Author's Note: Yes, another AU. It's all I write by now, so you should be used to it. This one is a Hogwarts AU! There will be no characters from HP in this. Instead, characters from the Naruto 'verse have all taken their place. Be sure to check the tags, I will add warnings as I go seeing as how I've only got 9 chapters outlined at the moment. So, if things get a bit...heated (which let's face it...they will) be sure to check the tags for anything triggering. This is a student/teacher but Sakura will be aged to eighteen.

And as well all know by now, Alien loves a slow burn...so expect this to burn extra slow.

Enjoy!

With each book Kakashi shoved onto the shelf in his new office, a soft thunk echoed off the stone walls. It was strange, being in this room, after so many years and he wasn't sure he would ever get used to hearing himself be referred to as Professor Hatake. But that was who he was now. For the next ten months, Hogwarts was his home once again.

The thought of teaching wasn't something he had ever considered, especially after serving for so many years as an Auror for the Ministry. He had been contacted only a week prior, by Headmistress Tsunade. They were desperate and promised to pay handsomely. If Kakashi was being honest with himself, he was a bit relieved to have a break from his job.

Being an Auror was something he had dreamt of his entire life. For so long, there was nothing else. If he could tell his 16-year-old self that he would be back in this castle, teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts, he would have laughed in his face. The thought put a small smile on Kakashi's face as he finished unpacking a suitcase of books and pushed it aside.

He had spent the last fourteen years working for the Ministry, investigating the dark witches and wizards that plagued their world. It was an immensely rewarding job, one that Kakashi was damn good at, but he was tired. Every year, things got worse and worse. The crimes he was assigned to became more and more unspeakable and though he was a bit apprehensive about taking on this new role as a professor, he welcomed the change of pace.

He just hoped the students weren't obnoxious, lazy, brats.

Beyond his office, he heard the sound of footsteps over the stone floor and he stood to his feet, poking his head out the door. In a billow of long, stylish gray robes, Tsunade made her way down the center aisle between the two rows of desks and folded her arms across her chest as she stopped at the bottom of the circular staircase.

"Well, well, well. Kakashi Hatake returns to Hogwarts." Her tone was cold, but the small smile tugging at the corner of her lips eased any tension he might have felt.

Kakashi dusted his hands off on the side of his trousers and walked to the railing, leaning a hip against it. He shrugged a shoulder and looked out toward his new classroom. "So it would seem."

"How are you settling in?" She asked, making her way up to the small landing in front of his office. He held a hand out, gesturing for the woman to go ahead of him and they both took a seat around the massive desk that was still piled high with books and materials.

"I more than likely will not be finished by tomorrow, but I've never been one to do things on time." With a glance at the mess of boxes, parchments and books around them, he sighed. "I figure I can finish unpacking by January."

A silence fell over them as the Headmistress took a glance around the spacious office, tapping a finger to her chin. The smile faded from her lips and Kakashi sat forward in his chair, feeling the small shift in tension. "Has there been any news on the group of Death Eaters?" Her question was one he had been expecting and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Not since May. We lost sight of them outside a small, muggle fishing village." Kakashi pushed a hand through his hair and sat back.

"I suppose no news is good news."

Kakashi scoffed and shook his head. "Not when it comes to Death Eaters. It usually means they're laying low and plotting something particularly nasty."

At this, Tsunade leaned forward, narrowing her gaze. "Which is why I'm glad you're here. The group of students set to graduate this year are some of the most promising witches and wizards to have walked through these doors. They need guidance from someone who has seen the kind of things you have."

He stayed quiet, letting her words sink into his mind. He appreciated what Tsunade was saying, that she trusted him to be the kind of Professor these students needed, but he was lying if he said it didn't make the nerves knotting his stomach just a bit worse. It may not be as exciting or as action-packed as being an Auror, but Kakashi felt as if he were embarking on a journey that would be just as important.

One of the knots from his stomach worked its way up to his throat and he swallowed with a quick clear of his throat. "Yes, well, I'll try not to scare them too terribly."

Tsunade smiled, reaching for a pocket on the inside of her robes. She pulled out a small, silver flask that glinted in the sunlight streaming in through the windows behind Kakashi. With a flick of her wand, two coffee mugs that were packed away in a small box beside the desk floated toward them. "Here's to a new year," she said, pouring them a small amount of her whiskey.

Kakashi shook his head and took the mug from the air as it glided over to him. He looked down into the amber liquid before glancing back up to the Headmistress. "This doesn't give me much confidence in the year if we're already drinking."

"Sometimes," The Headmistress said, sitting back in her chair with a long sip from her mug. "Drinking is the only thing that gets me through the day. But, don't let that deter you."

Too late. He was deterred. Taking a deep breath, he tugged his mask down around his chin and downed the whiskey in one gulp. It burned the entire way down his throat and he grimaced, glancing down at the remaining drops in the bottom of the glass. Tsunade scoffed.

"You'll have to develop a stronger stomach than that, Hatake, if you want to last around here." She tucked her flask away, finished her own drink and stood from the chair. A quick swish of her wand sent the mug back into the box and she paused at the office door, turning back to face him with a soft smile. "You'll do fine. You may not have the confidence right now, but you will."

He lifted the corner of his mouth, offering her a small smile in return before she left the room. Kakashi listened to the sounds of her heels on the stone floor until they disappeared and once he was sure she was far enough away, he fell back in the chair with a sigh. The alcohol did nothing to soothe the nerves and instead made him feel a bit too warm.

He pushed his sleeves up to his elbows and figured he could either finish unpacking, or retire to his quarters and read a few chapters of his favorite book before. It was an easy choice and he stacked the remainder of the boxes in the corner of the office with a short point of his wand. He snatched the familiar, well worn book off one of the shelves, turned the light off to his new office and shut the door behind him.

As he moved through the classroom, he couldn't shake the feeling that by tomorrow, his life was going to change forever.

The train whistle blasted through the air on the platform 9 and 3/4 so loud that startled a few elderly ladies waving goodbye to their grandchildren. For the students, the sound was the official start of their school year. They were leaving behind their families and heading back to the castle where they would call home for the next ten months.

But for one student, the sound of the whistle barely registered in her mind. Sakura leaned against the window in the compartment, watching the smoke billow between the train and the station wall. She ignored the shouts from the parents on the platform, the laughter of the first years as they raced to find an empty compartment. It was all muffled, background noise to the thousands of thoughts racing through her mind.

All of them focused on one common theme; Sasuke Uchiha.

She was so sick of thinking about him, so sick of her heart breaking over him. But every day, she woke up to the realization that their six-month relationship had come to a screeching halt with no more than a short conversation. He had stood in the castle courtyard on the last day of their 6thyear and told her their entire relationship was a mistake. And with a shrug, a fucking shrug, he walked away like he hadn't just ripped her heart out and stomped it into the dust.

And now, she would be trapped under the same roof, in the same classrooms and with the same friends for ten long months. The only solace she could find was that at least they were in different houses and she wouldn't have to see his Slytherin lackeys watching her from the shadows anymore.

It was because of them that Sakura suspected Sasuke ended their relationship. He let his friends whisper in his ear and feed him bullshit. And now only did he believe their lies, he considered the opinion of those assholes more important than the bond they had shared.

The thought made the nausea make another round of waves through her stomach and she tucked her legs up into the seat, hugging her knees to her chest. Tears threatened the corner of her eyelids and she blinked them away, refusing to cry another tear over him. He didn't deserve it. But she still mourned the fact that she gave him so much of her energy, so much of herself that she would never be able to get back.

Sakura let her head fall against the window with a growl of frustration, wishing she could just turn her brain off for one minute. Just one minute of peace before she would have to see him sitting at the Slytherin table, surrounded by those vicious pricks was all she could ask for.

Another blast of the train whistle made her sigh, closing her eyes as the remainder of the students hopped on the train and went racing by her compartment. Thankfully, no one decided to pop in on her. Surely by now, the rumors of the break up of the year had reached the first years and people would be avoiding her like the plague.

Good, Sakura thought to herself. Let them talk. As long as they stay far away from me.

Unfortunately, there were a few people who refused to stay away from Sakura. At least they were her friends. The compartment door slid open as Ino shoved her shoulder into it, her blue eyes rolling as a few younger kids raced past her. "For Merlin's sake, you'd think a train ride wouldn't make them go completely fucking bananas." She turned toward the group of kids to shout at them. "It's just a train! Calm down!"

Despite her foul mood, it was hard to hide the smile tugging at the corner of Sakura's lips. She dropped her feet to the floor and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't terrorize the kids, Ino."

The blonde dropped her backpack onto the bench across from Sakura and stretched her arms over her head, popping the length of her spine. "They're terrorizing me," she sighed, falling back on the seat next to her best mate. "Another damn year. It feels different this time, you know?" Her head lolled to the side, ponytail spilling over her bare shoulder.

"Maybe because it's our last time making this trip?"

Ino shrugged, looking down at her body as she slumped lower in the seat. "I guess. I'm just ready to get started, for once. This is like, the beginning of the rest of our lives and it feels like this year will never end."

At the door, another figure appeared and Sakura smiled at the familiar dark hair and pale face of their mutual friend. Hinata Hyῡga breathed a sigh as she ducked into the space, tucking a strand of violet hair behind her ear. She had a bag in her hand, black leather with a slender, gold plate displaying the latest designer label, and she gently set it down before sliding the door shut behind her. "I think there are more first years this year than ever before!"

"Great," Ino said with a roll of her eyes. She kicked her boots off and leaned back against the seat cushion, both hands folded behind her head. Before she could say much more, Hinata dropped into the bench across from them and frowned at Sakura, tilting her head to the side.

"Why aren't you with the other head girls? I thought you got your own compartment."

Sakura winced at the mention of the other head girls and turned to stare out the window. By now, the train station was slowly moving away, and the brick walls gave way to the cloudy, gray skies of London. Even with the sun hiding behind the thick storm clouds, it was still too bright. Luckily, Sakura didn't have to answer her friend's question.

Ino kicked her socked foot out and knocked the new, leather bag sitting at Hinata's feet, trying to get her to shut up. The bag fell over and the Hyῡga squeaked, reaching to snatch it up from the carpeted floors. "Sorry! I forgot."

"Must be nice," Sakura mumbled, not looking away from the scenery passing by the train. For a long moment there was only silence and she suspected her friends were glaring at one another for the sudden spike in tension. Inhaling a deep breath through her nose, Sakura turned back to them and forced a smile, knowing it was better to fake it than make things awkward. "The last thing I want is to see people who only know what happened through the rumor mill. I can catch up with the other Heads at the train station."

"Have you seen him yet?" It was Ino who asked, her tone cautious and soft. While Sakura appreciated it, she hated it when people tiptoed around her, like she was too fragile to hear the truth.

Scowling, she shook her head. Truth be told, she had been avoiding looking at anyone too closely. She had made her parents drop her off as early as possible and the woman pushing the trolley mentioned how there had been no one else on the train yet. Which was exactly what Sakura had planned. She spent the morning staring out the window, knowing if Sasuke did happen to notice her sitting alone, he wouldn't dare speak to her.

And though it would have been much more satisfying to brush her pain away, join her friends on the platform and laugh, like she hadn't a care in the world, she just couldn't pretend. It was too exhausting. She only wanted to put everything in the past and get on with her final year at Hogwarts. After they graduated, she would never have to see Sasuke again and she hopefully, would never have to even think about him again.

The compartment door slid open and all three girls whipped their heads toward it. Two other 7th years stood at the threshold and Sakura felt her stomach drop to the seat beneath her. Naruto and Shikamaru poked their heads in with a grin. Well, Naruto was grinning like a fool, mostly at the sight of Hinata, while his mate was nodding toward Sakura. She had been found.

"The girls are asking about you. They want to have a meeting." He rolled his eyes at the mention and Sakura felt like doing the same. She knew she had two choices…Either face the other girls with her head held high or fake a stomach ache and let them all gossip about her. Of course, they were going to do that either way.

"Tell them I'm sick. I doubt the meeting will be much more than their insipid holiday stories and I doubt I'll be able to stomach that for long."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it again with a sigh. With a glance to Ino and a nod hello, he clapped a hand to the door frame. "Alright, I'll let them know." He backed away from their compartment and disappeared down the hall, leaving Naruto behind.

"Hey," he said, a goofy smile stretching across his lips the longer he stared at Hinata.

"Hi."

Her entire face was a strange shade of pink and Sakura rolled her eyes at them. She stood, putting a hand right in the middle of Naruto's forehead to push him out of their compartment. "You have all year to drool over Hinata."

He glared up at Sakura, a complaint riddled with swear words on his lips, but he never got a chance to say them. The door slid shut in his face and Sakura collapsed back onto the bench, shaking her head at Ino. The blonde hadn't moved much but was now smirking to the flush faced girl across from them. "If you two don't hook up this year, I'm going to lock you in a broom closet until you do."

Hinata's face turned an even darker shade of red that Sakura had never seen on a human before and she was surprised that it made her laugh. They fell into a round of giggles and soon, they were picking treats from the trolley. After an hour of stuffing their faces full of junk food, the three girls settled back and did what they did best; gossip.

"Did you guys see Kiba? He's got a mustache."

"Gross," Sakura laughed, wrinkling her nose as she pulled her feet up on the seat beneath her. "Why do guys our age feel the need to attempt facial hair? It looks like they're growing pubes on their face."

"Yeah," Ino started, "But, you've got this whole bitter, scorned woman thing going on right now so you're overly critical of anything with a penis."

Sakura's mouth fell open, though she couldn't really be surprised by her friend's words. Over the past two months, the only member of the male species she had been able to stomach was her father. Maybe she was overly critical, but she had a reason to be.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she shrugged and accepted Ino's criticism of her new attitude. "Men are lousy creatures. I'm not being critical, I'm being honest."

Ino sat up and shook a long string of licorice at her, shaking her head. "You're not dealing with men, Sakura. You've dated one boy. That's hardly a reason to throw the whole gender away. What you need to do is forget the boys we know and just wait until you graduate so you can date a man. Concentrate on schoolwork like you're famous for and you won't have time to worry about Sasuke."

Her first instinct was to roll her eyes and scoff at the ridiculous idea. Sure, Sasuke and their male classmates weren't exactly men yet, but how different were they? She doubted that they matured much with age. The only thing a man could do that a boy couldn't was grow a decent mustache. But, seeing Hinata nod along in agreement made Sakura rethink Ino's words.

Her best choice would be to forget boys, and she had certainly been trying all summer long. It was just hard to forget that a boy had stomped on her heart in the courtyard of Hogwarts barely three months prior. Diving head first into coursework would be the exact distraction she could hope for and with her advanced classes she had discussed with Madame Tsunade last year, she would definitely have an abundance of things to distract her from thinking about him.

Sakura didn't offer much else to the conversation as it shifted back to Kiba's attempt at facial hair. She didn't feel much like gossiping anymore and besides, her bladder was full, and she wanted to change into her robes before the line to the bathrooms got too long. Her uniform was stashed in her backpack and she swung it onto her shoulders as she announced to her friends that she would be back in a bit.

Luckily, the hallway was relatively free of any students lingering to socialize and she made her way to the bathroom with ease. A very small girl, more than likely a first year, with her bushy haired pulled into pigtails on both sides of her head, squeaked up at Sakura as she came out of the small compartment where the toilets were located. Last year, Sakura wouldn't have hesitated to give her a friendly, reassuring smile. But not this year.

Maybe Ino's contempt for their younger school mates was rubbing off on her. Sakura shut the door to the bathroom behind her and dropped her bag onto the small, pedestal sink. She ignored the mirror.

After relieving herself, she began undressing from her muggle clothes. Her school uniform had too many wrinkles for her liking and she could just hear her mother's voice in the back of her head, chastising her for being so careless with it. She shook the wrinkles out the best she could and slipped on the white, button up shirt. The blue and bronze tie was next, kept loosely tied. The last thing she wanted was to feel as if she were suffocating.

She pulled her skirt and stockings on and packed away her muggle clothes before slipping her feet into her Mary Janes. The black cloak stayed stashed away in the backpack, much too heavy to wear on the train. With a sigh, Sakura stared at her reflection for a few minutes. The grey jumper she wore over her white shirt hid any of the wrinkles, luckily, and for the most part she was properly dressed.

Her pink hair stood out against the drab color and she combed it back with her fingers, pulling it into a bun at the back of her head. She hadn't bothered with makeup all summer but looking at herself now, she was beginning to regret not putting some on this morning. A fresh bump was starting to appear on her chin and she leaned closer to the mirror to inspect it. Great…

As if her life wasn't sucking enough lately, the gods decided she needed to deal with acne as well. Surely Ino would have some concealer she could use.

Sakura swung her backpack around her shoulder, glanced at her reflection one final time and stepped out of the bathroom. She pulled the door closed behind her and faced the hallway. Her stomach instantly dropped to the floor and she felt as if she had suddenly been punched right in the chest. The air left her lungs in a slow wheeze.

Her eyes instantly moved to the couple making their way down the hallway, arms linked around one another's. The girl was someone Sakura instantly recognized as Karin Uzumaki, the Head Girl of Slytherin this year. She had her arms wrapped around a very familiar boy who had Sakura feeling as if she might throw up. Sasuke didn't appear to be too attentive to Karin as she hugged his elbow to her side, staring up at him as if he were the second coming of Merlin.

He stared straight ahead, toward Sakura but not looking at her at all. He looked right through her and somehow, that was so much worse. She wanted to walk by them, chin held high, looking through him but she was frozen to the spot, fighting the lump pressing against the back of her throat. Her head was screaming at her to take a step, to get back to her friends, to just move already before they got any closer.

Sakura did the only logical thing she could think of. She turned back to the bathroom and hurried inside, collapsing against the door with a deep, shaking breath. Her hands covered her face and sobbed into her palms, hating herself for letting them get to her like this. But what the hell wasthat?

He was already with someone? And not just someone, but Karin! The girl was the Slytherin snake personified and though she had no proof, Sakura suspected it was because of her that Sasuke decided to end their relationship the way that he had. And now, they were together. The thought left a bitter, disgusting taste in the back of Sakura's tongue and she quickly bent over the sink, her fingers shaking as she turned on the faucet.

She drank in several mouthfuls of water and spat them out, absolutely hating herself for reacting this way. Why did it have to affect her like this? Why couldn't she be like Ino and let things roll off her back? It wasn't fair.

Sakura sat back down on the toilet lid and blinked up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths to try to calm herself down. It was only after fifteen minutes or so that the urge to throw up subsided but by then, she was feeling just as bitter and miserable as she had the days after their breakup. She didn't want to feel this way all year. She just wanted things back to normal. She had the sinking feeling that her final year at Hogwarts would be anything but normal.

Several hours later, Sakura was joined at the end of the Ravenclaw table with her fellow Head Boy, Shikamaru. They sat in the seats closes to the sorting ceremony to welcome the new additions to the Ravenclaw house. Of course, the entire time, she had been trying to imagine the whole Slytherin table erupting into flames and hadn't paid much attention to who, or even how many new students, would be joining their house.

Thankfully, Shikamaru seemed to understand that she wouldn't be as enthusiastic as the other Head Girls and took on the role of proud, upper class man. He greeted the new first years with a smile and firm handshake, giving Sakura a look each time that said, 'you should be the one doing this'.

All she could offer was a fake smile that she knew was as cold as she felt on the inside. When the final 1st year was sorted into Hufflepuff and greeted with a friendly cheer from the table to Sakura's right, she snatched the pointed cap off of her head and dropped it onto the bench beneath her. It didn't go unnoticed and she managed to catch just a small trace of a scowl from the Headmistress as she stepped up to the podium on the raised platform where the professors were sitting.

For some reason, seeing Tsunade's disapproving frown cut deeper than having Sasuke look right through her and Sakura looked down at the table in front of her. It wasn't a secret that Sakura had become a favorite of the Headmistress, though no favoritism was ever shown. If anything, Sakura was now held up to a higher standard than the other students, especially under the condition in which she first attended Hogwarts.

Tsunade had done more for her than any other person, apart from her parents, ever had. Which was why Sakura felt extremely guilty for acting like a brat. She took a deep breath to collect herself and sort her emotions out before slipping her cap back onto her head. Across from her, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and she forced what she hoped was a warmer smile. She may not be feeling very warm, but she could fake it until she did.

The excited chatter making its way through the Great Hall was silenced with a lift of Tsunade's hand and Sakura folded her hands in her lap, ignoring the green and silver banner hanging at the opposite end of the room. She focused on the Headmistress' words and not on the fantasies of giant boulders falling onto two particular Slytherins.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts." Tsunade paused to let another round of applause work its way through the students. "There have been a few changes to the staff this year and I would like to introduce you all to Hana Inuzuka who has accepted the role of our nurse." The rest of her words were drowned out as a loud, raucous cheer erupted from the Gryffindor table.

Hana scowled playfully to her younger brother, but it was clear she was beaming with pride. However, Sakura's attention was pulled away from the young woman to a silver-haired man sitting on the opposite side of the empty chair where the Headmistress sat. He had a mask covering the lower portion of his face, from just beneath his eyes down beneath the robes he wore around his shoulders. But what was particularly strange, aside from covering the majority of his face, was the long scar down his left eye. It made him look instantly intimidating and by now, Sakura could hear the whispers from the other students at the table.

Whoever this guy was, he was already the talk of the whole school.

Had she not been so wrapped up in her own misery, Sakura might have noticed it sooner how most of the students were glancing at him nervously. By now, Tsunade had continued on introducing the staff and Sakura turned her focus back to the Headmistress' words.

"…Defense Against The Dark Arts, Professor Hatake." She turned to gesture a hand to him and though there was a round of applause, it was nothing compared to what Hana Inuzuka received. Then again, she had only graduated from Hogwarts a couple of years prior and had been a Quidditch star, so her name was still very fresh on their minds.

Professor Hatake on the other hand, was as menacing as his half-hidden face and scar and if the student body felt half as apprehensive about him as Sakura did, she wasn't surprised about the reaction to him. Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't one of her strong subjects, though she had been placed in the Advanced class this year, and knowing she would have to face someone like him in her 7th year was already making her feel a bit nervous.

She watched him blink, and his dark eyes cut to the left…exactly where she was sitting. His gaze met hers and she felt warmth creep up the length of her neck. It was only a quick glance, the kind you give to someone when you can feel them staring at you, but it was enough to make her entire face turn scarlet. He looked away just as Tsunade ended her address and another round of applause erupted from the students.

Plates and bowls of food appeared on the tables, breaking through Sakura's daze and she blinked down at the steam rising from the meal. Across from her, Shikamaru and Shino were digging into their food as if they hadn't eaten in days and the prefect girl beside Sakura was reaching for a piece of bread in the middle of the table.

"You gonna eat tha'?" Shikamaru asked, pointing his fork to the bowl of chocolate pudding beside Sakura's class of water. She shook her head as he relieved her of the dessert, and she knew if she didn't eat now, she was going to have a stomach ache after all those sweets on the train. Her stomach was begging her to stuff her mouth, but she managed to keep her eating habits to that of a human and not pigs like the boys across from her.

And the whole time she ate, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.