A majority of the Hogwarts students knew straight off they would not approve of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She had a toad-like appearance, yet she wore a hideously pink cardigan and had a terribly high pitched voice. What really made everyone decide she was disliked was when she interrupted Dumbledore's opening speech. NOBODY had ever dared do that. What she had to say wasn't even deemed important: it was stuff about order and what this school needed, and it put the students almost to sleep. Blaze was awake enough, though, to hear Harry tell Ron he knew this professor- Dolores Umbridge- worked for the Ministry of Magic.
With that put aside, Konata had kept her word and did not allow herself or Shiro to get involved with Blaze's love life. For this reason, there wasn't a moment that Satoshi was alone. Blaze didn't complain, though: she thought that it would be truly the perfect moment if she ran into him and he WAS by himself for once.
Classes weren't enjoyable either. The big O.W.L. exams were coming up, and none of the professors deprived them of a 10 minute (at the minimum) speech about the importance of passing. Konata, of course, was a nervous wreck about it. She thought that her failure would cost her life (that wasn't her fault, though: the professors certainly made it seem like that was the case) and that said failure was inevitable.
"You'll do just fine, love. You've passed everything in the past, haven't you? Besides, Blaze and I will help you," Shiro assured her. Konata gave a small nod, leaning backward on the bench to stare up at the sky.
"They're really pressing us to think about our futures… Do you guys know what you want to be when you grow up?" she inquired in a dreamy tone. Shiro followed her gaze, smiling softly.
"I'd like to go into medicine and become a doctor, or perhaps a veterinarian... I don't know that I'd like to be a Healer, since I want to live in the Muggle world... It's always seemed so interesting."
Blaze smiled at him, closing her eyes and leaning back with her friends. "I've always wanted to be an Auror. That would be so amazing…"
Konata turned to her, her eyes alight. "If anyone can do it, you can! Well, you and Shiro, but," she looked at her boyfriend, "if being a doctor or a vet is what he wants, then he should chase that dream."
Shiro grinned, kissing the top of her head. "Now, what does Konata want to be?"
Blushing slightly, Konata resumed staring at the deep blue sky. "I'm not really sure… An author, maybe. Or maybe a preschool teacher…" Her face turned even redder. "I just know that I want to have a family. I-I've always imagined myself having, hm, three… kids."
Her blush intensified even further as Shiro gripped her hand. "How funny, I want the same thing. I'd prefer, let's see, four kids, though. In the event that we end up married, however, I'd be fine with however many little ones you'd like." At a loss for words, Konata simply stared at the ground as Shiro affectionately pressed his nose against hers. Blaze cleared her throat, and the couple didn't make any romantic gestures or comments until after their blonde companion left.
After a month or so of school, Hermione approached Blaze at the Gryffindor table and told her about a meeting she'd be holding with Ron and Harry at the Hog's Head pub. She said it was for anyone who was interested in learning about real, hands-on defense against the dark arts, not the worthless things Umbridge was making them read about in class. So, Blaze told Konata and Shiro, and during the next Hogsmeade visit, the trio headed down to the pub.
This place was nothing like the Leaky Cauldron or Three Broomsticks. There was a sign above the door that displayed a severed boar's head with blood seeping onto a white cloth wrapped around what would have been its neck, and Konata immediately went green when she saw it. Inside, there were few customers besides the group gathered for Hermione's meeting, and every one of them looked shady. The dining area seemed like it hadn't been cleaned in years, as everything was covered in a thin layer of dust or grime.
"Satoshi said he couldn't make it, God only knows why… He told me to tell him everything we discuss today, and then he'll tell Jeffrey about it, and Jeffrey will tell Caitlyn and Catherin Lumbach- you know, his twin cousins- and Catherin will tell her friend Gaia, and Caitlyn will probably tell a few people," Shiro explained as he sat himself at a table nearby Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
By the time everyone had arrived, there was quite a group assembled. It consisted of Zacharias Smith, Anthony Goldstein, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Dean Thomas, the Creevey brothers, Terry Boot, Michael Corner ("He's dating Ginny, you know," Shiro whispered to Konata upon his arrival), Katie Bell, Lee Jordan, Justin Finch-Fletchy, Neville, Lavender Brown, Cho and one of her friends, the Patil twins, Seamus Finnigan, Sakura, Luna, Ernie Macmillan, Hannah, Ginny, Susan Bones, and the Weasley twins. "A couple people!" Shiro heard Harry hiss at Hermione.
Hermione went on to express her idea that Harry teach them dark arts in secret. Most of them were interested, but some, such as Zacharias and Cho's friend, didn't seem so sure. Cho's friend kept quiet, but Zacharias came right out and said he didn't support it. By the end of the meeting, however, everyone present signed their name on the list of members.
"Wow, a secret organization rebelling against the ministry…" Shiro whispered under his breath as he and Konata left hand-in-hand. Some sort of relief mixed with wonder gleamed in his eyes. "Brilliant! This should keep me from becoming a strict, 100% rule-abiding prefect." Konata chuckled, hugging his arm.
Shiro suddenly stopped, and scoped out the surrounding area. "No Blaze to be seen…" he murmured. Only a few seconds later, Shiro was leaning against a brick wall, Konata pulled to him, and the couple was snogging over and over. Though her face burned red, it wasn't long before Konata's mind was wiped of the fact that they were in public and deflected the disgusted glares shot their way.
'Shiro… He's smart, he's funny, he's cute, he's sweet, he's a prefect… And somehow, SOMEHOW, he loves me,' Konata thought blissfully. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" she whispered aloud, her eyes closed and her lips mere centimeters from Shiro's.
Shiro grinned softly, opening his eyes leisurely. He responded in a purr of a tone: "It's not that I'm the result of good karma or anything; you just happen to be the one and only person I love more than anything." He slid his wand out of his robes, gently grabbing Konata by the shoulders and making her step back. He took the gold-lined heart charm on the necklace he'd given her before the Yule Ball in between his thumb and pointer finger. "I know this was just a little present, but let's make it something… more." Raising his wand, he twisted his face in concentration as Konata stared at him in a politely puzzled manner. Shiro gave his wand a flick, then let the heart drop.
Konata turned the charm so that she could observe it herself. At first, everything looked exactly the same, until she noticed golden letters appearing one by one across the four-color center. She squinted, and noticed they spelled out one word: "FOREVER."
"Oh… Oh, Shiro, I…!" she breathed, unable to make anything else come out of her agape mouth. Shiro slid two fingers under her chin, cupping it. He placed a delicate kiss on her nose, causing her to blush.
"Consider it a plan for the future," he told her quietly.