A/N: This is version 2 of this chapter. I know I said that it was going to be a Harry-centric chapter, but as I wrote it, I could not for the life of me get into a groove that felt right to me. So, I scrapped the first draft that was 3/4 complete and wrote this instead. I'm a lot happier with this version to be honest. Hope you all like it as well. I scrunched some stuff up and made it happen sooner than originally planned.

FoxSage001: See, that's kind of what I have planned if I go down this route, but it's just a side-plot at this point. Don't know about a magical serial killer, but I could see incorporating this into the story.

JongFreeces: Honestly, the pokemon simile had me smiling. Definitely not the intention! But I agree with that to an extent as well. Really, like I said, I've received several PMs asking for it. I wasn't sure if that was something that more people wanted to see or not. I'm certainly not opposed to see how GoF is going to go to make the final call on it.

elkenn: Thank you for the kind words. I'm deliberate in what I'm choosing to describe to keep these chapters shorter. A lot of authors will practically do a word-for-word retelling of the original, and spend so much time describing things that we've already seen or imagined from the source works, that it's almost insulting to readers that you can't just say something like "The Mirror of Erised" and leave the image up to the reader. I blame Tolkien on people feeling like they need to spend the equivalent of a chapter on a description. Love LOTR, but there's a lot of fluff that could be cut.

Nise no kishi: Good questions! I love it. Honestly, Naruto is looking at his relationships as full-on open relationships. Now, whether his main ladies want that is up to them. We'll see how this unfolds in the future. As far as Naruto going all-out. That is coming sooner than you think. It will be on his summer break. And also at the Quidditch World Cup.

Ronald40196867: Brother, there is only 1 answer that anyone should ever say to the magical pet: Niffler. Little dude that'll steal money from others, which you can then cash in yourself? I'd be wealthier than the Malfoys!

Elchabon: Naruto's a shake-up artist in this story in regards to the status quo. Also, of course Harry's about to have a better life with Sirius! OotP was the book that soured the original story for me when it first came out. I remember begging my parents for it when it released and when Sirius died, I almost stopped reading. I had such high hopes as a child. Chaos and turmoil will be coming to Magical Britain for sure.

thor94: Thanks for sticking with me! I promise to deliver on that for sure.

WindyCitySlayer1: We'll have to see for those, for sure. I'll give you a tidbit: it is not going to end well for Cassius Warrington. Naruto is also going to fall on a sword so to speak regarding that. But that's all I'm going to say.

Guest #1: As far as curses as in spells, no, he is still affected by them. As far as a curse placed upon him via a ritual, yes, he is immune.

Guest #2: Thank you for your kind words.

Warning: There is lemony goodness in this chapter for you horny ones out there.

Chapter 12: Revelations

Harry's head had been spinning for the last week. The revelation that Sirius Black was his godfather had him reeling. He had only had time to talk to him for about an hour before he was sequestered off in his own personal quarters. Naruto had done as Jiraiya asked and warded the room for Sirius' occupation. Naruto had explained to both he and Sirius what the wards' functions were, but only to Harry and Sirius. He also stated that only they would know what the wards did and instructed them not to reveal their functions to anyone else. A paranoid precaution, he informed the two.

Since then, Harry had visited Sirius every day for a couple hours each. Sirius had been ecstatic for his godson's visits. At first it had been a bit awkward for the two men as they knew nothing of each other and had spent much of the first two days just getting to know each other. Since then, Harry had asked about everything that he could, his godfather had been an open book. To test his honesty, he had even asked embarrassing questions that he didn't think the older man would answer, which proved awkward for the teen as Sirius had been downright explicit in his answers. After being reassured of his godfather's honesty, the questions that he sought answers flew from his mouth uninhibited.

What were his parents like in school? What were their favorite subjects? What was his dad's Animagus form? How did his parents meet? What hobbies did they have? These were the surface-level things that first came to mind. Then came the harder to answer ones. Why did Sirius give him to Hagrid? Why did he choose to go after Pettigrew and not plead his case? Why did he get left to his aunt and uncle? Did he have to return to them at the end of the year?

That last question was their current topic of discussion. Sirius had emphatically said Harry did not have to return to the Dursleys ever again if he so wished. His godfather then started painting a picture with his words of everything that he wanted to do with his godson. He regretted depriving him of his care for the last fifteen years, and he vowed to make it up to him. He described the ancestral home that he owned in London. How he had some fond memories there and admitted to the bad ones as well. He even told Harry they'd have to do a bit of adventuring as the house was most likely unkempt after his mother's death eight years prior. He said that as soon as this current mess was concluded with the Ministry and his conviction was overturned – stating that as a fact, not conjecture – he would head there ahead of Harry's arrival after the End of Year Feast to get the clean-up started.

Since then, Harry had been on cloud nine. He knew that it probably made him look like a little kid having that kind of childish reaction to Sirius' declaration, but he didn't care. He was finally getting freedom from his abusive aunt and uncle, something that he had been waiting for with bated breath. Sure, he had just two more years until he was 18, when he would've been kicked out of the Dursley household, but now he would finally have a home that he felt wanted in and he wouldn't have to worry about being forced to do the chores of the whole family while he was there in the summer. No more incidents with his rude extended family either. The amount of burdens that had been lifted off his shoulders was amazing. Maybe that had been why he felt so light all the time now? He felt so light about the whole thing, and he was able to breathe easily.

It also helped that his school life was also going fantastically! Hermione and Ron were back to talking. Ron was still complaining about Pettigrew pretending to be his rat for almost a decade and a half. Speaking of the rat, Pettigrew was still being held under scrutiny of the ICW. From what he understood, since this was a very hot topic, the Wizengamot was being summoned and assembled as quickly as possible. Sirius theorized it wouldn't be longer than a month before it was convened, and he would have his actual day in court.

Naruto and Hermione walked into the study room he commandeered for himself, locking the door behind themselves. When they were sequestered in the room, Hermione had latched onto Naruto. Her arms thrown around his neck as she snogged the life out of him. Naruto easily lifted her up by her bum and carried her to the bed that he had conjured in the room those couple months previous. He gently laid her down on the bed as he had done several times, keeping his lips locked with hers as their tongues battled it out between them.

He was mildly surprised as Hermione started tugging at his clothes, trying to undress him. It wasn't unusual for her to do so as she had gotten very comfortable with their heavy petting sessions, but it was a little surprising that she did so this early into their session, normally it would be a few minutes and his hands having to wander before she wanted to get undressed.

Naruto pulled back, a smile forming on his lips as he started to shrug off his jacket, "You're a bit eager, huh?"

Hermione's face erupted into a fiery blush. "I-I'm ready."

Those two words froze Naruto in the middle of pulling his shirt off his body. "Ready, ready?" his eyes locked onto her face as she bravely met his eyes.

She swallowed and bit her bottom lip before giving him a nod, "Yes. Ready, ready."

LEMON BEGINS

It took a couple of seconds to process it in his mind, but Naruto responded by finishing the removal of his shirt and sending her a very soft smile. He then leaned back down, covering her with his frame. He then planted a soft kiss on her lips. He placed a few more soft ones against her lips that he knew were her favorite types of kisses. Pulling back, seeing her satisfied smile and half-lidded eyes had him reaching up to caress her cheek. "If at any time you want me to stop, just say so and I will. I promise you that I won't think any less of you if you change your mind."

Hermione nodded in understanding before she claimed his lips again. Over the next couple of minutes, they kissed and caressed each other as they both stripped down to their underwear. Parting, they let their eyes roam over each other. Naruto stood up and shimmied his way out of his boxers, baring his whole being to his girlfriend. Hermione's eyes just roamed over all of him, her mind once again being reminded for the nth time of those trashy romance novels. It turned her on even more knowing that she was about to have sex with a veritable book character. That just enhanced the experience for her.

She looked up and met Naruto's eyes as she shifted onto her elbows, "Can I touch it?"

"Of course."

She then fully sat up, scooting until her legs were hanging over the edge, her eyes having locked on the steely flesh between his legs. She reached out and gently wrapped her small hand around his shaft. It looked even bigger in comparison to her hand. She gently ran it along his length, pulling a small groan of approval out of his throat. She looked back up at him as she wrapped her other hand along his length and started to stroke him with both. Her eyes asked if what she was doing was good or not.

"That feels awesome, 'Mione. Your hands feel so soft," he praised. "You can go faster or harder if you want. I'll let you know what feels good and what doesn't."

"Okay," she replied as she sped up her strokes, pulling another groan out of Naruto's mouth. She then firmed up her grip as well and turned her gaze back to the manhood in her hands.

"Fuck, that's good."

Hermione's eyes kept glancing between his cock and his face. She licked her lips as she watched the precum dribble out of the fleshy helmet of his dick and down his shaft, where her hands started to spread the fluid, lubricating his shaft underneath her palms and fingers. She needed to know if the novels she read were lying or not. Leaning forward, she stuck her tongue out and ran it over his head.

"Oh shit!" Naruto gasped out, taken aback, but thoroughly pleased with her actions.

As she lapped up the precum, she let it coat her tongue and analyzed the taste. It was salty, but not unpleasant. The more she lapped up, the more she started to enjoy the taste as it coated the inside of her mouth.

"Fuck, babe," Naruto groaned. "Why don't you suck on it?" he suggested.

Almost automatically, Hermione opened her mouth as wide as it could go and captured the head in her mouth. She kept stroking it as her tongue swirled around the head, collecting even more of his precum. She was mindful of her teeth as they gently scraped his penis. When her mouth was too full of spit and precum, she pulled off his cockhead and swallowed.

She found herself pushed back on the bed, Naruto claiming her lips with his, uncaring about tasting himself on her – it wasn't the first time, wouldn't be the last either. He then reached under her back and deftly unclipped her bra. He then pulled back and divested her of her bra for the first time since they started their heavy petting sessions. Sure, he had felt her up, but she had been self-conscious prior and was embarrassed to bare her breasts to him.

"Damn, you're perfect," he said as he admired her perky high B-cups. He then ran his hands up her stomach before settling both on her breasts, causing Hermione to gasp and moan.

"You don't have to fib to make me feel better, I know I'm no Susan Bones," she gasped as Naruto started squeezing and needing them gently, but firmly.

"While Susan does have the biggest tits I've seen here, they don't compare to just how beautiful yours are," he leaned down and sucked her left nipple into his mouth and sucked hard while running his tongue over the hardened nub. The moan that escaped Hermione's lips was music to his ears. He ceased his actions, "I swear, your boobs are perfect for you. I wouldn't change a single thing about you. Nor would I want you to change a single part of yourself for me."

Hermione started to speak but was interrupted as he went back to feasting on her breasts, this time swapping between both of her breasts alternatingly, giving equal attention to both. She only regained her voice as he started making his way down from her breasts, trailing kisses down her tummy toward her womanhood. "Oh yes, keep going, please. It feels so good."

Naruto reached her panties, and planted a kiss directly on her clit which he could see outlined through her soaked panties. Hermione's breath hitched at the sensation, only ever having felt his fingers do the same. The blonde then hooked his fingers in the waistband and started to pull her knickers down, Hermione raised her ass to help facilitate the action. When he had fully removed the final article of clothing off her body, he just admired her womanhood, taking in the glistening folds of her cleanly shaven pubis. He looked away from her pussy and smiled as their eyes met.

"I knew you'd have the prettiest little pussy. I'm going to love seeing and feeling it stretched around my cock," his dirty talk bringing out the brightest blush he'd ever seen on her, it spread down to the top of her breasts it was so powerful. Naruto surreptitiously leaned forward, putting both of her legs over his shoulders as he dived tongue-first into her womanhood.

The utterly guttural moan of satisfaction that escaped Hermione's lips as her hands gripped his hair and her legs trapped his head between her thighs was music to his ears. Naruto just focused on the task at hand, licking up her arousal and adding his saliva to her core for extra lubrication. He paid special attention to her clit, giving the little bundle of nerves all the attention it deserved. Due to his practiced actions, he was easily able to draw out an orgasm from the beautiful brunette. Her back arched as she locked him in place with her thighs and hands. She tried to scream out her pleasure, but her body only let her make a choked, soft keening. Naruto didn't let up his ministrations either, drawing her orgasm out as long as possible. It was only when she had to gasp in a breath and her abs flexed, allowing her to curl the opposite way, around his head that her movements drew her womanhood away from his teasing tongue and lips.

"Oh Merlin," she gasped in pleasure. "That was amazing," she said as she relaxed her legs and hands, allowing Naruto to pull away. He then rose up and started to kiss her. She noted the different taste of his lips, tongue, and even saliva. It took a few seconds of processing for her to realize that it was her own fluids she was tasting. She was surprised at the thought that passed through her mind, declaring that she tasted good. She continued to snog her boyfriend, swirling her tongue around his mouth, getting as much of her flavor as she could. She felt Naruto shift his lower body and then felt the hard, hot flesh of his cock resting along the length of her pussy. She pulled back and looked down between the valley of her breasts to see his manhood resting there, the head pointing at her. She looked up to meet Naruto's eyes, seeing the silent question in his gaze. She nodded her assent.

Naruto wrapped her in his arms again, lifting her up with an arm behind her shoulder blades and her hips. He then laid her down on the center of the bed, and positioned himself, kneeling between her splayed legs. He grasped his length and rubbed it along her opening, coating it in his saliva, her essence, and spreading his precum as well to add to the lubrication.

"I'm sorry if this hurts a bit," he whispered. "If there was anyway to avoid it, I would do so."

"It's okay," she whispered back. "I know you'll be as gentle as possible. It's who you are."

Naruto smiled at her, then positioned his head at the entrance to her pussy. He started rocking his hips in short thrusts, gently feeding his length into her. He felt slight resistance as he came to her hymen. So far, she had been moaning as he started spearing her and spreading her out. He thrust a few more times, ensuring that he was lubed sufficiently before suddenly thrusting forward, tearing through her maidenhood and spearing a couple more inches in, waiting to hear Hermione's reaction.

The brunette on the other hand just moaned out, not in pain, but pleasure. She was surprised that it didn't hurt. She had heard and read that the first time was painful for most women and had been expecting the same. Instead, it was the complete opposite, she felt nothing but pleasure. So much so that she bucked her hips up toward Naruto's hips.

That was the sign that Naruto was waiting for as he started to thrust more, feeding more of his length into her. He stopped thrusting as he felt himself bump into her cervix, realizing that was his limit and he couldn't push further unless he wanted to risk hurting her. More than once in the past he's thrusted too deep and that ended his session quickly. Now knowing his limit, he started to pump again, but this time removing almost his entire length before feeding it back into her.

Hermione's world was just full of pleasure as Naruto started to thrust into her. She reached out and grabbed his hands, pulling him back to lie over top of her. Naruto threaded his fingers with hers in the transition, effectively pinning her hands above her head. They both leaned in to kiss each other as Naruto continued to thrust. Naruto kept changing the angle of his thrusts, trying to find the right one that was the key to Hermione's pleasure.

On one thrust, Hermione gasped and tensed, before locking her legs around his waist instinctively. That was it. Time to assault her pleasure spots. It wasn't much longer before he drove her to her second orgasm of the night. This time she was able to release her wails to the ceiling, as her orgasm washed over her. It changed to a growling, primal gasping as Naruto continued to plow himself into her G-spot as he continued to keep her on her orgasm. Naruto was also keenly aware of his own approaching release with Hermione's womanhood's incredibly tight grasp on his length. Naruto groaned out his own release as he thrust as deep as he safely could and released himself into her, blasting her deepest parts with his scorching liquid heat. Hermione's orgasm just extended again as she keenly felt each jettison of Naruto's seed deep in her most intimate places. It was a few minutes later that they both came down from their orgasmic highs.

Hermione requested Naruto to let her rest a moment but assured that she wanted another round. Naruto pulled himself out of her gently to make sure he didn't accidentally hurt her. His exit left her leaking a prodigious amount of semen. Seeing the spire of flesh jutting up, covered in their combined juices, enticed Hermione to do something she had only read about. She repositioned to and used her mouth to clean him of everything that coated him. She used her tongue to clean toward the base and most of his length as she could only get a few inches by taking him into her mouth.

After she had cleaned him thoroughly, she was ready for round 2. She glanced at Naruto's face, smiling a bit salaciously. She then swung legs over Naruto, the seed that had escaped her previously and coated her legs was smeared along his hips. Naruto watched as she positioned herself over his pole, the spreading of her legs allowing yet more of his semen to escape, coating his rod in his own essence before Hermione fed his length into herself. She moaned as she lowered herself down his length. When she reached the fullness she had felt prior, she looked at how much of Naruto's length was still exposed. Taking the exposed length as a challenge, she looked into Naruto's eyes and started to lower herself further, his length pushing more firmly into her cervix. His eyes widened in surprise, about to warn her to be careful as she used her weight and gravity to fully bury his cock fully into her depths.

"Holy fuck!" Naruto gasped breathlessly in surprise.

"So full," Hermione moaned wantonly.

"Are you okay, baby?"

"Oh yesss~…" she moaned out. "So damn full, I can feel you trying to enter my womb," she caressed her lower stomach, where a small bulge had formed. She then leaned forward, bracing her hands on his pecs as she started to grind her hips against his, moaning wantonly.

LEMON ENDS

Several hours later, it was nearing midnight, and Hermione and Naruto were curled up with each other, basking in the afterglow, cuddled up under the blankets of the bed. Hermione had one of his hands clasped in both of her as she gazed at Naruto, eyes shining with warmth and love. Naruto used his free hand to caress her side, from her mid-thigh to her shoulder, and along the slender length of her neck to her cheek. Neither minded that they were both sweating from their previous exertion.

"I don't know if I'll be able to walk tomorrow," Hermione said, smiling at her boyfriend.

"If you can't, I'll carry you to all your classes."

Hermione chuckled, "But we only share three classes, and you have four while I have six. That'll be a tight schedule to keep."

"I'll make it work for you," he smiled.

Hermione giggled before gasping and looking toward the door, causing Naruto to look as well, "I almost forgot, can you grab my bag? I have something for you."

Naruto summoned her bag to him wordlessly, setting it between them on top of the blankets. He watched as she pulled out two small day planners, one was orange and the other was black.

"As I said, when we got together officially, I have come around to you having your dalliances. Especially after tonight, there's no way I alone will be able to keep up with you every time we're intimate. So, I had these made," she gave the orange one to Naruto, before opening hers to explain the function. "Yours is the master planner. When someone writes their name in the planner on a specific day, it puts their name on that day, they can even schedule a time for you as well. The other thing that happens is that it blocks off in the other planners that day or time but doesn't show the names to anyone else. You can even color-coordinate people if you wanted to."

Naruto absorbed what she had said to him before smirking, "This makes it feel like you're my pimp."

Hermione chuckled, "I suppose I am. Shall I also charge them and really be a pimp?"

Naruto just rolled his eyes, but the smile belied his amusement. "How many of these did you have made?"

"I started with twenty, since you mentioned you've been with nine women since the beginning of the school year."

"Ten now," he corrected, looking deeply into her eyes, causing her to flush lightly at his stare.

"I figure this will make it easier for everyone involved. You must tell everyone that I'm the one who provided these, and that I'll be looking over your planner from here on out," she stated firmly, which was a strict condition of their relationship while packing her bag back up and placing it out of the way again. "Also, you can now use this room for your dalliances but know that I'll be stopping by any time I wish whenever the fancy strikes me."

Naruto smiled at her, "I understand, 'Mione. I'm thankful that you're willing to tolerate my indulgence. Also, if you ever find yourself wanting more, I don't mind. It's only fair, right?"

Hermione smiled, before caressing his face like he does her. "That is fair, but right now you're more than enough for me."

Naruto drew Hermione closer and cuddled her, wrapping his arms around her. He tucked her under his chin and placed a kiss to the crown of her head. He then said something that stole Hermione's breath for a few seconds, "I love you, Hermione."

She pulled back a bit to look into his eyes, hers full of unshed tears, "I love you, too." The two then shared a series of loving kisses before finally going to sleep.

The weeks leading up to the actual trial of Sirius Black showed Minister Fudge flexing his political muscle and launching via the Daily Prophet a smear campaign against everyone. Sirius. Jiraiya. The ICW. Dumbledore. Harry. Naruto. None were spared. He used the controversial columnist Rita Skeeter to do so. She specialized in poison-pen stories after all, preferring to write what people "like to read" versus what they "ought to read".

The article that was written on Harry painted him as a traumatized teen who sought the love of any parental figure that would give him attention and was brought in by the "abhorrent lies of a mad man claiming to be his godfather". The fury that Harry had felt reading that left his belly feeling it was full of hot coals. Sirius had reassured him that it meant nothing and that he shouldn't trouble himself with the words of a shrew like her. Sirius' own article had been scathing in comparison, calling him every name under the book throughout the two-page spread.

When Naruto had read the article about him, he busted up laughing. The article she wrote had called him "A disgraced former heir from a third-world country who plays at being an American and whores himself out to feel the barest hint of emotional connection to fill the void his parents left when he was expelled from his original school and home country." Seemed he had really touched a nerve with Fudge. He was impressed that they had found out he slept around, they must have an informant in the student body. Needless to say almost all of the articles were close to fully fabricated with the barest hints of truth in them so they couldn't be claimed a completely false.

Dumbledore's comment of her being "enchantingly nasty" after reading his article really summed up who she was. Jiraiya had said that even he wouldn't have sex with her if he was paid to do so. To say that the reactions of the people around him had calmed Harry down quite a bit was an understatement.

But today was the day of the trial that Sirius was to receive. He was there to testify in his defense, which he couldn't do prior. Jiraiya was there as his custodian and to observe the actions of the Ministry to potentially bring up a case against them from the ICW. Naruto was there as he had been informed that he would called as a witness. He knew he would be used to weaken Sirius' claim of innocence. He was prepared for them to railroad him, possibly paint him as a dark wizard himself due to his interaction with the Djinn. It wasn't confidential information, so he was already preparing to be lambasted and having his words taken out of context despite how precise and concise he would try to answer. He had learned his lesson four years ago, and he wasn't 12 anymore.

Naruto had gotten tired of waiting for the Wizengamot to convene, they were already thirty minutes late from the time they were told it was to start. Naruto told Jiraiya to let him know when it started, but he had to go find something to drink and snack on. After having procured a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of butterbeer from a food vendor in what could be considered the Ministry's version of a cafeteria, Naruto was making his way back to the courtrooms. He stood waiting for the elevator as he had to go several floors down.

As he waited for the next carriage to arrive, he was joined by a man in his late thirties or early forties. He stood around Sirius' and Harry's height. He had familiarly colored hair – platinum blonde. He deduced he must be pureblood. The man was dressed in some fancy robes and walked with a cane, despite not needing it. It was a pin in the lapel of his robes that caught his eye, as he had seen it many times on hairpins of a very close friend. Ever the yank, he decided to make some small talk and introduce himself.

"Excuse me, sir," he started, drawing the man's attention to himself. "I'm sorry if this is a rude or weird question, but are you related to Daphne Greengrass?"

The man's eyebrows shot nearly to his hairline, not expecting that question. He didn't expect someone who wasn't aware of just who he is to be in the Ministry today. "Yes, Daphne is my eldest daughter. Who might you be?"

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki," he smiled warmly at the man, before sticking his hand out for a shake. "Pleasure to meet you!"

"Lord Artemis Greengrass," he responded, taking the taller, but younger man's hand. He looked at Naruto for a heartbeat or two in confusion before realization flashed in his eyes, taking in the obvious glow of Naruto's eyes fully for the first time. "Ah, I remember now. Daphne has mentioned you many times in her letters home. She says that you're an instructor at Hogwarts for – what was it now – Physical Education?"

"Ah, yes, sir. At the beginning of the year, I guess I impressed Professor Dumbledore so much that he wanted me to continue teaching any student that wants to. It's my philosophy that a healthy mind works best with a healthy body, a hold over from my time learning at Mahoutokoro."

His eyes widened a bit searching his memory of that, "I could have sworn that Daphne said that you came from Ilvermorny?"

"I did! I studied for five years at Mahoutokoro, until I was 12, had a 2-year gap where I traveled with my godfather, and then spent 2 years at Ilvermorny before coming to Hogwarts this year," he explained to assuage the older man's confusion.

"I see. You're remarkably well-traveled. I can see why my daughter would become friends with you. I also remember that she asked for your assistance in hiring people for her business venture. What are your thoughts on that?" he asked, gauging his response.

"I think Daphne did a good job deciding what she wanted to do. She's loads better than I am at that kind of thing. I think she's striking at the right time as well! Hogsmeade didn't have a thrift store, but there's a resurgence for secondhand items going on now. I had an idea in the future for her to expand her business to another sector as well, but I don't want to jinx it by revealing my thoughts on it yet! I was hoping to talk with her tonight about it when I get back to Hogwarts."

They were interrupted as an elevator carriage finally arrived. Both men stepped in, and Artemis was suspicious when Naruto requested the same floor that he was going to.

"What business do you have in the Wizengamot chambers?" Artemis asked, suspicion kept out of his voice.

"I'm being called as a witness. The thing is, I know I'm going to be railroaded and slammed as a terrible judge of character. I have some skeletons in the closet that I'm not proud of, but I own up to my past mistakes and I don't run from them," he stated with conviction, elevating his friend's father's opinion of him significantly.

"That's very admirable. I wish some of my colleagues on the Wizengamot had that kind of integrity," he stated, again eyeing Naruto up and down, taking in his professional suit and tie combo that no doubt was influenced by the Americans. "Tell me, Naruto. Are you a pureblood by chance?"

Naruto looked at him, wondering where this line of questioning was heading. "Eh… That's a bit of a tricky question to be honest."

"How so?" never had he heard anyone claim that their blood lineage was complicated. It's a simple yes or no in his mind.

"In Japan," Naruto began, "I would be considered a pureblood wizard due to my lineage. My dad's half-Japanese, half-American. My mom's half-Japanese, half-Irish. All my grandparents are wizards and witches in Japan. But my grandma on mom's side is special. She's a kitsune, you see, making me a quarter kitsune from my mom. In Japan, my family, the Uzumaki are respected and are considered to be a pureblood wizarding family, despite having a closer relationship to demons. Here in Britain, I'm not a pureblood."

"Hmm," Artemis said as they reached their floor, and the doors dinged open. "That's a shame. With how highly Daphne spoke of you, I'd have cancelled her betrothal and offered the same to your family if you were a pureblood. You're an upstanding young man. I can appreciate that."

Naruto reigned in his annoyance and stepped out with him. "Again, Lord Greengrass," he said, "sorry if this comes off rude. But is keeping with tradition worth Daphne sacrificing her own happiness? She's expressed to me her frustration with the traditional arranged marriages."

"She has expressed the same to me as well," he agreed. "However, this is how it's done in magical Britain. You'd have a greater understanding of this tradition if you had been born and raised here."

"I don't doubt that sir," Naruto stated. "I have my own qualms with traditions from my homeland. I know that it takes time to make changes, but sometimes, if the change could be for the greater good, someone must take that first step, y'know?"

Artemis contemplated his sentiment. "You do speak true, Mr. Uzumaki. However, I won't be the one to take that step."

Naruto nodded, knowing that he couldn't keep arguing that point if he wanted to keep a cordial relationship with Daphne's father. He offered his hand to Artemis, "Well, I suppose this is where we'll go our own ways. It was nice meeting you, Lord Greengrass. I hope that I'll get the chance to meet you again. Maybe in less serious surroundings."

"Likewise, Mr. Uzumaki," he returned the handshake. They then parted their separate ways.

Naruto wondered if he'd be able to ever convince him to change his mind before Daphne was wed. He wanted his friend to find her own definition of happiness. Naruto rounded the corner where his party was seated and was greeted by a voice that was both unfamiliar, but also familiar. It was also speaking Japanese.

"Hey, Naruto-kun. Long time, no see!" a cheerful, womanly voice said as he came closer, lost in his own thoughts.

Looking up, Naruto instantly recognized the blonde standing next to Jiraiya. She was wearing a traditional kimono, colored purple, and her platinum blonde hair was gathered in a high ponytail that hung almost fully down her back, a long bang of hair covered her right pale blue eye. The visible one shined in amusement.

"Ino-chan?!" Naruto cried out in surprise at seeing his childhood friend.

End Chapter 12

A/N: Who saw that coming at the end there? Bet I got y'all on that one. Ino's part in this story will be elaborated in the next chapter, and her first (yes first) major involvement will happen. She's going to be one of my deus ex machina for this story and a major agent of chaos plot-wise. I'll be honest, despite her appearances being limited, every time we see her there will be far-reaching consequences. Gotta shake up that Etch-a-Sketch. Catch y'all later!