Disclaimer I do not own anything concerning Harry Potter or Naruto.

(Um, about the title... it is a funny joke between me and my little thirteen year old sister. And no, an espresso machine has nothing to do with the plot of this chapter. So if you don't like it, you can just read it as The Hogwarts Express. Actually, no, just deal with it:)

Fun fact, I do own the cover. I sketched it myself so that is why it has taken me so long to update this chapter. I apologize for that, but then again, it is a nice cover... even though Obito will not be in this chapter, I just felt like drawing him and Kakashi during Shippuden time!!!

Umm, you can request for me to draw a specific character or set of characters. I am trying to improve upon my drawing skills as well as my writting abilities. So if you could help me come up with any ideas, that would be extremely helpful and desired, because as an artist, it is hard to come up with ideas to draw. Also, I do not mind if you critique harshly on my drawings or paintings (I do those as well) I love to learn and improve my work. So if you have any constructive criticism for me, I would absolutely love to read it. I'm not exaderating. I love it when you guys correct my spelling and grammar, as well as give ideas for plots and special filler chapters.
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"Waky, waky Hatake..." a voice above Kakashi sounded. He opened his eyes, (well, eye) to see two pairs of deep brown eyes staring down at him, covered slightly with a mess of red hair... the twins. He mentally groaned at the sight of them, turning onto his side to escape them for just a little longer. He had been fortunate enough to be able to evade them while at Grimmauld Place, but now it seemed that his luck had just run out.

"Aw, look like someone is still a little tired." George said innocently, interpreting Kakashi's behavior as that.

"Well that's what he gets for staying up for five days straight with only seven hours of sleep. If he would just improve his sleeping habits then we wouldn't have this problem now would we?" Fred said, mimicking the same tone as his brother.

"What do you two want?" Kakashi asked irritated.

"It's time to get up, else we'll be late for the train." Fred clarified, moving to sit on the end of Kakashi's bed.

Kakashi grogily sat up, regretting not getting more sleep over the past few days. But he didn't want to get his body out of the habit of sleep deprivation. Last year when he returned from Hogwarts, he had a hard time getting used to no sleep again, his time at the lax castle confusing his endurance and ability to go without sleep for long periods of time.

"I had forgotten how cute you were when you are tired." George teased, looking down at the smaller, silver haired teen.

"Yeah, the messy hair and dark circles really add to your flawless complexion and dark, well um...eye." Fred added, smirking. The twins both knew that Kakashi wouldn't snap at them for teasing him. He had learned last year that no threats or actions would make them stop no matter how hard he tried.

"Alright I'm up now, so you two can leave." Kakashi said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"No can do my friend, Mom asked us to bring down all of the luggage and people, so..." Fred said dramatically, as if the task that they had been assigned was paramount to everyone's existence.

"That includes you!" George finished while reaching into Kakashi's bag to grab a handful of clothes. George tossed the garments towards Kakashi without looking at them, while moving over to wake up Harry and Ron. Both of whom also woke up groggy and anger; however, the twins ignored their idle threats, smiling happily as they moved about the room.

Kakashi quickly put on the clothes that George had handed him, glad that all of his clothes matched no matter what he put them with, everything being either black or gray and made from the same flexible material. Only instead of the sleeveless shirt like he had worn yesterday, George had handed him a longsleeve gray pullover, black pants and undershirt. Which would be perfect for the seven to eight hour long train ride to Hogwarts.

After getting dressed and wrestling with the twins about carrying down his own luggage, he, Harry and Ron made their way downstairs. Mrs. Weasley with the help of Ginny and Hermione, prepared a small breakfast and made lunch packs for the train ride. Kakashi grabbed an apple and some toast and decided to wait by the Kitchen entrance until the time to depart came. Mr. Weasley had rented a couple of cars from the Ministry to transport them from the house to the train station, which would be arriving in thirty minutes or so.

"Hatake." The gruff voice of Alastor Moody said beside Kakashi as the Ex-Auror entered the room. "Come with me, we have some things to discuss." He said in a hushed whisper, not wanting to draw any attention.

Kakashi followed the retired Auror into the office, the room now neatly clean and organized, as well as Boggart free. Moody stood in the center of the room and flicked his wand to close the black wooden door as Kakashi entered the space.

"We are one wand short on security." He began straight away, which Kakashi was greatful for. He hated the English standard of having to have small talk before getting to the real subject of conversation. He was lucky that Moody thought the same thing. "Stirges is as unreliable as Mundungus about these sorts of things. So it'll be your responsibility to keep an extra eye on Potter since you will be ridding with him in the train. So then it will be Tonks and myself who will be following to the north and east of your approach to the station. Now, I have advised Sirius against comming, but it seems that he is adamant about escorting Potter to the station as well. If anything should happen on his account, you are to keep him out of trouble. Tonks just became an Auror and is a little short of experience, but she is the best person besides yourself for infultraition. I shall be busy with the fundamentals and the luggage, so I will not be readily able to counterattack straight away, unlike yourself. So it is your responsibility to keep Potter alive and Black out of custody." Moody finished lamely. Kakashi completely understood, they were both bred for more complex and dangerous missions. A simple escort to a train station was way below their skill level.

"Hai." Kakashi said simply, but professionally. Moody eyed him closely, taking in every detail of the teen who stood before him.

"Dumbledore has told me everything concerning your... reasons for being here, and I strongly advise not leaving the Castle Grounds. Hogwarts as well as Grimmauld Place has been charmed to repel any sensory abilities, including most of those used by your kind. If you are to leave the boundaries, Voldemort as well as Orichamaru will be able to find you, more so than the others. You have a strong and unique chakra nature that is easy to detect, so you must not leave." He said grimly.

"Should I be concerned about the journey to Hogwarts. I doubt that the way through London to Scotland is under the same enchantments as here." Kakashi said.

"Constant vigilance is a Wizard's and Shinobi's best ally. Do not whatever you do... lower your guard." Was all the scarred wizard said before turning to depart, leaving the capable Shinobi alone.

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Later...

Kakashi hated vehicular transportation, the ride to King's Cross Station being the most unpleasant experience he couldn't imagine while in the Wizarding World. Mr. Weasley had managed to fit Harry, Ron, Hermione as well as the twins and Kakashi into the confines of the car. Kakashi was unlucky enough to be squeezed between both Fred and George, unable to get a suitable view of the window. He only prayed that they were not ambushed on the way to the station.

From what he had imagined a moving car to feel like, this was not it. He hadn't expected the driver to be incompetent and run every red light as well as run over every pothole and side curb in the city. The driver also assumed it was ok to speed twenty-five miles over the speed limit through bristling traffic. (Oddly enough, Ron had said the driver was actually doing a pretty good job for being a wizard.)

"So have you really never been in a car Kakashi?" Hermione asked as the driver took a sharp left turn, succeeding in hitting the curb while doing so. The young witch also looked unnerved by the Wizards driving, comming from a muggle family and lifestyle of having to rely on such mechanics. She looked thouroghly displeased about the whole situation.

"No." He said annoyed, hating how the movements of the car were proving to be nauseating for him. But then again, how else was he to feel when the twins both decided to purposefully squish him with each sharp turn they took, deliberately applying all of their weight and force on him.

"Yeah, they don't even have cars where he is from, or trains or airplains." Harry contributed, remembering their conversation from yesterday.

"Really mate? So then how do you get around?" Ron asked intrugued.

"We walk." Kakashi chided while Fred decided to harshly push against him as they made a right turn, roughly elbowing his injured side.

"Well then, I'm glad I was born a wizard." Ron said honestly, not liking the idea of having to walk to his every destination. Hermione sent the red head an irritated look, ashamed of her fellow wizard.

"You are ok though right?" Hermione asked Kakashi more concerned, frowning at the twins for their immature behavior.

"I'm fine." Kakashi said through clenched teeth, although it was quite the opposite. Fred and George had succeeded in adding more damage to his already broken ribs. He hadn't had time to change the bandages on his leg and he was certain that it was bleeding slightly. And his sholdur was being hit by an approximately 75Kg, tall, red headed teenager every turn they took. So no, he was not alright.

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Kakashi was happy for the first time in months when they had arrived at King's Cross Station, now able to leave the torture device known as a car. He quickly gathered his trunk and rucksack, while also helping Hermione carry Crookshanks' cage. Everyone was surprised to find out that Crookshanks could actually stand Kakashi, the orange flat faced cat not as hostile towards him as the others. Which in itself was surprising for Kakashi, he was more of a dog person than a cat person.

As they advanced towards the building with their luggage in tow, rain was starting to fall and the crowds hastily entered through the large awaiting doors. Kakashi was quite intrigued by the trains, there large colorful statures more impressive than he had assumed. The trains looked like wagons or bus-like carriages connected one after the other, placed upon steel wheels that follow a predetermined path. Inside there were multiple rows of seats, with a window alongside each row. He followed closely behind Harry and Ron, walking beside Hermione as they passed many platforms, making their way all the way down to Platforms nine and ten. From what he remembered, the Hogwarts train was located at Platforms Nine and Three Quarters, wondering how that was even possible.

His question was answered when he saw Ginny run through a barrier between Nine and Ten, making the name of the Platform make sense. She was quickly followed by the twins and Mrs. Weasley and her husband. He saw Harry standing idly by a large gray Irish Wolfhound; Sirius Black. Harry sent Kakashi a pleading look, silently voicing to have one last conversation with his Godfather before returning to Hogwarts. Kakashi sighed and led them to an empty waiting room, proceeding to stand outside the door as a guard, while also keeping track of the time. Moody would surely not like this change in the plan, but he can bring it up with Sirius if he really wanted to blame it on someone.

Unknown to both Harry and Sirius, Kakashi had heard their entire conversation about the first Order of the Phoenix and how Neville' s parents had been members before being tortured by Sirius's cousin; Belatrix Lestrange. So now Kakashi knew why Neville had to live with his Grandmother. He had always known that Neville had something sad about his past; his jumpy, nervous behavior giving it away. But now he had more respect for the clumsy wizard than he ever had before. Not that he didn't like Neville, the wizard actually proved to be good at Shinobi techniques, being able to control his own chakra better than anyone else in the school. So because of that, Kakashi had sort of befriended the shy and untalented wizard, but now he held him to higher standards. He had also picked out Sirius's words of there being a strange object or weapon that Voldemort wanted, but he didn't think that Harry caught onto it. Which was a good thing, he didn't need Harry running off to find said ominous dangerous object.

After Harry had said goodbye to his Godfather Sirius, he followed Kakashi to go through the magic barrier that led to the Hogwarts station. Kakashi wanted to observe the barrier with his Sharingan, but refrained from doing so. He had let these wizards know about it last year, but this year he didn't want to show or use it unless absolutely necessary. It drained his chakra considerably and the Wizards hadn't had such a nice reaction about his strange red eye. So, he would keep it hidden for the duration of the year. Kakashi had let Harry go through the barrier first, following directly behind. The magic behind the stone barrier was the strangest thing he had ever felt, it was like the magic preventing him from entering back into Grimmauld Place through the window, only now it was actually letting him in.

After passing through the stonebrick barrier, he was met with a huge metal red locomotive, the machine was beautiful and ingeniously
Engineered. It proved to be considerably larger than the other trains at the station; but considering that it had to transport at least 2,000 or so students, it had to be prodigious.

Harry and Kakashi made their way through the large crowd of expecting students and parents, most of which Kakashi recognized. However, it seemed that their numbers were considerably smaller than the previous year. Perhaps the death of a student scarred the parents into not allowing their child to attend after such a tragedy.

"HARRY, KAKASHI!" Mrs. Weasley called from a far off distance, motioning for them to hurry up. Kakashi looked up at a large circular clock that hung off the ceiling, the time showing to be three minutes till 11:00. Harry and Kakashi quickly loaded their bags onto the train and bid Mrs. Weasley farewell. Kakashi could tell that she had wanted to hug him as well, but instead she settled for shaking his hand.

"Be sure to keep up with your classwork and remember to study." Mrs. Weasley chided, "Follow the rules and don't cause any more problems for your teachers. Be safe!" She finished as he and Harry climbed the steps onto the large locomotive, the train's doors slamming shut behind them. A moments silence was followed by the gentle electrical murmur as the train began to move out of the station. The movement was slow until it exited the magic dome of the Platform, steadily beginning to speed up. Kakashi was glad that the trains movements were smooth, knowing now that he could handle it. He followed Harry down the train corridor, stopping in front of both Ron and Hermione.

"Shall we go and find a compartment then?" Harry asked. Both Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

"Um." Ron started.

"Well---- Ron and I are supposed to go into the Prefects carriage." Hermione replied awkwardly, becoming intensely interested in the fingernails on her left hand, trying to avoid eye contact with Harry.

"Oh." Harry said, "Right. Fine, yeah."

"I don't think that we will have to stay all journey," Hermione said quickly, hearing the disappointment in his voice. "Our letters said we just have to get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."

"Fine." Said Harry again. "Well I ---- we'll just see you later then." Harry said motioning towards Kakashi who was standing behind him patiently, not really caring about the situation.

"Yeah, definitely." Ron said, also not liking being without Harry on the way to Hogwarts. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather ---- but we have to ---- I know I won't enjoy it." Ron tried saying as Hermione grabbed him by the collar and started towing him away towards the front of the train. Harry watched as his two best friends left and turned to start finding his own compartment.

Kakashi had to admit that Ron reminded him of Gai a lot, his loyal and loud personality reminding him of the Leaf's Blue Beast. Just without the eye-wretching outfit and smile. Quickly shaking off the feeling of missing home, Kakashi followed Harry into a side compartment. Inside he recognized Neville Longbottom and another girl he remembered to be in Ravenclaw, Loony was her name?

"Hey Harry, Hi Kakashi!" Neville greeted cheerfully as he moved towards the window to give space for the two arriving people. Kakashi sat beside the small blonde girl as Harry sat beside Neville, who was holding a strange looking plant in his lap as he had his toad Trevor grasped tightly in his hand.

"How was your summer?" Neville asked curiously to both Harry and Kakashi.

"It was good." Harry answered lamely, leaving out all the details concerning the Dementor, Grimmauld Place, the Hearing and the Order. Neville gave him a defeated look, hoping to receive more news than just three syllables.

"I spent some time with Ron and his family, Kakashi also stayed near the end of it." Harry added in a little more detail, hoping it would be enough to satisfy his fellow Gryffindor.

Neville nodded absent mindidly, turning towards Kakashi to hear his answer. Kakashi struggled to come up with an answer that didn't involve death, assasination or being targeted by a creepy snake Sannin for his body. Harry also gave him a currious look, wondering what the Shinobi would say.

"Um... I traveled around with my Uncle to help with his research." Kakashi half lied. He had spent some time with Jiraiya before Minato's death, except it was for a recon mission located in the Mist. The excursion proved to be benifitial for the Leaf and it's ally's; however, it had taken to long for the information to be of any use. Jiraiya had spent to much time around the bath houses on the way to and from the Mist, causing them to miss their deadline. Sandaime was not pleased and had scolded both Jiraiya and himself. He couldn't understand why he had been heavily reprimanded, but didn't care enough to argue back. However, Jiraiya did, which made the whole situation even worse. In the end, Sandaime decided that it was his fault for Jiraiya's behaviour. Kakashi being the only one (besides Tsunade) who could control Jiraiya and his habit. The punishment that Hokage-sama had decided on was to have him go on a five day mission to deliver a scroll to the Sand with none other than Might Gai. Evidently becoming the worst five days of his life.

"Cool, what kind of research? And where did you travel to?" Neville asked intrigued. Harry tried to stifle a chuckle as he remembered what Kakashi had told him last year. That his Uncle Jiraiya was a pervert and wrote dirty books.

"We went to a distant Villiage to get information on missing person." Kakashi said, trying to keep to the cleanest truth he could manage. As easy as it was to lie and keep up with the lie, he wasn't in the mood to do that. He would be able to get on Harry's better side if he was as honest as possible, making his job easier.

Harry was taken back by his answer, he hadn't expected Kakashi to give an almost truthful answer. He thought that Kakashi would ignore the question intirely, making everything even more stiff and awkward. But the harsh Shinobi who was surprisingly afraid of cars answered Neville's question... of all people. Perhaps Kakashi could behave civilized every once in a while, unless it was for a higher purpose, then it would all surmount to an even bigger lie. Harry tried to shove away these negative thoughts as Neville bombarded Kakashi with even more questions about the missing person. Harry noticed that Kakashi kept giving vague details of the events but still kept to the truth as much as possible. Harry knew Kakashi's line of work and knew that Kakashi was keeping everything as sensored and clean as possible. He was now actually quite currious to know the real circumstances behind Kakashi and Jiraiya's missing persons case.

After Kakashi had answered Neville's questions to the best of his ability, his attention was directed towards the blonde girl in the compartment. Her pale eyes peering over the upside down magazine in her hands.

"Your the boy who won the Tournament last year along with Harry, right? So then what are you doing back here?" She asked with a silky voice. Neville had also forgotten that Kakashi was only here last year for the Tournament, wondering why he didn't ask that question earlier.

"I got accepted as a student, but I'll probably only attend this school term." He answered.

"You mean that you can do wizarding magic?" Neville asked surprised, knowing that Kakashi was a Shinobi, which was very different than a wizard.

"Sort of..." Kakashi answered unsure.

"Sort of? What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, now entering the conversation.

"The last time I used magic, it burned my hand. It even blocked a few of the tenketsu points throughout my arm, it took weeks to open them back up." He said, lifting his right arm to show the burn scars around his wrist. Harry remembered the bandages around his arm when it happened, but didn't know it had been that severe.

"Oh yeah, that happens to those who have a high concentration of magical energy. That's why Seamus keeps blowing up stuff whenever he performs simple spells." Neville explained.

"But that doesn't explain how you can be a wizard. I thought that you and Minato Sensei were Shinobi, which is very different than a wizard." Luna asked more in depth. Kakashi's heart panged with guilt at the mention of his Sensei's name, but answered her question anyway. He had to keep up his fascade of being a sort of cheerful student like he had last year when he was here. He didn't care what Harry thought of him by doing so, it was all for the mission.

"Dumbledore said that my family was descended from a powerful wizarding bloodline." Kakashi replied.

"Hmm." Neville said, "I wonder which one it is. There are only a handful of long pureblood families, and we are all interconnected to each other on account of wanting to keep the line pure. You and I could quite possibly be distant cousins or something like that." Neville said intrigued.

The idea that he could be related to all pureblood families was really quite interesting to Kakashi, he might see if there were any family history books in the library to see if any of his family names showed up. The Hatake clan was one of the oldest clans in the Villiage (most definitely the richest besides the Sarutobi clan), so he would have to look centuries or more back.

Harry still thought it was strange that Kakashi was a wizard, as well as a Shinobi. It seemed so convenient that it made him worry. Most of the long and powerful wizarding bloodlines were Dark wizards, and only a handful were against Voldemort. The Weasleys and the Longbottoms being the only ones he could think of at that moment. What if Kakashi was related to a truly awful wizarding bloodline, like the Malfoys or the Lestranges... or even Tom Riddle himself through Salazar Slytherins line. It made sense for those wizards to want to have Shinobi relatives, they were a powerful culture with abilities exceeding that of a wizards. And now to have their seed return to the wizarding community seemed preplanned for disaster. Harry's mind ran through all of these thoughts, thinking if he was being over cautious and suspicious, or if he was beginning to go crazy. His train of thought ended abruptly when Ron and Hermione entered the compartment, sitting down beside him and Kakashi.

"Ugh, you would not believe who made Slytherin Prefect for the fifth years!" Ron said loudly, rubbing his hands tiredly across his face.

"Malfoy." Hermione finished, also looking upset. Harry's stomach dropped, how could Dumbledore promote the very person who's father is a Death Eater and had tried to kill Ginny and a many number of muggle borns in the school using Tom Riddles Diary in their second year. He felt absolutely betrayed.

"Your not serious are you?" Neville asked hopefully.

"Completely." Hermione said to the disappointment of Neville. "Both he and Pansky Parson are Slytherin Prefects. I don't know how she ever made it to be Prefect, at least Malfoy has the grades to be one, but she is more dense than Crabbe and Goyle combined."

"Did you just praise Draco Malfoy?" Ron asked betrayed.

"I'm just saying that even though he is a selfish crude person, he is a good student in terms of academics. He's at the top of Slytherins class." Hermione explained, trying to avoid an oncoming argument concerning Malfoy. Ron huffed loudly, his face reddening with anger, except not towards Hermione, just the situation as a whole.

"We are going to loose so many house points because of him." Ron complained. "And none of them will be for a valid reason either. At least we are good at getting the right amount of points to win at the end of the year." Ron said, looking on the bright side.

"And do you remember how we always managed to get those points Ron?" Hermione asked rhetorically, sarcasm laced heavily in her voice.

"Oh yeah..." Ron said defeated.

"Correct. I really don't want this year to end like our others. I know that we won the house cup by getting points for doing special services to the school. But each of those times, we have always ended up almost getting killed (or worse expelled). The only points that don't contribute to that fact are the ones that Neville earned in our first year for going to Professor Snape's office when Querrel had almost gotten the sorcerer's stone." Hermione ranted. Ron looked down at his lap ashamed of his words, also not wanting to be in any more life threatening situations. However, Neville beamed with pride at the mention of his actions in their first year at Hogwarts. That being the first and only time he had ever earned points for his house.

"Anyway, we should go and patrol through the hallways to be sure that everything is going smoothly and that everyone is dressed for the opening Cerimony and the Feast." Hermione said, standing up to do as she just said. Ron sighed deeply, but followed her before she could tug on his clothes or pull on his ear like she had done earlier.

Harry watched enviously as they left, having wanted to have been a school Prefect like his dad. Hopefully next year he would be able to, but considering that Voldemort had returned and was hunting him down to kill him and recruit his bodyguard, he didn't think he would ever get the chance.

That previous thought having put a damper on his mind, Harry sat quietly through the rest of the train ride, starring out of the cold foggy window.

Kakashi noticed that something had almost instantaneously put Harry in a bad mood. But luckily it was not his responsibility to deal with his emotions, only to protect him and make sure he didn't get killed. Sure that also included preventing Harry from doing self harm, but Harry was far from doing anything to hurt himself intentionally.

As the time came to change into their robes, Kakashi grabbed the ridiculous uniform from his pack and left to put it on. The changing rooms were connected to the bathrooms on the train, which was near the Slytherin compartments. After he had gotten dressed into his black slacks and white button up shirt with his very own noose, he stepped out of the stall to run into none other than Draco Malfoy. Surprisingly he was not being accompanied by his two large lackies, Crabb and Goyle, instead he was alone, tying up his tie.

"Hatake?" Draco asked confused, the sight of the Triwizard Champion throwing him off a bit.

"Malfoy." Kakashi said, however not meanly, just in recognition. The heir to the Malfoy family looked over Kakashi's appearance, recognizing the Hogwarts uniform and starred in surprise at the sight of the stern Shinobi in something other than his typical apparel.

"So, you will be attending Hogwarts this year." Malfoy said in a statement, leaning up against the small counter sink.

"Yes, since I had already graduated from my own academy, I was invited to stay for a year to learn wizarding magic." Kakashi said congenitally. Malfoy looked pleased at his words, which was confusing for Kakashi. He thought that the blonde didn't like him, unless of course he knew from his father what had transpired the night of the third trial and knew that Voldemort wanted him to join his forces.

"Do you have an idea of what house you will be sorted into? Because I know that last year you were forced to stay with the Gryffindor's. And I could see that you didn't fit in well with them, you don't have the attributes of a Gryffindor. I hope that you get sorted into Slytherin, you would do very well with us... ambitious, cunning, determined and leadership. All of which are great qualities that you posses, all of the qualities of a true Slytherin." Draco said in the form of a compliment, smiling kindly at him. His smile is what proved to Kakashi that Draco Malfoy did not have any idea of what had truly happened the night Cedric Diggory was murdered, his smile was to genuine to be a lie. He knew this for certain because that was the smile he always wore himself... a lie.

"Thank you." was all Kakashi said, not wanting to give a solid answer because he knew that it didn't work that way. And even if he was a true Slytherin, Dumbledore would have most likely told the Sorting Hat to put him in Gryffindor, so that he would be able to guard Harry 24/7. He nodded a gesture in farewell to the fifth year Slytherin, not planning on telling the others of his encounter with Draco.

However, what Malfoy had said had struck some concern in him. What if Dumbledore hadn't told the Sorting Hat anything concerning where he should go. If he was put into Slytherin, which was more than likely possible, all of Harry's suspicions and accusations over him would be true to his mind. Potter and the others did not trust or like anyone who was a Slytherin. It wouldn't necessarily mess up his guarding abilities and duties over Harry. He knew where the Gryffindor tower was and what window Harry slept by from the outside of the tower. Sure he would be getting little to no sleep, but that was something he would just have to deal with. And in terms of classes, the Slytherins and Gryffindors were always put together, so he wouldn't have to worry about that. So as long as he wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, he would be alright. But he didn't doubt that he wouldn't get sorted into either of those two. Sure he possessed some of the qualities that make up those two houses, but they weren't the dominant attributes that he possessed.

He quickly walked back to the compartment to find that they were thirty minutes away from Hogsmeade Villiage. He wondered how they would get to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade, the last time he was here he had arrived by Floo Powder, so he didn't know how the students arrived. All he knew was that the first years went through a more elaborate and longer route with Hagrid, although he didn't know what.

"Harry?" Kakashi asked quietly, starting a conversation for the first time since he got to Europe. Harry turned, surprised that Kakashi had been the first one to speek, he was also surprised to see that Kakashi was dressed head to toe in the Hogwarts uniform, the only off thing being that he had kept the mask and headband. Last year, Kakashi had been able to convince all of the teachers to allow him to wear it, he had even managed convince Professor Snape, which had surprised everyone.

"Yeah?"

"How are we getting to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade Villiage." Kakashi asked in his professional tone, making it clear that he was only asking on account of the mission and not for pleasurable conversation.

"Magic Carriages. And by carriage I mean like the ones that you have in your Viliage and not like muggle cars." Harry answered in detail, knowing that Kakashi would want a straightforward answer with the full details. Kakashi nodded in thanks and went back to sitting quietly.

Harry thought that Kakashi looked less threatening in the Hogwarts uniform than he did in his regular clothing. He also looked much smaller and younger, the billowing robes practically swallowing him up, dispite his fit and muscular form. The only thing that kept Harry from thinking that he was a different person was his silver white hair. He also felt that Kakashi would be able to fit in much better than last year because he was wearing the same uniform as everybody else. Sure Kakashi had been here for the Tournament and was allowed to wear whatever he wanted, but now it seemed that he was just one of the populace. It helped Harry to think that he was more equal to him, and not below.

As the train came to a smooth stop at the station, Kakashi made to grab his luggage before Harry stopped him, saying that magic automatically brought up the stuff to their rooms. Shrugging his sholdurs while regretting that he did so, Kakashi followed Harry, Neville and Luna out of the train and later met up with Ron and Hermione. Together they walked to the trail that would take them up by carriage to the castle. Kakashi noticed that Neville had brought along his strange looking plant and wondered why he didn't leave it on the train. When he had asked about it, apparently the plant was very rare and extremely expensive, and that it had been a birthday present from his Uncle in Syria. Surprisingly, Neville had the same birthday as Harry. Kakashi remembered that Neville's best subject was Herbology, so it made sense for him to receive a gift concerning the only talent he possessed. Well except for chakra control, Neville had been the only one who had shown any promise concerning Shinobi abilities. This made Kakashi even more currious to know if he was directly related to the Longbottom line.

As they approached the carriages, Kakashi noticed that Harry was giving him concerned glances.

"What is it now!?" Kakashi asked in a harsh whisper, not wanting the others to hear.

"Well um... I just noticed that when you were grabbing your stuff you seemed..." Harry tried saying.

"Its nothing, I'll be alright." Kakashi said relitavely kind.

"So something did happen!" Harry said as if he had expected something all along. He had noticed that Kakashi was being cautious of moving his right arm and he had a slight limp in his left leg. Also when the twins were being harsh on him in the car, he thought he had seen Kakashi wince once or twice, but brushed it off because he had nothing else to go on. But his behavior on the train had heightened his suspicions, and now they were true.

"Like I said, it's nothing. It happened a week ago, I'll be fine." Kakashi said through clenched teeth, trying not to loose his temper.

"So it happened when you were out on a mission?" Harry asked, knowing that Kakashi could have only gotten it from when he was home and not at Grimmauld Place, considering he had only been there for a few days total.

"Don't discuss my work out in the open, you'll blow my cover!" Kakashi whispered harshly, glaring daggers at the boy-who-lived. Harry instantly stopped talking. Kakashi was right, they were to exposed to discuss topics like that. At Grimmauld Place it was ok, everyone knew of his mission and his true identity. But here at Hogwarts, all everyone else knew was that he was the Triwizard Tournament Champion who was now attending the school to continue his education. They were not under any circumstances supposed to know that he was an undercover assassin/spy/guard/military operative.

Harry stopped in his tracks as they approached the carriages. Before him stood the strangest creature he had ever laid eyes on. It was shapped like a horse, only instead of soft fur, it had black leather looking skin that was grotesquely pulled to tight over its thin body. The creatures bones showed almost transparently through the thin layer of skin. The beast also had huge, long wings that resembled a bats, only they drapped down past it's long thin legs, dragging across the gravel. The horse also had large white eyes that made it look like it was blind. Only, the deep intelligent look proved to you that it was not indeed blind, but could possibly see things the natural eye could not. Ron and Hermione stopped beside him, wondering what had caused their friend to stop in his tracks.

"Do you see that?" Harry asked. In the previous years, he had never before seen this creature pulling the carriages, they were always pulling themselves through some kind of enchantment. He wondered why they had decided to ditch the spell and replace it with these huge ugly creatures. He knew that the shock of Voldemort being back was frightening, but that didn't mean that the school had to lose all it's sense.

"What?" Hermione and Ron asked both simultaneously.

"That, pulling the carriage." Harry said in more detail, wondering how they could not know what they were talking about.

"Nothing is pulling the carriage Harry, it's pulling itself like always." Hermione said, now concerned for the sanity of her best friend.

"Do you mean to say that you cannot see the huge scally horse-like creature pulling the carriage!?" Harry said more sarcastically, his patients running thin.

"I can see it. So what's the big deal? I thought that these big ugly things had always been here." Kakashi said while climbing into the carriage. Ron and Hermione looked at him strangely as well.

"I can sort of see them, although it's more like I can see the faded outline of them, like their a ghost." Neville said timidly. "Although since no one else could see them, I just learned to ignore them. But how come you can see them now when before you could not?" Neville asked.

"That's because they can only be seen by people who have seen death." Luna contributed in her silky, dreamy voice. The four of them turned towards her as she sat down at the head of the carriage, twirling the odd necklace made of butterbeer caps between her pale fingers.

"Now that would make sense." Kakashi said. "I thought it was odd at first that no one else could see them but me, but now I understand. I have obviously seen death and Neville has witnessed an act close to death, that's why he can only see the ghost of them. Harry can now see them because of what happened to..." Kakashi said trailing off, not wanting to upset Harry, who had already proven to be an emotional wreck concerning the subject of Cedric.

Harry and the others now had a full grasp of the situation, lowering their heads in sadness at the mention of Cedric Diggory. Kakashi mentally groaned at the now melancholy atmosphere, regretting ever bringing up the now dead 17 year old. Luckily Harry had quickly climbed into the carriage, followed by Ron and Hermione to help normalize the situation. However, the trek up to Hogwarts School was quiet and awkward. No one spoke, and the only sound present was the quiet hum of the wind and the soft movement of gravel under the wheels of the carriage.

After a few minutes, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was now in full view. The tall towers and majestic structure was an eye opening view that comforted the hearts of those in the carriage. Harry was so glad to finally be home, he could already smell the delicious feast and feel the warm heat from the touches in the great hall. His heart yearned to be within the walls of this majestic castle. After a long summer of stressing over whether or not he would be able to return to the school had really put him in a depressed mood. And even though he had won the court case against him, it didn't settle his nerves until this moment, in the presence of the one place that made him feel wanted and safe.

However, the sight of the huge castle did not comfort Kakashi. Instead it made him dread of weeks to come. He looked at it as a prison, forced to live within the cold walls of the only place that could possibly keep him safe from Orichamaru. He dreaded the sleepless nights of having to keep guard over Harry and the others and having to keep up with annoying classwork. When he had graduated from the Academy he was so happy, he hates studying and going to class, always eager to begin life threatening missions and assignments. But when that moment finally came, he had regretted ever looking forward to it. The war had cost him his teammates and former classmates. Only a few Shinobi remained from his graduating class. Now he had to suffer through another year of dealing with people who had no idea of what happened in the real world. These wizards were soft and weak and did not have to suffer from nightmares of watching your comrades die over and over again in their sleep. He had only managed the previous year because Minato Sensei had been their to help him through it, but now he had no one. Minato Sensei was dead and it was all his fault.

Swallowing away the feelings of guilt and nausea, Kakashi quickly stepped out of the carriage and followed the others inside the castle. There was no turning back now.

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That concludes this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it!!!

I'll try to publish the next chapter a lot sooner, but I can't make any promises.

Have an amazing week!!!