January faded imperceptibly into February. Kakashi didn't know the difference. It was still damn cold, and he was unaccustomed to waking up with icicles at the window. The match against Ravenclaw was drawing nearer and nearer, and Kakashi hated to get out there. Snow had gathered against the castle walls, the bitter cold reaching even into the warmest places in the castle.
To make things worse, his charge had decided to drone on and on about his missing Firebolt, thus giving his protector a massive headache. He knew he had never complained like this before, but the weather, at its coldest was making his temper shorter and shorter each time Harry asked about his Firebolt.
Cold weather made him cranky, and he longed to scream that his Firebolt won't be damn coming back until they were fucking done with it, which he did, right after a session wherein he and a few other teachers stripped the said Firebolt down, that night in his room, alone.
Yes, alone suited him best.
He didn't go to the Potter boy's individual anti-dementor lessons, because he did not want to step a foot outside his warm room, where he was alone, to scream to his hearts content with silencing charms on the room. To sleep to his hearts content and laugh at the stupid people that were trying to cross the snow-filled Grounds.
Yes, alone and warm suited him best.
When Harry got his broom back, Kakashi felt much, much better. He followed them to Gryffindor Tower, where the Longbottom boy attracted his attention by screaming and maintaining something about passwords.
Interesting.
"I've lost the passwords!" The boy told Harry. "I made him tell me the passwords he was going to use this week, because he keeps changing him and now I've lost them!" He cried. Ron treated it like it was a minor thing, but as soon as the two were away, Kakashi turned to the Longbottom boy with a snarl.
"Passwords?' he hissed dangerously. "That is a very grave offense, Mr. Longbottom."
I know!" Neville cried again. "I wrote them down and left it by my night table, but they're gone." Kakashi narrowed his eyes at this, but kept the report at the back of his mind. If Black chose to attack tonight, Kakashi would be there waiting.
A strangled yell echoed in the Common Room. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and hurried over to look, leaving the Longbottom boy shivering.
Ronald Weasley rattled on about his rat. Kakashi ducked into a side room and henge'd into his teacher form before sneaking in, taking a big breath.
And screaming, loudly.
"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABB—"
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Kakashi yelled, his voice matching Ron Weasley's as the boy was cut off in mid-sentence, clutching a bloodied sheet and several ginger cat hairs. Kakashi acted as if to calm himself, and then spoke, guardedly.
"What happened?"
"It was my rat Professor! She never even tried to avoid this from happening! Her monstrous cat ate him---"
"He wasn't even near your rat! You hated him since he leapt on your head at the Magical Menagerie!"
Kakashi grimaced. "Okay, okay! I get it! Quiet down!"
The two immediately shut up. Ron held the bloodied sheets in his hand. Kakashi gestured to it. "Give it to me."
Shaking, Ron handed the sheet over to Kakashi, who set it on the floor and formed seals quickly underneath his heavy winter cloak before slamming his hand on the floor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." Kakashi murmured in his mind so as to not give away his identity.
One of his Nin-dogs, the one Harry, Ron and Hermione hadn't seen yet, wagged its tail. Kakashi waved the sheet under his nose suggestively. The dog bristled, but hazarded a sniff, and immediately grimaced as he barked at Kakashi.
'There hasn't been a cat on this bed sheet since Christmas. I can't see why a rat would bite himself.' His Nin-dog finished. Kakashi nodded as the dog vanished. Eyes stared at him expectantly as he stood up from the floor and spoke.
"Ronald Weasley, I'll be taking five House points from Gryffindor for disturbing the castle," At that, there was a chorus of angry shouts. "And five each if you all keep shouting like that." Kakashi stared at Hermione and Ron before speaking as the room turned silent.
"Ron, Hermione's cat, as proven, hasn't been anywhere near the boy's dorm." Ron growled and opened his mouth. "So that's it! You're taking sides---"
"I AM NOT TAKING SIDES." Kakashi hissed through clenched teeth. "All evidence points to it. The dog did not detect the scent of a cat, especially not Hermione's cat this week. The scent of the cat is old, and, Ronald, even if it is Ms. Granger's cat, the scent dates from Christmas and not this week. It's not her fault you didn't notice it until you saw your rat missing."
Ron opened his mouth to protest again. "Oh shut up Weasley. I didn't make you three spend a week in the Forbidden Forest just to let this sort of thing happen AGAIN." Kakashi pointed a finger on all three of them. The other Gryffindors blinked in surprise. A whole week in the Forbidden Forest and they were still standing?
"So, to remedy this…disaster…" Kakashi began. "I'm docking ten points from Gryffindor for ruckus. Weasley, apologize to Granger for being a prat. Granger, apologize to Weasley for letting your cat in the boy's dorm."
They did so, though Ron was still glowering at everything.
"I hate to do this Ron, but another five from Gryffindor. Shut up and shape up or ship out." Kakashi growled, his frayed temper getting the better of him.
Warm and alone did him good, so he turned and left the Common Room.
Ron was glowering at Hermione sometimes when they mentioned his rat, but otherwise, everything seemed to be fine. As the Potter boy practiced outside, Kakashi stayed indoors, staring at the window to keep an eye on his charge.
The next morning, on the day of the long awaited match, Kakashi wasn't up until a quarter to eleven. When he did notice the time, he cursed, stumbled off his bed and fell in the shower.
But he did turn up on time to watch the Potter boy from within the Castle of course, while his Kage Bunshins braved the cold.
Well, he knew he was getting lazy, but only until winter ends, he told himself. Until winter ends.
Later, the Gryffindors were interrupted in their party by a sour faced Professor McGonagall in her nightclothes. Kakashi had long deserted the Common Room to wander randomly on the seventh floor, leaving Kage Bunshins to alert him. He had been staring at a tapestry when he heard a murmur of voices near the Gryffindor portrait.
"…sword, yeomen, hangman…"
He also heard the portrait's fierce approval and the creak of something opening. Kakashi cursed mentally, took out a kunai and stalked towards the portrait. Upon reaching it, he prodded it mercilessly. "Did you let a man in?"
The portrait swung its tiny sword. 'Of course!"
Inwardly, Kakashi cursed. He hissed out the password and entered the staircase that ascended until it reached the Common Room. The man, he was sure it was Sirius Black, had come and gone through the Common Room, directly into the boy's dorms…
Harry.
Kakashi ran now, huge loping steps. He crossed the Common Room in no time at all and was just in time to see a silhouette of a man, knife poised, as he walked with deadly intention towards one of the Gryffindor beds.
Kakashi leapt at the man, eyes blazing, and the intent to kill rolling off him in waves.