Chapter 2

Sukaretto was woken up by Rachel the next morning.

"Hey Mosukuwa, if you want to make breakfast, you'll want to get up now. Classes start in an hour or so," she said.

Sukaretto sat up, rubbing her eyes and running her fingers through her bedhead. The dorm was already empty beside the two girls, the redhead standing by Sukaretto's bed in her school uniform. "I appreciate the thought, but I don't usually eat breakfast, Rachel. And you can call me Suka if you like."

"Okay. Suka. And you should come down anyway. You still need to get your schedule."

Suka sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'll come down." She threw her blanket to the side and got up. She went to her desk and grabbed her toiletries and towel.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Rachel asked, shouldering her school bag.

Suka shook her head. "Nah, I don't want to keep you from eating. I'll be quick."

Her dormmate nodded and headed out of the dorm. Suka quickly showered and got ready. She really just wanted to go back to sleep, if not only for an extra 30 minutes. But she needed her schedule. Why she couldn't have gotten her schedule beforehand, she didn't know. She had been staying here before the students had even arrived, after all.

She made it to the Great Hall minutes later. The room was loud for morning chatter and pretty filled since it was close to class time for most. Rachel spotted her and waved her over, where she'd saved her a seat. She sat with her chin in her palm, tuning in and out of the conversations around her as she waited for the schedules to be handed out.

Why wait until the morning right before classes to pass out schedules? Seemed inconvenient to Suka.

"Hey."

Suka's eyes focused on the male seated across from her. It was the Higgs boy again. Had he been there the entire time?

"Oh, hi," Suka said. "Sorry if I was ignoring you."

"No, you weren't." Higgs waved his hand dismissively. "Just noticed you weren't eating. Are you doing okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she said. "I don't normally eat in the mornings. Upsets my stomach."

She smiled slightly. Not a lie, technically.

Higgs shrugged, seeming like he wasn't gonna push the subject.

Suka spotted Severus, making his rounds around the table, passing out the students' schedules. About time.

"About time," she said aloud.

"Eager to learn, are we," Rachel laughed next to her, noticing the ghoul's gaze.

"I guess you could say that. I don't get why I'm just now getting my schedule."

"Perhaps she should have been in Ravenclaw," said Higgs with a smirk, pointing his empty fork in her direction. Suka rolled her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue playfully.

"There is more to Ravenclaws than just books and knowledge. A Slytherin can have the same attributes." Rachel remarked.

"Perhaps it's the motivations that determine it, the drive."

"If ya'll say so."

"Why would you be getting your schedule early," Rachel asked.

"I was here for a while before everyone else," she explained. "I had to go through...an evaluation of sorts to see what year I'd be placed in. Since I've never gone to a magical school before. I managed to catch up to 7th year standards, thankfully."

"You never been to any institution?" Rachel asked.

"Mosukuwa didn't know about magic until maybe a year ago, Peterson," Higgs cut in. He looked tense, in a way. As if he was expecting something.

"You can call me Suka," Suka told him, then turned her attention back to Rachel. "And yeah, you could consider this my first year."

"So, you're a Mudblood?"

"Peterson!" Higgs hissed sharply.

"What? It was just a question."

"What's a mudblood?" Suka raised an eyebrow in confusion. She could tell it was an insult of some kind, considering Higgs's reaction to it.

Higgs glared at the redhead. "It means Dirty Blood. A term used for wizards or witches who are born from muggle parents."

So, a slur, Suka gathered. The Wizarding World did have prejudices, it seems. Race just wasn't the main factor of those prejudices; blood was. She wasn't that surprised. That's how life was. She'd experienced it with being a ghoul herself and living in that detention center. People tended to hate things they didn't understand. Or rather, didn't want to understand. And those things were usually things that the person had no control over.

"And if I am," Suka asked, her tone going somewhat cold as she turned to her roommate. "I don't know my parents, never met them. I doubt I will." They were most likely dead. "I could honestly care less about your weird interest in someone's blood or heritage, but I will not sit here and be insulted. I am not above punching someone out on my first day here."

Higgs had a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide, along with a couple other students who were in earshot of the conversation. Rachel opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Severus stepping forward.

"Miss Mosukuwa," he drawled, holding out her schedule.

"Thank you," Suka said, the coldness instantly leaving her voice and a smile forming on her face. She took her schedule and got to her feet, swinging her bag over her shoulder. She shot an annoyed look at Rachel and stormed out of the Hall.

Glancing at her schedule, Suka had Advanced Potions for her first class. She shoved the paper into her bag and headed back towards the stairs that led to the dungeons. She had planned on just wandering around the castle, but she doubted she had time to do that now. She hoped that Rachel didn't have the same class as her, at least for the morning. Imagine being that rude to someone you didn't even know.

"Hey, wait a moment!"

Suka turned. She was on the main stairs to the dungeons. It was Higgs, jogging down to her.

"I wanted to apologize about Peterson," he said, stopping on the step above her, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. "She picked up all that blood purity stuff from some of the other Slytherins. Despite her being from a lower Pureblood family. Like not many would sign an arranged marriage contract kind of low."

Suka blinked up at him. They still had arranged marriages? In these times? She chalked it up to it being another backward Magic Culture thing. "You don't need to apologize. You didn't say it."

"Still. She's a bitch sometimes. She shouldn't have done that."

Higgs held his hand out. "Could I see your schedule?"

"Oh, of course." She reached into her bag.

"Nice! We have Potions and Charms together." He frowned then. "That's it, though."

"Too bad," Suka said. "It would be nice to have someone I know."

"You'll be fine."

They continued their way down the stairs, not noticing the young male watching them from several steps above them. When they made it to the Potions classroom, a few students were already hanging out in the Hall outside the door.

"Are you a Pureblood?" Suka asked curiously, leaning against the wall.

Higgs took the spot next to her and slid down in a seated position. Thankfully, Higgs was pretty tall, so even sitting, his head came up to her hips. "Yeah, but my family doesn't care that much about the whole 'keeping the family line pure' or stuff like that."

He went quiet for a second. "It would be preferred for me to marry someone of the same blood or at least half-blood, but it's not like a pressure to do so. We're a neutral family."

Suka hummed in understanding. She had Higgs here, at least. She didn't know who else in Slytherin who shared the same views. "I appreciate you trying to stand up for me," she said. Her hand ended up down in the boy's hair. He glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I had a few choice words for Rachel after you left," Higgs said. "It wouldn't be the first time she's done this shit."

"I can handle myself."

"Besides the point." He shook his head. "You may not know me much, but I got your back. Slytherins protect their own, even if it's against their own."

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The first two weeks at Hogwarts were frustrating, to say the least, and it wasn't because of the classes or the teachers like she had expected. Her frustration had come in the form that she hadn't expected: Harry James Potter. She personally didn't have any reason to interact with the boy, nor had she encountered him beyond general gossip. She doubted she would have even noticed him if it wasn't for the scent of blood coming from his person.

Whenever she did come by him (in the halls, passing the Gryffindor table, etc.), she'd smell the blood. Fresh blood. It had most likely started sometime during the first week of classes, and every time the smell got worse. Whatever wound this kid had was possibly infected. She wanted to confront Potter about it for being stupid enough to walk around bleeding. And not getting it checked out or treated to the point of infection. She just hadn't had the chance to approach him.

Suka was sitting in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, not bothering to pay much attention. It wasn't like she needed to. Umbridge wasn't teaching them anything outside of books and theories. No actual practice of spells. Something to do with the Ministry.

She tapped the uninked point of her quill against her desktop. The Gryffindor and the Slytherins had a major rivalry going on. How long that has been going on, Suka didn't know, nor did she care. But that was a reason why she hadn't gone to Potter yet. People were dumb, following sheep, especially when they grow up around this "rivalry." So she just assumed that Potter would be deep in that aspect. He was also the 5th year, so running into him in any classes wasn't possible, even with elective courses.

The door to the classroom opened then, and Severus stepped in. "Miss Mosukuwa is needed in the Headmaster's office."

"What for?" Umbridge demanded, sounding annoyed. "We are in the middle of a lesson."

Several students, including Suka, rolled their eyes and exchanged exasperated looks. As if you could call this a "lesson." They weren't actually learning anything if they couldn't even do the spellwork.

"Family matters," the dark professor simply stated and left the room without another word. He shot her a look that clearly said, "hurry up," as he turned. Suka quickly and gratefully gathered her materials and was out the door too before Umbridge could stop her. She caught up with the Potions professor down the corridor.

She immediately inquired about what he meant by "family matters."

"I believe your guardian has decided to pay you a visit."

Suka's eyes lit up and was then racing through the halls, quickly leaving Severus behind. She had made it all the way to the gargoyle statue that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office when she realized that she didn't know that password. This left her waiting impatiently for her professor to catch up.

"Five points from Slytherin," Severus snapped at his student when he finally arrived. "No running in the halls."

Suka held back a smart remark, not in the mood to land herself detention. "The password?"

Severus glared at her, then turned to the gargoyle. "Cauldron cakes."

At the sound of the password, the gargoyle began twirling upwards, revealing a spiral staircase. Suka took the stairs two at a time until she faced the office door, which she flung up without bothering to knock.

"Hide!"

The man in question stood before the Headmaster's big wooden desk. He wore his usual white lab coat over a green button-down shirt and black slacks. His orangish hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, his smile warm and big, showing off the laugh lines on his face. Suka slammed into him, wrapping her arms around his torso, inhaling the familiar scent. Men's cologne and hospitals.

A chuckle rumbled against the side of her head that was pressed against his chest, and strong arms encircled her back, pulling her further into a bear hug. She pulled away and looked up at him, frowning with worry as she looked him over.

"What are you doing here? Did something happen? Are you okay-"

"Honestly, Suka, when are you going to start calling me 'dad'? Or at least 'father'?"

"Don't evade the question."

Hide sighed, shaking his head with a smile. "Calm down; you'll get early wrinkles with all that frowning." He pressed his thumb against her forehead. "Are those gray hairs I see?" He teased, catching a strand of hair with his fingers and inspecting it closely.

She slapped his hand away, laughing. "I haven't even been gone an entire month. I assumed something was wrong."

Albus spoke up then, who had been sitting back and watching the two interact with amusement. "I set up a floo network. Since it was long distance, it took a while to set up."

"It also costs a bit to travel here and back, so I can't do it often," said Hide. "But I wanted to come to see how things were going here."

Suka nodded. Hide did earn quite a bit of income working for the CCG, mostly in the detention centers' medical units. That's how they had first met. He was a highly respected researcher and medical. But he wasn't made of money. With paying for a year's of Hogwarts tuition, school supplies, and books, plus the small sum of money on the side for Suka to do what she wanted with, Hide only had so much to take care of himself and his needs.

That was a reason why she'd had doubts about attending the school. Hide had already sacrificed a lot for her, a lot of things he didn't have to do. Not only did he help a ghoul escape a detention center, something that would have cost him his job, his freedom, or even his life, he had also taken care of her for years.

And for that, Suka was eternally grateful, and she would return the favor someday.

"Ah, and I also got a new mask made for you." Hide reached into the pocket of his lab coat. "Uta owed me a favor."

He placed the mask in Suka's open palms. It was a maroon red that covered the nose and bottom half of her face. There were two big holes on each side at the cheeks and jaws, a breathing filter, she assumed. It hooked around her ears and around the back of her head to keep it secure when worn.

"It's for on the off chance that someone might identify your old mask back to Japan. It's not likely, but I'd rather be on the side of caution."

"Thank you." Suka squeezed Hide's side and put the mask in her robe pocket. "Do you want to go for a walk? I can show you around some of the castle."

"Sure! If it's okay with your Headmaster, of course."

Dumbledore waved them off with a smile. "It's fine with me. Be careful with Professor Umbridge, though."

"Yes, sir," Suka said. She turned to Hide. "I'll explain in a bit."

She led Hide out of the office. "Thanks, Professor!"

Suka was only able to show Hide a bit of the castle. Mainly the Great Hall, some of the unoccupied classrooms, the Lake, and the grounds. And the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She definitely wasn't letting Hide go in there. In the last hour of Hide's visit, they found themselves in the astronomy tower. There weren't going to class until night, so it was empty.

They watched the students roam the grounds. Most classes were ended now. She filled him in on her acceptance, the bridge adventure, the Sorting Ceremony, and the past two weeks of classes. About Higgs and the other Slytherins, and her accounter with Rachel.

Rachel hadn't talked to her since that outburst the first day, other than some glares here and there. Those were kind of hard to ignore, seeing as they lived in the same space.

"So, this Wizarding War, you aren't involved, are you?"

"Hell no. I don't want to be either. Once I graduate, I'm coming back to Japan anyway."

Hide frowned. "You want to return to Japan? What about the life you will have here? A year isn't that long, but it's enough to make a place. You have actual freedom here."

"What are you talking about? I have life and freedom."

"Do you really? You are wanted in Japan; it was a miracle that I could conceal you for this long. And you only lasted so long because I put myself out there for help from Anteiku."

"I'll be in danger no matter where I am," Suka tried to reason, but she was at the weak end of this argument.

"You'll just be forcing yourself back into hiding, into a life of constantly looking over your shoulder, prepared for attacks at any moment, worrying about being captured again. And if that happens, I doubt I'd be able to get you out again."

Suka avoided his eyes, opting to stare down at the grounds, but Hide grabbed her chin rather tightly and forced her to meet his intense brown gaze. This wasn't a side of Hide that often showed itself, but it demanded attention and got it when it did. "That's not living, Sukaretta. And I don't want you to return to that kind of existence."

He gently released her chin. She was silent for a moment, processing what he said.

"There is a war brewing to the surface here, a war that no one wants to admit is happening at that. A war that I, as much as I hate to admit it, could pull me in at full force. I could be killed just as easily here than I can in Japan. There's also a risk of exposing myself. What then? There are prejudices here, and I highly doubt that ends at just blood purities."

"There is nothing for me here, anyway. Nothing worth staying that is."

"Nothing for you here," Hide echoed. He brought his arm around Suka's shoulder and pulled her against him.

"Hide?"

"If you want to return to Japan when you graduate, you can. My home is always open to you, as is Anteiku. But please think about it, and keep an open mind. For me?"

She paused. Her eyebrows furrowed together. "Hide, are you sure everything's okay?"

"Everything's fine. Just...think about it. Please."

Suka nodded reluctantly. And all too soon, it was time for Hide to head back home. They returned to the Headmaster's office.

"I just want you to be happy," Hide said as he kissed Suka's forehead.

"I am happy," Suka mumbled. Hide simply smiled and hugged her again before stepping into the fireplace.

"I love you, and I'll see you when I get the chance. Text-well owl me." Hide laughed. "And be safe."

"I love you too, and I will."

Hide took the floo powder from the pot Albus was holding. "Shinjuku, Japan-Mask Studio." He threw the powder down, and he disappeared in the erupting green flames.

"I hope you enjoyed yourselves," Albus said as he placed the pot of floo powder on the mantle over the fireplace.

"Yeah..." Suka was still staring at the fireplace. She forced her gaze away. She smiled at Albus. He noticed that it didn't seem to reach her eyes. He told her that she had been excused for all the class she had missed. She just had to go get any makeup work she might have.

"Thank you," she bowed and left, heading straight to her dormitory. She wasn't in the mood to entertain conversations at dinner. Maybe Hide had a point...though she didn't know how anything could change in a simple year. She had people back in Japan that she held dearly. She wanted to go back to them eventually. Uta, Touka, everyone at Anteiku.

Sure, she would still have to stay mostly in hiding, but who else would she want to be around besides those who already know her? She didn't need anyone else. She had her family.

"Mosukuwa"

The common room was just down the Hall, and one of Higgs's friends, Marcus Flint, she thought his name was, was stepping out of the entrance. He was a large, vast man. Very...troll-like. In build, at least. Average looks at best with dark hair and even darker eyes. He towered over her.

"Yes? Flint, right?"

He grunted in confirmation. "Terence wanted me to come to find you. We have a study group meeting in the library, everyone should already be there. Would you like to join?"

Suka reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know. I don't think I'm really in the mood to be around anyone right now."

"Please?" Suka blinked in surprise. It looked like it physically hurt him to utter that word. Flint rolled his eyes at her expression. "I'm only asking because I want Terence off my back. His reasoning is that he hasn't seen you all day; therefore, he's worried."

This had Suka rolling her eyes herself. "God, he's like a lost puppy. He literally saw me in the common room this morning."

"What's god?"

"Nothing." She wasn't about to sit here and explain muggle religions to him. She could feel a headache forming in the back of her head. She shook her head, regretting it when it bothered the forming headache. "Like I said, I'm not in the mood to be around others right now-"

Suka let out a shout as she was grabbed by her shoulders by two giant hands and slung over a muscled shoulder. "Flint put me down!" She whined.

"Don't want Higgs annoying me," he grunted as he started walking with the smaller girl. He had a hand placed on the small of her back to keep her from slipping and an arm around the back of her knees. Suka could very easily break his hold, but she didn't want to hurt him by accident in the process.

"But it's okay if he annoys me?"

"If it keeps him from bothering the rest of us, then yes."

Suka sighed and rested her weight on Flint. She didn't weigh much. At least not much to someone the size of Flint.

She was so kicking Higgs's ass.