Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!

...

...

3rd year – Teiko

Taiga was scowling all the way home and Mac followed quietly behind him. She wasn't in a hurry to start talking so she just waited for him to find his voice again. She sighed a little as she watched Taiga start pacing the room.

Mac freed Nao from her bag and smiled slightly when he immediately jumped up in her arms and snuggled into her chest purring contently. She scratched his ear with a soft smile.

"Do people often talk to you like that?" Taiga asked breaking the silence.

Mac looked up from Nao and found Taiga staring at her.

"Like what?" Mac decided to play dumb. She knew it wouldn't do much but she didn't really want to answer.

Taiga scowled deeper and paced the room upset. Mac felt a little surprised that he was so clearly upset for her, it felt…kind of nice.

"Accusing you of destroying others dreams like that, and being hostile toward you," Taiga said making her arched a brow.

Mac shrugged looking back at Nao who peered up at her as well.

"Mac?" Taiga pressed.

"Sometimes," Mac admitted not meeting his eyes.

"Why would they say that?" Taiga asked looking a little confused.

She kept her focus on Nao and tried to ignore what Taiga was saying.

"Mac?" Taiga asked again.

"We're good," Mac said simply. "Like…really good and my friends…they get bored a lot when they don't find the challenge they need in the other teams. Often…the other teams give up and make it worse."

Taiga frowned.

"But…that's not your fault," Taiga said.

"They like to blame us anyway," Mac shrugged.

"Stupid," Taiga scoffed. "You have to keep playing to get better and you learn when you play those stronger than yourself. If you believe you can't win then you won't."

Mac stared at him in awe and shock. She had never heard anyone say it so simply and her throat was feeling thick as she quickly looked away from him and burrowed her face against Nao's fur.

...

Mac sat in her room and felt a little better now that she had talked to her cousin. He didn't hate her for being good and he even seemed to be supportive of her and her team. She wondered if she should have Taiga play with her friends to see if they would match him, but she dismissed the idea. Right now wouldn't be the best time to do that. Her mind drifted over to Tetsuya his disappearance.

"Nao, do you think I'll ever find Tetsu?" Mac wondered. "I just want to make sure he's ok. He can be mad at me, but I want to see that he's not walking away from basketball. He loves the game almost as much as Daiki."

Nao barked and Mac smiled softly at her fox. She patted his head and he purred in contentment and his tails appeared making her smile wider. Her hand trailed his back and caressed his tails before she leaned back on the bed and made a small sound when she felt the extra weight of Nao settle on her stomach.

"If there only was a way for me to help him…" Mac wondered out loud staring at the ceiling.

She pictured the defeated and broken look on Tetsuya's face when he'd seen the end result of their game and saw how Ogiwara looked… Ogiwara… Mac sat up making Nao yelp in protest as he was pushed away from her stomach and landed on her lap. She didn't notice as her eyes went wide and her mouth popped opened in a perfectly shaped 'o'.

Ogiwara was the answer. If she could somehow make the two fix their relationship, or at least make Tetsuya see his friend and see that he was okay then maybe… Mac smiled and felt a little better.

...

"Daiki," Ayano frowned disapprovingly looking around the room with lingering eyes on the piles of dirty clothes and magazines.

"What?" he muttered barely opening his eyes to look at his mother.

"You need to clean the room and come and eat something," Ayano said.

"I'm not hungry and I don't want to eat," Daiki said.

Ayano frowned and sighed.

"Where's Mac?" Ayano asked. "She hasn't been around lately."

"Don't know," Daiki mumbled, "probably with her boyfriend."

"Did you have a fight?" Ayano asked worriedly. She knew that their relationship seemed to be balancing on a thin edge lately and she really hoped that they would fix whatever was wrong.

Daiki muttered something unintelligible into the pillow and Ayano gave up trying to get a straight answer out of her son. She shook her head and walked out of the room and closed the door.

Takehiro entered the kitchen when Ayano almost was finished with the dishes and he noticed that something was bothering her. She was frowning and seemed distracted as she placed the dishes away.

"What's on your mind, dear?" Takehiro asked making his wife startled and look at him with surprise.

"Our son is moody," Ayano said.

"That's not anything new, is it?" Takehiro asked. "He's been moody since Mac moved out."

"Yes, but this… this is new," Ayano said. "He barely steps out of his room and he's barely doing anything at all. And Mac hasn't been here for weeks."

Takehiro nodded and admitted that he too was a little worried.

"Did they have a fight?" Takehiro asked.

"Daiki wouldn't answer clearly," Ayano sighed.

"They're still kids, dear," Takehiro tried to reassure his wife. "They'll figure it out. They always do."

"I hope so," Ayano sighed.

...

Sato's house

Mac frowned as she worked on the potion and tried to do it right. Her tongue stuck out between her lips slightly as she concentrated and she tried her best to ignore the watching eyes of her professor. The brownish liquid in the cauldron was starting to boil and she lowered the heat and felt revived when the boiling slowed down and turned to soft bubbles.

"Good," Professor Sato said softly. "Now…"

"I have to add the Valerian root," Mac said.

Professor Sato nodded looking pleased and leaned back and watched again. Mac again tried to ignore it and just focused on adding the already cut roots into her potion. A potion she hoped would help to speed up Kiyoshi's healing.

The steam coming from the cauldron had her sweaty and she pushed her long hair out of her face with the back of her hand as she tried to see through the dug on her glasses. This was slightly impractical.

"Now all you have to do it…" Professor Sato said just as Mac leaned back and tried to get the scent of the potion out of her nose. It didn't smell good nor did it taste good, she would bet. She was not sure how she was going to get Kiyoshi to drink it.

"Wait," Mac finished making him nod.

...

"Very good, Potter-san," Professor Sato complimented her.

"Thank you," Mac said feeling shy and embarrassed.

"You have really studied to be able to make the potion," he continued. "Not many fifteen-year-olds would be able to make it on their first try."

Mac nodded, "I have read a lot about it."

"That's very good," Professor Sato said. "This is above OWLs levels."

Mac nodded and felt a little bit of satisfaction. She had been preparing for the OWLs, the so-called Ordinary Wizarding Level examination, also known as OWLs. It was difficult, especially since she had started to study magic so much later than everyone else her age but she didn't want to be much behind everyone either, so… she worked hard.

Professor Sato started to talk about the potion and the history of it and she scribbled notes down as he went on. He paced the front of the room as he talked and she felt almost dizzy as he did. She felt completely exhausted when he finished his two-hour-long lesson and several potions later.

He allowed her to work on her special potion for Kiyoshi again at the end and even sat behind his desk letting her work in peace. She had papers all over her spacious desk and leaned over them as he tried to find a way to mask the taste of the potion without ruining it.

Frowning she looked at the potion and saw that it had turned into a light green colour, she could almost mask it as a tea or something, couldn't she? And if she added… she turned around and walked out of the room and entered the kitchen.

"Ah, Mac," Sato Kaori smiled when she spotted Mac standing there. "Can I help you with something?"

"Um, do you have a lemon?" Mac asked.

"A lemon?" Sato Kaori repeated surprised and Mac nodded shyly. "One second…"

Mac watched as the older lady walked to the cupboard and pulled out a lemon before handing it over to her. She smiled in gratitude and returned to the office again. She saw the curious look on Professor Sato's face when she came back with the lemon and knew he would be watching a little closer now.

She peeled the lemon and grated the peel and put it in a small bowl before she pressed half of the lemon into a thin juice and added some salt to it. She took a small spoon and added it to the potion, it bubbled slightly as it mixed with the mixture and Mac smiled when there was no other reaction. She took some of the peel and added it and stirred a few times.

"What are you doing?" Professor Sato asked having given up on trying to seem unconcerned about what she was doing and abandoned his seat to come up to her. He peered into the potion and sniffed it slightly. His eyes widened slightly.

"I was thinking about how to make Teppei drink this and I can't really tell him that it's a potion and that it just has to taste like that," Mac explained. "So I was thinking that I needed something to mask the taste and smell a little. Lemons are fresh and I hoped that it would help."

Professor Sato arched a brow and looked pensively at her before he took a small cup and placed a little of the potion in it. He then poured a small drop into his mouth and tasted it. He took his time and Mac could only stare wide-eyed as he took a chance to taste her potion.

"Hm," he said and then he stirred the potion and looked back at her without saying anything for a long time. Mac felt nervous and wished he would say something. Suddenly he smiled and shook his head a little. "Amazing."

Amazing? Mac's eyes snapped to him and she could see the stunned and pleased look on his face.

"Just amazing," he repeated. "It worked."

"It-It did?" Mac asked. "Really?"

"Really," he said with a laugh. "You just solved a problem that potion masters have trouble with. You really have a way to think outside the box."

Mac smiled and looked down at her potion. She was pleased that her reading had done something good because she really didn't like potions all that much. It was hard and she didn't like all the waiting that went with it. She liked classes like defence and transfiguration better. But this was for Kiyoshi, so she studied and worked hard.

...

Teiko

"I don't like how both Kuroko-cchi and Mac-cchi is avoiding us," Ryota pouted at the end of yet another practice. They had all showed up, well not Tetsuya but no one had seen him since the final, and had gone through the practice but it was clear that Mac was avoiding them all.

Daiki grunted as he stared at the door where Mac had left through without really looking at them or taken the time to say hi. She had focused on the second string and mostly the younger of those. Daiki had hoped Sanada would tell her to play with them, but he had seemed pleased that she had been helping the second strings.

"She's upset," Shintaro said not looking at them as he tied his shoelace.

"It's not like it's the first time we ever did something like that in games!" Ryota whined. "We play among ourselves in games all the time! Why is she so upset now? Well… Kuroko-cchi is upset as well… but…"

"Be quiet, Ryota," Seijuro snapped. "Whining won't help anyone."

Seijuro sighed tiredly as he listened to Ryota whine. He hadn't been able to get her to talk either, and it had him angry and more snappish than normal.

Ryota pouted but he stopped talking.

"Um," Momoi spoke up and cowered slightly when Seijuro glared at her. She shifted slightly at her feet uncomfortable and unsure.

"Momoi-cchi?" Ryota looked at her with his favourite beaming smile, the one he used on his fans Momoi noticed.

"Um, you…you don't know why Mac-san is angry?" Momoi asked.

They all frowned and even Atsushi stopped snacking as he stared at Momoi. She bit down on her lower lip and was glancing at them.

"Do you know something?" Seijuro asked calmly but there was a sharp look in his heterochromatic eyes as he stared at her. Momoi doubted he had ever looked at her that closely before, he normally ignored her. She almost wished she hadn't said anything.

"You don't know that Kuroko-kun got angry at Mac-san because of what you did in the match?" Momoi asked.

Daiki stared at her and his eyes widened. Tetsuya had gotten angry at Mac? Why?

"Why?" Daiki asked shocked. "She wasn't apart of it! She even stopped us."

Momoi looked at him before glancing back at a contemplating Seijuro. Shintaro was frowning slightly and Momoi thought it was the first time she'd seen him actually show some emotion. Ryota just looked surprised and worried, while Atsushi looked like he was thinking hard about something.

"Mac-chin stopped me," Atsushi said. "It was clear that she wasn't a part of our 'game'."

Momoi sighed. So oblivious…

"Kuroko-kun didn't see that, I am sure," Momoi said, "he left the TV before the game ended… and the game had already ended when he reached the gym. We didn't see the last second of the game… and he hasn't exactly been around to hear how it ended."

"That doesn't answer why he was angry at her?" Daiki scowled.

"It kind of does," Shintaro protested back to his stoic mask.

Daiki glared at him. "It doesn't make it okay for him to blame Kenzie! She wouldn't do anything like we did. She's…!"

"Enough," Seijuro cut in and Daiki fell silent but still glared. Seijuro gave the other boy a look before turning back to Momoi. "What did he tell her? Why did he think she was in on it?"

Momoi thought about denying knowing what Tetsuya said to her, but she knew that Seijuro would know. He seemed to always know when someone lied to him.

"He accused her of allowing you to do it," Momoi whispered. "That she could have stopped it if she had wanted to… and that she always took your side and made excuses for you."

Daiki clenched his hands into fists as he listened and anger at Tetsuya and himself filled him. Just who would believe that Mac would allow them to do something? She tried to get them to listen, but they wouldn't.

"That's not true!" Ryota exclaimed. "We didn't tell her what we were going to do!"

Momoi shrugged, "she didn't deny it."

Seijuro frowned.

"Kenzie didn't know," Daiki muttered. "Tetsu should know that."

"I just thought you should know why she's upset with you," Momoi said. "I don't like seeing Mac-san sad. She was more worried about Kuroko-kun than upset at him. If you want her to forgive you, get Kuroko-kun to talk to her."

...

Mac walked into the rehabilitation centre that Kiyoshi was now staying at to recover from his surgery and train his knee up again. It had been a few days since he moved and she had only been there to visit him once, she'd been busy with school work and studies for her OWLs. She was not sure she would make it this year, but professor Sato said she could always postpone it a year if she wanted to. He wasn't going to press her too far.

Pushing the thought of her OWLs out of her mind as she smiled at the nurse stationed at the reception she turned to her left and walked down toward the room she knew belonged to Kiyoshi for now. She was carrying a bag of homemade cupcakes like she had promised before the surgery. Well, technically she had promised dinner but that was a little difficult to bring so she decided to make him some cupcakes. She felt a little nervous about him eating her food, but she pushed it away like she normally did.

When she reached his room she found it empty and she frowned a little. He knew she was coming so she didn't think he would be too far away. She placed her bag with food at the table by the window overlooking a basketball court. Mac wasn't sure who had laughed more when seeing it, her or Kiyoshi. He said it would motivate him to get better, she just thought he was being haunted by basketball.

She knew there was a small common area at the end of the hall, a place where the patients could meet and watch TV or just be social. So she made her way there to check if Kiyoshi was there. She heard the sounds of chatter and the TV as she came closer and paused in the doorway taking a look around the room. She found Kiyoshi by one of the tables in the middle of a card game of some sort. She smiled a little as she saw the focused look on his face. She stepped into the room and ignored the looks she got from the others in the room as she made her way toward her boyfriend. She hadn't seen who he was playing, only that it seemed to be an older man with grey hair. He had his back to her so she couldn't see his face.

"Mac!" Kiyoshi suddenly spotted her and beamed at her. "I was just learning to play a card game."

Mac smiled before she blinked surprised when the man opposite Kiyoshi turned around with a curious yet surprised look on his face as well.

"Potter-san," he said with a smile. "I didn't know you were the girl Teppei-kun was waiting for."

Kiyoshi looked at him surprised before looking at Mac who was still staring at her former coach…

"Coach!" Mac blinked.

"I'm not your coach anymore, Potter-san," Shirogane smiled.

"You know each other?" Kiyoshi asked surprised.

Mac glanced at him and nodded with a soft smile.

"He's our former coach," Mac said.

Kiyoshi arched a brow and looked at the older man who hadn't said anything about being a former basketball coach. He was smiling as he looked at Mac though, but Kiyoshi thought he saw a trace of worry in his eyes as well.

"You're the girlfriend Teppei-kun was talking about?" Shirogane asked making Mac blush lightly and shift on her feet. His smile widened a little and he got an amused look in his eyes.

"Um, yeah," Mac nodded.

Shirogane looked at Kiyoshi before looking back at Mac and Mac was not sure what the look in his eyes meant, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know if she was honest with herself. He always had this way of seeing things and being very observant.

Mac sat down when Kiyoshi pulled out a chair for her between them. Mac couldn't help but feel a little awkward and a little thrown off seeing her old coach again. He had been there when her team was great and fun. Before they broke apart…

Kiyoshi soon managed to get the conversation going and before Mac really knew it they were all playing a card game. She smiled as she watched her boyfriend's antics making her shake her head a little in amusement. She was aware that Shirogane kept glancing at her with a searching look on his face as the game went on.

"I'll be right back;" Kiyoshi suddenly said and got up grabbing his crutches before leaving the room without saying what he was doing or where he was going. Mac sighed a little before she realised that she was alone with Shirogane.

...

"You look tired, Potter-san," Shirogane said quietly.

Mac looked at him and saw the worried look on his face. She shrugged and looked away from him not sure what to say.

"How are the team?" he asked frowning when she tensed. "Potter-san?"

Mac hesitated as she wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to lie but she didn't want to complain either. He was not healthy and she didn't want to make him feel bad…

"They're…different," Mac hedged.

"Different?" he pressed but she knew he wasn't surprised by her words.

"Basketball is boring for them all now," Mac admitted.

Shirogane sighed as he looked at the young girl who looked so tired and sad, it was like something was tearing at her and he was not sure anyone really saw just how much pain she was in. Did anyone really see that she was falling apart?

"I was afraid that would happen," Shirogane said making her look at him. He smiled grimly. "I told you before, Potter-san, that times would come where it was difficult and you would wonder about your friends."

Mac frowned but she did remember him telling her that. She looked up at him to see him watching her.

"You said to trust that my friends are still there somewhere and that I was the one to be able to keep them together," Mac remembered.

"That's right," he nodded.

"But…I couldn't do it!" Mac cried. "I couldn't keep our team together! Tetsu is angry at me for not stopping them from playing with his friend. He blames me for allowing them to find a challenge where they could and that his friend is now upset and defeated because of us."

Shirogane arched a brow in surprise or question, Mac couldn't really tell.

"Kuroko-kun blames you?" he asked.

"Yeah… I should have seen what Daiki and Seijuro were doing earlier," Mac said. "I should have seen it. We won the final against Meiko with 111-9. It would have been 111-11 if I hadn't stopped it."

He frowned and looked at her with a serious look.

"Sanada-san allowed it?" he asked.

"Sanada-sensei doesn't forbid much," Mac said looking down. "I think… I think he's being pressured by the school to allow us to do what we wish. He… He even told Daiki that he could skip practice as long as we won our games."

Shirogane cursed softly and Mac wondered if she'd said too much. She wasn't even sure why she told him all this in the first place. Perhaps it was because he already knew the team and how they used to be. Perhaps it was because she really needed someone to talk to.

"Seems like things have changed," Shirogane said making Mac nod. "But that doesn't change what I said before. I still believe that you still have your friends even if they're acting differently now. Tell me, Potter-san, if you called any one of them and asked for help…would they come?"

Mac blinked and stared at him. He met her eyes calmly and waited for her to respond. She thought about it and found the answer easily.

"Yes," she said. "They would."

"And if they called you and asked for help, would you give it?" he asked.

"I would," Mac nodded.

"There you have it;" Shirogane said. "You have your friends still. Perhaps it isn't like it was; perhaps it never will be again. But if you want them in your life then I'm sure they still will be, just perhaps not like you first thought."

Mac frowned and thought about what he said. She startled slightly when Kiyoshi came back and smiled at them. She realised that he had given them time to talk alone and she felt a burst of warmth for her boyfriend.

Shirogane gets up and smiled at Mac.

"I am sure you will find your answers, Potter-san," he said. "You have a good head on your shoulders and good instincts. Trust in them and your friends and I'm sure the answer will come."

Mac smiled at him and got up to bow to him.

"Thank you," she said.

He smiled and walked out of the room.

...

They made their way back to his room and found that his roommate was still out and Mac had butterflies in her stomach for some reason as she entered the room. She swallowed as she tried to not make a fool out of herself or something.

"What's that?" Kiyoshi asked looking at the bag she had left on the table.

"I…I promised that you could taste my cooking, so I brought you something," Mac admitted.

"Really?" Kiyoshi looked at the bag with a wide grin. "What is it?"

"Cupcakes," Mac put the opened bag down in front of him and he grabbed it and she could see how he sniffed it.

"Smells good," he said and pointed to a chair. "Sit down, Mac."

Mac did and watched as he picked one of the cupcakes up and took a bite of it. He blinked and stared down at it before looking at her.

"This is delicious!" He declared.

"I'm glad you think so," Mac smiled relieved.

He nodded and happily ate the rest of it as Mac pulled out her thermos with tea mixed with her potion and she was waiting excitedly for him to try it.

"Do you want some tea?" she asked.

"Sure," he smiled.

Mac poured him a cup and watched as he drank it. She smiled and hoped that the potion would help with his healing. Professor Sato said that muggles wouldn't react negatively to potions, but they might not be healed as quickly as magical people. So all she could hope for was that his healing would speed up and help to strengthen his knee.

"It's good," he said making her smile relieved. "How was it to see your coach again?"

Mac smiled a little.

"It was good," Mac said. "He was a good coach, I think… I think much would have been different if he could have remained our coach…"

"He's a funny man," Kiyoshi said. "Did…did you get to talk?"

Mac looked at him and smiled softly at him.

"We did, and thank you," she said.

"Why are you thanking me?" Kiyoshi asked but he was smiling slightly.

"You know why," Mac said and he laughed. "He helped me see some things and remember something I had forgotten."

He smiled and nodded and she appreciated that he didn't ask anything else or press her to talk about it.

...

Mac was ready to go and she was not sure what to do. It was like there was something else over them this evening and she wondered why her stomach was filled with butterflies and her palms felt sweaty. She swallowed as she looked up at Kiyoshi who was standing up resting on his crutches so he didn't put any weight on his knee.

"Thank you for coming," Kiyoshi smiled at her. "I always look forward to when you're here."

"Anytime, Teppei," Mac said shyly. "I…"

"What is it?" he looked at her and she bit her lip lightly staring at him. He looked back at her curiously and a little worried, but she couldn't help but glance at his lips.

"Nothing," she said smiling. "I'll see if I can stop by again soon…."

"Ok," Kiyoshi said a little confused.

Mac hesitated for a moment before she leaned up and quickly pecked him on the lips before blushing and pulled back realising what she just had done. It had been quick and over before she really could feel his lips against hers, but her lips still tingled with the sensation and her heart beat harder.

Before she could turn and flee the room like she wanted to one of his crutches fell to the floor as he reached out and placed an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. His eyes had a determined look in them and before she could blink she felt his lips against hers. This time it wasn't just a peck but a full out kiss. She closed her eyes and her arms went around his neck without her permission as she leaned into the kiss.

Pulling back she couldn't help the soft sigh that escaped her lips or the smile as she met his warm brown eyes.

"See you soon," Mac said and stepped back making him smile and nod. He waved at her with his free hand and she couldn't believe what had just happened. She had just kissed her boyfriend. She'd had her first kiss… she bit down on her lip to stop from grinning like an idiot as she made her way onto the street outside.

...

Kiyoshi sank down on the bed staring at the door closing behind his girlfriend with a goofy smile on his face. He had kissed her, well, she kissed him first, but still… he kissed her and she had responded. He had been worried about pushing her too fast. He remembered the conversation he'd had with Hyuga and Izuki a few days ago.

"So…how is it to date Mac-san?" Izuki asked a teasing grin on his face. Kiyoshi frowned at him before smiling.

"Awesome," he said smiling goofily.

"Look at that smile," Izuki told Hyuga who grunted. "She must be great to make you smile like that."

Kiyoshi didn't care just shrugged and went back to his textbook in front of him. They had brought him his homework.

"She is different from her team," Hyuga admitted.

"She is," Kiyoshi said without looking up. "But they're her friends and treat her differently from the rest."

"Overprotective?" Izuki asked.

"Pretty much," Kiyoshi shrugged. "I don't mind. They just want to protect her."

"From the big bad boyfriend?" Izuki teased. "How is it to kiss her?"

Kiyoshi stilled and frowned before looking at Izuki who was watching with a curious look on his face. Even Hyuga looked interested even if he was blushing.

"I…That's not any of your business," Kiyoshi said.

"Oh, come on, Kiyoshi!" Izuki said. "You can tell us… what's it like to kiss her? You're the only one with a girlfriend. We have to live through you!"

Kiyoshi rolled his eyes. "I haven't kissed her yet."

"Eh?" Izuki sounded shocked. "Why? She's your girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to pressure her," Kiyoshi shrugged. "I can wait."

Izuki and Hyuga looked at each other before looking at him.

Kiyoshi smiled as he remembered the kiss and how her perfect full lips felt against his own. He had waited for something good.

...

...

AN: First of all; thank you all (I think I managed to answer everyone who left a review after the last chapter - if I missed someone I'm sorry!) for leaving a review for the last chapter (or at all in the previous ones)! I was completely overwhelmed by the interest and so happy that you felt like telling me what you thought about Sirius and Remus and the potential of them finding Mac in some way. You all helped and had some very good arguments for one way or another. So, thank you! :) I'll stop rambling now...

Second...Well, thank you for reading and hope you liked the chapter :)