Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year - Too Academy
...
Mac followed Harasawa into the school and looked around curiously. She had been there once before when they had played a practice match against Shoei (and Kiyoshi) in her second year. It seemed so long ago now.
"Ah, Harasawa," a man with greying hair greeted with a smile and a nod when they reached the gym. "Should I guess who you want to talk to today?"
Harasawa chuckled slightly, "that won't be necessary, Tanabe. We would like to talk to Yugi Ren if he would be willing to talk with us."
Mac recognised the older man now as the coach for Shoei. He didn't seem surprised when Harasawa spoke, so Mac guessed that other schools had already been there to talk to Yugi as well. She hoped he hadn't made up his mind yet.
"Of course," he said. "One moment, please."
Mac stood quietly as she waited. She knew that it was normal for the captain to follow the coach to talks like these, but she still felt a little out of her depth. She hated meeting new people; it always made her feel nervous. It helped that it was basketball-related, though.
Tanabe was back soon after closely followed by Yugi Ren. Mac noticed the curly brown hair first, it looked almost as messy as her own hair. His brown eyes were curious as he looked at them and she saw them widening a little when he saw her. He looked away right away when he met her eyes, and she noticed redness in his cheeks. Had he been there when they played Shoei? She couldn't remember… maybe.
"Let's go and talk in my office," Tanabe said.
Harasawa nodded and they followed the coach to his office and took their seats when he had sat down behind his desk first.
"So, you wanted to talk to Yugi," Tanabe said.
"Yes," Harasawa said and turned to Yugi. "I'm Harasawa Katsunori and I'm the coach for Too Academy basketball team."
Harasawa glanced at her and Mac swallowed.
"I'm Potter Mackenzie," she said. "I'm the captain and manager of the team."
Yugi blinked.
"Hey…" he said shyly fidgeting in his seat and glanced away with a blush. "Um… why do you want to talk to me?"
His voice was softer than she had expected, and he seemed incredibly shy.
"You are a talented basketball player," Harasawa said as calm as he ever was. "We would…"
Mac tuned Harasawa out as he continued to talk as she focused on Yugi. Had he always been that shy? He seemed to shrink in on himself when Harasawa talked as if he was scared of him. Harasawa could come off as stern and cold, but he was different when you got to know him. Or you learned to look past it and see the humour in his eyes.
"Oh…uh…" Yugi shifted in his seat without looking directly at them. "But… why me, though? You won the Winter Cup… didn't you?"
Harasawa glanced at Mac and she leaned forward slightly.
"We did," Mac said. "But we still want to do well next year too, so we are looking for someone who can help our team."
"Me?"
"You are a good player, Yugi-san," Mac said mildly. "Your talents are just what we need. You are fast and has great technique."
Yugi glanced at her before looking away again.
"I'm nothing like you and your friends," he said.
Mac could feel Harasawa look at her, but she didn't look away from Yugi.
"I'm not looking for someone who's the same as my friends, or me," Mac said. "We want you to join our team because of your skills. I know you are good; you led this team to win against Meiko Middle school in the quarter-finals during the Nationals. You made the players feel dizzy with your dribbling and speed."
Yugi blinked and looked at her for a moment before he looked away again.
"A place at Too Academy will be offered, of course," Harasawa added. "The school can help you get where you want to go."
"Too Academy is a good school," Tanabe said. "But Yugi, you need to decide what you want with your future."
Yugi nodded, "I will think about it."
Harasawa stood, "that's all we can ask."
Mac stood as well and followed Harasawa out of the office.
...
"Um…Potter-san," a shy voice called her, and she paused.
"I'll wait in the car," Harasawa said making Mac nod before she turned to see Yugi standing there looking nervous as he bit down on his lip.
"Yes?" Mac asked when he didn't say anything.
Yugi glanced at her before blushing and looking away again.
"Do…you think I would fit in?" he asked.
"At Too?" Mac asked curiously.
"Yeah…and with the team…" Yugi said.
Mac was quiet for a moment as she thought about her answer. She looked at him seriously for a moment before she smiled softly.
"I think you will find a place to belong," Mac finally said. "We're a strong team and can seem intimidating and cold. I'm sure others think that when they look at us from the outside, but…"
He nodded and fidgeted a little.
"I heard that…" he said.
Mac nodded, "I'm sure you did. But… the team is one of the best team I have been on, Yugi-san. They've become my friends as well as my teammates, and we take care of our own. I won't say it will be easy all the time because it won't. It's a sport and competition are a part of it, and we have some strong personalities on the team as well. But if you are willing to put in the work and to face the challenges then I'm sure you will find that you'll fit in just fine."
Yugi looked thoughtful.
"I can't tell you what to do," Mac continued. "You will need to find your answer yourself. I do hope you'll join us, though."
"Thank you," Yugi bowed making Mac smiled and wave back at him before turning to go and meet Harasawa at the car.
...
Mac was secretly glad when Harasawa had told her that she didn't need to come to talk to Kasahara Jisuke from Kamizaki Middle School. It was a too long a trip and Harasawa said it wasn't something he expected from her, so she was glad she didn't have to go.
She remembered the school from when they played them their second year at Nationals. She didn't have very fond memories of them, though. They were the ones who gave Daiki the final push to give up on basketball. He had looked forward to playing against them, mostly because of Inoue. Inoue had been his last hope that there existed someone out there that wouldn't give up when playing him only to be met with yet another one who gave up and called him a monster.
After than… Well, Mac had not been able to really bring him back to see basketball as he used to.
Okay, so Mac knew that she wasn't really fair toward them. They had tried their best for a while until the score had become too much and their power was overwhelming. But still… she hated it when someone called her friends monsters.
"You look like you're in deep thought," Sirius said making Mac jump and turn to see her godfather watching her with an amused look on his face.
"Make a noise or something," Mac scowled at him.
"I did," Sirius smirked. "What were you thinking about so hard?"
Mac sighed, "nothing."
"Your cousin let us in," Remus said.
"Oh, right," Mac said.
"You said you had something to tell us," Sirius said breaking the slightly awkward pause.
Mac blinked before she remembered why she had called them there. She had thought about what Koizumi had said last time and found that she really should tell them that Dumbledore was in Japan.
"Right," she said again. "There was a reason."
They sat down and looked at her expectantly and patiently.
"Hermione stopped by a couple of days ago and told me something that I thought you would like to know as well," Mac said.
"Oh? What?" Sirius asked.
"Dumbledore is at Mahoutokoro," Mac said.
Sirius blinked while Remus frowned.
"Dumbledore is here?" Sirius asked.
"Why?"
"Don't know," Mac shrugged not looking at them. "Hermione said it was to check the Japanese school or something like that."
Remus leaned back his frown deepened as he did so and glanced over at Sirius who looked a little angry.
"Could it be that it really is because of that?" Mac asked looking at them. "I mean… I don't know Dumbledore, so I don't know how he thinks… I just… I worry that…"
"That he knows you are here and that he is here looking for you?" Remus finished for her making her nod.
"We won't let him find you, Mackenzie," Sirius promised. "I promise you that."
Mac looked at him, "how can you promise that? If he knows…"
"I think it's more likely that he has caught wind of Sirius being here and being free," Remus said thoughtfully.
Sirius blinked before he scowled. "That meddlesome old man!"
Remus glanced at him before looking over at Mac. He could tell she was worried and felt bad for her. He didn't like that she was so scared of being found. He could understand it, though.
"But like Sirius said we won't let him find you," Remus said. "We'll think about something."
Mac looked at him and he could tell she was conflicted between wanting to believe them and worrying. Finally, she nodded and smiled slightly.
...
"What do you think, Remus?" Sirius asked when they got back to the motel room they had been staying at. Though, not for long if Sirius had anything to say about it. All around the room was housing announcements and he couldn't wait until he found the perfect house. He wanted to have somewhere where Mac could come and stay for the night if she wanted to.
"Well, I think that we need to protect Mackenzie," Remus said.
"I get that, but how?" Sirius asked. "Do you really think that Dumbledore knows that I'm here?"
Remus hummed, "I think that it is possible. I know it's been kept silent but don't underestimate Dumbledore's knack of finding out things he shouldn't know."
Sirius sighed, "you're right. But why should he care?"
"He likes having control," Remus said knowingly. "When he loses it he will do his best to find out why."
Sirius scowled. "So, what should we do?"
"Maybe…" Remus started before he trailed off.
"Maybe what?" Sirius pressed.
"You should see him," Remus said.
"What?" Sirius gaped. "Why?"
"Let him see you and settle his curiosity and get him to leave," Remus said. "I don't like the idea of him being here longer than needed. He might stumble over something that clues him in on Mackenzie being here."
Sirius slumped back in his seat with a frown as he considered what Remus was saying. He didn't want Dumbledore around Mac either. So, if he met with Dumbledore would he leave without finding out about Mac?
...
Mac laughed as she ran after Daiki and heard him laughing as well. The basketball bouncing against the parquet before shoes squeaked against the floorboards as they ran.
"Catch me if you can!" Daiki called.
"It's not fair! You cheated!" Mac yelled before turning as he did and almost caught him, but he slipped away again.
She felt lighter than she had in ages as she chased Daiki around the gym. It had started innocently enough as they waited for the others to get there. It wasn't as serious practises anymore since the tournaments were over for now and they had to focus more on their schoolwork, tests and such, but they still met to practice a couple of times a week.
So, while they waited Daiki had been dribbling the ball and Mac had tried to steal it away, but he avoided her and so the chase was on.
Mac loved the fact that they had fun like this again. It was just what she needed to make her remember why she wanted to stay and why would fight for it. She would do anything to keep this.
"Oi!" Wakamatsu called making both Mac and Daiki stop and turn to see that the rest of their team had arrived.
"Oh, hey," Mac said before she took advantage of Daiki's inattention and stole the ball from him. "Ha! I got it!"
"That's cheating, Kenzie!" Daiki whined. "Give it back!"
"Nah-ah," Mac grinned spinning the ball on her finger. "I won!"
"Did not," Daiki protested.
"Did so!" Mac laughed.
Sakurai laughed as he watched them.
"Do you think we should make them aware that we're here again?" Namamura wondered amused.
"They act like children," Wakamatsu grumbled but he smiled a little.
"Sorry!" Sakurai said bowing.
"Why are you sorry?" Mac asked suddenly turning her attention to them again as she tossed the ball to Sakurai who fumbled a little as he caught it.
"Sorry!" He said again.
"Let's play for fun today," Mac said. "Coach is away talking with Kasahara and left the practice up to us."
"Okay!" Wakamatsu cheered. "I'll beat you this time, Aomine!"
"As if," Daiki smirked.
"How will we split the teams?" Abe asked.
"What about Mac and Aomine are the captains?" Sakurai asked before he apologized again.
"Okay," Mac said with a shrug while Daiki nodded even if he wanted to be on the same team as Mac but knew it would be more even if they weren't on the same team.
In the end the teams ended up being:
Mac, Sakurai, Abe, Wakamatsu
Daiki, Namamura, Inoue, Yamaguchi
Mac had the ball and passed it to Sakurai who immediately took the shot.
"Yes!" Abe cheered and high-fived Sakurai who grinned back.
"Let's get them back!" Namamura yelled.
"Defend!" Mac yelled.
She ran back and covered Daiki who was smirking at her as he got the ball. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to get a read on him. He shifted a little to the left but she saw through it and moved to the right but he managed to do a sharp twist and got around her before Wakamatsu was there making him pause for a moment.
It was the moment Mac needed to come up behind him and managed to tap the ball out of his hands and Abe was there ready to steal it.
"I'll get you!" Daiki swore but he was grinning.
...
"He still won," Wakamatsu grumbled.
"Aomine is still stronger than us," Sakurai said.
"I want to beat him one day," Wakamatsu sighed, "but at least he isn't as insufferable anymore."
"He does seem to be more involved in the team now," Abe agreed with a smile. "That's good."
They looked over at where Mac was talking with Namamura about something. Sakurai knew Namamura was asking for advice on a new move he wanted to do but was struggling with.
Mac nodded thoughtfully as Namamura explained the move he was working on.
"I want to be more involve in the team next year," Namamura admitted. "So, I need a move that is stronger and better."
"Well, you seem to be on the right track," Mac said. "You just need to find the right speed. You are accurate with your passes, but you could be a little faster in the transitions. So, if you do that then you'll find the move being easier to do."
"Ah, I see," Namamura said. "I guess…"
"You should listen to her," Daiki said suddenly appearing behind Mac and threw an arm over her shoulder as he looked at Namamura. "She is the best at making others stronger!"
"I know," Namamura said.
Mac rolled her eyes but felt her cheeks heat a little.
"I'm not doing anything special," she protested. "You're the ones doing the work."
Namamura smiled amused as he shook his head.
"Well, thank you for your help," he said.
"You're welcome," Mac smiled back.
...
Daiki watched Mac as she was seated at his desk working on her magic homework. He found it amusing to watch how she mumbled funny-sounding words before shaking her head. She was waving her wand over some gold coins that was lying on his desk.
"What are you doing?" Daiki finally asked when his curiosity became too much.
Mac looked over at him before she scowled at the coins on his desk.
"Trying to get them to change," she said.
"Change?" Daiki wondered. "How?"
Mac sighed in frustration.
"Well, it is supposed to make all of the coins change simultaneously as I change this one," Mac said pointing at one. "But… I can't make it work."
Daiki moved off the bed and came over to look at the coins.
"Are these Gallons?" he asked remembering the wizarding money she had shown him before.
"Mm," Mac nodded. "Fake ones, though."
"I see," Daiki said picking one up and looking at it more closely. He missed the fond look from Mac as he studied it. He sat down at the edge of the bed closest to her as he continued to turn the coin around.
Suddenly he noticed something, and he almost dropped the coin as two words suddenly appeared on the coin. He moved closer to read it.
Love you
He blinked and then looked up to see Mac's brilliant smile as she looked at him.
"I did it!" She exclaimed.
"You… made those words appear?" Daiki asked.
"Mm," Mac said and suddenly Daiki was there and pulled her up and kissed her.
"Love you too," he said breathlessly when he pulled back.
"Good," Mac grinned before leaning up and pressed a kiss to his lips again. "I guess I just needed the right motivation."
He grinned and pushed her hair out of her face and wondered how he was so lucky to get to see this and to have her in his arms like this.
"I finally managed it," Mac continued. "I have struggled for forever to do that charm!"
She pulled back and started to collect the coins again and he saw the same inscription on the other coins as well.
"Um… what will you do with this?" he asked.
"Hm? Oh, well I guess I will do the charm again and change the words to something else because Professor Sato would need to see it and… well, it would be awkward explaining the words," Mac said.
Daiki laughed.
"Oh? You don't say?" he asked.
"Ha-ha," Mac said but she was smiling. "Well, I'll do it later."
She finished tidying up her books and turned to Daiki who was still staring at the coin in his hand and she smiled softly. She would do something like this for him later when the coin wasn't connected with her homework and would change with the others when she made the change later. But for now, she would let him keep it.
She remembered back to her telling him about Dumbledore and he had been supportive and great. He hadn't reacted too badly much to her relief and his calmness had helped her calm down as well.
"Even if he's here doesn't mean that he will get to hurt you, Kenzie," Daiki had said seriously. "I will be there with you, so don't worry too much, okay? The others will be here too if you need them."
"They're not supposed to know," Mac had pointed out.
"Well, we'll all find our ways to support you," Daiki said. "We have your back."
While Mac knew it wasn't that simple it was enough to make her feel better. That and her talk with Koizumi had helped.
"What?" Daiki asked noticing that she was staring.
"Nothing," She smiled looking back.
"No, what?" he asked again.
"I was just thinking," she shrugged. "You are pretty great, you know."
He looked a little flustered, but he smiled and she couldn't resist leaning in and kissing him again and marvelled being in his arms as he kissed her back and deepened the kiss.
...
Mahoutokoro Magic School
...
"Ah, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said with a serene smile and his piercing blue eyes scanned over her. "You look well. Do you like it here at Mahoutokoro?"
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said with a small smile trying to hide her nervousness and stay calm. "I really like it here."
"That's good," Dumbledore said. "However, we do miss you at Hogwarts. You were one of the best students we've had at our school."
Hermione smiled and looked away not sure what to say.
"I thought I would look you up while I was here," Dumbledore continued in a friendly manner. "Professor McGonagall asked me to check on how you were doing. She misses you in her classroom."
"I miss Professor McGonagall's class as well," Hermione said with a soft smile. "It was my favourite class."
"She'll be glad to hear that," Dumbledore said.
He turned to leave, and Hermione swallowed as she remembered the letter she had received from Remus. She had been surprised when she got it because she had not expected him to write to her at all, but he had asked her a favour and for Mac's sake she would do it.
"Um, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said, and Dumbledore turned and looked at her again.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked.
"Did you know that Professor Lupin is here in Japan?" Hermione asked.
Dumbledore didn't outwardly react as he looked at her and Hermione smiled a little.
"I was surprised to meet him again," Hermione said.
"Really? I didn't know he was here," Dumbledore said. "Do you know where he is now? I would like to see him before I have to leave."
"Oh, um… I don't really know," Hermione said apologetically. "But I could find out for you if you want? My friend's dad might know where he is."
"I would appreciate that," Dumbledore smiled before turning away again making Hermione let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She hated lying to a teacher (or a headmaster in this case) but it was for Mac and she would prove that she wasn't a danger to her secret. Mac had become someone important to her, and she wanted to keep her safe and happy. She had finally won her friendship, so Hermione wouldn't want to ruin it.
...
Too Academy
...
Mac tried to not think about the plan Sirius and Remus had told her about. She felt like it was a risk, but what else could they do? If they ignored it then Dumbledore would just look closer and stay longer and then it was a chance that he would pick up on her being there. Yet… to actually meet him? Well… what if he found out anyway? What if…?
She mentally shook her head trying to clear it. The teacher was talking but she was finding it difficult to pay attention to what was being said. Her mind was constantly going back to Dumbledore. She didn't understand why she was so worried. She didn't know him. Koizumi also pointed that out and said that she couldn't know what he would do if he found her. He might understand as Sirius and Remus had done. Just because Newt and Tina had said that he would want her at Hogwarts for the greater good didn't mean that it was what he would do if he learned the truth.
She knew that Newt and Tina never knew she had overheard their conversation about Dumbledore. But she had and she had filed it away but hadn't worried too much about it because it wasn't likely that he would find her. But now… he was here, and he was closer to her than before.
She hated feeling scared and worried. She hated it. She didn't want to feel like that, but it wasn't easy to change the way she felt. She didn't want to lose the life she had here, she didn't want to have to fight for her right to stay with her family and friends. She just wanted to be like everyone else, normal and happy.
"Class is over, Kenzie," Daiki said suddenly appearing beside her and Mac blinked.
"Oh," she said. "I didn't realise."
"I could see that," Daiki looked at her worriedly. "You okay?"
Mac shrugged, "fine."
"Hm," Daiki said but didn't push. "Let's go and have fun!"
"Why don't you go and see Tetsu?" Mac asked.
Daiki stilled for a moment and looked at her.
"We could," he said with a smile.
"You should go alone," Mac said. "I'll walk to you to Seirin, but you should go and talk to him alone."
"But Kenzie…" Daiki protested.
"You can't hide behind me," Mac said firmly. "I know you have wanted to go and see him for a while now, and you've been postponing it. I've told you before that you need to take the first step."
"I know," Daiki said.
They walked out of the school and over to the bus stop.
"I should call first…" Daiki said.
"No, you don't need to," Mac said. "See if he's free, and if not, we'll go and play basketball. Show that you want to see him."
"You talk as if I'm trying to date him or something," Daiki huffed.
Mac laughed, "well… he is cute."
"Oi," Daiki eyed her.
"What?" Mac asked.
"You can't call other boys cute," Daiki said. "I'm your boyfriend!"
"I know you are," Mac said pinching his cheek. "You're the cutest."
"I'm not cute!" Daiki said.
"Yes, you are," Mac smiled.
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!"
Mac ignored the looks they got on the bus as she teased Daiki. Daiki looked at her and she knew he was being childish in order to help her forget her stress. She loved him more for it.
Mac laughed as she got off the bus with Daiki right behind her. He grabbed her hand right away and they started to walk toward Seirin. She hoped Tetsuya wasn't gone already.
"Okay, I'll leave you here," Mac said when they stopped at the school gate. "Call if he's not here, okay?"
"Thank you, Kenzie," Daiki said.
Mac smiled and leaned in and kissed his cheek before pulling away.
"Love you," she said.
"Love you too," he smiled back.
...
Tetsuya was walking out of the school with his team, having finished with the basketball practice for the day. He smiled as he listened to them talk and laugh and suddenly remembered how it used to be back at Teiko. How he would walk with Daiki and Ryota and listen to them joke and tease each other. He missed it.
"Eh? Isn't that Aomine?" Koganei asked.
Tetsuya blinked when he saw Daiki leaned against the fence outside of the school. He had his hands in his trouser pockets looking casual as he stood there.
"It is…" Izuki said. "Wonder what he's doing here?"
"Mac isn't here," Riko said looking around. "It's strange seeing him without her."
"So, he can function without her, huh," Hyuga said.
"I guess he's here for Kuroko," Kiyoshi smiled glancing over at Tetsuya.
Tetsuya continued to walk over to Daiki knowing his team was following behind him. He saw when Daiki noticed him as he straightened up and looked at him and then behind him to his friends.
"Hey, Tetsu," Daiki smiled a little.
"Aomine," Tetsuya said.
"Um… I was wondering if you wanted to come and play basketball with me?" Daiki rushed out.
Tetsuya couldn't help but blink and stare at Daiki for a moment. The words he didn't really think he would hear from Daiki again had just been spoken and it stunned him. Well, they had talked about playing again after the Winter Cup, but nothing had happened, and he had thought Daiki had changed his mind.
"Well… if you want to…" Daiki said looking unsurely at Tetsuya.
"Yes!" Tetsuya said. "I want to."
Daiki smiled relieved and once more it was like seeing the boy Daiki had used to be looking back at him. His face opened up and he looked unguarded.
"Great!" Daiki said.
"We'll leave you to it, then," Kiyoshi said. "See you tomorrow, Kuroko."
"Oh, yeah, see you," Tetsuya said.
...
"Huh," Taiga said when Tetsuya and Daiki walked away already talking or Daiki was talking while Tetsuya was listening.
"They went to play?" Mac asked making the rest of Seirin jump and turn to see Mac standing behind them.
"Mac," Kiyoshi smiled.
"Hey, Teppei!" Mac grinned.
"You were here too?" Riko asked surprised.
"Mm," Mac shrugged, "I wanted to see Daiki talk with Tetsu again."
She shrugged again knowing they wouldn't understand what it meant to her to see Daiki and Tetsuya walking away together again like that. She had missed seeing it, and she knew Daiki had regretted the distance that had gotten between him and Tetsuya.
"Good," Kiyoshi smiled. "They will have fun."
"You would say that," Hyuga rolled his eyes.
"What? They're going to play basketball, of course, they will have fun," Kiyoshi said.
Mac laughed lightly, "you guys are funny."
"We're not!" Hyuga protested while Kiyoshi looked amused.
"If you say so," Mac said.
"I'll walk you back," Kiyoshi said.
"Sure," Mac smiled.
They waved goodbye to the rest of Seirin and started to walk back to the buss.
"How are you, Mac?" Kiyoshi asked.
"I'm fine," Mac smiled. "A little busy with basketball, but that's normal."
"Yeah, you're the new Captain now, right?" Kiyoshi asked.
"Mm," Mac nodded.
"Congratulation," Kiyoshi nudged her shoulder. "I know you will do great."
"Thanks," Mac smiled at him. "I do hope so, but it is a lot of work. It's not too different from what I've already been doing, though. But still, there's more responsibility."
"Just be careful to take care of yourself," Kiyoshi said.
Mac nodded as she smiled a little. She had heard that before.
...
Dumbledore was on his way to a small place in the mountains. It was remote, a perfect place to hide away from the public eye. He walked up the path to a small cabin and saw the smoke coming up from the chimney signalling life inside.
He never would have thought to look for Remus here… to be so lucky to find Remus like this. He smiled to himself. The friend Hermione had talked about had a father who used to be a teacher and he guessed that Remus had been in touch with him in order to find a job or something like that.
Dumbledore paused as he looked up at the cabin and wondered what had brought Remus and Sirius all the way here. He knew Sirius would be there too, but he doubted Hermione knew that. Why had they left the safety he had provided for them back in London? They could stay at Sirius' old house and no one would be able to enter the house. The Black's were a paranoid family that trusted few, and old Orion and Walburga Black had been worse than the rest and added their own protection around the house.
A moment later he walked up the steps and knocked on the door. It was quiet for a moment before he heard footsteps and then the door was opened.
"Ah, Albus!" Remus said surprised, "I didn't expect you!"
"I heard you were here and thought I would check in while I was in the area," Dumbledore said putting on a smile even as he looked over Remus with his sharp eyes. Remus looked better than he had in a while, and Dumbledore wondered how that could be. Had he gotten a job?
"Well, come in," Remus offered as he stepped back and held the door opened. "I'm sorry about the mess. We didn't expect anyone over."
Dumbledore just nodded and stepped in and took in the slightly cluttered room. A fire was burning in the fireplace and some clothes were hanging up to dry even though magic could have taken care of that.
"Padfoot! We've got company!" Remus called.
Soon footsteps came closer and Dumbledore turned to see Sirius entering from a door on the other side of the room and he guessed it would lead to the bedrooms.
"Ah, Dumbledore," Sirius said before glancing at Remus. "I didn't expect you."
Sirius looked good too. He wasn't as pale as he was and had lost some of the gauntness he had gotten from Azkaban. Again, Dumbledore wonderer how this change was possible.
"You look well, Sirius," Dumbledore said.
"Well, it helped to get out of that house," Sirius said with a casual shrug.
"Why don't you take a seat, Albus? I'll get us some tea," Remus offered.
"Thank you," Dumbledore said pleasantly hiding his mind spinning as he smiled and sat down in the most comfortable looking chair.
Remus glanced at Sirius before he walked into the kitchen and prepared the tea. Luckily, he had already been half-prepared since they had been expecting Dumbledore to show up.
"Here you go," Remus said placing the tray with the cups on the table.
"Thank you," Dumbledore said, before reaching out to take the tea while looking like he was right at home and comfortable as ever.
Remus settled down in another chair while Sirius was on the small sofa.
"How did you learn that we were here, Albus?" Remus asked breaking the silence.
"Ah, young Miss Granger," Dumbledore said with a smile while observing Remus. "I met her at Mahoutokoro, and she mentioned that she had met you since she arrived here."
"Oh, Miss Granger," Remus nodded. "Right. I'm pleased to see that she's doing so well at her new school. Though, I understood that she does miss some parts of Hogwarts as well."
"Yes," Dumbledore said. "So how did you end up here, Remus? Sirius? I thought we agreed that you were safest at Grimmauld Place."
Sirius snorted quietly, "you mean you agreed."
Remus shot him a warning look before turning back to Dumbledore.
"Ah, well… It wasn't really working out," Remus said slowly. "Sirius was getting really depressed staying inside that house and not being able to go outside was not helping him."
"I understand that, but it was for your own safety, Sirius," Dumbledore said looking disappointedly over at Sirius who looked away.
"I didn't want to lose my best friend," Remus continued. "He is my last friend, and I couldn't lose him too. So, I thought it would be best to get away from England and Europe. Sirius isn't as well known outside of the Western world, so I thought leaving for Asia was a good idea."
Dumbledore frowned as he looked between the two men. He fought the annoyance he felt but at the same time he knew he couldn't say anything.
"I see," he said. "I worried when I realised you had gone."
"We should have told you," Remus agreed. "But I didn't think you would approve."
"I only want for you both to be safe, my boy," Dumbledore said.
"I escaped Azkaban to be out of prison not to be put into another one," Sirius said. "I'm sorry, Dumbledore, but I couldn't stay in that house anymore!"
"But why Japan?" Dumbledore asked deciding not to address what Sirius had just said.
"Why not?" Remus shrugged. "It is a fascinating country and we liked it. I got in touch with some people who were able to help us, and now Sirius has been granted asylum. It's something he never would have received in England. They're too busy trying to cover up their mistakes."
"So, you are free?" Dumbledore asked hiding the surprise he felt. He had suspected it, but at the same time not really believed that it could be possible.
"Yes," Sirius said shortly. "Not that I can do much good…"
Remus glanced at him again before turning to Dumbledore with a sad smile.
"He still… we still feel like we should be doing something for James' and Lily's girl," Remus sighed. "There's still no word about her, Dumbledore?"
"Ah, no I'm afraid not," Dumbledore sighed sadly. "I am looking, of course, but I can't find a clue about where she is."
"If she's still alive," Sirius grumbled. "I failed her… I failed James…"
Remus reached out and patted Sirius' arm gently.
"You weren't in a position to help," Remus said. "I'm the one who…"
"As long as she is with family, she is safe," Dumbledore interrupted the two in hopes of comforting them not knowing that he was just upsetting them even more. They knew what 'family' he meant and just how they had treated Mac. Sirius clenched his hands tightly and gritted his teeth to stop the rant that wanted to burst through at the old man who claimed to know what was best for everyone.
Remus inhaled deeply while mentally counting to ten before nodding slowly, "I sure hope so."
They sat in silence for a moment longer before Dumbledore got to his feet.
"Thank you for the tea," he said politely. "I am glad to find you both safe. An old headmaster never forgets his students. It has reassured me to see you here and hopefully, we can get you cleared in England as well one day, Sirius."
Sirius just nodded but didn't say anything, but Dumbledore didn't seem to expect him to say anything.
"Please keep me updated on your lives, Remus," Dumbledore said. "I do like keeping in touch."
"Sure, Albus," Remus smiled. "I will do my best to do so. But you never said why you were here in the first place?"
"Ah, just checking in on other magic schools," Dumbledore said. "I have been meaning to do so for a long time."
"That must be very giving," Remus nodded. "How long are you staying?"
"I think I will have to leave tomorrow," Dumbledore said with a sad sigh. "I left Minerva in charge back at Hogwarts and it wouldn't be right to stay away for longer than I already have. I am glad I got the chance to see you before I left, though."
Remus nodded, "please give my best to Minerva."
"I will," Dumbledore said.
...
Remus let out a sigh of relief when he watched Dumbledore apparate away. He sank down in the chair he had been using and felt like all his energy just left him.
"That was nerve-wracking," Remus groaned.
"You think he believed us?" Sirius asked worriedly.
"I believe so," Remus said, "but who knows with him? But I do think he would have found excuses to hang around longer if he didn't."
"Good," Sirius said, "because I don't want to see him again anytime soon!"
"I know," Remus said. He hoped so too, and he could only hope that this would work. They had rented this cabin in order to meet Dumbledore not wanting him anywhere close to where Mac was.
Sirius looked at him.
"I know you feel conflicted," he said.
"No, not as much as I believed I would," Remus shook his head. "I know he has done a lot for me and I will always be grateful for that, but he let Mackenzie down in a way that I can't forgive. She is family and I trusted him to keep her safe and he failed. I can't… I can't make another mistake like that again, Padfoot. I can't trust him with her. Not again."
Sirius nodded. "I know."
...
Mac smiled as she hung up the phone and fell back on the bed with a relieved sigh and smile. She had just gotten back from playing one-on-one against Kiyoshi on a street court when Remus had called to tell her about their meeting with Dumbledore.
"Finally," she said as Nao settled next to her and she reached out to stroke his ear. "I can breathe again, Nao. You are happy too, right?"
Dumbledore would be leaving, and Remus said that he had bought their story and didn't know about her. Mac still felt a little worried, but Remus had reassured her.
Now she could go back to just worrying about basketball and her friends. Life was great.
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
Hope you liked it! A lot happened in this chapter and I wondered if it was too much, but I didn't feel like splitting it up in two chapters... so it ended up like this. :) So, Dumbledore seems to be leaving for now. Disappointed? Do you think he should find her now? XD
Also, there will probably be a time-skip in the next chapter. First-year of Too Academy is over now, I think.
Thank you for reading and supporting the story! Stay safe and hope you have a good day/night wherever you are! XD