Fic, Ninja Reality Chap 3 ... First part >_>
Title: Harry Potter and the Ninja Reality 3/?
Series: Harry Potter and Naruto Crossover
Characters/Pairings: Haru(Harry) + ensemble
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Two strangers show up at number four Privet Drive and offer to take infant Harry off the Dursley’s hands causing the destinies of two realities, and one Harry Potter, to change immensely.
Warnings/Spoilers: Very AU for the Harry Potter universe. Possibly altered timelines for the Naruto ‘verse (such as ages, and the dates for Orochimaru’s defection, Academy graduation and Chuunin exams). Two important OCs. There will be Japanese words and phrases used in the fic, even during the sections where English is primarily spoken. While most are more common words and phrases or can be inferred from context there will be notes at the end of some chapters, when the author deems them necessary.
Notes: On occasions where more than one language may be spoken at one time this is what is what:
‘Japanese.’
“English.”
“Parseltongue.”
Any terms/translations are at the end of individual chapters.
Harry Potter and the Ninja Reality
Chapter 3
Teamwork and Investigations
“So you’re the guy who graduated early, huh? Kinda scrawny, aren’cha? I hope your skills’re better than ya look.”
Haru glances at the girl shoving through the crowd of milling students and looks her up and down briefly, “I graduated early, didn’t I? New teammate? Mitarashi Kazuharu.” He bows briefly.
“Inoue Chikara. Guess we’ll be workin’ together for a while. What’re ya good at? ‘m best at taijutsu an’ swords.” Chikara runs a hand through her short brown hair and grabs Haru by the wrist, “Come on. Let’s go somewhere quieter an’ talk. Kenji-idiot’ll be around in a minute.”
Haru allows himself to be dragged outside and up a set of stairs with a shrug, “Swords, huh?”
“Yeah.” With an unfeminine grunt Chikara flops down on the landing and tugs some cold chicken out of her pack. As she munches she mumbles, “Grandad used to be real good at ‘em. ‘m continuing the family tradition. So what’re ya good at?”
“I don’t really have a specialty yet. Um. . .” Haru pauses to unwrap his bentou and picks at the food inside while he thinks, “Survival skills, I guess. Kaa-chan’s been teaching me. Say’s it’s important to be able to stay alive and healthy anywhere and among any group of people.”
“Those skills may be useful on long missions away from the village.” Both Haru and Chikara jump at the soft, cultured voice and the speaker leaps down delicately to stand before them, giving a formal bow. “Geirin Kenji. I see you’ve already met Chika-chan, Kazuharu-kun.” The early afternoon light glistens off the silk kimono as Kenji stands up from the bow.
“Shut up! I told ya not to call me that, Kenji-idiot.” Chikara snarls and hurls a piece of chicken at the newcomer.
Kenji catches the chicken with dainty hands and very carefully tears off a piece and pops it into a painted mouth. “Thank you, Chika-chan. But you needn’t have bothered. I did bring my own lunch.” Chikara snarls and launches herself at Kenji but the other daintily sidesteps with a musical chuckle.
Haru looks Kenji over. The other young ninja looks every bit the part of a geisha. “Are you a geisha then?”
“Maiko, actually. I haven’t finished my training yet. Mother says I should be promoted to full geisha in a couple years.” Kenji very carefully sits down in seiza and pulls out a small bentou box and a thermos from somewhere in the folds of the kimono.
“Oh. Right.” Haru eats for a moment and then asks, “But why is a geisha training to be a ninja?”
Kenji laughs, “Simple. It’s one of my family’s specialties. We all train as geisha in addition to being ninja. Many of our missions require those skills. We are geisha-ninja, geinin for short. Of course geinin also train to be able to impersonate people of dozens of different fields so. . .” With a small laugh Kenji delicately pours a cup of tea and opens the bentou, “Itadakimasu.”
Chikara grumbles from her seat, having given up on tackling Kenji, “Kenji-idiot ‘s also good at poisons an’ stealth an’ stuff.” After a pause she murmurs, “An’ Kenji’s academics are some of the best in the class.”
Haru nods, “Nice to meet both of you. I think we’ll be a good team.” He pauses for a moment, clearly itching to ask something, “Ah. . . Isn’t Kenji an unusual name for a girl?”
Chikara bursts out laughing and falls backwards holding her stomach. Kenji snickers quietly, “That’s because I’m a boy, actually.” At Haru’s look Kenji adds, “All members of my family are trained as geisha including the men. Sometimes we get to go on missions as men but usually it’s easier to play the part of girls.”
Haru blushes and looks away, slightly embarrassed, “Oh. Sorry.”
“No problem. It just means I’m doing well.” Kenji shrugs, returning to eating, and the group subsides into silence.
Chikara lets the silence last for a moment and then asks, “So got any ideas ‘bout what our sensei’ll be like?”
~
McGonagall sniffs disdainfully at the overlarge boy chasing a wailing cat down the sidewalk with a bb gun in front of the picture perfect, and exactly identical to every other one on the block, house. “That child needs discipline, and perhaps a diet.” She smoothes out some imaginary wrinkles in her quite old fashioned dress and glances at Dumbledore, who is looking just as out of place in his similarly old fashioned suit.
Dumbledore smiles at her, “I believe that might be the Dursley’s boy, actually. Shall we, Minerva?”
As they walk up to the door McGonagall frowns, “I’m almost glad Harry isn’t here if that’s what they’ve done to their own child.” She smoothes out her dress again as Dumbledore knocks and pastes an only slightly strained smile on her face when the door opens.
The rail thin blonde woman frowns sourly at them and their clothing, “How may I help you?”
“My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and-“ Dumbledore blinks once as the door slams in his face with a horrified squeak from the woman inside. He then calmly knocks again.
The door opens a crack and Petunia whispers, “Go away! Your kind aren’t welcome here!”
Dumbledore’s smile turns radiantly disarming, “As I was saying, this is Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress. We are here to inquire about the whereabouts of one Harry Potter who was put into your care on Halloween almost ten years ago.” The door slams in his face more loudly, this time with the faint sounds of muffled sobbing coming through shortly after. When he knocks again there is no answer.
It is evening when a car pulls in the drive, the door having opened only once to pull a staring Dudley firmly inside, and a bullish man steps out. One look at the two still standing on his doorstep and his face twists into a frown and begins to purple slightly, “I don’t know what you people are doing here but I demand you get off my property now!”
Dumbledore smiles again, eyes twinkling, “Vernon Dursley, I presume? I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadr-“
Before Dumbledore can even finish Vernon’s face turns an alarming shade of purple, “I want you freaks off of my stoop this instant! We’ll have no more of this freakishness in our house.”
“And my companion is Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress. We’re looking for Harry Potter, who should be in your care but isn’t.” Dumbledore doesn’t even let the yelling disturb him in the least, calmly finishing.
Vernon roars, “Of course he isn’t! We got rid of the little freak years ago. Gave him to someone who wanted to raise one of you.”
Dumbledore’s eyes go hard and his expression changes from a small smile to neutral, “Who did you give your nephew to? It is rather important that he is found.”
Vernon quails for a moment then stiffens defensively, “I didn’t get the man’s name, I’m afraid. But it was a good deal. He got a grandson, or something, and we didn’t have to care for the brat. Very nice fellow; assured me he wasn’t one of you freaks.”
McGonagall looks scandalized but her reply is cut off by the door opening, a tear-streaked Petunia gesturing them inside. She sniffles, “If you can save him, please. That man seemed so polite, if odd, and the girl took to Harry right away. I’m sorry. If I’d known I wouldn’t have let them take him. I’m so sorry.”
“If you had known what?” Dumbledore’s expression softens and his voice is gently coaxing.
Petunia sits down on the couch, wringing her hands, “He said as he was leaving that if we hadn’t let him take Harry he would have done it by force!” She breaks down into tears again.
McGonagall starts to reply but Dumbledore waves her into silence, ignoring the slightly sour look, “What can you remember about this man and girl? It is important if we are to find them and young Harry.”
“He was. . . pale and had long black hair. And I swear he was wearing purple eye-shadow! Purple.” Petunia huffs, “He was dressed in what looked like a bathrobe and he had a very thick accent. He was speaking with the girl in some strange language. And the girl! All she was wearing was a bathrobe like shirt that stopped at her thighs and mesh! And bandages, oddly enough. The man said she wanted to kill us and called her his apprentice. I. . . don’t remember anything else, really.”
Dumbledore stands and bows, McGonagall hurriedly doing the same, and pulls out his wand, “I have a way of getting a more accurate description if you don’t mind?”
Petunia goes very pale but stops Vernon’s rumblings before he can launch into a tirade. “If it will help my nephew. I. . . may not have liked my sister and her freakish magic but she was still family. I thought Harry would be better off with them, and they assured me they weren’t like my sister.”
“Thank you. You have been a great help.” Dumbledore puts his wand tip to Petunia’s temple and draws it away with a silver strand following. When it is completely out he draws out a small bottle and lets the strand drop inside. With a charming smile he bows to Petunia and nods at McGonagall. With a sharp crack they both dis-apparate out of the room leaving the Dursley’s very confused in their wake.
~
Haru sits intently as jounin by jounin step forward to claim their teams. He can’t help but grin a bit as Mizuki complains about someone being late yet again. Half seriously he whispers to Kenji and Chikara, “How much do you want to bet that the late one is ours?”
Kenji shakes his head, small ornaments dangling from his ponytail jingling softly, “No, ours is standing near the blackboard, watching us.”
“How d’ ya know that, Kenji-idiot?” Chikara crosses her arms over her chest and gives Kenji a look.
“He has been staring at us, and only us, calculatingly since he arrived with the other jounin. He’s ours. I’m certain of it.”
Haru laughs loudly, “Well if he’s ours then why don’t we go say hello? Waiting never did anything for anybody!” At Chikara’s hearty agreement the three new team-mates get up from their seats and cross the room, towards the man Kenji had identified as their sensei.
The man raises one eyebrow at them as they approach, speaking around a senbon hanging from his mouth, “What do you want, kids? You’re supposed to wait for your sensei to collect you.”
Kenji bows formally, “We believe that you are our sensei, and as Kazuharu-kun pointed out, waiting is a waste of time.”
“Ch’” The man crosses his arms in front of his chest, “Either very clever or very lucky of you kids to figure that out. Yeah, I’m your sensei. Got invited to lunch, dinner and out for drinks last night because of you three.” He nods towards the door, “Let’s continue this outside where there’s less of a crowd though. See if you can find me.” With a smirk he disappears in a cloud of smoke.
Chikara groans, “Aw, hell. How’re we s’pposed to find ‘im now?”
With a contemplating look Kenji chirps, “He’s likely outside near the academy building. Somewhere where there isn’t a crowd.”
“If he’s expecting us to find him why hide where we’d immediately suspect?” Haru grins, “Kaa-chan does this all the time. He’s probably in the last place we’d think to look!”
“But he wants us to find him, don’t he?” Chikara grumbles and bites her lip.
Haru pauses, “Maybe. Let’s head up to the roof. If Kenji’s right we should be able to find him pretty easy from there and if I’m right we have a base to start the search from.” After a moment’s consideration the other two nod and they head out.
Behind them one of the jounin snickers, “Looks like Genma’s started up testing the kids already. And he may just end up with a team this year from the looks of things.”
~
McGonagall gives Dumbledore a slightly confused look as they entire the small bar, “Shouldn’t we be heading to the Ministry? If they are foreign wizards. . .”
Dumbledore turns a twinkling smile on her, “I don’t think we’d find anything in the Ministry records but most wizards end up passing through the Leaky Cauldron at some point in time. I have a hunch.” After a pause he adds airily, “And I think I’d like a nice butterbeer.”
With a slight shake of the head McGonagall follows Dumbledore to the bar and politely sips at her drink while Dumbledore chats about various things with the bartender. Only when the subject of Harry Potter comes up does she tense.
Tom’s eyes widen, the old bartender shocked and disturbed, “Gone missing? Someone took him from his home right after You-Know-Who disappeared? Who?”
Dumbledore takes a contemplative sip of his butterbeer, “We are currently looking into that but we have very little to go on, I’m afraid. I was wondering if you had seen any foreigners in here around that Halloween? A man and a girl?”
“Foreign man and girl? Hmmmm. . .” Tom scrubs a glass absently as he thinks, “I don’t think so- Wait a moment. There was this pair who came in a little before Halloween. Nice chap and the girl was a lively thing. They said they were going to explore the countryside and wanted to know if the rumors they had heard were true. Gave them a meal and sent them off. You don’t think they-“ Tom trails off with a curse.
“I think they may have.” Dumbledore pulls out his wand, “Would you mind supplying me with the memory of the incident?”
“Anything to help! I can’t believe I let such a horrible person in here. . .” Tom looks faintly dismayed and allows the wand to be put to his temple. When the silver strand of memory is safely in a bottle he tips his head, “I wish you well in finding the ones that took Harry Potter.”
“We will find him. Don’t lose hope. But kindly don’t spread word. It would be best if this stayed quiet until Harry is found.” Dumbledore bows and gives a nod to McGonagall. In moments they are out of the Leaky Cauldron.
No one notices a beetle scurrying away on the countertop.
~
Haru drops down from the roof of a gazebo overlooking a massive monument of four stone faces with a look of triumph, “Found you, Sensei!” The others drop down next to him, both grinning.
Genma switches sides with the senbon and nods, “You did. And quickly too. So, sit down kids. Let’s get to know each other.”
They all sit and Chikara pipes up, “So, we already know each other, what ‘bout ya, Sensei?”
With a chuckle, Genma introduces himself, “Shiranui Genma, jounin of Konohagakure no Sato. For my sake, how about introducing yourselves with likes, dislikes and goals?”
Chikara snorts, “I’ll go first. Name’s Inoue Chikara. New genin but you know that already. I like swords an’ trainin’ and Mama’s yakitori. I don’ like girly stuff an’ boys thinkin’ I’m weaker than ‘em. An’ I’m gonna be the best shinobigatana in Konoha an’ maybe start up a group of ‘em like the got in Kirigakure an’ then kick the Kiri ones’ asses!” The last is said in a shout with Chikara pumping her fist in the air.
“My name is Geirin Kenji of the Geirin Ichizoku. A pleasure to meet you, Shiranui-sensei.” Kenji sends a long suffering glance at Chikara, “Don’t mind Chika-chan. She’s enthusiastic.” He dodges her tackle gracefully, “I enjoy tea ceremony and flower arranging. I like to sing as well. I don’t have anything I deeply dislike but I can’t say I’m fond of arranging my hair in some of the more complicated styles. My goal is to be promoted to a full geisha and eventually jounin. I think I would like to teach a genin squad of my own someday before I retire. Once I do retire I will take up my place in my father’s clothing shop and continue tradition.”
Genma raises an eyebrow, “Well, looks like you’ve got your whole life planned out, kid.” Kenji dips his head with a small smile in response. Genma laughs and turns to Haru, “What about you?”
“Mitarashi Kazuharu. I like dango and spending time training with my mom. I don’t like the looks people give me sometimes. My goals are to make ANBU someday, master the family techniques and restore honor to our family.” Haru lounges casually, sprawled out on the bench.
Genma flicks the tip of the senbon, “And how are you going to restore that honor?”
Haru’s eyes go cold, “By helping my mom kill Orochimaru and proving my loyalty to Konoha beyond any doubt.”
Rolling his eyes and letting out a put upon sigh, Genma stands, “Great. I get assigned not one but two brats with chips on their shoulders. Just my luck. Anyway now that we know each other we can start missions. But one thing first, I gotta see your skills in action. So tomorrow morning at eight o’clock sharp be out at training area ten, and bring all your gear. We’ll be doing some survival training to start.”
Grinning, Haru whoops, “That’ll be fun!”
“Oh, really? Maybe I should mention this is also one last test. Failures get sent back to Academy for. . . remedial lessons.” Genma takes the senbon out of his mouth and gives all three a frightening smile, “Oh, and the failure rate is over two-thirds. So don’t get cocky. Don’t bother packing a lunch either, you’ll most likely fail before noon.”
Chikara snorts, “And what if we ain’t failed yet?”
“What, you’re expecting lunch breaks on real missions?” Genma forms a seal, “Remember, eight o’clock sharp. Even half a second late and you’ll fail. I’d be there early if I were you. See ya!” And with that he disappears in a puff of smoke.
Haru crosses his arms and scowls at nothing in particular, “I knew Kaa-chan wasn’t telling me things!”
Kenji smoothes out his kimono, “Perhaps it isn’t allowed. Otherwise we would have weeks to prepare in advance. Ninja are supposed to be able to adapt to unexpected and adverse conditions. That is likely the purpose of the test.”
Chikara nods sagely, “Exactly.”
“Chika-chan, don’t pretend to be wiser than you are. It could come back to bite you~” Kenji is already dodging as Chikara attempts to tackle him yet again.
As they chase each other around Haru stands up, “I don’t know about you two but I’m gonna spend the rest of the day preparing for tomorrow.” They both look at him and nod. Chikara mumbles something about sharpening her weapons as she brushes herself off.
The three say their goodbyes and Haru starts leaping across the rooftops towards home. Anko is waiting just inside the door, all but nude and grinning. “Yo~ How’d you like your new sensei?”
Haru smiles and dodges her friendly punch of greeting, dropping to one hand and attempting to kick Anko’s legs out from under her as he replies, “So he’s the one you took out for drinks last night. You didn’t do anything with him, did you?”
Anko’s grin morphs into a leer as she dodges the return attack, “Well, Genma is one fine piece of shinobi ass-”
“Kaa-chan!”
“-but no. Didn’t wanna tire him out. So I just stuck with the usual ‘treat my son right or I’ll shove a giant anaconda up your ass’ routine.” She finishes without missing a beat.
Haru’s stricken look settles into something more like mild annoyance, “You shouldn’t threaten my new sensei. And you didn’t tell me.”
“It’s a family tradition to invite the new sensei out to drinks and threaten them! Can’t, Haru-chan. It’s against the rules.” Anko pokes his scar before sashaying out of the room, “But you’re ready. Now get out of those clothes and comfortable and I’ll order in something light for an early dinner. I’ll quiz you on tactics and we’ll spar after.”
Haru sighs but he’s grinning fondly as he slips into his room, removing clothing as he goes. From inside his room he yells, “And it can’t be a family tradition! Your parents died on missions before you even entered the Academy.”
“It is now, Haru-chan~ And I’m sure you’ll be continuing it. Now make your dinner requests or you’ll be stuck with what I’m having!”
~
“Albus, have you seen this?” McGonagall asks in a fury as she thrusts the newspaper at him over his cluttered desk.
Dumbledore smiles politely back at her and takes the letter from the most recent owl and shoos it away before setting the letter unopened on a steadily growing stack. “I’m quite aware of the contents, Minerva. Do sit down, I’ve prepared the Pensieve.”
“Albus, how-” McGonagall asks but he cuts her off.
Eyes twinkling and expression serene, Dumbledore quips, “It was a secret, so of course now everyone knows.”
“This is serious! Some people are panicking that You-Know-Who has returned! Who would have told the Daily Prophet?”
“I’m afraid only Miss Skeeter and her source know that and I have my doubts as to her willingness to reveal said source.” Dumbledore pulls out a carved stone basin, “After you, Minerva.” Reluctantly she leans forward and touches the silvery substance within, followed a moment later by Dumbledore and the room descends into stillness.
After some time Dumbledore leans back contemplatively, “So, what have we learned?”
McGonagall frowns, “They must have been wizards, to enter the Leaky Cauldron, but I’ve never seen any respectable wizard wear what the girl was wearing. I don’t even think she spoke any English at all. And the man’s English was quite thick.” She turns a dark look on Dumbledore, “But his argument was quite persuasive.” She pauses, “I couldn’t glean anything else, really. Nothing about their origins or true purpose. I’m afraid I don’t know the language. Albus?”
“I do believe it is Japanese.”
Looking relieved, McGonagall asks, “What were they saying?”
“That, alas, I cannot answer. Magic has yet to give us a reliable translating spell. We could end up like Porcina Pennyworth, who after attempting to request some of their finest sausage while on holiday in Poland received a herd of fine, fat pigs instead.” Dumbledore pops a candy into his mouth and adds wryly, “And I studied Chinese.”
McGonagall stands, “Then let’s take these to the ministry right away! Surely someone in the office of the Ambassador to the Japanese ministry will be able to translate.”
“We need not travel nearly that far for an answer, Minerva. We have a very capable translator within the very castle. I believe he should be in the dungeons right now, doing a mid-summer inventory of his potions stores. Some of his more volatile ingredients can go bad unexpectedly.”
“Severus?” McGonagall looks quite surprised.
“Of course. He is one of the most skilled potions masters in the entire wizarding world so he naturally exchanges information with wizards from every corner of the earth. He speaks several languages quite readily, including a dialect of Romanian I’ve not heard elsewhere. Fascinating, really.” Dumbledore turns to the cheery fire, crackling away.
Her surprised look turns incredulous, “Severus Snape speaks Japanese.”
“One of his most esteemed colleagues, with whom he corresponds regularly, lives in Japan. He takes holiday there every other summer so they can work on their current project together, if I recall. I’m sure he’ll be happy to aid us. I shall call him up immediately.” Dumbledore’s smile brightens, “Ah, Severus, if you’ve a moment. . .”
His head appearing within the flames, Snape’s answer is a curt, “Yes?”
“I was wondering if you could translate something for me, just a trifle.”
Though his expression is near murderous Snape nods, “I’ll be there shortly.”
~
In the faint early morning light Haru sits on his floor, intently looking over various weapons and equipment spread out all around him. “Soldier pills, ration bars, smoke bombs. . . Maybe an extra brace of shuriken.” As he mutters to himself he carefully packs more items into his nearly full pack.
“Up a little early for a meeting at 8 aren’t you?” Anko asks, grinning, from the doorway.
Haru’s grin in return is devious, “I figure if it really is a survival test it’s good to arrive at the training area early to scout for traps and hazards. And maybe create a few myself. Genma-sensei practically invited us to by telling us in advance like he did.”
“That’s my boy. You do the family proud.”
“On the other hand, since it was so obvious, it could be another trap so I’ll have to be stealthy.” After consideration Haru adds another item to his pack.
Anko raises her eyebrow, “You think you could manage to escape detection from a jounin who’s expecting you?”
“Nope. But you taught me to always look underneath the underneath. On the surface it’s an invitation to arrive early. Underneath that there’s the chance it’s actually a trap. Underneath that it could even be a fake out to catch us unprepared or maybe a test to see if we’re willing to take risks for the sake of a mission.” Haru checks his pack one more time, “I think that’s it.”
Literally beaming, Anko crosses the room and slaps Haru on the back, “Now you’re thinking like a real ninja. I knew dating Ibiki would end up being good for you.”
“Just try to find someone a little more cheerful next time, k?” Haru shoulders his pack, ready to leave, but Anko stops him.
“Take Uwabami-gusari. This might be a good opportunity to field test it. Now go out and knock ‘em dead! If you show Genma what you just showed me you’ll pass for sure.”
“Hai, Kaa-chan!” With that Haru grabs the proffered scroll and scurries out of the room.
After he’s gone Anko crosses her arms, “I just hope you’re that clever when it comes to working with your teammates. Genma’s one of the ones that tries to pit teammates against their fellows during the test.”
~
Snape steeples his fingers in front of his face, “So the Potter brat really has been lost. I would have thought you would have the foresight to send someone to watch over him in person.”
Dumbledore’s voice goes soft, “That had indeed been what I intended. But poor Arabella Figg died of a heart attack the very evening after she owled me her first report on Harry’s condition. Coincidentally the very night he was taken. And the others were not nearly as skilled at being unobtrusive so I was forced to rely on this instead.” He produces the watch, hand firmly on ‘perfectly healthy.’
“Hardly a coincidence, if you ask me.” Snape hisses.
“And I have to wonder if we can be sure that is accurate,” McGonagall adds.
“I am afraid we cannot be 100% sure of anything at the moment. We are working from memory and conjecture. But I can say that only the best and most reliable spells were used in the creation of this watch. Also, his kidnappers would have had to know of its existence in order to tamper with it. But we are straying from the matter at hand. What were you able to learn, Severus?” Dumbledore turns to Snape intently.
Snape closes his eyes, remembering, “Their names are Orochimaru and Anko and she referred to him as Shishou.” At McGonagall’s confusion he elaborates, “It means ‘master.’ He picked correctly when he called her an apprentice but shishou isn’t that commonly used these days.”
With a sneer Snape adds, “And you might be interested to know that the Orochi is a Japanese serpent of great size that is all but extinct. Its ground fangs and scales, and digestive juices, are vital ingredients in a potion used to forge nearly unbreakable blades that never go dull. Goblins were famed for having created a secret variety of the potion that was especially effective.” Snape casts a sharp glance at the ornamented sword displayed behind Dumbledore, “Potions calling for Orochi ingredients are illegal without special permission from Japan’s Minister of magic due to its rarity and all attempts to increase its numbers have failed due to its intractability. And the Orochimaru of history was Japan’s greatest Parslemouth, and a dark wizard. It is said he used magic to create an eight headed Orochi to terrorize his enemies. He was defeated by the wizard Jiraiya of the toads and his wife Tsunade. It’s an unusual name to give a child, to say the least.”
McGonagall casts a worried glance, “Do you think they could be connected to You-Know-Who?”
“No.” Snape shakes his head, “While he had sympathizers in other countries he had very few full supporters. And the way they were pumping the bartender for information implies they didn’t know much, if anything, beforehand.”
Dumbledore nods, “What else?”
With a sour look Snape mutters, “They spoke like soldiers, not wizards. Talking about weapons, starting wars and ‘civilians.’ The customers in the memory had their wands openly displayed and yet the girl dismissed them completely in her. . . threat assessment.” Looking slightly perplexed Snape adds, “On the other hand they used the word ‘chakra’ which I believe is connected to certain Eastern magics. And this Orochimaru was wearing typical wizard wear in Japan. Most of them still wear traditional kimono. I would have to owl Fujiwara-sensei to learn more.”
“And we come to a dead end. There is nothing more to be learned from these memories. Severus, when you owl Madame Fujiwara ask her if she might know of this Orochimaru as well.”
Snape nods, “The sooner this is over the sooner I can put it behind me. I want nothing to do with Potter’s brat.” He pauses, “But, if you are looking for more clues, I would suggest going to the muggles. They entered from the London street and given what they were wearing probably made quite the impression. Someone must remember it and something may have made it into their papers even. Now if you’ve no more need of me I have an inventory to finish. Unless. . .” He looks sharply at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore smiles brightly right back, “Quentin Trimble will be taking the position this year. I could hardly deprive the students of your brilliance at potions, Severus.”
“I will take my leave then.” Snape nods stiffly and sweeps out of the room.
Series: Harry Potter and Naruto Crossover
Characters/Pairings: Haru(Harry) + ensemble
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Two strangers show up at number four Privet Drive and offer to take infant Harry off the Dursley’s hands causing the destinies of two realities, and one Harry Potter, to change immensely.
Warnings/Spoilers: Very AU for the Harry Potter universe. Possibly altered timelines for the Naruto ‘verse (such as ages, and the dates for Orochimaru’s defection, Academy graduation and Chuunin exams). Two important OCs. There will be Japanese words and phrases used in the fic, even during the sections where English is primarily spoken. While most are more common words and phrases or can be inferred from context there will be notes at the end of some chapters, when the author deems them necessary.
Notes: On occasions where more than one language may be spoken at one time this is what is what:
‘Japanese.’
“English.”
“Parseltongue.”
Any terms/translations are at the end of individual chapters.
Harry Potter and the Ninja Reality
Chapter 3
Teamwork and Investigations
“So you’re the guy who graduated early, huh? Kinda scrawny, aren’cha? I hope your skills’re better than ya look.”
Haru glances at the girl shoving through the crowd of milling students and looks her up and down briefly, “I graduated early, didn’t I? New teammate? Mitarashi Kazuharu.” He bows briefly.
“Inoue Chikara. Guess we’ll be workin’ together for a while. What’re ya good at? ‘m best at taijutsu an’ swords.” Chikara runs a hand through her short brown hair and grabs Haru by the wrist, “Come on. Let’s go somewhere quieter an’ talk. Kenji-idiot’ll be around in a minute.”
Haru allows himself to be dragged outside and up a set of stairs with a shrug, “Swords, huh?”
“Yeah.” With an unfeminine grunt Chikara flops down on the landing and tugs some cold chicken out of her pack. As she munches she mumbles, “Grandad used to be real good at ‘em. ‘m continuing the family tradition. So what’re ya good at?”
“I don’t really have a specialty yet. Um. . .” Haru pauses to unwrap his bentou and picks at the food inside while he thinks, “Survival skills, I guess. Kaa-chan’s been teaching me. Say’s it’s important to be able to stay alive and healthy anywhere and among any group of people.”
“Those skills may be useful on long missions away from the village.” Both Haru and Chikara jump at the soft, cultured voice and the speaker leaps down delicately to stand before them, giving a formal bow. “Geirin Kenji. I see you’ve already met Chika-chan, Kazuharu-kun.” The early afternoon light glistens off the silk kimono as Kenji stands up from the bow.
“Shut up! I told ya not to call me that, Kenji-idiot.” Chikara snarls and hurls a piece of chicken at the newcomer.
Kenji catches the chicken with dainty hands and very carefully tears off a piece and pops it into a painted mouth. “Thank you, Chika-chan. But you needn’t have bothered. I did bring my own lunch.” Chikara snarls and launches herself at Kenji but the other daintily sidesteps with a musical chuckle.
Haru looks Kenji over. The other young ninja looks every bit the part of a geisha. “Are you a geisha then?”
“Maiko, actually. I haven’t finished my training yet. Mother says I should be promoted to full geisha in a couple years.” Kenji very carefully sits down in seiza and pulls out a small bentou box and a thermos from somewhere in the folds of the kimono.
“Oh. Right.” Haru eats for a moment and then asks, “But why is a geisha training to be a ninja?”
Kenji laughs, “Simple. It’s one of my family’s specialties. We all train as geisha in addition to being ninja. Many of our missions require those skills. We are geisha-ninja, geinin for short. Of course geinin also train to be able to impersonate people of dozens of different fields so. . .” With a small laugh Kenji delicately pours a cup of tea and opens the bentou, “Itadakimasu.”
Chikara grumbles from her seat, having given up on tackling Kenji, “Kenji-idiot ‘s also good at poisons an’ stealth an’ stuff.” After a pause she murmurs, “An’ Kenji’s academics are some of the best in the class.”
Haru nods, “Nice to meet both of you. I think we’ll be a good team.” He pauses for a moment, clearly itching to ask something, “Ah. . . Isn’t Kenji an unusual name for a girl?”
Chikara bursts out laughing and falls backwards holding her stomach. Kenji snickers quietly, “That’s because I’m a boy, actually.” At Haru’s look Kenji adds, “All members of my family are trained as geisha including the men. Sometimes we get to go on missions as men but usually it’s easier to play the part of girls.”
Haru blushes and looks away, slightly embarrassed, “Oh. Sorry.”
“No problem. It just means I’m doing well.” Kenji shrugs, returning to eating, and the group subsides into silence.
Chikara lets the silence last for a moment and then asks, “So got any ideas ‘bout what our sensei’ll be like?”
~
McGonagall sniffs disdainfully at the overlarge boy chasing a wailing cat down the sidewalk with a bb gun in front of the picture perfect, and exactly identical to every other one on the block, house. “That child needs discipline, and perhaps a diet.” She smoothes out some imaginary wrinkles in her quite old fashioned dress and glances at Dumbledore, who is looking just as out of place in his similarly old fashioned suit.
Dumbledore smiles at her, “I believe that might be the Dursley’s boy, actually. Shall we, Minerva?”
As they walk up to the door McGonagall frowns, “I’m almost glad Harry isn’t here if that’s what they’ve done to their own child.” She smoothes out her dress again as Dumbledore knocks and pastes an only slightly strained smile on her face when the door opens.
The rail thin blonde woman frowns sourly at them and their clothing, “How may I help you?”
“My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and-“ Dumbledore blinks once as the door slams in his face with a horrified squeak from the woman inside. He then calmly knocks again.
The door opens a crack and Petunia whispers, “Go away! Your kind aren’t welcome here!”
Dumbledore’s smile turns radiantly disarming, “As I was saying, this is Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress. We are here to inquire about the whereabouts of one Harry Potter who was put into your care on Halloween almost ten years ago.” The door slams in his face more loudly, this time with the faint sounds of muffled sobbing coming through shortly after. When he knocks again there is no answer.
It is evening when a car pulls in the drive, the door having opened only once to pull a staring Dudley firmly inside, and a bullish man steps out. One look at the two still standing on his doorstep and his face twists into a frown and begins to purple slightly, “I don’t know what you people are doing here but I demand you get off my property now!”
Dumbledore smiles again, eyes twinkling, “Vernon Dursley, I presume? I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadr-“
Before Dumbledore can even finish Vernon’s face turns an alarming shade of purple, “I want you freaks off of my stoop this instant! We’ll have no more of this freakishness in our house.”
“And my companion is Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress. We’re looking for Harry Potter, who should be in your care but isn’t.” Dumbledore doesn’t even let the yelling disturb him in the least, calmly finishing.
Vernon roars, “Of course he isn’t! We got rid of the little freak years ago. Gave him to someone who wanted to raise one of you.”
Dumbledore’s eyes go hard and his expression changes from a small smile to neutral, “Who did you give your nephew to? It is rather important that he is found.”
Vernon quails for a moment then stiffens defensively, “I didn’t get the man’s name, I’m afraid. But it was a good deal. He got a grandson, or something, and we didn’t have to care for the brat. Very nice fellow; assured me he wasn’t one of you freaks.”
McGonagall looks scandalized but her reply is cut off by the door opening, a tear-streaked Petunia gesturing them inside. She sniffles, “If you can save him, please. That man seemed so polite, if odd, and the girl took to Harry right away. I’m sorry. If I’d known I wouldn’t have let them take him. I’m so sorry.”
“If you had known what?” Dumbledore’s expression softens and his voice is gently coaxing.
Petunia sits down on the couch, wringing her hands, “He said as he was leaving that if we hadn’t let him take Harry he would have done it by force!” She breaks down into tears again.
McGonagall starts to reply but Dumbledore waves her into silence, ignoring the slightly sour look, “What can you remember about this man and girl? It is important if we are to find them and young Harry.”
“He was. . . pale and had long black hair. And I swear he was wearing purple eye-shadow! Purple.” Petunia huffs, “He was dressed in what looked like a bathrobe and he had a very thick accent. He was speaking with the girl in some strange language. And the girl! All she was wearing was a bathrobe like shirt that stopped at her thighs and mesh! And bandages, oddly enough. The man said she wanted to kill us and called her his apprentice. I. . . don’t remember anything else, really.”
Dumbledore stands and bows, McGonagall hurriedly doing the same, and pulls out his wand, “I have a way of getting a more accurate description if you don’t mind?”
Petunia goes very pale but stops Vernon’s rumblings before he can launch into a tirade. “If it will help my nephew. I. . . may not have liked my sister and her freakish magic but she was still family. I thought Harry would be better off with them, and they assured me they weren’t like my sister.”
“Thank you. You have been a great help.” Dumbledore puts his wand tip to Petunia’s temple and draws it away with a silver strand following. When it is completely out he draws out a small bottle and lets the strand drop inside. With a charming smile he bows to Petunia and nods at McGonagall. With a sharp crack they both dis-apparate out of the room leaving the Dursley’s very confused in their wake.
~
Haru sits intently as jounin by jounin step forward to claim their teams. He can’t help but grin a bit as Mizuki complains about someone being late yet again. Half seriously he whispers to Kenji and Chikara, “How much do you want to bet that the late one is ours?”
Kenji shakes his head, small ornaments dangling from his ponytail jingling softly, “No, ours is standing near the blackboard, watching us.”
“How d’ ya know that, Kenji-idiot?” Chikara crosses her arms over her chest and gives Kenji a look.
“He has been staring at us, and only us, calculatingly since he arrived with the other jounin. He’s ours. I’m certain of it.”
Haru laughs loudly, “Well if he’s ours then why don’t we go say hello? Waiting never did anything for anybody!” At Chikara’s hearty agreement the three new team-mates get up from their seats and cross the room, towards the man Kenji had identified as their sensei.
The man raises one eyebrow at them as they approach, speaking around a senbon hanging from his mouth, “What do you want, kids? You’re supposed to wait for your sensei to collect you.”
Kenji bows formally, “We believe that you are our sensei, and as Kazuharu-kun pointed out, waiting is a waste of time.”
“Ch’” The man crosses his arms in front of his chest, “Either very clever or very lucky of you kids to figure that out. Yeah, I’m your sensei. Got invited to lunch, dinner and out for drinks last night because of you three.” He nods towards the door, “Let’s continue this outside where there’s less of a crowd though. See if you can find me.” With a smirk he disappears in a cloud of smoke.
Chikara groans, “Aw, hell. How’re we s’pposed to find ‘im now?”
With a contemplating look Kenji chirps, “He’s likely outside near the academy building. Somewhere where there isn’t a crowd.”
“If he’s expecting us to find him why hide where we’d immediately suspect?” Haru grins, “Kaa-chan does this all the time. He’s probably in the last place we’d think to look!”
“But he wants us to find him, don’t he?” Chikara grumbles and bites her lip.
Haru pauses, “Maybe. Let’s head up to the roof. If Kenji’s right we should be able to find him pretty easy from there and if I’m right we have a base to start the search from.” After a moment’s consideration the other two nod and they head out.
Behind them one of the jounin snickers, “Looks like Genma’s started up testing the kids already. And he may just end up with a team this year from the looks of things.”
~
McGonagall gives Dumbledore a slightly confused look as they entire the small bar, “Shouldn’t we be heading to the Ministry? If they are foreign wizards. . .”
Dumbledore turns a twinkling smile on her, “I don’t think we’d find anything in the Ministry records but most wizards end up passing through the Leaky Cauldron at some point in time. I have a hunch.” After a pause he adds airily, “And I think I’d like a nice butterbeer.”
With a slight shake of the head McGonagall follows Dumbledore to the bar and politely sips at her drink while Dumbledore chats about various things with the bartender. Only when the subject of Harry Potter comes up does she tense.
Tom’s eyes widen, the old bartender shocked and disturbed, “Gone missing? Someone took him from his home right after You-Know-Who disappeared? Who?”
Dumbledore takes a contemplative sip of his butterbeer, “We are currently looking into that but we have very little to go on, I’m afraid. I was wondering if you had seen any foreigners in here around that Halloween? A man and a girl?”
“Foreign man and girl? Hmmmm. . .” Tom scrubs a glass absently as he thinks, “I don’t think so- Wait a moment. There was this pair who came in a little before Halloween. Nice chap and the girl was a lively thing. They said they were going to explore the countryside and wanted to know if the rumors they had heard were true. Gave them a meal and sent them off. You don’t think they-“ Tom trails off with a curse.
“I think they may have.” Dumbledore pulls out his wand, “Would you mind supplying me with the memory of the incident?”
“Anything to help! I can’t believe I let such a horrible person in here. . .” Tom looks faintly dismayed and allows the wand to be put to his temple. When the silver strand of memory is safely in a bottle he tips his head, “I wish you well in finding the ones that took Harry Potter.”
“We will find him. Don’t lose hope. But kindly don’t spread word. It would be best if this stayed quiet until Harry is found.” Dumbledore bows and gives a nod to McGonagall. In moments they are out of the Leaky Cauldron.
No one notices a beetle scurrying away on the countertop.
~
Haru drops down from the roof of a gazebo overlooking a massive monument of four stone faces with a look of triumph, “Found you, Sensei!” The others drop down next to him, both grinning.
Genma switches sides with the senbon and nods, “You did. And quickly too. So, sit down kids. Let’s get to know each other.”
They all sit and Chikara pipes up, “So, we already know each other, what ‘bout ya, Sensei?”
With a chuckle, Genma introduces himself, “Shiranui Genma, jounin of Konohagakure no Sato. For my sake, how about introducing yourselves with likes, dislikes and goals?”
Chikara snorts, “I’ll go first. Name’s Inoue Chikara. New genin but you know that already. I like swords an’ trainin’ and Mama’s yakitori. I don’ like girly stuff an’ boys thinkin’ I’m weaker than ‘em. An’ I’m gonna be the best shinobigatana in Konoha an’ maybe start up a group of ‘em like the got in Kirigakure an’ then kick the Kiri ones’ asses!” The last is said in a shout with Chikara pumping her fist in the air.
“My name is Geirin Kenji of the Geirin Ichizoku. A pleasure to meet you, Shiranui-sensei.” Kenji sends a long suffering glance at Chikara, “Don’t mind Chika-chan. She’s enthusiastic.” He dodges her tackle gracefully, “I enjoy tea ceremony and flower arranging. I like to sing as well. I don’t have anything I deeply dislike but I can’t say I’m fond of arranging my hair in some of the more complicated styles. My goal is to be promoted to a full geisha and eventually jounin. I think I would like to teach a genin squad of my own someday before I retire. Once I do retire I will take up my place in my father’s clothing shop and continue tradition.”
Genma raises an eyebrow, “Well, looks like you’ve got your whole life planned out, kid.” Kenji dips his head with a small smile in response. Genma laughs and turns to Haru, “What about you?”
“Mitarashi Kazuharu. I like dango and spending time training with my mom. I don’t like the looks people give me sometimes. My goals are to make ANBU someday, master the family techniques and restore honor to our family.” Haru lounges casually, sprawled out on the bench.
Genma flicks the tip of the senbon, “And how are you going to restore that honor?”
Haru’s eyes go cold, “By helping my mom kill Orochimaru and proving my loyalty to Konoha beyond any doubt.”
Rolling his eyes and letting out a put upon sigh, Genma stands, “Great. I get assigned not one but two brats with chips on their shoulders. Just my luck. Anyway now that we know each other we can start missions. But one thing first, I gotta see your skills in action. So tomorrow morning at eight o’clock sharp be out at training area ten, and bring all your gear. We’ll be doing some survival training to start.”
Grinning, Haru whoops, “That’ll be fun!”
“Oh, really? Maybe I should mention this is also one last test. Failures get sent back to Academy for. . . remedial lessons.” Genma takes the senbon out of his mouth and gives all three a frightening smile, “Oh, and the failure rate is over two-thirds. So don’t get cocky. Don’t bother packing a lunch either, you’ll most likely fail before noon.”
Chikara snorts, “And what if we ain’t failed yet?”
“What, you’re expecting lunch breaks on real missions?” Genma forms a seal, “Remember, eight o’clock sharp. Even half a second late and you’ll fail. I’d be there early if I were you. See ya!” And with that he disappears in a puff of smoke.
Haru crosses his arms and scowls at nothing in particular, “I knew Kaa-chan wasn’t telling me things!”
Kenji smoothes out his kimono, “Perhaps it isn’t allowed. Otherwise we would have weeks to prepare in advance. Ninja are supposed to be able to adapt to unexpected and adverse conditions. That is likely the purpose of the test.”
Chikara nods sagely, “Exactly.”
“Chika-chan, don’t pretend to be wiser than you are. It could come back to bite you~” Kenji is already dodging as Chikara attempts to tackle him yet again.
As they chase each other around Haru stands up, “I don’t know about you two but I’m gonna spend the rest of the day preparing for tomorrow.” They both look at him and nod. Chikara mumbles something about sharpening her weapons as she brushes herself off.
The three say their goodbyes and Haru starts leaping across the rooftops towards home. Anko is waiting just inside the door, all but nude and grinning. “Yo~ How’d you like your new sensei?”
Haru smiles and dodges her friendly punch of greeting, dropping to one hand and attempting to kick Anko’s legs out from under her as he replies, “So he’s the one you took out for drinks last night. You didn’t do anything with him, did you?”
Anko’s grin morphs into a leer as she dodges the return attack, “Well, Genma is one fine piece of shinobi ass-”
“Kaa-chan!”
“-but no. Didn’t wanna tire him out. So I just stuck with the usual ‘treat my son right or I’ll shove a giant anaconda up your ass’ routine.” She finishes without missing a beat.
Haru’s stricken look settles into something more like mild annoyance, “You shouldn’t threaten my new sensei. And you didn’t tell me.”
“It’s a family tradition to invite the new sensei out to drinks and threaten them! Can’t, Haru-chan. It’s against the rules.” Anko pokes his scar before sashaying out of the room, “But you’re ready. Now get out of those clothes and comfortable and I’ll order in something light for an early dinner. I’ll quiz you on tactics and we’ll spar after.”
Haru sighs but he’s grinning fondly as he slips into his room, removing clothing as he goes. From inside his room he yells, “And it can’t be a family tradition! Your parents died on missions before you even entered the Academy.”
“It is now, Haru-chan~ And I’m sure you’ll be continuing it. Now make your dinner requests or you’ll be stuck with what I’m having!”
~
“Albus, have you seen this?” McGonagall asks in a fury as she thrusts the newspaper at him over his cluttered desk.
Dumbledore smiles politely back at her and takes the letter from the most recent owl and shoos it away before setting the letter unopened on a steadily growing stack. “I’m quite aware of the contents, Minerva. Do sit down, I’ve prepared the Pensieve.”
“Albus, how-” McGonagall asks but he cuts her off.
Eyes twinkling and expression serene, Dumbledore quips, “It was a secret, so of course now everyone knows.”
“This is serious! Some people are panicking that You-Know-Who has returned! Who would have told the Daily Prophet?”
“I’m afraid only Miss Skeeter and her source know that and I have my doubts as to her willingness to reveal said source.” Dumbledore pulls out a carved stone basin, “After you, Minerva.” Reluctantly she leans forward and touches the silvery substance within, followed a moment later by Dumbledore and the room descends into stillness.
After some time Dumbledore leans back contemplatively, “So, what have we learned?”
McGonagall frowns, “They must have been wizards, to enter the Leaky Cauldron, but I’ve never seen any respectable wizard wear what the girl was wearing. I don’t even think she spoke any English at all. And the man’s English was quite thick.” She turns a dark look on Dumbledore, “But his argument was quite persuasive.” She pauses, “I couldn’t glean anything else, really. Nothing about their origins or true purpose. I’m afraid I don’t know the language. Albus?”
“I do believe it is Japanese.”
Looking relieved, McGonagall asks, “What were they saying?”
“That, alas, I cannot answer. Magic has yet to give us a reliable translating spell. We could end up like Porcina Pennyworth, who after attempting to request some of their finest sausage while on holiday in Poland received a herd of fine, fat pigs instead.” Dumbledore pops a candy into his mouth and adds wryly, “And I studied Chinese.”
McGonagall stands, “Then let’s take these to the ministry right away! Surely someone in the office of the Ambassador to the Japanese ministry will be able to translate.”
“We need not travel nearly that far for an answer, Minerva. We have a very capable translator within the very castle. I believe he should be in the dungeons right now, doing a mid-summer inventory of his potions stores. Some of his more volatile ingredients can go bad unexpectedly.”
“Severus?” McGonagall looks quite surprised.
“Of course. He is one of the most skilled potions masters in the entire wizarding world so he naturally exchanges information with wizards from every corner of the earth. He speaks several languages quite readily, including a dialect of Romanian I’ve not heard elsewhere. Fascinating, really.” Dumbledore turns to the cheery fire, crackling away.
Her surprised look turns incredulous, “Severus Snape speaks Japanese.”
“One of his most esteemed colleagues, with whom he corresponds regularly, lives in Japan. He takes holiday there every other summer so they can work on their current project together, if I recall. I’m sure he’ll be happy to aid us. I shall call him up immediately.” Dumbledore’s smile brightens, “Ah, Severus, if you’ve a moment. . .”
His head appearing within the flames, Snape’s answer is a curt, “Yes?”
“I was wondering if you could translate something for me, just a trifle.”
Though his expression is near murderous Snape nods, “I’ll be there shortly.”
~
In the faint early morning light Haru sits on his floor, intently looking over various weapons and equipment spread out all around him. “Soldier pills, ration bars, smoke bombs. . . Maybe an extra brace of shuriken.” As he mutters to himself he carefully packs more items into his nearly full pack.
“Up a little early for a meeting at 8 aren’t you?” Anko asks, grinning, from the doorway.
Haru’s grin in return is devious, “I figure if it really is a survival test it’s good to arrive at the training area early to scout for traps and hazards. And maybe create a few myself. Genma-sensei practically invited us to by telling us in advance like he did.”
“That’s my boy. You do the family proud.”
“On the other hand, since it was so obvious, it could be another trap so I’ll have to be stealthy.” After consideration Haru adds another item to his pack.
Anko raises her eyebrow, “You think you could manage to escape detection from a jounin who’s expecting you?”
“Nope. But you taught me to always look underneath the underneath. On the surface it’s an invitation to arrive early. Underneath that there’s the chance it’s actually a trap. Underneath that it could even be a fake out to catch us unprepared or maybe a test to see if we’re willing to take risks for the sake of a mission.” Haru checks his pack one more time, “I think that’s it.”
Literally beaming, Anko crosses the room and slaps Haru on the back, “Now you’re thinking like a real ninja. I knew dating Ibiki would end up being good for you.”
“Just try to find someone a little more cheerful next time, k?” Haru shoulders his pack, ready to leave, but Anko stops him.
“Take Uwabami-gusari. This might be a good opportunity to field test it. Now go out and knock ‘em dead! If you show Genma what you just showed me you’ll pass for sure.”
“Hai, Kaa-chan!” With that Haru grabs the proffered scroll and scurries out of the room.
After he’s gone Anko crosses her arms, “I just hope you’re that clever when it comes to working with your teammates. Genma’s one of the ones that tries to pit teammates against their fellows during the test.”
~
Snape steeples his fingers in front of his face, “So the Potter brat really has been lost. I would have thought you would have the foresight to send someone to watch over him in person.”
Dumbledore’s voice goes soft, “That had indeed been what I intended. But poor Arabella Figg died of a heart attack the very evening after she owled me her first report on Harry’s condition. Coincidentally the very night he was taken. And the others were not nearly as skilled at being unobtrusive so I was forced to rely on this instead.” He produces the watch, hand firmly on ‘perfectly healthy.’
“Hardly a coincidence, if you ask me.” Snape hisses.
“And I have to wonder if we can be sure that is accurate,” McGonagall adds.
“I am afraid we cannot be 100% sure of anything at the moment. We are working from memory and conjecture. But I can say that only the best and most reliable spells were used in the creation of this watch. Also, his kidnappers would have had to know of its existence in order to tamper with it. But we are straying from the matter at hand. What were you able to learn, Severus?” Dumbledore turns to Snape intently.
Snape closes his eyes, remembering, “Their names are Orochimaru and Anko and she referred to him as Shishou.” At McGonagall’s confusion he elaborates, “It means ‘master.’ He picked correctly when he called her an apprentice but shishou isn’t that commonly used these days.”
With a sneer Snape adds, “And you might be interested to know that the Orochi is a Japanese serpent of great size that is all but extinct. Its ground fangs and scales, and digestive juices, are vital ingredients in a potion used to forge nearly unbreakable blades that never go dull. Goblins were famed for having created a secret variety of the potion that was especially effective.” Snape casts a sharp glance at the ornamented sword displayed behind Dumbledore, “Potions calling for Orochi ingredients are illegal without special permission from Japan’s Minister of magic due to its rarity and all attempts to increase its numbers have failed due to its intractability. And the Orochimaru of history was Japan’s greatest Parslemouth, and a dark wizard. It is said he used magic to create an eight headed Orochi to terrorize his enemies. He was defeated by the wizard Jiraiya of the toads and his wife Tsunade. It’s an unusual name to give a child, to say the least.”
McGonagall casts a worried glance, “Do you think they could be connected to You-Know-Who?”
“No.” Snape shakes his head, “While he had sympathizers in other countries he had very few full supporters. And the way they were pumping the bartender for information implies they didn’t know much, if anything, beforehand.”
Dumbledore nods, “What else?”
With a sour look Snape mutters, “They spoke like soldiers, not wizards. Talking about weapons, starting wars and ‘civilians.’ The customers in the memory had their wands openly displayed and yet the girl dismissed them completely in her. . . threat assessment.” Looking slightly perplexed Snape adds, “On the other hand they used the word ‘chakra’ which I believe is connected to certain Eastern magics. And this Orochimaru was wearing typical wizard wear in Japan. Most of them still wear traditional kimono. I would have to owl Fujiwara-sensei to learn more.”
“And we come to a dead end. There is nothing more to be learned from these memories. Severus, when you owl Madame Fujiwara ask her if she might know of this Orochimaru as well.”
Snape nods, “The sooner this is over the sooner I can put it behind me. I want nothing to do with Potter’s brat.” He pauses, “But, if you are looking for more clues, I would suggest going to the muggles. They entered from the London street and given what they were wearing probably made quite the impression. Someone must remember it and something may have made it into their papers even. Now if you’ve no more need of me I have an inventory to finish. Unless. . .” He looks sharply at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore smiles brightly right back, “Quentin Trimble will be taking the position this year. I could hardly deprive the students of your brilliance at potions, Severus.”
“I will take my leave then.” Snape nods stiffly and sweeps out of the room.