Chapter 25 The Forbidden Forest

Headmaster Hashirama was a kind and gentle men. He was loved by his faculty members, the student and the wizarding world. He had many hobbies, but his favourite was tending to his bonsais and it showed. His office was filled with them. He was busy trimming the leaves, chuckling and calming the magical mini-three that was wiggling its branches, trying to get away like a child from a unwanted haircut.

"There, there. Almost done," Hashirama said out loud. He was already in his pyjamas, ready to finish the last couple of tasks before heading to bed and entering a peaceful dream. Or…So he thought.

The door of his office was slammed open and he knew there was only one person in the world that got passed the gargoyle statues without his permission and that men looked furious, holding Naruto Uzumaki by his collar of his uniform and Sakura Haruno by the other.

"Brother-" Hashirama looked surprised, putting his wand away as he looked at Sakura who was in tears and Naruto who was still shouting. Tobirama pushed him forward with one hand, and it was incredible to see the old man had enough strength to push the teenager on the cold floor.

"I didn't do nothing, believe me!" Naruto shouted, getting up from the floor and glaring at the old men behind him.

"Yes, like you said you happened to be sleep walking under your invisibility cloak and raiding my classroom by accident." Tobirama folded his arms and glared at the two.

"We didn't mean…" Sakura looked very scared, not even raising her eyes up from the floor. Naruto's expression turned guilty and he turned his head towards the headmaster.

"It was me, she didn't do anything. Don't punish her." Naruto pleaded for her.

"Both of you, calm down." Hashirama said, "Now, tell me what happened." He sat down and looked at the two fifth-years. Naruto and Sakura shared a look, not sure what to say.

"They were out of their common rooms, past curfew and they were stealing from my cupboard." Tobirama grunted. "Valerian spring, Lethe River water, and mistletoe berries."

"Well, those are very common ingredient-" Hashirama was cut off quickly.

"Ingredients for a Forgetfulness potions, brother. Despite the fact they are common ingredients, it does not excuse stealing them." Tobirama gave Naruto a stern look.

"It called The Student's Cupboard, if we are not allowed to get stuff from there then why name it that way!?"

"You're allowed to get ingredients during my lessons, when I tell you to. Not when it pleases you, Mr Uzumaki." Tobirama said not appreciating the withy comment.

Sakura pushed her elbow in between Naruto's ribs, causing him to hiss in pain.

"Why did you feel the need to raid this cupboard in the middle of the night?" Hashirama asked.

"Because…." Naruto was trying to think of what to say or how to say it. Just when he was about to confess everything that had happened from to Quidditch field where Kiba lost his temper and transformed into his Animagus from and bit one of the Slytherin Beaters to Shikamaru's plan on how to compromise the owl the Slytherin twins must have send to their high ministry official father to brewing a forgetfulness potion so the twins would not remember what had happened. He would have to make sure they believed it was all his idea and had nothing to do with any of his friends even if that meant they would punish him badly for it. There was no way they would consider suspending him.

"Because…." Naruto was about to talk when a knock was heard from the office door. All four of them turned their head to the heavy door.

"Come in," Hashirama said causing Iruka to walk inside.

"Sorry for the interruption headmaster," Iruka apologised, "If found these three outside of their common room. They were coming from the infirmary."

As the muggle-study professor stepped aside the three Slytherins were all staring at the floor. Karin was nervously playing with her fingers while Suigetsu sighed deeply and Sasuke looked more annoyed than usual, glaring from Suigetsu to Karin and back to Suigetsu.

"Are we sure today is no curfew day?" Hashirama joked. Iruka could laugh at this, but Tobirama looked very angry.

"And what are you three doing outside of the dungeons?" Tobirama asked in a strict tone.

The Slytherin trio eyed one another for a mere second.

"I was looking for my cat!" Karin said, "She ran away because she got scared from Sasuke's hawk. I was afraid something would happen to her so I was actually looking for a teacher, since we don't have a head of house at the moment." Karin said, the words came so natural to her, Naruto was sure she had practiced the excused in front of a mirror.

"I was going to the infirmary because I have a stomach bug." Suigetsu said very nonchalant.

"I had a headache so I went with Suigetsu. We came across Karin and then Iruka found us-"

"Professor Iruka," Hashirama said firmly.

"Professor…Iruka…" Sasuke said, side eyeing the muggle studies teacher.

"We know we were not supposed to be out bed, but we don't have a head of house to go to. We had no choice." Karin repeated, putting her most innocent looking face up.

"It is really not our fault we are supposed to go to Professor Senju and his office is on the other side of the school. The infirmary was closer." Suigetsu added.

"And you found Lady Shizune, I supposed she had given you the Antro Accubatant Potion for you to be so well in our presence." Hashirama looked at Suigetsu, making the boy uncomfortable.

"Uhm...Yeah, she did." Suigetsu said, a bit of sweat was piling up on his forehead.

"And surly a smart boy like you remembers to colour of such potion?" Hashirama smiled. Suigetus looked quickly at Sasuke who turned his head to Karin who shook her head ever so slightly.

"Blue!" Suigetsu said and eased down a bit when Hashirama sat back in his chair.

"There is no Antro Accubatant potion. There is a pill however-"

"She did!" Sasuke quickly said, "she just gave you a blue sport drinks with it for your…dehydration. Remember."

"Oh right! Yeah! Oh wow I am so sleepy I must have forgotten."

"Yes, indeed." Sasuke said. Hashirama gave him a nostalgic look, as if he was remembering something or someone.

"Maybe." He said, causing the Slytherin Trio to look relieved for a mere second: "But that would be odd ….Because she is not currently in the castle."

"Then I don't know who the lady in the infirmary is….You guys should check it out…." Suigetsu said awkwardly trying to commit to the lie.

"So now I have you three doing something curious in the infirmary and these two sneaking in cupboards." Hashirama pointed at the students. "Is anybody going to tell me why?"

The room fell quiet. Karin, Suigetsu and Sakura had their eyes glued on to their feet while Naruto an Sasuke looked at one another for moment.

"I am going to tell them." Sasuke said.

"No, we could all get in so much trouble," Naruto hissed.

"Not more than we are in now thanks to you." Sasuke said looking angerly away from Naruto.

Naruto sighed and looked at Hashirama:"We're having a prank war."

"We were trying to get away after locking Naruto inside a cupboard. He deserved it really" Sasuke said. Naruto was impressed how Sasuke was such a natural lair.

"Yes and Sakura was with me. She got us out of there and I put the cloak around us two. We were not raiding the cupboard we were putting everything that fell back inside." Naruto said.

"We only did it because Naruto dyed Karin's cat red. He enchanted it to look like a lion. That is why we were in the infirmary. We were looking for something that could turn her back normal." Sasuke said before looking back at Naruto.

"And that is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Naruto said, sweating slightly as he gave the headmaster a big, teeth showing, smile.

"We should get some credits for that at least." Sasuke muttered.

Hashirama remained quiet, scanning Sasuke before looking over at Naruto.

"Well I can't deny nor confirm that." He said honestly, "What I do know is that you are out past curfew and you are wandering outside your common rooms and for that I will take away twenty points from each."

"Twenty points?!" All students looked in disbelieve.

"It is forbidden to be outside of your common room past curfew as is being in the infirmary past visiting hours and inside teacher's classroom."

Tobirama looked pleased at his brother's decision.

"And…"

"What twenty points were not enough?" Suigetsu muttered, getting an elbow between his ribs by Karin…Again.

"You five shall be assisting professor Asuna this Thursday night."

"Thursday night. Like…Past curfew?" Sasuke raised a questionable eyebrow. "Counterproductive."

"You do not question the headmaster, Mr Uchiha." Iruka said in a stern voice. For the first time it wasn't Tobirama who scolded Sasuke. The Uchiha wasn't sure if he was as scared for Iruka as he was for Tobirama.

"You five like to be out past curfew. I'll have you experience first hand why you ought to stay inside your common room." Hashirama said. "That will be all. Now proceed to your common rooms and if you do not want to be suspended, you refrain from hanging out in the hall ways."

The five students sighed deeply before walking outside of the office and into the hallway.

"You are an Uzumaki, how did you not sense Iruka?" Suigetsu glared at Karin.

"You two kept arguing and breaking my focus."

"We only argued because your plan did not work." Sasuke said.

"My plan didn't work because you two can't even get out of one inconvenience without me." Karin hissed.

"Sakon and Ukon forget their own freaking names. They thought they were both looking at a mirror!" Suigetsu turned to Sasuke, "I thought you said you used a memory charm before." Suigetsu looked past Karin to Sasuke.

"I did….I can't help my spell was too powerful for their tiny minds."

"You just don't have as much control over your magic as you believe you have." Karin said, giving Sasuke an arrogant look from the corner of her eye.

"Come again, bitch."

"Who're you calling bitch, dick!"

"Enough." Naruto got in between Karin and Sasuke, wrapping an arm around both.

"What did you three even do?"

"Cleaning your mess, obviously." Sasuke and Karin said at the same time, glaring at Naruto. Naruto smiled nervously, feeling sweat pile up on his forehead, both Slytherins moved away from him, slapping the arm around them away.

"We were supposed to sneak inside the infirmary and place a memory charm on the Sakon and Ukon, but….Well the charm worked a bit too well." Sasuke sighed, "I tried reversing it and casting it again. It took a total of four times before I got to the point they had most of their memories….Except for the last couple of months.

"You guys did!" Naruto exclaimed. "You three did it!"

"Of course, I always effectively clean up the messes you leave behind." Karin said annoyed, "What did you two do in Tobirama's cupboard?"

"Getting ingredients for a forgetfulness potion. We were brewing it in the girl's bathroom." Sakura answered. "The one that is haunted, we figured nobody goes there anyway."

"If Shikamaru and Chouji succeeded in bringing down the owl, Kiba is saved." Naruto said joyful.

"Not thanks to you, moron." Karin said arrogantly as she walked around the corner towards the dungeons. Suigetsu chuckled as he followed her. Naruto's eyes saddened slightly at this. Not in a pitiful way, there were deeper feelings expressed on his face. Guilt perhaps, Sasuke wasn't sure, but he hated the expression on the Gyrrindor's face.

"You did safe him earlier today." Sasuke spoke, "From the dementors." Sasuke said as he came to a full stop. He was supposed to follow Karin and Suigetsu towards the dungeons and yet he stopped in front of the stairwells Naruto was supposed to climb to get to his common room.

"Oh yeah…Guess we did all play a part in helping Kiba." Naruto scratched the back of his head, something he did often when he was nervous. His eyes locked with Sasuke's and for a moment they stood there in silence, but the moment was ruined quickly by Sakura scolding Naruto for hanging around the halls while the headmaster clearly stated they shouldn't. Naruto had quickly apologised and ran up the stair wells, towards the Gryffindor common room.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, glaring at the pink haired girl running up the stairs next to Naruto. How he wished she would fall down and hit her big head on the stairs. He scoffed before walking towards the dungeons.

Thursday night came fast and Sasuke felt already very tired from his classes and Quidditch practice. The sun was still shining, but was fading slowly behind the horizon. At the Cabin he already saw Karin, Suigetsu, Sakura and Naruto waiting. Sakura was talking to Naruto, laughing at something he had said, teasingly punching him in his upper arm. His mood was already bad and the punishment hadn't even officially begun.

"What do you think we have to do?" Suigetsu asked, sitting at the doorsteps and looking at the large pumpkin growing in the garden. Karin stared over at the dementors flying over the castle. She stiffened before looking away.

"Probably feeding some Flobberworms, that is all we do during his lessons anyway." Sasuke said, glaring over at Sakura and Naruto. The Gryffindor hadn't even noticed him yet and it annoyed him more.

"Is it me or are those two getting very close?" He whispered to Suigetsu and Karin.

"Pretty much, she stayed over for a week before the Quidditch World cup. Naruto showed her around the wizarding village," Karin said. "Annoying. He kept going on how good of a witch she is and how smart she is…Tch, I can cast better spell than that muggle born."

"Tch, she is very….Annoying." Sasuke said, folding his arms and forcing his glare away from Sakura.

"You should watch out, one might think you are jealous." Suigetsu grinned, "are you? Are you jealous of how close they are?"

"Of course not!" Sasuke hissed, "I'm twice the sorcerer she is."

"Then why bother caring?" Karin asked, she didn't seem as interested in the conversation as Suigetsu was. Understandable, it was her annoying cousin Sasuke had been with…Sasuke still loved.

"I am not bothered."

"I thought you broke up with him, anyway." Suigetsu smiled, "regrets?"

"Shut up." Sasuke was relieved for a moment to see Asuna's walking up towards the cabin, next to him was Lee.

"LEE!" Naruto shouted running towards him and doing some crazy handshake only two idiots would be able to pull off.

"What are you doing here?! Did you get in trouble!?" Naruto asked a bit excited.

"What did you do, train too hard?" Sasuke asked mockingly.

"Yes! Professor Guy had warned me, but I wanted to be as passionate about Quidditch as he and so he admired it but gave me detention with professor Asuna." Lee didn't seem to have taken any offense. He talked to Naruto about how he got detention before the two started about Quidditch.

"Jealous of him too?" Suigetsu whispered, getting a glare from Sasuke.

"Enough talking," Asuna said, "Headmaster Hashirama has given you detention and it was your bad luck I could use some extra people to figure out why the animal in the forest have been acting oddly."

"You mean the forbidden forest….The forest forbidden for students." Karin said, she couldn't believe her ears and muttered how her mother will hear about this.

"Nothing will happen to you as long as you listen to me." Asuna said confident as he took the lead and walking ahead of the group, "But keep a grip around your wand to be sure." He added with a smirk on his face.

Karin gave Sasuke a look of disbelieve and they followed the Care of Magical Creature professor inside the forest. At first it seemed like an ordinary one, not scary at all. However, the deeper they went the more the path became unclear, the trees came closer and at some point nobody was sure if the sun had set or if the trees were blocking the light. Sakura casted a lumos charm, getting praise from Asuna for her quick thinking, urging the others to do so well.

Asuna came to a sudden stop and kneeled down, looking at a pile of silver blood. He stirred his finger in it and examined it up close. "It is odd we haven't encounter any creature yet."

"Perhaps they are fled for something," Lee voiced his thought.

"Where would powerful creatures like unicorns be scared of?" Sakura asked, looking worried.

"More powerful creatures." Karin said determined, almost a dark tone in her voice.

"Like what?" Sakura asked.

"Dark wizards perhaps." Asuna said seriously.

"I don't know professor," Naruto pointed at the direction of the castle, "Dementors have a dark presence around them, animals tend to run away from it. Magical or non-magical. It is instinct, believe me."

"Very observing, Naruto." Asuna said pleased at his star student. Naruto was not a book smart kind of wizard, but when it came down to magical creatures he knew them better than any book had described them.

"Yes, this situation is very peculiar," Asuna said. "Let's brench out, cover more ground and come back in half an hour to this spot."

"You got to be kidding me!" Karin raised her voice, "It is dark, there are dangerous creatures here and dementors around the castle! I am not going anywhere without a trained wizard!" She wrapped her arms around Asuna's left arm.

"Very well then…" Asuna sighed, "Who else wants to stay with me?"

Sasuke was tempted for a second to put his hand up, but decided against it when he looked over at Naruto who seemed to be completely in his zone. There was not a trace of fear on his face and he didn't want to fall behind him.

Suigetsu put his arm up, causing Asuna to sigh loudly.

"Coward." Sasuke whispered towards Suigetsu.

"I am just not an idiot."

"Very well then." Asuna said, " Sakura, Sasuke. You two go and keep in the western path. Lee and Naruto go east. Meet back here in half an hour. If you are in any danger, you fire red firework in the sky and I will find you right away. Understood?"

"Yes." The four students said as they headed to their assigned ways.

The path Sasuke and Sakura were assigned was barely visible or broken in. It seemed nobody had walked there in ages. Sasuke was very quiet, he didn't want to talk to Sakure, he didn't particularly like her. She was trying to strike up a conversation a couple of times, but all attempts were ignored by Sasuke. He pretended not to hear her several times. She might think he is deaf, perhaps that is why she kept talking louder and louder. Sasuke stopped walking when he pointed the light of his wand at the floor, seeing a line of spiders walking.

"What is it?" Sakura looked over Sasuke's shoulder, holding his arm to Sasuke's great displeasure.

"That is odd behaviour of spiders." She noted, "They're marching like ants."

"They're not spiders." Sasuke walked ahead, jerking his shoulder away from her, "They are Acromantulas."

"Oh. Do they typically behave like ants?" Sakura asked, it seemed she was trying her best to keep the conversation going.

"I don't know." Sasuke said.

"I thought you might know, since you knew they were-"

Sasuke suddenly came to a full stop, hearing a distant voice talking.

"Hunger…Must….Kill…"

Sasuke froze and pointed his wand between the trees where the sound was coming from.

"Shut up!" Sasuke hissed towards Sakura, causing her to freeze on the spot.

"Something is out there…" Sasuke whispered.

"Professor Asuna said we were not to strange off from the path," Sakura repeated. "We should head back and tell him. Not wonder around on our own, we will only put ourselves in danger."

"Must…Kill…" The voice repeated itself.

What Sakura said was the logical choice, Sasuke knew that much.

"I'm going to check it out. Stay here." Sasuke headed towards the thick three, brightening his lumos charm to see clearer in the dark.

"Sasuke…Sasuke!" Sakura hissed, and quickly followed. "We shouldn't separate, it is only more dangerous that way!" She hissed.

"Nobody told you to follow me." Sasuke hissed back, hearing the voice again and again. It was getting louder, he knew he was getting closer and then….It disappeared. Silence filled the forest.

"Sasuke-"

"Stay quiet." Sasuke hissed as he tried his best to listen if he could hear the voice again.

"Fresh meat…"

"Did you hear that?" Sasuke asked.

"No…" Sakura said unsure.

"It was right here….The voice…" Sasuke looked at a specific direction, pointing his wand towards it.

"I don't hear anything…Sasuke let's head back. What if it is really a dark wizard." Sakura said.

"KILL!"

A snake, at least six meters tall and at thick as Sasuke's middle shot out of the dark and bit down on Sasuke's hand, causing the Uchiha to drop his wand and fall down on the floor.

"Depulso!" Sakura shouted, a light beam hit the snake, causing it to shoot away from Sasuke. The Uchiha fall down on his knees, holding his injured arm close to him. It was burning badly, but he had no time to think of about the pain. His eyes turned red and he looked at the ground for his wand. The snake slithered quickly past him, going for Sakura. The Ravenclaw screamed aiming her wand at the sky to send a distress signal, but she didn't get to change. She tripped over a branch and hit the ground, her wand fell from her hand while the snake came closer. She screamed when it quickly wrapped itself around her leg, moving up to bite her down her neck.

"DON'T HURT HER!" Sasuke shouted and to his surprise the snake froze in its spot. It hovered over Sakura, as if it wasn't sure he wanted to bite down its venomous teeth in her or if he shouldn't. Sasuke got up from the dirty ground.

"So…Hungry…" Sasuke heard the snake speak. It was the snake he had heard talking between the threes.

"Don't eat her…Get away from her." Sasuke said, panting heavily.

The snake backed off and slithered away from Sakura. It looked annoyed, angry…But it listened.

"You can understand me? Can't you?" Sasuke asked as he looked over his shoulder at the creature.

"You said you were hungry and yet….you listened to me when I asked you not to hurt her….Why?"

"You demanded it." The snake said bitterly.

"Why listen?" Sasuke asked the snake didn't say anything at first when it slithered away, "Answer me!" He shouted turning towards the creature.

"Because wizards that speak to my kind, behold the power to command my kind."

Sasuke frowned as the snake slithered away, he looked back at Sakura who looked at him in fear.

"Are you alright?"

"Stay away from me!" Sakura shouted before grabbing her wand and pointing it at Sasuke.

"I saved you from being eaten alive!" Sasuke raised his voice.

"Did you? It seemed like you were asking it to kill me!"

"You heard me tell him to not hurt you!"

"I heard you speak parselmouth!" Sakura shouted.

Sasuke was about to say something back, but Naruto's words popped in his mind. About the Gaunt Family, Salazar Slytherin and the dark lord that had gone missing. The snake was the symbol of their clan; parselmouth was the mark of a dark wizards; a mark of the Gaunt family.

But he was an Uchiha, he had the sharingan. The rare bloodline trade of the wizarding clan. Sasuke knew he was an Uchiha…But how could he talk to snakes then?

"I said…He shouldn't hurt you…" Sasuke said, putting pressure on the bite wound that was now dripping blood on the ground.

"Why should I believe you." Sakura asked, her green eyes looking determined towards Sasuke's red ones.

"Why would I want you dead?" Sasuke frowned, "you mean nothing to me."

"Because I am muggleborn!" She said, "And you hated me ever since you knew!"

Sasuke looked confused at her words.

"You glared at me during the Quidditch World Cup, you gave me these hating looks when I pass you. You have been glaring and undermining me ever since we entered the forest. You hate me because I am muggle born! Salazar Slytherin didn't want muggleborns in the school, you feel I am unworthy of learning magic!"

"The fuck Sakura, I don't give a shit that you are muggle born!" Sasuke shouted, "I don't give a shit about what you are and who you are. I hate you because you are loud; I hate you because you are annoying and frankly I hate you because you are constantly flirting with Naruto!" The Uchiha snapped.

"What…." Sakura lowered her wand slowly.

"Yeah! Are you happy now?" Sasuke picked up his wand from the ground and put it away in his cloak. "I don't give a rat's ass about your blood status. I live in the muggle world, my foster father is a muggle. I told you this at the Uzumaki mansion. I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart."

"…You like Naruto?" Sakura asked, like she ignored everything else Sasuke had said before that, "You were jealous of me for hanging out with Naruto?"

"I wonder if I can call the snake back to finish the job…" Sasuke muttered, passing Sakura to get back to the main path.

"Sasuke, you're gay?" Sakura asked, walking behind him, holding her wand out for additional light. "I didn't know that….I wish I knew that. I didn't know you liked Naruto. Like…Like like."

Sasuke continued walking, trying to ignore Sakura. He already got regrets for his outburst, but not for the friendly reason.

"You've nothing to worry about. Especially not me, Sasuke….Sasuke!" Sakura said, causing Sasuke to turn around.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Because I don't like Naruto." Sakura said.

"I didn't either. He grows on you like seven-up or….Pepsi."

"No, I don't like Naruto….Because I already like somebody else."

"Is this turning into a love confession?" Sasuke asked, glaring at Sakura.

"Not in your wildest dream." Sakura said so quickly it made Sasuke actually crack a smile. "I like…Somebody else….I…I like a girl."

Sasuke sat down a cut tree trunk, looking at Sakura.

"Continue." He said. Sakura turned red.

"The rest is none of your business!" She raised her voice, "Naruto knows….He has been supporting me. I haven't told anybody…Not even her…"

"It is Ino, isn't it?" Sasuke asked, seeing Sakura's eyes widened.

"How did you know?"

"Because if you were to tell somebody about your crush it would probably be your closest friend…You're always glued to Ino. So, if you went to Naruto, it meant you couldn't go to her about it, and there was only one reason why you couldn't go to her….Because she is the one you have a crush on."

"How are you not in Ravenclaw?" she muttered to herself. "Do you hate me less now? I didn't know Hogwarts was going to be a real life Mean Girls." Sakura chuckled at her own joke before looking over at Sasuke.

"You're injured…" She said, kneeling in front of the tree trunk and carefully taking Sasuke's wounded wrist. She took her wand and a green glow appeared from the top, healing the bite.

"You think the fangs were venomous?" Sasuke asked, looking surprised on how good she was at healing magic.

"No, Professor Tsunade said magical snakes have one of the fastest working potions, very dangerous, very difficult…But you die in matter of seconds and you are very much alive. So…I don't think it is a dangerous bite, bit you should let professor Asuna check it out when we head back." Sakura said.

"I rather keep the snake thing between us…" Sasuke said in a soft voice, causing Sakura to look up.

"I'm already the decedent of Madara, the younger brother of Itachi and the last Uchiha…I don't want to be known as a pureblood extremist or a muggle hater just because I can talk to snakes." Sasuke sighed.

"Don't you want to know how you got the ability? There must be some Gaunt blood mixed in you…It is either that or you are secretly the darkest wizards of them all." Sakure chuckled when she saw Sasuke glare at her.

"I won't say a thing, but Sasuke…I'm here if you want to talk about it. Maybe we can figure it out together."

"If it is one thing I figured out since I came in the wizarding world is that you never should look for answers. It is best to avoid them." Sasuke whispered, thinking of his encounter with Itachi.

"I won't say a word….I promise." Sakura gave an encouraging nod.