Riley and Remus both stopped to look around as they arrived at their destination. They had portkeyed to Britain, and Remus had Riley side Apparate with him, to the Leaky Cauldron.

  "Remus... it's been forever." The man behind the bar stated as the two entered.

  "It's good to see you again Tom. Riley this is Tom, he owns the Leaky Cauldron here." Remus introduced the two.

  "Nice to meet ya lass. Is there anything I can get you Remus?" Tom asked.

  "A room. If you've got one. We've got business at Gringotts and this one has to get her supplies for Hogwarts." Remus replied.

  "Ah... off to Hogwarts are ya? I wish you the best of luck." Tom stated as he fished out a key and handed it to Remus.

  "Thank you." Riley replied with a smile.

  "Alright. Let's go deal with the goblins first, then we'll go shopping." Remus told her as they headed out to Diagon Alley.

  Riley was so excited. She took in the Alley and all its splendor. It was jam packed with people, and activity. Riley wasn't a stranger to crowded cities but she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of people, and the wondrous magical world around her, never failed to mystify and enthrall her with it's wonder.

  They made their way to Gringotts. Upon entering Riley immediately took notice of the fact that out of all the Gringotts she'd ever been in, the goblins in this one looked the snottiest. Each one wore an unpleasant look on their face, and most stared at her with complete disinterest. Riley has seen such looks before and was smart enough to know what they meant. 'These goblins deal with shit on a daily basis'.

  "Hello." Remus greeted one of the tellers.

  "What can I help you with?" The goblin asked in a bored tone.

  "We're here to open access to this one's accounts. She has holdings in France, but she'll be starting up her schooling at Hogwarts for the coming year." Remus explained.

  "I see, and who might you be miss?" The Goblin turned his attention to Riley.

  "My name is Riley. Riley Uzumaki-Uchiha. My account manager is Wrask, I've already informed him of my intentions to open access here in England, he should have sent over paperwork already." Riley told the goblin.

  "Yes, I do recall hearing something about that. One moment." Goblin spoke, turning to hop from his desk to go and search through some stacks of paper nearby. He returned a few moments later. "Yes, alright. We've received instruction from your account manager, and have already begun setting up access to your vaults here at our establishment. We just need your final authorization, and to provide you with your key. Each key will only access your vault from the specific Gringotts that it is tied to, so don't get them mixed up, or lose them." The bank teller informed her.

  "Understood." Riley nodded.

  "For accounts as large as yours, you'll be assigned an account manager to oversee any business regarding your funds here in Britain. Here is you key, was there anything else we can help you with today?" The teller inquired.

  "Yes, I'd like to make a withdrawal. I need some money to buy my school supplies." Riley asked, earning a nod from the goblin she was able to withdraw her funds. With money in hand the two headed out to buy her supplies.

  Throughout the morning the two made their way through Diagon Alley, travelling from store to store, buying the things Riley would need for her first year at Hogwarts. Robes, and books, a trunk, potions supplies, on and on they went Riley barely containing her excitement to finally be going to Hogwarts. The chance to learn magic at one of the oldest magical institutes in the world, to finally have a chance to be normal for a bit, and make more friends her own age. Her adored Fleur and Gabrielle, and was eager to make more friends.

  Eventually the two arrived at Ollivander's store so Riley could get her wand. Remus chose to remain outside, unwilling to face the old wand-maker who never failed to give him the creeps.

  The old man was hidden behind the door and greeted her upon entry.

  "Greetings child, come for a wand, have you?" Ollivander asked as he swooped by her.

  "Yes sir I have." Riley offered with a nod.

  Ollivander smiled, and began measuring her up, determining the best kind of wand for her. Once done, he began passing wands for her to try. One by one, she tried out these wands. Her control with magic allowed her a certain degree of attunement to each, but it ran the gambit. Some she could use easily others were incredibly finicky, one even burst into flames when she tried to use it.

  "Ah, tricky customer ay?" Ollivander hummed with an amused glint in his eyes.

  "Would it be easier if I just got one custom made?" Riley asked, as the wand she held flew out of her hand, vanishing from sight, disappearing into the ether.

  "Hmm… I think I understand, yes… rare, but it makes sense. Someone with your level of power almost never finds themselves in shops like this. A simple wand would only ever constrain someone like you, no you need something more powerful, a staff would suit you far better." Ollivander spoke, a joyful grin spreading across his face as he lit up with excitement.

  "A staff?" Riley inquired, blinking with curiosity.

  "Magical staffs are rare and powerful tools of magic. Only about one in every ten thousand ever reach the raw power needed to use one. Most of the time, by the time you reach that level of power, you have more than enough control over your power to keep using a wand. That's why they are so rare. It seems I'll have to make you a staff. Oh how wonderful!" Ollivander clapped his hands with excitement.

  "Wow, that's pretty cool. How long will that take to make?" Riley asked him.

  "A day to create it, another to enchant it. As long as I have the right items for it. You'll need a staff core, so that it can channel your full power, and we'll place special enchantments on it, so that you can shrink it down and use it like a wand. This will limit it's power output in this form, but make it simpler to use. With a bit of practice you'll be able to use it both ways. It will be a bit more expensive though, but well worth it, I assure you." Ollivander explained to her.

  "Awesome!" Riley replied cheerfully.

  "Alright, we will need a proper wood, as well as a suitable core. Please follow me, we will see which you are most attuned with." Ollivander instructed her.

  Riley did as instructed, being led in back to a workshop where dozens of different samples of wood were kept. She was instructed to close her eyes and stretch out her hand and pass it over these sample, and pick the one that seemed 'right'.

  She did as instructed, ending up with a darker block of wood. She was then led over to the cores, and instructed to do the same, finding another that seemed to call out to her.

  "Ah… Blackthorn and Dragon Heartstring. Yes, a mighty combination. Blackthorn wood tends to lend itself to warriors, and is strongest in the heat of battle, though it's loyalty must be won through hardship and conflict. Dragon Heartstring is best for channeling power, it handles raw magic better than most cores. A staff formed of this combination will be more of a weapon than a tool, I sense that it will suit you well, miss." Ollivander explained to her, causing Riley to give a small nod of acceptance to his assessment.

  "Now… there is one more thing that is needed for your staff. A focus." Ollivander said to her.

  "A focus? What does that do?" Riley asked him.

  "A focus is needed as a focal point within the staff that magic channels through. It needs to be something magically powerful, though also something you have a strong connection to. A ritual will fuse it to the staff, rendering the two objects, one." Ollivander explained.

  "Hmm… you know, I think I know something that might do the trick." Madara spoke up. Riley offered a small nod as his suggestion, her own mind briefly turning to the very same object, but was she willing to do that? To use Shisui's eye as the focus to her staff?

  "Once it's bonded to the staff, can a focus ever be removed?" Riley inquired.

  "No. The object can never be returned to it's original state. Breaking it from the staff, would be the same as breaking off any other part of the staff itself. The power rests in the whole, not in a piece of it." Ollivander explained to her.

  "Would an eye suffice?" She asked him.

  "It would have to be a powerful magical eye, but yes, eyes have been used in the past." Ollivander answered with a gleam in his eye.

  "If I do this, at least no one will ever be able to use Shisui's eye for their own gains. And at least this way, we can go on adventures together, I think he'd like that." Riley thought to herself, a sad smile crossing her face. After a few long moments, she made her decision, and summoned the crow from it's scroll. The bird circled the store and landed on a nearby table.

  "Would that work?" She asked.

  Ollivander approached the crow and met it's gaze, his eyes falling onto the Sharingan as it stared back at him. He didn't know what it truly was, but he could tell powerful magics lay within.

  "Yes, this eye will certainly be powerful enough for your staff." Ollivander nodded, drawing his wand, he stunned the crow, and then turned to her with a smile. "I will have your staff made for you in two days time. That'll be three hundred galleons."

  "Okay. You take good care of that eye old man, if anything should happen to it, you're the first one I'm coming after." She warned protectively as she provided him with his money.

  "Don't worry, I'll treat it with great care. Only the best, at Ollivanders!" The old man replied with a grin.

  Riley headed out, meeting up with Remus and discreetly leaving a Shadow Clone to keep an eye on the store and make sure Ollivander didn't try anything nefarious with Shisui's eye.

  She told Remus about the staff, which earned a lighthearted chuckle from the man, as he expected nothing less from her.

  They returned to their rooms at the Leaky Cauldron finding a letter having already arrived there from Fleur.

  Riley found herself grinning as she read the letter from her her friend, a gentle blush tinging at her cheeks as she recalled their farewell.

  After gaining her citizenship in Britain, Riley spent the months leading up to the start of her schooling in growing anticipation. She spent a lot of time talking with Remus about his years at Hogwarts and what she should expect, while also talking with Fleur and even Mr. and Mrs. Delacour about their years of schooling. Fleur was bummed at seeing her go, as was Gabrielle, but they promised to write one another.

  Before departing for England, Riley could distinctly remember sharing hugs with them, and receiving an especially long one from Fleur, who reminded her to write. The two separated from their embrace, Riley offering her a beaming smile.

  It was in that moment that Fleur chose to kiss her. It was a light quick peck on the lips, that sent both girls blushing up a storm, but Riley hadn't been able to keep it off her mind, when she wasn't thinking about school. Every free moment she had, she remembered that kiss, and it brought a smile to her face.

  Even now, a few days later, she couldn't help but smile and feel butterflies in her stomach at the thought of that kiss. She began to understand, no she knew, that she liked Fleur. Liked her as more than a friend, and it was obvious that Fleur liked her back. Reading the first letter she'd sent since that day, it was clear that Fleur wanted to start something.

  'Dear Riley. I want to apologize. For all the time we have known each other, I have been keeping something from you. Since that day, when you saved my life, and the lives of my family, I have looked at you and seen everything I have ever wanted. I have adored you from the moment we first met. I have come to love you, I cannot help but think of you in quiet moments. I wish so much that I could have told you these things, but I was afraid. Scared of what you might think, that my hopes and dreams would lead nowhere and I would lose this special friendship that we share that I hold so dear. I am sorry for keeping this from you, for hiding how I really felt. Every time you smile, I cannot help but feel joy. Every time we touch, my heart starts to pound in my chest, and I get so nervous. The sorrow I felt at your every departure and the joy of your every return, I know what these feelings mean, though I dare not express them in any way other than to you, when next we meet. I wish you all the best when you arrive at Hogwarts, and I await the day I see you again. I eagerly anticipate your letters, with all love and affection, Fleur.'

  Riley read the letter half a dozen times, grinning to herself. It was after the final read through when she noticed Remus staring at her with a knowing smirk.

  "What?" She questioned, sensing that she already knew the answer.

  "Nothing." He replied with a light chuckle, causing Riley to blush.

  That day, was the happiest Riley had been in months. She remained positively beaming, all the way up until she went to sleep that night. Unfortunately, that's when the nightmares came.

  Pain wracked her body, blood flowing around her. Animalistic shrieking and screams deafened her ears as flesh was torn around her. The nightmare closed, as it always did, with the image of an empty crater, where once and innocent little town once stood. Riley awoke in a cold sweat, as she often did. Angry tears stung her face, and she smacked the side of her head a few times to try and dislodge the nightmare, and the anger she felt.

  It had been months since that day, but eventually she would hear about the entire town that had been destroyed in eastern Europe. Everyone talked about it. No explanation could be given. A meteor impact, a nuclear bomb, no one could explain where the crater had come from, or why the town had been attacked. Those within the magical community quickly began to suspect that magic had been involved and that stirred up some major animosity in magical communities out in eastern Europe, with their muggle governments beginning to question and blame them, as science couldn't explain what had happened.

  Riley recognized the town, the moment she heard it's name, and Madara and Kurama were forced to reveal exactly what she had done.

  Riley had been devastated to hear the truth. To learn that she had killed tens of thousands of innocent people. All because she lost control, all because she picked a fight she wasn't ready for, and was forced to call upon powers she wasn't ready for. Thousands were dead because of her. Men, women, children. Innocent or guilty, good or bad, healthy or sick, it didn't matter. All of them died when she called upon the might of the Rinnegan to wash away all around her.

  She felt sickened, despondent, angry at herself.

  It left her in a dark depression for several days as she cursed herself for hurting that many people. Madara was eventually able to pull her out of it, telling her of the times he'd made mistakes, killed innocent people, or people who'd done nothing to deserve their fates. It was the way of things, of the life they lived. Innocent people were going to get hurt. Beating herself up over it, or throwing herself onto her sword, wasn't going to restore them to life, or avenge those that had died.

  Riley asked him if it was possible to atone, to make up for her crimes, for the bad she'd caused. He told her it wasn't something she could do. Whether she forgave herself or not, whether she worked towards absolution and redemption, it ultimately didn't matter. Those people, bonded to those who had died, would all carry their own judgment. Some may forgive her, others would hate her, no matter what she did. She had a choice to make. To either move on, and never let this happen again. To recognize what had happen as a consequence of her failure, and strive to prevent it. Or she could drown herself in it, and forget everything she dreamed of, everything she hoped for. In this world, there was no such thing as redemption. Everything was simply a point of view. Cause and effect, ruled the nature of the world. She could learn from this, be a better person, and strive to build something better, improve the lives of others by her actions, and find forgiveness in herself, or she could not. She could throw herself at the mercy of the victims, of the survivors, and suffer for it.

  He told her that no matter what she did, people would still hate her, so all it boiled down to was what she could live with.

  She asked him about justice, and he told her that the judgment against her would be fierce and unyielding. As damning as it would be for any Jinchuriki. She had no control over her actions, she didn't choose to attack those people. The best thing she could do, the best act of justice she could give to those who'd died, is to tame that darkness, and control it, never allowing it out of her control again. If she owed those people anything, it was that. She didn't ask for these powers, to be in this position. She didn't ask for any of it.

  His pep talk didn't make her feel better, but it did give her more perspective, and helped her carry on. Since that day, she hadn't gone on any more hunts. Instead every day was devoted to training. Her need to be better, became solidified in her mind. She would never allow herself to fall into that darkness again. She couldn't.

  It was Kurama who pointed out that her future lay in darkness, she would become a demon one day. A Tailed Beast, practically destruction incarnate. What that meant to her, was entirely hers to decide, but he stressed to her that this wouldn't be the last time innocent people lost their lives due to her. No matter how good her control became, humans were fragile creatures, and people would die. She had to learn to live with it. She didn't need to be a monster, but she had to learn to accept the fragility of life, until the day came she mastered the powers of the Rinnegan and gained the power over life and death. Until such a time came and passed, she would have to face the consequences of the limits of a human life and what it could withstand.

  Kurama's points resonated with her, at least a bit, and she accepted his wisdom as well, and took to focusing on her control. Until the day came when she had mastered the powers of the Rinnegan, she would have to be careful with what she did. Only with such power could she truly reverse death, until she had it, their was a price to be paid, each time she went to far.

  Mastery of her powers. It became part of the reason for her desires to begin Hogwarts. To gain access to the ancient castle and begin learning from various masters better and better ways to control magic. She would never allow herself to fall into that abyss again. To let that darkness take hold and run amok. She simply refused to allow it. She couldn't live with herself if she let herself lose control again.

  And so, since then, she drilled herself into the ground, learning all she could to try and hone her control. For a long time, good to great was a happy place to be for Riley when it came to her control over her magic, but now, she strove for perfection, taking whatever lessons she could learn from Madara and pouring over old Uzumaki scrolls for information on control exercises, setting aside learning new abilities in favor of honing her focus.

  The only other thing she worked on, besides her control exercises was practicing with her new sword.

  The blade was the biggest mystery to her. Kurama and Madara had no idea where it had come from or how she had removed it from her body. The blade was powerful. Just looking at it with her Sharingan revealed torrents of raw magic locked within the blade itself. She felt a connection to the sword, almost like it was a part of herself, which made sense considering how she'd gotten it. Still though… she was starting to become convinced that it was her other passenger that had summoned the sword to her, that other demon. It was the only thing that clicked. If it wasn't responsible than she was literally left with nothing.

  Pulling swords out of your chest, was not a power or ability known to either of her family lines. The blade felt good in her hands, despite being a bit too long for her at her current size. It was long, for a katana, though it still felt good to wield. She trained with the blade often, working through movements, practicing with it, whenever she could. It was odd, the nature of her connection to the sword. She felt naked when she wasn't carrying it. Like she'd set aside a part of herself. It got to the point where when she wasn't wearing it on her belt, she had it sealed into a storage seal on the inside of her wrist.

  Months would pass until the arrival of her Hogwarts letter, which broke her out of the laser-guided focus and filled her with excitement for something new.

  Now she was set to add a new weapon to her arsenal, a tool she would likely carry for the rest of her life.

  After the two days had passed, she and Remus made their way to Ollivander's, arriving to find the old man waiting expectantly for them.

  "Ah... young Riley, I see you have returned. Your Staff is finished." Ollivander told her, the man had a look of absolute pride on his face as he lifted a staff up from behind the counter.

  The staff measured five feet in length, fitting her height perfectly. It was dark in color. Starting from the bottom, the staff had a pointed and thinned-out end, resembling a large wand. It was straight until just over a third of the way up, where the wood began to twist, appearing as if two pieces of wood were intertwined. This twisting was slight and subtle at first but became more pronounced halfway up. Here, a rounded section resembling a grip could be seen, after which the twist continued until about a fourth of the way to the top, where it split into two pieces of wood with a small gap between them. These pieces continued upward until they met the body of a crow, smaller than the one she had left him The bird had its wings outsretched beside itself and its head pointed upwards as if cawing at the sky. In beak, set like a gem, was Shisui's Sharingan.

  The eye moved, spinning about as if scanning the room, stopping for moments to lock onto objects of interest before resuming it's scan.

  "Wow… that is quite the sight." Remus commented.

  "Indeed. This staff holds much power. I placed a sizing charm on it, so it will grow as you do." Ollivander stated as Riley approached. He handed her the staff, which she took will a long look. The second she touched it, the eye whirled to meet with hers. She could tell that something had been done to the eye, it looked almost like it was made of glass now. She could see recognition reflected in it's gaze as it stared at her, and she almost felt herself smile.

  Much like with her sword, she felt a connection to the staff, though it was far more resilient. As Ollivander had said, due to the nature of the wood used, this staff would grow more loyal and connected to her, the more she used it to overcome trials and tasks. Their bond would grow through conflict, which Riley knew she'd face often in the years to come. She was more than happy to have the challenge, and accepted it with determination.

  "You'll need to inform your teachers when you arrive of your need for special instructions, as staff movements for spell activation can vary greatly to wand movements. Due to it's nature, just know you can use a shrinking charm and hold it in reverse fashion to act just like a wand, but using it like that will remove the focus from the magical circuit, reducing it's overall power. I wouldn't recommend attempting to use it in a shrunken form the right-way round, as the charm may conflict with the power of the focus, disrupting the spell or causing it to back-fire." Ollivander informed her.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "I love it! Thanks Mr. Ollivander." Riley replied with a grin.

  "You are most welcome. Take good care of it, and it will take good care of you. We expect great things from you miss Uzumaki-Uchiha. Many great things. Do enjoy your time at Hogwarts wont you, to few chances in life to truly be young, best to enjoy it while you can." Ollivander said to her, earning a nod from Riley.

  After departing, the two tracked down some books about staff use, and then got something to eat, once done they returned home, where Riley quickly dove into her books.

  Remus showed her a thing or two specifically the shrinking charm, so she could actually begin using the staff in wand form.

  A few days passed, and it was finally time for her to travel to Hogwarts. Aside from practicing with her staff, Madara had her take time to learn some things about the politics of Britain as well as the influential families therein. Some of them might have children her age, and befriending them, or at least forming alliances with them would open doorways for her in the future. If she wished to restore the Uzumaki clan to it's former greatness, than she'd need allies.

  Riley intended to do so, but she was also adamant about keeping her true nature a secret for as long as she could. She wasn't ignorant of the fact that going to school in Hogwarts, also meant there was a line leading back to Konoha. Dumbledore was friends with Minato, and had been to the Hidden Leaf on a few occasions, hell it was because of Dumbledore's friendship with the Leaf, that Britain had an alliance with the Land of Fire. Riley didn't know how often they communicated, but she was cautious about revealing her skills as a shinobi. As far as anyone needed to know, she was a foreigner, of Asian and European descent. She spoke English fluently, as she had learned from Lily when she was younger, though it had been more colored by a French accent in recent years. Most would assume she was from France, given the subtlety of it's influence on her English, though honestly it was a mishmash, due to spending most of her early life speaking Japanese.

  Her appearance had matured greatly as well but made it difficult to pin down where she was from off of appearances alone. Her dark red hair had grown darker over the years, and now stretched all the down to the middle of her back. She kept her bangs similarly long, framing her face and somewhat covering one eye. A patch of ghostly white colored the front right of her hair where some curse had struck her during her rampage. She didn't know what it was, Kurama assumed it was the Killing Curse, but he wasn't entirely sure either. It had struck her there and permanently bleached the hair and scalp white. It gave her a distinction that stood out for anyone to notice, especially due to how dark the rest of her hair was, the stark white, stood out. It almost looked as if she'd been stricken by vitiligo due to the curse.

  Beyond that, she was a bit tall for her age, a developing well. Her build was athletic with noticeable muscles, but those were easily hidden with long sleeves and robes.

  It would require a bit of work, but she intended to keep it a secret for as long as possible. The longer it took for people to know what she was, the longer it would take Dumbledore to piece together who she was. To make doubly sure, she had taken to wearing glasses as part of her disguise, namely they were charmed glasses that changed her eye color, making her eyes appear brown, instead of their typical black. Just enough of a difference here and there to be similar, but not exact, nothing so startling as to be noticeable. Brown eyes instead of black was an easy sell even if someone caught her without her glasses, she just had to squint a bit, and no one would really notice the difference.

  She knew she'd be caught eventually, she just hoped she could keep her true nature a secret for at least a few years so she could build up a power base here in Britain, and earn some good will from these people, so they wouldn't be so quick to sell her out to Konoha. Earning enough accolades for her clan to be welcomed into the ruling class of magical Britain was the first major step that she had to work towards, and that meant she had to wow her fellows.

  The two arrived at the train station with Remus ready to see Riley off.

  "Looks like this is where we part ways. Try your best, and try to have fun. You deserve the chance to actually be a kid for a while." Remus said to her.

  "I will. How do I look?" Riley asked him.

  "Sophisticated." Remus responded with a smile, earning one from Riley in return.

  "Thanks Remus." She offered him a hug which he returned warmly.

  "I'll see you for the holidays. Be sure to write, I expect to hear good things with your grades as well." Remus said to her.

  "You will. Top of my class, that's where I'll be." Riley promised him as the two separated.

  "Have fun." He gave as a final farewell as she turned and headed into the train.

  She found an empty compartment and settled in, taking out a book to begin reading ahead in some of her school books. Her education in magic was a bit scattershot. She had copied dozens and dozens of different spells with her Sharingan from the magicals she'd hunted over the years, and now that she had her staff, she could actually use them. There was also the things that Remus had showed her, or taught to her, so she was actually much further ahead in her repertoire of abilities than pretty much any other student, but she lacked a lot of the finer details, and hadn't yet learned to perform a lot of these abilities on her own.

  She was reading for several long minutes when the door opened and a blonde-haired boy stepped in.

  "Oh, I didn't think anyone was in here." The boy stated. Riley barely glanced up from her book to acknowledge him.

  "Greetings." She muttered, still engrossed in a part of her book.

  The boy gave her a curious look, taking note of her accent, and of her appearance. She didn't look like she was a local.

  "Hello. My name's Draco Malfoy." The boy stated proudly as he stuck his hand out. Riley closed her book and glanced up at him. He had bright blonde hair and a refined air about him. She could tell immediately that he was high born, and that name 'Malfoy', it was the name of one of the old families that held standing in Britain.

  Smiling, she stood and shook his hand.

  "Riley, Riley Uzumaki. Nice to meet you." Riley greeted, the boy giving her a curious look.

  "Uzumaki, I must say I'm not familiar with that name. Do you come from a magical line?" The boy inquired as they finished shaking hands.

  "Yeah. Both sides of my parentage are ancient magical families. We originally came from Asia." Riley said to him as she took her seat once again.

  "Asia? Wow. What brings you to Hogwarts?" He asked, curiously. Sitting across from her.

  "I heard it was one of the oldest magical institutes in the world, as well as one of the best. I only moved here recently, lived in France for a few years before coming here." Riley said to him.

  "Really, my family is originally from France. The Malfoy's came here a long time ago." Draco noted.

  "Hmm… Normandy right, around a thousand years ago, if I'm not mistaken." Riley recalled, causing Draco's mouth to drop open in surprise but he quickly nodded in confirmation.

  "Yeah, that's right. How did you know that?" He asked, curiously.

  "I did my research. If I'm going to be living here, and settling in Britain, it's best to know who runs the show. The Malfoy's hold a seat on the Wizengamot, they're an Ancient and Noble House." Riley explained, again earning a nod from Draco.

  "Well I'm impressed." Draco hummed.

  The two sat in conversation for a bit, getting to know one another when the door to their cabin opened.

  "Excuse me?" A female voice said. Riley and Draco glanced over to see a bushy haired girl standing at the door with a pudgy boy.

  "This is Neville Longbottom, he's lost his toad, have you seen it?" The girl asked.

  "No, I haven't." Draco replied, eyeing the two curiously.

  "Hm... maybe I can help." Riley stated as she pulled out her shrunken staff, and gave it a swoosh,

  "Accio Neville Longbottom's toad." Riley stated, after a moment a toad floated in from the hallway and landed in Riley's open hand. She grinned at her success the summoning charm being one of the first she'd actually learned to use with her staff, since the summoning charm has so many benefits and uses, especially to a shinobi.

  "Trevor!" Neville stated happily as he scooped the toad off of her hand.

  "Wow! That was amazing." The girl stated with a look of awe on her face.

  "Huh, it was just the summoning charm. I know it's a bit advanced, but it's nothing overly special." Riley shrugged.

  "Still, I doubt you'll find many first years who know it. That's a fourth-year spell." Draco commented.

  "Huh… I think I remember Remus saying something about that." She recalled, and again offered a shrug.

  "Which book is that? I've already read all of the schoolbooks for first year. I can't wait to practice magic. I'm sorry, I didn't get your names." The girl spoke quickly, taking note of the book sat beside Riley. It was obvious she was getting excited to finally be going to Hogwarts.

  "Eh, just our first year charms book. My names Riley, Riley Uzumaki." Riley responded politely.

  "Draco Malfoy." Draco responded.

  "What's your name, miss?" Riley asked the girl.

  "Oh, I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger." Hermione responded with a proud smile.

  "Granger? Haven't heard that name before. Do you come from a magical line?" Draco inquired.

  "Actually I'm the first which in my family, my parents are very proud of me." She replied with a smile.

  A look spread across Draco's face, Riley sensed he was about to say something, so she quickly cut him off by asking, "What house do you hope to be sorted into?"

  "Hmm, I'm not sure. I've read about all of them, of course, I think either Slytherin, or Ravenclaw would be my best bet, though Gryffindor would also be alright, I hear that our headmaster, Dumbledore came from there." Hermione replied.

  "I-I think I'd like to end up in Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor… I don't have the smarts for Ravenclaw, or the cunning of the Slytherins." Neville offered quietly.

  "Don't doubt yourself Neville. You never know who you'll grow into. Even the mightiest of trees once began as a small seed." Riley gave in encouragement, getting a small smile from the boy.

  She sensed Madara's internal smile, recognizing that bit of logic as something that would have been said by Hashirama once upon a time. There were occasions when Riley reminded him a lot of his old friend, and he couldn't hide his approval of it, such was his admiration for the First Hokage.

  "I'm going to end up in Slytherin house, all of my family has been there. It's tradition." Draco stated proudly.

  "Yeah, that's probably where I'm going too." Riley agreed.

  "Huh, well I hope we end up in the same house. Come on Neville, let's get back to the others. See you all at the castle." Hermione offered, Neville giving them a quiet farewell as the two departed.

  "That girl is a mudblood, I hope you know, and the Longbottoms aren't exactly the picture of a proper wizarding family anymore, I'd be careful associating with them." Draco warned her, earning a look from Riley.

  "Careful Draco. Judging a book by it's cover is a good way to shut doors forever. I wouldn't recommend burning bridges based off of prejudice. Hermione may not come from a magical family, but she obviously has a lot of book smarts. Having intelligent allies is how great men and women succeed in life. She may not have the name to open doors for you, but if she's smart, who's to say she can't use that to help you get to places. We know nothing about her. Don't judge until you know, why risk burning that bridge to a potential ally. She may just end up being a nobody, or she might end up the Minister of Magic one day. We don't know. Judge her on who she is, not what she is. If she ends up as a brat, or an annoyance, then feel free to cut her off, but if not, who knows." Riley cautioned him.

  He blinked at her, taking in her words as if that was the first time he'd ever considered such a thing.

  "And as for Longbottom. Fallen his family might be, but mighty it once was. The Longbottoms are not gone. Who knows that they might become one day. Who knows, if you make friends with Neville, you could end up with a powerful ally on the other side of the aisle. I know the Malfoy's belong to the 'dark' faction, and the Longbottoms are on the 'light' side. Nothing says that either of your families belongs in those groups, or that making alliances outside of those factions couldn't help you in the future. Again, don't judge based off of preconceptions. Figure out who people are as people. Judge them based off that. If he's a jerk, or an annoyance, then forget about it, but if not, maybe he could be one of your closest allies and friends. Again, you never know, so what shut that door when there's no reason not to see what lays on the other side." Riley carried on.

  "So... what should I do? My father hasn't always spoken very highly of muggles, and mud... I mean muggleborns?" Draco asked after a moment.

  "Well between you and me, I don't have the highest opinion of muggles either. Where I come from, they were just called civilians but they knew about magic, and they always tried to get more power over us. Did everything they could to try and control us, it's one of the reasons I left my birthplace to come out here to Europe. I don't like people like that, but not all of them are like that. I don't hate all muggles because of that, I'm more cautious around them because of it, but I don't hate them. Muggleborns though, I have people in my life, important people, who's connection to magic may not be as long and storied as ours is, and yet I still hold them in high regard. You don't need to come from a magical line to be a good person. Tell me, why do you hate muggles and muggleborn Draco?" Riley inquired to him.

  "My father says that they are destroying our world. He says that they just barge in and think they know everything, they try to change things without learning even an ounce of our history." Draco answered.

  "That is a valid reason to despise them. However, if all you do hate them, how will they ever learn? It is acceptable to dislike those who actively attack your culture, but most of the muggleborns are unaware of how things work here. If they were educated about wizarding culture before being brought here, they might adapt better to our way of living than trying to force us to adapt to theirs," Riley stated, contemplating this topic for several moments.

  "So you think I should take a chance on the Granger girl, and Longbottom?" Draco asked her.

  "I say give them a chance. I intend to. Maybe they'll be friends and strong allies in the future, or maybe not. Like I said, we can never guess until we know." Riley shrugged in a friendly manner.

  "Hmm…" She heard Madara hum.

  "What?" Riley asked.

  "Nothing, just reminded me of an old friend for a moment there." Madara responded warmly.

  Riley blinked a few times but returned her attention to Draco.

  "It's weird… never thought I'd be talking about something like this my first day at Hogwarts. Where you'd get so wise?" Draco asked her.

  "I had good teachers. They taught me to question things, encouraged me to look underneath the underneath. To see beyond things as they are." Riley replied.

  "Huh... you've given me a lot to think about. I'm gonna go for a walk for a bit." Draco said to her, earning a nod of acceptance from Riley as she returned to her book, the train sounded like it was close to being loaded, and ready to depart.

  Draco returned a bit later after the train had departed, and the two resumed their friendly conversation. A bit of time passed when the door to their cabin opened and a small troop of kids squeezed in, three boys, and three girls.

  "Hey Draco, we've been looking for you, where have you been." A girl with short dark hair asked him as she sat beside him.

  "Sorry, I got sidetracked talking to my new friend here." Draco commented, gesturing to Riley.

  All six of the children took the moment to give Riley a once over, sizing her up. She set her book aside and returned the favor, glancing around at the group.

  "Riley, this is Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Tracey Davis, and Daphne Greengrass. Guys, this is Riley, Riley Uzumaki." Draco took the moment to introduce everyone.

  Riley scanned the group. Pansy was a short, dark-haired girl with small eyes. Theodore appeared to be a handsome boy, though he was also quite scrawny. He had dark hair and eyes. Crabbe was a pudgy boy with dark hair who looked quite brutish. Goyle was the tallest of the group; he had long legs and arms, tiny little eyes, and short hair. Tracy was a dark-haired girl with large greenish eyes; she was very good-looking for her age. Daphne had blonde hair and eyes as cold as ice. She was on the taller side and thin, her face a well-schooled mask of indifference, but Riley could see the curiosity in her eyes.

  "Nice to meet all of you." Riley said with a smile, and from there the barrage of questions began, from Draco's friends. Riley took the time to explain a bit about herself, shaping the lie, about her being from Asia, then having moved to France for a time, then coming here to go to Hogwarts. She kept relatively vague, offering them just enough to be interesting, while encouraging them to respond in kind, so she could learn more about them.

  Their chat drifted on for hours as Riley made new friends with her schoolmates, most of them had known each other for years, their families having been friends since before they were born in many cases. Eventually though, they arrived at Hogwarts, and it was time depart from the train and make their way to the castle.

  As they departed, she took a moment to scan the area she could see that they were in a wooded area and standing nearby were a bunch of carriages ready to pick up the older students. These carriages were hooked up to these dark boney, winged horses at the front. Riley recognized them as Thestrals, a kind of magical creature that could only be seen by those who'd witnessed death. She took notice of how none of her new friends could see them, save for one. Daphne seemed to take notice of them, and after a few moments she pulled her eyes away, only for her gaze to meet with Riley's. Riley nodded at the Thestrals, showing that she could see them too. Daphne seemed curious at that, but said nothing, the two joining the rest of the group as they made their way over to a very tall, burly looking man who was gathering all of the First Years.

  "First years, over 'ere. Alright, four to a boat, come on ye youngsters." The Large man stated as he ushered them all into row boats. Riley sat with Draco, Daphne and Tracey, the quartet finding wonderment when the boats began to move on their own, drifting elegantly across the waters, towards the towering castle in the distance.

  Riley could hear the gasps of awe, as she gained her first true glimpse of Hogwarts, and she had to admit, it didn't disappoint. The castle was beautiful, Riley loved the look of it. She was sure that exploring the great castle would prove to be an interesting adventure.

  'Quite the view, isn't it?' Madara commented.

  'Yeah' Riley replied with wonderment.

  A couple more moments passed as they arrived at the docks beneath the castle.

  "Alright you firs' years can leave yer trunks 'ere, they'll be brought to yer rooms after the sortin'." The large man told them all as they disembarked.

  Riley and the others were led into a side room, just off what Riley assumed was the great hall, the large man told them to wait there and then promptly left.

  Some chatter occurred between the students about what the sorting would be like, it was Daphne who spoke to her friends, cutting off the rumor mill and telling them that it would just be a choosing hat, that would tell them which house was best and sort them into it. No test, or surprise exam or anything.

  They remained in the side room for a few more minutes, and got to enjoy the sight of a few ghosts who playfully taunted them in anticipation for the sorting before drifting off through one of the walls.

  "Children." A female voice addressed them.

  Riley glanced over and spotted a taller, older looking woman wearing long black robes, and a tall pointy hat. She had a stern look about her, and very sharp eyes. She got them into alphabetical order and then beckoned them all to follow her and led them into the main hall.

  Riley couldn't help but smile at the sight, the room was beautiful, and full of life. Four flags hung over four tables where all the older students watched them enter.

  The older woman then sat out a stool and a pointy hat. A moment of silence passed before the hat began to sing. Riley and the others took a few moments to enjoy the tune, and offered a polite clap at it's conclusion before they were called up one by one to sit on the stool and be sorted.

  Riley spaced out most of the kids as they were sorted though tuned back in when it was people she recognized. Hermione got placed in Ravenclaw. Neville into Hufflepuff. Draco and all of his friends were placed into Slytherin, most of the rest of the children were split amongst the houses.

  Finally, McGonagall called her name.

  "Riley Uzumaki-Uchiha." McGonagall called out her name.

  Riley took a moment to note that it didn't seem that the Headmaster Dumbledore recognized her. He sat up at the high table, and observed with the same curiosity he displayed as with the rest of the students. She wondered if he would recognize the names Uzumaki or Uchiha, so far it appeared like he hadn't, but she'd have to wait and see.

  Riley sat down and the hat was placed on her head.

  'Hm... well this is interesting. Do you know that there is a man and a giant fox living in here?' Riley heard a voice in her head.

  'Yep.' Riley replied with a smile.

  'Who might you be good sir?' She heard the hat ask.

  'You may call me Madara, hat. Please get this done with, it's annoying enough dealing with the snoring fox every day, I don't need to deal with a talking hat on top of that.' Madara replied sounding annoyed.

  'Yes yes... well, let's get this done, shall we? Now where to put you Lady Uzumaki-Uchiha?' The hat mused.

  "If I could, I'd like to go to Slytherin house. That's where most of my new friends are going, and I think It would fit me well." Riley spoke to the hat.

  "Slytherin aye? Well you are right on that one. You certainly have the qualities to make a good Slytherin. Alright then, it's gonna have to be…" "Slytherin!" The Hat called out, earning claps from her fellow students. The hat was removed from her head and Riley quickly bounced over to where Draco and the others were sitting, taking a seat beside them as the sorting continued.

  After a few moments they finished sorting the rest of the kids, afterwards Dumbledore stood, said something nonsensical, and suddenly there was food in front of them.

  Riley was more than happy to partake in the feast, rarely getting the opportunity to eat like this. She fought to control herself and keep from pigging out.

  "Hey! Do yourself a favor and don't look at the Gryffindor table." She heard a student mutter. Curiosity getting the better of her, Riley glanced up to see a carrot topped boy, shoveling food into his mouth like this was the first time he had ever tasted food. It took a moment of watching the boy miss his face about three times before Riley lost her appetite and pushed her plate away.

  "Who is that kid over there that's eating like he's trying to win a contest?" Riley asked Draco.

  "That's a Weasely. They were once a family of highborn purebloods, but they bankrupted themselves, and ended up earning the title of blood traitors. They are nobodies." Draco told her, matter of factually before adding, "You're not going to try and befriend them too, are you?"

  "Well... not him at least. He managed to kill my appetite. I didn't think that was possible cuz I'll eat anything." Riley replied with some annoyance.

  Draco glanced over at the Weasely boy and adopted a look of disgust before nodding in agreement with her.

  A few more minutes went by before dinner finished, all of the plates quickly vanished, and Dumbledore stood for another announcement.

  "Now that we are all fed and watered, I have a few state of the term announcements. First, for the first years, as well as everyone, the Forbidden Forest remains forbidden. Also, our caretaker mister Filch would like to remind all of you that the third-floor corridor is off limits to any and all whom do not wish to die a most painful death. With all that said, I hope you all have a wonderful year. Prefects, please lead your houses to where they will be staying." Dumbledore finished with a smile.

  The Slytherin house prefects quickly led the students to the dungeons. They showed them how to enter their common room and showed them where they would be staying. When they were finished, their head of house stopped by for an announcement.

  "My name is Professor Severus Snape. I am the potions professor here at Hogwarts as well as your Head of house. If you have any issues bring them to me. Now to all those who are new here, know this. No matter what problems you may have with your fellow Slytherin, you are to keep them in the common room. Out there the other students see you as dark, and evil. They will use that fear against you, and you will be forced to endure. As house Slytherin we stand as one, we are united. We have won the house cup the last three years and I expect another victory this year. With that said... my door is always open. Now, time for lights out." Snape finished. He had given each one of the first years a pointed look before leaving, cloak billowing behind him dramatically.

  A moment of silence passed after Snape left. Before one of the seventh year Slytherin stepped forward and addressed the first years.

  "Alright first years listen up. There are some rules you need to learn before settling in here. First and foremost, out there we are a united front. In here however... we're in charge." The boy stated as he gestured to his fellow seventh years.

  "If we tell you to do something... then you do it. You don't ask why; you just do it. If you don't? Well... it's tough in Slytherin house. Boys and girls need to learn just what needs doing in order to make it here. As Professor Snape said, the rest of the school will treat you with ire because you're Slytherins. We know what it takes to survive and to thrive, so do what we say, and there wont be any problems." The boy continued adding giving each of the first years a hard look, trying to intimidate them.

  "Anyone have a problem with that?" He questioned earning a number of heads shaking in the negative causing the boy to grin.

  "Excuse me." Riley spoke up, putting her plan into action.

  "What is it?" The boy questioned, drawing all focus onto her.

  "You just said the whole school will treat us terribly because we're Slytherins. They'll think we're dark and evil. If I had to make a guess, certain members of this house have given them a reason to believe that." Riley noted, the boy and many of the other seventh years sharing looks, their faces twisting in confusion.

  "What are you saying kid?" The lead boy asked.

  "What I'm saying is… people don't generally believe things without a reason. My guess is that reason is you nitwits. So why should I, or anyone else for that matter, do what you say, when all you've done for this house is earn it the reputation of being dark and evil. If you've got a negative reputation you either live with it, work to fix it, or embrace it. Why should any of us listen to you guys, if you're just tugging the line and living with that stink? Why should we follow you if you are in fact evil and twisted? It doesn't seem like you're interested in fixing that reputation." Riley noted.

  "This is a great house. Slytherins always earn top marks, what should we care what the rest of these mouth-breathers thinks of us." The boy replied with a growl.

  "Well… most people don't wanna associate with people who are evil. So carrying that reputation cuts us off from three-fourths of the school. And considering most highborns go to school here, and run our society, being seen as evil by three-fourths of the country seems like a pretty crap deal. So I ask again, why should we follow you lot, if you're not working to improve the situation, or to make things better?" Riley demanded, earning several dark glares from the older kids, even as her words made sense to many of the others.

  "You don't know a damn thing you're talking about. You're just some foreign brat, who got lucky enough to even come here. Step back in line, and shut up. You've already made enough of a scene." The boy snarled at her.

  "Make me." Riley countered, causing several gasps to come up from the first years, even her newly made friends were staring at her with disbelief.

  "She's either brazenly stupid, or unbelievably arrogant." A seventh year girl snorted.

  "No… I'm just right." Riley replied, shaking her head and stepping forward. She drew her staff, still in it's shrunken state, so no one could tell it was anything other than a wand.

  "Put that away before you get hurt, brat." One of the seventh years snapped at her.

  "If this house is ever going to rise beyond the muck that idiots like you've let it fall into, than I can't do that. Best start course correcting this broken ship now." Riley replied.

  "Are you looking to get hurt?" The lead boy questioned, as he drew his own wand.

  "A duel. If I win you shut up and do what I say. If you win, I'll tow the line." Riley offered.

  "Fine, if it'll shut you up." The boy responded.

  The tension didn't even have a moment to mount, when the boy was struck by a silent spell. It came at him fast, banishing him hard across the room. He sailed over the other students behind him, slamming hard into the wall. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, as blood began to fill his mouth.

  Shock was the immediate response.

  "Round two?" Riley questioned, as her eyes passed over the older students.

  She corrected her glasses, the brown orbs behind them, conveying an intensity the students had rarely been exposed to over the years.

  Another boy drew his wand, Riley saw him moved, and cast a shield around herself. His spell splashed against it, much to his surprise.

  She responded, sending a few spells back at him, purposefully avoiding any of the darker more damaging spells she'd copied over the years, sticking to things that would only hurt, not maim or kill.

  The gathered students backed away, giving the two room to duel as they traded spells for a few moments.

  Riley moved without elegance. Her stance was very rigid, forceful even. She held her ground with a keen focus, driving the boy back, until she eventually landed a blow. A spell slicing across his arm, causing him to drop his wand and yell out in pain as blood flowed freely.

  "Number three?" Riley questioned, watching to see if anyone else would try and fight her. She may not have ever been in a magical duel before, but she had fought against many magicals over the years, and seen them fight. She'd learned to copy their movements, she knew how this dance was done. These kids may have been her seniors but they were no warriors.

  None of them had the combat experience she did, nor the reserves of power that she did.

  Seeing how none of them had yet to recover from their shock, Riley chose to wow them one final time.

  She twirled her staff in her hand for a moment before enlarging to it's normal size. Students throughout the room gasped as they recognized it. Though some, knew of it's deeper meaning. Only someone with a truly incredibly amount of magic, carried a staff, and here she was, a first year, carrying one of her own.

  "There will be no more fighting in this house. You wanna fight someone, you come fight me. I'm more than happy to oblige. I don't intend to follow the status quo. We are the future of this house, and it will be changed for the better. That process starts now. You either help us, or get out of our way. Anyone who has a problem with that, feel free to challenge me." Riley spoke, her gaze lingering on her staff for a moment as she waited to see if anyone else would do anything.

  None of the older students spoke, in fact no one did. A chilling realization was washing through the room, this girl, this foreigner had just taken down two seventh years without much difficulty. Change was coming to Slytherin House, and that change, now had a name. The old way of doing things was dead, here before them stood the new Queen of Slytherin House.

  -To Be Continued-

  Alrighty, there we go. As we can see, many a changes here and there. Got rid of the six cores idea for her staff, since I never went anywhere with it, and the original tie, being to her mates, stopped having meaning when I bumped her up to 8 mates. I changed her ascension in Slytherin House, instead of it being Riley just being a little rebel and taking on some bullies, she's got an actual goal. Her ultimate desire is the ascension of the Uzumaki clan, so she's using the restoration of Slytherin House as a vehicle to help with that. By hiding herself as a powerful Witch, she hopes to get some sort of education out of Hogwarts, while also rebuilding her clan in a place where she can legally use the laws to help in it's restoration.

  Some people have asked me if I intend to change who her mates are, and I can answer that one now, that answer is yes. I didn't like some of the stories I had for them, or I didn't like their characters, I found they didn't really have enough to do, or didn't stand out enough, or I just didn't like where their characters were going, so I will be changing some of her mates in this story, I'll keep it mums as to who for now, Fleur is still definitely in, as is Kaede, as she's one I'm choosing to revamp, as for the others, we'll just have to wait and see. I already know who I'm definitely dropping but there are others that I'm still on the fence about, so again, we'll see.

  Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next one!