Teddy Meets Karasuno

We haven't been to the muggle world that long, but learning everything we need to know about blending in didn’t take some time.

My godfather worked as an Auror after Hogwarts. He lived with my grandparents and I during his Auror training. My grandparents’ house was in a muggle street near Hogsmeade, so it wasn't a problem for him to wander into muggle London if needed. His training lasted two years. Harry moved to Grimmauld's Place once he’s a full pledged Auror and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron moved in with him. Uncle Ron worked as an Auror along with my godfather, and Aunt Hermione started her career at the Muggle Liaison's Office.

She's the first point of contact of the Muggle Prime Minister to the wizarding world instead of the Minister of Magic. I didn't know how cool that was until I met the Queen. We were invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding last year. Of course, no other attendees know us except a few Parliament members and the Royal Family.

"Teddy?" Harry appeared at my bedroom door. "I'll be out for the night, and I don't think I'll be home until tomorrow evening. Are you sure that you'll be all right on your own?"

I tap the SEND button on my screen to send my email to Aunt Hermione, then turn to see Harry's worried face. "I'm fine," I assured him. "Winky just arrived to replace Dobby and she can keep me company. I already ate breakfast and plan to watch the movie I bought yesterday from the store. I'm not going to leave the house."

He bit his lip, "I guess it should be all right. Okay, do you want me to bring you anything home? I'll stop by Fred and George's to see the shop."

"Uncle Gred and Forge already sent me a care package via muggle delivery. It should be here in a few days."

Harry can be a worrywart sometimes. I couldn't blame him with what happened when I was five. My Grandpa died. Heart attack. I was alone with him at home and didn't know what to do. It was too late when Grandma and Harry came back. Some say that seeing someone die would not impact someone so young, as it will eventually be forgotten. But I was close to my grandparents. Witnessing his death almost traumatised me, but Grandma, Harry, and the rest of the Weasleys were there for me.

I followed Harry to the garage and waved him goodbye. Normally, the drive to Tokyo from here is four and a half hours but with how Harry drives, he should arrive in Tokyo in three hours. He's been putting off an important meeting for a few weeks, but I insisted he go.

Back to my story.

This is all hush-hush, and I don't know the whole story, so I'll try to explain.

Everything started and ended in mid-June of 1996. Grandma told me that the no-nose snake lured Harry to the Ministry by kidnapping Sirius Black, and he went there with his friends, including Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. I was born two months before this, but my mom and dad insisted on going to the Ministry to help Harry.

Voldemort was officially defeated that day. Harry refused to tell me exactly what happened, but I managed to overhear from Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione that my godfather's godfather, Sirius Black, was killed. My mother was killed by her Aunt, Bellatrix, and my father was killed by Greyback. Out of pure rage, Harry went after Voldemort. The Dark Side was defeated. After the fighting, some of the Death Eaters were arrested and given the Kiss, some bought their way out of Azkaban (*cough*Malfoys*cough*), and then Harry was hailed the hero.

He was able to finish school with no more threats to his life. However, his celebrity status came bursting, and he wanted none of it, especially with that Skeeter woman. He moved in with Grandma and Grandpa during the summers, but we all would stay at Grimmauld for Christmas. Grandma said I used to visit Grimmauld when I was little, but I was too small to remember.

Everything seems okay, and the Wizarding World is at peace. Harry and Aunt Hermione supported laws about giving more rights to werewolves and better relationships with the Goblins and centaurs. However, some schmuck named Henry Fawley stormed a Wizengamot session and demanded the right to kill a werewolf. He was able to sway the members of the Wizengamot when his son and only heir, Hector, was accidentally attacked and killed by one. The Fawley’s took in the werewolf named Mark Fester, Hector's best friend, when he was a kid. The Fawley’s and the Festers were friends for a long time. So, when Mark's parents died, the other family took him in. Until Hector was bitten by Mark, the Fawley’s didn't want anything to do with the kid.

The schmuck didn’t even mention that it was his son’s fault for getting bitten. The family didn’t tell Hector about Mark’s condition and got curious. According to the papers, Hector sneaked into the outhouse and spooked a transformed Mark Fester. The caretaker didn’t deem to chain the werewolf down because the outhouse is supposed to be restricted during full moons. Also, the Fawley’s didn’t stock on wolfsbane potion for Mark, even though cheaper alternative ingredients are now available.

From there, everything that my godfather and his friends worked for fell into pieces. I still received my Hogwarts letter when I was eleven and was even sorted to Ravenclaw, but I had to pack my bags that night and go home because of the law. Dark creatures are no longer allowed to attend Hogwarts, even if their creature blood isn't dormant.

This also affected Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur since their kids are also considered dark creatures. Although Aunt Fleur said they could stay in France instead and Uncle Bill could work for Gringotts practically anywhere, they didn't go and decided to stay with Harry. Eventually, the dark creatures law passed for the European Union, so France was no longer an option.

Harry said it was good that Grandma died when I was ten. It's horrible to say, but I understood what he meant. She wouldn't have to witness the humiliation of an eleven-year-old boy being escorted out of Hogwarts. I'm grateful that Headmistress McGonagall told Harry, and he took me from Hogwarts after the other kids went to bed. They didn't see me dragging my truck, tears streaming down my cheeks as I passed the grand double doors. Harry was furious but didn't blame McGonagall or any of the teachers. No one kills the messenger anymore.

We returned to Grimmauld's Place, had Dobby and Winky pack everything and went to Shell Cottage. Uncle Bill got an offer from the East with his boss' recommendation. Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron resigned, and she and Uncle Ron went to America, got married, and created their own Weasley broad. We don’t visit Britain anymore so me, Harry and the Weasleys goes to Uncle Ron and Hermione’s house in New Hampshire for Christmas and New Years every year. England hasn't been home for us for quite some time.

We went overseas. We stayed in China with Uncle Charlie for a year, Harry was offered a contractual job in Hong Kong for two years, and then we settled in Japan.

I went back to my room and grabbed the DVD case from my bookcase. I loaded it up and sat down on my bed. A bowl of popcorn and a can of grape soda materialises before me. "Thanks, Winky!" I yelled out, touched that the little elf knew precisely what I needed.

I eventually got bored. The trailer looked good, so I insisted on buying it yesterday. The shop owner warned me and told me I could return it and exchange it with the one he recommended anytime.

I took the DVD from the player, stuffed it into its case and put on my hoodie and sneakers. I grabbed my bag from behind my bedroom door and went out.

I heard a crack behind me and turned to see a worried Winky. "Master Ted promised Master Harry that he wouldn't go out without Master Harry," the little elf squeaked as she wrung her hands. "Please tell Winky what Master wants so I may do it for him."

"It’s fine, Winky. I'm just returning to the video store." To explain myself, I showed her the DVD case. "I'll be back. I have my phone with me, I promise!" I bolted out the door before the little elf could stop me.

Well, that wasn't a good idea, I told myself thirty minutes later as I looked around desperately. I'm lost, I groaned miserably.

I may not be as clumsy as my mum, but I am not good at directions. I was confident to leave the house today because I could use the online map installed on my phone. However, I accidentally kept my mobile data open all last night, and I'm out of data to use. Harry throttled me one time when I caused our bill to skyrocket. I refuse to call Harry. It's almost six in the afternoon, and he should arrive in Tokyo by now. I can call Dobby or Winky, but they’re so loyal to Harry than me, so I'm sure they will tell and I'll get a scolding of my life again. Plus, calling an elf in the middle of a muggle street isn’t a good idea, even if it's empty.

I know our address, of course. What do you take me for? We lived in Miyagi for a year and a half now. I flipped my jacket open and glanced inside my jacket flap. I reddened when I remembered why Harry wrote our home address there. Harry and I were in Hong Kong, and I wanted to buy candy from the store on the other side of the hotel that we were staying at the time. No one would be lost if it was just there, but I got distracted and got lost in the city. Harry reported me missing immediately and had the police search for me. They said they found me a street away from an alley of brothels.

I copied the address from the inside of my jacket to my phone. It will be easier for me to show the address to people instead of the inside of my jacket. I asked around for ten minutes, but people were either unfamiliar with the place or would not be bothered helping a lost foreign fifteen-year-old with bright red hair.

I wandered around, clutching the DVD, when I came to an open field with a net in the middle. Oh, so volleyball is a trendy sport here too. The game Harry and I saw at Aoba Johsai was good.

However, they don't look like they are playing a game but training. The older man would hit the wall, and this kid with spiky hair would try and save the ball. I watched, mesmerised, as the small kid didn't deter him from scraping his legs and arms and was determined for the ball not to land on the floor.

Eventually, the two of them saw me looking and smiled. I waved back pathetically, giving them an awkward smile. Harry and I learned Japanese, so the nervousness I'm feeling right now is not about communicating with the locals. However, some people I met today looked at me from head to toe and slowly went in the other direction. I rolled my eyes at one girl who turned away and ran after her eyes lingered on my hair. It's not like I have piercings and tattoos with a murderous look waving a knife around.

I let out a relieved sigh when I saw the kid had blond turfs of hair on top of his forehead. Maybe he can understand my plight as a hair dyed person.

"Yo!" He greeted. "Join us? You... help with… training! Play volleyball? You like?"

He said all that in broken English accompanied by gestures, but I understood what he meant. I scratched the back of my head and answered sheepishly in fluent Japanese, "Er, I don't play professionally, and I don't know half the rules, but I can play."

The kid's eyes brightened, and he gave me a beaming smile. "Ah! You know Japanese! That's great!"

We got talking. He introduced himself as Yū and got a kick when I told him mine. "Like a Teddy Bear!" He teased.

I spiked the ball faster and harder than usual towards him as retaliation, but he only received it with a smirk. "Hey, where did you learn how to play Volleyball?"

We passed the ball back and forth while we got to know each other, the DVD forgotten on the bench on the side.

"There's this crazy former neighbour, who said he's a retired volleyball coach," I answered, passing the ball back to Yū. "He's now teaching neighbouring children how to play volleyball. I attended some of the classes he conducted when my godfather had to leave me alone because of business meetings. But like I said, I never played an official game."

"Why not?"

"I don't go to school," I answered back. "Well, middle school, actually, but I'll join Karasuno as a first-year high school this September."

He stumbled and almost missed the ball. He rolled, caught the ball with his outstretched arm, and directed the ball back to me. "What? You’re only fifteen? I'm a second year in Karasuno!"

I'm the one who stumbled this time and missed the ball by centimetres. The ball almost hit my face, but I quickly protected my face with my arms. "You're sixteen!" I said incredulously. "I thought you were only in middle school."

"Wait, what do you mean? You didn't attend middle school?" Then his face turns to outrage. "Hey! I may be short, but I'm older than you!"

I ignored his mention of height and age and said, "I'm home-schooled," I dribbled the ball before I returned it to him. "My godfather and I lived in China when I was eleven then we came to Japan two years ago. I was supposed to attend a school in Scotland, but my godfather had to pull me out. We didn't have time to enrol me to a different school, so my aunts and uncles temporarily tutored me at home with my cousin before getting an official tutor."

Aunt Hermione taught me other things I must learn about the muggle world, and Uncle Percy tutored me about the wizarding world. Eventually, Harry hired a Japanese Pureblood wizard who married a British muggle-born witch who lived in the muggle world. Depending on who's perspective, I took to muggle studies like fish to water. I grew up with my grandparents, but Harry would occasionally visit and show me a muggle toy or gadget growing up.

"But why start school in September? School starts in April!"

"Er, my godfather and I were looking for schools here in Miyagi, but we only decided on Karasuno around late April. I told Harry that joining the school a month after school starts doesn't make sense, so I plan to go next semester."

"But you have to go!" Yū caught the ball and didn't pass it back to me. "I'm suspended, but I'll return next week. Join the volleyball club and be part of the team! Then we can go to Inter-High!"

I tilted my head, considering what he said. I've enrolled already, and for good measure, Harry paid for a whole year instead of just the three semesters. I already got my uniform and my school supplies ready for September. "I don't know," I said with uncertainty. "Besides, do you think the volleyball club will allow me to join if I haven't played in an official game? I would also join late."

He only gave me a thumbs-up. "That's no problem! We have plenty of members this year. You will be the fifth first year to join."

"All right, if you're sure..."

"Of course, I am!"

"...I will have to talk to Harry. But first..."

Yū stared at me curiously, tilting his head. For a moment, he reminds me of a small dog.

"I have to figure out how to get home..." I said, embarrassed. "Maybe go to the video store first and exchange that," I pointed at the DVD still on the bench, "to a more decent movie would be nice."

I reddened when Yu barked a laugh.

Thankfully, he knew where the store was, so I invited him home to eat dinner in exchange. Winky already prepared dinner, and I just need to heat it up.

Our home is overall muggle except for the basement, where Harry stores a second library for magical books, tomes, and the potion’s lab. Also, Harry was adamant that our house be a Western design instead. From what he told me, he finds Japanese houses to be restricting. This is why he bought a house, demolished it, and hired a wizard to build a new one on the existing land. Luckily, we found a vast land with a park at the back. Harry ensured each room was more extensive than average, with high ceilings. The only room with an Extension Charm embedded into it is the basement.

Yū looked impressed when he entered, whistling at the huge chandelier and fireplace in the living room. I left him in my room and quickly went to the kitchen to get the dinner Winky prepared for us. Harry and I would sometimes eat dinner in the formal dining room, but most of the time, we prefer to eat in front of the TV in the living room as we watch TV or a movie for the night.

Since today is another informal dinner, Winky made bento with all my favourite things. I tucked the two huge bentos under one arm with two pairs of chopsticks and two chilled orange juice bottles under the other arm and trudged back to my room. I found Yū stood in front of my closet with his jaw hanging open.

“Oi, dinner’s here.” I placed the two huge boxes of bento on the coffee table in front of the TV and sat on the couch. Yū closed my closet door when he smelled the food.

“What the?” he exclaimed, looking at the food.

“I know it’s not much—”

“Not much?!” he exclaimed. “It has eel!” He snapped his chopsticks and paused before taking a bite. “Is this A5 wagyu steak?!” He held up the meat with his chopsticks like he was offering it to a deity. He said his thanks for the food before taking a bite. It looks like he’s close to crying. “There’s ootoro too!”

We sat on the soft and lush blue carpet instead of the small couch and watched a movie as we ate. He told me about the school and the volleyball team once we grew bored of the movie.

I have to say, I’m excited to go to school.