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Naruto was sitting on top of the Hokage Monument for the last time. She was staring at the Kyuubi Festival in full swing and thinks it's both disgusting and in poor taste when Kurama helped rescue these people a year ago during the war.
After the war people still blame Naruto for all their misfortunes and she is finally done. She's tired of fighting for people who don't even care or appreciate her. It reminds her of Haku when he talked about how the bloodlines were made to fight the wars and when it was over, they were blamed and persecuted.
Kakashi came up and sat next to her and held up her paperwork formally requesting to leave the village. It was just a formality since it wasn’t going to stop her, like it didn’t stop Sasuke.
“Don’t tell me this is to follow Sasuke,” he tried to joke, “I don’t know what girls see in him.”
“I don’t know what Sakura sees in the bastard,” she says and takes a breath to finally admit something she’s never said out loud, “but for me, Sasuke was the one to teach me about love. He gave me the bento during the bell test at the risk of his goals and always threw himself into danger to protect me. He was always the one checking on me. He loved me when no one ever really saw me, people only saw the Kyuubi or ghosts of my parents, but he has always just looked at me.”
Kakashi was fully paying attention to her with a shocked look in his eyes probably realizing that it was Sasuke who truly started this thing between them. He lit the fire of their bond and she just kept it alive after he left.
She sighed, “but, no, I have zero plans to go after him.”
Not after he left her again right after they confirmed their feelings for each other, without even looking back or asking how she might feel. They were both too broken for it to work between them. They fix themselves in different ways. She will always love him, but she wants to be loved in a less painful way.
Jiraiya was right, and she was finally ready to stop being an idiot and move on.
She's tired and still has nightmares of him trying to kill her. When it rains the scar on her chest, the only scar on her body, hurts. She loves him so much, but she wonders if it would be the same if she felt basic human kindness growing up. Naruto wants more for herself and she is going to go find it.
“Then why?”
She gestures to the festivities down below, “because I want to be happy, and like with Sasuke, I realized I’m not going to find it here.”
She deserves more from the village and deserves more from someone she loves.
Kakashi says in a defeated tone, “what if I don't allow you to leave?”
She lays her head on his shoulder and tells him, “You would never force me to stay in such a toxic place. I promise you that I will become happy.”
Kakashi crouched in front of her and pulled down his mask showing her his face for the first and last time, “I know you always keep your promises. It's why you were always my favorite.”
Her eyes were watery as she smiled at him, “shit sensei, maybe if I knew you looked like that, I could have fallen for you instead.”
He lifted his mask back up with a chuckle and ruffled her hair, “I would have hurt you too. Good luck Naruto.”
“Thank you Kakashi.”
A week ago, Kurama asks if she was serious about leaving it all behind and offered to take her to a different place where she can start over. A place where no one would know what a jinchuriki was. It's a one-way trip so she spent a few days to really think about it before she agreed. She was scared but fear has never stopped her before.
She wrote goodbye letters to the most significant people in her life and packs up the most important things. Seeing how little it all amounts to; she feels more comfortable in her decision to leave it all behind.
The night of the Kyuubi Festival, her birthday, she leaves to find happiness.
Harry decided to go on a journey of self-discovery to which Ginny and his friends didn’t understand.
He had no way to explain that if he didn't do it now, then he probably never would. No clue how to go about explaining that constantly being around everyone was giving him nightmares of all the shit he had been though over the years.
How can he ask for time to heal when someone, probably Ron, would just say ‘we all need to heal Harry’?
But he died in that war even if just for a moment. He lost friends and some of the family he made, and he understands that they did too, but can't he be selfish and do something for himself?
Ginny frowned when he told her of his plans to take a year to find himself. Harry didn't understand what the problem was since she still had another year at Hogwarts before she could graduate. He, himself, had zero plans to ever set foot back in the place that held both all of his best and worst memories.
“If you go, I don't plan on waiting for you.”
He frowned. It sounded like something Ron would say. “Do you expect me to just wait here for you while you finish school?”
The girl pleaded, “just come back to school with me. Hermione is coming back, and I don't see why you couldn't too.”
Could she really not understand why he didn't want to go back? After everything?
He let out a sigh and said, “it's fine if you don't wait for me. Maybe in the future we will be on the same page, but it seems like that isn't now.”
She huffed and stomps away and he hears her slam her door closed.
Later Hermione tells him that Ginny was just worried that he would no longer be in love with her if he left to find himself. When Harry thinks of his future, he thought that Ginny would one day be his wife, but if he changes his mind while finding himself wouldn’t it be better to find that out early then ending up unhappy later? They technically aren’t even dating, since he broke it off to protect her from the death eaters after him, since then they have only shared a kiss with no discussion of their relationship status.
“I'm still leaving,” he needed to do this.
Hermione just nodded, “promise to write?”
He pulled her in a hug, “of course.”
Hermione taught him a spell to hide his scar and then proceeded to mother him as he packed a bag. Ron walked into the room and slapped a book against his chest called: The Perfect Road Trip, A Guide to Finding Yourself. Harry pulled his two friends in for a hug, they may not understand but they support him anyway. Ron asked how he was going to pay for the trip, and he told him that between the Potter and the Black fortunes left to him he didn't have to worry about how he would afford it. Hell, he didn't have to work a day in his life if that was what he wanted.
The first town in the book Ron gave him he trips and falls into a stunning blond girl who looked to be the same age as him.
She flashed him a smile, “are you ok?”
He grinned and with a chuckle he said, “embarrassed but fine.”
“I’m glad. Have a good day.”
“You too,” he said as they went their separate ways.
The next time he runs into the pretty blond was when she was checking out of the inn he was staying at. They shared a nod in recognition before she left.
They ran into each other three more times in two different towns and both were feeling paranoid.
The fifth time they met in a diner and just stared at each other. The blond walked out of the diner, and he followed her as she walked into an alley, his wand at the ready. When he walked into the alley, he was confused to find that it was empty. He assumed that the pretty blond used magic to get away. He was about to leave himself when she came up behind him and held a blade to his throat.
“Why are you following me,” she hissed.
This was new. He's used to wands being pointed at him not muggle weapons.
“You are the one following me.”
“No, I have seen you in the last few places that I've been.”
He pulled the book Ron gave him for her to see, “I've been following this guidebook.”
The girl pulled out the same guide before retracting her blade, “I'm sorry, it's an old occupational hazard to be paranoid.”
He held up his wand, “same here.”
“I'm Naruto,” she introduced herself and he gave her a look to see if she would give a last name only for her to give him a cheeky grin, “Just Naruto.”
“I'm Harry,” he said as he gave her a cheeky grin right back, “Just Harry.”
“Well Just Harry,” she pulled out her own guide and turned to where it was tabbed, “how about I buy you something called a Butterbeer to make up for almost slitting your throat.”
They went back into the diner and chatted about where they have been so far and what they enjoyed about the places like they were old friends, and he was a little disappointed when they separated.
At the next town, he made it to the inn that the guidebook recommended and the person at the front desk asked if he knew a Naruto. He nodded and the lady pulled out an envelope. On the front it read: Just Harry and he let out a laugh.
He waited until he got to his room before he opened the letter. Out dropped a $500 poker chip. The letter read:
Just Harry,
It's not in the guidebook but if you go to the place on the map I drew and knock four times and give them the password 'I’m here to learn about the Religion of Merlin’s Beard' it leads to an underground casino. Maybe that’s not your thing, but if it is I hope you find as much good luck as I did there. The sake they serve there is really good too.
-Just Naruto
Ps: I hope you find what you are looking for on your journey.
Harry smiled as he fiddled with the poker chip in his hand. That night he followed the map and instructions to the casino. He sipped on sake as he listened to the other patrons talk about the pretty blond who came in and wiped them clean. Harry decided to keep the chip Naruto gave him as a souvenir.
They ran into each other a few more times, each time they stopped to talk about their experiences as they grabbed a meal together, and Harry was starting to look forward to it.
Harry decided to skip to the next town in the book to see if he could find something as cool as she did with the secret casino to leave her a note. When he checked in, he asked the front desk if there was any local places of interest and she told him of a hike that wouldn't be in the guidebook that leads to a cave with a secret lake inside it. The woman told him it was too cold to enjoy swimming in it but it's pretty at night to see the stars and moon dance along the surface. Harry decided to go check it out.
The hike was just over two hours from the inn, but he reached his destination a little after sundown. To his surprise, Naruto was just standing in the center of the lake looking like she just descended from heaven itself as the stars were reflecting the water. It looked like she was in her underwear, and he felt like a pervert intruding.
Suddenly, she dropped in the water. Harry yelled her name as he rushed into the cave and dove into the freezing water with his clothes on. A moment later her head breached the surface and he stopped panicking.
“Harry? What are you doing here?”
He shivered as he said, “I thought I was rescuing you.”
She started laughing, “my hero. Come on let’s get you out of the water, it’s freezing.”
He snorted, “says the person who decided to just dive in.”
“It’s stupid but I thought it would be kind of like swimming among the stars,” she mumbled with a slight blush on her face.
She put on her dry clothes before throwing her towel around him to try to warm him up as they hiked back to the inn. He ended up catching a cold and she stayed to take care of him.
She handed him soup and some medicine before asking, “Hey, do you want to travel alone, together?”
“I think I'd like that.”
Ron sent him a letter apologizing for his sister and he was confused until he read Hermione’s letter telling him that Ginny was snogging Neville in the common room. He felt disappointed. He had sent Ginny a couple of letters, to tell her of his trip while trying to sooth her fears of him no longer loving her, that the girl never responded to. Ginny gave him an ultimatum and followed through with it and he shouldn't be upset, since they weren’t dating, but he was. He had been gone for just over four months and she was already moving on.
Would this have happened anyway since they would have been separated even if he had chosen to stay with the Weasley family? There was no way to know and that frustrated him.
He decided to see if Naruto wanted to go do something to take his mind off the girl he once thought he would marry. He went and knocked on the blond’s door and was disappointed when there was no answer.
“Harry. Everything ok?” He turned and saw her, and his mouth went dry. Naruto was in shorts and a sports bra with her jacket tied around her waist and covered in a light sheen of sweat. “I'm just getting back from my workout.”
“I was going to see if you wanted to do something,” he said hoping he didn’t sound as down as he felt.
She gave him a comforting grin, “yeah, just give me a half hour to wash up.”
They get to a diner that was in the guidebook and she asked if he wanted to talk about it and he appreciated the fact that she doesn't push when he said no.
“I feel like I just took a step back from finding what I am looking for.”
She nodded, “ok, if you want, we can wait here until you are ready to take a step forward again.”
He grinned liking the sound of that.
They go somewhere that had ghosts and she freaked and pulled him out while screaming ‘don’t haunt me’ and it had been years since he had laughed so hard.
A few days later, he sees her talking to a snake from a distance, he has no clue what they were saying but he sees how crushed she looked when it disappeared leaving a letter behind.
“You can talk to snakes?”
“Some of them.”
She clearly wanted to avoid the topic, so he waited for her to talk again.
“What I thought was a one-way ticket turned out to be false,” she said as she looked at the letter with empty eyes. Harry hated that look on the normally cheerful girl. “Have you ever been in love with someone who causes you pain?”
Harry thought of Ginny and the letter he received, “Yeah. I have an idea.”
“Were you able to move on?”
“Not yet. I'll let you know if I do though.”
She looked at the letter in her hands, “can you do me a favor and get rid of the letter for me? I don’t know if I could do it myself.”
“You don’t want to read it,” he asked, and she shook her head.
Pulling out his wand he destroyed the letter, and she had a tear roll down her face before she started laughing.
“I think I just took my first true step forward.”
And for the first time he pulled her into a hug tucking her under his chin and said, “I’m glad.”
They were hanging out in a café as Harry was thumbing through the guidebook and says, “there is a hot spring in the next town.”
She threw money on the table and dragged him out, “thank the sage. Let's go!”
Harry just laughed and let himself be pulled.
Something the guidebook didn't say was it was a four-hour hike to get there.
“Holy crap,” she said as she took in the view, “wanna just camp here for the night?”
“Yeah, I'll set up a tent if you want to set up a fire. We can enjoy the hot springs after.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He was amazed when she started the fire without a wand, and she was amazed by the inside of the tent being much larger than the outside. It was the first time he questioned if she was even a witch. They've met and traveled through wizard towns but certain things like this shocked her. They aren't the type of friends who talk about things so he doesn't know if he should ask.
She comes out of the tent with a towel wrapped around her body and a giddy smile on her face as she all but skipped to the hot spring. He joined her not long after.
She was staring at the sky feeling nostalgic. “This reminds me of the trip I took with my godfather.”
Harry just focused on her words since it was the first time she decided to talk about herself.
“He was a world class pervert who would spy on the women's bath, it's actually how we met,” she chuckled at the memory, “anyway, he taught me how to fight and we would soak our sore muscles in the hot springs then do it all over again the next day. Sage, during that time I wanted to kick his ass all the time for so many reasons but now looking back it was one of the better memories growing up.”
“Where is he now?”
“He passed away a few years ago. I'm still mourning,” then she mumbles out, “or maybe finally getting the chance to.”
It was quiet after she said that, and Harry thinks maybe they have more in common than he originally thought. He doesn't think he's ready to talk about Sirius but when he is, he hopes Naruto would be there to listen.
He wanted to ask more about her past but stopped himself when he realized he would have to talk about his own in return, and he's been enjoying the past few months where he's been, Just Harry.
That thought sunk in and he realizes she was the same. She introduced herself as, Just Naruto.
He snorts despite himself, and she asks what was funny, “I was just thinking it's been nice being Just Harry and getting to know Just Naruto.
She tilted her head and gave him a soft grin, “I don't know who you were, but I like the Just Harry in front of me now.”
Something lifted inside of him that he didn't realize was there. He laid in bed that night going over her words and smiling to himself.
All of his current relationships started because he was the Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the chosen one, and he was curious if that was the extent of who he was. If he was worth knowing without the title.
I like the Just Harry in front of me.
He turned his head and looked over at side of the tent where Naruto was sleeping and felt the first tendrils of attraction creep in. He quickly turned his head and tried to squash the feelings before they grow.
He knows Naruto was insanely pretty, even blind people would be able to see that, but he hadn’t thought about her looks since he still thought about Ginny. Though his feelings have waned for the girl he left behind after Hermione’s letter and the fact that Ginny still hadn’t sent one.
Harry unconsciously was staring over at Naruto’s side again and forced his body to turn away. Everything is great because they don't have romantic feelings between them, and he doesn't want to be the one to ruin that.
The next morning, he wakes up and sees Naruto skinning a rabbit and he is both disgusted at the sight and thought those skills would have been useful when they were hunting horcruxes.
“That's not as messy as I thought it would be.”
She chuckled as she threw the meat in the pan, “I've been doing it for many years. It's easy. Want me to teach you?”
He paled at the thought, “maybe some other time.”
She threw her head back and started laughing at the look on his face and he had to stomp the feeling of attraction that started to bubble up again. She hands him a plate and he enjoyed the fresh food handed to him.
“Where did you get the rest of the ingredients?”
“I found some while on my run, the rest I got from my rations,” she said as she piled more on her plate, “which reminds me, I'm going to need to go to the store to replenish my supplies.”
He took another bite and asked, “do you run every day?”
“Most days, yes.”
He couldn't imagine that much exercise, “Why?”
She grinned like she knew what he was thinking, “I've been training since I was four and it's hard to stop habits.”
“What have you been training for?”
“To fight a God apparently,” she said, as she started giggling like it was an inside joke.
He chuckled along with her though he didn’t really get it, “Did your parents make you train a lot?”
She frowns and he wonders if he touched a sensitive topic, “I'm an orphan.”
He winced, “Sorry.”
“No, they died when I was born so it’s not like I knew them,” she said with a shrug, “It just is. What about you?”
“Mine died when I was a kid too.”
“Sorry.”
He gave an awkward grin, “like you said. It just is.”
She grinned and thankfully didn't ask anything else. Though, that was probably because she didn't want to talk about it anymore either and Harry added it to another thing that they have in common. He watches her clean the utensils before they disappear inside one of her scrolls and he thinks there was finally proof that she was a witch though he has never seen that type of magic before.
“I want to get one more soak in before we head back down if that’s cool with you.”
Harry nodded, “I’m going to write my friends back while you do that.”
They both head back to the tent and she went to change while he set himself up on the desk in the common area of the tent. He saw tanned skin out the corner of his eye and had to stop himself from letting his jaw drop and she pulled her towel down from where it was hanging above the fireplace to dry. It was dark when they soaked yesterday so he didn’t fully see her body but now he was having a hard time trying to look away.
“If I fall asleep just wake me up in a few hours.”
Harry drank in the sight of her in her orange bikini before turning his head away, “will do.”
After that she left, and he slammed his head on the table. How was he able to sleep with that next to him? New plan, it was fine to be attracted to Naruto so long as he doesn’t allow for it to change what they currently had. Harry decided that it would take a greater man then him to stop from being attracted to the blond.
After a few hours she came back, and they packed the camp site and hiked back into town where she picked up more rations. After going through the options in the book they decided on a bed and breakfast. They went to their separate rooms, and he decided to take a shower feeling gross after the hike.
Under the spray of hot water, he let his mind wander. Eventually it wandered to his travel companion, and he wondered what she was doing now and if she had the same idea as him to take a shower. That took his mind to her body in her swimwear and how if she was showering, she wouldn’t be wearing it. Unconsciously his hand traveled down to his hardening cock and let a fantasy run through his head of the night before.
If after they had that moment in the hot spring, after she said she liked Just Harry, he would pull her into a soft kiss which would get heavier. They would head back to the tent where he would be able to see all of her expressions.
With a pull of a couple of strings she would have been naked in front of him. With a soft smile she’d pull him in for another kiss as he carried her to his bed. I like the Just Harry in front of me.
He finished with a grunt of her name. He blushed at the fact that he came before the fantasy even led to full sex.
A few days later he finally received a letter from Ginny.
Harry felt inexplicably guilty as he read it. He didn’t know if it was because he felt like he cheated on Ginny by being attracted to Naruto or if his guilt was towards the blond for reading a letter from an ex, despite not dating either girl. Naruto probably doesn’t even feel that way towards him, it’s not like she has tried to get to know his past, though that is something he is both upset about and thankful for. He didn’t know if his frown on his face was from the idea of Naruto not liking him or at the contents of the letter.
The letter was an apology for kissing Neville and Dean, Harry didn’t even know that she kissed her ex until he just read it, then went on to blame him for leaving and forcing her to go through with her ultimatum. It went on saying that she still loves him, and she only felt regret for exploring her options and wanted to be in a relationship with him from now on.
Harry wonders why Ginny liked him. He knows her crush only started after she learned he was Harry Potter, but it's been years and he hoped that she liked him despite his name not because of it. Though at this point he doesn't know for sure.
It's been over six months since he left for this trip, and this was the first letter he received from the ginger girl, and he only felt disappointment. He doesn't even know how to respond to it, and he wonders if he should take a page out of Naruto’s book and destroy the letter.
There was a knock on the door, and he was thankful for the distraction. Opening the door, he grinned at smiling blond standing there.
“What’s quidditch?”
He pulls on a jacket, and they head to grab something to eat. She tells him that this couple gave her tickets after she helped them with something, and she was too embarrassed to ask them what it was when they acted like the tickets were a big deal. Harry asked to see them, and she handed him the envelope where there were four tickets to the Quidditch World Cup, premium box seats.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a serious face as he said, “I will teach you everything you need to know about quidditch if you promise to take me with you.”
She laughed at his reaction, “who else would I go with?”
He lifted her and spun her in a hug before geeking out over the tickets again. She told him that since she doesn’t really know anyone here that he could choose who the other two tickets were for. He was thinking about who they should take when someone yells at them.
It was an older couple and the wife pulled Naruto into a hug, “I’m glad we got to see you again before we left.”
“Thank you again for the tickets,” she said and gestured at him, “we’ll use them well.”
“You saved my wife’s life. It’s the least we could do,” the man said, “we plan on using the years you gave us to do some traveling ourselves.”
“I hope we run into each other again then.”
The couple walked away, and Harry turned towards her, “how did you save her life?”
She gave him a teasing grin, “trade secret.”
“Fine. Keep your secrets. We are going to the World Cup,” he said giddy for the tickets in his hands.
He went over rules and how to play quidditch which led to her wanting to try flying. Things like this made him question her being a witch, he’s seen her use magic, but she just doesn’t know about basic things like this. He promises her that he would teach her at their next destination.
Naruto proved to be a perfect distraction, because he had forgotten all about Ginny’s letter until he made it back to his room and saw it sitting on his bed. He took another look at the tickets in his hands and decided to shove the letter to the bottom of his bag to think about later when he knows what to say.
They get to the next town and there is an area where Harry decided was a good place to teach the bouncing excited blond next to him. There were problems from the very beginning where she couldn’t get the broom to move no matter how she said the word ‘up’.
She looked sheepish, “maybe it’s just not in the cards for me.”
The forlorn look she threw at the broom had him wanting to cradle her face and promise to make it all better.
“How about I take you,” he suggested, and that bright giddy look was back.
Sitting on the broom he lets her throw her leg behind him and he liked as she wrapped her arms around him to hold on. He should have done this sooner. As they were flying, he feels light shifting as she moves her arms to his shoulders, then she wasn’t touching him at all, and he had a mild panic attack, thinking he dropped her, until he looked up and saw her standing with her arms out with the happiest expression he had ever seen on her face. Merlin she was beautiful. Her faith in him to do that was both exciting and nerve racking as he worried about her falling.
He tells her to sit back down so he can land and when they touched down, she was beaming.
“That was so amazing. Thank you so much Harry!”
He wanted her to look at him like that a bit longer, so he said, “you want to take the reins?”
She sat in front of him, and he explained that he will keep his chest plastered to her back and move as she moves, putting his trust in her. Harry enjoyed her being wrapped up in his arms and had to work hard to not think about her thighs brushing where his hands were on the broom. As they flew, Naruto moved her body to get used to the control of the broom.
When she was comfortable, she asked if he trusted her and after saying yes, they took off. She had them doing spins along with aerial tricks that he wouldn’t do on his own let alone with someone else.
When they touched down, she was all giddy smiles while he was trying not to lose his lunch. He thinks he will never get on a broom with this girl in front of him again, as he had been thoroughly terrified.
“That was so much fun.”
He sat on the ground hoping to find stability after the ride she put him through, “You are a menace.”
“Harry?”
“Yeah?”
She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss and he just sat there gaping at her.
“I’d like to do that again sometime,” she said as she twirled around and started walking back to town.
“I will take you whenever you want,” he said as he chased after her. Merlin he was weak.
They head to a café for an early dinner, and she asked if he wanted to do anything else. Harry pulled out the guidebook and saw this town had a famous house of horrors. He remembered her reaction to seeing a ghost and was feeling a little petty after the scare she just put him through.
The House of Horrors was a small decrepit shack that they were told to just explore. Harry went into a room and heard knocking from a cupboard and felt his heart sink knowing exactly what a boggart sounds like after all of Lupin’s lessons before rushing out the door to find Naruto.
He wanted to give her a light fright not be forced to face her deepest fears.
The first thing Harry noticed was that Naruto faces her fears with her teeth clenched and blades out. He stepped closer and was confused to see her deepest fear.
It was herself with blazing red eyes.
“You should have killed them all when you left by bijuu bombing that entire festival,” her doppelganger said in an angry tone, “You sacrificed everything for those worthless villagers. They would have all died if it wasn't for you. You were the monster they made to fight their wars, and when that was over, they gave you a pat on the back and tried to shove you back into the role of demon brat.”
Naruto pointed her blade at the fake, “this isn't the Falls of Truth, and you aren't my inner darkness. What the fuck are you?”
“It's a boggart,” Harry said as he stepped in front of her and the creature changed into a dying Fred telling him it was all his fault, “Riddikulus.”
It turned into the balloon animal version of his late friend and Harry trapped it back in the closet.
Harry could see the slight tremble in her hand and so he ignored the tremble his own to try to help her, “Let's get out of here.”
She looked at the shaking of his hand and nodded before she held her hand out for him to grab and he hesitated for a moment before taking it. Even though he offered to get her out, she led the way.
They walked a bit away from the place in silence.
“You know, when I asked if there was anything else you wanted to do, I was hoping that you would say ‘make out with you’,” she said in a slightly teasing tone hoping to lighten the mood, “you know, for future reference.”
He grinned despite himself, “I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Nope. You?”
“Not even a little bit.”
It probably wasn’t healthy to not talk about the things they just saw but he’s glad she felt the same.
They get back to their rooms and Harry looked at their still joined hands and wanted to kick himself for ruining the good mood with a stupid idea. He wasn’t sure how to say goodnight. She squeezed his hand getting his attention.
“The ending was a little rough, but overall, today was one of the best for me,” she said while looking at their joined hands, “flying was incredible.”
“I’m not going to lie, you terrified me with all of the maneuvers you were doing.”
She gave him a teasing grin, “but you trusted me and sage that was so attractive.”
Harry felt like this was a moment, “can I kiss you?”
Red dusted her whiskered cheeks as she gave him a little nod. Harry felt that giddiness from earlier flow in as his callused hand touches the soft skin of her neck leaning her head up to press his lips to hers.
It started slow, just a few soft pecks, but then one of her hands reached behind his head, her delicate fingers card through his hair as she pulled him in to deepen the kiss. They stood in the hallway continuing their soft make out session until they hear a cat scurry down the hall reminding them of where they were.
They were slow to untangle themselves. His green eyes took in her kiss reddened lips and felt the pride from the knowledge that he was the one who did that. After one more soft peck they fully separated, and he almost shivered from the loss of warmth of having her in his arms.
“Good night, Harry.”
“Good night, Naruto.”
He watched and waited as she stepped into her room and closed her door. With a grin permanently etched on his face, he heads back to his own room where he replays the kiss in his head over again on repeat.
Harry tells her that he invited his friends to go with them to the game over breakfast and she looked up from her book to say that’s fine. He was nervous and didn’t know how to say that he used to have a thing with their sister, or if he should even say anything since they never talked about what the kisses they have shared meant. Was it a relationship or a fling? Did he even want a relationship? Would the Weasley brothers be ok with him moving on from their sister?
“We’re going to go meet up with them then head to the portkey to the game.”
“Why do you sound nervous?”
Harry shrugged, “I don’t know if they will like you and I really want them to like you.”
She grabbed his hand, “Harry, whether they like me or not won’t change what we currently have.”
“What do we have,” he asked nervously.
She gave him that flirty grin that he’s been enjoying for the past few days, “well, I like you and I like kissing you. I hope to continue that as we work our way through this book. Everything passed that is up in the air.”
He had mixed emotions about her answer. It wasn’t a relationship, but it wasn’t not a relationship either. Maybe this was better. They get to explore this thing between them without restrictions or expectations.
He doesn’t know Naruto’s life story, but she was probably on this trip for the same reason he was. To heal. Maybe she wasn’t ready for a full commitment, but she likes him, and she was right that for right now that was enough. He doesn’t want to rush this because whether they become more or not, he does want her to be in his life in the future.
“I like the sound of that.”
After breakfast they get on a train to go meet up with George and Ron, the latter started working at the joke shop instead of going back to Hogwarts, then the four of them would go to the portkey to get to the game together.
While on the train, Naruto’s head was resting on his shoulder and Harry took the time to admire her and come up with a list of what he knows about her. She smells like the forest and it’s calming. She is fearless as she tries new things. She cut ties with her past completely. She has a knack for meeting people and has insane luck. Her deepest fear is becoming a monster, at least that’s how he interpreted the boggart.
He wonders what she made of his deepest fears, and he wonders what she sees in Just Harry to want to stay.
“You are thinking awfully loud.”
“About how soft your lips look and if it would be alright if I can feel for myself.”
Red is a pretty color on her, was added to the list as he watched it dust her cheeks.
“Feel free.”
Grinning he leaned down to kiss her. She is very good at distracting him was also added.
They get to the joke shop, and he learns that she loves pranks.
“This place is so cool,” she said as she flitted about looking at all their products, “it would have been so helpful growing up. I had to make my own pranking supplies.”
George came up to them and Harry introduced Naruto to the tall red head. Naruto gave him a worried look, clearly remembering the boggart, and he said he’s ok. She and George hit it off immediately as she asked about products and there was a wistful look in his eyes as they compared ways to prank people with some of the products.
She looked at the love potion and started laughing, “oh man, I know some girls who would have literally killed someone for this. Could I have made someone think they were in love with a toad with this?”
“Unfortunately, not,” George said, “it just sort of fizzles out if it’s not another person.”
“Pity.”
“Let me show you one of our new products,” George said as led her somewhere else.
He started telling the blond a story of him and Fred and Harry decided to hang back to give them some privacy. It’s been a long time since he was able to talk about his late twin with that kind of expression and Harry didn’t want to interrupt that.
Ron finally came out from the back where he had been taking inventory, “who’s that with George?”
“That’s Naruto.”
“That doesn’t look like a Naruto, mate,” Ron said, “when you told us you made a cool new friend, she was not what came to mind.”
George’s laughter pierced the air and they looked over to see him holding his stomach as Naruto was telling him a story and Harry wished he was over there to hear what she was saying.
“She seems like a good friend mate. I haven’t heard him laugh like that since, well you know,” Ron said with softened eyes. George took Fred’s death the worst and the whole family has been worried for him. It was partially why Ron started working at the shop.
“Ready to think she is even cooler,” he asks, and Ron gave him a confused look.
Harry pulled out the tickets to the game to show his friend. Ron’s eyes grew wide as he saw the premium seats.
The group took the port key and he forgot to ask if she had ever taken one before as he remembered his first-time landing on his face. Turns out he didn’t have to worry since she landed in a crouched position like a cat.
They get to their seats and the boys were all geeking out over how close they were to the action. A man in a suit comes up to them and Harry worries that their tickets were fake only for the man to hand the blond girl a note.
“This is from Lord Avery,” the man said, “he wished to extend his gratitude by extending an offer to you and your guests to meet with the teams after the game along with tickets for the final.”
Ron and George were jumping up and down in excitement and Naruto accepted the passes with gratitude. Apparently, the woman she saved was from a rich pureblood wizard family. Naruto opened the letter and Harry watched as her face softened as she read the content. The couple was healthy and enjoying their time on a warm beach.
“Can you help me send a letter to thank them after this,” she said to him, and Harry agreed to show her how to do it.
The game started and she would randomly ask questions to which he or George answered.
“So, you said if they catch the snitch it’s over and they win right,” she asked and he nodded, “then why don’t they? Do they have to wait a certain amount of time before they can go for it, so the game won’t be too short?”
“No. The snitch is small, hard to see, and very fast.”
She gave a confused look, “but it’s so easy to follow. It doesn’t seem all that fast to me.”
Naruto pointed it out and they were amazed by her eyesight. The rest of the game they would randomly ask her where the snitch was, and she easily pointed to where it was every time. She would have made a frightening seeker.
After the game they went to see the team Harry and Ron were rooting for and one of the players offered them drinks. Ron acted like they died and gone to heaven to be able to have drinks with their favorite team. Harry lost sight of Naruto and when he did find her bright head of hair she was talking to his favorite player.
Harry now understands how Ron must have felt when Krum took Hermione to the dance. After a few minutes she shook his hand and came back to the group.
Naruto handed him the guy’s jersey with a proud grin, “It took a little flirting, but you said he was your favorite player, right?”
Harry looked down at the signed jersey and was touched that she even remembered who his favorite player was and went out of her way to get this for him. If they were alone he would have pulled her into a kiss.
George rubbed the blond’s shoulders like he was preparing her for a fight, “alright time to go see my team and I want you to work that magic for another jersey.”
She scoffed, “you say that like my flirting would work on anyone.”
It did work and George was now the proud owner of the Irish team’s chaser jersey with the guy’s signature curtesy of Naruto.
After the meet and greet they went to a bar to eat and continue the good time they were all having. It also served as a way to pass the time until he and Naruto leave to go back on their trip. Harry got them red eye tickets to avoid having to stay there too long.
They ordered food and drinks then George pointed at a group of people over at the corner of the bar playing darts and shared a look with the blond that she easily interpreted.
“We hustling or just winning?”
George gave her another look and she nodded before they bumped fists and headed over to the group.
It was reminiscent of how the twins used to act and Harry didn’t know when the two got so close that they could just read each other’s mind. They had just met today. He was both jealous and happy that they became good friends so easily.
Ron was still looking at the picture of him sharing drinks with his favorite team with a dopey grin on his face, “you were right, she is a cool friend to have. Is this what it’s like all the time on your road trip? Because if it is, I’m jealous mate.”
Harry chuckled at his friend, “well not all the time.”
“You guys are taking me with you to see the World Cup Final though, right?”
“I’ll talk to Naruto, but I think she would love to hang out with you two again,” he said as they watched her, and the other red head hustle a group of strangers.
The two friends took this time to catch up in person and after some time passed George sits back at the table and take a handful of chips. Naruto was still talking to the group of people and sharing a round of shots.
“Fred would have loved her.”
Harry chanced a joke, “well, he was always the cooler twin.”
George had a wistful grin on his face, “it’s fine since I was the more handsome one. By the way I wanted to say sorry that it didn’t work out between you and Ginny. Ron told me about her and that bloke.”
“It’s fine,” Harry was surprised to find that he meant those words, “she told me that she wouldn’t wait for me as I took this trip. I can’t fault her for following through.”
“You look better though. Happier,” Ron commented, “I guess the trip is really helping.”
Harry looked over at Naruto as she threw another dart, “yeah. It really is.”
Ron and George shared a look before George put his hand on Harry’s shoulder, “I approve mate.”
“We aren’t dating.”
“Well, if it ever changes let us know.”
Ron nodded his head and Harry felt elated to have the green light to move on from their sister.
Naruto came back to the table and dropped the bag of cash in front of George, and they had a silent argument until she put her hands on her hips and said, “then start an account for me at your store to order from.”
“Only if you promise to use it.”
She gave him a look before they were laughing like loons. Harry and Ron looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
They were on the train heading to the next town in the guidebook and he was admiring her as she excitedly talked about the time they just had.
She was wrong when she said that it didn’t matter if his friends liked her or not, that it wouldn’t change anything between them, because after getting the green light it was like a restriction was lifted giving him the freedom to like her. Apparently, his feelings have been building over time without his knowledge.
After the visit he decided to finally write the letter he was putting off.
Ginny.
First, I want to say that I forgive you. You didn’t do anything wrong. We weren’t dating and you didn’t cheat. I was initially hurt at first because I thought you were going to be the girl I marry, but I hurt you first with my selfishness. You didn’t want me to go on this trip and I went anyway. Even if I could go back and do this over knowing that this would happen, I would still do it. I needed this.
Second, I want to apologize to you because your fears weren’t unfounded. I met someone who likes me as I am. She and I aren’t currently in a relationship, but I want to be. I won’t tell you about her because this letter isn’t meant to intentionally hurt you.
And lastly, I wanted to thank you. It wasn’t until I got word that you had moved on that I gave myself permission to even look at anyone else. You unintentionally gave me freedom and I want to do the same for you. Don’t wait for me. Move on. Even if it doesn’t work for me and this girl, I don’t think you and I will work out and I won’t lead you on and give you false hope to cling on to.
I wish you all the best,
Harry.
Harry sent the letter, along with the letters Naruto wrote, and felt a weight off his chest. He immediately went to see Naruto.
It was late at night, so she answered the door in her pajamas, a tank top and a pair of shorts with little cartoon frogs on them, with a questioning look on her face.
“Can I kiss you?”
She moved forward and he caught her as she jumped wrapping her legs around his waist. Harry held her close and walked into her room, kicking the door closed behind him their lips never separating as moved towards her bed.
He separated to catch his breath and Naruto took the opportunity to start to kiss down his neck. Sitting her on her bed he brought his lips back to hers.
“Naruto, can I go further?”
“Yes,” she said with lidded eyes as she dragged him back into another kiss.
Harry kicked off his shoes as he climbed on her bed, and they helped each other shed their clothes.
“Wait.”
He stopped immediately, “are you ok?”
She gave him a peck, “yes, I just have to grab something.”
The blond goes to her bag and Harry enjoys the view. Turning around he sees she is holding the biggest box of condoms he’s ever seen and was glad to see that it was unopened. Not that it would have mattered.
“That’s a lot of condoms.”
She lets out a sheepish chuckle as she climbed back in bed, “so you think so too. When I bought the guidebook the lady at the store threw it in for free saying she remembered her gap year, then told me the only way I should allow a boy to sleep with me without one was if we were getting married. She also told me of some cool places she's been and wrote them down in the book for me and after she was done, she wished me happiness.”
Harry chuckled, “sounds like a nice woman.”
“I’m glad I get to use them with you,” she said handing him one, “I really like you.”
Groaning he yanked her back on the bed, “I really like you too.”
Harry woke up sore and stupidly in love. Naruto had insane stamina and he had a hard time keeping his hands, among other things, off her. He looked over at the sleeping blond and his heart thumped wildly in his chest as he remembered the events of last night.
He was torn between wanting to be here when she wakes up and wanting to surprise her with breakfast. He was going through the pros and cons of both options when Naruto gets his attention.
“Harry, can I kiss you?”
They end up skipping breakfast and having a late lunch instead.
After that they started only booking one room.
After a few more months, they were getting down to the last few pages of the guidebook and Harry was feeling nervous. Naruto was on one of her runs, he tried going with her once and realized very quickly that he was nowhere near her level of fitness, her workout sessions take a few hours, so he was alone in their room with his thoughts.
His thoughts were about wanting them to define their relationship, but more than that he wants to know everything about her and is ready to open up to her. Being Just Naruto and Harry isn’t enough anymore.
Looking around the room he sees her guidebook on the desk, and it was noticeably thicker than his, and decides to check it out. It turned out that she writes in her guidebook, little notes next to the places she visits, along with tickets and letters she’s received. After he gets through a good portion of her book, he sees that she put a star next to the place she first started to crush on him along with a note, he noticed it was roughly around the time he started to have a crush on her too.
It felt like he was reading a diary with how personal it was, but he couldn’t stop the smile as he realized that she might love him too even if she hadn’t said it.
After he finished going through her book, he set it back down on the desk and made a plan. He walked to a nearby store to gather supplies and went back to their room and waited.
Naruto walked into their room and started taking off her clothes, “I will take a shower and we can go wherever.”
“I was thinking we stay in today.”
She gave him a grin, “even better.”
While she was in the shower he pulled out some fire whiskey, knowing that if they were talking about their past he would like to have it, and snacks if they get hungry. She walked out of the bathroom in his shirt and her little frog shorts, she started wearing his shirt a month ago and it drove him crazy every time.
She crawled into his lap, and he stopped her before his hormones ruined the plans he had.
“My name is Harry Potter.”
There was no flash of recognition at his name which was a novelty for him, she only had a look of confusion as she tried his name out, “Harry Potter. It’s a nice name.”
“I wanted to introduce myself hoping you would do the same,” he said as he laid everything bare, “I want to know everything about you, the good, the bad, the ugly, and I want you to know me too. I love you and I think you love me too.”
He sees the clear nerves in her eyes and grabbed the whiskey to show her, “if we have a hard time talking, I got alcohol to give us some liquid courage.”
She gave a derisive laugh at that, “if we do this, tell each other our life stories, then we wouldn’t be Just Harry and Just Naruto. If we learn everything it won’t be the same.”
“I'm willing to place my bets on us.”
She said, “alright how about we flip for it. Heads we share everything, every single memory, every dark dirty detail that we would prefer to never see the light of day. Tails we continue as we are.”
Harry was excited that she was even willing to talk about it even if he had to jump through hoops, “you have to promise you will hold up your end, and I want to flip.”
He pulls out the poker chip she left him and enjoyed the look of surprise on her face at seeing he still had it. They agree on which side was heads and tails then it was the moment of truth. Their relationship hung on the toss of a coin and Harry was a bundle of nerves as it spun in the air.
When it lands on heads, he sees the terrified look in her eyes and felt guilt and worry.
“Hey, I'm sorry,” he says as he takes her face in his hands, “never mind we don't have to if you really don't want to.”
“No, I made a promise and the first thing you should know about me is I always keep my word. I'm just. It's just. My life hasn't been,” she clearly had troubles figuring out how to start and paused to try to figure out the words to say, “it's dark, and I'm a little scared that we won't be able to go back once we do this.”
“It's fine. I'll wait here until you are ready to take that step.”
She searched for something in his face before she nodded, “ok. Who’s going first?”
He was going to say her but he's the one who wants to know so bad, so he offered to go first.
“My name is Naruto Uzumaki,” she said, and he was elated to finally have her full name.
She placed her hand on his forehead and suddenly, they were in the place where he once killed the part of Voldemort that lived inside him. He had no clue what was happening. He thought the pure white train station was limbo and now he had so many more questions.
“Your mindscape is so clean and bright,” she said before grabbing his hand and walking to the pillar for nine and three quarters and looked at him, “ready?”
He nodded and they stepped inside the pillar, and he relived all his memories again. The experience reminds him of the time in Dumbledore office where he saw the headmaster’s memories. Every moment was laid bare for her, and he didn't have the courage to watch her as she took in everything.
When it was done, she was silent. The scenery changed to a sewer with the most terrifying beast he's ever encountered staring at them, and she squeezed his hand and pulled him over to a pipe and looked nervous as she pulled him through it.
She told the truth when she said her past was dark. They lived similar lives just on different difficulty levels, if his was hard then hers was extreme.
After everything they were back in the room and Harry needed a moment after experiencing the memories of two lifetimes of absolute garbage.
She looked nervous so he spoke first, “I don't blame you for leaving it all behind. You deserve to be happy, and what I just saw didn’t change the fact that I’m in love with you.”
“You did the best you could. None of that was your fault,” she spoke softly and then said something that gave him the feeling he was looking for when he started this trip, “You are still Just Harry.”
“And you are still Just Naruto,” he said and paused for a few moments going over his new knowledge of the girl in front of him, “only way bloody cooler. A ninja? Merlin’s beard that is wicked. Scary as hell obviously, but Voldemort must have looked like a bug compared to fighting a literal God.”
She burst in a fit of giggles clearly relieved he wasn't afraid of her. Reading her emotions became so much easier when he knew literally everything about her.
“I would have loved to be a wizard,” she said as she got comfortable, “magic just is more useful for everyday peaceful life. You get to fly and have the ability to flick a wand and have everything cleaned. That is so freaking cool to me.”
“So, you totally would have slit my throat at the beginning when you thought I was following you,” he stated before giving her a teasing grin, “now I feel like a butterbeer wasn't enough compensation.”
She laughed at his tone, “and what could I get the great Harry Potter to compensate for my great misdeeds?”
He pinched her side causing her to laugh again before he pulled her close, “I think I would settle for a kiss.”
“And what about my compensation for the wand that you were planning on attacking me with that day,” she said with her own teasing grin, “I think I'm going to need more than a kiss as compensation.”
He grinned and held his arms out wide, “take whatever you feel is fair.”
As she slept on his chest, he whispered to the demon inside of her, “Kurama, thank you for keeping her alive and giving me the chance to meet her.”
Red eyes were staring back at him, “just don't do anything stupid to my kit. I'm far less forgiving than she is.”
Her head laid back down and he pulled her in tighter causing her to stir.
“Harry, why are you still up?”
He kissed the top of her head and said, “I'm just planning our wedding to take responsibility for you.”
She let out a huffed laugh, “do that tomorrow. It's late.”
He closed his eyes and smiled thinking, that wasn't a no.
They finish their guidebook road trip almost two months before the one-year mark that Harry originally set. They splurged and rented a cabin since it was their last stop in the book. She was in his lap sitting in front of a fireplace and Naruto smiled as she finished writing in her guidebook.
“What now,” he asked as he kissed the back of her neck.
“Well, my original plan was to travel this book and choose my favorite place to set up my life after. Pick the place that made me the happiest you know? Maybe set up a ramen stand,” she turned and gave him a teasing look, “but you ruined that plan since a lot of these places make me happy now because of our memories together.”
Harry didn't feel bad about that at all.
“What about you? What is your plan?”
He didn't like the way she worded that. Did she think they were going to go their separate ways after all that they've done together? He thought about her life and realized she probably did. Turning her head, he makes his thoughts clear.
“I want to be with you no matter where you choose,” he said then kissed the shy smile on her face.
Pulling back, she asked, “so, what was your plan?”
Harry leaned back and thought about it, “my original plan was to go on this trip find myself, come back, become an auror, and then settle down and start a family. But after meeting you and going through our collective memories I decided I don't want to fight anymore. I want to live a peaceful life with you.”
“Are you sure?”
He leaned their foreheads together, “this past year has hands down been the best I've ever had, and you've seen my memories, so you know that is the truth. It's selfish but I want to continue feeling this way for the rest of my life.”
He thinks that if he hadn't had this trip, he would have immediately signed up to become an auror and continued hunting dark wizards all his life. What kind of father would he be if he only lived a life of abuse and violence? If he hadn’t known this feeling of peace?
For a moment he thinks maybe that’s why he even liked Ginny in the first place. Seeing the Weasleys in a happy loving home and wanting that for himself. Did he think that he would have that just by marrying her?
He hadn’t thought to ask if it was something that the blond would want, “Naruto do you want a family?”
She turned in his lap to straddle him, “you've seen my memories. I have always wanted one.”
“Would you want one with me,” he asked as he ran his fingers through her hair.
She grinned and nodded as she tilted her head to kiss him, “But before we have a family, I want to know you more. I know your past, and I know who you are now, but I want to know who you will be. I want to see your failures and successes firsthand and be there to support you during those times. I want to know how we fight and how we'll make up.”
Harry could agree with her and winced thinking of how she fought in her memories and cupped her face in his hands, “we will fight with our words, though we can make up with our bodies.”
She chuckled before giving him a sultry look, “wanna demonstrate how we’ll make up? You know, for future reference?
They get place near George's joke shop to set up the ramen stand that had a loft above it, and he loved watching her set it up. Her enthusiasm was contagious as she included him in all her planning even though he only planned on working there until he can decide what he wants to do. Her arguing with clones always proved to be entertaining for him as he taste-tested her menu. She spent a week alone drawing all the Bijuu and when George came to drop off paperwork that she would need to start a business he thought it was the coolest mural he’s ever seen. The lone twin was easily her closest friend besides him, and Harry was happy for them.
They planned on making the grand opening a week after the graduation party that the Weasley’s set up for Hermione and Ginny, where he would introduce Naruto to the rest of his friends. The Avery’s promised to be the first customers, the couple seemed to treat the blond like a granddaughter, and where one rich pureblood wizard family eats the rest tend to follow. Harry wasn’t worried about if her business would fail and even if it did, they had his money to fall back on.
Harry looked around their loft that they’ve had for the past six weeks, and it already felt like this was his home. It was and eclectic mix of the two of them that seems to gain another plant whenever he looks away. She convinced him to paint the entire place orange by just flashing her big doe eyes and he folded easily to her requests. Naruto had him wrapped around her finger and so far, he’s loved every moment.
Despite spending a year traveling and doing things, Harry was surprised to find that Naruto was a homebody. Ron and George come over often since it was so close to the joke shop, but they hardly leave the house. It was different from how they’ve lived and he originally worried that they might get bored, but he quickly realized everyday was an adventure with the whiskered blond.
Overall, he was excited to start the next chapter in his life.
The day before the party, George comes over to hang out with Naruto and she invites him to go with.
He’s been enjoying lazing about their loft and had no plans to leave but he decided to ask anyway, “what are you up to?”
They shared a look and said at the same time, “we’re up to no good.”
Harry laughs and says, “next time.”
The two come back five hours later acting like they were fugitives.
“We were here the entire time,” they both shouted at the same time.
He looked up from his book and asked, “you two going to Azkaban?”
They looked at each other and Naruto scoffed, “I’d break us out, but we just settled down and I’m excited to start a family with you.”
Harry blushes and puts his face in his hands to hide the smile on his face, “fine. I’ll be your accomplice.”
The two troublemakers high fived and he asked, “do I want to know what you did?”
She grinned, “even if we don’t tell you, you will know soon.”
They head to the Weasleys early so Harry could introduce his girlfriend to the mother figure in his life along with Hermione who he hasn’t seen in a year. Harry chose a dress for the blond to wear since she didn’t have anything, and he almost wanted to cancel as soon as she came out of their room ready to leave. She was stunning in the light blue cocktail dress and her hair down in soft waves. She gave him a sexually charged look as she drank him in, in his suit and he was counting down the minutes until they can come home and rip these clothes off each other.
Naruto was excited to travel by using the floo-network and he grabbed her hand and threw the powder and were instantly in the Weasley kitchen.
“That was awesome!”
Molly Weasley came into the kitchen and hugged them both welcoming them.
“You are just as beautiful as my boys tell me,” she said as she took in the blond, “and you look good too Harry. It seems like the trip really helped you. Now come in, come in, everyone is in the living room.”
Ron already told him that his mum already adores Naruto for helping cheer up George, and he was happy for that. He was still a little nervous that they might not be welcomed because of how things ended with Ginny.
They walked into the living room, and it got quiet. Ginny’s face as she took in his girlfriend made him feel bad, but she was no longer his priority. Harry reached down and grabbed Naruto’s hand and introduced her to everyone before they sat next to George who welcomed her enthusiastically.
“So how did you two meet,” Bill’s wife Fleur asked.
“She held me at knife point,” Harry said with a teasing tone as he nudged the blond next to him.
She grinned, “I thought he was a stalker. I was traveling and he was just everywhere. When I bought my guidebook the woman who sold it to me warned me of the dangers of being a single female traveler.”
“The same guidebook I got you,” Ron asked Harry who nodded, “that’s a wild coincidence mate. So, you can really thank me for you two getting together.”
“One of the tickets is already yours Ron,” Harry said with a laugh.
Ron jumped up in an excited cheer then told everyone of the last quidditch game and how Naruto got passes to meet with the teams. He pulled out the picture of him drinking with them from his wallet and showed everyone. By the roll of Hermione’s eyes, Harry could tell that Ron has shown everyone and their owl the picture to brag. George told his brothers about her getting his favorite players jersey too and Naruto was instantly in with rest of the Weasley brothers.
“Are you into quidditch,” Hermione asked her.
“It seems fun, that was my first game,” she said with a shrug, “I didn’t even know what it was until Harry told me.”
“How can you not know what quidditch is,” Ginny scoffed out, “what are you? A muggle?”
Naruto grinned with a shrug, “yeah. I can’t use magic.”
George nudged her and she gave him a look and he grinned and nodded. Harry is thankful that he can follow along with their silent conversations now.
Ginny looked between the two of them and frowned, “you are seriously a muggle?”
Harry didn’t like her tone, but Naruto didn’t let it bother her, “I can’t use magic, but that doesn’t mean I’m useless.”
“What can you do,” she asked sarcastically.
“I make a mean bowl of ramen,” she said with a cheeky grin.
“Food of the gods,” he and George said at the same time causing the three of them to laugh only serving to piss off the girl more.
George told the family of the restaurant she and Harry were opening that was attached to their loft. Everyone could physically see the jealousy rolling off Ginny learning that the two lived together.
“Harry always said he wanted to be an auror,” Ginny said with narrowed eyes, “I never thought that Harry Potter would be working at a ramen restaurant with a muggle.”
Harry narrowed his eyes and was about to say something mean when Naruto squeezed his hand. He looked at her and she shook her head with a soft grin, calming him down.
“I changed my mind,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
“You seem to do a lot of that,” she snapped at him.
“Ginny quit sounding like a scorned ex. You were the one who broke it off so quit being so jealous,” Ron snapped.
The girl ran away in tears leaving the room in awkward silence. Harry was thinking about what the girl said and felt guilty. He sent her that letter telling her that its over between them five months ago and he had hoped that it would have been enough time for her to move on. That wasn’t the case apparently.
Naruto nudged him, “go talk to her. She clearly still needs to talk it out to move on and you feel guilt. I’ll be fine.”
Molly smiled at Naruto and said, “that is very mature of you. My daughter made some foolish mistakes and has had a hard time moving on. Maybe it’ll be easier if she is able to get everything off her chest.”
Harry is amazed by Naruto’s clear trust since she knows all about the relationship. He asks if it really is ok.
She gave him a reassuring smile, “I know you care, and it will bother you if you don't.”
“Godric help me, I love you.”
Harry got up to go check up on the girl when the Weasley patriarch finally showed up. He let out a full body laugh when he finally learned what she and George did.
Arthur comes back from work saying, “sorry I’m late. The entire ministry building was turned orange and they had no idea how it happened without anyone’s knowledge.”
George and Naruto high fived and George said, “told you no one saw us. Our plan was flawless.”
Molly hit George upside the head causing Naruto to laugh, then they both get a stern talking to. After Molly walked away, they started giggling to themselves and Harry saw the soft look on the Weasley matriarchs face as she watched the two, probably remembering a time where it would have been both the twins sitting there. Harry could only imagine the trouble the three of them would have gotten into. With one more look at the scene he turns and walks up to talk to Ginny.
Naruto was right when she said that it would bother him to not have this talk with the girl in person and he was so thankful that she trusted and understood him. Just because he was no longer in love with Ginny, doesn’t mean he didn’t care after knowing her for half of his life. Harry knocked on Ginny’s door and she cracked the door open before letting him in. She sat on her bed and pat the spot next to her.
“I would rather not,” Harry said in a calm tone, “I feel it would be disrespectful to Naruto to sit on a bed with another girl.”
“I knew you would find someone else if you went on this trip,” she spat out clearly upset, “though I never thought you would date a muggle.”
Naruto was hardly a muggle, but if the blond didn’t care to correct people, then he wouldn’t either. He really didn’t want to do this one-sided fight; he was hoping for a calm discussion. She was angry and upset and he didn’t feel that way at all. He guessed that’s just what happens when someone is completely over the other person.
He let out a sigh, “you know, it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't started seeing other blokes and ignoring my letters. Even after I met Naruto, I was still only thinking about you until I got word that you moved on.”
“I'm sorry. I was wrong. We can start over,” she pleaded, “I'm ready to be on the same page.”
“Ginny, I'm already in a different book.”
“You can still come back to me. I've known you longer.”
“She knows me better,” he said internally happy at that fact, “in fact she knows me the best.”
She sneered and argued, “that's not true, I've loved you since I was ten.”
He still didn’t understand that since they didn’t even know each other. Hell looking back, she doesn’t know anything substantial about him, she only knew him through stories and one summer where they hung out, but they didn’t get to know each other on a deeper level.
“Did you love me or Harry Potter?”
She looked at him strange, “you are Harry Potter.”
He shook his head because she wouldn’t get what he was trying to ask, “Naruto likes just Harry.”
“So do I.”
This discussion was getting nowhere, “What I realized on this trip was you don't even know me, and I don’t know you. I'm sorry Ginny for hurting you.”
“You will come back,” she said with a surprising amount of confidence, “you barely know each other. It's been less than a year. Now that you are back the romance of being on the road will fade and you will regret not choosing me. I won't wait for you forever.”
She was wrong but he didn’t want or need to explain that they knew literally everything about each other. He was quickly losing patience in his original goal of trying to comfort her so she can move on.
“Look, I love Naruto and I plan to stay with her hopefully for the rest of our lives. I’m even willing to be on the road traveling for the rest of my life if it would make her happy,” Harry looked her in the eye to hopefully get the point across, “so I don't want you to wait for me. I want you to move on and find someone else to be happy with.”
After he said that he decided to leave the girl to think about what he said. He opened the door and Hermione, Ron, and George were trying to play it cool like they weren't eavesdropping, “where's Naruto?”
“With mum, and man she was cool,” Ron said with and impressed look, “when we invited her to listen in, she said ‘nah, I trust him. If he does something cruel, he wouldn't be the guy I was in love with’.”
Harry grinned at the thought, “she said that? That she loves me?”
Ginny let out an ugly shriek and pushed him out before slamming the door.
The party starts and Harry was able to introduce Naruto to his old Gryffindor housemates. The blond gets along with everyone she meets and after a while they made their way to sit at the table that held most of the Weasley family and their partners. Harry got up and kissed her temple saying he would go get them more drinks.
Ginny meets him at the refreshment table and tells him that she thought about what he said and that she would try to get over him. She handed him a drink from the table and asked him to wish her luck.
He trusted the drink since it was pulled off the table, and it came from someone he had known for most of his life, but he smelled the forest as he took a drink and knew she spiked it with Amortentia before all he could think of was Ginny.
At the same time across the party, Naruto was sitting at a table laughing with several of the Weasley brothers and Hermione, when her head snapped up and whips towards Harry and Ginny. Her reaction was so sudden, so the rest of the table follows her lead. They were all witness to the pink swirls coming from Harry that they knew comes from drinking a love potion.
They all watch as Harry pulls Ginny into a kiss, and Ron, Hermione, and George try to comfort Naruto by telling her that Harry wasn't himself from the potion and the party is blanketed in killing intent. The pressure causing some to collapse. The only one unaffected was Harry who still had a drug induced dopey grin on his face as he looked at Ginny.
Naruto stood and started to glow, a cloak taking place of her dress. Everyone was quiet as they watched her walk toward the two, every step behind her grew flowers and some of the furniture started to grow branches as the plant life tried to reach the golden being. When she finally reached the couple, she ignored the now panicked girl and grabbed Harry's face engulfing him in red Chakra.
Ginny raised her wand shakily only to drop it when branches sprouted from it with leaves. After a few moments, Harry's eyes lost that glassy look, and he looks slightly panicked as he realized what happened.
“Naruto that wasn't me,” Harry was scared that she would think he cheated on her, “I didn't want that.”
“I know,” she dropped the cloak and tried to give him a comforting look as she carded her fingers through his hair, “It's ok, I know.”
“Ginny,” Naruto started without even looking at the girl, “if Harry were to leave me because he no longer loves me, I would accept that because I love him. But never try to control him with magic.”
The ‘or else’ was heard from everyone except Harry who had a dopey grin from hearing her say she loved him for the first time. The atmosphere changed when one of the party goers practically yelled out.
“Is Harry Potter dating a bloody demigod?”
Naruto turned around and gave everyone and awkward grin, “Sorry for interrupting the festivities. We'll leave now.”
The two of them flashed out of there.
The next day Molly sent a note asking to talk to be given the chance to apologize for what her daughter did.
Harry frowned at the note, “we don’t need to go.”
Naruto smiled and held his hand, “I know how much that family means to you. I don't want you to lose that if you don't have to.”
He lifted the hand to kiss, “I am so wildly into you.”
They go over a few days later and Ginny was not among the family members that greeted them. She apparently holed herself up in her room after the party unwilling to talk to anyone. Naruto asks if she can try to talk to Ginny and Molly gave her the go ahead to try. The people in the room waited for a moment before rushing to eavesdrop.
Harry was surprised when Percy of all people asked, “We are going to listen in on that conversation, right?”
“You bet your ass we are,” Molly said as she ordered George to get the goods.
The entire family goes up the stairs in the room above Ginny’s just in time to listen in on their conversation. George was using the ear trick that they used a few years ago.
Ginny’s voice was heard through the ear, “what are you?”
“Human,” Naruto said, “Well mostly anyway.”
“How do I know you aren't the one controlling Harry and that’s why he no longer wants me?”
“Because I know the disgusting feeling of losing yourself because of someone else and I would never control anyone.”
Ginny sounded flabbergasted as she asked, “who'd be stupid enough to try to control a demigod?”
“Red-eyed little pissants and I'm not a demigod. Just Naruto,” she said before her tone softened, “Ginny, you are a beautiful girl, who is smart and talented in so many ways. You shouldn't need to trick someone into liking you.”
Molly had her hand on her chest as she nodded at what Naruto was saying. Harry could tell that the blond just went up a few notches in her book.
“I have loved him for so long,” Ginny sounded so lost.
“Trust me when I say I understand. It took a long time for me to move on from someone I loved since I was twelve. It's part of the reason why I was on the road trip in the first place and how I met Harry. It's not easy letting go of a dream but there is so much more out there if you give yourself the chance.”
There was a shifting, and the group hears her say, “I'll try.”
“That’s the first step.”
“Aren't you mad at me,” Ginny asked confused.
“For trying to control Harry, yes. Being in love with him, no. I can't fault you for having good taste in men.”
The girl giggles at her words and Harry thinks he should have sent Naruto in to talk to her in the first place. Maybe this situation could have been avoided if she did that.
“Can I ask you a personal question,” Naruto asks.
“Yeah?”
“Why do you have a floating ear as decoration? That's a little creepy.”
Ginny shrieks, “George, I'll kill you!”
The ear was yanked, and they rushed down the stairs to not be caught. Ginny opened the door in time for the whole family to be there caught red handed.
Molly flattened her hair to make it seem like she wasn’t part of this group of eavesdroppers, “Naruto dear, do you and Harry want to stay for dinner?”
Ginny apologizes to Harry, and he told her he needed time to forgive her. Drugging him was something that he can’t forgive and forget overnight.
Ron scoffs, “one talk from his girlfriend and you are ready to move on? We've been telling you for years.”
“Well, when a demigod tells you that you are pretty and talented it's more believable than listening to your family.”
Naruto put her face in her hands, “I'm not a demigod.”
Harry puts his arm around her, “but you kind of are though. Didn't you get a demigod’s yang power?”
She looked thoughtful, “that kind of tracks.”
Fifteen years later Harry and Naruto were taking their son, Sirius Iruka Potter, to board the train for his first year at Hogwarts. He got his dark hair and Naruto’s blue eyes and grew up in a loving home.
Naruto was a blubbering mess as she was saying goodbye to their son who was soaking up the attention with a smile on his face. Harry worries that they spoiled him too much.
“You have to write me all the time and don’t forget to keep up with your training,” she said with a sniff, “and remember what your uncle George and I told you if you decide to play pranks.”
“Plausible deniability is my friend,” he said as he gave her another hug, “I know mum.”
A few parents looked confused as they stared at his wife. She still looked the same as she did fifteen years ago, which didn’t help with the rumors that she was a demigod.
Naruto turned her sad eyes at him, “are you sure there isn't a wizard school where he isn't gone most of the year?”
“He will have a good time and make friends and while he's away it will just be you and me. We can even go travel,” he said as he pulled her into a kiss. Fifteen years together and he still can't keep his hands off his wife.
“Gross dad. Stop bugging mum,” Sirius said frowning. He loves his kid, but the little shit was a terrible mama’s boy.
After the train left, he turned towards Naruto, “so what do you think?”
“About what?”
He pulled out the guidebook that originally brought them together, “want to go travel again? It’ll make time go faster.”
She grinned, “let’s do it.”