Disclaimer: Being neither British nor Japanese, it should therefore come as no surprise that I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto, nor anything from their respective franchises.

Book 7: Umino Iruka and the Epilogue

Time passed, and Wizarding Britain slowly healed from Voldemort's depredations. Shinobi worked with Aurors to track down and apprehend those few Death Eaters and unmarked supporters who'd either escaped the Battle of Hogwarts or who had missed it entirely; several had been on assignments outside the country, for example. The Dementors were corralled on an uninhabited island and walled up, with the walls of their new prison reinforced by both wards and seals. Azkaban would remain a prison, but no longer would dangerous and untrustworthy monsters be used to guard and torture the inmates.

All of the assistance Konoha had provided left much of the nation's populace very favorably disposed towards the foreigners, even if there were soon negotiations to provide payment for services rendered. Cornelius Fudge and some of his remaining backers, most of whom were conservative nationalists, started to mutter that they'd traded one potential overthrow for another and thus began a less-than-subtle campaign against "foreign influences". This effort backfired tremendously, and led to the very thing they'd feared the most: They lost their power.

Riding a wave of public acclaim for his work in both coordinating the defense of Hogwarts and in fighting on the front lines (while Cornelius Fudge sat safely in his home, extensively warded at Ministry expense), Rufus Scrimgeour became the next Minister of Magic. Many people tried to push for Amelia Bones, but she had no interest in dealing with even more politics than she already suffered through as DMLE Director. She let her ambitious, politically-minded subordinate take the high seat while she got back to work. Minister Scrimgeour would embrace the Ministry's budding relationship with Konoha and the rest of the Elemental Nations, setting the stage for many great things to come.

Justice for accused Death Eaters and their supporters was much more thorough than it had been at the end of the previous war. Many of those who had once escaped prosecution through bribery and flimsy excuses were convicted and sent to Azkaban or executed, depending on the severity of their crimes. The Dementor's Kiss was not used, however, as Konoha had made it quite clear that they refused to do business with a government that would employ such horrific cruelty, which aligned with the wizarding public's loathing for the soul-sucking fiends after they'd sided with Voldemort. Draco Malfoy was acquitted of the worst of the charges given that his parents had been held hostage, but was still convicted for Katie Bell's injuries and for Manslaughter in Horace Slughorn's death. The Wizengamot's reasoning was that he'd been too careless and indiscriminate in his actions, taking no precautions against collateral damage. His mother served only a relatively short term as she'd not been an active supporter and most of the minor crimes she had committed had been done while her or her son's life was under threat. Lucius received no such leniency, and was in fact one of those put to death for his actions during and before the war; few people had any sympathy for a man that had unleashed a living weapon of mass destruction on a school full of children.

The Fountain of Magical Brethren, which had been destroyed during Dumbledore's duel with Voldemort in the Ministry Atrium and then not repaired due to more pressing concerns, was replaced with a memorial to all those lost during Voldemort's two rises. The design that was eventually chosen was a seven-sided pyramid of polished marble so white it seemed to glow amongst the dark woods and stones of the Atrium. Water issued gently from its peak, flowing gently and quietly in a smooth sheet down the sides, somehow without obscuring the many hundreds of carved names. One side was left blank, save for a brief inscription:

TO ALL THOSE LOST TO THE MADNESS OF TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
TO THE HELPLESS MUGGLES, VICTIMS OF A FORCE THEY COULD NOT COMPREHEND
TO THE PROMISING YOUTHS, SEDUCED INTO DARKNESS
TO THOSE WHOSE FREE WILL WAS STOLEN
TO THE INNOCENTS MURDERED
TO THE FALLEN WARRIORS

WE WILL NEVER KNOW ALL OF THEIR NAMES, BUT WE REMEMBER THEIR LOSS

Hogwarts was repaired in time for the start of the 1997-98 school year, with the areas that had seen some of the heaviest fighting extensively renovated in the process. It was felt best to make these places visibly different from what they'd been before, to help separate them from the memories many of the staff and a few of the students might associate with them. Hagrid, his wand rights finally restored, began to pass some of his gamekeeping duties onto a semi-retired chuunin that had been hired as his assistant. The half-giant's right arm and hand had never quite recovered their full strength and dexterity, so at least until his magical skills grew enough to compensate he needed a physically-capable aide for some tasks.

Albus Dumbledore retired from his positions in the Wizengamot and ICW shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts, and began actively grooming his Deputy to succeed him at Hogwarts. The ritual to free Harry of Voldemort's soul fragment had taken a harsh toll on the aged warlock, who could no longer walk or stand for long periods without the aid of a cane and lacked much of the energy he'd once had in such abundance. His mind, thankfully, remained as sharp as ever, and as he no longer had to spend so much time on politics he could now much more often be found amongst the castle's children. He took over some of Minerva's Transfiguration classes and even taught lessons in Alchemy, but much of his interaction with the student body was just sitting and chatting, advising, and storytelling. It wasn't spoken of much, but everyone suspected that he had only a few years remaining and was determined to fill them with happy memories.

A couple of weeks after the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville and his grandmother were called to Saint Mungo's. There, Neville swiftly received and returned the first hug from his parents that he could remember. With the casualties from the war now largely taken care of, Sakura and Tsunade had traveled to the magical hospital to see if there were any patients they could help. The moment she heard about the Longbottoms, Sakura had made a beeline to the Janus Thickey Ward; the similarities to the effects of Itachi's Tsukuyomi on Kakashi and Sasuke were too great to ignore. While the damage was too severe and too old to repair fully, the two former Aurors were at last able to return to their family and get to know the amazing young man their son had become.

September rolled around, and S.E.N. returned to Hogwarts. All five students proudly wore a special addition to their school uniforms, leading to many questions from their schoolmates. Iruka returned as well, though he also brought with him a younger chuunin that specialized in fuuinjutsu. Starting that year, Sealing became an officially-offered elective. Harry and Hermione were that year's Head Boy and Head Girl, respectively, with Neville taking Harry's place as Prefect.

While Wizarding Britain was beginning to change, ripple effects began to spread into the Elemental Nations as well. Potions and other magical products were in high demand, for example. Some of that demand was met using credit extended by the British as "mission payment" for the shinobi that had helped them, but other Hidden Villages and many civilians also wanted magic in their lives. The brisk trade that sprung up helped create an economic boom among magical communities on Earth while saving and improving countless lives in the Elemental Nations. This reception was so positive on both sides, by and large, that some of the more radically progressive voices started to talk about using it as a model for an eventual repeal of the Statute of Secrecy, but most agreed that wizardkind weren't even close to ready for that.

A not-insignificant number of magicals, human and otherwise, would end up emigrating to the Elemental Nations. Alastor Moody was among the first, happy to live literally a world away from his enemies; the security protocols on inter-world travel had been set up by shinobi, many of whom were at least as paranoid as he was. He spent much of his time either teaching younger ninja about magical combat or relaxing(ish) with veterans who completely respected his cautious attitude.

Quite a few werewolves also ended up living in Hidden Villages. They didn't have to hide what they were, either because of secrecy or because of bigotry, but were simply treated as people with an unfortunate problem. Trained shinobi had little to fear from a transformed werewolf, and safeguards were put in place to prevent any incidents. It was also made clear to any werewolf that came over that if they intentionally attacked or endangered anyone they'd be given to Orochimaru as test subjects, and wouldn't necessarily be killed first. The Snake Sannin had expressed interest in the transformative curse and possibly finding a way to grant sufferers greater control. After all, he pointed out, being able to shift one's body into a more potent form with keener senses could be quite useful to many ninja.

Experts from both worlds had begun to study the relationship between chakra and magic and what differentiated a wizard or witch from a Squib or Muggle. Every simple or easy answer that'd been proposed thus far had quickly been proven incorrect and some researchers were already beginning to suggest that magic itself, which seemed to have a degree of intelligence, was being deliberately elusive. Regardless, an exchange program was in the works to begin providing limited shinobi training to young Wizarding children in hopes that they could fully develop both chakra and magic. A number of families had also already emigrated to the Elemental Nations, and they and their children would be monitored carefully to determine whether environmental factors influenced magical potential.

While electronic communications had become commonplace, messenger hawks were still sometimes used for particular applications, and so several skilled breeders and trainers of post owls were recruited both to try and improve the hawks and to add owls as a further option. Hedwig's descendants would be highly prized as messengers, particularly in colder climes.

"Aww, ain't 'e a beaut!" cooed a starry-eyed Hagrid.

A squad of shinobi from a variety of villages stood awkwardly nearby. They'd been given a mission to guide and escort this large foreigner on a trip to meet the bijū, and they'd been warned he was... eccentric... but seeing what looked like a towering savage treating the ancient chakra beings like adorable puppies was bizarre even by ninja standards.

Isobu's lone visible eye turned to the shinobi with an expression best summed up as "Is this guy for real?"

Years passed, and life moved on. Iruka fully moved back to Konoha after Ginny and Luna graduated from Hogwarts, though he still traveled back and forth frequently to visit his friends in Britain.

Harry already lived in the village by that point; he wasn't exactly anonymous in the Elemental Nations, but his notoriety there was nothing compared to his fame in Britain as the defeater of Voldemort. Iruka and Harry ended up as colleagues, with Harry teaching classes on magic at the Academy. His cousin Dudley actually got in contact with him years after the war, after a substantial amount of effort, to apologize for his part in Harry's dark childhood. Losing his life of indolence and privilege had greatly impacted the spoiled boy, as had being neglected and abused by his Aunt Marge to the point where he was removed from her custody: Having experienced abuse and bullying from the other side, Dudley managed to turn his life around. After a stint in the British Armed Forces, he had made a career as a social worker helping mistreated children.

Though they retained their property in Ottery St. Catchpole, the Lovegoods spent much of their time in the Elemental Nations in the following years. Pandora became a major figure in the magic/chakra research scene, while her husband and daughter compiled a book from studies of and interviews with the various summoning clans.

Neville shocked many when, in continuing his shinobi training in his free time, he manifested a form of Mokuton. This led to lessons from Tenzō, as well as a not-insignificant following of kunoichi drawn by the handsome young foreigner with the prestigious bloodline. Harry took great pleasure in returning the jokes Neville had previously made about Boy-Who-Lived fangirls.

Hermione went on to university after Hogwarts, earning degrees in History with a minor in Japanese History and Culture. Her scholarship continued further in both worlds: She sometimes taught classes to both Academy students and adults about the world of her birth and its history, while also learning more about the culture and history of the Elemental Nations. Some of that work was in collaboration with Xeno and Luna, but she also ended up interviewing those bijū that were willing to talk to her to get their perspective on the long-ago parts of history that they'd personally witnessed. Even when working in the Elemental Nations, though, she and Harry both made regular visits to her parents, who had purchased a new house and resumed their dental practice. Crookshanks ended up spending a great deal around the current Daimyo's wife's cat, a descendant of the infamous Tora, and the kittens that resulted led to quite a few particularly infuriating D-rank missions for Konoha's genin.

The Burrow was rebuilt, the structure far more spacious and stable than before but lacking much of the character of its previous incarnation. Bill went on to marry Fleur Delacour, the two having gotten to know each other through their work at Gringotts; they ended up working as warding contractors in the Elemental Nations, where the advent of magic had left defense planners frantically trying to block out teleporting intruders. Charlie found work at a dragon reserve in the Hebrides to be closer-by and visit more often. Fred and George's joke shop was a fantastic success, eventually opening branches in multiple countries in both worlds. Ronald went to work in the Ministry while building a side career as a semi-professional chess player. Ginny's spectacular success as a starting chaser for the Holyhead Harpies drew a lot of aspiring Quidditch players to seek shinobi training.

Sirius moved to Konoha to be with his godson and to support the growing werewolf community in Remus's memory, though he stayed in contact with the Weasley Twins and continued to consult on some of their creations.

Albus Dumbledore passed away peacefully at the age of one hundred and twenty, surrounded by his friends, colleagues, former students, and his brother (with whom he'd reconciled shortly after the war). He was buried in a white marble tomb on the grounds of his beloved Hogwarts.

About a month after the Battle of Hogwarts, Iruka led S.E.N. and their families on the first visit by British magicals to Konoha. They'd already met a few of the people from his stories by that point, and spoken to many more via mirror, but this was a whole different level. They marveled at the view from atop the Hokage Monument, visited with Gai and the researchers he'd led, practiced a bit in the training grounds, and even shared ramen with the Seventh Hokage at Ichiraku. Sirius jokingly flirted with Ayame, at least as much as he could without a common language.

All told, they spent a week in the village, and it was obvious that more than one was reluctant to return to Britain. Iruka would be staying behind, at least for now, to get the first transportation array up and running so that there would be something more capacious and robust than a single pair of Vanishing Cabinets linking the two worlds. Before they left, however, they were all called into the Hokage's office.

When they arrived, they found Gai, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata already present along with Boruto, Himawari, and Sarada. Naruto stood in his official Hokage robes and hat behind his desk, upon which lay several flat objects covered with a cloth. He smiled warmly at the group as they filed in, before straightening and adopting a more formal mien. "Will the five members of S.E.N. and their sensei present themselves?" He'd clearly been working hard on his English.

Iruka guided his students to stand in a row in front of the desk, himself standing proudly at parade rest at one end. Judging by the shapes under the cloth, he thought he might have an inkling of what was going on.

"The five of you have overcome many challenges, some which even veteran ninja would hesitate to face. You stood together as friends and comrades and fought to protect those who were precious to you. Though you may not be from this village, this country, or even this world, you have shown that the will of fire burns as brightly in you as it does in any shinobi of Konoha. For this reason, and in recognition of your skills," he pulled the cloth away, revealing five hitai-ate, "I grant you all the rank of Genin. Ginevra Weasley, step forward."

Ginny stepped up to the desk. Naruto picked up one of the headbands and held it forward. "Wear this with pride as a shinobi of the Leaf."

"Luna Lovegood, step forward."

"Hermione Granger, step forward."

"Neville Longbottom, step forward." He looked fit to burst with pride, receiving his hitai-ate with his parents looking on.

"Harry Potter, step forward."

Harry took the last hitai-ate, looking a bit quizzically at it. Unlike the others, which were pristine, this one was scratched and worn. Iruka was confused as well, until he realized that he recognized a couple of the dents, and warmth flooded him as he struggled to keep his eyes dry.

"I see you've noticed that your hitai-ate is a bit different," Naruto commented, receiving a confused nod in response. "Has your sensei ever told you about the night I first learned about Kurama?"

"Yeah, he said-" Harry's eyes bugged out and his jaw fell open as the ryo dropped.

Naruto nodded with a proud smile, as Iruka stepped over to put a hand on his student's shoulder. "He said..."

"'Congratulations... on graduating.'" Iruka finished. "Congratulations, Harry."

Fin

A/N: And that's a wrap! The oldest file created for this fic was created December 16, 2016, and the first draft of this chapter was completed December 19, 2019. So a year and a day, thrice, from start to finish. It's been one heck of a ride, one I'm glad to have had so much great company for.

Added just before posting: This has been quite the journey, hasn't it? Nearly three years from when I started posting chapters, three-and-a-third since I started writing it, and now it's finally complete. The support you all have given me along the way has been both humbling and immensely gratifying: As of the time of posting, this story has 1153 Follows, 963 Favorites, and 861 Reviews on ffnet, with a total of 167 Bookmarks, 815 Kudos, and 220 Comments on AO3. When I spent weeks or even months without writing a word due to writer's block or crazy times, it was all of you that brought me back to continue to the finish. Thank you all so much for your support and your critiques, and I wish you all the best.

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Posted 19 April 2020