Chapter 44: 3-1: Serious Business

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.

Book 3: Umino Iruka and the Marauders

Public outcry over Rita Skeeter's exposé soon led to the sacking of Gilderoy Lockhart, as well as an investigation by the DMLE. If the scandalmonger's claims could be proven, it was quite likely that the famed author would soon be changing his address to a cell in Azkaban.

Response to Harry's letter was unsurprisingly mixed, at least from what Iruka could glean: Some derided it as a spoiled child's cry for attention, some for even hinting that Gilderoy Lockhart might not be the second coming of Merlin, and some for not condemning Lockhart hard enough, among other reasons. Wendell Granger suggested part of the motivation might also be that Harry's letter reminded people of things they'd prefer to avoid thinking about, or possibly made them feel guilty about indirectly celebrating James and Lily Potter's deaths. Of course, there was also a significant positive response, praising Harry's maturity and humility and expressing belated sympathy for his loss. Most people undoubtedly had no strong feelings either way, and at the end of the day Iruka could only hope that the net effect had been for the better.

The note summoning Iruka to the Headmaster's office was hardly surprising. What was surprising was the topic he wanted to talk about: "I received a concerning report from a friend that lives near to the Dursley family, indicating that she has seen no signs of their nephew this summer. Given that you have clearly been in very recent contact with young Harry, I feel that I must ask you where he is."

The chuunin gave a resigned sigh. He knew the secret wouldn't last forever, but he'd been hoping it would be found out quite this quickly; it had been a mistake to assume that nobody would be keeping an eye on the area. "The Granger family have sought and obtained custody through the Muggle system. Augusta Longbottom and I worked with Amelia Bones to speed things up and make certain everything was legal and solid. Madam Bones also called in Alastor Moody to help her ward the Granger residence."

Albus relaxed slightly. "If both Amelia and Alastor warded that home, that should at least provide those within sufficient warning and opportunity to escape, particularly given that emergency Portkey you asked me for last summer. From the timing of that request, I take it that Vernon Dursley's knee injury was not the accident his wife claimed it to be?"

"That was me," Iruka confirmed, "in response to what I'm fairly certain was his attempt to murder me." At Dumbledore's widened eyes, he gestured towards the cabinet holding the school's Pensieve. "Perhaps it would be best if you saw for yourself," he suggested.

After watching all of the ninja's interactions with the Dursleys in order, the elder wizard was left shaking his head. "Even among Tom's followers, there are few that showed such abject hatred for those unlike them. As much as I might wish that things were otherwise, you were entirely correct in removing Harry from that environment. While it is doubtful that they would have escalated so drastically without your intervention, you chose the best option apparent to you at every juncture."

Iruka nodded. "It was a calculated risk; intimidation always is. Naruto could probably have turned them around and gotten them to treat Harry like family, but he could talk a tiger out of eating meat. There wasn't really anything meaningful we could offer them, other than money, and to be honest they struck me as the type to prefer the opportunity to abuse their nephew over anything we could give them. He was just too valuable as both a servant and a way to feel powerful and superior. And they certainly weren't going to respond to logic."

"Far too few people do..." Albus mumbled before shaking himself. "I'm afraid you're right," he sighed, "I have seen their type enough to recognize it. One must wonder how they, and the blood-purist Pureblood families they resemble, would react to the realization that they had so much in common... It would likely be quite entertaining, in any event. Regardless, while I agree with your actions given the circumstances, I also cannot help but wish that Vernon and Petunia Dursley had been better people, not only for the sake of Harry Potter's childhood, but also because they were the only option available for the protections in place."

"When Lily Potter sacrificed herself for her son, she imbued Harry with a powerful protection against her killer. I was able to tie that protection to her sister, through the bond of their shared blood, in order to keep it active and to amplify its effects. Poor Quirinus Quirrell felt the results of that protection firsthand. By taking Harry in, however grudgingly, Petunia sealed the charm I placed upon him; as long as he could call the place where his mother's blood dwelt home, he would be protected."

"By not returning to Privet Drive," the Headmaster continued, "it will prevent this protection from being refreshed. Harry will not be as safe from Lord Voldemort as he would have been and neither will his relatives, although I confess to feeling rather less sympathetic to Vernon and Petunia than toward their son, who is too young to be considered fully responsible for his part in things. My priority was, above all else, Harry's survival. Vernon Dursley's actions make it clear that I failed to consider the possibility of a threat to his life coming from within the household."

"At this point," he concluded, "our best course is to rely primarily upon keeping Mister Potter's summer residence secret. Raising protective wards over the home and obtaining an escape Portkey for its occupants were both wise added layers of defense; I shall have to speak with Amelia about arranging to visit the Granger household myself to see if I can make any additions or enhancements to hers and Alastor's work. There are further measures that might be taken, but they would impose significant burdens upon the Grangers and would be best saved for a time when they are more clearly necessary."

Iruka nodded in agreement. "Secrecy was one of the major reasons I didn't tell you before now." He proceeded to explain his full reasoning regarding Harry's custody and what he expected would happen if it were decided through the Ministry.

"That is quite likely how events would play out," Albus replied, "and an excellent reason to handle the matter discreetly in the Muggle system. It would be hypocrisy of the highest order for me to condemn you for keeping it secret. If anything, it might be best to keep knowledge of Harry's custody strictly need-to-know. I would trust many of Hogwarts' staff with my life, but one need not have ill intent to divulge a secret; accident, coercion, and deception can all loosen even the tightest of lips." Iruka suspected that both of them were thinking of Hagrid.

By the time Iruka left the office, the two had worked out many of the details surrounding Harry's security going forward. The only raincloud on the horizon was the fact that, in order to keep the change of custody as secret as possible, the Grangers' names would have to be kept off the boy's paperwork, unfortunately including his Hogsmeade permission slip.

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It was early July when Headmaster Dumbledore once more called Iruka to his office for a meeting. "There are matters of import to discuss," he stated, "the first of which concerns young Mister Potter. How familiar are you and he with the specific details of the events surrounding his parents' deaths?"

"I've read up on them a bit," Iruka replied, "and the topic has come up on occasion in our discussions. My focus was on the 'how' at first, intending to learn about magical defenses and ways of getting past them, though after the first time Harry talked with me about it all I did some more research so I could answer his questions."

Albus nodded. "You are aware, then, of the role played by one Sirius Black?"

"Death Eater spy, leaked the Potters' location to Riddle, then killed over a dozen people attempting to resist capture, all but one of them innocent bystanders."

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied sadly, "crimes for which he was incarcerated in Azkaban, the prison which currently houses the criminals of Wizarding Britain." Clearly noticing Iruka's slight scowl, he asked, "Is something the matter?"

"When I heard about Azkaban, I naturally read up on it to find out how it is that even highly capable witches and wizards could be kept imprisoned. With wizards as with ninja, individuals with abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans are often difficult to hold against their will; a stone wall is no barrier to someone that can reshape earth and stone at will, or shatter it with a single blow. Reading about Dementors... Shinobi life is hardly all sunshine and roses, and torture is unfortunately an acknowledged practice. Even Konoha, in spite of being relatively gentle and moral, still maintained several expert torturers for the purposes of extracting vital information from captured enemies. That said, I cannot think of any prison in the history of the Elemental Nations that kept its inmates contained through continuous torture. Granted, there have been some leaders of nations or villages that would have used Dementors as both guards and weapons if they'd been available, but the concept still seems terribly excessive. I mean, not just monsters like Death Eaters but even non-violent criminals? And even that pales in comparison to the fact that the Kiss is used both as a form of capital punishment and as a weapon against escape attempts. Simply killing the person would seem like mercy in comparison."

Albus sighed. "I agree with you wholeheartedly, Iruka. Dementors are easily some of the most foul creatures to ever exist, and one of the few whose total eradication I would not object to. Unfortunately, attempts through the prison's history to replace its guards with a more humane solution have invariably failed, largely due to worries that the Dementors would then prey upon innocent civilian populations. There was also the fact that there were no recorded escapes... until now."

Iruka drew the connection immediately. "Sirius Black."

"His cell was discovered to be empty yesterday morning. It was completely intact, the door closed and locked, but its occupant had vanished. A search of the prison, the island, and the surrounding waters has produced no sign of Black alive, Kissed, or dead. The guards reported one odd occurrence prior to his escape: For the past several days, he had been heard repeating the sentence, 'He's at Hogwarts.'"

"The logical conclusion is that he is targeting Harry, attempting to finish what his master started." Iruka finished for him.

"And somehow, the Ministry of Magic has managed to reach that conclusion as well. Doing so clearly expended the entirety of their available reserve of logical thinking, however: Minister Fudge has for some inexplicable reason decided to deploy the Dementors of Azkaban to the mainland to search for Black and, if he should remain at large on 1st September, to guard Hogwarts itself. They have been given orders to Kiss Black immediately upon capture."

After gaping in horrified shock for several moments, the chuunin managed to croak out, "He's stationing those abominations around children?!"

Albus nodded solemnly. "Amelia and I, among others, have urged the Minister against this course of action in the strongest of terms. Unfortunately, he feels a need to be seen as taking action, and is stubbornly disregarding the foolishness of the action he has chosen to take. We can but do our best to protect the children and pray that our efforts are sufficient."

"Setting aside Dementors for the moment," the Headmaster continued, "Harry must be informed of the likelihood that he may once again find himself targeted by a dark wizard. I beg you to impress upon him how ill-advised any attempt to confront such a dangerous man would be, and do your best to make clear the ultimately self-destructive nature of revenge. Keeping Harry safe from Black and the Dementors will be difficult enough without him actively seeking the former out."

"As far as warning Harry against revenge as a goal, I've already talked about that topic with most of my students in S.E.N. - the early life of Uchiha Sasuke is a useful cautionary tale."

"Ah, yes," Albus replied, "I recall you mentioning the man and his obsession with vengeance during his teens."

"You said there were two matters, Headmaster?"

"Indeed, Iruka, thank you for reminding me. I was going to bring the second matter to your attention at the next opportunity, and this meeting provided such. You apparently made quite an impression upon Lucius Malfoy several months ago, and it would seem he has now set out to make your life difficult. I recently became aware of some quiet political maneuvering by our former Head Governor, attempting to build support for a bill prohibiting the Sealing Arts as forbidden Dark magic. He has a willing ally in Undersecretary Umbridge, who would likely be the one sponsoring such a bill, but thus far they are encountering a significant barrier of apathy. Simply put, most witches and wizards know and care so little about Seals that many of those in the Wizengamot would consider such a bill to be a waste of their time and the Ministry's resources. Madam Umbridge is a ruthless political animal, however, and Lucius is both highly charismatic and quite willing to provide certain remunerative or repudiative incentives to bring people around to his way of thinking."

"In other words, he bribes and threatens people." Iruka commented dryly.

"I would never make such a crass accusation against Mr. Malfoy." A bit of the accustomed twinkle had returned to Albus's eyes. "Regardless, while I and other like-minded individuals will of course oppose it, such a bill might begin to gain traction. Until and unless such a proposal is abandoned or soundly defeated, you would do well to mind the image you present both of yourself and of the Sealing Arts. Obviously, any useful application you could find that would be beneficial or at least visible to the Wizarding public might well sway opinion strongly in your favor. Conversely, it would be problematic if a student were to be harmed in some way by a seal."

"I'll certainly keep that in mind," the chuunin reassured his employer. "One thing that might be worth pointing out is the similarity between fuuinjutsu and runic scripts: The languages and methods of scribing them may be different, but both really boil down to using arrangements of written characters to generate a desired effect. Pandora Lovegood and I have even managed some diagrams that use both, which could maybe be used to prove that they're essentially the same thing."

"Good thinking," Dumbledore replied, "that is indeed an argument I will make with some regularity. Other than those who would reject anything foreign by default, I doubt many will consider a novel method of runic magic to be worthy of prohibition. Still, politics being what it is, even if few actually agree with Mister Malfoy's agenda there could yet be many voting in support of it for other reasons. Beyond that, it might be best to keep our eyes and ears open for other moves, as I doubt Lucius will be easily deterred in his little vendetta against you."

Iruka nodded. "He's a bully, a bully whose power has been undermined and reduced. His natural response in such a situation is going to be to lash out against those who took power away from him, basically as a way of reclaiming the power he lost. Chances are he won't be truly happy until he has me either dead, destroyed, or thoroughly cowed - otherwise I'm still a threat, something he can't tolerate. I've encountered and heard of plenty of people cut from the same cloth." He deliberately did not mention Vernon Dursley as being one of those people.

"A reasonable summation of that facet of the man's character," Albus agreed. "Between Lucius Malfoy, Sirius Black, and the Dementors, I believe we shall both have to borrow a phrase from my old friend Alastor Moody: 'Constant vigilance!'" The last two words were said boldly in a soft, growling false-shout, to chuckles from both wizards. Before leaving to warn Harry and the Grangers, Iruka made sure to get his employer's best guess at Black's capabilities and personality; given the past couple of years, it seemed likely that he'd run into the fugitive sooner or later, and he wanted to be ready.

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"I can't deny that I'm angry," Harry said once Iruka had finished warning him about Sirius Black, "and at least a bit scared too. When you told me about what Black did, a part of me was happy that he was suffering with the Dementors, that he deserved to be hurt as badly as he hurt my family. But while it's true that I wouldn't mind getting my wand on him, or maybe a kunai, I'm not, well, I remember your stories about Sasuke and what hunting for revenge did to him. I don't want to become that person, attack or hurt the people I have now all for the sake of avenging people I had then. I can't really guarantee or predict what I'd do if I had Black at my mercy, but I can at least promise I won't go looking for him unless it's to protect somebody."

"That's all we can really ask," Wendell Granger responded, "that and that you'll be careful of Black and those Dementor things, no matter what you end up doing."

Monica placed her hand over her husband's on the table. "From everything we've heard of your parents, I'm sure that they'd prefer you were safe and happy, even if that meant Black got off lightly."

"I'll be as careful as I can be," Harry agreed, "but if the last two years are any hint, I probably won't need to go looking for trouble; it always seems to be looking for me. All I can do... all we can do is take care and try to stay as aware of what's going on as we can. That and train, train, train..."

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About a week later Harry got a surprise, and unlike most in his life it was a pleasant one: He received a thick envelope from Remus Lupin, containing both a fairly long letter and a small stack of wizarding photos. Lupin, who had been a Gryffindor Prefect beside Lily then-Evans and a close friend of James Potter at Hogwarts, was one of the people Minerva McGonagall had been trying to contact on Harry's behalf. Her lack of success in reaching the man had been somewhat disheartening to the young Potter, as by all accounts Lupin was the person closest to both his parents that was still alive, sane, and free.

Finally, for whatever reason, contact had finally been established, and now Harry was getting first-hand accounts of his parents during their Hogwarts years. These weren't just the fond reminiscences of teachers recalling favored students, nor the remote perspectives of more distant acquaintances; these were the stories most people didn't know, told by someone who was actually there at the time. That they were accompanied by photographs meant that the envelope's contents were priceless treasures to the twelve-year-old orphan. A few of the pictures were duplicates of those obtained from other sources, but many were more candid shots than had previously been shared, showing not posed moments nor special occasions but snapshots of everyday life, making them all the more precious in their ordinariness.

The first section of the letter itself was mostly occupied with introducing Remus Lupin to Harry Potter, including his close connection to both James and Lily. It also contained an apology for not having written sooner, explaining that he'd been living largely as a recluse for the past decade or so after having lost virtually all of his close friends and associates. He also hinted at having other reasons for avoiding contact that had now been effectively rendered moot, but didn't elaborate.

What followed this opening was promised to be the first of many stories of Harry's parents' Hogwarts years: Really, it was more a series of anecdotes about some of the many, many times James Potter had tried (and failed) to woo Lily Evans. By halfway through reading Harry could barely stay in his chair for laughing so hard. The letter closed with an invitation to write back and a commitment to stay in contact over the summer and speak with Harry in person once term started at Hogwarts.

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Soon after the letter from Remus Lupin came the Hogwarts letters. Hermione's excitement at the prospect of visiting the only all-magical community in Britain dimmed abruptly when she realized that, due to the need to keep Harry's current residence secret, the Grangers couldn't sign his Hogsmeade permission slip. "I'm sorry, Harry," she said, "I wish you could go to Hogsmeade too. Then again, with Sirius Black running around who-knows-where, it might not be safe for you to go there until he's caught. I can stay in the castle too, if you'd like, so you're not having to spend the whole day by yourself; we can always visit the village with Iruka-sensei during the summer."

"Don't worry about it, Hermione," Harry replied, "it's fine. You and Neville can tell me all about it when you guys get back, and I can always spend the time with Ginny, or Luna, or Iruka-sensei. Besides," he continued with a smirk, "it just means I'll have more time than you to work on homework!"

"Prat." The adults chuckled as Hermione swatted his shoulder. "See if I go and bring you anything from Honeydukes now!"

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Another summons from the Headmaster once again had Iruka naming candy to a statue (and how quickly had that somehow become normal for him?) and riding the stairs up to the man's office. After the usual greetings and pleasantries, Albus got down to business.

"I have been fortunate enough to engage a man by the name of Remus Lupin as Defense Professor," he stated, "and judging by your look of recognition I presume that he has already contacted Mister Potter?"

"He has," Iruka confirmed. "Harry was excited to hear from someone that had been so close to both his parents, and they've already started up a correspondence. Mr.- or I guess that should be Professor Lupin has already promised to speak with Harry face-to-face to share more stories."

Dumbledore nodded. "There is something which has almost certainly not been included in Remus's letters, but of which you and a number of other staff members will be made aware. Before I inform you, I must stress two things: First, this information is to be kept strictly secret. It is not truly sinister in nature, but sadly many would perceive it as such. Second, in spite of his condition and the common view of it, Remus Lupin is one of the kindest and most gentle men it has been my pleasure to know."

Taking a deep breath, the Headmaster continued. "When he was a young boy, Remus's father drew the ire of Fenrir Greyback, who at the time all but he believed to be nothing but a Muggle tramp. Unfortunately, Lyall Lupin was correct in spotting the signs of lycanthropy in Greyback, who tracked the Lupin family down at the next full moon and mauled their four-year-old son, infecting the child with his curse."

"In other words, Remus Lupin is a werewolf?" Iruka clarified. At Albus's nod, he shrugged. "He attended Hogwarts for seven years as a student, which means you've already got seven years' worth of practice at making sure his monthly transformations don't put anybody at risk. From what you've told me, he's responsible enough to make sure the protocols are followed and the students are safe. You don't have to worry about my reaction - I honestly view werewolves as sort of a more hard-luck kind of jinchuuriki." He'd explained about bijuu and their sealing into human hosts as part of describing Naruto's early years.

The elder wizard gusted out a sigh of relief. "That is good to hear. Other than the two of us, and obviously Remus, the four Heads of House are aware of his condition, as are Hagrid and Madam Pomfrey. Of those, the only one who may have a poor reaction is Severus Snape, who had a close encounter with Remus during one of his transformations when they were students. I am telling you both because I expect you would have figured it out anyway, due in part to the frequent contact you will have with Remus through Mr. Potter, and because I suspect that you would be better able than most of the staff at dealing with him in his transformed state should things go awry."

"Our precautions now will be somewhat different from those during Professor Lupin's student years," he continued. "At the time, there were no means available of containing a transformed werewolf save for a sufficiently sturdy structure from which they could not escape. We made use of an abandoned house in Hogsmeade, now widely known as the Shrieking Shack. What is not widely known is that the terrifying noises which gave the Shack its moniker, and the reputation as the most haunted house in Britain, were actually produced by Remus Lupin on the nights of the full moon. More recently however, a potioneer by the name of Damocles Belby managed to create what is known as the Wolfsbane Potion. It is not a cure for lycanthropy; rather, if properly brewed and administered it permits the sufferer to retain their human mind and faculties throughout their transformation. With it, a werewolf is able to spend the night of the full moon simply resting in their canine form. Remus will take Wolfsbane for each full moon, and on the nights in question will secure the door to his quarters to avoid being disturbed by the uninformed. Severus will cover the Defense classes on the days their professor is indisposed."

"That... sounds like a nightmare to schedule," Iruka commented. "Why not make use of whatever faculty have free periods during those classes? It would spread the workload around a bit and make scheduling much easier, and I'm sure that people like Filius and Minerva could teach valuable Defense-related topics. Even I could fill in some, have the students doing exercises or doing dodging and accuracy drills; after all, it doesn't matter what spells you can cast if they don't hit or you're too tired to use them."

Albus stroked his beard thoughtfully. "That would make scheduling more straightforward, yes, though I would still like to give Severus priority. He's wanted to teach Defense for some years now, and letting him handle a few classes will serve as a reward for his improved behavior, the carrot to go with the stick as the expression goes. In any case, everything else of importance for the coming year will be discussed in staff meetings, so there's little point in going over it now."

"A question before I go," the chuunin said, "I take it that Professor Lupin's lycanthropy is part of why he didn't contact Harry before now?"

"That is correct," the Headmaster replied. "Since the end of the war, a number of harsh anti-werewolf laws have been put in place, most written and sponsored by Undersecretary Umbridge. They heavily restrict the freedoms of those suffering from the condition, locking them out of many forms of employment, constraining their travel and activities, and even making it harder for them to have families. Had Remus met with Harry or even written to him, and this were discovered, there was a significant chance that he would have been sent to Azkaban at the very least, and possibly even put to death. Since they are not related to each other, the charge (inaccurate though it may be) would be that he had no legitimate reason to contact Harry, and therefore was attempting to corrupt or infect the child. Thankfully, now that he has been hired to teach here at Hogwarts, even the most strident of bigots in the Ministry would have difficulty arguing such a case. Remus has also long suffered from a deeply-rooted sense of shame regarding his lycanthropy, and may well have believed that Harry was better off without a werewolf in his life."

"I see," Iruka stated. "Well, his first letter had Harry smiling for days, and I mean smiling for real. Hopefully having both of them at Hogwarts will let Harry get to know the closest connection still available to his parents. I'm also kind of interested to meet the man; from the stories Harry has shared from his letters, he certainly seems to have a fun sense of humor."

"Ah, yes," Albus smiled fondly, "Those boys were quite the pranksters in their time, not unlike the Weasley twins today. Some of their tricks may have been in poor taste, or with an element of cruelty that the twins lack, but given events outside the castle at the time and the fact that most of their targets would go on to become Death Eaters..."

"Sounds like it wasn't entirely unwarranted if a few of their pranks crossed the line beyond just being funny, then."

"To a degree, perhaps. There was the one incident, in their sixth year, which in hindsight may have been the first sign that Sirius Black was headed down a darker path than was initially apparent. Such stories, though, would be better left to the telling of those more directly involved."

A/N: I couldn't resist slipping in a slight nod to "Potter's Protector" by mjimeyg.

As often happens, that last scene just refused to present a better place to end it, resulting in one of my signature "cut away before the end" bits.

Fic Recommendation: "Connecting the Dots" by Afalstein - Naruto and a number of his friends (and a couple of enemies) end up in the DCAU. Chaos, unsurprisingly, ensues.

Posted 3 November 2016

Current WIP Chapter: 69