Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Nine Shadows of Harry Potter ❯ The Nine Shadows of Harry Potter Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Title: The Nine Shadows of Harry Potter

 

Author: eva-unit-01

 

Rating: M, for violence, foul language, and eventual citrus

 

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related trademarks belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Books, and Warner Bros. Pictures. Naruto and all related trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shonen Jump, and Viz Media LLC. The only thing that's mine is the plot. I'm not here for cash or prizes. If the above parties want me to remove the story, I'll do it. It'd break my heart, but I'll do it.

 

Pairings: HarryTem, ShikaIno, ShizuIruka, NaruHina, and RonHermione. Mentions of ShikaTem, KurenaiAsuma, NejiTen.

 

 

Chapter One: The Foreigner's Proposition

 

It was bitter, the old man thought as he sucked on the object in his mouth. In fact, it was almost overwhelmingly bitter. It was the sort of bitterness that seemed to slice your tongue with its acidity. However, seconds after that came a delightful sweetness that mellowed the sharp tang. It was like sucking on a piece of solidified lemonade. The puckering combination of flavors seized his nervous system for a brief moment, causing his shoulders to shiver in a frisson of childish delight as he looked out over the tree and fog filled panorama of Konoha, with the majority of Fire Country spreading out past the village and beyond the horizon. The early morning mist had not yet vanished, shrouding the streets below in a mild haze as the lights that illuminated the town at night began to turn off. It was currently half past six a.m. and Albus Dumbledore stood in the office of the Hokage, the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Dumbledore had silently apparated into the Hokage's office a half hour earlier and noticed a memorial picture of the third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, hanging on the wall. This made things slightly more complicated, as the Third Hokage was the only one who knew of Dumbledore or the existence of magic and had sworn to never reveal its existence.

 

The aged wizard frowned, narrowing his vividly blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles, wondering how exactly to explain how he had gotten there and how best to demonstrate his abilities to prove his story without terrifying or alienating the fifth Hokage. Flashy or showy spells were out, because they usually achieved the very things he was trying to avoid. Levitation was an especially poor choice because the ability to defy the most rational of all laws, gravity, was something to be feared by all but the most liberal of Muggle minds. The venerable sorcerer's ruminations were cut short as the door swung open to reveal a rather well-endowed woman who appeared to be around thirty years old, with short blonde hair; she was wearing a low cut gray top that revealed a generous amount of cleavage and pants of the same color. She was accompanied by another woman in her mid-twenties with short brown hair, wearing a blue kimono and carrying a pig in her arms. The pair stopped short at the sight of Dumbledore, clad in his midnight blue robes, replete with gold stars arranged in finely detailed patterns of constellations. Tsunade and Shizune eyed the old man in the office at first with surprise, then with stony glares. Dumbledore's expression reflected a pleasant neutrality as he extended his open hand, with two small wrapped objects in his palm. The Hokage and her assistant looked at the objects blankly before looking back to Dumbledore, who offered only two words.

 

“Lemon Drop?” The two women looked at each other, somewhat lost for words, before Tsunade turned back to the older man with a polite smile that betrayed nothing of the unease and ire she felt at the idea of him entering her office without raising a single alarm. She moved towards her desk, giving him a wide berth, uncertain of what he may be planning. Shizune moved silently behind Dumbledore, closing the door to the office and locking it. Sensing his offer was more than likely rejected; he withdrew the sweets and slid them back into his pocket. As he drew his hand from his pocket, Shizune moved with blindingly fast speed towards Dumbledore, pressing the tip of her kunai at his throat. Albus raised both hands submissively as he began to speak. “Do not feel alarmed. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I have come to request assistance from your village.”

 

Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly as she took her seat behind her desk. She eyed the man with some apprehension, regarding his outlandish mode of dress and personal appearance. His hair was long and gray, with a beard of the same color that reached to his belt. His nose was bent, as if broken and improperly healed; but the eyes that sat behind his half moon shaped spectacles were the same sort of vivid blue as Naruto's. Deciding to set those matters aside for another time, Tsunade instead focused on the reason he was in her office.

 

“If that were the case, you could have just waited in line like the fifty other people I usually see every day,” she commented dryly with a tinge of annoyance, fixing Dumbledore with her sharp gaze as she leaned forward onto her desk, propping her chin up with her palm. The elder wizard nodded, his hands still raised, with Shizune still behind him. “Search him,” Tsunade instructed, receiving a nod from Shizune as she sheathed her kunai. The younger kunoichi lightly patted Dumbledore's robes from shoulders to feet, placing the items she found on Tsunade's desk. At the end of the search, a battered pocket-watch, a brass tube with an odd button, and a long thin stick sat atop the Hokage's desk. Tsunade examined the items cautiously, turning each item over in her hands. The watch was self explanatory, and Tsunade disregarded it quickly. The tube with the button seemed to have no effect on anything at all, but she decided it might merit further scrutiny and set it aside. The stick, however, was an enigma. It seemed to serve no purpose, and yet his blue eyes seemed to follow her hand with a certain sort of wariness as she picked it up to examine it. Whatever it was, it seemed to hold special meaning to him, which meant that somehow, it was important in some way she did not yet understand. “So, a watch, a metal tube of some kind, and a stick...” Tsunade listed, looking at the items and Dumbledore with an arched eyebrow and a skeptically amused expression. “You certainly do choose some interesting travel accessories. Now, would you mind telling me what's so damn important that you had to jump in front of everyone else?” she asked, her voice skimming the very edge of politeness.

 

“Indeed I shall, thank you. But first, may I please be allowed to lower my arms?” the Headmaster requested politely, offering a genial smile he hoped would placate her somewhat. Tsunade regarded him with a quick up and down glance, before nodding, confident that Shizune's search would have found anything on him that was potentially lethal. The aged sorcerer sighed in relief and lowered his arms, shaking them slightly to regain circulation. “Before I begin to tell you about my request, first allow me to extend my humble condolences regarding the death of Sarutobi Hiruzen. He was once a great help to me, many years ago.” At this, Tsunade's gaze grew incredulous and her tone cold.

 

“Apparently, you've been living in a cave these past few years. Sandaime Hokage's death is very old news. Everyone in the Elemental Countries knows of his passing by now.” Dumbledore bowed respectfully before speaking once more.

 

“Forgive my ignorance of past events, Hokage-sama, but I do not live within the Elemental Countries. I live in a much farther place, a place impossible to reach with the technologies you and your people possess,” he finished, looking at Tsunade, whose expression of skepticism had only deepened.

 

“I find that very difficult to believe, seeing as how there's nothing beyond the Elemental Countries. Long before you and I were born, cartographers and explorers mapped every inch of this world, circumnavigating from one side to the other and back again. All there is...is all there is.” she replied, locking her eyes with his. The venerable wizard only raised his right hand, a small smile on his face. Apparently, he would have to do something showy after all to remove her doubts. He just hoped she took it better than old Hiruzen did. At least this time, they would arrive in his office at Hogwarts, rather than an RAF bomb shelter during World War II.

 

“And if I can prove it?” Dumbledore asked, letting the idea hang in the air as the Godaime Hokage considered the possibility, though still never moving her gaze from the old man across from her. After a few minutes, Tsunade finally nodded.

 

“Very well. But I warn you, if this proves to be some sort of trap or plot. I will kill you with my bare hands, and your associates will follow you swiftly into hell.” she intoned menacingly,as Dumbledore nodded in acquiescence and gestured towards his wand.

 

“In order to do so, I will need the use of that particular item.” he supplied calmly, as Tsunade looked at the object dubiously before picking it up and handing it to the oddly dressed man before her. “Excellent!” he said enthusiastically, looking around for something else to use. He spotted an empty saké bottle on the desk and picked it up, tapping it with his wand. “Portus Universalis.” he whispered and the bottle briefly glowed blue. The Hokage warily eyed the man's actions as he held the bottle upright in the palm of his hand. “Now, Hokage-sama, you need only touch the bottle with the tip of your finger. I warn you, however, the experience can be somewhat jarring,” he finished, looking at Tsunade reassuringly. She eyed him uneasily in return, having seen the bottle glow before dimming. Also, now that she was nearly face to face with him, she noticed that he gave off a strange aura that made the fine hairs on her arm stand on end. However, being the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves meant that showing weakness in front of either friend or foe was strictly taboo. She resolutely reached out her hand and touched the bottle, instantly feeling like a hook had just grabbed her behind her navel and began to spin her around in a cyclone of color and sound.

 

The sensation vanished as soon as it came, and Tsunade found herself lying on her back on a cool stone floor. She winced as she tried to stand, her head ringing and spinning at the same time. A firm, but gentle arm took hold of hers and led her to a comfortable chair. She looked up to see Dumbledore's pale face looking at her with concern.

 

“Sit there and rest. The dizziness will pass momentarily,” he cautioned gently, much to Tsunade's growing displeasure.

 

“Any particular reason why you didn't warn me of the side effects?” she asked with a growl in her voice, to which Dumbledore responded with another question.

 

“If I had, would you have agreed to accompany me?” he countered, raising an eyebrow of his own. The female Hokage glared icily at him, but inwardly conceded the point. Had he fully described the voyage, she would have declined, but submitted Shizune instead. After all, at times like these, delegation was its own reward. Her dizziness behind her, Tsunade rose to her feet and looked around the circular room. She noticed the desk first with its multitude of bizarre contraptions spread about haphazardly, one of them even seeming to emit miniscule clouds of steam every so often. She eyed them curiously, before her eye was caught by the bright red and yellow bird that flew in suddenly and landed on its perch next to the desk. She moved towards the bird, which tilted its head inquisitively at her. She had never seen a bird like this in any of her long travels, and its appearance sparked her curiosity. “His name is Fawkes,” Dumbledore said, breaking her out of her reverie as she whirled around to face him. “He is a phoenix. One of the last of an increasingly rare breed,” he continued, moving to gently stroke the ancient bird beneath the beak, causing it to croon happily. She watched in disbelief as he nurtured the supposedly mythical creature.

 

“A phoenix?” she echoed, no longer certain she was not having some sort of alcoholically induced dream. She looked around the office again and saw that a portrait high on the wall seemed to be looking at her. In fact, the longer she looked, the more certain she was. The person in the picture was dressed in a Muggle suit, had combed back black hair and a pencil thin black mustache. Also, she got the impression that the person in the picture was looking down at her, and not just due to the height. He seemed to carry an aristocratic and haughty air that was shared by the daimyo and nobles of Fire Country. It made her want to punch something. She turned back to face Dumbledore when a new, rather unpleasantly high-pitched voice pierced the silence in the room.

 

“I see you've returned from your excursion, Headmaster. And what is that that you've brought back with you? Are you sure it's had its shots?” Tsunade looked around to find the source of the voice only to find that it was coming from the picture she was looking at moments ago. Now she was certain she should have sent Shizune. She clasped her hands in front of her and summoned some of her chakra.

“Kai!” she chanted, hoping to dispel what she just hoped was an exceptional genjutsu. The person in the picture merely raised an eyebrow dubiously. The Hokage let her arms fall to the side, confronted by three options. Reality, insanity, or drunken lucid dreaming.

 

“Is that some sort of greeting where she's from, Dumbledore?” the picture asked, looking at the Headmaster with incredulity. “How utterly charming. At the very least, she'll keep Potter's bed warm, if nothing else.” he finished in a falsely pleasant tone, looking at Tsunade's capacious bosom from his elevated vantage point. She looked at the picture in stunned silence before realizing that while she could understand Dumbledore, she could not make out anything that the picture was saying.

 

“Silencio!”Dumbledore cried, shooting a pale bluish light from the tip of his wand at the picture. “That'll be quite enough out of you for now, Phineas Nigellus,” he said calmly, as Phineas slapped his hands over his throat in shock and shot a baleful glare at Dumbledore before stalking angrily out of frame. “My apologies, Hokage-sama, I should have warned you about him,” he said, bowing slightly, somewhat abashed by the confrontation.

 

“Who was that? And why can I understand you, and not him?” she asked, looking at him intently, her arms crossed beneath her chest, enhancing her assets considerably.

 

“To answer your first question, the person in the picture is Phineas Nigellus Black. Many years ago, he held the same position I do now. Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He holds the remarkable reputation of being both Hogwarts' shortest tenured Headmaster, as well as being its most unpopular. Now, with regards to your second question, you can understand me because I was taught your language by Sarutobi. As for understanding anyone else, I would need to perform a spell that would enable instant translation. The spell causes some discomfort, but seeing as how I am more than likely to be the only one you'll encounter from the magical world, I see no reason for you to undergo such an experience,” he finished politely.

 

“Thank you for that,” Tsunade said, trying to hide a sigh of relief. “Now, I think it's time we got down to business. Tell me how you knew Sarutobi-sensei, where we are, and what you want from me and my people.” Dumbledore nodded solemnly and led Tsunade to a high backed chair with plush red cushions in front of his desk as he sat down behind his desk.

 

“I met Sarutobi Hiruzen during a massive war that occurred over forty years ago. He helped me defeat a very dangerous man by the name of Gellert Grindelwald. At the end of our partnership he swore to keep magic a secret from his people, and I swore to keep the existence of his people a secret from my people. The full story of course, is far more dramatic and compelling, but I'm afraid we haven't the time,” he kindly apologized before pressing on, leaning forward with his elbows on his desk. “As for the reason I require your services, there is a student in my fifth year class, named Harry Potter, who is in need of protection from an extremely dangerous Dark wizard named Voldemort. Voldemort and Harry share quite the history, which is why I feel that now, more than ever before, Voldemort will redouble his efforts to either capture or kill Harry. Also, you must understand that Voldemort does not operate alone. He has a legion of followers, known as Death Eaters, at his disposal. They are ruthless and will not hesitate to injure or kill anyone Voldemort does not consider to be of worth.” Tsunade leaned back in her chair slightly, her eyes directed towards the floor as she considered his depiction of the situation.

 

“Do you have any suspects as to who these 'Death Eaters' may be?” she asked, glancing back up towards the man in the chair across from her.

 

“We do. However, those we suspect come from old Wizarding money, and are very well connected, financially and politically. Even if we were to find evidence that would result in chargeable offenses, they have enough capital to buy the verdict they want,” he said, causing Tsunade to growl quietly. A corrupt government always complicated matters, and it always got worse the higher the problem spread. “Also, for that specific reason, I do not rely on the Ministry to ensure the well being of Harry and his close friends. I have my own personally selected group of agents in my own anti-Voldemort faction, The Order of the Phoenix. They're tasked with various duties that range from recruiting members for the Order, to infiltrating Voldemort's followers, to keeping watch on Harry at his home in the southern suburb of Little Whinging.”

 

“You mentioned Harry as being part of a class. I'll assume I'm correct in stating that this is a school of some kind,” Tsunade inferred, looking at Dumbledore, who nodded his assent.

 

“Indeed,” he replied, nodding slowly. “As I previously stated in my apologies for Phineas' earlier rudeness, he acted as one of my many predecessors in the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For over one thousand years, Hogwarts has educated the youth of magical Britain in such arts as potions making, arithmancy, divination, spell casting, and flying. Our students range in age from eleven to eighteen, and are separated into four houses: Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor.” Tsunade sat silently as Dumbledore explained the basics of Hogwarts, memorizing the more salient points of his spiel. “The finer details of the house system hold little bearing on our immediate discussion so I will set them aside for now,” he finished, smiling politely, to which Tsunade responded with a slight bow.

 

“I thank you for your brevity, Dumbledore-san. My two major questions are why the Order of the Phoenix is incapable of guarding Harry at school, and what exactly, as a paying client, would you expect of the team I send here to fulfill your request?” she asked, leaning back slightly in her chair, her hands folded in front of her face, the tone of her voice becoming less inquisitive and more businesslike.

 

“Firstly, allow me to say that the Order has a reasonable presence amongst the faculty, and nearly none of the students know of its existence. This is primarily for their own safety. No doubt, if I informed them, many would want to join, but they would be far too young, inexperienced, and fall swiftly to Voldemort's followers. Therefore, in good conscience, I cannot ask them. As far as my request as a client, I would prefer people of the same age as Harry, who is now fifteen years of age. Their purpose would be to infiltrate the school incognito, as part of its student body and gather intelligence on the students while protecting Harry and his companions. Earlier, I mentioned the houses of Hogwarts. One house in particular, Slytherin, has the highest concentration of offspring born from Voldemort's supporters. That house should bear the highest level of scrutiny from your team. Harry, however, resides in Gryffindor House with his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Though the chance of danger from any of the other houses is remote, I would appreciate having enough of your people around to have at least two sorted into each house. It is unknown how long it will take to eliminate Voldemort, and I would appreciate having your people stay until the threat of Voldemort is removed completely. Now, my question as a client is whether or not you can fulfill my request.”

 

Tsunade paused and frowned slightly as she ran through several ideas on how to put the team together. Many of her shinobi were currently out on other missions. Eventually, she selected six names, which possibly would not be enough people to cover all the houses. After a few more moments of deliberation, she remembered that Gaara was coming to Konoha that day for a diplomatic summit with his brother and sister. Baki was slated to be Gaara's guard for the meeting, so theoretically, Kankurou and Temari would be free. However, as professional as her people were, she could not deny the fact that teenagers were teenagers and that hormones certainly played their part in screwing things up. Ergo, Tsunade decided, that greater supervision would be needed. The only other Jounin available was Kurenai, who had gone off maternity leave several months ago, and had not had a mission since.

 

“Oh well,” Tsunade thought to herself. “Some times you test the water, some times you dive, and other times, you get thrown off a waterfall with lead weights tied to your ankles. Swim well, Kurenai-chan.” Her team decided upon, she looked back at Dumbledore and nodded briskly.

 

“I can give you nine people. Eight of which are Harry's age or close to it, and the ninth is an adult to whom the others will report. Also, given the difficulty and potential duration of the mission, I can tell you that it will be very expensive...however, as you were a friend of the Third Hokage, I am somewhat inclined to offer you something of a discount. ” Dumbledore smiled and nodded gratefully before Tsunade continued. “Nevertheless, I still have one final question to ask, Dumbledore-san. When would you like the mission to commence?”

 

“I thank you for your kindness and for agreeing to my request. With regards to your question, however, I would like your team to arrive tomorrow. They will not arrive here, but in another location of my choosing. As they will be playing the part of fifth year Hogwarts students, they will need fifth year skills. I have a man who belongs to the Order who has agreed to be their instructor. The school term starts in six weeks, and they will be training constantly. I already have passports and documents prepared that will mark your people as foreign transfer students. Now, shall we return to Konoha so you can assemble your team, and allow me to brief them?” he requested, looking into Tsunade's eyes with his blue ones. She nodded her assent as Dumbledore brought out that same saké bottle, causing a slight green tint to appear on her cheeks as she caught sight of it. “It's much easier the second time around,” he said reassuringly, noticing Tsunade's unsteady expression. She grimaced at being caught and changed her expression to one of stone as she reached out to touch the bottle. Instantly, she felt that same force jerk her from behind the navel and spin her around, arriving back in her office seconds later. This time, she retained her footing, but the dizziness was still present. Shizune rushed to her aid and along with Dumbledore, eased her into the chair behind her desk. Tsunade gratefully acknowledged Shizune's assistance as the younger woman rushed to get her a glass of water. She returned seconds later with the glass, giving it to the Hokage as she grabbed a scroll and wrote a hurried letter to Gaara.

 

“Shizune, give this to our swiftest messenger and tell him to deliver it to none other than the Kazekage himself. Tell him it is a high priority message.” Bowing, Shizune ran from the room to hand it to one of the ANBU waiting outside. In the midst of this, Dumbledore quickly conjured nine chairs like the one Tsunade had sat on in his office. After having done that, he reached into his robes and removed three rolls of parchment, sealed with scarlet wax that bore the Hogwarts seal. One detailed the basics of Hogwarts and its house system, another one provided information about Harry's closer acquaintances, including his relatives, the Dursleys, along with his friends Ron and Hermione. The final scroll was a detailed summary of Harry's life from birth to the aftermath of the Triwizard tournament and his current situation. Reaching over, he laid the scrolls on Tsunade's desk before speaking again.

 

“I leave these with you, until your team arrives. Once the briefing is concluded, your people can examine them at their leisure. They contain information about the school, Harry's friends and fellow students, and most importantly, Harry himself. They will need to memorize the details of each scroll, in order to successfully complete the mission. In other matters, I will be staying at the Sawaguchi family inn, three blocks away.” He paused to check his watch, as he picked it up from the table, along with his Put-Outer. “The time is now...12:45 in the afternoon. I would like your team fully briefed and packed to depart by this time tomorrow. Please have your assistant inform me when your team has assembled, so we can begin this afternoon's briefing,” he concluded, bowing before Disapparating with a quiet pop, just as Shizune re-entered the room.

 

Shizune just stared at the spot Dumbledore had vanished from, standing motionless for three whole minutes before looking back at Tsunade with an expression of disbelief on her face.

 

“Did he just...?” Shizune asked, letting the unfinished question just hang in the air for several seconds before Tsunade nodded, looking at her assistant with a sympathetic glance.

 

“Yes, he did. And the less said about it, the better,” she sighed, closing her eyes in exhaustion. The past few hours had been more draining than she thought. While Tsunade was attempting to rest, Shizune finally took notice of the new furniture in the office.

 

“D-did we have these chairs before?” Shizune asked, suddenly leery of her surroundings.

 

“No, we didn't. And once again with that whole 'less said' concept,” Tsunade responded with a slight growl as a headache encroached upon her self-declared intermission.

 

“But where did they come from? It's like they just appeared out of thin air...” Shizune whispered, mystified by the unexpected arrival of the furniture. The blonde Hokage could withstand no more interruptions to her break time and threw up her hands in exasperation.

 

“Oh for the love of Kami-sama!” she shouted, covering her face with her hands, causing Shizune to slink away slightly. “Today you're taking a two hour lunch! Go! Find Iruka, rip his clothes off, and screw him to the mattress! Just go...and don't mention this weirdness to anyone in Konoha, especially not me. I just need a couple of hours to regain my sanity...and I'm sorry for snapping at you. Today's just been really, really intense,” she said, sighing softly. “Anyway...you're dismissed for a couple of hours. But on your way back, I need you to find Shikamaru, Hinata, Naruto, Tenten, Lee, Sakura, and Kurenai. I asked the Kazekage to loan us his brother and sister. Make sure you're back by...say, 3:30 this afternoon,” Tsunade finished, closing her eyes again.

 

“Hai, Hokage-sama,” Shizune replied, bowing before heading to the office door, looking back at Tsunade with a worried glance before shutting the door. Once the door shut, Tsunade contemplated the mission she was about to send seven of her best shinobi on, and two of the Sand's best as well. An enemy of unknown capabilities and a world where the laws of physics could be either flauntingly bent or unconscionably broken. No shinobi could ever be properly trained for a mission like this. She only hoped that the ones who did survive came back whole in mind as well as body. Tsunade opened her eyes to look at the picture of her former teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

 

“Looks like we've all got our lead weights on today, Sarutobi-sensei. I wonder, when this day came to you, how well did you swim?” she asked rhetorically, as a tear fell from one eye. “How well would Dan have swam? How well will they all swim?” she asked again, closing her eyes once more.

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Author's Notes: Well, here I am again, after a long absence. I'm here to give you the best stuff I can, but that won't happen without your reviews. Also, I'd also like to give much love to my beta reader, Hime Temari, who has graciously agreed to come along for the ride this time. I hope you all enjoy our joint effort.

 

Next Chapter: Assembly of the Guard