By the way, who are your parents?" Pansy asked with a curious look.

"My mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina and my father's name was Namikaze Minato,"

"Namikaze Minato?" Goyle asked, wondering if he should know the man, only to get a shrug from Draco, who heard the name for the first time as well.

"Wow! You're Lady Kushina's son?! She is my childhood hero!" Pansy said with an excited grin. "How is she doing? Oh, can I meet her, pretty please?"

"Well, there might be a problem with that," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "My parents died on the day I was born,"

"I am sorry," Pansy quickly apologized with wide eyes, as the others gasped.

"Don't worry about it,"

"You grew up alone?" Crabble asked, only to get elbowed by Daphne for the insensitive question.

"Not exactly, now and then my godfather would check up on me, and there are also my grandpa and older two brothers,"

"I thought you were the last Uzumaki?" Draco wondered, making the blond chuckle.

"I am, neither of them is an Uzumaki,"

"How does it feel?" Daphne asked with stars in her eyes, making the blond blink.

"What do you mean?"

"Being an Uzumaki, of course,"

"Eh," The blond shrugged and looked at them with a confused look. "Normal?"

"Oh, come on, you are like royalty,"

"Really? Never looked at it this way,"

"Seriously? Oh, man,"

Later, they were led to their dormitories, which were in the dungeons of the Castle and under the black lake. It was a spacious room, with a fireplace filled with leather couches and chairs with a few small to being under the black lake, the common room was lit up in a green hue.

After the first years were shown to their shared rooms, where their luggage was already waiting for them, Naruot decided to spend the rest of the evening in the common room.

He sat on a couch in a casual dark blue, long-sleeved shirt and black pants with slippers. He knew most of the students had already gone to bed, but the blond thought it was too early to sleep, so he decided to reread some of the early school material.

"Whatcha reading?" He looked over his shoulder to find a pair of blue eyes preening at him with a smile. He sensed her trying to sneak up on him a few minutes before, so he didn't jump, making her pout.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping, Daphne?" The blond asked with a raised eyebrow, making the girl huff and sit down next to him.

"I could ask you the same,"

"True, I'm reading some of the basics for tomorrow, just in case,"

"Boring," She muttered and moved closer, starting to read with him, making him raise an eyebrow.

"Didn't you say it was boring?"

"Maybe I did, but then again, it's better to prepare for the first day,"

They sat in silence, reading the book called 'Magical Draft and Potions', the only sound was that of the page being turned by the blond, but only after making sure Daphne read the page too. Before long, Naruto heard the girl yawn before she pulled back and stretched her back.

"Sleepy?" The blond asked, getting a nod from her.

"Yeah, I think I will head to bed, what about you?"

"I will stay for a little longer,"

"Don't forget we have to wake up in the morning,"

"Sure, sure, goodnight,"

"Goodnight,"

Left alone, Naruto read the chapter to the end before retiring for the night. He entered his room soundlessly, his eyes instantly getting used to the darkness, and saw Draco and two other boys fast asleep. A single hand seal and he was in his pajamas and lying down in his comfy bed.

'They could get us these beds in the ANBU base,' The blond complained before falling asleep.

Naruto yawned, stretching his back. It was early in the morning, just before sunrise, a perfect time to sneak out and find a place to train. He walked through the forbidden forest wearing a black sleeveless shirt and grey pants, together with his Ninja sandals.

As the blond looked around the large forest without any progress in finding a nice clearing, he decided to get some help, otherwise, he might fail his self-imposed mission before breakfast.

A short pulse of Chakra and a few moments later Kage, his crow, landed on his shoulder. He petted her for some time before getting to the task at hand.

"I need your help, fly up and try to find a big enough clearing for training," The crow cawed before going up, vanishing among the leaves.

While his familiar was looking from above, the blond decided to start stretching and warming up, hoping to be ready by the time Kage came back to start training right off the bat.

An hour later, Naruto stood in a clearing, sweaty and breathing harder. He sat under a tree in a clearing the crow found. It was a nice place, with no animals which he would disturb, far enough so no one would find him, large enough for a good training session, and with a stream nearby if he evergoeso thristy.

Today, he decided on a light training of just hand-to-hand combat. He summoned a horse of clones and fought with them until not a single one survived. It was good training, kept you on your toes, sharpened your reflex and spatial awareness and whenever he got hit, it reminded him that he wasn't invincible, something to curb his ego.

As he sat in the peaceful forest, he went through the people he got to know yesterday.

Draco was... interesting. Certainly, someone who could become his friend, if only he got his superiority act curbed and started to think critically, not accepting everything his father told him. Something to work on for sure, but there was time and place for that. Crabble and Goyle were boring, following Draco's every command without ever taking a stance for themselves, but they were children still, probably didn't want to lose Draco as a friend and went along with it.

Pansy was noisy, and irritating at times even. She had a superiority complex like Draco, but she also acted like your heritage was the only thing defining you, making it almost impossible for him to talk with her, because the conversation ended always with his family.

Daphne was a nice girl, he liked her. She was pleasant to be around, wasn't noisy like most girls their age, and most importantly saw him as Naruto, not as an Uzumaki. She was one of the few people who talked to him casually like she would with anyone else.

He met others, like Blaise Zabini or their prefect Gemma Farley, but he didn't talk enough with them to form any kind of opinion. Of course, when he entered the common room, he shook hands with almost every Slytherin, each of them wanting to meet the last of 'Noble Blood'.

"Well, I guess it's time to head back, got to remember how to get here," THe blond muttered, stretching his right hand across his chest.

He walked at a leisurely pace, knowing it was around six thirty in the morning and the first classes started at nine. He wondered what classes he would have today, they were supposed to get their schedules today during the breakfast from their head of the house.

Severus Snape.

'Hm, he was a great friend with Mom, I wonder if he knows I am her son,'

After some time, he slipped into the common room undetected and headed for the showers. Once cleaned, he changed into fresh, yet the same clothes and sat down in the common room, which was still pretty empty. No wonder though, breakfast would be starting first at seven-thirty and lasted till eight-fifty, so there was no rush.

He felt a familiar presence behind him, but he continued to read his book on the history of Hogwarts. Closer, closer, slowly approaching, trying to make no sounds that would give up her position, Naruot had to give Daphne points for trying.

"Morning!" She shouted, firmly placing her hands on his shoulder, hoping to get a reaction from the blond.

"Morning," Naruot muttered without taking his eyes off the book.

"Huh?" Daphne blinked twice before the realization that she failed hit her. "Huh?! How come you didn't get scared?!" She demanded with a pout, making the blond laugh at her expression.

"That's a secret,"

"Oh come on,"

"Nope,"

"Meany," The blond gave her a long that said 'really?' before sighing.

"I heard you coming,"

"No way, I made sure there was no sound,"

"Well, you almost got me,"

Just then they heard someone come into the common room with a massive yawn. They looked who it was, only to burst out laughing upon seeing Draco, his hair, usually combed down and held by gel, was in complete disarray, sticking out in all directions.

"What are you laughing at?" The boy asked with a frown, not understanding what was so funny about him in the morning. Naruto, through his laughter, pointed at a mirror in the room, making the platinum blond boy walk up, only to turn bright red, before shouting at them to shut up and running away to tame his hair.

"Ah, what a sight," The blond chuckled, leaning back on the couch and crossing his hands behind his head. Only you hear Daphne gasp and hear a comment from Blaise.

"You've got a tattoo? Wicked," The boy said, making the blond freeze.

'Ah, shit, forgot about that,'

"Is it real?" Daphne asked, before noticing how toned his arms were and turning her gaze away.

'Well, can't deny it, might just as well admit it,'

"It sure as hell is. Cool, right?" The blond asked with a grin. After all, they wouldn't know what the tattoo symbolized, so it was safe to reveal it.

"Who did you ask to make it? I thought you had to be an adult to get one," Pansy asked from the other side of the common room.

"My older brother," Seeing their shocked and disbelieving looks, the blond scratched the back of his head and explained. "He has a matching one, it signifies our bond," Well, not a complete lie, as the tattoo showed his bond with ANBU and by proxy Kakashi.

"That's so cool!"

They spent some more time in the common room, speaking about all and nothing, until the rest of their little group, meaning Draco, Crabble, and Goyle, joined them before they headed for the great hall and breakfast.

At eight, they saw Professor Snape come up to them, holding their schedules before departing, reminding them to do well in representing Slytherin.

"Potions as first, huh?" Naruto muttered, reading their schedule.

"And with Gryfidorr to the boot," Draco said with a frown, taking a bite of his breakfast.

"What lessons are you most excited about?" Pantsy asked the group, getting various answers before turning to the blond, who hummed.

"Charms and defense against the dark arts, I guess. Though, potions, too seem very useful. Anyway, I am going to the dorms, need to change before the classes, see ya later,"

Yo!

Been some time, but the next chapter is here, pretty long too. Tell me how you like it, good? Bad?

Reminder, I am not a huge HP fan so there is I don't know about the verse, so if I make any cardinal mistake, do let me know. Thanks!

Now, review replies:

eniox27: You are right, my bad!

Ren Hatori: Noted, thanks for the info!

UnsanMusho: Thank you, hopefully, I continue to write a good Narut. Befriending Harry, you say? Well... we will see how it turns out, I have some ideas for their relationship, same with Snape.

HyperA2019: Man, they are like 11 years old and you want a lemon? Nope, no lemons even further in the story.

Shedges19: A what contract? No, no, no. Why would he be forced into a betrothal contract?

FoxDemon1023: I could give him a phoenix or a dragon, but that would be giving him too much too.

Caciqxe0110: Sorry, but it is going to be a NaruotxHermione :(

M1stymix: I mean, we don't know much about the Uzumaki's lifestyle, so I think they could be pretty much the same as Uchiha or Senju when it comes to extravagance. After all, if they think themselves important, they will want to show their status, and using money for that is the easiest way. Besides, being extravagant and prideful doesn't mean one can be peaceful.

Big thanks to all who reviewed, your kind words made me pick up this story again, so hopefully you like it. Let me know your thoughts about it.

QUESTION: How do you guys see the characters when mixing anime with movies? Do you imagine all characters realistically, do you see all of them in anime style or do you imagine a mix of them? Let me know, the thought made me kinda of curious. I see them all realistically in this setting!

Thanks for reading, See ya!