4 years later
"Are you… prepared yet?"
Kashi's choice of words made Midori roll his eyes.
"Not yet!" he called back.
Pulling a face he picked up his glamour potion, the one he had drunken every morning since he was seven.
His guardian, Manebe was always in fear that Midori's 'family' would find him if he wasn't properly disguised so he insisted he drank the potion every morning as well as wearing colour-changing glasses.
He had use to wear contact lenses when he was a student at the Academy but after two years he graduated, making him the youngest person to graduate ever and with top marks too, and decided to stay on as the teacher of Charms and Duelling. He thought the glasses made him look more teacher-y considering he was only eleven and taught many of his friends.
He gulped down the foul tasting potion and winced as he watched the mirror as his face change shape and his hair turn a light brown colour.
Hie eyes remained their natural emerald green colour, for some reason the potion didn't affect eyes.
Reluctantly Midori put on his square frame glasses. He needed them anyway, without them he was blind as a bat, but he hated the dull, misty-green colour they made his eyes.
His… aunt had always complained that his eyes were 'just like his freak mother.' Years later Midori now knew that freak meant witch and took the comment as a compliment.
He slid back to paper door. "There. Happy?"
Kashi shrugged. "I don't care. It's you Manebe will yell at if you don't do as he says."
Midori sighed. "Remember when Manebe used to be fun?"
Silence.
"Me neither."
She slapped him over the head. "He was fun once! Then you turned up and he had responsibilities."
"Yes. It is all your fault," said a frosty voice as Midori's best friend Shimo stepped out of the shadows.
Shimo was the product of a rape. His mother had been a herbologist witch and his father, a winter fae, had… taken her while she was out picking herbs one day.
Shimo's mother had left him at the Academy before killing herself. Neither his father nor his father's people had ever come for him.
Shimo resembled his father's people completely. He had snow-white hair and icy blue eyes. Even his skin was a pure white marble colour.
The younger boys at the academy adored him. He bore a striking resemblance to the anime character Hitsugaya Toshiro from Bleach.
Once the boys were gone Shimo indignantly told Midori that he was taller.
Midori glared at his friend. "Thanks for backing me up Shiro chan." (Translation: Shiro – White. Chan form of endearment. Shiro chan- Whitey)
Shimo glared back at him. "Don't call me that." He turned to Kashi. "Mangetsu is looking for you."
Mangetsu was Kashi's younger sister. They were orphans, found under an oak tree on a full moon night. That was how they got their names. Kashi meant oak and Mangetsu meant full moon.
They wouldn't remember how their parents died, they couldn't even remember their parents just flashes of blood and a chilling knowledge of death.
"Well then I bid you goodbye boys," said Kashi extravagantly. "Enjoy your day off and try not to blow anything up!"
Midori grinned wickedly. "Us? Blow something up? Never?"
Kashi just laughed as she ran off around the corner.
Midori turned to Shimo. "So partner! What are we doing today?"
"You," said Shimo. "Are not doing anything except visiting the Temple and praying for good will on your birthday. And it wouldn't kill you to go see Manabe."
Midori groaned. "But it's my day off! I don't want to spend it with all the old farty priests."
"And pray that Buddha relieves you of your lack of respect," Shimo snapped back.
"Fine," he mumbled, "I'll go. But I you if Mane tries to force any of his 'potions' on me!"
He turned to leave and Shimo grabbed his arm. "Headmistress Imamura wants to talk to you."
"Why?" asked Midori confused. He hadn't done anything wrong… recently.
"No idea," shrugged Shimo. "But I felt fear on her… and anxiety."
Shimo was a powerful Empath, it was the only thing he had inherited from his mother. He could sense people's emotions and tell if they were lying. It made it really difficult to arrange surprise parties for him. They'd tried once, never again… never, ever again.
"Thanks, " muttered Midori. "See you later." He turned and walked thoughtfully to the headmistress' office.
He knocked on the door and Headmistress Imamura's melodic voice called out to him.
"Enter."
He pushed the door open to see the headmistress sitting at her desk. She up and smiled at him, making his heart melt.
Megumi Imamura was considered to be the most beautiful person in Japan. She had flawless skin and sleek, raven black hair that fell past her waist, but it was her eyes that were the real envy of every Japanese woman.
She had baby blue eyes that seemed to draw you in. The whole combination gave her a vulnerable appearance, which of course was bullshit.
Megumi Imamura was known by the criminal underworld as the 'Pretty Demon' after her work in the 1980s bringing down two major gangs. She was cunning, stealthy and a deadly duellist.
Midori gulped, "Headmistress? Shimo said you wanted to see me."
Her eyes flashed slightly with panic and her voice shook as she said, "Oh yes. Please sit down. And for the last time call me Megumi! You're not my student anymore."
He grinned wirily, "Sorry ma'am, hold habits die hard."
Once he was seated she peered down at him sadly. "Midori you've been here for four years correct?"
He nodded unsure of where the conversation was going.
"However you are originally from England?" she said it as a question.
"Yes ma'am," he answered.
She leant back in her chair and sighed deeply. "Have you ever heard of Hogwarts?"
He nodded. Of course he had, they had spent a month on the British magic society in History of Magic.
"The school in Scotland right?"
"Yes. Well their Headmaster is an old friend of mine and a brilliant man," she shifted uncomfortably. "Now Midori, I know I shouldn't have but I mentioned you to him. You're an excellent wizard and I admit I wanted to brag a little." She chuckled. "But I also mentioned a little bit of… you past."
He paled and gripped the tree tightly. He wasn't comfortable telling people about his past and he only ever shared it with people very close to him.
The Headmistress shuddered at the look of hurt in the boy's eyes and quickly elaborated. "I didn't tell him about… well about…" she struggled to put it into words.
"You mean what they did to me," he said flatly,
"Erm… yes," she said awkwardly, "I just told him that your parents were magic people who died and you grew up with relatives before accidentally apparating here." She leant forward and stared him directly in the eyes. "Hear me out first before you say no. Albus, the head master Albus Dumbledore, would like to talk to you about you coming to Hogwarts this year. In England children start at your age and… he thinks that he may know who your parents are."
Midori raised an eyebrow. "He wants me to attend his school? He does know I'm a teacher now right?"
Imamura blushed crimson, "Well yes but…"
"And do you really think he knows who my parents are?" he asked cynically, "Sounds sketchy to me."
She paused for a minute before answering carefully. "Albus… Albus was a huge part in the war against the English Dark Lord Voldermort and he has always believed he would return. I think… I think that perhaps Albus is trying to get you on his side in case of a second war."
"So he just wants to buddy up to me so he can use my powers to defeat a Dark Lord?"
She looked a little torn between her friend and her employee. "I don't know. Why don't you talk to him and decide yourself?"
He sighed, "Oh one condition."
"Of course," she said, relieved that he was going to speak to the old coot.
"Shimo must be here," he said, "So we can know if this Headmaster is telling the truth."
She nodded and Midori opened up his mind, using Legillmency to call out his friend.
Shimo?
Midori? What's up? What did Imamura want?
Midori quickly explained the situation and what he wanted Shimo to do.
The door swung open with a loud bang and Midori and the Headmistress jumped. Shimo was standing in the door way arrogantly.
"Let's do this!"