Echoes of loss

Pain, all-consuming, heart-wrenching pain, is all he remembers. He sees it reiterated again and again in his mind. He watches over and over as the figure of his godfather, the only family he truly had left, floats back through the veil. Blank expression frozen as if by time itself, etched onto his handsome features, now a mockery of the lively person he was just moments before.

He thinks he screams and feels his throat burn but no sound reaches his ears as all he hears is the rerun of the man's last breath as it puffed out of his slack mouth, a final gasp as if he took a breath and forgot to ever take one again.

He feels his lungs constrict and twist, his body trembling with the effort to stay upright and standing. Despite his entire world narrowing and slowing as if reaching its end, the battle was still raging on around him as if nothing was wrong. As if life itself hadn’t just stopped for a moment.

A shrill voice, sounding so far away despite the intimate knowledge that its owner was still close, was shouting out taunts. Words sounding muffled to his addled thoughts.

Something knocks him back, a sharp, agonizing pain erupting in his side as he's pushed back, his body crumbling against a hard surface. One of the department's shelves behind him topples, crashing to the ground and suddenly all he sees is a flash of bright, all-encompassing light. For a moment, he wonders if he was going to join Sirius wherever he was now.

A trivial part of him thinks that it wouldn’t be so bad if he did.

A scream reaches his ears, a horrible rendition of his name is the last thing he hears before his entire world is turned white.

“HARRY!”

_________________________

His equilibrium falters, head swimming and body swaying as he crumbles to the ground. Where there once was a dark, gothic stone ceiling now was an expanse of the bluest sky, stretching for miles and miles.

Reality blurs around him, the pain in his side feeling all too intense as he tries to get his feet under him. A crater of broken dirt spreads beneath him, a tapestry of cracks and fissures in the very ground, marking his rough landing.

No steady thought seems to form in his mind as he tries in vain to make out anything familiar in his environment. Where the hell was he, he needed to get back, Siri- His friends, his friends needed him, and the battle wasn’t over.

Something damp trickles down his forehead, and he wonders if maybe it is raining, despite the clear blue towering over him. His inquisitive fingers come back painted red.

“What the hell.” A low voice says from somewhere behind him and turns so sharply that the world tips and stumbles with him. The words are entirely foreign to him.

His wand is trained towards the figure in an instant. His hand trembling with the effort to keep it steady as he ignored the agony racing through his limbs and swiftly got to his feet.

“Not a move.” He growls, feeling his voice crack and break despite his efforts to appear unbothered. His eyes rapidly scan his surroundings, dread pooling in his stomach as he notes the presence of another figure to his right. His vision is so hazy that he can’t quite make out any of their features.

The figure in front of him doesn’t seem to get the message, however, taking another cautious step towards him. “A stick…” He seems to mutter under his breath, the language once again completely unknown to his ears. “How troublesome.” His eyes narrow as he says so, scanning him over, settling on his side darkly. “You’re injured.”

Whatever the hell he's trying to say goes right over his head, his focus waning as dark spots overtook his vision. He loses consciousness before he can even will his body to make a move.

______________________________

Silence fills the clearing as the boy drops, as if a puppet whose strings have been cut, he falls to the ground with a heavy thump. The red on his grey shirt darkens as it spreads.

Without any imminent threat, Shikamaru rushes to the fallen figure, crouching in front of him, his fingers tentatively coming up to feel his pulse.

He sighs as he feels the tell-tale sound of a heartbeat, one not particularly steady but alive nonetheless. This was going to be a drag, he could already feel it. He goes through the motions, sending a clone to alert the Hokage and the medical team. Already feeling his energy drain with the chakra he used.

Something gleams in the sunlight, buried in the grass near the crumbled figure, and he tentatively picks up the object. It’s like nothing he’s ever encountered before, and so he stuffs it into one of his many utility pouches. He’d inspect it, later.

Neji, who had been cautiously approaching ever since the figure materialized amid their training session, regarded the scene with critical eyes. Having known the fellow ninja for years, he could see the well-concealed concern shining through the lavender blank eyes. He didn't waste a second activating his Byakugan, surveying the newcomer closely. He recoiled a moment later, taking an involuntary step back as his eyes widened in something akin to horror.

“What is it?” Shikamaru asked softly, knowing that whatever it was, it couldn’t be anything good.

“Shikamaru…” The teen started slowly, his eyes softening as they released the Justu. “That boy, he doesn’t have a chakra channel.”

“What, like a civilian?” He inquires, feeling dread form in the pit of his stomach at the look in the other boy’s eyes.

“No, it’s like his body is different. He doesn’t have a trace of chakra.” Watching the med-nins run into the field, he resigns himself to a very long day.

“What a drag.” He really wanted a smoke.

_____________________________________

The Godaime Hokage, Tsunade Senju stands imposingly in the hospital room. His arms are crossed over her chest, and her long, chestnut-brown hair cascades down her back in thick, luxurious waves, reflecting the strength of her legendary Senju bloodline. Her almond-shaped eyes regard the boy in front of her steadily.

"He should pull through," She starts, addressing the two ninjas as she turns to adjust the IV connected to her recently acquired patient. "He's been pretty roughed up, not to mention that nasty injury on his side. It's as if something exploded from inside his skin, I've never seen anything like it." She continues, her eyes scanning the boy's features closely. His hair, damp from sweat and grime clings to his forehead, barely concealing a lightning-shaped scar that carves ever so peculiarly into his skin. His skin is pale, a great contrast to the purple-blue bruises marring most of his visible skin. Round glasses sit innocently on the bridge of his nose, making him look smaller than the wounds on his body suggest. “You were right, Neji, he doesn’t seem to have a hint of chakra in his body, for all intents and purposes, this boy should be dead.”

“How is that possible?” Shikamaru says evenly, eyes never straying from the boy slumbering on the hospital bed. Even in his sleep, he looks troubled, eyebrows scrunched tightly, eyes fluttering rapidly beneath closed eyelids.

“That’s what I am trying to figure out, you say he just appeared out there?”

“Yes, Hokage-Sama, it was like he materialized, one moment out of thin air. Nothing and then the next thing we know, there he was.” Neji interjected softly, his long, auburn hair swaying as a gust of wind fluttered into the room through the open window.

“It seems we’ll have to wait for him to wake up to get our answers.” She concluded solemnly, turning once more to face them on her way out of the room. “I want one of you posted here at all times, wherever he came from, we can’t let down our guards until we know his motives, understood?”

"Hai!" They responded in unison, knowing an order when they heard it.

“Send for me as soon as he shows any sign of regaining consciousness.” And with that, she sweeps out of the room, leaving both boys alone with their new charge.

“I can practically see the gears in your mind turning, what do you make of this?” Neji says after a few minutes of silence, the only sound around them, is the soft whirring of the machines attached to the boy lying on the bed before them.

"It's just weird, isn't it? He pops out of nowhere," He pulls one of his fingers down using his other hand. "Speaks an unknown language, and holds a stick like it's a weapon." Three fingers down, he continues. “Not to mention the lack of chakra and the strange object we found lying next to him.” He pulls the mentioned item from his pouch them, bringing it up into the light.

It resembles an hourglass, except weirdly enough, it's horizontal instead of vertical, as if by some invisible force, the sand shuffles from one side to another without an ounce of gravity aiding it in its journey. Tsunade had looked frustrated when he presented it, entrusting him with it for the moment, along with the stick they’d found in his grasp. They wouldn’t show it to the investigating ward just yet, they wanted to keep the boy’s presence under wraps for now. Only the Hokage and a select few were to be briefed on the incident.

“What do you suppose it is?”

"Who the hell knows?" He mutters as he shoves the hourglass back into its resting place. Feeling strangely impatient for the boy to wake up. This was a puzzle he was more than itching to solve. His interest had been officially peaked.

The sun was starting to set by then, and they both discussed a guard rotation for the night to come. With all the injuries and healing he’d gone through, the boy wouldn’t wake up for hours yet.

And so, Shikamaru left, intent on taking a nap before it was his turn to watch over the mysterious newcomer.

__________________________________

Consciousness comes to him in waves, crashing against his skull in a sharp headache. His entire body aches but he is in considerably less pain than he last remembered. Memories flit to the forefront of his bind and he finds himself jumping to his feet a second later. Something pulls against his skin, a spike of pain erupting in his arm as a needle is ripped out of his flesh. Bare feet hit the cold ground with a thud and a stumble as multiple taped sensors fall away with it. Machines beep to life around him, the noise only serves to heighten the pain echoing in his head. His eyes rapidly flit around him, taking in the possible exits, and the space around him.

"Hey, calm down, you're okay!" He almost jumps right out of his skin as he spots a boy standing in the doorway, blocking his exit. Three more figures burst into the room just as he finished whatever it was he was saying, one of them was a tall woman, and the other two were both men, one younger than the other. Strangely, he thinks he seems familiar.

“Who the hell are you, and where did you take me.” He snarls, patting his body in search of his wand, heart sinking as he realizes that it’s not with him.

_____

“Are you looking for this?” Shikamaru asks, feeling more than a little silly for waving the stick around like that. However, it seemed to be important to the boy, given that his first reaction was to look for it.

The boy’s eyes seemed to widen for a moment before narrowing into dangerous slits. Shouting something intangible as he gestured for the object.

The logical part of him speculated that this was probably some sort of weapon that the other used, but another, bigger part of him, wanted to somehow show a gesture of faith, extend some kind of olive branch to the other to make him understand that they meant no harm.

At the tentative nod he received from his Hokage, he slowly handed the stick over.

He could see the tension visibly draining from the boy as his fingers wrapped around the wooden item, his eyes softening in a look of pure confusion as he regarded the occupants of the room with calculating, noticeably calmer eyes.

His grip tightened around it once before bringing it down to rest at his hip. Shikamaru, somewhat expected him to point it at them like he’d done in the clearing. It seems he wasn’t the only one trying to show good intentions.

“Maa, that took a dramatic turn.” Kakashi, who he only now noticed, standing behind the Hokage, drawled from his place leaning against the now closed door. Neji shuffled a few steps in front of him, walking to stand next to Shikamaru.

 "He doesn't understand a word we're saying." The Hyuga said softly, regarding the boy seriously.

Tsunade sighed heavily at the Jonin’s words, looking older than she appeared as she surveyed the situation.

Harry, for his part, was still standing on guard, watching the four with suspicious eyes. They’d given him his wand back. That, in itself, had twisted his perception almost entirely. None of them seemed to even understand what it was they were giving him. Did they realize that they had just given him his weapon back? Were they not wizards? Did he somehow escape the hold of any death eater? Was he even still in Britain? Given the foreign language, that vaguely resembled Japanese, he figured he knew-despite the rising panic he could feel bubbling within him- the answer to his question.

His mind whirred with the possibilities. Trying to piece back the last thing he remembered before appearing here. Had he somehow apparated in a fit of panic? No, impossible, he’s never been here before, not to mention he didn’t even know how to apparate yet. He remembered knocking into a shelf in the ministry, had he set off some sort of Portkey? That didn't seem right either.

A hand waved at him from the other side of the bed, the structure having served as a barrier between him and the rest of the room’s occupants. He flushed darkly, realizing that he had fallen into his thoughts despite the alarming situation he was in. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down like that again.

Looking at the woman addressing him, speaking in a rough, but not unkind tone, he once again wished he could understand any of the words they were saying.

As if a lightbulb suddenly went in his head, he could have slapped himself for his idiocy. Had Hermione been with him, she'd have scolded him for being so scatterbrained. He was a wizard, dammit, he could use spells. His heart twisted at the reminder that he was completely alone here. Neither Hermione nor any of his friends were here right now.

Raising a hand to halt whatever the other was saying, he slowly, cautiously, raised his wand, keeping contact with their respective gazes as he tried to convey that he meant no harm. Hoping they wouldn't react badly, he brought the tip of his wand to his throat.

The tension was almost palpable as he whispered the spell. He was thankful for Hermione’s rambling and her need to learn every possible useful spell she could. The Latin rolled off his tongue effortlessly Omnis lingua he uttered, feeling his vocal chords shift as he talked.

He kept eye contact with the others as he repeated the word: “Understand?” over and over again in all the languages the spell allowed until he could spot a hint of recognition in their gazes.

It seemed his previous assumption had been right, for the moment the spell had reached variations of the Japanese language, the others had suddenly exclaimed in affirmation.

“How the hell did you do that?” One of the boys exclaimed, eyes wide with something akin to wonder. He felt himself relax as he finally understood what they were saying.

“Maa maa was that some kind of jutsu?" A grey-haired man drawled from a little ways behind the rest, the bottom half of his face, along with one of his eyes were hidden behind a black mask, concealing his features from the world.

“A Jutsu?” He couldn’t help but ask, was that what they called spells here?

"Never mind that!" The woman exclaimed suddenly, marching towards him in big strides. Her movements draw out an involuntary flinch as he scrambles back, his wand once again trained on the strangers, halting her movements in an instant. "You brat need to sit back down, with your injuries it's a wonder you are even up and walking." His mind is suddenly attacked with a strange mental image of a more aggressive version of Miss Weasly.

“What- no.” He manages through his rising confusion. “Who the hell are you people, and where am I?”

“You are in the Konohagakure, in the land of fire." The third boy says, a teen with long brown hair, falling gracefully down his shoulders, tied with a bandana at the top of his head. A weird leaf emblem is carved into the metal plaque stitched into it. His voice is soft and even. Konohagakure, his mind whispers, the village hidden in the leaves, It tells him. What the hell.

“The land of fire…” He utters, suddenly feeling the weight of his current situation crashing down on him.

What the hell.

“From your reaction, I take it you’re not from here.” The first boy, the one closest to him, who’d handed him his wand, says so with a tentative, resigned tone. His dark hair was tied up into a spiky ponytail, steel grey eyes regarding Harry with a seriousness he’d rarely seen in someone who appeared to be as young as he was.

"Yeah." He huffs out, voice breaking just a little. "You could say that." He lets his body fall then, sitting on the bed as exhaustion fills every inch of his body, seeping into the crevices of his very bones.

“How do we know you’re not lying?” The masked man asks, voice sounding just as lazy as it had been before. “You could be a spy for all we know.”

He feels his anger spike at the man's words. A spy? "How do I know you're not a bunch of death eaters, do you think I want to be here?!" He snarls, feeling his frustration burst out of him all at once. He feels even more tired once the words are out of his mouth, all the fight leaving his body as he realizes once more just how dire his situation is.

"Death eater?" The brown-haired boy repeats softly, as if testing the words. "I'm afraid we are not familiar with that term."

“Look, I think- I think I somehow teleported here by accident. I don’t know who any of you guys are, and I’ve never heard of any place called Konohagakure, or the land of fire before, in fact, I don’t think it even exists where I come from.”

“Is teleportation a Jutsu you possess?” Ponytail asked, sounding mildly intrigued.

“Again, I don’t know what a Jutsu is.”

“Is that not what you used when you gave yourself the ability to talk to us?” The woman spoke up once more.

“No, whatever you guys think a Jutsu is, I can assure you that it's not what I used." He gestured to the wand still held firmly in his grasp. "I used this." He debated how he was going to go about this. Was the statute of secrecy still in place when it appeared he had ended up in some kind of different dimension? Would they even believe him if he exclaimed outright that it was magic? Sighing heavily, he resigned himself to a long explanation. "Magic." He started, looking at the blank reactions he got in response, he launched into a quick, brief explanation of his world and the magic that people possessed there.

"That would explain why you don't seem to have any chakra." The woman muttered as if to herself. "But I apologize, even though I find your explanation logical enough, I can't go on with your word alone." She explained, her eyes conveying slight regret but great resolve.

His hand twitched, the still raw scar etched into his skin burning with the need to prove he was telling the truth. Quelling his rising anger, and the illogical pang of hurt he could feel twist in his chest, he leveled his voice. “What would you suggest then?” He responded curtly, feeling his walls close back down.

"Would you be willing to have our head of intelligence use his mind Jutsu on you?”

“Can someone explain what a bloody Jutsu is?” He burst out, feeling his patience snap as he was once again expected to know things without any explanation.

“Calm down, kid.” The masked man interjected. Rising from his slump until he wasn’t leaning against the wall anymore. “A Jutsu is a manifestation of our skills. In this particular instance, we are talking about Chakra." He raised a hand before Harry could ask what Chakra was. "Chakra is the energy that fuels us, it runs through our veins and our bodies, and we can channel it to form different types of Justu. Powers, as you would probably put it. It’s our kind of magic, if you will.” He finished calmly, sounding for the first time in their entire interaction like an actual adult. Logical and helpful. He vaguely reminded him of a teacher.

“Then, mind Jutsu? Am I supposed to let you lot just barge into my thoughts and look through whatever you want with nothing in return? Why the hell would I trust you? I don’t even know you’re names.”

“He’s got a point there.” Shikamaru relented, feeling more than a little sheepish. “But in our defense, we don’t know who you are either. You’ve explained that you have magic and that you’re not from here, but we know nothing else about you.”

Breathing in deeply before letting it out, he straightened back onto his feet. "My name is Harry James Potter. I am a wizard in my fifth year of schooling. I guess it's not really nice to meet you, but you can't really blame me for that. I am nonetheless, grateful for your help. You brought me here, healed me, and gave me my wand back, even though you could have just as easily chosen to leave me to die. So, really, thank you."

The others seemed stunned for a moment, silence stretching after his little impromptu speech. The first one to snap out of it was the woman. “Nice to meet you too, brat. My name is Tsunade Senju. The Godaime Hokage, leader of the village hidden in the leaves. A ninja village of the land of fire. You don’t need to thank us, I am a doctor, and after all, it is my job.” A new glint seemed to shine in her eyes as she regarded him.

The two boys stepped up next, the spikey-haired one spoke first, introducing himself as Shikamaru, belonging to the Nara clan, a chunin-level ninja of the village. He of course also briefly explained the meaning of his rank and the other ranks of their government. Harry was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that being a ninja was a career choice here. One that required an entire village, and if what he understood was accurate, one that many villages practiced as well.

The second teen introduced himself as Neji, a Jonin, one belonging to the Hyuga clan. The boy was strangely formal.

“Maa," Harry wondered if he was going to start all of his sentences similarly. "Name's Kakashi Hatake, Jonin.” And that was that.

“Now that introductions are over, what is your answer, Potter-san.”

His skin itched at the mere thought of some mind power sinking its claws into him. Hadn’t he had enough of that during the last year? His Occlumency lessons with Snape had been hellish. And yet, he figured that at least, maybe, he could block out the things he didn’t want to show them, now.

“Can you explain the process, I-“ He faltered, hesitating to divulge the next bit of information. “I haven’t had the best experience with mind magic.” Tsunade’s eyes seemed to soften at the muttered admission.

“It is a completely painless procedure. Our head of department, Yamanaka Inoichi would apply his mind Jutsu on you in order to search for any hint of deception. He wouldn’t divulge or show any of your secrets or past experiences unless you give him express permission.” The Hokage explained. “You are clearly not our enemy, Potter, however, as the leader of this village, I can’t take any chances, do you understand?”

“Yeah, alright. I’ll do it.”

“Thank you. We will not take advantage of your trust, Potter.” She smiled at him. He couldn’t bring himself to smile back.

Kakashi disappeared briefly after that, his actions so sudden it made him jump in place as he suddenly disappeared in a blur of movement.

Shikamaru lightly explained the meaning of Shunshin to him, amusement dancing across his features as he surveyed his reaction. Harry resolved himself to startling him with a show of magic later on.

"Oh, by the way, while we're waiting." He fished out the hourglass from his pouch, showing it to the boy sitting in front of him. "I found this lying right next to where we found you. Would you happen to know what it is?" He watched with an intense gaze as Potter took the item into his grasp, tentative fingers brushing across the foggy glass, seemingly in a daze.

“I- I don’t. I think it’s like a time turner, a device that lets you travel through time, but this one, it’s different, I’ve never seen one like this before…” He explained easily, as if he was not casually mentioning a device that could travel through time. “I think I know what happened to me now…”

“Oh?” Neji urged quietly, wanting the other boy to elaborate.

"I was in the middle of a- a fight, I- I was distracted." Harry's voice seemed to waver as he talked about it, his gaze miles away, shoulders hunching in on himself as he seemed to lose himself in his memories. "I got hit with a stunner, or some kind of hex I think, and then I got knocked into one of the shelves." He explained softly. "We were in the ministry's department of mysteries, it's a place filled with dark, or dangerous objects that were there for experimentation or examination. This thing must have been on the shelf I knocked over. It must have activated when the spell hit.”

“Thus, bringing you here.” It made sense, Shikamaru supposed. The question now, was whether or not it could help bring the boy back home.

“It’s still running…” Potter finished quietly, eying the object in shock.

“What does that mean?” Neji asked just as softly as if they were having a private discussion.

“I- I’m not sure, but given that the sand is still going through one end to the other, I can only hope that by the time it’s done, the spell will reverse itself and I’ll be back h-home.” His chest ached at the thought. He hoped his friends were okay. He hoped that help had arrived by now and that they were safe, back at Hogwarts.

"I looked at it yesterday, the sand has barely moved since then," Shikamaru noted, eyes contemplative.

Looking closer, Harry agreed that yes that seemed to be the case. His momentary hope dwindled as he realized that it might take a while before he could go home. He'd have to monitor the progress of the sand in order to come up with a proper timeline.

The door to the room opened, Kakashi walked in, followed closely by a blond man. His long platinum hair instantly reminded him of Malfoy, anger spiking as he remembered the last interaction he had with one particular member of the Malfoy family. Stifling the urge to hex the man, he got to his feet, putting on a mask of perfect neutrality. This wasn’t Malfoy, this was just a man doing his job for his village. Yamanaka Inoichi, if he remembered correctly.

“Hello, you must be Potter-san, Kakashi has told me a little about you on the way here.”

“Call me Harry, you’re about to go through my brain, after all, aren’t you? I believe that means we can skip the pleasantries and jump right into it, right?” He tried to get his voice to sound nonchalant, wanting to find the humor in the situation, channeling some of his inner Weasley terror twins. His act wasn’t as perfect as he figured though, if the look of soft sympathy on the man’s face was of any indication.

“I give you my word, Harry-san that, unless I find incriminating evidence of your intentions against our village or its people, I will not divulge any of your secrets, nor will I take lightly anything I discover. Even If my word is that of a stranger to you, I am honor-bound to use my powers with integrity. Unless you ask me to, none of what I see or hear will come to light."

The words were more reassuring than he expected them to be. Bitterly, he wished that his lessons with Snape had started with this kind of promise.

Gulping involuntarily, he nodded resolutely. “Alright.” Channeling his inner Gryffindor, he gestured for the man to go ahead. Shooting one last look at Shikamaru, the one he has come to associate most with safety, given that he was the one to give him his protection at the very beginning. The wand resting in his grip was proof of that. At the reassuring smile he got in return, he nodded once more to the blonde-haired man.

The man in question raised two hands, going through a series of gestures and symbols before pressing two cold fingers to Harry's temple. Instantly he knew that it was working. He could feel a cool sensation wash over him, the intrusion, unlike Snape's spells, was soft and unobtrusive. A soft prod instead of a harsh jab at his psyche.

“You’re mental shields are impressive." The man whispered. His eyes were still closed.

Taking it as his cue to relent, he let go of his tight hold, feeling the Justu finally take hold. He watched as if a spectator to his own thoughts as Yamanaka went through his memories. Starting with his earliest recollections of magic, accidental outbursts during his childhood, the Dursley’s abhorrent reactions to him, and his freakishness. He threw some blocks around those memories as soon as he could, focusing instead on the night his life changed forever. An old image of Hagrid telling him about the world of wonder and magic. Hogwarts was next, year after year, hardships and struggles. Friendship and enemies. He watched his life as if a movie playing in a loop before him. The Triwizard Tournament was particularly harsh to remember, the graveyard was as cold and unforgiving as he recalled. Dark toxic green flashed before him and he physically recoiled as he saw once more Cedric dropping to the ground, lifeless and unmoving. His fifth year played after that, and he found himself disassociating as he watched his most recent struggles unfold before him. He could feel his body trembling as Sirius faded into the whispering veil, a husk of himself. Tears were leaking from his eyes, now, something he had absolutely no control over.

White flashed in his vision and then he watched himself waking up in this universe.

He doesn’t know the exact moment the Jutsu ends but he does feel his body dropping, as if unable to handle his own weight anymore. He was hyperventilating, his lungs refusing to cooperate as he recalled every memory as vividly as the day they happened. They had, of course, failed to mention that this would happen.

His chest felt like it was on fire, lungs burning with the need for oxygen. One it was currently being painfully and forcefully deprived of.

Two arms encircled him then, pulling him against a firm chest. Platinum hair filled his vision as an arm came to rub his back soothingly. "I'm sorry." The voice whispered brokenly, the tone sounding just as choked up and broken as he felt at that moment. "I'm so sorry," Yamanaka repeated. "If I had known, I wouldn't have-"He cut himself off, seemingly trying to regain his composure. "I'm sorry, Harry. Please breathe with me." He mimicked deep even breaths, coaching him back from his panic attack.

Letting go of him, once his breathing had evened, Yamanaka pulled back until he was facing him once more. "He has my full and complete trust, Hokage-sama.” The man uttered seriously, eyes never straying from Harry’s green orbs.

“I’m sorry you had to see all that…” Harry whispered, feeling guilt gnaw at him. He surely must have traumatized the poor man.

“I’m sorry that you had to live it.”

The man took his leave shortly after, needing to settle his nerves on his own for a while. However, not before promising he’d check up on Harry later, inviting him to visit his clan home if he ever needed anything. Anything at all, even if only to talk to someone.

It made something within his chest twist. Especially as the man hugged him once more before disappearing back out of the room.

Stunned silence remained in his wake, all occupants of the room looking at the door as if a ghost had just gone through it. Tsunade and Kakashi, in particular, were stunned. They both knew the daily horrors the head of the intelligence field had to face during his missions, and yet, they’d never seen such a reaction from him before.

Shikamaru and Neji weren't fairing any better, both had pained expressions, trying to imagine what could possibly have garnered such a strong reaction.

“Are we done here?” Harry’s voice was low but unwavering as he addressed them. “I believe that you got what you wanted.” He sounded so tired, Neji wanted nothing more than to bundle him up in a blanket and let him sleep.

“Of course, thank you, Harry.” Tsunade spoke, feeling more than a little unsettled. “There is, however, still the question of where you will be staying. Given your earlier theory, it seems that you may need a place to stay for a while. I, the Hokage of this village, grant you refuge for as long as you need, Harry Potter.”

They were all so formal here. He thought tiredly. He mustered a small smile as he thanked her. However- “I don’t have any money, though, at least not in this dimension.”

“You can stay with me.” Neji offered gently, having already thought about it for a little while. “I live alone in my apartment, I have plenty of room and would be honored to welcome you. Money will not be an issue.”

“I wouldn’t want to be a bother, if you pointed me to the nearest forest I could camp there.” He figured camping would be a good skill to develop.

“Nonsense.” The Hyuga responded swiftly, his tone for once varying from his previous quietness and politeness. It seemed he had another side to him. Harry found it interesting, wondering if he could get it out of him more often. “I have a perfectly good apartment available. Don’t be foolish.”

“What he means to say,” Shikamaru began exasperatedly, sensing his friend’s incapacity of correctly expressing himself.  “Is that he would be happy to have you, no bother at all.”

“Ah, alright, if you insist.”

“I do.” The Hyuga persisted, not letting Harry finish his sentence. It almost made him smile.

“Of course.”

“Well,” Tsunade suddenly clapped her hands, effectively breaking them out of their moment. “Since that’s been taken care of, I’ll be going. Important Hokage business to take care of and all that.”

“Maa, you mean, you want to go drink some, don’t you?” Kakashi drawled with no small amount of amusement.

Tsunade only ignored him, scoffing as she marched out of the room. “Oh, and before I forget,” she turned to address Harry one last time. “Welcome to Konoha Harry-kun.” The door closed behind her with a soft click, having not waiting for a response before taking her leave. Kakashi followed suit shortly after with a lazy wave.

Harry supposed that all people of power were bound to be a little eccentric.

“So… what now?”

“Now, you rest, obviously. You were dying just a few hours ago, you know.” Shikamaru groused, ushering the boy back into his bed.

“Yes, Nara-san is right, you should sleep for the night. I’ll come collect you in the morning.”

“Do I get any say in this?” He mumbled bitterly, not wanting to sleep just yet, knowing what would be waiting on the other side of the waking world.

“Glad we understand each other,” Shikamaru smirked impishly, “I’ll come by tomorrow too, maybe we can show you around the village once you settle in.”

“Sure.” He suddenly felt really tired. Twisting his wand in a familiar motion, he felt his magic wash over him. “What?” He asked, seeing the shock written clearly across both teen’s features. Following the boys’ gazes to his now clean clothes and dirt-free skin, he blushed. He’d forgotten that he wasn’t with people who were used to this kind of thing. He hoped they weren’t like the Dursleys. Were they scared of his magic? Would they think he was some kind of freak? “Ah, j-just a cleaning spell, sorry.” He mumbled. “I can stop using it in front of you if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“What? No!” Shikamaru said just as Neji shouted out "Of course not!" "We were just shocked, we've never seen that kind of casual power before. It's pretty useful."

“Huh, alright… although, I think you guys would have some wicked stuff to show me too, given what you explained about chakra.”

“Tell you what, maybe we can have a little spar once you feel better, get to show off a little on both sides. I think some of our friends would also love to see your magic.”

They stayed a few minutes longer after that, casually talking before they both took their leave. Wishing Harry a good night.

The hospital room was unsettlingly quiet after that, Harry didn’t hesitate to cast a silencing charm around his bed, knowing that the night was in no way going to be peaceful.

__________________________________

As expected, when the sun rose, the first rays of morning light bathing the sky peeking through his window, Harry had barely managed a couple of bouts of sleep. His night had been plagued with nightmare after nightmare, all of them centering on the same scene.

As he lay there, staring blankly at the white ceiling above, he wondered what could have happened if he hadn't been so stupid. Sirius's death had been his fault. If he hadn't acted rashly, if he'd stayed in Hogwarts, or even if he'd tried harder to contact his godfather, he could have prevented all of that from happening. His friends would still be safe at Hogwarts, he wouldn't be in this mess, and more importantly, Sirius… Sirius would still be here. Clenching his fist, wrinkling the grey hospital sheet in his hold, he blinked away his incoming tears.

Regrets and guilt blanketed his every thought like a heavy veil. If only it had been him instead, he knew that Bellatrix had been aiming for him, he'd been distracted, and the echo of his godfather, calling him by his father's name, resounded in his mind.

His father wouldn’t have wanted his best friend to die like this.

He wouldn’t have wanted his son to be so reckless and naïve.

A knock sounded on his door and he hurried to wipe away the stray tears that had managed to escape his control.

Neji entered the room a moment later, expression all too knowing, to Harry’s great discomfort.

“Hello Potter-san, I brought you some clothes to change into, going out in those bloodstained ones would only draw more attention.”

He figured he could have cleaned them using magic, but thanked the teen nonetheless, grateful that the boy had thought about him at all. “You can call me Harry, Hyuga-san, I’m not used to such formality from where I am from.”

“Very well, you may call me Neji then.” The ninja conceded, his gaze softening. Harry, looking closer at the boy’s eye, now that he had the change, couldn’t help but feel those lavender orbs sink into his very soul. They really were very pretty.

“I’ll just-“ He faltered, feeling a little awkward, “Get to it then.” He gestured at the clothes now held in his grasp.”

“Of course.” The teen said suddenly, turning to face the wall abruptly.

He made quick work of striping out of his uncomfortable clothes, shocked to see even more bandages wrapped around his side and torso. Tsunade had done an amazing job at healing him, it seemed. Even though he wasn’t used to having his wounds stay for longer than a few hours. Madame Pomfrey’s potions would have finished taking effect completely by now.

Slipping into some baggy dark pants and a form-fitting long-sleeve shirt, he couldn't help but feel slightly subconscious. He was thinner than most people his age, he knew. A stressful couple of years, coupled with his summers at the Dursley’s meant he wasn’t eating the healthiest amount he could be.

Once done, he cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses back into place as the Hyuga turned to face him once more.

“Shall we?” He tried for a smile, feeling his features stretch wrongly, it felt wrong to try and smile when he felt there was nothing to smile about.

"Yes, follow me." The boy's voice sounded strange as if he was holding in a cough. As they walked out of the hospital, he continued. "Are you feeling quite alright today? Have your injuries healed well?"

"Yes, they have, I'm a little sore but other than that I feel fine, thanks." The silence that followed felt a little heavy as they stepped out of the building and into the village.

He couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped him as he was faced with a rather peculiar sight. The village looked like, well, a village. One a couple of decades in Harry’s own past universe. Before the modern world had taken over more of the cities. Before the rise of pollution and the industrial age. The sheer amount of trees and greenery gave a more literal meaning to the village hidden in the leaves.

“It’s really calm here.” He said before he could think better of the words.

“Mmm, it is, most of the time, at least.” Before he could make sense of that particular phrasing, shouting was heard from a little ways in front of them.

He was on guard immediately, dropping his wand from within his sleeve into his hand, taking a dueling stance as the shouting drew closer.

Neji’s reaction made him falter, however, as the teen only looked mildly exasperated. A visible tick started to form on his forehead as he crossed his arms over his chest as if waiting for the disturbance to come to them.

“But Sakura-chan! I’m leaving tomorrow! You can’t possibly expect me not to do this while I still can!”

A golden-haired boy was shouting, gaining more than a few glares as he trailed behind a pink-haired girl, presumably Sakura, his ear was held firmly in her grasp as she marched resolutely down the road.

“Naruto…” She growled, letting him go in favor of shouting intangible obscenities at him, her voice even louder than his own.

“I think he got it, Sakura-san.” Neji spoke softly from his place next to Harry, his voice sounding resigned as if he'd done this a thousand times before.

“N-neji!” She exclaimed, hiding her hands behind her back as if she hadn’t been moments away from beating up the boy in front of her. “What are you doing here?” She asked sheepishly, stepping away from the blond as if he was never there in the first place.

Naruto, for his part, only slumped in relief as she turned her attention away from him, dropping into a crisscrossed position on the ground, hand comically wiping away the sweat off his brows.

“I was showing our guest around the village, letting him get used to the area a little.”

“Guest? Oh!” She finally seemed to notice him, turning her eyes to survey him critically. Her attitude doing a one-eighty as she suddenly seemed more serious. “You’re the boy Tsunade-Hime told us about.” Ah, so she knew, he thought only a select few were supposed to know. Did that mean that they all ranked highly in the village hierarchy?

"Who're you?" The blonde, Naruto, was up on his feet now, having closed the distance between them in just a few strides, appearing so suddenly before him that Harry couldn't help but take a step back out of surprise. His eyes were of the bluest hue, reminding him of the sky he'd seen yesterday. When Harry didn't answer in time, he turned to Neji, “Who’s four eyes?”

Four eyes… Really.

“Naruto!!” Sakura growled as she thumped the boy on the back of the head, yelling at him once more. “Didn’t you hear anything Kakashi and Tsunade told us this morning!?” She was about to continue but was cut off as Neji chose once more to interfere before the boy could be brutalized further.

“This is Harry Potter, he is going to be staying here for a little while, please treat him well.” He introduced gently, instantly gaining the other’s attention.

“Harry Potter?” The blonde repeated, staring at Harry with a strange look, “Well it’s nice to meet you! He exclaimed excitedly before taking up a strong pose. One hand held firmly at his waist, chest puffed up in clear confidence while his other hand formed a peace sign. “The name’s Naruto Uzumaki, you better remember it, -cause I’m going to be the greatest Hokage this village has ever known!” His declaration was loud and boisterous and yet, it drew no strange looks, as if the people around them were used to this kind of outburst.

He looked to Neji for help, not really knowing how he was supposed to respond to this. However, the other boy only smiled strangely in return. As if privy to some amusing hidden information.

“I believe you.” He settled for, and he did, somehow. The blonde’s conviction had been absolute, and somehow, despite not knowing anything about him, he had a feeling that the boy was right.

His words only seemed to fuel the other's excitement, however, his smile stretched into a full beam, shining so bright that for a moment Harry thought he’d have to squint.

“We’ll be taking our leave now Naruto, I’ll see you later, alright?” Neji spoke softly, ushering Harry forward.

"Aww, alright, but Harry! I'll see you later too okay? I think we'll be great friends! Believe it!" Friend… he didn't think he deserved to have any at the moment. Before he could dwell on that particularly depressing thought, he was following Neji forward, onto the road.

“Naruto can be quite a lot, but he means well.” Neji explained a soft smile on his face, making his features seem somehow gentler.

"Yeah, he seems nice." Except for the whole four-eyes part, that is.

They made their way through the village, Neji stopping to show Harry some of the well-known sites and places. What caught his attention, however, were the face carved into the rocks of the mountains before them.

They were the village’s leaders, starting from the very first to a perfect replica of Tsunade’s face, carved into the very earth. It made everything in this universe seem grander, somehow. Being Hokage, it seems, was something very important and respected.

They proceeded to walk for a few minutes, finally reaching their destination. Neji stopped in front of a little apartment building a little ways away from the main road.

“Didn’t you say you were part of the Hyuga clan? How come you don’t live in their part of the village?” He could tell instantly, that the topic wasn’t a welcomed one. Neji’s shoulders had risen up almost imperceptibly, but noticeable to Harry’s trained eye. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, of course.” He hurriedly continued, knowing better than anyone how uncomfortable some topics could be.

"No, it's alright," Neji said after only a moment of hesitation, his eyes looking at the apartment almost wistfully. “I used to live there, I shared a house with my cousins and my uncle, the head of the Hyuga clan.” He explained as they made their way up the stairs and onto the second floor. “However, after I reached Jonin, I believed it was time to become more independent.”

“Were you…” He hesitated. “Were you not close to your uncle and his family?” He could feel his own chest constrict at the thought.

"Not at first," Neji murmured, his voice softer than he'd heard it before. "My father's death caused some strife amongst the clan, it… it was only later that someone made me realize that maybe, everything wasn't as black and white as I believed it to be."

His explanation was vague but reassuring nonetheless. At least, it seems that whatever problem he used to have, had somehow improved over the years.

After a quick turn of keys in the door’s lock, Neji welcomed him into his home.

The apartment was bigger than he expected, clean and tidy. A comfortable living room was the first thing he encountered upon entering. A little hallway leads into a modest kitchen and further down to a bathroom and a bedroom. Only a few traces of the boy's preferences, scattered in a few parts of the apartment, made it known that anyone at all lived here.

It seemed a little lonely.

“I took the liberty of buying you a few necessities. They are all in the bathroom, along with a few sets of clothes in the bedroom.”

He blushed, feeling like he might have burdened the other teen with his presence alone. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do all that for me.”

“Nonsense.” The teen scoffed. Walking away and into the house before Harry could so much as utter a word in protest.

The rest of their morning was spent in peaceful companionship. As if Neji could sense that he needed to be alone with his thoughts for a while.

When the afternoon snuck up on them, however, a knock resounded through the apartment. Neji immediately went up to the door, opening it with little hesitation.

“Yo.” Shikamaru greeted with a lazy wave of his hand aimed at Harry. "Since I know you have a mission soon, I thought I could keep Harry here company." He explained. Hands once more stuffed into the pockets of his pants as he rocked lightly on his feet. "So, what do you say, up for a lunch out? Some of our friends would like to meet you."

“I don’t need a babysitter you know… If you’d told me that Neji was busy, I could have taken care of myself just fine.”

“Well, obviously,” Shikamaru said, a look of exasperation swimming in his steel grey eyes, "But believe it or not, we like your company Harry."

“You don’t even know me.”

“Mmm, you’re not wrong. Let’s just call it curiosity for now.” The Nara heir said cryptically. Eyeing him like he was some mystery to solve.

“Naruto, Shikamaru is right, believe me, if I didn’t like your company, I wouldn’t have bothered.” Neji, who’d just been eyeing their interaction quietly, interjected.

“So, what say you?” The Nara asked once more, “I could probably stall the hoard for a few hours more, but they are going to ambush you eventually. They’re really excited to meet you.”

“How many people did you tell about me, I thought you guys were trying to keep everything quiet for now.”

“Believe it or not, only the people who were bound to run into you, know the truth. The Hokage trusts us, that and a couple of our parents.”

“Fine, lead the way.” He relented, hating the feeling of being treated like a child. “I’ll see you later, I guess.” He addressed Neji, slipping on his shoes.

“Of course.” The boy said neutrally.

____________________________

“Is that-“

“A barbecue place, yes.”

"Huh." He didn't go out to eat much, but he still felt a little nervous about meeting new people and eating out. "You do remember that I don't have any money, right?"

"Don't be a drag, come on." The teen muttered, leading the way into the establishment. The scent of cooking meat was thick in the air, and sounds of conversation and laughter were loud as they made their way through multiple tables until finally, they reached what looked like a private room. Did they rent a room just for them?

When they entered through the curtain, nine pairs of eyes immediately turned to look his way. He gulped as he took in the varying levels of curiosity aimed his way. Feeling strangely relieved, he met the gaze of two already familiar ones.

"Hey four eyes! Over here!" Naruto, as hyper as before, if not more, exclaimed, urging him to take a seat in front of him. Rolling his eyes at the nickname, he made his way to the offered seat, a blonde girl was on his left, and a dark-haired boy sat on his right.

The blonde girl reminded him instantly of Yamanaka.

“Please don’t call me that, Naruto.” He mumbled, trying to stifle the urge to retaliate with a nickname of his own.

"You must be Potter Harry! The brave warrior who traveled through entire dimensions! Please, Potter-san fight me!" A boy, sitting next to Naruto exclaimed, jumping in his seat in excitement, almost knocking over a brown-haired girl sitting next to him. She had two buns on either side of her head, one of them almost loosening at the constant jostling she was suffering at the hands of her seatmate.

“Uhm…” Harry looked to Shikamaru for help, however, the boy already looked half asleep, only sighing heavily at the pleading look he sent him.

“Lee, give the poor guy a break, he’s not going to fight you right now.” He drawled when it looked like Harry was going to explode. “How about you guys introduce yourselves, before picking fights with the newbie.”

He felt his anger spike momentarily at the address.

"Oh, of course, I apologize!" The boy shouted passionately, Harry vaguely wondered how they hadn't been kicked out of the restaurant yet. "My name is Rock Lee! It's nice to meet you!"

“How about you try to be more considerate Lee, let Harry have time to breathe.” The girl next to him admonished, pulling Lee properly back into his seat. “I’m Tenten, it’s nice to meet you Harry.”

He nodded at her, trying for a smile but probably failing miserably.

“Kiba Inuzuka!" The guy next to her announced shortly after the introduction, pointing proudly at himself. "And this big guy here is Akamaru!” He pointed at something behind him and for the first time, Harry noticed the huge dog that napped a few steps behind the group.

“Are pets allowed in here?”

“Hey, Akamaru isn’t a pet! He’s my best friend!” At a pointed look from Shikamaru, he understood that he’d probably get an actual explanation later.

“That’s nice,” He amended, not wanting to offend anyone just yet, “I have an owl back home, her name is Hedwig, she was my very first friend.” He offered, wanting to show his sincerity, even as his heart ached at the thought of his dear friend. He hoped that his friends would take care of her in his absence.

As if sensing his mood change, nobody asked any question about her, choosing instead to proceed with introductions.

“I’m Ino Yamanaka, but you handsome, get to call me Ino.” The blonde, Ino, introduced herself, drawing a blush from him despite his mind whirring with questions.

“Would you perhaps be related to Inoichi-san?” He could feel several eyes on him as he said that, probably curious about that particular interaction.

“Of course, silly, he's my dad," Ino explained, a knowing glint in her eye, one that he wasn’t completely comfortable with. She had the same vibe as her father though, and that made his next words easier.

“Please give him my regards, he was really nice, yesterday.” Something dropped onto the plate in front of him and he was curious to find two slices of meat sitting neatly where there once was only empty porcelain. Following the movement of motion he’d seen, he found himself facing a slightly chubby boy, one completely engrossed by the chicken he was currently munching on. “Thank you.” He addressed him, feeling like he should get the name of his Impromptu benefactor.

"You won't get much conversation out of him when he's like this, why? you might ask?" The boy sitting on the other end of the table spoke, most of his face was covered by his hood, collar, and tinted glasses. "Because he's Choji Akimichi.”

“er, right.” He found the entire situation somewhat amusing. “and you are?" The other boy seemed shocked for a moment as if he hadn't expected the question.

“My name is Shino Aburame.” He said simply, seemingly still stunned for some reason.

He nodded respectfully, wondering if he should ask the last two people's name since neither of them seemed eager to introduce themselves.

Sakura, having noticed her friend’s shyness, took it upon herself to nudge the girl slightly, eliciting a little yelp from the dark-haired girl. "H-hinata Hyuga.” She mumbled, curling in on herself.

It took him a moment to make the connection. He smiled slightly when he finally noticed the girl's eyes. "You must be Neji’s cousin.” He offered, hoping to show her that she didn’t have to be nervous around him. She reminded him of Ginny, in some ways, at least, the girl she used to be before she got used to hanging out with him. Ginny had always been somewhat of a little sister to him, he felt like Hinata emitted similar vibes.

“You know Neji-nisan?” Ah, that seemed like the right call then, if it got her to come up of her shell a little. He almost smiled, almost.

“Yes, he was kind enough to offer me a place to stay.”

"I got it." A voice from his side suddenly interrupted, sounding very monotone. He turned and came face to face with the dark-haired boy he had sat down next to. His skin was even paler than Malfoy's, his face closer than strictly normal as he regarded Harry seriously. "You're fake." He said, completely serious.

“What the hell man?” Shikamaru exclaimed, having been caught off guard.

“Your expressions, they don’t match your eyes at all.” The boy continued, ignoring his friends currently talking over each other trying to stop him.

"Sai," Sakura warned the boy- who he now knew as Sai. "Shut up you idiot."

“Ah, it’s alright.” Harry found himself saying, despite the dread he could feel pooling in waves through him. “He’d kinda right, I’m not exactly the most cheerful at the moment.”

“I apologize if I offended you, it was not my intention.” Sai continued, his gaze just as deadpan as ever.

“Eh, none taken, I guess.” He broke eye contact, wanting this entire interaction to be over, honestly.

“Come on guys, don’t fight today! This is supposed to be my farewell get-together you know!”

“Farewell?” Harry asked, curiosity peaked, and grateful for the change of subject.

"He's going off to train with the toads," Shikamaru explained, only managing to confuse him more.

Seriously, did they hear themselves when they talked?

“T-toads?” A picture of Umbridge flashed through his mind against his will. He shuddered, shaking his head slightly as if to physically dispel the memory.

“I’ll explain later.” Was the Nara’s only response.

They collectively decided to actually start eating then, having finally finished with introductions. It was only a little while later, amongst some friendly chatter that Lee addressed Harry again.

“So, Potter-san, tell us about yourself. Hokage-sama explained that you came from a different world. That must be amazing!”

“Er, I’m not sure what to say, for me it’s just home, you know?” He started uncertainly, feeling the other’s attention on him as he spoke. “In my world, there’s a secret part of the population who have magic. We call ourselves wizards and witches.” He continued, gaining confidence as he felt the curiosity coming from the rest only intensify with each sentence he pronounced. “At eleven, you get a letter telling you that you have magic and that you’re, therefore, invited to attend one of the wizarding schools, where you get to learn to use your powers and control them.”

“A school for magic, like an academy? Is that where you went then?”

"Yes, I went to one of the best schools in the magical world, or at least that's what they say." He mumbled the last part, thinking of the other schools he'd come to know, feeling as if they weren't that different from his own, even if he'd never actually been there. "I went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland."

“Hog- what now?” Naruto asked, his face twisting in confusion, “That’s a weird name for a school, you know?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He huffed, feeling amused. “But it really is amazing. Hogwarts is my home.”

“Really? But isn’t it weird to call your academy your home? What about the rest of the year, don’t you go back to your parent’s house?” Kiba inquired, Akamaru, who had woken up at some point, was currently resting his head on his lap comfortably.

“Ah, Hogwarts is a boarding school, so you spend most of the year there, and uh-“He wondered if he would bring down the mood by saying this. “My parents are dead, so I grew up with my aunt and uncle and… let’s just say, I don’t really think of their house as my home.”

Silence greeted his answer, some of them looked uncomfortable, while some had sad glints in their eyes. Hinata looked close to tears. However, what shocked him, was the knowing glint In Naruto’s eyes. His usual bright demeanor was more sober now, looking at him with painful understanding.

“Ah, I get it.” He said softly, before breaking back into his usual cheery demeanor. “You’re a really great guy Four-eyes!” He shouted, knocking over a semi-empty cup of water onto Sakura’s plate in the process. Eliciting a shout in return that quickly dissolved into a full-blown fight.

He didn’t miss the small smiles that adorned the rest of the group’s faces, though.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get to know them while he was stuck here.

______________________________________

“It was nice to meet you Harry!” Ino called as she and Hinata made their way home, a slightly slower Tenten followed behind.

Shino and Kiba had also decided to call it a day, having wanted to check up on their teacher, or at least that’s what Harry understood of their explanation. Choji had wanted to check out a sweet shop somewhere nearby. Sai had also mysteriously disappeared.

“So, Harry,” Shikamaru called softly, regaining his attention as he turned to face him. “How about that spar?”

“Yes! A friendly spar between fated rivals! Let’s go!” Lee shouted out, jumping in excitement, gaining a chuckle from Naruto as the boy looked between the two.

“Can I join? I really wanna see all that magic crap you talked about!" The blonde asked, earning a groan from the pink-haired girl next to him.

“I have to admit, I’m curious too…” She amended, seemingly frustrated to have anything in common with her teammate.

“Didn’t Neji want to be there too?” He asked, feeling a little bad for doing this while the other boy was busy.

“Don’t worry about it, he knows to join us there when he’s done.” With no further protest, he relented. Following the group to one of their training grounds. Instantly recognizing the field as the one he had crashed into.

"So, how are we going to do this?" From everything he heard until now, the people here fought more with physical attacks. "I'm more of a long-range fighter, wizards never use physical attacks to fight." He explained, feeling a little subconscious at the shock he received in response.

"From what I understand you use this" He gestured at Harry's wand, "to channel your magic." He began tentatively as if trying not to offend him somehow. "And am I right to assume that it's impossible or at least really hard to produce magic without it, am I correct?"

“It’s very hard, but not impossible.” He agreed, his hand clenching around the wand unconsciously.

“So, what happens when you lose it?” Naruto asked, having understood what Shikamaru was trying to say.

“Well, if you lose your wand, it’s pretty much over for you. I mean, you could still dodge the attacks or maybe try your hand at wandless magic. But in a fight, in the-“ He faltered, thinking of the chaos of a real battle. “Well, let’s just say, a wizard without his wand, is a dead wizard.”

“Is that why you were so freaked out when you couldn’t find it?” Shikamaru inquired softly. Recalling the events of the night before.

“Yeah, waking up in unknown territory, completely unarmed isn’t exactly my idea of fun.”

"That's even more reason to learn to fight without it, don't you think?" Sakura who had previously been content to listen in silence, interrupted. Her gaze was hard and serious. "In a fight, you never know what could happen, so might as well be prepared for everything, right?"

Constant vigilance, his mind whispered in a frighteningly familiar voice.

“You’re right. I think the wizarding world just doesn’t want to admit that they have a weakness.”

“Well, maybe while you’re here, we can train you in some hand to hand, it would definitely be useful, don’t you think?”

“That would be great.”

“That’s the spirit!” Rock Lee shouted in glee, pumping his fist into the air.

“Enough talking! Show us what you got, magic boy!” Naruto exclaimed, having grown bored.

“Oh, me! Me first! Please!” Lee once again interjected, his excitement even stronger than before, if that was even possible.

“Fine, you can start, but don’t let this get out of hand okay?” He eyes the green-clad boy sternly, already feeling an incoming headache set in.

Harry took his place in front of the other boy, as they both waited for the other three to clear some space for them. He regarded Lee seriously, wondering what kind of power the boy had up his sleeve.

He should start slow, and gauge out his strength first, perhaps.

“Start.” Shikamaru called.

One moment the boy was on the other side of the field, the next, he was right in front of him, a leg coming up to kick him in the side.

Reacting on pure instinct alone, he threw a Protego at his side, jumping away. “Stupefy!” He yelled, some of his inner panic rising as the spell hit the ninja at full force. Rock Lee dropped like a statue, unmoving.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he peaked at their audience, finding them all stunned In silence. Briefly, he wondered if the spell had somehow affected them too.

“Er, sorry, I panicked, I didn’t mean to finish this so fast…”

A moment and then-

“WHAT!” Naruto’s shout made him wince, drawing his shoulders in on himself.

“He’s fine, I swear, I just stunned him, he’ll be back on his feet in a few minutes." He shot an unsure look back at the black-haired ninja, "Maybe a little more."

“That was insane.” Sakura breathed, “I didn’t expect that at all.”

“That was AMAZING!” Naruto shouted, bouncing until he was directly in front of Harry, hands coming up to cup both of his, eyes shining with awe. “What else can you do?!”

"That was pretty impressive," Shikamaru spoke softly, a new glint shining in his eyes.

"Ah! I LOST!" Lee, whom Harry was impressed could even speak at this point, given how much power he put into that stunner, Exclaimed from his place, still frozen stiff on the ground. "Potter-san please teach me!"

“Sorry Lee, I didn’t mean to do that.” Waving his wand, he shot the counter spell at the boy, satisfied when a moment later he got to hit feet, although a little unsteadily.

“I want a rematch! Please!”

“Shut it, Rock-Lee, it’s my turn!” They were children, really, all of them. Harry thought.

“I think you should maybe show us some of your spells on inanimate objects first Harry.” Shikamaru offered, wanting to stop this before it got too out of hand.

“That would be better, yes. But so should you, I mean, I don’t know what to expect at all.” He conceded.

"That goes the same for us," Sakura interjected, a small pout on her pinched face, despite the clear excitement he could feel from her.

Spotting a tree nearby, he pointed his wand at it, looking back one last time to make sure they were all watching.

“You might want to take a step back for this one.” He advised, satisfied when they followed his direction without much question.

“Bombarda maxima." He whispered. A small spark erupts from his wand and shoots towards the tree.

The bark exploded in a shower of broken, incinerated wood. Showering the world around them in ash and fire.

Maybe he should have started with a simple Bombarda…

If he thought they were stunned before, it did little to express their shock now. Lee's jaw, in particular, would have almost reached the floor if he opened it any wider.

“Well, I’m glad that wasn’t directed at me.” Shikamaru chuckled darkly. “Please tell me that’s one of the dangerous spells you have.”

“Uhm…” He trailed off, not really knowing how to break it to the other boy. “Well, not really, it’s one of the standard offensive spells, powerful, of course, but it depends on what you want to do to your opponent.”

“What, is exploding them not enough?” Sakura muttered in a completely emotionless voice.

"I see, you mean to say that it depends on whether you're looking to kill them or incapacitate them."

“There are laws in place for that, I mean…” How should he phrase this." There are unforgivable spells, which no one is allowed to do unless they want to be arrested for life or executed. And then there are spells like this one, which, under the right circumstance, could easily kill someone, so, really, it depends on the intentions of the caster. I mean," He knew he was rambling, but this topic always made him anxious and he couldn't help the barrage of words that were spilling from his mouth. "Imagine you vanish the air in someone's lungs, that would suffocate them instantly, or if you levitated some of their organs, that would be even worse. So, if you think about it, the unforgivables aren’t really the worst way to go. Of course, the Cruiciatus Curse, is like the worst pain imaginable, that one was really no fun at all, I mean, it is a torture curse after all, so I can’t say I expected anything else, so really the killing curse is much more p-peaceful.” Or at least he hoped it was, given all the loved ones he had lost to that spell. He shuddered wanting nothing more than to think of something else. Stunned silence followed his speech once more and he felt more then saw the deeply troubled gazes aimed his way.

“Killing curse?” “Torture curse!?” Two exclamations broke him out of his stupor, Sakura and Naruto had spoken at the same time, tones mirroring each other in disturbing indignation.

“You’re saying that there are spells out there, that you’re kind could use to just, what, kill someone instantly?” Shikamaru asked seriously.

“Yes, pretty much, but don’t worry! They really are illegal, and even if they somehow weren’t, I would never use the killing curse on anyone! It’s dark, vile magic. I want nothing to do with it.” He knew he sounded panicked, but he really didn’t want them to be afraid of him.

“Hey, calm down, I’m sorry if I made it sound that you would do something like that. I was just wondering about it.” And after a moment. “Anyway, we have some Jutsu who are even more messed up, so it’s not like we have any right to judge.”

“Yeah, Shikamaru’s right, don’t freak out about it Harry, we’re all freakishly powerful here.” The other boy said in support, a reassuring smile stretching his features that served to calm him slightly.

"Hey, Harry," Sakura said tentatively, her voice softer than he'd ever heard her before. "You talked about the torture curse as if you've felt it," She hesitated then, looking away and then back at him, and he knew almost instantly where this was going. "Does that mean that someone used it on you?"

The other three seemed just as invested in his answer, expressions turning somber as they waited for his response.

“Uh, yeah, in my fourth year at Hogwarts, I was kidnapped by- it doesn’t really matter, but yeah, one of the dark wizards there, used the Cruciatus Curse on me. It’s a spell used to cause the most unimaginable pain.”

“Guys,” A voice interrupted from behind him, thankfully saving him from having to elaborate any further. “You’ve been showing off, while I was on my mission?” Neji spoke, approaching them slowly. A serious expression twisting his features.

“Uh, we were just getting started, really.” Shikamaru mumbled, face still gloomy at the news he’d just heard.

"I showed you a couple of spells, how about you guys show me something," Harry suggested, wanting to break the dark atmosphere he had created.

“Alright! Yeah! Hey, how about we show them a real fight, Lee!” Naruto goaded, already running to get into position. The fight that followed was one of the most impressive fights he’d had the chance to witness. It was so different from wizard duels that it made the hair on his arms stand on end.

“It’s pretty impressive, isn’t it?” Neji said, coming to stand next to him.

"Yeah, it's brilliant." His eyes never strayed from the fight unfolding before them. Naruto's hand was forming some kind of energy orb, twisting and turning like a whirlwind in his grasp, forming something akin to a whirlpool. He lunched it at Lee, the boy dodging at the last possible second, a giant crater forming in the place where his head had been just a few moments ago. He gulped, wondering if his shield would hold against something of that magnitude. He kind of wanted to try.

"Could you show me some of your magic?" Neji probed quietly, as if hesitant to ask something like that of him.

“Of course,” He replied easily, feeling Shikamaru and Sakura’s gazes on him. “Do you want to see a fighting spell?”

“Not necessarily, Shikamaru told me what you did with Lee and that pulverized tree, so I have an idea of how powerful you are…” The boy began softly, “I was thinking of something different. Something you preferably enjoy casting.”

And that, he knew exactly what he wanted to show him.

“Yeah? I might have something along those lines, yes,” He whispered, feeling some tension in the air around them. He wondered if Naruto’s chakra had that effect on the atmosphere around them.

Taking a step back, aware of the sudden silence coming from the two fighting behind him, he turned his wand once in his grasp. Testing his grip and taking a deep breath.

The memory he chose was bittersweet. One he cherished ever so deeply, and yet one that was now tainted with the weight of grief and sorrow. It was one of his most precious nonetheless.

Picturing the moment like it was yesterday, remembered Sirius's voice as he spoke gently, telling him that they could finally be a family together. When this was all over.

Harry figured that maybe, they would be. Once it all was over. Everything.

“Expecto Patronum." He spoke, his voice a wisp of sound drowned in the air around him. His wand swished in an arc as blue glowing tendrils of mist erupted from the tip, encircling him like a warm blanket before galloping in the space around him. He watched as his Stag circled Shikamaru and Sakura, the former uttering a soft "Wow." It turned to look at them before twisting in the air and flying a couple of twirls, finally coming to a trot right in front of Neji, whose eyes were wide with something akin to fascination and awe, gaze intense as he regarded the spirit-like creature as it walked towards him, stopping to briefly brush against him before disappearing in wisps of smoke.

He liked the silence that followed way more than any other instance that day.

“Harry, that was-“ Neji began softly,

"AWESOME!" Naruto interrupted bounding up to them, looking more like an excited puppy than a ninja so powerful he could fight like he had a few minutes before. "What was that thing?"

“That was my Patronus.” He started, for once happy to explain a particular spell to his audience, it reminded him of the DA. “It’s a manifestation of one’s happiest memory, not many can form a corporal one, but when they do, it acts like a sort of shield. Repelling any dark creature, in particular Dementors.” Looking at their confused faces, he hurries to explain. “and, uh, D-Dementors are sort of like the prison guards in my world, they are extremely dark creatures who are used to guard and punish prisoners. They feed on people’s happiness, drawing out their pain and their fear.” Well, so much for a happy explanation.

“Well, either way, that was really beautiful Harry.” Sakura said after a moment, the others, still processing the newly acquired information.

“It really was.” Neji continued. A soft look in his eyes. The compliments made heat rise to his cheeks, so he hurriedly turned away.

“T-thanks, it’s really not that impressive though.”

“Man, four-eyes, you’re really humble.” Naruto muttered, “Wouldn’t have thought you were that powerful by the looks of you.”

“Uhm…” Was that a compliment or an insult?

Shikamaru clapped his hands, drawing their attention. "Well, I think we should probably call it a day, Harry hasn't recovered completely yet, so he should probably get some more rest tonight." And with his words came the realization that, yes, they seemed to have set a few hours ago, he'd been so engrossed in their activities that he hadn't noticed.

“Shikamaru is right, let’s go home, Harry.” Neji spoke as if it was completely normal for Harry to call his apartment a home.

They bid the others goodnight and were on their way when the other spoke up again.

"If you would like, we could train a little tomorrow, I happen to be free from my missions, I could train you in some hand-to-hand." The boy offered, his lavender eyes staring intently at him, waiting patiently for his answer.

“I would like that, thanks.”

___________________________

Later that night, another dilemma had made itself known. He’d just gotten out of the shower, Neji having been kind enough to let him have full use of his bath and shower.

Feeling clean, really clean, without the help of any spell was refreshing, to say the least.

He’d just gotten back to the bedroom, hair still damp, a couple of drops falling onto his shoulders as he tried to dry them with the towel wrapped around his shoulder, when he realized what they had missed to discuss.

Neji had one bed, a small twin bed that fit exactly one person. The boy seemed to come up with the same conclusion as he regarded Harry seriously before getting up.

He looked strange, clad in casual clothes, instead of his usual white Haori. The picture he made was somehow domestic, and soft.

“You will be taking the bed Harry, I have plenty of experience sleeping on the ground during my missions, and this will be no different.”

“No, not happening.” He replied, feeling bolder now that he was more comfortable with the other teen. “If anyone has experience sleeping rough it’s me.” He spent most of his childhood sleeping in a broom cupboard after all. He thought bitterly.

"Harry, you are my guest, it would be dishonorable and frankly idiotic." The Hyuga huffed, snark dripping from his words, his regal air reminding him very slightly of Malfoy when he was angry. Nope, no, he wasn’t going to go down that road.

They were at an impasse, neither one of them wanting to relent.

“I have an idea.” He offered when it seemed they would keep at it all night without a compromise in sight.

Neji regarded him with narrow eyes, probably expecting him to offer to sleep on the floor again. At the silent urge for him to continue, he wordlessly took out his wand and waved it at the bed, muttering a soft incantation. Satisfied as the wood groaned and expanded, turning the bed into a king-size, easily fitting two people. Feeling a little self-conscious, afraid he might have overstepped, he turned to face the other teen.

The boy looked satisfied, he looked like this solved everything. And really, it kind of did.

“Well, I believe our problem has just been solved.” He muttered, walking to the other side of the structure, surveying it with curious eyes. “You should have done so from the start.”

And ugh, he kind of wanted to hit him now.

Both having gone through their respective night routines, it wasn’t long before they burrowed inside the cover, Harry muttering a soft Nox, turning the lights off with a flick of his wrist.

His anxiety spiked then, thinking of all the times he had woken up his dorm mates with night terrors and nightmares.

He really wasn’t looking forward to that now.

He turned to face the other boy, hoping to inquire if it would be okay to cast a silencing charm on himself during the night. His words got stuck in his throat as he took a good look at his bed-mate.

Neji’s headband was somehow still wrapped around his head. "Aren't you going to take that off?" He asked softly, noting the way the other boy stiffened as if called out on something bad.

“Right.” He seemed reluctant as he straightened, hesitant hands coming up to untie the knot beneath his silky soft strands.

“I can turn around if it makes you uncomfortable, but you don’t have to keep it on just because I am here.” He didn’t know if his hunch was right, but he figured that the boy was trying to hide something underneath.

"No, it's alright, that would be illogical," Neji replied, voice firm, as if angry he was showing any kind of weakness.

Trembling fingers pulled at the last knot, headband dropping on the white sheets with a soft thump. Almost involuntarily his eyes lifted to look at the teen's forehead. Surprised that instead of a scar, there was a green symbol etched onto the ninja's skin.

“Can I- can I ask what it is?” His voice was so soft, he might have not heard it if the world around them wasn’t so quiet.

And so he learned of the Hyuga clan and its practices. The more Neji talked, the angrier he felt, a resentment towards the clan and what they made their children suffer at their own hands, it made his blood boil. He could almost see the resemblance in their practices to the dark mark Voldemort used to mark his followers, forcing them to submit to him. To be forever marked as his.

It made him want to break something or someone.

A hand rested on top of his own clenched fist, skin soft against his own. “It’s alright, Harry, I’ve long since come to terms with it. The Hyuga needed a way to protect our can secret, it was the only way.”

"Was it? The only way, I mean?" Couldn't they have found some other, less permanent, and less forceful way to keep their enemies from gaining access to their eyes? Harry could think of a dozen spells that could have helped in this situation. That brought him to another question, would he be able to break the Jutsu? Did magic have that kind of influence on this world’s powers? He needed to look more into it before bringing up the subject. The last thing he’d want was to give Neji false hope.

“I don’t know.” He whispered, once more burrowing under the covers, this time facing Harry fully.

"I get it, you know?" He started tentatively, feeling as though after the boy in front of him had opened up about his past, he could try it out too, just to be fair, of course. "Wanting to hide it." Lifting a hand to his forehead, he drew back his fringe, feeling lavender eyes shift to look at his scar. "I used to grow out my hair just so that I could hide this, everyone used to look at it all the time, it always made me uncomfortable."

“May I ask how did you get that scar?” Ever so formal, Neji was.

“Well, it’s kind of a long story, are you sure you want to hear it?”

“We have all night, don’t we?” The boy breathed just as quietly.

“I supposed so.” Gathering his Gryffindor courage, he began his story. “It all started fourteen years ago-“

It would be a long night ahead of them still.

Harry supposed that he wouldn’t mind spending his night in the company of a friend.