Summary: Dumbledore wants extra protection at his school this year since Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. Not only is Black a problem but the extra guards the Ministry of Magic are assigning to the school are possibly more dangerous than the convict himself. Due to the Village Hidden in the Leaf being weakened by the Nine-Tails attack, the Third Hokage can only send one jonin and a team with him. Enter Team Hogwarts: Kakashi, Ebisu, Kurenai, and Guy.

There will be a Ebisu/Hermione pairing but, I can't stress this enough, it is VERY LIGHT (here meaning, it's more mutual attraction and the usual teenaged embarrassment rather than an actual relationship).

This story will include Harry, Ron, Hermione, Guy, Kurenai, Ebisu, etc., but will mainly focus on Kakashi and his point of view.

Slytherin House as a whole will not be glorified but this author intends to point out the fact that it's statistically impossible for all Slytherins to be "bad" and that the house does have a softer side.

I am not trying to bash the Harry Potter universe but I will poke fun at it.

There will be no major deviations from the canon plot besides those which would probably happen if ninjas were dropped into the equation (which is actually kind of a lot once the end game starts playing out, so be prepared for that). There will be no major character deviations.

I wrote this expecting my audience to have read the Harry Potter books or at least up until the third one. If you've only seen the movies you may be slightly confused as to what's going on in the canon story.

We're just having fun here so let's try not to get too angry.

Author's Note: I'll be following the book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as closely as possible. This means I don't want to get any angry comments about how the barrier at Platform Nine and Three Quarters is supposed to be made of brick. It's not. It's made of metal. You can look it up yourselves if you don't believe me (my husband, who loves the books, forgot this detail as well and did look it up). I will warn you though, in book one Rowling doesn't mention what the barrier is made of at all (she says that the Hogwarts Express side is a wrought-iron archway but one could argue that it's only that way on the magical side). So you'll have to use books two (p. 68), three (p. 71), and five (p. 182) for your confirmation.

With that being said, I'll also inform you that I'm not going to copy scenes word for word out of the book either. I expect you to know where we are in the plot based on the hints I drop. If you want a blow by blow of the Quidditch Final, you will find that in Rowling's book on page 306, not in this story. For longer explanations, like when Lupin is talking to the kids toward the end, I will sum up the main points and expect you to know the rest. I'm not here to tell that story, it's been told already and you can find it anywhere books are sold.

Chapter 1: Where did you say you're from?

"Hound, the Hokage would like to see you."

Hound turned and looked at his fellow ANBU passively but inside he was surprised. He had gotten back from his mission not two minutes ago and had just stopped at the memorial stone to visit Obito. His report wasn't that urgent. When the other man didn't leave, Hound cocked his head, questioning.

"I'm to accompany you to the tower," Eagle stated.

Kakashi's eyebrows went up under his mask. What is this about?

The two ANBU jumped into the trees and headed toward Hokage Tower.

000000

"I was surprised to hear from you after so many years, but there was your letter, sitting in the usual place. I'm surprised that trinket you invented still works," said the Third Hokage.

Dumbledore's eyes just twinkled. "Wouldn't want to see a friendship die simply because one gets too busy to write."

"I am sorry about that," the brown-haired shinobi apologized, lighting his pipe. "But we've unfortunately been in another war and then with the loss of the Fourth Hokage…" He trailed off.

The men waited in silence, drinking their tea.

"Albus," the Third began, "the leader of the team I'm sending, he's young but he is capable."

"I have no doubt of that Hiruzen," the white haired wizard responded.

Before the conversation could continue there was a knock at the door. "Enter," the Third Hokage ordered.

Eagle opened the door for Hound and then closed it without entering himself. Hound knelt before his Hokage.

"There's no need for your mask here Hound," the Hokage said.

Hound glanced at Dumbledore and back to the Third. The Third gave the barest hint of a nod and Kakashi removed his ANBU mask.

"Hatake Kakashi, this is Albus Dumbledore." One red eye and one ebony eye met two blue ones. They bowed to each other. "I have a mission for you. I know that you just got back but you'll have to leave today if possible," the Third started. "The duration of this mission will be one year. You will be team leader of a four man cell. Do you accept?"

"Sir?" Kakashi asked.

"It is a year-long mission in a land very different from our own and your potential employer would like you to have the option to refuse."

The silver-haired ninja glanced at the man with the long white beard who'd risen when he'd entered the room. "I accept. Who's on the team?"

"That's to be determined but I have some people in mind. We'll see who gets back from their missions and when."

Kakashi nodded and appraised the man in indigo robes.

"I'll let Professor Dumbledore explain the particulars."

"Mr. Hatake," Dumbledore began, "I'm the Headmaster of Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards in another dimension. We are in need of the protective services of you and the team that the Third Hokage will send later. A convict named Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban, our country's prison. We have been led to believe that he may be after one of my students, Harry Potter. Our Ministry of Magic has assigned several Azkaban guards, who are magical beings known as dementors, to guard the school against any infiltration of Black. However, I am not in favor of the dementors staying so near the school. Therefore I have appealed to your Hokage," he gestured at Hiruzen, "for a guard team to be stationed inside of the school. The dementors don't work well with others so you will not be able to rely on them for support. In fact, I fear they may end up being one of the threats that you have to defend against. Your Hokage has made more detailed notes for you to read over later but that's the sum of it."

Kakashi blinked. "I see."

Hiruzen smiled at the young jonin but Dumbledore began to laugh. "I'm sure you have many questions, fire away."

Kakashi didn't hesitate. "There are wizards and witches in another dimension?" Kakashi asked.

Dumbledore nodded, smiling. "I believe you're familiar with the different planes of existence that your summoning creatures live in?" At Kakashi's nod he continued, "well there's a separate plane from this one that also has "civilians", as you call them, and wizards. That is where I'm from."

Kakashi nodded to show he understood. "But how did you get here?"

Dumbledore smiled but it was a sad smile, "to tell you the truth, I was rather reckless in my youth. I used to experiment with all sorts of spells, like people here experiment with and create jutsu. One day I was trying to figure out how to summon," he paused, "something that didn't belong to my world anymore."

Kakashi waited for him to continue. Hiruzen smoked on his pipe thoughtfully. He knew his friend didn't like speaking of his family, especially his sister.

"Anyway that's not important, what is important is that I summoned a phoenix." As if on cue, a large bird glided into the room and landed on the Third Hokage's desk. Its feathers were like fire: reds, oranges, and yellows overlapping each other to make a flame pattern that licked down to the bird's long tail.

"Fawkes," the Third told Kakashi, gesturing at the bird, "is Professor Dumbledore's summoning animal."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, picking the conversation up again, "and a fine companion he's been over the years. Fawkes has the ability to not only return to his home world with me in tow, but enables me to visit other planes of existence. Over the years I had begun to think that mine was the only world with humans. Then one day Fawkes brought me here, to your world and the Land of Fire in particular. I'm afraid your Hokage didn't quite know what to think of me back then. It took awhile for him to accept that I wasn't a threat to his village."

"So you two met and became friends?" Kakashi clarified.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Is this the first time you've wanted to hire a ninja?"

Dumbledore frowned and looked at Hiruzen. Hiruzen smoked his pipe passively. He took it from his mouth and spoke. "Two years ago he tried to hire a full squad to guard the school but as you know…"

"We were at war," Kakashi finished.

"I understood of course. Times of war are desperate times."

Kakashi looked down, willing his memories away. "I may have more questions once I've read Lord Hokage's scrolls, until then I have nothing more to ask besides when would you like to leave? I have a mission report to complete and I'll need to pack."

"You can send your report to me once you've arrived at Hogwarts," the Hokage replied. "Professor Dumbledore has a way to send and receive messages between worlds."

"As far as you packing, I would like to leave as soon as possible. Your Hokage tells me that I can collect the rest of your team at a later date. However, Mr. Potter has already gotten himself into some trouble and I would prefer you would join him at The Leaky Cauldron as soon as possible. From there you can accompany him and the rest of the students to Hogwarts."

"The leaky what?" Kakashi asked.

"Forgive me, The Leaky Cauldron is the name of an inn in the city of London." Dumbledore explained. "Harry is staying there now after having run away from home."

"He ran away from a place of safety when a convict is targeting him?" Kakashi questioned.

"Harry is unaware that Black is after him," Dumbledore explained. "He should be safe at the 'Cauldron but I'd like you there just in case."

"I see," Kakashi said. He was tired from his week-long mission but his village certainly needed the income after all that had happened. He couldn't imagine what Dumbledore must be paying the village to get one squad for a year.

"You're dismissed Kakashi," Lord Third said. With that, Kakashi slid his mask back on and vanished.

"Do you think I explained it well?" Dumbledore asked his old friend.

"As well as anyone could, it's a lot to explain," the Hokage replied.

"He certainly took it well."

"Kakashi is sharp and efficient. He won't need or tolerate any hand-holding once he knows his mission." Hiruzen looked at Dumbledore pointedly.

Dumbledore attempted to ignore this look. "Is he always so aloof?"

The Third Hokage sighed and said, "no. He has, however, had a hard life." Dumbledore listened as his host proceeded to tell him a little about the young Hatake.

In twenty minutes Kakashi was back in Hokage Tower. "Lord Third," Kakashi asked, collecting the scrolls that the Third Hokage had prepared for him. "Would you be so kind as to explain to Guy where I am? I don't want him breaking into my apartment looking for a challenge."

Hiruzen smiled to himself. "I'll be sure to tell him Kakashi."

Kakashi put the scrolls in his bag and turned to Dumbledore. He was still wearing his dirty ANBU armor and felt a little underdressed. However, if he was going to an inn, he figured he could get cleaned up there.

"There's one more thing," Dumbledore said. Kakashi turned to him. "I'm sorry to do this when we've just met but we don't have much time. Kakashi, I'm going to have to use a spell on you." Kakashi's eyebrows went up but he said nothing. "It's a pretty simple one, developed years ago by the Ministry's Diplomatic Department. You see, we don't speak the same language, not even remotely. The only reason you can understand me right now is because I've put one on myself, as I've learned to do when I travel between worlds. However, now that you'll be coming into my world, putting the spell on you will be a lot easier than putting it on everyone else."

"I understand," Kakashi said but he kept shifting his stance. He looked at the Third Hokage again and was given a reassuring nod.

Dumbledore withdrew a long thin stick from his robes. Kakashi would later read that they called them wands. The Headmaster drew a circle in the air with the wand and gave a little flourish at the end, muttering a few words. With that done, Dumbledore stowed his wand. "Alright then, time to go." Dumbledore gestured to Kakashi to get closer and Fawkes flapped over and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder. "Take Fawkes's leg," Dumbledore instructed.

Kakashi grasped the leg that Dumbledore wasn't holding. "So long Hiruzen!" Dumbledore said. Kakashi simply nodded and they were gone.

They arrived in a courtyard with a large brick wall in the back. A clock chimed through the din that was coming from the street. "This is The Leaky Cauldron," Dumbledore explained, gesturing at the building opposite the brick wall. "I'm sorry but I can't stay. I'll be sending a school owl to you for your own personal use. If you have any questions, you can contact me by writing a letter and giving it to the owl. He'll know how to find me.

"Tom the innkeeper is inside; I've arranged for your room, just tell him I sent you. One last thing," Dumbledore turned back to look at Kakashi. "I'll send word asking Harry to introduce you to our world a bit so he won't think it odd that you're around."

"Thank you," Kakashi said. Dumbledore looked at him, not saying anything. Then the old wizard turned on his heel and disappeared with a pop. Kakashi blinked, interesting.

The young ninja made his way inside. Tom understood him so Kakashi figured that the spell had worked, either that or Dumbledore and Lord Third were pulling a long con.

Tom was all too happy to show Kakashi to his room. "Any friend of Dumbledore is a friend of mine," he said.

Clients were not friends, but Kakashi didn't care to correct him. The innkeeper then said something about sending up food but Kakashi waved him off. He just wanted to sleep.

Tom left, bowing all the way out of the door. Kakashi unbuckled his armor piece by piece, mechanically. The familiar task helped him process all the new information. He placed his tools on the nightstand by his bed and slid between the sheets. The ninja started to think about why a name like "leaky cauldron" would be appealing to travelers but he fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

Kakashi spent the entire next day either getting used to his new eating and sleeping schedule or reading the Third Hokage's notes. Dumbledore also included some parchment filled with information. This collection contained anything from: a list of Sirius Black's crimes to: information on a ministry official named Arthur Weasley whom he'd be meeting in the next few days. Kakashi also, of course, shadowed Harry Potter. It was hardest at breakfast because Harry blatantly watched everyone else. This was usually when Kakashi got most of his reading done. However, after that first day, Kakashi introduced himself.