Chapter 15: 1-5: Students

Disclaimer: Being neither British nor Japanese, it should therefore come as no surprise that I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto, nor anything from their respective franchises.

Bright and early on the morning of the first of November, a lone figure stepped into the Hogwarts Owlery. He had already sent one missive out and was approaching a second school owl when a very distinctive white owl with black markings dove in and pushed the school owl from its perch.

"A bit possessive, aren't we?" Iruka asked the owl with a wry smile, once he'd recognized her as belonging to a certain famous first-year. "All right, then, could you take this for me?"

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It wasn't surprising to Harry when Hedwig arrived as part of the morning post rush; she occasionally stopped by for a few rashers of bacon and some scratches, though at times he got the impression that she was checking up on him. What was surprising was the small note she was carrying in her beak. He stared at it for a moment before giving his owl a questioning glance, wondering how she came to be carrying something to him that wasn't a response to a letter he'd sent, and received a reassuring bob of her head in response. Shrugging, he read the brief missive.

Mr. Potter,

Please come to my office during your afternoon break today. I would like to discuss possible arrangements that may make your summer holidays significantly more tolerable.

-Adjunct Professor Umino

Harry froze at the mention of his summer holidays. The phrasing suggested that Professor Umino knew something about his life on Privet Drive, something he'd not shared with anyone at Hogwarts. Perhaps Hagrid had said something about the events of his birthday? The large man wasn't exactly the most closed-lipped of people...

Regardless of how the visiting Professor had learned about the Dursleys, the fact remained that he had. A caustic mix of anxiety and shame coiled in Harry's gut at the thought of his 'home' life becoming common knowledge. He'd have to attend this meeting, if for no other reason than to make sure that Professor Umino wasn't planning on telling anybody else; he'd had too much experience with disappointment in the past to dare hope that someone actually could or would help him in regards to his relatives' treatment.

Ron glanced up from his nearly Dudley-portioned breakfast. "Wha'sh 'e no'e abou', 'Arry?" he asked around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"It's from Professor Umino; he wants to see me during the free period this afternoon." There was no way Harry was going to share why. He did not want Ron's pity.

Mercifully for those around him, Ron swallowed before continuing. "Tough luck, mate. Still dunno why you're taking an extra class."

"Magic is all new to me, Ron. I just want to see as much of it as I can, plus some of the things Professor Umino showed us could come in handy over the summers." Things like using a storage seal to store a supply of decent food or hide his school things, or putting one of those barrier things across his door to keep Dudley out.

"Better you than me, mate. Better you than me."

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It was barely five minutes into the First Year Gryffindors' afternoon free period when Iruka heard the hesitant knock on his office door. "Come in!" he called, marking his page and putting aside the text he'd been reading. As he expected, the door opened to reveal a clearly anxious Harry Potter. "Please, come in Mr. Potter; have a seat." The boy sat in one of the chairs before Iruka's desk, his posture radiating tension. "Would you like some tea?"

At his guest's hesitant nod, Iruka rose and retrieved his tea set, its teapot already filled and kept under a warming charm to be ready in anticipation of this meeting. He had prepared a Japanese green tea that he found quite relaxing, hoping that it would have a similar effect on Harry; he'd chosen green tea deliberately for the British boy's likely unfamiliarity with it, in the hope that it might provide a distraction from the worries that were doubtless plaguing his mind right now.

Setting the tea set on his desk, Iruka sat in the other guest chair; he didn't want to be looming over the already-frightened child from behind a desk. Once both of them had steaming cups of tea in their hands, Iruka waited for Harry's expression of surprise after his first sip to speak. "Over the past two months, I've noticed a number of subtle signs hinting that your life away from Hogwarts may be less than ideal. You're not the first student I've taught to be in such a situation, and all of you tend to hide the signs as best you can, but between training and experience I'd like to think I'm fairly good at catching them in spite of that." He offered a slight smile here, though he doubted Harry saw as he was now staring determinedly into his teacup. "In Konoha, my home village, when I suspected a case like yours, I was legally required to report it to the authorities, so that it could be properly investigated and the child protected if necessary." This elicited a look of shock and fear, with hints of betrayal. "Apparently the laws of Wizarding Britain don't actually cover child abuse for some absurd reason," the look changed to one of denial at the word 'abuse', not unexpectedly, "and pursuing a case on the non-magical side would be complicated by both the witness and the child being unable to explain where they spend much of the year." Harry's emotions were clearly fluctuating rapidly at this point, bouncing around between fear, anger, denial, shame, and a bit of wry amusement with the last comment, and those were just what Iruka was able to read. More than likely his mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions shifting too quickly to really process. Iruka paused to sip his tea, prompting his guest to follow suit, before leaning forward to place himself at eye level with the child.

"Since I couldn't prompt an official investigation, I had to look into things myself. I went to Privet Drive; I watched the Dursleys; I examined the property at #4; I snuck in while they were out to look around;" here he made sure that Harry had swallowed and wasn't in the midst of another sip, "I found the cupboard."

Harry froze at the last statement. This was the key moment; there was no real way to predict how he'd react next, and many of those possible reactions would crack or shatter any potential for trust and rapport between them, making it difficult or impossible for Iruka to help Harry. All he could do was wait, sip his tea, and hope that when the boy finished processing the information that he would remain Iruka's student, would allow the chuunin to try to help him.

After a couple of minutes of tense, pregnant silence, Harry seemed to rouse from his reverie, and in a small voice asked, "What are you going to do?"

Iruka smothered his sigh of relief, knowing it could easily be misinterpreted at the moment, and settled for a kind smile instead. "Whatever I can do to help you, if you'll let me. For starters, I'll be someone you can talk to, about anything, everything, or nothing at all if you want. I already know the biggest thing you keep secret, and I promise that I'll never tell anyone unless you give me permission or I feel it's absolutely necessary for your safety, like if your uncle started hurting you and I needed to convince the authorities to get you out of there. You can tell me anything you want to, and I won't judge you or pity you or anything like that. I know from experience that talking about your problems helps."

"Would it help if I told you one of my secrets?" Iruka ventured. At Harry's somewhat confused and hesitant nod, he continued, "I'm not just from another country. As far as I've been able to figure out, I'm actually from a whole other world."

Harry blinked in confusion and surprise. "Like... Mars?"

The chuckling chuunin shook his head. "No, I'm not from outer space, at least not that I can tell. Unless I've turned green?" He made a show of looking over his hands as if inspecting their color, as a choked laugh escaped his guest. "More like an alternate reality, like the worlds in stories that are clearly not Earth, but aren't just out in space either. That's why it's so hard for me to find my way home - it's not just getting to the right place on a map, it's getting onto the right map in the first place."

After another pause for tea, Iruka moved on. "Anyway, now that you know one of my biggest secrets, let's get back to what I can do to help you. If you'd like, I can make some discreet inquiries into whether there might be someone else that could take custody of you, and let you move out, but there's no way of knowing if or when that could pan out. If we don't go that route, or if we do and it hasn't borne any fruit by summer, I'd like to visit you regularly, both to keep in touch and to make sure your relatives know to behave like civilized people. Between now and then, and possibly continuing forward, I can also start teaching you how to protect yourself without magic, as well as some things from my world that I won't be teaching to most of my other students. Does that all sound good to you?" Harry's nod this time was more than a little awestruck, as if he was shocked that an adult would go so far out of their way to help him. Then again, given what Iruka had seen at Privet Drive, he might be the first adult to do so in ten years.

"In that case, we might as well get started, right? The first thing I'd like to teach you may sound a bit boring, but I think it will help you in a lot of ways. Back when I was your age, I was... a hothead. I didn't think before I acted, and my sensei, my teacher, was worried that I'd get myself or someone else hurt, so he taught me a meditation technique that helps me organize my thoughts and review my memories. Going over my memories from an outside perspective lets me see things I've done right and wrong, and just generally helps me understand them better. It helped me learn to curb my impulsiveness, and think about things more clearly; since I came to Britain, it's also helped me learn a kind of magic called Occlumency, that also helps you control your emotions while protecting your mind from outside interference. We'll get to that later, when you're ready, but for now let's start with the meditation. First, we'll make sure we're sitting comfortably..."

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When Harry left, he was far more relaxed and (if Iruka was right) just a little bit lighter than when he arrived. After the first-year had begun to tire of meditation practice, the two had conversed over fresh cups of tea, with Iruka sharing stories (edited, for now) about his own childhood, Konoha and some of his previous students (with Naruto and his friends featuring quite prominently), and Harry talking about what Hogwarts was like from his perspective. His love of flying made a great deal of sense - the open space and freedom were likely a pleasant contrast to confinement in that bijuu-crushed cupboard. The poor teaching in some of the subjects was concerning to Iruka on both a personal and professional level, and he resolved to speak with his colleagues as appropriate to see if anything could be done.

Harry had taken quite well the revelation that Iruka had already been teaching one young Briton the same things he intended to begin Harry on, though when the possibility of additional students was brought up the chuunin had to quickly reassure him that this would in no way lessen his training. In fact, he accepted it quite quickly when Iruka implied that while he obviously wouldn't go into specifics, any further students would be chosen for as good a reason as Harry himself had been. It seemed that he understood the message underneath the underneath - any such students would be chosen because they too needed Iruka's help.

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Thursday afternoon found Iruka stepping from the Floo into Longbottom Hall. A house-elf promptly vanished the soot from his robes, then bowed. "Mistress Longbottom bes in the sitting room. If sir wills be following Tilly?" Nodding, Iruka followed the small servant. As he entered the sitting room, his hostess rose to greet him.

Augusta Longbottom was a tall, lean older woman with angular features and a formidable presence. She gave him a stiff nod of greeting, then gestured to the armchair across from her own. Once the two were seated and Tilly had popped away to prepare tea, she spoke. "Your letter indicated that my Neville faces an obstacle in his development as a wizard, which may be impairing his performance at Hogwarts and which you believe we may be able to ameliorate. I have invited you into my home based on your rather cryptic message, and would now very much like you to make yourself clear."

"Madam Longbottom," Iruka began, "you are of course aware of the tremendous influence a wizard's mind has upon their magic? Not only intent, but also confidence, and belief? A wizard that is confident, who believes that he will succeed, is likely to cast his spell more successfully and to better effect than one who lacks confidence or who expects to fail. From my observations of young Neville, as well as consultation with my fellow staff, he suffers from a severe lack of self-confidence, and seems convinced that his magic is weak and useless. I believe that this is preventing him from reaching his full potential, but that between the two of us we can begin to rebuild his confidence and help him grow."

His hostess sighed. "Frank was always such a strong, confident boy, full of life and magic. I simply cannot understand how his son could be so different, so timid..." 'so weak' was left loudly unsaid.

"If I may be blunt?" Iruka queried. At Madam Longbottom's grim nod, he continued, "Frequent unflattering comparisons to his father are a likely contributing factor. Would I also be correct in guessing that you or other members of his family have often suggested that he may be a squib?" She nodded now, a slight expression of shock on her face. "I've seen similar situations in the past, where students had guardians that were particularly stern and demanding and were unhappy with the shy, gentle child. It's a problem at both ends, as you've been approaching the problem the only way you know how, but the more Neville is pushed the more he retreats. You keep hoping that he'll stand up for himself, but in my experience that would only come if you pushed him far enough to destroy any relationship the two of you have as family."

"In my experience, children like Neville simply don't like conflict and confrontation, so they try to avoid them however they can. That's not to say that they're unable to stand up when they have to, but they tend to save it for when it really matters. They can be as strong as anyone else, but it's generally a quieter strength, reserved for when they need it rather than shown off."

Iruka paused a few moments, considering how much to share. "There's one former student of mine that's a particularly good example of this. Hinata was a lot like Neville at the same age; very quiet, very timid, very gentle. When she was sixteen, our village was attacked by someone that makes even the last Dark Lord look weak by comparison. He flattened over half of our village with a single attack, before being confronted by our strongest champion, who happened to be the boy Hinata loved. When our champion was defeated, the attacker prepared to carry him away to be sacrificed, but Hinata intervened. She knew she stood no chance, but still she stood between the attacker and the boy she loved and fought with a ferocity and strength none of us had ever seen from her before. Even though she lost, she bought our champion the opportunity he needed to win, and it was their son whose accident sent me to Britain."

"What I'm getting at is that Neville has more potential than most people realize, but it will take the right circumstances for him to truly shine."

Madam Longbottom looked thoughtful. "And what, precisely, are you proposing?"

"At your end, it would largely consist of a change in how you and others treat Neville. Praise his successes and express confidence that he will continue to succeed. If you compare him to his parents, make sure you're drawing parallels that are clearly positive, but in general remember that he is his own person, and will be different from both his parents in various ways. Later, once I've gotten Neville really talking, I may have some more detailed recommendations."

"My side of things is a bit more extensive. For starters, I may be able to provide something of a more immediate male role model. I wouldn't want to replace his father, and I'd make it clear to him early on that I have no intention of doing so. I'd also act as a counselor and possibly a confidant. Beyond that, there are things I can teach Neville that aren't part of the Sealing Arts, but which I suspect may help him in a number of different ways. There's physical training, which improves overall health and could improve his self-image as he matures; meditation with a view towards progressing to basic Occlumency, to boost his focus and memory while giving him greater control over his fears; special mental exercises that I believe will aid him in controlling his magic; non-magical self-defense techniques, to build confidence and give him a way to protect himself even in cases where he can't use his wand. In addition, I'd be teaching him a few techniques from my homeland, since being able to do something almost no other witch or wizard in Britain can do could be a huge boon to his confidence, even ignoring the utility of the techniques themselves. As it stands, he'd be the third such student I've taken on in Britain, though I suspect I may have a fourth asking to be added this evening."

"You've been quite vague regarding these 'techniques' that you'd be teaching my Neville," his hostess observed with a slight frown, "and I will not be agreeing to anything until I have a better understanding of what it is I would be agreeing to."

Having expected a query along those lines, Iruka stood. "If I may demonstrate?" At Madam Longbottom's nod, the chuunin calmly walked over to and several meters up the nearest wall. He turned and kept his face carefully blank to hide the slightly vindictive satisfaction he felt on behalf of his student at the older woman's expression of open-mouthed shock. "Based on the progress I've observed in the first British magical child I've trained, it would be at least a few years before Neville was able to do this; the intended benefits of the training would likely begin much sooner." Iruka casually vaulted from his position on the wall to land standing back in front of his chair, briefly drawing his wand to cast a quick cleaning charm to remove his footprints from the wallpaper before retaking his seat. "I would be teaching Neville how to use an energy my people call 'chakra', which as best I can tell is related to but distinct from magic, being drawn entirely from within the user. Both walking where it would normally be impossible and feats of otherwise inhuman strength and speed are common applications of chakra. If you'd like, I can contact the family of my first student and ask that they explain in further detail, as they've had more exposure to my abilities and have seen over a year of training in their child."

After a few fortifying sips of tea (which, if Iruka's nose was any judge, had itself been slightly 'fortified') Madam Longbottom seemed to rally from her shock. "I will try to... adjust the way I speak to my grandson, and will ensure that the rest of our family is aware of that aspect of the program. Would I be correct in presuming that you do not wish the precise nature of your abilities or training bandied about?" At Iruka's nod, she continued. "Then I shall simply say that Neville is receiving personalized lessons designed to bring out his potential. If anyone enquires further, I will inform them that the lessons are private and proprietary, and thus none of their business. Please do contact the Lovegoods - and don't look at me like that, it's rather obvious after all - and I shall look forward to speaking with them. In the meantime, you may begin training Neville as soon as you consider appropriate."

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It was no surprise to Iruka when Hermione Granger hung back after that night's Sealing class. She'd been clearly preoccupied the entire session, often looking at him with an expression that tended to bounce between apprehensive and calculating. He simply continued on as normal, chuckling inwardly at the hint of irritation he could see creeping into the girl's eyes. As the students filed out, he stood at his desk calmly tidying up and gathering his notes for the evening. Once it was just the two of them left, he heard her footsteps approaching his desk, and finally looked up and acknowledged her presence. "Something I can help you with, Ms. Granger?" he asked with the same studiedly innocent look he'd perfected as a mischievous Academy student.

The first-year huffed, before schooling her irritated pout into something more neutrally respectful as Iruka held back another chuckle. "I was hoping to speak with you about Tuesday night..."

"Did you really move like that? How? What else can you do? Can I learn? Will you teach me?" Iruka fired the questions at her in rapid sequence, before grinning broadly at her expression of naked shock slowly morphing towards one of mild offense. "Really, Ms. Granger, it wasn't that hard to figure out what you wanted to ask. In answer to those questions: Yes, by using a technique from my homeland, quite a few things, most likely, and if I get permission from your parents."

He was glad to see his estimate of her intelligence borne out as she was clearly working through the conversation in her mind, matching answers to questions. "I'll send them an owl tomorrow morning," she nodded.

A/N: And thus does Iruka begin to gather students.

A quick reminder/plug: I posted a little Halloween drabble on the day, a little Sandman (mostly) story titled "Jack".

To guest reviewer "enjoyed": I hadn't really thought about how Iruka was first hired at the Academy. If I were to write it myself, I'd probably have some of the more senior staff that remembered him as a student not wanting him to teach, but the Third Hokage persuading them to give him a chance.

To guest reviewer "tt": You're welcome, and thanks for your support!

To guest reviewer "lisa": This version of Iruka is from a bit before Chapter 700, which seems to be set at least 15 years after the Fourth War, thus putting Iruka in his early 40s.

In response to a reviewer that felt killing the troll would be safer than fleeing it, there are a few concerns with fighting the troll: First and foremost, Iruka has never fought a troll before, and knows very little about them, which means he doesn't know exactly how tough its flesh and bones are, or how long it'll take to die if killed; there's every chance that the fight would drag on, and the longer it went the greater the chances of Hermione getting hurt. Second, the person he's protecting is an untrained civilian, and thus unpredictable; if Hermione ran out at the wrong time, she could compromise them both. Third, the fact that he has to protect someone means that he'd have to fight more aggressively and take greater risks. Fourth (and related to the first), he doesn't know how long the troll would continue to be dangerous after suffering a mortal injury; many creatures (especially those with simpler nervous systems) can continue to act (albeit in an uncoordinated way) for at least a few seconds after their deaths, meaning that even a killing blow might not put the troll down immediately.

By contrast, he saw that he could easily outrun the troll once he got past it, and saw a fairly safe way to get past. With the troll already mid-swing, its chances of effectively attacking the place its club just was are somewhere between jack and squat, especially given how slow on the uptake it was. Iruka and Hermione were ten meters down the hall and retreating fast by the time it even noticed its targets were gone. He got Hermione out of the dangerous situation by the most expedient route he saw, without risking the unknown.

Fic Recommendation: "Fake Psychics and Psychic Paper" by Sarah1281 - It's a silly little romp where the Tenth Doctor picks up the main duo from Psych rather than Martha. Chaos ensues, even if it at some points feels like a bit of a fix-fic.

Posted 05 November 2017

Edited 2 April 2019: Tweaked the first scene divider