Chapter 8: A Little Reflection 1/2

Summary: Motivated, miffed, and magical, Shikamaru Nara was a force to behold. Whoever had placed him here was going to get it, but first he'd have to get through a school for magic. And he'd thought ninjas could be stupid. Troublesome.

Rating: T, and should stay that way.

Genres: Friendship, Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, maybe more, I don't know yet.

Warnings: Language, implied/mentioned child abuse/neglect, and...that's angst...in a chapter about Christmas...dammit - I need help, hmm..depressing shtick going on in here, non-canon stuff going on in here, probably some OOCness, warnings are individual per chapter, might change next chapter or might not. No slash or yaoi, yuri, Shounen Ai, or Shōjo Ai. Or incest...not now or ever.

Pairings: As far as romance goes, it's canon for both series. Friendship!Shikamaru/Harry&Ron&Hermione&Neville&Fred&George. Mentor!Snape/Shikamaru. Parental!Lupin/Shikamaru. I might add more later, if I think of it.

Disclaimer: Never EVER mine, either of them. Just thought I'd clarify for those of you who didn't know.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Emphasis on words

(#) A/N at end to explain stuff

Time Skip or Given Time

Flashback

Regular text

A Shadow in Wizard's Robes Chapter 8: A Little Reflection

By: AngelicSilverWolf

'Reflect upon your present blessings - of which every man has many - not your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.' - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings

Age 10: One year before Hogwarts

"So, the Marauders, huh?" Shikamaru asked. Lupin smiled faintly.

"Yes. Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail and Moony," he said with a hint of wistfulness.

"On a scale of 'basic pranksters' to 'chaos incarnate', how bad were you?" Shikamaru questioned with an amused gleam in his eyes. Lupin's smile became distinctly more mischievous.

"I'd say we were… 'teacher's worst nightmare' at times. Some definitely thought of us as the spawn of the devil," he answered. "To be fair, it was mostly just Padfoot and Prongs that ended up in weekly detentions or losing all of the house points. I believe, in our seventh year, that the house points for Gryffindor were the lowest in history. The others simply demanded that we go out in style, and even I - a prefect - couldn't deny them that bit of fun."

"So, really, if I were to get into trouble for pulling a prank in school, you would have no room to criticize, " Shikamaru said thoughtfully. Lupin chuckled.

"No, I most certainly would not. But I don't see you as the type to wreck havoc like we used to," he said.

"You never know. It could be my aspiring dream," Shikamaru shot back half-heartedly. Lupin didn't say anything. He studied the boy in front of him with a critical eye, noting that he was really thin.

"Are you eating?" Lupin asked abruptly. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why?" Shikamaru said.

"You seem a bit…thin," Lupin said. Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows.

"Really? I was going for 'lean' and possibly 'muscular', but I guess a meal every now and then isn't enough for that," he mused. Alarm caused Lupin to straighten.

"What do you mean 'a meal every now and then'?" he asked casually. It didn't come out nearly as lightly as he wished. Shikamaru seemed to realize this, because his eyes narrowed slightly and he sat back in his seat. Lupin found himself detesting that wariness. He had seen Shikamaru watching the other customers, as if looking for threats.

He had seen the boy watch their waiter's every move, eyes on his hands at all times. It was the wariness of someone who had been physically abused (1). "Well, the orphanage adults like to reinforce their superiority by reminding me that they can do whatever the hell they want, and it's legal," Shikamaru said. Then he muttered something that sounded like, "Larger superiority complexes than a he-you-ga."

Lupin's mouth twisted in displeasure.

"So what does that mean for you?" he asked, although he felt like he had something of an idea. Shikamaru seemed to mull over what to say. His cautiousness caused a pang to Lupin's heart, but he didn't outwardly react. It took time for trust to grow, he knew, and this was only his third meeting with the boy.

"It means," Shikamaru said finally, "that when I do anything even remotely out of line, they penalize me for it. They call it 'discipline'. Whenever other kids act out, if I'm around, they can blame me for it and no one's going to call them out on it I don't receive a constant supply of food from the orphanage, so I'm shorter than I should be, and my muscles aren't as developed as they should be for my level of exercise."

Lupin didn't like how it was delivered like a mission report. Clinical, emotionless, and with a blank expression to match.

"But I can deal with it for another year. Hogwarts is bound to have regular meals, right?" Shikamaru shrugged indifferently. Lupin didn't answer, choosing to just study his temporary charge. His mind went back to their meeting, not two hours ago.

Flashback…

Lupin was walking when he heard the shouting and swearing.

"Stand still, you little rat bastard!" a boy - young by the sound of it - yelled.

"And let you hit me? I'll pass," someone else drawled, to inarticulate noises of frustration. Lupin sighed and turned in the direction of the fight. He walked into an alley and was shocked to see seven boys ganging up on another, with three others unconscious or moaning on the ground. Two of the boys had weapons of some kind. The one by himself looked strangely familiar…

"Dammit, Shika-freak!" one boy exclaimed, rubbing his arm furiously from where it had been hit. Shikamaru Nara just rolled his eyes.

"If you can't handle it, even in such a one-sided situation, then you really shouldn't be here. Don't pick battles you can't win," he admonished mockingly. Lupin was torn between amusement and exasperation at the comeback. He was about to clear his throat and step in, when Shikamaru's eyes flashed over to him and he shook his head slightly in an unmistakable gesture.

Don't interfere.

So, against his better judgment, Lupin just stood in place, prepared to call attention from his young friend. But...he watched in amazement as Shikamaru soundly won with ease and grace that Lupin found himself envying a little.

This was no desperate battle for survival on Shikamaru's part; it was cold, instinctual, and the boy had clearly been trained - well. Lupin didn't recognize the fighting style, but Shikamaru hadn't even broken a sweat by the time half of the other boys were down, and they were all bigger and taller than he was.

The ones with weapons were taken out first, clearly the larger threat, and then the ones who were too hasty. Finally there were three of them left, and all Shikamaru had to show for it were bruised knuckles and a couple cuts and scrapes, half of them from the environment rather than the other enemies themselves. So, the boys remaining showed their first bit of common sense and ran for it.

Shikamaru let them, casually examining his hands.

"Not enough," he muttered. Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"That looked pretty impressive to me, a boy taking down seven others," he said. Shikamaru shook his head.

"They were barely a challenge. No training - or brains, apparently - and they didn't even think about team work. No, if I go up against someone who's somewhat proficient in fighting, I'll be in trouble," he said ruefully. He shook his head and stooped down to pick something up from the ground. It looked like a tiny black ring.

"An earring," Shikamaru said abruptly.

"What?" Lupin asked. Shikamaru gave him a look.

"It's an earring. One of mine," he clarified. Lupin frowned slightly.

"But your ears aren't…" he said, gesturing to Shikamaru's noticeably hole-less earlobes.

"Not yet. The adults at the orphanage don't like them; they call boys with pierced ears 'monstrosities'. Something about 'unnatural'. Little hypocritical, if you ask me," Shikamaru scoffed. "Anyway, they're what started those idiots in on me." He jerked his head in the direction where the other boys had gone.

"I see." But Lupin didn't. Shikamaru sighed.

"It's just...one of the only connections I have to my family," he said, looking at one of the nearby buildings with a distant stare. "I was found with them when I was dropped off at the orphanage, and apparently no one had the heart to take them away."

Lupin felt something inside of him soften at that, but he didn't say something to comfort the boy in front of him. It wouldn't be appreciated; dismissed at best, and met with an angry reaction at worst.

"I see," he said again. And this time, he really did. "So, what possessed you to irritate them like that?" he questioned. Shikamaru's lips tugged slightly into an amused expression.

"People are more rash when they're angry, and since they were aggravated enough, they just needed a little...push," he said. Lupin shook his head in slight exasperation.

"Wouldn't it have been better to hide?" he wondered.

"No. I needed to get them to leave me alone anyway. The past two weeks have been severely troublesome because they wouldn't get the hint," Shikamaru disagreed. "Besides, I can easily beat their top speed, and there's a police station around the corner."

Lupin blinked.

"There's also a fire escape just down the alley that leads to a building with an unlocked door for smokers on the roof, which means that I could have gone inside the building and locked the door behind me, and then claim I got lost when I wandered into the building. People tend to look down on the intelligence of a child, so they probably wouldn't even suspect that I was lying," Shikamaru continued.

"How many escape plans did you have?" Lupin asked, impressed and a little disturbed at the amount of planning that had gone into coaxing a fight out of some peers. The Marauders had planned a lot of pranks, but escapes had been more hinged on dumb luck and James' charisma. In retrospect, that was probably why they had ended up in detention so often.

"Eight and a half," Shikamaru said indifferently. "The half I could finish on the fly. It'd be pretty stupid not to have a backup plan."

As if Shikamaru could be anything less than a genius. Lupin hadn't experienced someone with a mind like his young friend's since the war. The similarities were, again, disturbing.

Flashback End

"Daydreaming?"

Lupin's thoughts were interrupted by his young companion, who looked far too smug. Better than looking far too world weary, he supposed.

"You caught me," he admitted ruefully. "Sorry."

Shikamaru shrugged it off. "It's fine. I'm not one to talk since I ignore people all the time," he said.

"I wasn't ignoring you," Lupin protested.

"No?" The boy cocked an eyebrow. "What were you doing then?" A mischievous glint appeared in his brown eyes. "Were you thinking about someone special, perhaps?" he asked with a much too innocent expression. Lupin coughed and set down his cup before he spilled.

"Hardly," he said dryly. Shikamaru shrugged.

"A boy can try," he said. Lupin's mouth quirked upwards.

"What about you? Anyone certain come up in your thoughts?" he teased.

"Not anyone I'll be seeing for a long time," Shikamaru deadpanned. There was understanding - somehow - between the two, shared sadness at a thing lost that was perhaps never to be regained, and the topic was dropped for a more light hearted one. They eventually said their farewells and went their separate ways, neither knowing that it would be four years before they met again, and that the reunion wouldn't be as nice as this one had been.

...

Present:

"Well?" Snape asked with a bit of impatience.

The four first years exchanged looks. "I know you aren't as innocent as you are about to try and make yourselves seem, so don't waste my time by attempting to brush it off."

Shikamaru considered. This was terrible timing. Not only were the ideas that planned for this half-formed, at best, but he didn't know if what they had was enough for a teacher and a man who had it out for, arguably, the entire Idiot Trio. Not to mention that his own plans for Quirrell were much less harmless than what they'd told Hagrid, and he didn't want to expose the others to that. But, he didn't have much of a choice.

"Alright, Professor." Shikamaru looked him right in the eye, which seemed to surprise the man. Snape was impressively intimidating, but Shikamaru had experience in war, in a society filled with assassins and mercenaries. Not much could really intimidate him anymore. Not many men. "Here's what we know: Harry is in danger and is a target of someone in this school - we suspect Quirrell."

Snape's eyes sharpened.

"A target?" he drawled. Nice catch.

"We believe - through careful research - that whatever was held in Gringotts, in the vault that was broken into but nothing was stolen, is here at Hogwarts. It's being guarded by an unknown number of things, and we don't actually know what it is - just that Nicholas Flamel has something to do with it and possibly made it - but if we could find out, it might help us prepare," he continued. Snape raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"For what?" he asked. Shikamaru let his eyes show just a little of how seriously they were taking this.

"For the removal of Quirrell and whatever else is a threat from this school, preferably to Azkaban," he said flatly. He didn't say that, if the need arose, he was more than willing to remove them in a more permanent way. Quirrell, and every instinct Shikamaru had was pointing to him, wouldn't know what hit him. (2)

…

There was silence. The other first years were staring at their friend in shock.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione hissed in alarm. "We were just researching-"

"Actually," Ron said thoughtfully, interrupting her. She shot him a nasty look that he dutifully ignored. "I don't think we were just researching. Did you think we were just going to learn about the topic and then tell the professors and let them handle it?" Hermione's expression let the room know that that was exactly what she'd thought.

"That's what we told- that's what we agreed on!" she hissed, catching herself before she implicated Hagrid in this mess too. Shikamaru made a note to talk to them about that. No need to get more people in trouble than necessary, in case this situation cropped up again.

"What," Snape entered coolly, "would a first year like you know about removing a threat that, according to you, is dangerous enough to warrant Azkaban?" Shikamaru chuffed a little; it would be a better question to ask how someone who had grown up a ninja didn't know. Snape's eyes narrowed.

"More than you'd think, Professor," Shikamaru said, slowly. Unfortunately for Snape, Shikamaru had participated in and helped strategize a war of a massive multitude. He'd read about the Wizarding War, a decade or so ago, and while dangerous, that had been on a shockingly small scale. Nowhere, even, close to either of the Muggle Wars. As such, he was ready for any challenges the man sent his way.

"Can I just say something?" Harry asked, raising his hand like he would in class. Once everyone looked at him, he continued, "I didn't ask for this. And I'm pretty sure that whatever is hidden behind Fluffy isn't worth getting hurt over. Sure, Quirrell might be evil, but wasn't it the whole idea that we research so that we don't seem like clueless first years in over our heads and like people that actually should be consulted? There was never anything mentioned about fighting." He aimed a pointed glance at Shikamaru.

"But we are in over our heads!" Hermione said, frazzled. "Clearly we don't know what we're doing if we can't even find one person in over two hundred history books."

"Well, if you'd listened to me-" Ron began, but she rounded on him.

"Don't even start!" she said fiercely. "If not for you, we wouldn't even be here, Mister 'I can't keep my voice at a reasonable bloody volume'!"

Harry sighed as Ron turned bright red.

"Enough."

The word was lazy and not at all loud, but it got everyone's attention. All eyes turned to Shikamaru, who was watching Snape carefully.

"We're just giving him evidence that we can't be trusted, seeing as how we can't even agree for ten seconds without blowing up at each other," he pointed out. "Hermione, Ron made a mistake. It happened. Get over it and maybe next time consider some of our input. We aren't your underlings, and you don't control the research process. If Ron wants to research some other way, then he can; this isn't a dictatorship."

Hermione went a little pink from shame, and before Ron could send a scathing remark, Shikamaru turned to him.

"Ron, you're an idiot," he said flatly. Harry coughed in surprise, and Ron's mouth fell open. "No, seriously, who the hell just shouts secret plans at the top of his lungs, no matter how frustrated? You would make a terrible spy. However," Shikamaru added slowly, as Ron deflated, "you're also not entirely wrong about exploring other avenues."

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head ruefully. He turned to Harry.

"Harry...I don't actually have a lot to say to you, because unlike these two, you aren't incredibly argumentative. And all things considered, you've handled yourself fairly well," he said. Harry brightened a little. Shikamaru wasn't one for handing out praise easily - like some professors, and when he did, it was genuine and actually worth something. So when he said someone did well, that meant that they had done above his average standards of the human population - which was already higher than most people's 'good' standards - and they had done a good enough job that he'd recognized and acknowledged it.

"The only thing I can think of is to keep from getting an inflated head. That includes trying to do everything by yourself. Don't become a martyr and try to 'protect' your friends and insult them at the same time by doubting their intelligence and capabilities. I will knock you straight into the lake," Shikamaru said, and grinned just a little dangerously. Harry paled slightly and nodded.

"How would we actually go about removing Quirrel?" Ron asked curiously. "We haven't actually gotten that far." Mostly because they hadn't known that was part of the plan, but he covered for the gap in knowledge well.

"Proof, mostly, and being incredibly careful about how we get it," Shikamaru said firmly. Unbeknownst to him, his shift in demeanor from 'classmate' to 'commander' caused the other students to straighten instinctively, while Snape eyed him contemplatively.

"No fooling around, no thoughtless actions, and no shouting of plans." This last bit was aimed at Ron, who shrugged helplessly.

"Guilty," he said glumly.

"Teamwork is arguably the most important part, which means not jumping down each other's throats every five seconds," Shikamaru said pointedly, eyeing Ron and Hermione.

"I-no-we will do our best to keep from arguing constantly," the latter said earnestly. Ron nodded.

"Sorry, mate," he said.

"I'll even try and keep them from going at it," Harry piped up.

Shikamaru looked at their determined faces, and for a fraction of a second, he was back in Konoha in the briefing room with his old companions looking back at him, trust and determined confidence in their eyes. Then he met Snape's eyes and the moment was gone, leaving him a bit more shaken then he was willing to admit. The professor didn't say anything but he had a thoughtful look in his black eyes that made Shikamaru feel wary.

"And in answer to your question, Professor, there have been multiple attempts on either Harry's life or to take the object in this castle. It's getting extremely troublesome, and if we don't try to stop it, it will probably only get worse. Worst case scenario is someone dies," he said, giving Snape a hard look. "We want to keep that from happening." Snape didn't answer and just gave him a searching look.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about us?"

"I could tell the headmaster and have you expelled on the spot," the man said with a faint sneer - a challenging one. Convince me, his eyes dared.

"You could," he acquiesced carelessly, crossing his arms. He ignored the alarmed looks he got.

"Or, you could allow us to help out. We could get information that would take you more time to get," he continued.

"You think I need help from some first years?" There was the pronounced sneer.

"No," Shikamaru said slowly. "But intel is intel, no matter the source. Besides, whoever is behind this wouldn't think to suspect some first years. We could interrogate without suspicion behind the guise of education. You, however, automatically make people put up their guards."

"I could easily find some students of my own to do these things," Snape said, and this. This was fun. Shikamaru had missed debating with people on his level of maturity with his level of no shits given about hurt feelings or sensitive pride.

"But we've already researched into the topic. Bringing in other people would waste time and possibly effort if they decline, and there's no guarantee they would keep absolute secrecy, which could lead to a whole slew of problems. Besides, who here would really care about protecting something that is already being defended by Hogwarts and Dumbledore himself - if not directly?" Shikamaru countered. His friends looked back and forth between him and Snape, as if watching a tennis match.

"Besides, what with Dumbledore being from Gryffindor, he might just reward us for 'helping our friends in times of need', or something, like McGonagall did with the troll," Shikamaru added. Clearly the thought had occurred to Snape as well, for the man's mouth twisted and his expression soured.

"Look at it this way, Professor," Shikamaru said, "if we were expelled, you'd have to explain why to the Weasley family, which would then lead to questions about why you would hide a dangerously coveted item or items at Hogwarts, where a large amount of children are. It would be easier to just let us go on with our business. We're too careful to hurt anyone except for maybe ourselves anyway, and then you can tell us, 'I told you so' if that does happen."

The world seemed to hold its breath as Snape stared with an unreadable expression at Shikamaru. Then, he seemed to come to a decision and straightened, inadvertently causing everyone else to stiffen in anticipation. He opened his mouth, and said-

...

Harry still couldn't believe it two days later. Shock still made him absent minded, which, in turn, usually irritated those around him. (Not surprising considering his company these days.) Shikamaru had seemed so confident...Harry wondered how he'd done it. He would have been shaking where he stood, but maybe it helped that Snape didn't hate Shikamaru as much.

Whatever the case, Harry absolutely could not believe that Snape had agreed to their aid. (3)

...

"You say one more word,"Nott - more commonly known as Theo, but never Teddy (because he was "-not a bloody stuffed animal, damn it-") - warned Ron through gritted teeth. The redhead ignored him, studiously muttering under his breath.

"That's it," Nott said, making to stand up.

"Sit down and stop whining, Theo," Blaise said irritably from where he was sandwiched between Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode. No one looked happy about that arrangement. Shikamaru sighed impatiently and irritably pinched the bridge of his nose as he scanned reports from a source of Greengrass'.

"Troublesome idiots," he said, addressing the room as a whole, not looking away. "We have one more day until holiday break. Don't kill or maim each other, and I'll get you all a damn chocolate frog."

"Hmph," Daphne Greengrass sniffed from her seat beside Neville. "You're just lucky that Professor Snape ordered us to cooperate. Though I don't know why…"

"Professor Snape told Shikamaru that he was "Quite Slytherin" for convincing him like he did," Hermione interjected, "for your information." Daphne sneered but didn't dispute it. She, and all the other Slytherins for that matter, had learned sly Shikamaru could be over the past few weeks.

Shikamaru had convinced his 'inter-house study group', sans a few fortunate people, to work with the Idiot Trio. The Idiot Trio thought that this would be, more or less, a one-time thing, and they thought it was exclusively research. Shikamaru didn't plan on telling them about the other part of it, the DADA training, because he was going to handle them himself. As such, tempers were high, patience was thin, and he wanted a damn break already just to get away from all of these children. Sadly, the more level heads, like Diggory and Belby, couldn't be present since they had other commitments. Others, he'd simply told them to take a break for a while; he didn't want the Idiot Trio to know every member of his group

"Someone want to wake up Potter?" Blaise drawled, looking over to one of the other tables where the other boy was dozing. In his defense, he'd had Quidditch practice right before a six hour 'study' session with members of the other houses. "He'll be catching flies soon enough."

"More's the pity," Nott muttered, causing Ron to scowl at him across their table.

"I'm sure we can get along," Bones interjected from beside Shikamaru. He'd elected to have her stay, mostly because he was certain he'd end up jinxing the lot of them if they annoyed him too much. "Nara is right; it's only for one more day."

"You're the only one who thinks so, lady," Nott said rather nastily. Despite easily being the shortest one there with a somewhat weedy stature to boot, Nott was a sarcastic smart mouth with a cutting tongue and a poker face to rival Shikamaru's at times.

"Don't speak to a lady like that," Macmillan said pompously from Shikamaru's table. "We must always treat women with the respect and dignity they deserve."

"Oh, shut it," Nott snapped. Clearly, being in the same room as five Gryffindors, two Ravenclaws, and a group of Hufflepuffs was trying his temper. Ron's incessant verbal pokes weren't helping matters. Shikamaru should have separated everyone, but he'd thought that would cut down on productivity.

"Please quiet down, some of us are trying to finish before midnight," Boot said to the room at large, scowling at his tablemates. Nott and Ron remained unimpressed.

"If I didn't owe Nara over there-" Nott started.

"Yes, yes, you would terrify us with your fearsome magical prowess'," Hermione said waspishly. She looked very irritated, having dealt admirably well with snide comments about her heritage from the Slytherins all evening, and hints that she should have ended up in Ravenclaw from Boot, but even a saint would have trouble keeping his peace, and Hermione was hardly known for her patience.

"Since you can't, and I'm sure Shikamaru would stop you anyway, not even mentioning what Professor Snape would do for acting so idiotically, it would be to the benefit of all if you just shut your mouth," she finished, aiming a steely glare in his direction. Nott was unimpressed, if his scoff was anything to go by, but even Greengrass was looking annoyed by this point, so he let it go.

"Shikamaru, is this relevant? It's a small article from a local newspaper where Quirrell was last year," Neville asked. Shikamaru held up a hand without raising his head and was given the paper. He eyed it and sat up in interest. It was a rather absurd piece that no one would look at twice since it was about an 'Evil Spirit' that took the bodies of different types of snakes. It was 'exorcised' by a local shaman the week after the appearance of Quirrell, and the locals threw a celebration to rejoice. There was even a blurry picture of something darting around a tree.

"I should show this to Professor Snape," he muttered.

"He might already know," Hermione said reasonably. "Besides, this just adds to the suspicion that he's behind this whole thing."