Chapter 9: Break and Break-in

Kakashi had been right. When Christmas Break began, things became easier on all of the guards. With only a handful of students to monitor and most of the castle empty, their job became a piece of cake. Kakashi could even do a head count with his Sharingan from anywhere in the castle if he wanted to. However, the result of this was always a headache and often a grumpy Kakashi so his team didn't encourage it.

Kakashi noticed that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all decided to stay at school over break. When he saw them in the common room one evening, pouring over law books, he asked them what they were doing.

"Remember when Buckbeak attacked Malfoy during Care of Magical Creatures?" Hermione prompted.

Kakashi nodded.

"Well his father put in a formal complaint to the school governors. Now there's going to be a hearing and if Hagrid loses then Buckbeak will be killed."

"I see, so you're trying to help him with his defense?"

The three of them nodded. Hermione stood up. "I'm not finding anything in these," she said picking up a large stack. "I'm going to take them back to the library and see what else I can find."

"Say hello to Ebisu for me," Kakashi said. "He's been down there most of his free time. There aren't any Ravenclaws who stayed over so he's been reading."

Hermione smiled, "I will."

Christmas Day arrived. Kakashi woke to find that a Christmas cake, baked by Mrs. Weasley, had been delivered to the foot of his bed that morning. It disturbed him that the house elves could sneak around his room while he was asleep without him noticing.

Kakashi was examining his fine cake when he heard a yell from up the staircase. He sprang off of his bed and bolted up the spiral staircase. The third year's room was chaos. Ron held Scabbers in his hand while hopping on one foot. A shrill whistling filled the room, it was coming from a small device in Harry's trunk. Hermione's cat hissed at the noisy object. Harry reached for the Sneakoscope to shove it back into his socks while Hermione picked the cat up and tried to sooth it.

"Everything alright in here?" Kakashi asked briskly.

They turned to look at him, noticing him for the first time. "Everything would be fine if Hermione kept that cat away from Scabbers."

"It's not Crookshanks's fault that Scabbers is getting old," Hermione shot back.

When the resulting silence grew uncomfortable, Kakashi tried to change the subject. "Thank your mother for me Ron. It was very kind of her to make me a cake." Kakashi may as well have been talking to the door. Ron and Hermione continued to glare daggers at each other. He sighed.

Wanting to get away from the argument, Harry took his broomstick in one hand, his service kit in the other, and headed down to the common room. Kakashi and Ron followed him. Hermione ran down and then up the girls' stairs to lock Crookshanks in her dormitory.

Harry examined his new broomstick excitedly. Kakashi raised his eyebrow at the wizard's hasty explanation for its appearance. "And you have no idea where it came from?"

Harry shook his head, not taking his eyes off of it. The glossy broomstick shone in the firelight.

"Did it occur to you that Black sent it and it's booby trapped?"

"That's what I said," Hermione stated, coming back down the stairs.

"Harry," Kakashi began, as understandingly as he could. Kakashi had seen the young wizard look at that same broom through the shop window back in Diagon Alley. Harry clearly wanted to own that particular broomstick. "Maybe you should have the teachers check it out before you try riding it."

Harry and Ron looked at the broomstick longingly. "I suppose," Harry replied, uncertain.

"I'm sure Professor McGonagall wants you to have this broom just as much as you do," Kakashi continued, soothing. "You should trust her to do everything she can to get it back to you, once she knows it's safe."

Harry nodded reluctantly. "You're probably right," Harry agreed. He looked like someone had kicked his puppy.

Kakashi nodded, satisfied. There was nothing he could do about the cat/rat argument, but this was something he could, and should, resolve.

They all went to their respective rooms to change, then Harry led the way to Professor McGonagall's office. After wishing her a Happy Christmas, Harry laid the broomstick before her and explained.

McGonagall's eyes widened as the tale went on. "Well I'm certainly glad you brought this to me, Potter, instead of rushing off to the pitch to ride it. Your friends are right, the person who sent this to you could mean you harm. I'm sure Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will want to look at it right away."

"When do you think I'll get it back Professor?" Harry's voice was anxious. He was sure he'd never see the broom again, at least not in one piece.

"It's hard to say Potter," McGonagall replied. "I'll let you know the instant they're finished." A gleam entered her eye. "Wouldn't want our Seeker to be unfamiliar with his new broomstick at the next match, would we?"

Harry smiled for the first time since Kakashi suggested he turn it in. The students started filing out of the office but when Kakashi didn't move they turned back. "I'll be right there," Kakashi assured them, still facing McGonagall.

Ron shrugged at Harry. Hermione looked at the ninja thoughtfully but didn't say anything. The three left.

"Is there something you-" Professor McGonagall started but Kakashi held up a hand.

"Keep going," Kakashi called.

Shuffling could be heard outside as the students scrambled away from the door. Kakashi eye-smiled at McGonagall, inviting her to continue.

"Is there something you need Kakashi?" McGonagall asked, looking disapprovingly at the door.

"Do we have any idea where the broomstick might have come from? I noticed it has a serial number..." Kakashi trailed off. McGonagall was already writing the number down on a piece of parchment.

"I had already intended to look into that," McGonagall acknowledged. "Is there anything else?"

"Just this: if the person who sent the broom, be it Black or anyone else, really wanted Harry to come to harm, wouldn't he or she have just cursed the broom so when Harry touched it he'd die?"

McGonagall shook her head. "The house elves of Hogwarts pick up on things like that, even through a gift's wrapping. A charm that will buck Mr. Potter off of his broomstick when it reaches a certain height would be easier to conceal." She straightened. "I need to get this broomstick to Professor Flitwick immediately." Kakashi nodded, opened the office door, and they both left.

The Christmas break was a break for all. Kurenai and Kakashi sparred by the lake, Ebisu haunted the library, and Guy gave the Whomping Willow a good exercise every day.

It was in the library that Ebisu saw Hermione most often. Usually they said nothing to each other, both occupied with their own thirst for knowledge. However as the days passed, one question kept burning at the back of Hermione's mind. She hadn't been able to shake it since she'd met Ebisu on the train. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, she couldn't. When she realized there was no other way to find out, she took courage and sought out Ebisu in the stacks.

"Ebisu?" Hermione said. Said ninja pulled his eyes away from the spines of the books before him and looked at her. As he did, Hermione noticed that the right lens of his sunglasses was cracked. Also, on the same side of his head, Ebisu had a welt that extended from where the cracked glasses met his face into his hair above his right ear. "Oh what happened?!" Hermione exclaimed. She reached out to him instinctively but Ebisu recoiled from her hand.

"It's nothing really," Ebisu pushed his broken sunglasses up his nose delicately. "Guy convinced me that I should start training with that devil tree you have on the grounds."

"The Whomping Willow," Hermione recognized. "Harry and Ron got attacked by it last year after they crashed a car into it."

"Wait a minute," Ebisu said. "That tree attacked students and it's still here? It seems odd that trees are treated differently than animals that attack students."

Hermione nodded, understanding his meaning. Buckbeak was on her mind as well. "I don't think that the kind of magical creature that attacked is what makes the difference in these cases."

They both stood in silence for awhile. Hermione took courage and began again. "What I really came over here to ask," Hermione said. "Is why do you wear sunglasses all the time, even indoors?"

Ebisu regarded her. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Contrary to popular belief, I do know that not all things can be learned from books, if there is something to be learned." She added the last part as an afterthought, thinking of Divination.

Ebisu answered, "my eyes are sensitive to light, they have been since I was a child."

Sensing Ebisu's discomfort Hermione tried to lighten the mood. "Does that mean Kakashi's lungs are sensitive to dust?"

Ebisu laughed lightly, "not you too?"

"No, I'll leave that mystery to Fred and George." Hermione shook her head, smiling.

"Good," Ebisu said almost to himself. "You would have just frustrated yourself."

Hermione bit her lip. "Can I see them for a second?" She asked, indicating his sunglasses.

Ebisu regarded her again, then he slowly removed his shades and handed them to her. His eyes squinted at the light in the library.

"I could have done it with them on your face, but I feared that that wouldn't make you feel any more comfortable." She pointed her wand at the broken lens and said, "reparo." The lens seemed to mend itself and Hermione handed the glasses back to Ebisu.

The ninja examined the sunglasses before putting them back on. He opened his mouth to speak but Hermione was talking again.

"Besides," Hermione continued her train of thought from before, "if Kakashi walked in and saw me pointing my wand at your face, he'd probably have killed me." She laughed nervously.

Ebisu frowned, looking at the ground.

She tried again, "he's very protective of you three you know."

"We know," Ebisu said without elaboration. His guard was up at the change of topic.

Hermione couldn't hold off the awkward silence any longer. So she said, "your eyes are very beautiful," then hurried away.

Ebisu's face heated up. He turned to hide it but she was already gone. "Thank you," he said into the silence.

000000

Sadly Christmas Break came to its inevitable close. The rest of the students returned and it was business as usual. Then one night in Gryffindor tower, in the midst of one triumph, disaster struck.

Harry's Firebolt had been returned to him. It was deemed completely safe by several professors of the school. "You've got a friend somewhere Potter," McGonagall said smiling.

When Harry returned to the common room Ron shared in his joy. "This is brilliant! No one will be able to touch us in quidditch now!"

"I'd better take it upstairs," Harry said after the admirers and well-wishers had gone back to what they were doing.

"I'll take it. I've got to give Scabbers his tonic anyway," Ron reverently accepted the broom and headed upstairs. Moments later, a shout came down from above.

Once again Kakashi found himself frantically rushing up the boys' dormitory stairs and on the third year landing. He burst into Ron's dorm and saw the redhead staring at his own bed sheets. The young wizard ripped the sheets off of the bed and marched downstairs. Kakashi covered the visible part of his face with his hand. He then sighed, ran the same hand through his hair, and followed Ron back down.

"Look!" Ron hollered. He shook the offending sheet in Hermione's face. "Scabbers! Look! He's gone and there's blood all over my sheets! Just guess what hairs I found on the floor?!" He threw some ginger cat hair onto Hermione's homework.

The room was silent. Nobody knew what to say. Ron dropped the sheets at Hermione's feet and marched back up the stairs. His bed had already been changed by the house elves. He laid down on it and began to howl.

Ron and Hermione didn't speak for several days. The witch took to avoiding the common room, doing her homework in the library. When quidditch practice began again, Harry invited Ron to ride his Firebolt. Ron brightened up for the first time in days. As they entered the pitch they got a cordial wave from Kurenai. Ron joined her in the stands when the beginning of the practice neared. She and Wood seemed to be talking about something.

"Come on Kurenai, what's it going to take?" Wood had his broom over his shoulder and his other arm was crossed in front of him.

"Oliver, I told you no," Kurenai replied evenly.

"Please? Just a little something, anything at all!" As he said this, Kurenai uncrossed her legs and stood up to face him.

"Oliver, if you don't leave right now, I'm going to show you my ugly side." Wood perceived that Kurenai's red eyes began to glow.

Wood recoiled. "Okay okay fine." He walked down the stairs of the stands to his team, muttering. The Chasers whispered amongst themselves while staring at Wood.

"Wood," Katie addressed him, arms crossed, "what was that about?" She gestured at Kurenai and glared at him.

Wood seemed suddenly embarrassed. Fred and George instantly paid more attention, this could be good. Wood muttered something that they couldn't hear.

"What was that?" Katie asked, her face was turning red. Katie had already decided that if Wood was harassing the one female guard, she was going to jinx him, captain or not.

"Kurenai wouldn't tell me any of the Ravenclaw Team's plays," Wood replied sullenly.

Katie's eyes widened and her stance relaxed. She nearly laughed at the misunderstanding. "Oh, is that all?"

"What else could there be? I could have built a whole strategy off of that information!" Wood lamented. "She's at every practice! She must know something!" Quickly changing moods but not topics, Wood began to explain to Harry that Cho Chang was Ravenclaw's new Seeker.

The practice went extremely well. Everyone was energized by the presence of the Firebolt. Complicated maneuvers went off without a hitch and Wood didn't have one suggestion for improvement.

"I can't see what's going to stop us tomorrow. Unless…Harry, you've been working on your dementor problem haven't you?" Wood asked.

"There isn't going to be a dementor problem," Kurenai cut in firmly, joining them out of nowhere. Ron wasn't sure how she'd gotten down there so quickly. He'd left her alone in the stands ages go.

Wood nodded, satisfied, and started walking back up to the castle with his Chasers and Beaters. Harry waved to Ron and he hurried into the pitch.

"Here you go," Harry said, handing the Firebolt to Ron. Ron's eyes lit up as he hopped on and pushed off. He rose high into the air and circled the pitch. Harry walked about on the ground, watching him. The red-head dove and whirled and even blocked a quaffle that he himself had thrown at a goalpost a moment earlier.

When it started getting dark, Kurenai figured it was time to head in. "Okay guys, that's enough."

Ron swooped down and landed next to Harry, whooping. Kurenai led the way back to the castle as the wizards began to talk about house points. As they made their way up to the castle, Harry saw something glinting in the darkness.

"What's that?" Harry asked urgently.

Kurenai stopped and turned around. Ron pulled out his wand and muttered, "Lumos."

Ron's wand lit up the surrounding area. He held it high and they could see Crookshanks crouched next to a tree. "It's that lousy cat," Ron grumbled, bending down to pick up a stone. However, Crookshanks was already gone. Ron chucked the stone he'd found back down. Kurenai continued walking and the boys followed her. "See? She's still letting him wander wherever he wants."

Kurenai turned around and stopped to face the boys. It was so dark that they almost ran into her.

"Kurenai what's the big idea?" Ron protested.

"Ron, get your head out of your butt and pay attention," Kurenai bit out. "Hermione feels terrible that Scabbers is dead. However, I don't know how things are here, but where we come from, cats eat rats. It is not Hermione's fault that Crookshanks got into your dormitory. They have doors don't they?"

"Well yeah but-"

"But you left it open so Scabbers could leave whenever he wanted to, right?"

"Of course," Ron sputtered.

"Just like Hermione did for her pet?" Kurenai challenged. Ron looked down. "All I'm saying is, if your friendship isn't worth more to you two than a cat and a rat, then it's a good thing you stopped being friends now rather than later."

Kurenai turned around and started walking again. Harry and Ron followed in silence. When they got back to the castle, Harry went to the common room, Kurenai headed to the Hufflepuff dormitories, and Ron went to the library. Later on, Ron and Hermione came into the Gryffindor common room together.

000000

The next day was the Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor Quidditch game. The entire team waited for Harry to go down to breakfast so that the Firebolt got an honor guard. Kakashi rolled his eye and followed them to the Great Hall.

At Wood's suggestion, Harry put the Firebolt in the middle of the table so that students from other houses could come by and see it. When Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle came over, Guy followed them.

"Sure you'll be able to handle that one Potter? I heard it has all kinds of extra features," Malfoy drawled. "Pity it doesn't come with a parachute. It would come in handy if you see a dementor and faint again." Crabbe and Goyle laughed along with Malfoy.

"Pity yours doesn't come with an extra arm to catch the snitch for you, then maybe you could win a couple of games," Harry retorted.

"Ah, the springtime of youth brings out rivalries everywhere," Guy said boisterously to Kakashi. "Their rivalry is just like ours."

"No Guy," Kakashi disagreed, "I don't think they're even remotely alike." Kakashi eyed Malfoy as he and his henchmen walked away.

Malfoy waved Marcus Flint over and the four of them huddled together and then hurried out of the Great Hall. Kakashi turned toward the Hufflepuff table. Attentive as ever, Kurenai met Kakashi's eye almost immediately. He signaled, follow them, with his hand. Kurenai didn't have to ask who and she slipped out of the Great Hall.

As the school made their way down to the quidditch field, Kakashi was feeling for Kurenai's chakra. Maybe I was wrong. No, there she is.

Kurenai stood under the stands on the Ravenclaw side of the field. Kakashi made his way over to her. "Everything okay here?" He asked smoothly. Kakashi took in the scene under the bleachers.

Kurenai had her arms crossed and was leaning against one of the supports for the stands. Next to her were three long black cloaks in a pile. Next to the cloaks, staring off into space, were Draco, Marcus, Gregory, and Vincent. The four Slytherins didn't move when Kakashi approached. They just stood there, eyes wide, mouths slightly open.

"I've got it under control," Kurenai assured him.

"What were they planning?" Kakashi eyed the long cloaks.

"They thought it'd increase their chances of winning the Quidditch Cup if the Gryffindor Seeker was spooked and lost the game," Kurenai replied lightly.

"I see," Kakashi said. "I hope you were kind?"

"Well we are supposed to be keeping a low profile. I'm feeding them a scenario where they just can't figure out how to get into the cloaks. They're trying so hard too," Kurenai fake-pouted, hand on chin. "Sadly, they won't untangle themselves until the match is over."

"Are we going to have to worry about this happening again?" Kakashi asked.

Kurenai shook her head, "they're going to be pretty embarrassed about this little failure. How are they going to explain to themselves that they were too thick to figure out how to use a cloak? If they told their friends about the prank beforehand, the humiliation will be even worse."

Kurenai and Kakashi did not go to Snape about his insubordinate students. Kurenai had done enough. It was also a reward in and of itself to watch the four wizards' faces pop up in the stands and see their shocked expressions at realizing that the match was already over.

That night there was quite a party in the Gryffindor common room. At midnight, Kakashi informed them that they'd officially won the game yesterday and they needed to give it a rest.

Not to be outdone, Percy popped up and added, "yes, congratulations to our Quidditch Team, now off to bed, all of you."

There was some grumbling at this but one look in Percy's direction and everyone went away in a hurry. Percy was quite happy about this; his commanding presence was finally getting recognition. What Percy didn't know was that Kakashi was standing right behind him, giving everyone death glares.

A couple of hours later, a sound in the common area woke Kakashi from his light sleep. He thought it might be someone trying to restart the party, but then he heard something come in contact with his door and he was instantly awake. No one had dared try entering his room after Fred and George's very public failure.

When Kakashi tried to open his door, it was jammed. There was something wedged in the crack between the door and its frame. The harder Kakashi tried to pull, the more stuck the door became. He thought of punching the door but a fist-sized hole wouldn't be helpful in actually getting it open.

The ninja opened his left eye and saw a lone adult wizard hurrying away from the boy's staircase and back to the portrait hole. Black. Chidori burst into life and Kakashi slammed it into his door, obliterating it. Chunks of wood and splinters exploded into the empty common room. Kakashi stopped and made a single clone. No need to alert the team with clones, by using chidori I've almost guaranteed that they'll come running.

Kakashi stationed his doppelganger in the common room, both to reassure the students and guard against further intrusion in case Black came back. Sir Cadogan yelled at Kakashi as he thrust his portrait aside and sprinted down the corridor that connected the portrait hole to the main hallway.

Kakashi looked left and right but couldn't see the fugitive with either eye. The silver-haired youth closed his right eye. The walls in Hogwarts, being filled with magic themselves, made it difficult to see wizards and witches through them, much less through multiple layers. Kakashi stood in that corridor and attempted to sift through multiple layers of magic with his Sharingan. Having no clue as to which way Black went and since the castle liked to change, it was a losing battle.

The first of his team to arrive was Guy, who was currently on patrol. He was closely followed by Professor McGonagall who, Kakashi assumed, was alerted by a house elf whenever there was a disturbance in her house's common room.

"What on earth is going on?" McGonagall demanded. She wore a hairnet and a robe over her nightgown. As she got closer, the witch saw Kakashi's Sharingan eye and gave a little start. She'd never seen it before and her face went pale at the sight.

"Black is in the castle," Kakashi called to them both. Upon hearing his words, Guy immediately left again. Kakashi continued to McGonagall, "he tried to get into the boy's dormitory but I don't think he expected me to react so quickly. I have a clone with your students but I'm sure your presence would be most welcome to the Head Boy."

"Has the Headmaster been informed," the now paler professor asked.

Kakashi thought for a moment. "I believe Kurenai is closest and alerting him," he informed her, once again looking at her with his red eye. The professor nodded and hurried down the corridor to the portrait hole.

"Sir Cadogan," McGonagall asked, "did you let a man inside of Gryffindor tower?"

"Certainly," the knight declared.

McGonagall started. "But what about the password?"

"He had them my lady, the whole week's on a piece of paper."

McGonagall just stared, unable to completely absorb the absurdity of it all.

Kakashi ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. He hadn't had a chance to put his headband on, or his armor for that matter, and he felt naked without it. Ebisu came running around the corner at the end of the hall as McGonagall stepped through the portrait hole to join Kakashi's clone. Kakashi could hear the clamor of students in the common room. He knew he'd hear what she had to tell them later, through the memories of his clone.

Meanwhile, the guard captain focused on Ebisu, who'd just arrived. "Black is here," Kakashi said shortly. "Find him."

Ebisu skidded to a halt, reversed, and took off again the way he'd come. "Don't overuse that eye captain," Ebisu called back as he rounded a corner.

Kakashi stared after him. My eye is useless against a phantom.

Kakashi kept searching the castle with his gift but in vain. McGonagall came out of Gryffindor Tower and joined him. Together they waited for Dumbledore to arrive. They didn't have to wait long. Kurenai and the ancient wizard came hurrying down the hallway together. They both were fully dressed, Kurenai in her ruby dress with mail underneath and Dumbledore in dark purple robes with gold moons in different phases embroidered all over it. They looked like they'd been out for a stroll together before they decided to hurry over and have a chat with Kakashi.

"Kurenai informs me that there's been a disturbance that needs my immediate attention," Dumbledore said, probing.

"Sirius Black is in the castle," Kakashi declared, for what felt like the thousandth time, "or at least he was ten minutes ago."

"Black had the passwords, that a foolish student had written down, and Sir Cadogan let him right into Gryffindor tower," Professor McGonagall added furiously. "I don't know what would have happened if Kakashi had not been there."

Looks like I'm going to be forgiven for the broken door, Kakashi thought. "But I didn't catch Black," Kakashi said aloud. "By the time I got into the hallway he was gone. My team is searching for him now but…" if I can't see him with my Sharingan, how are they supposed to find him?

Dumbledore nodded in understanding, almost as if he could read Kakashi's mind. Kakashi sighed, closing his left eye.

McGonagall was struck once again by how young Kakashi was. She was no fool. She knew what life this youth had led, at least part of it. It was sometimes hard to remember that he was only fourteen. However, the way he was now, standing in the hallway in what she could only suppose were his sleeping clothes, tired, and frustrated at not capturing a killer of all things, she thought he just looked the tiniest bit small and alone. That was, until his team reappeared.

Guy, Kurenai, and Ebisu teleported themselves in front of Kakashi. "Report," he said, eye open.

"No sign of him Kakashi," Guy said. Kurenai shook her head. Kakashi could tell by the way Ebisu avoided his eye that he hadn't found anything either.

Kakashi turned to Dumbledore, "is there anything else you would have us do tonight Headmaster?"

"It is unfortunate that Black was not caught, but I am far from blaming you. You protected our students and that's the important thing," Dumbledore directed this at Kakashi but Kakashi just stared at him, his eye hard and emotionless. "No, nothing else tonight, thank you."

Kakashi nodded and turned to his teammates. "Guy, I believe you were on duty but it's past the time that my shift should have started. You three get some sleep." They reluctantly nodded and went their separate ways.