Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
...
...
3rd year – Teiko – England…
The house was dark and dreary causing the man entering it to repress a shiver as he closed the door behind him trying to be quiet and not wake anything up. He stepped passed the umbrella stand and made his way past a large curtain hearing the soft snores coming from behind it. Reaching the door leading down to the kitchen he opened it and slipped through it before closing the door. He sighed as he took in the dirty dishes in the sink and the smell of old food hit his sensitive nose making him grimace in disgust.
"Filthy wolf is here again…" a croaky voice sounded and the man spun around to see the old elf hunched in a corner and beady eyes staring at him. "Madam doesn't like the filthy wolf, but young master doesn't care…breaking madam's heart he does… yes, he does…"
Remus Lupin smiled politely at the elf and pushed his annoyance away.
"Where's Sirius, Kreacher?" Remus asked.
"Master is in his room," Kreacher said. "Master is sulking."
Remus looked around the kitchen and cast a few household charms to get the plates clean and went to the cupboards to see if he could get some food ready.
...
"Sirius?"
Remus pushed the door opened as he carried the food into the room. He repressed a sigh as he saw the man his best friend had become sitting in a chair by the window staring outside with unseeing eyes. His form was slumped and hair was matted, his skin was still gaunt and pale after the years in Azkaban.
"I have some food for you here," Remus said but there was no response from Sirius. Remus put the chair on a small table and sighed as he saw the picture of baby Mac on the top of a pile of papers. It was one of the last pictures taken before. Her reddish dark hair was already starting to get messy like James and those clear laughing eyes were Lily's. Remus felt his throat thicken as he tore his eyes from the picture.
He took a moment to look around the room and saw the posters from Sirius boy days on the walls of muggle girls. He knew that they had permanent-sticking charms on them, a taunt to the lovely lady Black who hated muggles. Piles of dirty clothes and clutter were making a mess of the room and Remus felt his heart break even more for his old friend.
"You need to eat," Remus said looking away from the room and to the gaunt man in the chair. "Come on, Padfoot."
The old nickname sparked a reaction and grey eyes turned to look at him and he blinked.
"Moony?" he croaked. "When did you get here?"
Remus hid his wince and tried to smile reassuringly at his friend.
"A little while ago," Remus said. "I have some food for you. You need to eat."
"I'm not hungry," Sirius muttered.
"Still," Remus pushed the food closer to him and the baby picture happened to be dragged with and landed in front of Sirius.
Sirius reached out a pale hand and picked it up and lifted it to look at it. Tears welled in his eyes as he stared at the worn photo. Remus swallowed thickly as he watched the pain in those grey eyes and he wondered what he could do to make his friend feel better.
"I failed her, Remus," Sirius whispered. "I failed James."
Remus sat down feeling heavy and worn. Not for the first time did he feel the deep regret and sorrow settle in his chest as he remembered his dear friends and their missing little girl. Sirius had an excuse; he was framed and put in jail. While he… he stayed away on purpose. He didn't see her and he was there, he was free.
"You didn't," Remus said. "You would have been there if you could."
"I chose to go after Peter," Sirius said. "I should have…I should have…"
Remus saw the familiar signs of a breakdown coming and knew he had to stop it before it happened. It wasn't the first time Sirius had worked himself up over this. It happened almost daily.
"You reacted like many would have done, Sirius," Remus said tiredly. "You need to stop blaming yourself."
Sirius looked at him and frowned.
"I can't," he said. "I can't…I don't know where my goddaughter is, Remus. I don't know where James and Lily's baby girl is. She…She could be…"
A sob broke his voice and Remus knew what he was about to say. She might be dead. It was a thought he never allowed himself to linger at, never allowed himself to believe. He had to believe that she was alive and out there somewhere.
"You don't know that," Remus denied. "We don't know that."
Sirius nodded but he was looking away from Remus so Remus knew the other man was still doubtful of the truth of his words.
"Come on," Remus sighed gesturing to the food. "Eat."
...
When Sirius had fallen asleep Remus looked at the photo of Mac again and gently picked it up. He could remember how happy James and Lily were when they announced that they were pregnant and he didn't think he'd ever seen James as happy or proud. He couldn't stop smiling and would bring it up in almost every conversation they had despite the war that was going on around them. Lily had been calmer than James but still just as happy as her husband and Remus had caught her caressing her growing stomach more than once with a blissful look on her beautiful face.
"Where are you, Mackenzie?" Remus sighed sorrowfully feeling older than his 35 years.
Sirius was right, they didn't know that she was alive. She could be dead for all they knew, but Remus couldn't think that. He had to think that she was out there somewhere. That she was happy and loved.
Dumbledore had called in the Order when it became clear that Mackenzie wouldn't be showing up at Hogwarts when she turned 11. They had gone to Privet Drive where Lily's sister had lived with her husband and son, where Mac was supposed to be as well. They had found the house inhabited by a new family and been told that the Dursley's had moved away years ago.
Years ago. Remus had felt cold as he realised that his little cub, James were pack and so was Mac, had been missing for years and they never knew. He had been so angry and had yelled at Dumbledore for being careless in keeping an eye on Mac. He had promised that she was safe. That she was looked after and happy. He had promised!
Though, the yelling Remus did almost pale in comparison to the screaming McGonagall did when she learned that her favourite students' daughter was missing and the Dursley's had vanished in thin air without as much as a trail to follow. Remus almost felt sorry for the old man, but mostly he felt vindictive and smug. McGonagall was not someone anyone wanted mad at them, and with good reason. The woman was scary.
After a thorough search and massive press coverage, it was clear that they wouldn't find Mac or her relatives. That Mac had been left in the muggle world as well made it all the harder to find her, and that was without the protection that Dumbledore had placed in her so she couldn't be traced magically. Although given to protect her from rough Death Eaters it was now backfiring on them. They couldn't trace her with magic either.
Remus had kept looking long after everyone else had given up, but… nothing. And now… he was here with a depressed best friend who had broken out of Azkaban when he heard that Mac was missing and had come looking for her.
"Where are you hiding, Mackenzie?" Remus sighed again placing the picture back and sank down in a chair before resting his head in his hands as he felt overcome by grief and guilt. "I will find you. I promise."
He had to. For his own sake and for the sake of a broken man who had all but given up.
...
Teiko
Kiyoshi looked to the door with a smile and a hopeful look in his eyes when he heard the door open, but his smile faltered a little when it was only Hyuga and Riko entering his room.
"Hey! What kind of reaction is that?!" Hyuga snapped annoyed glaring at him.
"Ah – sorry," Kiyoshi smiled sheepishly.
"Were you expecting someone else?" Riko asked sitting down as she looked at him.
Kiyoshi shrugged but smiled a little.
"Ah, you were waiting for Potter-san?" Hyuga guessed still a little annoyed.
"Well, I hoped she would stop by," Kiyoshi said his expression falling slightly as his worry made itself known again. She hadn't been there in a few days, not since before they played in the final and that was three days ago.
"When was the last time she was here?" Riko asked.
"Before they played in the finals," Kiyoshi admitted.
"She hasn't been here since?" Hyuga looked surprised.
"No," Kiyoshi sighed. "She only responded to my texts, not picking up when I call. Something is wrong."
"But…they won, didn't they?" Riko asked looking confused. "I mean, I heard somewhere that they won by a lot."
Kiyoshi nodded but didn't say anything.
"She'll turn up," Hyuga said oddly comforting. "I'm sure she will. Perhaps they're celebrating?"
"For three days?" Riko arched a brow.
"Well…" Hyuga frowned.
Kiyoshi smiled as he watched his friends and pushed his worries about Mac away for now. He would find out what was wrong, but there was nothing he could do right now. He just hoped she would come before his surgery the next day. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried about that. He could use her support.
He talked with Riko and Hyuga about their practices and how they hoped to strengthen their team next year. They had been eliminated from the Inter-High in the first round this year, but next year they wanted to make it. They were in the middle of a discussion when the door opened and Kiyoshi glanced to it before his smile widened.
"Mac!" He beamed.
"Hi Teppei," she said a small smile on her face.
He frowned as he took in her appearance. She looked pale and had dark bags under her eyes showing lack of sleep. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail but strands had fallen free around her face-framing it and making it look small.
"You okay?" Kiyoshi asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," Mac said stepping into the room. "Sorry that I haven't been around. I just…"
Kiyoshi nodded when she trailed off and knew she wouldn't say anything else as she spotted his two guests.
"Hi Potter-san," Riko nodded.
"You can call me Mac, you know," Mac said quietly shrugging as she looked at them. "And hello."
"Alright, Mac," Riko said.
"Heard you won your finals," Hyuga said when the silence had stretched for a while. Kiyoshi saw the small flinch in Mac and frowned.
"Oh… yeah, we did," Mac said looking down.
"What was the score?" Riko asked curiously.
Mac glanced up at them and seemed to try to figure something out before she let out a soft sigh and steel herself for something.
"111-9," Mac said.
Kiyoshi grimaced and saw the haunted look in her eyes before it was gone again. Kiyoshi saw the look on both Riko and Hyuga's faces and knew that they were shocked and horrified at the score, but they didn't say anything. Mac pretended not to notice.
"I see," Riko said weakly. "Well, congratulations on your win."
Mac nodded and looked at Kiyoshi, "how are you, Teppei?"
He allowed the change of subject knowing she was uncomfortable with it.
"Alright," he said with an easy smile.
"Good," she said sounding a little relieved. "I was worried. Your surgery is tomorrow, isn't it?"
Kiyoshi nodded and felt better knowing that she remembered it. He felt a little silly for doubting that she would remember or show up to support him. She reached over and took his hand in hers and he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at the gesture. He was barely aware of his two smiling friends in the room as he watched his girlfriend.
"Ok, I'll be here before you go in," Mac promised.
"What about your practice?" Kiyoshi asked.
"What about it?" Mac asked with a shrug.
"Don't you have one?" Kiyoshi frowned.
Mac glanced away from him and he felt her hand tighten around his own before she looked back at him seemingly having collected herself for she was smiling slightly.
"You're more important;" Mac said. "Seijuro will let me skip this once. Besides, we don't really have that much to play for at the moment. We won the Nationals and it is several weeks before the next match. Coach let us have this week to do as we wish before we start again."
Kiyoshi frowned slightly feeling a little worried, but he nodded and accepted her response. She would tell him if she wanted to.
"Ok," he said.
Riko and Hyuga exchanged looks but didn't say anything as they watched their friend with the younger girl they were slowly getting to know. She was shyer than they would have guessed and Hyuga was surprised that she seemed so genuinely concerned about others and not as cold as the rest of her team. It was actually hard to picture her as one of the Generation of Miracles.
...
The next day she looked for Tetsuya at school, but she couldn't find him. She wasn't sure he even showed up for school. She wanted to talk to him, but mostly she just wanted to see that he was doing alright. It worried her that he seemed to be completely gone from school. He hadn't been at the school since Nationals as far as she knew and it was so unlike him. She pulled out her phone and found his number before hitting the dial button.
The summing tone sounded loud in her ear as she waited for Tetsuya to pick up, but he never did. She sighed as she lowered her phone and put it back in her pocket. She knew it was useless to text him, she had done that several times and he didn't respond.
She kept her eyes on the teacher in front of the classroom and did her best to ignore Daiki's puppy dog eyes beside her. She wasn't ready to look at him.
"Kenzie," Daiki said looking at her timidly and she sighed.
"Daiki," Mac said.
"You're angry," he said sadly.
Mac glanced at him before looking away. She didn't say anything because he was right. She was angry and every day Tetsuya didn't show or respond to her she felt her anger at the others rise. If only they could have… no, she couldn't think like that. She gave her best friend a look before she grabbed her bag from the side of her seat and left the classroom. She had to get to the hospital so she could see Kiyoshi before he went in for the surgery.
She didn't see the long sad look Daiki sent her on her way out the door nor did she register Atsushi or Seijuro in the hallway as she passed them on her way.
...
"Hi Mac-chan," Kiyoshi Miyako smiled when Mac slipped into the hospital room.
"Hi," Mac smiled at the kind older lady. She really liked Kiyoshi's grandmother; she was just like a grandmother should be Mac thought.
"Teppei told us you would be coming," Kiyoshi Haru smiled from his chair next to the bed. "It's so good of you to keep coming like this."
"Of course I'll come," Mac said and looked at Kiyoshi who smiled at her. "When do you go in?"
"Soon," Kiyoshi said.
"How are you, Mac-chan?" Kiyoshi Miyako asked kindly. "And thank you for all your help while Teppei has been in here."
"I'm fine," Mac smiled genuinely at the older woman. "And I'm happy to help."
"We've been telling Teppei how good you are at cooking," Kiyoshi Haru grinned.
Mac blushed slightly remembering that she had cooked for them once while she visited when they had looked too tired and worried about their grandson. It hadn't been much, just a simple meal but they hadn't stopped complimenting her for the food.
"No fair," Kiyoshi pouted but Mac saw the mischievous look in his brown eyes as he looked at her. "Why have they tasted your food but not me?"
Mac rolled her eyes but smiled a little.
"I'll bring you something one day," Mac promised.
"Hurrah!" Kiyoshi beamed.
Mac shook her head amused just as the door opened and a young woman with dark hair and a nurse uniform entered the room. She smiled warmly yet professionally at them.
"Hi, it's time to prep Kiyoshi-san for surgery," she said.
"Ok," Kiyoshi nodded. "I…I'm ready."
Mac grabbed his hand and squeezed it making him glance over at her and stared into her eyes. She saw the concern in them and squeezed his hand tighter. She never looked away lost in his warm brown eyes and therefore missed the smiles on his grandparents' faces.
...
Mac smiled as she saw Kiyoshi open his eyes, blinking a few times before he focused on her. She stood from her chair and walked over to the bed and took his hand in hers.
"Hi," she smiled at him.
"Hi," he smiled back but looked a little confused. "You're still here."
Mac nodded and reached out to push his hair out of his face, his hair was starting to get a little long but she liked it. It felt soft.
"I sent your grandparents home when Dr Midorima said your surgery went fine and that you were resting in your room," Mac said quietly. "They were tired."
Kiyoshi nodded with a relieved smile on his face.
"Thank you, Mac," he said. "You should have gone home to rest as well. You look tired."
Mac shook her head.
"I wanted to wait and see that you were ok," Mac said. "Dr Midorima allowed me to stay here with you. He'll drive me home when his shift is over."
Mac had been a little surprised when Dr Midorima had stayed to talk to her after he had informed Kiyoshi's grandparents of the surgery. He had suggested that she'd go home and rest, but she had asked him to be allowed to stay. With a searching look, he had allowed it and said he would drive her home.
"I'm glad," Kiyoshi said and Mac squeezed his hand.
...
A week later…
Mac was studying in the library when someone coughed next to her and she blinked before looking up to see Momoi standing there with a small smile on her face.
"Oh, sorry, Momoi-san," Mac said, "didn't mean to ignore you. Can I help you with something?" "
"Coach said to refer the requests from other schools to you," Momoi said. "There's someone from Kaijo here and they want to talk to someone in charge."
Mac arched a brow.
"Me?" Mac asked.
Momoi nodded and smiled a little. Mac sighed and closed her textbook and got up. Momoi watched her as she packed her things and placed her bag over her shoulder.
Mac had known that High Schools would start showing up soon and that they would try to get her friends to join their schools. She just hadn't been expected to be the one to handle the requests. And why was she? She was just a student herself, this should be Sanada's or one of the other coaches responsibility.
Momoi led her to a room close to the gym and with a small encouraging smile turned to go back to the gym. The second strings were training today, Mac knew but the first strings were off. Mac sighed and turned to the door.
She clenched her hands before unclenching them again and taking a deep breath. She hated meeting new people, and she was alone. She deliberated turning around and just leave, but… she couldn't. She inhaled deeply again and forced herself to calm down before opening the door.
Stepping inside she immediately saw a heavyset man with dark hair and a round face standing by a small table. He was wearing a suit and a tie looking professional, she noticed that he had a clipboard in one hand. Next to him was a teen, he was tall and had spiky black hair and clear blue eyes under thick eyebrows. She recognised him as Kasamatsu Yukio, he had been a third year when she had started Middle School and she could remember him. He was a good player.
"Hello," Mac greeted quietly swallowing down her nerves. "How may I help you?"
The coach, or who she guessed was the coach, frowned as he stared at her while Kasamatsu blinked.
"Where's your coach?" the man asked.
Mac hid a grimace as that was a question she had herself, but she didn't allow anything to be betrayed on her face.
"He's busy," she said, "so I'm here to help you. Why don't you take a seat and tell me what you want or rather who you want to talk to."
The man frowned and opened his mouth to say something but Kasamatsu took a seat and cleared his throat making the man sigh and sat down as well. It was clear that he wasn't happy about this, but Mac sighed a little relieved that he didn't start to argue right now.
"I'm Potter Mackenzie," Mac said politely.
"We know," Kasamatsu said but blushed a bit. "I'm Kasamatsu Yukio and this is my coach Takeuchi Genta. We're from Kaijo High School."
Mac nodded and sat down on the opposite side of the two from Kaijo.
"I remember you from when you were in Middle School," Mac said and saw the surprise in Kasamatsu's eyes.
Mac pulled out her notebooks and looked up at the coach who was watching her with considering eyes.
"Who are you here to see?" Mac asked bluntly. "If I'm correct I would guess Kise-san, he seems like the type of player Kaijo would need."
Again surprised expressions looked at her and she forced her need to shift away and looked at Takeuchi waiting for him to say something.
"You are correct," Takeuchi said. "We would like to talk to Kise Ryota about coming to Kaijo. We are aware that many schools would want to recruit him, but we believe that we would be the ones to offer him the best possibilities."
Mac watched the man in silence for a moment before she pursed her lips slightly. She wanted them all to go to the same school, for them to remain together and friends like they had been. But… she realised that it was unlikely for them to stay together. Not after that game and perhaps they should be separated. At least for now.
She hadn't been expecting to get the responsibility to direct the recruiting teams to her friends. She knew some things about the High Schools of course, but not enough.
"And what can you offer Kise?" Mac asked looking up and met the dark eyes of Takeuchi. "Kaijo is in Kanagawa, right?"
"Yes, that's correct," Takeuchi nodded. "We're a team on National level and our facilities reflect that we can offer good training grounds and facilities."
Mac nodded and scribbled something down. Luckily she knew something about Kaijo so she didn't feel completely lost as she talked to them.
"Your team have a good defence, but you lack something in the offence," Mac said. "Is that why you want Kise?"
Kasamatsu arched a brow as he stared at the younger girl and he could tell that his coach was surprised by the insight into their team by the girl. He had, of course, heard of her and seen her before, but he had not expected her to know this much about Kaijo.
"I think Kise-san will be the type of player Kaijo needs," Takeuchi nodded. "Also, I believe we can offer him the best place to develop further."
"You're aware that Kise also has a modelling career?" Mac asked looking up from her notes.
"Yes," Takeuchi nodded but Mac saw the small grimace on his face. "We will work to allow him to keep the schedule as well."
Mac frowned a little but nodded.
"Ok, I'll send for Kise so you can talk to him," Mac said getting up.
...
Mac ended up with searching for the blond herself and found him with Daiki and Shintaro out in the courtyard and she worked to keep her face calm and blank as she walked up to the three players.
"Kenzie," Daiki smiled when he saw her and she felt her breath catch, it was almost the smile he used to smile at her.
"Hi Daiki," she couldn't ignore him when he smiled like that. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing much," Daiki shrugged, "are you coming home to dinner soon? Shiro asked about you."
Mac looked away and felt her heart clench painfully.
"Perhaps," Mac said and felt a little bad when Daiki's face fell a little.
"Oh, alright," Daiki said.
"Kise, you need to come with me," Mac said turning to the blond.
"Eh? Why?" Ryota asked but smiled at her. "Do you need my help with something?"
He beamed at her and looked ready to bounce excitingly in his place.
"No, but there's someone here to talk to you," Mac said emotionlessly.
"Who?" Ryota frowned calming down slightly at the lack of response from Mac.
"You'll see," Mac said and turned around and started to walk away.
...
Mac sat on a bench in the park near the school looking at the street basketball game going on at the court in front of her without really paying them any attention. It felt like someone had hit her in the stomach and punched all the air out of her. She shouldn't have been so blindsided by the day's events, but she was. She hadn't stopped to realise that they were halfway through their last year at Middle School and that meant that they would be going to High School. Did they really have to split up?
They barely spent time together as it was, but still… she hadn't really stopped to think about them being separated. She wanted her friends, she needed her friends. They were all she had; they had been her support when she was left alone. Daiki had been the one to always be at her side and she had always been by his side. Could she really bare to watch them go to separate schools?
She had watched Ryota talk to Kaijo and had seen the small flicker of sadness on his face before he smiled like he used to and Mac could see it. She could see him fit in at that school. She had seen Kasamatsu look annoyed, but he was a good player. A good Captain, she was sure. He could handle Ryota and his whims.
She couldn't really picture a school without her friends, even as things were now, even when she was upset with them. She knew she would forgive them, she always did. She just had to find Tetsuya and find a way to help him and get him back to basketball. Her mind was spinning with everything going on and she wished she could just turn it off sometimes.
"Mac," a voice called and she blinked to look up at Taiga who was frowning at her. "What are you doing here?"
Mac blinked and looked behind her cousin to see the street players having paused and was watching her curiously. Mac looked back at Taiga who looked concerned.
"Taiga?" she blinked. "What are you doing here?"
She repeated his question forgetting that she hadn't answered. He rolled his eyes.
"I was playing with some friends," Taiga said with a shrug. "You've been watching for a while now. Didn't you notice?"
Mac felt her eyes widen in shock. She hadn't noticed her cousin playing right in front of her? That was…she wasn't even sure what that was.
"Oh…um, I guess I was kind of distracted," Mac said shocked.
"I would say," Taiga said. "You have been distracted for weeks now. Dad's worried about you and honestly, I am too."
Mac looked away from him and sighed. She wasn't sure what to say.
"Just a lot on my mind, Taiga," Mac finally said.
"What are you doing here?" Taiga asked.
"Just paused on my way home from school," Mac said. "I used to play basketball here a lot before. I supposed I just wanted to think in a place I used to have fun."
Taiga tilted his head as he looked at her.
"You go to school around here?" he asked.
Mac looked at him and blinked.
"Yeah," she drew the word out. "I attend Teiko, remember?"
Taiga's eyes widened in surprise.
"Teiko, you said?" one of the players that had played with Taiga asked. "The school with the Generation of Miracles?"
Mac tensed as she looked at the older teen with light hair and pale skin. Taiga looked confused and Mac started to wonder what Taiga even knew about the basketball community in Japan. She knew he played basketball for his team at school, but it wasn't really a good school (for basketball) so they had never played them.
"You're one of them, aren't you?" one of the others said. "You play with them. You're the girl on their team, right? I saw you against Meiko."
Mac refused to let herself react to the challenge in his voice as she met their eyes with a steely look in her green eyes.
"Yes," she said. "So?"
"You've got some nerve," the first one said. "Treating your opponents like that. Tearing them down like they're nothing."
"Hey!" Taiga snapped turning to his friends and glared at them. "Watch it!"
"Come on, Kagami!" the second boy laughed. "You have to know who she is. She's the manager and player of Teiko's Generation of Miracles! They destroy those they play against, they make them lose their will to play basketball. They think they're so much better than everyone."
Mac couldn't repress the wince that went through her body and Taiga seemed to catch it because his face clouded and he grabbed his friend's collar and pulled him closer.
"Shut up!" Taiga growled. "Watch how you're talking to her!"
"H-hey… Let go of me," the boy said. "Besides, who is she to you? Girlfriend?"
"She's my cousin!" Taiga declared. "And she's a great basketball player and so what if she's strong? It's nothing that says that she or her team can be strong! If their opponents lose their dream playing them then their dream isn't very strong!"
Mac watched her cousin in awe as he defended her. She hadn't really seen anyone besides her team or Kiyoshi defend her. It was also the first time she had heard someone claim familial bonds to her in public. She got up and placed a hand on his arm.
"Let him go, Taiga," Mac said quietly. "It's alright."
"No, it isn't," Taiga scowled but he let go. "Come, Mac. Let's go."
Mac nodded and grabbed her bag and followed her cousin.
...
...
AN: So...Sirius and Remus showed up... Just a little peak in on the magical world in England... Do you want them to find her or do you want Mac to go and look for them? I have an idea, but I'm open to suggestions. :) Either way, nothing will happen with the magical world in Britain in a very long time.
Thank you for reading and supporting the story!