September first almost seemed to advance on them overnight. There were still a couple new things they'd needed supply-wise, so they headed down to Diagon Alley the day before the last day of August. Even though Mr. and Mrs. Verdent still seemed a little uneasy, Konata acted as if their discussion had never taken place and she still thought they were her biological parents.
"Ah, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, how I missed you so!" Konata sang as she emerged from the column. This year, she wore her hair in an individual braid down her back. Blaze, whose own hair was nearly down to her bottom, ran up beside her, grinning from ear to ear. Konata suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, her luggage nearly tumbling off her cart and Tar almost falling off her shoulder. "Oy! SHIRO!" she called. The brown haired boy turned away from his siblings at the sound of his name, and his face immediately lit up.
The couple abandoned their carts, running at each other. Konata wrapped her arms around Shiro's neck and, his arms around her waist, he spun her around, lifting her in the air halfway through. After sharing a lengthy kiss that made Mr. Verdent cringe, they stood back to admire each other as if they'd been separated for years, not a few months.
"Oh, do I have things to tell you!" Konata breathed.
"I have a lot to talk about as well… Unfortunately, I'm not allowed," Shiro sighed. Konata shrugged, hugging him once more.
"That's fine. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble, being a prefect and all!"
Shiro smiled sheepishly. "Konata, just because I was appointed prefect doesn't mean I'm any different… I'm still your same old Shiro. Don't forget that…"
Konata gave a sharp nod. "I won't, don't you worry." She abruptly spun around to face her parents. "The train is going to leave soon… 'Bye Mum! 'Bye Daddy! I promise I'll keep in touch." With that, she hugged Mrs. Verdent, gave Mr. Verdent a peck on the cheek, grabbed her cart, and shot off toward the train. Blaze quickly said her goodbyes to Konata's parents before following after her, Shiro by her side.
"Geez, what are you, Konata's energy drink?" Blaze mused as they boarded the train. Shiro opened his mouth, but immediately looked like it'd be in his best interest not to say anything, so he closed it. Blaze raised an eyebrow; however, before she could question it audibly, Konata bounded over to them and grabbed their hands, seeking out an empty seat.
As they searched for a compartment with enough room for the three of them, Konata told Shiro some minor details of her summer, such as how the season finale of a Muggle TV show Shiro had gotten into went. ("Really? She ends up with HIM? These writers are mad!" had been Shiro's response.) No sooner had they found a place to sit that one of the Patil twins grabbed Shiro by the arm. Konata and Blaze never would have recognized her, but Shiro knew right off that she was Padma. "What are you doing?" she inquired, her tone of voice making it seem that it was evident Shiro was doing wrong.
Shiro seemed to shrink down a size. "Oh, right… I forgot…" he said in a small voice, turning to Blaze and Konata. "I'm sorry, I have to go do prefect stuff… I PROMISE I'll come back and sit with you if I can…"
Konata's face fell, but she still smiled warmly. "That's quite alright, you do what you have to do."
Shiro looked truly touched. "You're the best. You really are." He pulled Konata forward and placed a kiss on her lips, causing Blaze and Padma to roll their eyes; he reluctantly slipped out of the compartment and followed his fellow Ravenclaw prefect down the aisle of the train.
A bit less than an hour later, Shiro returned. Blaze felt a pang of guilt as she realized she didn't entirely want him to come back; she'd been having a perfectly good time with just Konata.
"So, I have another story I have to tell you. Do you have time?" Konata inquired, leaning into Shiro as he draped his arm over her shoulders.
"Mhm, I'm supposed to be patrolling the corridors, but really I just have to stick my head out every once in a while and we should be fine," Shiro responded with a nod. Konata then went on to explain how her parents had told her that she was adopted.
Shiro whistled under his breath when Konata concluded her tale. "Wow, that's… I don't know what to say… So you're a pureblood? I guess that explains why you weren't affected by the Basilisk back in second year," he said quietly. Konata gave a small nod.
"Bet Malfoy will get a kick out of that: me, the Hufflepuff klutz, a pureblood!" she mused, grinning. Shiro suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable, realizing he hadn't yet told his friends that he'd made up with Draco. He covered it up, though, with a smile and a nod.
"Now, just because I learned of my true blood status doesn't mean anything. I'm still your same old Konata," Konata told him with a wink. Shiro chuckled, lightly pressing his lips against hers. Blaze cleared her throat, but the couple didn't seem to notice: they leaned in for another soft kiss. Within a minute, Konata was so close to Shiro she was nearly on his lap; her hands were locked behind his neck; he had one arm around her waist, the other pressed against her back; though not rough, their kissing was no longer gentle. Basically, they were totally snogging.
Twitching slightly, Blaze waited for them to stop. Yes, they pulled away for a few seconds of air, but other than that… Blaze got to her feet with a groan. "My god! Save it for the bedroom, would you! It's great you two are together, really it is, but HONESTLY! I'm here too you know! If you excuse me, I'm going to go find Satoshi and his group, or Harry, or some Weasleys, or Dean and Seamus- heck! I'd even sit with Malfoy!" Gathering up her items, she pulled the compartment door open furiously and stormed off. Blushing deeply, Konata and Shiro slid away from each other, staring at the ground like little kids that had just been scolded.
A while later, Shiro was told that he needed to get up to patrol the corridors, so he gave Konata a final kiss before leaving her alone. She sighed, pulling her feet onto her booth and hugging her knees. She'd been without Shiro on the train before, but never had she been alone… The ride back to Hogwarts seemed longer than usual, and even painful.
"Blaze, I'm sorry!" Konata cried the moment she spotted her blonde companion at Hogsmeade Station. Turning to her, Blaze sighed.
"I guess I should be sorry too… I mean, maybe I was just, a little jealous that you two are so happily together and I've never had a boyfriend."
Eyes watering a bit, Konata gave her a hopeful smile. "Don't worry, I'm POSITVE you will by the end of this year! And it really isn't you who should be apologizing… Shiro and I should save the," she gulped, "snogging, for when we're alone."
"Well obviously."
"By the way… Did you end up finding Satoshi?" Konata questioned.
The stubbornness faded from Blaze's face, making her look 5 years younger. "Oh, yeah… I sat with him… I'm not going to confess yet, though. I want him to be alone when I do it," she said quietly. "Like that'll ever happen," she added in a mutter.
Konata shrugged. "Are you forgetting your best guy friend and my lover," it seemed the word "lover" was like a brief kryptonite to Blaze, "is Satoshi's brother? Shiro's crazy smart, he could probably come up with something to get Satoshi-"
"I appreciate it, but… Can you-"
"Not get involved with your love life?" Konata appeared utterly ashamed of herself. "Of course." Before Blaze could counter it, Konata exclaimed, "We better be getting on a carriage before they're all taken. Come along…" Sighing, Blaze followed after her.
Though neither of the girls noticed, the first thing Shiro acknowledged was that Hagrid was not the one calling the first years across the lake.