"Okay, Blaze! We are officially THIRD YEARS!" Konata cried enthusiastically, hopping off the Hogwarts Express. Blaze jumped off behind her, grinning brightly.

"Uh huh! I wish Shiro had sat with us on the train, though… Wonder why he sat with Malfoy and his cronies?"

Konata shrugged, feeling a pang of uneasiness at the memory of how Shiro had looked away and allowed Draco to close their compartment door when the two girls said hi to their friend. Still, she didn't want that to ruin her first day back at the magnificent school she'd come to think of as home.

It wasn't until they were swept into the Great Hall that Konata and Blaze saw Shiro again. He was sitting alone at the farthest end of the Ravenclaw table, which was odd; he was always surrounded by a group of friends, or at least sitting beside someone. "Think we should talk to him…?" Konata asked. Blaze thought for a moment, then nodded. "Might as well find out what's up."

Konata took a silent deep breath and trotted over to him. The boys that Konata recognized as Shiro's roommates shot her an alarmed look and made motions at her, mouthing things like "No!" and "Don't do it!" Still, she put on her cheeriest smile and exclaimed, "Shiro! It's great to see you!"

Shiro slowly turned to face her, wearing a hate-filled expression. "Get out of here, Verdent."

Konata's smile faded automatically. "Verdent…? Shiro, what's…?"

"Are you deaf? I said get out of here," Shiro growled.

Blaze pulled on Konata's sleeve. "I think we should go," she whispered. Konata shook her head, pulling her arm away from Blaze's hand.

"Shiro, if something's bothering you, you can tell us! We're here for you! And if you don't want to share, that's perfectly okay, but-"

"If you really gave a crap about my feelings, you'd get the hell away from me." Konata's jaw dropped. If there was one thing Shiro never dared do, it was cuss. Even the smallest words like damn and hell were erased from his vocabulary.

"Shiro, I-I…"

Shiro's eyes flared with anger. "Would you get out of here? Leave me alone!"

"But I just want to help!" Konata cried. Blaze shook her head, muttering, "Konata, let's GO!"

Shiro got to his feet, whipping out his wand. He held it up to Konata's throat, gripping her hair with the other hand. "Don't make me hurt you. Mark my words, I will if you don't back off," Shiro hissed through clenched teeth. Eyes watering, Konata squeaked the words "I'm sorry" and ran off to the Hufflepuff table, her double braids flapping behind her.

Blaze glared suspiciously at Shiro, turning and heading back to her own table. It was then she realized that the whole time Konata was talking to Shiro, she received the feeling that she was being watched from the direction of the Slytherin table. She felt her chest tighten as she saw Malfoy give Shiro a thumbs-up.

Later that day, after talking over the situation, Blaze and Konata decided to confront Satoshi. When they located him in the hallway, he was chatting with a first year girl who Blaze immediately recognized as Sakura. She had been sorted into Gryffindor that morning. When she hugged her brother and walked away, Konata and Blaze approached Satoshi.

"Why hello, my dears," he grinned, winking.

"Yes yes hi. What's the deal with your brother?" exclaimed Konata. Satoshi's smile faded.

"Oh God… I swear, that kid's been so screwed up lately… Though, I can't blame him." Blaze raised an eyebrow. "Why is he acting so out of character?"

Satoshi sighed. "You see…. Our family lives in this Muggle-free village, concealed by mountains: dragon territory. They've always left us alone so long as we left THEM alone, but over the summer, this one attacked our village. It was a nightmare. The Malfoys had been visiting at the time, and…" Satoshi transitioned into flashback mode.

"OW! Damn lizard…!" Satoshi growled, clutching his bleeding arm. He groped the ground for his wand, even though he knew very well he'd get expelled if he used it. Though, with a dragon bite in his arm, expulsion from school was the last thing on his mind.

"Satoshi! There you are!" yelled a frantic Draco. His skin was paler than usual (if possible), his messy bleach blonde hair sticking to his forehead in strands.

"Draco! Where's Shiro?" Satoshi asked weakly.

"I don't know… I was hoping you would." Suddenly, a sharp "NO!" rang out throughout the village.

"Shiro!" the two boys gasped in unison.

"You're a bloody mess… Go get someone to clean you up, I'll find Shiro," stated Draco. Satoshi nodded half-heartedly and shakily got to his feet.

"Shiro! I've finally found you!" Draco cried once he came across his friend. Shiro was frozen on his knees, his eyes widened in horror. For a moment, Draco feared the dragon was poisonous and had found then bit him, but he saw that, although barely, he was still breathing correctly. He immediately ran over to him and rapidly shook his shoulders.

"Shiro! Speak to me!" he demanded. Shaking horribly, Shiro gulped and looked behind Draco. Draco glanced over his own shoulder, and gasped. Bloody and unmoving were Shiro's parents, eyes still widened in terror with their arms still gripping each other. Mr. Ueda's broken wand had rolled out of his hand.

"Oh, Shiro… I-I…" Draco had been brought up to never feel sympathy, so he didn't understand the throbbing in his chest. Before he even started trying to comprehend the feeling, he felt a shadow cast over him. The dragon jumped off the roof of someone's crushed, burning house- the reason Shiro's parents decided they best go outside- and was approaching them with bared teeth.

"Shiro… We have to go," Draco whispered.

"No… I can't…"

"They're dead. There's nothing you can do to help them at this point."

"No, I, CAN'T. It scratched me in the leg earlier before flying off… Its claws are poisonous, I can't move…" His voice was a choked whisper.

Draco bit his lip, cursing under his breath. Sure, Shiro wasn't a Slytherin, and the boys hadn't been getting along as much as they used to, but he couldn't let him die. He glanced at his wand, but dismissed the thought immediately. No way would he risk breaking a wizardry law. He stood up straight, scooping up a handful of dirt. "Hey, you great dumb oaf. Come and get me." He chucked the dirt in the dragon's eyes, causing it to screech in aggravation as he bolted off into the nearby forest.

Draco scrambled up a tree, the dragon close behind. He brought himself high up into the branches, his heart thudding like a drum. The dragon flew up to the same height as Draco, then during the brief second at which it lunged for him, Draco jumped. The dragon crashed through the branches, flailing angrily. It eventually knocked down the tree amid its confusion, causing a domino effect among the surrounding trees. After hitting the ground, Draco groaned, rubbing his neck as he precariously sat up. Though he was aching all over, he got to his feet and dragged himself to Shiro's side.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a murmur. Shiro nodded very slowly.

"The feeling is returning to my leg… And, thanks for saving me… It… It was lucky your quick little plan worked," he whispered. Draco glanced at the corpses of Mr. and Mrs. Ueda.

"I don't think luck was present today," he muttered morosely. The shock gradually seeped out of Shiro's expression. Pressing his forehead against Draco's shoulder, he wept. "Shiro!" cried two voices.

"Sakura, Satoshi, thank the Lord…!" He wasn't sure where his brother had gotten to, but he did know his sister had gone to the town market, which was currently missing a wall and roof. Shiro spotted three small creatures approaching them.

"Master Shiro! Opey found Shiro's pets, he did! They is safe! Mean flying lizard did not get them!" their house elf called. Shiro shakily reached out to scratch Mischief's head and allowed Jakkin to land on his shoulder. "What a relief… But… Where are the twins and Sana?" he asked hesitantly.

Sakura had obviously been trying very hard to look strong, but now burst into tears. "Oh, Shiro! They were playing at the Merson's home… A-and LOOK!" Shaking terribly, she pointed at a pile of flaming debris that had once been the home of the Merson family.

"Maybe… Maybe they got out…?" Shiro suggested.

Sakura shook her head, falling to her knees. "I just walked by… They're still in there, b-but, they're… They're DEAD!"

Shiro was speechless. His little siblings… They were just children! They couldn't be DEAD! But, glancing over his shoulder at his parents' bodies, he realized the cruel reality of the situation.

Sakura followed his gaze and started sobbing, somehow, harder than before. "MUM! DAD!" she screamed. She shook her head, burying her face in her hand. A tear rolled down Satoshi's face as he pulled Sakura and Shiro into a tight hug. He even made room for Opey to join in. "At least we have each other," he whispered.

"Draco," called the cold voice of Lucius Malfoy. His expression was sickeningly apathetic. "Come. We're leaving."

Draco stared at the Ueda kids, his eyes widened. In his head, he said "We can't just LEAVE them!" but the words that came out of his mouth were, "Yes, Father." He reluctantly got to his feet, patting Shiro's back one last time.

"W-wait. Draco…"

"Yeah…?"

"You… saved my life. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Any previous soft feelings completed left Draco's brain. A small smirk formed on his lips. "We'll discuss this later."

"Oh my God, that's horrible…! I'm so sorry…" Blaze whispered in present time. Konata had her hand clasped over her mouth, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Shiro is acting like this to repay Draco for saving his life. Why does Draco want him turned against you guys? Your guess is as good as mine," Satoshi concluded.

"I'll bet I know why," Blaze uttered. "Thanks, Satoshi. You have my condolences... See you later." She then headed for her common room.

"Do you think Shiro will be like this until we graduate?" Konata inquired, her voice weak.

Satoshi gave a small shrug. "Time can only tell."