Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the Prince of Tennis!
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inner dialogue/thoughts or memory
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Hari stared at Atobe with a searching look. He stared back at her and while he kind of reminded her of Draco Malfoy with the confidence and superior aura around him, like he thought he was better than anyone around him, there was something….something different about him. It was the way his eyes seemed to almost beg her to talk to him. Now, why would he need to talk to her that badly?
"Why don't we talk right over there," Atobe spoke up when the silence stretched on and pointed to the side. Hari glanced over and saw that it would be out of the others hearing distance but not outside of their view. "That way your friends can see us, but I can still talk to you alone. Tanomu."
Hari narrowed her eyes, "what's so important that you have to talk to me alone?"
Though, she couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice as she asked. She noticed how he shifted slightly on his feet, she wasn't sure the others noticed this at all because it was very minutely. Did he seem nervous?
"I will tell you," Atobe said, "I'm not going to ask you out again. I promise."
Hari arched a brow and sighed.
"Fine," she finally said. "Ryo-chan, would you mind waiting for me?"
Ryoma was staring at Atobe as well and took a moment before he looked away from Atobe to look at her. She saw the concern in his eyes as he looked at her searchingly.
"Of course not," he said.
"We'll wait," Fuji spoke up calmly but Hari caught the warning look he threw at Atobe.
She gave him a small smile to show her gratefulness before walking away and knew Atobe followed her. She wondered why she even bothered to agree with this, or why she suddenly felt a stab of foreboding and that kind of stabbing feeling in the stomach that told her that something unexpected was about to happen. It was a feeling she knew very well and it had never brought anything good with it.
A flash of a giant green snake with yellow eyes and a head with two faces crossed her mind and she had to work to push it out and not show allow a grimace to access her face. She hoped it worked.
"So, what is it you need to talk to me about?" Hari asked arching a brow at him as she looked at him.
He didn't say anything for a moment and she considered probing him again, but she kept silent and just watched him.
"Do you really not know who I am?" he asked.
She blinked at him before frowning.
"Should I?" she asked wondering what he was on about.
He nodded and his eyes were staring searchingly at her like he was looking for a lie.
"Well, I don't," Hari scowled. "Was that it?"
He sighed and looked a little annoyed, "I don't understand why you don't know… I mean, your mother was my godmother."
Hari stilled completely as she stared at him with round eyes behind her glasses not comprehending what he had just said. He was still looking at her with that look of his and the confidence still clung around him, but there was something else there as well. Something Hari couldn't tell.
"Nan da to?" she managed to get out. "How…I don't…"
"Lily Potter was my godmother," Atobe repeated slowly.
It was a shock hearing her mother's name so unexpected and her first thought was that it was a lie, a trap and a way to get her to go back to the Magical World, even if it didn't make sense.
"I…No one ever told me," Hari looked at him suspiciously. "How do I know you're telling me the truth?"
"This isn't really the place for that conversation," Atobe said glancing toward where Ryoma and the regulars were waiting, watching. "I…"
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Hari interrupted him with a scowl and her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at him.
She was feeling unsettled and wanted more than anything to walk away because this couldn't be true. She would have known if her mum had a godchild.
Wouldn't she?
Like you knew you had a godfather? A small voice whispered in her ear sounding very much like Hermione.
That's different, Hari told the voice.
How?
"Why are you so stubborn?!" Atobe snapped interrupting her inner discussion making Hari look at him again.
"I don't know you," Hari told him with narrowed eyes, "and you want me to go with you? How do I know that you're not trying to take me back there? Or that you're not with them? I'm not going back! It's an original story, I'll give you that, but I'm not falling for it."
She thought how easily she had been tricked before, with both Quirrell and Tom Riddle, even with Sirius and Wormtail in some degree. How easily she had been tricked into believing something and led to believe lies and ended up in dangerous situations. She wouldn't make the same mistake again…
Atobe gaped at her for a moment and looked honestly confused making her wonder if he really was telling the truth before she steeled herself again. She wasn't going to fall for it, she wasn't going to risk being tricked into going back. Not when she finally had a family, when she had Ryoma in her life again.
"What are you talking about?" he asked shocked. Even Hari could tell it was an unfamiliar look on his face. "Take you back where? I'm just talking about going to my house so I can explain just who I am and how we're connected."
Hari arched a brow, "I'm not going to your house."
He looked like he wanted to groan, but he refrained with what looked like a great effort.
"Fine," he sighed and frowned at her again.
Hari just glared back while trying to get control over her raging thoughts and unsettled feelings. Did he really tell her the truth? Was he her mum's godson? Why hadn't anyone told her that her mum had a godson?
"How can you be mum's godson?" Hari asked letting some of her confusion show, "I mean… how did you even knew her?"
He sighed and looked away from her for a moment as if he was thinking on what to say or how to say it. Hari felt the impatience nag at her to demand answers, but she bit down on her lower lip to stop it from bursting out.
"My mother is half Japanese and half English," Atobe finally said meeting her eyes. "She is the daughter of a businessman who owned several of the businesses in Cokeworth."
Hari blinked. That was the small town where they had spent the night at a hotel running from her Hogwarts letter, wasn't it? A memory she had not really thought about came back to her.
"I don't like being back here, Vernon," Aunt Petunia said quietly.
"It's just for a night, Pet," Uncle Vernon reassured her. "I know you don't have good memories of this town."
"It's just…I keep seeing her at every corner," Aunt Petunia said.
"It's just imagination," he grimaced at the word, "we will be gone tomorrow. You never have to be back here again."
Hari hadn't thought much about it and hadn't really thought about it since, but it was clear that aunt Petunia had some connection to the place.
"My mother's best friend was a girl from one of the Middle-Class families," Atobe continued breaking into Hari's memories. "Her name was Lily Evans and they were the same age and were in the same class at school. My grandfather saw the use in having mother attend a regular school and get to know the people in the middle class, the families of his workers."
Hari wanted him to get to the point, to the part with her mother. So, this town had been her mother's hometown? Hari hadn't known that…
"Mother and Lily were close from the start and did everything together," Atobe continued. "Mother said Lily was the closest she had to a sister, and even though Lily had a sister my mother was a sister to her as well."
Hari couldn't help but be caught up in his story, always wanting to hear more about her parents. It shook her stance about not believing him.
"They kept in touch even as Lily started the boarding school and mother started her private school when they turned 11," Atobe smiled a little. "They wrote each other and met up during their holidays. When mother married father Lily was her maid of honour and when I was born a year later she was the natural choice for godmother. She was already married to James by then and pregnant with you."
Hari couldn't help it. She had to keep listening even as she told herself that it couldn't be true, but it was sounding more and more like a lie in her ears as she listened to him talk about her mum and dad with more details than she ever knew.
"Our parents talked about us, how I would be like your older brother," Atobe said with a small frown on his face. "I, obviously, don't remember meeting you when you were born but Mother has pictures of us together. I'm holding you with the help of Lily and showing you a stuffed animal."
He looked at her now with a sort of pleading look, a look she knew would be very uncharacteristic for him just out from what she had seen of him.
"I…" Hari frowned. "I never knew…"
He frowned again, "I have no idea why you wouldn't know…"
"I never knew much about my parents," Hari admitted quietly.
Atobe looked surprised, then angry but he pushed it away and she saw the effort it took him. She also saw the effort it took for him to not ask her about it and she was wondering if she really could believe him.
But even if what he told her was the truth what did that mean for her? Did it really make any difference to her right now?
"Mother could tell you more about Lily," Atobe told her with a surprisingly gentle voice.
Hari had no idea what to think anymore nor what to do. This was all getting to be too much and she felt her mind spinning with all the new information. Information that came out of nothing and was bringing a part of her life back that she so desperately tried to avoid.
"I need to think," she muttered. "I…"
Atobe sighed and looked frustrated but he nodded. "Fine, here..:"
Hari blinked when a small piece of paper was held in front of her and she saw a name and number was written on it.
"My number," he explained. "Call me when you have thought about it."
His mask was up again and he smirked at her with the confidence she had seen in him earlier, he took a step back and turned around to leave. He took a couple of steps before he paused and turned around again to look at her.
"Hari-chan, I hope you will consider coming to meet my parents," he said seriously. "They have really been worried about you and…they think you're dead like aunt Lily and uncle James."
With that, he turned and walked away leaving Hari standing there stunned and unmoving staring after him.
...
"Hari?" Ryoma sounded almost frantic as he shook her lightly. "Are you alright?"
Hari blinked and saw Ryoma and the rest of the regulars' right behind him all watching her worriedly.
"What did he tell you?" Fuji asked as his eyes flashed.
Hari shook her head trying to gather her thoughts again and looked away from them and at the piece of paper in her hand before she shoved it into her pocket. She inhaled deeply and gave them a smile to reassure them.
"I'm fine," she said. "Just… a little shocked."
"Shocked?" Momoshiro tilted his head as he watched her. "It looked to be a serious talk…"
"Did he ask you out again?" Kikumaru asked. "Do we need to beat him up for you?!"
"Eiji!" Oishi sighed exasperatedly. "Don't talk like that."
"But, Oishi! If he asked her out then we have to because we have to protect her!" Kikumaru whined. "If he hurt her…"
Hari tuned him out and focused on Ryoma who was looking worriedly at her.
"He just…" Hari frowned because she didn't really want to tell them. Not yet. Not when she wasn't sure what to think herself yet. She sighed.
"Well," Tezuka cleared his throat and got the others attention right away even Kikumaru stopped arguing with Oishi about the duty to protect Hari from Atobe. "You know you can talk to us if you need to, Hari-san. Now, go home and be prepared for practice tomorrow!"
He directed the last order to all of them and Hari shot him a grateful smile to which he returned with a short nod before turning away and walked in the other direction.
...
Hari stared at the page in her book. The words were meaningless to her right now, they only swam in front of her eyes not making any sense as her mind was too focused on the conversation with Atobe and the fact that he was somehow connected to her mother.
Was it true? Was her mum really his godmother?
A flash of anger hit her as she thought that it was yet another thing hidden from her, yet another part of her family history that was hidden and withheld from her. Did Dumbledore know? She wasn't sure if he would know about Lily's friends outside of school. It wasn't normal for a headmaster to know about stuff like that about their students.
But Dumbledore wasn't a normal headmaster now, was he? Nor was Lily just a normal student, either.
The small voice in her mind whispered in her mind, and it was true, Hari thought. From what Remus and Sirius (the little time she had with him) had said Dumbledore had been in her parents' lives even after graduation.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes trying to focus on the homework for once, but it seemed like an impossible task. She pushed the book away from her frustrated and got up starting to pace the floor and shot Hedwig an apologetic look when she hooted annoyed at her.
"Hari?" Ryoma poked his head into her room and gave her a concerned look. "Doshita?"
She rolled her eyes at him before falling back at her bed not answering him. She felt bad but right now she couldn't focus on it. She was aware that Ryoma entered her room and sat down on the edge of the bed watching her.
"You've been distracted ever since Atobe talked with you," Ryoma said after a while.
"Hm," Hari sat up and reached over at the nightstand and pulled the small drawer open and somehow managed to pull out her photo album ignoring the letter from Sirius that fell out at the same movement and landed on the floor.
She flipped through the album almost frantically until she found the pictures of her parents' wedding. She was aware that Ryoma was watching her, but he didn't say anything.
She took a moment to watch her mum's smile and brilliant auburn hair and green eyes, and her dad's awed smile and glasses that was sitting lopsidedly on his nose and his messy wild hair. She then started to look at the surrounding people.
She found Sirius and Remus, both looking younger and happier than she had ever seen them before and she felt a stab of pain at the thought of all they had been through now that had made them both age so much. She briefly thought about sending a letter to Sirius or Remus about Atobe. They would know, Hari was sure, but… if she asked about it, they would easily figure out where she was. There was no way they wouldn't connect the question to her location, so no. She couldn't and wouldn't ask them.
Besides…she felt a little annoyed that they hadn't told her either.
There.
She inhaled as she saw the picture of her mum with a woman with brown hair, onyx eyes and a tear-mole under her right eye just as Atobe had. Was this his mother?
Both Lily and the other woman was smiling and had their arms linked together, and was waving up at her as they laughed happily.
"He was telling the truth," Hari whispered.
"Hari?" Ryoma asked.
Hari looked up at him. "He was telling the truth, Ryo-chan," she repeated.
"Truth about what?" Ryoma asked confused.
"Mum was his godmother," Hari told Ryoma who arched a brow surprised. "His mum and my mum were best friends…"
She showed the picture to Ryoma and told him what Atobe had told her. She knew that she could trust Ryoma and she needed to talk to someone about it. She would have talked to Ron and Hermione but they weren't here and Ryoma was the one she trusted the most.
"Huh," Ryoma blinked when she was finished and he gave her a look that showed concern and understanding. "Okashii-naa."
Hari nodded.
"What should I do, Ryo-chan?" she asked.
He looked at her for a moment.
"What do you want to do, Hari?" he asked instead of answering.
She pulled a hand through her hair frustrated and confused.
"I don't know," she admitted honestly.
"Then wait and see," Ryoma told her. "You don't have to figure it out today."
Hari blinked at him making him stare back.
"Huh," Hari said and a slow smile started to spread on her face.
"What?" he scowled at her suspiciously. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"Like what, Ryo-chan?" Hari asked innocently.
"Like that!" Ryoma waved a hand at her.
"Just who would have thought you could be so mature and give such grown-up advice," Hari told him before laughing when he lunged for her and they crashed to the floor in a wrestling match both ignoring Hedwig's indignant hooting.
They twisted and rolled around the floor until the door was opened and Rinko and Nanako entered the room before stopping abruptly spotting the two wrestling kids on the floor.
"What's going on?" Rinko asked but she sounded amused.
Hari and Ryoma (who both had missed them entering the room) froze and looked up at them in what would be a very uncomfortable position. Their legs were locked together and Hari had her arm around Ryoma's shoulder while he was somehow managing to hold onto her as well.
"Um," they both blinked at them.
Nanako was holding a hand over her mouth hiding her smile and giggle.
"It sounded like you were trying to kill each other," Rinko told them with an arched brow. "Mind telling me what has you acting like little kids?"
They somehow managed to get free and out of the uncomfortable positions before getting back to their feet rubbing their necks looking sheepish.
"Just having fun," Hari shrugged.
"Yeah," Ryoma nodded.
Rinko sighed and looked between them before shaking her head muttering something about little kids as she turned and left the room.
...
The days passed by and Hari managed to get back into a regular rhythm of things and focused on tennis practice. She would be lying if she said she wasn't thinking about what Atobe had told her, or that she didn't look at the picture she had found in the album at all during the nights when she had trouble falling asleep or woke up because of her nightmares.
But all in all, she found her way to the new normality that was becoming her days at Seigaku. She was also very grateful that the regulars all let her pretend that the meeting with Atobe hadn't taken place. At least they didn't ask her about it and if they gave her curious looks then she chose to ignore it.
Hari was playing with Ryoma during practice when Ryuzaki suddenly called them over. Hari smiled when she saw Sakuno standing beside the older woman looking for a cross between confused and embarrassed.
"Hey, Sakuno-chan," Hari smiled at her and took in her tennis outfit. "You've been at practice?"
Sakuno nodded and blushed as she glanced at Ryoma who was watching stoically.
"Ah, Ryoma and Hari," Ryuzaki smiled at them. "Are you free tomorrow, Ryoma?"
"What about it?" Ryoma asked.
Hari tilted her head curiously, "he is."
"Sakuno's strings are all messed up," Ryuzaki told them. "I was planning on taking her to Haritatsu's, but I can't. You know him, right Ryoma?"
Hari glanced at Ryoma who looked bored and not really interested, but she nudged him making him frown at her.
"He would be delighted to take Sakuno-chan to meet him," Hari said for Ryoma who shot her a glare before blanking his face out before Sakuno noticed.
"Hari-chan!" Sakuno blushed furiously.
"Wonderful," Ryuzaki said amusedly.
"Grandma!" Sakuno turned to her.
"You'll do it, right, Ryo-chan?" Hari smiled widely at her little brother who gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't impressed. Hari just smiled wider.
"Fine," he sighed.
"Accepting a girl's request makes you at least a somewhat useful guy," Ryuzaki said turning toward Sakuno who had stopped looking frantically and embarrassedly at her grandmother and Hari and was now blushingly staring at the ground.
"Ari-Arigato gozaimasu," Sakuno managed to say as she bowed to Ryoma.
"Ha," Ryoma said but glared when Hari slapped his arm.
"Attitude," she told him firmly and he stuck out his tongue at her.
"Very mature, Ryo-chan," Hari rolled her eyes at him before looking at Sakuno who was watching them with wide brown eyes. Hari smiled kindly at her and stepped away from her brother and linked her arm with Sakuno's. "Come on, Sakuno-chan."
"Wh-where are we going?" she stuttered slightly but she followed (not that Hari really left her a choice as she was dragging her by the linked arms).
"I missed practising with you," Hari told her. "Let's go and practice together."
"H-hai," Sakuno smiled.
Ryuzaki was left with Ryoma staring after Hari and Sakuno who just rounded a corner and disappeared from view. Ryuzaki had a pensive look on her face as she watched. Hari seemed to have taken a liking to Sakuno, Ryuzaki noted a little surprised but pleased. She knew her granddaughter was a very timid girl and had problems with her confidence, but she was a good girl and was very compassionate. Hari could, hopefully, help bring Sakuno out of her shell a little.
"Can I go back to practice now?" Ryoma asked bringing Ryuzaki out of her musings.
"Of course," Ryuzaki nodded.
...
Sakuno was still a little flushed and Hari smiled amusedly as she watched the younger girl.
"Will you come tomorrow as well?" Sakuno asked when they stopped at a spot underneath some trees.
"I don't think so," Hari said leaning toward a tree and observed Sakuno who blushed again. It was more fun than it should be to watch Sakuno blush, but it was so easy… "Why? You hoped that I would?"
Sakuno looked away and Hari allowed herself to smile.
"Don't worry," Hari laughed making Sakuno look at her. "It's fine. You and Ryo-chan will have the day to yourself."
"I…I didn't… I didn't mean…" Sakuno stammered.
Hari just grinned making Sakuno blush again.
"Don't take it so seriously, Sakuno-chan," Hari told her. "I'm just teasing you."
Sakuno nodded and fiddled with the hem of her shirt.
"Oi!" a loud voice interrupted them and Sakuno looked a little relieved when they spotted Tomoka coming toward them waving. "What are you doing?!"
"We're going to practice tennis," Sakuno explained calmer now at the sight of her best friend.
Tomoka glanced between the two with curious eyes, "oh? I thought you were on the boys' team now, Hari-chan?"
"I am," Hari smiled at the girl. "I just thought it would be fun to practice with Sakuno-chan, so I'm doing that."
Tomoka looked between them before she nodded.
"I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place tomorrow if you're free, Sakuno?" Tomoka asked.
"Oh, um," Sakuno looked nervous again. "I have to get the strings on my racket fixed…."
"Oh," Tomoka looked disappointed.
"And…Ryoma-kun is going to take me," Sakuno finished with a new blush.
Hari smiled amusedly as she saw Tomoka stare at Sakuno blankly for a long moment as she processed the news.
"WHAT?!" She yelled her eyes wide and hand wigwagging around her wildly. "YOU'RE GOING ON A DATE WITH RYOMA-SAMA?!"
Hari winced at the loud voice and rubbed her ears as she shot the overly excited girl an annoyed look, but there was amusement as well in her expression.
"Shush," Sakuno blushed and looked around fretfully. "It's not a date."
"Oh, I'm so jealous!" Tomoka moaned. "A date with Ryoma-sama! I want to come too!"
"Then it wouldn't be a date," Hari pointed out with an amused smile.
"Hari-chan!" Sakuno blushed, "It's not a date!"
"Good point," Tomoka nodded and gave Sakuno a look. "Well, you have to find the perfect outfit, Sakuno!"
"Just avoid pink," Hari advised her, "Ryo-chan doesn't like it."
Sakuno was now so red that Hari wondered if she could get any redder.
"It's not a date," Sakuno repeated hiding her face behind her hands.
Hari chuckled but didn't say anything else. She knew when to stop and right now she could tell that Sakuno had enough of their teasing.
"It's fine, Sakuno-chan," Hari smiled. "Let's practice now. I won't tease you anymore."
Sakuno looked at her sceptically and Hari held up her hand in what she had seen on the television to mean scouts-honour and Sakuno nodded.
...
The next day Hari spent the morning working on her magic lessons, she had to send two essays to her private instructor that had been set up for her. She was very pleased with the home-schooling system they had set up for her for her magic lessons, just enough so that she could train her magic and still function in the magic world. Even if she was more inclined to stay in the muggle world.
She had finished her essays and looked at the clock, it was almost time for Ryoma to go and meet Sakuno. Hari smiled slightly to herself before it fell as her eyes landed on the piece of paper she had stuck on the table lamp.
Atobe Keigo – 222-XX-XXX
Her mind went back to that day at the beginning of the week and she wondered what to do. She had gotten over the shock now (well, mostly) and the curiosity had her wanting to reach out because of the chance of getting to know more about her mum…
Should she talk to him?
She bit down on her lower lip considering…
She could avoid him and pretend that he wasn't a connection to her past. That she hadn't just been faced with something that was such a reminder of what she was trying to leave behind. It wouldn't be impossible to do that, but…
But she felt like a coward and she wasn't a coward. She was a Gryffindor and even if she didn't really liked the British Wizarding World right now and didn't trust the professors and headmaster at Hogwarts didn't mean that she hated the school itself. Hogwarts had been her first home, the first place she had felt welcomed (not counting Ryoma and his parents). And she kind of missed the warmth she had felt from the school when her life hadn't been in danger.
So, alright, she had been in danger most of the time but there were still some good times and she did miss Ron and Hermione. Though, that wasn't what she was going to think about now. The point was, she was a Gryffindor and that meant that she was brave and wouldn't hide just because she felt…well, scared.
She hated to admit it, but it was true. She felt scared of what the connection to Atobe would mean. Did he have a connection to the British Magical World? Did meeting him mean she would be exposed to them again? What if his parents said something to someone and let it out that she was here? Maybe they didn't think she should be hiding away here and continue at Hogwarts? Take up her parents' inheritance?
Hari knew very well that these worries were (probably) just her mind overthinking the situation and the unknown. Hermione would say she was brooding. Atobe was clearly living in Japan and hadn't said anything about being magical at all, in fact…she wasn't sure he even knew about magic. She had a suspicion that he might know, there had been something in the way he had talked and the way he looked at her, but she couldn't be sure.
And…his mother (Hari still didn't know her name) had been best friends with Lily since they were young kids. From before they Lily started Hogwarts, so that meant that Atobe's mother most likely was a muggle. She hadn't attended Hogwarts.
Sighing Hari shook her head trying to clear it. This was getting ridiculous, she thought. She grabbed her phone before she could talk herself out of it again.
Hey. Can we meet and talk today? I will wait at the burger place close by my school in one hour. Hari.
She pressed send and let a small sigh leave her as she wondered if she had made the right choice.
...
Hari walked downstairs and saw Ryoma getting ready just as Nanjiro entered the hallway muttering something about being hungry, but he paused when he saw Ryoma tying his shoes.
"So, kiddo, where are you going?" he asked. "A deto?"
"The racket stringer's place," Ryoma didn't turn around as he answered.
"Oh, it's a date," Hari grinned as she made herself known to them. "He's going with this cute young girl who keeps blushing around him."
Nanjiro grinned happily with a teasing look in his brown eyes as he looked at Ryoma who scowled up at Hari.
"Oh, oh," Nanjiro drawled. "What a weird place to take your date, Ryoma… you should know better than that…"
"I'm just taking Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter there," Ryoma scoffed looking away from Hari. "It's no big deal and it's not a date."
"That's a poor excuse, Ryo-chan," Hari smiled, "you're going there alone with Sakuno-chan, and you even have gotten on your best jacket."
Ryoma huffed.
"Have you already gotten to that age, huh?" Nanjiro cackled gleefully. "I'm so happy as your father too!"
Hari smiled amusedly as she watched the father and son bicker back and forth a little until Ryoma left with an annoyed huff.
Nanjiro was still laughing as he watched the door close.
"Do you have plans today, Hari-chan?" he asked turning toward her when he calmed a little.
Hari shrugged not wanting to tell the man that she had plans on meeting a boy (even if it was Atobe and only to find out more about her mum). She knew that he wouldn't find it as amusing as he did with Ryoma for some stupid reason. She had seen how he had reacted to her being on the boys' team and she wasn't willing to have him going into overprotective mode right now.
"I might go out to practice tennis a little," she said with a shrug. "It's not as exciting as Ryo-chan's date…"
"Hm, alright," he nodded before grinning again. "I wonder if that boy even knows how to date."
"Probably not," Hari snorted, "he'll probably walk in silence and let Sakuno fret on what to say…" (å
Nanjiro frowned and Hari almost lets a sigh of relief out at how easy it was to distract him. He suddenly smiled.
"That's right," he said. "This is something I have to see!"
He bounced out of the door leaving Hari to herself and she shook her head amused.
"That was a clever distracting method," Nanako spoke up softly from the kitchen door.
Hari spun around to see the older girl standing there watching her curiously. Hari hadn't noticed her being there and was now wondering what to do.
"Oh," she settled with.
"Don't worry," Nanako smiled at her. "I won't tell uncle that you distracted him on purpose. He can be a little overprotective of you."
Hari smiled gratefully at the older girl.
"Thank you," she said.
"Where are you going?" Nanako asked.
"I just have to talk to someone," Hari said.
"A boy?" Nanako was smiling now.
Hari grimaced slightly but she nodded.
"Yeah," she nodded.
"Alright," Nanako said. "Just be careful, Hari-chan."
...
Hari sat at a table in the corner at the burger place when Atobe entered the diner alone. He walked with a swagger and looked around. Hari could tell when he spotted her and saw only a second of his emotions cross his face before the confident mask was back again as he headed over to her and sat down.
"I was surprised by your text," he said as a way of greeting.
Hari nodded.
"So…" Atobe looked at her when she didn't say anything. "Have you had time to think?"
"I guess," she said feeling uncomfortable. "It's a lot to take in."
He nodded slowly.
"I guess I can understand that," he said. "Do you believe me now?"
"I think so," Hari said a little unsurely.
Atobe frowned, "if you don't believe me why did you ask me to meet you? Why is it so difficult to believe?"
Hari frowned back at him.
"It's not the first time I've been tricked into believing something," Hari snapped at him. "I don't want to end up in a bad situation again just because I want to know more about my parents! I can't…"
He looked worriedly at her now.
"I wouldn't lie to you," he told her so sincerely that she had to blink. "Look. Here, I found this and thought you might be interested in seeing it."
He pulled out what looked like a small stack of papers, but Hari soon realised that it was photos.
She took them and was met with the (unmoving) picture of two girls looking to be around nine years old. She immediately recognised her mum, Lily, with the same auburn hair as herself and green eyes. While the other girl had brown hair and onyx eyes that was shining in laughter.
Hari swallowed. It was the girl or woman from her photo from her parents' wedding. If anything would convince her that it was true, this would do it.
She looked at the other pictures in the small stack and saw Lily with Atobe's mother in various situations until they looked to be adults.
"You're telling the truth," she whispered.
"The great Atobe never lies," Atobe declared proudly making Hari snort as some of the tension left her as she gave him a looked that crossed between amused and incredulous.
"You sound like a prat I knew speaking like that," Hari told him making him frown at her but he smiled slightly as he picked up on her mood change.
...
They talked and Atobe got them some food as they did, he tried to get them to go to a nicer place but Hari waved it off and happily ate her burger and fries. Atobe sighed but accepted it as he observed her quietly.
Mainly it was Atobe who told her about his family, how his mother (who was named Atobe Yukiko) and his father (Atobe Jurou) met and married, how Lily had threatened his father to treat her best friend right or else. Hari couldn't help but be pulled into the stories and wanting to hear more.
"Mother will be able to tell you more," Atobe said when they had finished eating and had talked for a while.
"Oh, right," Hari said suddenly nervous again.
"Why? You don't want to meet her?" Atobe asked.
Hari took a moment to gather her thoughts as she looked up at Atobe who was watching her closely.
"It's not that. I just…" she sighed as she thought; What if she doesn't like me?
She didn't say this out loud, not wanting to sound weak or worried. Not anymore.
...
Nanjiro stood beside four kids from Ryoma's tennis club he didn't remember the name of, but they were fun and amusing. They had been trying to stop him from following Ryoma and his date all day much to his delight.
And now they were staring at Ryoma and Sakuno with a stunned realisation that this wasn't a date and that Ryoma had only gone with her in place of her grandmother.
"So boring," Nanjiro huffed at the same time as Momoshiro.
Nanjiro huffed again and turned around, "well, I'm going home."
He walked two steps before he suddenly froze making the others look at him.
"Ossan!" Momoshiro called out.
Nanjiro ignored him. Ryoma wasn't on a date. He had followed him all afternoon because he thought he was going on a date and it wasn't a date.
Hari knew.
Hari had known it wasn't a date, but she had let him believe it was. She pushed him to think that.
Why? Why would she do that? Nanjiro thought.
"She played me!" Nanjiro suddenly yelled startling the others enough for them to take a couple of steps back. "Oh, that girl! She played me! She knew it wasn't a date! She knew Ryoma wasn't going on a date… why would she….she wasn't going out to play tennis… oh, that girl. I have to find her!"
He stormed off and left some very confused teens behind who had no idea what just happened or even who that man even was.
...
...
AN: Thoughts? Hope you liked it! :)
The hometown for Lily is a fictional town that JK Rowling made up for her Harry Potter universe that I found on Pottermore. So I took the hometown for Lily and Atobe Yukiko from there. And of course Atobe Yukiko's backstory is completely made up by me, I don't know anything about her from the PoT canon. Don't think she's mentioned, so I'm taking some liberties. :)
Next chapter will have bonding between Hari and the Seigaku regulars! :) And a certain someone will make an appearance in some shape or form! XD
Thank you for reading and supporting the story! :)
Japanese words used:
Tanomu - Please
Nan da to - What did you say?
Doshita - What's up?
Okashii-naa - That's strange
Arigato gozaimasu - Thank you
Hai - Yes
Deto - Date
Ossan - Old man
