Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year – Too Academy – Sato's house
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Mac waited for Professor Sato to say something. She felt her mouth dry and she felt like shifting in her seat but forced herself to stay still and just wait. Should she say something? Explain some more? Apologize?
Finally he looked back at her and frowned slightly.
"How are you still alive?" he asked taking her by surprise.
"Eh? Alive?" she blinked.
"It's a known fact that Sirius Black wants you dead for destroying his Lord," Professor Sato said seriously. "The British Ministry said he escaped to find you and kill you in revenge. That in his mind that would bring Voldemort back."
Mac stared at him and opened her mouth before she closed it again. She was not sure what to say to that.
"I…" She trailed off and frowned.
"So, I am wondering how you are still alive if he really found you," Sato said.
"He never has tried to threaten me or anything like that," Mac said, "he just seems like he wants to get to know me…"
Was she naïve to think that he really just wanted to get to know her? Did he want to kill her? But… he would have had a chance to do that if he really wanted to, right? He could have taken her anytime yet he hadn't…
And since when did she start to defend him? Them?
"That is interesting," Sato said with a pensive look on his face as he watched her.
"But…if he wanted me dead why haven't I heard about it?" Mac asked her professor who frowned slightly.
"We probably should have told you," he said sounding a little regretfully, "but we really didn't think he would find you here. We didn't want you to worry about it, Potter-san. You have been through enough so we decided that you didn't need this burden on your shoulders as well."
Mac frowned unhappily and he seemed to see it as he sighed.
"I apologize," he said formally. "It seems that we made the wrong choice and it has placed you in danger. You would have recognized him sooner if you had known to keep an eye out for him in case he found you."
Mac looked at him for a moment before she sighed and nodded. There was no use in being upset; at least she didn't want to use her energy on this right now. So she pushed it to the back of her mind and she would think more about it later.
"But I still don't understand," she said. "If he wanted me dead then he could have done it already… why would he just show up like he has and talked?"
"That I don't know," Sato frowned before he sighed. "I guess it's time to tell you the story about Sirius Black."
Mac frowned but nodded.
"I want you to understand something, Potter-san," Sato looked at her seriously. "Voldemort was never in power or in the shadows in Japan, but I have no doubt that he would have made his way here eventually if he had not been stopped. That's why the fear of him is not as profound here as in Europe, Britain especially. What was reported here was mostly official statements from the British Ministry and news reports, but I do know some things that are more unofficial because of Sasaki. He informed me of it when I took you on as a student."
Mac nodded in understanding.
"After Voldemort was defeated the whole world celebrated because like I said he would have reached out and created problems for the rest of the world as well. The world followed as closely as they could about the happenings in the aftermath of Voldemort. News about the baby girl who had defeated him spread and created awe and more rumours to spread."
Mac grimaced.
"What is known about Sirius Black is little but enough to create fear with the public," Sato said. "When Voldemort was defeated it's said that he went mad with rage and killed 13 muggles and one wizard that tried to stop him. That wizard got a Merlin 1st Class, I believe. Given to his mother, of course. It's said that Black laughed when he was arrested."
Mac met his eyes as he gave her a searching look. He sighed before he continued.
"Sasaki told me some more as I said, and that was that Black also was responsible for telling Voldemort where to find your family that fateful Halloween. Black was your father's best friend, had been living with your grandparents since the age of 16 because of trouble with his own family. Black and your father were as close as brothers.
The British Ministry kept it quiet, but your parents knew that Voldemort was after them so they took precautions to stop him. They used a Secret Keeper to hide from him and naturally enough Black was chosen. I believe that Dumbledore offered, but it was denied."
Mac frowned and she recognized some of the stories only it was the other way around. But what was the truth? Was it Sirius or Pettigrew who had blown up the street? Was Pettigrew still alive and out there somewhere? Or was he dead?
"They told me some of this," Mac said and looked at her professor who arched a brow. "Only…they said that it was Pettigrew who was the spy and that he was the one who sold out my parents to Voldemort. They changed the Secret Keeper and only Sirius and my parents knew that. Sirius said it was because he was most likely to be the Secret Keeper because of his close relationship with my dad. They thought Voldemort would go after Sirius, while the secret being safe with Pettigrew."
Sato leaned forward slightly as he thought about what she was saying. It wasn't impossible that the events happened like that, but… why hadn't it been revealed in the trial? Why hadn't he said anything about it? Was it just an excuse so that Mac would talk to him?
But…why would he bother with trying to gain her trust? If he wanted her dead then it was easier way to do it. He hid a grimace at the thought because just thinking about the young student's death was not something he ever wanted to do. He had grown fond of the Mackenzie Potter and was not going to let anything happen to her.
"Sir?" Mac's voice interrupted his thoughts and he blinked as he looked at her questioningly. "I was wondering… is it possible to check on what kind of trial he got? Because from what they told me he wasn't given a proper trial and was just put in Azkaban without a chance to have a defence."
Sato arched a brow before his brows furrowed in thought. That was unsettling, but thinking back he couldn't really remember reading anything about his trial… not that he had followed the story very well back then. Most of what he knew about Sirius Black was information he had gotten from Sasaki when he had taken on Mac as a student.
"I will check if I can find something out," he said, "but, Potter-san…"
"Yes?" Mac looked at him.
"I don't want you seeing them until I have found out more about them," he said sternly.
She stared at him biting down on her lower lip for a moment.
"You're not going to call the Aurors?" she asked after a pause.
He sighed knowing that he should be doing that, but…there were several things that were unsettling about this and he didn't want to rush it. Something held him back and told him to investigate a little before he did something like that and when he had enough information he would make a decision on what to do next.
"Not yet," he finally settled with saying and he saw the relief in her eyes and he felt worried about how she would react to whatever would be happening. Would she be fine with the possibility of Sirius being arrested again?
"Ok," she said simply. "Thank you."
"I'm not saying that I won't, Potter-san," he felt the need to explain, "but right now I want to find out some things before I make a choice. Until then, I do not want you to contact them or see them at all. I do not know what Black's intentions are and if he is working on a plan we don't see then I don't want to put you in danger by having you close to them, okay?"
Mac looked up at him for a moment before she nodded.
"Okay, I promise," she said.
...
Too Academy
...
Mac yawned as she stepped out of the shower and reached for the towel to dry herself off. Without regular school, she had a lot of time even if she knew she should be studying for her OWLs once more but she felt lazy and not motivated.
She got dressed and pulled her dark reddish hair back into a loose bun and paddled into the living room noticing that she was alone in the apartment. She wondered where Taiga had gone off to but guessed he had gone to practice or something like that.
She found something to eat and sat down on the sofa before turning on the television. Letting a random channel play in the background she absentmindedly started to eat while her mind went back over the last events in her life.
Her life felt like such a drama lately, she thought wryly to herself. If she hadn't known better she would say that it was a television show and created to entertain others, but it wasn't. It was her life and she felt unsettled and nervous.
Was it really just an act from Sirius and Remus' side? Were they planning on something more sinister like Professor Sato feared? Was she naïve to believe them when they said that they just wanted to get to know her?
She had used so long to just believe that…and now it might not even be the truth. She wasn't sure what to think anymore.
Abruptly there was an additional weight on the sofa and Nao leapt into her lap and snuggled close to her making her smile slightly as her hand found his ear and scratched it.
"Morning, Nao," she murmured. "You awake?"
"Wow-ow-ow," Nao said and licked her hand as his eyes looked up at her with a fond look.
"Good," she smiled and it widened when four more tails sprung out. Five tails already and despite having seen it before, she was still touched by the fact that Nao trusted her to see them. She wondered if it was expected to have five tails so young or not, but she had no way of knowing this. Well, she could write Newt and ask, she guessed.
Perhaps she would do that, but not yet.
...
"Mac-nee!" Shiro grinned and waved at her.
"Hey, Shiro," she smiled. "Are you playing a match today?"
She took in the jersey he was wearing and the football under his arm.
"Yes!" He said. "Can you come?"
Mac smiled and nodded, "I have the time today, yeah."
"Awesome!" Shiro cheered. "Mum! Mac-nee is coming to watch me play!"
Ayano exited the house and smiled when she saw Mac standing outside having been on her way to see Daiki when Shiro exited the house.
"I see," Ayano smiled. "Hey, Mac. Daiki is inside if you were looking for him."
Mac nodded remembering why she had come in the first place. She knew she had to tell Daiki the latest update on the situation with Sirius and Remus. She was dreading the talk, but she wasn't going to hide it from him.
"The game is in one hour!" Shiro said and waved at her.
"Alright, Shiro," Mac smiled. "I'll come and watch you. I'll drag Daiki with me too."
The younger boy grinned and nodded before he ran off and Ayano sighed before she followed and patted Mac's shoulder as she passed her on her way to the car.
...
Mac dragged Daiki with her to the field where the football match was being held and she saw that the teams were already lined up and looked ready to start.
"Look," she said and pointed. "There's Shiro."
"Yeah, yeah," Daiki mumbled.
"Come on, Daiki," Mac rolled her eyes as she pulled at her boyfriend's hand once more. "Don't sound like it's such a chore to be here."
Daiki huffed but knew that he would not get anywhere with complaining about being forcefully dragged out of the house and to the bus so that they could come and watch his little brother play football. Mac would not be impressed and he really didn't want to upset her.
"Ah, there's your mum," Mac said and changed directions so that they headed toward Ayano who smiled when she saw them.
"Hey, kids," she smiled. "Shiro will be pleased to know that you're here."
"You mean he will be pleased to know that Kenzie is here," Daiki said as he yawned.
"Stop it," Mac said and poked his arm making him frown down at her. "He will be equally pleased that you're here too, you know. He really wants you to watch him play."
Daiki blinked before he smiled slightly.
Mac turned her attention back toward the game and cheered when Shiro made a good tackle and won the ball for his team.
"That was a good one," Mac said proudly and looked at Shiro.
Daiki just made a non-committal sound as he looked at his little brother playing football with such a look of happiness and contentment on his face. He couldn't help but feel a slight pressure in his chest as he watched the match continue and Shiro really taking his role in the match and leading the rest of the team to what seemed to be a victory.
He could hear Mac cheer next to him and grew loud when Shiro scored a goal. Daiki saw Mac jump up and down in happiness as she cheered for Shiro who looked at her and grinned proudly.
It reminded Daiki of a time when things were easier and he had the same kind of happiness in his sport. It was long gone now, but looking at Shiro made him realise that he really wanted it back. Not only that but he wanted the Mac who was always so happy and open when she watched him play back then as well. Without the shadows in her eyes when she looked at him play.
He missed it.
But… he had no idea how to get it back. How could he? If it was as simple as just decide to enjoy the sport again the problem would have been solved long ago. It just wasn't that easy because nothing would change the fact that his opponents still were too weak and only gave up when he gave his all.
He frowned.
He felt his hand being squeezed and glanced to the side to see Mac look up at him with a worried look in her green eyes as she arched a brow making him smile slightly and squeeze her hand back. He was aware that there was something on her mind as well, he could see it in her eyes and when she had greeted him back at the house but he didn't press her. She would tell him when she was ready.
...
Ayano glanced over at Daiki and Mac and noticed that they both seemed lost in each other's eyes and their hands were connected. She smiled as she watched them. She knew that they were young, only 15 going on 16 years old, but the bond they shared was a strong one. She had seen in even when they were kids and was very happy about the fact that they were together, but she also worried.
She knew more than anyone the danger of hormones and being teenagers… well, she was not really sure how much she should interfere with if she should… She grimaced slightly. They both had been given the talk but it was when they hadn't been in a relationship and she was sure they had done everything they could to forget the embarrassing conversation.
She absentmindedly wondered if her mother had thought it was just as embarrassing to give her the talk as she did give it to Mac. Luckily, Takehiro had talked to Daiki.
She pushed the thoughts out of her mind as she watched Shiro pass the ball to one of his teammates who scored.
She heard Mac cheer again and smiled knowing how much Shiro would cherish this. He always loved to have Mac near him and with Daiki there as well it was pretty much a perfect day for him.
...
"You were awesome, Shiro!" Mac grinned at the younger boy who smiled back at her.
"Thank you, Mac-nee," he grinned. "Did you see my goal?"
"Of course I did," Mac nodded. "It was just like we practised."
Shiro nodded.
"Good game, Shiro," Daiki said and reached out to ruffled his hair.
"Thanks, Daiki-nii," Shiro said a pleased blush in his cheeks even as he swatted Daiki's hand away.
"Who's this, Shiro?" A young man with wavy dark hair asked as he came up behind Shiro.
Shiro turned and smiled up at him.
"My sister and brother," Shiro said proudly, "Mac-nee and Daiki-nii."
"Oh, this is the famous sister of yours?" the young man asked with a charming smile as he held out a hand. "I'm Shiro's coach, Yamato Aoi. Nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you from Shiro."
Mac blinked as the hand was directed at her.
"Potter Mackenzie," she said and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Aomine Daiki," Daiki said gruffly with narrowed eyes.
Yamato glanced between them and then at Shiro.
"Shiro tells me you have been helping him with practice, Potter-san," Yamato smiled at her and looked at her with something more than just polite interest in his eyes.
"Some," Mac nodded and looked at Shiro. "But mostly I've just kept him company while he works. He's a good player."
"I agree," Yamato nodded making Shiro smile.
Daiki was frowning as he watched and tried to ignore the way his stomach lurched as he noticed the way Shiro's coach was looking at Mac.
"Well, if you ever want to join us for a practice or two you are welcome," Yamato said smiling at Mac. "I'm sure we could benefit from your help."
Daiki stepped close and put a hand on Mac's arm making her look over at him and blink confusedly.
"We should go," Daiki said gruffly ignoring the way Yamato's eyes lingered on his hand on Mac's arm.
"Ok," Mac agreed before turning back to Yamato not noticing the way Daiki scowled. "I don't know, I don't really have a lot of free time."
Yamato nodded and smiled.
"Well, you are welcome if you change your mind," he smiled.
...
"Wait," Mac said when Daiki was the one dragging her after him. They had said a quick goodbye to Shiro who had looked happy and ready to celebrate with his friends and Daiki had stalked away pulling at her hand as he did. "Daiki!"
Daiki said nothing as they crossed a street and made their way to a bus stop.
She sighed when it became clear that he wasn't going to say anything. Her mind drifted over to her talk with Sato and then the situation with Sirius and Remus again and she knew she couldn't postpone telling Daiki about it anymore.
She sat down next to him at the bus and stared out of the window barely paying attention to the passing houses. When they reached the stop that was close to her apartment she pressed the stop button and got up noticing Daiki frown at her but he followed her off the bus.
"Come on, Daiki," she said and grabbed his hand again noticing that he was looking at her with a pensive look on his face.
They walked in silence to the apartment and she wondered if Taiga was home or if he had gone out. She knew that her uncle was away on business but he would be back in a couple of days.
"What's on your mind, Daiki?" Mac finally asked when they entered the apartment. "You've acted strangely since we talked to Shiro's coach."
Daiki's eyes narrowed.
"He was too close to you," Daiki finally said.
Mac blinked up at him.
"What?" she asked.
"He looked at you like he liked you and wanted to take you out," Daiki scowled. "He was too close."
Mac looked at Daiki with a confused look.
"He was just talking about Shiro and the team…" she said, "I…"
Daiki rolled his eyes but he seemed to relax slightly and she blinked. Why was Daiki acting like that? Was he…was he jealous? No, that would be ridiculous. Yamato was much older than her after all. He must be finished with High School at least and there was no reason for why he would be interested in her.
And anyway she would not care if he was.
She shook her head and smiled when Daiki reached out and pulled her closer and leaned down to kiss her softly. Mac felt her eyes closed as she felt his lips on hers, causing a tingling sensation in her stomach as he pulled her a little closer and deepened the kiss slightly.
...
They sat on the sofa in the living room and Mac had curled her legs up underneath her as she sat half-turned toward Daiki who was sitting next to her. Their hands were joined on between them and she glanced down at them and took in his strong one around her smaller one.
"I need to tell you something," Mac finally broke the silence between them and he looked at her with his deep blue eyes and she swallowed forcing herself to remember what she had to say and not get lost in his eyes.
"Is something wrong, Kenzie?" Daiki asked.
Mac bit down on her lip and averted her eyes from his and stared at their hands.
"I…talked to Sirius and Remus," she admitted quietly.
"What?" Daiki asked.
"Yesterday," she said and glanced up and winced when she saw the hurt in his eyes and the anger that lurked.
"Why?" Daiki's voice was quiet and she winced.
"They started to freak out the team," she said and explained how the meeting had gone and what they had told her. She explained how she had decided to talk to them and listened to what they had to say. She then continued to tell him how she had gone and seen Shintaro.
He pulled away from her then and she looked at her lone hand with a sad look before she swallowed and fisted her hand as she pulled it back to her body. She went on to tell him about telling Professor Sato all the while ignoring the way her hand felt cold.
He stood up when she finished telling him everything and the silence stretched between them in a way it hadn't done before. It felt tense and confining.
Mac bit her lips trying to stop herself from blurting out something as she waited for Daiki to process what she had told him. He had his back to her so she couldn't see his face but she could see the tension in his shoulders.
"Why didn't you tell me?" the words were whispered and her chest hurt when she picked up on the emotion in his voice.
"I…I didn't want you to worry," she said not looking up.
"Worry?" He said and spun around and she was stunned by the eyes clouded by emotions as he stared at her. "You didn't want me to worry?!"
"No…," she said but stopped when she saw the flash of anger on his face.
"What do you think I've been doing the last few weeks?!" He snapped. "I have been worried about you ever since they showed up! And you don't tell me this because you don't want me to worry?"
Mac winced.
"I…I know, but…" she was not sure what to say because she really didn't have any good answers.
"And you go to Midorima? Why did you go to him?" Daiki asked.
"I just…I needed to talk to someone who wouldn't overreact," Mac said knowing it was mean but she had to be honest. "He won't overreact as easily as…."
"Me?" Daiki finished making Mac flinch.
"Not exactly," she said and looked at him. "Daiki, I know you mean well and that you want to help me."
"But obviously it's not what you want," Daiki said coldly. "You want Midorima."
Mac blinked.
"What?" she asked.
"I guess the problem is that you don't trust me," Daiki said and looked away from her. "I didn't realise that you didn't trust me…"
"I do!" She protested.
"Not enough to tell me something like this," Daiki said and looked back at her but his eyes had dulled. "Not enough to tell me that you wanted to talk to them when all you said was that you wanted them to go away. And what were you thinking about going to talk to them on your own, Kenzie?!"
Mac stared at him. This had gone way worse than she had imagined and she was at a loss for words. She also felt a flare of anger in her as she stared back at him because how dare he question if she trusted him or not?
"I can take care of myself!" She snapped losing control of her words and got to her feet as well. "I don't need you all to come to my rescue every time! I can handle some things on my own!"
He stared at her for a moment before he turned and stalked out of the room and soon she heard the front door slam shut behind him leaving her alone in the apartment.
...
Daiki stalked down the streets from Mac's apartment without paying attention to where he was going. He felt angry and upset but at the same time hurt. She had met the two men without even thinking about letting him know and only told him about it now.
How was he supposed to protect her and be there for her if she didn't tell him? Why hadn't she told him? Was it really because she didn't trust him?
He was not sure how long he walked or where he was going as he went over the argument in his mind and her hurt and stricken look played over and over in his mind making him feel bad because he had promised to never put that look on her face again.
But… she hadn't told him.
She did now, a voice whispered in his mind.
A whole day later and after having gone to Midorima! He snapped back.
Perhaps it's because he is calmer and more logical than you, the voice said.
She still should have told me.
She was upset and had a lot on her mind. She told you when she was ready.
Still too late.
You're just proving that you are overreacting.
He frowned as he realised that he was arguing with himself. And it didn't look like he was winning either. He sighed.
So, okay. He would admit that he did tend to overreact. Especially when it came to Mac. But, it was Mac! Who wouldn't?
Oh. Shintaro. Right.
He scoffed and kicked a stone as he passed a group of kids as he rounded a corner.
So, was he overreacting? He wasn't sure because he really did feel hurt that she hadn't told him. If she had said that she wanted to talk to them then he would have understood.
Would you? Or would you remind her of all the times she said she didn't want to talk to them and that they were a threat?
The questions made him pause and frown at himself because he really wasn't sure. He didn't like them. He knew that. They upset Mac and they wanted to take her away. Away from him and that was something he never wanted to happen. He needed her.
Suddenly he realised that he had walked in circles and was back in front of the apartment building again.
...
Mac stared after him as he left and sank down at the sofa as tears sprung to her eyes and escaped before she even realised they were there.
She was such an idiot. She should have gone and talked to him last night. She should have told him. She should have gone to him and not Shintaro…no, she wasn't regretting going to Shintaro. He had helped and given her the answer she needed, but she should have gone and talked to Daiki after talking to Shintaro at least.
The hurt look on his face made her chest hurt and she hated that she was the reason that that look had been on his face at all.
What was she supposed to do now? How was she going to fix it?
She remained seated on the sofa for a long time and she only moved when she heard the buzzer at the door go off and she blinked. She contemplated ignoring it but then she thought that it might be important so she got up and rubbed a hand over her eyes and grimaced as she felt the wetness. She pulled a hand over her face and tried to erase any trace of tears.
She opened the door and stared.
"Hey," Daiki said quietly.
"You're back," Mac said in an equally quiet voice. "I thought you went home."
"I just walked and ended up back here," Daiki said shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Oh," Mac said and looked at him for a moment before she realised that they were standing in the doorway and stepped back. "Come inside."
He followed her into the living room and paused when she stopped and turned to look at him.
...
They just stood there staring at each other neither knowing what to say or how to break the silence that was between them. Mac vaguely recognised that they just had their first fight after getting together and she didn't like it.
"I'm sorry," they both said at once and smiled a little shyly.
Mac looked at Daiki and saw the frustrated look on his face and the way he shifted on his feet and rubbed the back of his head with his right hand while glancing at her and then looking away.
"Come on," she said quietly and reached out to take his hand in hers. She held her breath for a second until she felt his hand close around hers and squeeze. She could have cried with the relief she felt by the simple action.
She led him to the sofa again and sat down. This time she curled up close at his side and rested against him letting her head fall onto his shoulder and felt his breath against the top of her head and how his arm circled her and hugged her closer.
"I never wanted to hurt you, Daiki," Mac whispered.
"I know," he whispered back.
"I am just so tired of being scared all the time and curious," she admitted. "I didn't intend to talk to them, but… I just gave in. I think it was the right choice, but I should have told you right away. I know that."
He was silent for a moment and she felt his arm tighten slightly around her as he looked for what to say. She knew this so she waited.
"I shouldn't have gotten angry," he finally said. "I…um…it really isn't…"
He let out a frustrated sigh.
"What I mean is," he tried again; "I should have listened to you and understood where you were coming from. I don't want you to think that you can't talk to me…"
Mac shifted so she could tilt her head up and look at him and saw the irritated look on his face and realised that it was directed at him and not her.
"Ugh. I'm not good at this." He snapped.
"Its fine," she said and reached up to touch his cheek with her hand and he looked down at her and blinked. "You've said enough, Daiki. I really am sorry, though. I trust you. I trust you more than anyone and I need you to understand that."
He nodded and she smiled up at him knowing that they'd had their first fight (as a couple) and survived it. It was going to be fine. She shouldn't have doubted that he could handle it because he really had been great and very supportive these last few weeks. She smiled again and leaned back into him and just enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her and the beating of his heart under her ear.
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD Hope you liked it!
Sirius and Remus will be back in the next chapter! :)
Hope you have had a nice Christmas (if you celebrate) and have a Happy New Year! :) Thank you for the support for this story and I really appreciate it! :)