The summer flew by, and soon enough, our trio was boarding the Hogwarts Express for their sixth year. Shiro greeted Konata and Blaze, hastily shuffling off to complete his prefect duties. Once he was certainly gone, Konata closed their compartment door securely and sat across from Blaze. The look on her face clearly said that she had something serious and important to say, yet she was hesitant to say it.

"Look, I know we haven't talked about this all summer, and sort of agreed not to speak of it, but, I just need to know… How can you be so happy about being single? I mean, I know your love for Satoshi was never really true, but it still had to hurt…"

Blaze gave a little shrug. "Yeah, but, I don't want to be hung up on it. True, nobody wants to be, though let's just say if I was still longing for the same relationship I had with Satoshi, I wouldn't be able to think about a love I can share with… a certain different boy."

Konata's eyes widened a bit and a tiny smile formed on her face. "You mean you've found another love interest?" she gasped in a squeaky voice. She chuckled into her hand. "Did I really just say 'love interest'?"

"Yes Konata, you really just said 'love interest,' for whatever reason," Blaze laughed. Konata was too busy chattering aimlessly more to herself than Blaze to notice her blonde friend glance across the aisle to the compartment containing Draco Malfoy, or to see the look of disgusted jealousy appear on her face as she saw that the Slytherin boy had his head in Pansy Parkinson's lap.

For the next 20 or so minutes, the girls discussed random and rather useless topics until Shiro returned. He was in a daze, with an expression like he'd seen a ghoul- recall that for him, a Boggart turns into ghosts. He plopped beside Konata, his blue eyes unblinking.

"Shiro, love? What's wrong?" Konata inquired slowly. Shiro gulped, closing his eyes tightly and then reopening them.

"I… I just saw, my little sister… snogging Colin Creevey," he whispered. Blaze grinned while Konata squealed.

"They got together! Adorable!" exclaimed Konata, clapping twice.

"I'm glad… Though poor Dennis must feel so awkward, being Colin's tagalong," Blaze commented.

Shiro looked on the verge of bursting into flames. "You girls obviously don't understand how atrocious this is! W-what if they take their relationship, y-you know, too far? Sakura's a smart girl, she probably won't, b-but still…

"Satoshi and I have been hoping ever since she started school that she'd lose that reputation of being known by so few people and only having a handful of friends, but now that she's with Colin- no offense to him, he's a nice boy and all- she'll just be known as his girlfriend…" He shuddered visibly. "Not to mention all those sicknesses she can receive from kissing!"

"Hypocrite," Blaze muttered at this. Konata looked embarrassed for a mere second, though then she lightly grasped Shiro's hands in hers.

"Shiro, love, you're over thinking it. There's not really anything wrong with that, but there's no point in stressing over this. Maybe you should have a little more faith in Sakura. Even so, it's sweet of you to worry so much for her… You'll make a bloody good daddy one day."

A light blush and gentle smile appeared on Shiro's face for a fraction of a second. "I really am acting like an overprotective parent, hm? Still…" He sighed, leaning his head back against the booth. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for Mr. and Mrs. Dopple- they supply us with a home and buy us things we need. But even if they've been kind and helpful, they've never really been parental figures, you know? Satoshi has had to act like a dad to Sakura and me, while I've started to act fatherly toward Sakura. Seeing as we have no parents… A little over protectiveness can be good in a way."

Konata and Blaze stared at him sympathetically, completely at a loss for words. With a small shake to his head, Shiro sat upright. "I shouldn't be talking about such poignant things…" He motioned toward the window. "We're on our way back to Hogwarts, back home. Let's uh… forget I said that. For the time being, at least."

The rest of the train ride was much more pleasurable. When the time came to change into Hogwarts robes, Shiro playfully refused to leave the compartment and the girls had to shove him out the door. Tar and Mischief seemed to be having a stare down across their cages, in which Tar was somehow victorious. Blaze went off to locate the witch with the candy trolley, giving Konata and Shiro time to catch up on snuggling and snogging missed over the summer. And at long last, the Hogwarts Express rolled into Hogmseade Station.

"My, look at our new professor! Looks more like a walrus, if you ask me," chortled Konata as she laid eyes on the large figure of Horace Slughorn.

"Blimey Konata, what did you have for breakfast? You are so giggly today," laughed Shiro. However, his smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "I've heard tales upon tales about that man… He's got this thing called the Slug Club- dumb name, right? It's just a group of his favorite students. You see, Slughorn has a very keen sense of what wizards and witches are going to turn out to be big successes, normally judging by the people they have as resources." He clenched his fist, a vein beginning to pulse visibly in his temple. "He adored Darrien- Blaze's dad, you know- and even had Lucius Malfoy in his stupid old club, but he never even laid eyes on my father. He was like a cobweb in a hundred-year-old unkempt house. Just another student." He heatedly ran his hand through his bangs. "Picking favorites like that… Honestly! I can't bloody stand it."

"That sounds terrible… Teachers are supposed to treat their students as equally as possible!" Konata shook her head disapprovingly. Nonetheless, her demeanor soon lightened. "I wouldn't want to be one of his favorites, though. I mean, you're right: 'Slug Club'? Sounds like what the 'popular' people would dub all the geeks. Besides, I'll bet he eats his number one favorite… Look at him!"

"Alright, you are definitely on something," Blaze accused with a grin. Konata shook her head, her neat low ponytail swinging side to side as she did so.

"Nah, drugs are awful! I'm just in a good mood," she insisted. She then gave Shiro a long-lasting kiss on the cheek (she didn't have to stand as high on her toes as usual, for she had undergone a growth spurt over the summer) and dashed off to the Hufflepuff table.

"She's strange, that one," Blaze commented.

"Absolutely," Shiro agreed. He smiled warmly. "But I love her to pieces."

The next morning, each student received their new schedules. Shiro beamed down at his, glad to see the number of free periods he'd have. "Let's see, Ancient Runes first period today, brilliant… Defense Against the Dark Arts this morning- going to be a ruddy Hell with Snape teaching it now. Potions after lunch, oh wonderful…" He rolled his eyes, though his face got brighter as he scanned the parchment further. "Mm, Herbology with Slytherin tomorrow, Care of Magical Creatures on Wednesday…" He started to verbally review the rest of his schedule until Luna Lovegood turned away from the stack of pancakes she'd been prodding at and faced him.

"Who are you talking to, Shiro?" she inquired in that high voice of hers. Shiro blushed slightly.

"A-ah, nobody… Just myself." Utterly embarrassed, he gathered up his things and swept off to find Konata.

"Oy, Shiro!" called the voice of Blaze, Konata trotting alongside her. Shiro's face lit up.

"Morning, girls."

"So what have you been doing?" Konata asked, giving him a good-morning-kiss before leaning against a wall of the Great Hall.

"Just reading over my schedule," the Ravenclaw boy replied. "I feel like I should've dropped something, though… I would have gotten more free periods."

For a moment, Blaze stared at him incredulously, Konata with a look of somewhat shame. "You mean, you stuck with Care of Magical Creatures?" the blonde murmured. Shiro's smile faltered very slightly.

"Naturally… It's my best class, and Hagrid's like a dad or grandpa to me."

"I hate to break it to you, but it might just be you and the bowtruckles… I don't know of anyone who hasn't dropped the class. Even Ron, Harry, and Hermione did, and you know how close to Hagrid they are…" Blaze muttered.

"Shiro, I'm sorry… I like Hagrid, really I do, but I don't see how I personally can benefit from the class…" Konata sighed, her voice a tad bit shaky. Shiro's face fell, disappointment flooding into his features.

"Hey! You know, we haven't shared our O.W.L. grades yet," Blaze exclaimed suddenly.

As if he had no clue it was an obvious attempt to change the subject, Shiro smiled once more. "Say, you're right! Here, I've got mine handy…" He rummaged through his bag, proudly withdrawing an official-looking piece of parchment. Inside read:

Shiro Darrien Ueda has achieved:

Astronomy: E

Care of Magical Creatures: O

Charms: O

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Herbology: E

History of Magic: A

Potions: E

Transfiguration: E

Ancient Runes: E

Muggle Studies: E

"Blimey, Shiro… You did amazing! As expected, of course. I'm so proud," Konata breathed.

"Considering you're not dead or agonizing, I'd say you did pretty well too. May I see yours?" Shiro asked. Sheepishly, Konata bestowed her results upon him:

Konata Elizabeth Verdent has achieved:

Astronomy: E

Care of Magical Creatures: A

Charms: E

Defense Against the Dark Arts: E

Divination: E

Herbology: O

History of Magic: E

Potions: A

Transfiguration: A

Muggle Studies: O

"Konata, love, you did fantastic! See, I told you you'd do just fine," Shiro praised, beaming. Konata blushed timidly, turning to Blaze.

"Well, what about you? Come now, let's see."

"I've, uh, misplaced mine," she muttered, glancing at the ground. Shiro raised an eyebrow, grinning bemusedly.

"Oh my lord. You got all O's, didn't you?"

Blaze's ears turned pink, making Konata giggle. "No!" She lowered her voice, seeming a few sizes smaller. "I uh… I got 3 E's, too…" Shiro gasped over-dramatically, tightly gripping Konata by the shoulder with one hand and pressing the back of the other against his forehead.

"Heavens no! All O's except for 3 E's? Blimey Blaze, you're going to fail out of the school if you don't get your act together! Konata, you may as well start saying your good-byes," he cried. Konata put on her best grief-stricken face, which was rather convincing.

"I never thought the day would come that I'd be best friends with a… a flunky," she whispered. Blaze groaned, though an irremovable grin was now etched on her lips.

"You two… I'll bloody kill you one day," she chuckled.