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"But if he's being possessed, it's something else entirely," he pointed out. "It could actually be an evil spirit, and if that's the case, he's also a victim."

"Do we believe in possession?" Hermione asked skeptically. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Why not? Besides, it isn't really a matter of believing as putting facts together. There is something strange happening here. Look, accounts from the villagers in a report on Quirrell that never made it to the public because the person covering it died if a heart attack, which coincidentally happened two days before Quirrell returned to England," he said, pulling out a folder stuffed full of notes and paper clippings.

"Where did you get this?" Hermione asked in amazement.

"The benefits of being well connected," Greengrass said smugly from the table beside hers.

"Also, there is a piece in the local wizard's paper about some strange lights caused by magic. Obliviators arrived, but their job was already done for them. The locals didn't remember a thing about Quirrell, other than the fact that he had visited, and Quirrell himself was long gone," Shikamaru continued, hoping to forestall the impending argument. He nodded his thanks to Bones for the information, who smiled in return.

"So...what are we supposed to say? Just that Quirrell is suspicious? We already knew that," she said.

"'We' won't say anything, I will tell him later, under the guise of an extra Potions lesson," Shikamaru corrected. Boot looked up in interest.

"Are you bad enough that it's believable?" he asked.

"Who said anything about being bad? The first year coursework is too easy for him, everyone in our Potions class knows he's really smart," Neville said with some confusion. As if wondering how people didn't know that Shikamaru was incredibly intelligent. Boot gaped.

"Why aren't you in Ravenclaw?" he demanded, rounding on the ninja. "First Granger and now you, why are all the geniuses going to Gryffindor?"

Shikamaru grinned a little and Hermione turned pink.

"I - for one - don't want to focus all the time on studies. Besides, Gryffindor is fun," the former said, tipping back in his chair with a yawn. Boot grumbled but didn't refute the statement.

"You couldn't handle the crazy that is Shikamaru Nara anyway," Hermione added.

"I could say the same about you, woman," the aforementioned crazy person muttered.

"Find anything on Flamel yet?" Ron asked Boot. The boy shook his head.

"No," he sighed. "How can a person just not exist in this century?" Nott, who had been reclining in his chair, perked up a bit.

"Maybe we're going about it all wrong," he said.

"What do you mean?" Boot frowned.

"So, what if this guy is really old? He could be in books from different centuries," Nott said logically. The table plus Hermione - who had been listening in - gaped at him. "What?" he sneered. "Surprised the Slytherin knows something?"

"You're amazing!" Hermione squealed, causing the entire library to stare at her. "Why didn't I think of that? Of course! He might not even be alive! And here I was, this entire time, just assuming…" She jumped up and darted away.

"Is she always so excitable?" Bulstrode grumbled.

"I'm surprised you know what that word means," Nott muttered.

"Shut up," she snarled. "You're just mad 'cause an ickle Gryffie recognized your questionable worth before anyone from our own house." Nott paled and his eyes glittered angrily.

"Theo, Millie, Rule One. Shut up," Blaise snapped. Greengrass inspected her nails.

"Oh, yes, Zabini. You tell them," she said with mock respect.

"You too," he warned. She shrugged but didn't say anything. Shikamaru sighed and was glad he'd had the foresight to at least place them at different tables. With Nott at Ron's and Boot's table, the latter two would keep him from riling too many people up. Blaise with Hermione was good because he - of all of the Slytherins - knew how to keep his mouth shut, and helped reign in Bulstrode's temper. Surprisingly, Neville and Harry with Greengrass wasn't a disaster. The latter had declared Neville cute like a mouse (which wasn't really all that assuring considering that snakes ate mice, but Shikamaru would be able to stop it if the metaphor went too far...probably), and Harry not that bad for a "Muggle-loving pretty boy". They, in turn, acknowledged that she was far superior to Pansy Parkinson in both intelligence and looks.

And finally, he and Bones kept Macmillan's more...eccentric tendencies at bay with flat looks and careful words, respectively. Each group had a different task, and they weren't to share with the other groups what they were doing. That way, each person that wasn't part of the quintet of Gryffindors wouldn't know the whole picture, and would therefore be in less danger if questioned and having plausible innocence. Since the Slytherins obeyed Snape without question and didn't really care one way or another, and the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were either interested in the knowledge or too polite to ask, the system worked well.

"Alright, you troublesome people," Shikamaru said, standing up. Everyone looked at him expectantly. "That's enough for today - tonight, actually. Go home tomorrow and don't worry about this for the rest of the hols. Relax and rest up, because when you get back-" cue sharp grin hat made more than one person shiver "-I'll have a research plan from hell ready for you."

The Slytherins scoffed it off and left, each nodding at Shikamaru before exiting the library. He had - somehow - managed to earn their respect at least, which was a blessing because that meant they would listen to him without too much fuss. The Hufflepuffs and lone Ravenclaw were next, each giving a more amiable farewell then their schoolmates.

"Harry, c'mon, mate, you gotta get up," Ron said, shaking his friend. Harry awoke with a start and looked around blearily.

"Wha'd I miss?" he asked thickly, reaching for his glasses.

"Only about three hours of research," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "If you were that tired, you should have gone to the dorm. At least then you would have been in a bed."

"Oh...sorry," the former said.

"Get him to bed," Shikamaru said, shaking his head. "Let's go, Neville, Hermione." The three ambled wearily to their common room, and for the first time in weeks, Shikamaru felt like they were actually doing something. It wasn't much, it wasn't big, but it was certainly more than the whopping amount of nothing that was accomplished beforehand.

...

"Shikamaru! Get up! It's Christmas!"

He was very rudely pulled from a half-decent night of sleep (the first in about two weeks) by his excited friend, who looked far too energetic for-four in the morning. What. The. Hell.

"Ron, I think he might not li- okay," Harry sighed, having not warned Ron in time for the redhead to dodge the pillow that was smacked across his face, sending him flailing to the floor. Harry had to admit that the amount of force behind the blow was impressive considering the object wielded, which burst at the seams on impact. He also made a mental note to never wake Shikamaru up.

"Merry Christmas, everybody," he said to no one in particular. Neville - who had woken up to see Ron fall off of Shikamaru's bed - giggled and pulled the presents piled on his bed towards him. Seamus and Dean looked at each other, shrugged, and followed suit.

Shikamaru, having gotten over his pique about getting up earlier than the damn birds, started unwrapping his presents.

"Hell, mate," Ron groaned. "Are you sure that hormone stuff is out of your system? You seem a little...a little…" he trailed off as Shikamaru gave him a look that just dared him to discover the consequences of finishing that sentence. Ron huffed. "Someone's grumpy this morning," he muttered, and flinched slightly as Shikamaru pointedly looked away and ripped into his first present with unnecessary force.

Shikamaru smugly ignored his friend's discomfort in favor of looking over the gifts he'd gotten. From Neville was a nice book on aquatic plants that could be used for everything from decoration to tea to potion ingredients. Hermione has gifted him a large box of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum which he set aside for later, slightly touched that she had remembered that he wasn't overly fond of sweets like their friends. There was a small mokeskin pouch from Ron that he could hang around his neck or wrist, and Harry had given him a nice luxury raven-feather quill that had been decorated with silver paint. Even the twins had given him something - a book on more advanced charms that weren't taught in school, but were still appropriately leveled for his age group. Then, he saw something he hadn't expected to see.

"That's from my mum," Ron muttered, turning slightly pink as both he and Harry unwrapped their...sweaters? His was black. "I told her that you and Harry weren't really expecting presents this year," Ron continued.

"That's nice of her. Give her my thanks," Shikamaru said. His voice was a little tight (holy hell, when was the last time he'd had something homemade?), but he hoped Ron wouldn't notice.

"Yeah, this fudge looks great," Harry agreed. Ron brightened and turned back to his presents, embarrassment forgotten. He thanked Shikamaru for the miniature figure of a Chudley Cannons player, complete with a mini-broomstick that enabled it to zoom around on small surfaces. Harry was a bit captivated with the snow globe of Hogwarts that Shikamaru had made for him (it had been a tricky mix of charm work and transfiguration) that snowed gently during the winter, rained and made rainbows in the spring, had sunny and cloudless days during the summer, and blew around different, brightly colored leaves in the fall. Shikamaru felt his mouth turn up at the corners and turned back to his own presents.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ron asked in an awed voice. Shikamaru looked up to see Harry run a silvery material through his hands. "Put it on!" Ron urged.

Harry shrugged and did so, standing up and draping the cloak - thing? - around his shoulders. And-he was gone. Shikamaru's hands tensed before Harry's head reappeared.

"It is! Look in the mirror!" Ron exclaimed. "It's an invisibility cloak! They're really valuable and really rare."

Harry looked as amazed as Shikamaru felt suspicious.

"Who gave it to you?" he asked.

"I dunno...the card said it was my dad's," Harry answered slowly. Well damn. Shikamaru couldn't put suspicion on it or the person who sent it now. Harry had that doe-eyed look about him. Just then, the door burst open and the Weasley twins sprang through it, each wearing a sweater. Shikamaru noticed Harry stuff his cloak out of sight and approved. No need to make it general knowledge, especially not to two pranksters.

"Merry Christmas, all!" Fred exclaimed.

"Your guys' present should be here soon, Hypatia must have been delayed," Shikamaru said, frowning a little. "Would you wait here for a few minutes? Ron, Harry, you go on ahead." The two first years shrugged and obeyed.

Shikamaru turned back to the twins. "There's another reason. I got you similar things that are somewhat small because full-sized versions are more expensive," he confessed.

"That's alright, I'm sure whatever they are will be fine for both of us," Fred said easily.

"That's right, we're used to being identical," George agreed cheerfully. Just then, there was a tap at the window and Shikamaru turned to see Hypatia and another two owls waiting. He opened the window and inspected the newest arrivals. Hypatia looked fine, if a bit harried, and he resolved to give her extra treats. She deserved it.

The other owls - each a thirteen-inch-long, female short-eared owl - one was a nice mottled brown with intelligent yellow eyes and the other was a tawny color with identical yellow eyes. They cooed in sync uncertainly. Shikamaru steeled himself against the thread of uneasiness inside of him and turned to the brothers.

"Fred, George, meet your new owls."

...

Fred was a simple person with simple needs (yes, he was, shut up, George). So, when Shikamaru explained that he and George would be getting similar presents, he wasn't very disappointed (because he thought that the younger boy, at least, saw him and his brother as different people, but that wasn't fair because he knew what it was like to be unable to afford something), and then his reservations flew out the window when Shikamaru gave them each a freaking owl.

Fred had wanted an owl for a long time, ever since Percy gotten one, actually. Hermes was the first owl that he or his siblings had seen that actually seemed like the fierce, dangerous bird of prey that owls should be. Errol really didn't count because he was ancient and feeble, and he probably should have been retired by now - owls were retired once they could no longer serve, and they lived out the rest of their lives in relative comfort and peace. Of course, Percy wasn't really one for sharing his owl with his mischievous twin brothers, so they almost never got to use a healthy owl.

The fact that Shikamaru had somehow registered their - his - desire for a useful creature, and for something that was given to them and not to Them (because as much as he loved his twin, they were different people, dammit). He then registered that Shikamaru was still speaking.

"-the only siblings there. They're not fully grown, and it was a decision between them and an adult, but I figured that just handling letters would be enough for now, and that you would each want your own. They're natural colors in case you're ever worried about stealth, they're pretty common outside of cities, and they get along alright. But, if you want, when the school year is over, you can go trade them in for an adult," he said. Fred gaped at him. And then realization struck him.

He detected faint...nervousness in Shikamaru's normally flat, half-bored, half-asleep expression. He and his twin shared look and nodded. Shikamaru had given them a gift far better than either owl; he had acknowledged their experience as separate people. Fred sometimes thought that people forgot that he and his brother were twins, not the same person.

Shikamaru's rambling explanation - smooth and logical as it was - was interrupted as two arms were thrown around his shoulders. His abrupt stop would have been rather comical in another situation. The three owls twittered around them curiously.

"Shikamaru," George said seriously, looking his friend in the eye.

"Thanks," Fred added emphatically. "This means a lot. We don't care about the size really; we can wait for the owls to grow."

"I know," Shikamaru sighed. "I would have gotten bigger owls if I could, but the whole twin theme here is contagious."

Fred grinned as he saw the appreciation and relief in his friend's eyes.

"Now, we can fool around even more. The owls will be great since we can make private orders without using Errol."

"No more identity pranks when these guys are around," George said, though he didn't sound too beat up about it. "And, just out of curiosity, how can you tell us apart?"

Shikamaru grinned lazily. "For one as attentive as me," he drawled, "the differences are obvious."

He gestured at George. "You're the planner, usually. The one who makes sure the pranks don't blow up in your faces - literally. You're also a bit more patient, meaning you'll wait about five seconds more before getting mad. Not a big difference, but it is there. Also, while your twin likes the red aspect of the Gryffindor colors, I think you like gold more."

Shikamaru ignored the gob smacked expression and turned to Fred. "You come up with the pranks. The target, what you want to happen, whatever. You also tend to lead so that if there's any blame, a little bit more of it will fall on you than on George. You two are almost identical in looks, but every set of identical twins have some characteristics that tell them apart.

'Fred, your hair is slightly curled in the back, and George, you have more freckles on your cheeks while Fred has more on his forehead. Also, George, you have a faint line on your right wrist. A scar from something? Fred, you have a really small birthmark on your neck, it's sort of hidden by your hair though. I probably see more, but the rest is all subconscio-erk!" Shikamaru was cut off as the twins dragged him into a rather awkward but nice-all-the-same group hug.

…

Shikamaru huffed. He was going to get cavities and have to go visit Hermione's parents. Oh, well, he would get the twins to pay for his dental bills.

"Wow, you should be a detective or something," Fred joked, pulling back with suspiciously bright eyes.

"No kidding. I didn't know about the freckles," George agreed.

"Well, unless you're in the habit of staring at a mirror all day, you wouldn't have," Shikamaru told him in amusement. The two grinned and there was a silence.

"We have to go get Percy!" Fred said suddenly. "He's going to try and sit with the Prefects."

"Not this year he isn't," George declared. "I will threaten him with dive bombing owls. A whole two of them."

"I like how you think, brother mine," Fred said. He turned to Shikamaru. "Come on, then, we've got to catch up with everyone." Shikamaru shrugged and was escorted from the dormitory.

Maybe Christmas wasn't that bad. He could try introducing it to Konoha when he returned (because he would return).

The rest of the day was spent eating, playing in the snow (read: throwing snowballs at each other) and generally enjoying each other's company. Hermione sent an ecstatic letter filled with praises at Shikamaru's gift (a clear glass sphere that had been charmed to show pieces of space in beautiful detail, including the known planets and constellations), and the members of the research group still at the castle were amused that Shikamaru had fulfilled his promise in giving them all exactly one chocolate frog, still wrapped up.

The feast was spectacular. The food was perfect, the decorations made the entire place seem brighter, and the wizard crackers were much more entertaining than the cheap muggle ones. Shikamaru only pulled one - and gave his gift subtly to the person beside him (a festive mood would only take him so far, and he did not wear flower hats).

He went back to the Gryffindor common room with the others and watched in no small amount of amusement as Harry lost spectacularly to Ron multiple times in Wizard's Chess. That night, he was so tired that he fell asleep almost instantly, which is why he missed the fact that Harry slipped out with his new invisibility cloak.

...

"What's with Harry today? He seems...distant," Shikamaru noted.

"Nothing, he just made a discovery last night," Ron said. "I'll let him tell you."

And indeed Harry did.

"You went sneaking out again," Shikamaru deadpanned. And, a member of the Idiot Trio lived up to the name yet again. Score one for Gryffindor.

"I had an invisibility cloak," Harry said defensively.

"Does that cloak keep things from being able to smell you too?" Shikamaru asked patiently. Harry frowned slightly.

"Maybe?" he tried. Shikamaru sighed.

"Mrs. Norris could have caught you," he said, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. Hell, anyone with ears could have caught him.

"W-well, I wanted to tell you that I saw a mirror. A special mirror that showed me my family," Harry said quickly. Shikamaru blinked. "I mean, I know they're dead and all, but...I actually got to see them for the first time, and it was...amazing!"

Shikamaru didn't like what he was hearing. There was no way the mirror could know without looking into a person's mind, and even though Harry was relatively young and untried, that was dangerous.

"I'm going back tonight. Do you want to come with me?" Harry asked tentatively. Shikamaru thought it over and eventually nodded. He would be able to keep Filch away, along with that damn cat. And possibly find out if the object was innocent, which he highly doubted.

That night, the three of them - Harry, Ron and Shikamaru - went looking for what Harry described as a "full length mirror with strange runes on it". They didn't find it for some time, and Ron was all for going back, when Harry found it again. He displayed it almost proudly, which made Shikamaru a little uneasy. He hoped that Harry wasn't getting...attached.

Ron described what he was seeing, and Shikamaru felt suspicion tug on his brain. Letting the user see what they wanted most was...too good to be true, and it would be dangerous as hell to someone who was even a bit unhinged. He'd have to be careful.

Then, it was his turn - and his mind screeched to a halt.

He should have suspected what it would show him, but he hadn't prepared for-

Temari and Shikadai stood before him. That wasn't incredibly unusual, he thought (dreamed) about them all the time. But...he also saw his dad and Asuma. His mom, Chōji and Ino waved cheerfully, and he could see the entirety of the Rookie Nine along with Gai's team (was that the Power of Youth?). Neji was there as well, which confused him because they hadn't been particularly close before the other had died. But there were three people there who were most certainly dead.

He clenched his jaw and forced himself to turn away from the sight of Temari smiling invitingly at him - hell, Gaara was there! Smiling faintly, even. Shikadai looked as indifferent as ever, but there was that heart wrenching, familiar glint of pleasure in his teal eyes. Shikamaru pushed the wave of sheer longing, grief, and a familiar, re-surging, burning anger at being stolen from his home away and turned to his bickering friends, who stopped at the sight of his completely blank and closed off expression. It scared them, a little. Shikamaru wasn't incredibly expressive, true, but he usually showed more than the nothing that was displayed now.

"We're going back to the common room. Now." His tone brooked no argument, and the two didn't argue. "Harry." His friend looked at him questioningly. "Don't come back here again."

Harry frowned. "But-!" he began, when Shikamaru raised his hand.

"No. I will tie you down if I have to, but you will lose your mind if you obsess over this thing. It shows what you most desire, and since your family is dead, you can't have it. It isn't healthy or wise to try and wish for things that have already passed. Promise me that you will stay away from here," he said so sternly that Harry stared in shock. Shikamaru had never spoken so seriously, not even in the discussion about what to do with Quirrell. Harry looked closer at his friend and Shikamaru knew that he saw just a hint of haunted darkness in the brown eyes, no matter how closed off, and seemed to make his decision. He didn't ask what his friend saw (which made Shikamaru feel eternally grateful to him) and he seemed to resolve to never come back, if only to keep his friend from looking like this ever again.

"Alright," he agreed. "I promise."

Shikamaru relaxed a little, and his shoulders relaxed (when had they become so stiff? So guarded?) and his expression opened up again. Harry probably still saw the darkness, but it wasn't so prominent now.

"Let's leave this place. We've got holiday homework," Shikamaru said, sliding easily back to his usual lazy self. Ron groaned and Harry grinned. But, as they left - once more under the cloak - Shikamaru noticed his friend switching his gaze between himself and the mirror. And he knew that he wouldn't be the only one having unpleasant dreams tonight.

…

Albus Dumbledore thought over the conundrums that were Harry Potter and Shikamaru Nara. The latter was smart, very smart. The boy had not only recognized the mirror for what it did, but he also realized the dangers of what could happen to those who became enthralled with it. That he had managed to convince a fellow classmate to leave it alone was a noteworthy fact in of itself.

He resolved to keep a closer eye on the two. With Shikamaru Nara and his other friends, Harry might just grow up to be the savior that they would so desperately need.

...

Severus raised his head when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he intoned. To his surprise, Nara slid inside, expression absolutely serious, not a hint of boredom present for once. It made him pull his attention from his work to focus completely on the boy. "Mr. Nara, to what do I owe this lovely surprise?"

Nara didn't react to his light taunt. Instead, he grabbed a chair and pulled it until he could sit down in front of Severus' desk. "Professor, we need to talk," he said.

"I'm listening," Severus said slowly. Nara raised his eyes, and he barely kept from recoiling at the darkness he saw there. Those eyes...they reminded him of the war, of every horrible, bloody thing that had happened during and because of it.

"There's a mirror," Nara began, and Severus wanted to curse.

Damn it, Albus. Of all the people to find that blasted thing, it had to be the one who seemed to have just as many demons in his closet as either Severus or Albus themselves.

"I don't know who it belongs to, or who knows about it, but I think- no, I know it should be obliterated." Nara's eyes, dark and cold, burned with anger. In spite of himself, Severus almost shivered.

This child was dangerous, and Albus had better watch out in his schemes and games. This one wouldn't follow along obediently like everyone else. No, this one would, without anyone knowing until too late, dictate every step that he took, and he wouldn't hesitate to remove anyone or anything in his path.

(1): So, Shikamaru isn't being physically abused, he's just a somewhat paranoid war veteran that watches for threats out of habit. Lupin's just drawing the wrong conclusions, because really, who would expect a ten year-old to behave like a war veteran?

(2): Shikamaru is taking Harry's life very seriously. Quirrell is, after all, technically an assassin. If not a very good, or very specified, one.

(3): Scared you there, didn't I?

Guest Reviews (Bottom to Top):

Guest: Oh yeah, Shikamaru's gonna be real empathetic by the time this ends. Thanks for the review!

ErSa: Glad you liked it enough to review. Thanks for that, by the way, and I hope this was soon enough for you?

Ake: Haha, yes, angry Shikamaru is angry. It takes him a push, or a potion as it was, to get him there, but I think he'd be very intimidating. Just look at him vs Hidan. Lol, maybe, but I don't think any of them wanted to test it. Snape...is not happy. He'd probably settle for slow-roasting them and then spitting them on stakes XD. Anyway, thanks for your review!

A/N: quotes during re-write process: "shit, this is a shit ton of work; what am i doing to myself"

SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO BE ADDRESSED:

No Naruto characters besides Shikamaru will physically or mentally come to the Harry Potter world. Unless Shikamaru is dreaming or having a flashback, or looking at the Mirror of Erised or something similar, there will be no more Naruto characters. Sorry for those of you who wanted Temari or Naruto to show up and kick ass, but it won't happen. Just thought I'd clear that up for future questions.

RECOMMENDATIONS: (Tell me if you like them and if you have any of your own)

The Biggest Toad in the Puddle - Tsume Yuki: Crossover in which Harry is reborn in the Naruto world as Jiraiya's son. A wonderful read with realistic strength levels and such, and characters too. The only problem is that it hasn't updated in four years! Rated T and is totally awesome.

Dogtags - TwinTrouble: Another fabulous writer creates a wonderful story. Not a crossover, but AUish where Naruto isn't in Konoha, but he isn't dark either. I don't want to give away too much, so go read it. Know that Team Seven is present and that there are a few OCs, but they're okay. Kakashi is very prominent, for those of you who like the parental stuff. Rated T, but there are some darker themes, so read with caution.

Changes to Chapter 7 (Sorry if I miss some details, but I'm trying to hit the big things for those of you who care):

I changed the introspective part at the beginning completely; I just felt that it didn't match Shikamaru's personality. He is, in my opinion, more likely to grouse about the stupidity of people than to compare two completely separate worlds and judge the less harsh one.

The prophecy from Trelawney is overheard by McNair, who tells Malfoy. Bad things begin to brew since the latter takes interest in Shikamaru.

People notice that Shikamaru has been gone and ask the Golden Trio about him. Including those from the research group. But they don't tell about why they're asking.

Shikamaru is not lost but wistful after twins are done yelling at him, because he misses Temari doing the same.