Ron frowned as Harry came in and sat beside them. "I thought you had breakfast already?" He asked in confusion.

"What made you think that?" Neville, sitting on the other side, questioned.

"I didn't see him in bed when I woke up, so I thought..."

"It's not a big deal, I'm an early riser," Harry explained as food appeared in front of him – and he looked please to see it was exactly what he wanted, a relatively austere meal of rice, mixed vegetables and lean meat and fish but much more appetising than the fatty bacon, eggs, toast and pastries they were being served. "So I took some time to explore the castle." In reality, all his castle-exploration had been done last night, and this morning he did training and exercises – all part of a rigorous training schedule he avidly kept to every day. The Forbidden Forest provided a perfect place for him to train and keep his skills a secret, though the groundskeeper, Hagrid would most likely eventually get suspicious.

The redhead cringed with one look at Harry's meal. "Blimey! What the bloody hell is... that?"

"That, Ronald, is my breakfast," Harry answered calmly as he picked up his chopsticks and began eating. "I apologise if it doesn't meet your expectations." He said, finishing it with a slight drawl.

The boy flushed in embarrassment while those around them chuckled at the implied insult.

To those observing, Harry's eating manner was curious – extremely polite yet very swift and efficient. In only a few minutes he had finished eating, a striking contrast to Ron who had stopped using his knife and fork, instead favouring his fingers to grab the pastries and was well through his second plate.

"We have Potions first up," Harry said as he stood up, neatly stacking his chopsticks and plates on top of each other. "I'm going there early, anyone else want to join me?"

Ron swallowed another strip of bacon. "Go early? To class? Are you barking mad?"

"Um... I'll walk with you, if you don't mind?" Neville offered.

"Of course. You finished eating? Then let's go. Bye, Ron," Harry threw a half-hearted wave as the two of them departed, leaving Ron to look at them incredulously.

"Really... go to class early?" He snorted, licking his fingers. "As if!"

It had been several days since class started. Getting friendly with the Longbottom heir had been an infuriating prospect, since in the Gryffindor dorms there was hardly any time for chats. Most of the 'bonding', Harry noted, was done through day-to-day affairs – going to class, playing games together, working on homework, etc, etc.

This was all well and good, however Harry didn't plan to spend seven years at Hogwarts trying to learn magic, meaning he needed to connect to the prospective students sooner. Furthermore, Neville, he had noticed, was much more closed off than the other students and a lot more shy. He was often too worried about daily affairs, such as remembering to do his homework or making sure he knew the Gryffindor dormitory password, to even mention his family or anything personal. It would take a long time for him to open up. Unless someone pushed the issue.

"So Nev..." Harry said casually once they were out of the Great Hall. "Tell me a bit about yourself."

Neville flushed. "Me? What is there to tell?"

"Well... what about your parents? What do they do?"

At that Neville stopped, his struggle to keep up with Harry's powerful stride forgotten as a haunted look, unusual on the chubby face, passed over it.

Harry frowned, turning to regard the boy with a thoughtful look on his face. However, he chose not to say anything, instead resuming his walk at a slower pace and letting Neville follow, with that dark look on his face.

"I... no. I live with my Gran," Neville tentatively answered, after much silence.

"I've heard you mention her a few times, I'm guessing she was pretty strict on you?" Harry guessed.

Neville looked up in surprise, his prior funk vanishing. "How did you know that?"

"Educated guess. Come on, we're already here."
The pudgy boy blinked as Harry walked into the classroom. That was fast. He had been so deep in his thoughts, he had simply followed Harry's lead.

"Sit together, yeah?"

"Er... of course."

The classroom was mostly empty when the two sat down, though that was to be expected and welcome – Harry wanted to learn more about Neville, but he also wanted to do so privately and without interruption. It had been a light and simple gamble to get the boy to follow him to class early so they had a chance to converse.

He had already marked out a few potentials, however Neville was currently the closest since they were almost always in regular contact. Because of this, it was more than likely, if Neville accepted, he would be his closest and potentially strongest ally, from the first batch of recruits.

A few minutes after they sat down, Draco and his cronies walked in, followed by a few Slytherin students whom Harry had dryly dubbed 'Slytherin royalty'.

It was obvious to anyone who looked that Draco was the person around which this group rallied – however at the same time it was pitiful, since they rallied around his title, his status as a Malfoy, as the Slytherin Prince due to the machinations of his father – the pudgy girl that cooed at him, the two thugs on either of his flanks – all coincidental privileges, since it was pure coincidence he happened to be born in the family he was.

Not to say that he possessed disdain for those of certain bloodlines – as a ninja after all you needed to take advantage of every benefit. However on the other hand, this could make this soft, arrogant, weak, undeserving of noble blood.

At the very least in ninja clans like the Uchiha their members were trained from birth and underwent hardships in order to nurture their Kekkei Genkai. Though the arrogance was equal between both a ninja clan like the Uchiha and a pureblood family like the Malfoys.

When Draco saw that he was already sitting at his desk, instead of the trademark sneer he had seen on the boy's face, there was instead a calculating, strangely thoughtful expression. Harry wondered what was going on in the boy's head.

Gradually the class began filling up, Ron naturally arriving at the very last minute. Literally a few seconds after he sat in his seat, the doors burst open and the tall, dark-garbed man Harry had seen sneering at him at the opening feast strode in, his cloak billowing behind him in a very impressive way.

The man, Professor Snape, he heard from the older Gryffindors, walked past the jars of pickled animals, before turning around, his dark eyes passing over the classroom of first years before passing over Harry. "Ah yes," he said softly. "Harry Potter - our new... celebrity."

Harry kept a passive face, while some of the Slytherins sniggered.

He finished the roll call before looking up at the class once more. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," Snape began, his voice quiet yet carrying throughout the cold room. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching minds, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper on death – that is, if you aren't the usual bunch of dunderheads I have to teach." Silence. The students looked at each other incredulously.

"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" He asked suddenly.

Harry blinked. "A sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death, sir."

Snape's brow creased, the only indication on his face he had been taken by surprise. "Well, it looks like even celebrities can read the first page of a book," he sneered. "Let's see if you've actually read the rest. Where would you find a bezoar, Potter?"

"In the stomach of a goat, sir." Harry's face was blank, yet he had put one hand on top of the other in front of him. If Hermione were here, she could immediately tell it was a sign of restrained annoyance and caution.

"Potter! What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape demanded, all sign of subtlety gone.

"There is no difference, sir. It's also known as aconite."

Snape whirled around. "Well? Why aren't you copying all this down?" He snapped, walking back to the front of the classroom. "And five points from Gryffindor, Potter, for cheating." He added, to the gasps and indignation of the Gryffindors.

Harry chose not to respond, instead studying the Professor as he assigned them into pairs and gave them instructions for a simple potion to cure boils. The man seemed like a vulture, the way he would swoop in on different students as he checked their progress, ignoring a few of the Gryffindors' requests for help. At the same time, however, he was more than helpful to the Slytherins, praising Malfoy's potion, who he particularly liked to favour, and made Neville so nervous he nearly put porcupine quills into the potion before taking it off the fire, a sure fire way for messing up the potion.

However, just because one disaster wasn't averted didn't mean another wasn't going to happen. Ron found himself carted off to the Hospital Wing with painful boils after his and Seamus' cauldron exploded. Snape had blamed Harry, despite him being on the other side of the room, and docked even more points off.

The potion they eventually brewed was quite decent, Neville shrinking in fear when Snape checked it before deeming it "adequate". The class couldn't be over soon enough as Neville hastily left the dungeon, followed by Harry.

"Nev! Hey, Nev!" Harry called. "Slow down. It's all right, don't let that greasy overgrown bat scare you," he said in assurance as Neville stopped, his hand shaking slightly.

"S-Sorry, Harry, it's just..."

"Relax. Come on, we have a bit of a break before our next class. You wanna grab a snack? How about some ice cream?" Harry offered.

Neville was confused. "How? It's not lunch-time yet..."

Harry gave the boy a grin. "Follow me then."

Swiftly, Harry led the boy to the Great Hall, but instead of going in turned down another staircase. "It was the first thing I found out," he explained, leading the boy to a portrait of a bowl of fruit. "Fred and George Weasley were nice enough to give me a... grand tour of Hogwarts, for two Galleons." He raised his hand, and began tickling the pear in the bowl – to Neville's amazement the pear squirmed and giggled before shifting into a green door knob, which Harry turned and opened.

"Whoa...!" Neville gasped. The kitchens were massive, filled with many house elves constantly working – washing dishes, cooking, etc. There were four long tables, much like the four tables for the Houses in the Great Hall.

"You think it's busy now? Apparently it gets much busier during mealtimes," Harry stated as a house elf came to greet them.

"Harry Potter sir is back! Is happy with new food?"

"Yes, I'm very happy," Harry answered with a smile. "If you don't mind, we'd like two servings of the ice cream I wanted?"
"Of course! Hanky will get right to it!"

The elf provided two seats and a small table, allowing the pair to sit down.

"Nothing like a bit of ice cream for a snack," Harry said, giving the boy a reassuring pat. "Don't let Snape get to you alright? I'm sure he's all talk anyway."

By this time Neville was feeling a bit more relaxed and akin to his normal self. "How can you say that? He was targeting you all class! It's almost like he had it out for you," Neville protested.

Harry for his part agreed completely with Neville's assessment. From the very moment he set foot in the man's class, it seemed like he had made himself a target. The disdain Snape possessed for him, as well as the sheer arrogance was astounding - ironic, since the greasy-haired teacher claimed that he was the one who was arrogant.

Not to mention his abysmal teaching, if one could call it teaching at all. He clearly favoured the Slytherins and despised the Gryffindors, and since all of his Potions classes were with the Slytherins Harry couldn't see if it was a regular pattern for the other Houses as well. Furthermore, he had yet to determine the relationship between Snape and Draco Malfoy considering the man's lavish praise of the boy.

"I'd like to see him try anything outside of Hogwarts," Harry answered calmly as Hanky returned with two bowls, putting them down. "Thank you, Hanky."

The house elf bowed before returning to its duties.

"You're joking aren't you? My gran told me that Professor Snape used to be a... a Death Eater!" Neville said, his face pale. "Merlin knows how he stayed out of Azkaban..."

Harry raised an eyebrow at this. "Really?" He picked up his bowl. "Come on, best not to let it sit."

Looking down, Neville picked up his spoon and looked at the ice-cream in surprise. "Uh, Harry... what is this?"

Instead of normal ice-cream this type of ice-cream was harder and shaped into several, multi-coloured balls.

"My favourite luxury treat!" Harry smiled, eating a spoon of it. "Mochi ice-cream. It's Japanese. The green ones are green tea flavoured, the red ones are strawberry. Try it!"

Neville looked down, poking them with a spoon in confusion. "Green tea flavoured?" He asked blankly.

"Come on, where's your Gryffindor courage?"

Timidly, Neville scooped out a little bit of the green tea ice cream and raised up the spoon, before putting it in his mouth. As soon as the substance touched his tongue, however, his eyes lit up. "It's really good!" With that, Neville began digging in with earnest.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, it's a Japanese delicacy that's really grown on me."

Neville finished quickly, leaning back in his chair in satisfaction.

"Liked it eh?" Harry said with a grin, eating at a more subdued pace. He rarely had the chance to indulge in a well-made mochi ice-cream, and was frankly amazed at how quickly the house elves had learnt the recipe. It was too bad that Hogwarts' teaching standards wasn't as consistent as its culinary prowess.

Professor McGonagall and Flitwick were indeed teachers he could admire. They were clearly experts in their respective chosen fields, and easily commanded an air of respect in the classroom though their methods differed, McGonagall of a sterner attitude than Flitwick. He was also impressed with Professor Sprout's teachings, though he himeslf held no more interest in gardening than the average wizard. Neville, for some odd reason, showed a surprising aptitude for it.

At the other end of the spectrum was of course Professor Snape, but also Professor Binns. Though he loathed putting them in the same category, frankly neither of them belonged in teaching. Snape because he clearly hated it, and Binns... well, he was dead.

Harry had only been here a couple of days and it looked like his time at Hogwarts would provide some interesting challenges.

"So Nev, what do you think of Hogwarts so far? You like the classes?" Harry asked breezily, pushing his dish away. Looked like that was his luxury treat for the week...

"It's going pretty good, I think..." Neville said with a small grin. There was a pause however, before his shoulders slumped. "Okay... aside from Herbology, I'm not really doing all too well. My gran won't be too pleased at the end of the year I think..."

Harry sighed. "Nev, you shouldn't worry about what your gran thinks. Just focus on doing better, not just to become a better wizard but to become a better human being. You should seek to rise above yourself and conquer your challenges!" Neville gave him a blank look. "... basically I mean you shouldn't want to do better just because your gran wants you to but because you want to."

"That's easy for you to say Harry. You're the boy-who-lived!"

At that, Harry gave him a bemused look. "And what on earth does that have to do with anything Nev?"

"It's just..." Neville sighed. "We usually sit close to each other in class. Don't think I don't know that you're talented! Even Professor McGonagall said you were one of the only students she's ever had to get turning a matchstick into a needle on their first try perfectly! Maybe I'm just not a very good wizard... I still can't get it down right."

"That doesn't mean anything," Harry argued. "Just because you haven't gotten it right now doesn't mean you won't get it right this afternoon or tomorrow. That's your problem, Nev! You're giving up prematurely. If you give up, you might as well settle for a life of mediocrity because if you give up on a little matter like this you might as well bend backwards for the more important things later in life."

Neville physically flinched at his words – they stung, not from insult but from harsh truth.

Harry continued. "You should aspire for something greater – not just to prove yourself to your gran because that's a weak way to live. Your gran won't be around your entire life, you can't rely on her as your source of strength. Dig deep, Nev. You need to find your own source of strength." With that, the ninja stood up before thanking the elf and going out the door, leaving the pudgy boy to his thoughts.

-P-

As there was still half an hour before class, Harry decided to visit the library, easily one of the best places in Hogwarts. It contained a large number of books on a multitude of different subjects, and Harry couldn't help but be enthralled by not only the traditionally interesting subjects but also in wizard history.

The area of wizard history he was most interested in, however, were the early periods, the dark ages – in other words, the period before and during the formation of the modern wizarding world. It was thanks to the founders of Hogwarts, of course, that the wizarding world existed as it did today.

Even though it had been just the first few days, Harry had regularly visited the library, pouring over old historical tomes and documents as well as primary sources, cross-checking for accuracy. Much of the information he had copied would be compiled into a scroll to be sent home, for Hermione to file away.

Sitting at his regular table, Harry had, as usual, a stack of tomes on his right and a pen and paper to his left. He couldn't stand the use of quills and parchment, finding them positively backwards.

Currently Harry had his nose buried in a rare book detailing the wizard dark ages, before the time of the Founders. There was a time gap between the era of the ninja and the officially recorded dark ages – Hermione had estimated it to be anything from a hundred to a thousand years – but the premise itself was simple. The wizards, though descended from ninja, had no means of defending themselves against raiders and barbarians, who soon pillaged what remained of the shinobi civilisations. Much of the information itself, in the form of ninja scrolls was looted or merely burnt. Many of the most-prized scrolls, the ones often sealed for their knowledge, were burnt while those on things such as taijutsu and kenjutsu, more practical, found their way into the hands of the most powerful bandits who used them to further their conquests. It was in this manner that much of Shinobi combat filtered into different styles across the world and elements of them could be seen in even modern martial arts.

However, those descended from ninja would soon attempt to develop their own methods of harnessing power like the legendary myths of the ninja. As these descendants dispersed across the globe, these methods advanced, eventually reaching the time of the Founders who completely revolutionised these methods and fully creating what the wizards now called 'magic'.

It was because of this that Harry regarded Kishimoto as a genius – unearthing information thought lost, piecing them together bit by bit... however the arrogance of wizards reached no boundaries as it was nigh-impossible to find books or artifacts on the 'ninja era'. In the minds of wizards, there had been nothing before the dark ages – magic had simply existed until they found a method of channeling it.

Many of these conclusions Harry had reached from piecing together what Kishimoto had written with what the wizards knew of their own past. However he wasn't foolish enough to presume all wizards were ignorant of ninja. Perhaps some, like Kishimoto, had, and in their haste to research found themselves ousted from wizard society, their notes and scrolls sealed away in Ministry archives.

Harry sighed, putting his pen down after revising a few of his notes.

Everything he saw in the wizard world was a way to replace what was lost after the time of the ninja. Ancient Runes and Wards for Fuinjutsu, Potions for medical Ninjutsu and poisons, Occlumency and Legilimency for Genjutsu and Mind-reading techniques... the list was endless.

Was there a point to any of this if a new ninja period would eventually collapse just as it did in its heyday, just as the stagnant wizards were going to? If it wouldn't be everlasting? What was the point of any of this?

The rustle of robes and giggles broke him out of his musings. Harry resisted the urge to groan, turning his head slightly so they were in his peripheral vision.

Fangirls. Really. He wouldn't have this problem if he were in a small group, however this was getting annoying. Ever since a few of the more bookish of them had seen him regularly in the library their priorities had moved gradually away from studying to stalking.

And it looked like they had gained a few members to their group. Harry usually ignored them, but since it was nearly time for class, he stood up and began packing his things. All the while he could hear them murmur and giggle, though they were careful to be quiet otherwise the librarian would have kicked them out by now.

But not quiet enough, it seemed, as Harry could still hear what they were saying.

"No, you talk to him!"

"...You do it!"

"No, you!"
"...Okay, you, you, and you should go..."

"I will not!"

"Go already!"

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes as they bickered. When they saw he had nearly finished packing and was about to leave, it looked like they had hastily reached a decision as several of the girls approached him.

"Excuse me..." one said, who looked, surprisingly, Second or Third year. "You're Harry Potter, right?"

Harry paused, wondering what he should say without being a total jackass before finally settling on simple answers. "... Yes," he said passively, zipping up his bag. Turning around, he set off – only for one of the girls to move in his way. Stubborn, aren't they?

"Would you like to... hang out with us?" The girl asked with a slight blush.

"I'm sorry, I need to get to class," Harry said, walking around her at a hurried pace.

"Maybe later?" Another offered, but he ignored her and walked out of the library.

-P-

History class was yet another boredom festival. In his haste to get away from the fan girls, Harry had forgotten to borrow the books he needed. Even worse, his time at the library would now be a lot worse considering he had... interacted... with a fan girl. Chances were that they would be hounding him at every possible moment considering that in order to spare their feelings he had neither accepted nor declined their offer.

Harry didn't need a reputation for needless cruelty after all, it was unbecoming of him, and detracted from his purpose in being here.

Sighing as he read over his notes, Harry glanced sideways – Neville wasn't paying attention, nor was he asleep or half-asleep as most of the students were. Instead, he was deep in thought, though not on the History lesson.

It was with great relief that Harry exited the classroom at the lesson's end. At lunch, Neville remained quiet, aside from the occasional greeting or hello. The shy boy had made few friends outside of Harry or Ron, thought that relationship was rather one-sided considering they only interacted due to Harry.

Even considering his timidity Neville was quieter than usual. Harry left the boy to his own thoughts as he exited the Great Hall. It was a lovely day outside, perhaps he ought to go for a walk...

"E-Excuse me?"

Harry turned around, his brow wrinkling in annoyance. Another fan girl... his eyes widened marginally however as he felt his seal begin vibrating.

The girl in question was a first year Hufflepuff, with a slightly roundish face and red hair.

As he turned to face her his seal began warming up against his skin. No doubt about it – this one also had potential. "Yes?"

She blushed under his gaze. "U-Um... I'd just like to say sorry on behalf of my friends," she said. "I've known for a while that they've been... well, keeping track of you while you're in the library. I've asked them to stop before they do something silly."

Harry looked at her thoughtfully before answering. "You've got impressive foresight – not many people would see that your friends' actions would escalate into something silly," he said. Her eyes widened at the maturity and depth of his voice. "Not only that but you're also loyalty enough to them to approach me on their behalf. I'm guessing they don't know about this?"

"N-Not about me apologising, no..."

"That's commendable... commendable indeed. You do your House proud." He cocked his head slightly to the side. "Well, you seem to know who I am already. May I ask your name?"

"S-Susan... Susan Bones..."

"Well... Susan Bones..." he gave her a grin, one that turned her blush an even deeper red. "I hope to see more of you someday. See ya!"

-P-

Dumbledore leaned back in his seat. "Now that official matters are over, tell me, have there any students that have caught your eye this first week?"

"Well, Albus, out of all the first years, Longbottom has displayed impressive aptitude for Herbology," Professor Sprout said with an easy-natured smile. "Even in the first week this was obvious."

Professor McGonagall mentally sighed. It was obvious who Dumbledore was subtly pushing for. "What about young Mr. Potter? I am curious to know how well he's doing in the other classes. In Transfiguration his talent is extremely impressive and easily on par with his father's, if not greater."

"I see that you've taken an interest in Harry, Minerva," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling as if this wasn't his intention all along. "I must admit though, I, too, am curious about his progress."

"Mr Potter is also most impressive in Charms," Flitwick squeaked. "Why I dare say I have not seen such talent since his mother!"

"Potter is nothing more than an arrogant celebrity with an ego problem," Snape said with his trademark sneer. "His Potion-making is barely... passable."

None of the teachers made any comment at that – for Snape to admit that someone's Potions skills, outside of Slytherin, were 'barely passable' was quite a feat.

"Then it looks like he has inherited the best part of both of his parents," McGonagall said proudly. "He is polite and mature, and shows none of James'... more rebellious characteristics. I first thought he resembled James physically, but now I see much of Lily in him, both in character and in appearance."

Dumbledore contemplated all of his teacher's comments thoughtfully.

In truth, he himself had been observing the boy though his observations were restricted compared to those of his teachers. Harry was clearly confident and strong, and this seemed to exude out of him. He also clearly possessed a natural charisma without the need to be boisterous or loud. There was also an impressive grace in the way he walked – needless to say, with all these, it was no wonder he seemed to turn heads wherever he walked.

Yet it was still a mystery to him how Harry knew of magic before Hogwarts. He had used his considerable influence in an effort to locate the boy, but all efforts seemed futile. It was like Harry had vanished off the entire continent, only to return as a prodigious, charismatic leader in the making.

And furthermore, Dumbledore felt like he had missed something – a nagging sensation whenever he looked at the boy, as if there was something... strange about him. Something distinctive. Albus relied greatly on his lifetime of experience, and it was telling him there was much more to the boy than he was assuming.

"I see," Dumbledore said with a grandfatherly smile. "Perhaps I'll need to have a cup of tea with the young man someday. I'm sure that we'd have a most... enlightening conversation."

-P-

"Harry... can I talk to you for a bit?"

The ninja looked up from his book. It was now the weekend – Neville had mulled over what he said for one to two days. "Okay, sure. Let's take this outside though, the Dormitory's not exactly private," he said, closing his book and standing up.

Leading the boy outside through the portrait, they quickly found an unused classroom.

"Nev... before you say anything... I apologise for talking down to you like that," Harry said with a sigh. "If that's what you were going to talk about."
"Thanks Harry, but you don't have to apologise." Neville's hand tightened into a loose fist. "Because everything you said was completely true."

"And what makes you say that?"

"I... I've been sending letters to my Gran every day so far I've been at Hogwarts," Neville stated hesitantly. "And every time she replies... I just..." he swallowed. "I don't wanna... I mean, I wanna do things on my own."

Harry closed his eyes, suppressing a smile. "What do you want to do on your own, Nev?"

"Just... everything!" The last part he nearly yelled out accidentally and in his embarrassment it shifted to a sort of high-pitched squeak. Neville then sat down, ducking his head.

There was a moment's silence before Harry spoke. "I think we can do that Nev."

Neville looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah."
"A-Are you sure? I mean, nobody's said that about me before... even my great aunt B..."

"Forget your great aunt," Harry interrupted. "Forget your grandmother. They're far away and you're here. You don't need to listen to her anymore." At Neville's aghast look Harry relented. "I mean, you don't need to feel like you need your fam... I mean," he said with a sigh, "you can learn to be independent. You can learn to do things for yourself. It's easy. Just tell me what you want to do with your life and I can help you do it."

"For real?" Neville looked wide-eyed.

"Yeah! I mean, what are your hopes and dreams?"

"My – my hopes and dreams?" Neville squinted. "Um..."

"Never mind, you can find out what it is. That's a part of growing up, yes?" Harry grinned. "I think I can help you become who you were meant to be."

-P-

A/N: Man... apologies for the late update. I just really hate having to go through these formative 'recruiting' chapters as well as simultaneously writing about First Year. I've skimmed a bit though I'm sure most of you know the general gist of the first book. I just really want to get to the good parts!

Anyway, Harry's first era of ninja will be (SPOILER ALERT for some of their powers!):

Neville Longbottom

Ginny Weasley (Powerful fire element, Lava Release, Boil Release, new fire element techniques)

Luna Lovegood (Toad Summoning Contract, Sage Mode + Mokuton to make new elemental release techniques)

Draco Malfoy (Snake Summoning Contract, silent killing, powerful water and earth infiltration techniques)

Daphne Greengrass (Hyoton, wind kenjutsu)

Susan Bones

Dean Thomas (Taijutsu, Shikotsumyaku)

?

Hermione Granger (Byakugan, Medical ninja, long-ranged special techniques)

That makes nine, and I think that's a very Naruto-esque number to go by. I sort of have a loose working of their distinctive abilities, some of which will be entirely unique to this story. Even for some of the characters' powers I've revealed, there will be some surprises, so there will hopefully be no complaints about the distribution of abilities. There will be a lot of character-focused sidestories to go by hopefully as well to trace their development.

Speaking of Naruto, I was wondering... towards the end of this fic, would anyone be interested in another story where Harry and the ninjas here accidentally find themselves in the Naruto universe, potentially as mentors to a young Naruto? I'm thinking of either inserting them into chuunin exam-time, or in the Shippuden storyline during/after the rescuing Gaara arc.