I know, I know, this took a really long time for me to get out. I'm sorry!
I admit I haven't really been paying attention to this because of my
LotR/SM, but finally, I have returned with chapter seven.
Please, please, please let me know if I'm taking too long to get to more important things like, oh say, the end of the story, because that will affect how I write the rest of this.
Thankee! =^-^=
Chapter Seven - Quidditch and Godfathers
The next two weeks passed both slowly and quickly for Makoto. The Quidditch tryouts were drawing near, and though Makoto loved flying, she wasn't sure she'd be able to make the team. It was either that, or she'd just wind up making a fool of herself in front of Malfoy and the rest of the school. Since last year there had been a shortage of players for the teams, and the Ravenclaw was most lacking. Many parents had forbidden their children from playing. Other players had graduated. The situation was so bad that even first year students were being allowed to try out for the teams, something not normally done.
"And something that will never happen after this year, I hope," Makoto heard McGonagall say to Hooch in the halls.
Ami, Rei and Makoto often got together whenever they could find each other, and the two younger girls had told her of their decisions to try out. Makoto had smiled and wished them luck. They'd badgered her for most of the two weeks until she had agreed to try out just to get them to be quiet about it.
"How was Potions?" Harry asked Makoto as she exited the dungeons.
She stopped and swerved so she could look at her brother, who was leaning against a wall casually. Ron and Hermione stood with him-- Makoto got the impression that it was very nearly impossible to see one without the other two somewhere nearby. Remembering her Potions lesson pushed that thought from her mind, however, and she shuddered dramatically.
"A nightmare. I haven't even been caught running in the halls yet and Snape's already got it out for me!" she groaned.
Harry and Ron grinned, and Hermione giggled. By some chance of fate, the four had a free period at that time, and Harry was going to use it to help out at the Quidditch tryouts. The twins had only one year left, so he was looking for reserve Beaters, and Alicia had been forced to quit the team by her parents, after the Triwizard Tournament.
"You should have seen the fuss they put up with me just wanting to come back to Hogwarts. I'm really sorry, Harry," she had said, looking wistfully at the field.
He had assured her that it was all right, but really, he wasn't so sure. Last year had been Angelina's last year, so they needed a replacement Chaser for her as well. This meant that the Gryffindor team had now lost their remarkable Chaser team, which they had been known for. Harry could only thank his luck that Katie was still with the team, and Ron had been tried out earlier and had replaced Oliver as Keeper, though Harry remained the captain.
"Are you going to try out for Chaser or Beater?" Ron asked Makoto as they walked to the field.
She shrugged, staring ahead as she contemplated her answer.
"I don't know. I don't really know anything about Quidditch, and I'm nowhere near as much of a fan as you two. The only reason that I can think of right now is because I want to be able to fly again. We'll see where it goes from there."
Harry grinned widely, "You sounded like me just then."
"Heaven forbid," Hermione teased, "The last thing we need it two of you to look after."
Harry rolled his eyes at this and sniffed delicately.
"As I recall, Hermione, you were the one who suggested the Polyjuice Potion, which involved the stealing of shoes from Crabbe and Goyle, and then got yourself turned into a cat."
Hermione blushed, "Yes ... well ... "
"And you, as I recall, were the one who suggested stealing the ingredients from Snape. Oh yes, and then you went and put Rita Skeeter in a jar," Ron added.
Hermione turned as red as Ron's hair and Makoto tried very hard not to laugh, but soon found it a losing battle.
"Don't you have a Quidditch try out to conduct, Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to switch the subject.
"Right, right. C'mon then, Jillie. Let's see how well you fly."
"Oh, just you watch, nii-chan. I'm gonna replace you as Seeker, I'll bet," she teased.
"I'd like to see you try."
"You won't, trust me," Makoto said confidently, though jokingly, "You'll see me fall off my broom, though. Ami-chan! Rei-chan!" she shouted happily, waving to her friends as they passed each other in the halls.
The Ravenclaw tryouts had been held a few days earlier. Rei and Ami had both decided to try their luck, to the surprise of Makoto, and were rewarded for it. Rei was a Chaser and reserve Seeker in case anything happened to Cho. When Cho left in two years she would be full-time Seeker and another Chaser would be chosen. Ami was the Keeper and would take up her position as co-captain next year due to her extreme intelligence. Upon seeing Makoto, they grinned and waved back.
"Konnichiwa, Mako-chan! Are you trying out?" Ami called back.
Makoto nodded, "Haiiii!"
"Ganbaru!" Ami and Rei chorused.
"Arigatou gozaimasu!"
"I really wish you'd stop speaking another language," Harry groaned teasingly, "I never know when you're making fun of me."
"Tch," Makoto grinned, "I can speak in whatever language I like, dear brother. If you must know, they were simply wishing me good luck, which I will need in whatever form I can obtain."
"You need confidence, is what you need," muttered Hermione.
The field was bustling with students, each trying out for positions on the various teams. Nearly all the Hufflepuff house was there, and most of the Gryffindor house as well. The Slytherins had decided to hold their try outs on another day. Harry rolled his eyes and muttered, "Probably worried about the other houses seeing how much money they have". Makoto gave him a questioning look, but her brother declined to explain his meaning in detail. Ron seemed to have a fair idea of it, though, because he nodded grimly. Hermione rolled her eyes and went to sit in the stands to watch.
"What am I going to have to do, nii-chan?" Makoto asked.
"It depends on what position you want," answered Harry, "Chaser or Beater."
"Er ... lets say Chaser."
"Well, you're probably going to have to go some laps, making sharp turns and backing up and things like that so Madam Hooch and I can see how coordinated you are. You'll probably have to make some saves and catches and goals with the Quaffle, as well."
Makoto gulped slightly and looked up where some of the older students were doing the same things Harry described: and they're only warming up, she thought nervously. A hand landed on her shoulder, warm and comforting. She looked up and was met with the clear blue eyes of Ron. He smiled encouragingly at her.
"Shimpai -- nai -- Jillian," he said haltingly, "Quidditch talent seems to run in your family. You should have seen how Harry got his position as Seeker."
She grinned at him, thankful for his support, but she was still nervous. Madam Hooch blew her whistle loudly and the students came down from the sky on their brooms.
"All right! Hufflepuffs to the far side of the field, Gryffindors over here. I want you to make four different groups depending on the position you want, I'll be over to talk to you shortly. Potter! Weasley! Don't just stand around, help these kids get in order. Potter! What position are you going for?"
Makoto opened her mouth and heard herself say "Chaser", though if you asked her later she was sure that she had meant to say Beater.
The students assembled into their groups of Chaser, Beater, Seeker, and Keeper wannabes. Makoto joined the others who were trying for Chaser, glancing over at Harry and Ron and Hermione for support about every five seconds. On one glance to find either boy or girl, a movement at the edges of the Dark Forest caught her eye and she followed it. The black shape was moving closer towards the edge of the Forest, and suddenly the bracelet became ice-cold. Makoto hissed softly, moving to put the fabric of her robes between her skin and the silver. A large, black dog, almost bear- sized, and scruffy, came to the Forest's edge. He sat down, tongue hanging out of his mouth, in the bright sun and gazed intently at the students. Or, more accurately, right back at her!
"Potter! Potter!" called Madam Hooch.
Makoto snapped out of her trance quickly and looked at the flying teacher. Harry stood behind her, holding his Firebolt out to her. Hooch smiled and motioned to the others who were already in position.
"This is going to be a mock game, without the Snitch. I want to see how you work together as a team, not individually. You are not playing against each other to win, just to have fun. For today, at any rate. Right! Take your positions and kick off!"
Makoto took the Firebolt from Harry and smiled at him before walking to her position on the field. The other two Chasers for the game were Rupert Grint and a third year she didn't have much to do with, named Calvin Sibley. She didn't know the Chasers on the Hufflepuff side, but she recognized one to be the boy from the library, and one of the Beaters was none other than Justin Finch-Fletchly. They all kicked off from the ground.
Harry stood under them, as he might have in a real game, and unleashed the Bludgers. Then he picked up the Quaffle, looked at all the players, nodded, and tossed it up in the air. Madam Hooch's whistle went off and they all settled into the game. Makoto desperately tried to recall everything that Harry and Ron and the twins had ever taught her, everything she had ever read about the game, all while trying to catch the Quaffle and make sure she didn't fall off her broom.
"Potter! On your left!" shouted Rupert.
Makoto swerved to the right, and not one second to soon. A Bludger came whizzing past, with Phara Paul chasing after it. She sighed and gave Rupert a thumbs up of thanks, which he returned. Getting a bit more into the game now, Makoto dove in, dashing after the Hufflepuff Chasers, who were currently in possession of the Quaffle. The three were passing the Quaffle back and forth between them, heading for the goal hoops. Suddenly an idea hit Makoto, and she tried to catch either Sibley's or Rupert's eye. She wound up with Sibley, and motioned for him to fly as fast as possible to the Hufflepuff goal hoops. He did. Then she called on Rupert to create a diversion and distract one of the other Chasers, which he did. Now there were only two passing the Quaffle, and the only thing to do was catch it mid-toss.
"Almost ... got it!" she whispered, catching the big red ball.
Makoto grinned, doing a sharp 180-degree turn and flung the ball as hard as she could to Sibley, who caught it and put it nicely through the goals, past the Hufflepuff Keeper.
"Yatta!" Makoto grinned.
Sibley came up and offered her a high five, which she returned. Rupert joined in for a brief moment as Madam Hooch's whistle blew again and they were all called back down. Paul, the other Hufflepuff Beater was so mad he hit a Bludger hard at Makoto, Rupert and Sibley as they did a little victory lap for fun. None of them noticed it.
"Jillian!" shouted Ron and Harry.
She turned at the sound of her name, looking around for her brother and his best friend. What she wound up seeing was stars as the Bludger came into contact with her temple. Before everything went black she got the vaguest feeling of flying, and caught only a slight blur of green. The ground seemed to be coming closer at an alarmingly fast rate.
Makoto was floating very peacefully, unaware of anything but the serenity of wherever it was that she happened to be. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, the sun shone on her gently, the grass was comfortable beneath her, and she felt perfectly at ease with the world.
"Jillian! Harry! You can't escape the Father Menace!"
She opened her eyes to look around, but saw no one standing above her, so she sat up. Off in the distance a man with black hair and two children were playing in the small sandy area. A woman with long reddish hair was sitting in the shade of the trees watching them and laughing. Vaguely Makoto realized that she had a nice laugh. Now the father of the two children was tickling them as best he could while they tried to squirm away.
"Jillian ... Wake up, Jillian! ... Jillian!"
Bright. That was the first thing Makoto became aware of when she opened her eyes. Her head throbbed a bit but she was otherwise intact. She was also quite warm, and there was a woman hanging over her head.
"Jillian, focus on me now," she said, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine ... I think."
"You don't want to go to sleep, do you?"
"Iie ... er, no ... I don't think so."
"Good. How many fingers am I holding up?" asked Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse.
Makoto blinked and watched as two fingers were thrust in her face. Her eyes crossed, following the movement of them.
"Two, though technically five because you've still got five fingers and they're up," she said slowly.
The nurse nodded in satisfaction and moved back. "Then you don't have a concussion. Not a major one, at any rate. Can you sit?"
"Yeah ... " Makoto said slowly.
She trailed off and propped herself up on her elbows, then moved herself into a full sitting position. It was then that she realized that she was in the Hospital Wing of her school, sitting in one of the beds, covered by a soft blanket. Madam Pomfrey bustled about around her.
"Your brother and friends are very anxious about you. Do you remember what happened?" the nurse asked.
"I was too slow and didn't see the Bludger coming at me until it was too late," Makoto replied.
"Yes. Mr. Finch-Fletchly and Mr. Weasley both gave the same account. Rest assured that Mr. Paul has been given a week's worth of detention by Professor McGonagall, and even more by Madam Hooch."
Makoto grinned weakly as Madam Pomfrey thrust a small container at her.
"Here. This will help keep you awake, so we can be sure that you don't have a concussion at all. I'll be back in about an hour to see how you're doing."
The nurse bustled away, pausing only to draw the curtains around Makoto's bed to keep out prying eyes. She was in the only bed that had those curtains, and she vaguely remembered Harry making a joke about it being his official hospital bed because of all the trouble he got in. Smiling slightly, she stared at the potion in the container, debating whether she wanted to take it or not.
"You know, Jillian, you're generally supposed to listen to the resident nurse," said a male voice.
Makoto turned around as best she could in her sitting position and came face to face with a black haired man. He looked tired and half- starved and his robes were old and mud-stained. His dark eyes carried a haunted look within them, and he appeared not to have shaved for months. Not knowing what else to do, she did the first thing she could think of. She talked.
"Who are you? How do you know my name? How did you get here? You're not a teacher or a student, are you?" she asked rapidly.
He gave her a smile, but there was something distinctly sad about it. He held up a hand to stop her questions and sighed.
"I am Sirius Black. I know your name because I know your brother. I have been living here through Dumbledore's permission, and no, I'm not a student or a teacher. I used to be a student, but I doubt I'd make a very good teacher. I'm your -- "
"Godfather!" Makoto said excitedly, "Harry's told me all about you! Or, at least, what he can tell. But ... are you really Sirius? I've heard stories like these when someone pretends to be someone else. Wait, do something that only Sirius can do, right now."
Sirius stood, and was replaced by a large black dog. Then he became Sirius again. Makoto's eyes lit up and she grinned.
"It really is you! You're an unregistered Animagi, aren't you? So only you would know to do that! Hey! You were watching me play Quidditch!"
Sirius groaned playfully. "I think I've passed on my legacy of talking too much."
"I don't really. Just when I'm excited."
"Close enough."
Makoto grinned and was about to say more, but the sounds of approaching footsteps cut her off. She gave Sirius a nervous look, the grin wiped off her face, and he immediately became a dog. She nearly giggled at the sight of him trying his best to fit under her bed, but the anxiety she felt overrode the humor of it. The curtains were pulled back, agonizingly slowly.
"Harry!" she hissed.
Her brother grinned sheepishly and quickly slipped inside. "Hey. I couldn't wait anymore and Madam Pomfrey wasn't telling me anything, so I decided to come and see you for myself."
"You nearly gave me a heart attack," Makoto grinned, "But I'm glad to see you. Snuffles and I were just getting acquainted."
Harry's eyes widened in shock as the black dog became his godfather and hugged him. Any doubt that Makoto might have had was quickly dispelled, seeing Harry hug him back like there was no tomorrow. She grinned and settled back into her hospital wing bed, watching them. When they finally pulled apart Harry turned to her.
"I thought you might want to know: you've made Chaser," he said, grinning, "Hooch told me to tell you that you start playing immediately."
"I ... I what?" she asked dumbly.
"You're one of the Gryffindor Chasers, Jillian. You know, you get to fly a broom and play with balls, and pray you don't get knocked out by Bludgers. Your dad was a Chaser you know. I expect you'll be wonderful," said Sirius.
"Are ... are you sure?" Makoto asked hesitantly. "Because that's why I'm in here. I wasn't paying attention, and bam, and all that good stuff. I don't know how good I'll be if that keeps happening."
"You'll be fine. Harry's been knocked off his broom a few times, and he's still in one piece."
"Oi!" Harry protested.
Sirius laughed. Makoto sighed contentedly, glad to be in their company. She never noticed her bracelet glowing red.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Well, there's chapter seven for you. Be on the look out for chapter eight, coming soon to a ff.net near you. =^-^=;; don't mind me, I'm a bit hyper.
I'm fairly certain the only Japanese used in this chapter is "Shimpai nai" which means "don't worry", but I could be wrong (I'm just too lazy to check). So, what do you think? Is it good that Mako knows her Godfather? Bad? Somewhere in between? Do any of you care? Read and review!
Bai bai! =^-^=
Please, please, please let me know if I'm taking too long to get to more important things like, oh say, the end of the story, because that will affect how I write the rest of this.
Thankee! =^-^=
Chapter Seven - Quidditch and Godfathers
The next two weeks passed both slowly and quickly for Makoto. The Quidditch tryouts were drawing near, and though Makoto loved flying, she wasn't sure she'd be able to make the team. It was either that, or she'd just wind up making a fool of herself in front of Malfoy and the rest of the school. Since last year there had been a shortage of players for the teams, and the Ravenclaw was most lacking. Many parents had forbidden their children from playing. Other players had graduated. The situation was so bad that even first year students were being allowed to try out for the teams, something not normally done.
"And something that will never happen after this year, I hope," Makoto heard McGonagall say to Hooch in the halls.
Ami, Rei and Makoto often got together whenever they could find each other, and the two younger girls had told her of their decisions to try out. Makoto had smiled and wished them luck. They'd badgered her for most of the two weeks until she had agreed to try out just to get them to be quiet about it.
"How was Potions?" Harry asked Makoto as she exited the dungeons.
She stopped and swerved so she could look at her brother, who was leaning against a wall casually. Ron and Hermione stood with him-- Makoto got the impression that it was very nearly impossible to see one without the other two somewhere nearby. Remembering her Potions lesson pushed that thought from her mind, however, and she shuddered dramatically.
"A nightmare. I haven't even been caught running in the halls yet and Snape's already got it out for me!" she groaned.
Harry and Ron grinned, and Hermione giggled. By some chance of fate, the four had a free period at that time, and Harry was going to use it to help out at the Quidditch tryouts. The twins had only one year left, so he was looking for reserve Beaters, and Alicia had been forced to quit the team by her parents, after the Triwizard Tournament.
"You should have seen the fuss they put up with me just wanting to come back to Hogwarts. I'm really sorry, Harry," she had said, looking wistfully at the field.
He had assured her that it was all right, but really, he wasn't so sure. Last year had been Angelina's last year, so they needed a replacement Chaser for her as well. This meant that the Gryffindor team had now lost their remarkable Chaser team, which they had been known for. Harry could only thank his luck that Katie was still with the team, and Ron had been tried out earlier and had replaced Oliver as Keeper, though Harry remained the captain.
"Are you going to try out for Chaser or Beater?" Ron asked Makoto as they walked to the field.
She shrugged, staring ahead as she contemplated her answer.
"I don't know. I don't really know anything about Quidditch, and I'm nowhere near as much of a fan as you two. The only reason that I can think of right now is because I want to be able to fly again. We'll see where it goes from there."
Harry grinned widely, "You sounded like me just then."
"Heaven forbid," Hermione teased, "The last thing we need it two of you to look after."
Harry rolled his eyes at this and sniffed delicately.
"As I recall, Hermione, you were the one who suggested the Polyjuice Potion, which involved the stealing of shoes from Crabbe and Goyle, and then got yourself turned into a cat."
Hermione blushed, "Yes ... well ... "
"And you, as I recall, were the one who suggested stealing the ingredients from Snape. Oh yes, and then you went and put Rita Skeeter in a jar," Ron added.
Hermione turned as red as Ron's hair and Makoto tried very hard not to laugh, but soon found it a losing battle.
"Don't you have a Quidditch try out to conduct, Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to switch the subject.
"Right, right. C'mon then, Jillie. Let's see how well you fly."
"Oh, just you watch, nii-chan. I'm gonna replace you as Seeker, I'll bet," she teased.
"I'd like to see you try."
"You won't, trust me," Makoto said confidently, though jokingly, "You'll see me fall off my broom, though. Ami-chan! Rei-chan!" she shouted happily, waving to her friends as they passed each other in the halls.
The Ravenclaw tryouts had been held a few days earlier. Rei and Ami had both decided to try their luck, to the surprise of Makoto, and were rewarded for it. Rei was a Chaser and reserve Seeker in case anything happened to Cho. When Cho left in two years she would be full-time Seeker and another Chaser would be chosen. Ami was the Keeper and would take up her position as co-captain next year due to her extreme intelligence. Upon seeing Makoto, they grinned and waved back.
"Konnichiwa, Mako-chan! Are you trying out?" Ami called back.
Makoto nodded, "Haiiii!"
"Ganbaru!" Ami and Rei chorused.
"Arigatou gozaimasu!"
"I really wish you'd stop speaking another language," Harry groaned teasingly, "I never know when you're making fun of me."
"Tch," Makoto grinned, "I can speak in whatever language I like, dear brother. If you must know, they were simply wishing me good luck, which I will need in whatever form I can obtain."
"You need confidence, is what you need," muttered Hermione.
The field was bustling with students, each trying out for positions on the various teams. Nearly all the Hufflepuff house was there, and most of the Gryffindor house as well. The Slytherins had decided to hold their try outs on another day. Harry rolled his eyes and muttered, "Probably worried about the other houses seeing how much money they have". Makoto gave him a questioning look, but her brother declined to explain his meaning in detail. Ron seemed to have a fair idea of it, though, because he nodded grimly. Hermione rolled her eyes and went to sit in the stands to watch.
"What am I going to have to do, nii-chan?" Makoto asked.
"It depends on what position you want," answered Harry, "Chaser or Beater."
"Er ... lets say Chaser."
"Well, you're probably going to have to go some laps, making sharp turns and backing up and things like that so Madam Hooch and I can see how coordinated you are. You'll probably have to make some saves and catches and goals with the Quaffle, as well."
Makoto gulped slightly and looked up where some of the older students were doing the same things Harry described: and they're only warming up, she thought nervously. A hand landed on her shoulder, warm and comforting. She looked up and was met with the clear blue eyes of Ron. He smiled encouragingly at her.
"Shimpai -- nai -- Jillian," he said haltingly, "Quidditch talent seems to run in your family. You should have seen how Harry got his position as Seeker."
She grinned at him, thankful for his support, but she was still nervous. Madam Hooch blew her whistle loudly and the students came down from the sky on their brooms.
"All right! Hufflepuffs to the far side of the field, Gryffindors over here. I want you to make four different groups depending on the position you want, I'll be over to talk to you shortly. Potter! Weasley! Don't just stand around, help these kids get in order. Potter! What position are you going for?"
Makoto opened her mouth and heard herself say "Chaser", though if you asked her later she was sure that she had meant to say Beater.
The students assembled into their groups of Chaser, Beater, Seeker, and Keeper wannabes. Makoto joined the others who were trying for Chaser, glancing over at Harry and Ron and Hermione for support about every five seconds. On one glance to find either boy or girl, a movement at the edges of the Dark Forest caught her eye and she followed it. The black shape was moving closer towards the edge of the Forest, and suddenly the bracelet became ice-cold. Makoto hissed softly, moving to put the fabric of her robes between her skin and the silver. A large, black dog, almost bear- sized, and scruffy, came to the Forest's edge. He sat down, tongue hanging out of his mouth, in the bright sun and gazed intently at the students. Or, more accurately, right back at her!
"Potter! Potter!" called Madam Hooch.
Makoto snapped out of her trance quickly and looked at the flying teacher. Harry stood behind her, holding his Firebolt out to her. Hooch smiled and motioned to the others who were already in position.
"This is going to be a mock game, without the Snitch. I want to see how you work together as a team, not individually. You are not playing against each other to win, just to have fun. For today, at any rate. Right! Take your positions and kick off!"
Makoto took the Firebolt from Harry and smiled at him before walking to her position on the field. The other two Chasers for the game were Rupert Grint and a third year she didn't have much to do with, named Calvin Sibley. She didn't know the Chasers on the Hufflepuff side, but she recognized one to be the boy from the library, and one of the Beaters was none other than Justin Finch-Fletchly. They all kicked off from the ground.
Harry stood under them, as he might have in a real game, and unleashed the Bludgers. Then he picked up the Quaffle, looked at all the players, nodded, and tossed it up in the air. Madam Hooch's whistle went off and they all settled into the game. Makoto desperately tried to recall everything that Harry and Ron and the twins had ever taught her, everything she had ever read about the game, all while trying to catch the Quaffle and make sure she didn't fall off her broom.
"Potter! On your left!" shouted Rupert.
Makoto swerved to the right, and not one second to soon. A Bludger came whizzing past, with Phara Paul chasing after it. She sighed and gave Rupert a thumbs up of thanks, which he returned. Getting a bit more into the game now, Makoto dove in, dashing after the Hufflepuff Chasers, who were currently in possession of the Quaffle. The three were passing the Quaffle back and forth between them, heading for the goal hoops. Suddenly an idea hit Makoto, and she tried to catch either Sibley's or Rupert's eye. She wound up with Sibley, and motioned for him to fly as fast as possible to the Hufflepuff goal hoops. He did. Then she called on Rupert to create a diversion and distract one of the other Chasers, which he did. Now there were only two passing the Quaffle, and the only thing to do was catch it mid-toss.
"Almost ... got it!" she whispered, catching the big red ball.
Makoto grinned, doing a sharp 180-degree turn and flung the ball as hard as she could to Sibley, who caught it and put it nicely through the goals, past the Hufflepuff Keeper.
"Yatta!" Makoto grinned.
Sibley came up and offered her a high five, which she returned. Rupert joined in for a brief moment as Madam Hooch's whistle blew again and they were all called back down. Paul, the other Hufflepuff Beater was so mad he hit a Bludger hard at Makoto, Rupert and Sibley as they did a little victory lap for fun. None of them noticed it.
"Jillian!" shouted Ron and Harry.
She turned at the sound of her name, looking around for her brother and his best friend. What she wound up seeing was stars as the Bludger came into contact with her temple. Before everything went black she got the vaguest feeling of flying, and caught only a slight blur of green. The ground seemed to be coming closer at an alarmingly fast rate.
Makoto was floating very peacefully, unaware of anything but the serenity of wherever it was that she happened to be. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, the sun shone on her gently, the grass was comfortable beneath her, and she felt perfectly at ease with the world.
"Jillian! Harry! You can't escape the Father Menace!"
She opened her eyes to look around, but saw no one standing above her, so she sat up. Off in the distance a man with black hair and two children were playing in the small sandy area. A woman with long reddish hair was sitting in the shade of the trees watching them and laughing. Vaguely Makoto realized that she had a nice laugh. Now the father of the two children was tickling them as best he could while they tried to squirm away.
"Jillian ... Wake up, Jillian! ... Jillian!"
Bright. That was the first thing Makoto became aware of when she opened her eyes. Her head throbbed a bit but she was otherwise intact. She was also quite warm, and there was a woman hanging over her head.
"Jillian, focus on me now," she said, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine ... I think."
"You don't want to go to sleep, do you?"
"Iie ... er, no ... I don't think so."
"Good. How many fingers am I holding up?" asked Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse.
Makoto blinked and watched as two fingers were thrust in her face. Her eyes crossed, following the movement of them.
"Two, though technically five because you've still got five fingers and they're up," she said slowly.
The nurse nodded in satisfaction and moved back. "Then you don't have a concussion. Not a major one, at any rate. Can you sit?"
"Yeah ... " Makoto said slowly.
She trailed off and propped herself up on her elbows, then moved herself into a full sitting position. It was then that she realized that she was in the Hospital Wing of her school, sitting in one of the beds, covered by a soft blanket. Madam Pomfrey bustled about around her.
"Your brother and friends are very anxious about you. Do you remember what happened?" the nurse asked.
"I was too slow and didn't see the Bludger coming at me until it was too late," Makoto replied.
"Yes. Mr. Finch-Fletchly and Mr. Weasley both gave the same account. Rest assured that Mr. Paul has been given a week's worth of detention by Professor McGonagall, and even more by Madam Hooch."
Makoto grinned weakly as Madam Pomfrey thrust a small container at her.
"Here. This will help keep you awake, so we can be sure that you don't have a concussion at all. I'll be back in about an hour to see how you're doing."
The nurse bustled away, pausing only to draw the curtains around Makoto's bed to keep out prying eyes. She was in the only bed that had those curtains, and she vaguely remembered Harry making a joke about it being his official hospital bed because of all the trouble he got in. Smiling slightly, she stared at the potion in the container, debating whether she wanted to take it or not.
"You know, Jillian, you're generally supposed to listen to the resident nurse," said a male voice.
Makoto turned around as best she could in her sitting position and came face to face with a black haired man. He looked tired and half- starved and his robes were old and mud-stained. His dark eyes carried a haunted look within them, and he appeared not to have shaved for months. Not knowing what else to do, she did the first thing she could think of. She talked.
"Who are you? How do you know my name? How did you get here? You're not a teacher or a student, are you?" she asked rapidly.
He gave her a smile, but there was something distinctly sad about it. He held up a hand to stop her questions and sighed.
"I am Sirius Black. I know your name because I know your brother. I have been living here through Dumbledore's permission, and no, I'm not a student or a teacher. I used to be a student, but I doubt I'd make a very good teacher. I'm your -- "
"Godfather!" Makoto said excitedly, "Harry's told me all about you! Or, at least, what he can tell. But ... are you really Sirius? I've heard stories like these when someone pretends to be someone else. Wait, do something that only Sirius can do, right now."
Sirius stood, and was replaced by a large black dog. Then he became Sirius again. Makoto's eyes lit up and she grinned.
"It really is you! You're an unregistered Animagi, aren't you? So only you would know to do that! Hey! You were watching me play Quidditch!"
Sirius groaned playfully. "I think I've passed on my legacy of talking too much."
"I don't really. Just when I'm excited."
"Close enough."
Makoto grinned and was about to say more, but the sounds of approaching footsteps cut her off. She gave Sirius a nervous look, the grin wiped off her face, and he immediately became a dog. She nearly giggled at the sight of him trying his best to fit under her bed, but the anxiety she felt overrode the humor of it. The curtains were pulled back, agonizingly slowly.
"Harry!" she hissed.
Her brother grinned sheepishly and quickly slipped inside. "Hey. I couldn't wait anymore and Madam Pomfrey wasn't telling me anything, so I decided to come and see you for myself."
"You nearly gave me a heart attack," Makoto grinned, "But I'm glad to see you. Snuffles and I were just getting acquainted."
Harry's eyes widened in shock as the black dog became his godfather and hugged him. Any doubt that Makoto might have had was quickly dispelled, seeing Harry hug him back like there was no tomorrow. She grinned and settled back into her hospital wing bed, watching them. When they finally pulled apart Harry turned to her.
"I thought you might want to know: you've made Chaser," he said, grinning, "Hooch told me to tell you that you start playing immediately."
"I ... I what?" she asked dumbly.
"You're one of the Gryffindor Chasers, Jillian. You know, you get to fly a broom and play with balls, and pray you don't get knocked out by Bludgers. Your dad was a Chaser you know. I expect you'll be wonderful," said Sirius.
"Are ... are you sure?" Makoto asked hesitantly. "Because that's why I'm in here. I wasn't paying attention, and bam, and all that good stuff. I don't know how good I'll be if that keeps happening."
"You'll be fine. Harry's been knocked off his broom a few times, and he's still in one piece."
"Oi!" Harry protested.
Sirius laughed. Makoto sighed contentedly, glad to be in their company. She never noticed her bracelet glowing red.
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Well, there's chapter seven for you. Be on the look out for chapter eight, coming soon to a ff.net near you. =^-^=;; don't mind me, I'm a bit hyper.
I'm fairly certain the only Japanese used in this chapter is "Shimpai nai" which means "don't worry", but I could be wrong (I'm just too lazy to check). So, what do you think? Is it good that Mako knows her Godfather? Bad? Somewhere in between? Do any of you care? Read and review!
Bai bai! =^-^=