A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back with the next chapter. Holidays and illness are always fun! Let's get into it!

hqjkat: Don't worry, I'll put in some proper threesomes in the near future.

RonaldM40196867: Favorite HP movie? Goblet of Fire has a special place in my heart. The first Fantastic Beasts was dope as well, wish it had kept the quality up.

Krieger Techpriest: Nah, Ron won't be turning into Malfoy, you can rest assured. Can't say more.

Paul Breon: Thank you! I plan to keep it up until I get to the end (wherever that is).

LelouchXKallen: I'm not going to "Do better." I'm going to do what I want.

R34p3r5: I'm in a monogamous marriage. I'm not looking to share my wife with anyone. But that doesn't mean I don't recognize there are people out there who have that lifestyle, and I don't judge.

Happy fan: Good to see you again! Hope you get this update! As far as Naruto doing something like Limitless, nah. I've got something else planned though.

Guest932: You hit the nail on the head! If Naruto knew Harry from birth and was able to see his aura then, he would be able to recognize something is wrong, but this is a Harry with 16 years of having the Horcrux in him, it's intertwined.

NewRadcarl504: Thanks, sir!

Guest: Looks like your review was cut short by accident, but I can get the gist. I'm perfectly fine if you don't like what I'm writing. As I said in a prior chapter, if you don't like it, just drop it. It's what I do. If I like something, I review. If I don't, I stop reading. People should do the same. Why get bent out of shape about what someone else is writing? No one is forcing you to keep reading.

Stephane az: I don't hate Ron, but I don't like him either. I'm indifferent to him. He'll be fine, he won't be needlessly tortured either. He'll have a pleasant life in the story.

Lastly, I fully expect to lose some readers with this chapter. If I do, it has been a fun time these last few months! I always encourage others to keep pushing through, because I assure that some people who would normally be mad will be a bit surprised.

Chapter 16: A Quick Catch-Up

Summer in the south of France was close to perfect. The morning sun was just starting to warm the sand again. The beach was not at its busiest, but that would change within the next few hours. Sitting in a folding lounge chair, catching some sun while also reading was Hermione. She was lathered in suntan oil, hoping to gain a bit of a tan compared to the summer prior. She was clad in a nearly scandalous bikini – that was her dad's opinion at least. Her mom seemed content to try and match her look, wearing a similar one. While she was completely covered, she was showing more skin than she ever had in the past. She looked very content, as her sunglass concealed eyes appeared to be focused on the book in front of her. But those who knew Hermione would notice something was just a bit off: she had been on the same page for the past fifteen minutes after picking her book up.

Truthfully, her mood was a bit sour compared to the beautiful scenery. This was her and her parents' second week here and they would be leaving in just a couple of days. Her mood was ruined by some recent events.

Her relationship with Naruto was unconventional by a lot of metrics. She remembered a few weeks ago when they were departing at Hogsmeade and his encouragement to try exploring outside the relationship. He had made it clear that he saw them as being in a committed open relationship. He reassured her that he would harbor no jealousy if she wanted to explore a bit. She had tentatively tried as he had suggested.

The third night of the trip she had left her room at the resort and ventured to a discotheque a few blocks away. It was not her normal scene, but she had attempted to have some fun. She had been successful, she supposed. She had danced with several guys, a few of them later in the night had gotten a bit handsy, which she allowed. She noted that their hands just hadn't felt right roaming her body like Naruto's do.

She had gone out a couple nights later when it was the weekend and had a similar experience. This time she had even made out with some of the guys and returned the being handsy, exploring them back. While they had been good-looking, even charming, again they felt wrong. She judged them harshly in her mind, wondering how they could stand to be so weak and scrawny. She knew she sounded like a vain bitch at that, but she had been spoiled by Naruto and his physique. It was deep-seated in her mind that the tight, corded, not overly bulky muscles that Naruto had was her ideal and none of the guys there at the club had been remotely close to what she desired.

The next few days she had stewed, trying to come up with a new idea. She had gotten it in her head that she needed to do as Naruto had suggested as he felt he wasn't being fair to her by having sex with multiple women while she remained loyal to him. So, she had gone out to a bar the night prior with the plan of getting picked up by a man.

That was the easy part. She had been approached by a man a few years older that carried himself with an air of charming confidence. She had allowed herself to be picked up by him and followed him back to his flat that was close by. When she was in the flat, it became clear that his only intention was to get lucky that night, which she had told herself was what she wanted. Despite her and Naruto having unprotected (except for the potion) sex, she had told the man he needed a condom. From first thrust, she had been disappointed. He was unable to compare to Naruto at all. She let him continue for about a minute, listening to him praise her, and ask if she liked his 'big cock'. But she honestly felt nothing from it. She had wandlessly cast a stupefy spell, and using a technique she learned from Naruto, used his weight and her position to roll him off and out of her. After, she got dressed and left with a weird emotion rattling around her mind.

That was how she found herself today, trying to figure out what she was feeling. She had concluded that Naruto had ruined her for other men. His positivity and love for her was the best thing she could have asked for. She had convinced herself that he was the perfect boyfriend she could have, and no one would ever measure up. She thought back to a couple encounters that she had been a part of with Naruto. Ino had been the first time she ever had a threesome and had ever done anything with another woman, she would be lying if she said she never wanted another experience with Ino again.

The week before their year end exams, Naruto had been slammed with appointments with women needing to blow off steam. It was during one of these sessions that Hermione had finally met the first woman he had sex with at Hogwarts, Penny Fairhearth. She was in her seventh year – something that Hermione had never asked about – and thus her N. E. W. T.s were getting to her. Hermione had decided that she was going to at least watch Naruto and Penny's tryst as she had reserved that right way back when she set up the rules of her and Naruto's relationship. But watching had gotten her in the mood and she had asked Penny if she minded her joining in. That had been the second time that she had done anything with another woman with her boyfriend, and she decided that she had fun exploring her femininity and sexuality as well.

Hermione had a light go off in her mind. Maybe she should instead see about finding a French girl to fool around with instead of a man. That sounded more appealing than trying to find a man that Naruto had ruined her for. Now if only she could find one in the next few days before she returned home and she had to focus on her homework fully for her return to Hogwarts in the coming month and a half.

"Bonjour," a light, lilting voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Ees zis area taken?"

Hermione's eyes settled on the speaker, a very enchantingly beautiful blonde that appeared just a few years older than her. She was accompanied by a beautiful girl just a bit younger than Hermione, and woman who was obviously older, but just as striking as the other two. Her eyes quickly discerned the similar features that made her jump to the conclusion that they were all related. A mother and her daughters?

"Oh, no, please. You are more than welcome to set up here," Hermione beamed at the trio of ladies.

"Merci beaucoup," the speaker said before speaking more in French to her supposed sister and mother. Something that Hermione wished she had tried to learn more of instead of trying to get disappointingly laid.

She watched them set up their own loungers and beach blankets, and when they had settled down, Hermione figured now was the time to introduce herself. "My name is Hermione Granger, these," she gestured to her parents who had been captured by the beauty of the women, and only now snapped out of their stupor, "are my parents, Emma and Paul. May I ask your names?"

"Hey!" a whisper broke the droning sound of short waves lapping at the beach. "Check her out! That ass is amazing. You should go talk to her, Remus!"

Harry's eyes opened behind his own pair of sunglasses, before looking in the direction that his godfather Sirius was directing his friend Remus' attention. About ten meters away was a woman, walking down the beach. Her body was clad in a neon green thong bikini that stood out in sharp contrast to her dark ebony skin. Harry mentally agreed that her ass did look amazing, as did her legs, and her huge tits as well. Harry's hormones had been all over the place ever since he had joined his godfather and their mutual friend on this vacation. It was the first he had ever been on, and Sirius had decided that they needed to go to The Bahamas.

He had been right. Harry had been amazed at the number of sheer beauties that were around. He had been goaded by his godfather relentlessly, in a loving way, and had come out of his shell that he had surrounded himself with over the years. Because of that, Harry had finally gotten laid, much to his godfather's excitement. Since that night almost a month ago, Sirius had decided to make it a competition to see who could get lucky the most. Currently, Sirius was in the lead by five, Harry was following him, and Remus was at the bottom of the leaderboard, having indulged only once the entire trip.

"No thank you," Remus said, turning the page in his book he was reading. "I thought I said I wasn't going to play this 'game'. It's not right to treat these women like objects or trophies to be collected."

Sirius stewed annoyed at "Mister Morality". He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "I'm not doing that at all. I'm just making up for lost time and honing my skills back to where they were before I was incarcerated. Besides, Harry isn't complaining! He's a true-blue man now!"

Harry smiled at his godfather's antics. He held his fist out to his godfather, receiving a fist bump in return. "If neither of you two are going to, I'm going to," he said, standing up, starting to make his way over to the beauty.

Sirius watched him walk his way over, "I'm so proud. I've succeeded in corrupting my godson as a good godfather is supposed to."

"Lily's going to kill you when you kick the bucket. You realized that, right?" Remus asked, not looking up from his book.

"I accept the consequences of my actions," Sirius said, watching as Harry finally arrived at the beauty. He watched with a proud smirk as Harry made the woman laugh before nodding and leading Harry away. "I'm going to make him my heir."

That caught Remus' attention, causing him to lower his book, "Where's that coming from? What if you have your own children and have to renounce him as your heir?"

"That won't happen," Sirius said with certainty. He looked at his oldest friend, "Azkaban always takes something from you when you're in there as long as I was. I'm lucky to have survived with my mind intact, but it took my ability to have children from me."

Remus looked shocked at the news. "Sirius," he started, eyebrows creasing in concern, "I'm so sorry. I didn't-"

"Ah!" he interrupted the werewolf. "Don't be sorry. I never wanted children of my own anyway. You know my bloodline is filled with insanity. Look at my cousin. Bellatrix is a prime example that the bloodline needs to stop. Narcissa isn't much better, she listened to mother too closely when she was talking about her blood purity shite. I'll never name a Malfoy as my heir, so her son is out. Andromeda is the only one that is worth a damn, and she adamantly refuses to have anything to do with the family inheritance-wise. Regulus would have been the best choice for heir, especially after he tried to leave Voldemort. Guess he had a change of heart echoing mother and father's blood purity shite."

Remus nodded along, listening to Sirius rant. He wasn't going to say anything, but it looked as if his friend was just coping with the news and putting up a front to his eyes. He had a similar reaction when he finally understood the true weight of his curse of lycanthropy.

"Since I'm the last Black, and Harry is my godson, it's only logical that I make him my heir," Sirius concluded. "Besides, have you seen how he's been with the women around here? He'll be making his own family tapestry! Even better because mother will be rolling in her grave at all the illegitimate kids he's going to have. Couldn't ask for better revenge."

Remus stared at him deadpan. He pulled his book back up to continue reading. "Well, just make sure he knows."

"Yeah, yeah, will do," Sirius dismissed as he spotted another woman who drew his attention. He promptly rose to his feet and went on his 'hunt' as he called it.

Had anyone bothered to inform Naruto that the entire area surrounding Karlovsko Praskalo Waterfall was an actual nexus of magic, he would have appreciated that. It would have potentially saved him weeks of frustration. Because it being a Nexus, he was surrounded and practically blinded by the swirling, chaotic convergence of magic flowing in the area. For this he was not having a good time. It had been weeks of roughing it in the woods as he attempted to find the magical font that the Veela used to perform the ritual that was said could cure all magical afflictions. Not that it had been proven in the last two and a half centuries.

Naruto was certain that the universe was conspiring against him. Or maybe it was the Djinn. That sounded more likely. There was a positive that had come out of his misery the last few weeks, however! He had encountered that same Graphorn that had turned his ribcage and surrounding organs to mush, only this time he was ready. The rematch was just as lackluster as the first, but in reverse. He had gone with the plan that he had thought of after recovering from dying and it turned out that was the right move. Four consecutive Severing Charms had weakened his attack point, and four more had left the Graphorn sans a head. He felt a bit bad about having killed the creature, but he was petty enough that he was happy to have gotten his revenge. He had collected the corpse after felling it and sealed it away for ease of transport. He would find a leatherworker to make him some clothes from its hide. He wouldn't need all of it, so he would have to figure out what to do with what wasn't used. It also begged the question what to do with the other parts of the beast. He still was pondering just what to do with it.

Naruto had broke camp just an hour prior, continuing with his search for the cave. He had just over twelve and a half square miles that this cave could be in. He had searched just over five of those square miles. He was losing hope and patience with this task he was on. At the rate he was going, he would be done by the next school year. Staring down into a crevasse, he didn't see anything that stood out from the ambient magic swirling around. Just as he was calling it a dead end, he saw an errant strand of magic break off a mainline and swirl into a small crevice that was blocked by a large slab of stone. Scrutinizing the surrounding cliff wall, it was obvious that the slab had broken free in recent history.

Naruto's pulse quickened. Could it be? Using a technique that he had been developing the last couple of weeks, his forearms and lower legs were coated in glowing yellow magic. He then jumped off the cliff face into the crevasse, falling a good eighty to ninety feet. The magic absorbed the impact and dispersed the kinetic energy of his fall in a burst out from his landing. It was an enhancement spell, but it was far from finished. He wanted to coat his entire body in it and use it to greatly enhance his physical abilities. He thought about calling it his Super Saiyan technique, but he didn't want to get sued. It was a fun anime and manga, damn it!

Going to the stone slab, he took in the sheer size of it. He wasn't going to levitate it, that was for sure. Something of this mass would require at the least ten very capable witches and wizards. Demolition was out of the question as well. If that slab was any indication, he didn't want to tempt fate by trying to blow it up with some well-placed Bombarda Maximas. His luck, an even bigger slab would dislodge and pancake him for the next eternity. So, some reconstruction might work.

He drew his Thunderbird wand as the Repairo spell was one that he preferred to cast with a wand after doing so the first time. It helped his focus of his magic with the spell. With a firm, powerful intonation of the incantation and the accompanying wand movements, the rocks that surrounded the slab started to move. The strain on his magic was immense due to the size of the slab he was attempting to will back, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Slowly, over the course of several minutes, the spell seemed to reverse time for the slab of rock and surrounding stone. When the slab had settled back in place, Naruto held the spell for an extra minute longer, allowing the erosion that had been the cause of the dislodgment to undo, leaving the slab rooted back in place for several more millennia as it had been prior.

When it was complete, Naruto observed what had appeared. It was a cave entrance, about a door's size. With the slab gone, it was easier to see the errant strands of magic as they made their way into it. Following the magic's flow, he entered the cave. He wasn't worried about any cave occupants. The worst would be some insects, or small mammals possibly.

It wasn't a long trek, about the length of a Quidditch pitch, but it was long enough to necessitate the use of Lumos due to the twists and turns. The cave opened into a good-sized room. A grin broke out across his face as he took in a raised stone dais in the center of the room. It was surrounded by stone pillars and had a large stalactite that had dislodged from the ceiling that had toppled a couple of pillars on its collision with the cave floor.

As he did with the outside, another flick of his wrist led to more magical repairs. As the stalactite reattached itself to the ceiling, the pillars righted and fixed themselves as well. When the process was over, he was blinded by a surge of magical energy that was suddenly flowing through the cave as it had been before all those years ago.

A huge grin split Naruto's face in response. "Better let Vasilka know the good news." With that, he turned and with an illegal apparition, he left the cave.

Daphne examined the back room of her thrift store Rags and Riches. She was going through another donation of items alongside one of her employees, Mary. She was a local housewife who had originally just obtained the job to earn enough to afford a nice, long vacation for her and her husband as it had been several years since their last, after the Ministry had lowered her husband's salary. Daphne's other employee was in the storefront and a recent graduate from Hogwarts. Her name was Penny Haywood, a former Hufflepuff who upon graduating, had tried to become an apothecary and had apprenticed with one in Italy as a change of scenery. She had unfortunately fallen out of love with potions making due to the apothecary that she had worked for being verbally and emotionally abusive. It turned out that he just wanted a maid to help keep his life in better order. She was brilliant as the face of the store as her prior popularity at Hogwarts drew more foot traffic.

"These clothes seem like standard fare, Ms. Greengrass," Mary commented, sifting through the gently used clothing. "Should I put them through the standard cleaning and scouring process?"

"Yes, please do," she said, glancing away from the antique jewelry box that had been donated. She could see that it was enchanted, but not what the enchantments' effects were. She picked it up and moved it off to the side, where a large quantity of similar items was stacked. "We're starting to run out of space back here. Naruto's going to have his work cut out for him this time."

"When is he supposed to be back again?" Mary asked as she waved her wand at a station, activating the charms and wards that saw to the clothing getting its cleaning started.

A small frown pulled down at the corner of Daphne's lips, "I'm not sure. He said that he'd try to be back the first week of July, but here we are, the twelfth and I haven't heard a word."

"Don't worry. I'm sure your boyfriend's not out shagging anyone else with a beauty like yourself waiting for him," she assured her employer, being completely unaware of Naruto's proclivities or her current situation of the ongoing but ending engagement.

She just smirked amusedly, crossing her arms across her stomach. "Oh, he more than likely is. He went to Bulgaria to a Veela sanctuary after all." Her stating it matter-of-factly caused Mary to pause in her sorting of the clothes and gape at Daphne in embarrassment. "He's also not my boyfriend. He's my friend Hermione's boyfriend."

Mary floundered a bit, seeing as she was a muggle-born that married to a half blood wizard. She, much like Hermione, was ignorant of the pureblood societal norms, even after having lived in Hogsmeade for the last 8 years after attending Hogwarts.

Daphne let out a melodious laugh at the expression on her employee's face. "Don't worry. Hermione is aware as well. Why, before leaving with his godfather to Bulgaria, he encouraged her to see about exploring outside their relationship on her holiday in the South of France this year."

Mary just stared dumbfounded. It made no sense to her! She just shook her head in disbelief and a bit of shock, "Even after all this time in the magical world, I still get surprised by things."

Daphne just laughed harder, which caused Mary to laugh along with her. Neither noticed some movement in the bag of clothes that Mary was sorting. Both were jolted from their laughter as Mary yelped in pain, jerking her hand out of the pile of clothes. Both watched as a shirt levitated from the bag and from inside, a pixie appeared. It released a shrill cry, and the rest of the clothes seemed to explode out of the bag as a few dozen other pixies burst out. Both women cried out in alarm, and Daphne started having flashbacks to her second year and that incompetent ponce Lockhart.

Daphne and Mary were quick to draw their wands and started trying to take down the horde of pixies. They were just as annoying as Daphne remembered, swarming around the women and throughout the room. They were easily trashing all the hard work that the two women had done to get the room organized. Daphne was distracted, protecting herself from flying objects and divebombing pixies. She desperately tried to remember the spell that would stop them from moving. Just as the spell had arrived in her mind and she started to cast it, she was interrupted.

"Immobulus!" a soft whoosh pulsed through the air as the swarming of the pixies came to an immediate stop as they started to listlessly float through the air.

Both women turned to the origin of the voice, seeing a familiar person. "Naruto!" they both said in surprise and happiness.

Without acknowledging the women, he summoned the bag the clothes had arrived in off the cleaning station table. He held it open and with a grasping motion and a yank toward himself, the pixies all flew into the bag. When all were secured in it, he tied the bag closed and magicked it to stay that way.

"Thanks for that," Daphne said, walking over to him. "I was just about to handle them though."

Naruto just hummed as he shrugged off a backpack. Daphne then fully took in his appearance. He had boots with some durable pants tucked into the tops. He was wearing a black tank top, showing off his arms which had his twin wand holsters. Lastly, on his face were the sunglasses that he wore to keep his glowing eyes hidden. That was an item she was not expecting to see.

Her brow furrowed in concern as she stepped up to him, taking his right hand in both of hers, "Oh no… Was it a dead-end?"

He reached up with his opposite hand and removed his sunglasses, showing that his eyes were still glowing that same cerulean that she had come to associate with him, but was hoping would be gone when he came back. She took in his expression, noting the sadness behind his eyes. He had started to grow a beard while out the last month, the growth being enough to make him appear older than he was. The sadness compounded the aged look more than she thought possible. Daphne just stepped closer, encircling his chest with her arms, feeling his wrap around her back as she nestled her head under his chin on his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. I had hoped this lead would have panned out for you," she softly said.

"It's okay. I still helped to restore the font of magic back to working condition for the Veela enclave, it just didn't work for me," he murmured into the top of her head, taking comfort in the scent of his friend's shampoo.

They stayed like that for a good while, Naruto seeking solace and Daphne providing it. When they both pulled back, Daphne reached up and cupped his cheek with a small smile on her face. "What's with this?" she said, stroking his burgeoning beard.

"I was in the mountains for almost a month, didn't feel like getting rid of it," he answered with a small smile of his own.

She smiled as she ran her hand over the slightly scratchy facial hair. "You've always been a handsome man. This beard makes you look roguish." A toothy grin was his reply. A few more handfuls of seconds later and the two fully separated. "I'm glad you returned when you did. We've got quite the backlog of items for you to analyze."

Placing his hands on his hips he surveyed the veritable hoard of magical furniture, curios, and knickknacks. "I'll say. Who died? Looks like you were given two whole estates worth of things."

"Surprisingly, these are just donations from here in Hogsmeade and the surrounding hamlets."

"Damn! For real?"

"Unbelievable, I know. But it seems many families in the area have been reluctant to part with their great-great-great grandmother's nightstand or what have you. We've also started getting even more visitors from down in the London area. Seems our word-of-mouth and advertising campaign in The Prophet was successful," the pride in her voice as she surveyed all she had built herself in just a few short months was palpable.

Naruto nodded as he rolled his shoulders and then cracked his knuckles. "Guess there's no time to waste then! Gotta keep my favorite thrift store full of safe, secondhand things!"

It took four days straight to get everything assessed and cataloged. Naruto found only four items that were cursed and had to be destroyed. The rest he had scribbled the effects that could be seen from his eyes to give the new owner an idea of what they were purchasing. That was one of the main draws of Rags and Riches over similar stores in either Diagon Alley or Knockturn Alley. The other stores had explanations of what something did, but Daphne personally guaranteed that the effect was as stated and if it was not when used following Naruto's directions, she would purchase it back with a ten percent inconvenience fee. A lot of people had tried to take advantage of that, and all of them had shown they were not following the directions to the letter or trying to use it contrary as described. Needless to say, all sales had been final.

It was Saturday, and Daphne was treating Naruto to lunch at the Three Broomsticks. They were enjoying their last couple of hours together. Soon, Naruto was going to be leaving to go back to Bulgaria, Vasilka had written him saying that there was an urgent matter she needed to speak with him about. Similarly, Daphne had another date that afternoon with Cassius Warrington. She was happy she only had twelve dates left with him before the end of the year and her engagement being cancelled.

Daphne had spoken at length about how she looked forward to when she would finally be able to date Naruto properly. She had informed him about how he would be the perfect gentleman and woo her properly with all the charm that he had charmed Hermione with.

"Have you spoken to her about your plans yet?" he questioned with an amused smile on his face.

"I wrote to her asking if I could come visit her and discuss a matter in person with her," she informed. "I kept it vague, figured it would be best in case the owl was intercepted."

"Oh~, very covert," Naruto teased, raising his index finger to his lips. "Don't worry, I'll keep it hush-hush."

She swatted his arm, a smile on her lips as she chastised him, "Prat."

Naruto just chuckled in amusement. They continued to talk even as Madame Rosmerta had come to clear their plates and refresh their butterbeers. Daphne asked if the busty bar owner had enjoyed his company at all the prior year after watching as Naruto's eyes lingered after her, taking in all the mature witch's curves. He denied it, but said he wouldn't say no if she had approached him. Daphne agreed with him, saying that he'd be a legend among the male students if he did. A look from him and she corrected herself saying he'd be even more of a legend.

Naruto had found himself a source of envy from most of the male student body by the end of his first year at Hogwarts. It had become an open secret that he was regularly visiting quite a few of the female student body. There had even been rumblings that he was seen visiting Professor Sinistra at least once a month.

The rumors surrounding him weren't even the most scandalous part. The fact that he was openly dating Hermione and still had all those rumors surrounding him and she appeared to be nonplussed was astounding. Naturally, through the second half of the year, Hermione also had rumors spread about her. There were those that felt empowered to confront her to her face due to her muggle-born status. The first couple of times that had happened, she had been distraught and emotionally hurt. Naruto had ended up setting up a trap. Borrowing Harry's invisibility cloak, Hermione had put herself in a secluded section of the library. It worked almost too well. Malfoy and his cronies had boxed her in and started to hurl abuse at her. They let the taunts go on, letting them dig their holes beyond escape. Just before they tried to lay hands on her, Naruto seemed to appear out of thin air, and Hermione disappeared as he draped her in the invisibility cloak instead. The action was so swift that it looked like Naruto had apparated in while taking Hermione away.

Two things made this incorrect. First, the wards around Hogwarts prevented apparition within its walls. Secondly, there was no accompanying telltale sound of apparition. Naruto only knew of one singular individual who could do that, his father Minato "The Yellow Flash" Namikaze himself. It was his specialty in the Sekiseigumi, he was the master of apparition. He was able to take down an entire cabal of dark magicals that had been hiding out in Argentina for about thirty years at that point. He had apparated silently around the village and compound that was located there and housing them. In under thirty seconds, he had taken down eighty-seven individuals with ties to the hiding cabal including family members.

It had been the biggest takedown in history and how Minato had earned his moniker. So, if Malfoy and his stooges thought that he was powerful enough to burst through the wards of Hogwarts while also silently apparating, he would let them spread that rumor. What happened in response to Malfoy's bullying was a beatdown of epic proportions. At least to the observers, Madame Pince excluded. Naruto physically controlled the three -despite two of them having way more weight behind them- he laid a beat down on the three. At the finale of the fight, as Madame Pince demanded he stop as he ignored her, standing over Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle lying beaten, bruised, and bleeding, but very much alive and conscious, he delivered his speech, just as McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore arrived on the scene. "Keep spouting off your shit-filled words. We'll see how much longer your father can keep delaying the inevitable retrial of Voldemort's supporters. See how much longer keeping those bigoted and backwards thoughts works out for you."

The fallout was glorious. Snape had outright called for his expulsion from Hogwarts, McGonagall had declared that detention for the rest of the year was warranted. Dumbledore, upon seeing the defiant gleam in Naruto's eye had just asked what had provoked such a response. His explanation of the events leading up to his actions, specifically yet again, his faculty's inaction toward the trio of bullies led him to take matters into his own hands.

The uncomfortable air that settled over the group at his words further incensed him as none deemed it response-worthy. So he called it out again as his frustrations that had been piling up were finally at their tipping point. At the culmination of his tirade, Snape had also blown up on the blonde.

"If we're such an outdated school, lacking the enlightenment of others you have been to, then why are you still attending?" he spat out.

"Because none of you can protect my friends like I can," it was like a slap across the face as his glowing azure eyes settled on the fuming potions professor. "You have some weird obsession with Harry. You've hated him since he first set foot in this castle. You seem to hate your position as a Professor, as if it's beneath you. Why are you still an instructor then?" he turned from Snape to McGonagall. "I have never seen you once protect the muggle-born or half-bloods from the bullying of the purebloods. Turning a blind eye doesn't make it go away," and then to Dumbledore. "We had this discussion months ago in November. Why has nothing changed? Why do you still let him," he jerked his head at Snape, "still let his house get away with the purebloods' bullying? Why is it up to me to be the one to have to point out the obvious that this is untenable and offer solutions?"

When no response was received, he scoffed. "So yes, I'm going to continue to come here. To protect those who can't yet protect themselves, and those who have no support from the adults that were put in charge of their safety. So, sit back, relax, keep doing nothing. I'll be the one putting myself in the way of dark wizards hellbent on resurrection. I'll be the one to face down the deadly beasts that get released to hunt down all the muggle-born. I'll be the one to stave off a fucking Dementor attack on a student just trying to play a sport he enjoys. You all just sit and watch as a student, a foreign half-blood student does your duty for you."

The sound of breathing and the whimpers from Malfoy, still seeking attention and sympathy even in the wake of the verbal lashing. None of the professors would meet his eyes. He scoffed in disbelief, shaking his head. "Find me when you all collectively pull your heads out of your asses and you have a solution or punishment for me. I don't care which," he left, signaling to the still-hidden Hermione to follow him.

His girlfriend had been mortified to say the least after hearing Naruto go off on the faculty. She had given him a tongue-lashing of her own. He had made it up to her of course, showing how truly regretful he was of his words and actions.

The quick trip down memory lane was interrupted by the arrival of Cassius Warrington. He was there for another outing with Daphne. He looked none too happy as he made his way toward Daphne and Naruto. The sneer on his face at just seeing the two sitting across from the other was obnoxious.

"Must you really lower yourself so degradingly by continuously keeping company with the yank?" a textbook sneer from the Malfoy family graced his face. Impressive as he wasn't one. "How much longer are you going to pretend to deny our betrothal? It does you no favors."

Naruto looked at Daphne with a raised eyebrow while pointing his thumb at the pompous boy, "Is he serious? Does he really think this is attractive?"

A vein started to throb on the side of Cassius' neck as red started to bloom up his neck and into his face. "You'd do well to not bad mouth your betters, half-blood!"

"I would never say anything bad about Daphne, so I don't know where you get that idea," he smirked, not looking away from Daphne while giving her a wink. He didn't miss the poorly disguised smile as she took another drink of her butterbeer. The red of his face deepened as he drew his wand as a threat. Naruto cut him off before he could say anything, however. "Put that away, Warrington. You'll get yourself hurt," he punctuated with a sharp prod of his wand right into Warrington's thigh, drawing attention to the fact that Naruto had somehow drawn and pulled his wand on Warrington before either he or Daphne had noticed.

The red drained from Cassius' face noticing what could have happened. He stumbled back giving space before stowing his wand away again. "Daphne, as your betrothed, I demand you come with me at once."

Naruto stood then, and looked down at the other man, noticing that it looked like he had grown a bit taller since last he measured. His cerulean eyes glowed with fury at the prat. "You have no right to order Daphne to do anything. After today, she'll only have eleven more of these meet ups with you before she's free to make her own choice of marriage partner. So," he said, putting his hand on the shorter man's shoulder, and tightening his grip to uncomfortable levels, "you'll treat her with the respect an heiress of one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight deserves. Otherwise, you and I will have a problem. And we don't want that between us, do we?" His grip tightened further, causing Worthington to grimace, and shake his head. "Glad we could have this talk, Warrington." He released the man, who immediately started rubbing his shoulder to soothe it. Naruto then stepped up next to Daphne who chose then to stand from her seat. He pulled her into a friendly hug. "Be safe, Daph. I'll see you in a few weeks for the next batch of donations to be gone over."

"You be safe too," she replied tightening her hug around his ribs. "Keep me posted on what Vasilka wants to discuss with you as well."

"Will do," he then placed a friendly kiss on the crown of her head before they mutually pulled away. He cast another wave over his shoulder as he walked out of the pub and activated the international portkey he had used to travel to and from Bulgaria and activated it again.

Naruto trudged to the entrance of the Veela community. The sun was a bit lower in the sky as he was making his way up the last bit of the path. The portkey was still attuned to Apriltsi, still unable to bring him any closer. And the apparition wards kept him from getting any closer than half a kilometer. The Bulgarian Ministry wasn't playing around with the security around the community of beautiful unearthly creatures.

Boris and Georgi both greeted him and let him through the gate, already knowing that the younger man had an appointment with Vasilka. He made his way through the courtyard, greeting some of the Veela who called out to him as we went.

He soon found himself gaining entry to Vasilka's office after having knocked.

"Ah, Naruto. I'm so glad you came," she said standing up from behind her desk. She greeted him with a kiss on his cheek, guiding him over to a couch that was within her office.

"Well, you said it was a matter of great importance, so I knew I couldn't just ignore your letter," he smiled at her.

"I wouldn't have blamed you if you had. You did so much for us, and yet our ritual wasn't able to help you in the end," she said, voice soft and apologetic.

Naruto waved her off, "No worries. We're dealing with a Djinn's curse after all. I admit, I was hopeful, but in the back of my mind I still had my doubts that it was going to work."

The beautiful smile that blossomed on the mature woman's face was breathtaking. "You are such a strong man, Naruto. I know you'll eventually find a way to break your curse."

He returned her smile with a toothy grin of his own. "Not to be rude or anything, Vasilka, but what was the urgent matter that you called me here for?"

"Yes, I suppose it would be best to get to the heart of the matter," she nodded in agreement. She took a deep breath and reached out to clasp his hand in hers. "I had a question about your curse and the wording of it. Could you tell me exactly what was said?"

Naruto repeated the curse that the Djinn had laid upon him. Vasilka was quiet for a few minutes afterward, quietly contemplating the wording of it. She then squeezed his hand more firmly and turned her blue eyes upon him, and the sympathy that was held in them raised the hairs on the back of his neck.

"I believe that the vagueness of the curse is impacting you in more ways than you originally thought. Physically, that is."

"Why do you say that?"

She sighed out a breath that seemed to weigh heavily on her. "None of my girls are with child, Naruto."

For half a second, he was confused, but it hit him like a lightning strike. "You believe I'm sterile?"

"I want to conduct a test to confirm," she said grasping his hand even tighter, feeling him return the gesture. "I will of course need a sample to conduct the test with."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement, "Sure. Do you need it right now? Because I don't think I can give you one at the moment."

Vasilka scooted closer, sitting right next to him and pulled his head down to her bosom in comfort. "It does not need to be right now. Whenever you feel up to the task. And if you need it, I will give my assistance as well."

Naruto just nodded, as his thoughts swarmed in chaos as a void opened in his stomach. A pit of despair long thought filled and buried reopened with a vengeance. And deep within that pit, a spark soon to be a roaring inferno ignited.

End Chapter 16

A/N: This chapter was a slog. As mentioned in my top A/N, holidays and illnesses are a blast, let me tell ya. Hopefully I didn't lose many of you from the beginning of the chapter! I can't wait to see how many anonymous flame reviews I'm going to receive for Hermione's explorations even though she decided that she wasn't going to pursue other men afterward. I plan to have Chapter 17 out very soon! Keep an eye out!