Wayward Winds

"Well, then." Naruto said and stretched his arms, all the while scanning his impromptu students over. They all stared back at him excitedly, reminding Naruto of eager Academy students. He tilted his head and looked over the unexpected additions in the room. Only an hour had passed since he had agreed to give them instructions to help improve their physique, yet word seemed to have spread around.

"I still don't approve of this!" Mrs Weasley -the Mother- exclaimed with a fierce scowl, nostrils flaring and fingers clutching her wand in a white-knuckled grip.

"Which is why you decided to oversee this lesson, Molly." Remus countered evenly, ever the calm, collected diplomat. He was personally looking forward to this, to see what the man would have them do and how well he would handle it. Sirius was literally bouncing on the spot next to him -he hadn't seen him this excited since before Azkaban- hardly able to wait for them to start.

"Yeah, Mum! Stop stalling!" Fred and George chorused, not even looking her way, eager to get started.

Molly bristled. Had everyone in this house forgotten that this man was a mercenary? Someone who killed for money? Apparently they had, and it would be up to Molly to make sure he didn't try to corrupt or hurt her children.

"Come on, Mrs Weasley, it's just supposed to be a little exercise. Nothing wrong with that." Tonks added cheerfully, grinning at her in a sunny, carefree way that made Molly want to take her by the shoulders and shake her until she saw sense. She was supposed to be an Auror, for Merlin's sake!

Naruto watched it all silently, gaze moving back and forth between the Mother and the rest of the group a few times before he came to a decision. He weighed his options carefully, sent Kakashi a quick, assessing look, and then smoothly strode over to the woman.

"If it will reassure you," He began with a bow, startling them all into silence. "I will entrust my weapons to you while responsible for your children's safety and wellbeing."

Molly blinked. That had sounded awfully formal. Then her eyes narrowed, and she scrutinized him from the top of his head down to his feet -or, what she could see of him, covered as he was.

"That's a nice sentiment, but I don't see how it helps." She pursed her lips disapprovingly. Why was he even carrying weapons among them to begin with? Someone could get hurt.

"You do not understand." Kakashi spoke up, snapping his book shut and fixing the woman with a piercing gaze, no matter that she couldn't fully appreciate or see it. He would not sit back and let her look down on this gesture, especially not when it came from Naruto.

And it was such a Naruto thing to do. Kakashi realised that the longer they kept their masks on while interacting with civilians, the more their personalities would inevitably bleed through. They had no place to relax and be themselves, and it affected their mentalities. On top of that, Naruto wasn't truly suited for ANBU, yet he still performed far better than anyone had expected. But there were limits.

"I don't." The woman -Mother- retorted frankly, raising her chin and sending him a narrow-eyed look in silent challenge, despite the obvious difference between them in both stature and physique.

"A shinobi offering up his weapons willingly is not something to take lightly, or disparage." Kakashi said, a thin sheet of steel seeping into his otherwise monotone voice, sending cold shivers down more than one spine. "Our weapons are our life; the means that we use to protect ourselves -and our comrades- with, and to give them to someone else is a sign of trust, respect, or good-will." He sent his still-bowing former student a pointed look. "Doing this, Fox is practically laying his life in your hands, if only temporarily."

Molly stared at Dog for a long while, some of the colour in her face draining away as his words sank in. A soft rustle and clink drew her gaze away from the dark eye-holes in Dog's mask, and she found herself staring into another mask, this one in the form of a grinning fox. Somehow, it felt as if the man underneath was smiling at her, even as he straightened and held out a couple of pouches. She looked at them, taking note of the well-worn, sturdy material and the way they were handled with an ease that could only come from long practise and familiarity.

What little she could see of the man's fingers were calloused and scarred.

"Very well, then." She drew herself up, tucked away her wand and held out her hands, feeling almost like she was part of a ceremony.

"You need not fear, Okaa-sama." Fox murmured as he gently placed the pouches in her small hands.

Molly blinked at the foreign word, and then had to quickly scramble not to drop the -supposedly precious- burden temporarily entrusted to her. The pouches were much heavier than she had expected and the extra weight had almost slipped through her unprepared fingers.

"Oh, dear." She huffed, bringing the pouches closer to her stomach to relieve some of the strain on her arms.

"What's the matter, Molly?" Remus asked, sounding faintly concerned.

"They're much heavier than I expected, that's all." She answered, feeling a slight flush touch her cheeks. She quickly turned her attention back to Fox, who was still standing at attention in front of her. "I'm still watching this lesson." She stated determinedly.

"Of course, Okaa-sama." Fox immediately replied, as if to a commanding officer. This was her family, and while he had never had one himself, Naruto had plenty of precious people, so he could at least partly understand.

"That's the second time you call her that. What does it mean?" The young, redheaded girl -Ginny- said softly, brown eyes searching his mask as if able to see much more than the white porcelain.

"It is a very respectful way to address your own or someone else's mother." Kakashi answered, letting Naruto stride back to the spot in the middle of the room he had previously occupied in peace. "In a way, it is similar to your Mr or Mrs, but a rather large step higher." Kakashi mused. "There's no appropriate equivalent that I can think of, from what I understand and have learned of your language so far."

"Your language seems weird." Ron said, face scrunched up in thought. Harry coughed, covering a laugh, while Hermione smacked their friend soundly on the arm.

"Honestly, Ron!" She exclaimed, giving him a sharp glare. "You're so insensitive!"

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed, rubbing a hand over the spot Hermione had slapped. "It was just an observation! Nothing insensitive about it." He defended himself with a sullen scowl.

Ginny snorted and then turned away from him, deciding to ignore him altogether. "What did you want us to do?" She asked, bringing focus back to the masked man waiting silently in front of them, head tilted curiously to the side, as if puzzled by their behaviour.

That got everyone's attention and Fox let out a low hum.

"You rely heavily on your sticks in a fight, if I'm not mistaken?" He began. If their actions at their arrival was anything to go by, he was fairly certain that was an accurate assumption.

"Wands." Remus corrected automatically. "And yes."

"Then, what do you do if you are disarmed, or lose your... wand in the heat of battle?" He asked, still having trouble to view the unimpressive things as anything other than sticks. They looked like they would break if you accidentally stepped on them. He was absently aware of the fact that Kakashi had leaned back in his seat and taken out the Icha Icha again.

"Most wizards are close to helpless without their wand." Remus confessed, glancing down on his own wand with a small frown, as if realising what a serious weakness it truly was for the first time.

"Yeah, you're basically screwed if you're disarmed. Unless you managed to physically wrestle a wand from someone else -your own or not matters little." Sirius added with a shrug, having accepted the fact a long time ago.

"And you do not have back-ups or spare ones on you?" Naruto asked. This concept was utterly alien to him; even if he was stripped of all his weapons, he still had ninjutsu and taijutsu to use and rely on in a worst-case scenario.

"It doesn't really work like that." Hermione answered impatiently, tucking a stray lock of hair behind an ear; she had tied it back in a ponytail for the occasion. "A wand chooses the wizard, and I don't think I've ever heard of someone having more than one."

"No, some do." Tonks cut in, a contemplative look on her face. "It's just not commonly done."

"Yeah, I remember I heard some of the older Aurors had a spare wand on their person while on the job." Sirius said, a distant expression covering his features. It was rare for him to think back to before Peter's betrayal and it left him feeling more than a little nostalgic.

Tonks nodded. "I think Mad-Eye has one, or two, but he hasn't actually outright told me." She frowned. "Paranoid old bastard." She added in a mutter, a clearly fond tone underlining the words.

Naruto considered the information. "And the way you do battle?"

"We basically fire spells at each other." Harry said, speaking up for the first time since entering the room. It sounded silly when put like that, but it was the truth. He was curious as to what the shinobi would teach them, but couldn't help but feel a bit wary at the same time. Considering his track-record, he thought he could be excused if he was a tad bit hesitant.

Naruto lifted a hand to scratch at his throat. "Could you demonstrate?"

"Excuse me?"

"Try and hit me like I was an enemy. One of these 'Death Eaters'." This was something he needed to know if he were to be able to properly help them. And from what he had heard so far, they very much needed his help.

Silence reigned supreme for a few long seconds.

"You don't have any magic." Harry pointed out slowly, incredulously. He was all for fighting for what was right, but firing offensive spells at a disarmed muggle? Or maybe it was wrong to call him a muggle, but he didn't own a wand, so...

"I don't need magic; I have chakra." Fox answered with a faint tinge of amusement to the usual monotone.

"Alright, I'll do it." Tonks stepped forward, drawing her wand. "Stunners only, though." She added seriously, watching the masked man with an unusually sombre expression. Having recently made it through Auror training, she could clearly see the need for this, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"What do these 'stunners' do?" Naruto asked, figuring it would be best to ask, despite the seemingly obvious name.

"They basically render you unconscious." Remus explained. "It's the spell Sirius cast on you when you arrived." He added, thinking it would be easier to understand if he had something to refer to.

"Ah. Yes, I remember that." The man nodded, seemingly not at all bothered by the reminder, or uncomfortable at the memory of his capture. "A red light, yes?"

"Yeah." Tonks nodded. "Are you ready?"

Naruto smiled. "You usually wait until your enemy is ready before attacking them? Asking permission to begin?"

"Um, no?" It sounded more like a question, and Tonks looked vaguely embarrassed. "But you're not my enemy." She felt the need to point out, shifting a little where she stood.

"Ah, but I asked that you temporarily treat me like one." Naruto reminded her, curiously watching the shade of pink in her hair darken a fraction.

"But that's-" She began, and would have continued if Naruto hadn't interrupted her.

"Dog." His voice was sharp, snapping like a whip through the room. Before any of the wizards had a chance to react or adjust to the sudden and unexpected change in demeanour, Fox had snatched a knife out of the air, aiming for the back of his head with deadly precision.

Several people gasped.

"How could you- He could've been hurt! Aren't you friends?" Molly sputtered, unable to remain silent and clutching the two pouches closer to her stomach, staring from Fox to Dog and back again with growing disbelief. She hadn't even seen Dog move, and the man still seemed to recline calmly against the wall with that book in his hands. How was this behaviour acceptable?!

"If you are to learn from me, my word in here is law." Fox stated calmly, twirling the strange knife carelessly around one finger.

"But you could have died!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide and looking like she couldn't quite believe what she had just witnessed.

Naruto cocked his head. "You can be attacked at any moment, without warning. During our missions, most attacks are much deadlier than this one, and I asked Dog to throw this," He threw the knife up in the air before expertly and effortlessly catching it again, "at me. I don't know if all magical people are so lax, but I don't intend to let you stay that way." He finished. Naruto had never been one to do anything in half-measures, and wasn't about to start now. Without warning, and without looking, Naruto snapped his wrist over his shoulder and the kunai lodged itself into the wall beside Kakashi's head, the man not even so much as twitching in response, contentedly reading away.

Most of the people in the room were noticeably pale as they stared at the knife, and the man sitting next to it, still relaxed and seemingly without a worry in the world.

One of the twins left the group to study the knife closer, carefully nearing Kakashi and then focused fully on the knife when the man didn't seem to mind, not even acknowledging his approach.

He stared at the knife, then the wall, and experimentally gave a few tugs on the wrapped metal handle.

"How in Merlin's name did you get it this deeply stuck?" He asked incredulously a moment later, turning around to stare at Fox. "These walls are made of stone."

"If I added chakra to that, I would've been able to bury it to the hilt." Was Fox' only answer. He didn't quite feel up to the challenge of trying to explain elemental affinities, though, and left it at that. "The stronger your throw, the faster the kunai travels, and the more difficult it is to avoid or deflect."

"But you won't teach us that." George sighed mournfully, giving the kunai a sad, almost longing look.

"No." It would take years for them to build up the muscle, aim and reflexes needed, not to mention Naruto had trouble seeing them putting away their sticks in favour of kunai. "Now, are you going to attack me or will I have to wait all day?" He turned back to the pink-haired girl -Tonks, he believed he had heard someone call her. And they had said his and Kakashi's ANBU names were weird.

Tonks scowled, but gripped her wand determinedly. "Fine. Just don't complain later on."

Naruto had to suppress a snort, already moving to the right as he watched her wave her stick in what seemed to be some form of predetermined pattern. The spell sailed harmlessly by him, with a rather wide gap between them. Naruto studied the strange light curiously, noting the speed and range of the attack, before having to move out of the way of a second one. He was pleased to see that this one was fired a little quicker, the young woman gaining a more determined air about her.

And so it continued for a short while, Naruto gracefully dancing out of the way of the red 'stunners' as Tonks fired them, making her more and more frustrated, and in turn, more sloppy. Things got a little more interesting when Naruto had to jump up and kick off the wall to get out of the way of a stunner fired from an unexpected direction, making him land in the middle of the group he was evaluating, taking in their awed expressions with growing amusement.

"Damn." Sirius frowned, but didn't seem too disappointed as he immediately joined forces with his cousin to try and corner him.

Naruto smiled. They seemed to have caught on at last. He saw the twins exchange a look from the corner of his eye before they joined the fray. Enthusiastically.

With a sigh, Remus watched the unfolding chaos, before grudgingly admitting that the man was making a valid point, and joined in as well.

The only ones that refrained, were the four youngest, scowling disappointedly down on the sticks in their hands, and Naruto wondered why they chose to remain on the side-lines, absently ducking under a red flash. He had no time to stop and ask, though, as things were beginning to get rather interesting.

When he noticed that the wizards were growing tired and increasingly careless, he decided to take advantage of their inattention. He jumped to a spot behind Tonks -who was the most tired one, having been at it the longest- stopping a moment to give the rest of them a clear target. When the next spell was fired, he slid to the side, watching as it hit Tonks in the back with interest, catching her when she crumpled and eased her gently to the floor. He repeated the motion several times until only the twins remained awake; they had refused to expose their back to anyone but the other the moment they had realised what it was Fox was doing.

"Alright, I think that's enough." Naruto said, straightening out of the crouch he had adopted. He easily stepped out of the way of two stunners, giving the twins an appreciative nod. It seemed they had understood.

"Fred! George! The man told you to stop!" Their mother berated them angrily, taking a threatening step closer from where she had been standing by the wall, watching silently up until now.

"But, mum, he told us to-" Fred began.

"-treat him like an enemy, and-" George picked up the sentence seamlessly.

"-we would never trust a Death Eater-"

"-to keep his word like that." They finished together, grinning tiredly.

"I see you've gotten the point." Naruto nodded. "But for the sake of getting things done, I'd appreciate it if you listen to what I say from now on, and don't try to attack me when I'm teaching." He considered the two of them a moment. He'd tell them to try and catch him off-guard any other time, but was afraid to accidentally hurt them; they weren't shinobi, and seemed too fragile to risk accidentally hitting. "I'd be glad to spar with you again anytime you wish, though." He compromised. It didn't hurt that it would give him something to do, too.

"Yes, sensei!" The twins chorused, executing two sets of equally sloppy salutes.

Naruto paused before turning to look at them.

"Wasn't that the right word?" Fred asked his twin, giving him an imploring look.

"I remember that's what they called it, brother-o-mine." George nodded sagely, wiping sweat off his brow with the sleeve of his shirt.

"-Right?" They both turned to Fox expectantly, identical mischievous grins on their faces.

"It means teacher, yes." Naruto said, still feeling a little out of sorts from the small shock, but was hiding it effortlessly behind his mask, as well as the ANBU state of mind. "Now, how do we wake the rest of them up?" He asked, turning to look at the people laying spread out on the floor with moderate interest.

"One moment and I'll take care of it." The Mother sighed, sending her sons a sharp look, as if saying that the conversation was far from over. When he heard her mutter 'Enervate', he turned to the four who had not engaged in the mock-battle.

He approached them calmly. "Why didn't you join in?" He asked curiously. They had looked eager enough, so he doubted it was because they didn't want to.

"We're under-age." Hermione said, as if that explained everything. And for anyone else, it might have, but Naruto just became more confused.

"Under-age?" He repeated slowly, as if tasting the word, making it sound utterly alien to him. Which it was.

"We're not considered adults yet, and aren't allowed to use magic out of school." Harry elaborated when he realised the man hadn't understood, sounding surprisingly bitter about the whole thing. He hadn't forgotten his impending trial, not even for a moment; he might still be expelled and have his wand snapped. He gave his trusty wand a concerned glance at the reminder and his stomach clenched uncomfortably, simultaneously dropping to the regions below his navel.

Naruto considered them all a moment, letting that concept sink in.

"Why?" He asked, silently baffled. What was the point? Shouldn't they use the time off to train? He briefly entertained the thought of what would happen if Academy students were given similar rules to follow, and mentally shuddered. How much longer wouldn't it take for them to complete their training then? Years. The impact on the ranks of active shinobi would be disastrous.

All the magical people stared incredulously at him, as if they couldn't understand why he was asking. Even the people who had just woken up from unconsciousness seemed to grasp the situation better than Fox.

"Oh, they don't know about the Statue of Secrecy." Remus eventually murmured, coming to the realisation as he was rubbing absently at his head in an attempt to clear it. It was something every witch and wizard took for granted from the moment they entered the magical community, and wasn't something they had to think about while staying at Grimauld Place, securely hidden as it was.

"Explain." Surprisingly, it was Dog who spoke up. When they turned to look at him, they found that they had the man's full attention, book nowhere to be seen.

"Well, several hundreds of years ago, the muggles -non magical people, that is- were terrified of witches and wizards, and were actively hunting them and killing whoever they found they thought was magical." Remus began. "They weren't a threat to adults who were fully trained and capable of defending themselves, but children -especially muggleborns- were heavily affected. In an attempt to get the killings of our magical children to stop, the Magical community decided to separate itself from the Muggle one, becoming hidden and secret. To this day, most muggles believe magic to be a myth, a fairytale and nothing more, even when we live amongst them, often right under their noses." He paused, studying the cold, unmoving masks of both Dog and Fox. "To make sure the Statue isn't broken, Hogwarts' students under the age of seventeen are forbidden from practising magic in any form when away from school, unless in a situation where lives are depending on it." He cast a quick look at Harry, who was frowning at the floor. "Usually." He added tiredly.

Dog contemplated that a moment. "What is supposed to stop them from doing it anyway?" He asked, genuinely puzzled. The kids were obviously all in possession of their wands. Were all students under constant surveillance? Did they have that kind of man-power?

"There's something called the Trace, it's placed on underage wizards." Sirius said, carefully stretching out his stiff back. The floor in here was cold, hard, and not exactly comfortable. "It goes off if they use magic."

Naruto and Kakashi exchanged a long look.

"Is it placed on every individual, then?" Fox asked slowly, making an effort to understand.

"No, they can't do that." Tonks shook her head. Imagine the amount of people they would need for that to be possible! And to maintain and monitor it all. She shuddered at the mere thought.

"Then, do they place it on those wands of yours?" Dog asked next, tilting his head as he examined them intently. He didn't understand how they could have possibly failed to mention something this important before now, civilians or not, and it irked him that it had been brought up purely by chance. It made him wonder what else they had left out, intentionally or not.

"Nope. Wands wouldn't allow that." Sirius admitted in a chipper voice. He had early learned that wands didn't like to have spells put on them, something his parents had been able to bitterly attest to. "And Ollivander would probably instigate a riot if anyone suggested they try." He grinned at the thought.

"Then how does it work?" This time, it was Harry who asked. He had somehow always assumed the Trace was placed on a person, or perhaps a wand, like the shinobi had suggested. But if that wasn't the case, how did it work? His mind flashed back to that time before second year with Dobby, and it made all kinds of questions pop into his head.

Even Hermione was frowning where she stood beside him, for once not knowing all there was to know about the subject.

"Well." The adults all exchanged looks, as if debating if they should tell them or not. Eventually, Sirius let out a sigh and turned to the children.

"You see, the Ministry keeps an eye on all muggleborns they come across as they grow up, keeping track of accidental magic in case they have to send Obliviators." He began slowly, already knowing what kind of reaction this would cause. He, James and Remus had managed to find out by their fourth year, and had been Outraged -and yes, that deserved a capital letter. They may not have been upset for the same reasons, but still. And he conveniently ignored the fact that Peter had been involved too, whining about it all summer. "Once they begin Hogwarts, they place a ward around the child's house that will alert the Ministry to any magic performed inside. They can't do the same to children from magical families, because the ward would go off at every spell, not distinguishing between who cast it."

It was dead quiet for a long moment, all the teenagers staring at Sirius with growing disbelief.

"That's so unfair." Harry muttered. And as if by magic, indignant exclamations rose from four throats, while Harry and Hermione silently fumed.

"You mean that we could have used magic every summer and nothing would have happened!?" The twins practically howled, looking angry, outraged and strangely depressed.

"Oh, let me assure you something would have happened!" Molly snapped loudly, effectively drawing all of their attention. She sent Sirius a reproachful look. "The Ministry is depending on parents to keep an eye on their children, and make sure they follow the rules." She drew herself up, sending her children a forbidding glare that normally would have been enough to silence them.

"I bet Malfoy uses magic all summer!" Ron spat bitterly. "As well as all the other kids from Death Eater families. They don't care about the Ministry and the rules!" He scowled at his mother, as if it was all her fault.

"But we could have spent the summer before every year practising!" Hermione finally exploded, unable to keep her mouth closed a moment longer. "Imagine how much more we could have learned!" She sounded almost hysterical, clutching at her head, and Harry and Ron both took a discreet step away from her, knowing her best and therefore the most wary; the last time they had seen her this upset, she had punched someone in the face. She continued to rant about spells, curriculum and the importance of their education -unaware of the wary looks her two male friends were sending her- until Remus managed to calm her down.

"Hermione!" He had to raise his voice to be heard over her frantic stream of words. "That might be true, but only partly." He continued in a calmer voice when she fell silent. "Younger students need the summers to let their magical cores rest and grow."

"Oh." Hermione deflated slightly. "But it's still unfair, and biased. It's not right." She scowled at them all, daring anyone to tell her she was wrong.

"Yeah, and it made me get a warning when Dobby used magic in the Dursley's kitchen when I was twelve." Harry added darkly. If that hadn't happened, he probably wouldn't be in this much trouble with the ministry right now.

It was silent a heartbeat, before-

"Dobby?" Sirius inquired curiously. He hadn't heard anything about this.

"Er, yeah." Harry blinked, realising all the people present might not know about it. "He was trying to keep me from returning to Hogwarts because of the-" He cut his voice off and sent Ginny a quick, apologetic look. "Anyway, I don't really know what he thought it would accomplish, but he levitated a pudding and dropped it on the floor, splattering the entire kitchen in pudding and cream."

"Who is Dobby?" Sirius asked again, mouth twitching with restrained laughter at the mental picture Harry's words left him with.

"Oh, he's a house-elf." Harry blushed slightly when he realised that that was what Sirius had asked for to begin with.

"But this means you can all practise magic without worry, since the house is full of adult wizards?" Dog cut in smoothly, bringing the conversation back on track. Some of the wizards jumped, having forgotten about the two shinobi's presence in the room.

"Yes. It's also under the Fidelius Charm, which means it's impossible to find, making it even safer." Remus answered, seeing no need to keep that particular secret anymore, now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag. The teens were all still and silent for a few seconds, and then Ginny deliberately raised her wand, pointing it at George. A moment later, George had bright pink hair, almost the exact same shade as Tonks'.

They all waited a moment, as if holding their breaths, before Fred sniggered at his twin and then fired a similar spell at Ginny, who ducked. Which meant that Hermione, who was standing behind her, ended up with dark blue hair.

That, in turn, made Ron burst out in uncontrolled laughter, and Hermione sent him a narrow-eyed glare before flicking her wand with a sharp smile, turning his skin green.

"No! Not green, Hermione! Anything but that!" He begged between breaths, still laughing helplessly.

"Don't worry, Ron. I'll make it better." George smiled innocently, and promptly turned his little brother's hair silver, making him a nice representation of the Slytherin coat of arms.

"Gah!" Ron clutched at his hair when he realised what had been done. "You made it worse!" He howled, and then seemed to realise he could actually retaliate and jumped to his feet, holding his wand out in front of him like a sword. "Vengeance!" He yelled and charged.

Sirius, who found this turn of events hilarious, and fully approved, eagerly joined the fray and was shooting colour-changing spells wildly all around him, until the room looked like it had survived an unfortunate paint explosion.

When things eventually calmed down again, Remus' skin was pitch black with a mop of long, curly white locks on his head, hanging down to the small of his back. Sirius sported a mo-hawk, with skin as white as snow (revenge from Remus). Hermione's hair hadn't stayed blue long, and was now deep red with golden streaks, making her look like she was about to watch one of Gryffindor's quidditch matches and had decided to be extra supportive. It didn't look all that good together with the turquoise spots riddling her skin. Harry had been given blue skin with yellow stripes -making him look like a bizarre tiger- and lime-green hair, which was clashing horribly, while Ron still looked like he loved Slytherin with all his being. Ginny had managed to maintain her natural skin-colour, but her long hair was such a mix of bright colours it was almost painful to look at.

Tonks didn't seem to care what she looked like, and was still flashing her hair in different colours to match her skin, which made her look like a very confused -possibly drugged- chameleon. The twins looked like a rainbow had vomited on them, all the colours blending until it turned an unattractive grey, finishing it all off with clown make-up, which someone had appropriately graced them with (Harry suspected Hermione).

The only ones who were still looking like normal, was Mrs Weasley, who had raised a shield in front of her the moment the madness had started, and the two shinobi, who were standing off to the side, silently staring at each other as if deep in conversation, despite the lack of words.

"Don't think I'll let you lot use magic whenever you want because of this." Mrs Weasley stated firmly, puffing up indignantly and expression leaving no room for argument. She would confiscate their wands while in the house if she had to!

No one said anything, so she gave a satisfied nod, turning around and heading for the door. She missed the conspiring looks the teens were exchanging, meaning they probably wouldn't do any magic -around the Weasley matriarch at least.

Before she left, she walked up to Fox and carefully handed him his weapons back, giving him a faint smile and then left for the kitchen, subtly shaking out her tired arms.

Sirius was sitting on the floor next to Remus, panting heavily but smiling brightly, making them look like strange opposites to each other.

"I think I'm going to leave it like this." He mused out loud, looking around the colourful walls. "I like it, and Kreacher might even have a heart-attack the next time he sneaks in here to nick something." He sounded hopeful at the prospect.

Remus sighed, but was too content to actually reprimand him; this was the most fun he had had in over a decade, and it made him feel almost like a teenager again.

"It looks like no-one got those two." Harry said as he slumped down to sit next to his godfather, pointing over to the shinobi, who were still locked in some sort of staring contest.

"Are you kidding? I wasn't even trying to hit them, considering what happened the last time." Sirius replied, glancing over at them. He hadn't even considered the possibility of making people stun each other, just by jumping around and dodging like Fox had done. It really made him curious about what else they could do. "Hey, Fox!" He called out, opting to address Fox rather than Dog, as the latter was less friendly and was shrouded in a more forbidding aura.

"Yes?" Fox turned his mask towards him, to show he had his attention.

"Sorry about the lesson." Sirius grinned, not looking the least apologetic as he mentioned towards the lot of them.

"Do not concern yourself; it gave us both a better understanding of how you do battle." Fox replied smoothly, stepping away from Dog and walking towards them. Now that no one was moving and things had calmed down, Sirius realised how silently the man moved, hardly making a sound. "Would you like to continue now, or after lunch?" He cocked his head, in what was becoming a familiar gesture.

Several people blinked at him, still panting slightly from their unexpected play-fight. He expected them to continue after this, despite the amount of time and energy they had already spent?

"I, for one, would like to eat first." Ron eventually spoke up.

Several people snorted and Ginny rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?" She asked sarcastically, smiling at her brother. "But it would be nice with a rest and some food." She continued with a tentative smile at the shinobi.

Fox nodded. "Then we will continue once lunch is over." He gave them a brief, shallow bow and then walked back to Dog, leaving together with the older man.

"Those two are quite close, don't you think?" Remus murmured, sending Sirius a glance, even as he cancelled the spells on himself, which returned him to normal.

Sirius hummed. "I'm not surprised. Fox did take that spell for Dog, even when he didn't even know what magic was."

"He did?" Harry asked softly, evidently having been listening in on the conversation.

Remus nodded. "Dog could barely stand by the time you had all left and we had called for professor Dumbledore." He said, looking Harry over with a small smile. "Judging from what we've seen today, he could have easily dodged, but wouldn't leave Dog's side."

"They're just so different." Hermione huffed, slumping down next to Harry and turned him back to normal with a jab of her wand.

"Thanks." Harry grinned tiredly at her.

"It's not surprising." Sirius shrugged, continuing on the comment Hermione had given. "They're from a different world, so it's something we should expect. Then there's all the stuff they've told us." He added, thinking back on the information they had learned of the two so far.

"Do you really think it's true? All the things they've told us, I mean?" Hermione blushed slightly at her own question, but there was a determined look in her eyes, as if she didn't care that she was outright suggesting they had lied to their faces.

"I think so." Remus said. "If they didn't want to answer, they wouldn't," like that one time Remus had asked Fox about whatever it was he was housing, "and I can't see any reason for them to lie." Of course, logic didn't always factor in, but his instincts were telling him they were trustworthy.

"I kind of like them, actually." Sirius added thoughtfully.

"We've gathered as much." Remus gave his friend an amused look, voice dry.

"Aw, don't be jealous, Moony." Sirius cooed, batting his eyelashes at the other. "I would never replace you for anything in the world, you know that."

Remus snorted, making him seem very different from the overly-polite professor he had appeared to be Harry's third year. "Shut-up, you mutt."

Sirius gave him a toothy grin, got to his feet and strutted out of the room, not offended in the least.

. o . O . o .

Kakashi leaned back against the wall, slumping slightly and clutching his book comfortably in one hand. He flicked his gaze towards Naruto and the group he was in charge off, before returning to his reading. They had decided that Kakashi should observe the training, mostly because Naruto had never taught before -if you ignored the few 'lessons' with Konohamaru- and the fact that Kakashi was uncomfortable with the thought of leaving the younger man alone with the wizards for too long periods of time, no matter how friendly they all seemed.

An hour had been spent on lunch, and then Naruto had herded the teens and the three adults back upstairs. Mrs Weasley had once again accompanied them, but hadn't been as vocal this time. Kakashi had just sat back and watched as Naruto had demonstrated what he wanted the lot of them to do, and then set them to it, with varying results. That had been an hour and a half ago, and the wizards were barely able to stand by now.

"Well," Naruto said cheerfully, "we're done!" Grateful groans was his answer as his students slumped to the floor, rubbing at different parts of themselves. Kakashi didn't doubt that they'd be in far worse pain tomorrow. "That means we can have a spar!" Naruto added, looking them all over and noting with amusement the seven glares he recieved in response.

"Are you insane?" Ron asked, sounding on the brink of just marching out of the room, no matter that he could barely stand straight at the moment.

"No, I'm not." Naruto replied, not bothered in the least. "This was the most basic training regime I know of, so I don't think I'm asking too much." He added, cocking his head curiously.

Kakashi held back a snort. These were civilians, and by the looks of it, they hadn't done anything this strenuous before in their lives.

Harry, who had fared marginally better than the rest of them, just straightened and reached for his wand. He felt his heart skip a beat when all his hand grasped was air.

Frantically, he began looking around on the floor, thinking that he could have dropped it during the hellish training Fox had put them through. When he couldn't find it, he turned to stare with wide eyes at Ron and Hermione.

Familiar enough with Harry, they both gave him their full attention, despite their own fatigue.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, trying to slow down her breathing and swallowing to get rid of the blood-taste in her mouth. It wasn't working.

"I can't find my wand." By the strain on his voice, she could tell Harry was silently panicking.

Considering what had happened the last time Harry had 'lost' his wand, she could understand. Instead of trying to reassure her friend, Hermione reached for her own wand, thinking she would just summon it.

When she didn't find her wand where she had left it either, she joined Harry in his frantic search.

Soon enough, all the wizards had noticed the lack of wand on their person.

The twins were the first to notice several facts. One, Fox was standing calmly in the middle of the room. Two, he was twirling a wand between his fingers and seemed to be studying it closely. Three, his other hand was clasped securely around the remaining six -previously missing- wands.

The next to notice was Sirius, who huffed out a small, relieved laugh. Who would have thought the shinobi would prank them? But then again, he doubted Fox considered it a prank, and even Sirius could see the underlying message that the man was clearly trying to convey with his actions.

"When did you-!?" The question was left unfinished as Ron simply waved a hand at Fox, as if that conveyed exactly what he meant. In a way, it did.

"Hm." Fox hummed neutrally. "Quite a while ago, actually." He drawled.

That just managed to make the wizards feel worse.

"Can we have them back?" Ginny asked when it was quite clear no one else was about to say anything anytime soon.

Fox blinked and tilted his head. "Of course. To me, they're just sticks of wood." He grinned and held the bundle out towards them. Ginny quickly took them, and began to hand wands back to their owners, keeping her own clasped in her hand all the while. Realising her wand had been missing had left her heart in her throat.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked quietly after a while, gaze fixed on Fox.

The man tilted his head, seemingly studying Harry closely, and it felt like the man saw more than Harry was truly comfortable with.

"It was quite easy; you were all tired, distracted and not even considering the possibility of anyone targeting your most obvious weakness." Fox said. He was silent for a while, as if thinking. "Do most of you simply keep your sticks in your pockets?" He asked, unable to stop himself. It felt disrespectful, to Naruto, to keep their weapons like that. As well as very foolish.

"Well, there are wand holsters." Tonks answered, only panting a little by now. "But pretty much only veteran Aurors and duellists use them." She added thoughtfully, staring at her wand with a considering air. "Maybe I should get one?" She muttered to herself.

"It seems like a wise decision." Fox said, making Tonks jump because he hadn't been that close to her before and despite the fact that she was getting used to it, the mask was still unbelievably creepy.

"Yes?" Tonks said when it seemed the man was staring at her, as if wanting to ask her something.

"You can change your appearance." It wasn't exactly a question, but Tonks nodded anyway.

"Yeah. I'm a metamorphmagus." She said, changing her hair to blond and back again.

Fox nodded. "And this is a common ability among your people?"

"Not really." Tonks blinked. "I'm currently the only one in the entire country. We're actually very rare." It was something she had sometimes been a little annoyed and mournful over, because that meant she couldn't ask anyone for advice, or just talk to about problems she encountered when it came to her metamorphmagus abilities.

"How much can you change?" Fox asked next, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Quite a bit, so long as I don't try to become something other than human." It was impossible for metamorphmagi to become an animagus, for example.

Fox looked over his shoulder at Dog, "Sounds almost like henge, but more limited." He commented.

"Henge?" Tonks slowly repeated the strange word, blinking curiously. "What's henge?"

Naruto grinned at the question and raised his hands in a seal. A puff of smoke later and a perfect replica of Tonks stood before her, blinking back with a small, playful grin.

"Wicked!" Came two identical exclamations as the twins hurried over to get a closer look. The others gravitated towards them as well.

"It seems to be like polyjiuce without the potion." Remus muttered with a small frown, watching intently as Fox changed to look like Fred and George, making it seem as if they were triplets instead of twins.

"How are you doing that?" Harry asked, blinking a little when Fox turned back to himself, mask still firmly in place.

"Chakra." The man said simply, as if that answered everything.

"It's a shinobi skill." Dog spoke up, eyes still glued to his book, or so it seemed. "One of three that Academy students must know before they're allowed to graduate."

"What's the other two?" Hermione asked curiously. She wasn't the only one who wanted to know more about the two men and their abilities.

"Bunshin." Fox said. "Almost like the clone you saw me make a couple of days ago, only the regular kind aren't solid. And then there's the kawarimi."

"And what's that?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"You change place with an object in your vicinity." Fox explained, glancing around the room. "It's very useful in a fight, letting you get away from an attack that might otherwise be impossible to dodge." And when he had found a suitable object, his hands sped through the short sequent of hand seals, and he was gone, a dusty old pillow falling to the floor where had stood just a second before.

When the wizards looked around, they found the man sitting calmly in one of the old armchairs that had been shoved to the wall.

"That's brilliant." Harry breathed, looking from the pillow to Fox and back again.

"Thank you." Fox gave a small nod as he got to his feet and walked back towards them. "But this is simply the most basic skills." He waited a few seconds to see if they would ask anything else. "Now, you all need to eat, and then rest, or we won't be able to continue lessons tomorrow." Naruto grinned at the groans and grimaces at the reminder, and then followed the group out of the room as the civilians stiffly hobbled towards the kitchen.

He fell into step beside Kakashi, contemplating the small, almost nonexistent shiver that had moved up his spine a short while ago.

. o . O . o .

The meeting was unlike anything Naruto and Kakashi had ever seen before. There was shuffling and shifting, mutters and whispers and people were constantly doing something other than just sit still and listen. The dark kitchen of Grimauld place had been converted into a base of operations, but Naruto thought even Genin would have been able to do things more professionally. He exchanged an uneasy look with Kakashi, who seemed to be too disturbed by the disorder to do more than stare back.

Albus, the white-haired leader with the long beard, was currently giving the members of his Order a quick recount of how Naruto and Kakashi had arrived in this world, who they were and how they had offered to help.

Meanwhile, Naruto was busy studying the gathered crowd. He recognized several people; there were those that stayed in the house, like Sirius, Remus and the Weasley parents. Then there were people like Tonks -who looked quite miserable where she sat, continuously rubbing at her arms and legs, trying to ease the steady muscle ache- who visited fairly often. Then there was Bill, who had been busy at work all day -Naruto had heard something about a bank?- and that Moody character, whom he had seen together with Dumbledore before. The grizzled old man was about the only one sitting silently in his chair, the only part of him that moved was the strange blue eye, which was constantly whirling around in its socket, seemingly taking in everything and everyone present in the room.

There were plenty of people he hadn't seen before too; a small wizard with a light voice that seemed to have trouble remaining in his seat and was constantly moving. A tall, dark-skinned man with a shaved head that seemed to emanate a steady, trustworthy aura. An older woman with her dark hair pulled back in a tight bun and glasses perched on her nose, surveying the bustling room with a stern, unamused expression.

There was even a man that appeared to be nothing more than a pile of rags at first glance, and both Naruto and Kakashi had made an effort to stay well away from him, having been able to smell him the moment he had stepped foot inside the room.

Sirius had called him 'Dung', something Naruto found to be an accurate description.

Dumbledore was just finishing his explanation when the previously mentioned man, Dung, took out a pipe from a pocket somewhere in the rags he called clothes.

Naruto didn't think too much about it except to register the movement and catalogue the lack of weapon. He was used to people who smoked in his own world, but then Kakashi produced a small, half-choked sound of distress, and when Naruto tensed and looked at him, he seemed unable to move. He learned why a second later, when the most horrid stench he had ever felt assaulted his nostrils, nearly paralyzing him.

Naruto had to steady himself; his eyes were watering at the smell and it felt like his brain was melting. Wanting to most of all flee from the aggressive attack on his senses, Naruto did the next best thing.

Naruto could hear several gasps when he seemed to materialise out of the shadows next to the filthy man, and the sound of the still-smoking pipe snapping in two seemed to echo around the suddenly silent room. Naruto slowly turned to his left, moving mechanically, the partly crushed pipe clamped securely in his fist, which he held as far away from his body as he physically could. Forcing himself to move on stiff legs towards the redheaded matriarch, Naruto held the pipe towards her.

"Make it disappear." He managed to grit out, swallowing bile at the effort. The words sounded half-strangled and stiff, even compared to the usual monotone he used as Fox.

The mother gave him a confused, slightly concerned look, but waved her stick as he had asked all the same. The moment the foul thing was gone, Naruto grabbed Kakashi's arm and shunshin'ed them out of the room, where the green smoke and the offensive, rank stench it represented were still overwhelmingly present. The smell even seemed to cling to their clothes, and the only thing keeping Naruto from gagging was the firm, unrelenting control he had on his own bodily functions.

"Wha?" Dung blinked bleary, blood-shot eyes, glancing around the room, hand still positioned as if holding a pipe and not quite understanding what had just happened. He wasn't the only confused one.

Remus straightened, sudden understanding dawning on him. He had chosen a seat quite some distance away from Mundungus for the same reason, hadn't he? "Their sense of smell." He said into the stunned silence. At the questioning looks, he elaborated. "Fox and Dog both have a superior sense of smell, like me and Sirius, if not better." He paused, a bit queasy on their behalf. "Mundungus' pipe must have been quite..." He didn't know how to exactly describe the horror of having an awful smell slammed into your face and being unable to remove it to people who had never experienced it themselves, and gave a helpless shrug.

"Ah, I see." Dumbledore gave a small, serious nod, taking in the information and filing it away for future reference. "I take it you have learned more about our two guests during the last couple of days?"

"Not much, but they've shared some things." Sirius said with an affirmative nod. "Their abilities are truly fascinating, and it's easy to forget that they don't have magic."

"And they're inhumanly fit." Tonks muttered sullenly under her breath, but in the contemplative silence she might just as well have shouted.

"Pardon?" McGonagall asked, eyebrows raised and a baffled expression on her face.

"Fred and George managed to convince them to train the kids." Sirius explained. "Fox finally gave in, but said they were all 'pathetically out of shape' I think his exact wording was." He grinned at the memory. "So he said he could give them a few exercises to complete first. Me, Remus and Tonks decided to join in." He shrugged.

"And they're 'inhumanly fit'?" McGonagall added, still sounding sceptical and clearly wanting a proper explanation.

"I can't move; everything hurts!" Tonks groaned, leaning her forehead on the table, her hair turning a dull brown, reflecting her misery. "I'm hurting in places I didn't even know I had muscles!" She added in a pitiful moan. Sirius gave her a commiserating look, not feeling all that well himself, but figured complaining wouldn't help.

Moody snorted, giving his protégé an unsympathetic look. "Seems to me it's a good thing you've discovered them, then." He said, voice rough but vaguely amused. Tonks sent him a glare.

The sound of the door opening turned their attention away from the topic at hand to turn and look at who had entered.

Fox had cautiously stepped into the room, glancing them all over and assessing the state of the air. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore cleared away the smell still lingering in the room. Naruto gave him a grateful nod and then went to fetch Kakashi, who still hadn't entirely recovered. He didn't have the Uzumaki constitution to help him, and Kakashi still wasn't fully recovered from his injuries, making him more susceptible to things like this.

"Forgive us our rude exit." Naruto gave Dumbledore a half-bow before guiding Kakashi over to the wall, where he could recover the last of his senses in peace.

"It is quite alright." Albus smiled. "Now, to brief you about our situation." He said, voice business-like and brisk.

Naruto gave a nod, tilting his head as he listened intently to what was -and wasn't- said. "What are your immediate plans?" He asked when he had heard the tale of Voldemort, the way he had wreaked havoc on the wizarding community -and Britain at large- before finally trying to murder baby Harry and consequently disappeared for ten years, before returning as a shadow of his former self when the boy had first entered school at the age of eleven. They had both then recieved a quick recounting of the following years, leading up to the evil wizards' restoration to full power at the beginning of summer.

"I believe Voldemort's main concern will be to find out what the prophecy states in its complete form; he has only heard the first part of it and it lead up to his temporary destruction. He won't be willing to move forward before he knows for certain what it is the prophecy claims for his future." The old man said, a calm, almost languid expression on his face. Naruto wasn't fooled; there was a sharp, calculating look in his eyes that was both tired and unrelenting. "There are only a few options for him to do this successfully; one being to force the information from me, the original recipient of the prophecy. The other, and most likely option for him to choose, is to retrieve the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries and the Hall of Prophecies, located in the heart of the Ministry."

"That is your seat of political power, yes?" Kakashi asked, having finally recovered and finding his mind fully functional once more.

"Indeed." Albus inclined his head. "Although, since our minister refuse to see sense and is actively denying Voldemort's return, that does not give us much of an advantage."

Naruto scoffed. "Stupid." He stated. Ignoring a threat only made it easier for said threat to strike you down. "And what are you doing to prevent this man from taking the prophecy?" He wasn't entirely sure how someone could 'take' a prophecy, but that was hardly important, since the wizards evidently knew it could be done.

"We are guarding the entrance to the Department on a rotating schedule. Voldemort won't be able to go there personally unless he wants to prove without a doubt that he has truly returned, so he will most likely send one of his followers."

"And that is easier to guard against." Naruto murmured, more to himself. "Do you have a map over the Ministry?" He asked next, wanting to get an idea of what the place looked like before he and Kakashi could begin to plan ahead.

"Here." Bill said, leafing through a pile of documents before pulling out the one he was looking for and handing it over to Naruto.

Naruto looked it over with a critical eye. It was rather simple, crude almost, and lacking details, marked vital locations or weaknesses and any possible shelters in case of attack. Without a word, he passed it on to Kakashi, who's thoughts ran along similar lines. That would have to be one of their first objectives, then. Exchanging a quick look with Kakashi, he continued. "Have you collected information on the people working in there? Made sure none of them are affiliated with this Voldemort?" He got a few nods in return, but again, Albus was the one who answered.

"We have a list of possible Death Eaters, yes, but I'm afraid it's more complicated than that." The old man said with a small sigh that belied how tired he truly was. It briefly reminded Kakashi of the Sandaime. "They don't necessarily have to go themselves, but can just as well make someone else do it for them."

"How so?" Naruto asked, thinking of genjutsu and wondering if they had something similar here.

"The Imperius curse can make you do anything the caster wants, regardless of your own wishes." Moody growled, both eyes landing first on Naruto and then on Kakashi, before the blue one darted away again, resuming its wild spinning.

The both of them straightened, realising the dangers of such a thing. "And is there a way to dispel it?" Kakashi inquired calmly. He preferred to let Naruto talk, but some questions had to be asked and the blonde could not think of all of them on his own.

"Nothing as simple as a counter curse." The scarred old man replied. "But a strong enough mind, a strong enough will to not be controlled will prevent the curse to stick."

"Perhaps it is like a genjutsu?" Naruto turned to Kakashi, stating his earlier thought out loud. Kakashi only gave a vague gesture with one hand, conveying that he didn't know.

"What's a gen-whatever-you-just-said?" Sirius asked curiously, looking from Fox to Dog and back again while he waited for an answer.

"It is an illusion you weave with chakra around your target. What they show or do varies between different kinds." Kakashi revealed. "It may do anything from show the target his or her worst nightmare, to delay their reaction-time a few seconds." He gave a subtle half-shrug. "The main point, however, is that you can dispel it if you disrupt you own chakra system, thus ending the genjutsu. Is something similar possible with this Imperius curse?" He gave the grizzled old man a long look.

"Wouldn't know." He grunted, but he sounded interested in finding out. "We'd have to try it out."

"But not right now." Albus cut in. "We've deviated off topic." He smiled a little, looking amused by the paranoid old Auror's almost-familiarity with the two strangers.

Kakashi nodded his agreement. "What about a plan of action should the one on guard duty actually be faced with a threat? Do you have suitable protocol to deal with a possible confrontation?" He asked, voice sharp and attentive. He had moved over to the table and began to quickly sift through the documents laying about, coming to a shocking conclusion. He turned to Naruto and signed a quick message, making the other approach as well. Naruto looked at the text covering most of the documents -it wasn't paper, but served as such- eyes drawn to the script.

"We do. It consists mainly of stalling the offender until suitable back-up can arrive, depending on who is trying to get passed the guard and in what way." Albus nodded. He was silently impressed by the way the two seemed able to so easily pinpoint the weaknesses and ask the most pertinent questions.

With a small sigh, Naruto turned back to the leader, tearing his eyes away from the documents. "It is evident we operate in vastly different ways." He concluded instead of commenting, for now. Albus inclined his head, accepting the truth for what it was. "We, Dog and I, usually work with military precision, while you seem to have drafted mostly willing civilians." He mulled the question over. "It's not poorly structured, all things considered," He mentioned towards the room and the group at large, "but we can help you improve it."

Meanwhile, Kakashi studied the texts a moment longer, coming to a decision. If he was doing this -which he was, because there wasn't a chance in hell he was leaving Naruto on his own- he was doing it properly. And there might be added benefits he could bring back home to Konoha, too.

"Excuse me." He spoke up, still not taking his eyes away from the foreign markings on the sheet in his hands. "Could one of you write down the alphabet of your characters, sounding them out for me as you do?"

The seemingly random request had most of the room blinking owlishly at him.

"Certainly." The stern-looking woman said briskly after a beat of silence, taking it all in stride, making paper and a feather appear out of thin air while she mentioned Kakashi over. "Whatever for?" She asked, even as she dipped the quill in an inkpot that appeared next to her.

"Your writing is different from ours, so I must learn to read it if I wish to help you get properly organized." Kakashi said, leaning forward a little to easier see over the woman's shoulder.

"You seem confident that you will be able to do so quickly." Albus observed interestedly, his innate curiosity of all things learning rearing its head.

"Dog is a certified genius." Naruto revealed with an amused grin, watching the surprised expressions around the table. "He's one of the most intelligent people in our entire village, outdone only by one other, and he can memorize things in just a few seconds." It was true; mostly thanks to Kakashi's Sharingan, but they didn't need to know that.

While Kakashi and the woman were busy, Albus turned towards Naruto. "In what way do you write where you come from? If I may ask?" The spark in his eyes spoke of a love of knowledge in all its forms and Naruto smiled.

"Do you have a brush?" He asked, thinking that one of the magicals could most likely make one from thin air, like the woman had demonstrated. "Thank you." He said when the old man did just that. Naruto wrote a simple line -I am a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato- and held it up for the man to see.

Albus tilted his head a little. "That looks like Chinese." He murmured, as if more to himself.

"Chinese?" Naruto parroted. "I wouldn't know, since I don't know what that is." He confessed with an unconcerned shrug. "This is our written language, so you can see it is quite different from yours." He put the paper-that-wasn't-paper down and turned to Kakashi. "Are you done?" He asked.

"Their writing system seems to be structured completely different from ours." Kakashi muttered as he scanned a sentence, taking note of the different spellings for what seemed to be similar sounds. "But I believe I'll have it down by tomorrow."

"Good." Naruto said. He was always impressed by his sensei -same with Shikamaru- whenever this side of him came out. "Do you have any form of offensive plans?" Naruto asked next, turning back to the Order, who were watching the two of them with growing fascination and interest.

When the meeting was finally over, Naruto had made a list in his head over what they'd have to take care of first. Before everyone could leave, however, he made his way over to Albus, who remained in his seat when he saw Naruto approach.

"Yes, Fox?" He asked with an amiable, relaxed expression.

"If you could ask only your most trusted members to remain, we can call in the children and Dog and I will do a proper introduction." Kakashi and he had come to the conclusion that it was the best course of action; it would give them a safe base-of-operations where they could wind down and be themselves. Wearing the mask at all hours of the day without any breaks for an unforeseeable length of time wasn't exactly a thrilling prospect, not to mention psychologically detrimental. "The people who are currently living here may stay too." He added, thinking of Sirius and Remus, who he was beginning to grown fond of.

Albus nodded and called out a small handful of names, making a few people return to the table. "If you can wait a few minutes, I have a small matter to discuss with you." He smiled at the rest of the Order as most people just shrugged and left, recognizing the silent dismissal for what it was.

When those who would leave had done so, Albus turned to Molly. "Call down the children, please. I don't think it will take them long to get here." He sounded amused at his own statement, no doubt thinking of the twins and their ingenious inventions he had heard so much about from their mother.

Molly scowled, but didn't argue. She walked over to the door and disappeared outside. As predicted, it didn't take long for her to return, a line of teenagers following her like ducklings behind their mother.

"What's going on?" George asked, curiously looking the room's occupants over.

"I thought you wouldn't allow us to hear anything Order-related?" Fred added, eagerly taking a seat as did the rest of them.

"I asked you to join us." Naruto stated, looking them all over. "I wish to introduce myself." He added with a smile.

"Introduce yourself?" Harry repeated, a small, confused frown on his face.

"Indeed. Up until now, you've only known me and Dog by our ANBU operative names. We wish to share our true identities, as well as take off our masks, even if it is only in front of the people currently present." Naruto tilted his head as he watched the growing excitement on most people's faces. "I must remind you, however, that whenever we are wearing our masks, you must only address us as Fox and Dog." He recieved a unanimous agreement to this. He gave Kakashi a final glance. "Well, then."

Harry and most of the wizards in the room watched with bated breath as Fox and Dog raised their hands towards their masks. Minerva, who had met the two for the first time today, seemed to be faintly bemused by the rest of the room's reaction, while Moody had both eyes trained on the two men, making Harry wonder if he was unable to see through their masks with his magical eye. Tonks looked like her eyes might pop out, so large were they. Other than the three of them, Dumbledore hadn't asked anyone else to stay, meaning most of those present were those that currently lived at Grimauld Place.

When the masks came off, Harry didn't think anyone was prepared for what lay underneath.

He was watching Fox intently, feeling his eyes widen when tanned skin was revealed, bright blonde hair, startlingly blue eyes and three strange lines on each cheek. Fox was young; much younger than Harry or any of the others had even considered possible.

Dog, on the other hand, had grey hair and was -curiously enough- wearing a second mask under the first one, making more than one person stare. He wasn't as old as Harry had thought either, not even looking as old as Sirius. And one of his eyes were closed, a deep, ugly scar crossing it in a vertical line that made Harry cringe and wonder if there was anything left of the eye underneath.

"You- you're a teenager!" Molly eventually exclaimed, rising to her feet and staring at the surprised-looking Fox as if she couldn't believe her eyes. "A child!" She turned to Dumbledore. "You've agreed to let a child fight, Albus!" She looked outraged, shocked by this unexpected revelation.

Harry, who was still watching the two shinobi, saw a strange emotion flick across Fox' features, before his expression shuttered and became unreadable. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

"Excuse me?" Fox inquired in a deceptively mild voice, gaze fixed on Molly, who seemed to be gearing up for a heated argument, despite her husband's best efforts to calm her down.

Meanwhile, Naruto could hardly believe his ears. A small part of him was feeling a surprising amount of amusement at the reaction this civilian woman had to his age. The rest of him, though, felt highly insulted.

"Naruto." Kakashi murmured softly next to him, and Naruto felt fingers curl lightly around his elbow, grounding him. Taking a deep breath, Naruto made a conscious effort to calm himself.

"If I may ask, how old are you?" Albus asked solemnly, eyes taking in the bright, colourful hair and youthful features. He was surprised, yes, but Albus was well aware that age was but a number.

"I'm nineteen." Naruto said, raising his chin a fraction, giving them all an intense look that seemed capable to looking straight through them.

"I don't approve of this. They don't have magic, Albus, and teenagers have no place in a fight against Death Eaters! I've said it before and I'll say it again; children shouldn't be fighting!" Molly insisted, cheeks red and looking highly affected by the revelation. Her gaze swept over her children and Harry and Hermione, including them in her words too.

Kakashi's grip on Naruto's arm tightened a fraction, not restrictive but steady and reassuring.

Albus, gaze fixed on the two shinobi, was about to ask the woman to be silent, seeing the reaction her words were eliciting from Fox, who had stilled in a way the wizened old wizard found disquieting. The young man's face was unreadable, and when he spoke, his voice was low and even, betraying nothing of his thoughts.

"I am a front-line combat expert and I have fought in the middle of a war that makes this conflict look like nothing more than a mild disagreement." Naruto said quietly, voice sending shivers down more than one spine. "I have seen madness and evil that makes your Voldemort look like a small inconvenience. The burdens I bear would crush lesser people in but a moment." Naruto paused, eyeing the red-haired matriarch before sweeping his gaze over the magicals seated around the table neutrally. "I am not a child."

The silence in the room was oppressive. For a moment, Harry felt like he had trouble breathing.

The pressure was broken when the blonde smiled, and his entire demeanour seemed to thaw. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto and it's a pleasure to meet you all properly." He said with a half-bow. With a quick glance and a polite nod at Dumbledore, he disappeared in a swirl of smoke and misplaced air.

"Well." Moody's rumbled after a beat of ringing silence. "That could have gone better." The grizzled old Auror's gaze fell on the remaining shinobi, who was watching them all with a half-lidded, impassive eye.

. o . O . o .

This has been sitting on my computer for a while, but the ending was giving me trouble. And wow, that's a lot of text! It didn't feel right to end it until here, though, so here you are.

I apologize for my long absence, and I hope that this makes up for it, at least a little. Real life problems have been occupying most of my time this past year and still haven't resolved themselves, so I can give no promises about further updates (they are coming, I just don't know when). Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!