Fandoms: Harry Potter / Naruto
Rating: Mature
Languages: English, Japanese, Latin, Greek
Genre: Adventure/Action
2nd Genre: Humour
Character A: Harry J. Potter
Character B: Uzumaki Naruto
Summary: (Based on esama's "Subject of Change", continued with her permission) When Harry Potter died, he didn't expect to end up meeting a giant fox, a pervert, get changed into a girl and end up with some kid who had was capable of giving Snape the warm and fuzzies.
WARNING: Genderbend, Gore, Character Death, Canon Divergence, Jiraiya.
Naruto was concerned.
Harii-neechan had a frown on her pretty face as she idly stirred her Ramen. She hadn't even tried any yet. She had that same look on her face as Sasuke did when he was thinking about stupid and sad things. Naruto supposed he kind of understood though. The young Jinchuuriki unenthusiastically took another mouthful of his Miso Ramen, not really tasting the substandard soggy noodles and slightly too salty broth that weren't even a patch on Ichiraku's. If he found out that he couldn't return home to Konoha forever, he would be upset as well. Not to mention having to leave in the middle of a War, especially one where he was one of the key fighters. Neechan must have been out of her mind with worry over her Precious People and until now... until now, Naruto hadn't had a clue.
She was so strong.
He shifted his stool closer and leaned against her side, wrapping his arms around her slim waist, trying as best he could to comfort her in the same way he'd seen other Family Members do. She didn't even look at him. But she did shift and wrap her arm around him, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Naruto grinned happily and buried his face into her soft side, inhaling the smells he had come to associate with her, the floral hotel air freshener, sweet sauce and milk tea.
Harry however, was lost in thought, staring down at his broth and noodles, watching them drift around his bowl in a never ending oily spiral, aided by his chopsticks.
The revelation that this place now had stronger ties to him than the one of his birth was unsettling, not to mention confusing. What on earth had happened to cause such a thing? This wasn't even his body! His body was currently lying on the cold dirt ground in Aragog's clearing back home in the Forbidden Forest. He could only go back to deal with his 'Unfinished Business' – no prizes for guessing what that was about, Voldemort and that thrice cursed Prophesy. Which meant at some point he would be able to go home and see everyone, but it wouldn't be for long. At least, it would be long enough to say goodbye once Voldemort was ash on the wind.
But he wanted answers. Which meant a fair bit of his time would be taken up by harassing Fawkes out of his Self-Transfiguration or hunting down Norberta or another dragon he could converse with. He preferred Fawkes in all honesty. The phoenix had yet to try and eat him for whatever reason.
Still. The idea that Fawkes had been some kind of... inter-dimensional police officer for the Summonings of this world was almost ludicrous. Something out of one of Pavarti's poorly written romance stories she sometimes absent mindedly left in the common room only to flush and start throwing curses at people for reading. Though, if it really were, he wouldn't be a Princess and there would be some kind of tall, dark and handsome Wizard who would come and sweep the Princess of her feet after rescuing her from some kind of crisis. No, this was real life and he would have only himself to rely on.
Regardless though, he could not bring himself to be too confused about the whole inter-dimensional Student Exchange but Not. It meant he got to see Hedwig again, he got to apologise and beg for her forgiveness. He got to at least see her that one last time and if she were anything like the Toads, she could speak, he could actually speak with her. Properly.
Now that he was actually thinking about it, perhaps this whole... Another Dimension thing wasn't as bad as he, in his immediate pessimism, was believing. Yes, he couldn't see his friends again but hadn't he already decided that was negligible in the face of the good he could do by dying to remove the Horcrux? He didn't have it anymore, he could feel the sudden freedom, like putting down an overly heavy backpack and feeling so much lighter. And... and since he had died at Voldemort's hand... that meant Neville or one of the others could quite easily curse Voldemort's head to pop like a greasy zit as the Prophesy was negligible now. It was over, Harry had died at Voldemort's hand. So... What was the reason why he was being sent back? It couldn't be to father green eyed ginger babies with Ginny, the elderly Toad had told him that when he went back, he would be going back as he was, his soul had fully integrated with his current body. Boobs and all. Was he to tell them that it was his choice, and not to be sad?
To snap the Elder Wand?
That sounded more feasible. Snap the Elder Wand, shatter the Resurrection Stone, burn the Invisibility Cloak and to divide up his money from the Potters and the Blacks to the Weasleys, Hermione, Hogwarts and Orphanages and Charities. To tell them to improve on the Magical World, not to let it fall back into old habits and cursed ideals.
To not let another Dark Lord rise in the shadow of the last.
And to let the Boy Who Lived, pass into obscurity. Like he had always wanted but now... Now, in this new place where Harry Potter and Voldemort were nobodies, no concern, far beyond the care of the Summonings who did know of them, he finally could! There was no more Boy Who Lived here, he wouldn't be forced to fight a War that wasn't his own, to see people he loved and cared for die before his eyes because some mad-man was bent on seeing his body decorate the floor.
He was free here.
He had a second chance, at everything, he realised as his grip tightened on the small, warm figure pressed into his side. He already had a beginning. A place to belong. A family, even if he had not yet acknowledged it fully. A younger brother. He had a brother...
He looked down at the twelve year old greedily nuzzling into his side. A frown abruptly crossed over his face as he buried a hand into the boy's thick mane of blond hair. One that seemed to be alone and neglected by those around him, possibly even abused by his teacher - Jiraiya. What of parents? He doubted that white haired letcher was his father, though if he were then Harry was going to definitely be having some very strong words with him, and possibly some very strong Hexes. Harry would be the first to admit he knew next to nothing of this world, how the money system worked, the laws, the slang, the basics of how things went like the whole Shinobi hierarchy. He knew nothing, but he was going to learn fast. He had to, Naruto clearly had some source of income but it seemed to be unstable or simply not enough. If the Weasleys hadn't had magic, Harry was quite certain they couldn't have afforded to keep all of their children as well as they had, Naruto seemed to be in the same situation as them but obviously with even less money as he had only himself to take care of. Or rather, his parents did? And how was Harry going to explain his sudden appearance?
It was difficult to say but, even so, he didn't think Naruto had parents. He had never mentioned them. Ever. He seemed to talk about everyone except his family. Which was a fairly good indicator of his being alone.
Not anymore. Harry would have to do something about this. But what options were open to him? This world had no Magic, no Voldemort, which also meant it had no Ministry so no Aurors and most certainly no Quidditch. The two biggest career options he had considered were barred to him over that simple truth. Leaving him with what? What skill sets could he use in order to gain employment and money in which to support both himself and Naruto?
Years of cooking and cleaning could serve him well if he got a job as a Housekeeper somewhere. He knew general first aid, he could try getting a job as a nurse or something. There was teaching too. But he was only really good at teaching Magic, perhaps he could join a Pre-school, try his hand at some more benign subjects. Like maths or something? He remembered being fairly good at maths in Junior School. He still remembered the basics, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication Tables, Division, Long Multiplication had actually been a hobby of his until Uncle Vernon found out and shredded his notebooks calling him a swotty little brain box without a single useful thought in his head. He hated Long Division, barely remembered it in honesty, but he could still do it, if given long enough to get back into the swing of things. He didn't have a problem with the strange writing here either, he just seemed to instinctively understand it. He could teach writing too.
If push came to shove... he could become a Shinobi. He still only had a vague idea of what a Shinobi did, it sounded a lot like a mix between Soldier, Hit-Wizard, Auror and Mercenary. But it would give him the added ability to keep an eye on Naruto and use his experiences from fighting Death Eaters and Voldemort for some good. Did Konoha have a Police Department? Or did the Shinobi take care of that? If not, it might be a possibility to start one, free up whomever it was doing it right now (more than likely a branch of Shinobi forces) for more Missions.
He looked down at the blond who was clinging to his side, arms tightly wrapped around his waist, just content to hug him. Harry smiled a little, he had been wondering why he felt so obligated, so attached, and so goddamn quickly but... the kid grew on you, like overly cheerful fungus. He was just someone you couldn't hate if you actually had a heart. Turning in his seat, dislodging the now somewhat bewildered preteen, Harry bent slightly and properly gave the child a hug.
"It looks like you're stuck with me," he told the younger blond softly. "Still want me?" he asked.
"Yes," the little Shinobi told him, putting more force into that word than he had ever put into anything in his whole life, tightening his grip around the slender waist in his grasp until it could tighten no further. He felt the girl's grip on him shift and a moment later, he was lifted and pulled into her lap, the two clinging tightly to one another as if lifelines in stormy seas. "Yes, don't leave me, Neechan," Naruto pleaded.
"I won't," Harry said, running his fingers through the thick spiky blond hair on top of the kid's head.
The Gryffindor took a deep breath and gently released the boy pushing him onto his feet, digging into his pocket to pay for their meal. "We need to talk properly," the now girl told him seriously, "I need to get paper and ink first. I think I'll probably have to make notes about some things," he muttered as he got to his feet and adjusted his yukata and long hair.
"What about?" Naruto asked, fighting back a yawn – he had been up all night training.
Harry shot him a look as they made their way from the Street Stand, "Family and Shinobi," he stated, "And us."
"Us?"
"Where we stand, what happens now, that sort of thing," he explained, smiling as he tapped the boy on top of that ridiculous metal headplate, "We need to think about these things if they're going to work. Besides, I need to know more about you if I'm going to be a good sister." At least until he got the dangly parts back. Until then, he could tolerate the squishy bits and generally unhygienic way of using the toilet.
Harry led them to a small street vendor where he got a stick of charcoal and a notebook before heading to the small park with the bench where they spoke last time, sitting down on the grass as the sounds of children running around and screaming filled the air. Naruto dropped down, almost into Harry's lap, so close that their knees were touching as he grinned up at him full of avid curiosity.
It seemed almost... inappropriate, to Harry sitting in the middle of a sunlit park with the preteen about to interrogate him on some obviously painful subjects just so he could learn more about this world and better pass off as his older sister. He felt very uncomfortable as he flashed the boy a tight, uncomfortable smile.
"First things first. I need to know your name, age, birth date, birth place and anything you know about your mum and dad," he said, charcoal poised above his notebook, ready to write so he could memorise everything later.
Naruto's grin faded. He swallowed and stared at his knees, rattling off the answers to the Gryffindor's questions. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I'm twelve years old, born October tenth in Konohagakure no Sato in Hi no Kuni. I don't know anything about my parents. They died the same day I was born. Old man Hokage said they were heroes though," he admitted, glancing up to watch his Neechan made notes and then scowl down at the papers before looking up at him with a strange expression. One that wasn't the pity he was so used to seeing and most certainly not scorn. He swallowed and carried on as best he could, "I was raised in the Orphanage for a few years, until I was six and got an apartment. The Matron kept forgetting about me and I couldn't work the locks on the cupboards, Jiji thought it would be easier for everyone if I just took care of myself. I got an apartment, an allowance, I even started the Academy that year so I could train to become a Shinobi," he explained with growing enthusiasm.
Harry however, was stuck on the 'matron kept forgetting about me'. That sounded too much like his Aunt Petunia ignoring him whenever it came to meal times, like Uncle Vernon pretending he didn't exist until some chore needed doing or he needed to shout at someone for some imagined problem or slight in his life. Misplaced aggression. No sane leader would give a six-year-old an apartment or monetary means to care for themselves unless something was very wrong with their current situation and they didn't trust anyone else to properly care for the blond. And couldn't do it themselves for whatever political reasons he faced. This was getting more and more complicated.
He turned away from that, "What's the deal with Chuckles, how did he end up inside of you?" It had been bugging him for a while. Chuckles claimed he had been in 'Jail' for close to three generations, was Naruto just the latest in a long line of Jailers or was there something special about his circumstances?
"I don't know the full story but... when I was born, we were attacked. Kyuubi attacked. He killed my parents. Jiji told me that the Yondaime sealed Kyuubi into me. I didn't find out until a few months ago," he explained, shifting as if expecting to be scolded or arrested. Harry however was smiling ever so slightly.
"So. Chuckles was there, huh? Well." He set aside his notebook and charcoal pencil, much to Naruto's visible confusion. "That just means we'll have to ask him about what he knows," the Gryffindor declared. Hopefully the multi-tailed Fox would be in a mood to answer their questions, if not, perhaps there would be something they could trade the beast for the information they needed.
Naruto's face scrunched up, "How am I supposed to ask him? S'not like I've ever gone there by my self!" he whined, and he wasn't one hundred percent sure he even wanted to ask the Kyuubi about this. The Bijuu would undoubtedly mock him for it and Naruto just didn't want to hear it, he'd heard enough of it in school, even from Sakura.
"There is a spell that my people use to enter the mind," Harry explained, feeling a little nervous. "Very, very few people know it. It's an old art and not a very well thought of one. I've never done it before but I was taught its opposite, the Art of Shielding the Mind. Which means that it was cast repeatedly against me to test my defences. I know I can do it, I managed it by accident once or twice when rebuffing an attack. But it may give you a nasty headache. Do you still want to try?" he asked, explaining as much as possible so the blond could make a choice. He didn't want to be Snape and just batter into a child's mind without warning them about what this so called training was going to entail.
Naruto squinted up at the blonde girl. Magic that would take her into his mind? To meet with the Kyuubi? And apparently people had used it on her a lot while she learned how to throw them off. He wasn't sure if he wanted to expose her to the Kyuubi again, it was different when she was... well... he and looked a lot like Sasuke but with green eyes. But now she looked like she really could have been his older sister, identical right down to the blue eyes and whisker marks on her cheeks. Even her unruly golden hair. He wasn't sure if it was just because she looked like him, was a girl or someone he had already begun to think of as a precious person or even if it were all of those reasons, but Naruto wanted to protect her. Not let her see that ugly part of himself. The part that made him so disliked in his own home, the one that garnered so many cold looks from so many people.
"He might know something about your parents, I need to know Naruto, especially if I'm going to suddenly be in your life. Jiraiya told me that Hidden Villages are very militaristic. They'll think I'm a spy if I show up out of nowhere and don't know a thing," Harry explained quietly, feeling very guilty for emotionally blackmailing the younger boy like this. But it had to be done, not for the greater good, god no. But he could tell that Naruto was only hesitating because he didn't want Harry to face the rather Malicious Fox Demon. He didn't need protecting, if anything, Naruto was the one who needed protection and Harry planned on delivering that protection by any means necessary.
"Alright Neechan, if you're sure. But, the Kyuubi isn't – Ero-sennin said he couldn't be trusted," the Shinobi pointed out, almost meekly when he noticed the sudden frostiness of her features. Uh oh, what had Ero-Sennin done now? If that old pervert upset his Neechan he was going to kick his ass!
"I'll be the judge of that. Everyone deserves a chance Naruto, even if they are foul tempered foxes bigger than most houses," she told him firmly, managing to crack a smile as she roughly mussed his hair. He made the usual groan of disapproval but it was fairly easy to see the pleased grin that split his face. "Now," she said, scooting a little closer and cupping his face, "Hold still and look me in the eyes. You'll probably feel a rather annoying itching since I'm not going to go rifling through your memories without your permission. I'll concentrate on pulling you inside along with me. Understood?" she asked and Naruto nodded, swallowing back his nervousness. "Alright, Legilimens," she intoned.
And the world went black.
000
When Naruto came too, he could hear voices.
"...chance he could return?" he heard Harii asking, sounding very concerned.
"IT IS GUARANTEED. AND JUST WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING ON DOING ABOUT IT, LITTLE SHINIGAMI?" Kyuubi boomed, sounding amused and genuinely interested.
How long had he been out? Naruto scrambled to his feet, flaring his Chakra slightly out of sheer reflex to dry himself off – a neat trick he'd picked up from Jiraiya the last time they were at a Bath House. Neechan had been alone with Kyuubi all by herself for an unknown amount of time! Naruto didn't like this, he really didn't like it as he charged like a raging bull through the ankle deep tepid sewer water of his mind. Sitting comfortably on a giant red paw, was his Neechan, blonde haired, and whiskered, but bearing those vivid green eyes Naruto didn't think he could actually forget. Kyuubi watching her with a strangely docile vivid orange eye while she clearly thought of a response. Naruto was fairly sure his jaw had dropped at the sight of the two behind the seal.
"Clearly he is after you and yours. He wore a strange black cloak with red clouds which makes me think its a uniform. So there's going to be other people after you as well." She ran a hand through her loose blonde hair as the Bijuu rumbled in agreement. "I don't see any other path than to train Naruto to the best of my ability. Having psychos trying to hunt me down for the majority of my life and still managing to escape is something of a speciality of mine," she admitted, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"AND YET HERE YOU SIT, HAVING CLAIMED PREVIOUSLY TO HAVE DIED," the Kyuubi pointed out with a snort of amusement. "NOT MUCH OF A SPECIALTY FROM WHERE I AM SITTING."
Harii rolled her eyes, "I walked willingly to him and gave my life up. It was the only way that anyone would have any chance of killing him after he shredded his soul and sealed part of it within me."
"WHAT WILL YOU TELL THE BOY?" the Bijuu asked, clearly referring to Naruto. The blond bit his bottom lip as he lurked within the shadows, they hadn't seen him yet.
"The truth," Harii declared with a sharp look to the Bijuu, "Lies are what got me here, what screwed my life over. I'll not let it happen to him. The Shinobi world may be built on lies but they have wars more often than wizards do and that is quite an achievement!" she exclaimed, incensed.
"AND WHAT OF ME?"
She looked up at him with those familiar yet unfamiliar green eyes, "You live and feel just like everyone else. You do not deserve what he has planned. I can't free you and I won't ask Naruto to do it either. Kurama, you would go on a rampage and kill everyone and everything. Especially Naruto and Konoha." She shook her head, leaning forward, cradling a huge claw in her almost comically small and dainty hands by comparison. "We will protect you."
"YOU COULD BREAK THE SEAL IF YOU WISHED, LITTLE SHINIGAMI. IF YOU DESIRED," the Kyuubi pointed out and Naruto felt his breath catch in his lungs.
"But I won't. You would simply be Sealed within another, someone more likely to be taken and a lot less interested in your well being," she pointed out sadly. "Can you say the Uzumaki Clan has ever mistreated you?" she asked, looking up and almost sourly, as if he didn't want to admit it, Kyuubi shook his head no. Naruto's mind whirled, the Uzumaki Clan was connected to the Kyuubi? Had there been other Containers for the Biju before him? Maybe his father? Or his mother?
"You... My Clan, you knew them?" Naruto blurted, coming into the dim, almost murky grey light of the Seal, causing the two of them to look over, Neechan almost jumping out of her skin. Demon and Wizard exchanged a glance before Kyuubi lowered the blonde into the sewer water.
"YOU EXPLAIN IT," he declared, retreating somewhat and hiding his face in his tails, uninterested in the exchange that would probably change his container's life – and do absolutely nothing for himself.
She shot the Demon a dirty look before kneeling down to give the smaller blond a hug, "Yes, I found out about your parents. And the Uzumaki Clan," she added, her expression definitely hard to read.
"W-well? Who are they? What happened?" Naruto demanded, his voice rising almost hysterically.
Everything went white.
000
Chapter Fin...
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