A/N: This chapter turned out shorter than the previous one, but it's still over 7,000 words. It's pretty long, I think. I hope it's not boring - it's still about three chapters before they arrive at Hogwarts and get sorted.

Thank you for all your reviews! There's not much (it's funny that a lot of people read it, put it in their favs and alerts, but don't review) but still I'm thankful. Now I'd like to answer some of the reviewers:

Diamonds-r-4ever-so-am-i:there will be many important characters in that story and Sakura will be one of them, but I can't say that she's the main character (I don't think there's going to be one anyway).

Angelic Sakura Blossom: sorry, I can't spoil the surprise. :) You're going to have to wait for a while (actually a long while). :)

Wind Kunai: thanks so much for your long review! I'm really happy that you like it so much. :) You won't be able to find out about that wand in the Internet, but there will be some clues in the story later on. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much.

Please help me decide the pairings for Hermione and Ron. Should I have them together or with someone else?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor Harry Potter. They belong to Kishimoto and Rowling respectively.

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THE WIZARDING NINJAS
and the Triwizard Tournament

Chapter Three: the duel, the lesson and the discovery

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Sakura turned yet another page of the thick book she was currently holding. She was completely absorbed in the reading – yes, she has always liked reading, but this time it was slightly different. Actually it was the wizarding world that interested her so – everything from the magical creatures, spells and potions to the structure of the Ministry of Magic made it difficult for her to tear her eyes away from the text.

Sakura lifted her eyes reluctantly to her teammate's face as he plopped down next to her and put his back against the tree, “What are you reading, Sakura-chan?” the blonde asked as he closed his eyes, panting heavily. Sakura reached out to heal the multiple scratches on her teammate's skin. The small clearing they've discovered three days ago was perfect for training as well as relaxing, that's why they spent lot a of their time here, when they weren't at the Leaky Cauldron or shopping on the Diagon Alley which Sakura secretly came to love.

“I'm reading a book about the subjects on Hogwarts. You should also read it, Naruto,” the girl suggested. “Kakashi-sensei said that we'll have to choose at least two elective courses we want to take before we arrive at the Hogwarts.”

“Elective courses?” Naruto shook his head dejectedly. “It's like the Academy all over again...”

“It's going to be much more difficult and tiring than the Academy,” Sasuke closed the book he had just finished and sat up. “Passing the Ninja Academy exams is relatively easy. Practically everyone manage to do it,” Naruto flinched, remembering his first unsuccessful attempt to pass the final exam. “These... O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s are a totally different story. It requires a lot of practicing and learning to do well on them.”

Sakura smiled. Even though a lot of people saw Sasuke as a more of 'practical' kind of guy, he was actually very smart, too. Three days ago he approached her and asked to borrow some of her books and now he could be seen reading them almost everywhere. He simply understood that they needed to learn about this world in order to be able to understand it better and fit it. Sakura looked at her other teammate, who spent his every free moment practicing ninja skills, “Naruto, don't forget that the other students are three years ahead of us,”

The blonde sighed, “But shouldn't Kakashi be the one to teach us?”

“Do you see him here, dobe?” muttered Sasuke. Kakashi disappeared after telling them that he has an important meeting and will be back shortly. That was nearly two days ago. Now all (almost – see Naruto) the ninjas either bought or borrowed books and tried to learn as much as they could during their sensei's absence, “Sakura, can I take this one after you finish?” the dark-haired boy continued, pointing to the book in the girl's hands.

“Sure,” the girl smiled and handed him the book. “Actually, I've just finished it.”

Naruto scooted over to the pinkette, “So, do you know now what subjects you want to learn?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, it's so difficult to choose, they're all so fantastic,” she said. “I'd like to take Care of the Magical Creatures and Arithmancy courses for sure, but Muggle Studies and Study of Ancient Runes sound exciting, too!”

Naruto snorted. He did not find them exciting at all.

Sasuke got back to his comfortable position and opened the book Sakura gave him to start reading. He glanced at Naruto one last time before he started reading, “I suggest that you start learning if you want to survive in that school at all,” he muttered with a scoff.

Naruto was getting ready to launch at his arrogant teammate when his crush's voice stopped him, “And, if you don't want to be left behind Sasuke,” she added in a sweet voice, smirking at Sasuke secretly when Naruto growled.

“Sakura-chan, can you give me one of these books here?”

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Her eyes followed his movements from the window in her room as she watched him follow Ron outside. She fought a traitorous blush that threatened to appear on her face; she felt stupid and embarrassed for still having this hopeless crush on the Harry Potter.

He was The-Boy-Who-Lived. And who was she? A little sister of his best friend, the one that was foolish enough to fall right into Tom Riddle's trap two years ago. Ginny Weasley could never attract his attention, no matter what she did.

And when she tried to forget about the childish crush, the one that lingered from the very first time she saw him, Ginny could not do it. Even now, when she learned about his obvious feelings towards that Ravenclaw fifth-year, Cho Chang. What's worse, she couldn't bring herself to tell him about the girl's relationship with Cedric Diggory, which she found out about from Luna Lovegood, a slightly crazy Ravenclaw from her year. She just couldn't risk hurting him.

“Ginny?” a voice spoke tentatively from the door. “Your mother wants you to come join us for the dinner downstairs.”

“I'll be down in a sec,” the red-head answered distantly, her eyes still focused on the sight outdoors. Her older brothers were levitating a large table outside while Harry and Ron carried plates in their arms.

Hermione reached the younger girl and followed her eyes, “Oh, Ginny,” she murmured, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. She felt bad for the girl, the one-sided affection she held for Harry was really hurting her.

“It's okay, Hermione,” Ginny plopped on her bed with a forced smile. “I think I'm starting to accept it. Slowly.”

“I'm not telling you to forget or force it completely out of your mind, but...” Hermione trailed off. “maybe you should just enjoy yourself. Look at other boys, be a little more... relaxed about the whole thing. You know what I mean, Ginny.”

The girl nodded feebly. Hermione's words seemed wise – she shouldn't be stuck on Harry for the rest of her life, she should start dating other boys. Maybe he would notice her someday and if not... she would simply have to come to terms with it, “You're right. Thanks, Hermione,” she sent the older girl a real smile and stood up, suddenly struck with a sudden wave of energy. “Let's go downstairs, shall we?”

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Kakashi bowed to the man in front of him slightly. He was one of the few people whom he truly respected and admired – he was a person to be trusted in every possible situation. That's why, with this particular problem, he decided to turn right to him, “Professor,”

“Ah, Kakashi Hatake, long time no see,” Albus Dumbledore smiled, gesturing the man to sit down. They were in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, a place Kakashi used to visit a lot of times during his own schooling, but now barely remembered the way it looked, “Please, call me Albus. No need for the formalities, you are no longer a student.”

Kakashi nodded and make his way to the particular shelf where small phials were located. He took out his wand and reached for the empty one, “Can I?” he asked and as the old man nodded, he pointed the wand to his head. A stream of blue light appeared and Kakashi led it to the small phial in his hand, successfully filling it.

Albus Dumbledore watched the process carefully, “I suspect that this memory concerns the girl?”

“It's the conversation I had had with Hokage-sama yesterday,” the man explained. “It concerns the current situation in Konoha... Albus, you need to understand that I am disobeying the Hokage's orders by coming here.”

“I see,” Dumbledore nodded. “So it must be something very important. I shall look at it later.”

Kakashi got up from his seat and made his way to his former teacher, “Albus, the things are not good back in Konoha. We are on the verge of war and I am positive that it is connected with the last happenings in the wizarding world.”

“Yes, I know about the Sound village,” nodded Dumbledore. “But can you tell me why did Tsunade fail to tell me about it?”

“She believes that we can't rely on the help of the wizards forever,” Kakashi shook his head wistfully. “She will never understand the wizarding world fully. She is a ninja, a very powerful ninja, but not a witch. That's why she doesn't understand that our worlds are connected. Because it is not a coincidence that so many chuunins will start attending the Hogwarts this year, am I right?”

“I believe so,” nodded Dumbledore. “It is also not a coincidence that they are at the same year as Harry Potter.”

“That boy is very powerful, isn't he? That Harry Potter,” inquired Kakashi. “By the way, I got an owl from Mr Ollivander today concerning Sasuke Uchiha. He wrote that he haven't seen anyone with that big amount of magic in his body since he sold a wand to Tom Riddle.”

“This is very interesting, indeed,” admitted Dumbledore. “Has he mentioned any of the others?”

“He called Neji Hyuuga, Shino Aburame and Tenten Ming very powerful, too,” continued Kakashi. “And he believes that Hinata Hyuuga and Sakura Haruno posses some rare magical abilities.”

“We'll have to check it eventually,”

“Professor...” Kakashi trailed off. “I've been meaning to ask you this question for a long time. Do you think that the Dark Lord will come back?”

Albus Dumbledore sat down and looked at his former student from behind of his glasses, “It is a very controversial question. Many suspect that he might find a way to regain his power, others find the idea ridiculous. If you want to know my opinion then yes. Yes, I believe that he will get back to his powerful self.”

“And what do you want to do about it?” asked Kakashi, a little irritated about the man's nonchalance.

“We can try to stop him,” Dumbledore answered. “but I believe it is useless.”

“So what will happen when he gets his power back?”

“We'll leave it to the ones that are the most suitable to fight him,” Dumbledore said as he handed him a pile of shiny tickets. “They'll be ready.”

Kakashi nodded and looked at the paper in his hands, “Quidditch World Cup finals? You want me to take them here?”

“It will be a perfect opportunity to teach them more about the wizarding community,” Dumbledore smiled, his eyes sparkling behind the glasses. “How are the lessons going along, by the way?”

Kakashi fidgeted nervously with a sheepish smile on his face. He didn't want to admit that he hasn't taught them anything yet – he wanted to, really, but important matters came up and he had to take care of them instead. They should be absorbing some theoretical knowledge from the books anyway. Somehow, he didn't think that Naruto would read even a single chapter, though. Foolish boy.

Dumbledore stared at him expectantly but Kakashi was spared from answering. Professor Minerva McGonagall dashed into the office, her expression furious and cheeks slightly pinkish, probably from running along the long corridors of the Hogwarts. The woman nodded feebly at Kakashi before turning to the Headmaster, “Albus, I can't stand it any longer,” she said simply.

Dumbledore looked at the woman with a small smile, “What happened, Minerva?”

“These journalists are driving me crazy!” she muttered. “They keep on harassing me and all the other teachers about that Wilmore girl. And that woman, Skeeter, she just appears out of nowhere! I really can't put up with this anymore.”

“Calm down, Minerva, I'll talk to them,” reassured the man. “Kakashi, I believe you should go back to your students?”

Hatake nodded and thanked God for this interruption. Soon, he left the office quietly.

Dumbledore could hardly conceal a sigh when he thought about the journalists. Answering the unnecessary questions was probably one of the few things he actually loathed.

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On the fourth morning they spent in the Leaky Cauldron the teams met up for breakfast as usual. Tom made sure they got a delicious breakfast and even managed to get some ramen for Naruto, who was so delighted that he actually enveloped the poor barman in a tight hug. Hinata and Sakura, who were watching the scene from the doorway, giggled at the traces of embarrassment visible on Tom's face.

“N-naruto-kun l-loves his precious r-ramen so m-much,” stuttered Hinata with a small blush on her face.

“I believe he loves ramen more than anything in this world,” grumbled Sakura as they settled down for the breakfast.

The ninjas ate slowly, chatting about the wizarding world and the books they have already read. Eventually they started conversing about Hogwarts and the subjects they wanted to take and the houses they wanted to be in. The breakfast was uneventful so far, until a man appeared next to the long table, startling Chouji who was devouring his fifth plate of food.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura exclaimed angrily. “You're back at least! Where have you been? You're supposed to teach us!”

“We can't learn everything from the books,” added Shikamaru with his expression as lazy as ever. “We need some practice with the wands, too.”

“I'm sorry,” said Kakashi and probably for the first time in his career gave a truthful reason for his lateness. “I had to visit Tsunade-sama and the Headmaster of your school. And I had to get the allowance for you to use magic outside of school. Because, as you probably know from the books you've read already,” he sent a look at the fidgeting Naruto, “students are not allowed to use magic outside of school. Now you can practice but only under my supervision or in your rooms at the Leaky Cauldron.” he finished.

“So we're actually going to use wands now?” asked Ino excitedly.

“Yes,” admitted Kakashi. “Actually I was hoping we could start the lesson now, if you're done with the breakfast.”

The teens nodded and followed Kakashi who lead them up the stairs and into his room. It was a lot bigger than their own rooms and when the jounin used his wand to place all the furniture by the walls it was big enough for all of them to stand in the middle and have a lot of space for themselves.

“As Shikamaru has mentioned,” started Kakashi. “Reading books to learn using magic is not enough. The essential part is to be able to control your wand perfectly in order to make the spell work exactly the way it should.”

“Is it something similar to perfecting chakra control?” asked Neji.

“You could say that,” said Kakashi, took out his wand and gestured them to do the same. “The essential part is concentration. Without concentrating on the spell, you won't be able to use it correctly. Also, the wrist movement and saying the words properly is crucial.”

Kakashi motioned the ninja to come closer to him where he placed several kunais on the ground, “Let's start with a simple levitating spell. First-years at Hogwarts learn it on Charms. Now, does anyone know how to cast a levitating spell?”

Sakura lifted her hand shyly, “I can try,” she said. Kakashi nodded and gestured her to continue. The girl lifted her wand, “Windgarium Leviosa!” she exclaimed and swished her wand. One of the kunais gently lifted into air and moved as Sakura instructed it to with her wand. The rest of the ninjas stared at her with awe, even Sasuke activated his Sharingan to memorize the movement of her hand.

“Very good, Sakura! You did that on your first try, I'm impressed,” he complimented the flushed girl. “It seems you're not only an expert in controlling the chakra, but also in casting spells.”

And then they started practicing the spell, some of them – such as Shikamaru (who got it on his fourth try), Neji (whose kunai kept falling down at the first few tries before he managed to control it) and Sasuke (who made his launch into air and embed itself in the ceiling on the first try) managed to cast the spell successfully really quickly while some of the others experienced a lot of problems with it. Naruto and Kiba's kunais refused to lift while Chouji's fell down as soon as it rose. The rest did relatively well, but still needed more practice. Kakashi was walking from one student to another, trying to help them with the movements and words.

“Alright,” Kakashi interrupted. “I see that some of you still need more practice, but you can do it later in your rooms. Now I would like to show you several other spells I want you to know. You're lucky that with you being a ninja it is easier for you to learn a spell than for a normal person, since you have chakra as well. When you get back to your rooms, I expect you to practice them as long as you get them right, understand? I'll check it on the tomorrow's session.”

Kakashi ignored Naruto and Kiba's groans and approached Sasuke, “Now, I think that Sasuke will be the best one to show us the next spell, since I can see that his spells are very powerful. It is used to make a small explosion. Try to use it, Sasuke,” he explained the movement and pronunciation to the boy, “Cast it on my wardrobe. Don't worry, I'll repair it later.” he reassured.

Sasuke shrugged his arms. He didn't know if he could cast the spell correctly but he would try it at least, “Bombarda!” he exclaimed.

Kakashi lifted his hand and quickly cast a shield spell to protect himself and the rest of the group from the huge explosion. The wardrobe, along with a bed and desk nearby, tore into pieces that flew everywhere, creating a considerable amount of dust in the room.

Kakashi coughed as he removed the dust with a flick of his wand and stared at the sight in front of him. The three pieces of furniture were completely destroyed. He turned to stare at Sasuke incredibly, who in turn just shrugged his arms helplessly. How was he supposed to know that his spell will cause so much destruction?

“Uh, well,” murmured Kakashi uncertainly, apparently still shocked at his student's performance of incredible power. “I guess we should try a repairing spell right now?

“Reparo!” it was Sakura who cast a spell. She watched as the pieces mended together to create exactly the same wardrobe, desk and bed as before. “Kakashi-sensei, isn't 'Bombarda' a spell used to create small explosions?”

“It usually is. We use the other version of the spell, 'Bombarda Maxima', to create an explosion like this,” the wizard explained. “But sometimes, if the person casting the spell is very powerful and puts all of his might in it, the explosion may be a lot bigger, just like the one Sasuke created,” he continued. “I'm impressed, by the way. And you did good with the repairing spell, too, Sakura.”

The group practiced the two spells, but no one, even Neji and Shino whose 'Bombarda' spells were also impressive, didn't manage to beat Sasuke's explosions. Afterwards, they practiced a few other spells, such as 'Accio', 'Alohomora', 'Silencio' and 'Sonorus'. The lesson lasted for the whole day with a brief break for the dinner.

“Whoa, I'm beat,” murmured Naruto when he plopped down on a bed in their room. After hours of practicing he finally managed to cast some of the spells properly, but still had a lot of work to do.

“Accio book,” murmured Sasuke as soon as he entered the room. He watched with satisfaction as the book flew right into his outstretched palm. “Practice, dobe. You're still far behind me and Sakura.” he said. Sakura fought a light blush that threatened to make its way onto her face – after all it wasn't everyday that her stoic teammate complimented her. She became even more perplexed when Sasuke approached her and asked, “Can you help me with those enlarging and reducing spells?”

“Yes, of course, Sasuke,” she smiled and started explaining her method of using the spells to the boy, while Naruto lay on his bed with his eyes closed.

Sasuke cast a look at the blonde, “You listen, too, dobe. If you don't want to lose to me,”

“You are so full of yourself, huh?” growled Naruto as he sprang from his seat. “How about a duel, then? Only using our wands, no ninja skills, no contact.”

“Naruto, it's not really a good idea,” interrupted Sakura with a small frown on her face. She regretted giving Naruto a book about the wizard's duels now. “I am the only one here and both of you should have seconds, according to the tradition.”

“We don't need the seconds,” growled Naruto, determined to prove himself worthy to his rival and Sakura's eyes. “It's not like we're fighting to death.”

“Naruto!” Sakura approached him and shook his arms gently. “You really shouldn't do it, we have just started learning the spells. Besides you learned only a couple offensive spells and-”

“Sakura,” the girl turned around when she heard Sasuke speak. “If he's so determined, then we should let him prove himself. You will be there after all, so nothing bad can happen.”

The pinkette let go of the boy reluctantly and left the two staring at themselves from across the room. Sasuke bowed slightly, still staring at Naruto, who did the same and turned around. Sakura counted the steps as they walked.

“Three-

-two-

-one-

-GO!”

“Ventus!” shouted Naruto with his wand pointed at the dark-haired boy.

“Petrificus tot-” Sasuke stumbled backwards as a strong blast of wind from Naruto's wand hit him, making it difficult to stand straight, but managed to regain his composure quick enough to say, “Serpensortia.”

A snake appeared from Sasuke's wand and started slithering towards Naruto slowly. The other boy stared at it for a moment before lifting his wand, “Vipera evanesca!” the snake turned into a pile of ashes.

Sasuke quirked a brow, “Dobe, you actually read that book. I'm impressed, you can read after all,”

The enraged Naruto pointed his wand at the nearby chair and screamed, “Waddiwasi!” the chair fled towards Sasuke at the incredible speed.

“Evanesco!” shouted Sasuke, successfully making the chair disappear. “Is that all you have, dobe?” he asked arrogantly.

The boy pointed his wand down at the floor, “Incendio!” he grinned as the carpet was set on fire.

Sasuke didn't seem to be fazed at all, “Aguamenti.” the fire was gone in a blink of an eye. “Don't tell me that you don't know any spell which I can't counter.” he smirked.

Naruto screamed, “Expelliarmus!” just as Sasuke shouted, “Protego!”

“Rictusempra!” screamed Naruto finally, swishing his wand high in air.

The spell hit Sasuke, who struggled for a moment, but somehow managed to regain control of himself enough to scream, “Locomotor mortis!”

Naruto fell down with a thud, confused. He couldn't move his legs. He tried to reach his wand when he heard Sasuke mutter, “Accio.” his wand flew right into Sasuke's hand. The dark-haired boy had somehow managed to neutralize the effect of the tickling spell and summoned his wand. He cursed silently.

Sasuke hovered over the immobilized Naruto with a triumphant smirk, “You should bear it in your mind that some people are more resistant to the particular types of spells than others,”

“Bastard,” Naruto managed to utter out.

Sakura approached her teammates, “Finite incantatem.” she said and the boy could finally feel his legs again.

“Thank you, Sakura-chan,” he murmured shamefully.

“Naruto,” Sakura put her arm around the boy. “I think you did great. 'Rictusempra' was a little weak, but the other spells were fantastic! And even I didn't know that one that changed the snake into the ashes. You think you could teach me that one?”

Sasuke sent the girl a somehow doubtful look from behind the blonde's back, but she paid no heed to it. She smiled widely at Naruto instead, who seemed to be delighted, “Sure, Sakura-chan! Let's go visit Hinata-chan! I'll show her my excellent battle spells!”

“Of course, Naruto,” she smiled as she repaired the burnt carpet and scourgified the whole room. “Go, I'll come in a minute, okay?”

The blonde dashed out of the room as Sasuke approached Sakura, his big ego making him a little mad that the girl complimented Naruto, who actually lost, instead of him. Or maybe he was simply jealous, but didn't want to admit it, “You want him to teach a spell, huh?” he teased her – he was positive that she knew it, they talked about it earlier during Kakashi's lesson.

“You really shouldn't make it so hard for him,” said Sakura. “You know he's really uncertain of this whole wizarding world – the fact that he actually was able to cast some spells successfully is an achievement for him. You know he's great at it, just a little clumsy, perhaps,” she smiled at Sasuke's small nod. “I knew you were a lot better than him anyway. But it is obvious you have a natural talent for it. You were always a prodigy.” she said truthfully.

“And I am aware that all you did was protect yourself. You actually used one or two offensive spells during the whole duel, but still managed to win. I don't want to know what you're really capable of,” the girl reached the doorway after she had made sure that the entire mess was cleaned. “Are you coming?”

“Hn. Sakura,” he murmured as the girl stopped to look at him. “You have a natural talent for magic, too.”

Her cheeks were covered in a crimson blush when they left the room.

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It was still hot when the nine Weasleys, Harry and Hermione settled down to eat in the backyard of the Burrow. Harry felt like he was in heaven – having previously been forced to stick with Dursleys' crazy diet, the variety of food on the table was a paradise for him. A warm and homely atmosphere improved his good mood, too, since he already treated the Weasleys like his own family.

Molly Weasley smiled warmly at Harry from her seat, “Is the food to your liking, Harry?” she asked, interrupting Percy's long monologue concerning reports, cauldrons and Mr Crouch. Even Mr Weasley seemed relieved when his son stopped talking.

“It's delicious, thank you,” answered Harry with his mouth full, which earned a chuckle from the others.

Molly turned the attention to her husband, “Are there any news concerning Bertha?” she asked.

“Half of the Ministry is looking for her,” said Mr Weasley. “She has been missing for a month now, went on holiday to Albania and no one has seen her since.”

“Oh, Bertha Jorkin's hopeless,” Percy spoke. “But still Mr Crouch and Bagman are trying hard to find her. I guess they were quite fond of her. Still they're both joking that she probably got lost. And we have lots of other – and more important – matters to take care of, anyway.”

“What, like the cauldrons?” joked Ron, earning a glare from his older brother.

“You can joke as much as you want, but you'll never understand the importance of this matter,” Percy huffed angrily. “But no, there is a big event coming up that we have to organize. And I'm not talking about the World Cup.”

Harry looked at Ron questioningly as he shrugged his arms. He also didn't know what Percy was talking about, but suspected it to be a load of crap – his brother had the tendency to exaggerate. The boys decided to engage in a conversation with the twins and Charlie instead, who were talking about the World Cup excitedly.

“I'm counting on Ireland,” said Charlie. “Since England, Scotland and Wales were practically destroyed. I still can't get over that match when England was smashed.”

“And by Transylvania, no less!” Bill decided to join the talk, escaping his mother who tried to convince him to cut his hair. “It was probably their highest victory in the last decade...”

“Yeah, I also want Ireland to win,” agreed Fred as he took a sip of an orange juice. “Bulgaria have got Krum, though,” he informed.

“Viktor Krum's the best Quidditch player in the world!” exploded Ron suddenly. “There's no other Seeker with abilities compared to his.”

George patted Harry on the back with a huge grin, “Don't listen to him. He's in lovewith Viktor Krum,”

“Says the guy who's fawning over some girl from a magazine,” Hermione butted in.

Before the twins could start expressing their undying love to the singer, Charlie spoke, “Anyway, Bulgaria's got one good player, while Ireland has got seven, so I can give you ten Galleones that they will smash them.”

Soon, the dinner was over and Harry, Ron and Hermione sat under the tree in the Weasley's garden, watching Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, play in the high grass. Harry felt oddly at peace here and somehow happy that he was able to spend the rest of his summer holidays with the Weasleys, who were the closest to the family he would ever have. Hermione moved closer to the boys and took out something from her pocket. Then she shoved a piece of paper into Ron's hands as he looked at her quizzically.

“I checked that Carissa Wilmore,” she explained shortly. “It's her family tree.”

“Well,” Ron scanned the names quickly. “Carissa Enola Wilmore, a Pure-blood, daughter of Jonathan Orson Wilmore, a famous Herbologist and Meredith Estelle Wilmore (from the Prince family), a Mediwitch at Mungo's... Oh look they're connected to Diggorys through her father... But nothing more interesting so far.”

“Nothing interesting?!” exploded Hermione. “Look closer at the Prince family.”

Harry and Ron stared hard at the paper and that's when they noticed, “Merlin! She's related to Snape!” Ron exclaimed with wide eyes.

And truthfully the family tree stated that Eileen Prince, Severus Snape's mother was actually a sister of Meredith Wilmore's mother. Thus it made Severus Carissa's uncle. Quite complicated, but the conclusion was one and only – Carissa was a close relative of their despised Potions teacher.

“I can't believe it!” gasped Ron. “She doesn't look like him at all.”

“I was surprised, too,” admitted Hermione. “She's a blonde after all, her eyes are not dark, her skin not pale... So I checked her parents – she obviously got her appearance from her father, who's a blonde, since her mother looks exactly like Snape. Those eyes, hair and nose... Identical.”

“Ugh, I don't like her anymore,” grunted Ron. “Wait till I tell Fred and George about that.”

“We can't judge her just because she's Snape's relative,” Harry argued. “For all you know she might not have any contact with him whatsoever.”

“I agree with Harry,” said Hermione. “We should wait until we get to talk to her in person before we judge her.”

“Hey, you were the one who said she's stuck up only because she looks great and she's famous.” teased Ron as yet another quarrel between him and Hermione started.

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The shop they were currently in was – as a huge sign on it suggested – Eeylops Owl Emporium. Kakashi has advised them to purchase pets for themselves, possibly an owl or a cat. Naruto didn't really get what an owl might be useful for – until Sasuke hit him and explained that the owls were used in the wizarding world for communicating.

“Owls?” grumbled Naruto when he, Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru and Hinata walked around the shop in search for a perfect pet. “Why the hell would someone use an owl to communicate? What about the whole 'pidgeons carrying the letters' crap?”

“Don't irritate me, Uzumaki,” muttered Neji, who was forced to come here by his female teammate. He would have preferred to practice the spells to be able to beat Uchiha and take care of shopping later.

“A-ano, Sakura-chan, look at t-this one! It's s-so beautiful!” Hinata whispered, pointing at a beautiful Snowy Owl in the corner. “I t-think I'll take that o-one.”

Sakura smiled, touching the beautiful bird's feathers, “How are you going to call it?”

“Delwyn,” Hinata smiled as the shopkeeper approached them, “It means 'a proud friend'.”

“That's a cool name, Hinata-chan!” cheered Naruto excitedly. “And your owl is much prettier than Sasuke's!”

Sasuke has apparently taken liking to an owl that was in the corner of the shop. It was a lot bigger than average owls and had dark brown feathers, so dark that they almost looked black. When Sakura glanced at the bird's eyes, she thought that its expression matched its owner perfectly. It looked like it was completely uninterested.

When Sakura asked Sasuke about a name of his new pet he mumbled, “Shing,”

“A victory, huh?” smiled Sakura. “It suits that bird.”

“He's very strong,” informed the shopkeeper, stroking Shing affectionately. “He can carry heavy parcels without any problems.”

“You're not getting one, Sakura?” asked Tenten while fussing over Hinata's newly bought pet.

“Actually, I think I want a cat,” admitted Sakura. “I have always wanted a cat back in Konoha but never had time to take care of it due to my ninja duties and work at the hospital.”

“Well,” said Tenten. “I'm not really sure if I want to have a pet at all.”

Then a bell rang announcing the new customers' arrival – a tall, well-built and extremely handsome boy entered the shop with a black-haired Asian on his arm. They were discussing something with excited expressions on their faces and apparently looked like a couple. When he took a closer look at the Asian, Shikamaru recognized her as a girl from the clothing store he met a few days earlier.

The girl must have felt his stare because she turned around and looked at the boy, “Hi Shikamaru!” she smiled at him and led her companion to the boy.

“Cho,” answered the ninja. “Hello. Are you here to buy an owl?”

“Actually, Cedric's owl died from an old age a few days ago and he wanted to have a new one,” she said. “This is Cedric Diggory, by the way. Cedric, this is Shikamaru Nara. Are these your friends?” she asked, pointing to the group of ninja behind Shikamaru.

“Yes,” answered Shikamaru and introduced everyone to the pair. “So, which year are you in, Cedric?”

“I'm a year above Cho, I'm starting my sixth year now,” he said looking at an owl with brown feathers. “I'm a Seeker in the Hufflepuff team too. Have you played Quidditch yet?”

“We haven't,” Tenten spoke, remembering the sport she learned about from a book she read the day before. “But I would so love to try that.”

Cho clapped her hands excitedly, “How about Cedric and I invite you for a game? We could teach you how to use brooms. And we would tell you what position is the best for you.”

“Brooms?” asked Neji uncertainly. What could brooms have to do with some kind of a sport?

“Quidditch is a wizarding sport played on flying brooms,” Sakura piped in.

“Flying brooms?” Naruto chuckled. “You're joking, right?”

“She's not joking, dobe,” muttered Sasuke. “Though I have to tell you that it sound strange even to me.”

“Man,” Naruto seemed dejected when he massaged his temples. “Wands, owls, goblins... and now flying brooms. My head is starting to hurt, really.”

Cedric and Cho were clearly amused by the group's actions, yet curious about them too. Ninjas were always an interesting subject for normal wizards – that's why the couple wanted to get to know them better, especially since they seemed really nice. Cho glanced at Shikamaru, whom she knew the most from the whole group, and smiled, “So? Would you like to play Quidditch with us? We could fetch our friends,”

“I guess we could do it,” said Sakura getting a small nod of agreement from Hinata. “We'll get to know you better and learn more about this world.” she finished.

“Well, some of us are already close,” giggled Cho, covering her mouth with her hand.

“What do you mean?” asked Tenten curiously.

Cedric was paying for his new owl as he turned to the girls, “Isn't Michael on a date with that blonde girl right now?” he asked. “I thought she was one of you.”

“Ino!” Sakura fumed. “That little, sneaky-”

“She didn't tell us that she was going on a date,” explained Tenten, seeing the bewildered faces of Cedric and Cho. “Actually she just left saying she forgot to buy one of the books.”

Surprisingly, Shikamaru was the first one to end the girls' ramblings, “Let her be,” he mumbled. To the pair he spoke, “We would like to play Quidditch with you and we'll bring our friends too, if you don't mind that is.”

“Of course we don't mind!” Cho smiled widely. “We have to go now, but can we meet tomorrow at ten a.m. in front of Gringotts?”

“Sure.” Sakura nodded. Cedric and Cho left the shop after exchanging goodbyes.

“I'm going to kill that girl, really,” muttered Sakura. “How could she not tell us about it?”

“We'll make her suffer when she comes back,” grinned Tenten wickedly.

After Sasuke, Hinata and Neji (who named his Gavin) paid for their owls, the pack left and visited the Magical Menagerie– probably the noisiest shop he has ever been in, Shikamaru noticed. The number of cages inside made it difficult to actually move. The shop sold possibly all kinds of animals – snakes, rats, cats, owls... Choosing one of the animals seemed almost impossible.

Tenten set her eyes on a cute Transforming Rabbit the moment she went in, “It's cute. I want it.”

“You can't,” muttered Neji, cringing at his teammate's choice of words. She never called anything or anyone cute, “Don't you remember what the letter said? Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad... It says nothing about little,” he shuddered. “cute Transforming Rabbits.”

Tenten huffed, “I don't want any pet then,”

Meanwhile Sakura was holding a tiny white and brown ball of fur in her arms. The cat was very young and had unbelievably huge gold eyes. When the girl took it into her arms, it meowed happily and snuggled deep into her shirt, while Sakura continued to stroke it gently behind its ear.

“It's a female Chantilly cat,” the saleswoman approached her. “It's only three-months old, but these cats are very loyal and require a lot of affection. They're not as active as Orientals, nor as placid as Persians.”

“She's perfect,” exclaimed Sakura who was already in love with the small kitty. “I'll take her. You'll be Fiona, because you are so beautiful.” she added to the kitty which meowed in agreement.

Shikamaru chose a medium-height male Toyger cat that resembled a 'mini tiger'. It looked very proud and intelligent, that's why he called it Veda that meant 'knowledge'. After the duo paid for their new cats, the whole group left the shop. They were nearing the exit of the Diagon Alley when they noticed the absence of one particularly noisy person.

“Where's the dobe?” asked Sasuke, looking around. The obnoxious blonde was nowhere in sight.

“Maybe he stayed in the Magical Menagerie?” suggested Sakura with worry etched on her face. “We should come back for him. You know how he is – he might get lost and-”

She was interrupted by loud screaming from the behind, “Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme! Wait for me!”

“H-here you a-are Naruto-kun,” Hinata let out a sigh of relief. “W-we were w-worried about you. What is t-that?” she asked suddenly, pointing to a green thing covered in black spots in the blonde's hand.

“It's my new toad,” Naruto answered proudly. “I called him Perri. Isn't it nice?”

“What kind of name is that, dobe? Isn't it a female name?” muttered Sasuke, bewildered by his teammate's naivety. “And why the hell did you buy a toad of all the animals? You could have chosen anything.”

“It looks even worse than Gamabunta, too,” Sakura added after examining Perri carefully.

“Hey, it looks good!” argued Naruto. “I like toads, thank you very much!”

The rest of the ninjas watched the bickering teammates, sweatdropping, “Some things never change,” Shikamaru muttered with a sigh.

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Important notes: the 'truth' that Harry, Ron and Hermione are trying to find out about this mystery girl is not the fact that Snape is Carissa's relative. It doesn't eliminate her from their search, though. And in this story Cho and Cedric are already a couple and Tenten's surname is Ming.

Oh, and one more thing-the reason that Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were able to use so many spells already is that the ninjas can learn them a lot faster. Also they read the books and memorized the hand movements etc.

Next chapter: The ninjas play Quidditch for the first time and then they set off for the finals (just as Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys).

Please, review! I'm verry happy that you put the story on your favs and alerts, but your opinion really matters to me the most. :)