On the Saturday before the first task, all students in their third year and above were permitted to visit Hogsmeade. Katsuki joined other classmates, eager to spend time away from Hogwarts and homework. They headed for the Three Broomsticks pub.

As the ten students approached the establishment, Rita and her photographer friend emerged from it. They ceased speaking in low voices when they spotted Katsuki. Rita lit up with an eager smile, flashing her gold teeth. "Katsuki!" she called out

He resisted the urge to extend a middle finger at her. He refused to make a comment.

The photographer snapped a quick photo of the group as Rita stopped to chat. However, the students walked on by without uttering a single word.

"I look forward to seeing you compete on Tuesday!" Rita said in a cheery voice.

Without letting go of the other's hand, Eijiro and Mina both turned at the same time to flip her off with their free hands.

Izuku muttered under his breath. "She's probably staying in the village."

"Tch, if she doesn't watch herself, she'll get banned from here next," Katsuki growled.

Headmaster Dumbledore had banned Rita and the photographer from school grounds.

"Let's forget about her and focus on some downtime, yeah?" Hanta held open the door to the pub.

Even though Katsuki was in front of the group, he stood off to the side to allow others to enter first. He glanced around, keeping an eye out for everybody—shock shot through his system.

Across the way stood Margaret Wells. Her wild brown hair had since been dyed ash-blonde. An unsettling crazy look stirred in her dark eyes. Her cloak and the rest of her clothes were black.

Also known as Murder Margaret, she was one of the Black Gauntlet members who escaped capture. Even though it had been three years since the last time he saw her, Katsuki could spot her face in a crowd.

Margaret raised a finger to her lips and smiled brightly, eyes twinkling. Then she grabbed her hood to cover her head, winked, and ran behind the building.

Instead of entering the Three Broomsticks last right behind Hanta, Katsuki took off, the door closing on its own. He couldn't risk anybody getting caught up in whatever could happen with Margaret. She was a wild card, completely off her rocker.

As much as he wanted to chase after her, Katsuki ran for Hogwarts as fast as his feet could carry him. He wouldn't risk falling for a trap. Wait! But how long had she been watching? She could have taken notice in everybody he had been with just now.

Fuck!

He wasn't supposed to use magic outside of Hogwarts, but this had to be an exception. Katsuki grabbed his wand and waved it, mentally focusing on a spell he was taught during his third year because of private classes. A silvery, male lion erupted from it and streaked off, heading for Hogwarts. His corporeal Patronus would find Professor Aizawa and tell him that Margaret Wells was at Hogsmeade.

Without a second thought, he changed course, veering to the left. He avoided colliding with other Hogwarts students, looking over their shoulders to watch his lion leave. Blood pounded in his ears. Adrenaline raced through his system.

He ran between buildings and heard it coming before he emerged from the alleyway. He rolled onto his shoulder as the hot spell sailed over him. He remained low to the ground, upright on his feet, wand aimed at Margaret.

"Katsuki!" Her eyes danced with joy. "Look how much the little lion cub has grown!"

He noticed the unconscious ten-year-old at her feet immediately. His blood ran cold.

"Oh, don't mind her," Margaret giggled, stepping over the girl. "I only nabbed her in case you didn't stop to say hello. But you did. I'm so happy!"

He grimaced silently, gripping his wand tightly.

A smile curved her lips, and before Katsuki could cast a spell—CRACK—she Disapparated.

Crimson eyes glanced all around. He didn't see any sign of Margaret or any other Black Gauntlet member, for that matter. He rushed over to the girl and checked her neck for a pulse. She had one. Thank fuck. Katsuki picked up the girl and held her against his body, supporting her with his left arm. He turned in a circle, wand at the ready in case he was attacked. He wouldn't let the girl be taken only to suffer a similar fate, or worse.

Did he hide the girl and search for Margaret in Hogsmeade? Did he look for her family? For now, Katsuki moved and kept his back to a building. He kept an eye out for danger, gripping his wand.

"Lion!" Professor Aizawa bellowed, his voice amplified, thanks to magic. He didn't use his name as not to draw more attention.

Rather than calling out, Katsuki raised his wand and thought, Vermillious! It shot a shower of red sparks into the air.

Professor Aizawa was the first to the scene, wand already drawn. He spotted Katsuki and the girl but kept looking around. "Where is she?"

"Gone!" he choked out. "She Disapparated and hasn't been back."

Professor Aizawa rushed over as McGonagall and Snape joined.

"Katsuki, are either of you injured?" Professor McGonagall asked, already making her way over.

"She's still alive. Has a pulse."

Professor Aizawa took the girl to examine her as Professor McGonagall wrapped her arms around Katsuki. She squeezed him hard and let go, scanning him over with her own eyes.

"Were there others?" Professor Snape asked.

"Just her," Katsuki answered.

"Tell us what happened."

Katsuki relayed everything to them. He even recalled the detail about her hair color. "I never saw anybody else but her," he concluded.

"Minerva, take Katsuki to my classroom," Professor Aizawa instructed. "Severus, get all students back to Hogwarts." He glanced down at the girl. "I'll find her family."

xXx

Katsuki was inside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with the four others.

Headmaster Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully after being told everything.

"Katsuki, did anyone else see her?" Professor Aizawa inquired.

"If they happened to notice her, they shouldn't know who she is."

"Who all was with you?"

He listed all the names of his friends.

"What was she doing in Hogsmeade?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"It's close to Hogwarts." Professor Snape's eyes shifted over to Katsuki. "And Mister Bakugo..."

Katsuki could feel everybody staring at him. He didn't like it. "I'll fight 'em. If it's just her or others. I'll fight back."

"Absolutely not," Professor McGonagall chided.

"If they're after me, I won't let them take me again. I'm not the same kid I was." He wasn't as weak as before.

"Why wait three years?" Headmaster Dumbledore thought aloud.

Black Gauntlet had no reason to target him again. He wasn't a child anymore.

Katsuki thought about it more. A mental image of the Daily Prophet flashed in his mind. He groaned. "That bloody paper!"

"What, the Daily Prophet?" Professor Aizawa asked, being on the same page as Katsuki.

"My face and name were all over it." He looked at Professor Aizawa. "The Black Gauntlet Children and their parents aren't the only ones who know I'm here."

"What did you say?" Professor Snape asked, clearly out of the loop.

"After the paper was published, they wrote to me," Katsuki said. "They wrote to me because of the tournament."

Professor Aizawa's hands curled into fists. "There isn't proof, but Black Gauntlet might want their prized boy back."

"They won't touch me again," Katsuki seethed.

"But why alert us of their presence?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Mind games," Katsuki and Professor Aizawa said in unison.

Professor Snape looked at the headmaster. "Do we need to call off the tournament?"

"No way," Katsuki shot down. "Don't give 'em a win in their book."

"Katsuki, this concerns your safety," Professor McGonagall stressed. "Not to mention, possibly, the safety of others."

His fire wouldn't be snuffed out. "Do you honestly think they'll stop whatever they're planning if the tournament was called off? They could still stick around Hogsmeade. They'd creep closer to Hogwarts. What then? The only thing that needs stopped is them."

Seconds of silence trickled by, but it felt like hours. Professor Aizawa was the one who spoke up. "I hate to say it, but he has a point."

Headmaster Dumbledore voiced his thoughts. "As Shota mentioned earlier, we have no proof that Black Gauntlet is after Katsuki. Margaret could have acted on her own accord to see him. Her response was...delayed compared to the mail that Katsuki received. Could she have timed it with the first weekend of Hogsmeade visits? Possibly. Regardless, I'll inform the Ministry about the matter."

"Perhaps Mister Bakugo shouldn't return to Hogsmeade for the time being," Professor Snape said.

Katsuki made a face. "What?"

"If he wants to visit any more, I'll go to keep an eye on him," Professor Aizawa said. "I'll take him under my wing if I must."

"See to it that you do, Shota." With that, Headmaster Dumbledore headed for the door.

"I believe we're finished here." Professor Snape nodded at the other teachers before leaving.

As Professor McGonagall walked by Katsuki, she reached out to squeeze his shoulder in a reassuring manner.

The door shut behind her, and two were left in the room.

"Don't go barreling headfirst into danger," Professor Aizawa scolded.

"Tch, when have I been known to do that?" Katsuki scoffed.

His right hand twitched as he resisted the urge to facepalm. "You ran after Margaret in the end," he deadpanned.

"First of all, I ran the first time because I was with others. Second, I ran to her in case there was trouble, which there was."

"I can account for two times that you used your wand."

"Yeah, to send a message to you and alert you where I was."

"The Ministry will know about it because it was outside of school grounds."

"And Dumbledore will tell them what happened. I might not even get a letter."

The two huffed at the same time.

"You're stubborn," Professor Aizawa said.

"Thanks, it keeps me alive."

Professor Aizawa stepped forward and hugged Katsuki with both arms tightly. "Stay alive," he whispered.

"I will," he promised in a low voice.

xXx

When Katsuki returned to the Gryffindor common room, he was greeted by Ochako's cat. Mochi was a short-haired calico. She rubbed against Katsuki's shins.

"Oh, there you are!" Ochako said, seated in a chair with a book.

Others in the room looked over, spotting him. "Mate, where'd you disappear off to earlier?" Eijiro asked from where he cuddled with his girlfriend.

Katsuki stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Didn't know I had to report in if I was leaving."

"You disappeared, like Disapparate disappeared," Izuku noted.

"Didn't feel like sticking around."

"You missed out!" Mina screeched. "Tenya was at Three Broomsticks sharing butterbeers with Camie!"

"Good for Four Eyes," Katsuki sniffed.

Luna padded her way down the stairs and pranced over to her owner. He bent his knees to pick her up, cradling her in one arm and petting her with his free hand. She purred up a storm.

"Did Professor Snape find you as well?" Shoto inquired, not looking away from Katsuki.

"Yeah." It was the truth, even if he wasn't the only teacher to do so.

Izuku's brow furrowed. "None of us know why, though."

Katsuki shrugged.

"Oh, yeah!" Ochako exclaimed without warning. Book in hand, she jumped out of the chair and headed for her dormitory.

"What's up with Round Face?" Katsuki asked.

"Sometimes, even I don't know," Mina chuckled.

"You're her friend."

A grin curved her lips. "And you're her tutor."

"And?"

Mina giggled, a gleam in her eyes. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

Ochako returned with a little brown paper bag in hand. She held it out for Katsuki. "Since you weren't at Honeyduke's Sweet Shop with us, I got you some spicy candy."

"Thanks," he grunted, taking it from her.

Still smiling, she lowered her voice. "It's a little thank you for helping me."

"Just keep at it."

"I will."

xXx

A/N: Peep that Kacchako...