Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students had congratulated Katsuki over the weekend. Slytherin refused to accept he was their school's champion.

By Monday, the excitement from Friday had only died a little bit. At least Professor Aizawa's class meant nobody would gush about the tournament to Katsuki.

Ochako sat down on his left side, cheery as ever. "I wonder what we'll learn about today," she mused.

"Stuff," he huffed.

She rolled her eyes. "Thank you so much for the clarification, Mister Hogwarts Champion."

Before Professor Aizawa stood in front of his desk, ready to start class.

Momo raised her hand and waited to be called on.

"Yaoyorozu," Professor Aizawa said.

She lowered her hand. "Pardon the seemingly random question, but a few of us are curious about something. What's the toughest case you've had as an Auror?"

"Dealing with students from Hogwarts," he deadpanned.

That earned him a couple of chuckles.

"But seriously, though," Denki prompted.

Professor Aizawa scratched the scar below his right eye. "The Black Gauntlet Children," he said in a low voice.

A hushed whisper fell over the students. Katsuki's heart tightened, and he used his right hand to itch the area of his branded skin.

"You were one of the Aurors assigned to the case?" Yuga Aoyama, a Slytherin, questioned in surprise.

Professor Aizawa nodded.

Since everybody already knew, he didn't need to explain that Black Gauntlet was a group of corrupt, Dark witches and wizards. Three summers ago, they abducted older children and younger teenagers to have them forcefully join the group. It took three weeks for a group of Aurors to finally track down Black Gauntlet and end their schemes. Some members escaped during the raid, including the leader. But most of the children were saved.

Mashirao Ojiro from Hufflepuff shuddered. "My parents didn't let me leave home once after the news first broke."

"One of the kids in my neighborhood had been one of those kids," Mina said. "The family moved away not long after he was brought home."

Katsuki flexed his jaw. Not every child was brought home, reunited with their loved ones. Lives had been lost, all thanks to Black Gauntlet.

"Do you keep in contact with any of the kids?" Tenya inquired.

"Some," Professor Aizawa answered. Truthfully, there was only one.

"Did you meet the Boy Who Led?" Izuku asked.

Katsuki swallowed hard.

Professor Aizawa nodded. "I did."

Neito Monoma drew attention to him when he sighed heavily. The Slytherin wasn't much shorter than Katsuki and had a leaner build than him. Slick blond hair got shorter the further it went down his head. He had a left part and bangs hung over his right eye. Slanted, periwinkle eyes had a contemptuous spark in them.

"Does this talk bore you, Monoma?" Professor Aizawa asked in a monotone voice.

Neito waved a hand through the air in a dismissive manner. "I don't get why the Boy Who Led receives so much attention to this day."

Before Katsuki could retort, Professor Aizawa spoke, his words dripping in venom. "Imagine being thirteen. You're out with your parents when you're abducted in broad daylight. Bad people take you to a strange place, and they destroy your wand beyond repair so you can't fight back. You aren't the first child, nor the last. Ages range from seven to fifteen.

"Creatures you've never encountered before drain all happiness and squander any sort of hope. You endure demanding training you can't refuse, or death awaits you. In the midst of everything, Black Gauntlet finds potential in you, but you refuse to break. You defy them and are brutally reprimanded in ways you never imagined. You stay strong for the sake of the other children. You become their shining beacon of hope. You rise up as their leader, a responsibility you never asked for, but don't refuse.

"Three weeks feels like three years when a special team of Aurors arrives. You can finally take a breather, but you keep your presence for the other children instead. Every child rescued knows know your name. Every Auror is asked about you by the children and their parents. And soon, everyone knows about the Black Gauntlet Children and the Boy Who Led because of articles.

"And that's merely the surface of it all."

When Professor Aizawa paused for a moment, nobody uttered a word.

Dark eyes glared at a pale-faced Neito. "I dare you to tell me again why you can't fathom as to why the Boy Who Led received so much attention for his deeds."

Neito's lips remained in a firm line.

"Shall I have you write a paper about Black Gauntlet Children and the Boy Who Led?" he challenged.

"N–no, sir," Neito stammered.

"Don't question anything or anyone from that event if you didn't witness the dreadful things that occurred."

This time, Neito didn't say a word.

Katsuki cleared his throat, and everybody looked at him.

"Bakugo, do you have something to add?" Professor Aizawa asked.

"Are you gonna teach more history, or are we gonna learn something regarding Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

The corners of Professor Aizawa's mouth twitched. "Very well."

xXx

After lunch, Katsuki was in the Quidditch stadium on his Firebolt. Ochako was in one of the Gryffindor stands with her wand. The dark gray clouds didn't deter them from being outside.

He flew up to her and hovered in the air. Crimson eyes looked at the tip of her wand. "I don't see flowers, Cheeks."

Her brow furrowed in concentration. Ochako practiced nonverbal spells under his watch. She let out a puff of air and lowered her wand. "I want to see you do it."

Katsuki didn't break eye contact as he reached for his wand. Orchideous! he thought. A bunch of flowers burst from his wand's tip.

"How do you do that so easily?" she asked.

"Practice." He plucked the flowers and used a spell to levitate them in the air.

"Do you cast all your spells without saying them?"

He grunted and floated the flowers over to her. She grabbed them and brought in her arm to sniff them.

"Your turn," he said, putting away his wand.

Determination on her face, Ochako set down the flowers beside her on the bench. She raised her wand and focused on the tip. Some time passed, but sure enough, it sprouted flowers.

She jumped to her feet. "I did it! I only had to think the spell three times!"

He half-grinned. "Now get it until it only takes one time."

She beamed at him. "Thank you, Katsuki!"

"Keep practicing. Switch to another spell if you like."

She nodded. "I've got this!"

Thunder boomed, and the two looked up.

"Maybe I've got less time, actually," she said.

xXx

Rain poured down from the sky before the two made it into Hogwarts. Ochako squealed and grabbed his left hand with her right one. Instead of breaking free of her hold, he ran with her. The thought to use a spell to stop them from getting wet crossed his mind, but he didn't act on it.

Lightning cracked across the sky as they reached shelter from the school. They looked past the doorway, watching the heavy rain.

"Can you imagine if we were still at the stadium?" she mused.

"We'd be drenched." Katsuki pulled out his wand and used a spell to dry her off first.

"You'll have to teach me that one."

He dried himself and put away his wand. "Stick with me, then."

xXx

A/N: Finally squeezed in some Kacchako! Not gonna be an immediate relationship since I like building them...