Katherine Spencer and the Original Prophecy

by UrGurl99

Summary:

Katherine Spencer was raised to believe that she was quite ordinary. But on one fateful night in the August of 1975, she discovers that a magical school for witches and wizards; Hogwarts, awaits her, as well as an evil wizard named Voldemort. A discovery that would lead to the forging of life-long friendships, and finding love in the most unexpected of places.

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2LWjJyHNSh0IEx8t3Qbvl7?si=a21da56cbdda4f0f

Chapter 1: Particularly Unexceptional

{St. Mary’s College for Girls,

London,

17^th of July,

1975.}

 

On the last night of term, St Mary’s College for Girls slumbered, while all around London beeped and pulsed. Enough out of the way of the mayhem and mischief of the night crowd, only the odd yelled word echoed through the well-established trees guarding the brick dormitories, and jagged towers adorned with crosses and crucifixes.

On such a balmy summer night, however, the windows were cracked. The hush of the street breezed through, lulling its occupants deeper and deeper... The tangling sheets around legs…a rolling over to the cooler side of sheets…sighs and kicks… headlights from the streets beaming warm yellow shapes on the wood-panelled walls…

“Katherine – Katherine…”

Katherine Spencer opened bleary eyes to her dormmate, Fiona, kneeling on the edge of her mattress – their door ajar –

“… It’s Nancy Woodbridge.” whispered Fiona, tugging Katherine’s elbow in the direction of their window – where a willowy silhouette leant out their window, examining the ground beneath.

“Quick… quick…” came a whisper through the door, as well as the scattered light of a nearly dead torch. The shuffle of socks on the floorboards grew slowly louder, closer –

“Nancy?” whispered Katherine, pushing back her blanket, and pulling down her nightgown as she edged out of bed.

Nancy Woodbridge turned, the distant glow of streetlights lit her fair hair – and her day clothes –  

“Sorry, girls! I’ve got to get out of here before they realise I’m gone and call my parents…” she whispered, grinning impishly, and checking out below the window again.

Katherine rubbed her eyes, “Where are you…”

Nancy turned back with an odd sort of expression – one that signified a greater maturity, usually. Tones of well-meaning pity. She crossed to Katherine’s bed, sitting beside her. Nancy laid her hand atop the younger girls’ –

“We’re eloping. George and me. I don’t give a fat rats’ about being Head Girl next year –”

Katherine had already mentally prepared – and had been looking forward to – being a prefect under Nancy as their Head Girl –

“– or going into nursing,” Nancy gave a mad sort of quiet laugh, eyes alight, patting Katherine’s hand, and turning earnest, “It’s all bollocks! All you need is love.”

Katherine privately thought perhaps a roof over one’s head might also be prudent –

“Nancy – will they let you back at all? Your parents?” came Fiona’s question, as the girl fiddled on the end of her plait, eyeing the door as it swayed.

“Don’t care, do I?” said Nancy, with snorting laughter as she sprung back to her feet. She rested her hand atop of her stomach, becoming pensive – but sappily so, “Going to start our own family…grow our own food…”

Backlit by the window, beautiful Nancy Woodbridge’s slim figure had a noticeable bulge beneath her paisley dress…

The door creaked softly open, and in a line, stringing tied-together-bed sheets, came Nancy’s dormmate and friends.

“Alright… ready, Nance?” came a quiet whisper.

She really was going. Katherine shared a look with Fiona, both silently staying back and letting the older girls commandeer their window for the safest propulsion down to the ground. They held the precarious end of their makeshift rope, huffing and giggling as they pulled and walked in place in their socks to make sure Nancy had a slow – and quiet – descent below.

It took all of two minutes. Then the girls were waving out down below, reeling back up their bed sheets, and running back on their toes through Katherine and Fiona’s door. They, politely, closed it behind themselves.

Fiona and Katherine wordlessly rushed to their window.

The older girls were carefully chucking down Nancy’s bags to her from their window, of which she had to then retrieve from the shrub as they had underestimated the amount the shrub jutted out from their building. With her belongings, Nancy was off – hurrying towards the gate.

Other girls in the surrounding dormitories had woken, and were hanging out of their windows –

“What on earth is going on –”

“Go Nancy – Go!”

Katherine was half expecting a teacher to run out, and tackle Nancy to the ground.

But they didn’t.

She went, and went… and Katherine watched, still feeling the grips of sleep and confusion leeching from her limbs. What a night. And, well… if it were to be anyone –

Who would have expected the Prefect?

Nancy had turned sixteen back in December and taken her O Levels. Her dad being a police officer, she would know the law allows sixteen-year-olds to take a job, rent a house (if they can afford it), smoke tobacco, have sex, and move out of their parents’ home—and parental consent is not needed for any of this. Oddly enough, however, you do need your parents’ consent to leave school or get married, hence…

“– and Woodbridge clears the fence!” came the commentary of the gripped onlookers.

Katherine found herself wanting to join the elated cheers and quiet whooping of her classmates, but found herself awed into silence still.

On the street, there was the sudden splutter of an engine, and then one sole headlight beaming out. Nancy’s boyfriend had come to collect her on his motorcycle. She had been their house’s prefect – and exactly what Katherine had aspired to be. Then Nancy met her guitar playing boyfriend who was in a burgeoning local folk-rock band –

“C’mon, love!” came a deep, but cheerful voice.

Katherine felt a flutter low in her stomach –

The wandering headlight advanced, and the pair came into view on the bike – Nancy’s bags strapped to the back. Her arms around his middle, the last Katherine ever saw of Nancy Woodbridge was with her fiancés guitar strapped to her back as they sped away down the street. They took the left, into the growing lights, and then…

They were gone.

There were not even cicadas to colour the silence that was left in their wake. Excitement still pulsed in all the girls’ ears as they remained, spellbound, at their windows.

“She’s mad.” laughed Fiona, shaking her head, eyes wide.

Katherine tried to defend the older girl, but found herself a bit at a loss, “I mean, I’ve never been in love…”

Fiona snorted –

“If I ever see you riding off on the back of some bloke’s motorcycle, never fear – I’ll have you committed,” joked Fiona, turning to Katherine with mirth, before making her way back to her bed, “A sensible girl like you would have to lose her mind.”

Fiona sat with a bounce, and began pulling her blankets back up.

“Cheers, Fee.” said Katherine lightly, going back to her own bed.

As if either of them could have slept anyway, the sky was already lightening. The stars going out one by one, minute to minute. It was only a matter of time before…

“Awake – awake!” came the shrill tones of their teachers, combing the halls and knocking doors, “Your parents will be here soon enough – get a move on girls –”

Hair frizzy, Katherine and Fiona shared a look at the pause that was happening outside their door – in the hallway. Or rather, across from them –

“– and where is Miss Woodbridge?”

Nancy had made her bed, left behind her neatly stacked schoolbooks and folded uniform. Her prefect pin sat atop it all.

Katherine knew this, because all the girls on the hall were lined up, socks falling around their ankles, and hair at sixes and sevens, in the hallway. The questioning started with the dorms down the other end of the hall, and worked all the way back up, with the thumping cane in the hand of their Head teacher along with it, and the repetitive whisper of ‘No, Miss’ when asked for the happenings of the previous evening.

“Fiona James.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have any information to share on the sudden disappearance of Miss Woodbridge.”

“No, Miss.”

The boots of their headmistress clicked to a stop in front of Katherine –

“Katherine Spencer.”

Would it be possibly the worst time to burst into tears?

“Yes, Miss?”

Oh gosh – she knew. She knew! Katherine swore it. Her eyes hadn’t been nearly as beady when she stopped with the other girls, surely. With a creak of the floorboards, the smell of coffee wafted into Katherine’s face –

“Do you have any information to share on the sudden disappearance of Miss Woodbridge?”

Behind her head, were the scrutinising eyes of the older girls.

“No, Miss.”

The cane never came, just the ghosting whoosh of it as their Headmistress turned on the spot to the older girls –

“Hold out your hands –”

SNAP! – SNAP! – SNAP!

The girls gave only the slightest of flinches and tightening of their lips. It was not their first time.

“Now –” said their Headmistress, swiping a fly away hair back into place, “Eat your breakfast, say your goodbyes – and we will welcome you all again in September.”

Once in the absence of faculty, the true questioning began –

“Who snitched?” demanded the new ringleader of the older girls, now that Nancy was gone. The inquiry was almost amused.

Almost.

All the younger girls – bar Katherine and Fiona – grew antsy. Whispers broke out, and a chain eventually reached back to the older girls –

“Colleen Jenkins! You’re a manky slag!” came the accusing call.

Laughter wracked the hallway, and everyone filtered back into their rooms to do just as the Headmistress had directed earlier. The approving eyes of the older girls helped absolve the terror Katherine had felt in lying to their Headmistress for the first time. Katherine was going to be Prefect the following year. She was a good girl, and it had always kept her out of trouble. Doing the right thing came easily to her.

Dressing into their mufty clothes, Katherine and Fiona packed away their night things – and any last bits and bobs around the dormitory.

Fiona zipped her beige leather case, and leant on it with a pointed look at Katherine, “Are you super sure that your uncle won’t have a change of heart – and let you come to Switzerland with us?”

Fiona was going away for the summer to Switzerland, to watch polo, soak in hot tubs, and chow down on fondue. She came from about the same amount of money that Katherine did – she had ascertained that in their early years at St Mary’s. It was a social dance at such schools – all you had to do was figure out where people holidayed, the spec of their riding boots, and how much the teachers let them get away with.

Fiona ‘Fifi’ James was perhaps the most high-profile student at the school, in terms of who her father was. She would have been incredibly popular, if it wasn’t for her being a bit of a liability in social situations due to her crippling nerves. Katherine had been nervous sort of child too, and they barely spoke for the first two weeks they were paired in the dormitory. Maybe they weren’t as particularly close as some of the others, but Katherine had no doubt that if Fiona ever married, that an invitation would make its way to her doorstep.

“Uncle Henry is pretty firm on me not leaving the country without him and Aunt Victoria.”

“Does he let you wipe your arse on your own?”

Katherine let out a laugh as she did up her powder blue case her uncle had bought her, “He means well… I think.”

Fiona pulled on her travelling hat, and her shoes over her stockings.

“Mother will be waiting; I have to go. We’ll always have next year – when we get to have a chance to do dance practise with the St Paul’s boys,” sang Fiona, as she danced towards the door, with her case, “Get pregnant even.”

With a joyful wave, Fiona slipped out the door into the cacophony of noise that was all the other girls too departing the dorms.

Katherine straightened her blazer, tugged down her skirt, and flattened her hair before placing on her own hat.

Two more times. She would only have two more years at the school, and then she would have to go out and discover the world that the likes of Nancy Woodbridge already had. She stood in the mirror with her blue case at her side; fifteen, and still in the image of a girl – all milky lanky limbs and blonde hair.

When did it all start happening?

Down the stairs, Katherine marched carefully, in the thick of the exodus of teenage girls. Through the heavy wooden entrance hall she went, and out into the courtyard – where the sun was beaming.

“Mum!” came the chorused cries of dozens of Katherine’s classmates, as they ran for glamourous, tall women, varying in degrees of warm receptions. The younger girls were taken by the hand and whisked out the gates, skipping and chatting happily.

Others, and mostly the older girls, often went to waiting cars – sent by their families. They did this with quiet maturity and the sound of clicking little shoes, straight-backed.

Amongst the parents and children were the odd dotting of tall, lean young men with boyish grins – who greeted their girlfriends with passionate embraces and some even with flowers. If they noticed the blushing cheeks, stares, and giggles of the girls around them, they had the grace to pretend they didn’t.

In the shade of large tree by the gate, was a lanky grey-suited man, with the beginnings of silver in his slicked back blond hair. He leant on an umbrella, squinting up at a growing cloud above, and then checking his ancient looking fob watch.

Katherine quickened her step to her uncle, but turned her gaze skywards when a cloud blocked the sun, and the temperature dropped.

WHOOSH – CLICK – up went Uncle Henry’s umbrella. Not a second later, came the tapping of rain on the paved courtyard –

“The car is this way… we had to park a little further with all the traffic…”

Wordlessly, he reached for her blue case.

Katherine kept her steps in time with her uncle to stay under the cover of the umbrella.

The zoo of the city was not as disturbed by the sun shower, and they needed to skirt around a protest of sorts on a corner. News bulletins were being waved in the air – “It was the IRA!” cried one, to the agreement of some –

“Shut your whinging pie hole – you always say it’s the bleeding Irish!”

Uncle Henry moved the umbrella to the same hand that held the case and placed a hand between Katherine’s shoulder blades – urging her forward. And to stay close. The rain had all but stopped. He gave no sign he even saw the protestors.

Katherine caught sight of a headline at last, just as they were turning down a quieter street.

‘TRAIN OFF THE TRACKS IN SUMMER HOLIDAY TRAGEDY’.

“What does it mean?” cried one girl, in a rain drenched mini dress, her hair slicked across her forehead.

Katherine thought they might all be on drugs –

“None of you hippies want the bloody jobs – they’re striking for a living wage – that’s what it is – striking! And then how are the trains supposed to run?”

“Hopefully they don’t need oil!” came one joker.

An outbreak of laughter quelled the crowd.

Uncle Henry kept his eyes straight ahead and his expression blank – until a man strode by in a top hat and no shoes.

“We all know what it really was, though, don’t we?” he said to Uncle Henry with a wink. It was only as he walked away that Katherine noticed that his trousers were actually arse-less chaps. He whistled an odd tune, laughing, “They really are clueless.”

That was King’s Cross for you. All of London, the past few years, had been going a bit bonkers – in actuality. Katherine spent a lot of time sequestered away at St Mary’s, but a lot of girls had been pulled out over the past few years because of the recession. Unrest in the streets was mounting though, like Katherine had never seen…

Ahead, however, was the sleek-backed car of Uncle Henry’s driver. It felt almost illegal to get in and drive away from the gritty scenes on the streets.

“Miss Katherine.” greeted Alby, as he took Katherine’s blue case and placed it in the boot.

Katherine smiled but couldn’t muster more than a quiet “Morning.”, keeping her head down – and waiting for eggs to be thrown from the crowd if they realised what kind of sort she was.

“We’ll be going home, thank you. If that’s alright, Alby.”

“Of course, Mister Spencer.”

Spencer. It was a perfectly normal last name. Quite unremarkable in London. Particularly unexceptional. As was fifteen-year-old Katherine, who shared it with her aunt and uncle that she lived with.

She didn't live with her parents, her aunt and uncle had told her that they had died in a fishing accident off the Isle of Wight when Katherine was four. And she had been sent to the middle of London to live with them. Not that it was often that she was actually with them, attending her boarding school, St Mary's, for the whole of the school term.

Tucked away in North-Western London, a twenty-minute walk from King's Cross Station, lied Claremont Square. She lived in Number Twenty-Four. It was a skinny townhouse, perfectly rectangular. And inside where the squarest people Katherine had ever met.

“Home, Mister Spencer.” said Alby, dutifully. He stepped out of the car, and opening Uncle Henry’s door before heading around to the boot.

Uncle Henry stepped out, waiting for Katherine to slide out behind him as he accepted her blue case, and his umbrella, from Alby.

As their long-time driver pulled away at a regal pace, Katherine spoke to her uncle for the first time, “Do… do we pay him well?”

“Yes.” said Uncle Henry, with an absent smile, before heading for the black front gate.

Katherine followed slowly and was closing the gate behind herself – when a bicycle bell halted her.

A dark-haired boy lazily zig-zagged down the rain-slicked street on a thin metal bicycle. He turned, as if sensing Katherine's gaze. Neither could see the other clearly from their distance. His dark head of hair disappeared around the block into the glare of the bright sunshine.

It was odd, Katherine was sure she had seen him before, but she couldn't remember from where…

 

---

 

{Number Twenty-Four Claremont Square,

Islington, London,

31^st of August,

1975.}

 

It was clear blue afternoon, and a late summer breeze was cooling Katherine through the window in the front room of Number twenty-four. All her chores were done, and all her things were prepared to go back to St Mary’s the following morning. She had been taken to get her hair cut earlier in the week and her nails were trimmed – all was done. Every year she did hope for a tan, but she never got out of the house enough to procure one...

Aunt Victoria, however, was pacing. Wearing a hole in the carpet really. All the while, she was muttering to herself – and eyeing the telephone.

“Is… everything alright, Aunt Victoria?” Katherine managed up the courage to ask.

“I wanted to get dinner ready for when Henry gets home, but I need to go to the butcher – and Octavia is due to call any moment…”

Octavia. Katherine’s cousin – on her Aunt’s side – who she was not particularly fond of. Let alone eager to hold a conversation with on the telephone should she call while her aunt was out of the house.

Katherine perked up, “I could go to the butcher for you.”

Aunt Victoria paused her pacing, eyeing Katherine out of the corner of her eye. Hesitation was thick in the air. It was a rule of Uncle Henry’s – Katherine was never, under any circumstances, allowed out in London alone.

RING RING – RING RING! The telephone rang out, as if deciding the matter –

“You know the order?”

“Yes, Aunt Victoria.”

“Here’s your money, and Katherine –”

Katherine paused at the door, folding the envelope of money in her palm tightly –

Aunt Victoria face was twisted with apprehension, “Don’t tell your uncle Henry.”

Katherine carefully shut the door as the loud tinkling greeting of “oh, hello, Octavia!” bloomed down the front hallway.

Sun on her skin, and the sound of car horns in the distance, jostled her immediately into the bustle. She kept a quick pace – if anyone wanted to do her any harm, they’d have trouble catching her in the crowd if anything. She reached the butcher in nigh fifteen minutes, and breathlessly spluttered out her aunt’s order, and handed over the money. With a happily accomplished ‘Thank you! Bye-bye!’ Katherine was on her way again.

It was upon returning, through the bustling streets of London – so busy, in fact, that she took a particularly hard knock as someone rushed past. Katherine turned around and caught the back of the man she had ran into.

His lithe, gold-topped figure simply loped away.

If that’s the worst… Katherine turned back into her bounding pace, side stepping, protecting the tightly wrapped parcel she clutched to her chest. Before she knew it, she was crossing onto Claremont Square once again, and jogging up the front steps.

The meat was even still cold.

 

---

 

The activity of the floo at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place had woken Sirius Black from the last sleep before Hogwarts.

The fact that the wards of the ancestral home of Black were blood-based, meant that every member inside the walls felt a faint rush in the veins of their forearms each time the threshold was breached. It was usually easily ignored, unless people flooded through en masse.

It was as he rubbed sleep from his eyes that he noticed it was freezing cold on that late summer night.

He pulled his pyjama set on over his underwear and made his way to the window. He rubbed a circle clear of an unseasonal frost and immediately jumped back with a shout.

A horde of black robed creatures swarmed down the street, skeletal claws outstretched. Dementors. One, however, had strayed from the pack and attached its fleshy mouth to the outside of his window.

Ears hot, and his neck throbbing uncomfortably with his racing pulse, Sirius could only watch as it pulled itself away. The window squelched like it had been suction cupped. The creature then vanished over the top of Grimmauld place.

To Claremont Square, thought Sirius, as he leant on his windowpane.

 

---

 

By the time Katherine finished dinner with her Aunt and Uncle, it was dark outside.

Just before she set foot on the stairs to go up to her room, Victoria's voice rang through from the sitting room where the television was gently playing.

"Katherine, double check the post please!"

There were no letters to be seen inside the mail slot on the floorboards, but Katherine opened the door in case a package was left on the doorstep.

An early evening breeze rushed against Katherine's face and chilled her, suddenly, to the bone.

The street looked as it had done for the past eleven years that Katherine had lived there, but it was strangely quiet, considering its placement in the bustling section of the city.

Muffled voices, and a brief flash of black, preyed on Katherine's paranoia. There were always gangs around the city, and other shady characters to boot.

The night was not a time to be outside in the street unless one was up to no good.

Katherine failed to see the sources of the muffled voices. Trying to calm herself, she only let herself think that one of her neighbours had someone visiting –

"Katherine,"

Uncle Henry’s presence filled the doorway behind her.

"There's a pot of green powder on my desk, throw a handful of it into the fireplace and repeat what I am about to say very clearly,"

Uncle Henry's knuckles were white around the front door.

"Claremont is compromised, send the Order."

 

---

 

The Cheshire countryside was green and quiet on the last night of August, all apart from the gentle pitter-patter of rain.

A Manor, set apart from the others and nearly a half-day's journey by car to the nearest village, was warmed by a sitting room fireplace. A grandfather clock ticked softly, nowhere near the hour. There was a gentle scrape of paper as a page was turned. A plume of steam danced from a Chinese-patterned tea set, thick with expense.

The room didn't lose any of its warmth when the orange flames turned a brilliant green. Dust, however, rose from the floorboards at the volume of the voice that erupted from the fireplace –

"Claremont is compromised, send the Order!"

The sole occupant winced, a porcelain teacup spilling onto a silk bathrobe.

"Bugger!"

The man ceased his cleaning of his hot, sticky pyjamas at the face flickering in his fireplace.

A stick of Hornbeam wood was snatched from the coffee table, and the man flew out of the room.

She needed him.

 

---

 

As Katherine ran between Uncle Henry's office and the front door, a commotion erupted outside.

Her stomach swam away from her. Katherine almost fell down the stairs with her speed. She flung open the front door to find four cloaked figures advancing towards her front gate. The light from the streetlamps glinted off their silver masks.

Panic rose in Katherine's throat. Her feet became clumsy. Her hands, however, found the door frame; clinging to it.

Aunt Victoria stopped behind Katherine at the door, her lips trembling, "What's going on!?"

"Avada Kedavara!"

Uncle Henry stepped back, splaying his arms to cover Aunt Victoria. A green jet of light shot out of nowhere and Uncle Henry took a fall as it struck him.

The green ebbed around Katherine's vision but the words still rang in her ears.

"No!" Victoria wailed thickly.

Katherine was pushed into the doorframe as her Aunt scrambled around her.

"MOSMORDE!" The cloaked men had not stopped like her world had. One had a stick of wood pointed up at the sky. Another pulled up his sleeve.

A new green glow exploded over the street. Katherine looked past the street lamps to find a skull with a snake slithering out of its mouth.

It was unlike fireworks; a permanent, ugly fixture against the night sky.

Katherine shivered.

A flash of blond hair out of the corner of her eye, however, could not go unnoticed. More heads of hair followed; brown, black…

Not just green, but red, purple, and pink lights lit up the street. A skirmish had broken out. People not wearing masks or hoods had arrived in a flurry of soft POP's. Like… like magic…

"They've called him!"

A cloaked figure ran for Katherine, gloved-hand outstretched.

Katherine had the sense to stumble back– away. Her shoe caught on the uneven pavers and gravity pulled her to the ground. A pulsing, hot pain in her tailbone made her gasp.

The man was still advancing.

She used her hands to propel herself backwards, hoping… just hoping –

"Petrificus Totalus!"

He halted suddenly, an ice-blue glow encapsulating him. With wild eyes and stiff lips, he fell onto her.

Katherine shrieked at the weight atop her; trapped.

Vehemently, she pushed at the man. She even tried to roll out from underneath. But it was all at a loss.

Just when she was ready to accept being stuck there for the rest of the night, she was suddenly freed from the weight of the man. Katherine scrambled up in time to catch sight of a lithe, blond man leaping away with a stick in his hand.

She watched him while she crawled behind a rubbish bin for cover, as he came face to face with one of the silver-masked cloak wearers.

Katherine had to duck a purple jet of light; and it hit the rubbish bin, reducing it to dust. Katherine's stomach vanished, along with her cover. On her hands and knees, head low, Katherine scrambled behind her neighbour’s Volkswagen parked on the street.

Her eyes found the blond man and the cloaked man once again.

They both had their sticks of wood raised. But then they just looked at one another. It was a long moment, considering that they were in the middle of a clash.

The rest of their respective comrades however, hadn't found reason to stop.

"How'd they find her!?"

"They saw him with her at Grimmauld Place!"

The blond man's face was imperceptible, but he stumbled back and into action at the yelled words of his comrades.

The cloaked man turned also. His eyes found Katherine with unnerving speed. The lack of his identity, skewed by his silver mask, made Katherine sick with fright.

She ducked back behind the car, closed her eyes, and tried to breathe. But all that came out of her chest was a strained sound of resignation. She wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Bloody hell!" a voice exclaimed, "When I get my hands on him when we're through here –"

An audible, sudden chill silenced the man and stalled the skirmish. It wrenched Katherine's eyes open with the peculiarity of it.

Both sides of the fight had stopped. Looking around, she found that all eyes were on her. She realised far too late that they were not staring at her, but at something behind her.

She turned and found a sucking hole of flesh. And then it was on her.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Katherine opened her eyes in enough time to watch a cloaked creature be hurtled back by a ball of bright, white light. When it disappeared from sight, she turned her attention to her saviour.

The man was illuminated by the red and green burst of lights from the resumed skirmish. Katherine could make out his dark curly hair and jutting cheekbones, but the rest was in shadow.

The church clock around the corner started chiming loudly. Katherine thought that such an ordinary sound had no business in such an extraordinary situation.

"He's coming!" a raven-haired man cried to his plain-clothed comrades.

Katherine's saviour scanned the fray around them with dark, protruding eyes.

"You will incur the wrath of the Dark Lord for intervening here tonight!"

"Oh, piss off, Nott!"

Eight chimes…

"Who…" Katherine's mouth was dry, "Who are you?"

Nine chimes…

"Who's coming?" Katherine tried again.

The long sleeve of his black robe tickled her wrist as he pulled her tight against him without a word.

Ten chimes…

The sensation of being squeezed through a tube overcame her abruptly. All air left her lungs – and her shoe fell from her right foot.

Eleven chimes…

As quickly as the man had pulled her to him, she was on all fours; emptying her tea and biscuits into a bush conveniently at her feet. Eyes wet and face warm, Katherine wiped at her lips and looked around.

They were no longer on Claremont Square.

Twelve chimes…

They had not missed a chime; and yet they were standing one block over in the nature reserve outside Grimmauld Place.

Katherine was vaguely aware of the man shucking off a robe and stowing it behind a bush.

"What…" Katherine's breath was still hard to come, but she pointed back in the direction they came from, "What was – that?"

"We apparated," He did not meet her eye as he answered. Instead, he vigilantly scanned their surroundings, "Instantaneous teleportation."

Katherine shook her head at the nonsense, "Who are you?"

He checked his watch.

"Felix Giles; Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he still didn't meet her eye, "You can call me Giles."

Katherine blinked once.

"Witchcraft and wizardry…" Katherine repeated, her tongue working around the foreign words, "Like, magic?"

"Like magic," said Giles, with a tight smile that dropped quickly.

He poked his head out of the gate, unlatching it with his fingers as he watched the street.

"We need to call the police!" shrieked Katherine.

"We need to get walking."

 

---

 

From the confines on the sealed window, Sirius all but pressed his face against it to see more of the street below.

He was about to abandon his watch to stoke the fireplace at the foot of his bed when he saw it.

Two people POPPED into the visible realm – right out the front of Number Twelve, in the nature strip.

At the blonde hair of the girl in the pair, Sirius' mind was cast back to his earlier passing of the girl on Claremont.

For as long as he could remember, he had come up with all sorts of fantastical excuses to go outside and sneak around the block to watch the muggle children. They all came and went over the years. Except for one.

He had once witnessed her kick her football an impossible distance – beyond retrieval – and wondered if, perhaps, she was like him – if she was a witch. A tall, severe woman had pulled her back into their house by the ear, reprimanding her.

He had felt a spark of kinship. He too was always getting in trouble for doing what he was not supposed to.

His first year of Hogwarts came, however, and she was not on the train.

It was as the pair moved out onto the street that Sirius realised that it was her.

She limped; a shoe missing, her dress torn, and her hair a mess as she glanced over her shoulder.

She had just apparated, Sirius realised with a start. His heart endured another peculiar sensation as her eyes drifted curiously over his home. He had watched many others do the same, the miss-numbering usually drawing a second look.

She couldn't see it, he knew. But somehow, it seemed, her eyes met his.

 

---

 

Giles strode quickly.

Katherine followed.

After all, she had nowhere else to go.

Her tentative trust of the man did not stop her from being suspicious about the lunacy he was sprouting about magic.

"Did you not hear me?" said Katherine, "We need to call the police! My Aunt and Uncle are… are…"

The night air made the word 'dead' harder to say.

Giles sighed and shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but sirens blared instead of his words.

Numerous police and ambulances sped past and turned right onto Claremont Square. A block over from the edge of Grimmauld Place, where she and Giles were halted.

"The muggle authorities will take care of your Aunt and Uncle," Giles said blankly, but then something flickered in his eyes.

He turned his head either way to watch the traffic before stepping off the gutter to cross the street.

Katherine hurriedly limped after him, torn between taking off her left shoe and wanting to keep at least one foot clean.

"I've had a very long night, if you're having me on… I'll… I'll…" she lost her words as they stepped into the full light of a streetlamp.

"Merlin," Giles breathed, big eyes unblinking, "Did Henry not teach you anything?"

This man knew uncle Henry? All Katherine could manage was a dimwitted shake of her head. Anything. Uncle Henry had taught her many a thing... to tie her shoes... how to cheat at bridge... to cross a busy street...

Giles blinked, once, twice… and then watched his path again, shaking his head and muttering "Jealous squib…"

"Squib?"

Giles made a dismissive gesture with his hand, still looking ahead, "A non-magic person from a magic family."

He had spoken more quietly than before, most likely because of the busy main street they had just stepped onto from Grimmauld Place.

Something thick jumped forth in Katherine's throat, "I've got other family?"

Giles seemed to slow his step ever so slightly. With a quick side sweep of his eyes, Giles cleared his throat.

"They're no longer around, I'm afraid." he said, maintaining his gaze ahead.

Katherine's frantic scurrying at his side slowed.

Oh.

Scantily-clad girls stumbled arm-in-arm… Groups of young men in bell bottom trousers swayed with bottles in hand, laughing at something escaping Katherine… Neon lights consumed Katherine into something other worldly...

Katherine thought back on Giles' explanation.

If Uncle Henry knew about magic… that meant… it meant that her father was magic – and perhaps her mother too. But… Katherine was completely ordinary. She had never done anything of sort she had seen that night, not even in her dizziest daydreams.

Katherine tucked her hair behind both of her ears and began wringing her hands. Her dirty, scuffed kitten heel still gave her a limp– the other absent. She could not feel her feet carrying her.

"Are you sure I'm not one?" Katherine inclined her head, as to not let any passer-by's read her lips, "A squib."

"Very sure." said Giles, looking ahead.

His words, the familiarity he seemed to have with her, was not lost on Katherine.

"How is it that you know who I am?" Katherine finally asked, stepping around a fire hydrant.

Giles faced forward, "A story for another time."

Katherine halted everything; her thoughts, her feet…

She crossed her arms, "No."

Giles stopped and turned back, squinting.

A red light turned green behind him, casting a strong glow.

"No?" Giles repeated, glancing around them.

People passing them were giving the pair strange looks.

Their curiosity was well-founded; Katherine had grazes and dirt all over, and Giles was wearing a full pin-stripe suit.

"You show up out of nowhere – and just kidnap me," Katherine whispered furiously, endeavouring to not be overheard, "I want to know how you know who I am."

Katherine knew that she was acting like a petulant child. But she could not stop. And, with a heaving chest, she stared defiantly up at Giles.

He had stilled and stared back down at her. He didn't blink.

"Your parents didn't drown on a fishing trip," said Giles suddenly.

He sighed, looked either side of himself, and fixed Katherine with a tired look.

"They were murdered by the darkest wizard the world's seen," He paused, and then nodded down at her, "And now he's after you."

Murdered. It was one thing to know that her parents had died, but… murdered?

"Why?"

Giles nodded his head forward in indication to keep walking, "That bit I don't know."

Katherine begrudgingly fell back into step with the man and thought quietly as she looked down at her crossed arms.

"Was it in the newspaper or something?" Katherine tried to catch his eye, "Is that how you know who I am?"

After a beat of moment, a far too long one, he nodded curtly.

Katherine turned away, recognising his reluctance on the subject, and mulled over everything that she had learnt. Her eyes took in London; the way it always had been. The way that it had always been hiding another world just out of her peripheral vision.

But what was expected of her now?

"I've got nowhere to go, where could we possibly be going?" Katherine asked, her curiosity rejuvenated, "They're expecting me at St Mary's tomorrow –"

"It's September first," Giles said with an incredulous glance at Katherine, "The train to Hogwarts leaves at eleven o'clock."

Katherine turned her mind back to him saying he was a Professor at this 'Hogwarts' place, meaning that it was some kind of school…

"You… you don't mean to say that I'm going to this Hogwarts place?" Katherine all but spluttered.

Giles was not perturbed, his sights set on something up ahead.

"Castle," Giles corrected her casually, "And, yes, I do."

"But I don't have any books or –"

"We are going to Diagon Alley first to get your school supplies." Giles stopped by a sign to the underground and glanced around.

Katherine stopped in front of him, her heel on the gutter, and resisted a laugh.

"Diagon Alley?" Katherine repeated, her tongue struggling around the foreign name, "We take the underground to this magical place?"

Giles almost looked amused.

"At –" Katherine checked her wristwatch –"one in the morning?"

Giles produced a stick of cherry wood; gleaming smooth apart from six rings at the base.

"Not the underground," said Giles, looking around with visible effort to appear inconspicuous, "This is just a clear spot to call the Knight Bus."

There was a thickness to the moment. A feeling of a joint between what Katherine had known up until that point and what was awaiting her. It was in the face of a new world that Katherine found herself clinging to her old one. She remembered her Aunt and Uncle, and felt instantly guilty.

"What about… what about their funerals… I…I can't just leave them there…" Katherine stammered, feeling her eyes burn.

Giles looked upon her with immediate understanding.

"And all of my things –"

Giles held out his right arm, the stick of wood in his hand, "Will be taken care of,"

There was a loud BANG and then a midnight blue bus slowed against the curb.

Alarmed at the ear-splitting arrival, Katherine glanced around but found not an eye on them or the bus.

A man that strongly resembled a pipe cleaner with eyes moseyed up to the door from the inside and leant on the pole. He eyed a card in his hand with a bored expression.

"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus; emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard," he droned, sighing and blinking, "My name is Dave Jenkins and I will be your conductor this evening."

Dave Jenkins looked up, raised his eyebrows, and waved an arm in indication that Katherine and Giles step aboard. He peered behind them all the while.

Giles stepped up, paused, and waved Katherine forward.

"No luggage this evening." said Giles as he turned back to Dave Jenkins.

Dave nodded and retreated into the bus.

"Well, come on, then," said Dave, hitting the back of the driver's box, "It's a busy night – Tuesday, you know?"

Dave pulled lightly on a crank that slammed the doors shut behind Katherine and then the lights of the city began to blur past sickeningly fast.

Katherine followed Giles' lead and sat in an armchair against the windows.

Dave was unfazed by the ludicrous speed and jarring turns that made Katherine's knees regularly hit Giles', and casually leant against the back of the Driver's box.

"Where are we going this evening, Sir?" Dave asked, righting his navy fiddler cap that neatly matched the rest of his uniform.

A particularly sharp turn in the middle of a busy intersection sent Katherine from her seat. Before she could go headfirst into one of the occupied rolling beds, Giles' arm flashed out.

Katherine's collar bone met the back of his elbow unpleasantly.

"The Leaky Cauldron." said Giles, retracting his arm without so much as a glance to Katherine.

Katherine sat beside him, rubbing her chest for a moment, before looking around.

It was real. Magic was real.

It made sense that magic folk had their own means of transportation, but Katherine was curious as to how it went undetected. She assumed they used spells of some kind, with their wands. Well, that's what Katherine assumed the sticks of wood she had seen firing jets of light all night were called.

She had seen magicians pull rabbits out of hats... cut people in half… use vanishing cabinets with what must have been imitations. Because surely that sort of magic was tomfoolery to people like Giles and Dave…

In the beds rolling around the open floor of the bus, were snoring men and women of varying ages and degrees of shabbiness. Katherine saw wands in hands and poking out from beneath pillows. One particularly shrivelled old woman, sleeping with boots and her hat on, snored so violently that gold sparks shot out from the end of her wand.

It was then, in her first moment of calm for the night, that Katherine discreetly used her collar to dab at her eyes; feeling very silly for doing so. She had not even realised that she had been crying.

Katherine looked down at her hands that she wrung in her lap, waiting for the weird air to pass from between them.

"How do you know my Uncle?" Katherine finally asked.

Giles took a long breath and watched a bed almost collapse in front of them, "I lived next door to him for a time."

"You lived on Claremont?" Katherine asked, stunned that she hadn't ever noticed him.

Giles shook his head, his lips pursed.

"I lived next door to your grandparents."

Katherine's mind positively hummed with questions at his casually thrown words.

"Did you know my father?" Katherine asked, bobbing in her seat.

Giles gave a curt nod, his eyes firmly on the window, "I'm sure you've heard all about him from your Uncle."

"No, actually," she said quietly, shrugging and tucking her hair behind both of her ears, "I haven't."

Giles' eyes slid back to her –

"Leaky Cauldron, Stoney Street!"

Katherine did not believe that they could have arrived at their destination so quickly. The bus was still hurtling along at sickening speed. A long, loud SCREECH made Katherine grip the arms of her chair. She knew better than to assume the bus would stop like a normal bus.

It did not.

If Giles had not clawed his hands into the arms of his chair, he would have knocked his head into the back of the driver's box.

The rolling beds bunched together at the front of the bus before they slowly rolled back from the sudden lurch.

Giles gripped Katherine's elbow and led her from the bus, giving a rushed 'thank you' and 'goodbye' to Dave Jenkins. They succumbed to the crisp night air once again.

The pavement was wet and rough beneath Katherine's bare feet, and the breeze went straight through her blouse.

The bus disappeared as quickly as it had arrived for them. Another deafening BANG echoed around the street long after it had left Katherine's sight.

Giles' hand around her elbow pulled Katherine out of her reverie and through a black door.

Loud chatter and the clinking of tankards contrasted the quiet street they had stepped in from. A short bar had labels on the taps such as 'Butterbeer', 'Elven wine' and 'Ogden's firewhiskey' – brands Katherine had never seen. The next thing that drew Katherine's eye was the over-sized fireplace that people were stepping in and out of, barely grazing their heads. Before they could be burned by the orange flames, they threw in powder that turned them green –

"Leave enough floo powder for the rest of us, Fawley." a stocky man grumbled at a lamp-post-thin man with a dripping fistful of green powder.

Giles guided Katherine to a stop at bar and leant over it to call over the bartender. But Katherine's eyes were stuck on the fireplace.

It was like her Uncle's.

He really had known about magic… always linked to it without her or Aunt Victoria being any wiser…

The swaying men, dressed in floor length robes that looked very alike to dresses, disappeared into the green flames. No one seemed as alarmed as Katherine at the development. It must have been normal to travel by fire in the magic world, Katherine thought to herself.

Giles acquired a key from the barman, and then he guided her again. They had to navigate around cluster of small round tables and one long galley before they reached the staircase. They went up without pause, the sound of chatter and clanking cutlery settling beneath them the higher they went.

In the upstairs hallway, a new noise presented itself. A train shook the windows, screaming along below their feet. Dust lifted from between the floorboards.

Katherine resisted a sneeze.

The doors were a dark green with peeling gold numbers. Number seven was nearing the end of the hallway on the left.

The small bronze key revealed a shoebox room with one bed and a threadbare rug.

Giles shuffled in past Katherine and went straight to the small fireplace, squatting by it. His back hid most of what he was doing, but when a sudden warmth spread through the room, Katherine didn't need to see the flames flickering out of his wand tip.

Katherine, unsure of what to do, padded over to the rain-dotted window. They must have just missed one of the intermittent downpours that had plagued the night. A farewell to summer.

"Go ahead and sleep,"

Giles' voice turned Katherine around, her hands gripping her upper arms.

Giles scrubbed at his face, already turning back to the door, "I've got to contact the Order to update them on your whereabouts…"

 

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 2: The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

Claremont Square had been reclaimed by a normal chain of events once deserted by cloaks.

Mr Bennet of Number Twenty-three had promptly called the police after he peered out of his shutters to find the street vacated by the noisy strangers, and then an ambulance when he saw Henry Spencer strewn across their front steps – motionless.

"Cause of death?" asked the senior officer of the seven that had been called to the scene.

The greying paramedic shook his head and looked up at the officer from where he crouched by Henry Spencer.

"We don't know, look –" the paramedic turned back to the body and took great care to not touch the ashen skin as he pointed "– not a mark on him."

The officer scratched his whiskered chin with the end of his pen, waving his notepad as he shrugged, "Poison?"

"There would have been signs of poison on his tongue, which we didn't find," the paramedic pushed up off his haunches and frowned down at Henry Spencer, "As far as I'm concerned, Mister Spencer is in perfect health… apart from the fact that he's dead."

Baffled as though they were, the paramedics eventually did their job and took away the body – the sirens and lights too – and Number Twenty-Four Claremont Square slipped into an undisturbed slumber behind its black gate.

One block over, at the supposedly non-existent Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, the left downstairs window was a beacon in the dark night, completely invisible to those unaware of the bewitchments that laid beyond the front gate.

Upstairs, the youngest occupant of Number Twelve rolled over, his naked torso swathed in moonlight. The downstairs light could not be farther from his dream-filled sleep. Not even the sounds of the earlier skirmish could so much as stir an eye-lid flutter from the boy. He had only returned through his fireplace from France the day before.

There was a soft POP from the corner of the room and then a strange shadow swayed over his alabaster skin. Frowning, the boy shifted once again in his sleep, but found the shadow to be endless.

"Young master Regulus,"

An incredibly small leathery hand gripped his upper arm, unable to close around it.

"Please, sir, I insist that you wake…"

Visions of being chased by hordes of riderless brooms in pursuit of a soaring sticky date pudding quickly left Regulus and his eyes snapped open.

Eyes the size of tennis balls watered behind a handheld candle, floppy bat-like ears twitching at his attention.

At the sight of his House Elf, Regulus fell back into his pillows and scrubbed at his sleep-crusted eyes, "What is it, Kreacher?"

Kreacher's spindly legs, less than a foot long, bent into his re-purposed pillowcase as he shuffled his feet.

"Mistress is needing you downstairs – dressed." said Kreacher, turning and clicking his fingers.

At the bequest of Kreacher's magic, Regulus' dresser drawers shot open. All the fixings of one of Regulus' most formal robe sets arranged themselves mid-air.

Regulus swivelled his legs over the side of his bed and stood on the cold floorboards; snagging his items of clothing out of the air, "Are there people here, Kreacher?"

Kreacher's head bobbed up and down, but his large eyes turned away from the light of the candle.

"Yes, Master Regulus," said Kreacher quietly, his eyes on the door, "And they are not patient this evening."

Regulus slipped his arms into his button up shirt and snagged his trousers next, his belt already threaded through the loops.

"Well, go on, get Sirius up too," said Regulus, breathless as he hurriedly poked one leg through his trousers, "You know what he's like…"

"Kreacher is under strict instructions to only wake the youngest Black," said Kreacher, more quietly and assessing the flame of the candle, "Kreacher will see Master Regulus downstairs."

Kreacher disappeared with a POP.

Regulus – one leg in his trousers and his shirt unbuttoned – paused for longer than he usually would have had his mother requested his presence. But, as if to make up time, once he composed himself he dressed in a hurry and smoothed his hair on his way out the door.

There were still light marks on the floorboards from when his older brother had brought his bicycle back through the house; marks that led to the boy barely older than Regulus.

"Sirius?" Regulus whispered down the hallway, shaking his head and turning to leave "I have to go, mother's asked for me."

"Don't let her ask too much of you."

Regulus halted once more and turned his head, his eyes on the portrait of one of his many Great Uncles instead of his older brother.

Only Sirius and Regulus knew that the portrait concealed a sizable dent in the mahogany panelling. It was a result of Sirius barging Regulus into the wall on their toy brooms to stop Regulus going off the staircase as toy brooms stopped working if they went any further than two feet off the ground. A five-year-old Sirius took the fall down the stairs himself instead.

Regulus supposed that his older brother was a Gryffindor before either knew what it meant. Four-year-old Regulus had convinced Kreacher to re-wrap the early-opened Christmas presents before Walburga and Orion came home and thought of a quick lie to explain Sirius' bruises.

Walburga had coddled the bruised and mildly concussed Sirius, and her first-born son was back to full health by dinner.

No one had noticed the moved floor-length painting; there were so many, it was impossible to keep track of them all.

That was before Hogwarts; when red and green were just colours.

"There's no such thing – now –" Regulus tightened his silk cravat beneath his collar, his back to Sirius "–if you'll excuse me, I have to go represent the House of Black."

The words left something tangible rising up between the brothers, parting them onto different sides of the hallway.

Sirius snorted softly and crossed his arms in the moonlight.

Regulus pursed his lips and made to turn for the last time.

"The last button of your vest is undone," said Sirius, quietly, one hand on his door frame, "Look sharp, Regulus."

Regulus looked down and, lo and behold, it was undone. Frowning, he deftly wove the button into the embroidered opening in the fabric, and continued on. He heard Sirius' door click closed as he reached the staircase.

He didn't remember there being so many steps. Just when he thought he was near the bottom, more seemed to pop out.

Walburga Black was pacing outside the door to the ground floor sitting room, her eyes on the family portrait opposite the troll umbrella stand. They only lifted – wide and glinting – when Regulus' shoes made contact with the floorboards of the entrance hall. Panic pulled at his mother's uncharacteristic smile, lit by the sliver of golden light leaking out from the cracked open door.

"Regulus, my dear –" her dainty hand found his shoulder, and she steered him to the sitting room door "– through here."

The door was yanked open from the inside, and cascades of black curls greeted him; Bellatrix.

Regulus thought that her smile was a little too wide considering that the sun had not risen yet. And, because of his slowly lifting haze of sleep, he did not take notice of the glint in her eyes right away.

"It's him," Bellatrix whispered, trembling with excitement, "We have been honoured with his presence here tonight, dear cousin."

"That's enough, Bellatrix." said Walburga, with quiet shrill.

Regulus desperately wanted to be in his be back in his bed, but instead felt himself thrust forward into the firelight; like a precious heirloom to be appraised. Even by the hearth, he had never felt colder.

The emerald glow of the fireplace settled oppressively over the room. The door clicked closed and the house no longer felt like his own.

The conversation – if it could be classed as such – with Sirius upstairs felt like it could have taken place years ago. It seemed, to Regulus, very strange that something of the like could carry out just metres of wood away from his blood-traitor brother. If he only knew…

A man stood like a revered gold statue amongst a motley handful of his followers.

Regulus was burdened by the unfortunate affliction of being related to some of them, but not to the man that had blood-stained eyes and waxy, bone-white skin. He had never met the man, but there was only one person he could be.

"Regulus Black," his voice was high and cold, "It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

Regulus took a surreptitious glance behind Voldemort to his cousin and parents. They were nodding with white lips to urge him on, their eyes widening with every second that passed.

Regulus bowed his head and used his most sub-servant tone, "My Lord."

Regulus' skin prickled in the quiet that followed his words. He became acutely aware of everyone in the room; every twitch of a hand, every shuffle of a foot, every sideways glance…

There were only three people in the room looking at him; his father, his mother, and Lord Voldemort. He could not conjure up a more intimidating trio.

Bellatrix was gazing raptly at Voldemort while her husband looked out the window into the street.

Malfoy had his eyes low, on the fireplace, unwilling to look at his fellow Hogwarts student.

"Yes… yes, he will do well…"

Regulus felt a spark of indignity deep in his gut.

The Blacks were a proud family; rightfully so with the oldest traceable ancestry of any pureblood family in Europe. And to bow down to anyone preyed on the infamous temper of a Black; a product of their habit of marrying their cousins, if the whispers of polite society were to be believed.

"I told you so, my Lord." said Bellatrix eagerly, her eyes flashing between Voldemort and Regulus.

"You truly are a credit to my ranks, Bellatrix," said Voldemort smoothly, and upon seeing her husband's stiff posture, he also placated him with a gracious wave of his hand, "And, of course, your husband, Rodolphus."

Rodolphus nodded once, still flaming with jealously behind his shadowed, beady eyes.

"Tell him." rasped Bellatrix, her large black eyes glittering in the green firelight.

Bellatrix was simpering against the side of Voldemort's robes, unable to get closer even if she tried.

Voldemort's lips were twisted in annoyance. He stepped away, pulling his robes form beneath Bellatrix's boots and almost tripping her, and began pacing in front of the fireplace.

"Regulus Black, you have been given great recommendation to join our ranks… glowing testimonies indeed…"

Regulus couldn't decide if he were terrified or gratified.

"You are, unfortunately –"

Regulus held his breath

"– too young to take the mark,"

The prospect of the whole situation suddenly felt a lot brighter, the air lighter to breathe –

"But, an unfortunate setback has occurred this evening… a girl; Katherine Spencer, has thwarted me now twice – a girl of fifteen years of age – a girl that will be arriving at Hogwarts later today,"

Voldemort's eyes landed pointedly on Regulus. He ceased his pacing.

"You will also be arriving at Hogwarts later today, Regulus Black, and it is most opportune that this will be. I would like to offer you a chance to help me in my quest to bring stability to our world that is in chaos… to tilt the scales favourably for us all,"

Regulus had the impression that this was an offer that could not be refused.

"You will have help from young Mister Malfoy, of course…"

Voldemort held out a long, waxy arm that glowed with the tell-tale precursor of an Unbreakable Vow.

"What do you say, Regulus?"

'No' rebounded around his skull on repeat, his instincts loud and sharp. But everyone was leering expectantly. So, Regulus endeavoured to conceal his apprehensiveness as he took Voldemort's long, spidery hand.

There was a thickness to the moment, and Regulus' mind was anywhere but on the Unbreakable Vow. He nodded when he needed to and said "I will" at the right time, but he had a niggling feeling…

The glow vanished from around their hands.

Voldemort promptly dropped Regulus' hand, cast a long look at Kreacher, and slipped through the floo.

Everyone else said their goodbyes and vanished through the emerald flames of the fireplace to some other place.

Regulus' feet carried him upstairs to his bedroom. He took off his robes, laid down on his bed, and did not sleep.

At around four in the morning, Kreacher had appeared with hot chocolate and vanished just as quickly. Two hours later, the sound of Sirius using the bathroom and clanking his trunk around almost lulled Regulus off to sleep – almost. At seven, Regulus rose from his bed and dressed in clothes suitable for the muggle world before journeying downstairs to the kitchen.

Sirius drank deeply from a cup of tea at the long galley, not looking anywhere in particular.

Walburga was in the middle of giving Kreacher his orders between letters she was writing to her circle of ladies.

When Regulus rolled up his sleeves before reading the Daily Prophet, giving Sirius a good look at his unblemished left forearm, the room seem to rise a few degrees in temperature.

"Come on, Regulus," said Sirius as he quickly sunk the last few drops of his tea, "We best get a move on."

"I wish you would cut it before you go," Walburga said out of the blue, her steely gaze intent on Sirius' hair, "It is getting silly, Sirius."

The thick, swooping black locks curled against the banded collar of Sirius’ burgundy shirt. It seemed to be missing the top two buttons completely, and by design.

He was always a dab hand at muggle garb. It was one of the reasons Walburga Black dreaded the first of September each year, and the need for her sons to blend in at King’s Cross station. Sirius had barely experimented his first three years at Hogwarts, just wearing the trousers he usually wore under his robes, a shirt, and a jumper. On a visit to the Potters' over the past two summers, he seemed to have finally gotten into a muggle store without supervision.

Regulus would have never thought of pairing it with camel corduroy trousers and a matching suede jacket, open to display the tight crotch-fitting way the trousers clung to him without aid of the belt he still wore resolutely as a matter of proper dress. If he were capable of growing facial hair, a shocking on-trend moustache would not look out of place. His dragonhide boots would go completely unnoticed in lieu of the rest of his outfit.

At least they weren’t flares, Regulus thought to himself. The gaudy things did not suit a soul, muggle or not.

Sirius paused, deathly still, and took one look at Regulus – his face twisted with mirth – before looking back to their mother.

"No, thanks."

Sirius escaped easily, but Regulus was trapped by Walburga clawing into his shoulder with her deceptively delicate hand.

She neatened his hair and cupped his cheek before sending him on his way, "My son…" she said reverently in farewell.

"I'll owl."

Regulus hoped she did not hear how hollow the words felt.

The entire walk to Kings Cross Station – and through Sirius' riveting rendition of 'I spy, with my little eye, a muggle…' – Regulus wondered how a fifteen-year-old girl was a threat to the most accomplished dark wizard this half of the century...

 

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 3: The Platform Between Worlds

The brick courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron was completely plain and ordinary.

Until there was a sternum-thumping rumble, and the bricks began shuffling out of their mortar. They formed an archway to a bustling alley of shopfronts that Katherine had never seen before.

"Diagon Alley." said Giles, looking around casually at the things that made Katherine gawk.

In a daze, she followed him through the archway which promptly closed behind them, and they began to stroll down the alley.

Women and men were passing them in an eclectic range of garb; full cloaks, mismatched suits, 1920's gowns, and there were a small few that Katherine supposed wouldn't look out of place on Carnaby Street.

But Katherine was less interested in them when she saw the stalls and shopfronts.

Slug and Jiggers Apothecary had signs boasting half price bat's spleen and freshly pickled toads.

Quality Quidditch Supplies had a bright light beaming down on a broomstick, glittering letters claiming that the shop housed the 'newest and fastest racing broom to sweep the market'.

Potage's Cauldron Shop apparently had 'everything from pewter to gold'.

A few stalls down was Magical Menagerie; a pet shop unlike Katherine had ever seen before. There were owls, rats, toads, cats, and a breed that resembled a cat that had run at a brick wall.

Gambol and Japes was overflowing with trick wands, Katherine watching a brother and sister go from fencing with licorice to gripping the necks of rubber chickens.

Further down was Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour; one shop that didn't completely take Katherine by surprise, and – for that reason – she longed to taste something familiar.

Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment came next, Giles not slowing for a cool, sweet treat.

In Dervish and Bangs Katherine saw telescopes among many other items – usual and most unusual things in the same cramped space.

Katherine glanced at the equipment list in her hand and felt uneasy.

"Giles," said Katherine quietly.

But he hadn't heard, he was watching the exit to a cobblestone street. A sign hung, albeit barely, marking it as 'Knockturn Alley'.

"Giles!" Katherine tried louder.

Giles met Katherine's eyes calmly, "Yes?"

She had never been in such a predicament before. Her Aunt and Uncle had always taken care of things… and they were very well off. On her own, however, Katherine had nothing.

Katherine suddenly felt very small, "I don't…I don't have any money."

Giles wasn't nearly as affected.

"Gringotts is the wizarding bank," he said, pointing ahead, "Your parents have a vault."

"A vault?"

"The Headmaster of Hogwarts vouched on your behalf to gain access given your unusual circumstances. I took the liberty of making a visit before you woke this morning," said Giles, producing a bulging velvet sack, "Galleons are the gold ones, Sickles the silver, and Knuts the bronze."

Giles nodded in indication they begin walking again.

"At Hogwarts you are allowed to bring a pet, as I am sure you remember from your letter this morning," said Giles. He pointed to a shop where an old lady was sweeping owl droppings from the cobblestones, "Pick one out from the menagerie and I will meet you back here at Nine-forty to complete the rest of your shopping."

He checked his fob watch and then loped off towards the crooked sign that marked the off-shooting street Knockturn Alley.

Katherine sighed at his abrupt nature as she crossed the bustling alley and entered the belled entrance of the Magical Menagerie.

 

---

 

"I can't believe it – my daughter, a prefect!" Anne Evans exclaimed with an affectionate clasp of her youngest daughter's shoulder, "Something I can finally tell Martha next door!"

Her youngest daughter smiled apologetically at an eagle-hatted witch outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour who had jumped at the exclamation. A sullen expression replaced it shortly once she and her mother had scooted past.

"I really wish we could have brought Sev…"

A silence struck up after her words.

"Your father doesn't like him coming around the house, Lily," the mother eyed her daughter sideways, uncomfortably, "And I'm inclined to agree with him."

"He didn't break Tuney's arm, Mum," said Lily, trailing behind her mother with the most pleading of expressions, "It was an accident."

Her mother's hand on her arm pulled her to a stop outside their destination, and her stern expression brought an end to Lily's petulance.

"He wanted to though, didn't he?" Anne's eyes were imploring as she gazed down at her daughter, "Accidental magical has to have intent behind it – that's what that Professor McGonagall said when she came to the house all those years ago."

Lily shifted and looked around at the witches and wizards bustling past, "Well…yes…"

"If someone wishes harm on those you love, they don't care very much for you then, do they?"

"Petunia was being rotten to him."

Her mother simply opened the door to the animal filled space and said over her shoulder, "He's been nothing but rotten to her."

"It's just because she's a muggle." said Lily, stepping through.

The bell sounded again as the door clamped closed behind the two.

"Then what does he think of me? Your father? Where you come from?" said her mother, absentmindedly, as she browsed the pets on display.

Lily did not have a thing to say to that. She knew exactly what Severus Snape thought of her whole family, but she thought she could change his opinion with time. She was sure she could.

She pondered on that thought while she slowly walked the perimeter of the shop.

Her mother, however, seemed to have been browsing more than the animals.

"Oh, look – she seems about your age! Do you know her?"

"No…actually," said Lily, truthfully, "I've never seen her before."

A girl, not unsimilar to height to Lily, stood by the display of kittens. She bore freckles and an incredible resemblance to the character Miranda from the film Picnic at Hanging Rock that Lily had seen at the theatre over the summer with her sister.

Lily was reminded of her manners too when the girl looked up and found herself under Lily's gaze.

"Oh, hello." The girl's voice rang like a bell.

"Hello," said Lily, trying for a friendly smile, "Are you getting a pet for school?"

The girl nodded and smiled, "Yes, I start Hogwarts today."

"Oh – I go there!" said Lily, stepping up to the kitten enclosure to converse more easily, "Which year?"

"I'm starting my fifth year."

"That's my year!" Lily realised, before realising something immediately, "You must be new."

"Yes… I, er," The girl hesitated, and lowered her voice – and her head, "Thought I was a muggle up until last night. A professor came and found me."

"Really? They usually send a professor when you turn eleven – before the beginning of first year…" said Lily.

A beat of silence passed, one too long to be comfortable.

"Where are my manners?" said Lily, remembering herself and extending a hand, "Lily Evans."

"Katherine," said the girl with a ready smile, shaking Lily's hand, "Katherine Spencer."

A memory rang through Lily's mind of the business district in London, "Like that big shot lawyer in London?"

"My Uncle," said Katherine.

Katherine Spencer turned away to peruse the kittens.

"I'm very lost on what kind of pet I should take," she said, turning back to Lily with a new smile, "You know the school – what kind of pet do you have?"

"I just got made prefect over the holidays, so Mum is actually getting me my first pet today. Didn’t want messes in the house over summers…" revealed Lily, turning her own eyes to the animals.

"Oh – me too!" said Katherine, excitably, before clearing her throat, "I mean…at my old school I was a Prefect…"

Lily nodded, and pointed toward the front of the store, "Owls are very practical, sending letters home and all…"

Katherine's eyes lit up with delighted confusion.

"Owls send letters?"

A MEOW drew both girls' attention back to the kittens, where one pure white one with green eyes brushed against Katherine.

"Oh, hello, aren't you gorgeous?" said Katherine, in a higher pitched voice, petting the kitten – only for another one, a tabby cat with a paler shade of green eyes to begin brushing up against her too, "And you too!"

She continued to pet the white cat, but the tabby cat had wondered over to Lily.

"It looks like that one's taking a shining to you." said Katherine, nodding to Lily.

The tabby cat purred under Lily's hands and it went without saying that they needed to look no further for their pets. The girls passed over fifteen galleons each for their pets, their carriers, and a small supply of food to start.

"What are you going to name her?" asked Katherine, as the girls poked fingers into the front grates of the cats' carriers.

"Marbles," said Lily, smiling when the kitten swatted at her finger, "I have a set at home with a pattern just like her fur. And you?"

Katherine observed her kitten before saying firmly, "Belle."

"Like sleeping beauty?" asked Lily.

Katherine shook her head, "It means 'beautiful' in French."

"You speak French?"

Katherine gave a shy smile, "Not very well, mind you. It's compulsory at St Mary's, however."

"We were going to send Lily there,"

Lily and Katherine turned to find the approaching kind eyes of Anne Evans.

She smiled warmly at Katherine, "I'm Anne, Lily's Mum."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Evans." said Katherine, inclining her head.

"Oh, I like you," said Anne with a good-natured laugh, "Are you muggleborn like our Lily?"

A figure blocked the sun streaming in from the alley.

"Mudbloods do tend to herd together, don't they?"

The snarky comment belonged to a tall brown-haired girl with a prominent widow's peak that lined up with her buttoned lips.

"I wonder how many it would take together to do one decent spell?" her voice was high and cold.

Lily trembled with rage, stepping in front of her mother and Katherine.

"Say it again at Hogwarts, Greengrass," said Lily, keeping her voice low and measured, "Slytherin will be in negative points before the first day."

"You get a badge and you've let your insolence get out of check," said Greengrass with a sneer. She then turned her haughty expression on Katherine, "And you – who are you?"

Lily interjected, "That's Spencer – and she's not your new –"

"Katherine Spencer?"

Greengrass transformed before them. Her mean demeanour evaporated, seemingly, with the change in the wind, and she held out a hand to Katherine.

"Griselda Greengrass."

Lily floundered, at a loss, "How'd you…"

"Please, Evans," said Greengrass with a roll of her eyes.

Greengrass surveyed Katherine head to toe, before leaning in and gesturing between her and Lily.

"At Hogwarts you should split from this one," said Greengrass, with a jerked chin in Lily's direction, "If you're amenable to some friendly advice, I'm afraid -"

A false look of acerbic sympathy came and fell just as quickly -

"- it would certainly be in your best interest."

Katherine knew this type of girl, unbeknownst to Lily. They tended to grow up into the kind of women her aunt kept acquainted with. The term she had privately settled on many a year ago was 'a catty witch'. Sometimes, the 'w' was interchangeable with another letter.

The end of the girl's sentence had happened to coincide with the sudden springing open of Katherine's cat carrier, however. Belle skulked out and sniffed around a shell-shocked Greengrass' robes, before squatting and urinating on the gold trim.

Greengrass' face became one of utter disgust, "You little…"

A few things happened at once.

Greengrass pulled back her boot to kick Belle, Katherine screamed out in defence of her pet, and a timely intrusion of owl droppings were flung by the old lady sweeping the floor – into Greengrass' face.

Spitting and clawing the brown deposits from her face and mouth, Greengrass stumbled out of the shop blindly.

"That was brilliant." said Lily, recognising the eruption of accidental magic.

"She was terrible." said Katherine, frowning out into the alley.

The DING and clicking shut of the shop door caught all three's attention.

However, Greengrass hadn't returned for revenge as they had all thought.

A tall, chestnut-curled man stood in the doorway, moving with the grace one would expect from the obvious expense of his robes to a stop – beside Katherine.

"Katherine," said the man, breathlessly, before frowning at her cat carrier, "I thought you were going to get an owl?"

Katherine opened her mouth to explain, but the man waved her off.

"No bother, we need to go get your wand and robes." he said as he wrapped a hand around her elbow and tugged her to the shop door.

Lily felt a spark of urgency in her gut and started after them, "Oh, you'll sit with me and friends on the train?"

Katherine smiled over her shoulder as she was tugged out the door.

"I'd love to."

DING! The door swung closed once more.

Anne Evans touched up the back of her hair, peering to follow the pair as they walked past the glass and into the alley, "Do you think that was her father?"

"Mum." said Lily, turning to her mother, aghast.

Anne gave a good natured swat of her hand through the air, smothering a smile.

 

---

 

Katherine's return to the Wizarding World was short lived, Giles leading her straight from Twilfitt and Tatting's, through The Leaky Cauldron and into the streets of muggle London.

Katherine ignored the sick feeling of dread that inched up her throat when they skirted around Claremont Square and continued on.

She beat back feelings of longing for her material items, and let Giles lead her to their final stop in the muggle world between Platforms Nine and Ten at King's Cross Station.

With a hand on her elbow, Giles pulled her towards Platform Ten, "Forgive me for the shock."

Katherine barely had time to blink before he pulled her through the brick platform.

There was a cloud of steam around a scarlet train. On a black plaque, golden letters spelled out the engine's name; The Hogwarts Express.

Katherine yet again found herself surrounded by people that were anything but normal – by people that were like her. There were parents and their children; some clinging on, and others fleeing with promises of letters.

And then there were Giles and Katherine.

"You'll need to load your trunk into a compartment and then it's about a three hour ride," Giles patted the trolley he had pushed for Katherine, "I'm going to have to leave you on your own for a little bit,"

Giles looked down the length of the train before looking back to Katherine.

"Will you be okay?" Giles asked, smoothing back a stray curl into his slick-backed style and furrowing his eyebrows.

Katherine didn't think that he would stay if she said 'no'.

"Sure." Katherine lied.

"Use one of the toilets to change into your robes after you find a compartment." said Giles absentmindedly as he turned.

Katherine stood and watched his frame retreat into the throngs of students loitering outside the train. A group of older boys eclipsed him, but Katherine saw the carriage door open and close before his head bobbed out of sight completely.

A tall figure blocked the sunlight filtering in through the end of the platform tunnel.

"Do you need any help with your trunk?"

Katherine turned around, but – at the sight of the owner of the voice – lost her words.

He grinned brilliantly, already bending over, "What kind of Head Boy would I be if I didn't insist?"

The neat part down his gold locks was where Katherine fixed her gaze.

She herself tucked her hair behind both ears, "Oh, you're Head Boy?"

He stood with the handle of her trunk in one hand and his own in his other. He was smiling amusedly.

"I'm afraid that I don't know who you are either," he conceded, putting down her trunk before extending his hand, "Gideon Prewett."

Katherine accepted his hand, "Katherine Spencer."

His honey eyes lit up and his hand ceased it's shaking of Katherine's.

"Oi, Gideon –" A boy stopped short of Gideon. At once, Katherine noticed that the two were identical within a freckle.

The twin of Gideon looked upon Katherine with delighted surprise. Katherine took note of the shirt he wore, it had '402^nd Quidditch World Cup' emblazoned in gold lettering that glittered and winked.

"A transfer from Beauxbatons?" he inquired.

Katherine shifted her weight from leg to leg and blinked, "Oh, er, no…"

"Gideon, laddie!" a boy in a blue and bronze scarf greeted, grabbing Gideon's shoulder roughly in passing.

Gideon nodded at the boy in returned respect, "Wood."

His twin, however, was still frowning at Katherine, "Durmstrang?"

Two dark heads – one messy and one neat – passed behind the Prewetts and stole Fabian's attention. They seemed younger, closer to Katherine's age.

The one with messy hair locked his bespectaled gaze onto Gideon, "Good summer, Gideon?"

"Splendid, Potter," answered Gideon absently, before gripping his twin's upper arm. Gideon threw a significant look at Katherine before throwing his eyes back to his brother, "She's a Spencer."

Katherine was beginning to become curious about her surname...

The twin held out his hand with decided grin, "Fabian, twin of Gideon."

Katherine took his hand, "Katherine."

The Potter boy had gone on, but his neater haired companion had turned back to glance curiously at them.

Fabian smacked Gideon soundly on the chest before pulling his towards the train, "Come on, we've got to meet with King."

Gideon looked back at his Katherine, his expression caught, "But –"

Fabian was not listening.

"King's handing over the captaincy this year after having to repeat his seventh year," Fabian announced importantly, "I need to know if I'm getting it."

"Sorry, Spencer." Gideon's expression was apologetic before it was submerged into the sea of heads on the platform.

But it was not long until she saw the Prewetts again. After changing into her robes in the toilet, Katherine, her trunk, and Belle’s carrier on top, were squeezed past her fellow students as they flooded the train. They didn’t seem to pay her any mind. While she was lugging her trunk down the hallway to find an empty compartment, she passed the compartment the boys from earlier had taken up residence inside of.

The boy in the blue and bronze scarf from earlier - Wood - was extending his hand to an already seated boy, "No hard feelings about this year, King?"

King was long, stretched across the compartment easily even with his legs bent. He had closely cropped black hair on a head shaped like a half-let-down-football. But he held out a hand, even larger than his head, with a crooked smile in accompany of it.

"With the best Gryffindor team in years… we’ll smash yer's anyway." said King as he shook Wood's hand before leaning back with a resigned smile.

“I would not put all my dragon eggs in one basket if I were you.”

“Did you hear… Regulus Black is going to be Seeker this year…”

“Sirius’ll murder ‘im on the pitch.”

“How much are you willing to put on it?...”

Katherine moved past, feeling the sick kind of loneliness inching up her throat as she navigated the train.

A group of boys ducked into a compartment up ahead. She recognised the two dark haired boys that passed Gideon. A lanky sandy-haired boy, taller than the other two, trailed behind. A mousy-haired boy, the shortest of the four, scurried up the rear.

Gideon had called the boy with messy hair and glasses 'Potter'. Katherine almost did not recognise him in his school uniform. Potter was walking very carefully while the boy with neater black hair trailed behind.

The trailing boy held Potter's glasses to his eyes and pulled them away repeatedly before handing them back, "You really are blind!"

Potter adjusted his glasses on his nose, grinning all the while.

The boys moved past, but the hallway wasn't empty.

Lily's red hair bobbed past in their wake.

"Katherine! There you are!" Lily waved Katherine out of her chosen compartment, "Come on, you can meet the rest of the girls…"

Katherine straightened out her new school robes as she stepped into the compartment. She placed down Belle's carrier inside the door, and found that her fingers were cool, clumsy, and shaking.

"Girls, this is Katherine," Lily announced, smiling kindly back at Katherine before plopping down on the bench, "She's new."

An almond-haired girl waved with a welcoming smile, the first of the girls to do so.

"Mary Macdonald," she greeted, nodding gently, "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Katherine returned.

"Alice Fortescue." The girl who looked remarkably like Twiggy offered quietly.

"And that's Marlene McKinnon." Lily supplied, pointing to a girl rummaging through her trunk muttering about lost Quidditch gear.

"It's nice to meet you all." Katherine said tentatively to the compartment at large.

Lily patted the seat beside her in indication for Katherine to sit down. There were three seats on either side of the compartment, Alice and Mary sat opposite Marlene and Lily.

They seemed normal. Did they perhaps sprout tails or something spontaneously? Did Katherine?

Marlene looked around Lily at Katherine with an alert smile, "So, are you muggleborn?"

The terms were starting to confuse Katherine. For all she knew, she could have been. She only knew that she wasn't a squib.

"It doesn't matter," said Lily, rolling her eyes. She instead turned her eyes on Alice, and smiled, "Now, Alice, will you be sitting next to Frank in every class again this year?"

Alice pinked and the next hour was devoted to catching Katherine up on everyone's romantic trysts at Hogwarts and what they had all done for summer.

It was as the train rocked the girls back and forth in their seats, and clicked along the tracks, that Katherine found herself thinking of Fiona. St Mary’s would have done their intake of students hours ago. What would everyone have been told? Would her aunt and uncle be in the papers?

The urge to hide her mouth in her fist crept in – and a very weepy feeling with it. It felt like her first day of school as a very young child, all over again. This time, she was without her aunt, Victoria, dabbing at her face in the bathroom of number twenty-four – “You have to stop crying, Katherine…” she had said.

Katherine’s arm lifted to rest on the windowsill, and she did hide her quivering lips in her fist as she pretended to watch the passing scenery. Her aunt’s words came back to her again – “Look up, it’s harder to cry when you’re looking up.” Katherine did. With a few minutes of measured breaths, and looking up at the clear blue sky, she willed back the weepy feeling.

The girls’ idle chatter around the compartment helped, she found. It was well into the train ride when conversation turned to Katherine again.

"What was your last name again?" asked Marlene.

"Spencer." said Katherine.

Marlene's eyes widened, "As in…"

Marlene and Alice looked between themselves in silence for a moment before turning back to Katherine.

Lily looked between everyone in the compartment, at a loss, "Is this some weird pureblood history thing?"

“Are… you all purebloods?” asked Katherine, carefully, not terribly sure what she was asking by it…

Judging by the way the girls’ eyes flickered around at one another, Katherine had the sense of committing an atrocious faux pas –

The compartment doors slid open with BANG.

Giles stood there, an expression of mild surprise flashing across his face. His eyes darted around the compartment full of girls until they fell upon Katherine.

Katherine noted that his chest was heaving, as if the man had been running.

"Katherine." said Giles quietly, with a nod to the door.

Katherine pushed herself up.

"Oh, er," she paused and waved back at the girls, "See you."

"See you!" they chorused brightly, all the while watching Giles curiously.

Katherine followed Giles down the corridor, kicking herself that she had not even noticed that the train had stopped. It was a smooth ride compared to the Knight Bus. Katherine came to the swift conclusion that she much preferred the train.

"Leave yer trunks!" A voice called from outside the train, "They'll be taken up to the castle separately!"

Giles had collected Katherine’s cat carrier from the floor in the compartment, and Belle made small noises of discontent at being swung this way and that in Giles’ hold.

The corridor was warm, packed with bodies, and Katherine felt it much easier to breathe when she and Giles squeezed out onto the platform and into the crisp evening. When they did, Katherine paused.

Her limbs tingled in the face of the large castle across the murky lake; Hogwarts.

"This way," Giles' hand found Katherine's elbow in a familiar grip, "We'll get the first carriage up to the castle."

True to his word, Giles weaved through the clusters of friend groups and the path cutting through a forest.

Katherine found herself slowing as she looked around.

There was something familiar about the cracks of leaves and twigs underfoot – about the way the trees twisted overhead. It was odd, considering that the closest Katherine had ever come to so many trees at once was in the nature strip of Claremont Square.

 

There was a regular flash of light against fair hair. Heavy breaths fell like the quick and heavy footsteps striking the ground below Katherine. The flesh against her forehead was cold and beading with sweat, but it didn't bother her – she felt safe.

"I'm sorry, Katherine –" a deep voice cracked, "– I'm so sorry –"

A branch skimmed the back of her head –

"It's all my fault –"

Arms tightened around her, but all she could see was the path of twisting trees behind her, jolting out of focus every other step –

"Dumbledore will fix everything… he will… he has to…"

 

"Katherine…"

Katherine blinked and looked away from the trees, realising that she and Giles had stopped.

He was looking at her in mild concern.

Katherine took notice of her surroundings, largely unchanged from the break she took while being caught up in her thoughts, but with the addition of horse-pulled carriages. Stunned at the strange breed of horses – skeletal looking with spiny wings – Katherine paused once again.

“What are they?” asked Katherine, stepping back as the one pulling Giles’ chosen carriage let out a snort and it’s heavy hooves clobbed against the ground restlessly.

Giles climbed up a small set of steps out of her peripheral vision, "Thestrals – come on."

Katherine tore her eyes from the horses, curious, but not all that surprised after all she had seen over the past day and climbed into the carriage. She and Giles sat opposite one another, and she was vaguely aware that he was observing her. The hairs on the back of her neck were pricked.

"You made friends," said Giles suddenly, nodding once, "Good."

Katherine thought back on the girls she had met and felt a million questions rise up her throat.

"Why does everyone seem to act weird once they hear my surname?"

Giles took a deep breath and blinked, "Chatty girls, I take it…"

Katherine was still waiting for her answer.

Giles gulped, frowned at the passing trees that were painted blue by the starlight, and then sighed.

"Everyone is too afraid of the wizard who –" Giles broke off, looked down at his knees and then met Katherine's eye with new resolve, "Everyone is too afraid of the wizard who murdered your parents to even speak his name."

Katherine frowned, unsatisfied, "Well, what is it?"

Giles' eyebrows shot up.

"His name?"

Katherine nodded.

Giles hesitated, "Lord Voldemort."

Images of top-hats and waist-coats entered Katherine's mind.

"He's a Lord?"

Giles shook his head quickly.

"He just calls himself that," said Giles, slowly smiling like he had a bitter taste in his mouth all the while, "It makes people forget he's a half-blood."

It was not the first time that blood had been mentioned around Katherine. It was strange, up until the previous night, she had thought that there were only a handful of types. She knew she was A-Positive, having had a bad flu when she was eight that required a blood test.

"Is blood a big thing here?" asked Katherine.

"Yes." Giles' answer was firm and casual at the same time, his eyes keenly watching the path whiz by them.

"What am I?"

Giles's eyes flitted sideways.

Katherine watched as his throat bobbed and his eyes returned to the path in front of them.

"You're as pureblood as they come," Giles finally said, blinking thoughtfully and tilting his head to the side, "Mind you, I don't think you're related to the Blacks…"

"The Blacks?" Katherine jumped on the name quickly, "I've heard them mentioned a few times. Who are they?"

Giles ran his knuckles beneath his chin, "The oldest pureblood family in Europe,"

He turned back to Katherine, shaking his head –

"Nothing for you to worry about though."

Notes:

Thank you for reading :)

Chapter 4: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

When the carriage rolled to a stop, Katherine peeked out.

The pink sunset bled to the intermediate grey that preceded an inky purple night. The stars were faint behind the tips of the tallest stone towers, and there were torches outside the entrance, barely lighting the way from the carriage to the front steps.

They had arrived at Hogwarts.

Insects hummed from the forest behind them as Giles led the way across the gravel path.

The chill of impending night leeched through Katherine's clothes. Faint smoke met Katherine's nose, a gentle plume rising from the chimney of a brick-red cottage down the sloping green lawns.

The expanse of the castle's walls masked more and more of the grounds as Katherine stepped closer, following Giles.

The open doors of the castle were prowled by a hunched man with long, wiry hair and a red-eyed cat that seemed awfully suspicious of Katherine and Giles for a feline.

Giles led Katherine through an Entrance Hall filled with more torches. He placed down Belle’s carrier with a steadily growing pile of trunks and other pets that sqwarked and meowed quietly. More seemed to appear as Katherine observed the pile, magically transported, it seemed, from the train.

"Argus Filch," Giles nodded back in the direction of the prowling man, "Must have just taken over from his cousin, Apollyon Pringle, as caretaker."

He pointed to a set of double doors.

"The Great Hall; you'll be coming back down to eat in there with the rest of the school after I take you to the Headmaster."

Giles took a right off the Entrance Hall and a marble staircase loomed ahead.

Giles hopped from the first step to the third, "Watch out for the disappearing step."

Katherine looked down to find that the second step had disappeared and carefully minded the gap as she was towed by her elbow up the stairs to the first landing. Katherine smiled at the absurdity of a disappearing step and loved it privately.

It was like being whisked back in time, in a fairytale. Katherine marvelled at the medieval stone walls, lush carpets, gleaming suits of armour... and the portraits moved - almost like televisions.

There were no televisions, however. Or telephones. Or light switches. There was no electricity to be seen at all. Roaring torches lined the walls, flickering warm orange light out into the cavernous stone castle.

Still, it buzzed. Full of magic.

"Come on, we're late," said Giles, tugging on her elbow and taking the right staircase as he checked his pocket watch and then mumbled something about a shortcut.

Giles produced his wand from a holster on his hip and tapped a mirror.

"Dissendium!" he opened the mirror-turned-door and stepped through, "Come through here."

Katherine warily stepped through to a large antechamber of sorts. The stone tapered down into a jagged tunnel that inclined through the very walls of the castle.

The mirror closed behind them, plunging them into darkness.

"Lumos!" Giles' wand tip lit up with a white light, not unlike a torch.

A short journey through the rising stone passage, Katherine stepping carefully on the jagged floor, and they stopped again.

Giles' wand light revealed a circular door that he paused at, blindly reaching for a handle that he found first go. Dust filtered down on their heads from where it budged to reveal a sliver of light. Giles pushed the stone door open enough for them to slip out single file and then closed it again, the tapestry it was propping open falling shut over the passageway's entrance.

And then they were walking again – out of what seemed to be a trophy room – into another hallway. Halfway down the hallway though, Giles stopped – much to Katherine's relief – and turned to an alcove housing a gargoyle statue.

"Sugar Quills."

The gargoyle sprang to life and hopped aside, revealing a staircase. Not pausing, though she would have liked to in her amazement, Katherine followed Giles up the staircase to a short landing. He paused in front of a heavy pair of doors before knocking three times.

"Come in." a voice called from the other side.

Giles opened one of the two doors and motioned gallantly for Katherine to step through first.

A circular room met Katherine's eyes, and she was immediately distracted by the whirring of all sorts of silver instruments beneath the glass of cabinets. They were not unlike the instruments she had seen in Dervish and Bangs but looked considerably more valuable than anything found in Diagon Alley.

There were moving portraits covering the walls and plaques beneath them indicating the portraits' subjects were previous Headmaster of the school.

Katherine eyes fell on the current Headmaster; standing from his throne-like chair with kind, twinkling eyes. His beard was so long that it disappeared beneath his desk and merged with his long silvery hair. Beneath all of his hair, were the brightest orange robes Katherine had ever seen.

If Giles had not told her about him, she would not think to take him seriously at all.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir." said Giles, inclining his head respectfully and skirting around Katherine.

"Felix, take a seat…take a seat," said Dumbledore, waving his hand at two wingback chairs opposite his own, his large mahogany desk between. He smiled at Katherine, "Hello, Katherine."

"Hello, Professor." said Katherine, following Giles' lead.

"I'll take it that you have a lot of questions –" Dumbledore began, holding up his hand as Katherine's mouth fell open –"All of which will be answered in due time, Katherine,"

Katherine nodded, knitting her hands together.

"I take it that Felix has filled you in somewhat..." continued Dumbledore, "But for now, we need to sort you and join the rest of the school at the welcoming feast."

A tattered old hat was gripped in Dumbledore's wrinkled and bejewelled fingers. The only difference between it and any other manky old conical hat – was the tear around the brim. And when the hat was lowered onto Katherine's head, slipping down her forehead, the tear became a mouth.

"Mhmmm… not bad…" the hat murmured, "Not bad at all… but where to put you…"

 

---

 

There were four tables running the length of Great Hall. The far left occupied by green-robed students, the next table by blue-robed students, the next with red-robed students, and the far right with yellow. Above them were hundreds – possibly thousands – of candles, drifting under a replica of the night sky unaided.

Knowing she belonged with those in red robes, Katherine began to walk along the Gryffindor table. Lily's red hair was unmissable amongst the crowds of heads that shone gold and copper under the candlelight.

Katherine slowed by the group of girls that were unchanged from the group on the train, and waited for Alice to finish her story about accidentally sending a boy into anaphylactic shock at her family's ice cream shop before she cleared her throat –

"Is it okay if I sit here?"

"I should have known you'd be sorted here – after that run in with Greengrass in Diagon Alley and all..." Lily beamed, pulling her robes closer to her body and clearing a bit of bench.

Before they could say anything further a group of First Years, hurried in by Professor McGonagall, anxiously awaited their own sorting at the front of the hall. McGonagall stood with a scroll by a stool and sought to break the silence with the clearing of her throat.

"Alderidge, Jeffery."

The sorting blurred together after the first two First Year students.

Katherine watched passively, glad for an excuse to not have to speak for a small while.

"Now… to our new students, welcome! To our returning students, welcome back!" Dumbledore greeted as he took to the podium, "Another year of magical education awaits you,"

Dumbledore smiled over the Hall.

"There are some start of term notices;" said Dumbledore, "First of all, I would like you all to welcome Professor Giles to our school. He will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher,"

Polite clapping sounded around the Great Hall, a few whispers breaking out.

"Moving on…Mr Filch would also like me to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is in fact forbidden," Dumbledore continued on, "And without further ado, let the feast begin!"

At his words, the four house tables became flooded with food, the Hall filled with the chatter of students who had not seen each other for a whole summer.

Gold goblets bubbled to the brim with juice and water, glazed turkeys and roast vegetables popped onto extravagant trays in the middle of the table.

"So, Katherine,"

Katherine looked up to find that it was Lily who had spoken, the red-head offering her a small smile as she ladled pumpkin soup into her bowl.

"You could probably do with a rundown of who's who in the school."

Katherine felt a surge of immediate relief and nodded, smiling bashfully.

"Next to Dumbledore…that's McGonagall," Lily pointed briefly, "She's our Head of House and teaches Transfiguration…"

Lily proceeded to help Katherine put names and subjects next to the faces of everyone at the staff table.

The moustached wizard with a gut resting next to his frequently used goblet was named Horace Slughorn and taught potions – also being Slytherin’s Head of House. The man next to him had a chair higher than any other, Professor Flitwick, and he taught Charms. And on it went until Katherine knew who each of her teachers were.

A particularly loud roar of laughter from the other side of Lily made her take a breath and nod gently behind herself.

"Those are the Gryffindor boys in our year," said Lily, pushing around her torn bits of bread she had dropped into her soup.

"James Potter –"

Lily indicated to the boy Katherine had seen earlier on platform and on the train, the one with messy black hair and glasses. Potter was mid-joke; arms gesticulating widely, the boys around him just wheezing for the punchline as if what he was saying was already the height of hilarity.

"– Sirius Black –"

Lily nodded at the boy on Potter's right next. It was the boy who had tried on Potter's glasses and declared him blind. Sirius Black sat with impeccable posture, an expression of mild amusement on his face. He was not laughing with the reckless abandon of his friends. He turned, shaking his hair back from his face as he did, and perused the Slytherin table disinterestedly, looking very haughty.

"– Remus Lupin –"

Across from Potter and Black was a sandy-haired boy, looking very pale and haggard. A laugh transformed Remus Lupin's weary features at the punchline of Potter's joke, although he tried to smother it, and he ate with renewed vigour.

"– Frank Longbottom –"

Next to Lupin was a boy on the taller side, with dark hair and a large smile, laughing as rambunctiously as Potter and throwing in his own comments which earnt even more laughter from the group.

"– and Peter Pettigrew." Lily finished, indicating a small pudgy boy next to Black.

Peter was looking reverently between Potter and Longbottom with small, watery blue eyes like it was a tennis match.

"Lupin is a Prefect with me, he's alright." said Lily with a shrug, spooning soup carefully into her mouth.

A head emerged from the middle of the table and Katherine jumped in her seat, watching as shoulders came next, and then a torso; all transparent. A ghost, Katherine realised with a start.

No one else was fazed, Frank Longbottom going so far to greet him cheerfully, "Hello, Sir Nicholas, any luck this year?"

To which the man – who looked as if he had emerged from a renaissance painting – replied resignedly, "My chances are, once again, dismal."

He then floated off calling out to a ghost swooping the Hufflepuff table in a noble charge, “FRI – AAAR!”

Katherine schooled her surprise from her face and attempted to return to eating and conversing like everyone else. Of course ghosts would exist, Katherine thought, ghosts and ghouls, witches and wizards… it all went hand in hand.

Lily was squinting at the two dark-haired boys in their year again.

"Potter and Black," said Lily, snorting softly, "Two halves of a whole idiot,"

She spared the boys a long look.

"And a dangerous idiot, considering that they have more talent than they know what to do with," She looked to Katherine pointedly as she monologued, "They would be alright if they didn't hex people in the hallways just because they can – or because they're bored –"

Anything else Lily had to rant about was lost to Katherine as the boys' conversation reached a loud enough volume to be audible from where Katherine sat. Curious, Katherine listened in as she cut up her sausages.

"Merlin, just looking at Malfoy makes me want to hex things…" said Potter, tearing his eyes from the Slytherin table across the Great Hall and stabbing his steak.

Katherine watched as several things happened at once. Lupin became very interested in his dinner, taking great care in mopping up the last bit of sauce with a piece of bread before chewing it slowly. Black's haughty expression finally vanished, his elbows finding the table as he joined the conversation with undisguisable interest.

"Dad said that something big happened last night in London – bunch of blokes ended up in St Mungo's and he got called in to help brew potions," said Potter, leaning forward and looking either side of himself. He missed Katherine eavesdropping, "I bet he was involved."

"It was just over from Grimmauld," said Black, nodding, "Dementors and everything."

Grimmauld? These boys knew London - these boys knew her neighbourhood...

"Wow, that would have been scary – all of those… you know…." said Pettigrew, ducking his head, unwilling to go on. But he didn't need to.

"Oh, yeah –" said Black sarcastically. His expression was deceptively blank as he reached for a buttered roll, "– petrifying."

Lupin looked up from his dinner tiredly, "Sirius."

"Are you going to take points?" Black asked, the corners of his lips quirking and his heavily-lidded eyes blinking slowly.

"You're not going to turn on your friends now, are you, Moony?" said Potter, grinning and slinging an arm around Black’s shoulders.

"Dumbledore was very gracious to give me such a position –"

"What's your mate, Snape, doing hanging around with the likes of Avery and Mulciber?"

Marlene's question brought Katherine back to the girls she was sitting with.

Lily shook her head and looked around at the Slytherin table, "Severus doesn't –"

Lily stretched her neck to get a good look at the scene –

"I'm sure that he's just being polite." she said, sitting back down into her seat slowly.

Marlene mumbled something into her strudel that sounded like 'not bloody likely' but Lily was too busy trying to surreptitiously watch the Slytherin table to hear.

But what everybody in hall did hear, was a scream.

Katherine, along with everybody else, whipped around, the scream coming from the far-left side of the hall; the Slytherin table.

A scraggly boy had jumped to his feet and had begun to swear profusely. His fellow Slytherins were giving him a wide berth, pinching their noses closed.

His oily black hair curtained most of his long, pallid face, but what he couldn't hide – even beneath his robes – was a stature much like an overgrown weed.

"Dungbomb!"

"In his stew?"

"There was Bubotuber pus in his goblet too!"

Katherine looked around for the culprits, wondering who would be so blasé with all of the teachers at the end of Hall…

It wasn't until she looked back to her own table, that she saw Potter and Black whispering to each other -

"You didn't tell me you were going to hide a dungbomb in his robes."

"Me?" said Potter, with a feigned look of incredulity that his grin pushed through, "What about the Bubotuber pus in his pumpkin juice?"

Black grinned, shaking his hair from his face, "I thought it might take the top coat of oil from his nose – a favour, really."

The hall fell silent and Katherine looked around to find that Dumbledore had taken to the podium.

"I think that is enough excitement for one evening," Dumbledore declared with a smile, "Prefects, please escort the first years back to their common rooms, it is time for a well-deserved kip after such a feast."

The deafening sound of benches scraping as people got up filled the hall.

Panic filled Katherine's limbs despite the definite haze of tiredness pressing on her brow.

Her eyes sought Giles at the end of Hall, but he was moving off through a side door with the rest of the faculty.

This was where they parted ways, Katherine guessed.

Now on her own, Katherine watched as Lily sought out the sandy-haired Remus Lupin, towering over all of his friends.

"Lupin, are you able to take the first years?" Lily asked her fellow Prefect, "I've got to show our new girl back to the Tower."

"Yeah, of course,"

He rose up off of the bench and looked down the table at the first years.

"First years! This way!" he called with a kind, welcoming grin, waving his arm with vigour Katherine did not think him capable of just an hour before. Lupin moved away from the group with a gaggle of First Years in his wake, his friends moving to follow after.

Lily smiled at Katherine, nodding in the direction of the doors, "We'll show you the way back to the Tower."

But before they could leave, James Potter spotted them at the doors – or more specifically, he had spotted Lily.

"Oi, Evans." Potter called with a large grin.

Lily pursed her lips, "Potter."

She went to move past him, Black, and Pettigrew.

"Who's that?" Potter nodded at Katherine and un-crossed his arms from across his chest.

"Katherine." said Lily, not sparing him a glance.

Potter grinned, "Can she speak?"

Potter’s eyes fell on Katherine for the first time.

Katherine flushed immediately.

Nervously, her eyes flittered to the boys flanking Potter. Pettigrew had snorted, but was looking to his friends. Black – the boy who came from the oldest wizarding family in Europe – was just looking at her, his gaze like steel.

Lily moved to place a hand on Katherine's arm, avoiding Potter’s eyes.

"It's best to not encourage him." Lily told Katherine sarcastically, a hint of smile on her pursed lips.

Potter stretched as his smile returned, and he leant back against the stone wall.

Black smacked Potter’s back in comradery, as his eyes found her again where she was standing at Lily's side.

Something about him seemed so very familiar...

A few rowdy Hufflepuff's had passed between the Fifth Year girls and boys, and Lily hooked her arm through Katherine's to pull her into the stream of students. The girls took Katherine back on, what they claimed, was the easiest route to remember back to Gryffindor Tower, pointing out bathrooms and classrooms as they went.

"Giggle Juice." said Lily to the Fat Lady.

The portrait swung open, Katherine feeling a great sense of belonging as she stepped through to the circular room with her new friends. The roaring fire and stuffed armchairs aided the sense of comfort. The girls all scurried up the steps to their dormitory to escape the multitude of First Years in the common room.

The dormitory was a large circle room, much like the common room, but with five four-poster-beds spaced evenly apart. The girls immediately went to their claimed beds, leaving the bed closest to the door empty. Katherine found her trunk at the foot of the bed decked out in ruby hangings, trimmed with gold, identical to the others.

Katherine barely brushed her teeth and pulled on some pyjama-like robes Agatha Tatting had made for her from her trunk before she began to fall into a deep, and what felt like magical, sleepy state.

The oil lamps cast glowing orange shapes on the walls. There was awkwardness in the room, however.

“I’m sorry, by the way,” said Katherine, as the girls all settled into their beds, “For earlier – for asking… I didn’t realise blood was such an important thing here. Professor Giles explained it to me after…”

“None of us are prejudiced, but…” Lily was the first to speak. She caught Katherine’s eye across the dormitory, “Remember Greengrass in the menagerie?”

Katherine nodded.

“A lot of people share the same sentiments towards people like me –” Lily went on, giving a slight roll of her eyes, before explaining “– muggleborns. My parents and whole family are normal, non-magic people.”

Alice frowned at Lily, then looked to Katherine with a short smile, “Unfortunately.”

“Alice is a pureblood, like you,” said Mary, from the bed beside Alice. She gave Katherine a smile, watching her as she spoke, “I’m a half-blood. The worst kind too – my Dad’s a half-blood, and my mum’s a muggleborn – scraping through on pure technicality.”

“It’s so stupid. We grew together in the back corridors of the Ministry while our parents worked. You’re just as magical as me…” trailed off Alice, sighing.

Mary waved a hand.

“As for me, it’s a bit of joke…” declared Marlene, taking her turn, “The McKinnons are the longest line of half-bloods in wizarding Britain. We just keep bringing in muggleborns every other generation – can’t help ourselves.”

The girls laughed. Katherine a bit more reservedly, not so sure she was ‘in’ enough on it all.

“Sorry if we made you feel awkward on the train –”

Alice was the one to apologise, with warm assurance across her face –

“Maybe when we were children, we were more forthcoming.”

Lily rolled over in her bed, reaching onto her bedside table to check her ticking alarm clock –

“It’s getting late. We should try and sleep, we’ve got to be up early…” yawned Lily, rolling back into her bed and pulling up her blankets to her chin.

Katherine turned out her lamp, adjusting to the new smell of the Hogwarts blankets, “Goodnight.”

“Oh, her first sleep under the castle roof –” said Marlene, in a sing-song voice, “Goodnight, Katherine.”

“Goodnight, Katherine!” the rest of the girls chorused at whispers.

Giggles followed, and the subsequent ‘shhh’s’.

Her stomach full, and her eyes finally completely closed for the first time since leaving Claremont, Katherine fell into a dream-less sleep; safe from faceless enemies.

Notes:

Thank you for reading :)

Chapter 5: The First Days

Waking up, Katherine thought one thing –

It was cold.

She looked around her bed from beneath new, heavy maroon blankets. It was not St. Mary’s, she remembered. A heat rose to her eyes as Katherine was forced to bear the heavy settling of acceptance – that she was never going to see her old school ever again. Or Fiona…

It all felt like some elaborate joke. She wanted to go home – not to class.

Alice, Lily, Marlene, and Mary were getting ready for just that, however. The girls rushed around, in and out of the bathroom, pulling on the weird uniforms everyone wore at Hogwarts. They were happily talking about their pursuits of the year in the scramble of getting ready.

Marlene seemed to want to replace her cousin, Marcus, on some sporting team in the position of Keeper.

Mary just wanted to pass the year’s examinations – OWL’s she called them. Katherine rather thought they sounded like the regular O Levels she knew of…

Lily, of course, was a prefect. She was consulting a list of sorts – of her expected duties. It entailed patrolling the castle and assisting in upkeeping other students’ adherence to the school rules.

“I can’t wait for the first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson,” said Alice, as she pulled on her knee socks, “Hopefully Professor Giles is better than Professor Merrythought – he seems to be sharp, you can see it in his eyes, I reckon…”

Katherine quietly began changing out of her pyjamas and into her new school uniform. She thought it best that she didn’t divulge what had happened on Claremont to the girls – unsure if it would reassure them about their new professor – or frighten them…

Alice stood, straightening herself up in the mirror, glancing back, “Who got top of the class last year? Was it you Lily?”

“Lupin.” said Lily, with a short raise of her eyebrows, and a little smile.

Alice paused, looking back, in disbelief, “You wouldn’t think it…”

“Go on, tell Katherine about your ten-year plan –” broke off Marlene, with a goading grin to Alice, before turning to Katherine “– she’s wanted to be an Auror since around the time she started walking –”

“Mares. Here’s your jammie top, by the way. You left it at mine the other week – thought I’d just wait for school instead of risking it with the that sorting fiasco going on through the Owl Service…” said Lily, crossing the room, and tossing a pink fistful of fabric.

Mary caught it with a blink, “Oh, brill – I was looking for it when I was packing… thought my little sister nicked it…”

Katherine brushed her teeth and hair and checked herself in the mirror one last time, relieved she looked just like the other girls. She packed her bag, copying what the other girls were doing, and slung it onto her back.

Lily smiled, waiting by the door, “Got your wand?”

Katherine nodded, having stowed it down the side of her bag instead of carrying it in her robes like the others seemed to. Her wand had felt a foreign adversary, and Katherine did not hold it much.

There was a lot more to spells than waving your wand and saying a few flowery words, Katherine quickly discovered.

Students of all ages were lifted up into the air by their ankles, tripping over thin air, and erupting in tentacles – all before eight o'clock in the morning, and seemingly with little to no effort.

The illusion of ease had first been shattered when Katherine and her dorm mates passed James Potter and Peter Pettigrew hiding in an alcove; Pettigrew’s wand trained on an unsuspecting Slytherin boy.

"You're over-doing the swish, Pete –" Potter corrected his motion, "– and you're emphasising the 'Flip' when you should be emphasising the 'endo'."

There was a flash of light, and the Slytherin was thrown back into a curtain that promptly began trying to strangle him.

Marlene impressed the seriousness of being on your guard all the time, with a murmured, “Turn your back once, and you’re hit with a hex and turned into a bleeding worm of all things, and you’re buggered for life…” in comment.

At Breakfast, Professor McGonagall handed out their schedules –

“Charms first.” said Alice, in a breath, holding in her disappointment.

Breakfast went on much like the dinner of the previous night. Just quieter. Katherine thought it was so strange to see boys. It was another thing to get used to in the castle – that, and everybody’s weird names.

 

---

 

Katherine's first Charms lesson was to be on the Summoning Charm, which only Lily and Sirius Black had gotten first try. The Gryffindors had the subject every Wednesday morning with Professor Flitwick and the Ravenclaws.

All day, Katherine felt a frozen panic settling behind her cheeks at every new classroom, every new Professor, and person that spoke to her. For fear that she would be discovered by her peers as not knowing a single thing about magic.

Katherine had been asked to remain behind after her lessons by all the Professors. They had assigned her material to catch up on the past four years of Hogwarts’ curriculum. She was simply relieved that there was no mathematics to be seen apart from in Alice’s Arithmancy homework.

Katherine was allowed to sit in on the elective subjects most students chose in their third years, before deciding if she would like to take any of them. She had decided upon seeing the charts and equations, that she would not be joining Alice in that particular class.

Lily had taken it upon herself to teach her the practical wand work up in their dormitory at lunch, for closer tutelage, and Katherine much preferred it.

Record players were one of the few muggle devices that seemed to work in Hogwarts. There were quite a few kicking around in dormitories around the castle. The Fifth Year girls’ dormitory was one of them, courtesy of Lily.

A crackle permeated through the room from the empty machine, spinning and spinning… potential hung in the air with the specks of dust catching the golden midday light. Lily and Katherine sat on the floor, their backs against the side of Katherine’s bed on the hour-long break between morning and afternoon classes.

“Swish and… Flick…” said Lily, through her chews of the sandwich she’d nicked from the Great Hall at the beginning of lunch. She pointed her wand with envious ease at one of her records, licking tomato seeds off her chin from the piece that had dragged out of the bread, “Wingardium Leviosa!”

The record lifted under the control of Lily’s wand, her hand guiding it onto the stainless steel spindle of the player. The tonearm fell down and there was a faint fizzle, a moment, and then a newly familiar tune filled the room – the drumming TICK-TOCK of a marimba, that could only be one song.

Katherine had been delighted to hear that Lily, much like herself, had been watching Eurovision the previous year when ABBA, the superstar swedes, started their storm on the music charts.

“I've been cheated by you since I don't know when

So I made up my mind, it must come to an end…”

As ‘Mamma Mia’ drifted through the room; empty, apart from the two cross-legged girls, Katherine pointed her own wand at the sleeve – Lily was nodding, coaching her silently from beside her – “Wingardium Leviosa!”

Like a bolt to her spine, came the realisation that the cardboard sleeve had, indeed, sifted up slowly, side to side. An inch of air, then two – a foot – and then it arched through the air to hover in front of Katherine’s face where she could pluck it from the air. She lowered her wand, the faces of Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid smiling up at the girls from the back of car they had been photographed in for the self-titled album cover.

”Yes, I've been broken-hearted

Blue since the day we parted…”

“See – first go and everything!” said Lily, cheerily – encouragingly.

Katherine supposed she had not exactly done her best to hide her hesitance and lack of self-belief from the Prefect. Magic, luckily, seemed to be all about intention. Even if the wand movement and pronunciation was somewhat butchered, if you wanted it enough – it would happen. Exactly how accidental magic happened to kids – Katherine now had a term for the reason she had booted a ball too far when playing, or lights flickered when she got angry.

“Thanks, Lily,” said Katherine, absentmindedly fiddling with the corners of the cardboard, “Are you sure this isn’t too boring for you?”

Lily rested her elbow on the mattress, turning to Katherine in her seated position, “’Course not! It’s rather fun, actually – teaching...”

“Do you think you’d like to be a teacher one day?” asked Katherine, averting her eyes to watch the record player curiously.

Lily had pointed her wand at it, and it skipped ‘Hey, Hey, Helen’ and ‘Tropical Loveland’ to settle on ‘S.O.S’ – Katherine’s favourite ABBA song. She resisted bursting into song.

“I’ve never really thought about it,” said Lily, staring out of the window, an odd expression on her face. She turned back to Katherine, a new smile appearing, “I suppose I should, what with the aptitude tests coming up and all. It’s easy to forget I won’t be at Hogwarts forever...”

Katherine managed a smile, hoping one day she could see the castle with something other than anxiety. It was then that she was struck with a thought.

“Do you, er, promise not to mention this to anyone outside the girls?”

Lily simply held up her pinky finger, eyes shining with understanding, “Pinky promise.”

“Pinky promise.” said Katherine, linking her littlest finger with Lily’s.

Their smiles were mirrored, and Katherine was overcome with a swell of affection for the kind young witch with flaming red hair.

“I want to introduce you to my friend, Severus, soon,” said Lily, seizing Katherine’s hand with her own, and giving an excited squeeze, “I met him before Hogwarts – he’s like us – and knows the muggle world. He’s a halfblood, but…”

Lily gave a pointed little shake of her head –

“Don’t mention it.”

 

---

 

Katherine tended to remain quiet in classes due to her lack of knowledge, just listening and practicing when no one was looking. It was difficult. There was always someone looking at her, it seemed. The downside of being new.

Charms was not the soft subject many implied it was, but Katherine found it was significantly easier than Transfiguration with the Gryffindor Head of House in which they were learning how to vanish objects.

James Potter had progressed from coins to kittens within the first lesson, much to McGonagall's resigned delight, because as a result, it gave him an excuse to lounge with his friends that particularly fine-weathered afternoon.

They all leant back in their chairs – the way all teenage boys did – stretching their arms and splaying their legs (that seemed longer every time Katherine saw them) out from underneath the desk. Professors often tripped on them, sighing at the anatomically stretching population of the castle.

"How was your summer, Professor?" Black had asked once he had become the third person – behind Potter and Lupin – to progress to kittens.

"Lovely, and completely none of your business." said McGonagall, thumbing through the parchments on her desk with a twitch in the corners of her pursed lips.

"The family went to France," said Black, flexing his arms behind his head, "I ate this snail that was a dead ringer for Griselda Greengrass."

"Positively riveting." said McGonagall as she lifted her bony nose from her stack of parchments and reshuffled them, but her severe features were somehow less so.

“Go on –” whispered Mary, “No one’s looking now.”

Wedged between Lily and Mary, with Alice and Marlene turning around from the desk in front, Katherine was completely shielded from the rest of the class. More excited than nervous, for once, with her new friends looking on happily, she slashed her wand to the side at the coin on her desk –

“Evanesco!” she whispered.

The gold glint dulled slowly, then the outline of the coin seemed to sink into the very desk – vanished.

“Yes!” said Lily brightly, gripping Katherine’s shoulder.

Marlene pointed emphatically with grin, “Now when you threaten to vanish a wizard’s bollocks, you’ll know you mean business. It’s important, you know, they can sense when you’re not confident.”

Laughing, the girls barely noticed the attempts to catch their attention.

"AHEM."

Pettigrew was leaning across the centre walkway between the lines of desks, a quill in his hand.

Lupin was watching his friend with interest from beside him at the desk they shared, eyes dancing.

“Mary, your quill –” Pettigrew broke off, edging out of his seat to extend it further across the space, “It, er, fell… and rolled over here.”

Black and Potter were sitting behind Pettigrew and Lupin, twirling their wands, watching the exchange.

Mary blinked.

“Oh, thanks, Peter. I never would have seen it over there.” She accepted the brown and grey speckled feather with a small smile.

“The bell will ring momentarily –” came Professor McGonagall’s voice, “Before you hurdle the desks in escape, I must hand out these aptitude tests –”

A stack of parchment lifted wordlessly from McGonagall’s desk, and advanced down the passage between desks, sheets flying off to land before every student in the row before progressing toward the back of the room –

“In addition to your Ordinary Wizarding Levels, you will complete these and submit them to your Head of House by the end of next week. Before the commencement of your June exams, you each will meet with your Head of House for an interview to decide on what sort of career path you would like to take in the future. Now is the time to begin thinking about the N.E.W.T subjects that will get you there also,”

The CLANG of the bell punctuated Professor McGonagall’s words.

“Class Dismissed.”

A clatter erupted as everyone stood, scraping their chairs, slapping their books away.

“Spencer,” came the predictable call of her name –

Katherine stilled –

“Stay behind for a moment, please.”

Katherine shot a tired smile to her friends.

Lily laid a hand on Katherine’s arm, “We’ll be outside.”

With that, the girls joined the bottleneck of robes at the door.

“Come on, Peter.” said Potter, roughly hooking his arm around Pettigrew’s neck.

Black shouldered into Pettigrew with a grin that matched Potter’s, “Yes, Peter, we shan’t dawdle.”

Lupin was smiling as he conversed with Longbottom, following the three out of the classroom.

Katherine approached the front of the classroom where McGonagall now sat at her desk, marking off something at the bottom of piece of parchment.

Without looking up, she spoke, “Have you brought a broom with you to Hogwarts, Spencer?”

“Er, no,” said Katherine, ineloquent in her surprise at the question. She thought it would have been Transfiguration related. “Giles said only first years needed it for their flying lessons.”

McGonagall glanced up again from her parchment, something akin to amusement in her brow, before she looked back down, making another mark with her quill.

“Have you learnt to fly, Spencer?”

Katherine gulped, “No.”

“It is a fundamental part of your education,” drolled McGonagall, placing her quill in her inkwell. The Professor looked up, black hair pulled tight in her bun, peering over her spectacles. “Would you like to learn?”

Katherine had heard the exciting chatter mounting in the first two days of school in the lead up to the first of the Eleven-year-old’s flying lessons on Friday. Many of them, it seemed, had already clocked years of flying in at home.

Katherine’s face went a little numb at her realisation of what it would mean, “Take classes with the first years?”

“No, I don’t think that would be necessary,” said McGonagall, now furrowing her eyebrows and looking down at her parchment again. She lifted it onto one of two piles before her on the desk before looking up again, “I could organise private lessons with another student who is an accomplished flier.”

“Couldn’t Lily teach me?”

“Miss Evans enjoys flying a great deal and passed all of her First Year exams, but she did not grow up with brooms like some others – and has not done much broom flying since first year,” McGonagall laced her hands over one another before her on her cleared desk, “Not to mention, as a Prefect, that she is quite busy already.”

Katherine nodded, lowering her gaze as she swallowed her disappointment, “Yes, of course.”

Maybe Marlene, thought Katherine. Her curly-haired dormmate had been the one to enthusiastically explain Quidditch to Katherine, the sport of the wizarding world.

“I will organise the details and let you know when to expect your first lesson.”

Gosh, a thought shot through Katherine’s mind, what if she picked Fabian Prewett – the Quidditch Captain? Dread filled her at the prospect – she was sure she would fall off spectacularly.

“Now,” said McGonagall as she stood, rounded the desk, and walked with Katherine to the door, “Have you decided upon any electives to take with your core classes?”

Katherine corrected her book bag’s strap over her shoulder, still adjusting to the ever-odd swish of her robes around her ankles, as she strode slowly with the tall, booted witch, “Just Divination –”

McGonagall’s seemed to breath in deeply through her nose at that – 

“– and Care of Magical Creatures.”

“It is… wise to keep it short for your O.W.L year, and into the N.E.W.T’s of the following two years. Do not forget that you can choose to drop subjects after your O.W.L examinations if you find them unsuitable.”

Katherine felt a spark in her chest, “I can drop History of Magic?”

McGonagall regarded her with pursed lips, “One would think you would find it useful – to catch up on all you have missed about the wizarding world.”

The look in her eye, however, told Katherine that the elder witch knew of Professor Binn’s dull, snore fest lectures. Katherine had been flabbergasted that the earthy departed Professor had not been replaced.

They had reached the door, and the hallway’s chatter was suddenly all around them. And, curiously, a Quaffle was coursing a vicious path past the door, over the heads of the students. A group of first year Ravenclaws dove out of the way, screaming.

Parchment flying, the messy jet-black hair of James Potter soared above the others as he plucked the Quaffle from mid-air.

McGonagall's accent had never been thicker, “Potter!”

Potter quickly underarmed the Quaffle to Pettigrew; who nearly dropped it, before shoving it up his shirt hurriedly.

Lupin, looking sheepishly at their Professor, rested a hand Pettigrew’s newly pregnant grey jumper, as if to hide it.

Potter blinked behind his glasses, hand lifting to his hair, “Yes, Professor?”

“My office,” McGonagall crooked finger at the boy, turning to re-enter her classroom anew. She paused, regarding Katherine where she still lingered in the doorway, “Look out for my owl with further details on your first flying lesson. I hope you enjoy the rest of your classes, Spencer.”

Katherine nodded to her Professor and waited for a break in the foot traffic of the hallway.

“Told you we should have nicked the Snitch.” moaned Potter on approach, his friends flanking him as they all crossed the hallway back to Transfiguration classroom.

There was something intimidating about a troupe of teenage boys, mused Katherine.

Potter, face blank, sauntered past her through the doors to the Transfiguration classroom.

Black fell against the wall, crossing his arms with a sigh, eyes moving reprovingly over the hallway.

Lupin and Pettigrew lined up against the wall beside him, pulling the Quaffle out from beneath Pettigrew’s uniform.

Katherine suddenly felt all out of sorts. Hurriedly, she turned and busied herself with appearing insignificant.

None of them seemed to notice her anyway.

Joining the foot traffic, Katherine spied Lily and Mary. The girls waved from across the hallway where they straddled the balustrades beneath the arches to the leafy courtyard.

Crossing to them, pausing as she knocked shoulders with a burly Hufflepuff sixth year and mumbled an apology, her mind wandered to who her flying teacher might be…

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 6: Severus Snape

“Where are you from?”

“London.” said Katherine, easily, despite being knocked off kilter by Severus Snape’s keen interrogation.

Lily had arranged for Katherine to meet Severus the following morning in library, before classes. The girl had ducked off to fetch a book after introducing Katherine to the boy who had made such a kerfuffle at the welcoming feast with the dungbomb in his robes.

Snape’s brown – almost black – eyes didn’t lift from her, “Where’d you go to school?”

“St. Mary’s College for Girls.” answered Katherine, trying a small smile.

Snape’s lips lifted a little too –

“Didn’t you like it there? Not have friends?” he asked, eyes glinting in amusement.

Katherine’s eyes watered while her mouth went dry. Her mind was cast back to Fiona – and what she would give to be back there at that moment…

Katherine battled the unexpected fright of sickness in her stomach, “I…”

She didn’t have words…

Alice and Frank were getting out books from the shelf behind Snape, and glanced backwards, awkwardly.

Lily flounced back around a shelf cheerily at that moment, a book in hand, “I found it, and I’ve already signed it out. We should really get a move on to Potions...”

Katherine stood, her whole body feeling muted by the odd encounter, as she lifted her bag onto her shoulder. She let Lily and Snape go first, lingering back. Wanting to run away really. However, Katherine didn’t know the way to Potions.

Snape didn’t look back, as he walked with Lily – talking and smiling. The boy had done a complete turnaround…

“Ah!”

Lily and Snape stopped walking.

Pettigrew ran with abandon from the opposite direction, jumping and clutching his buttock –

High pitched guffaws of laughter echoed from where he had come from –

“What’s going on?” asked Lily, pulling out her wand – and a firm look.

“Some third year Slytherin’s having a laugh – just run!” he flustered out, pushing around Lily and Snape.

Katherine went to step back – lest Pettigrew nearly push her over too – and found someone behind her.

Black stepped up around her, his eyes sliding sideways to her, before he stopped Pettigrew from running – as suggested – with a firm hand on his friend’s chest. He let his bag slip down his arm, handing it over to Pettigrew.

Pettigrew fell back to the side of the hallway, Black’s bag clutched to his chest.

Black shrugged to free up his shoulders, and then casually strolled forward with his wand dangling in his hand –

“Come out, come out, wherever you are, little thirdies…”

A scuffle sounded behind some sort of magical barricaded wall – that looked dreadfully out of place.

Black closed in on it at a stalking pace –

One boy ran out from behind the barricade, suddenly –

Another tried to throw a spell over the barricade –

Black slashed his wand, and the spell rebounded with a CRACK! on the wall behind the boys’ heads.

They had barely dodged it, ducking down behind their barricade again.

“Reducto.” said Black, whipping his wand with practised ease –

BANG! The barricade dissolved to dust

The two boys eyes the dust – then Black – and gripped each other’s robes, hauling to their feet –

“Bollocks! Run – run!”

“Nice one, Sirius.” laughed Pettigrew, approaching and holding out the boy’s bag.

Sirius turned with a lofty smile, his eyes flashing back to where Lily, Snape, and Katherine had paused.

Lily crossed her arms, “You could have killed them, Black.”

Black blinked sideways as he went to leave –

“Yes, but I thought I would let it go this time.” he said, with a mirthful expression.

Katherine bit her lip to stop her laughter.

Snape turned to look at her, disapproving.

Black’s eyes grazed her, a curve in his parted lips as he clapped Pettigrew on the shoulder, “Come on, Pete – we can’t be late to Potions.”

“He’s an idiot, Lily. You should report him.” said Snape, from beside Lily, as they watched Black go.

Katherine skirted around them, seeing Black and Pettigrew duck into a classroom – the Potions classroom. She would let Lily and Snape talk; the other girls should be in there…

The animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin seemed to always be tangible in the halls, only cut through by the hexes and curses the members of the houses threw at each other between classes.

Potions was an exception to the rule, for one reason and one reason only; Slughorn. The walrus-moustached and pot-bellied man put the two houses on a level playing field. So long as Lily outshone everyone member of his own house, Gryffindors, and Muggleborns, were the new craze. Or so Marlene and Alice had told her.

Privately, Katherine thought the subject seemed a lot like cooking, having instructions and ingredients that were easy to follow. She thought she might finally be able to be on level with her peers for once.

She did not think she would survive if Potter or Black finally realised she was as much as a plonker at spells as Pettigrew.

Marlene was the face Katherine saw first in the chattering classroom as they all waited for Professor Slughorn to emerge from his office. Relieved, Katherine made a beeline for her.

“McKinnon, think fast!” said Potter, throwing a balled-up bit of parchment across the classroom.

Marlene caught it with remarkable reflexes.

Potter, and the other boys, gave a cheer.

Marlene had yet to talk much about him, but it was clear that she and Potter were familiar.

Frank Longbottom beckoned Alice over with a playful grin, nudging shoulders with her when she joined him at his bench with Mary, who partnered with a fidgeting Pettigrew.

Lily and Snape entered the classroom, and took up the opposite side of the bench to Katherine and Marlene, just as Slughorn emerged from his office – and directed them to begin making the potion scrawled up on the blackboard, as a little test of their skill.

Marlene huffed at the traffic blocking the ingredient cupboard, kicking her bag under the bench and heading for the small door at the back of the class herself, muttering, “Dropping this sodding subject next year…” 

Everyone ‘took turns’ walking to the ingredient cupboard, it being too small for too many people to be in at once. When Katherine took her turn, gauging that most people had already gotten their ingredients, she had the cupboard to herself as she wandered it in awe.

Katherine looked from her book with the list of ingredients to the bottle labels. The potion called for powdered Moonstone, syrup of Hellebore, powdered unicorn horn, and powdered porcupine quills.

A throat cleared behind her.

James Potter’s eyes were uncomfortably focused, even behind his glasses, on her. He looked very different without all of his friends around him.

Katherine stepped to the side, and he moved out of the doorway and took up the space beside her. He reached for ingredients, squinting at the labels despite his glasses.

Katherine marvelled at the miracle of body heat that seemed rolled off all teenage boys inexplicably. It was an odd phenomenon to her, having attended an All-Girl’s school. It wrapped her in the small space, and, for the first time since stepping into the dungeon classroom, she was not shivering.

Mulciber, of course, decided then to squeeze into the cupboard, making it more claustrophobic than cosy. He reached for one of the many bottles of powdered unicorn horn but misjudged the distance and instead knocked a broken bottle of Hellebore.

Potter’s arm shot out across Katherine’s face.

Katherine stepped back, her fellow Gryffindor with her, his broad shoulders sequestering her back into the corner.

The Hellebore spilt down the front lapels of Potter’s robes. 

"Argh, you've ruined my favourite robe!" Potter exclaimed, a hint of mirth in his tone as he tried to spell the stain out, "You can't just go around ruining people's favourite robes – it's very impolite."

Katherine left the cupboard, having been practically pushed back out of the door, and as she had collected all her ingredients. She chanced a glance back over her shoulder, and saw Potter leaving the cupboard with clean robes and an exasperated smile, nodding over his shoulder to Mulciber and shaking his head.

He returned to his friends. Of which, Lupin and Black were peering across at her with faint interest.

Lily had said Potter was terrible – an arrogant little berk – and yet…

Around the room, various signs that the Draught of Peace had been brewed incorrectly cropped up. The room seemed to be filled with a permanent sulphurous odour, Slughorn having had to crack a window before waving it out. Green sparks had erupted out of Katherine's peripheral vision.

Perhaps most entertaining and concerning of all, Pettigrew's potion exploded and set his robes alight.

"Ah! What do I do?" Pettigrew hopped from foot to foot.

"Personally," said Black, looking up from his potion, "I'm a big fan of ignoring the problem until it eventually just goes away."

"Pettigrew!" Slughorn rushed over in alarm, "Shrug off your robes!"

Pettigrew pulled off his outer school robes, stomping on them to extinguish the flames.

Potter and Black were snickering on the other side of the bench, Lupin turning pointedly away to work on his Potion.

After the amusement surrounding Pettigrew's flammability died down, the room went back to their potions. But the incident had distracted Katherine, her having been doing her last stirs.

She was supposed to do three clockwise stirs and three anti-clockwise stirs. But she had lost count of her anti-clockwise stirs, sure that she accidentally did four. So, with bated breath, she picked up the bottle with the very last of the ingredients she needed to add.

After adding the last seven drops of Hellebore, a silvery cloud gently rose up over Katherine's cauldron.

The soft POOF had caught Slughorn's attention immediately, as well as Lily and Snape's as they were directly across from her. Neither of them had finished yet.

Slughorn waddled over and peered into her cauldron.

"Well, it's simply marvellous!" he remarked, his smile jolly, "Ten points to Gryffindor."

Her chest swelled with pride, but her eyes lowered. Dozens of eyes seemed to burn into the back of her neck. Finally, she could have sighed, she had gotten something right without any help. Her self-consciousness evaporated ever so slightly in that moment, her shoulders falling back.

"Thank you, Professor." Katherine accepted with a quiet smile.

"I've been meaning to come over here all lesson to greet you properly," said Slughorn, regarding her for a moment with senile smile, "You look a great deal like your mother,"

Katherine felt only shock, it’s cold grip on her face.

"Your Father dropped my class in his sixth year," Slughorn went on, raising his eyebrows thoughtfully. His face suddenly split open with a grin, "Handier with a broom than a ladle, I dare say,"

He gave Katherine a good-natured elbowing, before his eyes focused on something far off – a memory.

"I do hope you keep up the good work." Slughorn commended her before turning to check other students' potions.

Katherine's eyes lifted to Lily and Snape across from her and found herself uneasy.

Snape was glaring at her.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 7: Confronting The Faceless

Snape must have said something to Lily.

Katherine hadn’t the foggiest idea what, but Lily came to Katherine after Potions – at Lunch – and apologised for her and Snape getting off on the wrong foot. Snape probably made it seem like her fault – that she didn’t like him, Katherine guessed.

“He’s been asking loads of questions about you,” she said, reassuringly, “I think he likes you.”

Katherine dreaded their next organised meet up, all the way up until the next morning. Everyone else was fluttering about – talking about the school photos that were going to be taken in place of first period. Katherine, however, was still stuck on the fact that this was her parents' school. It had glowed like a light in her chest ever since Potions, and Professor Slughorn's throw-away words. Though the castle may have felt strange to her... they had been there. She felt closer to them than she ever had before.

Snape was pleasant in the early hour of the morning of their meeting at the library. Lily and he were discussing classes, and old memories – inside jokes, that they laughed at, and Katherine sat awkwardly through.

“Oh, why don’t you tell Severus what we’ve been working on – he might even be able to help –” said Lily, pushing herself up from her chair –

Panic squeezed Katherine’s stomach –

“I’ll be right back.”

Lily went.

Katherine wanted to, as well.

Snape looked across at her, blank.

Katherine steeled herself, and said, lightly, “Lily’s teaching me locking and unlocking spells.”

Snape’s eyes lit up, and he said, through quiet sniggers –

“You don’t know alohamora?”

This boy was terrible. Katherine knew she ought to stand up for herself, but… Snape was just looking across at her –

SMASH! The lantern on the table shattered and rolled off the table onto the carpet. No one had said a spell. Not a wand was to be seen – it must have been accidental magic. Had Katherine…

Snape’s eyes glinted in satisfactions, “Oh, we can’t control ourselves. Can we…”

“What’s going on here?” came a stern voice.

Snape’s face changed quickly to innocence.

Gideon Prewett’s tall figure blocked the sun streaming across their table.

“Spencer regressing to accidental magic outbursts, I’m afraid, Prewett,” said Snape, smugly, stacking his books away into his bag, and standing, “I think I will go, before I’m a casualty.”

Katherine was mortified. She got out of her seat, and crouched down to try and pick up the glass –

“I’m sorry, it was silly – I was just upset, and –”

“No, I heard,”

Gideon crouched down beside her, with a gentle smile –

“I hope you know the rest of us are more understanding of your situation – starting from scratch,”

He pulled out his wand –

“Here…” he said softly, circling his wand at the glass shards, “Reparo,”

Gideon lifted the – now mended – lantern back up onto the table.

“You’ll learn that in fifth year.” he said with smiling tip of his head.

Katherine fought nerves broiling in her stomach, “I’m not going to get in trouble?”

With the number of obscure rules in the castle, Katherine assumed it was safe to assume she was breaking one at any given time.

“No, of course not.” said Gideon, with a light frown.

Katherine nodded, but couldn’t meet his eyes, “Thank you.”

“May I walk you down to the Great Hall? The Fifth years have their photos in first period, don’t they?”

Katherine’s whole body seemed to jitter –

“Oh, yes – we do. I –”

“Let’s get going then, the bell is about to ring…” he said, with a smile, as he clutched his own bag where it sat over his shoulder.

Katherine, with numb clumsy fingers, pulled her own bag onto her shoulder.

DONG! – DONG! The bell did start to clang out as they left the library and began taking the Grand Staircase down. People rushed all around, some girls toting hand mirrors to check their hair and teeth. Boys combed their hair as they jumped down the stairs –

“Don’t let Snape get to you, Spencer,” said Gideon, as they neared the Entrance Hall. He gave a warm sideways smile, “Accidental magic is actually a sign of a rather powerful witch or wizard –”

He leant by her and said in a loud whisper –

“You’re technically already doing non-verbals.”

“Oi, Gid!”

Gideon turned at his name, with an upwards nod to another seventh year Gryffindor. He turned back, with a little nod to Katherine, and a flash of his hand in a wave of farewell – and then he was off.

“Oh. My. Gosh – I thought I saw you leaving the library together, but –” Lily had squeezed a hand around Katherine’s arm, steering her over to the back of the line of Fifth Years trailing out of the Great Hall –

Lily paused, looked at Katherine and the other girls, giving an excited little squeal –

“Gideon Prewett?”

Mary grinned breathlessly, “Gosh, you’re so lucky.”

Katherine, truly, hadn’t felt it – at the time. Her cheeks were flushing in the face of her friends, however.

“Gideon’s really nice, Katherine,” said Alice, before wetting her lips and glancing around, “but… word of wise, I wouldn’t just waltz up to him – or Fabian.”

Mary nodded with wide eyes, “Or the Blacks.”

“They’re old families – lots of weird pureblood tradition, lots of money,” explained Marlene, with a pointed look, “They tend to all herd together with other well-known families. A… social class thing, mostly. A lot of people think they’re paranoid – especially the Blacks – about people having ill-intentions, but they just don’t really mingle below themselves…”

Ahead of them, Black and Potter emerged from the Great Hall –

“Oh, he’s just so handsome!” gushed Potter jokingly, throwing an arm around Sirius’ shoulders, and slapping his cheek.

Black simply gave a quiet smile, the red of Potter’s slap blooming on his cheek.

“So, when you go in… Professor McGonagall will mark your name off and then you just stand in front of Mister Underwood, and he takes it – like a regular picture – but it will capture a moment after the flash as well. You can smile, or not. The boys tend not to…”

Katherine watched everyone going in front of them and found that it wasn’t so different to St Mary’s. She found herself remembering however, her photo day when she was thirteen. It was the first time Katherine had given much thought to how she looked. All the girls before her had been told “Big smiles!”, but when it came to Katherine’s turn – and she had grinned – the photographer had suggested a more demure, closed smile. The strung-up background had fallen down not long after…

Katherine’s slightly crooked  front teeth had been an insecurity of hers ever since. As she approached, her heart thumped harder in her chest.

“It’s so much earlier this year, I was hoping I would have longer to grow my fringe out…” said Marlene, fussing with it.

Katherine tried to distract herself with conversation, asking, “When do they usually do it?”

“Usually around October.” answered Marlene, trying to tuck her fringe behind her other hair.

“Spencer, Katherine!” came Professor McGonagall’s call.

Katherine nearly fainted.

“Spencer?” asked Mister Underwood, holding onto his hat as he whipped his head around.

Katherine stepped forward carefully, feeling eyes on her. Her eyes found the tape on the floor in front of the camera, and she went to stand on it, hoping she wasn’t too red. She joined her hands behind her back and waited for instruction.

Mister Underwood blinked, looking through his lens and counting down on his fingers for Katherine – “Three, two, one –”

CLICK! The flash was twice as blinding as any muggle one Katherine had stood before.

Katherine tried not to blink too much and found her eyes focusing on the girls waiting behind her – for their turns. Marlene was splitting her hair at the front to her forehead, eyeing Katherine with her own dread.

Katherine laughed and looked back to the Mister Underwood – waiting for her dismissal – and biting her lip, to holster her laughter, to not get in trouble by Professor McGonagall for laughing too much.

Mister Underwood checked his camera, tapping it with his wand, “Wonderful, wonderful – good to go, Miss Spencer.”

“Fortescue, Alice!” called Professor McGonagall next.

Katherine sped out of the hall, relief thundering through her veins. She picked an out-of-the-way spot to wait for the other girls. To catch her breath.

Alice emerged almost immediately behind her, calm as usual – she sighted Katherine, and waved as she closed in.

She eyed Katherine sideways as they leaned their backs on the wall, “So, how did this morning go with Snape?”

“Alice…” said Katherine, glancing back at the hall, and checking before she said, “Snape’s awful.”

Alice gave Katherine a sympathetic look, rubbing her upper arm, “It’s okay, he treats the rest of us the same way,”

Katherine let her head fall back and closed her eyes – at least it wasn’t just her.

“I couldn’t believe how he got on you about your old school – and friends. Like, of course you had friends,” said Alice, in sympathetic frustration. She shook her head, sighed, then asked, “What was it like for you? Do you miss it?”

Katherine felt a slow smile spreading over her face, as she began, “I shared a dorm with a girl named Fiona…”

She went on to tell Alice about her dormmate, and all the funny things that had happened to them over the years. Even if it wasn’t the closest friendship. It was hard, admittedly, at a school such as St Mary’s.

“Well, you could always write her a letter.” said Alice, at the end, “I don’t know how the muggle post works, but we could ask Lily what to do.”

Katherine hadn’t entertained it as a possibility, “That would be nice...”

“I know it’s not the same,”

Alice reached for Katherine’s hand, and gave a squeeze –

“But… we’re your friends.” she said, with a bowed head smile.

Katherine felt her heart ooze in her chest and nodded.

Lily came out not long after, and the girls broached the subject of sending letters to muggles.

“Oh, you can just write it as usual, address it like you would in the muggle world. I’ll pop it in with an owl to my parents, and they’ll put it through the regular post.” said Lily, easily.

Now all Katherine had to do was figure out what to say…

 

---

 

Lunch on Friday was not spent up in the dormitory with Lily, as she was having Lunch on the lawns with Snape. Katherine had eaten at the Great Hall and then decided to make a trip to the Library.

The library was not as empty as she anticipated. Almost every time that Katherine had gone to the library, one or all of the Fifth-Year boys had been combing the shelves. It was something most unusual, according to Lily.

They were there once more, lurking by the roped off section of the library.

"You really shouldn't –"

"Just look the other way would you, Moony –"

"We haven't even covered Crinus Muto yet –"

"Don't be a wet blanket –"

Breezing through and ignoring the suspicious eye of the librarian Madam Pince, Katherine made a bee line for the spell compendiums. In her hand a list of spells she had seen in the hallways; Reducto, was the one she was looking for on that occasion.

Katherine struggled reaching for her desired tome, unsure if Madam Pince would give her a life ban for using a levitation charm on any of the books. She barely noticed when a presence bloomed behind her, expecting it to pass.

It didn't.

A hand reached up, going beyond her own. The long fingers deftly pulled the book she wanted from the shelf. On the little finger sat a gold signet ring, glinting at her.

Katherine followed the hand as it pulled the book down, her eyes trailing up the sleeve to see the Slytherin crest before anything else.

"Here you go." The voice was quiet but rich, and the book was extended to her in the short space between the pair.

Katherine met a pair of forget-me-not blue eyes.

"Thank you." Katherine breathed out, accepting the book.

The boy had taken a surreptitious step back, but made no move to leave. His shined oxfords remained pointed towards her as he reclined against the shelf with languid grace. A nod towards the book, his eyes never leaving her, and he spoke again.

"N.E.W.T level, we are a bit ambitious aren't we –" he said lightly, the words smothered in a well-bred tone, "– presuming you will pass your O.W.L's?"

“So ambitious, in fact, that the old hat did suggest Slytherin...” she said, absentmindedly as she glanced at the cover of the book.

There was a surprise filled pause.

“Greengrass would have smothered you in your sleep,"

Air fell from Katherine’s nose against her best efforts, and she lifted her eyes back to the boy.

The boy tilted his head. A myriad of expressions passed behind his eyes. Katherine knew his type in the muggle world; a dilligently curated facade of a decent gentleman, more money than god, and even more arrogance to boot.

His pale eyes became brighter as they regarded her, "You are not at all what I expected…"

"You don’t happen to hang around with Severus Snape, do you?" said Katherine, her eyes flickering to the green and silver crest and back.

"Snape's not in my year."

The words had been quick, as had all of his return serves to her, on par with the boys seeming lightning wit. There was a twist – of something like derision – in his lips at the other Slytherin, however.

As he went to open his mouth laughter echoed over the aisles of dust and bound knowledge. The boy he cleared his throat, stepping back.

"The ladder's over there," he said, nodding to the mentioned object and turning as he spoke, "For the next time you set your sights beyond your reach."

The boy, his name still escaping her, spared her an undecipherable look before he swept out of the aisle.

He had spoken so gently, that Katherine felt no offense whatsoever. Though she knew she probably should...

The ringing of the bell jolted Katherine into action, signing out the book and navigating the student-spotted hallways.

When Katherine entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, mostly everyone else had arrived. But Professor Giles had yet to emerge from his office.

Lily too watched the office door, but her attention was split to where Potter and Black were playing hangman on the chalkboard.

Potter was the scribe whilst Black had Pettigrew levitated in the air as a real-life sacrifice. But, instead of hanging, with each wrong answer Black lifted Pettigrew higher and higher. When he reached the ceiling with the final wrong answer, Black relinquished control.

Before Pettigrew could splatter, Potter speedily transfigured a rug into a mattress. It was as Pettigrew bounced from the mattress and onto the ground that Professor Giles opened his door.

Something relaxed inside Katherine at the familiar brown hair in its slicked back style and the crooked nose.

"Today's lesson will cover the magical creatures that you will have to encounter in your O.W.L's."

And that they did.

The vast array of animals that could murder you in unusual circumstances confounded Katherine. Towards the end of the lesson, tiring from hunger and finishing up her notes, Katherine found Lily – her notes finished – glancing her way.

Katherine smiled, "Alright, Evans?"

"Alright, Spencer," Lily returned, an easy expression ready, "I was thinking about having lunch on the lawns – what do you think?"

Katherine looked to the window, "Yeah. While the weather's still good…"

The bell rang barely a second later, everyone rushing for their bags and the door.

Giles had turned around, silently cleaning the blackboard with a wave of his hand.

Katherine accepted the unspoken dismissal, as he had been a man of few words to begin with. Even though part of her wished he would invite her to his office for tea and ask after every detail of her first week and offer advice and assurance… Giles was not that kind of man.

The day was done, and the green lawns beckoned.

Rushing through the stone corridors, the cold echoed off every wall and the dusty floor. The girls surveyed the grass for a nice spot without any rough weeds before pulling off their shoes and rolling down their socks.

Falling back against the grass, Katherine cursed herself for being such a bumbling idiot in most of her classes of the day, and threw her forearm across her eyes.

She wondered when things would pick up for her at the school…

"Come on, Katherine," Marlene's voice tore her from her misery, "Bask in the sun – while it lasts."

Katherine slid her arm up to her forehead, squinting against the sun.

Two tall heads that shone bright gold in the sun caught Katherine's eye. She followed the glint to the banks of the Lake, three Slytherins strolling together. The boy and girl that had initially caught her eye faded into the background when Katherine spotted the gelled black hair of the younger boy with them. The boy from the library.

Katherine immediately tapped Lily's knee.

"Who's that?" Katherine asked, nodding down where the three Slytherins still strolled.

Lily looked between the three despite the sun in her eyes, "Which one?"

"The one with the dark hair."

Lily frowned, watching the boy for a moment.

"Regulus Black."

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 8: A Flying Education

On Katherine’s first Saturday at Hogwarts, the girls’ dormitory slumbered deeply beneath the cool morning light streaming through the high windows. There were no classes to wake early for, alarms were turned off, and instead, Katherine woke to a soft HOOT.

Through the sliver of an open window, an owl sailed in and landed softly on the thick maroon blankets of Katherine’s four-poster. Bleary-eyed, Katherine reached for the letter as the owl took off through the window once more.

Katherine had never received mail by owl before.

All week, at breakfast – and lunch – her classmates had received the odd delivery from home. Of course, Katherine had no one to send her anything. For but a moment, her heart leap at the prospect of it being from Giles. After all they had endured on the night he found her, she longed to speak with him. Perhaps he didn’t want his letter being dropped in the middle of the Great Hall… he seemed the discreet type…

Marlene stirred in the bed beside Katherine, yawning, before lifting her blankets higher anew, sighing beneath the heavy blankets.

Katherine turned back to her letter, prying open the envelope’s crisp tacky seal. A piece of parchment, folded exactly in half, fell open. It was written in the same emerald ink as her Hogwarts Letter.

Miss Spencer,

I have arranged for your first flying lesson to take place this Sunday afternoon at 3pm on the Quidditch Pitch. One of the school brooms will be provided for you and it is suggested you wear appropriate attire for the athleticism of broomstick flying. I will be present to introduce you to your instructor and relay my expectations to both of you.

Sincerely,

Professor McGonagall,

Gryffindor Head of House, Deputy Headmistress.

A pang of anxiety woke Katherine fully. Placing the letter carefully on her bedside table (as swotty as it may seem to others, it was her first letter, and she thought she might like to keep it) Katherine pushed back her blankets, slipped out of bed and down to her trunk. She only had the robes Giles took her to get made at Twilfitt and Tattings in Diagon Alley. So far, she only had use for her school robes.

Quietly, checking every other moment that she hadn’t woken her dormmates, Katherine pulled out the folded sets of robes made from her measurements. Lilac… cream… navy… pale green… They were all robes similar to what Katherine had seen the young Professor Sinistra wearing to lessons; a knee length skirt, a thick high-necked and long-sleeved frog-buttoned tunic, and a matching cloak.

The traditional witch fashion, while beautiful with its tasteful embroidery, was hardly suitable for flying.

“Morning,” came Lily’s quiet voice from the bed across from Katherine’s, “What’s got you up so early?”

As Lily yawned, Katherine grabbed her letter and padded quickly across the cold floorboards in her socks. Plopping at the foot of Lily’s bed, Katherine extended the letter.

“I think I need help.”

As the other girls slowly rose to join Katherine and Lily, the plight became shared. They already knew she was going to get lessons – and drips and drabs about Katherine’s night running for her life.

It was strange, the sisterhood Katherine found with the girls in the dormitory. Secrets were so easy to share, for some reason. They knew, intimately, the ins and outs of each other’s lives from near constant conversation over the last week.

Katherine knew the oddest things about her new friends.

Marlene never supported a quidditch team, only select players – Gary Gilchrest, namely, and his glorious golden mane and wall-like keeper skills.

Alice liked to shower right before bed, soaking her pillow with her wet hair every night and sighing when she noticed her pillow began to smell musty.

Mary would lay on her bed, upside down, with her legs straight up in the air against the headboard and wall; claiming it was the best thing for the hips and back.

Lily brushed her hair every night, counting one hundred strokes, before fanning it particularly over her pillow, sleeping resolutely on her back.  

“You only have robe robes?” asked Alice, lifting the pretty lilac piece appreciatively, yet confused.

“I had normal muggle clothes at my Aunt and Uncle’s but, er, well I didn’t exactly have a chance to grab anything when the Death Eaters attacked.”

“We’re the same height, you can wear my jeans – I’ve got three pairs. Do you prefer rigid or stretch?” asked Lily, going to her trunk.

Alice jumped up, “I’ve got a nice jumper. I mean, it’s pink, but it’s solid. Wind won’t get through it at all…”

“Oh,” said Marlene, digging around her trunk and grinning, “You’ll need this.”

Katherine blinked at the tough, heavy material that landed beside her on the bed; the helmet, before she laughed and threw it back, “Oi!”

Even Lily laughed as she pulled an emerald turtleneck over her bra, “You’ll be fine, Katherine.”

Opting for her regular school shoes and the lilac set of robes, Katherine plonked down the stairs with the girls, warm enough to opt out of the cloak. They had explained Hogsmeade to her over the week, but the first visiting weekend had not yet been announced.

They were to remain at the castle on that first Saturday.

Given the early hour, there were only a few Gryffindors dotted around the plush lounges and armchairs.

Sitting on the floor, by the fire, was Potter; lovingly polishing his broomstick. The waxy balm was, surprisingly, pleasant – and invigorating first thing in the morning. He seemed to be ignoring the rule that all broomsticks were to be kept in the broom shed down by the Quidditch Pitch.

Black sat upright in the closest armchair to his friend, a cup of tea in one hand and, curiously, a book in the other. With slicked back wet hair and an expression of casual, inadvertent superiority; he looked disturbingly like his brother.

Lily had warned her back from the youngest Black after Katherine had rehashed their library encounter to her friends.

‘Stay away from him, Katherine,’ Lily had said out on the lawns as together they watched Regulus stroll; graceful and indifferent behind his cousin and Malfoy. Frightfully, his eyes flashed up, directly to Katherine. They needled into her, even at the great distance between them. ‘His whole family is dark...dangerous, that’s what Sev says.’…

Katherine wondered if the same might be said for the Gryffindor older brother. There was something about him… she thought, though unable to place. It would not let Katherine relax when he was nearby.

"Are they..." Mary's awed whisper tapered off in excited lilts, drawing Katherine's eyes back to her friends.

Lily stifled a smile, turning to face the girls with glittering eyes, "Shh...shh..."

The Prewett twins, gold-topped and long legged, were the other occupants, Fabian leading the charge over to the girls, a lively gleam in his eyes.

“McKinnon – Oi –” greeted Fabian, cheerily, “Are you still trying out for the team? Marcus would come back and hex me for sure if I didn’t give his little cousin first dibs.”

Lily frowned, “First dibs? That’s not exactly fair, is it?”

“No one else has put their name down to try out for Keeper.” said Gideon, pacifyingly.

Marlene stepped down onto the floor in front of Katherine, “I thought I had until next Friday afternoon? That’s when the tryouts are scheduled, aren’t they?”

Gideon gave his brother a charged look. Despite backing him up before, Gideon seemed to remain in a certain degree of disagreement with the arrangement, like Lily.

“I was told I could schedule tryouts at my leisure any time during the first two weeks of term,” said Fabian, his shoulders seemingly broadening, as did his smile. Then he dulled, looking, for the first time, slightly sheepish, “And as you’re the only girl trying out… I thought, er… you might prefer not getting heckled by some of the blokes that might be trying out...”

Marlene seemed to pale slightly, before slowly nodding.

“So, what do you say?” asked Fabian, clapping his hands together merrily, “Come try out now? So that I can attend a Hogsmeade weekend and not worry about Marcus popping out of the bushes and hexing my bits off?”

There was something very beguiling about Fabian Prewett’s enthusiasm. Combined with his well-known status as the dishiest Quidditch player in the school, he was in possession of a sort of charisma that sucked people in.

“Can the girls come?”

Fabian inclined his head in a sudden, striking, gentlemanly manner, “Of course.”

Mary gripped Alice's hand tightly, in secretive communication, both girls sharing quiet, excited smiles.

Katherine stepped down behind her friends, Marlene and Fabian blazing the trail out the front of the new, odd, group of Gryffindors. Behind them, Gideon and the girls rearranged themselves to follow through the narrow passage of furniture.

Gideon waited patiently behind, nodding to all the girls politely to go before him.

Katherine was the last of the girls, and felt her heart flop over in her chest. Gosh, she gushed internally, he was right there... and was so dizzyingly tall...

Despite the easy nature in which the young witches and wizards of the school seemed to accept each other's presence (an extremely new thing for Katherine, coming from a girls' school), they tended to still not all mix together very often. The seventh years too, kept mostly to themselves.

Katherine carefully walked, glancing back at the common room, to distract herself and discreetly wipe her palms on her skirt. She stepped down out of the portrait hole in what she was sure was an inelegant manner.

Gideon seemed to hover behind, hands slightly lifted, as if he thought she might fall.

Katherine however, stepped out onto the landing without aid, and watched as he ducked and easily stepped out. The portrait closed behind him as he ran a hand through his hair, and the two followed the group down onto the staircase.

“I’m sorry, by the way,” said Gideon, eyes sliding down to her, “For abandoning you on the platform, on the first day.”

Katherine had nearly forgotten all about it.

Flushing to her ears, Katherine resolutely faced forward as they trudged down the stairs, “It’s alright, Lily found me not long after.”

She could see Gideon nod in her peripheral vision.

Lily linked arms with Mary and Alice in front of them, sighing about the ‘lovely weather we’ve been having lately’.

Katherine, feeling physical strain from her nervousness, wished her friends weren’t so far away. Granted, three paces ahead was not that great of a distance to most.

“How are your classes?”

He had a very posh accent, she decided. Fabian did too, but he seemed to make an effort at being casual.

“Quite fun, actually, for the most part.” said Katherine, managing a smile.

Gideon offered her a sideways smile in return.

Katherine felt her chest unravel from its anxious knots – just a bit.

Fabian and Marlene touched down on the Ground Floor ahead of the entire group.

Katherine snuck a sideways glance at Gideon as they reached the bottom landing of the staircases.

His blond locks bounced against his forehead with his loping gait, down from the longer relaxed pompadour style he always sported, without fail. Everything about him was clean, just so, and handsome. He even smelt of a lovely balmy, yet crisp, cologne...

Katherine flushed when she noticed she had taken a long, contented breath. She really was no better than the lovesick girls at St. Mary's she had quietly judged for losing their heads over the St. Paul's boys, in the end. It only seemed that she had just been around the wrong boys...

They were quiet as they trailed down the lawns, towards the looming arena of the Quidditch Pitch.

Katherine had never been that far down the lawns before, and slowed her pace in the face of the gargantuan towers.

The TING of metal drew Katherine’s eyes to where Marlene had thrown open the doors to the broom shed, adjacent to pitch. She emerged again, almost immediately, with a shiny looking shaft of wood with twigs that looks almost lacquered. It seemed, very much, to be a rather expensive broom.

Fabian reached in, grabbing his broom, “Alright, King is waiting on the Pitch. He’s going to be sending the Quaffles at you – all formality, of course – the spot is as good as yours.”

Fabian and Marlene walked through onto the green grass, seeming to jump onto their brooms and zoom off…

“Katherine?”

Blinking, Katherine turned away from the spot the pair had vanished from. Lily, Mary, Alice, and Gideon were paused at the base of a staircase that vanished up into one of the large spectator towers.

Lily waved her over, “Come on, we’ll watch from the top. The climb isn’t as bad as it looks.”

Katherine, linking arms with Lily, panted with her as they excitedly clambered up the stairs. This time, behind Gideon.

Their shoes thudded on the wooden steps and the red tarpaulin wrapping the tower rumbled and flapped around them. The sun lit the red wrappings, making the enclosed space glowing and warm.

The square of bright white sunlight grew larger above them, and the wind nipped her nose and picked up her hair when Katherine and Lily emerged out of the top.

Katherine confirmed, looking out and down, that she, thankfully, still wasn’t afraid of heights. It would not do to suddenly develop the fear, as Fabian, Marlene, and King were flying even higher than the towers.

Fabian sat back, hovering oh-so-casually, on the stick of wood a good eighty metres off the ground. He even had taken both hands off, crossing them over his chest and squinting against the wind and sun.

King had a large ball – the Quaffle – tucked under his arm, and waited for Marlene’s nod before gathering ludicrous speed, out of nowhere, and charged the goal hoops. He was a blur as he wound an arm back and sent the whooshing missile at Katherine’s curly-haired friend.

Katherine felt a morsel of fear swell inside her, sticking her feet to the floor as she watched, unable to sit until she saw what happened.

Alice whistled lowly as she sat down on a bench towards the front of the tower, “Nice headbutt.”

Marlene, thankfully, was wearing a helmet – and a massive grin.

Fabian clapped and cheered, ever the impartial judge.

Katherine let out a relieved breath, and sat down next to Mary.

“Wind’s shocking…” chattered Mary through quivering lips, holding out a hand to Katherine.

Shivering, both with excitement and the wind, the girls all held hands for warmth, jittering legs pressed close to each other’s.

The comradery between girls was one thing that had not changed from her time at St Mary's.

Gideon slowly sat beside Katherine, hands on his knees as he watched on with delight at another save by Marlene, “Starfish and stick – amazing..."

Marlene was rather excellent, not missing a single Quaffle King sent at her. After only fifteen minutes, Fabian flew over to King, holding up a hand to pause him.

Marlene flew over to join the seventh years, getting a clap on the back and a few words from the Gryffindor Captain. She held up two thumbs to the tower.

Possessed, seemingly, by the spirit of Quidditch, the girls and Gideon all cheered and clapped the good news of her making the team.

Completely jolly, Katherine barely noticed when she was jogging down the stairs beside Gideon again, both nattering happily.

“King was so fast!” breathed Katherine, skimming her hand over the handrail.

Gideon laughed as he smiled and panted, “You should see a game! I commentate, you know?”

They emerged from the warm wrapped tower, the brisk air sobering them. That, and the fact that Greengrass was glaring at them from the open broom shed. Specifically, at Katherine.

A few fellow Slytherin girls were with her. The sight of Gideon at her side seemed to stop her from saying anything, and, turning up their noses, they collected their brooms and flounced off towards the clear lawn by the Black Lake.

“One stroppy bitch, isn’t she?”

Fabian stepped out from the grass of the pitch, shaking his fingers through his hair and adjusting the neck of his jumper.

Gideon tensed beside Katherine, “Fabian.”

“Alright, Molly.” said Fabian, in a sing-song tone, rolling his eyes – smiling all the while.

Katherine’s eyebrows lifted, “Molly?”

“Our older sister. She graduated when we were in first year,” explained Gideon, expression easing as he looked away from his brother and down to Katherine, “She was Head Girl too –”

Gideon turned back to his brother, pointedly, tersely.

“And something great to aspire to.”

Fabian snorted, eyebrows pulsing up, “I know, for a fact, she was out after curfew with Arthur many a night.”

The two brothers started to walk out ahead together.

“They’re married now, it hardly matters.” said Gideon, shaking his head.

“Right out of Hogwarts,” said Fabian, turning back to the girls, “Soon came our dear first nephew, William – four months early,”

This time, Gideon rolled his eyes.

Fabian waved as he and Gideon stepped further off on the lawns towards the castle.

“Have fun, girls –” said Fabian, before eyeing them with amused, false strictness, “Not too much though.”

His laughter lingered with the girls as their two bright shining heads vanished up towards the castle, walking swiftly. The last words Katherine heard from the boys was an amused exchange -

"Have you heard? Charlie's flying now – Arthur said he's a right natural, you know. He must take after me..."

Gideon kept his eyes ahead, "We must hope it is the only way the boy takes after you –"

Marlene linked their arms. She proceeded to explain everything she did to Katherine on the walk up to get a late breakfast from the Great Hall.

Lily grabbed some toast before dashing off, due to meet Snape down by the Lake. “Do you want to join us, Katherine?” she had asked before going.

Katherine managed a smile, but gave a silent shake of her head.

Musing about what they were going to do for the rest of the day, the girls lazily ate their chosen breakfast foods.

As a particular rambunctious Potter led his friends out of the Hall, talking about some far-fetched corner of the castle that he swore wasn’t there last week, Katherine’s plait was flicked.

Turning, Katherine saw the four Fifth Year boys strolling off, none of them looking back.

“Ever played exploding snap, Katherine?”

Katherine hummed, turning back to Mary, “No, actually. I haven’t even heard of it.”

“We’ll teach you to play, come on, we’ll find a quiet courtyard. Best card game around.”

“It’s played outside?” asked Katherine, standing from the bench.

Marlene nodded, “Yeah, the Professors get a bit upset when we set the bed curtains on fire.”

Katherine paused, and hurried to catch up, mildly horrified.

“Fire?”

“Hope you’re not overly attached to your eyebrows.”

Mary placed a hand on Katherine’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, Pomfrey can grow them back in a jiffy.”

 

---

 

Having, gratefully, held onto her eyebrows, Katherine’s weekend seemed to mercilessly speed up. She blinked, it seemed, and she was walking down the lawns, alone, at three o’clock on Sunday afternoon.

In the highlands, the sun set earlier, and was already beginning to duck behind the cliffs surrounding the loch of the Black Lake. The buzzing from the Forbidden Forest was doubtfully cicadas, but something equally as deadly as it was loud in the early dusk.

Katherine was warm, however, in Lily’s indigo bootcut jeans – the stretchy ones – and Alice’s pink jumper.

In an emerald cloak, Professor McGonagall waited for her by the entrance to the Pitch, “Good afternoon, Spencer. Through here… through here…”

Katherine nearly stopped completely when the figure on the pitch turned around.

“Spencer, I take it you’ve met Mister Potter?”

McGonagall gestured between them.

Potter's hand had jumped to his hair.

“He will be teaching you over the course of a few months. When he believes you are ready, I will observe your flying and decide whether he has succeeded – this is also a test of his responsibility,”

McGonagall’s lips buttoned after the word, her eyes fierce behind her own rectangular spectacles.

“I trust you to take this seriously, Mister Potter,” said McGonagall, shrilly, “Miss Spencer was unable to learn to fly until now and I expect her to get as good of a flying education – if not better – than any first year.”

Potter stood, dutifully straight-backed, “Of course, Professor.”

McGonagall considered him a second longer, before turning to Katherine, expression easing.

“Good luck, Spencer.”

Katherine inclined her head, “Thank you, Professor.

Robes flapping behind her, McGonagall exited the pitch, not looking back.

Katherine and Potter watched her as she went, and stayed watching the entrance to the Pitch for a moment longer after she had gone.

The air buzzed thickly between them, as the whole arrangement was simply too odd.

“So, you’ve never flown?” the words were careful.

Katherine chanced a glance to Potter, to see him pacing the two broomsticks laid out, eyes on them.

“This is the closest I’ve ever been to a broomstick.” said Katherine, eyeing the broomsticks herself, though with trepidation.

“Blimey…” said Potter, eyes shooting up. He lowered his eyes again just as fast, and gnawed on his bottom lip, “Alright – we’ll start from the very start,”

Katherine watched as his face transformed into a mask of solemnity.

“Step up to the left side of your broom,” said Potter, with practised ease, demonstrating.

Katherine did, although feeling a bit ill as she eyed the broom.

Potter squirmed a bit, and said, lightly, “Stop looking so scared, you’re making me nervous.”

“Sorry!” rushed out Katherine, feeling her cheeks warm.

Potter tipped his head with a patient, equally apologetic expression.

“Okay,” said Potter, anew, “Place your hand out over it – and say, very firmly, ‘Up’.”

Katherine feeling very silly, followed his instructions, “Up!”

THWACK! The broom shot up into Katherine's palm.

Potter grinned, gesturing the broom in her hand, “See? Not so scary.”

Katherine swallowed, looking down at the broom.

“I wasn’t scared about learning to fly – I was scared about…”

Potter frowned, pushing his glasses up his nose, “Me?”

“I thought you might laugh at me.” said Katherine, shrugging, feeling very silly.

Potter opened his mouth, then closed it again. His hand went to his hair, ruffling the back.

“I… won’t be laughing at you at all while you’re learning, Spencer.” he said, finally, quietly.

Katherine nodded, and said just as quietly, “Thank you.”

She had not expected teenage boys to be capable of saying such a thing - of being kind in such a way.

Potter took in a deep breath, and returned back to his lecturing tone. He nodded to the broom in her hand.

“The next step is mounting the broom and lifting off, but once in the air… some people can get nervous and accidentally jet off uncontrollably…”

Katherine paled.

Potter noticed, his eyes urgent as he lifted a hand, “So watch me do it first as I talk it through,”

Katherine relaxed, and nodded.

“Okay – so you step over,” said Potter, looking up at her as he did it, “Cross your grip; with your top hand over your bottom hand’s thumb… lift the handle slightly… and that’s a hover,”

Potter did, in fact, hover; the toes of his trainers dancing above the grass.

“Now, this is where some people lift the handle too much – and rocket into the sky,” said Potter, slowly, a little mirthfully. The business tone returned, however, “All you have to do is keep the broom level, get used to hovering, and then lean forward, tilting the handle downwards, and you will touch back down safely,”

Potter touched back down, as he explained one should, and dismounted his broom, holding it in his hand.

“Got it?”

Katherine nodded, “Yes.”

“Ready to give it a try?” asked Potter, hopefulness rising in his voice.

“No?”

Potter tilted his head, chest deflating, “Come on, I’ll hold onto the twigs if you like.”

Katherine, seeing his earnestness, nodded, and proceeded to mount the broom. She crossed her grip, but then hesitated before lifting the handle.

“Promise you won’t let go?” she didn’t feel as foolish as she thought she might have asking him.

Potter, true to his word, had a hand on the bristles, and a patient smile, “I promise that I will be here the entire time.”

Taking a deep breath, Katherine lifted the handle. Immediately, she was overcome with the feeling of being on an amusement ride – but she had done it, she was hovering.

“Oh my gosh…oh my gosh…oh my gosh…”

“Very nice… you’re doing well…”

Even with Potter’s words of encouragement, Katherine felt the broom twitch in her hands, as if sensing her nerves. The front began to lift up, as if out of Katherine’s control.

“Now, lean forward – gently – and touch back down –”

Potter tightened his grip, stopping Katherine from jetting off. It meant that Katherine slipped down the broom as it lifted into the sky – right back onto Potter.

“– ah, Bollocks!”

Together, they landed in the grass, Potter’s ribs hard against her back and his knee hitting painfully into the back of Katherine’s thigh.

Boys had none of the softness of girls, she found.

Katherine groaned, quickly rolling off him, “Sorry!”

Potter laid on his back, laughing, holding a hand to his chest. His glasses had fallen down his neck, and he turned shining hazel eyes on Katherine.

Katherine too found herself laughing, her palms against her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment.

Only when their laughter waned to sighs as they remained laying in the grass, did Katherine chance a glance to the boy again.

He wasn't so scary, she decided. He really wasn't all that different to her at all...

Deep lines of humour still pulled down his cheeks and jaw as he pushed himself up, his jumper ruffled up to reveal the belt he wore with his blue jeans.

He nodded to the broom where it had collapsed in the middle of the pitch, “Okay, again.”

It was dark, and so cold it felt wet, by the time Potter and Katherine put the broomsticks back into the shed.

The lights of the castle beckoned them up the blue-dark lawns, lit by the almost-full moon.

Potter’s breath clouded in front of his face, but he walked easily beside her, arms swinging at his sides, as if he didn’t feel the cold.

Did boys really not get cold? she mused. What sort of physiological phenomenon was responsible for that?

Katherine itched her neck, the dewy grass feeling as if it were still tickling there from the amount of times she ended up in it. She was in desperate need of a shower, dirt and grass stains bruised her clothes.

Potter glanced sideways at her with an easy smile as he loped beside her, “So, what have you got on for the rest of the night?”

“Not these underpants, I’ll tell you that much...” said Katherine, lightly, smothering the plethora of emotions that she had wheeled through over the night – mostly terror.

Potter threw his head back, snickered, then sighed, “Smashing sense of humour you’ve got, Whispy,”

Katherine half-groaned and half laughed at her supposed new nickname.

Willoughby Whisp was a Seeker in the Professional League of Quidditch, Potter had explained, who was notably fast. It was ironically bestowed upon her by a sarcastic Potter, because Katherine was scared to go faster than a putt beside Potter all night. ‘Easy there, Whispy’ he would say, when she came into land at a speed only slightly faster than a lazy summer breeze.

At least, she praised herself privately, she got to three feet off the ground by the end as they lapped the pitch.

“I went to see the Wasps with Pete’s family the other summer, actually. Thrilling game, there was a knockdown-dragout over the penalty point that decided the game. Ended up in a life-ban for Sanna, for taking it too far,”

Potter tipped his head, eyes shining sideways at her as he nudged her with his elbow.

“Nothing escalates an argument like a meat cleaver.”

Their upper arms bounced off each other’s as they closed in on the glowing Entrance Hall, and Katherine found herself laughing easily with him.

Shadows, caught by the flickering wall sconces, stretched around the corner into the solid forms of Potter’s friends.

Katherine very nearly tripped over Lupin’s shoes.

Lupin steadied her by the shoulders before dropping his hands just as quickly as he had used them to stop her, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay...” said Katherine, keeping her eyes low and stepping back – into the front of Potter.

She could have died right there, as the boys eyed her like she was a foreign species.

Notably, Black’s eyes drifted up and down over her, before he turned to Potter.

Potter’s easiness and warmth all evening was right then in bold juxtaposition to his best friend’s aloofness and broody exterior.

Katherine was just thankful in that moment that it had not been Black assigned to be her teacher.

“Mate, we’ve been looking for you. You missed dinner – where have you been?” asked Black, ignoring Katherine.

Katherine thought she would use that opportunity to slip away with a murmured ‘excuse me…’

“Just out for a fly.”

Katherine glanced back, to catch Potter’s eyes flashing away from her. 

Pettigrew plucked a leaf off Potter’s shoulder, “Through the forest?”

The rest of their conversation was lost to her ears as Katherine slipped around the corner and began to climb the stairs up to Gryffindor Tower.

When Katherine opened the door to the dormitory, the girls hung out of their beds in their pyjamas -

“Who was it?”

They all sprung forward, crowding onto Katherine’s bed.

Katherine lifted the lid of her trunk, and said, casually, “Potter.”

“Potter?” they chorused in disbelief, eyes wide.

Katherine nodded, unable to keep the amusement out of her tone as she confirmed, “Potter.”

Lily's face was immediately sympathetic, “I’m so sorry, Katherine – I could always –”

“No, really, it’s okay,” she said, laughing, pulling off Alice’s jumper and handing it back, reaching for the button of Lily’s jeans next, “Potter is… actually… he’s nice.”

Lily eyed Katherine in confusion, holding the jeans Katherine had just handed her back.

Marlene just tipped her head, making a shape of appraisal with her lips, “I mean, he has gotten quite fit too, hasn’t he?”

Lily rolled her eyes, hopping off Katherine’s bed and tossing her jeans onto the closed lid of her trunk.

“He’s a prat.” said Lily, returning and lounging across the end of Katherine’s bed, propping her head up.

Mary raised her eyebrows, blinking, “Doesn’t mean he’s not starting to fill out that Quidditch uniform very nicely.”

Alice had been the first of them to pick up a pillow and lightly throw it at Mary and Marlene where they laid on their stomachs across the middle of Katherine’s bed.

Quickly, though, the girls returned fire.

That night, the dormitory was filled with laughter and the light from the oil lamps.

It was to mark the beginning of so much more to come.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 9: Ducking off for Tea with You-Know-Who

"I bet these are the stairs he pushed that bird off all of those years ago…"

"Come off it, Lestrange."

Two long and lithe masses lurked by a mahogany balustrade, oil lamps lining the wall of the corridor stretching out behind; casting a weak glow over the wooden panelling entombing them with dust and cabinets of family heirlooms.

"What?" Lestrange asked, aiming for innocence but achieving something akin to a sneer, "Like you haven't wondered, Nott – what with all of these meetings happening here in the old Montague house..."

"It's not that old," said Nott. He gripped the balustrade and gave it a bracing shake to test its integrity, "And Margaret only kicked the bucket around a decade ago, the house elf's kept it in alright condition…"

"That doesn't look like blood, does it?" said Lestrange, his own hands resting on the balustrade. He nodded down at a darkened section of floorboards, stained with something more than varnish, "Down there on the floor?"

"I insist that you cease this silliness."

"Rumour has it, she was pregnant."

Just as Nott glared around at his only company, one more shadow joined them.

"Ghost stories, gentleman?"

The two whipped around, finding a tall, dark-haired man.

"What are you doing here?" spat Lestrange, his wand slipping into his hand from his embroidered sleeve.

The man, fairer than both of his younger companions in every way, simply glanced at the wand; unperturbed.

"The most accomplished sorcerer of the century requested I be here this evening," said the man, making a show of opening his arms, "So I am here."

"Enter." The voice came not from any of their lips, but from inside each of their heads.

The three fell into a swift silence and strode across the corridor into the only lit room in the Wiltshire Manor, their altercation forgotten.

Dozens of colourless-robed men and women were already lining the walls of would have once been a beautiful marble-floored ballroom. In the centre was a man; more decadently robed than any other in the room.

At the addition of the three from the corridor, the door slammed shut.

"It failed?" Voldemort said rather than asked. He raised his eyebrows and peered around at his followers in accusation.

"It failed, my lord," said an auburn-haired man, kneeling, "I beg your pardon for bringing such news."

"You are pardoned,"

With a lazy flick of his wand, green light seized the kneeling man, silent in itself but followed by a hollow THUD. When the green had abated from the edges of everyone's vision, they found the man on the floorboards with his face in the dust.

"From life."

"My lord…" said the dark-haired man from earlier, bowing his own head, "If it were anyone's fault that he didn't succeed… surely it is my own."

"And yet here you still stand," said Voldemort, pacing along the length of the body on the floorboards, "I believe that your friends affectionately call you 'Lucky', am I right?"

The man nodded, "You are always right, my lord."

Voldemort watched him; he knew that, but he didn't dare meet his increasingly red eyes.

"And yet you still use your mental barriers to test my…intuition."

"My lord, I am most apologetic," said the man, lifting his eyes briefly, "It is only habit."

Voldemort waved a hand and looked away himself, pacing again, "Details of your incompetence don't interest me,"

"The old fool has taken to setting up an armed guard of his phoenix friends inside the ministry,"

Voldemort frowned in false sympathy.

"I had to spill the blood of a good family name in our last attempt at the Ministry… a good family turned traitors…convoluting with mudbloods…"

His lips pulled back over his teeth; baring them in the most disdainful of sneers.

"Someone will see that the rest of the family is also punished for their…misgivings…" Voldemort held out a spidery hand, closing it around thin air and bringing it to his chest, "As of yet, Hogwarts is still…just out of my reach…"

A few glances were thrown around the room, those with spots visible on their shadowed faces the culprits.

"Cygnus Black heard half of the prophecy when he was still in Hogwarts," continued Voldemort, slowing by the table and placing his hands down, "But this is not enough,"

Silence blared in the room at his pause.

"We will concentrate all of our efforts on the Department of Mysteries from now on."

"My lord?" said a voice from the other end of the table, "Alastor Moody is part of the guard."

"Rosier, I shouldn't think that an issue," said Voldemort, flicking his hand listlessly, "Take your cousin Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus, if you must."

"Yes, my lord." said Rosier.

He earned a glare from Rodolphus and the most imperceptive of lip twitches from Bellatrix.

"Lucky, stay for tea, the rest of you are dismissed."

It wasn't until the room was cleared of all but two that the man dubbed ‘Lucky’ spoke. He watched closely as the raven-haired man flicked his wand to get all the fixings of tea jumping into action.

"I am honoured, my lord, but rather confused by your request of me," he said, his brow furrowed as he motioned his left arm, "I don't even bear the mark."

"For good reason, you know that," said Voldemort, lounging on a settee. He sighed as he cast a forearm across his eyes, "I find myself troubled lately…"

Voldemort wasn't the only one.

The other man in the room was deeply troubled by the connotations of being privy to a relaxed Dark Wizard.

"Troubled, my lord?" he asked dutifully, taking a teacup that persistently nudged his arm from where it was levitated in the air.

"Yes, quite," said Voldemort, taking a long sip from his own cup, "I heard a smidgeon more of my fate when I paid a visit to my dear former potions Professor after Cygnus Black brought me such delightful news… over a decade ago now…"

The red of Voldemort's eyes became less so, a slicing green instead fixing the other man over the teacup.

"I'm sure you have your reasons for withholding this from the rest of your followers."

"Yes," said Voldemort. His tone was suddenly lighter, "Yes, I do,"

The man nodded once. He finally took a sip of his own tea, satisfied that it wasn't poison as it came from the same teapot as the Dark Wizard.

"What do you know of love, Lucky?"

He regretted the sip. It quivered and pulsed up and down his throat; scalding all the while.

"Love, my lord?"

"Yes…love." said Voldemort, mouth twisting around the word.

"I have resigned myself to an existence without it," said the man, placing his teacup on the saucer and then even further down onto the table, "It's dangerous."

"Powerful?"

"I don't see those words as being symbiotic, my lord; no."

Voldemort nodded and blinked, far away for a short moment

"What about breeding the next generation to rise with me?"

"I'm sure that the Black family will have you well-equipped with soldiers until the end of your days." said the man, bowing his head.

"I had thought so too,"

A sigh was the last thing the man expected from Voldemort, who then went on to blink mournfully.

"But… Cygnus Black and Druella Rosier… Orion and Walburga Black… so admirably set on breeding a generation conforming to my ideals… with immense talent… have failed to do so…"

Voldemort stared into the flames of the fireplace.

"Their offspring have taken to marrying mudbloods… befriending half-breeds and blood-traitors…" his teeth became bared once more, "It makes me sick…"

"What of Bellatrix? And her sister Narcissa – she has just announced her betrothal to the Malfoy heir?" asked the man.

A wry smile was bestowed upon him, "Bellatrix is blinded and besotted by my appearance… fading already… but still, fading…"

A spidery hand was, once again, lifted. In the moonlight streaming through the grimy window, it became apparent that the skin was flaking and discolouring.

He remembered the summer it had happened… only two ago…

Bellatrix had just married a newly marked Rodolphus Lestrange and they were hosting a winter ball, to show how well they were settling into their union. Bellatrix pretended to not know about his mistresses. Meanwhile, Rodolphus pretended to not notice his self-depleting liquor cabinet. Her sister had just run off and married a muggleborn, being promptly disowned. It was a shame he didn't quite understand – or want to.

"Without a word?! Without a goodbye?!" Bellatrix had screeched, "We are born into this privilege! It is our birth-rite to rise above common actions and set a standard for how purebloods should behave!"

It was perfect timing. Bellatrix was a witch at the very heights of vulnerability and tied to a husband she did not want. There was a passion – malleable into devotion – simmering beneath her alabaster flesh.

It appealed to the darkest of lords, begging to be added to his arsenal by any means he knew possible.

"I'm…not…proud of it," said Voldemort slowly, shaking his head and clicking his tongue, "Witches and their acceptance of a Wizard's wiles…"

"You're still young, my lord," the man gulped, "You could always take further advantage of Bellatrix's unfailing loyalty."

"As soon as I eliminate Miss Spencer, there will be no end to my days and no need for an heir."

It was as if all of the air seeped out of the room through the floorboards beneath their feet. Left was a choking, palpable silence.

"My lord?"

"I have found the…final solution…if you will." said Voldemort with a deceptive amount of detachedness.

It was, perhaps, the most important thing he had revealed all evening.

The man bowed his head to hide the disconcertedness he felt all the way to his spleen, "Very good, my lord."

"I find myself impressed with you, Lucky," said Voldemort. He placed down his teacup and stood, "You have proved a most faithful servant. You will receive the mark as soon as you are able."

The brushing down of his richly-embroidered emerald robes indicated his departure.

The man allowed relief to seep into his muscles despite the implication of the compliment, "There is no greater honour, my lord," lied the man, wetting his dry lips, "I find myself…stricken… with pride."

Voldemort inclined his head and swept across the floorboards and went through the hearth in a flash of emerald.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 10: The Powder Blue Case, James, The Cloak, and Snivellus

Monday morning brought with it a blanket of clouds and a double period of Herbology in Greenhouse two.

In the Great Hall at breakfast, Katherine saw Potter for the first time since their lesson; being hounded by a tall Slytherin girl with blonde ringlets piled atop her head in a tight up-do.

"Any comment on your father's involvement in the production of a vaccine for Dragon Pox and Splattergroit, Potter?"

"Yeah: he's involved in it," said Potter, his head swivelling tiredly to the obscenely made-up Slytherin girl leering behind him, "You can quote me on that, seal it, and priority owl it to that bint Jasmine Copper that you've become a lap dog for."

Her smile was acidic.

"Tisk, tisk, little Potter," said the girl, tilting her head, "The things I could do with my creative license and your reckless words…"

"Print anything defamatory about 'little Potter', Rita, and you'll be up to your stupid rhinestone specs in discrediting letters from numerous esteemed members of the Wizengamot." said Black from beside Potter, not even looking up from his coffee that he was shovelling sugar into.

The girl only seemed to become more enthused, her smile wider as it landed on Black.

"Oh, the Gryffindor Black, couldn't we do a number on you…"

Black sucked his cheeks in ever so slightly.

Rita, getting her desired reaction, preened. Momentarily. Then her eyes narrowed behind her insulted spectacles and stormed away, an acid green quill quivering after her.

"Sirius," said Lupin, half amused and half solemn, "I have a feeling that'll come back to bite you one day."

"Imagine a world where Rita Skeeter could be classed as a credible news source…" said Potter, his eyes set on the stained-glass windows fragmenting the morning sun into blues, greens, and reds.

Black snorted, folding his copy of the Daily Prophet and wetting the tip of a quill in ink, "Now, what's six letter word for –"

The audacity of Skeeter perplexed Katherine, and she frowned over the interest of the newspaper in the affairs of school children all the way to the Herbology classroom.

"Don't forget to keep away from the Venomous Tentacula!" Professor Sprout reminded her Fifth Year class, the overbearing strangling plant snapping threateningly at their backs as they worked on their self-fertilising plants.

Katherine used a quiet 'Diffindo' to prune a section of her plant, frowning at the smell of Dragon Dung in the air. Two Hufflepuff boys had been given detention for smearing it on the greenhouse's glass windows when escaping the Venomous Tentacula.

The gloves, although very necessary, rubbed Katherine’s raw callouses unpleasantly. The throbbing skin of her palms were just one of a series of flying acquired ailments that had surfaced after long, deep sleep. Her quads ached as she stood, from squeezing the broomstick between her legs for dear life, and she had winced all the way down to breakfast.

A beetle had been buzzing around her face for a large portion of the lesson, and Katherine blinked, turning her head this way and that to shoo it as her gloves were in the soil. She even made to step back from the bench, knocking a trowel. It was then that an unpleasant pinch in her shoulder made itself known as she reached to catch the falling tool.

“Arghh…” she sucked in her exclamation through her teeth, trying to be quiet.

Marlene just glanced up from across the bench, before using her elbow to itch her chin, her own gloves caked in soil.

“It’s those new flying muscles of yours,” said Marlene, laughing lightly, “Don’t worry, eventually your callouses get callouses.”

Potter had not escaped unscathed either; a little further down the bench, sporting a bruise on his cheek and a grin as he laughed with Lupin about something too quiet for her to hear.

“Now, Katherine,” said Lily, flicking her braid over her shoulder, “For leaf curl, you add two drops of the fungicide potion…”

Katherine nodded, handling that blue gel-like potion carefully.

She had been so absorbed that she barely noticed Black and Pettigrew walking around the perimeter of the room, seemingly inspecting plants, only doing so when she finally shooed the buzzing beetle from her gloved hand only for it flit around Black’s face.

Pettigrew lifted his textbook, ready to flatten it, when Black caught his arm with impressive dexterity.

"Christ, Pete, it's just a bug," said Black, casting a glance in the direction of the dumpy witch that was their Professor, "Remember what Sprout said about flora and fauna in our first year?"

"Before or after you got three months detention for using a Bombarda on greenhouse one when you found that Acromantula spinning silk for the Aconite plant?"

Black’s lips slipped upwards, and the pair resumed their inspection of plants.

The beetle seemed to grasp its close call and disappeared.

Though Herbology was fascinatingly unusual and hands-on, it was exhausting – and particularly fragrant. Katherine was, in fact, counting down the minutes until Defence Against the Arts later that day after lunch. She had not so much as glimpsed Giles once all weekend.

Through the green glaze of the cracked window, the towers of the Quidditch pitch caught Katherine’s eyes as she pondered. A tickling thrill took over her chest, and she yearned to try flying again. It was addictive, the progress. She was sure she could jump on a broom and go higher than she did just the night before…

When the bell rang, despite inhaling dragon dung for nearly two hours, Katherine managed to work up an appetite and moved swiftly off to lunch with her fellow Gryffindors and only stopped to use the bathroom and give her hands an extra-long scrub. She had sent her friends ahead, none of them needing to stop.

Skirting around Greengrass in the hallway, and keeping her head low, Katherine made it to the Great Hall without losing her way even once. It was a first, as on the rare occasion she had navigated the castle alone for the past week, she almost always had to get assistance from one of ghosts to send her back in the right direction.

As she sat at Gryffindor table, and before she could even greet her friends anew, owls flooded in through the windows, zooming above the tables. Letters dropped down in front of Lily, Alice, Potter, Black, and, surprisingly, Katherine.  

Curiously prying open the envelope, as none of the others had touched theirs, Katherine produced a piece of green-tinged parchment. Gold-trimmed and inked; it was an invitation.

Marlene rested a hand on Katherine’s shoulder, “My condolences. You’re being scouted for the Slug Club.”

Lily and Alice had unceremoniously stuffed the letter, unopened, into their robe pockets, and continued eating.

Potter had opened it, perusing it boredly.

Black, however, left his on the table, untouched. He gave no indication that he even saw it, his eyes, instead, were on the Slytherin table. The table of green-robed students also had a visit from a cluster of owls, dropping the green invitations off there, as well as around the rest of the hall.

For the first time since Friday, Katherine locked eyes with Regulus Black as he caught his invitation from the air with a flair of dexterity.

Her chest seemed to flash hot and cold, both at once.

Regulus’ eyes flashed to the side, and his eyebrows raised.

Katherine followed his gaze to the other, Gryffindor, Black. The brothers stared off from across the hall; a mirror of haughtiness.

“Come on, let’s clear out.” said Black, suddenly, standing.

Lupin stood, pulling his bag over his shoulder and grimacing, “Slow down, mate…”

Katherine put away her invitation in her school bag and continued forking shepherd’s pie into her mouth.

"There are some things I can just smell." Potter said as they passed.

"Like a sixth sense?" Pettigrew asked, seriously.

"Actually, that would be one of the five." said Black, drily.

Katherine's plait was flicked yet again as the boys moved behind her and Lily. She turned –

“Oh, I need the loo…” said Lily, pushing her pumpkin juice away.

Katherine, hair flicking momentarily forgotten, turned back to her friends.

Marlene checked her watch, “We’ll need to go now if we want to get there on time, there’s always a line.”

Katherine quickly finished off the last bit of vegetables and gravy clinging onto the end bit of pastry of her slice of pie, in anticipation of their impending evacuation to the toilets. As she stood and pulled her bag onto her shoulder, she tipped back her last bit of pumpkin juice and placed her empty cup back down.

Ducking a group of paper aeroplanes, speeding across the Great Hall at slicing speed, the girls navigated the halls up to the bathroom closest to the DADA classroom. The backs of two Slytherin girls’ robes marked the back of the line to use the toilets, already spilling out into the hall.

Looking at the dozen girls leaning boredly against the wall snaking inside the tiled rooms, Katherine was glad she went before lunch, “I think I’ll meet you guys at class instead.”

The Gryffindor girls threw dread-filled looks over their shoulders as they settled into the back of the line, scrambling to move up when it shifted at the sound of a flush.

Katherine slowed as she approached the classroom, just around the corner, as the Gryffindor boys were the only ones already there. Her feet wanted to turn back in the direction she came. Still, she fought them all the way there, setting her eyes on a column across the hall she could stand by and wait for her friends.

Potter’s back was broad, and to her, as he faced his three friends where they leant against the wall, though Lupin only had his shoulder to it, and his temple; eyes closing intermittently in the lazy morning sun streaming in.

Katherine adjusted the strap of her book bag on her shoulder and peered down the hallway, willing her friends to appear.

“Just a second,”

It was Potter’s voice, but Katherine rarely paid mind to what he said to his friends – that was until he was suddenly in front of her, smiling brightly. He glanced side to side, and leant down slightly, eyes gleaming mirthfully.

“Saturday? Same time and place?” he whispered, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Katherine, a short buzz of excitement flaring in her chest, nodded – unable to help smiling.

Potter returned her smile, making a show of being very inconspicuous as he crossed back to his side of the hallway.

Regardless, his friends had watched the interaction curiously; Lupin had woken up even, and pushed off the wall to stand unaided. Katherine had always fondly, and privately, thought of the Prefect as her favourite of all the boys – despite having never spoken to him. He was, perhaps, the least threatening of all the four.

Over Potter’s shoulder, Lupin’s curious gaze softened, and he gave the slightest smile when catching her eye.

Black, however, leant against the wall; a leg bent and arms folded.

Pettigrew looked as they he might even wave, bobbing on his feet to look over Potter’s approaching shoulders.

Potter glanced back once he reached his friends; and Katherine felt oddly exposed at all four sets of eyes on her at once.

That was when two Ravenclaws bustled past, in the direction of the Runes classroom further down the hallway. The girls had gestured the classroom, and Katherine heard a whispered ‘Professor Giles’ a few times. It caught her attention, naturally.

“I saw him leaving over the weekend, it’s odd… did you notice he didn’t come back until after the full moon?”

The Gryffindor boys watched the two dark-haired girls passively as they passed.

“Are you insinuating our new Professor is a Werewolf?”

“Maybe Professors are really hard to come by these days, you know?”

“You’re missing the fact that it would be one hundred percent illegal to hire a XXXXX classified Beast to be around children,” the one in the headband admonished her friend, and then turned to smile brightly at the boys, “Hi, Remus! Patrols tonight? I think we’re partnered together…”

Remus offered a small smile and a nod to the Ravenclaw Prefect, straightening the cuffs of his shirt idly.

“Shame they don’t teach us how to kill them in class.”

“Montgomery, come on…” said the Prefect, before flicking her hair off her shoulder, “I’m sure an ‘Avada’ would do…”

“He is a bit mysterious, isn’t he?”

Katherine blinked, startled by her friends’ sudden reappearance after their quest to the girls’ lavatory.

Marlene had been the one to speak, nodding after the Ravenclaws in indication that she had heard their trail of conversation. She leant into the rest of the girls where they settled around Katherine’s chosen column, amused.

“Like, what do you think he wears beneath his robes?”

Katherine couldn’t help a laugh, and raised her eyebrows appreciatively, “More robes.”

Giles was a very proper, tightly done up man. Nothing more than his hands or neck had been glimpsed, perhaps, by anyone.

Lily snorted, but then nodded to the door, “Come on, let’s go in.”

The girls took their seats in the front two desks and settled in, Lily pulling out her pink notebook; flowers and hearts scribbled all over the cover. The glitter gel she used to decorate it always caught the sun. It was an excellent distraction. Katherine knew that there, in the back, was Lily’s name in conjunction with the surnames of many muggle celebrity crushes. ‘Lily McCartney’ was the largest, and most lovingly, scrawled of all.

On the bell, a tall well-dressed figure emerged from the office at the top of the stairs.

The talking among the class stopped immediately.

"We're going to dive right in this lesson as your OWLS are in June."

Katherine saw exchanged glances of worry between other students out of the corner of her eye at Professor' Giles words. She felt a pang of nervousness in her gut as well.

"A lot is revision, so there needn't be too much worry," Professor Giles sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his legs as if to tell a story, "But we will be introducing a lot more advanced defensive spells for duelling situations,"

A few heads picked up and a few excited whispers were exchanged at his words before the room fell to silence once more.

"Shielding is Charm work, but it is used in duels, so we will practice it here today," said Giles, pushing up off of his desk and producing his wand, "'Protego' is the incantation, and move your wand just so…" He instructed, demonstrating with his own wand.

He looked around, his eyes settling on Potter who sat directly across the aisle from Lily. With a smile, he tossed an apple in Potter’s direction.

Potter caught the apple easily, albeit confusedly.

"The shield doesn't just deflect spells, but material objects as well," Professor Giles told the class, "Mister Potter, please throw that apple at me."

Potter raised his arm, to lob it, but the apple fell a good foot short from the intended target. The air rippled, to reveal a semi-translucent shield covering Professor Giles from head to foot. Levitating the apple back to his desk, too bruised to eat, Professor Giles turned back to the class.

"I'm going to pair you up based on how you performed in the last school term," said Giles, reaching behind himself for a piece of parchment on his desk.

"Lupin and Evans."

"Longbottom and Snape."

"Dolohov and Fortescue."

Katherine cast Alice a concerned sideways glance, but Alice just shrugged, offering her friends a reassuring smile. But Katherine saw the worried glint in her eyes at the prospect of duelling the Slytherin.

"Black and Potter."

“Macnair and Dobbs.”

"McKinnon and Parkinson."

"Roberts and Avery."

"MacDonald and Greengrass."

"Pettigrew and Goyle. Bulstrode, make it a three. Take turns – I will be watching."

Katherine looked around the classroom surreptitiously, finding that everyone in attendance had been listed off, except for her. There was an odd number of students in the room.

"And… lastly, Spencer," Professor Giles announced, looking up at Katherine and putting down the parchment, "You will practice with me,"

Professor Giles lifted his wand.

"Everyone, please stand,"

The class complied, and as soon as they all stood the chairs and tables flew to the walls of the room to create space to practice.

"Find a space and begin."

Waving her up to the front of the room near his desk, Professor Giles offered Katherine a tight smile.

"You went away." said Katherine, lightly, carefully.

She had no right to ask after him, not really. To all the world, they weren’t any more familiar than any other Professor and one of their students.

"Was it naïve of me to hope no one would notice?" asked Giles, leaning back on his desk and crossing his ankles, "You should check your room at lunch. I think that you'll find a welcome surprise in your trunk that will also explain where I've been."

Giles pushed up from his desk, his strides languid as he walked around his desk to push his chair in, effectively cutting of any further questioning as he reached for his wand on his desk.

It took Katherine six attempts, with Giles’ close instruction, to produce a silvery shield. It was significantly wispier than his, and some of her classmates’, but it held up against a few flippantly cast stunners from Giles’ wand.

When the bell rang, Katherine spared one last glance back at Giles’; his face relaxed into a rare show of amusement, before she haphazardly pulled her bag onto her shoulder and rushed out of the classroom.

Lily looked up, briefly, from where she had stopped to talk with Snape after being paired with Lupin.

Snape was scowling, "There's something about that Lupin, Lily…"

Katherine tacked onto the back of Lupin where he shuffled out of the doorway with Pettigrew and Potter. She skirted around the boys once in the hallway and sped off anew. Breathless, she climbed what felt like all one hundred and forty-two of the staircases in the castle with sheer will.

She only stopped to breathe furiously outside the portrait of the Fat Lady; the pink-clad witch could not understand Katherine’s gasped password.

The pink lady hummed, brows furrowed, “What was that dear?”

The Fat Lady seemed to consider letting the seemingly panicked student in without it, but Katherine managed to calm her stinging gasps –

“Musk Sticks!”

A CLICK, and Katherine was careening through the short passage to the common room and took a sharp right to clamber the stairs to the girls’ dormitories. Throwing open the door for the Fifth Years, Katherine halted.

At the base of her bed, sitting innocently on top of her trunk, was her old powder blue case. The one her uncle had bought her.

Belle, wide-eyed, was prowling along the end of her bed, tail pulled up into a question mark, mewling at Katherine’s sudden appearance.

Katherine fell to her knees. With buzzing hands, she worked the familiar clasp and propped open the lid, and promptly took in a shuddering breath.

Her boots… her dresses… her favourite suede coat – and her full-length Afghan coat with the faux fur that she hadn’t even worn yet before she was ripped away from home. It even smelt like Claremont; like roses and the woody balm of the floorboards. Pulling out a miniskirt, Katherine sighed, clutching it reverently to her chest. Something relaxed further inside her when she saw her tennis shoes in the bottom.

For the past week, she had felt she was living someone else’s life. Wearing odd robes and ridiculously modest knickers – that were more akin to bloomers. Carting around a stick of wood, figuring out how to write with a quill…

Staring into the stark face of her old life, she realised just how much she had already changed...

 

---

 

The rest of the week passed at a calm settled pace, Katherine reunited with the person she was before magic burst into her life.

She dotingly detailed an annotated drawing of a Bowtruckle for Care of Magical Creatures; Enthusiastically began her dream diary for Divination; Learnt the Summoning Charm – it had been revision for everyone else who learnt it the year previous – with Professor Flitwick; Written four inches on Ghouls for DADA…

Holding her breath the entire time, she even handled Aconite in her second herbology lesson later in the week – also known as Monkshood and Wolfsbane. Professor Sprout had impressed the importance of proper handling as poisoning oneself would result in a failing grade and a trip to Hospital Wing.

In History of Magic, they were studying The International Statute of Secrecy; a subject the pureblood students, surrounded by magic their entire lives, seemed to know comprehensively, without lifting a book.

Katherine had done a double take when she saw part of their assigned reading included the Black family’s involvement in a plague designed to wipe muggles out around the time of the Witch Trials. So, it hadn’t been the rats? she found herself pondering one night.

Not to mention, in potions, she had seen the name Potter repeatedly in their textbook– as the inventor of numerous concoctions, as well as improvements, and discoveries on existing ones. She wondered what the relation was with James…

When Friday evening rolled around, the girls all shrugged off their outer robes in the dormitory after a long week. Casting off their ties, Lily started her record player and the familiar opening twangs of ‘For What It’s Worth’ by Buffalo Springfield seemed to lift the dust that had fallen over the beds that day.

Katherine had promised the girls they could comb through her old blue case and try on whatever they like after they noticed it’s sudden appearance in the room earlier in the week. They descended upon it as she started in on her Potions essay, due the following Tuesday.

“Page thirty.” said Mary, absentmindedly, as she swung Katherine’s long thin purple scarf around her neck.

Katherine laid across the bed, flicking to the page, and finding everything she needed. 

She tapped her socked foot to the beat as she carefully scribbled with the angled point of her quill, Belle’s paws striking down the puffed blankets as she approached her owner for pats.

"It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down?"

“Do you think Slughorn would have a proper conniption if I rocked up to dinner in this?”

Katherine put aside a half-finished essay on the varieties of Venom Antidotes, to watch Lily twirl around in front of the mirror in Katherine's Afghan coat over her uniform. Lily gently clutched the faux fur trim around herself, smiling.

Katherine found herself smiling at the scene her friends made in the mismatched garments, “What happens at these kinds of dinners anyway?”

She ran a hand through Belle’s white fur, the feline collapsing onto her side and nuzzling her head back against the blanket.

“The dinners are quite tame, actually,” said Alice, zipping up Katherine’s black go-go boots and admiring them in the mirror. She met Katherine’s eyes in the mirror, expression light, “He’ll be assessing you. It’s where he weeds out those who won’t go onto to be influential, monetarily plentiful, or famous.”

“If you make the cut –” said Lily, glancing up from where she placed a large floppy felt hat on Mary’s head “– you’ll be invited to the Christmas party. That’s when he invites graduated members of his club, to let us rub shoulders with them, in hopes it will springboard us into grand opportunities for the future. He, of course, will get a bit of that – just by association.”  

“If you make it to the Christmas party, you should know –” said Alice, sitting on the edge of her bed and slipping her feet out of the boots “– you’ll be expected to take a date.”

Marlene dove across Katherine’s bed, nearly sending her potions’ textbook flying.

Belle gave a noise of disquiet, and jumped off the bed, stalking over to where Marbles groomed herself on Lily’s bed.

“A more fortuitous moment could not have presented itself – I’ve been dying to ask you,” Marlene inclined her head towards Katherine and raised her eyebrows, “Fancy anyone, Katherine?”

Katherine disguised her surprise, and hid her face, by moving her inkwell and quill to the safety of her bedside table.

Lily folded up the Afghan, placing it atop Katherine’s trunk, “Come on, Marlene… it’s so obvious who she likes...”

“It is?” asked Katherine, frowning, airing her parchment to dry her words before placing it with the rest of her stuff, safely away.

“Gideon Prewett,” said Alice, nodding. She sighed wistfully as she curled her legs beneath herself at the end of Katherine’s bed, “Excellent taste, mind you.”

“Shame he’s off in his own orbit,” said Mary, sitting on the edge of the bed, basically on the back of Marlene’s legs, “The only girl I’ve ever seen him even walk with is the Head Girl, out of duty. I think they’re cousins too.”

“Narcissa Black,” scoffed Marlene, wriggling out from beneath Mary’s knees, “Lucky bint – she’s got it all. The perfect hair, a vault bursting at the seams, and she gets to gander some of the finest arses known to wizarding kind right from the comfort of her own home.”

Katherine’s eyebrows rose instantly, “Do you fancy Black then?”

“I’m saving myself for Gary." said Marlene, solemnly laying a hand over her heart.

She gazed lovingly up at her poster of the gold-maned Keeper above her bed; his jersey off and trousers slung low as he made a muscle-ripping catch of a Quaffle and grinned at the camera.

Alice sighed, shaking her head at Marlene, smiling all the while, “Shame he’s not doing the same for you, love.”

“He just hasn’t met me yet.”

“He’s engaged.” said Lily, wryly, sitting right beside Katherine up at her pillows.

Marlene lifted a hand, and her eyebrows, “Engaged isn’t married. I think I could take her.”

The girls, in stark contrast to the rest of Gryffindor Tower, were forgoing the Quidditch trials taking place on that evening. Marlene, after all, had already made the team the previous weekend.  

It just so happened, too, that Lily had decided to cut her hair, and required moral support.

Lily blew out a breath, picking up the ends of her hair and eyeing them, “Okay, I think I’m ready.”

The five girls crowded the bathroom, Lily at the centre. The redhead leant her hips against the sink, a towel around her shoulders, and a pair of scissors in hand that she had spent the week transfiguring from a safety pin. The hardest part of it had been making them sharp enough.

Katherine’s teeth found her bottom lip as she watched Lily comb her hair, sitting on the edge of the sink, the only one to face Lily front on, “Do we wet it first? That’s what they always do at the hairdressers.”

“Oh, you’re right!” remembered Lily, suddenly. She turned the tap on, wetting her hands and running them through the front of her hair before combing it again, “The magazines all say you brush it forward like this… and that it’s better to take less and check…”

Marlene craned her neck forward from where she leant on the towel rack on the wall behind, “And you’ve got to go in on the slight angle, I’ve seen them do it like that…”

Lily leant over the sink, her face up to the mirror, raising the scissors level with her eyebrows.

The sound of the water in the pipes was the only noise as all five held their breath, watching as the scissors closed with a crisp SNIP.

Lily gave a squeal as a red lock fell into the sink – and four more squeals echoed after hers.

Lily peered out from behind her hair, confused and marginally panicked, “Why are you guys screaming?”

Deeply invested, the girls watched on as Lily proceeded to snip across her brow, murmuring ‘oh my gosh… oh my gosh…’ the whole way. All up, it was possibly three minutes – and then Lily placed the scissors down on the sink and shook her fingers through her new fringe.

“Oh, I’ll trim the back!” said Marlene, reaching for the scissors and comb.

“So…” said Lily, eyes flickering to her friend’s reflections over her shoulders, “Hack job, or…?”

Then came a flood of genuine reassurance, as she did look rather spectacular, though different – older. After Lily’s split ends had been trimmed away, and a final comb, the girls moved back into the dormitory. The red head took up residence in front of the mirror, shaking her fingers through her hair.

Katherine bit back a jibe that she was acting like Potter, and instead watched passively as Marlene lowered the Beatles’ Revolver album onto the record player.

“So, who do you guys fancy then?” asked Katherine, propping up her chin as she laid across her bed again.

Alice toed off her shoes, pushing them down to the end of bed beside her trunk, “Frank.”

“Colour me shocked.” said Lily, playfully, turning back from the mirror.

Katherine nodded to her, “And you, Lily?”

“Bertram.” said Lily, easily, pushing up the sleeves of her white blouse and crossing the floor to plop on the end of her own bed.

Katherine had never heard the name before, “Who?”

“Bertram Aubrey. He’s a sixth year Ravenclaw,” said Lily, smiling a little as she busied her hands on the wooden curvature at the foot of her bed, “Plays on the Quidditch team as a Chaser.”

Marlene turned back from where she knelt on her bed; pressing the bottom corner of blue tac on her Gary poster firmer against the wall, “Oh, yes, our Lily is a real Quidditch enthusiast, didn’t you know?”

“Shut it,” said Lily mirthfully, closing her eyes and grinning, “I’ve run into him on patrols a few times, I think he might ask me to Hogsmeade.”

Mary wrapped an arm around one of her bed posts, her bed beside Lily’s, and leant her cheek against the wood also, “It’s clear to anyone who has eyes that he’s keen.”

Katherine only knew of the traditional, arranged, type of romances. Her Aunt and Uncle had been introduced by their families and chaperoned at gala’s and parties and a few long walks. It was perfectly proper, according to her Aunt. When Katherine was thirteen, and began attending dinners with them, she had been handed a book on the courting procedures, with a picture of Queen Victoria on the front.

Katherine didn’t think anything in the coffee table tome applied to the real teenagers of the seventies.

She cleared her throat, “I went to an all-girls school, I don’t… I don’t think I get the whole…”

The girls shared a glance, then all jumped off their own beds and descended back upon Katherine’s once again.

Lily shook her head, “How could we be so obtuse? Sorry, Katherine – we’ll get you up to speed…”

“The first good sign,” said Marlene with a suggestive expression, fidgeting with excitement, “Is the stare. Most boys our age are too bashful to outright come up and start talking to you, but they’ll kind of mark their territory by eyeing you off across the room – the Quidditch Pitch – you name it. All the other blokes will know to back off…”

Lily lifted her index finger, cutting in, “However, some don’t want you to catch on, and will be careful to not look at you too much when there’s a chance you’ll notice it.”

“Then any excuse to touch – handing you something, brushing past you in the hallway, pulling lint from your robes…”

Marlene gave a sideways glance, “Awfully specific there, Alice.”

“Frank always said I had lint on me.” said Alice, making an equally fond and exasperated face to Katherine.

The girls went on with their sage advice, Katherine listening intently to all her friends’ offerings.

“They will try and make friends with your friends, group outings are a popular method of getting to know someone outside class in a low pressure environment. Of course, they’ll still try and get you alone, off to the side.”

“Walking to class together is a big one – even better if they’re not in your class.”

“If a boy sits next to you in class, you’re basically off the market completely.”

“A big giveaway will be their friends, because they’ll definitely know. Their friends will tease them, and act as bodyguards to fend off other potential threats, you’ll probably speak to them more than the actual bloke.”

“I got a mixtape from Will, my neighbour, this summer,” Lily sighed fondly, “There’s something to be said for the way muggles go about it…”

The record spun from ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ to ‘Yellow Submarine’ and Katherine could not help but make a sudden connection with the new information.

“Well, Pettigrew fancies Mary then, if what you guys are saying is any indication…”

Mary looked down, flicking the hem on her skirt and toying with it, “Yeah… I, er, know…”  

Katherine left it alone as she watched Mary’s increasingly red face.

“Oi, should I put on the Jefferson Airplane one or The Monkees?” said Lily, hopping up and crossing to the record player.

Marlene and Alice turned to give their opinions, and Katherine used the distraction to offer Mary a smile. The girl promptly returned it, although slightly more sheepishly.

"Mary, Mary, where you goin' to?
Mary, Mary, can I go too?"

As The Monkees played, Lily crossed back with a thoughtful expression, “Say, Katherine, would you be amenable to a new hairstyle?”

Before she knew it, the girls had fetched the scissors from the bathroom and were lifting locks of Katherine’s hair here and there, tilting their heads this way and that.

Katherine tried to not move her head too much as she laughed; the girls flitting around her, measuring angles to her nose – and weighing up how thick the bits should be in relation to her chin width.

 

---

 

When Katherine woke the next morning, on the second Saturday of term, she had an out of body experience when she went to push her hair back from her face. It was no longer all the same length, and her new fringe clung back against her face, frizzy with sleep.

She happily dressed from her blue case, pulling on her denim playsuit, it being warm enough for the short bottoms. The September sun, unfortunately, would sadly not last much longer. After taking her turn in the bathroom, Katherine slipped on her tennis shoes and bounded down to breakfast with the girls, her tulip hat in hand.  

After eating, they spent their morning laying out in the sun on the lawns, searching for four leaf clovers with the magnifying glasses. They had transfigured them from pencils earlier that week in class with McGonagall. Professor Brown, the Divination Professor, waved merrily in approval as she passed on her way to supervise the students by the Black Lake.

Alice had determinedly worn her clogs down onto the grass, and laid on her stomach, clicking the backless shoes to her heels and then back off as she swung her legs.

Occasionally, Katherine glanced back up at the castle and watched her fellow students mill about in their weekend clothes. Curiously, the fifth year Gryffindor boys seemed to be walking the perimeter of the castle, popping out in odd spots. Eventually, however, they seemed to decide to take to the skies instead, speeding off on their brooms around the other side of the castle.

As the girls walked to Lunch, a group of Slytherin boys hanging around the courtyard, including Snape, stopped talking as they passed. Two boys, that Katherine recognised as Avery and Mulciber, glowered coolly at Mary and Lily as they passed by at the front of their group.

Katherine frowned as she trailed past and received an indifferent, blank stare from the boys, arm-in-arm with Alice.

“What was that about?” she whispered.

Alice set her lips in a line, “That lot don’t bother trying to hide their prejudices, unfortunately.”

“But… Snape…” Katherine stumbled quietly.

Alice gave her a knowing look.

“And Lily…” continued Katherine to Alice, shaking her head, begging for it to make sense.

Alice sighed and said, blankly, “She says he’s different, that he just keeps his mouth shut to survive them.”

The girls went on to Lunch, Katherine trying to push away the unsettled feeling in her stomach.

"I can't wait for a Hogsmeade weekend…" Marlene moaned as she rested her chin on her hand, a wistful sigh chasing her words, "Lily?"

Lily rubbed up and down between her eyebrows, "The weekend before Halloween is the soonest date that we Prefects could haggle out of the teachers."

The Gryffindor boys breezed down the Great Hall to sit across from the girls, their brooms kicked under the bench.

"James, that last pass was right out." said Lupin, preparing to launch into the rules.

"James never makes bad passes." piped up Pettigrew.

Black snorted, "It's impossible to make a bad pass when you don't pass."

"And he never seems to be able to evade detentions either," Lupin said pointedly, "James, don't you have to go see Professor Giles?"

 

---

 

Whatever Giles had called Potter to his office for mustn’t have been too bad, as, at twenty to three that afternoon, she ran into him in the Entrance Hall; his broomstick slung over his shoulder. He did a double take, pausing.

“Spencer,” greeted Potter, managing a smile. He nodded in the direction of the lawns that lied beyond the courtyard ahead, “We can walk together since you’re early.”

Katherine fussed with the neck of her jumper she’d pulled on over her playsuit for their lesson. Oddly enough though, she no longer felt nervous in his company.

“How were tryouts last night?”

He was wearing a Gryffindor jumper, the kind only quidditch players got to wear. It made him look taller and broader than usual as he squinted up into the afternoon sun; the pair having stepped out into the open air of the courtyard.

“Alright, I kept my spot… so did Sirius,” said Potter, his expression light, at first. He glanced sideways to her, eyebrows raised, “Thought you might have come, actually. I looked out for you.”

Fabian and Gideon Prewett sat with the rest of the Seventh Year Gryffindor boys by the exit of the courtyard, lounging and practising sparkler spells. Fabian whistled and shouted after Katherine and Potter as they passed, “Looking good, Potter!”

Gideon – Katherine would know, as she checked – barely spared them a glance.

Potter just grinned, shaking his broom in acknowledgment as he and Katherine continued on. As they began the trudging decline on the lawns, he spared her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that.” the words left him at a laugh.

“It’s alright,” said Katherine, truthfully. She watched her step on an uneven patch of dirt that nearly snapped Alice’s ankle earlier that day, and picked up their previous trail of conversation, “Us girls all stayed in the Tower.”

Potter slowed, turning to step down sideways off a sudden drop of escarped lawn.

“Yeah, I, er –” his eyes flashed to her, and he adjusted his glasses with his free hand, “− noticed you’ve done something to your hair.”

Katherine smiled carefully, minding her teeth.

Potter left his broom against the outside of the broom shed, before ducking in, only to emerge with a similar broom to what Katherine used last time. This one, however, had a darker streak down the wooden handle. It didn’t look deliberate.

Potter paused and inclined his head, his professional tone – reserved solely, it seemed, for their lessons – had returned, “Now, do you know what type of broom this is, Spencer?”

“No idea.” said Katherine, unabashedly, knowing he was about to tell her.

“It’s a Shooting Star,” said Potter, turning to peruse the length of wood, “Not the best broom, granted…”

He extended it out to Katherine, and then picked up his own broom anew, smiling at it.

“I’ve got a Nimbus 1500, the company only started eight or so years ago. Great reliability and handling…”

Potter jerked his head toward the entrance to the arena, and they stepped through onto the grass of the pitch.

“Are there a lot of broom types?” asked Katherine, as they continued to the middle.

Potter seemed to catch his step as they walked, and then swallowed. When he spoke, his voice came out a little pained.

“Yes.”

Katherine was privately amused at the restrained emotion of the broom-mad boy, “Should we cover a theory component as well as practical broomstick flying?”

“I’m starting to think so,” said Potter, voice still a little strained.

They slowed at the markings in the centre of the pitch, Katherine deciding that there was an odd softness to the broomstick this time. A powdery, dry feeling coating her hand.

“Do you feel comfortable taking off?” asked Potter, gently, seeming to have to remind himself to slow down.

Katherine, having daydreamed about the wind in her hair all week, gave a chirpy reply, “Yep.”

It happened a lot quicker than the previous weekend, and more smoothly, as Katherine had mentally gone through the motions countless times in anticipation. Without any real blunders, Katherine was hovering a new four feet off the ground, and already leaning forward to urge her broom into the pace she took three hours to build up to last time.

A swish of air, and she had company before she could blink.

“That was nice,” said Potter, appreciation plain on his face, as well as surprise. Turning to watch where he was going, he tightened his grip on his broom handle, leaning a little closer to the glinting wood, “Alright, a little higher – then we’re going to try and land from a slight dive.”

A defining characteristic of the Shooting Star, Katherine had discovered, was that it veered slightly to the left. As a result, when Katherine came down to land, her trainers scraped into the grass and dirt in a light slide.

Potter dismounted, broom in one hand, the other hand flattening his hair as he frowned at the Shooting Star, “That broom isn’t doing you any favours, is it?”

He stepped over, extending his own broom. It was a good foot longer than the shooting star, and significantly thicker.

“Here, try mine.”

Katherine hesitantly closed a hand around the richly coloured shaft, below Potter’s own strong hand, “Are you sure?”

Potter licked his lips, wrapping a hand around the Shooting Star, above hers. Together they stood, holding the brooms like the edges to a mirror, looking across at each other.

“Do you solemnly swear that you will do your absolute best to not crash it into a tree?” asked Potter, lightly, inclining his head, sweat glinting on his neck.

Katherine couldn’t help a full smile, closing her eyes, “I solemnly swear.”

Potter relinquished his hold on his broom as Katherine relinquished hers on the Shooting Star. He stepped back, using the broom to lean on.

“It’s a different beast,” warned Potter, nodding to the broom, “Take your time… go slowly… just mounting and hovering for now…”

Without needing to even say a word, the Nimbus slapped into her hand soundly as soon as she held out her hand. At her look of incredulity, Potter just grinned, swiping his thumb at the corner of his lips.

Swinging a leg over, Katherine found she had to sit a little further forward than on the shooting star to hold the handle properly, and then lifted into a hover so smoothly that she barely noticed. The tacky, well-polished lacquer, stuck soundly and comfortably in her palms.

Potter paced around her, nodding, “You look at home on that thing, you can get money from Gringotts by owl these days, you know? Then we can go down to Hogsmeade and get you a better broom.”

Katherine touched back down, dismounting.

“I don’t have a permission slip.” said Katherine, having been told by Lily about the requirement.         

Potter turned his neck, as if shooing a fly.

“We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it,” he leant forward anew, a salacious curve to his lips, “Are you ready for the first of your advanced lessons?”

Katherine glanced around at the weakly glowing lanterns dotted around the towers, “It’s getting dark.”

“I’ll protect you,” said Potter, amusedly, as he backed up to rest the Shooting Star against the canvas of the closest tower, “Besides, you need to learn to fly in all conditions, and –”

Potter swaggered back to her with glittering eyes –

“– with passengers.”

Katherine felt her legs go weak, “What if I accidentally kill you?”

“My mum will be very sad –” said Potter, nodding earnestly, before fixing Katherine with an easy expression “– but comforted, knowing I died doing what I love most,”

Laughing at his own words, Potter casually took his broom back from her and mounted it, sliding back closer to the bristles.

“Come on, jump on –” he nodded to the spot in front of him, holding up his hands, “I promise I won’t grope you.”

Without being told, Katherine had deduced that it was only logical that you had to be on the front to steer. Katherine carefully swung a leg over, not wanting to kick Potter. Her hands found the handle, and she gripped it tightly, then hesitated.

“How do I…?”

Potter leant over her shoulder from behind, true to his word and not touching her at all, “Pretty much everything is the same, but you have to be more careful when pulling up and leaning forward – double the weight means double the need for balance.”

Lifting to a hover, even with Potter’s broom, felt like she was doing it all again for the first time. She could feel his weight, unbalancing the broom ever so slightly. Curiously, and distractingly, Potter smelled strongly of Mandrake.

“You’re not going to fall off, are you?” she asked, paranoid, as they rose ever higher while lapping the pitch at a drifting pace.

Potter gave a short, good-natured laugh, “I’m fine. I’ve got a grip on the bristle band behind me – and there’s sticking charms too, you know?”

Katherine nodded, and they lifted higher and higher with Potter’s quiet encouragement – and then they were level with the seats of the towers. Looking down, Katherine again reaffirmed that she was still not afraid of heights, just startled at how far she had taken them, not realising...

“We could leave the pitch,” came Potter’s voice from behind, “And just go around the grounds.”

“Are we allowed?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t we be?”

It was a clear night, a crescent moon rising above the almost indistinguishable darkened surface of the Black Lake, and Katherine felt they were level with the smatterings of stars. Potter seemed to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the grounds, pointing out every tower in the castle – which Katherine would proceed to loop on the broom as Potter WHOOOO’ed.

“If you squint, you can see Flitwick in his office. Over the years, we’ve found that the windows are all too easy to fly in through and fetch our confiscated items back… weak point of security, really… and that bring us to the boundary of the school grounds…”

Below them, the line of the wrought iron gates and fence stretched as far as the eye could see.

“Down there’s Hogsmeade, beyond the train station,” said Potter, pointing to the blinking lampposts of the sleeping wizarding village.

Katherine relaxed as they just hovered there, the barest of breezes knocking her legs beneath her before they settled again. Her hand fell to her leg, and her breath clouded in front of her face, the air audibly crackling with stillness – and coldness – as she and Potter looked out on the village.

“Two hands for beginners.” said Potter, suddenly, but lightly enough, guiding her hand back to the handle.

“Sorry,” said Katherine, though it came out of smiling lips. She urged the broom forward again, drifting along the fence, back towards where Gryffindor Tower overlooked the lawns and Quidditch Pitch, “I haven’t been taking up too much of your time, have I? With these lessons?”

“Classes are a breeze, and Quidditch practises will only be three times a week,” said Potter, pausing, “Plus, if I can teach you successfully – McGonagall will give me serious consideration for Captain next year.”

Katherine focused on guiding them – balancing them, “Aren’t you a shoe in, anyway?”

Potter hummed.

“It’ll be between me and Sirius.”

“You’re so close – what will you do if he gets it?”

Potter was quiet for a moment.

“He would probably be better at it than me, honestly,” said Potter, tone laced with contemplation, “I’m just holding out that McGonagall has a serious lapse in her judgment and picks me instead.”

Katherine thought on the feel of ease she felt with – the essential stranger of a boy – on the back of the broomstick.

“I think you’re a good teacher...” said Katherine, not thinking.

She felt his eyes on her.

“Thank you, Spencer.” he supplied, quietly.

The sincerity warmed her to her bones, despite her numb nose.

“So, you’re not scared of me anymore?” he asked.

Katherine shook her head, knowing he was watching her.

A light fall of air came from his nose, “Good.”

“Potter?”

“James.”

Katherine pressed on despite his correction, “Can we go fast?”

“I thought you would never ask.”

At once, a hard chest pressed against her back. Long arms slipped around her waist and then his hands were gripping the handle above hers. Her stomach then promptly vacated her body through her arse.

“James!” His name ripped out of her lips, unfamiliar, and yet she enjoyed the way it mingled over her tongue long after.

James’ chin over her shoulder, and his laughter battling through her flying hair as they zoomed across the night sky, framed by the moon and the pointed pines of the forbidden forest; laughing and squealing in delight.

Touching down again on the pitch, the glowing lanterns were only bright enough to catch and light their faces faintly.

James removed his arms from around her, leaning back and chuckling, “Spew if you like, I’m good at vanishing charms.”

Katherine was catching her breath as their feet fell flat and surely on the ground, her eyes plastered open from the adrenalin and wind.

“Oh my gosh…” the words were a whisper as she swung her leg back over, standing on her own two feet. It was almost unnatural after spending so much time straddling the broom in the air.

James grinned, his broom upright in his grip again, and nodded to the exit of the pitch, “Come on. We’ve got quite a climb ahead of us back up to the castle, curfew won’t be far off.”

“You already have detention, don’t you?” asked Katherine, though turning towards the exit and beginning to walk.

It felt like she was still half in the air, her feet falling lightly.

James gave a mirthful, sideways glance, “I was thinking of you.”

The lights of the castle were a beacon guiding them back up the grey-blue grass.

“I’m thinking we’ll do a quiz on all things flying, to fill the gaps in your knowledge,” said James, broom slung over his shoulder, panting lightly as they climbed closer to the courtyard, “Do you think two weeks should be a generous enough amount of time for you to study?”

Katherine nodded, carefully sidestepping the roots sticking out of the inclining soil right beneath the steps up to the courtyard.

“Peter didn’t hand in his Transfiguration homework and had to stay and restack all the old textbooks for detention, he should be coming out of it about now…” continued James, slowing as they crossed through the courtyard and into the Entrance Hall, “I was planning on waiting for him, but he dawdles… and I understand if you don’t want to risk a detention…”

They slowed to a stop at the base of the grand staircase.

“Oh, I can walk back myself.” said Katherine, shrugging.

“I…” James hesitated, glancing in the direction of the old storeroom, and then back. He furrowed his eyebrows, and said quietly, “Are you sure? It’s late…”

"What's the worst that could happen?"

Snape accosting her on the staircase landing just shy of Gryffindor Tower after an uneventful, prefect and professor-less stroll, it seemed.

There was a crackling BANG, a flash of light, and the cried word –"Levicorpus!"

Katherine's knees bubbled with adrenalin – and she dove out of the way. The stone of the landing rushed against her skin, a cool relief on the hot night – before it split open.

Katherine, breathless, pushed herself up and produced her own wand.

"What do you want, Snape?" asked Katherine, ignoring the eye-needling pain emanating from the arm she lifted her wand with.

"Did you fall down and smack your little head on the stone?" snarled Snape, shaking his head at her, “I’m asking the questions. Who are you?”

Katherine felt adrift, “Are you… are you joking?”

“You come to Hogwarts out of nowhere – befriend Lily overnight – get into the slug club –” Snape’s eyes flashed wildly in the flickering shadows, “I don’t know why you’re here, but stay away from Lily. I don’t want her getting caught up in whatever you’re involved with.” 

Katherine felt filled to the brim with incredulity, “I’m not involved in anything!”

“Don’t lie to me,” Snape's eyes flashed malevolently – even in the dark and at distance, "Expelliarmus!"

Katherine slashed her wand down in front of her, "Protego!"

The red jet of light bounced harmlessly off the translucent shield.

Snape held himself wider, stepping forward.

"Stupefy!"

Katherine ducked, scrambling up the stairs as well as she could backwards; an uncomfortable pull in her neck.

Snape was relentless, barely breaking before sending another spell at her, "Impedimenta!"

The step just below her feet rumbled. Katherine just kept on scrambling up the stairs, the only thing she could do.

Snape stepped up on the blackened step a moment later.

Katherine was almost to the portrait of the Fat Lady. She hadn't even taken a breath when light was leaving Snape's wand again.

"Densaugeo!"

She fell to her knees, the bottom corner of the Fat Lady's gold frame shocking the soft joint of her shoulder. Her mouth felt suddenly too small – fingers lifting to her lips, Katherine found her teeth growing and twisting past her lips – to her chin –

An odd sounding hex left his mouth, and then a flash of light ripped towards her.

It should have hit her – and something equally as terrible should have been afflicting her – but it didn’t.

A weight ploughed into her side, and she was hurtled out of the way.

James righted his spectacles that had slid down his nose. He looked away from Katherine, cradled beneath his limbs, up to a fuming Snape.

Snape lifted his wand again.

"Miss Greengrass, it isn't necessary that you accompany me –"

Two shadows flickered around the corner from the trophy room, Slughorn's voice distant.

"…you've done your duty by reporting a duel..."

"Too soon!" cried Snape, turning and flapping away into the dark recesses of the castle.

The portrait wasn't a viable option for escape – the password bound to be overheard. Slughorn could simply ask the Fat Lady who the last people that she let through were too.

James tugged on her hand, pulling her over to an alcove and producing a handful of fabric uncannily similar to Katherine's Aunt's drapes.

"What are you –"

The fabric was cast over the two with a cool rush of air, settling as Slughorn and Greengrass appeared around the corner in their robes and slippers.

It was as if Katherine was watching the scene through a thin film.

James' breath was hot against the skin behind Katherine's ear, "You're safe – they can't see us."

It still didn't change the obscure feeling of anxiety brought forward by standing on a landing after curfew under drapes while a Professor approached.

Greengrass twirled around, her eyes looking right through Katherine, "But it was right here – I heard –"

The childlike feeling of being humoured didn't come like it would to when choosing an obvious hiding place. Slughorn and Greengrass couldn't see them.

"Perhaps you overhead some students practicing for their Defence O.W.L, hey?" said Slughorn, turning, "You look a little stressed, Miss Greengrass, perhaps you should get some rest…"

It was as they rounded the corner again – Greengrass dragging her feet – that there was a second rush of cool air.

The drape-like-fabric tangled around their limbs, and Katherine caught James’ elbow to her mouth.

Katherine's hand went to her, now, grotesquely large teeth, "Ouch…"

James squinted through the weak torch light, and then his whole face relaxed, "Oh – Katherine…"

His eyes continued to rove Katherine's plight, a hand scratching beneath his collar.

"Hospital wing?"

"No!" Katherine panicked, "No – let me see if Lily can fix it first."

Her prefect friend wasn't in the common room when they returned; James holding Katherine up to stop her over-balancing with her suddenly sprouted teeth.

The Head Boy, however, was.

She wished she were invisible again. Or that she could just up and die on the spot. Perhaps she might have been dead. She was unsure if her heart had beat since the two locked eyes.

Gideon's eyes keenly scanned her new plight. His handsome face had fallen into concern by the time his eyes met hers again.

Uselessly, Katherine attempted to cover her hexed teeth.

"What's happened?" asked Gideon, clambering to his feet from a sunken armchair.

James looked to Katherine at the same time she looked to him.

"Come on, I'd like to help," said Gideon, sighing, "I'm Head Boy.”

"She was hexed by an unfriendly Slytherin. Have you seen Evans?" asked James.

"She went up to bed about an hour ago,” said Gideon, eyes flitting between James and Katherine, “Is that what happened, Katherine?”

Katherine ignored James’ eyes, and said, honestly, “James jumped in to help me.”

James sent an emphatic, righteous look to Gideon, then turned back to Katherine, raising his eyebrows, "Will you let me take you to the hospital wing now?"

Gideon frowned, stepping forward, "I'll take her."

James' arm didn't shift from below Katherine's shoulders where he held her up.

"Are you sure you don't need a hand –"

"I've got two," said Gideon, nodding at Katherine, "And there's nothing wrong with her legs either."

"Oh, yeah, I guess they're alright." said James with a glance at the mentioned limbs.

James' arm fell away, and Gideon shooed him with a nod of his head in the direction of the boys’ stairs.

“Hang on – Potter?” said Gideon, suddenly frowning, “What were you doing out so late?”

James blinked, his face a mask of impassiveness, “Sleepwalking.”

Gideon eyed him in exasperated disbelief.

“Go on up to bed, then,” said the Head Boy, sighing.

Katherine watched helplessly as James walked around Gideon, stuffed his hands in the pockets, and glanced back, already ascending the boys' staircase.

"Come on," said Gideon with a sympathetic smile, crossing to the portrait.

It wasn't until they had navigated three sets of moving staircases that Gideon cleared his throat, gesturing to Katherine's hexed teeth.

"Were you duelling? Why did it actually, er, happen? If you don’t mind me asking…"

Katherine teared up at the ginormous teeth propping her lips open uncomfortably, and struggled out her muffled response, "I honestly don’t know."

The bottoms of her front teeth ran alongside the inside of her busted up forearms – all the way to her elbows.

"Miss Spencer!" Madam Pomfrey rushed out of the open doors to the Hospital Wing, "What's happened now?"

Katherine thought quickly, and endeavoured to speak as clearly as possibly, "Some first years were experimenting in the common room…spell went awry…"

Madam Pomfrey sighed, gingerly took Katherine by the elbow, and guided her through to sit on one of the vacant beds.

"I know just the spell that should do it," said Pomfrey, reaching beneath the bed and producing a hand mirror, "You'll need this to tell me when they return to normal…"

Katherine felt her eyes sting as she sighted her teeth in the mirror, longer and more twisted than she was used to.

Madam Pomfrey frowned in concentration, and glanced at Gideon where he watched on with a frown.

And then it was suddenly as if screws were being driven through Katherine's gums. Her toes curled, her tears spilled down her cheeks.

In the mirror, Katherine's teeth glided over her bottom lip; shrinking. They twisted – straighter than Katherine had ever seen them. Her lips closed easily now.

"Stop!" the word shot forth from Katherine's transfigured mouth, and Pomfrey lowered her wand.

The word sounded different, Katherine's tongue no longer getting in the way of her teeth.

"Alright, off to bed then," said Pomfrey, turning and bustling away to one of the students staying overnight in the bed over, "You should sleep off any remaining tenderness."

Katherine nodded, keeping her lips resolutely closed, and slid off the bed.

Gideon gave a tight smile, before awkwardly looking away and gesturing they begin the walk back to the Tower.

They were almost back to the staircase, when Gideon looked like he might speak again, but the steady clacking of shoes on the stone interrupted anything he might have said.

Out of an off-shooting corridor, glided a tall, fair-haired Slytherin girl in silk plum robes. At her company in the junction of the passages, Narcissa Black cast her lofty gaze over Katherine; the indifference joltingly reminiscent of her younger cousin in Katherine’s house.

Narcissa’s delicate brows lifted, faint amusement firming her high cheekbones as she turned her steely gaze to Gideon, “I believe you wanted to talk to me about Skeeter?”

“Right,” said Gideon, seeming to reorganise himself where he stood.

Katherine had never seen the Head Boy look bashful before.

"You're Head Girl and her Prefect – can't you do something about her snooping? It might have been on page seven, but Dhalia Bobbins was in a right state when she found out she was supposedly pregnant and engaged to the cousin to the undersecretary of the minister on Saturday…"

Katherine made to leave – feeling very much like she was intruding –

Gideon caught her by the sleeve, shaking his head. When he seemed confident that she wasn’t going anywhere, he relinquished his hold and turned back to Narcissa.

Narcissa eyed Gideon coolly, "If I wasn't doing something about it there'd be a lot more articles in the Prophet from Skeeter's insider tips – trust me."

Gideon sighed, smoothing along the side of his hair – his gold signet ring flashing against his gold hair.

"Can't you do more?"

"Well, isn’t she?” said Narcissa, raising her eyebrows, something like cruel amusement tugging at her lips.

Gideon frowned, “What?”

“Betrothed to Benjamin Quince?” Narcissa spoke very slowly, in a sing-song way, as if Gideon were a child.

“They haven’t even met. She just got the blasted letter from her parents on the second day of term, I was at the table – just me, and Fabian, and her –” Gideon broke off, tilting his head and eyeing her, “So, unless you’re telling me the beetle that landed in the lemon curd flew all the way to the Slytherin table and whispered it in Skeeter’s ear, she’s using nefarious means to garner this gossip.”

Narcissa crossed her arms across her chest with unbelievable grace, tapping a neat nail along her forearm in front.

“I am hardly privy to these, supposed, nefarious means… but I will try to put a lid on any more ‘happy announcements’ making the paper,” she said, uncrossing her arms and bowing her head, “Now, if that is all…?”

Gideon tilted his head, "Black."

"Prewett."

Her perfume lingered behind as Narcissa turned and left them, parading away.

When the clacking off her shoes began to fade, Gideon spoke, though eyeing where she left contemplatively.

“I, er, think I want to check a few corridors down here before I head back up to the Tower… Slytherins and all…” he turned to her, smiling a little at the implication, “Do you think you’ll be alright to make it back up on your own?”

Katherine, in fact, had mixed feelings.

“Sure,” she said, however, not wanting him to keep glancing at her sympathetically in the manner he had been doing, “Goodnight.”

“Yeah, night…” The distracted words were uncharacteristically ineloquent of him, as his eyes scanned the hallway, and he started off down a particularly dark stretch.

Katherine, trusting that lightning – and Snape – would not strike in the same place twice, light-footedly climbed through the castle, past snoring portraits and the glow of ghosts streaking off around corners. When she reached it, the common room was empty, and she climbed the stairs, even more quietly.

All the girls were asleep when Katherine slipped into the dormitory, and she snuck her pyjamas – her trusty old pink ones – out of her trunk, and slipped into the bathroom. Her eyes had lingered over Lily, where she lay peacefully on her back…

A pang of pain in her gums urged her along, and Katherine pulled off her robes – reeking of the smoke from her duel with Snape. Then again, a duel would suggest she did something more than try and run away…

If it hadn’t been for James…

Katherine clenched her eyes shut, holding her breath as the hot water of the shower cascaded over her head.

“Katherine?”

The door opened a sliver, and the starlight crossing the dormitory illuminated the frosted glass of the shower. The beaming wedge of light paled Katherine’s skin beneath the beads of hot water, and she absently watched the dimpled blur of Marlene’s curls moving on the other side.

The toilet flushed, and the buzz of hesitation then filled the air, “Your robes smell like brimstone… what happened?”

Katherine felt her eyes burn again, her scraped arm aching under the hot spray of water and soothed by it all at once.

“Snape.”

The door clicked closed, and the orange glow of the candles on the wall, either side of the mirror, flickered through the room, warming it. The dark shape of Marlene sunk down to the floor outside the shower, the pressure of her shoulder clear against it.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Katherine closed her eyes, her hair dribbling water down the base of her spine, “It just came out of nowhere…”

The confession left her body airy and overcome, Katherine crouching down to sit on the tiles of the shower floor; her knees still in the hot spray of water. She let the drops of warm water move over her lips, into her dry mouth as she sat, parallel to Marlene on the other side.

“Did it, though?”

Silence followed her words, the steam of the shower rolling over Katherine’s face. She moved her feet over the roughness of the tiles and the drain, feeling comforted by the sensation and Marlene’s obvious dislike of Snape.

“James let me take his broom tonight.” said Katherine, lightly, staring across at the opposite pane of glass enclosing her.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s a Nimbus, isn’t it?” asked Marlene, just as lightly.

“Yeah, it is.”

Marlene’s shadow shifted slightly on the other side, “I’ve got a Comet, myself.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s tops.”

Another quiet lull drifted over them.

“It was my teeth,” said Katherine, not intending to nearly sob on the word, “Snape hexed my teeth to grow.”

The side of Marlene’s head pressed against the glass a little harder, “That must have been really painful.”

“Yeah.”

Minutes passed as the two girls sat, separated by a sheet of glass, and the obscurity of night. They didn’t speak again, but Katherine found the will to stand and finish washing herself, a cold numbness slowly abating from her tailbone.

The task of tightening the taps again, and the cone of water vanishing from around her, seemed to quell any disquiet left inside Katherine. There was a finality to it.

There was the wobble of the glass door on its metal tracks, and Katherine’s towel was poked through the swirling steam.  

By the time Katherine dried herself and stepped out, Marlene was gone.

She focused on the orderly pulling on of her clothes and then went to bed, Marlene offering her the briefest of glances from the bed beside hers, before yawning and closing her eyes.

Katherine rolled onto her back, mindfully keeping her legs away from where Belle curled at the foot of her blankets.

For the first time since arriving, Katherine considered running out of the gates of Hogwarts and shouting like a lunatic for Voldemort to come find her. It was a certain overreaction, Katherine knew. But the supposed protection of the castle was voided, as Snape had gotten to her all too easily.

Perhaps it was out of some misguided loyalty to Lily – he must have cared about her to do it – he didn’t know Katherine…

As sleep edged closer, Katherine was almost convinced it was some weird, bad dream.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 11: Snared

Katherine woke on Sunday as her friends were drifting in and out of the bathroom quietly. Her clothes were already back and clean, Alice had said something about house elves to explain how everything was clean and laundered earlier in the week.

She sat up, and sighed, still weighted down by the previous night lingering on her skin.

Pettigrew got hexed by Slytherins all the time and he just carried right on, business as usual. A right trooper, thought Katherine. Hexes and jinxes had constantly flown around Katherine in the castle, despite the explicit school rule against the use of magic in the hallways. She had just never been on the receiving end.

It had been a mean jinx, but it was certainly far from anything particularly cruel.

Yes, she thought, she should just put on her big girl pants and pretend it never happened.

That morning, she took great care in picking out her outfit and brushing her hair. In the mirror, she inspected her teeth. The one personal gripe she had always harboured about her appearance – was suddenly gone.

When Katherine emerged from the bathroom, Lily was pulling on a jacket, smiling, oblivious to the odd air in the dormitory.

Marlene had been silently glancing at Katherine all morning. It had gone unnoticed by all the other girls, it seemed.

“I’m going to duck off to the owlery before breakfast.” said Lily, clutching a thick envelope, puffed with sheets of parchments inside, addressed to her parents.

Mary quickly plucked her own jacket off the top of her trunk, “I’ve got to send one home too – wait up…”

The door to the dormitory maintained it’s newly revolving quality as Alice too headed for it, throwing a glance over her shoulder at Katherine and Marlene.

“Don’t dilly dally too much longer – you’ll lose the whole day!”

The door closed behind the spritely blonde witch, her mary-janes clacking down the stone steps, fading more and more.

Marlene, still in her pyjamas, still knelt on the ground by her open trunk where she had been pretending to rummage for a particular shirt all morning. With everyone gone, she relaxed back onto her bare heels, looking undisguisedly at Katherine.

“You’re not going to tell her.”

It wasn’t a question – nor a suggestion – it was a simple statement, said blankly by Marlene.

Katherine’s eyes fell on the poster of Gary Gilchrest, the top left corner rolling down, bobbing off the wall.

“What would come of it?”

Amused hopelessness settled in Katherine’s chest after she spoke the words, and she looked at her curly-haired friend.

Marlene sighed, shaking her head, “One day…”

She plucked a pair of jeans and a top from her trunk, standing and pulling her pyjama pants down. She stood there in her bright purple knickers with daisies all over them, pointedly looking at Katherine again.

“One day, Severus Snape will ruin that friendship all on his own. You just watch.”

Fully clothed, Marlene and Katherine plodded down to breakfast, bumping into each other all the way. Katherine’s body ceded easily against Marlene’s side every time they tried to bounce the other lazily to the other side of the hallway. There was a faith there – and a relief – at something solid to lean against. Even for just a second.

In the Great Hall, the section she and Marlene chose was sparsely dotted with younger Gryffindors. Silently, the girls began perusing the breakfast spread in the centre of the table, a peaceful lull falling over the spot.

Then came a crisp cheerful whistle of a nonsensical tune, and the empty space beside Katherine was suddenly filled.

“Is that the sun coming up for a second time, or is that you lighting up the Great Hall?”  James Potter all but leapt over the bench seat in a firebrick red jumper, a breeze seemingly still with him as he grinned, his arm pressing against hers, “I must say, you’re particularly radiant today, Spencer.”

Black, having traversed the length of the other side of the table, climbed over the opposite bench wordlessly at that moment, immediately picking up a copy of the Daily Prophet.

“Resplendent,” said Marlene as she leant around Katherine, frowning earnestly at the bespectacled boy, “Are you lost?”

Katherine was warmed by Marlene’s loyalty, but gently nudged her friend, and whispered, “Last night would have been a lot worse if James didn’t show up and help me.”

Marlene furrowed her eyebrows, gazing at James, confounded.

Across the table came a loud rustle of parchment as Black tried to correct the curling corners of his newspaper.

James glanced at the forehead and hair of Black that was visible behind the paper, before giving a mock salute to Marlene. He then gently nudged Katherine with his larger elbow –

“Don’t let Snivelly get you down.”

With that, James set down upon a plate of scrambled eggs and grilled chorizo, greeting Lupin and Pettigrew happily as they joined the group at the table – “Alright, gents? Eat up, Lupin – you need to keep your strength up, old boy!”

Katherine found herself smiling, genuinely, at her porridge. She poked her spoon around with lazy contentedness, an idea she wanted to share with Marlene springing to mind.

It was as she lifted her gaze that she noticed yet another addition to their section of Gryffindor table; two heads – identically glinting gold in the morning light – had settled across the table, taking the gap left beside Black.

She was still mid-smile when she met his eye.

Gideon was talking quietly to Fabian, all the while watching her. For a moment he looked slightly staggered, before offering her a curt nod. She didn’t miss the way his eyes drifted down to her mouth, then back up to meet her gaze.

Katherine offered a nod back, and nudged Marlene as she regained her previous train of thought, whispering, “I think Greengrass and Snape are in cahoots.”

Marlene turned into her – and so did James, spinning, almost comically, around from his friends.

James lowered his head to hers, and his voice, “Snivellus? In cahoots with someone?”

“He obviously had her get Slughorn – to try and get me in trouble for being out after curfew…” explained Katherine, reminding him of when they had to go under the drapes that miraculously hid them.

Marlene shook her head, “They’re twits – both of them – but why would they work together just to get you – maybe – a detention?”

Katherine was at a loss, and stabbed a strawberry that was sinking into her porridge, muttering, “To be an insufferable pain in my neck…” 

An odd feeling struck her at that moment, as she became aware that she was pursing her lips in the stern way her aunt had always done…

James snorted, “Someone should tell him that he doesn’t need to try to do that, and that he accomplishes it by merely breathing –”

Katherine, distracting herself from thinking of her aunt, focused instead on the jarringly still copy of the Daily Prophet across the table. Black had not turned a single page, perhaps, since he opened the new issue…

“What are you three colluding about?”

Lily had come up behind them unnoticed with Mary and Alice in tow, and she was eyeing James suspiciously.

“Quidditch.” James and Marlene chorused together, quickly.

James nodded to Marlene, pushing himself up, “I’ll see you at practise tomorrow afternoon.”

James moved to sit on the other side of Lupin, freeing up the spot for Lily. Alice and Mary sat beside Marlene, and a new wind of conversation started up.

“Did you hear…?”

“One better – I’ve seen it.”

Katherine turned to Alice and Mary at their whispering, and asked quietly, “Seen what?”

Alice’s eyes widened, and she slunk an arm and the top of her torso along the table. She lowered her chin, and, with the upmost of secrecy, she breathed her next words –

“Narcissa Black is engaged to Lucius Malfoy.”

Mary gripped Katherine’s wrist, hushed awe gripping her face, “And the ring would have cost more than getting all the curtains in the castle done in acromantula silk.”

“Makes up for the shame of not getting Head Boy, I guess. The bloody toff thought it was his birthright as a Malfoy…” grumbled Marlene.

Curious, Katherine turned her head as so to just peek at the Slytherin table behind them. Malfoy and Narcissa were not sitting quite next to one another, Regulus Black seated between them. Both green-robed Blacks – although Narcissa’s time with the surname was limited – were looking back.

Katherine’s chest jumped, before noticing that only Regulus was looking to her directly. Narcissa was more so staring out defiantly over the Hall in it’s entirety, simply daring someone to look back at her as she primly took intermittent sips from her teacup.

Regulus had only been glimpsed by the girl in passing, and at meals, since they last spoke. The mere fact that he’d approached her at all was still a mystery to her. She sincerely doubted he wanted her friendship.

Katherine turned back, seeing that Gideon was no longer chatting with his brother. Curiously, his gaze kept flickering over to the Slytherin table as he chewed very slowly…

“Excuse me – Katherine Spencer?” came a high, little voice.

The three separate conversations going on around her all stopped as Katherine turned to find a First Year Gryffindor boy rocking on his heels. She remembered his sorting – and his surname – Alderidge… something…

Katherine blinked, her ears burning, “Yes?”

“Professor Giles has asked for you to go see him in the staffroom.”

“Right now?”

Alderidge nodded, but Katherine noticed that his eyes kept flashing over Katherine’s shoulder worriedly – to where Katherine knew Black was sitting.

“Okay, thank you,”

Alderidge blew out a breath, and scurried away down the table, to sit with his friends.

Katherine turned back around to find Black sitting with his elbows on the table, an expression of mild amusement on his face as he watched the First Year go.

She had more pressing matters, and leant over to Marlene, “So, where would one find the staffroom?”

 

---

 

It was while visiting Giles that she heard Professor McGonagall wondering on her appointment of James to the post of Captain to Professor Sprout.

"Felix tells me that he hasn't handed in his practice questions on hex reversals, and just now I've found out that he hasn't been keeping up with his plant care diary…." said McGonagall, sighing and turning her pursed lips to the window over-looking the Quidditch Pitch, "Maybe I should start thinking about appointing someone else next year…"

Professor Sprout had frowned and opened her mouth – but Slughorn had nudged his pot belly in sideways, tapping his rings and smiling lasciviously beneath his freshly combed moustache.

"Were you not considering Mister Black?" asked Slughorn, lifting one hand from his straining satin vest to twirl his moustache, "In my opinion, the children of that family tend to do well in positions of power..."

Professor Sprout stretched out her ankles on her footrest, leant back in her chair, and pointedly sipped from her teacup.

McGonagall pursed her lips and peered over her spectacles; eyes narrowing at what Katherine assumed to be Slughorn's rather pointed enquiry.

"I did consider Mister Black."

"And he didn't meet the requirements?" asked Slughorn, rocking forward on his heels with undisguised bewilderment.

McGonagall blinked thoughtfully, "An accomplished flyer, an existing player on the team, outstanding marks in all of his classes…"

"I must say, Minerva," Slughorn edged in, frowning, "I'm not seeing any issue with the boy,"

McGonagall just stirred her teacup.

Slughorn's watery blue eyes glittered with glee as Katherine saw him latch onto something behind his eyes.

"Unless it's not an issue with the boy…but his –"

"Perhaps you should worry about your own house's Quidditch affairs, Horace," said McGonagall, placing down her teacup, "Did Mister Avery not just get himself suspended from matches for a whole month?"

Slughorn cleared his throat, bowed his head, sipped from his cup, and turned to get another sugar cube – "Silly matter really…just a bit excited with his wand was all…"

"Careful, Katherine,"

Her name cast a net over her attention, pulling it back to Giles; his chin pulled down as he eyed her lightly.

"I might start thinking you're just using me to get the gossip on your classmates."

Katherine's chest folded in on itself, "Oh! Sir – Sorry, I didn't mean –"

"Curiosity isn't a sin," said Giles, lifting his chin to peer down at the schedule in his hand, "Now, as you've missed the foundation lessons on magical creatures your classmates covered in third year, I want you to write essays to hand to me before the commencement of each Defence lesson on Werewolves, Hinkypuffs, Grindylows…"

 

---

 

Katherine felt Snape’s eyes boring into the back of her head all week.

It didn’t take her long to realise that she now had one over Snape. He seemed to be hovering, making sure she didn’t tell Lily what he’d done. Unfortunately, it meant his skulking group of friends were never far behind. There was nothing about the way they looked at Lily and Mary that Katherine liked.

Other than that, it was a week like any other as Katherine had come to expect them at Hogwarts. In Charms, they had even learnt about Entrancing Enchantments, though Flitwick had left out instruction on how to cast them.

The highlight of the week had involved Alice and Frank Longbottom – who had absolutely no need for an entrancing enchantment, as he was quite proficient in charming the socks of Alice without magic. In Divination on Tuesday afternoon, a piece of parchment that had been charmed into the shape of a butterfly floated down onto the table in front of Alice with the simple scribble, ‘Do you want to hug after school today?’

When they were all filtering out of the class, Frank was being consoled by James Potter as he held his chest, “My heart is beating so fast right now – I can’t believe I just asked that…”

Frank Longbottom’s next move had been long anticipated by Alice, and all the other Gryffindor girls alike who were living vicariously through her. Respectfully, they let Alice and Longbottom meet up in private, in an alcove somewhere near the Astronomy Tower, and waited with bated breaths in the dormitory.

“What was it like?”

“Did he put his arms around you first or did you do it?”

They all giggled, clutching pillows and squealing as they listened to Alice recount her journey into the new territory she was bravely blazing the path on for all of them.

“He was kind of like… hard – but soft – and really, really warm!”

Mary let out a quiet ‘wow’ before asking, “Do you think you’ll do it again?”

“I don’t know…” Alice whispered, a slow smile taking over her face, “I want to... but is that smothering him too much?”

 

---

 

They were on their way to Care of Magical Creatures, bounding through the Entrance Hall to the courtyard, when Lily surreptitiously squeezed her and Katherine’s linked arms as they passed a group of Ravenclaws.

“He’s looking. Quick, act like we’re having fun,” said Lily, with the hushed hurriedness she only got around Bertram Aubrey, “One, two, three…”

Katherine and Lily laughed a little louder than they usually would, Katherine being sure to make sure Lily was in clear view of the Ravenclaws as they passed, stepping behind her friend slightly.

Snape, standing along a row of statues with Avery, stepped down as the girls passed, “What’s so funny?”

It was the first time he had approached Lily while she was with Katherine all week. His eyes flashed between Katherine and Lily, gleaming with apprehension.

Lily waved a hand, sharing a smile with Katherine, as she said inconsequentially, “Oh, nothing.”

Snape walked backwards, keeping with the girls.

“Really, what is it?” he pressed.

“Girl stuff, Sev,” said Lily, frowning. She shook her head, and said, a little more gently, “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Lily skirted around Snape, her arm still linked with Katherine’s. Together, they bustled through the throngs of robes in the courtyard to the benches, to wait for Professor Kettleburn to collect them before heading down onto the lawns. An undeniable thickness surrounded the air around them the whole way.

Lily had never been so short with Snape before.

When they clambered up onto a perch of stone, from a crumbled arch, Katherine thought she’d try to lighten the mood.

“So,” said Katherine, her eyes searching back in the direction of the Ravenclaws, “What’s he like?”

Lily sighed, ease back in the air, smiling dopily, “Amazing.”

“Who’s this?”

Sue Bond, Lily’s Hufflepuff Prefect counterpart, closed in on their spot. Her best friend, Debbie, was not far behind. The two yellow robed girls popped themselves up onto the smoother part of the stone, flattening their skirts.

“Aubrey.” said Lily, leaning back on her hands, and needing to squint through the sudden glare of sun.

A crack of light had opened up between two thick woolly blankets of clouds, bathing the courtyard in sudden golden afternoon sun.

“Oh, yeah, he’s a doll.” said Sue, thoughtfully, glancing at the cloud of tall blue robed students.

Debbie flung her plaited pigtails onto her back, producing what was unmistakably the soft tissue wrapping of sweets, “What have you got for two quills, Evans?”

Lily ruffled around the front zip of her bag, holding aloft a purple cardboard envelope with bright lettering all over.

“A half-finished pack of Florien’s Blowing Gum.”

The girls traded sweets. To Katherine’s surprised delight, Lily handed the second sugar quill directly to her. With a quiet ‘thanks’ Katherine accepted the magical confectionary, twirling the realistic stem between her forefinger and thumb as she put just the tip through her lips.

The sun disappeared behind the clouds again, a grey tinge falling over the girls’ faces once more.

“Our boys are alright, but the sixth and seventh years are well fit,” said Debbie, following their previous trail of conversation, “Shame they stick to the senior girls… surely it’s got to be boring to pick from the same dozen or so people all the time…”

Sue hummed, “Unless you’re Bruce and Vicky, they’ve broken up and gotten back together, what – four times?”

“I guess it’s more complicated when you’re older…” said Lily absently, crossing her legs leisurely as she watched the courtyard.

“Not much choice about here is there?” said Sue, lightly.

Debbie huffed, “Black used to be best looking boy in our year, but that hair…”

Katherine found the feathered helmet of hair in question, and didn’t see the issue. Though, in London, she had seen many bad shag cuts and bowl cuts alike, so she was fairly desensitised she supposed. Once, she had even seen a rather tasteful mullet…

“He’d never say it to his face, but Cal Roberts calls him –” Sue broke off, and glanced around before leaning in and whispering “– a hippie.”

Katherine had to clench her jaw quickly to stop from laughing, seeing Lily doing the same out of the corner of her eye. The pureblood girls couldn’t have known that, while longer-haired, Sirius Black was far from being a hippie.

Debbie sighed, frowning wistfully across at the boys, “He’d be so handsome if he just cut it…”

“I take it you’re no longer holding a candle for him then?” asked Lily, taking another suck at her sugar quill with an amused glance at Debbie.

Debbie shrugged, “He’s a bit too moody for my tastes, and you can never get him alone, let alone speak with him...”

Sue hummed in acknowledgement, casting a scan over the two groups of boys.

Fifteen; what an odd age to be. Collectively, they all weren’t shaped too differently to whippets…

“What shape is it...?”

“Tulip, I reckon.”

Until the Professor came, Katherine and Lily helped Debbie and Sue try and discern which flower the Florien’s gum had magically blown into as they chewed away. Every time the gum burst, a fruity fragrance filled the air, Katherine breathing it in with passive delight as she sucked on her creamy white sugar quill.

On that Wednesday afternoon, the mixed group of Fifth Years enjoyed their elective class down on the lawns with intermittent patches of sunlight – that was almost even warm. For two hours, they took to the outer edge of the forbidden forest with magnifying glasses, trying to find a fairy hollow in the trees to record the habitat conditions of the creature.

It was such an easy lesson, that no one mucked up. Katherine thought that Professor Kettleburn looked like he had a headache as he perched on a large root of a tree, leaning back and closing his eyes as he waited for everyone to complete the task. Even James and Black behaved themselves, milling about from tree to tree with barely a word.

On the bell, everyone trudged back up to the castle. They were through the courtyard, and stepping through to the Entrance Hall, when a hand clapped down on Katherine’s shoulder.

“Spencer,” came James’ hushed voice, in leu of his usual booming volume.

Lupin was with him; one hand gripping his bag strap, and his eyes flashing amusedly between Katherine and James as he slowed his pace beside Lily.

James leant down to Katherine’s ear to whisper, “No lesson this weekend, I’m afraid. An old detention still needs to be served.”

Katherine wasn’t sure what she expected him to tell her, but it wasn’t that.

“Oh,” disappointment she didn’t expect bubbled up inside her, “That’s alright.”

James patted her shoulder as he stepped away, ahead, wagging a finger, “Use it as study time!”

Two Seventh Year Gryffindor girls gave the loud Fifth Year boy a dark look, having to skirt around him.

Lily blinked after him, “I was unsure that word was even in Potter’s vocabulary...”

Katherine didn’t have the heart to tell her that he meant to study broomsticks and flying.

Lupin laughed lightly, “See you, Evans –”

Surprisingly, he turned back as he went after his leaping friend, giving Katherine a nod.

“Spencer.”

It was a silly, odd thing, but the saying of her name made Katherine feel awfully seen. Like she was finally just as much as a student as any other.

As the days went by, she was beginning to find it hard to remember much of anything she used to do before she came to Hogwarts…

 

---

 

On Saturday, the sun did not peek out from behind black clouds all day. The green Scottish Highlands glowed up at Katherine through every window she passed, loaded with a month’s rain – that had fallen overnight.

Any plans for outdoor activities were scuppered by the weather as soon as everyone awoke and took one look out the window. The girls dressed slowly in their warmest clothes, and trudged down to breakfast. There, in the Great Hall, not a head was missing. The fires roared louder than the chatter and din while plumes of steam rose from soups, and plates of scrambled eggs and sausage.

Many were familiar with the idea of a long lunch, but that morning was host to the longest breakfast Katherine had ever experienced. At the prospect of the alternative; the chilly echoing castle hallways, or the limiting walls of the common rooms – there seemed to be nothing much better to do than huddle in warm jumpers and share a yarn over the blistering hot food and drink.

Only when the food disappeared from the tables, to not be re-filled, did people slowly leave their places at the large tables.

Katherine decided to bury herself in the bookcases of the library for the rest of the day. Even Lily wasn't lured by the idea, so Katherine was left on her own. She had found herself a regular in the library in the past weeks, learning quickly the ways of the ordering system – and which books you should avoid touching too much. There had been a few little incidents in which she almost lost half her plait to chomping pages, and her hand to a litany of magical papercuts.

Katherine was working through a large tome on the importance of weather for favourable flying – when Madam Pince's feather that poked from her hat, quivered just out of Katherine's peripheral vision.

"Spencer," said Madam Pince, slowing by Katherine's chosen table by the window, "Potter has detention and needs to help put the returns back in the proper manner,"

James stood behind the hook-nosed librarian, eyeing the shelves with ill-disguised boredom as dozens of stacks levitated around him and onto Katherine's table.

"Make sure that he doesn't set half the library on fire, please. I have to step out for a moment."

"Certainly, Madam Pince." said Katherine, immediately reaching for a stack of the returns.

"How come she doesn't hate you?" James asked, thumbing through the first few pages of a large tome disinterestedly.

"That's just the feminine mystique." said Katherine, as she crossed the aisle to put a book back with the others in its series.

When she turned back, she had to hold a hand to her chest in surprise.

Black stood next to James; his reproving gaze set on the pages of a Dark Arts tome.

"Giles has got you working like a House Elf…"

"What's that old adage that mum sticks by when you come round in the summer?" James asked goadingly, "A task shared is a task halved, or some rubbish…"

Black looked down his nose at a stack of books before he reached for it, sighing, "Doing this is going to give me all the good karma I need for the rest of my life..."

Katherine worked in silence, smiling to herself at the things the boys would say, stifling laughter at times.

She soon though had to gather up the largest stack so far and wobble it two aisles over. It was as she was looking for a table to rest them on that she lost the book off the top of the stack.

It didn’t hit the ground.

A veiny hand carefully placed the book on the table, and then the entire stack was taken from her hands.

"I'd like to apologise for Sirius," said a soft voice.

Relieved, and shaking out her hands, Katherine met the steely gaze of Regulus Black.

Regulus went on, lightly, "One might blame his parents for how he behaves, but then, well..."

He put the books down on the table Katherine had intended to before his intervention. He turned, one hand on the back of the chair and the other smoothing back his already smooth black hair.

He smelt very clean, thought Katherine. It made no sense, but the only descriptor Katherine could conjure in her mind was that he smelt like a sea blossom, and the cool skin of an apple.

"You’re not going to tack on a crack at me for not having any parents?" Katherine joked, looking at him out the corner of her eye as she returned a book.

His gaze was unflinching.

“No,” the word was soft, and blooming with surprising candour.

He lifted a tome to read the title, and then put it away in the shelf.

"Your assumption about my character far from delights me, I must say. But, then again, I must concede that you don't know me very well."

Katherine watched him curiously all the while, "That's easily rectified."

"Oh, yes," Regulus agreed sarcastically, "Shall we take a stroll through the hallways arm in arm?"

He was perhaps the first Slytherin that she felt no threat from whatsoever; with his slim boyish face and neck, and his height – closer to hers. Almost a pocket version of his brother.

"Oi, Spencer –"

James paused at the mouth of the aisle, a book in his hand; forgotten.

Regulus cleared his throat, stepped back, and stole away past James to the next aisle. He threw one last look over his shoulder at Katherine, something imperceptible simmering just below the aloof features.

"James? Where are you, mate?" Black’s voice carried over the aisles, "Did you find her?"

James stepped away from the mouth of the aisle, disappearing from Katherine’s view.

"I found her about to snog your brother."

Katherine could imagine Black leaning back uninterestedly, "Good thing you stopped it; he's a horrible kisser."

The stack Regulus had helped her with being her last, she was free to leave. She didn’t avoid Black or James, but she didn’t see them again – vaguely hearing them chatting where she thought was the restricted section.

Katherine almost hoped to find Regulus in the hallway when she left. But she didn't. There wasn't anyone else in sight either.

A long, pained MEOW, however, made Katherine pause in the middle of the hallway, ears peeled for another. Sure enough, there was. Katherine walked towards the sound, hoping Belle was up in Gryffindor Tower…

A broom cupboard was where Katherine's ears led her. She paused at the door, suspicion sparking in her gut, but she opened it anyway. She was promptly pushed in, turning as she fell to find nothing behind her. The door slammed on her before she could look for anything else.

The click of the lock made her face become heavy with horror. She scrambled to her feet, throwing herself against the wooden door. She beat it with her hands, forgetting that she was a Witch.

"Hey!" Katherine cried, "LET ME OUT!"

Hopelessness settled in her stomach. Just as she reached for her wand, something slithered around her ankle. A shriek jumped up Katherine's throat, and she casted the quickest Lumos of her life.

Under the new light, she almost wished that she hadn't. A dark mass of tentacle-like roots shrunk back slightly under her wand-light.

She was trapped with Devil Snare.

Katherine hastily turned back to the door with her wand, "Alohamora!"

The lock didn't budge.

Panicking again, all of the unlocking spells Katherine knew flew from her mind. She just had to get out.

"Reducto!"

BANG! In a flash of light, the door was reduced to dust, the tinkle of the settling powder on the stone buzzing in her ears. It was the first time it had worked.

The unmistakable sound of footsteps began to echo off the stone, coming from around the corner. TAP…TAP…TAP –

Coughing, and swatting the dust-cloud in the air, Katherine leapt out, nearly stumbling over –

A pair of well-polished oxfords paused, mid-step, and Remus Lupin was before her – face frozen in surprise as he took in the dusty scene and Katherine’s ruffled appearance.

“…Hello.” he said, in more than a little confusion.

“I –” Katherine paused to gulp in a few breaths, pressing a hand into her chest in an effort to calm her labouring lungs – “I was locked in a cupboard – Devil Snare –”

Lupin’s face fell into a mask of solemnity, all previous amusement gone. His eyes found the cupboard behind her, and the black tentacles searching out of the darkness blindly, curling wildly.

“Locked in a…” he broke off, and his eyes swept over her hurriedly, “Are you hurt?”

The prefect was the paragon of concern.

Katherine felt herself calming, “No… no, I’m alright – just spooked is all, I guess...”

Lupin bent his neck to meet her eye, his own shining kindly, “I personally didn’t see anything, Spencer, so I can’t do much, but… I highly suggest you tell a professor.”

“I had to reducto the door.”

A flicker of restrained amusement ran across his face, “Yes, I was there for that bit. Are you not handy with unlocking charms, or…?”

"Ripped shirt sleeves are not a 'statement', Mister Longbottom –" McGonagall's shrill tones had echoed around the corner –

Katherine, in chilling realisation, hurriedly whispered, “She’ll see the door!”

Lupin’s eyes flashed with immediate understanding. His hand closed around her elbow, and he tugged her along with a quiet, ‘come on’.

Two shadows stretched onto the hallway, one McGonagall and the other likely Frank Longbottom –

"And if it were, what would that say? 'I'm a washed up good for nothing bum’?"

Katherine, panting heavily again as she and Lupin sprinted down the hallway, thought she had never done so much running in her life as she had done at Hogwarts in the past three weeks.

Katherine's desperate eyes fell upon the stairs up to the astronomy tower, and she knew they had found their refuge.

They slowly crept up the stairs, their backs to the curving stone wall. Lupin, to her great satisfaction, was breathing as raggedly as her, but he oozed a liveliness that she had not yet seen in three weeks at the castle. If he had been sick, he was certainly better.

Lupin’s hand tightened around her elbow, alerting Katherine to the fact that McGonagall and Frank had paused at the foot of the stairs.

Katherine's breath hitched.

Lupin clapped his hand over her mouth. He controlled his own breathing with an enviable calm, his expression apologetic as he pressed his head harder against the stone wall. His eyes then flickered down the shadowed spiral steps, jarringly composed.

The feather in her conical hat quivering, McGonagall shook a scroll of parchment at a meek Frank Longbottom, "You're lucky I don't owl Augusta – does she know about this adventure in fashion?"

Frank turned away from her green stare, his eyes climbing the stairs, and, terrifyingly, he squinted.

The light from the hallway seemed to heat through Katherine's shoe, falling on it like a spotlight. With a panicked gasp, muffled and hot behind Lupin’s fingers, Katherine pulled her shoe into the shadows.

Frank looked back to McGonagall, responding to something Katherine hadn't heard over the pounding of blood in her face.

Katherine, noting their disinterest – and being the one of the chopping block if they happened to look harder up the stairs – pressed against Lupin’s side, nudging him further up the steps.

They edged up the staircase until both were well out of sight. The flicker of McGonagall and Frank’s shadows, and the gentle tap of their shoes, fading, and fading further again, led Lupin to drop his hand from over her mouth.

Taking deep breaths, Katherine slid down the wall into a heap of her robes on a step. Relief was not a strong enough word for what she was feeling. She might as well have been running from Death Eaters again as far as her adrenal response was concerned…

Lupin fell against the opposite, and previously unsafely exposed, stone wall, looking across at her as he too caught his breath.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, why did you run too?” asked Katherine, in realisation.

Lupin huffed out a short laugh, a breathy smile following as he blinked and said, “Reflex?”

Katherine too huffed out a copy of his laugh and closed her eyes for a bracing second before stepping down from where they stood, beginning a slow plod down the stairs. Lupin was soon again beside her, joining her in her descent, already a step ahead on his slightly faster pace.

For the first time, she fully took the Prefect in properly from her new, higher, vantage point.

He was deceptively innocent from afar. Up close, though, he was as far into the transition into manhood as the others; with a long neck that branched out to hard, angular shoulders. She thought she could put all her weight on him, right there, and he would not buckle.

Katherine quickened her pace to match him, meeting his eyes when he glanced down to her.

“You could have dobbed me in.” said Katherine, matter-of-factly.

Lupin’s lips quirked, but he frowned slightly, “For what?”

They reached the base of the stairs, stepping out into the hallway. Katherine leant on the curve of stone wall, giving Lupin a meaningful, slightly exasperated, look.

With a nod, and quiet ‘ah’, he seemed to cotton on. Lupin leant his shoulder against the wall beside her, his head too, and then he was looking down at her, “Well, after the whole ‘entrapment with a killer plant’ thing I thought I ought to cut you a bit of break.”

“Moony –”

Lupin’s head turned away from her, to where James, Pettigrew, and Black had all come to a stop at the junction of hallway.

Katherine stepped away from the wall, “I think I’ll head back to the Tower to find Lily –”

“Actually, we’re heading that way –” James seemed to be oblivious to her attempt to politely excuse herself – “Come on.”

Pettigrew and Black shared a look but fell back into step with James as he turned, leading the way.

Katherine glanced to Lupin, hesitant.

Lupin moved off the wall, making a ‘well – come on’ motion with his head.

“Wasn’t it down that hallway?”

“I’m rather sure it was on the seventh floor.”

“That’s right, it was by that big tapestry...”

Katherine, trailing behind with Lupin – who finally seemed to find a slower gear of walking to slip into – must have let her confusion bleed onto her face.

“Hogwarts doesn’t have a fixed floorplan, per se,” said Lupin, in quiet explanation, watching as his friends slowed ahead of them, all pointing down a different hallway adamantly. He smiled faintly, tipping his head to Katherine, “We found a room last year, but it seems to have moved around on us since.”

James noticed their approach, overhearing their conversation, and grinned with an energetic frazzled air about him, “Brilliant, isn’t it?”

“To you, perhaps…” said Black absently, squinting down a skinny off-shooting corridor, “It’ll do my head in if we can’t figure it out before we graduate.”

James sighed, and fondly patted a column, “The old castle will just have to keep her secrets.”

They all started walking again, and Black muttered something that sounded like ‘…the last sodding one to go on it…’ as he and James stole out the front of the group, conferring quietly.

Katherine only listened half-heartedly. There – in her mind – was a slot machine, of Snape and Greengrass’ faces, going round and round…

It didn’t stop her feeling when Lupin glanced to her, then slowed.

“Hold on,”

Katherine stopped, to avoid running into the hand Lupin had put out in front of her.

James, Black, and Pettigrew doubled back.

“That really does look like Peeves up to no good, doesn’t it?”

Lupin was indicating down a corridor that led to what Katherine thought was one of the other Transfiguration classrooms. Peeves, one of the more frequently seen apparitions around the castle, was cackling and kicking out his belled shoes in excitement as he fiddled with a door handle that he floated by.

James’ eyes flickered from Lupin to Katherine, and back again, “I think we know just the spell.”

“I think so.” agreed Lupin, nodding with a thoughtful expression.

James pulled out his wand – “All together!” he cried in muster of the boys –

“Waddiwasi!”

A wad of gum that Peeves had been mushing into the keyhole then flew out and up his nose. The poltergeist shrieked, floating back from the door wildly with a cry of ‘Argh! Who goes there!?’. He, in a panic, popped out of sight before laying eyes on the four Gryffindor boys.

Howling with laughter, the boys turned away and pressed on in their journey.

Katherine had watched, transfixed, and asked Lupin quietly, “Is that what’s going to happen to me if I break the rules again?”

“No,” the word left Lupin at a laugh, and he tipped his head down at her with an easy smile, “Though I suggest you stick on the right side of them.”

“Here’s what you do…”

Out in front, James was saying something to Pettigrew that Katherine couldn’t quite catch.

Pettigrew pushed James back, shock gripping his face, “You’re stark raving mad – I couldn’t do that!”

James sighed, throwing his hands up. In pure happenstance, he threw a glance over his shoulder, and smiled slowly.

“Katherine – you’re a girl –”

“No – don’t ask her!” gasped Pettigrew, pulling James back around as he hastened on, “It’s not that big of a deal… let’s just leave it…”

Katherine didn’t think she had to know the boy very well to know he wasn’t being exactly truthful. With one look at his friends, she knew they were not fooled either.

Mercifully, the boys did leave it alone as they started the climb up the grand staircase. Seemingly not wanting to risk it, Pettigrew picked up the pace, racing ahead of his friends by nearly a whole staircase length.

Katherine hesitated, before saying, “If he asked her out… she’d probably say yes, you know…”

“He just won’t do it.” said James, at a sigh, shaking his head.

“Why not?” asked Katherine.

Lupin’s hand found the back of his neck as they climbed, rubbing, “He’s not confident… you know, about the way he looks…”

Her eyes followed the boy in appraisal, and Katherine came to conclusion that Pettigrew wasn’t completely unfortunate looking…

Katherine’s eyes slid to Lupin on her left, then James on her right, choosing her words carefully, kindly, “He’ll… grow into it all...”

Lupin glanced at James across the front of Katherine. The two, while only slightly taller than her, were all legs. They were about a half step in front of her, able to see each other easily, as well as her.

Black, meanwhile, took the steps two at a time, out in front.

“Not his, er…” James trailed off quietly, not looking up from the steps as he gestured to his own teeth.

Reflexively, Katherine’s mouth closed around where her own problem teeth used to be. There was no need however to hide them anymore. If she could do the same for Pettigrew…

Black had paused on the landing outside the portrait of the fat lady just ahead, stiffening into a violently straight back.

Lily and Snape stood outside the portrait, obviously in the middle of farewelling one another. “I wonder why they haven’t cleaned that blackened step… what kind of spell does that to stone anyway?” Lily could be heard saying, her back to the approaching group.

The floor seemed to tilt away from beneath Katherine’s shoes. She was flooded with the disorientating feeling of trying to find one’s way in the dark, desperately even, like something was coming up behind you – or in front of you, unbeknownst.

Lupin kept going, clearing his throat, and pointedly ignoring Snape.

It would be easy enough to skirt around them and say the password quietly, as to not be overheard by the Slytherin. Lily stood on the edge of the landing, and Snape was a few steps above her on the adjacent ascending staircase.

Katherine felt James’ eyes on the side of her face.

The CLICK of the portrait opening caught Lily’s attention, and she finally turned, “Hi Lupin –”

Her eyes flashed back, brightening when they landed on Katherine –

“Oh – Katherine – I was wondering where you got off to!” Lily turned more, her body posture indicative of an invitation for Katherine to join her and Snape. Katherine, though, remained with James. “I ran into Severus when I was looking for you, actually. We found this lovely courtyard out of the rain by Ravenclaw Tower – you have to come with us next time! We spent the whole afternoon there!”

Katherine managed a small tight smile, and a short nod.

“Anyway, see you at dinner, Sev!” said Lily brightly, waving as she turned towards the portrait.

Snape lifted a half-hearted hand, still down by his side, as he turned and trudged up the stairs – out of sight.

Lupin disappeared first through to the tunnel, Lily right behind, and Katherine behind her.

Lily had waited just inside to the portrait, and linked her arm through Katherine’s, “So, what did you get up to?”

Katherine felt stranded for a moment, between the choice of lying to Lily, or telling her the truth. The latter felt the most comfortable. Truly, she had missed confiding in Lily.

“Well, I was leaving the library…” said Katherine, preparing to launch into the story.

Besides, thought Katherine, it couldn’t have been Snape.

He was with Lily all afternoon.

 

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 12: Teeth

“The earliest recorded use of a broomstick was in Germany – in what year?”

“Nine hundred and sixty-two.”

“Name three Broomstick manufacturing companies.”

“Nimbus Racing Broom Company, Comet Trading Company, and…”

Katherine hesitated, her eyes flashing away from her flying tutor, and to the pulsing orange glow of the wall sconces as she wracked her mind for one of the many broomstick companies.

“Flyte and Barker.” she said in a relieved breath.

James nodded, and raised his eyebrows at her over his clipboard before looking back down to his list of questions.

“Obscure one at the end there,” he murmured lightly.

Katherine was buoyed by the undisguisedly impressed tones of the boy.

“Okay, what was the early name for the position I play in Quidditch?”

Easy, thought Katherine, “Catchers.”

James sat opposite Katherine and Marlene, where the girls sat at their usual desk in the Transfiguration classroom.

The three had arrived early on Monday morning for the sole purpose of undertaking the long-promised quiz. Professor McGonagall supervised the three in her classroom, it being out of hours. She was seemingly making a lesson plan at her desk…

Backwards on his chair in front, James was making his way down a piece of parchment tacked to a clipboard – from where he procured it, Katherine had no idea.

“What is Blagging?”

“It’s a foul…” Katherine trailed off, thinking.

James glanced up at her obvious uncertainty, and nodded encouragingly.

Katherine did her best to jog her own memory, as Marlene had gone over the near seven hundred fouls with her in preparation the previous night. She had definitely heard it…

“It’s the broom – when someone tries to hold someone back by grabbing the twigs of their broom to slow them down!”

James nodded and went on. His eyes read ahead to his next question, and he paused to look up at her, bracingly.

“If the Golden Snitch is worth One-Hundred-and-Fifty points, and Slytherin are in the lead of the final match of the year, One-Hundred-and-Ninety to One-Hundred-and-Sixty against Gryffindor –” James’ lips twisted a bit at his own words, “But both teams have penalties: Seventy for Slytherin, and Ten for Gryffindor. Spinnet finally shakes the Slytherin Seeker, and in pure relief, takes an easy catch as soon as he can of the Snitch for Gryffindor. The Gryffindor team still loses by ten. How?”

Katherine had always hated number questions. As she riddled and piddled the brain teaser away, the silence stretched as James waited expectantly.

Behind him, McGonagall even glanced up, giving away her feigned pre-occupation with her lesson planning.

Marlene wriggled in her seat beside Katherine, going to open her mouth –

James held up a hand to Marlene, and said, amused, “Don’t help her.”

Katherine leant back in her chair, letting her head fall back to stare at the ceiling as she thought – hopelessness settling in. She was in the middle of re-calculating the penalties when she got it –

“Slytherin were ahead in the Quidditch Cup, and the catching of the Snitch ended the game, but the points Gryffindor scored weren’t enough to win the Cup.”

James and Marlene let out a tandem sigh of relief.

“Correct,” said James, letting his clipboard fall flat, “I’ll say… you’re well on your way to being a Quidditch fanatic, Spencer.”

The clanging of the bell, and the loud shuffling of shoes into the classroom, brought an end to their quiet morning.

Professor McGonagall rose from her desk, where she had been pretending not to listen to Katherine and James, and began to lead the class in a theoretical lesson on bodily transformations.

James had turned his seat back around to face the front as Black fell into the seat beside him, to all the world – everything was at rights.

It was in talking of the most complex of transformations, that McGonagall posed a question to the class, “Can anyone tell me what differs Animagus transformations from all others?”

Lily had fretted across the walkway from Katherine, where she sat with Mary, eyes desperately scanning down her textbook.

It was to be James’ hand that lifted in the air, and his alone. When prompted by McGonagall – he gave an enthusiastic answer of – “An Animagus cannot choose their form.”

McGonagall gazed over her spectacles, considering James with an inscrutable expression.

“…Very good, Potter. Five points to Gryffindor.”

Beside James, Black had rolled his eyes, and proceeded to keep trying to tip his chair back on two legs.

At the ringing of the bell, the Fifth Years put away their things and left the classroom – the Gryffindor’s heading to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Once into the hallway, Lily had sidled up to Katherine.

“You’ll remember to tell him – after you hand in your essay?”

Katherine nodded as Lily looped her arm through hers. It was less the possibility of Katherine forgetting, she wagered, and more the fact that she might chicken out that Lily was likely concerned about.

After returning from her misadventure with Devil Snare, Lily had been adamant that Katherine tell Giles – if not McGonagall too – about what happened. McGonagall was out of the question to Katherine, with the rule-breaking that henceforth took place.

They had spent the rest of the night trying to guess who might have done it, Katherine ignoring Marlene’s pointed gaze and the undercurrent of hostility towards Snape that ran beneath the whole conversation.

As Lily counted one hundred strokes of her hair, give or take, the girls seemed to settle on Greengrass as the only other person in the castle with motive.

It was odd to think that a mere twelve hours ago she was battling herself free of a locked cupboard.

As it was still dark when she woke, it was only at that moment – stopping by an open balustrade, in the high up Tower housing the DADA classroom – that Katherine got a gauge for the weather that day. The sun had still yet to show its head, seemingly, in the dark torchlight swathed corridors, and it became clear why.

Beyond the balustrade was a wall of mist, and behind it were the vague shapes of trees. The cool morning fog rushed against Katherine’s face, thick and ghostly. Summer was truly gone.

Haphazardly lining up for class, the Gryffindor girls organised themselves around a statue of a crouching sphinx. Katherine elected to lean on the wall beside the sphinx, watching the door to the classroom.

No sooner had Alice perched carefully on a shoulder of the statue, did Frank Longbottom slide up past Katherine and sit happily on the other shoulder.

James, having walked with Lupin and Frank, hesitated at the sight of Lily, and kept his distance. Instead, he stopped in front of where Frank sat – and where Katherine leant on the wall.

James mussed his hair, looking back over his shoulder, “Where’s Sirius and Peter?”

“Potion, I think,” said Lupin, slowing behind his friend. Shockingly, Lupin fell against the wall beside Katherine, and directed to her his tired eyes and a quiet, “Hello.”

Katherine offered a small smile back, “Hello.”

James turned to speak with Frank and Alice about something escaping Katherine, and it left she and Lupin looking out over the hallway in a comfortable, morning heavy silence.

Lupin gave a long, quiet yawn beside her as his eyes focused interestedly on where Peeves was making a racket in an alcove across the corridor.

“You’re letting this one go?” asked Katherine lightly, in memory of the previous night.

Lupin startled slightly, then smiled gently, still watching Peeves.

“It was a bit of a one off, actually,” said Lupin, raising his eyebrows at the memory, before blinking, “You seemed a bit out of sorts on the walk back –”

He turned to her, peering down with a pull at his lips –

“– I just wanted to see you laugh.”

The bell clanged loudly at that moment, and the group around them all made for the opening classroom door in a none-too-quiet fashion.

Lupin gave Katherine one last kind look as their friends flooded around them, before pushing off the wall to trail behind James.

As Katherine crossed the threshold into the classroom, her plait was, once again, flicked. Turning, she only saw Black and Pettigrew rushing around her…

Katherine sat with Lily in class, as usual, and the group had a theoretical lesson on further Hex Reversals. The whole hour and a half, her anxiety galloped faster and faster in her chest. Unfortunately, the bell had to ring at some point.

“Miss Spencer –”

Katherine paused as she put away her things.

“– Please stay behind a moment.”

Lily gave Katherine a significant look over her shoulder and bustled out with the other girls – heading to lunch.

Snape was the last to leave, eyeing Katherine suspiciously, before he too vanished.

Greengrass, however, had been one of the first to speed out of the classroom…

The door clicked shut, and Katherine thought the room felt a little warmer for it.

Katherine pulled out her extra essay, as was their routine – on werewolves this time. In researching for the essay, it struck her most that the creatures were real. Then she was petrified by the grisly facts and accounts of attacks.

Werewolves sounded to be positively the stuff of nightmares. Katherine was convinced she would know it by looking at someone if they were a lycanthrope – something horrible like that must write itself upon someone’s face, cloaking it in darkness and wickedness…

Parchment in hand, she approached Giles desk as he rounded it, then paused – "What in the world…?"

She followed his gaze to her bruised knee peeking out of her knee socks.

Katherine met Giles' gaze tentatively, "I had a flying lesson the other week."

Giles sighed and sat on the edge of his desk, crossing his ankles.

"You have a sacred birthright, Spencer," chided Giles, his head falling to the side, as if exhausted, "You were chosen to destroy Voldemort, not fly around on a broomstick,"

Katherine tucked her hair behind her ear, as he seemed to not quite be done.

Giles then gave a slight smile.

"I was channelling McGonagall." he said lightly.

Katherine relaxed, even managing a small smile, “She insisted upon the lessons, from my memory.”

A short happy beat passed between them, Katherine’s dread slowly inching back up inside her at ruining it with her news.

"There's something on your mind."

Katherine's eyes shot up to find Giles' own fixed on her, his head tilted gently. He crossed his arms with another rare smile.

Everything else flew out of her mind, and she just wanted to tell him everything that had happened. She wanted him to nod at the right times, hum concernedly, and then proceed to tell her everything she needed know.

Katherine took a breath, "Saturday evening… I was leaving the library –"

"Alone?" asked Giles, inclining his head and letting his eyes bore into her omnisciently.

A hybrid feeling of embarrassment and reticence trickled through her.

"Well…yes." said Katherine, knitting her fingers together and squeezing.

Giles gave a pursed smile, his eyes kind in their condemnation, "Miss Spencer…"

"I was locked in a broom cupboard with Devil Snare." said Katherine, halting any lecture he might have embarked on.

She thought that he, oddly, didn't look surprised.

"Really?" asked Giles slowly, sounding far too amused to Katherine.

"I would have thought it to be Snape, but he was with Lily all afternoon. So, my guess is maybe it was Greengrass –"

"Have you told Professor McGonagall?" asked Giles, blinking.

"Good heavens, no," Katherine couldn't stop the expression that twisted her features in her horror at disclosing the encounter to her Head of House, "I had to Reducto the door and barely got away as it was…"

Giles nodded, running his tongue along the inside of his bottom lip before tilting his head again, "What makes you think that it was Miss Greengrass?"

An insurmountable rush of rage surged through Katherine's loins, and she felt her eyelids recede.

"She is, without a doubt, the lowest, most awful creature to ever walk the planet," said Katherine, barely restraining her shrillness, "And she's a Slytherin."

"What about Regulus Black?"

Katherine could only blink for a few seconds, having to forge a new pathway in her brain to try and figure out how Giles knew.

"How do you –"

"I have my ways," said Giles lightly, lifting his chin slightly.

Katherine continued to frown at him, trying to glean the truth from his minute expressions. That itself seemed to do something, and Giles was opening his mouth again without an argument from Katherine, lifting a hand and blinking resignedly.

"Alright, sometimes the idle gossip of teenagers piques my interest."

Katherine swallowed, shaking her head, "He's actually been nice to me – cryptic, sure, but nice."

"Well, you know what you have to do then," said Giles, regarding her, "Prove it was her."

"Yes, but how?" asked Katherine, her cheeks laden with her desperation.

"That is up to you," said Giles, standing to his full height, "Unless you have any concerns you’re not up to speed with your fellow classmates, I believe that is the last of the essays I will ask you to complete…”

 

---

 

At a loss for ways to prove Greengrass’ guilt, Katherine decided to focus her efforts on helping Pettigrew with Mary.

It wasn’t difficult to find a book in the library on jinxes and hexes, and then to find the tooth-growing jinx ‘Densaugeo’ that Snape had used on Katherine. With it was a general cancelling spell, but in the footnotes was a reference to another book on shrinking spells. Writing down the incantations and wand movements for both the jinx and healing spell, Katherine began practicing them on taxidermy animals around the castle.

Unsure if Lily would approve of her tactics, Marlene having Quidditch practise, Alice studying with Lily and unknowingly keeping her occupied, and unable to tell Mary what she was doing, Katherine flitted around the castle on her lonesome – as inconspicuously as possible.

September changed into October on a Tuesday, during the fifth week of term, and Katherine finally felt confident in the new spells.

Having been asked to linger behind at Care of Magical Creatures with Frank and Mary to help clean up the feeding stations, Katherine missed her chance to grab Pettigrew before everyone vanished for lunch. The three were walking into the Great Hall, when Katherine didn’t spot Pettigrew with Potter and Black at the Gryffindor table.

As a rule, Katherine didn’t approach James when he was in conversation with Black, so she couldn’t ask him…

Thinking fast, she quickened her steps, to catch up with Frank.

“Hey, Longbottom?”

Frank, a little startled, offered her a smile as they walked down the table, “Yeah?”

“You don’t happen to know where I might find Peter Pettigrew, do you?” asked Katherine, keeping with his strides.

Frank slowed his pace, glancing casually at Katherine out of the corner of his eye.

“Yeah... alright,” said Frank, lightly. He nodded back towards the doors, “Come on, I’ll take you to him.”

It was a short, brisk walk to the courtyard where Pettigrew was playing Gobstones with his third-year cousin as Lupin watched on.

Lupin was the first to notice them, nodding to Katherine from where he leant on his elbows on the stone balustrade, “Alright, Spencer?”

“Alright.” said Katherine, quietly, casting her eyes curiously over to where Pettigrew and his cousin sat criss-cross on the ground.

Frank leant over to Lupin, whispering in his ear.

With a nod, Lupin waited until the round of gobstones was over, and shouted, “Oi – Pete!”

Waving goodbye to his cousin in his Ravenclaw robes, Pettigrew crossed to the three by the surrounding section of balustrades of the courtyard.

Pettigrew eyed Katherine, confusedly, “I didn’t think you girls played gobstones.”

“Never mind the stinking balls of gunk, mate,” said Frank, clapping a hand on his shoulder and waving an arm to Katherine, “Miss Spencer.”

“So, what’s this all about?” asked Pettigrew.

Katherine took a breath, readying to launch into her pitch, “Well, Snape cornered me outside the portrait the other week –”

Lupin’s head snapped to her “– He what –?”

“– and Gideon took me to Pomfrey, to reverse the Densaugeo jinx he used…”

Pettigrew’s face relaxed into understanding, and he lowered his eyes before looked out over the sloping lawns.

“Madame Pomfrey kept healing them back further than the damage done by the jinx – better than they were before. And it’s been brought to my attention that it’s something you had in common with me…” she trailed off, unsurely, “You don’t need to do it, there’s nothing wrong with it…”

“Give it a go, Pete,” Frank gripped Pettigrew’s shoulder tighter, giving him a light shake, “Might have half the school drooling after you – you never know.”

Pettigrew battled a small smile, looking out over the lawns again.

“Well…” he said, at last, turning back, and glancing around them anxiously, “Not here.”

Katherine nodded quickly, “I’ve thought of that – we could use Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom.”

Pettigrew looked to Frank and Lupin, and back to Katherine a few times, thought plain in his eyes.

“…Alright.”

“I should be getting back,” said Frank, casting a glance back to the Entrance Hall, with one last pat of Pettigrew’s shoulder he turned to leave, “You’ll be right, Pettigrew.”

The hallways were mostly empty, with everyone at the Great Hall for Lunch, so they were uninterrupted as they made the quick journey to the abandoned bathroom.

At one point, Katherine thought she saw Black coming out the boy’s bathroom on the first floor doing a double take when he saw them hastening through the hallways together. He must have simply kept on walking in the direction of the Great Hall as he didn’t attempt to approach them.

And then was the tricky, up close, and personal part.

Lupin leant back on one of the basins around the centre column, one arm crossed across his chest and the other resting against his mouth as he watched on at a courteous distance.

“It might be a little painful, but there’s less to do than when mine got done… so it shouldn’t be too bad…”

Pettigrew nodded apprehensively.

Katherine awkwardly indicated with her wand that Pettigrew needed to open his mouth, and then, when he hesitantly complied, set to work, whispering the incantation and slowly twisting her wand…

A slight wince and squinting of his eyes was the only indication of any pain the boy felt, but after a mere moment, the teeth had corrected and shrunk perfectly into place – and it was over.

Katherine stepped back, stowing away her wand, “Okay, that’s it…”

Pettigrew nodded, turning and bracing his hands on a basin as he bared his teeth to the mirror.

Together with the observing Prefect, Katherine watched as Pettigrew cast a critical eye over his adjusted bite. Feeling too voyeuristic, Katherine glanced to Lupin, and decided that she might try for some conversation to give Pettigrew some semblance of privacy.

“So, did you end up finding the room?”

“We’ve thrown in the towel, actually, accepted it as forever lost to us,” said Lupin, looking down at his shoes, tapping them together absently, “Unfortunately, Sirius and James have decided to undertake another project of sorts...”

“Blimey, I look alright...” came Pettigrew’s awed voice as he stepped back, turning this way and that in front of the mirror.

“A real stallion, mate,” said Lupin, bolstering his friend, “Now all you’ve got to do is talk to Mary.”

Pettigrew’s face was then in the grips of mortification, “What’s next? A bloody lap dance?”

Katherine and Lupin glanced to one another, the Prefect with a wry glitter in his eyes.

Lupin turned back to his friend, tipping his head thoughtfully, eyebrows raised, “Oh, I’d work up to that one.”

Pettigrew began muttering to himself and turned, making for the tiled walkway leading out to the hallway.

The bathroom seemed to echo with its quietness, large and empty around the two remaining.

Lupin smiled tiredly down at Katherine, raising his eyebrows, “Heading to lunch?”

Katherine nodded, remembering that she was actually rather hungry, having forgone the beginning of her break to cajole Pettigrew into letting her help him…

“Excellent,” said Lupin, pushing away from the sink he was leaning on, “You’re far less likely to be locked in a cupboard with a deadly plant when walking with a Prefect.”

The implication of what he meant by his words sunk in when they had traversed the tiled walkway out the main hallway. In the beaming, broad daylight, Lupin walked unmistakeably with her in the stream of students.

Katherine had never walked so publicly with a boy before and felt a spark of excitement travel out from her chest – like a firework.

Beyond thinking of the mild-mannered Lupin as her favourite out of the Gryffindor boys, Katherine had not really paid the boy much mind before. From that mere decision alone, however, she held him in even higher esteem. He was not embarrassed to be seen with her in the way so many other boys their age seemed to be when stuck walking with a girl.  

She had always wondered when the transition was – for the boys her age to change into the Sixth and Seventh Year Casanovas roving the hallways. In the past weeks, she had quickly looked away as older students walked hand-in-hand, as boys pulled girls onto their laps, and kissed cheeks before loping off to class.

Then, however, as she and Lupin passed a pair of Sixth Year Ravenclaws; the girl leaning against the wall, and the boy leaning against the wall with one hand, the other familiarly on her hip as he whispered in her ear… –

Katherine went warm all over. She, for the first time, imagined how the hands would feel on her. The need to steady her breathing, and the slight pang of fear in her gut, indicated to Katherine that perhaps she still wasn’t quite ready for such things.

She had never paid it much mind before. She wondered… how could it all look so different suddenly?

It felt as if she had only been fourteen an hour ago, in the wooden, echoing corridors of St. Mary’s. She had only held concerns for the panic of needing to pass at a C1 level in French, for the chance to go out into London at the weekend and get to a sweet shop, and whether or not they would get a free swim at the end of P.E. in the school’s heated pool.

At that age, you think boys have as much personality as coat hangers, and you don't notice their looks.

Then you grow up.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 13: Dinner and a Tunnel

Slughorn's dinner had been postponed numerous times over the beginning of the term. He had invited both the Head Boy and Head Girl, and numerous prefects (almost all of which had Quidditch practices to attend) without accounting for clashing schedules. And, wanting all who had been invited able to attend, the dinner had to wait until the sixth week of term.

The second Friday of October had been far from Katherine's mind. Between James’ lessons, Pettigrew’s plight, normal lessons, and threats on her life – it had lingered far into the background of her daily concerns.

On Friday, after lessons, the girls’ dormitory seemed to have a pulse – and it was hammering. Alice, Katherine, and Lily all needed to be showered and dressed for the Slug Club dinner.

“Stop looking at me like that, Katherine,” said Marlene, looking up from a magazine she flicked through. She cracked a genuine smile, “I’m not one to care for Professor Slughorn’s pandering.”

Alice turned back from the mirror as she did her hair, eyes glittering, “You wound us shallow beings.”

“Perhaps, if it wasn’t for the fact that you’re all just too polite to say no.” said Mary, upside down on her bed, legs up on the wall and her heels thumping out a rhythm.

“No, actually,” said Lily sarcastically, emerging from the bathroom in her towel, “I want to be filthy rich.”

Marlene, smiling, raised her eyebrows as she flicked the page over, “Shame we’ll all have to get married and spit out some kids when we could all be greats of the wizarding world…”

It was an odd prospect for the fifteen-year old’s, but, seemingly inevitable if they travelled the normal path of everyone around them. Most people were marrying straight out of school.

“How many for you and Gary, do you reckon?” asked Alice, pulling on her shoes over her stockings.

“Enough for a Quidditch team.”

Lily came up behind Katherine, placing her hands on the shoulders of her red shift dress before picking up a brush and gently running it through Katherine’s hair.

“Come on, you two!” said Alice, calling from the door.

Katherine and Lily sprung up, slipping on their shoes – in Katherine’s case, zipping up her favourite black boots. Together, they followed behind Alice, sticking out amongst the school robed students making their way to dinner. The feeling of being a part of something special put a spring in Katherine’s step as she and Lily strode, arm in arm.

“Katherine?”

“Yeah?”

“…I don’t think I want to get married.”

Katherine turned to her friend, finding Lily staring ahead, expression blank – shocked, almost, at her own admission.

“You don’t have to.” said Katherine, as their shoes continued clacking beneath them, squeezing Lily’s arm a little tighter.

Lily smiled, turning to Katherine, “Spinsters for life?”

Katherine brought around her spare hand.

“Pinky promise.”

Lily linked her little finger with Katherine’s automatically, “Pinky promise,”

Holding their linked arms a little tighter, they continued up the steps to Slughorn’s quarters. They waltzed into Slughorn’s quarters, carrying their cheerfulness with them.

They were two of only a few girls in attendance. Katherine realised that fact as Slughorn got everyone seated. There was Alice, Frank, Gideon, Lily, and James from Gryffindor. Malfoy, Narcissa Black, and Regulus from Slytherin. And a seventh year Ravenclaw boy.

"Damocles, m'boy!" Slughorn addressed the Ravenclaw boy gleefully, "On my left, son."

Slughorn turned to Katherine, something alcoholic swishing in his goblet.

"Katherine, dear girl," said Slughorn with rosy cheeks and a more subdued smile, "On my right."

Katherine sat where she was directed, the round table ensuring that everyone could see each other easily.

Alice and Frank were next to each other, directly across from Katherine and Slughorn.

James on Frank's other side and Lily on Alice's.

Regulus was next to James, beside Katherine.

Malfoy was beside Damocles, making him harder for Katherine to see. Something she was glad for.

Meanwhile, Slughorn also seemed to think it fitting to put the Head Boy and Girl beside one another.

Slughorn snapped his fingers once everyone was seated, a house elf appearing with a crisp POP.

"Are you ready for the first course?"

Slughorn nodded with a pleased smile.

"Yes, Binky," He answered, holding up a hand and laughing boisterously, "No need to rush between courses."

"Yes, Mister Slughorn." Binky replied, before disappearing with another POP.

"So polite, sir." commented Malfoy, his icy eyes wrinkling with the faintest of squints.

James had been right, of course, on the first night of term. Just looking at Malfoy could make one want to hex him.

"How is your own House Elf these days, Malfoy?" said James.

Frank shook his head at his friend.

James, however, was like a dog with a bone, "Make him iron his hands lately for incorrectly washing your y-fronts?"

Surprising everyone, Narcissa was the first to laugh, raising a dainty hand to her plum-painted lips.

Slughorn lifted his utensils as bowls of soup cropped up around the table like they did at meals in the Great Hall, "Well, dig in, everybody!"

All the while, Katherine snuck glances at Regulus' gold cufflinks until she was brave enough to meet his eyes; not un-similar to the indigo milk cap mushrooms on his plate.

“I thought, in Slytherin, that fraternity was one of the prized qualities? You're not going to defend your housemate?” she whispered.

Regulus chewed his mouthful neatly, then leant his head slightly closer to hers, speaking softly, "It would not be very cunning of me to align myself with the wrong sort, would it? I was always taught that if you want to know the worth of a man, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals,"

Regulus, nonchalantly returned to slicing his mushroom –

“Besides, Potter said it all. And thankfully so, as I could not possibly get away with it,” he said, pausing his forkful just shy of his mouth to continue, “I thought it might have been you to speak up, actually. When one has a prophecy written about them, it’s not because their exceptionally passive...”

“Prophecy?” she asked, having little to no knowledge of such a thing.

Regulus ceased chewing, his utensils hovering above his plate as he stilled completely. His eyes flickered to Slughorn on Katherine's left. His shoulders stiffened and his eyes flickered back to Katherine with an imperious glint.

"Laugh."

"What?"

"Come on, Slughorn will probably kick me out if he thinks I'm threatening you." said Regulus, with a hint of urgency pulling at Katherine's compassion.

So, she laughed, throwing her head back in the delicate way she had honed over the years shadowing her aunt.

Regulus chuckled politely.

Slughorn, predictably, promptly lost interest.

Gideon Prewett, however, was frowning at Katherine.

Her chest quaked.

"– and, James Potter," Slughorn zeroed in on the boy with jet black hair, "Has your father, Fleamont, considered making any more potions?"

James swallowed his sip of soup and smiled.

"Sleek-ezy and skelo-gro provide a plentiful profit for our family to be comfortable," James answered, sounding obscurely humble at the mention of potions that were staples in the wizarding community, "Unfortunately, he isn’t getting any younger and retirement is imminent, I would say.”

Katherine had never heard James speak so well.

Slughorn smiled conspiratorially, resting his hand on his quaking belly; his rings on display.

"You could sit happily on that gold without working a day in your life," said Slughorn jovially, “Quidditch calling your name, however – hey-hey?”

“Actually, I think I would like to become an Auror,”

James’ eyes slid to Lucius and Regulus before back to Slughorn –

"Given the happenings in the past couple years.”

Slughorn nodded quickly.

"Oh, yes, of course," Slughorn readily replied, blinking and raising his eyebrows, "Very noble career.”

The soup suddenly vanished from the table, and the bread and water refilled.

"And the lovely Lily," Slughorn redirected his attention to the red head –

James wasn't complaining –

“– how are your parents in the muggle world? Is your father still a…" Slughorn trailed off, frowning, and at a loss for Lily's father's occupation.

"A Policeman?" Lily supplied, nodding, "Yes, there's quite a bit of bedlam in the muggle world too so he is kept busy a lot of the time."

Slughorn nodded, pleased, but desperate for a lighter topic. His eyes wandered the table, already having spoken to Alice and Frank, before they fell on Regulus where he sat beside Katherine.

"Regulus Black; the most accomplished school-boy Seeker I've ever seen, any offers from England yet?" Slughorn asked, riled up by his own hype-talk.

Regulus' hand twitched where it rested on the tablecloth, beside Katherine's.

Regulus inclined his head, "I dare say I'm still too young for consideration."

"Nonsense!" Slughorn swatted the air, accidentally knocking over his water that he hadn't touched that evening, "You're fifteen in December, what else would you do?"

"I do work with my Father, preparing to take over the Black family's seat in the Wizengamot one day." Regulus replied automatically– indifferently.

"Should that not be a job for your older brother?" Slughorn inquired, his interest increasingly ten-fold, "I did invite him this evening… as always…" the man mumbled to himself, raising his eyebrows.

"My brother has other aspirations." Regulus deadpanned.

Slughorn blinked, unable to take stock of the moment in his semi-inebriated state, and smiled, before turning his attention to the boy beside him.

"For those of you who don't know," said Slughorn, anew, "Damocles is pioneering new werewolf research."

Damocles Belby was a gangly young man with glasses suited to someone three times his age. His hair had a certain kind of tidied messiness that came with appearance upkeep taking a backseat to reading one more chapter. His robes were expensive and fitted, as he came from a good family, but no amount of galleons could buy him a body to properly fill them.

Katherine often saw him in the library, hunched over books. She could finally put a name to his face.

"Terrible affliction, lycanthropy." Damocles conceded, bowing his head.

"People don’t exactly choose it." said Lily, eyeing him over the glass she sipped from.

"Oh, yes, yes," said Damocles with wide eyes, "I meant no prejudice – my cousin's a werewolf; hence why I'm working on a cure."

"It will be a shame to see you graduate, Belby." lamented Slughorn, frowning into his goblet of mead.

"You still have my younger brother." Damocles tried to bolster the suddenly down-trodden man.

His words didn't lift Slughorn's spirits. But the main course that arrived not seconds later, did.

The rest of the night flew by after that. Dessert was short, Lily needing to leave for Prefect patrols and everyone else needing to get back to their dormitories before curfew. Regulus did not seem to care to stick around to further explain the information he dropped upon her without warning.

Frank had taken Alice for a walk, promising the rare sight of the Giant Squid breaching in the moonlight.

Gideon and Damocles had stayed behind for a night cap with Slughorn, being of age.

Katherine was left to walk back to Gryffindor Tower herself, everyone else having other common rooms to return to.

Or so she thought.

"Spencer!"

Halting and turning, Katherine realised that she yet to account for the last Gryffindor who wasn't old enough for some firewhisky.

His jet-black hair flopped in the firelight of the wall torches as he jogged to a stop beside Katherine, "It's late, we should walk back together."

"Safety in numbers?" asked Katherine.

"Something like that." said James, smoothing his hand through his hair as they started walking once again.

The hallways had been empty all the way to the third floor, the pair not even happening across any Prefects or Professors. Katherine had initially planned, before James joined her, to use the shortcut behind the tapestry on the Charms Corridor that would come out in the Trophy Room. She didn't know when Greengrass would strike again, and thought it best to stick to the secret passageways – and out of broom cupboards.

"If we're being safe, I know a quicker and quieter way back to the Tower." said Katherine, as they slowed by the passage Giles had shown her on the first day.

"A secret passage?" asked James, slowly grinning, "Who showed you this?"

Katherine found his grin infectious, "It’s a secret."

It had only taken minutes to come out on the other side. But, before she stepped out into the trophy room, she felt her boots SQUELCH. Looking down and then back down the tunnel, Katherine saw water rising up the incline of stone.

Remembering her wand that was shedding light upon this fact, Katherine turned to the opening and threw herself out.

James simply stepped out, muttering a 'Nox' and stowing his wand in his robes as he eyed Katherine concernedly.

"Everything okay, Spencer?"

Looking around, Katherine realised that it was possible that a pipe may have burst, and took the hand that James offered her to regain her footing. Before she could sigh in relief, her wand left her hand.

With impressive speed, James whipped out his own, looking around, and no sooner was disarmed too.

Looking around for the person who had disarmed them both, Katherine felt dread weigh down her skin. The situation was very reminiscent of the Devil Snare incident. And, just like she had been back then, Katherine was forced back into the passage. This time, without her wand.

This time, with James.

"Not again…" groaned Katherine, raising her hands to thump into the stone in hopes of someone – anyone – Filch, even, to hear and come to their aid.

James searched for a way out, and Katherine continued beating on the stone wall until her hands began to bleed. Only then did she find holds in the rock wall to pull herself up and out of the water lapping at her chest.

James valiantly still searched for another way out, his broad shoulders to her.

Slowly, the water rose.

Even James turned back, leaning against the wall beside Katherine, "Well…if we're going to die in here…"

As James went to speak again, so did another voice – from the other side of the door –

"Are you mumbling the spell?"

Katherine shot off the wall, water splashing around her armpits as she and James made for the door.

"No," another voice replied, the stone wall crumbling in an effort to open it from the outside, "It's–just–not–budging."

Katherine let out a cry of relief, pressing her ear to the door, barely noting that James had done the same.

"Here, let me have a go." the first voice insisted.

There was a pause and the sound of scuttling shoes, murmured curse words meeting Katherine's ears through the stone.

"What are you doing here?" It was Lily's voice, "Five words or less."

Katherine almost cried again. Lily was there. She would get Katherine out for sure.

"Out. For. A. Walk…" who Katherine could now decipher as being Black answered, "Evans."

Katherine didn't care much for hearing more of the group's conversation, she had to get their attention before they left. She beat on the wall again, ignoring her cut up hands. As she heard attempts being made to open the passage, the water began to rise more quickly.

"There's water leaking out," Lupin commented, "Do you think someone's stuck in there?"

James and Katherine exchanged glances at Remus Lupin's astuteness.

"We should get a professor." Katherine heard Lily say.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?" Lily sniped.

An indecipherable argument ensured as Katherine and James exchanged exasperated looks.

"That's Katherine's wand…" said Lily, over the others, "She's stuck in there without her wand!"

Katherine was gulping air against the top of the passage when they finally managed to open it, James' larger head disadvantaging him and sending him under a flat second before her. They flowed out with the water, carried by it, scraping their knees on the stone floor when it drained away and dumped them.

Katherine looked around from where she lay in a heap on the floor. Lily and Lupin were by the 'Services to the School' plaques, Lily advancing forward to help Katherine up.

Black and Pettigrew were standing at the opening of the passageway. They were looking from it, to Katherine, to James, and back again.

"We should definitely get a professor." Lily maintained, glancing around in paranoia.

"No." gulped Katherine, as Lily helped her stand.

"Not again," said Lily before launching into a tangent, "Katherine, you're delirious from lack of oxygen –"

"I think that I'm going to have to agree with Lily, and highly suggest that you tell someone." Lupin chimed in, frowning.

"Do you know who did it?" asked Lily as she squeezed out Katherine's hair.

Katherine watched the water from her hair make a puddle on the ground.

"Well…no.” answered Katherine, squeezing some water out of her dress.

"It's Giles! Scatter!" Pettigrew declared suddenly, ducking into the previously flooded passageway.

Black also disappeared into the passageway, Lupin pulling Lily in too who was digging her heels in. James followed Lily, pausing at the open door and waving Katherine hurriedly in.

"Come on, quick!" whispered James, his hair slicked back by the water – and neater than Katherine had ever seen it.

"Go," said Katherine with a weak smile, "I won't get in trouble."

James hesitated, his eyes flashing to the shadow stretching around the corner, back to Katherine. Then he seemed to tear himself from the very fabric of space to careen back down the drained tunnel behind the rest of the fifth year Gryffindors.

Katherine, not fleeing, instead searched for her wand that Lily had sighted. She eventually found it underneath one of the cabinets, having to get down on her knees to reach for it.

The clearing of a throat, despite Katherine expecting Giles' appearance, made her jump. Her head found the edge of the underside of the cabinet. Katherine yelped, before retrieving her wand and slithering out from underneath the piece of furniture.

Giles looked from the flooded floor – to Katherine's drowned clothes – to the open passage, and then finally back to Katherine. Giles sighed before he pulled out his own wand. He gave it a complicated little wave so that hot air streamed out of the tip; he then pointed it at her dress, which began to steam as it dried out.

"Let me guess," said Giles with a tired smile, "Slytherins?"

Katherine fell into step with him, "I can't even go to a nice dinner..."

"You should have taken a jumper."

 

---

 

The month started to streak by. Slughorn’s dinner was followed by the seventh week of term – and the third week of October. With most of her fellow Gryffindors in on the unspoken rule that Katherine was attacked whenever alone, she was scarcely left by herself.

Black even seemed slightly less intimidating, though he didn’t go out of his way to acknowledge her – let alone speak to her. Katherine, however, thought his expression was a little less haughty when he looked up from his copy of the Daily Prophet one morning.

James managed to squeeze in two practical broomstick flying lessons that week. He and Katherine would take to the pitch in the early afternoons, right after classes, and before the evening rain showers that had become like clockwork. Charitably, he had leant her his broomstick for their lessons – “Nicked Sirius’” he had said cheerily, to explain the near replica broom he himself rode. 

He had even gotten a whistle from somewhere, and had taken to calling out commands for her to do on the fly – “Barrel roll – now a loop to loop – through the ring – under, then over, under again –”

Lily had even come out to one of the lessons, her curiosity finally getting the best of her. She was scarcely seen without the camera her parents had sent her with their reply to her letter, and had it with her again in the spectator towers as she sat, wrapped tightly in her winter cloak and scarf with Marlene.

After watching curiously at the beginning, a little apprehensively, she seemed to mostly focus on taking artistic photographs of Marlene against the skies. On occasion, Katherine saw the lens pointed in her direction.

Classes and homework took up a lot of the Fifth Year's spare time, the OWL's ebbing at the edges of everyone's mind. And as the workload became miserable, so did the weather. The only positive thing about the eighth week of term, for most, was that it led into the first Hogsmeade trip of the year.

Katherine listened to her friends natter excitedly about all the places they wished to go, knowing all the while that she would be staying back at the castle. Though she yearned to share in her friends’ excitement, she attempted to look on the bright side of a vacated castle.

Maybe, she mused, she would finally get a weekend of peace.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 14: The Dreadfully Dire Business of Hogsmeade

My Darling Remus,

I hope you and your friends are enjoying the first few weeks of the school term. It’s supposed to be an early, long winter, however. All the boys around town are wearing this type of jacket these days, I tried to go a size or two up from what you were in the holidays. You really are shooting up like a beanstalk, my darling.

All my love,

Mum.

The quilted nylon bomber jacket was shiny blue and rustling in Remus’ grip, and so cool and smooth that it was almost like touching plastic. It was slippery, unfolding easily as he held it up to observe the yellow and orange stripes over the shoulders, contrasting the deep blue. He had seen similar ones around Haworth over the summer holidays, he realised, mostly on the more fashionable, older of the boys.

The rest of the dormitory had already fled to Hogsmeade, bar Peter, who was taking his time in the bathroom. With the approaching full moon, Remus was unsure if he felt energetic enough for a visit to the town – or to keep up with his friends once there.

Gratefully, he began to pen his reply to his mother. He was eager to wear it but would have to wait for when the House Elves had returned his laundered jeans that wouldn’t clash with the blue of the jacket. He had just scratched out the opening two lines of his reply with his quill, when Peter began flitting around nervously – right by Remus’ bed.

“Remus?”

Remus blinked – as he hadn’t heard his real name in the longest time – before answering, a little startled, “Yeah, Pete?”

“I asked Mary to Hogsmeade this weekend… today.”

“Well, that’s marvellous, Pete!” said Remus, earnestly, giving his friend a nod, “Good luck and all.”

Remus returned to his letter but was acutely aware that Peter hadn’t moved.

“I may have told her that it would be with a few of us...”

Remus glanced up suspiciously at his friend’s tone, “Yeah…?”

Peter’s hand went to back of his neck, “Well, I didn’t want to tell the others they’d –”

“– ruin it. Probably go out of their way to do it,” agreed Remus, sitting up and placing down his quill, “Pete, are you asking me to come with you and Mary?”

Peter’s eyes blew wide as saucers, and he clenched his hands together in front of himself, “Could you? Please?”

“Pete…” sighed Remus, looking longingly at the book he intended to read on his nightstand, before looking back, knowing he was going to the do the right thing, reluctantly, “Yeah, alright –”

Peter all but collapsed before him in visible relief –

“Just let me finish this quick reply to mum and get some shoes on, okay?” said Remus, hurriedly picking up his quill again.

Mum,

Thank you for the jacket, I really love it. My Prefect duties are keeping me quite busy, so I don’t get to spend as much time with the other boys as usual. Actually, we’ve even got a new student this year – she’s in with Lily’s friends (you heard all about her from James when he visited in the summer, remember?). She’s helped Peter ask out a girl named Mary, and he’s decided he wants me to tag along – right now.

Ta now, I’m off to third wheel on Peter’s date,

Remus.

“We’re going to be late…” said Peter, pacing and glancing worriedly at his watch.

Remus quickly folded the parchment, struggling to neatly slot it into an envelope, “Alright, alright – keep your hair on…”

Feeling a niggling rush in his tailbone, Remus tied the letter to the ankle of the owl that had originally brought his mother’s letter, which had long since finished the treat he had given it upon arrival. With a soft HOOT, the bird was gone.

Peter was resting his forehead against the doorframe as he lingered, half in and half out, trying for some patience but visibly struggling…

Remus paused, a hand on his chest, and looked down at the thick red wool jumper he was wearing – with a cheesy Christmas pattern on it. Then he shook his head and got back into motion. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone, the worst he looked, in fact, the better it would probably be for Peter. So, he grabbed a jacket that looked like it might match his trousers and slipped his trainers on over his woolly bed socks.

And then they were flying down the dormitory stairs and through the castle – jogging down the flights of castle stairs. They were strolling down the crunchy frost-bitten path through the forest, closing in on Hogsmeade, when Remus thought he might try to help the jittery boy’s nerves beside him.

“So…” said Remus, curling his hands in his jacket pockets as they jolted down the path, “Are you excited?”

Peter nodded, paused, and said, with a dopey smile, “When I see her, my heart does little flips.”

Remus nodded, knocking his elbow with his friend’s.

“That’s nice, Pete.”

Peter nodded absently, smiling at his shoes, “Yeah, it is, isn’t it…”

Then he elbowed Remus back, suddenly having his gusto return.

“You ought to think about getting a girlfriend too, Moony.” said Peter, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

Remus licked his lips, squinting ahead and sighing out his words, “I don’t know, Pete.”

Peter shot his arm out across Remus’ face, making his best attempt at an aeroplane – “Zoom!”

Remus leant back just in time, slowing his pace after dodging the flying arm.

“What was that?” asked Remus, flabbergasted.

“That was your life, mate,” said Peter, tucking his hand back into his pocket, and turning his eyes forward once more, “It goes by that fast, Moony. It really does – everyone says. And it’s true.”

Remus bit back a laugh, and shook his head, “Today’s about you, mate.”

Peter stopped – they had reached the edge of town – and were right where Peter had specified to meet; by the first large lamppost.

“I wouldn’t be so sure –” said Peter, with the slightest of twitches at his lips, nodding at something behind Remus’ shoulder, “Here they come…”

While Peter made a last-minute fuss about his hair and jacket, Remus turned around. His dread lifted off his shoulders in his shock at seeing Mary hooking arms with a fair-haired Spencer.

 

---

 

Katherine had just waved goodbye to Lily, Alice, and Marlene, and started spooning up more of her porridge, when she noticed Mary hadn’t left with them to enjoy the first Hogsmeade trip of the year.

“Aren’t you going too, Mary?”

Mary was wearing her velvety magenta corduroy jacket – her favourite. She fussed with the collar, and then took a strawberry off her spoon into her mouth, chewing demurely.

“Pettigrew’s asked me to Hogsmeade – I’m to meet him down there at nine.”

Katherine felt her whole being brighten at the news, but she contained herself, and said, “You can keep me company until you need to go then.”

Mary put her spoon down against her bowl of cereal with fruit in it.

“Actually, I was rather hoping you might keep me company – on the date,”

Katherine paused, a spoonful of porridge halfway to her mouth.

Mary hurriedly tacked on to her previous words, shaking her head and murmuring, “He mentioned some of his friends might be there, so really, it’s like a group thing…”

Katherine placed her spoon back down into the bowl, allowing the action to give her a moment to let Mary’s words sink in.

“Well, maybe Alice might be better to take – she knows them, hanging around with Longbottom so much. You could probably catch up to her…” said Katherine, turning to see if the girls had gotten far down the hall.

“She’s seeing Frank at Madame Puddifoots this morning,” said Mary, wrinkling her nose and shrugging as she went on, “And the other girls get so annoyed by all his friends. You get on with Potter though, I’ve seen you.”

Katherine’s cheeks warmed, but she redirected tack, lifting a new spoonful of porridge back up to her mouth, only pausing to say, blinking, “Well, it could always be Black now, couldn’t it?”

Mary’s eyes blew wide.

“Oh, gosh… I didn’t think of that… blimey…” said Mary, hushed. She regathered herself before saying, “Well, it’ll be even better then, that it’s you. He, er, accidentally called Lily a Mudblood in first year… all of us girls have gotten over it since, I think, but still…”

“Mary, I… I’d love to, really –” Katherine broke off, hoping to impart her sincerity, before going on to say, logically, “But I’m not allowed to go down, I don’t have a permission slip.”

Mary tipped her head, seemingly weighing up the roadblock that was Katherine not being able to get past the teachers to even get out of the castle. Then she leant forward on the table, eyes bright.

“Have you ever heard of the disillusionment charm?”

Until that morning, Katherine had never thought she would see Hogsmeade up close.

The cream cottages, lined up neatly like gingerbread houses, could have been iced with sugar – not the snow Katherine knew it to be. Fires and laughter were locked away beyond frosted windowpanes, each bricked sanctuary shining with a different slice of life. The trees sheltering the town were wild and wet from the pale day and still smelling of a crisp autumn night, and, twirling around, the blurred visions dazzled and dizzied Katherine…

“There they are.” came Mary’s whisper, nodding out ahead and looping her arm through Katherine’s.

Up ahead, Peter bobbed out from behind the broad shoulders of a figure – still turned around.

Mary let go of Katherine’s arm, squeezing her hand, before rushing out in front, “Hi, Peter!”

Lupin turned; his boxy blazer flicked back at the hips so he could stuff his hands into his trouser pockets. He blinked against the cool breeze and bent his neck to meet Katherine’s eye as she trailed up to the boys, behind Mary.

“Hello,” he said softly, with a small smile, before raising his eyebrows and whispering, “Are you allowed to be here?”

Katherine nearly fell where she stood – “Christ, you’re a Prefect, aren’t you?”

“It seems we’re both chaperones today,” said Lupin, lightly, tipping his head to the side, “In the name of friendship – I think I can let this one slide.”

He did a lot of that, mused Katherine.

Mary turned back from where she and Peter had been talking quietly just ahead, “Come on – we can’t stand here all day.”

Parting ways, Katherine and Lupin walked on the outside of their friends.

Katherine nudged Mary encouragingly, and got an excited smile in return from her friend. As they walked, Katherine tried put away the oddness of the four as a group, but her eyes kept straying to Pettigrew and Lupin on the other side of Mary – adjusting to the sight of them.

“Where do you think we should go first?” asked Peter.

Oddly, the boy seemed to be taking point of the group.

Indecision was thick in the air, and they all glanced around at one another as they rambled along the cobblestones. It was as if they were all looking for the adult in the situation, coming up short between the four teenagers.

Mary finally shrugged, flushing as she bumped arms with Pettigrew, “Nowhere too busy – it takes the fun out going into a shop when it’s packed to the brim…”

“Right,” said Peter nodding, “Perhaps we just walk along until something looks good?”

In unanimous agreement, the four pushed on – until the laces on Katherine’s trainers came loose.

“You guys go ahead, I’ve got to fix my laces.” said Katherine, stopping by a bench seat and lifting her shoe up onto it.

Funny, she thought as she looped her laces into bunny ears, she always thought that if she went to Hogsmeade that Lily would be there. Katherine found herself missing her friend, as she would have known all the right things to say – to help Mary along.

“Double knotted?”

Katherine startled, and turned to find Lupin waiting, leaning his shoulder on the light pole. He nodded to her shoes before speaking again.

“It’ll be easy enough to trip over in this weather without them coming undone.” he said, with his kind eyes.

“Yeah, I should be alright now,” said Katherine, dusting her hands on the outside of her jeans, “Thank you for waiting,”

Lupin nodded to her as they fell into step again, at least three shopfronts behind Peter and Mary – who were now talking animatedly, heads together as their synced steps blazed out in front.

Katherine cleared her throat, and nodded ahead, “They seem to be getting along.”

“Yeah… yeah…” said Lupin, nodding ever so slightly, watching ahead before turning to her and making a face, “It’s probably best we stay back, I’d wager it’s hard enough to talk to a girl without one of your mates watching on. They’ve only pepped up now that we’ve fallen back.”

Katherine held her arms to battle against the cold. Gosh, what were they to talk about now? The seconds dragged out of wordless walking, only broken by the other students milling around them. Katherine was yet to see any of the other girls yet… –

“So,”

Katherine glanced up to find Lupin’s eyes shining under the cool blue sky – down at her.  

“You didn’t mention Snape hexing you as well as the Devil Snare thing and tunnel stuff...”

Katherine had almost forgotten that she’d brought it up when trying to convince Pettigrew to let her use the teeth-healing spell on him.

“I thought James might have mentioned it to you guys.” said Katherine, shrugging.

Lupin shook his head, and said lightly, “No, he didn’t,”

Katherine was acutely aware of his appraising eyes as they walked on.

Lupin kicked a little stone, taking in a breath through his nose and turning his eyes skywards – content.

Up ahead, Peter and Mary ducked under an eave into a shop with a faded sign.

Quickening their pace, Lupin and Katherine closed in behind them. The bell sounded loudly as Lupin pushed through first, his fingers pushing the door as the passed, endeavouring to keep it open as Katherine followed behind.

Like a warm blanket, a record player in the corner crackled out a familiar tune – a muggle tune.

“Well, you don't know what we can find
Why don't you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride…”

Her eyes slid to Lupin, curiously. She had only ever seen him at Hogwarts, and assumed him as magical as any other, but she wondered then what he knew of the muggle world…

The shop seemed to be a muggle interest shop, the only inkling of magic being the shop keeper, using his wand to tidy up here and there. Katherine felt her inner being almost curl up and rest at the familiarity of it all. Like a magnet, the stash of records pulled Katherine’s feet across the shop.

Not taking much stock of what the others were browsing, Katherine began combing through the columns of vinyl, noticing that, above them, was a piece of purple felt pinned up on the wall.

Listen to:

FLEETWOOD MAC

It will save your soul

In a relaxingly familiar fashion, Lupin rummaged beside her through the vinyl sleeves, flipping over Let It Bleed by the Stones.  

Katherine, personally, felt terrible about only liking the opening track, Gimme Shelter, and the closing track, You Can’t Always Get What You Want. The rest was a wash to her. It was a tricky record to listen to for the girl, and sometimes she wished there was a way she could listen to all her favourite songs individually…

She settled for saying, “I love Gimme Shelter on that one.”

Lupin glanced up, eyebrows lifted and a faint smile. He nodded, then frowned down at the sleeve, turning it back over.

“I er,” he hesitated, closing one eye, bracingly, “Feel like a poser for only liking the first and last songs…”

Katherine blinked, turning to him anew, abandoning her search. She could not believe her ears!

“You’re kidding –” she said excitedly, “It’s the same for me, they just don’t –”

“– Grab you!” they said together.

Their excitement bubbled down slowly, and they went back to their rummaging, a new warmth between them. Katherine found she didn’t even mind the way his elbow bumped lightly bumped into her hip as he reached over to flick through the ones at the front of her chosen box.

A rack of sunglasses caught Katherine’s eye, she wandered over by the window, spinning it slowly to see the collection of multi-coloured frames. A large pair of round ones caught her eye, that were fairly in fashion, and she tried them on in the mirror.

It was in the reflection that she saw the shoulder of Lupin’s jacket bobbing closer.

“Too big, you reckon?” she asked him, fluffing her hair slightly in the mirror.

Lupin grinned, leaning back against an empty table leisurely, shaking his head gently.

Katherine tried on a few more, her favourites being a pair of oversized rimless square frames that were amber tinted, before she placed a pair of pink thick round frames on Lupin’s face.

Lupin casually glanced sideways at the mirror and said, lightly, “Not sure it’s my colour.”

Promptly, he joined her where she stood in front of the rack, the two spinning it this way and that, trying to find the most ridiculous pairs.

Katherine had taken off a pair of diamanté encrusted purple butterfly shaped frames, when she glanced back at the shop – empty behind them, apart from the shopkeeper.

“Lupin,” said Katherine, tapping the back of her hand against his shoulder, “They’ve gone and left us.”

Lupin turned, pulling off a pair of green star-shaped frames, “You’re kidding...”

When he found that she was, in fact, not kidding, the two left the shop, giving their best polite – albeit awkward – smiles to the shopkeeper on the way out.

A breeze lifted Katherine’s scarf and chilled her nose as she glanced around the township, crawling with hordes of their peers.

“Where do you think they’ve gone?” asked Katherine, crossing her arms over her chest, and fighting a shiver.

“Could have gone anywhere…” said Lupin, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets, and squinting down the street, “Probably not Puddifoots, I’d say… I’ve heard you need to make a reservation or get in as soon as she opens…”

“Right,” said Katherine, nodding, “So we… just look in the shop fronts until we find them?”

“Seems our best bet,” said Lupin, shrugging, “I can give you a bit of tour of the town while we’re at it, since you’ve never been before –”

Lupin broke off, looking to her with playfully raised eyebrows.

“Right?”

Katherine closed her eyes at his playful jab, opening them and offering a small smile back, “Yes.”

“Okay,” said Lupin, eyes gleaming, nodding to the other side of the street, “Well, this way first…”

Lupin kept a brisk pace, but occasionally stopped or slowed to point something out. They had gone past almost all of the shops when Lupin guided her to the other edge of town. They stood on the edge of a large pond, fenced off and with a perimeter off glossy black pavers.

“The first proper snow hasn’t fallen yet, but the pond should freeze over sometime in mid-November, and then it’s crowded with everyone ice skating…”

Katherine was wary of the grip of her shoes on the pavers as they walked back down the path toward town, “It’s already rather slippery.”

“Yeah, watch out for the –”

Katherine felt her foot sliding beneath her quicker than she could correct. Quicker too than she could comprehend, she was falling –

“– black ice!”

By some miracle, she didn’t end up on her back on the cold, wet pavers. Lupin’s hand had seized her around the elbow, reaching for her opposite hand with the other to bring her back up.

“Thanks.” she breathed out, the cool air crackling in her ears and the ghost of what would have been a mighty bruise tingling on her backside.

Lupin’s breath clouded in front of his face, and he gave a light smile before securing her hand – looping it through his own arm, “Might be best to hold on until we get back to the cobble stones.”

Carefully, they stepped side-by-side away from the paved edge of the pond, and back towards the township.

“Most of the town needed to be rebuilt after the Goblin uprising ten-twenty,” Lupin continued his guided tour, as they closed in on the town square, “This used to be a statue of the wizard who founded the town. They decided to just have a water feature instead, as all that had been left by the goblins was a finger.”

Katherine didn’t need any further explanation beyond his amused expression to know just which finger the Goblins had left behind.

Beyond the statue, however, was a familiar corduroy jacket.

Katherine squeezed Lupin’s arm, and she pointed, “There they are!”

“Come on,” said Lupin, securing her hand in the crook of his elbow as they jogged carefully, inclining their heads against the cool breeze, “Oi – Pete!”

Peter waved as the two closed in on he and Mary, “We wondered where you two got off to,”

Lupin and Katherine shared an exasperated glance –

“Fancy a butterbeer? It’s freezing out here.” said Peter, going on unbeknownst, and shivering.

Inside the Three Broomsticks, they were to find, was packed wall to window. Blessingly, it was almost hot from the combined heat of the fireplace and bodies.

Mary frowned, bobbing on her toes as she looked around, “All the booths are taken…”

Lupin, the tallest, peered around, before pointing.

“You two take that small table then, we can sit up at the bar,” said Lupin, his hand closing over Katherine’s as he guided her through the tables and booths up to the bar, making polite apologies to people as they passed.

Katherine had been holding onto Lupin’s arm for so long at that point that her hand felt oddly cold when she let go. They shucked off their jackets, and Katherine her scarf, draping them over the back of their chosen bar stools.

As a pretty blonde bartender breezed behind the wooden bench, Lupin leant forward to grab her attention over the noise of the pub, “Morning, Madame Rosmerta. Could we please get two butterbeers –”

“Remus Lupin! You two look positively sickly from the cold –” said Rosmerta, positively scandalised and gasping as she lightly smacked the back of Lupin’s hand, “You’re going to have some spiced hot cider instead, to battle any nasties!”

Rosmerta turned away to prepare the aforementioned beverages at haste, before turning back around to slap two steaming tankards down on the bar.

“Two sickles for the pair, dears.”

Katherine reached for her jacket, for the pocket the little bag of coins Giles had given her in Diagon Alley weeks ago resided in. Silver for Sickles, she remembered, plucking one out of the velvet pouch and sliding it across the bar.

Lupin placed down one silver coin too, but Katherine saw that he had held a second in his hand –

“Cheers.” said Lupin, lifting his tankard to her before taking a sip from the frothing top of the drink.

Katherine slid her tankard closer, slipping her hand through the handle to feel the warmth of the thick glass. It had a smoke coming off the top and was a deep bubbling burgundy.

“There’s no alcohol in it,” said Lupin, after swallowing a sip, as if reading her mind, “Madame Rosmerta is adamant about being of age before you can even whiff anything of the likes of firewhisky.”

Katherine nodded, and took a sip, unprepared for what she was about to drink. Spiced cider should have been her warning, but the back of her nose burned and fizzed a little at the combination of clove and ginger – among other things. All the while, the bubbles tickled her throat and stomach.

“Oh.”

Lupin eyed Katherine over the brim of his tankard as he took a long drink, before saying carefully, “You’re not familiar with the wizarding world, I take it? I thought you…”

He made a vague hand gesture, in what seemed to be reference of her surname and technical status as a pureblood.

“I lived with my uncle in London – he was a squib,” said Katherine, taking care to place her tankard perfectly on the coaster – to distract herself, “You seem familiar with muggle music, though, what’s the story there?”

“Mum’s muggle,” said Lupin, voice addled by the glass as he had lifted it to his lips, taking another short sip before saying, “We live in Yorkshire, but we go visit her family just outside London once or twice a year, I have cousins and the like.”

Katherine took a sip herself, gulping down a burp that was battling up throat at the fizzing hot drink, “Is she proud you’re Prefect? That’s something that’s the same in both worlds.”

“Yeah, yeah… she was really chuffed about it, actually… dad too…” said Lupin, smiling absently down at the bar, “Neither were really surprised, though…”

"So, which is the real you?" asked Katherine, gently nudging his arm, "Prefect Lupin or running-through-the-hallways-with-me-after-blowing-up-a-door Lupin?"

Lupin swallowed his mouthful of cider, startling to the point where she worried he might choke on it, but then he smiled, before briskly frowning at his knees.

"I don't really know…" he confessed, hesitating, "I…"

Lupin’s eyes lifted from his knees, and he seemed to appraise Katherine for a moment.

"My parents live in a very cut off village in the north of Yorkshire, so growing up I mainly had my mother and my father's bookshelf for company – he worked a lot, you see. So, I've always been studious, I guess, but…"

Lupin’s eyes left Katherine's in favour of the gleaming brass taps on the bar.

"But I started getting sick around the age of five and my parents didn't think I would have a chance to go to Hogwarts…"

Katherine had never heard the boy speak so candidly about himself. She listened silently, rapt.

"Dumbledore came to our cottage a few days after my eleventh birthday – he assured my parents that Madam Pomfrey was an excellent healer and would be able to keep me healthy while I got the education I was entitled to," continued Lupin, "I got that – and more – I got three brilliant friends who helped me have more fun than I dreamed possible when I used to read by the window at home,"

Watching him watch the taps, Katherine was sure she had never seen such a wistful expression on a younger face, and she felt a pit of grief open up in her stomach when his eyes creased, and his mouth hardened.

"But I feel obligated to Dumbledore – to repay him – for my education…but I also feel a duty to enjoy myself with the friends that put up with my constant illness…"

It was a concern most fifteen-year-old boys didn't have to shoulder, and Katherine felt a rush of kindred empathy for him. She too shouldered a burden most fifteen-year-old girls didn't have to.

“I think I would feel similarly, if it was me,” said Katherine quietly, trying for a kind smile, “It’s tricky.”

Lupin nodded down at his tankard, the barest of smiles on his tired face this time. He lifted his eyes to her, before they shot over her shoulder. A light huff of laughter followed.

“You won’t believe it…” he said softly, disbelief coating his every word, “They’ve gone and bloody left us again.”

 

---

 

“Where have you been, Moony?”

Remus’ whistling lips lost their tune as he walked into the dormitory. His feet halted too. All the boys sat on Peter’s bed, looking up from their boisterous conversation as he had walked in.

“…Hogsmeade?” said Remus, slowly crossing to his own bed.

Sirius blinked coolly, “Yes, but you went with Pete, didn’t you? He got back over an hour ago.”

Remus glanced to Peter, who made a motion with his eyes – he had left out a few details to their other friends, it seemed.

“I stopped by Honeydukes after the Three Broomsticks.” said Remus, not lying, as placed the little bag down on his bed, full of sugar quills.

He opened the bag, turning his back on the others, hoping they would lose interest.

“We went there last too. We didn’t see you.” said James.

No such luck.

“You must have missed me then –” said Remus, turning back and frowning as he shook his head, “What does it matter what I was doing anyway? Peter was the one going out with Mary – quiz him.”

“Someone’s awfully defensive…”

Remus blinked, eyebrows shooting up, “Well, I didn’t walk in expecting some kind of Spanish Inquisition, did I?”

“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.” said Sirius, blankly, turning back to Peter – having, evidently, lost interest.

The others in the throes of conversation once more, with Peter happily chatting about his date, James slipped over.

"Get any chocolate cauldrons?” asked James, loudly, as he crossed the floor.

Remus shook his head, “Just quills.”

James glanced over at where Peter was chatting off Sirius’ ear, while Frank listened encouragingly, before looking back to Remus.

“Remus… mate.”

Immediately, Remus’ hands went up, placatingly, innocently.

“You don’t have to tell me –” he said quickly, lowering his hands and reaching for his blazer’s button. He nodded to James meaningfully and added on, “Okay?”

After a short moment of seeming appraisal, James finally nodded back.

“Okay.” said James, clapping him on the shoulder as he moved past.

Remus paused as he went to shrug his arms out of his blazer. There, in the crook of his right elbow, the material was more crinkled than the other. More carefully, he continued, laying the jacket over his trunk.

He slipped off his shoes, and fell upon his bed, bouncing before his mattress settled and embraced him. Sighing, he folded his arms behind his head, and turned to listen passively to Peter chatting about Mary’s family to other boys – it had seemed to be what they had spent the afternoon speaking about, their families.

“Her Dad works in the Department of Mysteries – how cool is that? He has this one story about the prophecy room…”

 

---

 

“…and I couldn’t possibly decide between the lilac and navy, so I’ll have to go back to Gladrags next weekend – Katherine –”

Katherine looked up from her lunch, already tired from the first two lessons of Monday morning.

Lily nodded to her, “You’ll need to get robes for the Christmas party too.”

Katherine took another bite of her jam sandwich, shrugging.

“The invitations haven’t gone out yet, how do I know Slughorn will even invite me?”

All the girls – bar Katherine – shared a look.

“Katherine,” said Alice, a mixture of amused and solemn, “Of course he’s going to invite you.”

Katherine’s eyes flickered to Mary before she said her next words, “Well, I didn’t think I was allowed down without a permission slip.”

Lily seemed to deflate where she sat, brow furrowed in contemplation.

“Maybe you could go to Professor Giles for special permission?” said Lily, perking up, “You can’t mail order robes…”

Marlene pointed from across the table, “You could look at brooms while you’re there too!”

Lily pushed herself up, tapping Katherine on the arm, “I’ll come with you, we can’t let him say no.”

“What? Now?” asked Katherine, quickly grabbing the other half of her sandwich off the plate as she was hauled to her feet.

“If we want to go this weekend, we’ll have to ask as soon as possible so it can be sorted out.”

Katherine kept pace with Lily, trying to finish her sandwich as she walked out of the Great Hall.

Lupin and Black strode furiously down the Gryffindor table in the opposite direction –

“Don’t be stupid –” said Lupin, sounding more exhausted than angry, head ducked as they seemingly argued – “It’s not like you’re going to do anything –”

As they passed each other, Lupin offered Katherine a quick smile, before skirting around with a sour faced Black.

Perplexed, Katherine glanced back after they passed.

Black had seemed to have ended their argument with some cutting remark before seating himself beside James at the table…

Katherine did not have time dwell, because before she knew it, she was standing in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with Lily.

Giles had already been there, writing up his next lesson instructions on the blackboard, and glanced up when they knocked.

“Miss Spencer,” said Giles, blinking, before his eyes flitted to her company, “Miss Evans – to what do I owe the pleasure?”

He turned back to keep writing on the board in his sharp cursive.

Lily nudged Katherine with her hip.

“Well, sir,” said Katherine, sparing a glance to her friend before turning back to their teacher, “Professor Slughorn’s Christmas Party is coming up soon… and I’m afraid I’m without dress robes.”

Giles’ hand paused in the air, his back still to them.

“Oh, no. Dress robes…” he shook his head, seemingly to himself, before placing down the chalk and turning to the girls, eyebrows raised, “It was only a matter of time, I suppose…”

“Yes, sir,” said Lily, knitting her fingers together, “I know that Katherine isn’t technically allowed down to Hogsmeade, but I wondered if an exception might be made just this once?”

The unspoken ‘pretty please – with a cherry on top’ hung in the air after her words.

Giles frowned, stepping closer to his desk and resting his backside against it, “I don’t see why you can’t just get them for Miss Spencer.”

“I also want to look at a broom – for my lessons.” said Katherine, honestly.

Giles eyes fell on her, and he nodded, eyes falling to the floor.

“Yes… I see,” he said thoughtfully, before sighing and saying, “A broom isn’t exactly high priority for you, however, as you aren’t on your House’s Quidditch team. Otherwise, it would be a different story. The robes, perhaps… but I still don’t understand why you cannot simply browse a catalogue and give Miss Evans your money to go collect them?”

“Well –” Lily spoke carefully, slowly “– with dress robes, a young lady also needs to purchase special knickers that don’t catch on the fabric, and that’s a rather intimate thing that someone ought to buy for themselves…”

Giles’ eyes slammed shut.

“Yes, yes –” he said hurriedly, lifting a hand and pushing off his desk to cross back to his blackboard, “Er, consider it done. I will sort the details, and you can expect an owl from Gringotts with any money you may need,”

Katherine felt only the grips of shock on her face, staring wide-eyed at Lily.

Giles picked up his chalk, and then glanced back, “If that is all…”

“Thank you, sir.” said Katherine, doing her best to compose herself.

Lily beamed as she took Katherine’s hand and they turned to leave, “Yes – thank you, Professor!”

Katherine couldn’t leave the classroom fast enough, and pulled the door closed behind them as soon as she could. She turned to Lily, the horror slowly easing from the skin of her face at what had just transpired in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Lily brushed down her skirt with the slightest of smiles and a glint of pride in her eye, “Works on my dad every time.”

Disbelieving silence gave way, and together the two girls dissolved into laughter. Lily hooked her arm through Katherine’s, and they fled away from the door, laughing all the way down the staircases of castle.

The cobwebs came part and parcel with the castle, but jack-o-lanterns were dotted along every hallway of the large school in the run up to Halloween on the following weekend. Twisted orange and black streamers were twisted overhead, and it wasn’t becoming uncommon to see the finest dustings of snow sifting down from the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall.

Leisurely lounging was gone in the dwindling last days of October. Everyone was tightly done up like Christmas presents in their cloaks, gloves, and scarves as they shivered from foot to foot as winter pressed closer and closer.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 15: Robes and Brooms

"Hi, hello, how are we all?" beamed Flitwick, not waiting for a response before he went on, "Mending Charms today!"

Chairs creaked as people behind Katherine sat up in interest.

"It will be a spell in your regularly used arsenal – a witches' and wizards' bread and butter, really," said Flitwick, flicking his wand at the board and dancing onto a new, shorter stack of books, "The wand movement and incantation is on the board, but before we get practicing – are there any questions?"

There were no questions, but an avalanche of students yelling 'Reparo', voices filling the classroom all the way up to its dusty rafters.

Lily had gotten it on her second try, the first resulting in a half-hearted flopping together of her ripped pieces of fabric, and had scowled as Flitwick commended Sirius Black behind them on getting it on his first try.

Marlene's best attempt was what looked like a badly stitched together wound that had scarred skin, not fabric.

It was after Flitwick hopped down and went to help Stebbins that Katherine pushed her chair back, in the middle seat, and sought the conversation of her two friends either side of her.

"Giles sent my galleons to the dorm – I noticed it this morning – forgot to tell you."

Considering she and Lily had ambushed him on the Monday, she shouldn’t have been surprised to wake up on that Wednesday morning to an owl with a Gringotts pouch of coins and an envelope with it – a permission slip. It had conditions attached to it; that she was only allowed down on the Saturday, and only with Lily – the prefect needing to escort her right back up as soon as they were finished.

Marlene grinned, reaching down into her bag, "Excellent, I have a broom magazine in my bag, hang on…"

"A broomstick?" said Lily, her round arches high and her lips twisted.

"Yeah, the school brooms vibrate too much when I go above fifty feet." said Katherine, shrugging modestly under her friend's critical eye.

Lily's lashes fluttered in rapid blinks, "But you need to get robes for Slughorn's Christmas party."

"She has clothes, Lily," said Marlene lightly, pointing emphatically at her magazine, "She doesn't have a broom."

"How much gold did you get out?" asked Lily, "Dress robes are around ten galleons at Gladrags..."

"I haven't counted it yet," said Katherine, finding the note that she had stuffed into her robe pocket, "Giles sent the owl on my behalf…"

"You can use the school brooms, you don't have any dress robes." maintained Lily, a delicate flush rising on her chest.

Images of her arriving in the nude to Slughorn's do but with a brand new Nimbus in hand circled Katherine's brain. After his dinner, Katherine wasn't sure that she'd be missing all that much if she opted out of attending the Christmas Party. But she knew she'd been letting herself down by not seeing just how well she could fly, given how enjoyable it already was.

Marlene hummed, "How much did Giles get out from your vault? Have a look."

Katherine found Giles' tidy scrawl on the parchment.

"'Undetectable extension charm'… and there's a receipt," said Katherine, her eyes speeding down the parchment, "Vault seven-oh-six…one hundred and seventy galleons withdrawn…"

Marlene snorted, "Was there any left?"

"One hundred and seventy galleons…" mumbled Lily, frowning at the table as she counted on her fingers before she paused; eyes wide and voice hushed as she leant into her friend, "Katherine – that's over eight hundred pounds!"

"And only enough for a Nimbus," said Katherine, sighing and tilting her head with a shrug, "And maybe a broom servicing kit…"

Marlene grinned, slapping Katherine on the back, "I'll get you one for Christmas –"

"What about dress robes?"

Katherine felt her insides split two ways as she looked between her two friends, both facing with blank expectation to agree with them.

"It would make sense to just get a Comet and have enough left over for a nice pair of dress robes that will last you until you're out of school," said Lily, pausing and rubbing her forehead, "Oh, gosh – I sound like my mother…"

"Cheer up, Lily," said Marlene – the epitome of cheerfulness – playfully punching Lily's arm, "If worst comes to worst – Katherine can skip the party. Do you even want to go, Katherine?"

Lily rubbed her arm, "How was punching me in the arm meant to cheer me up?"

Marlene shrugged.

"It works with the Quidditch team."

"Well, Quidditch players are thick, aren't they?" said Lily, neatening her robes.

Marlene blinked once, traces of amusement threading through her cheeks, "I'm a Quidditch player."

Lily didn't deign Marlene with a response, smiling at Katherine instead.

"And of course Katherine wants to go to the party," said Lily, nodding encouragingly, "Don't you?"

Katherine tucked her hair behind her ears before mashing her hands together on her lap, "I…er…"

A voice, from behind – and not above – as she had first thought in her gratitude for the intervention, stole Lily's attention.

"Evans." said James, a question in his voice and a glint in his eye.

Beside him, Lupin had hunkered down in his chair, as if bracing for a shelling. Black was glancing around with his chin on his palm. And Pettigrew was looking between James and Lily in avid anticipation.

"Potter." returned Lily, throwing a glance behind her.

"If I were an animal, what would I be?" asked James, grinning.

Lily didn't look up, suddenly pretending to be enthralled with her Transfiguration essay she was using the free lesson to work on.

"A pig."

"I better get on a broomstick, make that proverb come true."

 

---

 

“So, what do you think you’ll do for the summer?” asked Lily, from the shelves that housed dozens upon dozens of formal shoes, glittering and winking under the chandelier in the middle of Gladrags.

The weekend had come quickly, Katherine having to remind herself to act surprised at all the things about Hogsmeade that Lily had pointed out. The two girls were complying with the conditions of Katherine being allowed in the town, and had gone straight to the robe shop.

Lily’s question however, had touched on something rather important that had slipped Katherine’s mind – up until that moment.

Katherine hesitated, a pang of anxiety in her throat, “I… actually have no idea.”

Lily plucked a box off the shelves and walked over to a chair, glancing over her shoulder.

“Petunia’s moving out – to go to the city, I’m sure mum and dad wouldn’t mind… you know… if you came to live with us…”

“They sound lovely, Lily,” said Katherine, honestly, “But they’ve never even really met me – just your mum in Diagon Alley before term, and –”

“She waxed on about you being ‘a lovely young lady’ the whole drive home,”

Lily sat on the chair, eyeing Katherine pointedly as she pulled off her boots.

“And, well, where else would you go?” she went on, reaching for the glittering strappy shoes from the box, “It’ll just be for summers anyway, we’re at school all year...”

Katherine hummed, turning to busy herself by inspecting a set of sheer maroon lace robes, “I wonder how it all works in this world…”

“I’m sure there’s someone sorting it out on your behalf – at the school,” said Lily, frowning as she wiggled her toes into the shoe, then she grinned at Katherine, “It’ll be grand – living together…”

Katherine kept the fact that they’d already been living every single day together for the past two months to herself.

“Yeah,” she said, with a smile, before nodding to Lily’s feet, “I like those shoes.”

“Me too,” said Lily, admiring them and twisting them side to side experimentally, “So… have you got anyone in mind to ask?”

Katherine shook her head, turning back to the racks of robes.

“You could always take Lupin.”

Katherine blinked, “Lupin?”

“Yeah,” said Lily, shrugging as she slipped her feet out of the shoes, “You two seem to get on pretty well.”

Katherine shook her head, “I don’t think I know him well enough for that…”

Lily nodded thoughtfully, re-boxing up the shoes and placing it beside her handbag on the chair. She then launched back to her feet, re-joining Katherine at the racks of dress robes. Lily’s eyes flashed sideways at her, and she spoke her next words casually.

“Well… then there’s always Potter…”

Katherine paused as she reached for the next hanger.

“Are you ill, Lily?” said Katherine, playfully holding her hand against her friend’s forehead.

Lily swatted her hand away, smiling benevolently.

Katherine jokingly narrowed her eyes at her, “Are you Lily? What’s my favourite ABBA song?” 

Lily rolled her eyes mirthfully and started flicking through the racks again.

“…It’s just, you and Potter…” she paused her flicking, seemingly in thought, before continuing to flick through as she spoke again, “He’s always around – and you guys are always chattering away about something, and not just your flying lessons either…”

Katherine plucked out an icy blue set of robes.

“You should try them,” said Lily, nodding to them and then to a pair of emerald ones she held in her own hands, “I want to try these as well.”

Descending into the changing rooms, Katherine thought their conversation over – and that Lily had surely been joking. Katherine and James… well, there was nothing there. When she emerged, however, twirling in the mirror with Lily in the fancy garments, Lily met her eye in the mirror.

“It’s okay if you like him, you know,”

Lily went to the chair her bag was on, moving it to sit and take her chosen shoes from their box again. She looked up again at Katherine as she slipped her feet into them once again.

“You make a nice pair actually – a classic pair. There’s also the fact that you’re both purebloods, Slughorn would probably dance for joy.”

Katherine collapsed in a heap of organza fabric in the chair beside Lily, “I don’t know anything about being a pureblood, I was raised completely muggle.”

Lily hummed, flexing her ankles in the shoes.

“You’re still a posh totty,”

Katherine’s neck nearly spasmed with how quickly she turned to Lily.

“You tried your best to hide it, I’ll give you that, but there’s some things you can’t fake.” said Lily, amused earnestness plain on her face.

Katherine gasped lightly through her laughter, hitting the back of her hand against Lily’s arm, “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“It seemed important for you.” said Lily, shrugging.

Katherine sat back in her chair, sighing, “My ruse… ruined…”

Lily snorted, taking Katherine’s hand, and giving it a friendly squeeze.

“Yes, with words like ruse, your polished manners, and such mellifluous speech… we really would have been none-the-wiser for the next two years…”

A clearing of a throat, and Gwendolyn Gladrags swept over.

“Unless you intend go on theme as walking Christmas decoration,” said Gwendolyn, eyeing Lily’s emerald robes before flourishing a set of silk blue robes over her arm, “May I suggest these lovely sapphire robes for you, Miss Evans?”

Lily stood up, happily accepting them with coveting eyes, “They’re lovely.”

She bustled off into a changing room, the curtain magically sliding across behind her.

“And, for you, Miss Spencer…”

Gwendolyn tapped her chin, and turned back, perusing the racks purposefully.

“Did I hear you girls right at the mention of a young Mister Potter? You’re familiar?” she asked over her shoulder, still rifling through her own collection.

Katherine mulled over her response before finally saying, “I suppose you could say so, Madam Gladrags.”

“Lovely boy, lovely boy… I’ve been making ruby-embroidered pieces for him since his naming ceremony…” she said wistfully, pulling out a set of pearly robes and then putting them back, “The trouble was always with doing a set for the whole Potter family as they all seem to have the same favourite colour – it’s ever so hard to match anything with red that isn’t red,”

Gwendolyn crossed back to Katherine, flourishing her hand beneath Katherine’s chin in a lifting motion.

“Let me see your eyes, dear,” said Gwendolyn, peering down with her own piercing blue, humming, “Yes, yes… before I make my suggestion, I have to ask what kind of feelings you harbour about Slytherin house?”

No sooner than Katherine had begun to think of a diplomatic reply, had Gwendolyn smiled congenially and waved a hand.

“Say no more,” she said, turning and deftly plucking a set off the rack that had escaped Katherine in her earlier browsing, “A nice berry should be bright enough for your skin – and deep enough for a formal occasion…”

As soon as both girls emerged from their changing robes in Gwendolyn’s choices, it was obvious that they were to be the ones they would be buying.

“Now, I’ll take your measurements, get the fresh fabric from out the back, and you two will be ready to go in a jiffy.” said Gwendolyn, and, at her wand’s behest, a long tailor’s tape magically unfurled and began encircling the two girls in turn.

Lily leant over to Katherine to whisper, “The robes on the racks are just displays for the types of styles she offers, every order is custom – with your name on the tag and all. It’s all very quick, the magic.”

The two watched Lily’s sapphire robes magically stitch themselves behind the counter as Gwendolyn prepared a bag for them. When Lily handed over her galleons, Gwendolyn addressed Katherine as she tended the money into her register.

“Yours, Miss Spencer, will take a little longer with the bespoke embroidery.”

Katherine was more than a little confused, “Oh, I didn’t…”

“The Spencer pattern is rather enchanting, but, of course… if you would prefer the Montague… like your mother…” Gwendolyn trailed off in question.

Katherine thought it best to just go along with the witch, and whatever odd pureblood notion it seemed to be, “Oh, no, that should be fine, thank you.”

The magical doorbell followed the two girls out into the light dustings of snow.

“We could get a butterbeer while we wait?” suggested Lily, as they strode away from the shop.

Quick footsteps crunched behind them – but didn’t go past them - and a tall boy slowed beside Lily.

“Lily Evans.”

Bertram Aubrey was the type of boy girls wanted to take home to their parents and into a broom closet both at the same time. He was a sensible dresser, a half-blood, his grasp on both wizard and muggle garb impeccable. He had a sensible haircut and a pleasing grin – just impish enough to make a girl blush and polite enough to use to push a girl's chair in at a family dinner.

Lily brightened, “Oh, hi, Aubrey.”

“Are you two girls buying robes?” asked Aubrey, casting his eyes down to Lily’s shopping bag.

Lily nodded, “Yeah, we’re just waiting on Katherine’s actually.”

“I’m meeting some friends at the Three Broomsticks, why don’t you two join us?” asked Aubrey, eyes solely on Lily.

“Yeah, sure, that’d be great.” said Lily, adjusting her woolly hat.

“Oh, I think I’ll wait here, actually. I want to have a word with Madame Gladrags about that embroidery.” lied Katherine.

Lily’s expression caught, and she looked back and forth between Aubrey and Katherine, “Well, I still have to walk with you back up to the castle…”

“After I collect my robes, I’ll walk myself straight back up –” Katherine held a hand to her chest, “Cross my heart.”

Lily frowned, “If you’re sure…”

Katherine nodded reassuringly.

“Go on, they’ll run out of good tables soon enough.”

Aubrey raised a hand in farewell as he turned with Lily, “See you, Spencer.”

She had given her friend some alone time with the boy she liked, but now she had no idea what to do. Katherine hesitated, then started back slowly in the direction of Gladrags. Perhaps she could sit in and wait…

It was at that very moment that a head of jet-black hair, with a piece sticking up at the back, bobbed past in a crowd – and then doubled back.

“Oh – this is too good! I heard you got special permission to come down!” beamed James, battling some snowflakes from his eyelashes, “You can come with us to Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at brooms!”

Katherine frowned, perplexed. Us?

Like magic, Black stepped up beside Potter, eyes drifting over her as his hair collected snowflakes.

Black and Potter; a formidable duo. With one look, they seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking.

“You’ve never been, yeah?” asked James, gesturing around, "Welcome to Hogsmeade, Spencer."

Black started to lope ahead, "Come on – we should get in before it gets busy."

Ahead of the trio, squinting over the snow glare, was Giles; not taking any notice of them. He strode through the powdery snow, head down against the falling flakes, making a quick pace towards the dingy ‘Hogshead Inn’.

The three Gryffindors dashed off as well, stumbling all the way to the stoop of 'Quality Quidditch Supplies'. Pausing at the door to first look in through the window, Katherine saw rows of what looked like bookshelves of stock, lit by warm orange lamps.

James barged unceremoniously through the belled door.

Black caught the door, stepped beside it, and held it open with his usual carelessly elegant demeanour.

Katherine had forgotten such chivalry existed in her time at Hogwarts. She bowed her head in silent gratitude before rushing through as composedly as possible, looking around for James with a grin.

"James –"

The chest she met with halted her words. Katherine's eyes caught the equally familiar gold hair above it, sectioned away by a strong neck and a handsome face.

"Gideon, actually," asked Gideon, gazing down upon Katherine with combined amusement and dutifulness, “I thought you only had permission for a short visit with Miss Evans today?”

"Let her off, Gid," said Fabian, hooking a hand around his twin's elbow with a grin, "It’s rite of passage to buy your own broom after suffering on the school ones."

Gideon sighed, “I…”

“Please, Prewett,” said James stepping forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Katherine, “McGonagall wants to watch one of my lessons with her and when she’s on a good broom – she’s bloody marvellous – I tell you. If I do well, she said I would get more closely considered for, er… next year.”

James eyes flashed to where Black had wandered off to upon entering the store, a display near the window.

Gideon seemed to catch on – after a nudge and significant look from his brother.

“Okay, lets, er, I’ll forget I saw you here, alright?” said Gideon, rubbing his forehead and sighing again, “You can get your broom, Spencer, and I’ll escort you back up to the castle personally.”

Katherine's heart fluttered a bit, but she was struck with a more important thought.

"I needed to pick up my robes for Slughorn's Christmas party too." said Katherine.

"You're on your own there, Spencer," said James, his eyes drifting across the street to a mannequin fronted store, "The last time I went into Gladrags, Gwendolyn snitched to my mum about me not using sleekezy's anymore."

"Or basic dress sense." said Black, stopping on Katherine's other side after having perused the shelves.

James grinned, looking around Katherine at his friend, "Oi."

"Hello, boys, back again to try and steal England's old training programs?"

Jimmy Twills had a boyish grin on his lined face that bled into wind-influenced streaks of chrome through his raven hair. He was decked out in muggle track pants and a zip-top with a whistle around his neck, goggles on top of his head, and a zip-bag tied around his hips.

"We're not in to listen to a retired man's yarns today, Jimmy," said James, resting a hand on Katherine's shoulder, "Spencer's in need of a broom."

"Rest my soul… Spencer?" breathed Jimmy, inclining his head, "You're William Spencer's daughter?"

"Er, yes," said Katherine, uneasily, holding out a hand despite her trepidation, "Katherine."

"Pleasure to meet you…pleasure to meet you," said Jimmy, shaking Katherine's hand with both of his own and boring into her eyes with his peculiarly purple ones, "I knew your old Dad – well, he was quite young actually, when I knew ‘im…”

Jimmy sighed, shaking his head and fixing his eyes on a stain of polish in the carpet.

"It's such a shame he…er…" Jimmy trailed off and cleared his throat – clapping his hands together with a renewed grin, "Well – a broom, hey?"

Jimmy paced to a wall back-lit to catch the polish on the brooms for the ultimate appeal, waving an arm.

"Take your pick – I'll even give you mate's rates, for old time's sake."

"I saw the new Nimbus in the catalogue, do you have one in?" asked Katherine, stepping across the floor and trailing over the varying lengths, tail twigs, and shapes.

"A woman with taste – this way… this way…"

Katherine followed Jimmy to a glass cabinet in the middle of the store, shelves arranged in a pentagon around it.

"The 1700 has an added goblin-wrought-iron T-bar for stability…lovingly crafted bottleneck tail twigs…unbreakable braking charm…cushioning charm…" Jimmy clapped his hands, blinking appreciatively at the gleaming handle, "The works."

Her satchel of galleons seemed to begin burning in her pocket.

"I'll take it."

Jimmy flicked his wand at the case, a series of locks and latches non-verbally falling apart, and the broom followed them to the register.

"Let's see…with your dad's old discount…that'll be one hundred and twenty-five galleons." said Jimmy, wrapping the broom affectionately.

"That's thirty-five galleons off!" said Fabian, appearing beside Katherine and watching reverently as Jimmy wrapped layer after layer of wrapping tissue around the broom.

"That's William there…" said Jimmy, not hearing Fabian, and pointing at a framed photograph by a rack of binoculars.

Katherine had seen the photograph of her parents that graced the Daily Prophet after their murders, but was startled as Jimmy's photograph included colour. The colour revealed that Katherine shared her father's hair, and that his eyes were blue like faded denim and glittered up at her atop his dimpled grin. In the moving photograph he had laughed at something a younger Jimmy had said, and Katherine wished she could hear the sound – hear him.

"What's so important about nineteen fifty-four?" asked James, jarring Katherine from her reverie.

"Well it was the year we won the House Cup for Gryffindor – of course!” bellowed Jimmy excitedly, before sobering and glancing to Katherine, “Your dad played for Gryffindor, I’m guessing you wouldn’t have known that…”

Katherine wondered how many people had come through the shop and seen her father, and – fighting the urge to take the photograph and study it ruthlessly until she could map out her father's every feature and movement – pulled out her sack of galleons to rest beside the photograph.

"One hundred and twenty-five galleons."

It was oddly fitting to be spending it in front of him.

Katherine accepted her change and put her significantly lighter satchel in her pocket, and then took the wrapped broom from Jimmy’s extended arms too.

Fabian stepped up with an impish smile, lowering his head to Katherine’s, “Now, have you ever had Butterbeer, Katherine?”

“Fabian, she’s not even supposed to be here without a permission slip.” chastised Gideon, wide eyed.

Fabian shrugged easily, “One tankard of frothy stuff and she’ll be back on her way, I swear.”

“Yeah, she’s never had it.” said James, as it that should settle it.

“Spencer…” Gideon groaned her name, raking a hand down his face, “Oh, well – alright –”

Before James and Fabian could relish their win, Gideon held up one stern finger, eyeing them all very solemnly.

“Just one.”

"You guys go ahead and get a table," said Black, putting a hand inside his velvet jacket and leaning on the counter leisurely, "I've got to look at new goggles."

"Only to moan about how they mess up your hair…" said James as he tugged on Katherine's elbow.

Katherine glanced back, feeling as if she were leaving her father behind. Just as the edge of the window bled into brick, Katherine could only catch the sight of Jimmy and Black conversing over the glass cabinet, the photograph well and truly out of sight – but not out of mind.

"You should do more overarm throws."

Fabian's advice to James reminded Katherine to hasten, lest be left in the soggy wake of the long-legged boys whilst longing over the photograph she had left in Quality Quidditch Supplies.

James shook his head, reaching down as he strode to scoop up some snow, "You lose control and height with overarm throws, whereas underarm throws –"

Katherine's broom slipped from beneath her arm as her hands instinctively shot to the side of her head, finding numbing ice melting into her hair.

"What was that about control?" asked Fabian, his lips fighting their lifting corners.

James’ face dropped like a stone as he bent over to pick up Katherine's broom, "Sorry about that!"

Katherine also bent over but bypassed the brown wrappings that protected her broom and, instead, opted for a fistful of snow. Hesitation reared its head, but, with a bashful smile, she deposited it down the back of James' collar.

James' hands stilled over Katherine's broom, his shoulders going rigid.

Katherine watched the snow slide out of vision, and a smile slide onto James' face.

"You're playing with the big boys now, Spencer!" proclaimed James, retaliating in kind with a handful of snow to the top of Katherine's head.

Relief and snow trickled down Katherine's spine, the four teenagers breaking into an unlearned dance of snow-warfare; laughing as they attacked and retreated.

Katherine had never engaged in a snowball fight before. From a distance they had always seemed painful and cold. In the midst of burning breaths and tickles of ice, Katherine found that the only painful thing was her too-large grin.

Fabian dunked impulsively mashed together piles on top of James' hair when James wasn't sending bruising, well-packed missives back; hitting Fabian in the shoulder, stomach, and side with a crisp CRUNCH each time.

Gideon's golden head loomed closer and closer as Katherine hurriedly dropped down to scoop up what was left of the snow around the city's square. An arsenal of snowy orbs circled his right shoulder at the bequest of his wand.

Black’s inky waves were stark against the powdered township as he leant against the tree, arms crossed and watching the group. With a lick of his lips, he uncrossed his arms and quietly and smoothly pulled on a springy branch of pine. It shivered beneath Black’s hand, and promptly released it's takings of snow onto Gideon – encasing him as a real-life snowman.

Fabian and James howled with laughter; Fabian leaping across the square to admire and aid his brother all the same, and James crossed to Black to clap him on the back.

"Brilliant, mate," said James, the boys both watching on as Fabian spelled his twin free, "Head Boy and everything…"

Black’s smile was almost imperceptive as he jiggled something into his jacket pocket with haste.

Their group reorganised themselves to start off in the direction of The Three Broomsticks; Gideon and Fabian taking the lead.

James whistled, looking around before grinning and waving at Alice and Frank as they passed. The disparity in Katherine and boys’ stride lengths made Katherine intermittently need to break into a jog to catch up.

Briefly, Katherine wondered where Lupin and Pettigrew were…

"Rosmerta!" cried James upon throwing open the door of the establishment, opening his arms and crossing from the door to the bar of the Three Broomsticks with a jolly grin.

"Potter!" greeted Rosmerta, screwing a tea towel out of a glass as her eyes found Katherine’s shoulder, "Black!"

Katherine startled, realising that Black was right behind her. He always did that, she grumbled privately, he had such quiet feet that you never heard him coming.

Fabian and Gideon began weaving through the throngs of tables and other students to the lone booth left available, and Katherine shuffled around the bar to find a break in the tables large enough to pass through – keeping up with them.

"It’s almost too quiet here when you two leave for the summer," Katherine heard Rosmerta laugh, "Your usual seats at the bar?"

"Entertaining the Head Boy, actually," James' voice carried, "So we'll be on our best behaviour in a nice out-of-the-way booth in the back."

"Behave yourselves?" laughed Rosmerta, slapping the bar top, "Like you would know how."

Katherine took one of the hardback wooden chairs by the back windows, hidden from view by a rickety staircase. She thought she spied Lily laughing at a table in the corner –

"Here's to the Head Boy!" declared James, slapping down two fistfuls of tankards, taking the seat beside Gideon against the window side of the table.

Black too placed down fistfuls of tankards, sliding one in front of Katherine wordlessly before giving a hearty “Here, here!” with the others.

Katherine was mindful of their boys’ club comradery, and quietly smiled and clinked her tankard with the others when they offered them.

Fabian had ducked off to the loo and returned, needing to slide along the table and contort his long body into the small space available in the chair on Katherine's left. He suckled on his Butterbeer as if in reward for the feat.

"How's Aunt Lucretia these days?" asked Black, turning to regard Fabian and Gideon lightly.

Squashed chair to chair and unable to scoot back without hitting another table, Black’s arm slipped along the back of Katherine's chair as he manoeuvred himself – long spread-out legs and all – to manage the feat of being able to merely pay attention to their response.

Still, Katherine felt out of place as she listened, sipping on her butterbeer. It really was very good. She tried to catch Lily’s eye from across the pub as she listened.

"Fussing over her two impossibly ginger grandsons," said Fabian, letting out a laugh-lilted breath and lifting his tankard as if to sip before clunking it back down with a look of light exasperation, "Molly wants to name the one on the way Percy.”

"You three are related?" asked Katherine, having thought them polar opposites in appearance and demeanours.

Fabian gave a tired nod, "Cousins. Sirius' dad is our mum's brother."

Katherine used Fabian as a basis for her comparison and found similarities in their oval faces, their bow-shaped lips, and their lithe builds despite Black still undergoing the transition into manhood.

"I'm still surprised she hasn't gotten Aunt Lucretia blasted off the tapestry for breaking her betrothal with Malfoy to elope with Weasley…" muttered Black.

"Malfoy moved on, obviously," said James, his eyes on something past all of their heads, "What's a nice way to smack Bertram Aubrey over the head with a chair?"

It seemed very much so that James Potter had spotted Lily too; on the other side of the pub, with Bertram and his friends.

Black dipped his index finger into the foam of Butterbeer and lifted it to his lips with an amused blink at his friend, "When Rosmerta laid down the ground rules 'no bar brawls' pretty much topped the list."

"He'll be seventeen in February – he's a predator – right?" asked James, glancing around, "Right?"

Katherine realised the weight of the butterbeer in her belly and the fact that she hadn't visited a bathroom since breakfast all at once. Feeling trapped by long-legged young men, she stood, hips squashing into the edge of the table.

"Where are you going, Katherine?" asked James, paused mid-gesticulation.

"Bathroom."

The boys all fidgeted.

Murmuring apologies to all inconvenienced by her exit, Katherine shuffled around the remaining sea of tables to the bathroom sign and flew into a stall.

With her knickers around her ankles, Katherine couldn't help but smile at her day. She felt warm despite the snow in her clothes from the impromptu snowball fight. Katherine eventually had to finish up, and righted her clothes to leave the stall to wash her hands and eye herself in the mirror.

Two stalls, either side of Katherine's vacated one, opened, and Flint and Greengrass strolled out.

“Well, well, well,” said Greengrass, lips buttoning, “I always knew that there would eventually be a time we would run into each other without Evans around to play guard dog...”

Greengrass and Flint, Katherine had found in her time at the castle, were snooty rule pushers. They would threaten to get people in trouble and hang it over their head – just for the power of it. Bulstrode, however, was the Slytherin prefect. She barely associated with either girl too. Greengrass and Flint, truly, didn’t have any real power.

Katherine knew that she gave herself away when she glanced at the door to the pub and then back to the Slytherin girls; gauging the distance to discern who would reach it first. Them – if they were evenly matched. Katherine launched for the door and untangled her wand from her jacket pocket.

That afternoon in the bathroom of the Three Broomsticks, Katherine discovered that Greengrass' elbow was as pointed as her features, she and Katherine wedging between the door frame.

Flint shoved hard against Katherine's ribs from behind to dislodge them.

The three girls burst free with a flash of pink and blue light from their wands; the stunner and engorgement charm ricocheting off the glass chandelier in the centre of the pub's ceiling.

Yells erupted, patrons jumped to their feet – a few even going as far to apparate on the spot. Those who had stayed, upon recognising that it was a bunch of school girls firing off spells, ducked in their seats and continued to sip their beverages while keeping an eye out for any more stray flashes of light.

Greengrass panted, levelling her wand at Katherine, but Flint had slipped on spilt Butterbeer from an abandoned tankard and nudged Greengrass’ arm. Her own stinging hex rebounded off the mirror beside Katherine and gripped her own face in angry red welts.

"Greengrass!" Gideon's voice was unmistakable, even at the sternum rattling volume Katherine had never heard before, "I will need to report you to your Head of House immediately – use of magic in Hogsmeade, as you well know, is forbidden."

Fabian skulled what was left of his drink, Gideon tugging him away from the table and over to the scene.

James and Black weaved between the tables to stand by Katherine; sparing glances to the mirror – Katherine's saving grace.

"Is that why girls never go to the bathroom alone?" breathed James, revering the mirror.

Katherine righted her suede jacket lapels, them having stuck up in the commotion.

Lily had stood from her seat beside Bertram, leaning to see – as if she were about to make her way over.

Bertram, however, gently tugged her back down with a smile and some words Katherine could not make out.

Lily held Katherine's eyes, hesitantly – questioningly –

James reached for Katherine’s broom where it had been tucked behind their table, holding out it out Katherine, “I’d say this is as good a time as any to make our way back up to the castle. Spencer?”

Her and Lily's eye contact broke as Katherine turned to James.

“I’ve still got to pick up my robes.” said Katherine, accepting her broom.

“It’s probably best we go with her.”

Katherine and James looked to Black in surprise.

“Yeah,” said James, eyeing his friend as he slowly nodded, “Let’s get going then.”

Katherine glanced back at Lily one last time, feeling odd to be leaving her behind.

Lily was watching her go, sitting amongst a boisterous group of sixth year boys and girls, her butterbeer forgotten. She ceded a smile to Bertram when the older wizard wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her back into the group's conversation.

The rest of Katherine's quest that day, was to be completed with James and Black. It was unsaid, but loud in the air between them all the same.

When they reached the shopfront of the robe store, James and Black stood off to the side of the stoop.

“We’ll just wait out here.” said James with a quick smile, adjusting his gloves.

“Alright, I’ll be quick. Er…” Katherine’s eyes fell on her broom, and she held it out, “Could you…?”

James nodded, accepting the broom, “Oh, yeah, no worries.”

Katherine had truly intended to be quick in the store – her robes were indeed ready – but Gwendolyn had spent a good five minutes wrapping the robes into tissue paper, tying it all up in ribbon, and placing into the bag dried rose petals. It was a beautiful calling card of sorts, but Katherine eagerly handed her galleons over, and excused herself as soon as possible.

She paused at the door, waiting in the warmth of the shop as she tried to jiggle her coin bag back into her jacket pocket. That was when James and Black’s conversation met her ears.

“I could have taught her.” came Black’s voice.

Katherine felt for James, and the turmoil next year’s captaincy was seemingly causing for the two friends. She paused, giving them a moment before intruding on them.

“I know, mate,” said James, clapping a hand on Black’s shoulder, “McGonagall swore me to silence… I would have told you… especially considering…”

Black shook his hair from his face, staring stoically off in the distance, “Yeah… yeah I know…”

James looked down, adjusting his grip on Katherine’s packaged broom.

Unable to stall any longer, Katherine stepped over the doorway, a short burst of the light magical jingling bells of the security sensor alerting them to her presence.

Casually, both boys glanced up.

James opened his arms wide in a gesture of ‘finally’, before saying, inclining his head, “We’re not going to do something positively dastardly like shopping for shoes now, are we?”

“No,” she said, lifting the handle of her new purchase and shaking it, “They’re in the bag.”

James leant over, pulling the side of the bag open, “What colour’s your dress?”

“Mister Potter –”

James jumped, and they all turned around to find Gwendolyn Gladrags leaning out of the stoop of her shop with a severe expression.

“Sticky fingers off Miss Spencer’s robes!” she warned the boy, before her expression lapsed into something considerably more pleasant as her eyes fell onto the boy on the other side of Katherine, “Oh, good afternoon, Mister Black.”

Black inclined his head in a very gentlemanly manner, “And to you, Madame Gladrags.”

Gwendolyn held a delicate hand to her chest, before glancing to James and back again, “Protect her from Potter, will you?”

“Naturally, Madame.” said Black, as he bowed his head again.

Whether it was for the sake of show – for Madame Gladrags, if she happened to watch them leave – Black did stand in the middle of Katherine and James for the walk back up to the castle. As Katherine rearranged the bag carefully on her arm, at his sudden close proximity, Black’s gaze was noticeable as it slipped down to the opening of the bag, curiously, as he chatted with James.

His affable, and overall pleasant demeanour had knocked her off kilter all day. Perhaps the run into Halloween had lifted his spirits as it had done, seemingly, with the rest of the castle...

Katherine turned her eyes skywards as the trio climbed the path back up to the school. In the cool blue sky above, the waxing moon could be seen during the daylight, almost full –

“– yeah, right, mate.” said James, laughing, knocking his shoulder into Black’s – none too gently.

Katherine hadn’t been listening to what they were joking around about, but was nearly knocked off her feet when James’ nudge pushed Black’s shoulder into her.

Black caught himself and shoved James back roughly, though his tone was light when he said, “Contain yourself, Potter.”

“Sorry, Spencer.” said James, around the front of Black, though with a grin – that he couldn’t wipe away as he turned to speak with Black again.

Now that Katherine noticed it, James had been rather cheery all afternoon, actually…

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 16: Girls V Boys

There was a definite post-Hogsmeade gloom in the air as Katherine traipsed down to breakfast on Monday morning. There were no floating pumpkins, enchanted suits of armour, or trick rugs.

Even Peeves seemed to have retreated to some dark corridor to mourn the weekend, no longer able to scream "Trick, or Treat?!" before mercilessly tricking whoever he happened across regardless of their answer.

Katherine knew it wouldn't be long before he resumed pegging chalk, dropping wastepaper baskets on heads, and pulling out rugs, however.

The tenth week of term followed Katherine’s trip down with Lily, Monday fittingly ushering in the first day of the new month. It was abruptly November – with uncanny witchery in its changed trees.

She had woken early, to watch the world seemingly exhale, before returning to her four-poster’s warm heavy ruby hangings and blankets; the glittering box and delicate tissue paper-wrapped robes on her trunk, and her gleaming mahogany broom handle, catching the candlelight from where it peeked out beneath her bed.

Due to her distractions in the previous two weeks – with Peter and Mary, and then seeking legitimate passage to Hogsmeade the following weekend for robes and her broom – Katherine had let her studies ever so slide.

Behind the frosting windowpanes, she and the girls sheltered in fire-flickering rooms between classes, quietly existing and waiting for evening when they could have scalding showers and curl up in their beds, talking away the lengthening nights.

On Wednesday night, the girls were set to settle into much of the same. For the first time since late August, life was normal. 

Lily took a double take at the window, before hopping up from where she and Katherine were writing essays for Potions and running over to poke her head out the window, “Potter! What on earth –”

“Oh – golly! Fortune vomits on my eiderdown once more.” came Potter’s voice, though Katherine couldn’t see him.

Black, however, hovered just outside the window frame, one hand on his broom handle and the other wedged under the top of the window.

Lily crossed her arms, her stern expression wavering intermittently as she attempted to glower out at James; his quilt tied around his shoulders like a cloak.

“I would advise you to make your explanation phenomenally good.”

“Well, our dear friend, Sirius Black, has turned sixteen today,” said Frank, poking his head in through the window to clock Alice, before turning back to Lily with a beaming, expectant grin, “We intend to engage in a night of frivolity down by the groves of thistle.”

The girls all looked amongst themselves, to see if anyone else knew what on earth that was supposed to mean.

“We’re going to play a night game,” clarified James, voice lowering in all seriousness, before he brightened, “And we would like to invite all of you lovely young ladies to join us. Make it a real game; Gryffindor’s best.”

It made sense that Black was the eldest of them all, thought Katherine, as her eyes drifted over him...

Lily, her arms still crossed resolutely over her chest, gazed out at all the fifth year Gryffindor boys with an expression of the upmost disbelief and derision.

“And you thought we would all just – the lot of you are proper nutters –”

James was so used to being told off in his life that you might as well have told a rock off for being sedimentary.

Lily went on, narrowing her eyes, “– while I would love to analyse you all, I’ve had no training in child psychiatry. And, Lupin, I thought better of you.”

James simply blinked, and smiled into the dormitory – unaffected.

“So,” said James, glancing around at the girls on their beds – still in their school jumpers, skirts, and socks, “Who’s coming?”

“Well…”

The girls’ heads all turned to where Marlene rose up off her bed slowly.

“You can’t play with just the five of you…”

James made a grand sweeping gesture with his arm, taking both hands off his broom, “We warmly welcome you, McKinnon.”

Marlene slipped on her mary-janes, bent to pull her broomstick out from underneath her bed, and then mounted it – flying out the window.

“Maybe we’ll look back and ten years and laugh, Lily, you know…” said Alice, quietly, getting up to follow Marlene, “We’ll have plenty of time to be boring adults when we’re older.”

Lily frowned, eyes flitting around at the girls readying themselves to follow Marlene.

“I don’t want you guys getting in trouble…” said Lily, thoughtfully, raising her eyebrows, “So, it’s probably better if I’m there to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand…”

The matter settled, broomsticks were procured from beneath beds all around the dormitory – despite the fact that they were meant to be stored in the broom shed. Did anyone follow that rule?

“Happy birthday, Black.” said Alice, as she passed through the window, and past the boy.

Black gave a nod, turning as Mary too floated out.

Mary gave a genuine grin, “Yeah – happy birthday.”

Another nod, and Katherine was nearly in shock from Black’s forthcomingness. He was regarded as nearly impossible to get any sort of reaction from whatsoever unless you were one of his mates…

Apprehensively, Katherine mounted her new broomstick for the first time, with pleasing ease, and followed the other’s lead, and whispered as she passed the boy, “Happy birthday.”

Katherine too received a nod from the boy, just like the others, and she carefully steered her broom away from the window to join the group. At the rough turret shingles she had only ever seen from the ground being close enough to touch, she nearly shook with adrenalin at the ludicrousness of it all…

Across the circle, she caught Lupin’s eye as he straddled his broom in a blue bomber jacket and tight jeans, like some sort of pin-up for teenage-ness.

“I like your jacket.” she whispered, as she came to stop beside him.

Her words were ill-fitting to what she truly thought. She thought it was her favourite jacket she’d seen in all her life – and was at the same time tormented that she could never own something so cool…

“Thanks,” he smoothed his hair back, and the smile that followed was very sheepish, “It’s good to have you girls here. We all might, finally, get a break from all the willy waving that usually takes place between James and Sirius...”

At his humorous look, Katherine couldn’t help but laugh. It was at that moment too, that she realised that she had missed Lupin. Over the Halloween weekend, he had taken ill, as he had explained to her happened often, and he had missed Monday’s classes, and had essentially made himself part of the furniture over Tuesday and Wednesday’s, paling in the background.

“Alright, let’s get a move on –” James manoeuvred his broom around the group hovering haphazardly outside the window “– birthday boy takes point.”

Under the night sky, all was quiet around Katherine and the others, and she was struck with an oceanic depth of feeling – of eternity – as she gazed up. Somewhere in the back of her throat, it had still been October all week – but the sky could not be denied.

The dark feels different in November.

“So, you and I will be Chasers with Frank, mate,”

James had swooped down, alongside Black where he flew by Katherine, relaying the information solemnly.

“So will Fortescue, MacDonald, and Evans for the girls,” said James, before his eyes flitted across the front of Black to Katherine, “Spencer –”

His eyes swept over the length of her broom, and with a nod – of seeming approval, at how she was handling herself so far – he gave a small smile.

“Seeker.”

Relief flooded Katherine. Then gratitude, as James had kept her out of the thick of the game on purpose. She was a fairly confident flyer, with all her lessons, but she had never played Quidditch before.

When she pulled level above the others in the position for Seekers once they had reached the pitch, she came face to face with Lupin; his eyes glinting with the excitement of the night.

James let loose a Snitch from his pocket, and then tossed up the Quaffle as centrally as possible for fairness. As she and Lupin pulled up on their brooms, drifting, and trying to catch sight of the zippy gold ball, she watched the scramble below – and all ladylikeness leave Katherine’s friends.

Quidditch made people transform. Even her, she came to find – when she was diving and rolling her new broomstick like a madwoman – to get to the Snitch before an equally skilled Lupin.

“Snitch!” cried Lupin, holding his hand aloft, with the fluttering wings flapping through his fingers.

The game – and sledging – halted overhead, and everyone swooped down to the ground.

Katherine panted, her sweat cooling on her neck as she looked up at Lupin, “Why aren’t you on the team?”

“It’s not for lack of trying on our part.” said James, with a look to Lupin as he landed.

Lupin licked his lips, and gave a shrug, “Physical disadvantage.”

“Because you’re tall?” asked Katherine, dumbfounded.

James clapped a hand on Lupin’s shoulder, grinning at Katherine, “Ginormous, really.”

Alice and James replaced Katherine and Lupin, and the hilarity of the two groups going head-to-head ensued all over again. ‘Fire up, Lily! Yoko Ono – Yoko Ono – look what she did to the Beatles!’ cried Marlene, only to be bellowed over by Frank ‘This is not the place to be a gentleman, Black – knock her off her broom! Polite society will never know!’.

Black had looked scandalised at the suggestion, shaking his head as he stuck with Katherine and the Quaffle – just flitting alongside, never touching. It was all very skilful. He waited for a pass, and zoomed off after it, intercepting it cleanly and passing it off to Lupin with a back-arching overhead pass.

She wondered if he was going easy on her after finding out about her lessons with James by accident in Hogsmeade…

Lily swooped by Katherine.

“Bloody hell –” Lily caught her breath, furrowing her eyebrows as she smiled, “You’re faster than I thought you would be – not many people can keep up with Black.”

The well-tacked handle of mahogany seemed to hum in her grip.

“It’s the broom,” said Katherine, smiling happily and adjusting her grip.

Having stopped flying, the chill in the air prickled Katherine’s neck and knees.

“Do you think we’ll head in soon, right? It’s getting late…”

“What? –”

James turned from where he was cruising around in search of the snitch and keeping an eye on the game.

James held out his arms, “The night's only young!”

The high, thin sliver of moon and the struggling pitch lamps that barely glowed against the thick blanket of night, indicated otherwise.

“The night is nearly well and truly over, it’s –” said Katherine, checking her little wristwatch and squinting in the lack of light, “– eight o’clock. It’s practically daybreak.”

James’ lips quirked, but he schooled it away.

“Born on the corner of Straight and Narrow, were we?” he teased, before inclining his head, and becoming earnest and softer spoken, “You’re having fun, Spencer, I know you are. You’re just hitting your stride too – don’t worry about getting in trouble.”

Lily shook her head, “No, she’s right, Potter – it is getting late,”

James sighed, making a show of his sagging shoulders and downtrodden expression.

Lily’s eyes shone with mirth as she leant by Katherine, and whispered, approvingly, “Don’t feel guilty, Jack-the-lad over there needs someone to piss in his chips occasionally.”

“What’s going on over here?”

Black came away from the hoops, as he waited for the Quaffle to be fetched after a goal.

James gave him a look, “It seems we’re about to lose some of our star players.”

Black’s eyes flashed to Katherine and Lily –

“Well, it’s a bit risky being this close to the forest at this time of night, isn’t it? Not to mention that if we get caught out past nine…” trailed off Lily, her eyes straying to the thick line of trees, warily.

The dark-haired boys exchanged a glance.

Black was the first to speak, his eyes finding the girls with recharged recklessness, "We don't get caught."

The rich notes of arrogance circled Katherine’s ear drum.

"Besides," said James, grinning as he clapped Katherine on the shoulder, "The risk is what makes it fun,"

Katherine and Lily glanced to one another; uncertainty mirrored back to one another.

“Come on, at least finish this game out, and then if you decide you still want to go…” James tipped his head, as if in understanding of the decision.

Katherine looked to Lily and found agreement with the arrangement plain on her face.

The game played on, but Katherine found her eyes increasingly straying to Black after their perfectly polite brush on the pitch…

“Ow!” cried Mary, clutching her cheek, and pausing the play well into the second game of the night.

Peter flew to her side immediately, vacating his goals, “Is it bad?”

He turned back, frowning at his friends.

“No head shots, guys, we agreed – who did it –”

Lily, meanwhile, sent the Quaffle through the vacant goals.

“…That’s ten.” announced Black, reluctantly.

Mary became, miraculously, better.

Lupin whistled lowly, “He fell for it hook, line, and sinker...”

A gasp and the yell of “Look!” drew everyone’s eyes to the chase after the Snitch – Alice’s short blonde hair flashing intermittently as she and Potter weaved around the spectator towers at a break-neck pace.

“And we have Fortescue and Potter neck in neck – like the backyard saga of ’69 all over again –” proclaimed Black, his wand at his throat and projecting his voice magically ”– weaving through the towers… and down… down –”

The pair vanished into the framing around the base of the pitch, but Alice then pulled back up, hovering as she watched below.

Mary gasped, “He can hurt himself doing that! What’s he playing at!?”

“That timber framing is really narrow..." said Lily, eyeing the covered section.

The boys seemed to share none of their concern.

"It’s James –” said Peter, easily, “He always makes it.”

Collectively, they waited, eyes darting around for any hint of where James was in the covered supports of the spectator towers.

It felt like forever until James emerged; the glowing example of triumphant, Snitch held aloft in his hand.

The cheers of his friends guided him into the group, the aura of victory rolling contagiously from his skin. He seemed to live each moment of his life by the skin of teeth. It was some sort of never-ending luck the boy seemed to carry with him.

Frank ruffled James’ hair roughly, and said a blokey, “Yeah, Potter!”

James accepted the praise humbly, straightening his glasses, and holding out the Snitch.

“What do you say, Sirius Black? Your turn for some glory?”

The ball glinted in the scarce flickering orange light back glowing the group, but Black just eyed it.

“Actually, I think we should call it a night, I’m getting a bit tired,” he said, much to the entire group’s undisguised surprise. His eyes turned away, into the distance, “I’ll fetch the Quaffle. I think I saw it fall by the broom shed…”

James frowned, but nodded, “Alright, mate, your night and all…”

A WHOOSH of air, and Black lifted up and away and was zooming off into the distance.

“So,” said Marlene, nudging James, “Is there a cake or something?”

James was cleaning his glasses on his jumper.

“For what?”

Lily’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head, “Black.”

The boys all looked to each other, mouths slack. “Ohh…” they all said collectively.

“No… actually we didn’t think about that…” said Lupin, blinking, and rubbing the back of his neck.

Marlene’s teeth chattered, and she hugged herself, sitting upright on her broom, “Merlin, it’s cold.”

“We’ll back in front of the common room fire soon,” said James, cheerily, before his expression turned thoughtful, “We might be able to catch the house elves tidying the common room while everyone’s sleeping – they might be able to make a trip to the kitchens for a cake…”

Black was just a dot in the distance behind him, making his way back. But there was another presence with the group of teenagers.

Katherine’s stomach plummeted at the cloaked figure – and the grimy skeletal hands – and she was wrenched back in time to the worst night of her life.

A look of horror passed across James Potter's face before it became blurred with the Dementor's attack. A strangled cry erupted from the fifteen-year-old boy. It was a horrible sound. 

Without thinking, Katherine flew to James' side, unsure if he was able to stay upright on his broom. His forearm that Katherine gripped was cold and clammy, his shoulders hunched and heaving in exhaustion.

Katherine gulped, pulling him upright and trying to check his eyes to see if he was going to pass out. But when she finally got his head to stop lolling forward, his eyes fixed on a spot behind her head, widening.

Katherine felt the unmistakeable cold creeping over her skin, turning to find a fleshy, sucking hole closing over her face – once again.

James' forearm slipped from her grasp, her barely able to hold onto her own broom. A voice screamed her name, seeming another world away…

 

---

 

Opening her eyes, and seeing the familiar white walls of the hospital wing, was the moment Katherine realised that she had ever been unconscious at all.

"Katherine?" Lily whispered unsurely.

Katherine closed her eyes and gulped, "My head feels big,"

Katherine's hand found her head, searching for lumps or blood.

"Is it big?" asked Katherine, opening her eyes.

Lily smiled, shaking her head, "No, it's head-size."

Katherine cracked a smile and nodded slowly, before finding herself at a loss for what had transpired.

"What happened?" asked Katherine, confused, "I remember the Dementors… and then checking on Potter…"

Her eyes fell on James Potter in the bed across from her, Black balancing his chair back on two legs at his bedside.

"You fell off your broom a minute or so into the attack," said Lily in answer to her original question. Lily frowned and shook her head, "I had gone to get a professor by that point, so I'm not sure about the details…"

Katherine turned back to Lily, frowning.

"How did I get here?" she questioned, looking down at the sheet pulled up to her waist.

Her heart leapt into her throat as her mind galloped –

"Is everyone else okay?"

It was then that the curtain was pulled from around the side of Katherine's bed, McGonagall and Dumbledore standing there, their robes swaying from their halt.

McGonagall advanced to Katherine's bedside.

"Evans said that you were attacked for a few minutes," breathed McGonagall, checking Katherine over, "Horrific creatures…"

Katherine gulped, looking from Black at James' bedside, to Lily, and then back to McGonagall and Dumbledore. Katherine closed her eyes.

"He sent them," she said, opening her eyes, "Didn't he?"

Dumbledore bowed his head, nodding and joining his hands together in front of himself.

McGonagall left the bedside, ushering out Lily and Black, and trying to make James leave too before Madam Pomfrey insisted that he stayed to recover.

"Azkaban has been abandoned by a considerable amount of Dementors," conceded Dumbledore, "The Ministry is already launching an inquiry."

Katherine nodded, toying with the sheet's hem where it rested on her stomach, “Is it to do with the prophecy, sir?”

She had not found a lot on them after she went researching after Regulus’ mention at Slughorn’s dinner…

Dumbledore faltered.

"I was hoping to not burden you with that so soon," he said, nodding minutely, "But, yes, there was a prophecy made about you and Voldemort fifteen years ago. And it is… in play as of the moment."

"What is it about?" asked Katherine.

Dumbledore frowned, steeping his fingertips, "I myself was not present at the time it was made, coincidentally, in the staffroom by the very Professor who would go on teach you all about them this year."

"Professor Brown?"

"Yes, Katherine," said Dumbledore, almost too quiet to hear, his mouth receding even further behind his beard, "And, regretfully, there was a student in the room at the time."

Katherine read between the lines, "And that student reported it to Voldemort?"

"Regrettably his loyalties were not to me, yes." murmured Dumbledore, his eyes on his steeped fingertips.

"So, I could ask Professor Brown –"

"No, Katherine, you couldn't," said Dumbledore, the gentlest of twinkles returning to his pale eyes, "Professor Brown was well and truly beyond. When she came to, she had no recollection whatsoever of sealing yours and Voldemort's fates."

It was as if she had been cast adrift.

"How am I supposed to know what I need to do then?" asked Katherine, indignity churning through her stomach.

"In general, or in regard to Voldemort?"

Katherine felt exasperation swell up inside her, "Voldemort."

"There is a place in the Ministry of Magic, aptly named the Department of Mysteries – it is there that all prophecies are kept, yours included." said Dumbledore, nodding once at her.

"That's good then, on the next Hogsmeade weekend I'll just –"

"I have already taken the liberty of sending an agent to locate it, and another brigade of trusted witches and wizards to keep an eye on it until the right moment for you to hear it," said Dumbledore, "The theories about what happened to you, and your parents, may have been a smidgen off beat with some details, but they are right about one thing,"

Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles.

"Voldemort chose you,"

Katherine closed her eyes, feeling as if she had been shot through.

"Things only have power because we believe they do; our wands, broomsticks, prophecies…" continued Dumbledore, "If he hadn't decided it was you the prophecy was referring to – if he hadn't tried to kill you and murdered your parents in the effort, triggering the events that led you to this moment… the prophecy would just be a mere suggestion for a way life could unfold."

Katherine opened her eyes, "This prophecy, aren't you able to…view it… or something, so that we know what Voldemort knows?"

The shake of Dumbledore's ancient head set something to stone inside Katherine.

"The only people that can hear prophecies are those the prophecy is about." said Dumbledore, not blinking as he regarded her, “And when the time is right, Katherine…”

Dumbledore turned to leave.

"What about in general, sir?" asked Katherine.

Dumbledore paused by her bedside table, his eyes on the window.

"That is an answer you must seek yourself, young friend."

Wryly, she nodded.

Dumbledore suddenly slammed the window closed and, at James and Katherine's horrified expressions, smiled bashfully.

"There was a beetle," he explained, "Poppy does not play host to insects in here unless they're potion ingredients,"

James and Katherine shared a look, full of questioning about the eccentricity of their Headmaster.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 17: Gossip

“The Patronus Charm… is a pure, protective magical concentration of happiness and hope,”

When the Fifth Year Gryffindors and Slytherins had walked into Defence Against the Dark Arts on Thursday, the tables and chairs had been stacked at the sides of the room, and Professor Giles had been seated on the edge of his desk, grave-faced.

Their professor paced the room, and the students dotted around it, as he instructed them on the defensive measure.

“The recollection of a single talisman memory is essential in its creation, and it is the only spell effective against Dementors,”

Katherine felt very bare-faced and young in her tight plait, her skin tight and clean from the numerous hot showers she’d had. What she also felt, were the stares of the Slytherins in the direction of the Gryffindors – of her.

The shared experience seemed to have torn down the invisible divide between the Gryffindors that had separated them, boys from girls. Katherine had sat on one of the desks pushed against the wall, and Lupin had sat beside her, wordlessly, with his kind eyes and gentle smile. That had been the innocuous start of it all.

Black had even settled on the wall beside Katherine’s desk; arms crossed, his leg bent to lean on the wall – and he was glowering coolly back at the Slytherins.

“The majority of witches and wizards are unable to produce Patronuses, and to do so is generally considered a mark of superior magical ability,”

James glanced back to Black from where he lingered at the front of their group with Marlene, not far away. Never far from each other, truly. The two really were like mirrors.

“No reliable system for predicting the form of an individual’s Patronus has ever been found, although the great eighteenth-century researcher of Charms, Professor Catullus Spangle, set forth certain principles that are widely accepted as true,”

Professor Giles made his way back to his desk, his voice still booming around the classroom, even with his back to it.

“The Patronus, asserted Spangle, represents that which is hidden, unknown but necessary within the personality,”

A large tome had laid, open, on their professor’s desk all lesson. He lifted it and proceeded to read from it.

“‘For it is evident,’ he writes, in his masterwork ‘Charms of Defence and Deterrence’, ‘… that a human confronted with inhuman evil, such as the Dementor, must draw upon resources he or she may never have needed, and the Patronus is the awakened secret self that lies dormant until needed, but which must now be brought to light...’”

All of the older students of Hogwarts were offered the lesson, it seemed. In the days following the sombre lesson, the hallways were filled with silvery whisps – and some transparent incarnations of all sorts of animals. They broke through the strange lull that had fallen over the castle, in which not much had happened at all.

That was all to change on Monday.

Just shy of the entrance to the Great Hall, Katherine saw a gathering of multi-coloured robes swelling by the statue of the one-eyed witch.

Clusters of badged students paved Katherine's way to her friend. Narcissa Black, Bulstrode, and Pucey were the only green robed students conversing with those not from their house; Narcissa having a pursed-lipped-conversation with the blue-robed Pandora Malfoy – her soon to be sister-in-law.

Perhaps most entertaining of all, was the conversation between Damocles Belby and Alexander Wood that Katherine caught exasperated phrases of as she slipped around them to the statue of the One-Eyed-Witch.

"You really shouldn't encourage my brother into such brutishness –"

"He's a Beater, Belby," said Wood, eyes glinting and lips smiling, "It's part of the job description."

"So is playing by the rules," said Damocles, righting his spectacles, "He's not that bright – he needs structure now so that he doesn't think it's acceptable to thump people when his proposals fall flat at the Ministry."

Lily, however, had two identical heads of blond hair in conversation.

A Prefect meeting, Katherine deduced. She was just about to reach the doors of the Great Hall when Lily came barrelling over.

"Katherine!" said Lily immediately, her eyes wide as she halted at the doors. She hurriedly looped her arm through her friend's, "Let's go to the library! Come on!"

Katherine resisted, her eyes fixed on the Great Hall, "I really wanted a coffee –"

Katherine was cut off by a Hufflepuff howling as they ran past, a gaggle of other Hufflepuffs trailing and laughing.

"What's going on?" asked Katherine, trying to peer into the hall.

Lily mirrored Katherine at every attempt, effectively blocking any view she might get of inside the Great Hall.

"…Alright," said Lily, sighing, "You were bound to find out eventually."

It was when Black finished his usual morning crossword and folded the paper back over that Katherine saw it.

"Hey – that's my name!" said Katherine. She reached for a copy closer to her breakfast, staring at the photograph of her parents holding her as a baby outside of a house, "Why am I in the paper?"

"I didn't get much further ourselves before I came to find you…"

Sound twisted around her ears, and the bench seemed to sink further below her. Katherine was only semi-conscious of her mouth falling open.

KATHERINE SPENCER: SAVIOUR OR SILLY SCHOOL GIRL?

THE FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD HAS RETURNED TO THE WIZARDING WORLD ELEVEN YEARS AFTER HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED MURDERED HER PARENTS; WILLIAM AND FLORENCE SPENCER, AND MARKED HER FOR DEATH ALSO. IT HAS NEVER BEEN REVEALED WHY THE FOUR-YEAR-OLD HAD BEEN TARGETED AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE, BUT MANY ARE UNDER THE BELIEF THAT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE WAS A PART OF A CONSPIRACY TO TRAIN WITCHES AND WIZARDS FROM A YOUNG AGE TO HARNESS IMMENSE MAGICAL SKILL TO TAKE OUT THREATS SUCH AS DARK WIZARDS.

IT IS UNCLEAR WHY SHE HAS RETURNED AT THIS TIME, NOT ATTENDING HER FIRST YEAR AT THE SCHOOL – AS MANY RELIABLE SOURCES HAVE CONFIRMED. BUT IT IS STRONGLY FELT THAT THE MUGGLE ATTACK BY MEANS OF DEMENTORS AND DARK WITCHES AND WIZARDS UNKNOWN ON CLAREMONT SQUARE IN ISLINGTON, LONDON, WAS LINKED TO HER RESURFACING, AND WAS SUSPECTED AS SOMETHING MORE MAGICAL THAN JUST GANG VIOLENCE – ALTHOUGH REFUTED BY MINISTER FOR MAGIC; MILLICENT BAGNOLD.

YET AGAIN, MORE CONJECTURE SURROUNDS WHETHER OR NOT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED HAS CAUGHT MISS SPENCER IN HIS SIGHTS ONCE MORE, AND, PERHAPS MORE WORRYING FOR PARENTS AND CONCERNED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER HOGWARTS HAS BECOME A TARGET –

"Well it will now that she's said it!" Lily erupted –

– MISS SPENCER DOES NOT SEEM TO BE TOO CONCERNED, SEEN COSYING UP WITH FELLOW FIFTH YEAR GRYFFINDOR, REMUS LUPIN. FELLOW STUDENT, GRISELDA GREENGRASS, HAS GIVEN US THE EXCLUSIVE ON WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WALK THE HALLS WITH MISS SPENCER…

"What a load of rubbish!" said Lily, throwing down the paper.

"The Prophet is about as trustworthy as something that fell of the back of a broomstick, I'm telling you…" said Marlene, glowering over her porridge at the offending paper.

"But how did they know that I lived on Claremont?" asked Katherine, reaching for the paper again.

Lily swatted Katherine's hand.

"You lived on Claremont?" asked James, from the across the table.

"All my life." said Katherine, raising her eyebrows as she continued to eye the paper.

Black leant back aloofly, though there was a twitch of something further in his brow, “We’ve got better things to do than interview the bird, mate.”

“Not just any bird, Moony’s girlfriend, apparently.” said James, with a salacious pulse of his eyebrows at Katherine.

Black snorted, and said sarcastically, “Oh, yeah, that’s likely.”

"Come on," Lily urged Katherine, "Let's go to class."

Katherine couldn't meet anyone's eyes as Lily gently guided her away.

On the walk from Breakfast to Transfiguration, students both young and old openly stared at Katherine. She heard her name on the lips of people she couldn't name. Equally good and bad things followed her name. None of them true.

There was a brief reprieve during Transfiguration. McGonagall's pursed lips and stony stare over her spectacles was enough to silence even the most frantic of gossipers.

The walk from Transfiguration to Potions, however, was pantomime. Everyone had time by then to digest the news and fine tune their teasing.

Arriving at Potions, Katherine was greeted warmly by Slughorn.

Greengrass' smile had faltered for the first time all morning. She filtered past in a stream of her fellow Slytherins, all but gaping at Katherine and Slughorn.

Halfway through the lesson when Greengrass lowered the temperature of the room with a spell and shouted "Dementor!", the Potions Professor took fifty points from his own house. He went on to give her a severe dressing down in front of the class on the improperness of her actions in the sort of times the wizarding world were in.

For once, Katherine was happy to let a slight injustice go unchecked, happily taking notes from the board. When Katherine finished her notes, she looked around again, finding that only a few others had finished too. And, feeling a slight pang in her bladder, she raised her hand.

Slughorn looked up from the parchment he was marking, smiling.

"Yes, Katherine?" he acknowledged her, his expression expectant.

Katherine smiled at the kind man. She had admitted to herself that she enjoyed his praise.

"May I please go to the bathroom?" asked Katherine.

Slughorn nodded immediately before checking his fog watch.

"Of course, of course," said Slughorn, "But you might as well take your books with you, class is about to finish."

Katherine nodded as she stood, gathering her things, "Thank you, Professor."

An arm flew up into the air in Katherine's peripheral vision.

"Mister Potter."

"Can I go to the bathroom, Sir?"

Slughorn laughed, "After the bell,"

James sighed.

"You can surely hold on for two minutes, can't you, lad?"

Katherine breezed out of the door, hearing James playfully argue the unfairness of her being allowed to go with only two minutes to go.

Slughorn's argument was simply that she had asked first – and that he could trust her to not blow up the toilets.

After using the bathroom, washing her hands, and spelling her hair to untangle itself, Katherine moved off to Lunch. The bell had gone just as she arrived at the bathroom, and she found the hallways flooded with students heading for the Great Hall.

"Look, it's ickle little, Spencer!" Greengrass' voice announced to her small gaggle of Slytherin pals who had taken to blocking Katherine in from behind.

Katherine pursed her lips, clearing her throat as she looked around the hallway for an out.

"I really must be getting to Lunch, Greengrass." Katherine excused, trying to step away before stepping into Flint who blocked her path pointedly.

Katherine sighed, holding her books tighter to her chest.

Snape was behind Greengrass, watching the exchange with interest.

"That's enough, Greengrass."

A flurry of kissing noises erupted, and Katherine didn't have to turn around to know who had come to the rescue.

"What a fitting couple!" laughed Greengrass, "The orphan and the half –"

Lupin stepped in front of Katherine, "Come up with a new insult, Greengrass."

Her goons 'ooohed'.

"Why? When it's all so true?" said Greengrass, grinning.

Lupin's lips hardened into a line, "Shall I call for Slughorn?"

Greengrass' face dropped into a scowl, and she turned to parade away. It was as she turned back that Katherine noticed that her cheeks seemed darker – hairier. Greengrass seemed to notice too, lifting her hands for inspection before letting out an almighty screech.

"You – You!" she spluttered, whirling an arm in Lupin's direction.

Lupin simply raised his eyebrows, infuriatingly calm, "Who?"

Greengrass stomped, running off with her fellow Slytherins in her wake. Those who had stopped to laugh watched her go, pointing and talking to one another.

Lupin licked his lips, and projected his voice loud enough that the younger student by them wouldn’t be able to ignore it, musing to Katherine.

"Don't you think it's strange she's so furry this time of the month?"

The younger student's eyes lit up, and he turned to whisper to the boy next to him.

Katherine watched Greengrass flee, smiling.

"You'll have to teach me that spell someday."

Lupin smiled to himself, but nudged Katherine's elbow with his own, "We should get some lunch,"

They had only just gotten into the thick of the migrating crowd when he turned to her again.

"I missed breakfast this morning, but I’ve obviously since heard the, er… news. Sorry you were left out to dry alone.”

“You couldn’t have known,” said Katherine, truthfully, shrugging, and she turned to him anew, “I’m sorry too – that you got dragged across the cover of the Daily Prophet.”

Lupin laughed, and the sound lifted Katherine’s eyes to his uninhibitedly joyful face.

“The way I see it, you’ve done me a favour –” Lupin turned to her with an expression of surprised delight, and cheekiness, “Now everyone knows I’m fanciable.”

Katherine knocked her shoulder into his arm as they both laughed.

“I didn’t think you had any problems in that department,” said Katherine, lightly, looking ahead, “Black thought it was quite laughable that you would consider me.”

“What?” the word shot from the boy’s lips quickly.

Lupin turned, almost fully, to Katherine as they walked on, brow furrowed and bending his neck to meet her eye.

“Sirius said that?” disbelief dripped from each word.

“Not in so many words,” said Katherine in concession, before nodding, “But, er, yeah.”

Lupin walked quietly beside her from a moment.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that he…” Lupin caught himself, glanced to Katherine, eyes nearly imperceptibly wider, “I… er… never mind,”

Lupin faced forward again, tapping her elbow with his own and a quick sideways smile.

“Sorry about him, real bastard.”

Katherine nodded, and intended to keep walking on, everything as usual, but Lupin gave her a rather odd look out of the corner of her eye. Not merely once, either, as they traversed the stairs down to the Entrance Hall.

She glanced to him, catching him in the act as he looked at her with knowing eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” deadpanned Lupin, raising his eyebrows and stuffing his hands into his pockets.

He looked forward again, and then back down to her – quickly.

Katherine pointed to him, “Like that.”

Lupin shook his head at her with pleadingly innocent wide eyes, a vacant smile of confusion lifting his lips.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m not looking at you any differently –”

Katherine’s eyes bulged in exasperation, “You’re doing it again!”

They slowed by the doors to the Great Hall –

“Oh my god – it’s my face, Katherine.” said Lupin, laughingly.

Katherine stopped, crossing her arms, and struggling to school her own amusement, “You bastard, Lupin. You’re not telling me something!”

“Remus,” he said mirthfully in correction, eyes gleaming as he lowered his head by hers, “We’re sweethearts, aren’t we? That means I’m your bastard,”

Hushed giggles passed behind them, and some third year Gryffindor girls whispered amongst themselves as they pushed through the double doors to the Great Hall.

Turning back, Katherine thought Lupin looked a little pained as his eyes followed the girls and settled on the closed doors.

He looked back to Katherine, and gave a bracing smile, “Well, before our nuptials are prematurely announced, we should probably join our friends.”

With that, Lupin pulled the door open, nodding Katherine through.

Black chewed slowly, eyes flickering between them as they approached the table.

“Oi – Spencer –”

The slapping of shoes sounded behind her, and a huffing James slowed his jog to loop his arm through hers, leaning down conspiratorially.

“Have I got the best medicine to distract you from that bit of salacious gossip –” he faced forward, escorting her at a slow walk to her usual place, speaking very importantly all the while, “I have just come from seeing Fabian Prewett, and he has just seen Professor McGonagall – who has named Gryffindor and Ravenclaw as the two sides in the opening Quidditch match of the season,”

James released her arm, and then took her hand to make of show of helping her over the bench.

The others watched on, seemingly amused by the antics.

James peered down at her, with false solemness, “As one of your lessons, I am inviting you to observe the game and partake in an essential school spirit activity.”

 

---

 

The first Quidditch match had been pushed out from its usual date after the dementor incident. The third Saturday of November was, for Katherine, excellent timing. The article faded from the forefront of people’s minds with the mounting anticipation of the match.

When Katherine and the other girls woke on the particular Saturday, Marlene was already gone – preparing for the match with the rest of the Gryffindor team.

Forgoing breakfast, the girls too needed to the prepare, Katherine discovered. Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Fortunate Son’ playing in the background, they all kitted themselves out in their Gryffindor scarves, tied red and gold hair ribbons, and painted red lipstick lines and hearts on their cheeks.

The twangy guitar lick and scorching vocals seemed to follow the girls down to the Pitch. The trailing students around them became a large crowd, bottlenecked at the entrance of pitch. Part of the crowd that shuffled slowly closer to the looming towers and flapping sky-high flags skin, Katherine succumbed to the prickling, hand-shaking anticipation.

She had never seen anything like it. It held all the gravitas of a rock concert and the Football World Cup rolled into one.

“Alice!” Frank Longbottom bobbed over the crowd, waving an arm.

Stumbling with the crowd, the boy managed to slip his way through the cracks of sardine-squashed students.

“Here…” said Alice in greeting, running a finger through the heart on her cheek and using it to paint thin wispy lines across his cheeks, and then one on his forehead too – laughing.

Behind Frank trailed Pettigrew and Lupin – ‘Remus’, Katherine had to remind herself, as the tall boy closed in with his fluffy hair and tired kindly eyes…

He was wearing the blue jacket again.

The new group passed, jittering, under the arching entrance to the pitch, and began the jog up the considerably emptier stairs. People, of course, were only going one way.

“Katherine – here!” Lily took her hand as they emerged at the top, hair immediately lifting with the wind.

It wasn’t cold however, as you could not move an inch without pressing against someone else.

Lily guided Katherine through to the front of the tower. There were no seats, unlike the climbing rows behind, but it was certainly the best view. The group had to split up to wedge themselves into the only remaining gaps, Lily’s grip was tight until they had secured theirs.

Mary, Alice, Peter, and Frank took the far corner at the front of box, the boys standing behind the girls and swapping a pair of binoculars back and forth to, seemingly, tune them to some setting…

“Wilson! Come sit – saved you a seat!” – the older boy beside Katherine had turned at the calling of his name, squinted, and then grinned and crossed back to his friend.

"ALRIGHT, FOLKS, WELCOME TO THE FIRST MATCH OF THE YEAR!" came Gideon's magically magnified voice from the commentator tower.

The vibration of his voice carried through the wood of the tower, and up Katherine’s legs. She, and everyone else, hung on his every word.

"WE'VE GOT GRYFFINDOR!"

From the changing sheds, scarlet dots began to zoom up into the sky. As Katherine turned for a better look, arms came to rest beside hers, in the space Wilson had vacated.

Lupin offered her a wind-blown smile, before craning his neck to watch the players entering the pitch with everyone else.

"PREWETT –” the Head Boy said the surname he shared with his twin with an arguable amount of extra pride “KING, POTTER, BLACK, SPINNET, BROWN, AND MCKINNON!"

Lily nearly screamed, drumming her hands along the edge of the tower like a run-of-the-mill muggle football fanatic, as she cheered for Marlene.

The seven scarlet dots became flapping robes as the Gryffindor team flew a lap of the Pitch, wind roaring in their wake as they passed overhead, blisteringly quick. It was mere taste of the pace that the game would take.

Katherine was almost dizzy, and in fear that she would get decapitated by a wayward player, as she watched, and was all the while nearly thrilled to hysterics with the rest of the crowd throughout the duration of the game.

The culmination of the game was a nail-biting race between the Gryffindor Chasers and the Ravenclaw Seeker. Andrew Spinnet had been fouled, and remained very unconscious, unable to compete for the match-ending Snitch catch.

There was no doubt that Ravenclaw was going to catch the snitch.

Gryffindor, however, were head and shoulders above them in points. Thanks in part to Marlene blocking nearly every single shot Ravenclaw took, and the fact that James and Black were impenetrable when in a play together – their passing too quick to see. They needed another goal to be certain that they would stay ahead, and win the match, regardless of their missing Seeker.

“KING AND POTTER BLAZE A RUN INTO THE RAVENCLAW GOAL ZONE – POTTER PASSES TO KING – OH, NO! BLUDGER STRIKE! KING LOSES THE QUAFFLE – BUT WHAT’S THIS? IT’S BLACK! BLACK CATCHES THE QUAFFLE!”

The Gryffindor tower erupted around Katherine, and it was a miracle the floor did not collapse from the jumping. Everyone was out of the seats, and rushing forward, as Black closed in, needing to pass the tower to score.

Clapping and whooping, the tower chanted his name to a rhythmic clap, “BLACK! – BLACK! – BLACK!”

Katherine found herself shaking her head at the frenzied mob of her fellow students, but also clapping along – too caught up in the moment.

Remus laughed beside her, nudging her elbow as he too clapped along to the beat.

Viciously, the Gryffindor Chaser whipped past.

Black, the Quaffle cradled beneath his arm, seemed to flit away or roll out of the way of all the opposition players coming at him – just in the nick of time. Like a missile, he closed the distance to the goal, winding his arm back –

“JONES IS DIVING – HE’S SPOTTED THE SNITCH!”

The DING of the scoreboard clicked over, just as the siren sounded.

“JONES CATCHES THE SNITCH, BUT GRYFFINDOR WINS!”

The end of the match had been blood-thumping and mind-addling. One easily lost their head in the elation of the mass celebration. Even Lily, who had turned to Katherine, gripping her by the forearms and screaming as she jumped up and down.

 

---

 

A return to classes on Monday marked the denouement of the fading excitement from the match. Black and James seemed to still walk through the hallways a little taller, smiling more easily.

Katherine herself had two pressing matters on her hands; her lengthening fringe, which made it nearly impossible to tuck behind her ears – or pin back; and the small question of the prophecy about her.

She was pouring over a new tome she found on prophecies when she was approached by the most least likely of people.

"Katherine,"

Lifting her eyes, Katherine was startled by lime green robes spangled with gold crescent moons. It was such precocious garb that she barely noticed the witch in navy robes next to her Headmaster, or the blond man in grey robes beside her.

"Miss Evans said we could find you here."

"Professor." said Katherine, remembering her manners before faltering when it came to addressing the two new faces.

"Katherine, this is the Minister for Magic; Millicent Bagnold."

Millicent Bagnold was a stately looking witch with rather plain robes for someone in such a prestigious position. Katherine got the sense that she it was a conscious effort to let the world know that she took herself too seriously to care about her appearance.

"And her assistant, a former student of Hogwarts; Mister Abbott."

Abbott seemed familiar. With white-blond hair that might link him to the Malfoys, but with green eyes, instead of the expected pale blue of the house. His smile, too, was a little too honest to be anywhere near politics or bigoted purebloods.

Bagnold was to be the first of the two to speak, "The incident on the Quidditch Pitch was only witnessed by a handful of underage witches and wizards and I am here to get the whole truth – or as much of it that I can get from a bunch of teenagers – and nip back off to the Ministry before the next –"

Bagnold set her eyes on two figures slipping around a bookshelf.

"Black! Potter! You two will need to answer questions too."

Katherine and James were given the honour of being primary witnesses as they had been the primary victims of the misappropriated creature, as Bagnold had phrased it. Dumbledore often interjected with comments alluding to dark wizards and a burgeoning war, but Bagnold seemed to have a sudden bout of deafness each time.

"You had to carry Miss Spencer, am I correct, Mister Black?" asked Bagnold.

Black; arms crossed, legs crossed, and backside resting royally on the book-laden table, regarded the most powerful witch in wizarding Britain coolly, "Yes."

"And why would you do that?"

"She was unconscious,” said Black as he blinked, regarding Bagnold with a dutiful indifference, “Most people are when they fall fifty feet off their broom.”

Bagnold took a deep breath through her nose.

"I'd forgotten what kind of behaviour you foster here, Albus," said Bagnold, waving a strong arm across the library, "Abbott – come – I've gotten all I need to smooth this mess over!"

Abbott had been backed into a bookcase by a simpering Greengrass, pouting about how the wizarding world was no place for a girl of her standing to be left so defenceless.

"Miss Greengrass –"

"Griselda, please." said Greengrass, gazing up through her lashes, her hands clasped behind her back in feigned innocence.

Abbott gulped and smiled diplomatically.

"Griselda," said Abbott, bowing his head, "The Ministry – and Azkaban – are as infallible as Hogwarts,"

He inched around, off the bookcase, and brushed down his robes in an important manner.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find three safer places."

Katherine passed the pair that blurred into brown and white-blond hair, and her next obstacle on her escape from the library were her fellow fifth years; James and Black lounging on a table by the Restricted Section.

"When's the next electrical storm?"

"You're barking up the wrong tree – hassle Professor Brown for that rubbish."

"You're definitely brewing the potion though."

"Yeah…yeah… I've already owled dad for the extra ingredients…"

"Been doing your reciting?"

"I feel like a right prat – mumbling to myself morning and night…"

But by the door she caught one last burst of words, Bagnold and Dumbledore having their heads bowed low; whispering furiously back and forth.

"Eleven years of peace, Albus," said Bagnold, sighing and frowning, "Maybe he simply caught Splattergroit and died in a ditch some place?"

Dumbledore said something, too quiet for Katherine to hear as she passed.

"Aurors? At Hogwarts?" Bagnold laughed rather boisterously for her stately demeanour, "Don't be silly – what purpose would they serve if not to frighten parents and children alike?"

Marlene’s words following the Dementor attack came back to her at that moment – “We'll never feel safe again, and so it's bye-bye innocence. It's been nice knowing you, but you're gone now!” – it had been said jokingly, of course, but Katherine had been unable to shake an ominous feeling for some time;

The sense of something coming.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 18: Visitors To Hogwarts

Friday morning began with a break in the December snow and the roar of "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Katherine, along with the rest of the Defence Against the Dark Arts class, jumped, and turned as the door to the classroom was slammed closed with a sternum rattling BANG.

Giles, however, had silently retreated to the edge of his desk with a benign expression mounting on his stony features.

"Class," began Giles, lifting one hand from the edge of his desk to gesture to the imposing figure at the back of the aisle, "This is Alastor Moody; the Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic."

Alastor Moody had a scarred, twisted face and a thick thatch of hair that he constantly had to push out of his eyes. He strode with the grace of a retired lion, his otherwise proud gate addled with what Katherine assumed to be injuries concealed from view by his grey robes.

The Professor and the Auror shared brisk and tense greeting at the front of the classroom. Neither shook hands.

"I didn't expect to see you back here, Giles," said Moody. He pushed back his grey travelling robe to reveal a silver hip flask which he worked at unfastening from his belt as he spoke, "Word has it that you chose a different career path."

"Word from your new deputy, I take it?" asked Giles, leaning back more leisurely on his desk, "Couldn't he make it today?"

Moody swallowed his gulp from his flask and regarded Giles over the top of it.

"Addressing the break in at the Ministry,"

Something unsaid hung in the air after Moody's words.

"Dumbledore asked you back?" asked Moody, after the odd air.

Giles’ lips momentarily tightened, and he gave a curt nod.

"Well, then," said Moody, reattaching his silver flask to his belt, "That's enough chit chat,"

Moody turned his dark, keen eyes on the class, his voice coming out like a growl, "I'm here because Dumbledore's asked me to give you lot a bit of a reality check due to recent events…"

Before he could go on, Katherine saw a hand shoot up in her peripheral vision.

"Is this about the Dementors, Mister Moody?"

Katherine gripped her quill to stop herself from dropping it.

Moody regarded Frank almost warmly, "It's about who sent them, laddie."

"The Ministry?" asked Greengrass from the back of the class, her fruity voice unmistakeable.

Katherine resisted the pull at the back of her eyes – the temptation to roll them. Glancing at her friends either side of her, Katherine found that Marlene didn't have the same self-restraint.

"You lot can be a right load of trouble for us sometimes, but no," said Moody with a brief twist of his lips that Katherine interpreted as a smile, "The Dementors only work for the Ministry because they are offered a steady supply of humans to feed on in Azkaban,"

Katherine felt her face drain in memory of the creature.

"If someone came along with a better offer, they would have no qualms about abandoning their posts,"

Moody eyed Katherine briefly, his eyebrows, like a two side-by-side torn blanket stitches, knitting together.

"And some have,"

A quick turn of Katherine’s head found a pale James; for once, not fidgeting, but not looking at anything at all.

Moody had paused for effect, giving Katherine a moment to rub out the goose bumps dotting her forearms, and to cover her marbling skin with her robe sleeves.

"Now, you've been learning about little beasties and shield charms, I take it?" continued Moody, "Well, I'm telling you now that shield charms don't hold up against Dementors or the killing curse,"

Katherine heard the flinches and jumps.

"There are some people who wouldn't like me to name names and point fingers on the off chance that it might scare you lot or breach a few laws," said Moody, tittering with his lips to mock what Katherine assumed were his superiors at the Ministry.

He sobered, scanning the rows of fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins sternly.

"But there are witches and wizards out there that mean you harm,"

Moody broke his scanning and began pacing.

"Just last week, Evan Rosier – a known Death Eater – died during an arrest," said Moody, his grin twisting into a scowl as he rubbed what was left of his nose, "Took a piece of my nose with him too, the bold blighter…"

The boys on the desk behind them weren't shocked; snickering and murmuring to one another.

"Wasn't he your cousin?"

"Married in." said Black, a tone of resignation ringing with the word.

At the whispers and sharp intakes of breaths from their other classmates Moody flicked his wand at the blackboard; a crude chalk impression appearing at the front of the class.

"That's right, Death Eaters; cloaked, masked, and downright nasty cowards all congregating in their little girly gang - with their self aggrandising agendas. They're all wands-blazing when they've got you outnumbered six-to-one, but as soon as you get them on their own, you should see them squirm,"

Giles stepped forward from his place beside the board, his arms crossed as he peered at the drawing with something close to a smile. With a quick lick at his lips, he settled back into place beside the board, leaning on his desk and crossing his ankles.

"There are murmurs in the streets, and corners of pubs, of another conflict – the likes of which we haven't seen since Grindelwald. This is something the Auror Department are working to prevent one cloaked coward at a time," said Moody, righting his robes from where they caught on his hip flask, "No one wants to see a loony in power…"

The grizzled Auror shook his head at his own words.

"The takeaway message from my visit today is that; even though we're looking out for you, you need to keep your wits about you,"

Moody clapped his hands together, the room jumping as a whole at the sudden noise, but Moody just smiled innocuously.

"Any questions?"

"If it's going to get bad again, like it was back then, will you be lowering the program requirements and taking on more Aurors?" asked James.

"To join the Auror Training Program, you need a minimum five N.E.W.T's and you will need to pass a series of aptitude and character tests."

"Outstanding's?" cringed Frank.

"Exceeds Expectations and no lower."

"That's barking!"

"It's barking mad that you would want to risk your neck for people you don't know."

The sniff that followed the words reeked of Slytherin gentry.

It was bait that James could not leave hanging on the hook, "We get it, you're a Slytherin – we know where you stand without your contribution."

"Today, we extended the offer to join our ranks to a few seventh years once they've graduated and are qualified – something for you all to think about with your own career counselling sessions coming up," said Moody, pointing emphatically, "But not lightly."

"Being an Auror is all glamour and safe raids on wrongly accused people anyway."

"Glamour?" erupted James from behind Katherine, "Look at the poor sod and his hacked off honker!"

"Please," said Gina Bulstrode, the female Slytherin prefect in their year and the owner of the earlier distinguishing sniff, "I bet the Healers could have fixed it in a flash – he probably just left it like that to scare us."

Moody watched the back and forth between James and Bulstrode before his eyes caught on something at the back of the classroom.

For the first time that day, Katherine thought that Moody seemed surprised, but then his grizzled face split with a grin.

"Hawthorne, what happened to our last recruit?"

Hawthorne was perched on an empty desk near the door (that Katherine hadn't heard open again after Moody). The man was young, with wavy golden hair, and his lips had twitched at Moody's words. His eyes lifted at a leisurely pace, blinking amusedly.

"He died."

"That's right, he died," said Moody, winning back a majority of eyes. "Benjy Fenwick was given a mission that should take five or six days, and he came back in five or six pieces…”

Hawthorne stepped forward, "Alastor, if I may?"

"If you must…it's all lost on them anyway…" grumbled Moody, stepping back.

Hawthorne stepped into Moody's place; commanding despite his half-tucked and half-unbuttoned shirt. Katherine thought that he might have just hopped off a broom.

"The times we're in… what we're on the brink of… it's not like the muggle conflicts where they go charging across clearly drawn lines: right and wrong, good and evil –" said Hawthorne, breaking off and rubbing his jaw, "This sort of conflict isn't waged on one field, for one day, and then you all go home and have tea once the sun goes down,"

Hawthorne's lips flicked up like the wisps of blond hair above his ears.

"And if you think you're exempt just because you're underage – think again," said Hawthorne, taking his hands out of his pockets and pointing at a spot on the floor, "Division across all of the wizarding world begins here – now,"

He paused, licking his smiling lips as he looked down at his shoes. Katherine could see a twinkle of laughter in the corners of his eyes that didn't make it to his lips.

"I know, I know," said Hawthorne, amused, holding up a pacifying hand, "It all seems a bit dramatic, but I'll spare you any further spiel in place of some perspective,"

Hawthorne clapped his hands crisply together.

"Everybody stand,"

Groans filled the room.

Hawthorne grinned, waving his wand to push the vacated desks to the sides of the room while making mustering gestures.

"Come on, come on, a bit of exercise will do you good,"

It quickly became clear that the Deputy Head Auror wasn't afraid of mixing the houses like Moody. Hawthorne hooked a hand around Marlene's elbow to separate her from Katherine and Lily – "Alright, you over there…and you here…"

When there were seven a side, and the remaining unsorted group of students got slimmer, Hawthorne's eyes finally fell on Katherine.

She instantly roasted through at the man’s piercing gaze.

After a beat of a moment, he cleared his throat and nodded pointedly to the side he had just directed Lily to by the windows.

Katherine stepped up into the space Lily had left between herself and James. Alice was on the other side of Lily. Frank was next to James, the two laughing together.

The five were the only Gryffindors getting their backs chilled by the leeching frost on the windows.

"Take a good look,"

The Gryffindors stared across at their housemates they had been separated from, both groups edged in green.

"Both sides have casualties in any sort of skirmish,"

Katherine thought that Remus and Black looked strange without the gradient of James between them.

"Your friends –"

A waft of peppermint wrapped around her nostrils, and the whisper of 'Spit out that bloody gum, Potter' from Lily, alerted Katherine that it came from James beside her –

"– Their friends,"

Greengrass' widow's peak was a sharp as her stare that Katherine found herself under, not softened by Marlene's chestnut curls the Slytherin was battling to keep her nose out of.

Snape flicked his wand to flatten Marlene's curls for Greengrass to see over, Bulstrode and Flint sniggering and whispering behind their hands.

Black caught it out of the corner of his eye, Remus catching his friend's wand arm that was seeking out Snape. But Remus couldn't soften Black's jaw – pulsing and sharp enough to cut glass.

Katherine made out something about Black 'vanishing all the bones' in Snape's body before Giles stepped forward with a warning shake of his head, falling into place at the end of Katherine's line to keep an eye on the clashing group.

"Half," said Hawthorne crisply, suddenly.

The blond stopped between the groups, his eyes lifting from the floorboards but his hands remaining tucked in his pockets. His eyes roamed along each half.

"Half of you won't live much further beyond your Hogwarts years."

"Which half?" asked Greengrass, taking stock of the calibre of each side, as if to discern if one was more skilled than the other.

Hawthorne paused, and smiled, raising his eyebrows, "That's for all of you to decide,"

Greengrass made an unpleasant face at the words.

"I know better than to think I can resolve hundreds of years of rivalry with a few words," said Hawthorne, scanning the lines sternly, "But you lot are one insult away from starting something you are yet capable of fathoming the very real, and very terrible, consequences of."

The bell punctuated Hawthorne's words, and the scramble for bags and the door was accompanied by the parting growl of "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" from Moody.

"He's brilliant, isn't he?" said James as he and the rest of the Gryffindors moved past Katherine to the door, "Moody…"

"I've overheard conversations about him," said Black, flicking his hair back from his face, "He's about to be gently guided into early retirement if he can't prove that he knows the difference between a handshake and an attempted murder."

"Guys – look – it's storming!" Peter piped up, pointing out the window.

Black gave an uncharacteristic grin, "James?"

James nodded, adjusting his glasses.

"It's ready."

"You lot really shouldn't –"

"It's an extra safety precaution, Moony."

"Look, we'll be careful," said James, slinging an arm around Remus' shoulders and waving at Katherine with a smile as they moved past completely, "I wouldn't jeopardise my flying ability this close to the next match if I wasn't confident."

Skirting around Hawthorne's silvery dragon, Katherine let the warm breath of the Patronus' fire tickle her into the hallway, making for the ground floor where her friends and lunch awaited her.

December had come and brought with it sleet, snow, and the freezing over of the Black Lake. Katherine had not felt her fingers completely since mid-November.

It was not unusual to see steam pouring out of ears as Katherine walked the hallways, it being a side effect of the Pepperup Potion Madam Pomfrey spent her days brewing and distributing. The matron’s voice was often heard berating whoever would listen about staying indoors and wearing layers. There was a special level of shrillness reserved for Quidditch Captains and Quidditch players who came in both sick and injured.

At lunch that day, in the second week on December, McGonagall was roaming Gryffindor table – taking down names for who would be staying at Christmas.

It was while absentmindedly watching the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, that owls dropped identical green envelopes in front of Katherine and Lily.

"The Christmas party?"

"Yes," said Lily, pushing away a green-tinged piece of parchment, "It happens annually."

Marlene picked up the parchment, gold detailing glinting in the morning light, "But I swear you've only just had the first supper of term…"

"Well, it was delayed beyond the usual date," said Lily, shrugging, "But you can't delay Christmas."

The gold on the parchment lost the morning light, a shadow moving between it and the window. A shadow belonging to a conical-hat-wearing, booted witch with a severe black bun.

"Evans, McKinnon," said McGonagall, peering at a scroll over her spectacles with a quill poised in her right hand, "Staying over Christmas?"

"No, Professor." Lily and Marlene chorused.

"And Katherine…"

Katherine caught the moment her friends averted their eyes from her.

"I'll be staying, Professor."

McGonagall trailed off and away down the table, taking names for other Gryffindors staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas period.

Lily looked ready to pop open, sitting up in her seat only to slump again like a lacklustre jack-in-the-box.

"I can always –"

"No," said Katherine with a smile, knowing what Lily was about to offer, "Lily, really, it's alright – you need to see your family,"

Lily nodded with a sad smile, her eyes on her juice and her mind undoubtedly on the parents Katherine had seen a photograph of on her friend's bedside table.

"It's okay – promise." said Katherine, eyeing her friends sternly with a smile.

Before they could manage any more sympathetic looks, McGonagall stopped across the table.

"Potter…Black… you'll be staying too, I presume..."

“Actually,” said Black, dryly, “I’ll be returning home this year.”

James blinked in surprise, his porridge falling off his spoon and back into his bowl.

Lily shoved the green invitation into her pocket, Katherine still leaving hers unopened beside her plate of fruit.

"It's a good thing the party is before the train leaves." said Lily.

Marlene nodded, "So, are you going to ask Bertram, Lily?"

The laughter across the table whittled down.

Lily took to gnawing on her bottom lip as she snuck another glance at the Ravenclaw table, rising up to see over stuck-up jet-black locks belonging to a bespectacled Gryffindor Chaser; suddenly fascinated with breakfast meats.

It was while she searched for the Ravenclaw Quidditch player that Alice stood up, mumbling her leave.

Sighing, Lily sat back down in her seat, "Do you think he'd say yes?"

"You won't know unless you ask him, Lily," said Katherine, smiling to bolster her friend, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Lily had raised a hand to cover her lips delicately, "I've got to ask him out…"

James pushed up on his elbows with a roguish grin, "If you wanted to be asked out, Evans –"

"Lily," said a new voice, cutting James off.

Katherine turned, the Ravenclaw Chaser they had been talking about standing by her bag and smiling at Lily.

"I ran into Alice on my way out – she said you wanted to speak to me?" explained Bertram.

"So, you came all the way over here?" asked James from across the table, blinking with an arrogance that rivalled Black’s.

The change even alerted his aforementioned best friend who looked up from his own green-tinged parchment, his face lined in surprise.

Bertram's smile tightened and his eyes flashed at James before he turned to Lily anew; perfectly gallant.

"I'm sorry, Lily, are you otherwise engaged at the moment?" asked Bertram, his voice prim and knowing as he cast his eyes pointedly at James and back.

"No, not at all," Lily stood, Katherine able to hear her friend's breathlessness, "I'm heading to Charms…"

"I have Potions…" trailed off Bertram, shuffling his feet and rubbing along his nose as he thought of the trek that awaited him. and his debate whether Lily was worth it was plain on his arguably handsome face…

Lily pinked.

"Oh, I – I can walk with you then?" she offered, gently pushing her hair over her shoulders.

Bertram grinned quickly, clasping his hands together, "Excellent."

Lily struggled with her bag as she stepped over the bench and made to join Bertram between the tables, him humming and looking around absently.

Conversation started up again only once the pair, a large height disparity apparent between them, slowly but surely disappeared from view – and the Great Hall.

"What a wanker."

"He's got a fat head, don't you reckon?"

"I could make it fatter…"

"Isn't that hex illegal, Sirius?"

"What's life without a little risk?" declared James, hands flat on the table and smiling.

Black’s eyes glinted and the corners of his lips slipped upward, his nose swinging around as he regarded his best friend with a certain fondness.

"Life not spent in Azkaban, James," said Remus, flicking through the paper before sighing and handing it off to Black, "Crossword."

"Jolly good,"

Black sat up straighter as he wet the tip of his quill in his crystal ink pot.

Katherine had admired it from the first day she saw it catch the light in Charms, and scatter it into countless colours over her desk.

"I won't do it just yet, though," said Black, grasping at the tail of their conversation as he inked in letters with ever-surprising care, "He might say no."

"You've got self-restraint – lovely," said Remus, shutting one eye and peering into the bottom an empty cup of coffee, "I was beginning to worry."

"As if he'd say no to Evans," said James, mussing his hair and squirming on the bench as he attempted something akin to indifference, "What with her flaming locks of auburn hair…and eyes of emerald bloody green…"

"I'd say no to her." said Black, without looking up from his crossword.

"But you're a bloody nun – you stupid bastard," snorted James, sighing and pushing around his crusts on his plate, "You could have any girl you wanted."

"There are bigger things to worry about than my love life," said Black, flourishing his copy of the Daily Prophet, "Look."

Witches and wizards scrambled around a podium within the photograph's frame, the border mocking them, 'Bagnold Too Old? Ministry Complacent With Security' circled the moving scene.

"Looks like it was something from the Department of Mysteries…" said Remus, his intelligent eyes roaming the lines of print and in between.

Dread trickled down Katherine's spine and a certain knowing crushed down upon her shoulders at Remus' quiet but striking words.

Her conversation over hospital sheets with Dumbledore rang through the halls of her mind again.

"Some Unspeakable probably misappropriated a half-strung experiment and didn't want to fess up…" laughed Frank, "Dad says it happens all the time – their lot wanting to blame the Ministry whenever it suits them while constantly trying to become independent of them... absolute poppycock."

Katherine had finished her lunch and excused herself to the bathroom before the beginning of the next class. She used the toilet, washed her hands, and then splashed her face. She was staring her reflection down as she mustered up some positive self-talk.

She was safe at Hogwarts.

…From Voldemort at least.

The ringing of the bell urged her to hurry along, as Divination was eight flights up – to get there on time, you really had to leave before the bell…

It was in her rush, that she almost missed the blurs of four sets of robes down a less-frequented hallway, and that one of them was on the ground. Her wand found her hand without another thought, and she was careening down the hallway as fast as her feet could take her.

She could distinguish Snape as one of the three towering over the floor-bound-figure immediately, his weedy stature unmistakeable.

Greengrass, perhaps, Katherine knew was there on instinct instead of visual confirmation. Flint at her side was a given.

The floor-bound-figure was dragging themselves backwards with eyeing the three Slytherin's with fear, and as Katherine got closer – she uncovered the identity of their victim. Chubby wrists strained against the stone floor as they peeked out from red-lined robes.

A cold prickled Katherine's skin as she remembered being in a similar position to Peter Pettigrew.

"Leave him alone." said Katherine, stepping between Peter and the remaining two Slytherin's.

Snape seemed pacified by Katherine's presence, his eyes flickering behind her for any sign of red hair – of that, Katherine was sure.

"I don't think you're in any kind of position to order us around," said Greengrass, holding her wand to Katherine instead, "It's three on two."

"It's more like three on one, Pettigrew's useless." said Snape, his wand remaining at Peter as he gave a condescending tilt of his head in observation.

The second bell to signify that class would now be in session brought an end to the mounting tension in the out-of-the-way corridor.

All wands dropped from the air in an undeniable stalemate. It would only be a matter of time until they would be discovered and disciplined.

Katherine let out a huff of air as the three Slytherin's marched from sight, joining the trickles of students streaming along the main hallway.

"Thanks," mumbled Peter, brushing down his rumpled robes and pulling his tie the right way around, "I was fearing for the safety of my pants back there."

For a moment, Katherine wondered where the rest of the fifth year Gryffindor boys were – their absence surely resulting in Peter's unfortunate accosting.

"It's alright, Peter," said Katherine with a smile she couldn't keep her pity out of.

Peter was an easy and often target of Slytherin's, but Katherine had always been beaten to his defence by James and Black.

"Heading to Divination?" asked Katherine, realising that she had never really spoken all that much to the boy before, and being struck down by listlessness

"Yeah…"

"Late… late…" sang Professor Brown when Katherine and Peter finally made it to Divination, sighing and twirling around the tables to the front of the classroom, "Why is nobody ready…"

All the round tables were indeed already occupied by Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, leaving only two free by the door.

Katherine spared a look at Peter, finding him rubbing his cheek and eyeing all their fellow paired students.

They would have to pair together.

Sitting daintily on the wooden chair, Katherine pulled out her guide on palmistry as Professor Brown's curly writing on the board instructed.

"Those sitting on the left can read first…" announced Professor Brown, drifting around to sit upon her chair at the front of the class.

Katherine took a moment to orientate herself to the room, and discovered that she was seated on the left. She took Peter's outstretched and twitching right hand.

Before the incense could draw a lull over the room, the door burst open, and a stream of fresh air stiffened everyone's spines.

Being closest to the door, Katherine only had to turn her head the slightest amount as she righted her skirt to discover that the sudden entrance had been of James and Black.

James laughed and pushed Black with a roughness that would probably send Katherine to the Hospital Wing, "You're barking!"

"Please be seated…" sighed Professor Brown, "And join the rest of the class in today's activity…"

The only remaining table was nudging at the back of Katherine's elbow.

Taking Peter's hand anew – having dropped it at the opening of the door – Katherine compared the lines on his hand to the guide in her text.

"You have a rectangular palm with short fingers so…. that's a fire hand…a sign of extreme impatience…being prone to burnout and incomplete undertakings…and being able to turn emotions on a dime…"

Katherine frowned, tracing and increasingly sticky line at the top of his palm.

"Your heart line is branched downwards…that represents unhappiness or poor quality in relationships…"

The fact that Peter's friends were listening in was made apparent by snorts at her back – that Katherine chose to ignore.

"Your head line has crosses all along it…they signify vital and crucial decisions made in your life that can have a direct impact on your fate…"

Peter blanched, leaning over and assessing his hand in tandem with Katherine.

"You have an absent life line… which indicates a nervous individual…"

Katherine let go of Peter's wrist, her hand having not been able to completely close around it, and offered up her own – far slender in comparison. It if were anyone else, she may be self-conscious about her new flying-earnt-callouses.

"Your turn." said Katherine, flicking her plait onto her back and leaning forward eagerly.

The gentle pull on her plait from behind barely distracted her, but Katherine noted in the recesses of her thoughts that it was more tender than usual. She fought a shiver of pleasure.

Peter held her wrist gingerly as he craned his neck to look at his textbook, his eyes flickering back to her hand with a frown.

"You've got a, er…water hand, I guess…" said Peter, shrugging, "It means you're sensitive and caring…and stuff…and have problems coping with stress…"

Katherine glanced surreptitiously at her own book, checking his accuracy.

"Your heart line is sort of broken…which means that you're often stressed and have suffered emotional trauma."

Katherine, yet again, checked the guide herself, and found that he was correct.

"Your head line has heaps of branches which….um…signifies events yet to come that will take you off your path –"

"Air hand?" snorted James, letting go of Black’s wrist as he contemplated his book, "More like air-head."

"Oi!" said Black, grinning and shoving James' own hand into his bespectacled face, "You've got one too, you numpty!"

"I'm more of an Earth hand," said James waving the book around in proof before reading from it, "Practical, hard-working…dependable and stable in relationships…"

"As well as quick-tempered, stubborn, and lacking in patience," said Black, reading from his own book before his lips slipped up and apart, "I suppose your fingers are smaller than mine…"

"Let's do you then, you lousy sod," grumbled James, his smile detracting from any attempt he may have made at actual disgruntlement, "Restless, easily bored…yeah, it's all there, mate."

"Don't forget good intuitive capabilities, excellent communication skills, and attentiveness to details."

The bell rang, and Katherine and Peter split for their friends.

"I ran into Greengrass on my way here –"

Lily ducked her head, looking around as she pulled Katherine to the side of the hallway beneath the Divination stairs.

"Christ, Katherine…" Lily pulled Katherine into an alcove occupied by a statue of a former Headmaster, "I leave you alone for ten minutes…"

Katherine almost smiled, but was overtaken with purpose to explain herself, "She, Flint, and Snape were jinxing Peter in one of the second floor corridors –"

"Are you sure it was Severus?"

Lily's creasing eyes and lip gnawing gave Katherine pause.

"I spoke to him, Lily," said Katherine, as gently as possible, before clearing it up, "Well… he spoke to me."

"What did he have to say?"

"Pretty much that Peter was useless –"

"– Well, he's not wrong –"

"Isn't there somewhere you girls should be at quarter past one on a Friday?"

The two girls whipped around to find a tartan-clad witch gazing over her spectacles –

"Somewhere with plants and questionable odours?" continued McGonagall, lifting a round arched eyebrow.

"Yes, Professor, we're just going now." said Lily, hooking her arms through her friend's and pulling her down the hall with a bowed head.

The girls strode quickly along to their next class.

"The greenhouses have been declared unsafe for habitation after an explosion of dung and snargaluff pods, I'm afraid," said Professor Sprout, emerging from the aforementioned Greenhouses and pulling a cloth from around the lower half of her face.

"We'll be having today's class in the castle, but I'll need a volunteer to help me wrangle the screechsnap into a hessian sack to bring up," said Professor Sprout, gazing around, "Any takers?"

Apprehensive faces were made all around.

“Evans, McKinnon, MacDonald – and… Fortescue – excellent.”

The girls hadn’t volunteered.

Without her friends, Katherine lingered behind Debbie and Sue on the walk up to the classroom. The boys were whispering intently about something a few paces behind her, and she didn’t want to interrupt.

She picked a chilly wooden chair, in the second row from the back, and sat, pulling out her notebook and quill.

“Is it alright if I sit here?”

Remus lingered by the empty aisle chair beside Katherine’s, without his friends behind him, but with an earnest expression of polite inquiry.

Katherine slowly nodded, “Sure.”

Black, James, and Peter all ran in a moment later. They pushed each other into a seating order and plopped eagerly down in the seats behind Katherine and Remus.

"Discretion never has been your forte." remarked Black, seemingly carrying on a previous conversation.

Peter nodded, clapping his hands down against the desk, "Remember when he burnt his name into the Quidditch Pitch in third year?"

"Astonishingly enough, his penmanship was so terrible that he got away with it." said Remus from beside Katherine, turning his head back to his friends, then offering her an incredulous smile at the antics as he faced forward again.

"Who did they blame for it again?" asked James.

"Jane… something or other…" said Peter, unconcerned.

Lily, Marlene, Mary, and Alice all trailed in behind Professor Sprout at that moment, hessian sacks held out in front them as they struggled with their weight of the contained screechsnaps. The bags looked as if they were being punched from the inside out as the plants fought to escape.

Remus watched with lazy interest, along with the rest of the class, as they were brought in.

Katherine had to lean forward, unable to see over the shoulders of the tall boy – something she was unused to.

The girls took their seats, dazedly, in front of Katherine and Remus, and kept glancing back all lesson. If Remus noticed their confusion at the new seating arrangement, he didn’t show it.

Between listening to the lesson and over-hearing comments from Black and James, Herbology flew by, and it was time to move off to the common room before dinner.

“Girls – help me take them back down, please! You’ll have earnt Gryffindor over fifty points by the end of this!” Professor Sprout called, stopping four out of five of the Gryffindor girls as they packed up their things.

Lily spared Katherine an apologetic glance, for being left alone, and slung her bag over her shoulders, trailing up to the front of the room with the others.

Remus packed his things away neatly, and looked as if he were going to say something to Katherine, when James called him – “Moony – come here!”

With a tight smile in farewell, Remus went to his friends as they milled out of the door and into the hallway.

Katherine maintained a distance of a handful of paces between her and her fellow fifth year Gryffindors on the walk back up to the tower. But their laughter and general clowning behaviour still reached her ears and reminded her of the fact that her friends were not with her. Their noise reached an all-time high after James was asked to Hogsmeade by a third year.

"Sorry, I'm going stag." James had said, letting the girl down with a pat on the back and a lop-sided smile.

It seemed, to Black and Peter, to be the height of hilarity once the girl was out of ear shot.

"It's brilliant, honestly," said Black, as he and James took up residency at the chess set by the window back in Gryffindor Tower, "You, then me – I dead-set thought that you were going to give me away in Divination –"

"Sirius Black?"

Katherine looked up from her homework.

Black blinked, and then swung around to look at Jeffrey Alderidge where he fiddled nervously with something in his hands.

"Just Sirius will do." said Black, regarding the younger Gryffindor with a furrow of his brow.

Jeffrey nodded quickly and held out his hand, "Er… I was told to deliver this to you, so…here you go."

Black slowly accepted what looked every bit of a letter, bound in a satin green ribbon.

The boys' conversation had stalled, and they all looked between Black and the letter.

"Thank you, Jeffrey." said Black, waving a hand in dismissal as he frowned down at the rolled-up parchment.

Katherine watched quietly as Black stowed the letter away into his robe pocket.

While waiting for Lily to return, Katherine finished her palmistry diagram – complete with analysis of all her mounts – and lazily attempted her Patronus.

Through dishearteningly weak silvery wisps, Katherine saw Black lose at chess to James three times and, something that made her wonder about the contents of his letter, all four legs of his chair remained firmly on the floor.

"Sirius, you're awfully quiet." observed James, eyeing his friend from across the table.

Katherine shamelessly eavesdropped on her fellow Gryffindors, glad that someone was going to probe him about the mysterious letter.

"It's nothing," said Black, toying with his queen piece as he contemplated his next move.

Remus looked over the top of his book he’d been reading on the couch.

Peter too paid undivided attention.

Black took a deep breath in through his nose.

"It's nothing." said Black, again, sharply,

He abandoned his chess pieces and stood abruptly before stalking out of the common room.

 

---

 

Black missed dinner, and Katherine only saw him again up in the Astronomy Tower later that night.

The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had received the notice of a class being that night at dinner, as the night was not only incredibly crisp, but also clear. There had been a run of cloudy, or raining, nights – making it nearly impossible to have held the class properly for weeks.

A poke distracted Katherine, as she sat with her legs poking out of the gaps in the balustrade; marking off significant astronomical changes on her star chart.

"What are you doing?" whispered Katherine, as she shuffled over to accommodate Remus' legs beside her own in her chosen stone gap.

The class of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were fanned out over the top of the Astronomy Tower; some people laying with their star charts draped over their faces, others eating sweets; giggles and snores melding together.

Remus' friends fell into the category of those eating sweets; staring out at the Forbidden Forest as their star charts lay forgotten beside them a few metres to Katherine's left.

Lily sat on Katherine's other side, half-asleep, but at least trying to stay awake.

Marlene had abandoned telescopes and the night sky altogether in favour of a pair of binoculars she set on the Forest to see if she could prove to her cousin, Marcus, that Acromantula's did live in there; standing behind Katherine, bent over the balustrade.

Remus laughed lightly, knocking his shoulder in her own, "Just checking that you're awake."

"Very funny," said Katherine playfully, blinking slowly and finding herself warming to levels of conversation from his warmth-radiating side, "Found Mars yet?"

"No," Remus shrugged, "But I wrote down that it was that one to the left of Scorpius and dusted my hands with my star chart."

"You can help me, then."

Remus peered at her star chart, nodding until he reached her most recent addition, "The half-moon is tonight, and it's not waning – it's waxing."

"Nice broom – the nimbus, huh?" James squatted down slowly, rubbing his clicking knees and letting out a puff of breath when his backside found a resting place beside Remus.

They hadn’t had a chance to discuss the performance of the broom in the night match on Black’s birthday, given all that had happened.

"It'll be good to see how it changes things at our lessons," said James, eyes set on the darkened Quidditch Pitch, "You could probably out strap me and Sirius on our 1500's with a little more practise."

"Sirius and I." said Katherine in correction, marking in Venus on her star chart.

"Katherine!" whispered Lily, looking through Marlene’s binoculars instead of her telescope, "You need to see this!"

Katherine accepted the cool metal thrusted upon her hands, and hesitantly peered through the glass.

A cascade of, what had always seemed to Katherine, silk-spun platinum, glittered under the starlight. Despite the caress of the icy breeze against her own cheeks and tousled hair, Katherine noted that the silky-haired night stroller didn't have to fix hers once, like always.

A fact unable to be ignored was that Narcissa Black wasn't alone; her robed-arm looped through another's, and her cheek resting delicately against a square-cut shoulder where a sharp jaw descended into Katherine's magnified view to drop a sweet kiss on her star-spangled hair.

Lucius Malfoy may have been in his dormitory, on patrol, or the library, but Katherine knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he wasn't with Narcissa.

Gideon Prewett was.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 19: Christmas Party ‘75

The weather took a miserable turn the following week. The only thing that brightened up the castle was the fact that a black dog had broken into the castle on numerous occasions to chase Mrs Norris around.

Friday morning, Katherine sat on the balustrade outside Defence Against the Dark Arts, broiling in an illness that penetrated down to her core. Slughorn’s Christmas Party was to be that evening, on top of everything else.

She swung her legs in an attempt to distract herself as the gold-topped figure of the Head Boy hastened past in the direction of the Arithmancy classroom.

Looking through the binoculars the previous Friday, Katherine’s heart had, irrefutably, cracked. It had been a silly school-girl crush, based solely on the boy’s traditional good looks and polite ways, but the space in her brain – that regularly strayed to him fondly – seemed to go into shock as Katherine battled the withdrawals of thinking of him.

“So, I guess I’ll see you tonight…” came Lily’s voice from across the way.

Bertram Aubrey, towering over the rest of the fifth years in his Ravenclaw robes, slowed beside Lily as the two closed in on the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

“Tonight,” said Aubrey, with a nod, “Five o’clock? We could go for a walk beforehand…”

Lily nodded, clutching her books to her chest, “See you.”

Bertram walked backwards, flashing a smile to Lily, before being patted on the back and lightly jeered by his friends that had been waiting further down the hallway.

“Spencer –”  

James launched himself up onto the balustrade beside her, leaning in intently –

“– what do you think of Aubrey?”

Katherine, momentarily startled, had little to base her opinion on. In Hogsmeade, however, Bertram had invited Katherine along to the Three Broomsticks as well…

“He’s… nice?”

Black glanced over, half-heartedly listening from where he chatted with Remus. All the boys seemed to be chummy again after Black’s outburst the previous the week. Like it never happened.

“That doesn’t sound very convincing.”

“Well, I’ve only spoken to him once,” said Katherine, shaking her head and watching Bertram vanish into his classroom, “I don’t think he feels comfortable hanging around with us though, Lily’s friends, with us being younger – and girls…”

Bertram Aubrey, truly, never lingered.

James nodded slowly, but then said, “That doesn’t exactly sound a good basis for a relationship.”

“James,” said Katherine, “They’re not getting married. She had to ask someone to the Christmas party.”

James shook his head, muttering, “But the bloke asks the girl, that’s just how it is…”

Katherine snorted, her eyebrows lifting as she turned to him.

“Well, yes, but then she would have to run the risk of ending up like I have.”

James frowned, endearingly – and earnestly – confused.

“What do you mean –” he broke off, eyes flashing with understanding. He furrowed his brows, pulling back to look at her, “No one’s asked you?”

“I don’t fancy anyone anyway.” At least, not anymore.

The door swung open, and Katherine hopped down from the balustrade, filtering into the classroom with the rest of the fifth years. She slid into the seat beside Marlene, in the middle of the left rows of desks.

“Stunning charms today. We’ll have a brief instruction, and then you can pair off with those you are sitting with and practise.”

As Giles started to indicate what notes they were to take down from the blackboard, Katherine’s eyes strayed to Black and Potter at the desk in front of her and Marlene.

Potter had leant over to Black surreptitiously, as not to be caught by Giles, whispering something quietly. Whatever it was, Black went stiff as a board at hearing it, and didn’t so much as make to reach for his quill as the rest of the class took notes.

“Alright, on your feet –” said Giles, gesturing with his hands, before pausing, and pointing, “Lupin – go with Snape, please. Pettigrew is more evenly matched with Miss MacDonald.”

Lily skirted around from her desk, “I can go with Severus, Professor!”  

“I think I can handle myself against Lupin.” drawled Snape.

Giles glanced between the Slytherin and Gryffindor and gave a warning of ‘Gentlemen’ before stepping away to supervise other students.

“Stupefy!”

At a small yelp, Katherine glanced up to find Snape on his back, his arms and legs locked together, and his wand frozen in his tight grip.

Black and Potter snickered.

Remus just looked around the room, unassumingly, as he waited for Snape to get back up. When he met Katherine’s eye, he gave the most imperceptible of smiles.

Lupin, you marvellous bastard… thought Katherine fondly, as she fought from grinning back.

Marlene had let Katherine stun her over and over until she got it right. On the first few tries, Katherine had only immobilised Marlene’s arms. Marlene, however, was a bit quicker to get it, and Katherine found herself falling hard onto the floorboards, completely helpless.

“Finite,” said Marlene, crossing to Katherine and extending a hand, “How’s the bum?”

Laughter leaked through as Katherine groaned, rubbing her hip as she stood, “Oww…”

Others around the class had taken the lesson as an excuse for a duel. No one seemed to want to be stunned, and shield charms were popping up just as fast.

At the bell, James and Black went for their bags, chatting animatedly and making duelling gestures –

“Spencer!”

James broke away from Black, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“A word?” he asked, nodding to the side of the classroom – bare, as everyone was streaming out into the hallway.

Katherine slowly nodded, waving goodbye to Marlene and the other girls who joined the crowd of students waiting to pass through the door.

Giles glanced up from his desk as he stacked away parchment and books, eyes flickering between Katherine and James.

James hooked a hand around Katherine’s elbow, lightly pulling her in the direction of the far windows.

James lowered his head to hers, and said quietly, hurriedly, “Come with me.”

“Sorry?” Katherine blinked, shaking her head lightly.

James tipped his head closer to hers conspiratorially.

“To the Christmas party,” he amended, he shook his head again, but this time in thought, “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before, honestly…”

It made… sense.

Katherine slowly nodded, and said, “Okay.”  

James let go of her elbow and stood up straight.

“Brilliant, I’ll meet you in the common room tonight – six o’clock.” said James, with a grin and a wave, turning to run after his friends.

Amusedly enough, he lightly smacked Black upside the back of the head as he passed him, for whatever reason…

It wasn’t a true requirement to have a date to the Christmas party, as the girls had insinuated earlier in the term. It was more of a social thing, to ensure you had someone to dance with, speak with, and be seated next to at the dinner table, and not feel awkward.

Katherine had accepted that she was going to go alone, but was glad that Madame Gladrags’ robes wouldn’t go to complete waste as she blended into the background all night as previously intended – as they really were very pretty…

Distracted, Katherine’s feet carried had her over to Lily – and she hadn’t noticed the company her friend was keeping.

Lily frowned up at Snape, "I don't need your approval for who I date, Sev."

"You should at least consider my disapproval when it pertains to a slime ball like Aubrey."

"Don't call him that," said Lily, frowning, "He's very nice – if you had come to meet us at the Three Broomsticks on the last Hogsmeade trip like I asked you to, you would have –"

"Probably hexed him."

Lily's eyes flashed like a curse, "Severus Snape, I –"

"Am ungrateful of the concern from one of you oldest friends," interrupted Snape, "He takes up all of your time, Lily – it's not healthy."

Lily's words were caustic out of her twisted lips, "And you'd know what a healthy relationship looks like, would you?"

Snape scowled and turned, but Lily caught his hand with wide eyes – immediately repentant.

"I'm sorry," said Lily, quickly, "That wasn't right of me."

Snape shook her hand off, "If this is what you've become with Aubrey's influence, I don't know if I want to –"

"Don't, Sev," said Lily, looking down at her shoes, "It would hurt you just as much as it would hurt me if we weren't friends."

As Katherine closed in on the pair squabbling by the window, she realised that Bertram Aubrey had stolen a lot of Lily's time.

According to Marlene, Lily used to spend lunches on the lawns with Snape and sit with him in classes that the Gryffindors shared with the Slytherins. But adding Katherine and Aubrey to the mix resulted in very little time for Snape.

Snape's colourless stare rose and pierced Katherine, "What are you doing here?"

"Severus." whispered Lily, gripping his elbow in reprimand.

Snape turned and skulked away; his large robes billowing in his wake.

"Sorry about him," said Lily, sighing after him and shaking her head, "He doesn't make friends that easily…"

"That's a rubbish way of saying he's a rotten person." said Marlene, slowing by them.

Lily's shoulders straightened, "Not –"

"To you," said Marlene, nodding as they walked to the door, "Yeah, we know."

Lily changed the subject, “What did Potter want, anyway?”

“He asked me to the party tonight.” said Katherine, adjusting her bag strap over her shoulder.

Lily blinked, and furrowed her eyebrows as they walked on, “Oh.”

 

---

 

At six o'clock, Katherine took the stairs down to the near-empty common room, feeling very delicate in her berry coloured robes. Mostly everyone was at dinner in the Great Hall or already at Slughorn's do.

James was leaning against the back of the couch closest the girls' stairs, like he had promised, and snapped to his feet in a blur of his formal graphite robes.

“Spencer,” said James in greeting, with a nod, proffering his arm, “You look nice.”

Katherine smiled her thanks and said, lightly, as he had done a long time ago with his own name, “Katherine.”

“Katherine,” repeated James as he walked, sounding it out like a foreign language, “Kath-er-ine.”

Katherine glanced to him, and said, honestly, “You look nice too.”

His robes were immaculate, his shoes were shined, and he had used sleek-ezy’s on his hair. Not a piece stuck up.

“Thanks,” said James, grinning as he pushed open the portrait, “Sirius told me my hair looked like an old loo brush with all the bristles bent in one direction.”

James stepped through first, loosening his hold on her arm, and turned back in aid.

Katherine found herself limited by the skirt of her robes that was keeping her ankles nearly impractically close together in her little kitten heels. She lifted her skirts with one hand, and gratefully took James’ arm with the other.

“Now,” said James, on the landing outside the portrait, “We’ve just got to do eight flights,”

He glanced up, face splitting in a grin –

“…Unless?”

One trip down a secret passage later, Katherine and James staggered back out into the torchlight, James nearly overbalancing with Katherine on his back.

To walk down the passage, Katherine had decided she would need to take off her shoes, but to not dirty her feet, James had insisted on piggy backing her. While well intentioned, he’d nearly run her into the stone walls six times as he jolted down the uneven stone tunnel.

Laughing, Katherine slid off James’ back, a hallway away from where the party was to be hosted in the dungeons.

James extended a hand, “You know, hanging around with girls isn’t as bad as I thought it was…”

Katherine used his hand as she lifted each of her feet in turn to slip them back into her shoes, laughing.

“Now…” said Katherine, inspecting James’ robes for any damage, brushing her hands over the arms of his robes and down his back where it had wrinkled, “No one will ever know.”

“I’ll probably tell people,” said James, with mirthful honesty, “That was a laugh…”

Katherine gave a laugh-lilted breath, and slipped her hand up around his bicep, “Ready?”

James gave a curt nod, and they briskly strode around the corner, seeing the light spilling from the open door of the party.

"Katherine! My dear girl!" Slughorn's jubilant and quivering grin met her, then flashed to James – brightening, “Ho, ho, ho – and Mister Potter!”

Slughorn gestured wildly to the open door, his rotund gut straining against the buttons of his shirt.

"Well, come in – come in! Both of you!"

Garlands of holly and roses were strung along ceilings much higher than Katherine remembered – undoubtedly altered by magic; snow gently falling over tables of decadent treats and glittering drinks. Through the mass of crimson and clover, Katherine found the familiar faces of her friends, newly anointed foes, and acquaintances.

Slughorn bustled around them, standing at Katherine’s side, “Now, we must get a photo… just here…”

Cajoled into place, and a camera wrangled for the feat, the three posed, bracing for the blinding flash and, and choking puff of smoke.

“Now – off you go… enjoy… enjoy – mingle.”

Before Katherine could suggest they try the jelly slug surprise, a set of tight platinum curls sprung across them.

"So, I guess the rumours aren’t true…"

James didn’t miss a beat, "You mean the ones you started?"

He maintained a polite smile, but his eyes narrowed slightly at Rita Skeeter.

"We'd love to give you a picture for the next article you feed Jasmine Copper, but Slughorn has the only camera in commission," said James, gripping Katherine's hand tighter to the crook of his elbow, "Now, if you'll please excuse us."

James escorted them away, no big deal – everything handled.

Katherine was rather dizzy at it all, and had never been gladder for James Potter.

"Drinks?" she suggested.

James nodded, “Whatever looks good. Meet me over by Belby, I want to have a chat with him.”

It was as she perused the foreign appetisers and bowls of drink that a familiar hand reached for a goblet. And a familiar shoulder gently bumped Katherine's.

"Gideon," breathed Katherine, tucking her hair behind her ears, "I thought that you weren't coming."

Katherine watched as his eyebrows twitched teasingly, his lips smiling at her from the rim of his goblet.

"He didn't."

Katherine leant back to observe the blond young man, "Fabian?"

He grinned, holding out his arms for effect.

"In the flesh," confirmed Fabian, taking another sip and nudging Katherine with wink, "But for a pretty price,"

Katherine found herself relaxed at the revelation.

Fabian's eyes set on something behind Katherine's head and widened.

"Slughorn's coming!" Fabian alerted her in an extremely hushed tone, "I can't speak to him or else he'll know that I'm not Gideon!"

Fabian put his goblet on the table before taking Katherine's from her hand and setting it down beside his. The next thing that she knew, he took a hold Katherine's own hand, and Katherine was pulled through an archway behind silk hangings.

Everything was suddenly tinged pink by the hangings.

"I –" Fabian broke off, scanning either side for any sign of a rotund gut – "I think we're safe."

"You go on, then," said Katherine with a smile, having to constantly remind herself that he wasn't Gideon, "You could make a break for the door and go get your reward."

Fabian gulped, glanced at the door, and turned back to Katherine with a frown, "What about you?"

"I'm here with James.” said Katherine, shrugging.

Fabian refocused on her, grinning, as his eyes drifted over her, “He’s got bollocks that one… I’ll give him that…”

Katherine raised her eyebrows, amused, and confused, "I thought you were going?"

Licking his lips in indecision, he jiggled a watch out of his pocket; gold and gleaming.

"It is past eight…"

Katherine leant over, observing the clock face for herself.

"Neat watch," said Katherine, smiling at the revolving and obscure shapes in place of the second and minute hands, "I like the stars."

"Thanks," said Fabian, closing it and pocketing it once more, "Molly's going to harp on me for dropping it – 'Do you want your sons and nephews thinking you don't value tradition when they get passed this on their seventeenth birthday?'"

"Nephews?" asked Katherine, curious to the addition to what would be the tradition of father to son.

Gideon shrugged, "It'll probably go to one of her boys – I don't have plans to settle down any time soon."

Fabian offered Katherine one last smile and slipped out of sight.

But someone swiftly took his place; looking down their nose as they righted their crystal and gold cufflinks.

"I thought that he would never leave…"

Katherine thought the younger boy's chronological disadvantage was exacerbated by her heels as she had to lower her eyes to meet his.

"I wasn't aware I had a line…" said Katherine sarcastically, peering out of the hangings for emphasis.

Regulus Black had the good grace to cough instead of snort, "I just think that it's a bit rich of him to come with you when he's snogging my cousin."

The crass word made Katherine blink and flinch simultaneously, a coolness spreading through her at the peculiarity of it being applied to the Head Boy and Girl. Pushing aside her falter, Katherine didn't proceed to divulge the twin switch.

"I didn't come with Gideon,"

Her eyes flitted past Regulus' raised eyebrows – so like his brother's, but with more disdain –

"I came with James."

"What happened to the half-breed? Lupin?"

Katherine's eyes snapped to him at the tart phrase, her half-formed smile crumbling.

"Half-breed?"

Regulus turned to her, his lips slipping away from his teeth that had a lofty gleam to them, his head of lacquered black hair inclined.

"Surely, you know," said Regulus, his voice rolling and blooming with haughtiness, "Don't you?"

Katherine blinked, tucked her hair behind her ears, and returned what she hoped was an unaffected gaze to Regulus.

"That he's a half-blood?" said Katherine, "So what?"

Regulus shook his head and grinned, "This is too good…"

"Why do you want to talk about Lupin anyway?"

"Touchy about the boyfriend, are we?" asked Regulus, with a patronising shift of his head.

"He's not my boyfriend," said Katherine, perhaps more quickly that she should have – the prophet article rolling around the back of her mind, "And James came with me as a friendly favour."

"Why not come alone?" asked Regulus, "I did,"

Regulus returned his gaze to the newly closed off hangings, tinging everything pink once again.

"We could have met up or something…"

"So, we could what?" asked Katherine, smiling not out amusement but exasperation, "Meet up behind silk hangings and have more confusing conversations?"

Regulus turned to Katherine, looking every inch of the word he spoke, "Confusing?"

The genuine emotion on his face, that he had aptly named, made Katherine rigid with ire. Every conversation they had ever partaken in flashed through her mind; never complete and always abrupt.

"Yes; confusing." said Katherine.

"Have you seen Katherine?"

The mention of her name jolted Katherine into awareness of the happenings beyond the hangings; a head of barely tamed jet black passing by within arm's reach –

A cool hand around her elbow alerted her to the fact that her feet had started in the direction of her fellow Gryffindor. The grip was quickly relinquished; and so fleeting that she wasn't sure if it burned or iced her.

Regulus stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, looking either side of himself, "Sorry – that was improper of me, but…just…"

"Regulus! Katherine!"

Slughorn tweaked his walrus moustache with one hand and rested his other on his stomach that had nudged apart the pink hangings.

"Just the two I was looking for! You two would look dashing in a photograph together!"

Katherine felt trapped.

"I should really be getting back to James, sir." said Katherine, bowing her head and making to step away.

Slughorn grinned in implication, "Is that why you were convoluting behind the curtain with handsome young Regulus?"

'Handsome' Regulus mouthed from where he stood behind Slughorn's shoulder.

"You've got the wrong end of the stick, sir –"

"I dare say Mister Potter will be fine in Belby’s company for a few more minutes, now –" cheered Slughorn, cutting Katherine off "– a photograph!"

Slughorn had thrust a camera into stubby hands of a girl named Dolores in a shocking amount of pink, and she had captured the trio in short moment of smiling and – on Katherine's part at least – nervous laughter.

Before Slughorn could even accept the camera back from the seventh-year girl in pink, Regulus' hand was extended gallantly into the charged air –

"Would you care to dance, Katherine?"

Katherine was spared his scrutiny at her fallen open mouth; Regulus having turned to smile courteously at Slughorn.

"Will you allow us to slip away, sir?" asked Regulus.

Slughorn, mellowed by mead and jubilant students dancing around, simply waved them on with a smile and the parting words of 'be good'.

She rested her hand atop his, and Regulus led her with chivalry Katherine thought long lost, to her old life, to the cleared space for dancing couples.

Regulus turned them into a rigid dancing stance.

Katherine caught James’ eye; barely restrained bafflement across his face as his gaze drifted over where she and Regulus joined in dance –

The only thing that passed between them for a moment was music, and Katherine noted that he was counting behind his eyes. She recognised it from when she had first started dancing at functions her aunt and uncle allowed her to attend, having done it herself as to not step on anyone's toes.

Regulus artfully twirled Katherine around, allowing her a long glance at where Bertram Aubrey and Lily giggled and whispered over Butterbeer.

"Dinner is now being served!" Slughorn's voice boomed over the room.

Regulus slowed his feet, dropped his hold, and proffered his arm once more, "I would like to apologise for stealing you from your date, but as your last dance it's protocol for me to escort you to your seat."

Regulus pulled out a seat for her beside James, across from Lily and Bertram, before pushing her in and taking his own seat next to Bertram.

James leant his arm against hers, and peered sideways, saying softly, “Are you alright?”

“Of course,” said Katherine, reaching for her glass of water, set out to the right of her plate, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

James licked his lips, tipping his head as he whispered softly, “Sirius’ brother can be… well, he’s certainly a Black through and through...”

A man took the spare seat, on the other side of James, smiling jollily.

“How are you, lad?” he asked, clapping a hand on James’ shoulder.

“Good, Uncle Bartie,” said James, a little startled, before gesturing to Katherine, “May I introduce Katherine Spencer?”

“Bartholomew Alderidge,” said ‘Uncle Bartie’, holding out a hand across James’ plate setting, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Spencer.”

Katherine took his hand, and gently shook it, “And you, Mister Alderidge.”

He gave off warm, yet slightly cheeky, grandfather vibes. It both settled and warmed Katherine.

Over the meal, Katherine came to know that James and Bartholomew shared no true relation, and that the older wizard was a close associate of James’ father. Also, there had been a particularly amusing anecdote about James’ hatred of underpants as a child, and the contraindication that served in house full of potion makers – and dangers.

James had been bursting with laughter in his seat, struggling to slice his chicken as he endured the telling of the story, taking it all on the chin and managing his groans at certain parts of the tale. The three were having their own separate conversation to the rest of the table.

The amusement vanished however, when Slughorn asked Lily for a proper introduction to her date.

“– Bertram’s on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.”

Slughorn nodded, ‘ahhing’.

“I play as a Chaser.” said Bertram, clarifying.

Slughorn’s eyes lit up, “Ah, like our Mister Potter!”

Bertram’s eyes fell on James – and so did the attentions of the rest of the table.

James, however, was mid sip of his water.

Slughorn grinned conspiratorially with Katherine, before turning back to the table at large, “The scouts will be all over Mister Potter soon enough,”

Slughorn turned his eyes back to Bertram.

“Aubrey, do you think you’ll be contention for Captain on the Ravenclaw side?”

Bertram’s smile tightened, just a bit, “I’m afraid not, Professor Slughorn.”

Slughorn hummed, turning his attention away already, “Yes, yes… – Mister Black! Speaking of the great game… I have to admit that I am most eager to cheer for my own house again this year…”

Regulus carried on a spirited back and forth with his professor.

Katherine found herself unable to judge the younger boy's sincerity, and watched him charm and hold court...

Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy sat tall, beautiful, and intimidating beside Regulus, watching, and laughing encouragingly with the younger boy and their professor.

It really was the most glossy and glittering display with the small group in all their finery. There was not a thing behind their eyes, however.

James topped up his glass with a pitcher from the centre of the table, and Katherine’s as well, seeing it was nearly empty. They shared amused smiles, James’ tinged with gratitude, at what had just transpired at the table.

As the dinner wound down, the distinguished guests were guided over to Slughorn’s special cabinet of mead and elven wine.

The students made their exit, apart from a chosen, special few. James had been requested back by Bartholomew, to chat further. Damocles Belby, Malfoy and Regulus too were among those chosen.

"They really are the most darling robes, Miss Spencer,” said Slughorn in a jolly farewell, “Ta ta...”

There were enough party goers milling around that Katherine felt safe walking, essentially, by herself back up to Gryffindor Tower. Lily and Bertram, and Frank and Alice, had all vanished earlier. If the girls knew James wouldn’t be escorting her back, they would have waited, but Katherine didn’t want to begrudge them their fun with their dates.

Curfew was truly not far off, so she endeavoured to be light on her feet in an attempt at discretion. There were barely any students in the hallways of the upper floors, Katherine becoming easily accustomed to the quiet.

Just as she went to use a passageway on the fourth floor that was concealed by a mirror, footsteps sounded just so – and close –

Panic flared in her chest. Katherine found her wand with her other hand and whirled around.

"Easy." said Black, blinking slowly, casting a glance down at her wand.

Instant calm fell over her, and her wand dropped to her side.

"Sorry, I…" Katherine trailed off in apology, startled by his undivided attention, "It was just a reflex."

It was the first time he had spoken directly to her.

"Don't worry about it," said Black, shoving his hands into his pockets. His eyes raked over her robes, and then he nodded to her, “Shouldn’t James be escorting you back?”

“Oh, Uncle Bartie was there.” said Katherine, guessing that Black would know who the man was.

Black did in fact nod, with a quiet ‘ah…’.

Before he could say anything further, he had to duck to dodge a flying pumpkin that seemed to appear out of thin air. Black straightened up, looking around with tired amusement.

"Peeves!" called Black, his voice echoing down the cavernous hallway.

The beady-eyed poltergeist popped into corporealness.

"Black!" greeted Peeves loudly, laughing from his belly, "Where are your friends? And my favourite – Loony Loopy Lupin?"

The poltergeist did a dizzying loop in the air on 'Loopy'.

Katherine felt Black tense in front of her. His eyes flickered back to Katherine before returning firmly to Peeves.

"You know that he's in the dorms, Peeves." said Black, his amusement waning.

Peeves clicked his see-through feet in his best impression of a ballerina, holding his chest and fluttering his eyelashes.

"Not invited on the moonlit stroll you're taking, huh?" asked Peeves with his usual menacing humour.

Black lifted his wand, his aloof expression becoming a hair sharper.

Peeves hesitated before popping out of sight as quickly as he had popped into it.

Black turned to Katherine, sighing, "He'll keep pestering us the closer it gets to curfew."

"Are you heading back to the Tower too?" asked Katherine, blinking as she processed the lunacy that had just transpired.

Black’s eyes swept over her, and he nodded.

Secretly, Katherine felt relieved. Black could probably out duel anyone.

Both of them fixed their eyes to the ground as they walked back in the general direction of Gryffindor Tower. They loped through the hallways, a healthy two feet of distance between them at all times.

The wall sconces had not been extinguished all day. Rain still lashed the windows, and the occasional flash of lightning broke the dark hallways into dozens of pieces. Between the dark stretches, bereft of windows and sconces, they were lit by dancing orange light.

Although plucking up a conversation felt like it would be awkward, getting back to Tower in complete silence would be threefold that.

She tried to pick a safe subject, "Did you see the Wronski Feint that the Hufflepuff Seeker was practicing this afternoon?"

Black bit out a laugh, turning to her with a smile –

"I saw the condition he went to hospital wing in," said Black, amused. He shook his head, watching his step, "Amateur."

Carrying an easiness from the night with her, Katherine felt bold enough to counter him.

"Says a Chaser."

Black turned to her, amusement in place of his usual aloofness, "Just because the manoeuvre isn't called for in my position, it doesn't mean that I haven't mastered it."

"I trust you." Katherine laughed, with her hands up, feeling the buzz of nervousness receding from her fingertips.

Black coughed out a laugh, turning to her once again with a smile, "A horrible decision, really."

Katherine smiled to herself, and they continued their climb for a beat of silence until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

When they stopped, Katherine’s eyes fixed downwards, feeling suddenly awkward – was he going to say the password, or should she? Her eyes came to rest on his shoes; jarringly large and boyish beside hers…

On pure accident, she met Sirius Black’s eyes. At once, she was struck with the realisation that they were grey. She had never spared a thought for them before…

“Mistletoe.” said Black.

CLICK, the portrait unlocked, popping off the wall.

Katherine sighed, remembering James’ help over the portrait hole on the way out. Bending down, she decided to just lift her robes up over her knees.

Black had paused, and as Katherine righted her skirts, pulled the portrait closed behind them.

It had been… nice to have an amicable conversation with the boy. Easy, even.

Lily looked up from her conversation with Remus, by the noticeboard, as Katherine and Black ambled along the passage and into the common room - blinking.

Katherine however, found herself watching Black go.

He’d been in a terrible mood for a while. Even as he crossed to the boy’s stairs, he still had a tenseness to his shoulders – that had been there ever since Jeffery Alderidge had made his delivery.

It made Katherine wonder just what had been in that letter…

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 20: A Black Christmas

As a child, Sirius' birthday always marked the beginning of dazzling lights in the streets, of a constantly open kitchen, of warm bellies – of a break in the numb, colourless coat of winter. A hum of harmony fell between the two worlds he walked between more freely; a universal hum of anticipation that something brilliant was about to happen.

Even if it only was a break in the grim green décor of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

Boughs of Holly decked the halls, ivy was tucked into pockets instead of satin squares, and sprigs of Mistletoe were charmed to sprout sporadically. The green of the walls and the red of the plants a combination representing fertility, something desperately sought by members of the family and something their ancient muggle ancestors welcomed after struggling though an oppressive bleak period.

Mistletoe had an ulterior purpose in the house of Black. If enemies were to meet each other under the plant, they were obliged to put down their weapons and form a truce until the following day.

Certain traditions, much to his parents' dismay, were mimicked in the windows they passed whenever they ventured out into muggle London to seek their disguised portals to their own world.

Sirius couldn't remember a Christmas without his little brother – a Christmas without Walburga tasking Kreacher with watching the two magical and mischievous boys while she prepared the food; untrusting of the creature with ancient family recipes.

In his childhood, Christmas was a time of freshly baked bread each and every day, steaming from the oven; new patchwork quilts from his aunts and Grandmothers; and new jumpers – always green.

The precipice of mid-winter's celebration was marked by the giving of the yule log to the Patriarch, who would then light it and covet its flame; it being most unlucky for it to be extinguished. Games of exploding snap were played and ghost stories were told around the log in the hearth. The first story Sirius remembered being told around the log was by his mother, and about the log itself.

"…as the fire grew brighter and burned hotter, and as the log turned into ashes, it symbolized the final and ultimate triumph over evil." Walburga had whispered to a four-year-old Sirius on her knee – cushioned by her tartan skirts as the fire warmed their skin and cider warmed their stomachs.

To Sirius, evil – at that age – meant creatures and monsters that hid under beds and in cupboards and would steal him away from his family, stew him in soups, and scoop out his eyeballs.

Christmas Eve supper would also be taken in the room the log inhabited, crackers containing toys, Wizarding Wireless', jokes, chess sets, and paper hats were pulled alongside the eating of the roast. Before dessert and night caps, the lighting of the candles would take place. Two large coloured candles – always a symbolic black in their family – would be lit by the youngest person present.

Sirius vaguely remembered when he was the one to light the candles. Narcissa had sulked, he recalled, like Molly, Fabian, Gideon, Andromeda and Bellatrix had done before her. Due to he, his brother, and his cousins being born so close together, the tradition was passed quickly on with parents holding toddlers on their knees and guiding stubby fingers.

The candles would be lit with the flame of the yule log and, once lit, all would be silent. While the candles were transported to the table, everyone would make a wish – one to be kept secret. In his childhood, Sirius would wish for the health, longevity, and prosperity of his family.

Once on the table, the silence would be broken, presents were allowed to be opened, and the candles would be allowed to burn themselves out. No other lights could be lit that night.

The Christmas traditions were a crutch for Sirius in the usually bleak atmosphere of his home, until his first year of Hogwarts.

After a tight hug with his teary brother on the platform and a pat on the shoulder from each of his parents, Sirius had wandered with disguised uncertainty onto the train. He couldn't have possibly of known about the boy with jet black hair he was about to meet, and stand by, in a knock-down drag-out with a boy boasting of Slytherin's prestige and belittling the boy with the last name 'Potter' at the same time.

The sorting hat put Sirius in Gryffindor that evening.

Boys he had played with while their fathers talked Ministry business avoided his eye in the hallways. Girls he had danced with at functions to discover compatibility for later betrothals watched him warily from a distance, always frowning at the colour of his tie before flouncing off should they ever need to speak. Bellatrix looked the other way when her betrothed sent jinxes and hexes the way of Sirius and his first-year friends.

Andromeda was the only one to talk to him that way she always had done, asking about their other cousins; Fabian and Gideon, two years above Sirius in Gryffindor.

He barely read the letter his parents sent him, carefully crafted, about his sorting on his first day of classes. He barely had time to think of them at all while learning new spells and that the use of the word 'mudblood' would get you throttled by Lily Evans no matter how often you held open doors for her.

Regulus' letters, however, Sirius always returned.

James Potter, Remus Lupin, Frank Longbottom, and Peter Pettigrew quickly became a source of never-ending laughs, back slaps, and company to run through the halls with for Sirius.

Regulus stopped writing, and when Sirius returned home for the summer, Regulus busied himself by trailing after their father. Sirius didn't follow, he knew of another world where dancing, speaking foreign tongues, and political policy didn't get you very far.

It was in Sirius' second year of Hogwarts that Regulus farewelled their parents with him on the platform, but ducked and weaved away from him to find Rodolphus Lestrange’s younger brother his age on the train.

It was in Sirius' second year that he and James figured out, after an extra twelve full moons in Astronomy class, why Remus disappeared every month, and that his mother wasn't really ill.

Bellatrix and Rodolphus had graduated, married, and took most of animosity in Slytherin for Sirius with them before the summer. The imminent departure of his favourite cousin and new seventh year, Andromeda, weighed on Sirius though.

Andromeda had regaled Sirius and his friends with tales of Hogsmeade before she graduated in June – she detailed the secret passages a Hufflepuff Prefect, Ted Tonks, had shown her on their Prefect Patrols. Without her older sister around to snitch on her and a younger sister she had influence over, it seemed Andromeda had taken a trip to the town she spoke of with her purse and without her mother; her robes tighter, lower cut, and with shorter hems.

It was her descriptions of sweets that led Sirius and his friends to try and use the passages to Hogsmeade that Christmas. They had their fill, moaning and groaning in pain and fulfillment – and getting caught, as a result, by the pretty blonde barkeeper at the Three Broomsticks, Rosmerta. She turned them over to Hagrid who made them swear to not do it again, as he didn't want to see them get into trouble.

It was as they fled across the lawns; wide-eyed, grinning, and breathless under the night sky, that Sirius' mind wandered to a book on spells for magical maps in his family library – spells that could map people. Writing that same evening to his brother that had returned home that Christmas, Sirius asked him to find the book and bring it back to school with him.

Regulus refused.

His Christmas present that year had been a bicycle – only able to be used at home, as it would cause a ruckus at Hogwarts – a ploy, Sirius recognised, even in his youth.

He received a letter on Christmas Day from James – his father had given James a cloak of invisibility, as he proved to be responsible over the school year. It proved a better present than his bicycle, but still – to keep up pretences – Sirius assembled the bicycle and was preparing to take it out onto the street when he heard thunder – not from the sky, but from footsteps of the front stoop.

The blizzard blew around the house while a storm of pillbox hats and shopping bags blustered in through the front door.

Sirius looked up from his book as Andromeda pulled off her gloves, throwing them down on the end table.

"He's old, mother!"

A plethora of bundled herbs were ripped out of the paper bag; hemlock root, bezoars –

"He's a man of the world – and thirty is hardly –"

"He lives in deep country – I won't be able to step outside for fear of an animal attack –"

"That's what wards are for –"

"I'm seeing somebody else!"

Andromeda's eyes were equally as wide as Druella's, her hand dropping the newt's eyes and smacking across her mouth.

"Somebody else?" spluttered Druella, blinking, "You've been out of Hogwarts barely a year – you don't know anyone else!"

Not wanting to be a part of the ruckus, Sirius took his bicycle out and around the block to Claremont Square. Snow fell on his nose and eyelashes, wind blew against and his cheeks and through his hair – it was the closest he could get to riding his broom back at Hogwarts.

It was back at home, a few hours later, when Sirius sought out his cousin in the room she always picked when visiting to check on her – like she always did when the roles were reversed.

Instead of reading on her bed or brushing out her hair at the vanity, Andromeda was surrounded by floating articles of clothing and a cluster of random possessions as she dashed from one side of the room to the other – to her open trunk.

"Are you leaving?" asked Sirius.

His words melded into the symphony of sounds that was Andromeda's repetitive pacing between her dresser and her trunk.

Andromeda sighed, flicked her wand, and blinked at Sirius with a tired smile, "If you're not on the tapestry, you're not welcome at Christmas."

"They've blasted you off?" Sirius frowned and looked behind Andromeda instead, watching her socks fold themselves and plop neatly on top of a stack of clothes, "We're…we're not cousins anymore?"

Andromeda closed the lid of her trunk with a hollow THUNK.

"Don't buy into that pureblood mania, Sirius," said Andromeda, turning back and sitting on top of the initial end of her trunk, "We'll always be cousins."

Sirius fell onto the small space of mattress beside the trunk – beside Andromeda, "But…but your duty to the family –"

"They don't need me,"

Andromeda looked up, sensing his disbelief, and placed a hand over his wrist with a small smile.

"Not like they need you."

Andromeda patted his hand and stood, her powder pink embroidered dress-coat opening to reveal the reason her clothes had taken on a more billowing silhouette after graduating Hogwarts. And it had nothing to do with layering up against the winter winds, Sirius discovered.

"You…you're…"

"Pregnant," Andromeda smiled and lifted a hand, a diamond gold ring snug beneath the telling knuckle on her left hand, "And married."

"Which came first?"

For a moment, her likeness to her sisters – to Sirius was startling. But it dissolved; Andromeda's hair a light, soft brown, and her eyes wider – kinder.

"Watch it,"

Andromeda's lips tugged up, betraying her amusement.

"Ted's honourable."

Sirius nodded, blinking, "He always did look the other way when he stumbled across me after curfew…I approve, I guess…"

"I think he'd like to hear that one day…he was really cut up about not being able to ask my father's permission…"

Sirius caught himself partaking in a sappy smile of comradery with his cousin, and cleared his throat, looking to the door.

"They will have closed the floo,"

Sirius looked up to find that Andromeda didn't seem at all concerned.

"How are you getting out – you can't apparate when you're… er," Sirius' hands gestured of their own accord to where his thoughts had trailed, "with child."

Andromeda snorted, but smiled and blinked at the floor.

"Uncle Alphard kept his floo open in his room," said Andromeda, lifting her eyebrows and then her eyes to Sirius, "He also announced, quite loudly, that he was stepping out to the leaky cauldron to have a festive pint of Butterbeer with the Undersecretary to the Minister between eight and midnight."

"You'll be cut off – your vault will be emptied by morning."

Andromeda didn't blink, "There are more important things."

"Like what?"

"One day," said Andromeda, standing with one hand on the handle of her trunk and the other reaching to pat Sirius' knee, "You'll understand."

In the New Year, Sirius returned to school, striking the memory of his mother blasting Andromeda from the Tapestry to his Aunt Druella's pleas. He replaced it with the process of creating the map with the book he'd swiped from his family's library over the break.

Amongst the sneaking down to Hogsmeade to retrieve sweets and essentially residing in the kitchens to drink tankard after tankard of hot chocolate, Sirius almost missed the letter from his cousin alongside the annual one from his family. Andromeda was always an excellent storyteller, and her letters read the same way as a book before bed.

Lured into a softer state of mind by her letter and the Christmas Card with a photograph of Andromeda, Ted, and an ever-hair-colour-changing Nymphadora on Ted's knee, Sirius opened a letter with all the fixings of his family's usual Christmas correspondence. Apart from a postscript stolen in at the bottom – in his brother's handwriting; rushed.

It too turned out to be a tale and a half.

'Molly's elopement with Weasley has been discovered – three years ago now, apparently – and she has already produced two heirs before the Malfoy's could follow through with her betrothal to a newly-of-age Lucius. Aunt Lucretia and Uncle Ignatius were disinvited from Christmas this year. Don't be seen with Fabian or Gideon for a while.

Kind Regards,

R.A.B.'

Sirius had no intention of heeding Regulus' warning. He, in fact, flouted it; spending as much time with Fabian after Quidditch practices in sight of his relations as possible all the way through to his fifth year.

That all changed, though, because when Sirius returned home at Christmas in his fifth year – as his parents' letter requested of him – his Aunt Lucretia, Uncle Ignatius, and his cousins; Fabian, and Gideon, were welcomed with smiles and kisses on the cheek. The four even gifted the yule log to Orion – a false front of unity, Sirius knew.

Andromeda and Molly's absence was lurid despite the presence of both sets of his grandparents, the remaining four of his cousins, and his Great Aunt Cassiopeia.

The something that had changed, Sirius had discovered over the course of his fifth year, was the betrothal of Narcissa to Lucius Malfoy in place of Molly Prewett. Narcissa, it seemed, preferred – if she were to marry someone she was related to – someone a bit closer to home. She and Gideon did a poor job of masking their longing glances and pained sighs at the lighting of the yule log.

"Walburga – my wand, if you will."

Orion's words snapped Sirius out of his reminiscence, and directed his attention to where his father wiped his hands on his slacks in front of the newly-deposited log in the hearth.

With a complicated flick of his wand, a swirl of rainbow-coloured flames engulfed the log, sparking, and then taking off in the brilliant orange colour Sirius had come to expect.

"You seem unfazed, Rodolphus," asked Fabian from beside Sirius as they all watched on, "Seen your fair share of burning things in your time, hey?"

Bellatrix turned with a look that threatened retribution at her cousin and his blasé comment.

Rodolphus simply blinked his dark eyes and peered around his curly black hair to Gideon, "This isn't my first Christmas with your family."

"Your first Christmas with us shouldn't have technically been allowed," trembled Cassiopeia as Regulus wheeled her past the group, clicking her tongue, "Imagine if Lucius were to attend this year – only with aspirations to marry our Narcissa..."

"He gave me a ring." said Narcissa in pacification, trailing behind Regulus and Cassiopeia.

Fabian made a flurry of quiet smooching noises at Narcissa as she passed, "Was there kissing at this exchanging of the ring?"

"Grow up, there's isn't always kissing." muttered Narcissa, crossing her arms and marching through the doorway and almost up-seating Cassiopeia.

"Yeah," said Fabian, slinging an arm around Sirius' shoulder and grinning lasciviously, "Sometimes there's groping."

Alphard grinned before noticing his sister's eyes on him, and cleared his throat, "Enough of that – what's the time, son?"

Fabian jiggled his watch out of his waist coat.

"Four thirty-two." said Fabian, sighing and quickly pocketing the watch once more.

"Dinner's served!"

Sirius broke away to follow everyone into the kitchen to eat.

"What a time for our family," sighed Cassiopeia, smiling at the pot plant, "Narcissa graduating and wedding Malfoy…the patter of little feet will be soon be upon us…merlin, how I miss children…"

Sirius couldn't help but murmur beneath his breath as he turned from Gideon and took his seat in between Regulus and Alphard, "Yes, they don't know how to resist the imperious curse yet when they're in nappies..."

Regulus quietly choked on his piece of bread, smiling behind a handkerchief as he put the offending piece of food back of his plate.

"Gideon, you're graduating too," said Cygnus, swirling his glass over his plate, "What are your plans?"

"My aptitude test in fifth year showed a proclivity for authoritarian roles – especially in the justice system," said Gideon, sitting slowly across from Sirius, "Auror Moody offered me and Fabian places in his department if we pass the character tests and N.E.W.T requirements."

Regulus glanced up and around at the table as he cut into his potatoes, "Sirius' aptitude test returned the same."

Sirius was overcome with saliva to gulp and a dry mouth at the same time.

"No, it –"

"I heard you and Potter talking." said Regulus, raising his eyebrows and closing his mouth around a forkful of potatoes.

"You're not thinking of pursuing it, are you?" asked Cygnus, leaning forward – voice hushed.

"Sirius, people get jobs to make money," said Walburga, leaning forward with raised eyebrows and lips caught between a purse and a smile, "You already have money – it's like skipping a step."

"He'd double his vault if he invested more time in Quidditch," grumbled Arcturus, gripping his walking stick where it was leant against the arm of his chair, "Wasn't that Whisp fellow ranked in the top five earning wizards in the world in yesterday's issue of The Daily Prophet?"

Sirius blinked and set the beginnings of a smile on a wreath of mistletoe on the table, "There are more important things."

"Speaking of…" said Walburga, standing, "Regulus, would you go get the candles, dear?"

Sirius wished for something new that year; he wished for the safety of him and his friends. And he got, not another bicycle, but a broom – a Nimbus 1700.

"You didn't get a new bicycle this year, lad?" asked Ignatius, patting his waistcoat, "You must have done something positively heinous."

"A broomstick will serve him better than another muggle contraption." said Orion.

Fabian looked up from his plate in tandem with his twin.

Sirius preoccupied himself with his meal, "Yes, father."

"My, my…" said Cassiopeia, gazing blindly at the portrait behind Sirius, "You've never stuck around so long, my boy…"

Arcturus gave a huff and a goading grin, "Yes, I'm surprised Sirius hasn't already rode off to try and catch a glimpse of that pretty little thing he's fancied since merlin knows when…"

Sirius leant back in his chair.

"There's always later."

Fabian snorted, gently elbowed by his mother who then proceeded to 'drop' her fork and request him to retrieve it.

"Ah, but aren't you in charge of stoking the yule log this year?" asked Cygnus.

Sirius' smile at Fabian's silent scolding slipped down his chin, neck, and settled like something cold in his chest.

Melania sat up beside Arcturus.

"It's quite the honour –"

Cassiopeia glowered at a candelabra, "Usually reserved for the Patriarch –"

Orion waved a hand, leaving it up.

"Mere technicality," said Orion, blinking, "And only a matter of time,"

Orion's hand lowered to rest alongside his plate, his gaze setting on his goblet while the gaze of the table was upon him.

"One day," said Orion, blinking at his goblet before lifting it, pausing at his chin, "This house will be yours, Sirius,"

Orion took a short sip, rested his goblet down beside his plate, and knitted his fingers together on the snake-swirled placemat.

"You will join a long line of patriarchs…"

Sirius felt the full weight of both his father and his grandfather's stares. He knew that, eventually, one day the duty would fall to him. His father, Orion, was still young by wizarding terms and would most likely hold the position until Sirius married; something of a far-off concept to the sixteen-year-old.

"…rear your children in the learned ways of our forefathers within these walls; steeped in history…"

The 'learned ways of their forefathers' entailed a strict upbringing. As soon as he could form words of English, words of French and German were sprinkled into his vernacular; for dignitary purposes when abroad, as they so commonly were; and Latin, to secure ease in learning spells.

As soon as he could walk, he was constantly pulled back at the shoulders, hit beneath the chin to lift it, and held back by scarves at the dinner table by his mother – all to promote impeccable posture.

As soon as he could tie his shoes, he was taught to dance; pushed together with his female cousins in the hazy sunlight of summer afternoons in the sitting room, after an already full day of instruction. The waltz and all other types of ballroom manoeuvres ensured grace in movement, marriage prospects and success in political endeavours; if you could sway someone side to side, you could sway their mind readily enough.

Before a wand was available, a quill was the weapon in which a young gentleman wielded. The intimidation of a neat hand could never be underestimated, better yet – near impossibly decipherable curls of ink taught in the learning of calligraphy.

Tagging along to sit in on sessions of the Wizengamot was only allowed after a sizable display of self-discipline. Mastering an instrument was a common precursor to parliamentary privileges. Sirius had sat at the piano in his mother's parlour for hours – days, of his youth.

The most interesting and disturbing compulsory part of his instruction had been using a pensieve and his ancestor's memories for the history component. Vivid witch burnings, revolutionary votes on the Wizengamot on the Statute of Secrecy, and discoveries of potions and spells were all interspersed with sneaking out into muggle London with his Uncle Alphard.

Something sweet, Alphard always said, to break up the bitter taste the memories left in Sirius' mouth. It was all to ready him, like a stallion for auction, for marriage – for producing an heir – to carry on the tradition and prestige of the Black family.

"…we have to draw up a betrothal contract by your seventeenth birthday –"

"I want to choose,"

His father paused, his fork just short of his mouth.

Sirius placed his hands down, flat, on the table, and fixed his eyes on the snake-swirled place mat beneath his silver plate, "Mother requested you, and I would like to exercise my right to do the same."

"Whatever is the matter with Griselda Greengrass?" asked Walburga, sitting up straighter in her seat and joining her hands together.

Sirius knew of many a thing wrong with the young witch.

"The wizard's the head of the family, but the witch is the neck…" said Alphard, his elbow finding's Sirius', "You better choose an agreeable one."

"So, who is she?"

Sirius' eyes rose to find himself under grey fire; his mother peering across at him expectantly.

"I've got to ask her first," said Sirius, leaning back in his seat and throwing an amused, appeasing expression around the table, "I hardly think I could face you all if she rejected me."

A few short sounds of amusement sounded around the table, stifled.

Orion waved a long, listless hand.

Walburga continued, "Any self-respecting pureblood would jump at the opportunity to join our family."

Orion picked up where his wife left off, lifting his napkin from his lap, and depositing it on his plate, "Once you have attained the young lady's permission –"

Alphard turned a lofty blink on his eldest nephew, "It is a young lady, isn't it?"

"– We will draft the marriage license, plan the wedding for the summer after you graduate, and you can take the mark on your seventeenth birthday –"

Despite his Uncle's goading, Sirius still caught the strange addition to what his parents' usual plans for him entailed.

"I beg your pardon, father, what was that last one?" asked Sirius.

There wasn't so much as a CLINK of silverware, but the stares thrown around the table were loud enough.

"Lord Voldemort is the light to guide us out of this muggle-loving epidemic – they used to burn us at the stake, for Merlin's sake," said Walburga, plainly, "You remember why Slytherin wanted to be selective from your preparatory lessons, don't you, boy?"

Sirius gave a short nod; strained by his disdain of the ideologies shoved down his throat before he could tie his own shoelaces.

"Times have changed, Wally," Alphard saved Sirius, leaning back in his chair, "Besides, they've just about killed themselves off with their silly wars."

"Alphard!" gasped Walburga, casting a hand across her chest as if she'd been stricken, "You can't be serious about this research you've been doing?"

Alphard inclined his head, amused, but stubborn, "Muggleborns are not to be hunted – they're the descendants of our out-casted squibs."

Orion stood, inclined his head as he finished chewing his dinner roll, and adjusted his satin cravat.

Sirius rose, Regulus after him, and they followed their father from the room at the silent cue.

"A muggleborn only occurs if two squibs come together –"

Orion closed the door on the conversation, the thud of the door on the other side of the dining room indicating that their aunts, uncles, and cousins had done the same; leaving the middle-aged siblings to their bickering.

Orion led the way across the entrance hall to the front sitting room, gazing out at the passing muggles who couldn't look back at him even if he wished them to.

Regulus loitered by an armchair just inside the door frame, not sitting.

Sirius too stood, watching his father, and trying to not clench his hands or sway from foot to foot.

"A regiment will be here tonight to assess you – but it's just a formality."

"I won't do it," said Sirius, shaking his own head and stepping back, "I'll spell myself purple and dance naked around the fireplace – chanting in mermish – to convince them that I've gone round the twist if I have to."

Regulus bowed his head in edgeways to the mounting argument, "I think he means to express his concern for being killed, or otherwise incapacitated in Azkaban, and unable to raise the next generation of Black –"

"No, I don't,"

Sirius was unable to stop the narrowing of his eyes at his younger brother, before he shifted them to his father.

"I won't get caught torturing muggleborns down by the brambles in Hogsmeade on my weekends – because I won't be scarring my arm up with that dead stupid skull and cross-bones tattoo."

Regulus' head fell back against the emerald wall panelling inside the door, and he closed his eyes.

"Snake and skull…it's a snake and skull…"

Orion just strolled through the channel between the table and the couch, to his decanter, "Please, the muggles named a plague after us and we still got away with it,"

One of Sirius' late Great Aunts, Araminta Meliflua Black, had indeed tried to pass a bill in the Wizengamot to legalise muggle hunting. When refused, she poisoned their wells village by village – the rats drinking from them as well as the muggles.

The poison was kept in a perfume bottle in the drawing room cabinet, a glittering amethyst threat – one that their mother; the one of more direct relation to Araminta, knew how to brew. Orion paused by the cauldron, repurposed into a pot plant, that the active ingredient of the potion grew in.

Sirius, unable to look at the deceptively pretty purple flowers he had been driven back from with hexes as a child, found his shoes pointing towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Sirius mounted a false, acidic smile on his lips that corroded any possible sincerity, "I'm expecting a letter from Andromeda."

He might as well have turned into a dog and urinated on the rug.

Ignoring Regulus' gentle groan and closed eyes, Sirius shouldered past his younger brother and into the hallway. Halfway down it, he passed the re-opened door to the kitchen and couldn't help but slow his stride and peer through.

Alphard and Walburga sat across from each other, teacups at their lips, hair a mess, and eyes of stone on each other. There was a shard of porcelain, matching the cups the two drank from, on the table; a giveaway of the physicality of the fight that had just transpired.

Passion was perfectly acceptable, promoted even, in the House of Black. It's what mending charms were for. 'Trust people's rage,' his father had always told him, 'you can't fake that'.

Sirius did not want it. He was sixteen, and he was sick of the fight. He wanted to rest, for once.

It was not a moment after Sirius loosened his cravat, kicked off his shoes and socks, and threw himself across his bed, that Regulus haunted his doorway. Sirius wasn't sure when Regulus dipped down into the mattress beside Sirius' feet, but upon peeking over his chest at his little brother déjà vu ploughed through Sirius from his heart to his feet.

"I think you've gone too far this time, Sirius."

"They need me," said Sirius, willing his voice lower before continuing, "What's the worst that could happen – they take back my Christmas presents?"

Regulus' lips twitched and he shook his head at the carpet.

A beat of light silence was broken when Regulus dusted down the knees of his slacks.

"It's not so different you know." said Regulus, blinking at the Gryffindor flag on the wall.

Sirius lifted his head to peer at his brother, "What isn't?"

"What you do, from what we do…" said Regulus, lifting his eyebrows, "You and Potter come down around kids like a brick house of torment, when you want to."

Something cold trickled down Sirius' spine, "It's…it's not like that."

"Isn't it?" asked Regulus, looking Sirius straight in the eye, "Black's naturally assume the spot at the top of the food chain," "

Regulus turned back to watch the wall once more, shrugging.

"Potter's one too – a Black – no matter what his father's done."

Sirius barely heard it.

"We're not bullies." said Sirius, frowning as he watched his own memories flash across the ceiling before his eyes – trying to find an instance that proved his brother right.

"Snape reckons you are."

"Snape bullies you."

Air fell from Regulus' nose, "His attempts are as weak as a streak of piss, granted,"

The brothers shared an amused glance, and Regulus went on -

"Put him in front of mum, and he'd cry within the first minute, I'd wager."

Sirius could not help a satisfied, sort of bitter smile at their family, "I raise you... him ruining his pants –" 

Sirius turned to Regulus –

"– thirty seconds –"

Regulus' eyebrows shot up at Sirius' contesting wager –

"– dad." was all Sirius had to say.

Regulus' lips twitched, and he gave one short, amused head tilt of concession.

"Son?"

Sirius and Regulus snapped to their feet, eyed each other, and then started for the door.

In the hallway they were met with Alphard, who staggered at the sight of them and cast a hand across his forehead.

"Don't do this to me," said Alphard, his gold signet ring flashing as his hand shot out to prop himself against the hallway wall, "I'm already seeing double."

Regulus cleared his throat, bowed his head, and strode around his uncle and closed himself into his own room.

Sirius, recognising that his uncle had climbed the stairs for him, swivelled on his heel and sighed all the way to his bed; throwing himself upon it.

Alphard followed; sitting himself upon the edge of the maroon sheet set and bracing his hand on his knee. He turned to regard his nephew and then turned to watch the fireplace at the foot of Sirius' bed.

"She didn't poison your tea, then?" asked Sirius, reaching for his mini Quaffle on his bedside table, "For poisoning our family with such progressive values?"

Sirius flicked his wrist, sending the Quaffle ceiling-wards.

"No," said Alphard lightly, his lips twisting and his eyes glinting; but still set on the fire, "She would never dare do something when I expected it."

The hexagonal ball landed in Sirius' palm, and his eyes landed again on his uncle, "Are you here to be a relatable figure to convince me to go against all my beliefs for the greater good of the family?"

In wait of a response, Sirius sent the ball up once more.

"You're sixteen, you don't have any beliefs,"

Sirius snatched the ball instead of waiting for it to reach his palm, snapping up at the waist.

Alphard held up a hand, his whiskey eyes sparkling and betraying his attempt for an apologetic smile.

"Alright, pipe down…pipe down…"

Down, didn't register with Sirius. He felt the undeniable need to stand.

A frustrated longing for an indescribable state of being pulled his Quaffle arm back, his ribs twinging as he threw the ball with the violence he felt thrumming against his spleen.

One of the posters he'd sourced from a muggle stall at Kings Cross Station in fourth year crinkled in, making a mess of a blonde lady's face.

"I wish this Voldemort sap had never been born,"

Sirius kicked his bed, one of the wooden slats bridging, snapping, and sending his Uncle into the sudden hole in his mattress.

"I wish my parents were different…"

Sirius's shoe found his bicycle next, it hurtling against the wall; wheels clicking and spinning.

"You're looking at the negatives – they're going to let you choose your own bride – that's something," Alphard pulled himself out of sinkhole of mattress, smoothing back his hair, "You'll pump out a dozen kids and you can change what it means to be a Black if you just stick it out a little longer."

Sirius fell back against his bed, "Maybe I might follow your example and not have any children at all."

"I would have plenty of children with the right person."

Sirius squinted at his ceiling, "I don't remember seeing any women on your arm – ever."

"I lost the only woman I could ever love before you were even born," Alphard sighed, "You wouldn't have."

"Who?" The word shot from his lips as quickly as the curiosity fired through his brain, his neck turning it to the source of its sudden excitement.

Alphard uncrossed his legs, leaning back with a downward tug of his lips, his cheeks laden with haggardness.

"Her name was Margaret," said Alphard, frowning as if he were having teeth pulled, "We were in Slytherin together."

Sirius was struck by an uncomfortable possibility, fighting his muscles' twitch to squirm.

"Did she… you know…die?"

There was a soft fall of air from Alphard's nose and brief twitch of his lips – but then they hardened, his lips seemingly being newly sewn together.

"A few years ago…" said Alphard, blinking and casting his eyes back into the fireplace, "Old age."

"Why didn't you marry her?" asked Sirius, his legs bowing to sit criss-cross and his hands finding his feet where they met in front of him.

Alphard's pupils flitted to the corners of his eyes – to Sirius, and, upon finding Sirius not as indifferent as the man seemed to have hoped, he sighed and bowed his head.

"She was scared of our family," said Alphard, his shoulders so slumped that Sirius thought they might touch together, "Margaret –"

Any of his usual gusto returned by the telling of a good story, evaporated at the name, leaving something hollow beneath Alphard's cheeks.

"– saw the possibility for darkness in our family."

Sirius didn't think people worrying about the inclination of their family's magic was anything new, and let himself be led where he was most curious.

"Did she love you?"

Alphard's head lifted and his eyes found Sirius, paused, and then fixed on the window.

"She asked me to run away with her to Australia – to hide with the muggles escaping their war." said Alphard, the tails of his eyebrows meeting the wrinkles running into his inky hair.

A space opened up between Sirius and the man he thought he knew, "And you didn't go?"

His Uncle Alphard, thought Sirius in disbelief; defiant, progressive, valiant, Alphard Black –

"I did,"

The two words struck Sirius somewhere deep in his stomach – or maybe the accompanying wry twist of Alphard's lips did.

"When I got to our meeting spot, she wasn't there," said Alphard, crescent shaped eyebrows mounted high on his forehead, "Your grandfather was,"

Pollux Black reserved a place in the recesses of Sirius' mind, always – as an example of the kind of man to never be. The kind of man whose presence came over a room like a dark, ceaseless winter; silent and gloomy, and all from his claimed chair in the corner.

"He'd intercepted our letters and crafted one on my behalf…" said Alphard, his lips twitching and the wrinkles around his eyes vanishing – thirty years seem to lift from him in a strange show of amusement, "Margaret was under the impression that I was a dutiful son that couldn't abandon his family in a time of war and urged her to move on to find a more suitable match."

It was all Sirius could do to not gawk, settling for a sympathetic squint, "And Grandfather lived to see Regulus and I born?"

Alphard glanced at Sirius, his ash gaze smouldering and stirring with mirth, before it vanished to the window.

"I was sixteen,"

Alphard's ash eyes set upon his graphite trousers, his hands lifting and lowering on his knees.

"I wasn't always this bitter and good with a wand," said Alphard, smile waning as his crescent eyebrows fell from his forehead, "Besides, there was a war on – it seemed…frivolous… after the severe dressing down from my parents, anyway..."

"The fact that there was a war on was all the better reason to have done it."

Alphard sighed, a long, widely-lived sound through Sirius' young ears, "I see so much of myself in you, Sirius,"

As a rare anomaly in his family, Sirius thought that there was no greater compliment –

"But I see even more of myself in your brother,"

Sirius couldn't stop the rumble of incredulity from sneaking up from his chest that his arms crossed against.

"You can scoff at my words now," said Alphard, pinching the fabric of his trousers, just above the knee, so that he could extend his leg comfortably, "But I've always held firm to the belief that the house sorting at Hogwarts takes place far too early."

Sirius felt the pull of gravity in his neck as he willed his muscles to let go of his sitting position, his back meeting his caved in mattress.

"So, Margaret moved on?" asked Sirius through a sigh, eyes on the ceiling above his bed; dented from hitting it so many times with his miniature quaffle.

A thick, catching sigh, began where Sirius' left off.

"She swore that her children and great-grandchildren would never marry into our family, cursed me to the heavens that we're all named after, and then; yes," Sirius felt his Uncle's gaze on him rather than saw it, "She moved on."

Sirius turned his head to find Alphard considering him with a daring glint in his unmoving eyes.

"What was her last name?" asked Sirius, endeavouring to keep his own stare as unmoving.

Alphard blinked, raised his eyebrows, and gently shook his head side to side, all the while gazing imploringly across at Sirius, "Is it important?"

Something settled behind Sirius' sternum, like a bramble that only his words might dislodge and only – only – if it got the right response from his uncle.

"Did you love her?"

Alphard's tongue clicked as his mouth opened, his eyes turning – his shoulders following.

"Blacks don't love," Alphard turned back, but kept his eyes trained on the mattress beside Sirius' shoulder as he spoke his next words, "They fulfill duty,"

Alphard blinked once, and turned half-lidded eyes on Sirius.

"And if they do love," said Alphard, pausing, "Well…"

Alphard's eyes flickered and his lips twitched.

"It never ends well."

Sirius sighed, raising his eyebrows, "That's cheerful."

"This isn't the noble and most ancient house of sunshine," said Alphard leaning back to straighten his lapels, dusting them, "Black stays – evermore still –"

"Always pure." chorused Sirius with his uncle.

There was sardonic, shared look of discomfort at the family dogma, and a strange sense of unity.

And then Alphard went to stand.

"Uncle?"

"Yes, son?"

"Do I know any of her family?" asked Sirius.

Alphard smiled, tapped his hand on the doorframe, and shook his head at Sirius, "I wouldn't risk the curse applying to friends as well."

"Curse?" asked Sirius.

Alphard sighed, shifted his weight between his shoes that were already out the door, and frowned at the floorboards between the two.

"When Margaret… made her displeasure with me known," said Alphard, with a significant look at Sirius before returning to the floorboards; frowning, "from then on, anytime someone from either family tried to join the two…unfortunate events befell them."

Sirius felt no goose bumps or trepidation.

"Curses can be broken."

Sirius sat up in enough time to watch the man cling to the doorframe in uninhibited jollity.

"By what – true love's kiss?" Alphard laughed, squinting through mirthful eyes at Sirius, shaking his head, "You've been reading too much."

"Not enough obviously," said Sirius, falling back onto his bed, reaching for his miniature Quaffle again and a reaction from his uncle with his next words, "If I don't know who this Margaret is."

Alphard left, and Sirius did everything he could to pass the time until he had to weasel his way out of deal with a man you could not refuse. He polished his new broom, he tried push ups, he read ahead in his school books.

Rivetingly enough, a brigade of motorcycles thundered down the street outside his window, and he sat fascinated; watching the men in tight jeans and leather vests emblazoned with ‘Hell’s Angels’; the paragon of coolness as they flicked their wrists and hugged along the road like rolling predators…

None of them could mask the flurry of arrivals through the floo. Sirius felt the intruding on the house's wards in the veins of his forearms; throbbing with the blood keyed into the protection of the house.

And then it was silent, for too long of a stretch of time to mean anything good.

Unable to bear it, Sirius cast a notice-me-not charm on himself, and slipped downstairs to eavesdrop.

Knowing that an accomplished wizard would not be fooled by his charm, Sirius slipped into the nook behind a tall vase; conveniently located directly outside the sitting room door.

"The campaign at the Department of Mysteries," asked a silvery voice, "How are we faring?"

"Our informant has found a gap in the Order's patrol," Sirius recognised the tones of Rodolphus Lestrange, "We will have acquired what you seek by Tuesday next."

"Good," said the silvery voice once more, "We will then launch the final phase of our plan,"

Sirius felt his ears peel open in desperate curiosity, in his oddity for more information he disregarded the strange silence in the room.

"We will acquire the girl."

A chair scraped; once out, once back in; footsteps rapping out with an unfailing rhythm on the floorboards.

"What are you going to do with her, my lord?"

A curly haired man, tall and with hollowed cheeks, grew larger in the space Sirius peered through.

Sirius went cold, though secure in his hiding place.

Voldemort paused, holding himself tall and wide in the doorway.

Sirius felt the air in the room sucked out.

But only he could see the narrowing of Voldemort's eyes, and the twist of his lips.

"I'm thinking a bite to eat and a film – I don't want to go too fast." said Voldemort caustically, turning his head over his shoulder briefly, before turning back, rolling his eyes, and stepping out of the doorway and into the hallway.

Voldemort was opening the front door when furious whispers met Sirius' ear.

"How daft could you be –"

"One never speaks to him out of turn –"

Voldemort slipped into the night, closing the door. The unmistakeable POP of apparition let Sirius breathe again.

"Katherine Spencer," sighed a faceless man, "Count your breaths."

Sirius' heart flew out of his throat. Spencer. They were talking about Spencer.

While she was back at the castle, tangled tightly in Dumbledore's protection, Sirius was in the bowels of the plot to take her life.

He couldn't dwell any further, the door swinging open and his parents and cousin huddling out and along the hallway.

"I don't think he –"

"Sirius will do the right thing." said Walburga, slowly and emphatically, a hand raising to quieten Orion.

Orion blinked at his wife, "It would be a first."

"In the new world order, the followers of this man will enjoy all the spoils of this war," whispered Walburga, grey eyes glittering in the moonlight streaming in, "As a son of this family – as the heir of this family – it is his duty to ensure that we remain the cream of the crop."

Orion sighed, ran a finger along the bridge of his nose delicately, and turned to Bellatrix – half-lidded.

"When will he be back?"

Bellatrix checked her nails, peering down her nose, "Two…maybe three in the morning..."

The same light that made Walburga's eyes glitter, illuminated her trembling alabaster flesh.

"Someone will fetch Sirius at one," Walburga pursed her lips, turning away as she lifted a pump onto the bottom step of the staircase, "Not a second later."

Sirius climbed the stairs to his room like a ghost – as quiet as he was despondent. His stealth owed only to years of hiding in and mapping out the house in his youth and boredom; his socked feet following the path with the least-squeakiest floorboards, least portraits to lure him into conversation, and the lowest risk for familial interaction.

"Whatever comes out of your mouth, Alphard –"

His mother's shrill tones sent Sirius to the shadows. The corner of a landscape portrait of their county manor poked into his spleen as anxiety poked hot needles through his lungs.

Sirius watched the ray of light illuminating the bottom of the door break, flicker, and settle with full force.

Walburga was pacing inside the room; undoubtedly seeking counsel from her brother – or, most likely, receiving it without much choice.

"– is a waste of breath," continued Walburga, "A toxic air-borne event –"

The customary words of chide sent sensation back to Sirius' feet and cheeks; something normal in the wish-wash of the night's events.

He kept on into the endlessness of the ever-pressing darkness.

The warmth of his bedroom was but a short, sweet reprieve from it – and the things he had heard. He had never entertained thoughts of leaving it before.

But he used also used to believe that muggles still burned witches and wizards at the stake.

The elbow of his winter coat, bent as he hauled his broom to the window, caught – there was a flash – and then a shattering, tinkling SMASH.

Mirror shards rained down on his floor and panic rained down upon his stomach.

No doors slammed open.

No feet came thundering along the hall.

Sirius crouched down to the shards, a thought coursed down out of nowhere, and his wand slipped down to his left hand. All of the shards floated through the air and into his trunk that he then tied to the middle of his broom with one of his belts, hovered out on the fire escape, and mounted to fly down onto the snow-covered street.

And that was as far as he could go, out of the protection of the house's wards that hid underage magic.

Sirius turned back, and saw Twelve Grimmauld Place between Eleven and Thirteen.

Christmas carols echoed down the white street from some far off place. Muggle, Sirius realised at the mention of 'Christ' in the tune as he gazed in through the windows of the townhouses on the block of Grimmauld Place.

Christmas lights twinkled against windowpanes; yellow, red, green, and blue; obscured by the shrubby branches of pine and fir. Lamps went out around children's beds as parents put down large books, seasonal programs on televisions flashed into the street, smoke swirled up where laughing people huddled down in their coats on fire escapes with embers flicking from between their fingers.

Number Twelve, however, had only one light on. And Sirius knew it wasn't a light at all, but the Yule log; burning in the hearth. It would continue to burn without him to stoke it.

Sirius lifted his left hand, the dark wood of his wand stark against the powdered street.

The laughs and carols continued despite the deafening BANG.

"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus, emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard…"

Sirius stepped aboard the purple triple decker, taking a cold seat. He watched out one of the back bus windows, feeling very lonesome, as Grimmauld place vanished from sight.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 21: The Sole Heir

The constant creaking and clicking of doors pulled Regulus from a dream-filled sleep, footsteps padding overhead, below, and all around.

Confused and irritated by the hive of activity, Regulus ripped his trousers from his bedside table and stomped his feet through the holes. Too angry for the delicate buttons of his night shirt, Regulus only bothered with the bottom two; pulling a robe on and pulling open his own door.

No one was in the hallway to comment on his abrupt awakening – to apologise for waking him.

Regulus seethed and stalked down the hallway to the stairs. The silence snipped away at him until it was no more – until he happened across another presence just shy of the stairs.

The door to the drawing room was ajar, beckoning Regulus into the sliver of light spilling across the hallway. The thorn of curiosity tickling the skin beneath his neck hairs was dislodged by the image of his mother in the gap, writing furiously in her night gown and lop-sided braid, and was replaced with confusion.

"If you have received any correspondence…reply would be most welcome…"

"Mother?"

Regulus had never seen his mother jump before. Or look so young; with her untamed black curls, a bare face, and bare feet.

"Oh, Regulus…" Walburga returned her eyes and hand to her parchment to scribble of what seemed to be a salutation, "Kreacher should be able to handle your breakfast..."

"I'm not hungry," mumbled Regulus, raking a hand across his sleep-crusted face, "It's three in the morning."

Walburga's hand slipped around the stamp, sliding and disfiguring the Black family wax seal.

"Is it?" asked Walburga, blinking at the stack of sealed envelopes before her.

"How long have you been writing letters – why have you been writing letters?" asked Regulus, trying to make his sleepy mouth move around his words.

"I suppose you'll find out eventually…" said Walburga, sighing and pressing a finger between her eyebrows, "It's your brother –"

A SCREECH, louder than the thrumming of anxiety through Regulus' veins, was followed by the unmistakeable scratching of claws on a windowsill.

Regulus' neck snapped around to it, and throbbed alongside his heart. A twinge of familiarity assuaged the bubbling disquiet at the mention of his brother's name; Regulus had seen the owl before.

The Eagle Owl threw its shoulders back as it hopped down onto the table beneath the window, proffering it's leg that was weighted with a scroll of parchment.

Walburga shot out of her chair and hastened across the floorboards, feet shuffling, her hands shakily pulling the scroll of parchment from the scaled leg of the owl.

Shaking its freed leg, the owl glanced around the room and, with a HOOT, it took to the grey skies once again; vanishing into the London skyline.

Walburga turned, the scroll in her hands.

It was bound in a crimson ribbon.

And in the process of crossing back to her desk, it met the floorboards.

Regulus instinctively dove for it, like he would a snitch, and saw the ironic glint of the gold lining on the inside of the parchment. Unfurling it, he saw that it possessed only few scrawled words.

'Sirius arrived at midnight. He's safe. He will be staying until the time he comes of age. Regards, Euphemia Potter.’

Reading it aloud, mused Regulus privately as he watched his mother unsheathe her wand, perhaps wasn't the best idea; leaving him in the room and privy to flick of the wrist that created a new hole in tapestry.

Regulus' felt as if his brain was drifting out of his skull, and he had to keep jumping to snatch it back and gain some semblance of thought.

The name next to his – the one that had been there long before Regulus', and the one that he thought would be there long after both brothers had passed – was no longer.

Walburga's shoulders didn't heave. Her hands no longer shook. And her bare face was shaded, not by powders and creams, but by her cascade of black curls.

"Go back to bed, Regulus." said Walburga, not stirring a single bare toe from where they hugged the floorboards.

"But, Sirius –"

Walburga turned to Regulus, grey eyes as hard and blank as a slate – grey eyes that had an uncommon habit of only being bestowed upon first born children in the Black Family. A dead giveaway that Regulus wasn't the only child Walburga would now insist he was from then on.

"My boy," said Walburga, softer, and with a perfunctory maternal lilt of her lips, "You should go back to bed – you'll need your rest."

Regulus returned to his room.

But he did not sleep.

And owl was waiting for him, sitting neatly on the foot of his bed; a package tied above its talons.

The package contained a shard of a broken mirror, Regulus sure that if he made the journey to the room across the hall he would find the mirror on the wall missing a piece, and in it he saw a face so like his own – but not. The reflected fragment of face flashed briefly, the eyes – not blue – rather like silver lightning.

The shard found its way into the pocket of Regulus' coat when he left in room in the guise of getting breakfast, but, more truthfully, to hear someone mumble the name – to cement the fact that something was wrong, that something – someone – was missing.

Alphard Black, on a rare occasion, didn't disappoint.

"Where's your brother?" asked Alphard, swinging onto a backwards chair and using a small, sharp knife to slice off a piece of apple.

Regulus glanced at the stiff shoulders of Kreacher by the stove, the rising Daily Prophet of his father, fixed his eyes on the place he had sat the day previous – elbow to elbow with, according to his mother, no one – and fixed his composure.

"I don't have one."

Regulus wasn't sure if truly were he that had spoken.

But Alphard paused, considered Regulus over his apple, and sighed.

So, he must have said it.

"Charming woman; your mother…" said Alphard, standing and tapping the chair before gliding from the room like a wisp of steam snaking through the air from the boiling kettle on the stove Kreacher had to jump to.

Regulus fingered the broken piece of mirror in his pocket an owl had delivered at the crack of dawn, careful to not catch his smooth skin on the jagged glass.

Alphard didn't pick another fight with his sister like Regulus expected his uncle to. Regulus was unsure if it was because boughs of holly and sprigs of mistletoe seemed to sprout out of the wooden panelling of the home wherever Walburga happened to go, or if Alphard had slipped into a deeply repressed Slytherin characteristic of cunning – forfeiting the battle for the war.

Holly was supposed to protect homes against lightning according to old tales, as well as promote peace and joy, but Twelve Grimmauld had never been so charged.

 

---

 

His office in the Ministry had always been a refuge for Alphard Black, ever since he left Hogwarts and assumed the position. He worked in the Department of Births, Deaths, and Marriages – specialising in ancestry tracing. Who better, John Entwistle; the deputy head of the department, had said upon Alphard's acceptance into the role, to trace ancestry that someone with the oldest traceable ancestry in the wizarding world.

It wasn't often that he had people visit his office, being a Black and usually working via owl correspondence with those looking into their families. So, a knock on his door during the Christmas Holiday period was regarded with confusion and irritation.

Alphard frowned at the door, "Come in."

A neat head of coiffed white-blond hair slipped through his door, a long, lithe body attached – draped in form-fitting green velvet.

Alphard vaguely remembered the days when his robes clung to him in such a flattering, disarming way…

"Hello," said the young man, blinking and standing next to the chair on the other side of Alphard's desk, "Mister Black, I presume?"

Alphard simply blinked, feeling his eyebrows lift ever so slightly as he took in the man.

"I'm Minister Bagnold's Junior Assistant, Alexander –"

"To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the Minister's Junior Assistant?" asked Alphard, leaning back in his chair and knitting his hands across his waistcoat.

"This isn't business," said Alexander, lowering his gaze, pressing his lips together, and raising his eyes once more, "It's a personal matter,"

Alphard sighed, sat up, and waved a hand in gesture for him to continue.

Alexander's throat bobbed and his eyes set on Alphard's crystal orb paperweight, "I was adopted by squibs as a baby, and now that that I am of age and…able to finance it, I would like to find my birth parents."

Alphard nodded at the chair Alexander's fingers ghosted by, "Sit down,"

Alexander moved with crisp grace into the chair, his elbows finding the arms rests and his ankle finding his opposite knee automatically.

"Adoptive parents' names?" asked Alphard, readying himself on the edge of his chair, hands braced on his arm rests.

"Charles and Valerie Abbott."

Alphard's body stalled, and he didn't pull himself out of his chair as he had planned to.

"Abbott?" asked Alphard, surprised that he managed the name through his numb lips and face.

Alexander raised his eyebrows and nodded once, as if entertaining a man hard of hearing.

Alphard dragged himself to his filing cabinet, flicking his wand at the alphabetised sections.

"Abbott… Abbott…Abbott – Abbott," Alphard fished the file out of the 'A' section and peeled it open, plopping back down into his chair, “The ninth of February, nineteen fifty-seven…"

Alphard snapped the file closed and considered Alexander's hair, eyes that matched his robes, and his commanding smile…

"As it so happens, I am familiar with your case,"

Alphard placed the file down on his desk, preparing to push it across.

"You are technically an Abbott," said Alphard, blinking in concession, "Charles Abbott is your grandmother's squib brother."

Alexander sat up, his elbows abandoning his armrests, "And who is my grandmother?"

Alphard resisted the urge to close his eyes – to turn away. But he pursed his lips, and did his duty.

"Margaret Abbott,"

Alexander didn't blink, he didn't flinch.

Alphard gulped and went on, “She married into the Montague family however before giving birth to your mother.”

"And what of my mother – my father?" asked Alexander, eyes shining ravenously.

Alphard knew that the paternal side of Alexander's birth certificate was blank, but he also knew who was supposed to be on it – and that Alexander would most likely not be pleased.

"Your father isn't listed."

Alexander's hands fell to his knees, his backside moving to the edge of his seat, "Mister Black, my mother – please."

Green had never had such an imperious lilt, thought Alphard as he slid the manila folder across his desk; a glossy edge peeking out – a corner of sleek white-blond hair that Alexander shared, and a waving hand.

 

---

 

"What does this mean for you, Albus?"

The consecutive tick of the clock was interspersed with snores and gentle snorts of the portraits on the wall, a gentle whirring of silver instruments – all of it held behind the steepled fingers of the silver-haired man, peering over the tops of his half-moon spectacles.

"It doesn't mean anything for me." said Dumbledore.

"Don't kid yourself, Albus," Slughorn tweaked his sleep-squashed moustache, "You collect people too – you were invested."

Dumbledore's crooked nose lowered, and his spectacles slipped precariously to the sun-spotted tip, "Please make your meaning plainer, Horace."

Slughorn tightened the tassels of his velvet bathrobe and flexed his feet in his slippers.

"There's potential to be great," said Slughorn, impassioned, before tilting his head and lowering his eyes thoughtfully, "And then there's potential to be…useful."

Dumbledore blinked, "How would a teenager be useful to me?"

The right side of Slughorn's face twitched, the man leaning forward as if telling a secret, "How is the weapon to destroy the darkest wizard in history – that you've given refuge and protection – useful to you?"

Dumbledore's fingers parted, his hands lowered to be in line with his elbows, and he crossed them on the desk in front of him.

"How is a… a –" Slughorn waved his hands around with wide, watery eyes, before leaning forward and whispering "– werewolf useful to you when he's graduating in two years and will be able to form connections with the very packs that can unleash mayhem on both muggle and wizarding worlds under the wrong leadership?"

Dumbledore's crooked nose slowly lifted, as the man set his wispy-eyebrow-framed gaze on something through Slughorn.

"How is a half-giant you saved from expulsion useful to you when dark wizards are so fond of utilising the brutishness of his kind that the Ministry's chased to the mountains?" asked Slughorn, his hands clutching at the arms of his chair.

Dumbledore knitted his hands together and leant back against the high back of his wooden chair, his blue eyes very pale in the candlelight.

"They're soft enough to believe themselves indebted to you – primed for the moment you snap your fingers and ask whatever you will of them; …always too much," Slughorn shook his head, turning away all the while, "You always ask too much…"

"And of Sirius Black?" asked Dumbledore, tilting his head and blinking once.

Slughorn abandoned his arm rests, and might have rolled forward – right out of his chair – in his incredulity, if his slippered feet hadn't stamped onto the carpet.

"What could come of having inside eyes and ears in one of the oldest, most prestigious – and arguably darker – pureblood lines in the wizarding world?" whispered Slughorn, falling back into his chair, "Only boundless usefulness."

"And what makes you think that I cannot harness that usefulness like you seem to think I do with many others?" asked Dumbledore, closing his eyes and waving a hand.

Slughorn turned solemn and still.

"Because Sirius Black isn't a pariah that needs your help,"

Dumbledore's eyes cranked open.

Slughorn blinked, "And he is, I think, more Slytherin than any of us truly know."

"You think he'll change sides?" asked Dumbledore, furrowing his brows.

"Goodness, no," Slughorn's eyes were as wide as tennis balls in the scarce, flickering light, "But you'll never make him do anything he doesn't want to do."

"And what of his brother?"

"Would you duel Walburga for him?"

Dumbledore almost smiled, the ghost of twinkle returned to his pale blue eyes, "The only witch who may be my undoing…"

"Black's, above all else, are fiercely protective of their kin." said Slughorn, folding his hands in his lap and nodding once.

Dumbledore's eyes creased, his lips twitching.

"Not as of late, it seems."

Slughorn bowed his head, "They've pruned their tree, I will concede that."

"You still wish him to eventually accept one of your invitations though?"

"Of course."

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 22: The New Year

Katherine spent her Christmas at school, like usual. She had done so even at St. Mary’s.

But it was the best one she had yet.

Under the tree in the common room had been three presents for Katherine; a broom polishing kit from Marlene, a silk paisley scarf from Lily, and a skinny, flat box with no sender. It was upon opening the box that she found a familiar photograph – and her father waving up at her.

The photograph became her most cherished present, the very same one from Jimmy Twill's counter at Quality Quidditch supplies in Hogsmeade; set into a brilliant, French-swirled gold frame. There had been no note or tag with the flat berry-coloured velveteen box. From the outside, Katherine almost thought there might have been jewellery inside. She wondered… who on earth would have known?

Giant trees – hauled in by Hagrid – had lined the Great Hall, decorated with gold and silver – and actual live faeries. Breakfast had been spent with the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, Professor Slughorn, and a few Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw first years that wanted to experience Hogwarts at Christmas. Crackers were pulled, paper hats were worn, and an extravagant feast was put on for the table.

The trees remained up until the new year, when Katherine's friends, and the school at large, returned.

Tired from their journey from London through the Scottish countryside, Marlene and Lily had fallen into their beds either side of Katherine's without a word to her or each other that night. It was only at breakfast, when Lily ducked her head as Bertram passed; laughing with his friends, that Marlene cleared her throat.

"What's all that about?"

Lily shrugged, "We broke up."

Katherine swallowed her toast; it felt larger than the piece she bit off.

Across from them, James and Black settled in, shoulder to shoulder, to join the group of boys on the other side. They looked taller, thought Katherine.

In the returning kerfuffle the previous night, Katherine had not gotten close enough to chat to the returning Gryffindor boys either, much the same as her own friends.

Remus frowned at a copy of the Daily Prophet, "A Ministry official is missing."

"I wonder what happened to him…" said Peter, in a small voice.

"Oh, I don't know…"

Katherine glanced up to catch Sirius Black's eyebrows raised far too high for sincere contemplation.

"Maybe he spontaneously combusted?" said Black, pushing up his robes and displaying an angry, jagged pink scar running the length his forearm.

Peter put his cup of pumpkin juice down, "Really?"

Remus put the Daily Profit down, shooting Black a look before turning to Peter, "Don't listen to him, Pete."

Black leant forward on his elbows, looking around James to where Peter was.

"Hundreds of people spontaneously combust each year," Black's face was blank, but his eyes glittered, "It's just not widely reported."

Mary noisily clambered over the bench and sped down the Great Hall to the double doors.

"Is she okay?" the words tumbled out without much thought on Katherine's part.

Lily looked uncomfortable, "The Ministry official that's missing… it's her dad."

Katherine felt all happiness from the festive period drain from her at Lily’s words. In its place, she felt, simply, lost.

“Watch out, it’s coming this way…” said Alice softly, nodding up at an approaching owl.

Mary’s exit seemed to have left a thick blanket over the girls at the table, and no one seemed to be able to manage anything more than a whisper.

The letter that dropped onto the table, was addressed to Katherine.

 

Miss Spencer,

Please meet me in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom this evening after dinner.

Sincerely,

Professor Giles.

 

---

 

“I’m sure you wondered why I’ve requested to speak with you this evening, and I must confess it has nothing to do with your academics,”

Giles looked at Katherine for what felt like a very long moment, his face nerve rackingly blank.

"Professor Dumbledore and I have had…conversations about your predicament," said Giles, nodding to himself before fixing her with his stare once more, "I'm sure that you're well aware that I am more than just a Professor."

Katherine wasn't sure whether his statement required a response, but she gave him one anyway, "Yes."

Giles nodded once, blinking slowly at a desk to Katherine's left.

"As it is, Dumbledore finds me well equipped to take on a temporary sort of guardianship role that stretches beyond the end of term."

Katherine felt shot through in her surprise, "I'll live with you?"

Giles head snapped up, his eyes abandoning the desk to Katherine's left.

"I can understand if perhaps you'd want to stay with one of your friends –"

"No,"

Giles' sudden pause made her wonder if she had said the word a little too loudly.

Katherine swallowed her embarrassment before continuing, "I…I'd like to stay with you."

Giles lips picked up their slack as his fingers picked up his tie and went about tightening it.

"Oh, well…good… I guess." said Giles, he uncrossed and re-crossed his ankles.

Katherine had something else to ask him, however, before she was dismissed.

“Sir, I…” Katherine felt her confidence slowly drain, “Mary – Mary MacDonald, her father…”

“Yes…” said Giles, his eyes dropping. He pushed off his desk, and walked back around to the back, “It is indeed more than a workplace incident.”

Katherine felt ill, “You don’t think he’s…”

Giles sorted through some parchments on his desk, and glanced up for but a moment, giving a shake of his head, before returning to his task as he replied.

“You will need to be prepared for such things as this to come, Spencer…” Giles broke off, placing a hand down on the table, and nodding thoughtfully into the distance, “This is how it began last time… so we know the patterns, disappearances...”

Giles glanced back to Katherine, eyeing her.

“Fortunately, the Dark Lord was usually merciful enough to keep the murders to a minimum unless… necessary. Punishment was usually mild forms of –” Giles cleared his throat, and went on rather casually, “– torture, so they could remember – to not cross him again.”

“Mary’s family are… involved?”

Giles gave a curt nod.

“On the right side, don’t worry,” said Giles, with the ghost of what might have become a smile, if the man did not briskly descend into a frown at his next words, “The Dark Lord, however, had a habit of fixating on a family, until he could be sure… I'm quite confident, however, that her father will surface, so to speak, soon - and alive.”

“Mary will be safe, won’t she?” asked Katherine.

“She’s at Hogwarts,” said Giles, blinking, as if that should settle it, “Something will distract the Dark Lord soon enough, things are… fast moving. He will not be distracted long from his ultimate goal.”

Katherine nodded, feeling slightly lighter, “That’s good then.”

“Not –” Giles stiffened and looked to Katherine with mild exasperation “– when it’s you.”

She left the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom a few minutes shy of curfew, buoyed by Giles’ seeming concern for her wellbeing, only to stumble across a scene as black as the two boys' last name.

Black’s eyes were a grey wildfire of exasperation, "I didn't have a choice, Regulus –"

Bitter are the wars between brothers, thought Katherine, as she held herself tightly to the back of a suit of armour.

Regulus let out a hard, accusing breath, "Of course there was a choice, Sirius. You just made the wrong one. As always."

His eyes grazed his brother with evaporating fury, still holding himself wide and tall despite being only fifteen.

Black’s shoulders dropped and he advanced towards his look-a-like, "Maybe I didn't think quite as much as I should have –"

"No, you didn't, you never do." said Regulus, lowly and firmly.

Black stopped short, his hand falling from the stagnant air between them.

And for a moment, they just looked at one another.

"You can take this back too –" Regulus dropped a metallic shard on the ground between them "– I don't need a reminder of the shame you've made of the family's flesh."

Black plunged to the ground, closely examining the shard for any damage; on his knees.

Regulus lifted his chin one last time, and then left.

Black didn't rise.

 

---

 

Feeling weighed down by the personal tragedies clouding the halls of Hogwarts, Katherine curled up beside Lily in front of the common room fire once she’d fled away from the scene of the Black brothers’ row.

She had been a sympathetic ear to Lily, hearing the details of their ‘mature mutual decision’, before their conversation turned to Mary.

“What do I say?” Katherine whispered.

CLANK, the common room portrait closed, and footsteps echoed down the passage, approaching the common room –

“There’s nothing any of us can really say that would make her feel better,” said Lily, sitting knees to knees with Katherine on the couch, gripping her hand, “It’s just being there, going on as usual, and listening if she does want to talk about it.”

Katherine was not lightened by Lily’s words, sighing, and feeling tense all over, “I just feel like…”

“You’ve lost so many people that maybe she expects you to offer some wisdom?”

Lily’s emotional maturity struck Katherine right at that moment. And so did Katherine’s lack thereof.

Black emerged from the tunnel at that moment and collapsed onto an armchair closer to the fire. He had spread his arms out behind himself on the back of the armchair, before lifting a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Yeah…” said Katherine, a little taken aback by Lily’s ability to read her – and Black’s sudden appearance. She shook her head, and set her eyes on her hands, in her lap, “I don’t have any though, they’re –”

Alarm shot through Katherine at the thickness gripping her throat –

“– they’re all just… gone,” the words were weaker, and closer to a whisper, than Katherine would have liked. She lightly cleared her throat, and said a little firmer, “My life – it just goes on.”

Lily turned her eyes away, and she shook her head, as if scolding herself, “I never really thought about how you thought about it…”

Lily glanced up with a small, sheepish smile.

“You never let on that it really bothered you, you know –” Lily’s eyes widened, and she said quickly, placatingly, “– though it must have, of course – I think I knew, deep down, that it must have...”

Katherine managed a genuine smile, and said, a little mixed in emotions, “Where I come from, feelings are meant to be buried.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Katherine saw Black’s head turn to her, his hand falling from his face. Not soon after, he set his eyes on the fire.

Lily wriggled a little in her seat, and the girls sat, listening to the rolling crackle of the fire, and the occasional sizzling POP. Neither they, nor Black, gave any indication of moving.

Katherine was content to sit, admittedly, too frightened of what she might encounter up in the dormitory – of having to speak to Mary.

Lily, however, was glancing at Black.

The rest of the school had been too, all day.

"What is it, Evans?" asked Black, still staring intensely into the fire.

Lily shifted on the couch, "What?"

"You're staring at me like I'm in one of those muggle zoos." said Black, finally looking away from the fire and fixing her with a tired expression.

Lily looked down at the cushion on her lap and picked at the loose threads, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry to hear about what happened over Christmas."

“Oh, you mean being disowned?" asked Black lightly, his eyebrows raised, and his lips on the way.

"Yeah –”

"Don't look at me like I'm some orphan, Evans," said Black dismissively, before he looked back to the fire, "James took me in and I haven't looked back."

Lily's eyes left the back of his head and found the boys' stairs.

"That was nice of him." said Lily absently.

"No," said Black, just as absently, his face lighter, "That's just James."

Katherine's eyes found the window of their high up tower. January's wintery breath had frosted the window panes, and there was nothing to be seen in the moonless night bar the passing powder of snow.

In the deepening winter, the nights were becoming darker.

Their world was too.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 23: Routine

On Wednesday, a hair off midnight, fervid knocking had rapped against the girls’ dormitory door. Bleary with sleep, Katherine had sat up in her bed as the door flung open.

Professor McGonagall stepped through; oil lamp in hand, draped in tartan pyjama robes, her hair, for once, out of her tight black bun.

The lamps in the room were magically brought to life with a wave of the witch’s hand, and all the girls glimpsed each other in their beds; each as shell-shocked, blurred, and barely lit as one another. Teachers never usually visited the dormitories…

Something cold had gripped Katherine by the intestines – hard – and something equally as unpleasant crawled up the back of her throat…

“Miss MacDonald,” came McGonagall’s softened brogue, her eyes the size of galleons, “Your father has just been admitted to St. Mungo’s. Your cousin is waiting the Headmaster’s office to take you to be with your family.”

Katherine only heard snippets of their Head of house’s instructions to Mary, ‘leave your trunk’ and ‘you’ll be excused from lessons’… Instead of the clack of her boots, came the shuffle of the stern witch’s slippers as she ushered Mary out, cloaked in her pink night gown.

Just like that, Mary was gone.

She had vanished into the dark stairwell, and the door closed behind her crisply. The light drumming hum of the wood heater in the centre of the dormitory was then the only noise.

Silently, the girls stayed sat up in their beds; suddenly, and surely, awake. Sleep, however, crept back around the edges of their consciousness as the lamps began to dim once more.

Marlene was the one to break the silence, saying, quietly, “That means he’s okay, right?”

No one had an answer, though collectively they all wished it to be the case. They sat silently once more in the echo of her words.

Only as the clock ticked closer to one, did they give up their unsaid vigil, full of wondering – of helplessness. Slowly, they slid back down under their blankets, and the night claimed the dormitory back once more.

Katherine’s eyes settled on her nightstand, and the framed photograph she had received for Christmas. Her father smiled over her in her bed, not even a year older than she was right at that moment. The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes were his; kind and blue.

A tear rolled over her cheek and onto the pillow without warning.

That night, for the first time properly, Katherine mourned her father. For he would never come home.

 

---

 

The rest of the week passed like glue.

When writing the date, Katherine kept having to scribble her quill (and wreck her parchment) as she kept writing ‘75’ by mistake.

Remus ducked his head by hers, keeping an eye on McGonagall as she roved the desks, “Katherine?”

“Yeah?” she said, absentmindedly, pushing her hair behind her ears and huffing as it sprang back against the side of her cheek. She feared he might be about to point out a large, horrible ink blotch she had smudged on her face.

He tapped his wand to her parchment, to the blotch, “Evanesco.”

Receding into the parchment, the incorrect date vanished completely from sight.

“Oh,” –

Katherine could not believe she had forgotten herself like that. Still, months later, she found her first instincts were always muggle –

“I forgot I could do that now…”

Remus stretched his arms, yawning quietly, and rested a hand on the back of her chair. He leant by her face with a kind, Remus Lupin smile.

“Happens to the best of us.”

Remus had taken to sitting beside Katherine in classes before the Christmas break and was, to Katherine’s surprise and girlish delight, continuing the streak through the second week of January. The novelty had seemed to have worn off to everyone else, however, and they no longer received odd looks.

With Remus around so much, Peter seemed more comfortable approaching Katherine, another very new development.

After class, he broke away from the other boys to sidle up beside Remus and Katherine, “Have you heard from Mary?”

James and Black’s conversation trailed off as they all spilt out into the hallway; unabashedly listening in.

Everyone did when talk of Mary cropped up. Her sudden disappearance had sparked rumours around the school, that Katherine and the other girls did their best to correct whenever possible. without divulging too much.

“No, I wasn’t sure if I should owl. She might want time with her family.” said Katherine, shrugging, more than a little unsure herself what the right thing would be. McGonagall had told the girls she would back sooner rather than later after class earlier in the week.

Peter nodded and said, mostly to himself, “Right, right…”

“I’ll tell you as soon as I do – hear something, that is.” said Katherine in offering, recognising how out of sorts the boy was.

Remus piped up beside her, nudging Peter with a reassuring grin, “Yeah, of course she will, mate.”

Peter seemed to brighten a bit.

“Yeah. Yeah, alright,” said Peter, lifting his hand in farewell as he turned to leave, “Thanks – see you guys.”

Katherine and Remus walked on, alone. If you didn’t count Black and James trailing behind.

“I have to head to hospital wing after lunch,” said Remus, lightly, turning to her with a tight smile, “I won’t be back in lessons for the rest of the day.”

Katherine frowned, but thought quickly, “I can come visit you?”

Black and James’ conversation behind them noticeably waned.

Katherine felt a little flushed, wondering if perhaps she had overstepped…

“It won’t be any fun, I promise you,” said Remus, shaking his head with a little smile. He re-gripped the strap of his bookbag across his chest, “You and the girls can do fun stuff… girl stuff?”

Katherine found his loss at what they girls did amusing, and terribly endearing.

Remus laughed with her – at himself, before ruffling the back of his hair. He nudged her arm lightly as they walked.

“I just thought you ought to know.”

That afternoon, news got back to the common room that Andrew Spinnet had been injured at training – rather heinously too, if James Potter’s grandiose mimicry of the boy’s injuries were anything to go by when regaling everyone in Gryffindor Tower of the incident.

He and Black had helped Fabian take the boy to the hospital wing, Black joking he ‘got to carry the left foot’. Lily had glared murderously as a few first years squealed and paled.

The incident, which grew stranger and more horrific each time Katherine heard it around the castle, overshadowed Mary’s return to school the following week.

Katherine had walked into the dormitory one afternoon, the first back that day, and paused.

The empty bed in the dormitory, was no longer so. There was Mary; laying on her bed, her legs up against the wall, once again.

Katherine paused, unsure if it was a mirage she conjured up in missing her friend, and then crossed to her own bed. She placed down her bookbag and stepped experimentally to her own bed, keeping an eye on her friend. Toeing off her shoes, Katherine eased down onto her own bed, atop the covers, and set her own legs up against the wall, mirroring Mary.

She could not say for how long they sat like that.

Finally, Katherine asked, carefully, “Everything… will be okay?”

“It will be, yeah.” said Mary slowly, turning her head, to give the slightest of smiles, before looking back to the ceiling.

Katherine nodded, swallowing, and said, trying for a hopeful tone, “That’s good.”

“Hey, Katherine?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve got a date with Peter – at Puddifoots – this weekend.”

The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

 

---

 

At the weekend, Remus stood outside of Madame Puddifoots by his shorter friend in his blue nylon bomber jacket.

Like clockwork.

At his sweet “Hello.” and with one glimpse of his mussed hair, lined eyes, and woolly socks, Katherine experienced an unexpected rush of affection for Remus Lupin.

Ahead, Peter opened the door to the shop off the high street, Mary behind him, propping open the door for Katherine, and Remus trailing behind her.

The entire establishment was covered with bows and was beyond cramped. The windows steamed up and the tables and chairs were all claimed by teenagers holding hands or kissing over cups of tea and coffee. A bell over the door announced customers in a tuneful tinkle.

The round tables were decorated with lacy napkins and china sugar bowls, and cramped up the small shop to the point that Madame Puddifoot has great difficulty in moving in between tables to serve the couples.

Katherine turned to Remus, to see if it was as gaudy as she thought it was, when she saw that he was looking even paler than when she’d met him outside. Katherine thought it had nothing to do with the interior, however. She had been pleased to see him, as he’d been in and out of lessons all week. Despite his pallor, she thought he certainly looked less gaunt than usual…

“Are you alright?” whispered Katherine, leaning her arm against his and leant into whisper, the memory of his hospital wing visit fresh in mind, “Do you not feel well? We can go back up to the castle –”

“No – no…” rushed Remus, smiling modestly, a little sheepishly, and he said as he looked around the tea shop, “I’ve never really done an ‘afternoon tea’ before.”

“No one here really knows what they're doing either, you know,” she said, remembering her boarding school days in London, “They’re too worried about what they’re doing to worry about what you are. That’s the secret.”

“This way, dears…” said Madame Puddifoot, waving them to two little tables, only two seats a piece, on a raised dais by the back windows.

Around them, as they navigated the tables, Katherine spied many people proving her words to Remus to be correct. There were pinkies lifted, spoons clanking loudly against porcelain, people sandwiching their scones they had loaded with jam and cream…

Not to mention, everyone was wearing jeans and jumpers; the usual garb of teenagers, as it were…

“I want to do it proper.” said Remus quietly, skirting around a table.

Katherine began unlooping her scarf as they closed in on their designated table, “I can talk you through it. If you like?”

Remus paused by his allocated chair and eyed her for moment.

“I’ll admit I forgot you er… you must do this stuff all the time.” said Remus, pulling his arms out of the sleeves of his bomber jacket.

Katherine eyed the place settings, feeling her spine relax, and said softly, “Not for some time.”

As they took off their woolly hats, and pulled out their chairs, Katherine quietly instructed Remus on the protocol.

“May I ask after your tea preferences, dears?” asked Madame Puddifoot, stopping by their table and flattening her apron.

She found Remus looking to her expectantly.

She felt, oddly, in her element, fully, for the first time in a long time, “Black, thank you, Madame Puddifoot.”

Madame Puddifoot bowed her head and bustled off to prepare the teapot. All the while, a three-tiered dish floated over, loaded with food.

Around Remus’ head, came a hovering teapot with a gentle plume of steam rising from the spout.

“Enjoy, dears.” sang Madame Puddifoot as she passed the table on her way to tend to other customers.

The steam from Peter and Mary’s teapot wafted over, and Katherine felt a smidgeon of nausea creep in. Chamomile. She suddenly wasn’t sure if she would be able to stomach the sandwiches…

With innocently gleaming eyes, Remus made a production of pouring the tea. The scent of the black tea replaced the chamomile, and Katherine felt immediately better.

Katherine purposely shuffled in her seat, sitting up straight – a que that Remus followed, carefully placing his hands, but not his elbows, on the table. They met eyes as they took thoughtful, pretentious sips from their cups. Both were barely containing their laughter.

Remus paused between sips, and with a boyish grin said, “Splendid blend.”

“Yes, pleasantly invigorating, I would say.” returned Katherine, placing her cup down on its saucer with a gentle CLING of porcelain.

Remus carried on their charade, “Not too strong.”

“I wonder… Is that the Darjeeling variety I detect?” goaded Katherine, gently lifting the cup to her nose anew.

Remus gave a pompous look of agreement, blinking, “Oh, it positively must be.”

It was hardly the affair as taxing on one’s nerves as Mary had warned it would be. Maybe, Katherine mused, that might have only been because she was with Remus, however...

Glancing over, Peter and Mary were visibly anxious; dropping spoons, and self-consciously nibbling on sandwiches.

Remus and Katherine quietly ate, in silent agreement that they were to listen to the blunders around them. They would share amused glances over their teacups as they sipped at the things they overheard –  

“What are your thoughts on, uh, marmalade?”

“Do you want some?”

“Only if you do!”

Remus had to cough to cover a snort of laughter.

Katherine felt in good humour as she resumed their charade, to pretend they hadn’t been listening as Sue Bond and her date glanced over, “Remus, would you care for some clotted cream?”

Remus blinked in a way that reminded Katherine of Black –

“Oh, if it needed me.” he said, mirthfully.

It felt awfully as if they were living in a Monty Python skit, as they horsed around with the etiquette well into late morning. There were only a trio of uneaten sandwiches, a couple of scones, and absolutely no crumbs of sweets left on the three-tiered dish as they finally finished the pot of tea.

“Are you done?” asked Katherine, as she laid her utensils carefully against her saucer.

Remus lifted his napkin from his lap and placed it beside his saucer, “Yes, you?”

Katherine nodded, but hesitated, glancing to where Peter and Mary still sipped their tea.

“Shall we wait for them?” asked Remus, his eyes following hers.

Katherine nodded again, but felt a pang in her bladder, “Oh, I need to excuse myself to the bathroom a moment while we do that. Do you…?”

“No, I’ll wait here.” said Remus, with a polite smile and shake of his head.

Katherine nodded and stood, and carefully weaved between the tables to the regularly frequented doors in the back of the establishment. Being the only one leaving for the toilet always felt rude for some reason…

When she returned, Peter and Mary had vanished – as was their modus operandi.

Remus was pulling on his blue jacket, and offered a patient look of inquiry, “Ready?”

Katherine, breathless from her walk, smiled, then glanced around for a register of some sort, “Yes, do we have to –”

“Peter and Mary shouted us for coming along with them.” said Remus, with a quick smile, holding out her scarf.

“That’s lovely of them,” said Katherine absentmindedly as she accepted her scarf and looped it around her neck, “Oh – there they are – by the door.”

Plonking her woolly hat atop her head, she weaved between the tables, hoping to catch the pair.

Remus trailed behind, and it meant Katherine reached the door first. She paused before opening herself – it always felt odd to do it herself. Should she wait for him to do it? He was ill, would he even think to…?

Peter straightened his jacket, glancing between the group, “We’re going to go for a walk…”

The subtext was obvious. Katherine and Remus were to gracefully disappear.

“Right,” said Remus, a hand going to straighten his woolly hat. He glanced down to Katherine placing a hand across the middle of her shoulder blades, “We’ll er, get on with our day then.”

Mary waved with an apologetic smile, “See you later.”

Together, Remus and Katherine watched aimlessly as Peter and Mary slipped away down the high street in a crowd of students.

Katherine squinted against the snow, still watching after where they disappeared from, “I’ll admit it, I don’t have plans.”

A chuckle sounded beside her.

“Neither do I,” said Remus, his hand dropping from her back. He stepped back, nodding to the muggle interest store, his arm proffered, “Come on, ye’ ole faithful awaits.”

It had been a deceptively decent day – looking warmer than it was. Katherine had only pulled on a jumper, instead of adding a jacket. It was getting colder however, and the muggle interest shop was a warm refuge against the biting breeze of mid-January.

Like last time, the pair drifted to the record selection. In the front was a loud looking sticker, ‘NEW IN!’. Behind it was a newly familiar band’s logo. Katherine’s hands immediately reached for it.

Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled album had come out in back ’75, though Katherine had been unable to listen to it. Until then.

She was to find, as she self-consciously placed it on the record player in the store, that there was not a single weak song on either side of the record.

Through Monday Morning, Warm Ways, and Blue Letter, Katherine had leafed through the lyric insert, enamoured. Every song instantly became her favourite the moment it started playing. It would be the fourth song on the first side of the album, that would give Katherine pause –

Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her?

By the end of the song, Katherine was sure of one thing. She wanted to be Rhiannon. She had to show this to Lily, was her second thought.

Even Remus had wandered over, like it was some sort of siren song, unable to help himself, seemingly. Nodding their heads, eyes glued to the spinning record like it was some hypnotic agent.

The shopkeeper occasionally glanced over. Katherine was worried they were annoying the wizard, but when it came time for the record to fizzle, he must have flicked his wand and magically done it for them.

I took my love, I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills
'Til the landslide brought me down

The light-heartedness left them as Landslide bloomed through the room –

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm getting older too

DING! The swooshing of wind, and a chill, swept into the shop.

A few rowdy third years had bustled through, laughing, and heading for the muggle games on a table in the middle of the shop floor.

World Turning picked up, and Remus went back to browsing records beside her after shooting her a quick smile.

It was as the last song of the record, I’m So Afraid, faded that she noticed Remus scrubbing at his face and yawning.

“Should we head back to the castle, you reckon?” she asked.

Remus blinked, rubbing at his hairline, and then mussed his fluffy hair even further (still, it was neater than James’), “Yeah, it’d be good to sit down…”

She reverently touched the Fleetwood Mac album a few more times before turning her back on it as they pushed through the door and succumbed once more to the cold of the High Street.

“Lupin! – Spencer!”

Frank and Alice had happened to pass at the most opportune of moments, ice skates in hand. The two had plans to visit the frozen over pond on the edge of town, and Frank had scuppered Katherine and Remus’ desires to head for the warmth of the castle with a jolly invitation of – “Why don’t you two come along!”

Swayed by social nicety of not refusing the invitation, Katherine and Remus were swept along with the coupled-up pair.

Alice looped her arm through Katherine’s, pulling her out in front, while the two boys trailed.

“Alice?”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve never ice skated in my life.”

The paved path to the pond was as slippery as the first time Katherine had traversed it, and the four joined the dozens of students already on the ice. To her great surprise, Regulus zoomed past, skating with his hands clasped relaxingly behind his back, before skidding to a stop by Rabastan Lestrange. He smoothed his hair and rested his elbow against one of the many pillars dotted around the edge of the frozen pond.

Alice squatted by Katherine’s feet where she sat on a bench, and did up the skates for her, before guiding Katherine – jelly ankled and all – onto the ice. Patiently, Alice walked backwards in her trainers and occasionally too sliding and skidding, her hands firmly in Katherine’s.

Frank hovered by the edge of the pond, conversing with Remus where they both leant on a broad entrance pillar; Frank expertly shuffling his skates and keeping his balance while stationary.

Alice kept to edges of the pond and had advised Katherine to fall sideways onto the snow-packed grass in favour of the ice if she felt she was going to lose her balance completely.

Katherine, thankfully, wasn’t the only learner there, a few seventh-year girls were wobbling and giggling around the ice ahead of them and pulling each other up when they inevitably fell.

The WHOOSH of other students passing around the inner unofficial ‘track’ of the oval pond chilled Katherine’s neck. That’s why she felt, more acutely, when warm fingers glanced her neck from behind, and her plait was flicked –

A group of boys – James and Black a part of them – had all sped past together, panting and laughing. James kept going, while Black did an impressive backwards loop around his brother, spraying the other Slytherin’s with ice with a metallic SCRRRRPP, his arms swaying as he came to a stop and then dexterously started off again.

Alice glanced over Katherine’s shoulder after imparting some reassuring praise of her progress.

“He’s looking – Lupin.”

Katherine didn’t glance back, focusing on missing the divet in the ice she knew was coming in the next few metres, “In fear of me fracturing my bum from falling on it again, I’m sure.”

Alice glanced back again, licking her lips before leaning closer to Katherine.

“Frank seems to think someone’s said something to him – one of the other boys – apparently Lupin’s in trouble for being around you so much.”

Light with wonder at the implications of Alice’s revelation, Katherine experimented with skating unassisted.

Alice encouraged her a little longer, before stepping off the pond as Frank called her over.

‘Little shitehawk of a hole!’ came a thick Irish cry, and one of the seventh-year girls caught Katherine’s arm as she nearly fell. Katherine, granted, very nearly fell with her. A look of gratitude, and the girl let go of Katherine’s arm, ‘Thanks, love – you’re not on your own, are you? You can skate with us!’

“Katherine!” came Remus’ voice – curiously from behind, as he skated up with Frank’s skates, it being already evident he was much better than her.

Katherine and the seventh-year girls – three of them from Slytherin and the others being elder Gryffindors – had stopped skating for a spell, all crowded by a pillar to lean on for a rest, feet slipping out from beneath them as they attempted to stay upright.

One of the girls, Jeanie, slipped, taking down one of the others, and scattering the rest away from the pillar, like fawns on unsteady legs –

Remus’ arms came around Katherine’s shoulders, holding her up while the other girls fell about the ice, laughing and moaning their sore bums. His arms relaxed into a looser hold, but remained wrapped around her like a warm scarf.

“Hello.” he said through breathy laughter, his chest flush against her shoulders.

Side by side, they continued on skating after Katherine waved goodbye to the seventh-year girls, Remus clearly slowing his pace to stay with her. After a few circles, Katherine was struggling to lug her feet into a forward glide with the burgeoning blisters she felt on her toes.

“My feet are going to fall off…” groaned Katherine, as she slowed and purposefully bailed onto the snow by Alice and Frank, reaching for the laces of the skates.

“Alright, let’s go, Frank.” said Alice, taking the skates from Katherine’s outstretched hands and slipping her feet into them.

Katherine and Remus watched as the two skated hand in hand, managing to even do some amateur attempts at ice dancing before the wind picked up – and everyone bailed off the impromptu rink. Alice and Frank returned, grinning as they held hands with the enthusiasm of a newness yet to wear off.

“We’re headed to the three broomsticks,” said Frank, squinting against the wind, “You guys coming?”

Remus glanced to Katherine, and then back to Frank, “I think we’ll head up to the castle, actually.”

They walked slowly back up the path to the castle, snow crunching underfoot.

“Would you be okay if I took us on a little bit of a detour?” asked Remus after a quiet few minutes, turning to her with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets, “There’s a place I’d like to show you – I understand if you don’t have the time, or –”

“No – I’d like that.” said Katherine, honestly.

They remained on the main path until they got the bridge. Instead of crossing it, Remus stepped down the bouldering edge of the crevice. He turned back, holding out his hands, and steadied her as she climbed down after him. It wasn’t a far climb until they reached a flat rock beneath the bracing of the wooden bridge.

He sat, dusting his hands on the knees of his jeans, “It’s a good place to think...”

Katherine sat, and for a still moment just watched the birds, the owls, wayward broomsticks, and the silhouettes in high up castle windows where heads were thrown back in laughter. The wind was cool as it whistled past, but the bridge above, and the bracing, provided shelter from the worst of it.

The wind blew Remus’ hair back from his face and pinked his nose and cheeks. The beginnings of sideburns were anchored against where his ears met the top of his cheekbones. His eyes stuck to her, flashing with the setting sun.

“Are you cold?” he asked, brow furrowing, before beginning to peel off the infamous blue bomber jacket, “Here.”

Katherine was at a loss as he draped it over her shoulders, the warmth immediately wrapping her, “Oh, I –”

“I run a bit warmer than you,” insisted Remus, giving a smile, holding up the shoulder so she could slip her arm through. He looked her over with a triumphant breath, “There, it’s almost a perfect fit,”

The elastic cuffs ended long at Katherine’s knuckles, but the hem of didn’t go past the middle of the back pockets of her jeans.

“You should keep it, actually. It was a bumfreezer for me to begin with, and it barely fits me anymore after my recent growth spurt. At least it can go to some use.” he said, giving a light nudge as they sat.

Katherine crossed her arms across her stomach, newly warm, “Are… are you sure you won’t miss it?”

Remus gave a shake of his head – and then his eyes caught on something behind her.

“Uh – oh,” he said, his face light, “Here comes trouble.”

Along the bridge above, came James and Black. They seemed even closer, joined at the hip almost, now that they lived together.

“Moony,” greeted James, turning and nodding as he said, with emphasis, “Katherine.”

Katherine matched his tone, “James.”

Black was looking at Katherine – more specifically, at the jacket she was wearing –

“How’d you find me?” asked Remus, leaning back.

“It’s no matter, dear Remus,” said James, eyes alight as he shoved a piece of parchment into his pocket, “Due to our… predicament on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, we’re down a Seeker…”

Remus’s eyes flashed between his friends, and he said under his breath, lightly, “Oh, no…”

“We’ve spoken with Fabian. He already knows you ride the wind and all that when you’re on a broomstick. So –” James held his arms open, an expectant grin across his face, “What do you say? Join the brotherhood? The old red and gold? Make the birds swoon.”

Katherine had seen Remus fly. He was better than the weedy Spinnet even.

Remus sighed, squinting down at the sun where it dipped beneath the rocky base of the crevice, “You know why I can’t.”

Katherine almost frowned. Was he really that ill? He’d been spectacular on Black’s birthday – exhilarated by it all too, undeniably…

“Bollocks,” said James, with an upbeat sort of disappointment, shaking his head, “Who else can bloody play seeker –”

His eyes drifted back to the pair sitting on the boulder on the edge of the crevice –

“Hang on,” James’ eyes glinted, and his licked his lips as the wind blew his hair, “Fancy it, Spencer?”

Katherine glanced to Remus with her best silent communication of ‘he’s joking, right?’.

Remus, however, hardly looked perturbed – and was just looking to her, faint interest and amusement battling across his face.

“… no…” she said, mostly to herself; at the situation, as she looked back up.

Black, like the other two, was looking at her expectantly, like it was not the most bonkers thing ever suggested.

Katherine glanced around at the three as a whole; exasperated – and with a prickle of urgency –

 “No.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 24: Matters of Quidditch

On Monday morning, Katherine woke to the smell of warm wool, and a Gryffindor Quidditch uniform stiffly folded on the lid of her trunk. It marked the beginning of a week of permanent nausea. Disbelief too, that not a soul had tried to talk James – or Fabian – out of the decision.

Fabian had been waiting for Katherine on Sunday morning, pacing in front of the girls’ stairs.

“Brilliant – you’re an early riser!” he had greeted, “You’ve got friends on the team, so I know you won’t disturb the inner dynamics. Potter taught you, so I know you’ll be decent. Still, I will reserve my ultimate decision until after I see you fly at practise on Monday afternoon.”

Unfortunately, on Monday afternoon practise, Katherine had flown the best she ever had. Much to her dismay.

Pure chance seemed to have thwarted her attempts to fly miserably. She had been swatting an annoying blue beetle from around her face when she accidentally slipped on her broom. Instead of plummeting to the ground, she caught her hand on the broom instinctively. The action pulled her back up the right way, and she made what seemed to everyone else as a ‘spectacular dodge of a Bludger’ which had happened to rip past her at the same moment.

Katherine could have fallen off her broomstick for real at the gall of the universe.

James, however, wasn’t as obtuse as he had been pretending to be about her resistance to the new role. At the end of Thursday afternoon’s practise, he swooped down on his broom, the cool early February sunlight flashing against his sweaty skin.

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if you weren’t ready, Katherine,” said James, clapping a big warm hand over her shoulder, “I’ve been right there, watching you get better and better these past few months. Even if we don’t win, it doesn’t matter. No one on the team would ever give you any grief for it. We can still win the cup if we get enough points – remember?”

Katherine had even smiled at the memory of his theory test earlier in the school term, and nodded, looking down at her broom – and the dizzyingly distant ground beneath it.

James used his free hand to push his glasses up his nose, just for them to slide straight back down.

“Besides,” said James, grinning and leaning in with hushed tones, “Imagine if we win.”

Katherine could not deny the tingling exhilaration of the possibility. What if she was good? Like her father, she was going to play for Gryffindor. That alone, was enough to assuage some of her anxiety. She might never again get the chance to walk in his footsteps…

James patted her shoulder, and guided his broom down to land on the pitch already swarming with the red robes of the team.

Katherine lingered, sighing against the cool air, and took a deep bracing breath.

By happenstance, her eyes drifted back in the direction of the castle, and she saw a figure in the window of Defence classroom, looking out – watching the pitch. Giles had not breathed a word to Katherine about the whole thing. Disappointingly enough. Sometimes she caught him looking at her, it was… not quite disappointment at her misplaced priorities… but something else. She wondered…–

“Spencer!”

Remus stood below on the pitch in his school uniform, hands cupped around his mouth. When he noticed he had indeed caught her attention, he waved his arms with a grin, beckoning her down.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked, unsure if she could ask after him like that.

Remus shrugged, glancing out at the pitch happily before looking back to Katherine, “I wanted to come, regardless. I feel like I haven’t seen you all week.”

Katherine eyed him sternly, “Remus, if you die from exposure or –”

“It’s not that kind of illness,” he said placatingly, before he grimaced slightly, clutching the side of his neck, as if he’d pulled a muscle, “Still, maybe we should hole up in the library – by the fire? Keep you on top of your classes as well as quidditch,”

It was as the team moved around them, a few giving their ‘hello’s’ to Remus, that Katherine’s plait was flicked.

Remus’ eyes shot over her shoulder, barely changed, but looked very much to have a none-too-pleasedness to them.

Katherine turned to catch the culprit –

“Did you want to get changed first?” Remus’ words brought her eyes back to him.

Alas, the plait-flicker escaped her once more…

After changing in the sheds, Katherine walked out to Remus waiting for her. Together they trudged back up to Gryffindor Tower, collected their book bags, and set off for the library in, what was becoming, a familiar pattern.

On top of all the oddness of her week, was Regulus Black approaching her that night in the library while Remus was off searching for a book.

Katherine kept one eye on the direction Remus left in, and one on Regulus. Would he leave before Remus got back? Did he know Katherine wasn’t alone? Regulus was one side of her life that never overlapped with any other.

“Is it true you’re playing in the match this Saturday?” he had said, after lingering at the edge of her table for an uncomfortably silent stretch of time.

Reluctantly, Katherine nodded at his genuinely inquisitive tone.

Regulus nodded, and his eyebrows had lifted.

“It’s Hufflepuff, but…”

Katherine’s nausea unexpectedly gripped her again at that moment, with full force.

His blue eyes had trailed over her, and, said, curiously, “Good luck, Spencer.”

Remus slowly came back around a bookcase, his gaze fixed on where Regulus had disappeared, “Was that just…”

Katherine nodded slowly, communicating her shared disbelief back with pointedly widened eyes.

“Does he usually… act like that?”

“Sort of…” Katherine shrugged, before sighing, “I think it’s to do with the odd air around the castle lately – something weird is going on...”

Remus placed down two heavy books, eyeing her mirthfully as he slowly sat –

“’Something weird is going on’, isn’t that our school motto?”

Katherine laughed, her eyes grazing past the clock on the wall as she did so – “Oh – gosh – it’s nearly eight! We should probably get back to the tower…”

He hummed with a faint smile and glittering half-lidded eyes.

Katherine paused, a little self-consciously, “What is it?”

“Your charming sensibility,” he said, before nodding to her things on the table, “And the way you stack your books –”

Katherine looked to her books with Remus; largest on the bottom, to smallest on the top, with her quill and inkpot beside –

“– marvellous,” sighed Remus, equal parts earnest and playful as he held a hand to his chest.

Katherine smothered grin, but not the excitement flaring through her chest – like a firework, again.

“Lily’s the same.” said Katherine, shrugging, putting her books away in her bag carefully.

Remus tilted his head as he pushed himself up from the desk, and he too started packing his things away, “I don’t know… I think I’ve seen her stack them by order of use before, with –”

Remus leant forward conspiratorially, whispering -

“Her planner on the bottom, beneath her potions textbook.”

“I was mistaken –” joked Katherine, swinging her bag onto her back, “Lily Evans is a heathen.”

Remus held his bag strap where it cut across his chest, and leant down amusedly as they strolled slowly out into the hallway, “If you’re in the market for a new best friend…”

In holding his bag strap, Remus’ arm was bent all too invitingly. Katherine slipped her arm around his and laughed.

“Throwing your hat in the ring?”

Remus gave a modest little smile in reply, but Katherine was distracted by the realisation that he looked a little taller then, as they walked through the hallways. Or maybe it was just because she was so close?

He hadn’t given any inclination that he minded her taking his arm, even squeezing his bicep in silent response. It was not like she hadn’t done it before.

She did it with Lily, inconsequentially – but she was girl. With Remus being a boy, did it mean something different?

Katherine did not know what to call the thing that was going on between them. It felt silly, and light – and good. He seemed to like her – to enjoy her company so much – because she was good and sweet. Would he still? When he found out she wasn’t always?

A hint of doubt crept into Katherine’s mind... but one glance up at him, and it vanished just as quickly.

Happily, they strolled back to the tower, chatting happily about nothing much. He, mercifully, steered clear of the topic of quidditch – on purpose it seemed.

They dropped their arms at the portrait, necessarily, to climb through. Katherine watched their shadows stretch long before them into the common room as they exited the passage, as their inevitable farewell approached.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” said Remus, slowly backing away through the furniture, with impish happiness across his face.

Katherine much preferred the general gaiety to his grimaces of pain and frowns at his friends.

“See you.” said Katherine, her voice coming out much higher than intended, and she briskly cringed right after saying the words.

Remus did not notice – he had backed into the arm of the couch, and then stumbled, tripping slightly on the rug. Good-naturedly, he laughed at himself, and then turned the right way around, walking up the boys’ stairs.

Upon bursting into the dormitory, Katherine was, unfortunately, reminded of the approaching match.

Marlene was hanging up her freshly laundered quidditch unform; ready – and very close to being needed.

The plus side of the situation was that Mary had returned to her old self, seemingly completely. Everyone in the dormitory was so absorbed by absurdity. Except for Marlene, who was ecstatic about the whole thing.

“It’ll be brilliant, playing together!” she gushed later that night, curled up in her pyjamas; pillow clutched to her chest, “Imagine if you got on the team full time? Fabian thinks you’re tops too – I heard him chatting with King in the changing sheds.”

Katherine noticed her petting of Belle had become a bit faster, as her anxiety panged, and had to mindfully slow her hand, so as not to annoy her familiar.

Alice and Lily sat at the base of Katherine’s bed with a paper chatterbox they had made, with possibilities that aimed at trying to cheer Katherine up. They’d had a surplus of time, as all the Professors seemed to go a little easier on the homework that week.

Katherine had her suspicions that McGonagall had something to do with it all. The stern booted witch had been in high spirits all week. She could even be heard whistling, when walking the corridors.

“Pick a colour.”

“Blue.”

“B – L – U – E,” Lily spelled out, moving her hands in time. She looked up again, flicking her hair back over her shoulder the best she could with her hands busy, “A number?”

“Three.” she hadn’t picked that one yet.

The girls giggled and kicked their legs upon opening the flap, and said together in a sing song voice, “You catch the snitch – and Remus Lupin snogs you in front of the whole school!”

Katherine laughed at that, clamping her eyes shut and grimacing, she groaned her embarrassment, “Guys!”

The night was spent laughing over the ludicrous fake fortunes written in the parchment game.

“You fall from your broom and – wait, wait! – Gideon rushes down from the commentary tower and gives you mouth to mouth – crying over your unconscious body!”

“You don’t catch the snitch… but you knock Greengrass out cold with your boot as you’re flying over the Slytherin spectator tower!”

 

---

 

Saturday morning came, unmercifully quick.

She never had to do it again –

Fabian clapped his hands together after a rousing speech Katherine had barely heard – "Alright, let's get out there and blow their brooms out from beneath their bums!"

Marlene's arm hooked under Katherine's, pulling her up and shoving her broom into her hand on the way to the door.

She never had to do it again –

The door to the pitch was opened; snow and cheering rattling through her eyes and skull. The tightening of her Quidditch jumper collar reached epic proportions. Her broom somehow found the seat of her trousers, and she was in the air with the rest of the Gryffindor team, circling the pitch in an echo of the dread circling her stomach.

She never had to do it again –

Marlene had gone to her goal hoops she was to protect for the duration of the game, waving to Lily, Mary, and Alice where they cheered and waved from at the front of the Gryffindor stands.

Leopoldina Smethwyck, the referee and the flying Professor, was communicating through large gestures with a large man in a moleskin coat in an independent tower where the score charts were. Hagrid was too busy cheering on James and Black who had dropped down to high-five him and Peter on their way to the centre of the pitch to notice.

Taking stock of the crowds, Katherine discovered that Jimmy Twills had ventured down from his store in Hogsmeade to watch. Silver-streaked raven hair peeked out from his lifted goggles in the Professor's Tower from where he sat beside Giles. She couldn't see his keen purple eyes, but she was sure they were on her.

"Captains!" shouted Smethwyck, flicking her elaborate braid over her shoulder and squinting behind her comically large goggles, "Shake hands!"

Fabian could be seen clapping palms with his Hufflepuff counterpart down below.

"Take your places!"

Katherine rose up above the Chasers, and then the Beaters, to come level with Stebbins above the meat of the match.

"Let the game begin!"

Smethwyck blew her whistle and tossed the Quaffle higher than her bird-boned arm should have been able to. With a tap of her wand, the Bludgers flew out next, growling and on the prowl for victims.

There was a pause as the Chasers scrambled, James in the thick of it with King while Black skirted around the outside; streaking away and lifting his arm to catch James' pass without so much as a glance.

There was already a CRACK of a Beater's bat against a Bludger in the distance, in sync with a roll of thunder.

The cheer from the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers was almost rivalled by the booing from the Hufflepuff and Slytherin towers.

Smethwyck produced a small glinting object last, no bigger than a galleon from Katherine's distance, and there was a broom-tightening, breath-holding, and glance-exchanging pause in the Tower's appraisals of the match.

The snitch was released, and Katherine found that Stebbins was to never be more than a broom length off her tail twigs during the game.

Katherine tried barrel rolls, loop-the-loops, and all manner of manoeuvres to try and shake him, but he persevered – even with his later Nimbus model. His eyes, however, rarely left her. In his blinkered focus, Katherine was able to spot the snitch on one of her glances back over her shoulder; hovering a wing's length from Stebbins' yellow-robed shoulder.

Just as she eased her broom around to pursue, unease hooked Katherine by her navel, and her broom fought to leave her hands anyway it could; up, down, side to side. Not only the wood – but control – slipped further and further down her to her fingertips.

"SPENCER HAS STARTED SOME WEIRD NEW-WAVE MANOEUVRE NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS," announced Gideon, "PERHAPS EXPERIMENTAL FLYING TECHNIQUES IMPLEMENTED BY THE NEW CAPTAIN?"

Fabian swooped down, his bat falling to rest on his knee, "What's wrong?"

"It's not me," said Katherine, feeling her skull rattle with the force of the swings, "It's my broom!"

"HUFFLEPUFF USE THE DISRUPTION TO THEIR ADVANTAGE – SLIDING THEIR FIRST GOAL PAST A CONCERNED GRYFFINDOR KEEPER!" announced Gideon, "IT SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD MANAGE ONE AGAINST THIS YEAR'S EXCEPTIONAL GRYFFINDOR SIDE!"

"I seriously doubt it," said James, trying to catch her tail twigs to stop the jerking only to nearly get whacked in the face by the pointy ends of them, "Your broom is top of the line."

"HUFFLEPUFF SCORES! AGAIN…"

James' glasses flashed against the sun as his gaze drifted towards the goal hoops.

Marlene was drifting off-centre of to watch Katherine.

"No, honestly," Katherine frowned and knitted her fingers together on the underside of her broom to save herself from getting bucked off, "Call a time out – I think it's jinxed."

"Who would jinx your broom?" asked Fabian, squinting under the sun.

Katherine caught two pairs of eyes in one second. James and Black had both been privy to her trapping in one of the secret passages that filled with water.

"POTTER'S CALLED A TIME OUT," announced Gideon, "AND NOW I DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO THE OTHERWISE SUPERB CALIBRE OF THE NEW ADDITION TO THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM – HEY, THE ONLY THROWING OF OBJECTS IS ON THE QUIDDITCH PITCH, NOT AT YOUR HEAD BOY, GREENGRASS!"

"Well… land… or something," said Marlene, completely abandoning the goal hoops, "You can't very well keep horsing about like that or else you'll get thrown off."

Katherine caught her breath as the wind seemed to stop trying to usurp her, "I think – I think that it's stopped."

"Right, we'll get on with the game," beamed James, ruffling his hair before shooting his hand up into the air to wave down the black robes of the referee, "Ref!"

"AND WE'RE BACK UNDERWAY!" announced Gideon, "GRYFFINDOR VERSUS HUFFLEPUFF, SIXTY TO TWENTY!"

Katherine squinted and found Stebbins' mustardy robes zipping through the towers; arm outstretched – expression wistful. She squeezed her thighs together, the wood pulling her by the seat of her trousers into the sky above the spectator towers, able to grasp at his tail twigs if she so desired.

"SPENCER HAS REJOINED THE CHASE FOR THE ILLUSIVE SNITCH!" announced Gideon, "STEBBINS' IS IN TROUBLE WITH BROOM TROUBLES NO LONGER IMPEDING THE NEW GRYFFINDOR SEEKER!"

No sooner than Gideon's words blared against Katherine's skull, the chase took a turn – down.

Perpendicular to the sand basin of the pitch, Katherine and Stebbins eyed the snitch, each other, and the ever-approaching ground.

They didn't slow.

Mustard and scarlet robes swirled around them in a sickening display, emerald and navy blotting the already stomach-squelching scene blurring by them.

Katherine's gloved-fingers involuntarily tightened around her broom. It felt thin. She remembered the unbreakable braking charm and her practices in pull-ups over the Black Lake with Marlene. She'd done it a hundred times before, she told herself.

A trickle of dread inched down her spine along with another intrusive thought.

But never in a game.

A scramble of Chasers split apart in the middle of the pitch for the Seekers. Through the ring of mustard and scarlet robes sped Katherine and Stebbins.

James' glasses flashed in Katherine's peripheral vision… Fabian's gold hair glinted…Marlene's gasp pierced the tunnelling air at Katherine's ear…

But she'd never dived from one hundred feet.

Katherine was vaguely aware of the tightened wrists of Stebbins.

The near-transparent tawny wings of the snitch batted, teasing Katherine for allowing herself to be lured into what would be a match-ending crash.

Stebbins' neck and broom pulled up – away.

Gideon said something over the loud speaker, but it was all a faint buzz to Katherine.

She was alone in her pursuit of the ever-plummeting golden snitch when its fluttering wings lifted up on the breeze.

But so did Katherine.

She gripped her broom and gritted her teeth. Her broom, as exhilarated by the chase as Katherine, levelled out; the toes of her boots scraping the sand. The flicked-up-sand caught in her throat, eliciting a cough from Katherine as she reached out a hand – not to cover her mouth – but to grasp at the ever-receding golden ball.

It went higher and higher, blurring across the turrets of the spectator towers and zipping out of her persistent grasp.

As altitude returned to the chase, so did Stebbins – and Katherine's hearing.

The roar of Gryffindor tower, the wind in her ears, and Gideon's announcing was waylaid by a hooking sensation behind her navel. A jerk of her broom in her left hand and a quiver in her throat was all the warning Katherine had before she was thrown violently.

Gasps made the unfurling ball of panic behind her sternum vibrate apart with new intensity – because Katherine hung by her left hand from an inch-thick piece of willow.

"WHAT'S THIS!? THE GRYFFINDOR'S SEEKER HAS BEEN THROWN FROM HER BROOM?" announced Gideon, "GRYFFINDOR VERSUS HUFFLEPUFF – SIXTY TO TWENTY! IF STEBBINS CATCHES THE SNITCH, IT WILL BE HIS FIRST SNITCH CAPTURE AND HUFFLEPUFF WILL WIN! YOU WOULDN'T READ ABOUT IT, FOLKS…"

"Spencer, catch the Snitch or die trying!" shouted James over the wind and the shoulder of the Hufflepuff Chaser blocking him from aiding Katherine.

The growl of a bludger and the burn of the wind against Katherine's face alerted her to the fact that she was very much still in the middle of the game. Random rushes of wind against her robes in the form of her fellow and opponent players made a knot in her abdomen intensify.

She had to get back up.

Katherine gritted her teeth and hugged herself to her upside-down broom with her arms. The contact the wood had to her front was enough for her to bring it under her command once again. The broom took off, pulling her the right way up, and Katherine kept low to her broom as she followed the glint of gold back up to the tops of the Ravenclaw spectator Tower.

Just as the wings of the snitch flapped against her fingertips once again, her broom started to quiver – the tell-tale sign that the jinxing offender was at it again. In an act of pure will, Katherine edged her broom out in front of Stebbins' and snatched the snitch from the air, only breathing again when the metal was snug in her sweaty grip.

There was a pause – a heart squeezing, eye hollowing, pause; filled only with deafening disbelief.

"SPENCER'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH – GRYFFINDOR WINS!" announced Gideon, his voice journeying from awe to elation in the space of six words.

Roars erupted from the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers while booing simultaneously met the air from the Slytherin and Hufflepuff towers.

Katherine couldn't find it in herself to celebrate; her eyes hunted for the culprit, and they didn't even need to leave the Slytherin tower.

Who else would have done it but Greengrass?

After less than a second of perusal, Katherine found Greengrass' pointed features beneath a green and silver woollen hat. The Slytherin was scowling in the usual Slytherin fashion; leagues beyond haughty. Katherine thought that she might like to spell something into Greengrass' mouth for her to choke on instead of shouting and booing Katherine.

Regulus' unflinching gaze from behind Greengrass' woollen hat didn't go unnoticed by Katherine. He had wished her luck. And she now knew why.

Feeling as if she'd rather dissolve into the sky, Katherine found the ground. Her broom had barely been dismounted when a flash of jet-black hair was in front of her. Glasses glinting; James' calloused grip was swiftly upon her shoulders, and his lips were upon her cheeks – repeatedly, bruisingly.

"We did it – we won!" cried James, releasing Katherine and linking arms with a gold-haired twin and dancing around in a circle.

At the pure glee on his face, Katherine's heart fought to lift off from the depths of her melancholy; her lips tugging up, and a laugh wrestling out of her throat.

It was when another laugh chorused with hers that, in a mess of arms and hair, Black slowed by Katherine in James' wake. King had just pulled the neat waves into a head lock, and lowered his own head in a bruising forehead kiss on the younger boy. Black turned to embrace the next person, locked eyes with Katherine, and paused.

With a gulp and a quick smile, Black offered her a nod.

Katherine, newly jolly from the team’s elation, nodded back – too smiling.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” – the approaching Gryffindors flooded the pitch – having clambered down the stairs of the spectator towers. At the front, were two familiar faces. Positively legging it, Remus beamed as he closed in on the Gryffindor team, Lily behind him.

Katherine stepped back, assuming he was heading for Potter – or Black, even – when his arms closed around her waist like a vice, and he lifted her up, swinging her around with startling strength –

“Merlin – that was amazing!”

Katherine’s chest soared, and she laughed, gripping his shoulders as he returned her to her feet, “I nearly got thrown from my broom!”

“Well, yes, very concerning might I add –” he said, with flickering sternness breaking through his elation “– but you caught the snitch!”

She noticed smeared red paint on his cheeks, but she couldn’t make out what it had been…

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention – Black had started stepping backwards slowly, before turning and heading for James. He glanced back –

“Your dad would have been proud.”

Lily’s words, on any other day, would not have brought a tsunami of tears out of Katherine. Caught off-guard, Katherine had to look away, doing her best to let the praise glance off her.

Alice clapped Lily on the back, “Lily here, was taking enough photos to be your honorary proud parent.”

“I can’t wait to get them developed!” beamed Lily, fondly gazing down at the camera in her hands.

Remus leant by Katherine’s ear, needing to yell still – to be heard over the cacophony of noise.

“I’ve got to go see the others too,” he said, pulling back and peering down at her cheerfully, “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

Katherine nodded as Remus slipped away. His spot, however, did not have a chance to go cold.

King stopped in front of her; both of his hands encasing her right one and rattling her shoulder in its socket in the guise of a handshake.

"Excellent work! Really excellent Work! We haven't won a game with a snitch catch, and in the lead, in nearly a year –"

Katherine listened half-heartedly to compliments on her skill, her eyes still rifling through the bobbing heads passing them to see what the fifth year Gryffindor boys were doing.

"Wormy –"

"It's really not fair that you all got cool nicknames and I –"

"Not the time, mate." said Black, his hand clamping down on Peter's shoulder in a firm pat.

An arm slid along Katherine’s shoulder, gold-lacquered nails anchoring on her shoulder and curls tickling her damp neck.

Marlene's arm tightened around Katherine, and began pulling her around King, "Sorry, King – Katherine needs to be advised of the festivities!"

Katherine barely had time to throw an apologetic smile over her shoulder to the burly seventh year before he was lost in the crowd.

Katherine tried to keep up, conversationally, and in stride, with her shorter friend.

"I've just spoken to Lily – who has spoken to Remus, who, well… those boys are all thick as thieves – you get the picture – so there's going to be a post-feast feast; Butterbeer…cakes from the kitchens…"

Letting herself be pushed and pulled by the steady stream of students and Marlene's firm grip, Katherine felt a tremendous distance between herself and the happy scene bubbling and blurring around her.

The earth only came rushing back up to her feet with startling intensity when her eyes grazed past an emerald and silver woollen hat. Greengrass.

Her appendix might have exploded with rage if a slicked back head of inky hair didn't swoop by the soft material at that very moment; Regulus…

Rage was replaced with a peeling sensation in her left shoulder; burning and chilling her all the same. Nothing was wrong with her feet, however, and they moved after the source of her wound.

Katherine hadn't taken off her Quidditch robes or even put down her broom. She was surprised that her grip on her broom hadn't snapped it.

Katherine could care less how she looked to her friends or people who she only knew in passing. She was livid – and coming to a stop by a group of Slytherins as they filtered into the Great Hall.

"Did you know?" demanded Katherine.

Half of the Slytherin group were watching her. Somewhat curious, but largely like Katherine was something they scraped off the bottom of their shoe.

Regulus just looked at her.

"What?" asked Regulus, frowning.

"Did. You. Know?" repeated Katherine, feeling her voice grow alongside the heat in her cheeks.

Regulus wrapped a hand around her elbow and pulled her aside. He flicked his eyes to the group, then back, pointedly. He didn’t want the scene she was about to make.

The group slowly trickled, and then it was just them in the Entrance Hall.

Katherine waited; arms still crossed. She watched Regulus close the double doors on the prying eyes of the entire school body with some effort with his short wingspan in comparison to the doors.

He turned and sighed, "Alright, go ahead."

"Did you know?"

Regulus scrubbed at his face before running both hands through his hair.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific, I know a lot of things." said Regulus lightly.

The words she knew that she had to speak made her eyes burn. Something she didn't expect to happen. But she had been humiliated. It was her first match and she let James down, making everyone think she couldn't even stay on her broom.

"Did you know about Greengrass trying to tamper with my broom?" asked Katherine, gulping away the crack in her voice.

Too many different emotions flashed across Regulus' face at once for Katherine to just discern one.

Regulus frowned, surprise colouring his voice, "Greengrass?"

Katherine felt her eyelids almost completely peel back in her incredulity, nodding and feeling her arms flail on their own accord.

"Yes! The bint in the year above you!" Katherine wiped her increasingly-wet nose on her Quidditch jumper sleeve, "So, did you know – or what?"

"Why do you think I would know?" asked Regulus, leaning back and regarding her tear-stained cheeks with visible discomfort.

Katherine shook her head at his lack of helpfulness, stepping closer to him, “You wished me luck. Why would you wish me luck?”

Regulus took a step back.

He didn't speak. But his eyes did. He knew something – but he wasn't going to tell her.

“I can see that you’re understandably rather upset. Perhaps you need some time to gather your thoughts and calm down. I don’t think I’m quite the right person, and I think you may be better off talking to the likes of Evans at such a time,”

Regulus raised his eyebrows – infuriatingly.

“Lupin, perhaps?” he tacked on, before stepping away.

He was gone so suddenly, completely, that Katherine briefly wondered if he’d apparated despite being very underage…

Normal underage witches, however, giggled and didn't apologise when they slid past a frozen Katherine in the hallway; whispering, and all but skipping in the direction of the grand staircase.

"Did you see him today – in the match?" sighed the navy-robed Dorcas Meadowes before groaning and letting her head fall back, "What I'd give to share a changing shed with him every day…"

"He is so fit," Katherine recognised the girl arm in arm with Dorcas to be Bertha Jorkins, "I bet he'd even look good in one of those Azkaban identifiers – did you see the one in yesterday's paper of Malfoy's dad?"

"It's no wonder now why he didn't make Head boy…"

Katherine begrudgingly fell into step behind the girls, realising that they were also heading in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

She tried not to listen, vehemently, but as talk turned to which boy on the Gryffindor team they would most like to snog, it became more difficult. Katherine, fearing that she would never be able to look Black or James in the eye again after hearing a detailed appraisal of their trouser bulges, all but leapt over the girls on the final staircase to the portrait of the fat lady.

"Bogmarsh!" Katherine all but shouted.

The Fat Lady raised a prim brow before sweeping her hand across her frame that popped out from the wall, granting Katherine passage.

As she clambered over the hole in the wall, she heard the Ravenclaw girls' stare rather than saw it.

"Was that –"

"Do you think she –"

Katherine distanced herself from the girls' aloud wonderings and had to come to a screeching halt in her escape – just shy of the end of the tunnel to the common room.

Garlands of holly from the stash of recently banished Christmas decorations were strung up around the circular room, along with Gryffindor banners – the odd scarf thrown over end tables and the backs of couches. Lion-adorned flags blazed high on the chandelier, enchanted to look as if in wind, and people had spelled the lions on the tapestries to roar whenever passed. One particular lion was letting out a rioting growl as King and a sixth year girl pressed against it and each other.

Katherine edged around the clusters of gleeful students, searching for her friends.

She found Lily's blaze of red hair first; leaning on an alcove, gnawing away at her lip, and chewing out the ears of underage students with their hands around strangely fizzing goblets. But she was smiling resignedly, throwing back her head to laugh at whatever Alice had whispered from beneath Frank's arm.

It seemed that everyone was enjoying themselves.

As she sat in the squashiest arm chair in the common room, directly opposite the fireplace, Katherine's mind turned back to the only other place she had ever called home.

She found that the rectangular townhouse that was Number Twenty-Four Claremont square was no longer the place of regiment and cool regard she'd always thought it before she discovered magic, but a distant dream of consistency and ease.

But, supposed Katherine as she took a sip of Butterbeer froth, even if she could return, she wouldn't belong there anymore.

Sitting adjacent to her curly haired friend, their red-haired friend also traipsing over from her conversation with Alice, Katherine felt out her new normal; enchanted flags, roaring lion tapestries, and an amplified record player included.

A dark wizard that murdered her parents attempting to track her down, a dedicated bully in the hallways of Hogwarts, and her over-bearing exams watered down any feelings of unadulterated happiness that Katherine might have found in belonging somewhere.

Lily's eyes lifted from the pillow she'd clutched to her front upon sitting, and the green folded around Katherine like a warm dough.

It seemed that Katherine and Lily could go in and out of each other's minds without effort.

"Maybe you shouldn't have yelled." said Lily, swirling her goblet and gently frowning at Katherine over it.

Marlene snorted, adjusting her shirt to hide her chest; too full for the v-neck long sleeve, "Nah, they deserved it."

Lily's head swung to Marlene; eyes accusing.

"You don't even know what they did."

"Well, no," said Marlene, looking up from her shirt-adjusting and shrugging, "But I'm sure Katherine's anger was well-founded."

Katherine hummed, barely containing her bitterness, "Greengrass jinxed my broom."

Lily's crimson-painted-nails blurred in her periphery to place her goblet down on the table.

"Katherine –"

"And she tried to drown me in that passage," said Katherine, cutting Lily off and beginning to lift her fingers to count, "Locked me in a cupboard with Devil Snare –"

"You don't know that it was her for sure." said Lily in one breath, her thin eyebrows pulled together.

"Who else would have done it?" asked Katherine, tucking her hair behind each ear in turn with one hand, the other occupied by her goblet; leaning forward all the while.

"She has a point." said Marlene lightly.

Lily sighed, "Not you too."

Marlene turned back, blinking slowly and raising her round arches.

"Someone else has to have Katherine's back."

Lily's eyes flashed.

"Hey!" said Lily, sitting up straighter to abandon the pillow she was leaning on, pointing, "That's not fair –"

Marlene scoffed, still with her knees tucked up beneath herself and her goblet resting precariously on her knee, "Neither is taking those bastards' side."

"I'm not taking their side –" said Lily, turning to Katherine, "– Katherine, please understand that I'm just trying to –"

"Do your prefect duty by being fair and just," said Katherine, sighing and offering Lily a pacifying, albeit half-hearted, smile, "I know."

"I do have your back, Katherine," Lily sat back against the couch, frowning across at her friend, "I was even trying to do a counter-jinx today."

"And it didn't work?" asked Marlene, pausing her goblet just short of her mouth.

"Greengrass' jinx was too strong," Lily frowned, shaking her head, "I even think she was doing it non-verbally…"

"Hey, Katherine?" asked Marlene, shuffling her legs out from beneath herself, her quaffle-covered green socks touching down on the common room carpet.

Katherine lifted her eyes from the ottoman where a large, blank piece of parchment was folded up, "Yes?"

Marlene one-handedly detangled the back of her hair in a claw-like motion as she regarded Katherine.

"Why were you mad at Sirius' little brother?"

Embarrassment and confusion at the memory of the confrontation brewed through her, rolling like potatoes at a boil.

"Well, er…" Katherine hesitated, her eyes shifting between her two friends, "He wished me luck for the match... it was rather odd..."

Lily shifted her hair behind her shoulders before folding her hands together on the pillow back in her lap, her knees and ankles together, "I really don't think that you should have snapped at him, Katherine."

"Why not?" Katherine lightly shook her head, feeling her lip tremble and hiding her eyes in case they betrayed her and leaked, "He just stood there while it was happening –"

"He was doing a counter-jinx too."

"He…" Katherine broke off, unfurling layers of emotion hitting the floor of stomach in swift succession; surprise, guilt, and then awed gratitude, "He was?"

"He was muttering something and he wasn't breaking eye contact…" Lily slowly nodded as she spoke, "It all makes sense..."

Katherine's shoulders gave out and she slung an arm across her eyes and let her neck fall into the curvature over the back of the couch, "Oh, I feel even more rubbish now…."

"Maybe you could try and apologise?"

The clearing of a throat startled Katherine further than Lily's words had, and Katherine removed her arm from her eyes.

Black weaved in through furniture to pocket the blank piece of parchment on the ottoman. He quickly re-joined a laughing Frank and James by the record player.

"Or maybe she could try and swim with the Giant Squid instead?" suggested Marlene, leaning back and dizzily focusing on the carvings on the round ceiling.

Exhausted, Katherine headed for the dormitory quietly not long after, catching Remus’ eye from where he stood with the other boys.

Guilt swelled up in her, as they’d promised to catch up at the party, and she gave a small, and hopefully regretful looking, apologetic smile.

He had craned his neck to even see her, and gave a knowing smile back, even if his shoulders ever so sagged as he turned back to his friends.

Once she turned, she felt his eyes on her again. It made it a little harder to go.

Afterall, he was perhaps the only person she felt like sitting with at that moment.

 

---

 

The Giant Squid, Katherine found out the following day, breached into sight more often than Regulus Black.

While people were clutching at their heads during Breakfast, James Potter was clutching at straws at the double doors with Wood; trying to secure the pitch for extra practices to continue a winning streak. Not that he told Wood that. “By the power vested in me by Fabian Prewett…” was how James had begun his spiel.

"You saw her get thrown from her broom, hit for six – isn't that what the muggles say?" said James, "Well, she's right out of it – could use the extra time to get back on her broom and recover."

Wood frowned, "I did see it –"

"Good lad – thanks a bunch – I best be off to Charms." steamrolled James, turning and parading off in the direction of the mentioned classroom.

Katherine, indeed, thought that he could use some further instruction in his charms, but not the kind that required a wand.

While Wood kept trying to chase down a suddenly illusive James Potter all day, Marlene helped Katherine chase down a characteristically reclusive Regulus Black.

It was as they followed him after breakfast for a walk around the Black Lake, to the boys' lavatory after every class, to the courtyard at lunch where he avidly perused a broom magazine, and ran beneath his broom during his afternoon fly before dinner; that Katherine realised that he always found her – he knew her schedule – but she had known next to nothing about him.

She was surprised by how normal he was – if not weak-bladdered. No doubt from all the tea he drank, Katherine discovered as she and Marlene followed him from where he had been couped up in the library with an endless teacup and stacks of books from the end of dinner to the ever-approaching curfew.

It was in trying to keep a few broom-lengths off of the back of Regulus' emerald-lined robes that Marlene and Katherine had to pause in an offset hallway as the boy bent over to tie his shiny oxfords.

Katherine sighed, turning to check on Marlene behind her, before poking it back out of the hallway to see Regulus strolling down it; almost a speck in the distance. Her heart as heavy as bludger in panic, Katherine nudged Marlene's shoulder and moved off –

"What are you two girls doing out this close to curfew?"

The new voice brought them both back to attention, shoulder to shoulder once more in combined surprise and in the face of their Head Boy.

Katherine might have fainted if Marlene wasn't there; she and Gideon hadn't spoken since the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas.

Marlene checked her watch, squinting in the scarce light, "It's curfew?"

Gideon squinted gently back down at the flimsy deflective statement, tilting his glinting head of gold.

Katherine gulped, knowing he'd poke holes soon enough.

"We just got back in from a fly," lied Katherine, wishing she could have closed her eyes when his found her beside Marlene, "Testing my broom after Saturday's disaster, you know…"

"Saturday – was it…" Gideon broke off, checked either side of himself, and leant down to whisper, "Was it something to do with any Slytherins?"

Marlene stiffened next to Katherine, "Yeah, she's cursed – has someone trying to do her in at breakfast everyday – but we have to go right now,"

Confused, Katherine turned to her friend to catch a significant look, her head bobbing discreetly down the hall.

"Curfew and all…things will be black for us if a professor catches us…" continued Marlene, smiling like she'd prefer to be on her way to a bathroom and not exiting a conversation.

A pinch was hidden in the recesses of their winter cloaks, and Katherine realised that Regulus was no longer visible.

"Hey, Gideon," said Marlene, hooking her arm through his and pointing with the other, "Are those third years harassing the Grey Lady?"

Marlene's face was the perfect picture of interest, but her thumb was jutting violently behind her back in the direction of the courtyard.

Katherine got the message, inching away until she was sure that Gideon was absorbed in Marlene's ploy. She went flagstone by flagstone until he wouldn't notice if she completely slipped into the torchless areas of the hallway, and sought out a boy with a name just a dark as the light-absent stretches.

"Regulus!"

He didn't even flinch. He just continued around the corner.

Katherine picked up the pace, hoping Filch wasn't going to pop of out somewhere and give her a detention for running in the hallways. And when she rounded the corner, she barely took stock of the empty hallway before shouting his name again.

"REGULUS! –"

Hands grabbed her wrists and pulled her behind a pillar in the courtyard.

Regulus’s face was before her, and then checking both ways down the hallway.

"Sorry." said Katherine, looking down at where he held her wrists.

"So?" asked Regulus, with wide, exasperated eyes as he dropped her wrists, "What do you want this time?"

Katherine thought she might spontaneously dissolve with the sudden bubbling in her veins, and couldn't stop her mouth from opening.

"That's a bit rich, coming from –"

His raised eyebrows stopped her from finishing her sentence.

Instead, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a short moment.

"Look," Katherine opened her eyes and frowned, looking down at her shoes, "I…I just wanted to apologise,"

Something indecipherable slipped over his face.

“I shouldn’t have accosted you outside the Great Hall,” said Katherine, having practised her words all day, “It was improper of me.”

A quirk in his lips was her hard-won reward –

“And what –”

Black, the Gryffindor one, jumped through an arch from the hallway; flicking his hair from his face as his eyes flashed between Katherine and Regulus, cloaked in amused suspicion –

“– would be going on here?”

Black shoved a piece of parchment sticking out of his pocket further down into the robe material as he stepped closer.

Regulus let out a huff, turning away, "Sod this…"

Regulus hesitated as his eyes passed over Katherine, something akin to a pendulum swinging behind his eyes.

“And… don’t worry about it… Spencer.” the words were measured carefully, as the boy glanced at his older brother out of the corner of his eye.

Without another word, he stalked away down the dark corridor.

Black turned back to Katherine and sighed, running a hand through his hair before looking away again.

"Sorry about him."

"Funny, that's what he usually says about you."

Neither looked at the other, nor spoke another word, but they stood together; united, in the odd air of the night.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 25: Sixteen

It wasn't long after the pine trees were dragged; wilted and candle-less, from the Great Hall, that pink garlands, hearts, and house elves dressed as cupid became the new obstacles to combat when walking the halls.

All Katherine received that Valentine's Day, was a request from Giles to help him lug iguanas up from Hagrid's hut to the castle while everyone was down in Hogsmeade on the weekend.

She had an inkling, a divine one in fact, that she may also get divination homework as she trudged all the way up to the classroom.

"Crystal-gazing is a particularly refined art. I do not expect any of you to See when first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths."

Professor Brown flitted just out of the corner of Katherine's eye.

"Do you see anything, Miss Spencer?"

Katherine's eyes lifted from the ball as a purple butterfly fluttered by the window, and she thought it was a sign if she ever saw one.

"A butterfly, Professor." lied Katherine.

Lily smiled from behind Professor Brown, turning to watch the offending butterfly dance out of vision.

"Very good…very good…" said Professor Brown, gazing alongside Katherine into the crystal ball, "Do you know what that means, girl?"

Professor Brown's eyes, keen, lifted to Katherine. An eyebrow followed.

"No?" Professor Brown shook her head, tracing an overgrown fingernail over the roundness of the crystal ball, "A Butterfly hints that a visitor to do with your love life will come as spring turns into summer."

Katherine, wanting to know if the situation was as humorous as she thought it was, lifted her eyes and found Lily smiling behind her thin fingers.

Spurred on by her friend's amusement, Katherine set her sights on the window and found the catalyst to send her from an Exceeds Expectations to an Outstanding.

"Oh – wait," said Katherine, crafting a tone she hoped wasn't too false, "It's turning into an owl."

Professor Brown, however keen, seemed to have her vision clouded by interest. And sherry, thought Katherine, her nose wrinkling at the bitter smell as her Professor swayed closer and closer.

"A most unfortunate turn for you, Miss Spencer," said Professor Brown, tapping the top of the crystal ball, "An owl foretells of bad tidings and prophecy…"

Professor Brown snapped her fingers.

"How about your cup – pass it up, girl, the future waits for no one."

Katherine, blinking and fumbling in her haste, handed up the floral porcelain.

Professor Brown tilted the cup left, right, round and round, and then gasped. Her long nails relinquished their over-lapping hold from around the delicate white handle. The cup shattered against the ground with a tinkling SMASH!

With a long-nailed hand clutching her robes against her chest and trembling lips, Professor Brown leant back down, and whispered, "You have… the grim!"

Something wilted in Katherine's chest.

"The grim?" asked Katherine.

Lily's tulip-red fingernails rifled through the pages of her textbook before trailing down a page a pausing.

"It's an omen of death." said Lily, frowning.

Professor Brown had moved on, the tremble from her lips gone, onto other students.

Katherine, and her friends, also moved on – from news of Katherine's untimely death. Well, she tried to, until the news came to her two days later, on Saturday morning.

 

'TWELVE YEARS SINCE THE SPENCER TRAGEDY'

 

Katherine took one look at the title of the Daily Prophet and then spent the rest of her time looking at the usual photograph of her parents used when their names were dragged back through the papers.

Over the sound of the usual breakfast scuffling in the Great Hall, Katherine still felt Lily's gaze on her. Considering that it was a Hogsmeade Saturday, one following Valentine's Day at that, it was a feat.

"It's your birthday," There wasn't so much as a questioning lilt in Lily's words. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Katherine didn't have an answer that wouldn't seem like she was fishing for sympathy. Should she tell her that she didn't even know that it was the day on which her parents were murdered until a few months ago?

"I guess it's a good thing you can't come to Hogsmeade then,"

Katherine found her chest tight at Lily's words. Looking up, though, Katherine found Lily rising from her seat and grinning.

"I can still get you presents and have them be a surprise," said Lily, popping up and skipping off down the hall.

No matter how spirited the entire student body was, there were a few immune to the feelings inspired by a trip from the school falling just after Valentine's Day. Gideon Prewett was all but stomping about, reprimanding students trying to sneak down to the adjacent town without permission slips.

Given the crack down on permission slips, and Peter and Mary having their first one-on-one date, Katherine had intended to stay back at the castle.

James shook his head as he pushed back his finished bowl of porridge, preparing to get up, “Shame you can’t come Spencer, a real blight on the institution, if you ask me,”

It seemed James had yet to read the paper, something Katherine was glad for.

Black had sat across from her, perusing it, and had glanced to her once and then taken to his crossword.

“Coming, Sirius?” asked James, disentangling his feet as he climbed over the bench.

Black coughed once, “I’m feeling poorly.”

“Wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you said it ‘makes you sick’ to see the lack of dignity around Valentine’s day, would it?” said James, wryly, before clapping Remus – who sat beside – on the shoulder heartily, “Moony – come on! You can’t let a mate go alone!”

Remus’ eyes flashed up to Katherine, “Well, actually, I –”

“Just quickly to Honeydukes and back –” James wrangled an arm around Remus, pulling the boy to his feet and dragging him out of the Great Hall, nattering on happily about something.

Remus glanced back with a tight apologetic smile.

The only fifth year Gryffindors left at the table, were Katherine and Black. Neither had addressed what had happened just a few nights ago, after the match. Together they sat in silence as they ate, Black continuing with his crossword, both comfortable to leave the quiet unbroken.

After eating, Katherine made her way to waste time with a stroll around the Quidditch Pitch before meeting with Giles, and then changed her direction for a walk around the lake instead.

It was by the large beech tree by the frozen edge that Katherine found a mass of black fur, and icy eyes peeking out from beneath it as she neared.

"Oh!"

Katherine's hand had flown to her chest with her startle at the presence. She hadn't expected to come across anyone, man, or beast. But, she realised, upon looking closer, that it wasn't very much of a beast. It was a dog – a wolfhound – and it was still round in the face; still a puppy.

Its ears pricked up and its tail beat with cold, hollow THUD's against the dirt.

"Have you been out in the cold long?" asked Katherine, her feet pulling her toward where it laid, "Where's your family – your, er, pack?"

The ears fell down the sides of the dog's face, its tail slowed to a wiggle, and the dog just blinked at Katherine.

"No family?" asked Katherine, slowly kneeling, "Me either,"

The dog let its head fall forward onto its paws, from there it gazed up at Katherine; tail wagging again.

"I remember you now – you chased Mrs Norris around the castle before Christmas,"

The dog's head lifted, almost as if the dog had leant back to appraise her for discovering its identity.

The action lured Katherine's arm forward unthinkingly, and her fingers settled between the dog's ears before she knew what she was doing. Tentative – unsure of just how stray the dog was – Katherine let her fingers splay through the soft black fur.

"It's too bad you couldn't have done it again today," Katherine sighed, smiling back at the dog as its tongue flopped out of its mouth; panting at her pats, "It would have given everyone else something else to talk about beside their bleeding chocolates and flowers…"

The dog rolled onto its side, displaying its belly for Katherine, it’s arms wobbling where he held them up and away for Katherine to scratch his ribs. His tongue still lolled happily out of his mouth, but his eyes watched her – listening.

"After watching my last family members avada'd the day before term started, being locked in a cupboard with devil snare, nearly being drowned, and getting attacked by a Dementor – twice –" Katherine took a breath –"You'd think that I could have a wee bit of a break…"

Katherine's hand tired and she pulled it back to her knees and sighed, smiling as the dog rolled back up onto his paws.

She watched the dog as she thought of everything she had revealed, and then ran her hand along the side of his face, like she would a horse.

"It's not all bad, I have some great friends – Lily, Alice, Mary, and Marlene," said Katherine as she stroked the dog's neck, "They'd love you,"

The dog leant into each and every stroke from his whiskers, beneath his ear, and to his shoulder –

"Speaking aloud as you write into your diary about me, Spencer?"

Katherine felt her brain rattle in her skull from the force of her jump.

The dog, however, had gone deathly still as it surveyed the scene Regulus Black strolled onto.

"Now, I know I don't come from the sanest of families," said Regulus loftily, crossing his arms and ankles as he leant against the tree, "But I only have one Aunt that talks to herself – and we all talk about her when she passes out after too much firewhiskey at gatherings."

Indignation flared through Katherine, and she longed to spit out a response – no matter how half-baked.

"I was talking to the dog."

Regulus blinked, "Because that's so much better."

Katherine gathered herself; drawing her shoulders back.

Regulus raised a hand to a branch, slinging his weight across his hips. He bent a leg and craned his neck to smile amusedly down on Katherine.

"Giles is asking around for you."

"Oh, blast!"

Katherine shot to her feet, brushing down her robes and ensuring that their contents hadn't spilled out onto the grass.

"I forgot that I was supposed to meet him…"

Regulus shifted in the corner of her eye, his arms dropping to his sides.

"I'm not sure how long you'll be tied up with whatever he needs you for, but…" said Regulus, hesitating and taking a step toward her with an inclined head, "Would you care to –"

An uncharacteristic bark from the dog almost made Katherine yell out in surprise – it was loud, and crisp, and almost too much for her ears from where she stood beside it.

Regulus' lips curled back in a sneer, and he peered down his nose at the source of the interruption with the upmost distaste.

"Is this mutt serious?"

"He's not a –"

"Concern of mine," said Regulus coolly, lifting a hand and frowning, "I'll be off – I suggest you do the same before you catch something…unsavoury,"

Katherine, blinking after Regulus Black as she so often did, wondered whether it would ever be the other way around…

Sometime in her wondering, Regulus turned back around.

"Oh," said Regulus, "And, Katherine?"

Katherine sighed, but met his gaze.

"Happy birthday."

Katherine watched as Regulus slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers and strolled off at a leisurely pace.

As he resumed his circuit around the Black Lake, Katherine resumed her previous thought trail.

"See you…" said Katherine, crouching back down by the dog. She tried to convey her sympathy for the dog through her pats.

Once she tore herself away from the dog and tore across the grounds, she found that Giles was waiting patiently outside Hagrid's hut for her. He was a speck of tweed against the powdered lawns as Katherine approached the bricked structure and the plume of smoke twirling up out of it.

Everything she had dreaded about the task was alleviated by Giles' prompt news that they would be using their wands to levitate the cages up to the Defence classroom, as opposed to carrying them.

The taunting glow of the fireplace against Hagrid's window panes wasn't to last for more than six whole minutes – as that was all the time that it took to divide the cages between Giles and Katherine, levitate them, and walk them up to the castle.

It was easier than any class practical she had ever completed. Giles could have done it alone, even. And, Katherine realised, when his tea set was already out upon their arrival at the classroom, that he had an ulterior motive in asking for her help.

He wanted to talk to her about something.

A reverberating CRASH from down the hallway saved Katherine from a probing conversation with her new guardian.

Giles pushed up out of his chair and crossed to his open door, "What in the blue blazes is…"

Katherine reached the door before his words failed him, and was able to see the spectacle for herself.

James and Peter – returned already from Hogsmeade – leant out of an alcove across the hallway, wincing at something further down.

Katherine followed their eyes and found a bed of scattered glass at the bottom of the divination stairs; crooked, from a rushed deploying. Down them sped two sets of different coloured robes.

"How many?" bleated Sybil Trelawney, eyes magnified by her glasses as she scurried after Black’s robes, "How many crows did you see?"

"I think he's about to see stars if he doesn't watch where he's going." murmured James, leaning his shoulder against the stone wall of the hallway as he watched on; amused.

Black ran with wild grace, his neck twisting so he could glance over his shoulder and then glance back to watch his step, his face glimpsed by Katherine for brief moments in the throes of desperation to escape.

His eyes pierced her mid-step, and he grinned, "Wotcher, Spencer!"

His robes swished past, leaving Katherine to blink in his wake and wonder whether her half-formed smile of confusion took place in enough time for him to catch.

She also had to wonder when her Head of House had arrived, the tall stiff tartan pole in the middle of the hallway that caught all the moving parts of trouble.

"Potter," said McGonagall, her eyebrows lowered as far as possible, shaking her head gently, "What in Merlin's name is wrong with your friend?"

"One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a wedding, four for a birth, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told…" sang Sybill.

"I was just going to ask Professor Brown about an omen and that loony –" Black’s eyes flashed with exasperation in Sybil's direction "– all but jumped on a poor bloke just gazing away the time until Professor Brown returned from a sherry in her quarters…"

"Well, go on then – the lot of you," said McGonagall, raising her hands in a shooing motion.

Katherine, assuming she was a part of 'the lot', also went to go.

"Not you, Katherine,"

James glanced back in sympathy before he stole around the corner with Black and Peter.

"I have your aptitude results."

The scroll of parchment was extended through the considerably easier to breathe air.

"Thank you, Professor." said Katherine, coveting the scroll with her eyes and longing to pull the ribbon from around it.

"The delay was due to conflicting results," said McGonagall, peering over her spectacles, "But I expect to see you in my office at the end of your first lesson on Monday for your counselling session."

No amount of sternness could squash Katherine's excitement.

"Of course, Professor." said Katherine, bowing her head as she turned to begin the journey back to her dormitory – to open her results privately.

"Eight for a wish, nine for a kiss…" Sybil still sang, only stopping when a blur of blonde hair and Ravenclaw robes came around the corner, "Oh, hello, Pandora!"

"Sybil," said Pandora with an airy but strangely sincere smile, "An acorn just fell down on me from the tree I was sitting under – do you wish to join me for tea and share in some of my forthcoming luck?"

Sybil toyed with the ends of her scarf, nibbling on her lower lip, "Only if it's chai – I need to be ready to cast myself into the beyond for my crystal gazing later."

Upon reaching her dormitory, Katherine came into the knowledge that she would best suit the profession of healing, and she also came into the possession of a set of eagle-feathered quills and a membership at Sprintwitches Sporting Needs in Hogsmeade; beloved birthday gifts from her friends.

It was as she thanked Lily and examined her new quills, that Marlene plopped down beside Katherine on her bed.

"What's this?" asked Marlene.

Not looking up from her quills and seeing Marlene's neck turned in the vague direction of her bedside, Katherine assumed her friend was asking about the scroll.

"I finally got my aptitude test back," said Katherine, testing the sharp tip of the quill against her fingertip, "Healing."

"Just like me!"

At Lily's loud realisation, Katherine's hand slipped and her new quill drew a bead of blood.

"I always wanted to be a nurse before I found out about magic," said Katherine, pressing her bleeding finger to her lips, "I'm not all that surprised."

"My mum was a nurse, I was going to follow in her footsteps until I got my letter," Lily nodded, loosely plaiting her hair, "I wasn't all that surprised either."

"So, did Professor Brown issue it, then?" asked Marlene, laughing shortly as she fell back against Katherine's pillows, "It would be her idea of deciding your future with a crystal ball…"

Katherine, bleeding and putting her quills down, finally caught the strangeness of Marlene's words.

"What?"

Marlene sat up and waved a hand at Katherine's bedside table, "The only thing up here is a crystal ball."

And she was right.

"That's not…" Katherine shook her head, disbelief numbing her neck, "My aptitude test is on my bed, that's – that is…"

"Beautiful!" exclaimed Lily, pulling out her Divination textbook from her trunk.

It was a crystal ball, much like the ones she had stared into on Valentine's Day in Divination, but with a difference. It didn't swirl with grey tendrils of smoke. Glittering flowers – jasmine – were iridescent in the dusk falling over the dormitory, charmed in a perpetual cycle of falling through the metallic inky liquid inside the ball.

"Let's see… jasmine… jasmine…" Lily traced her finger down the page of her textbook, "Jasmine represents purity and love, blooming in the early evening – a time when it is also commonly thought that love does too…"

Marlene glanced up with a smile, blinking, "It just means some bloke fancies her, Lily."

Lily just hummed, eyeing the crystal ball –

"Who do you think sent it?"

 

---

 

Minutes after the beginning of period two on Monday, Potions was underway and Katherine was rushing through the halls, worried that she would be late.

The results of her newly returned aptitude test and her career counselling session with McGonagall was fresh in her mind. They had decided easily that if she lived beyond a confrontation with Voldemort, that she would pursue Healing. Then they had to decide of the subjects she would be taking the next year.

The following year she would drop Astronomy and History of Magic. She only needed Potions, Charms, Transfiguration and Herbology for healing. Still, she could not bring herself to drop Defence, Divination, or Care of Magical Creatures.

Coming up behind the Fifth Year Gryffindor boys, Katherine realised that she couldn't be too late to Potions…

"Look, it's Aubrey." said James to his friends, a smile pushing his glasses further up his nose than usual.

"Hex him something severe, James!" said Peter, laughing as he eyed the back of Aubrey's robes with undisguised glee.

"Mates, if it's not out of retaliation, it doesn't make much sense to risk losing any more points. We'll be poisoned in our sleep soon enough."

All three of his friends had looked to Black, a mixture of incredulity and trepidation on their faces.

"Can we still shoot gum up the ghosts' noses?" asked Peter, his voice climbing in question.

As Katherine slowed by the Potions' classroom door, she turned as she pulled the handle in enough time to be privy to James slinging his arm around Peter's shoulders.

"Of course, Pete." James reassured his friend solemnly.

Peter, Mary, Frank, and Alice had all taken one work bench, chatting happily about plans to all go to the three broomsticks on the next Hogsmeade weekend when Katherine filed into the classroom.

Lily and had taken to the bench beside them, but before Katherine could join them, Snape stepped up, to stand opposite Lily. Not wanting to partner on a bench with Snape, Katherine let Mulciber fill the last chair at that bench.

Spying Marlene on her lonesome, Katherine quickly stepped up to her table. Behind Katherine, robes swished against hers, and Remus took his usual spot beside her.

James stepped up next to Marlene, using his thumb and forefinger to rub his eyes beneath his spectacles, “Oi – McKinnon, I wanted to discuss something to try at next practise…” he went on to chat quidditch for a short period, before ducking off to the ingredient cupboard.

Black had arrived at the back of all the others, and reluctantly took the bench beside Greengrass – behind Katherine and Remus.

Katherine had never heard the girl speak so pleasantly to someone. Black, however, did not return it, giving one-word responses. He spent most of his time turned around, seemingly finding a way to speak to James, against all odds – and seating arrangements.

Katherine tried not to dwell on the feeling of satisfaction that filled her at it, and instead turned to the task at hand, “I’ll go to the cupboard to get the –”

James had returned from his own trip to the ingredient cupboard, and placed down double the amount of ingredients –

“Don’t worry about it,” said James, giving a lop-sided smile in the midday sun dappling through the small lead-lighted windows of the Potions classroom, “Consider it a late birthday present.”

Remus swayed, knocking his arm with hers, a gentle smile angled down at her, “We’re all very sorry for forgetting your birthday.”

All? thought Katherine, confused.

“You wouldn’t happen to know who sent me the crystal ball, then?” asked Katherine, picking up a knife to slice the billywig.

James and Remus both looked up, at each other, and then at her –

She glanced up at Remus, nerves tickling her sternum, “I thought it might have been –”

Remus’ stare was holding –  

“– actually, don’t worry.” she amended, feeling much too silly to have suspected the boy.

Remus leant by her, eyebrows knitted together, “Someone sent you something anonymously?”

“Oh, it’s gorgeous!” Marlene cut across, giving Katherine a knowing smile, “Whoever did must be very sweet on our Katherine.”

James’s eyes drifted over Katherine; his eyebrows raised in appraisal –

“It might not even have been a student,” said Katherine, a little self-consciously, before pondering aloud, “Do you think Giles might have…”

Marlene shrugged, “I mean, it’s a possibility…”

Unlikely, however.

James’ eyes fixed over Katherine’s shoulder, a faint frown pulling at his features, before he looked back to Katherine and said, “A crystal ball, you say?”

Marlene stirred the ladle of she and Potter’s potion, eyeing him pointedly.

“Any leads, Potter? Now’s not the time to keep your cards close.”

James gave a gentle shake of his head, and a short smile to Katherine, before resuming his potion making, advising Marlene on the next steps.

Remus was stirring, frowning at the bubbling cauldron.

Katherine leant closer to his side to whisper up at him, “Alice knows how to check if something’s cursed, by the way, if that’s what you were worried about… after everything else that’s happened…”

“Oh,” said Remus, looking up and nodding absently. He gave a slow nod, with a faint smile, and turned his eyes back to the potion, “Right…”

Katherine reached for the tacky-shelled pod they needed to add next, “I can crush the pod; I know the smell bothers you.”

Startled, Remus glanced up again. This time, however, the smile was his usual one.

“Thanks,” he said, with new brightness. He watched her squash and add the pod with a HISS of the bubbling liquid, and furrowed his eyebrows anew, turning to her, “… hey, Spencer –”

“Five minutes until the bell! And I expect ten neat phials on my desk!” declared Slughorn with a playfully stern expression as he pointed out over the classroom, before returning to rifling through parchments on his desk.

Whatever Lupin was going to say whittled away in the face of their deadline. They hurried along, focusing on their task, and delivered one of the ten phials to Slughorn’s desk by the lesson’s end. In the rush out of the room at the bell, Katherine was separated from Remus, and slipped through, shoulder to shoulder with Black in the mess of robes.

In the hallway, the groups of students reassembled themselves, Black and Katherine splitting for their friends. Unanimously, they went back to their groups of boys and girls, after mingling in the morning lessons.

After grabbing some lunch from the Great Hall, all the Gryffindors had migrated back to the common room before afternoon lessons.

Katherine and Marlene were by the window, Katherine half-listening to the names Marlene rattled off as suspects for the crystal ball-giver. The thought of it having actually come from a walking, breathing, boy… well, it made Katherine blush too much.

Instead, she focused on whether James Potter was going to catch his Snitch again, where he conversed on the couches with Black about career prospects.

"You could teach." said James, letting go of his Snitch before catching it again.

Black looked to James, bow-shaped lips slackening and sneering in a symbiotic expression of quiet horror.

"I could also kill myself." said Black coolly, snatching the Snitch seconds before James did.

James pried the gold ball back from Sirius' hand with a scandalised look, smoothing out the flittering wings.

"You're no Seeker." James admonished him playfully, one hand going to his hair and the other releasing the Snitch again.

"Neither are you." said Black, his tone lighter than before and with a twitch at his lips.

Katherine picked up an abandoned magazine on the end table to busy herself. At once, it fell open – and at once, Katherine was taken back to the Sunday mornings when her Uncle would leave the very same 'Just Cars' magazine by the toilet.

The gleam of the glossy parchment… The clicking of the sticky spine…

Only once she overcame her nostalgia, did Katherine notice the circle of ink around a run-down Triumph Bonneville motorcycle – and the underlined telephone number and a scribbled 'July 31st – Paul's Auto Barn, Kensington'.

Someone, it seemed, was going to buy a motorcycle…

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 26: Mary, Mary...

Ever since Katherine received the charmed crystal ball, which stood pride of place behind the photograph of her father on her nightstand, she’d experienced deep sleeps each night – and discovered a new feature; that it gave off a light mist of jasmine scent every few hours.

Katherine had always loved the smell. The blue trunk of hers Giles had fetched from Claremont Square contained a perfume bottle and shampoo laced with it.

The thoughtfulness of the gift further unravelled had left Katherine doubting it’s innocence. Who would go to so much trouble? Who would have been watching her so closely?

She had taken it to Giles, who, in his shock, immediately gave away that it had indeed not been a gift from him.

Giles had placed the crystal ball down on his desk, his hands either side of it as he bent to peer into it at eye level, “You should have brought this to me immediately.”

“Alice checked it.” said Katherine, shrugging.

Giles returned to full height, and gave Katherine a look, before beginning to circle his wand at the crystal ball, murmuring, “Forgive me for not trusting the dark magic detection abilities of a fifteen-year-old witch…”

All the while, Katherine watched curiously as it glowed white under his wand a few times.

“Are you able to tell who it came from?” she asked, leaning back against a desk.

“Magical signatures aren’t always so obvious in light magic – which it seems very much to be…” he said faintly, eyebrows lifted as he continued to observe it, even lifting the base and checking beneath, “The fact that it’s an enchanted, already magical, object, makes it harder. It was not crafted completely from scratch.”

Katherine nodded, and then hesitated a moment before confessing her next words, “It makes me sleep, I think. I haven’t had a single nightmare since I got it.”

Giles’ eyes shot up to her from his observation of the ball.

“Well, you wouldn’t. These kind of things are quite common things parents charm for their children, actually, for that purpose,” he said, dropping his wand.

Giles picked up the ball, on its stand, and rounded his desk slowly.

“You… had nightmares?”

Katherine gave a short nod, eyes falling away from his – to the floor.

Giles’ leather shoes stopped before her.

“It seems the person that sent it –” he said, extending the ball out to her, “– knows you rather well, Miss Spencer.”

Katherine carefully accepted it, careful not to drop it, “Lily thinks it’s a boy.”

Giles leant back against his desk, crossing his ankles.

“It’s likely to be,” he said, all too lightly.

Katherine’s eyes lifted in alarm – that he would not refute the claim as silly.

Giles’ lips slightly tugged, and he raised his eyebrows, “Was that not the answer you wanted?”

Katherine sighed, and frowned at the crystal ball as she thought.

“Well, it only means I’m clueless as to who gave it. It wasn’t Remus – and it wasn’t James…” she trailed off, knowing from their reactions in potions.

“You came to me speaking about Regulus Black not too long ago,”

Katherine’s eyes lifted again to Giles.

He blinked in thought, tipping his head as he continued, “Despite their faults, the members of that family could charm a saint out of its halo, if they wanted,”

Giles nodded to the ball –

“Something like this would not be beyond the young Black’s capabilities.”

Her worries assuaged by Giles, Katherine had returned it to her nightstand, and enjoyed the sleeping aid. Occasionally she would let her eyes drift over Regulus Black at meals, or in the hallways, but he gave no sign of interest in her. She had severe doubts of Giles’ hypothesis…

One morning in late February, Katherine was, oddly, woken from her slumber.

Belle had jumped onto her chest, green eyes staring imperiously down at her. Turning and fluffing her tail, she made the leap across to Mary's bed with a high noise of effort.

It was then that Katherine saw that it was empty.

It was early, the purple star-spangled limbo between morning and night cast over the dormitory. Too early to be up and about…

Katherine’s eyes drifted over the opened gift box by the girl’s bed, and the mass of tissue paper still spilling out of it. The letter that accompanied it was still there, open on Mary’s desk – ‘A gift to lift your spirits, from your admirer’.

Inside had been a simple dainty silver chain with a small ruby pendant glittering, set into the centre. It shone like a waterfall of silver in the candlelight, slipping over Mary’s fingers. The girls had all sat, entranced by it, observing it alongside Mary.

Lily blinked, smiling faintly as she watched Marlene clasp the silver around Mary’s neck, “Who knew Peter had such great taste.”

“Black probably picked it,” said Marlene, rearranging the clasp at the back of Mary’s neck, muttering ‘tricky goblin thing’ under her breath, before falling back onto the bed with the others to observe it around their friend’s slender neck, “It looks like something his mother would wear, don’t you think?”

Alice blinked with a wry expression flitting across her face, “I try not to think about Walburga Black, thank you very much.”  

“Is she really Longbottom’s godmother?” Marlene had asked, newly curious, the necklace forgotten.

Mary had been so smitten with the gift, that she even worn the necklace to sleep.

Belle stared across at Katherine and let out a long MEOW before pouncing onto the ground and to the door. Katherine trusted her feline, but still felt silly when she pulled on her cloak, grabbed Lily's, and shook her red-headed friend awake.

"Lily,"

Freckled eyelids fluttered but didn't open.

"Lily!"

Her red hair was a blurred blaze as she snapped up at the waist, "What's wrong?"

Katherine hesitated, gnawing on her bottom lip, "It's Mary, she's gone."

The two girls; in slippers, pyjamas, and cloaks, careened down the stairs to the common room and through the tunnel to the portrait.

It was as it opened that the two girls smacked into hard chests.

Katherine rubbed her nose as she separated it from Sirius Black's chin as James and Lily rubbed their foreheads. Peter peeked out from behind his two friends, bleary-eyed.

Wide-eyed, the groups looked at each other.

James cleared his throat, and righted his glasses, "If you don't ask, we won't ask."

Lily nodded, linked her arm through Katherine's, and the groups moved around one another.

Katherine couldn't help but notice that Peter had a lump under his jumper as they passed each other, the tails of a white sheet sticking out of them hem.

"Nice jammies, Evans." were James' parting words as the portrait closed behind the girls.

Lily pulled her cloak tighter around herself with one arm and pulled Katherine along with the other.

Belle leading ahead of them, the two girls found one of Mary’s hair rollers two flights down, then another, and another…

Belle dashed nimbly down the steps, tail high and fluffed – until the reached the final set of marble steps to the entrance hall.

As white as the steps – as a ghost – they finally sighted Mary; floating on her back in her cotton nightgown.

Katherine was struck with the unsettling urge to spew.

It was a frightful, horror-movie esq, sight.

With only a moment's hesitation, they set out to charge the rest of the distance between them and the dangling nightgown.

“Mary!” shouted Lily.

She was still moving, as if someone was levitating her. But no one could be seen around them.

Katherine scurried along out to the courtyard with Lily, too shouting, “Mary – wake up!”

Down the lawns they went, Lily firing off spells at a slumbering Mary –

“Finite! – Petrificus Totalus! – Immobulus!”

None of them worked.

With burning lungs and with their hair sticking to their foreheads and cheeks, the two girls finally stumbled onto the steep soil and boulder-edged shore of the Black Lake. A metre below the edge, the water lapped with a hollow glug against the rocks.

Mary still slumbered deeply on her back in the air. She had stopped moving, at least. An uneasiness at the sight of her stopped over the expanse of the impenetrable black surface of the Lake, was hard to shake.

“Accio!” tried Lily.

Mary was only swayed by a light breeze, her nightgown fluttering, and remained unmoved by Lily’s magic.

“… You don’t think she’ll fall, do you?” Katherine finally asked.

Lily went ashen, “She can’t swim…”

Katherine slipped her feet out of her slippers and reached for the fastenings of her cloak.

“Katherine –” Lily stopped her with a hand on hers, “It’s negative four. The water in this temperature will make you hypothermic, your muscles will cease up and you’ll drown,”

Lily glanced over her shoulder.

“I’ll go find a teacher –”

It was too late.

Mary had woken, letting out a bloodcurdling scream – and then was plummeting through the air to the water below – fast.

With a large SPLASH! the screaming stopped abruptly as Mary slipped beneath the surface for but a moment. Then began the fervent splashing as she fought to stay above the water –

“HE – LLLP!” the word became a glugged cry through a mouth of water.

Katherine's heart jumped into her throat, and her legs jumped into action once more.

"Katherine!" Lily's cry followed Katherine over the edge of the stone.

The wind whistled past Katherine’s ears as she dived in like she was taught at St Mary’s. The Black Lake, however, was no heated school pool.

Katherine’s body bloomed with pins and needles. She spat out a piece of thin peeling ice that had slipped through her lips as she resurfaced. The lake had only broken its iced top a few days previous, and chunks of ice were still bobbing around the surface.

Katherine put her limbs to work, treading water, as she kicked backwards, yelling to Lily –

“Summon us back once I get to her! –” Katherine broke off as her mouth dipped below the water “– It should work now that the effects of whatever was on her are no longer working!”

Lily’s face was gripped with horror, as she hugged her arms to her chest up on the boulder, watching on fretfully.

Katherine turned, doing a desperate version of freestyle out to where Mary had fallen. A creeping cold leeched up from below, and Katherine’s mind began conjuring up monsters from the depths, unbidden.

She urged her burning limbs on, whimpering internally in fear – and fighting over her wandering mind. The splashing had stopped, and Katherine knew she had to look under.

With one last glance back at Lily, Katherine took a deep steeling breath, and plunged her head down into the dark cold.

Her eyes refused to open right away, on instinct. After several blurry seconds of blinking, and battling her swirling hair from around her face, Katherine saw a blur of white sinking down and down…

Knowing she would lose sight of Mary if she resurfaced for another breath, Katherine fought from opening her lips – as her body desperately wanted her to – to take a breath. With a swelling, burning sensation in her chest – almost too much to bear – she kicked hard as she swam down.

Only the smallest of bubbles beaded from Mary’s parted lips when Katherine reached her. A looped arm around her back, and Katherine immediately began kicking for the surface, certain her eyes would pop out of her skull if she didn’t take a breath the very next second.

The noises Katherine began to make were foreign even to her. A whining sort of bubbling noise in the back of her throat that she felt through her whole body, as she willed herself on.

Bursting through the surface brought a rush of air, and cold, over her head. They bobbed with the force of Katherine’s kicking that had propelled them up before going under again, with Mary’s added weight fully strapped to Katherine.

Prying Mary’s arm from around her shoulders, Katherine tried to float them instead, all the while shaking Mary – to rouse her, “Mary! Mary come on!”

Katherine used one hand to grip Mary’s chin, the flesh heavy and uncompliant, to try and shake out any water from her mouth –

GLUG! Almost against her will, it seemed, Mary spat up in the water. Her eyes shot open, as she gasped. And then her hands clawed into Katherine’s shoulders –

“KATHERINE!” screamed Lily –

Panic panged through Katherine’s skull as Mary pushed her under. A knee to Katherine’s cheek shocked her into taking an unwanted mouthful of water. Lungs spasming, Katherine slipped down ever lower.

Mary, clinging to her, lost her life-preserver, and too went under. Bubbles cloaked Mary’s face in a rush to the near surface as her scream was muffle by the water. She relinquished her grip, splashing wildly back to the surface above.

Katherine too battled to the surface, at a distance to her struggling friend this time – feeling very guilty as she treaded water easily and Mary flailed – as if hoping to eject herself from the water.

“I can’t help you if you push me down – pfffshtt –” called Katherine, over the sloshing of water, needing to spray water out of her mouth, “Relax against me – and I’ll – pfffttt – float you backwards!”

Her eyes seemed to hold a smidgeon less terror, and Katherine experimentally floated closer, up behind Mary. Back at her muggle school, they had practiced helping save someone as part of their swimming curriculum, and Katherine put it to use then, looping one around Mary and floating them back with froggy legs.

“Just a bit closer!” Lily yelled, hands around her mouth, “Then I should be able to do the charm!”

The words sprung hope inside Katherine, but it had to fight against Katherine’s sinking limbs – heavier and heavier in the water.

After her head had stayed dry for a few solid minutes as Katherine manoeuvred them backwards easily, Mary had relaxed. Kick after kick, they edged closer to the Lake’s edge.

Mary’s words came hesitantly, “I’m sorry I pushed you under – I just couldn’t control it –”

“It’s normal – when people are drowning – you know,” panted Katherine, her breath coming out in a cloud, “I sort of expected it…”

Katherine, though, had hoped it wouldn’t. She could not shake the image in her mind, of a similarity of her friend to that of a rat scurrying up a drainpipe…

Katherine had – ever since losing her aunt and uncle and finding out about someone trying to do her in too – entertained the concept of her own dying. She had thought it might even be a relief. She had not anticipated her body’s fervent disagreement when her head was shoved underwater, and she too became the rat.

People really would do anything to survive.

Mary glanced around, over Katherine’s head, “We’re nearly there…”

Katherine nodded stiffly, water lapping up unpleasantly behind her ears, “Yeah, nearly there…”

She, however, knew they were in trouble at the noticing of one innocuous little sensation.

Katherine couldn’t feel the cold anymore.

Mary wriggled a little in her grasp, finding more water beneath her back and Katherine’s front than usual, “What’s –”

Together, they dipped lower in the water, faces just staying above.

“I… I can’t move my legs – they’re too heavy…” said Katherine, closing her lips to avoid taking on any water, bobbing them back up – but not really feeling Mary against her, despite knowing she was there.

“Try – please try, Katherine...” Mary whimpered, beginning to kick her own legs.

Katherine turned, lifting a heavy, numb arm – waving, “Lily –!”

Lily lifted her wand –

“I can only summon one at a time!”

Katherine knew she had the better odds of staying afloat on her lonesome –

“Mary then!” she shouted back, turning her and Mary around, so Lily would be able to aim for her better.

Mary rose from the water as if on a fishhook, water draining from her nightgown and splashing down on Katherine’s head like rain. Through the air, Mary’s path arched at the beguiling of Lily’s wand work; her limbs flailing for non-existent purchase.

Katherine didn’t see Mary reach the shore of the lake.

Her heavy limbs finally opposed her instructions to tread water completely, and her head slipped uncontrollably under the water. She strived to move – to float – but there was nothing left inside of her.

It was only as the water settled above her, that Katherine saw it broken again. A torpedo of bubbles trickled away, and a blaze of red hair flared through the water – Lily; her wand between her teeth, breast-stroking down.

Lily’s outstretched arm blurred and doubled in front of Katherine’s gaze, and she could only make sense of one thing as she was tugged back upwards –

Her hand was warm.

 

---

 

"Miss Evans, Miss Spencer," McGonagall's voice had reached a new peak of shrillness, "I must say,"

Katherine's eyes focused on the moving photographs on her Head of House's desk. All of them depicted gold and scarlet robes, flapping in the wind of the quidditch pitch.

"I have never seen such reckless behaviour on the grounds of Hogwarts,”

Katherine’s cloak and pyjamas were now bone dry and were cold and light against her skin. Still, she felt the lake on her. An odd calmness threaded through her exhausted muscles, as they finally got rest in the chair, despite the dressing down she and Lily had been receiving.

"Or bravery,"

Katherine face broke from its nipping numbness and her eyes lifted to the exasperated, yet proud, Deputy Headmistress.

"As you very well may have saved Miss MacDonald's life, I cannot punish you."

A weight lifted from Katherine's chest.

"Thank you, Professor." said Lily, breathless.

“Mister Mulciber has been expelled as a result of Professor Giles being able to trace the trail of magic from the cursed necklace. Given the nature of these kinds of cursed objects, it still could have been much worse,” said McGonagall, pointedly, “The wrappings have been removed from your dormitory, after everything you have shared with me here, is there anything else you think may be important?”

Katherine shook her head, seeing Lily do the same beside her.

McGonagall nodded, her lips still having not relaxed from their purse on the lawns, "If you find yourselves troubled by anything that you witnessed this morning, do not hesitate to visit me here in my office."

Katherine found her voice to chorus a response with Lily, "Yes, Professor."

“We will endeavour to keep this confidential, for Miss MacDonald’s sake. I suggest you go about your day as if nothing is wrong. Your dormmates have been instructed to do the same,”

McGonagall took in a deep breath through her nose.

"That will be all,"

Katherine and Lily stood, their heads low under the weight of their morning.

A click of the Scottish lady's tongue followed Katherine and Lily out of the room.

Through the open door came a flash of green, Katherine glanced back to see McGonagall's face in the fireplace, "Rory, I'm afraid I have an update for you…"

"Come on, Katherine, we'll miss breakfast." Lily's words were soft. So was her arm that linked with Katherine's.

Together they returned to their dormitory, they silently dressed for the day, and together made the journey through the quiet hallways to the Great Hall.

The double doors all but vibrated open, and the entire school's voices spilled into the Entrance Hall, all but knocking Katherine and Lily on their backsides.

Everyone knew there had been some kind of incident – and that Mulciber had been expelled over it. That much could be deduced from the frantic whispering.

Katherine and Lily quickly made their way down Gryffindor table to find an empty place to sit.

"I thought I heard moaning and groaning from the grounds last night," said a strawberry-locked third year girl, eyes wide, "I didn't realise that it might have been someone in trouble…"

Frank shook his head as he finished chewing his eggs, "No, those were from the ghosts that haunt the shrieking shack."

"How do you know?" asked the young Gryffindor girl, reverently.

Frank gestured in the vague direction of Gryffindor Tower from the Great Hall, "From the boys' dormitory we have a clear view down to Hogsmeade."

Alice gasped, leaning closer.

"You saw the ghosts?"

James lifted his head from his porridge, bleary eyed yet suspicious behind his glasses, "What did they look like?"

"White, flapping about in the wind," Frank shrugged, shoving another fork-load of eggs into his mouth, "Standard stuff."

James nodded thoughtfully and returned to the hushed conversation happening between his own friends.

"You made the beds?" he said to Peter, head low.

Peter shook his head rapidly, eyes wide but half-closed, "I thought you made the beds?"

Black pulled his nose out of his coffee cup and put it down with a CLANK.

"I made the beds."

James and Peter turned to their friend.

"You made the beds?" asked James, his eyebrows just about hitting his hairline.

Black lifted his cup to his lips once more, haughty even given the hour of the day, "With a spell."

James regarded his proclaimed best mate with a large degree of mistrust.

"You didn't short sheet us, did you?"

Black blinked slowly, raising his eyebrows, "You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

Without the conversation of the table proving much distraction anymore, Katherine found herself neck deep in her thoughts.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" came Lily's voice, a blessedly quiet sound against the roar of the hall.

Katherine hesitated before answering, "Do you think it was Mulciber the entire time? Locking me in the cupboard – and the tunnel – attacking Mary?"

"What if it's your mate, Snape?" asked Marlene, eyes boring into Lily with false calm, "What then?"

Lily sighed, "I know you don't like him, Marlene… but he wouldn't have done this."

"To you, right?" said Marlene, "What about to Mary?"

Lily was quick to clarify, pointing, "That was Mulciber."

"Snape was right there with them in the days leading up to it, calling her a mud –" Marlene broke off at Lily's tight jaw, sighing. "I'm sorry, Lily, but he's not as good as you think he is."

Lily frowned, poking her porridge around and shaking her head, "You guys don’t know him like I do…"

“What did Professor McGonagall say to you two anyway?” asked Marlene, not giving any indication she heard Lily’s words on Snape.

Lily sighed, looking very heavy-eyed and pale from their early morning, “To carry on with our day as usual. To not give any sign that anything is amiss – for Mary’s sake – so the whole school doesn’t know about it by lunch.”

“Hogsmeade then?” huffed Marlene, shaking her head, “Feels bloody stupid going though…”

“I should have checked it…” said Alice, breathily, staring aimlessly out the stained-glass window across from them.

Marlene shook her head, “We all thought it was from –”

The girls’ eyes all lifted to Pettigrew, then away again when he turned to glance in their direction.

"We better get a move on then…" said Lily with a glance at Katherine as she rose from the bench.

Marlene sighed, too standing, as she threw a glance to Katherine, “It feels rotten having to leave you behind after everything this morning.”

Katherine gave a weak smile, shrugging.

Lily waved one last time as the three girls turned to leave, “I’ll get you a sickly amount of sweets.”

Katherine waved in farewell as her friends left for Hogsmeade, before redirecting her attention to her plate, and finishing her breakfast. It took longer than usual to gulp down the porridge, but after the hall was almost empty, Katherine too left and began walking aimlessly. The common room or dormitory didn’t feel very appealing.

Evacuated en masse for the first Hogsmeade trip of March, Katherine had free reign to pace the Castle. She didn't realise right away that her feet were carrying her in the direction of her thought, to the Hospital Wing. To Mary.

She did not realise, however, that she was not alone early enough to avoid slapping chests with someone in the intersection of two hallways.

Remus Lupin lifted a hand to his surprisingly solid chest, "Going somewhere in a hurry?"

"I was… going to visit Mary…" said Katherine, feeling oddly private about it all of a sudden.

"Madam Pomfrey said I could lie down in the hospital wing, I'll walk with you," said Remus, gently nudging her into a walk beside him with his cloaked elbow, "We'd be safer together."

Katherine looked around, but fell into step with him, "You think we could be attacked?"

Remus frowned lightly, watching ahead, "Everything is different after this morning."

He had been visiting Madame Pomfrey for an invigorating draught when Giles and McGonagall had brought the girls up to the hospital wing. A Slytherin, of all people, had happened to look out of their common room under the lake and see the whole thing – alerting a teacher.

Katherine was assessed as fine after a warming charm. Mary, however, was being held to detect any adverse effects from the cursed necklace.

Katherine did her best to keep her curiosity out of her voice, "So…something like this hasn't happened at Hogwarts before?"

Remus shook his head, "It's supposed to be the safest place in the world…maybe there really is a war coming after all…"

"The last time was with Grindelwald in the forties, right?" asked Katherine, having done her reading since arriving at the school.

"He started an uprising in the twenties," said Remus, frowning, "He…he preyed on the oppression people felt under the statute of secrecy. He pretended that he didn't hate muggles but that they were 'the other', different. There was supremacy in being a witch or wizard. He said that we had to take care of the muggles because they weren't capable of doing so, they were baser creatures,"

Remus turned to Katherine with a smile.

"All untrue, of course," He sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they continued to stroll, "But the prejudice had been around since the witch trials, and it isn't that hard to tap into. It all leeched over into the persecution of muggleborns, Salazar Slytherin thinking they stole magic to infiltrate us and ruin us from the inside…"

He removed one hand from his pocket, blinking and waving it around as he went on.

"You-Know-Who, however, obviously isn't very keen on muggles and will use any means necessary to assume absolute power of the wizarding community and mobilize it against them. He isn't averse to recruiting half-bloods, giants, dementors, werewolves, vampires… so long as it gets done."

Katherine frowned as they walked, taking in all the new information. She found her eyes back on Remus; walking beside her, looking as if he might start whistling.

Feeling her eyes, Remus glanced sideways at her, "What is it?"

Katherine just smiled, sincerely.

"You should teach History of Magic."

Remus laughed deeply, cheeks pink, and just smiled back at her.

"What?" said Katherine.

Remus gently shook his head, "Nothing."

Katherine’s eyes slipped over him like a worn in glove. She had done it surreptitiously many times during classes. He usually had a look of surprised optimism about him, but he had taken on the distinct look of someone who had been blasted square in the face by an arctic gale.

"Are you not well again?"

His lips smiled, but his eyes didn't dance; fixating instead on his cuffs that he compulsively straightened, "Being a Prefect with friends that aren't exactly the rule-abiding sort can do wonders for the depletion of an already weak constitution."

His cheeks pulled up, along with his ears, in genuine, though terribly bashful, grin.

Katherine met his eyes on a whim in their moment of amusement. In an instant, there was an inexplicable rush of unity between them. When she looked away, she felt his eyes on her still.

Remus opened his mouth, his eyes glinting, but then they flickered down and crinkled. He lifted a large hand to the hair hanging by her cheek and gently pulled.

Katherine looked down to his hand, a beetle fluttering on his palm. He moved across the hallway and gently set it down on the section of balustrade open to the elements.

"You're not fond of flattening them with books like your friends?" asked Katherine, observing his movements.

Remus smiled as he watched the beetle flutter in the wind, "I make it a point to not harm living creatures,"

The two slowed, the doors of the Hospital Wing looming.

“Katherine?”

Katherine glanced up, “Yes?”

“If you’re ever truly allowed down to Hogsmeade –” Remus broke off, pointedly glancing down to her with a gleam to his eyes, before glancing forward again as they continued to walk, “Will you come with me?”

Hands in his pockets, he turned to her, the lightest of smiles playing on his lips and a questioning glint in his eyes –

“Just us.” he clarified, tilting his head toward her.

Katherine’s heart beat like a hammer in her chest. The remnants of the morning's adrenalin still thrummed through her. At the thought of the morning she had... it all felt very frivolous. Yet, wasn't it all the more reason to enjoy something like that?

Finally, she found her voice, and gave a pleased little, “Yeah.

“Yeah?” he repeated, eyebrows rocketing up –

"Mister Lupin?"

The pair jumped at the intrusion of the matron.

Madam Pomfrey turned to Katherine, "Miss Spencer?"

"I think I'm ready to lay down for a bit, Madam Pomfrey." said Remus, stepping forward.

Madam Pomfrey's frown lessened.

"Yes, yes, of course," she said, holding out a hand. Remus stepped into her hold, letting her steer him by the shoulder. "This way, my boy."

There was a loud CRASH, and then Peter Pettigrew sped out of the wing.

Remus stopped, undisguised confusion plastered across his face, “Pete?”

“Gotta go – sorry!” spluttered Pettigrew, wide watery blue eyes flashing around before he swirled out of the room in a blur of robes.

Madame Pomfrey shook her head primly, tisking.

Remus cast one last curious glance at where his friend disappeared, before he too vanished behind a privacy screen.

Pomfrey turned once he was on his way into one of the beds, her stern gaze on the only person loitering outside where her patients were resting, "And you, Miss Spencer?"

Katherine felt small, "I just came to visit Mary."

Madam Pomfrey's lips parted, and with a breath, she bowed her head.

"Very well," The words were soft.

Like a gatekeeper, Madam Pomfrey stepped aside and waved Katherine in the direction of a sectioned off bed.

“Be brief, she’s just taken a sleeping potion.”

Mary faced away from the window, eyes on a chocolate wrapper she was flattening out.

Katherine cleared her throat before she announced herself, "Mary?"

Mary's eyes shot up, her face like the moon with her hair pulled back in a plait.

"Katherine?" Mary sat up, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how you were feeling…" said Katherine, locking her hands together and averting her eyes to the chair beside the bed, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Like I took a walk off the astronomy tower,"

Katherine was startled by the humour and looked up to find Mary smiling kindly at her. Mary laid herself back down, grumbling a little in pain.

"You didn’t have to jump in after me, Lily could have summoned me. You could have died – hypothermia, they told me..." she said, looking newly concerned.

Katherine's mind went blank.

“Well, what if Lily couldn’t do it – in the shock of the moment? I just…it was the right thing to do,” Katherine managed, shrugging. "I would hope that, were it me, someone would do the same."

Mary's eyes began to flutter, "Thank you, Katherine."

Katherine sat and waited until Mary's breathing evened out before she left and continued her pacing around the castle.

Mary had come back from the scare about her father to her old self. Would she still be same again after this?...

Katherine didn't spend long on her own, as the torches lining the hallways had been lit, having to head down to dinner where her the girls greeted her once more.

Lily was in mid-retelling of their day when Rita Skeeter hobbled in; bandages wrapped around every inch of available skin, a neck brace flattening her bleach ringlets, and casts on both arms and one leg. But she was smiling as she was aided onto the bench at the Slytherin table.

"What happened to her?" asked Katherine, her awe stealing most of her voice's volume.

Lily still heard her.

"That happened just as we were walking up to the castle actually," she said, raising her eyebrows before frowning, "She had fallen – from her broom, I think – from one of the high windows on the east side of the castle."

"She was probably peeking in through the Ravenclaw dormitories," said Marlene from next to Lily, snorting, "Nosier than Bertha Jorkins, that girl… and a bigger gossip…"

Alice frowned down the table, "It's strange that Lupin isn't here yet... he didn't come down with the rest of us..."

"Probably with the rest of the hex-happy-brigade," said Lily, flinging her hair back over her shoulders, "Just this afternoon I had to report them to Slughorn because they pulled their wands on Avery and Severus –"

"Snape probably drew first." muttered Marlene.

Lily went on, unhearing.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 27: Sectumsempra

Lily’s line to Snape, after the incident with Mary, became useful – for once. In trying to make sense of it all, they needed to talk to a Slytherin. Who better than one of Mulciber’s mates?

The redhead swept into the Gryffindor common room late the next night, on which she had planned to meet with her friend while out on her Prefect patrols.

Lily’s eyes flashed around the three girls, curled up by the fire, “Where’s Mary?”

“Shower.” said Alice softly, nodding to the staircase leading up to the dormitory.

Lily nodded, closing further in on the group and plopping down on the couch with a sigh.

Marlene righted her slipper as she leant forward, “Did you ask him?”

Lily nodded, her eyes stuck resolutely on her hands clasped in her lap.

“He –” she broke off, then became very quiet, and un-Lily like, “He said it was a practical joke.”

The three other girls all looked to one another, immediately, strung together by a communal disbelief.

By the desk and chairs, a crackle of the wireless drifted over. Remus and Frank had been working away on their homework, the only other occupants of the common room apart from a handful of sixth and seventh years spread out over the chess set with their advanced notes, and the floor.

Remus stretched, falling back against his chair, his eyes on her from across the room.

Her reply to Lily became lost to Katherine as she flushed to her toes. He had asked her to Hogsmeade, she recounted giddily to herself. The world might have been going to pieces a tad, but Remus Lupin liked-liked her.

He gave a soft smile, his eyes drifting around to the other girls and then back to Katherine. His tie was loosened beneath his grey school jumper, and it looked soft and rumpled across his slowly broadening chest.

Katherine offered a small smile back, ignoring thoughts of what it would feel like to curl up on that jumper. She could not think about such things at that moment. No matter how more favourable a topic it was to her brain in comparison to Snape…

Marlene leant forward, whispering, “Lily, that necklace was cursed – not jinxed – not hexed – cursed.”

A POP from the fireplace was followed by a low rolling crackle of flame. The girls felt the heat of the fire full on their faces as they watched silently as one of the seventh years on the floor licked his finger and hurriedly ushered a stray ember off the carpet and back into the grate.

“It really is very dark magic, Lily…” said Alice softly, as the girls tore their attention away from fire.

Lily frowned, shaking her head at her knees, “He said Mulciber was pretty stupid – that he probably didn’t really know what the magic would do…”

Remus Lupin forgotten behind them, Katherine suddenly became incredibly clear-minded at Lily’s words –

“So, Snape knew? Beforehand?” Katherine worried her tone might have come out a tad accusatory, but give the situation…

Marlene’s eyes shot to Katherine, a little shocked, but with an encouraging light to them.

Alice was looking to Lily with undisguised apprehension.

Lily sighed, turning to the fire. Her face shadowed in flame, she finally said quietly, clearly, “They said it was going to be a joke on a Gryffindor… fair game after what our lot do to them…”

Alice made a noise with her tongue, frowning as she shook her head, “But, why Mary?”

Katherine glanced around the group, and hesitated a moment, at the grim implications of what she was about to share to the three girls…

“Giles… he said Voldemort’s followers would punish a whole family. It kind of makes sense then… I suppose…”

“You don’t mean to say… Mulicber’s a –” Alice glanced around before whispering, “Death Eater?”

Marlene wrapped her arms around her knees, peering over the blue pyjama trousers dancing with ballerinas enchanted to prance around the fabric, “That’s just some Slytherin gang – with the alumni and what not, isn’t it? It’s not really… You-Know-Who… is it?”

Alice shrugged, “There’s only rumours… no one knows for sure…”

“Is Snape… in with these people?” asked Marlene, turning her eyes back to Lily, not hiding her abhorrence.

Lily’s face fell swiftly into repudiation, “No – no, of course not.”

Alice sighed, going back to Marlene’s side to finish the two plaits she had been doing to the girl’s hair before Lily arrived –

“If you say so, Lily.” she said, softly.

 

---

 

Mary didn’t talk about it much.

She seemed rather adamant to forget it, actually. She had cycled through the feeling of violation and the ‘why me?’ state on the first day after it had happened, and then right through to anger – at Mulciber – for being such a ‘monumental prick’. Collectively, the girls all encouraged the dumping of blame onto the Slytherin boy, and had all came up with rather inventive ways of cursing his name – if only to make Mary smile.

Regardless of how well or not she was doing, still she never ventured out alone anymore, anywhere. She went to meals, classes, and then hung around the common room or dormitory.

It was a week after the event, just as things began to settle again, that Katherine happened across her and Peter speaking quietly by the far window seat in the common room – “I’ll look out for you, Mary. You can always come to me, you know?” Peter had whispered gently, only a brief flash of nervousness across his face.

Mary had leant on his shoulder, and her shoulders deflated in away Katherine had not seen for over a week. It was a different kind of comfort, Katherine supposed, that she and the other girls just couldn’t provide.

March came, cool and clear, melting all the snow on the caps of the castle turrets. The world was warming back up again, and new shoots off trees were battling through dripping morning frosts all around the grounds.

With the press of approaching end of year exams, Katherine and the other girls could hardly enjoy the lengthening days. There was a lightness to the air, that made Katherine wonder if perhaps the evil had left the castle with Mulciber.

Care of Magical Creatures was to be the last class of the winter term, before school broke up for the two-week Easter Holidays. The approaching break was a book-end to the term, and the year as a whole so far, and with them came a promise of newness. Very few of the fifth years were still yet to turn sixteen.

A new maturity hung around their heads, and it was never more so apparent when Bertram Aubrey strolled past, laughing heartily with his friends on that Friday afternoon.

Lily just watched passively as her first boyfriend easily walked on, “I’m glad we bypassed all the juvenile pettiness, you know? We really weren’t right for each other, in the end…”

The girls all gave their agreement as they plodded down the uneven lawns towards the class meeting spot by the edge of the forest. While waiting, they began picking the white daisies that had sprung up all over the lawns, and tying the stems together. The bitter natural smell of the broken green stems got up Katherine’s nose, as their hands became coated in cool sticky sap.

Footsteps rustled the grass behind Katherine, and a large body reclined out by her knee. Remus, on his back, sighed and cast a forearm over his eyes, blocking the sun with his thick robe sleeve –

“Last class of the day…”

He moved his arm in favour of placing it beneath his head and turned to face Katherine with an expression of relieved relaxation.

Katherine just smiled, and placed a daisy carefully into his fluffy hair where there was a swell of a curl above his ear.

The girls leant around Katherine, beaming, “Hi, Remus!”

Remus gave a nod and polite smile to the girls, but turned back to Katherine, a little pink across the cheeks. While it was often he sat with Katherine, he wasn’t used to the whole group of the girls yet. Or their insinuating smiles at both he and Katherine.

“I take it you’re going home for Easter?” she asked, taking the daisy back out of his hair and adding it to her growing chain.

“Yeah,” he said, turning to look up at the clouds, tone ever so apologetic, “It’s just James and Sirius staying out of us.”

Lily sighed from the other side of Katherine, “I can’t believe Professor McGonagall wouldn’t let you come home with any of us…”

“Rules are rules, I suppose. Just like at Christmas.” said Katherine, shrugging, looking up as the last stragglers rushed down onto the lawn.

Snape bowed his head by their Professor, “Sorry, I’m late.”

“I’m sorry you’re alive.” said James, casually, not looking up from where he and Black lounged back on their elbows a few metres in front of the girls and Remus.

Black gave a bark of laughter, shaking his hair back from his face, “Nice one, James...”

Opening one eye from where he had closed them against the sun, Remus squinted up at her in amused exasperation at the conversation carrying over.

Katherine smothered her smile and turned away from Remus, and the other boys just down the way, letting her eyes drift over the class as everyone lazily got to their feet at the implication of commencement of class.

Katherine’s eyes, helplessly, drifted to Mary.

“It will do her good, to go home for a bit, I think.” Lily had said about their friend, when they all disclosed their plans to go home for the two-week break.

Katherine hoped that Lily was right.

Mary’s birthday was coming up after the holidays, and Katherine thought she might research something magical she could make for her. The holidays gave her a surplus of time alone in the library to try and manage it…

 

---

 

On the eve of Easter, Katherine was walking through the early morning stretches of light along the hallways. Giles had sent her an owl, asking her to visit him when she was able, as he needed to discuss something with her.

Not as many people had stayed behind as Lily seemed to think would. In all the time Katherine had been there, it had never been so empty. She was only stopped in her tracks by voices leaking out from beneath his door once she arrived. She only recognised one of them.

"Mister Black, I'm still unclear as to why you're here."

"I had a visitor you might like to know about," said 'Mister Black', "You were friends with Florence, weren't you?"

There was a brief, amused silence. Katherine could vividly imagine the wry twist of Giles' lips.

"If she were back from the dead, you would be the last person I'd expect to hear from."

"Not her, her –"

A throat cleared sharply. The lock clicked, and the door swung open.

Giles glanced daringly at his visitor before smiling more sincerely at Katherine. He motioned at where Katherine stood as he turned back to the man with unquestionable relation to her fellow Gryffindor that went by the same surname.

"Sorry," said Katherine, stepping through and feeling red all over, “You said I could visit during the holidays.”

Giles sighed from where he leant against his desk, "Un –"

"Fortunately," intervened Mister Black, his heavily-lidded eyes zeroing in on Katherine's tie, "You, Katherine Spencer, belong to the same house as my nephew,"

A charming smile flashed, transforming the man's lined face into something rather boyish. He looked like a hybrid of the Black brothers; the wavy black hair, bow-shaped lips, angular eyebrows, and was fashionably robed in smooth and tailored fabrics.

His eyes had an edge, however, that neither boy possessed. An edge of wisdom and something else, something that was, perhaps, deserving of the reputation Katherine had heard so much of whenever the Black family were in conversation.

"Could you do an old man a kind favour by showing me to your common room?"

Katherine's eyes flickered from the man's appealing gaze to Giles.

Giles pursed his lips, but nodded.

Katherine also nodded, "Sure..."

"Excellent!" The man clapped his hands together and crossed to the door, "We'll be off then, poppet?"

Giles sprung off of the edge of his desk, "Alphard, I need to give her –"

"Farewell, Felix," said Alphard Black over his shoulder, flicking a hand listlessly, "Look out for my owl."

Giles’ door clicked closed.

"Are you and Professor Giles friends?" asked Katherine after a moment of silent strides.

"Oh, merlin, no," said Alphard Black, allowing a chuckle, "We have a…common interest, I guess you could say,"

Alphard glanced sideways and frowned before focusing on the staircase taking them up towards the portrait of the fat lady.

"I do apologise for mucking up the plans you two had, but it most urgent that I see Sirius,"

Alphard's features caught for a moment, and then fell briskly open for Katherine to see – and into concern.

"How… how has he been?"

"Oh… well, he's…"

"Still putting his feet up on tables? Flicking his hair about? Needs to get off his high hippogriff?" Alphard supplied, smiling wider with each word, a fond glint in his pale eyes.

They stopped on the landing by the fat lady – who narrowed her eyes at Katherine's companion until she swung open at the giving of the password 'Balderdash'.

"Don't forget tilting every chair back on two legs." said Katherine, relaxed by the man's own ease as she stepped through the portrait hole.

Alphard leant back, laughing heartily before easily hurdling the step over the hole in the wall behind the portrait.

"Personally, I found great joy in collapsing the legs of the chairs he did that to," said Alphard, inclining his head with glinting eyes, "It's a neat little spell –"

"Uncle!"

Katherine sprung apart from Alphard Black at the volume of the familiar voice – a higher version of Alphard's.

Alphard laughed deeply and opened his arms, stepping forward.

Black frowned, his hand lingering by the abandoned chess table he had sprung up from, "Aren't you supposed to be in Cannes with the family?"

Alphard's arms dropped, but his smile didn't.

Katherine didn't think either Black looked like the hugging type anyway.

"I live to disappoint," said Alphard, pushing aside his jacket lapels and neatening his fog watch in the pocket of his waistcoat, "And it's hardly an event without the whole family."

"I'm… honoured?" said Black slowly and crisply, raising his eyebrows and gently shaking his head.

Alphard crossed to the boys at the chess table by the window with slow, luxurious strides.

James busied himself with the few pieces he'd managed to win off of Black.

The feeling of being out of place struck Katherine. She cleared her throat.

"I... I guess I'll be going now…" said Katherine, turning and heading for the girls' staircase.

Alphard nodded once at Katherine, and then at his nephew.

Katherine's feet became unstuck at her dismissal.

"We've things to discuss, son,"

Katherine was curious, but not impolite, so she kept walking.

"But not until after you finish your game with Potter,"

"I always knew I liked you." came James' voice, jolly.

The clatter of chess pieces being reclaimed, Black having taken almost all of James' pawns and his bishop, clunked hollowly throughout the circular common room.

"Katherine?" Her name stopped her feet and turned her head –

Alphard was already crossing to her.

Black watched curiously but passively from the chess table, visible over Alphard's broad shoulders.

Katherine blinked, her hands suddenly moist, "Yes, Mister Black?"

Alphard inclined his head, wetting his lips.

"It... won't be of Sirius' interest that I was visiting Giles." said Giles lowly, nodding to her.

Her next words were automatic, "Of course,"

He didn't go.

Katherine gulped, observing him; observing her.

His eyes weren't grey like Black’s; rather more akin to a brandy that had sat in its ice too long. They didn't needle into her composure like his nephew's, they caressed her composure apart with disarming but sterile cordiality.

"Is everything okay?" asked Katherine, tucking her hair behind her ears.

Alphard shook his head faintly, blinking, before he cleared his throat and smiled, "Never mind,"

He waved his hand, gold cufflinks glinting in the light and in dismissal –

"I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavours, Katherine Spencer." said Alphard as he turned, brushing down his velvet lapels.

Katherine herself paused for a moment after Alphard's parting offering of words. She watched, dazed by the sudden sincerity of the words, as Alphard whispered what seemed to be winning chess moves in James' ear.

 

---

 

Once the Easter holidays ended, the O.W.L's edged ever closer.

The closer the end of the school year loomed, the more thinly Katherine was stretched. She was so distracted that she accidentally picked up the wrong textbook in Potions one afternoon. The realisation that it didn't belong to her only came when she saw messy, cramped handwriting that wasn't her own.

'Sectumsempra – for enemies' scribbled in the margin by the method for the potion they were brewing was all she saw before the crumbling spine was snatched from her hands.

Snape narrowed his eyes and hugged the textbook to his body as he retreated back to his side of the bench.

Katherine did not spare a thought to Snape’s odd (as it often was) behaviour. She was busy preparing for the coming Hogsmeade trip. After failing at finding something she could magically craft for Mary, Katherine had decided she would need to go down to the town.

Mary herself had even been the one to teach Katherine the very disillusionment charm she needed to accomplish her mission.

Giles had asked her to meet him in his office in the afternoon – rescheduling after Alphard’s Black interruption over Easter, so Katherine planned to leave early, before her friends, and then make it back with plenty of time to spare.

With all of her preparations and precautions, the trip down to Hogsmeade went smoothly – and completely undetected. She steered clear of jewellery, and used some of her left over sickles to buy Mary a muggle astrology almanac and gift mix of sweets from honeydukes.

Katherine was only forced to stop in her tracks when passing the Three Broomsticks, the unmistakable robes of two Aurors blocking entry. There seemed to have been some sort of incident the night before, and Madame Rosmerta was being interviewed as part of the investigation.

"Come on, let us through." said Black, opening his arms – them spreading the width of he and James.

"What's your clearance?" asked the Auror, humouring the school boy.

Black raised his eyebrows and James turned away with a smile, wiping the corner of his lips with his thumb –

"Oh, I go through the door with about an inch to spare." said Black, lightly.

Her eyes had slipped over the scene, and the alleyways either side of The Three Broomsticks, before they caught onto two dark sets of robes; dots at their distance. One turned with a bitter laugh and shake of their head, however, and they hastened back up the alley.

They quickly came much closer – more familiar.

Regulus shoved past Snape none too gently before storming out of the alley and in the direction of the castle.

Black’s sarcastic tones faded to the edge of Katherine's thoughts when she caught Snape's eye. He ducked his head and went to move off. But not before she saw the wand in his hand.

Katherine felt suspicion trickle down her spine, concern for Regulus with his back turned to the older boy leeching through. She hesitated with only a split-second of trepidation, and then started off in the opposite direction; after Snape.

She followed the dark robes around the maze of buildings that made up the town, all the way to the edge; to the fenced off shrieking shack at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

She was the only one in the clearing.

Confused, Katherine slowly turned. Her eyes flitted over the small hills, boulders, and circled back to the back of the township –

"Sectumsempra!"

There was a flash of light – and then pain. Searing, needling, white-hot pain sent Katherine to the ground. She felt her body convulse on the square. Something wet and hot sept through her jacket, against her skin –

"What did you do!?" The voice seemed far away – as if the words had been shouted from over the hill – but boots crunched into the melting snow beside her head.

Katherine's eyes climbed as high as an expensive looking pair of trousers before they failed her, pulsing and blurring –

"Sectumsempra!"

Another body joined Katherine on the ground, the snow packing into her side from the force of their impact.

"You fool!" gasped a voice from beside Katherine, "You don't… know… the counter…"

A wand was extended across Katherine, pointing at the body beside her, "I knew you'd have to use it on yourself if you wanted any chance at living."

Katherine felt more and more like a live autopsy recipient as words were mumbled around the edges of her fading vision. The words stopped, however. There were a series of crunches in the snow, and then the uneven stomp of someone hobbling away.

"Oh, Merlin, what has he done…"

Katherine summoned her neck to turn, the only part of her body that hadn't spontaneously burst open, and she found a glinting head of inky hair. It lifted and lowered as the owner rocked forward and backward.

Squinting, she caught only the wide, unblinking eyes of her saviour mid-rock, and then lost focus –

"Vulnera Sanentur…"

The eyes blurred, and Katherine's vision was edged in blue –

"…vulnera sanentur…"

Her breaths no longer brought her lungs air, but her own blood. Her very thoughts receded to a pin prick in her chest, as if to be sucked out of her through one of her wounds.

"…vulnera sanentur…"

And then there was nothing. No pain. No breathlessness…

A crunch of snow, and Katherine was looking down the length of a long black wand –

"Obliviate."

 

---

 

There was a rickety joint between passing the Three Broomsticks and feeling the sheets of the Hospital Wing in Katherine's memory. The fraying and splintering joint was marred with clips and phrases Katherine thought must have belonged to someone else, for they made no sense to her.

The breaking up of a strange lullaby and incredibly ill feeling towards Severus Snape came in the form of the Headmaster sometime close to her admission, as Katherine felt Madam Pomfrey's already familiar routine initial examination of her injuries.

"That's the thing about memory," Dumbledore's voice whispered around the edges of Katherine's consciousness, "It belongs to those who experienced it. Not even curses can touch that human sanctity."

A ream of potions and prods with the tip of Madam Pomfrey's wand against every part of her body – at least twice – blurred together.

It could have been hours or days until she heard another voice that wasn't just murmuring healing spells, Katherine couldn't be sure – and couldn't bring herself to push her eyes open against her body's lethargy.

" – Oh, I always thought you looked like Mummy’s brave little soldier. Well, perhaps not soldier. More like Mummy’s brave little poet – or interior designer." came a familiar, albeit unexpected, voice.

There was a soft fall of air; a scoff.

"Go back to the half-breed and tell him his girlfriend is fine," came Regulus' voice, "That's why you're here, isn't it?"

“She’s not –” a sigh of frustration followed the stopped words, and then there was a steady rap of shoes and the CLICK of the Hospital Wing's double doors.

No sooner than they closed, did they creak open again – importantly.

"Mister Black," came Dumbledore's voice, "Curious seeing you here."

Katherine's eyes shot open.

Regulus stood quickly from the seat by her bed.

"We're… friends, Professor," said Regulus slowly, clearing his throat and bowing his head, "I think that I'll be leaving now."

"Nonsense," said Dumbledore, smiling as he closed in on the pair at Katherine's bed, "Stay, Katherine needs good friends."

Regulus didn't sit again, he stood; wiping his hands on his slacks and looking around at the few younger students dotted around the infirmary.

"Now, Miss Spencer," said Dumbledore, "I'm sorry to say that we haven't discovered who cast the curse –"

"It was Snape."

Dumbledore's surprise only came in the vanishing of his usual twinkle, "Katherine, that's a very serious accusation."

"I know that it was him..." said Katherine, quieter than before.

"And why would Mister Snape want to cast such a spell on you?" asked Dumbledore, patiently.

Katherine's hands fell either side of herself on the bed in exasperation, her eyes searching for a way to articulate her innate knowing.

"Voldemort probably put him up to it." said Katherine.

"I think that you should rest, Miss Spencer" said Dumbledore, gazing at her over his half-moon spectacles, “You would be surprised what the brain conjures up after such events as a way to make sense of it. We will continue to investigate it thoroughly, I assure you.”

The Headmaster offered her one last sympathetic glance before he swept out in the hallway.

Regulus hesitated as he turned, not looking back – but speaking, "Feel better… Spencer."

 

---

 

When Katherine did not come to lunch – or dinner – the girls had begun looking for her and Professor McGonagall had brought them into the Hospital Wing as the sun was draining from where it splayed across Katherine’s white bed.

“Get into a fight with the whomping willow, did we?” asked Marlene, as the girls crowded the bed, sitting either side of Katherine’s legs.

Lily gave Marlene a mirthful look, before turning to Katherine, sobering a little, “Professor McGonagall told us you were cursed.”

“So, were you lured down to Hogsmeade or something?” asked Alice, frowning.

Mary perked up, “Was it like what happened to me?”

Katherine felt very silly as she prepared to explain herself.

“No, er,” she said, hesitantly, “I wanted to get Mary a birthday present – a surprise, as she’s been through so much in these last couple months…”

Gobsmacked stares met her from all around.

Marlene’s eased into the faintest of smiles, “Jesus, Katherine – do you own a mirror?”

Madame Pomfrey ushered them out not long after they had all caught up, and sent them on their way to dinner, before checking Katherine over again.

Once deemed well enough, Katherine had to face disciplining before she could even return to her dormitory. Regardless of what had happened to her, she had broken the rules in going down to Hogsmeade without a permission slip.

Professor McGonagall had sighed a total number of three times before she started in on Katherine about the severity of her actions. Due to Mulciber’s expulsion before Easter, the next Quidditch match – in which Gryffindor were to play Slytherin – had already been postponed for the Slytherins to find a replacement for his position. They could not delay it again for Gryffindor to do the same and replace her.

Andrew Spinnet alas, was still yet to make a full recovery.

Instead of losing playing privileges (Katherine hardly thought playing on the team was a privilege, but rather a cross to bear), she would instead serve detention after class every day for three weeks.

Dismissed with a wave of McGonagall's hand towards her office door, she found a familiar head of messy hair waiting outside.

“Are you going to miss Quidditch?” asked James.

Katherine shook her head slowly as she fell into step with James, “No –”

They had rounded onto the main hallway, and found scrambling Slytherin robes and bouncing, blond curls skidding around the corner. Rita Skeeter…

"I won't be sorry when she's gone."

Katherine turned and caught Black’s usual haughty countenance as he stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets. The boy hastened up alongside James as he joined them from where he had been leant on a pillar; watching Rita Skeeter quietly, hostilely.

"From the school, though, right?" asked Katherine, doubt creeping in, "You haven't got any plans for her to leave the planet or anything, have you?"

Black shrugged, his half-lidded eyes ahead and on nothing in particular, "If I did, I wouldn't tell you,"

He blinked as he turned to her, and his haughtiness became suddenly less so – 

"You can't testify for my innocence if you know I'm guilty."

James grinned cheerfully as he waved at a passing Jeffrey Alderidge, the waving hand clapping down on Black’s shoulder after the younger boy passed.

"Just remember – you won't be able to do your morning crosswords if you're in prison." said James lightly, his bespectacled gaze drifting around the expanse of hallway ahead of them.

Remember, that's all Katherine wanted to do.

She wanted to remember why the surety that Snape had cast the curse was unable to be dislodged from her mind.

She wanted to remember why all she could hear in her sleep was a strange lullaby…

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 28: Black Family Values

He had newfound sympathy for goats; having something akin to a million bezoars weighing down on his stomach – solidified dread. The half-blood, Snape, had almost ruined everything.

"You're not going to die, Regulus,"

He wished he would –

"Not tonight, by any count."

A twisted version of a smile, forced through a grimace, pulled at his lips.

Narcissa shook her head, sighing against the balustrade her arms rested upon, "I tried to tell Bellatrix you were too young –"

"I'm not some kid!"

Regulus was rigid with ire, his eyes as wide as the moon shining down on them at the top of the Astronomy Tower.

Narcissa threw her head back and laughed. A cold, dark, high laugh. And then she looked at Regulus with such dark amusement that his shoes felt too tight.

"Wake up, Regulus!" Narcissa shook her head; leaning closer to Regulus' face all the while, "We're all kids."

At that moment, Regulus didn't care for her lost love.

At that moment, Regulus didn't care for her lost sister.

He didn't care for her lost innocence.

Nobody had cared for his.

"He chose me!" The words felt hollow – cold, unlike the thumping blood through his arm that lifted to point at his cousin, "He honoured me!"

Narcissa's shoulders lifted beneath her evening cloak as she drew herself away from him, her eyes as thin as knives – "You were convenient!"

His chest took on a state of disquiet at her words, thumping and basking in the truth.

And Narcissa knew it.

She huffed and then she fixed her hair with the delicate swipe of a nail. Narcissa considered him for a long moment before continuing, quieter.

"And what if you fail? If you're caught?"

Regulus turned away from the words – repelled by the truth of them.

"You doubt him."

Narcissa all but bared her teeth, "I've seen what he's done when people exhaust their usefulness."

His words filled his mouth, but his heart didn't follow.

"You speak ill of the Dark Lord."

"It's just us here, Regulus."

"I could tell him," said Regulus, but he didn't sound right to his own ears, "I could tell him what you've said – Lucius won't be his favourite new recruit, perhaps even alive for your wedding –"

Narcissa raised a quivering hand, "Enough."

Regulus watched her hand lower, away from her matching quivering lips.

"I could." said Regulus, overcome up to his ears in an icy victory.

Narcissa's lips barely moved, much like her eyes – which didn't lift from the glittering lake, "You won't.”

"You don't know that."

"You won't," said Narcissa, firmer, and with a twisted smile as she lifted her head, "For the same reason why I'm concerned for you – you won't, because we're family."

"What happens now – the unbreakable vow –"

"From what I've heard," said Narcissa, frowning, "You only consented to lure her out of the school, whether through expulsion or leading her out the front gates."

"Well, why not the next Hogsmeade trip?" asked Regulus, clearing his throat to will his voice lower.

"I am not privy to the Dark Lord's inner most thoughts, but –" Narcissa's eyes flashed like blue steel to ward off any interruptions "– it seems he wants to acquire something first, and wants you to be able deliver her when he's ready."

Frustration exploded behind his navel, as well as a laugh.

"Oh, yeah, easy job."

Narcissa's cool gaze was like a needle to Regulus' temple.

"Your mother would have you think that you and Sirius are on different planets," said Narcissa, sighing and leaning on the balustrade beside Regulus once more, "But you're two sides of the same sickle – always have been."

The words, much to his chagrin, lifted the corners of Regulus' lips.

"Careful, you'll have mother thinking that I'm Dumbledore's man next."

Narcissa's sniff was loud in the night, "Not even Sirius is fooled by that… well, that old fool."

An easy air passed between the cousins, and Regulus felt the burning desire to rid himself of accidentally harboured information.

"Narcissa?"

A familiar cool penetrated the side of his face, and he knew she was listening.

"Her daughter just had her second birthday," said Regulus, pausing and gulping, "They named her Nymphadora,"

Narcissa's hands fell away from the balustrade.

Regulus rushed out his next words before she could leave, "I saw the letter in Sirius' room before he..."

Narcissa didn't leave.

"Did I not warn you?"

The words pricked at the remnants of Regulus' sense of humour.

"Which time?" asked Regulus, turning and not bothering to smother his smile.

Narcissa's eyes vanished as she rolled them away from him, shaking her head.

 

---

 

Alphard Black strolled back to his office, a portkey, in the form of rain stick, in his hand. The hallways were lazy and empty in a way they could only be on a Friday afternoon. It served him fine, as he buzzed with contentedness at the prospect of his own approaching holiday.

When he opened the door to his office after his short trip to portkey office, he found it was not as empty as he had left it.

A long-legged blond man was seated on the edge of his desk, “Oh, excellent, you’re back, Mister Black.”

The grey robes sparked immediate alarm within every witch and wizard, let alone those certain robes belonging of the Deputy Head of the Department tasked with catching dark wizards and witches.

“And operating completely within the law.” said Alphard, used to the assumptions about his family, as he stepped inside slowly.

“Yes,” said the man easily, with a knowing smile, going on lightly, “I know.”

Alphard crossed to his desk, going around his visitor, speaking as he went, “What may I assist you with, Mister Hawthorne? I intend to leave very shortly on one of my research expeditions.”

Hawthorne stood up to his full height, nodding thoughtfully, “An… interesting way for one to spend their work holidays. It, I will concede, is the very reason I am paying you this visit.”

Alphard stopped short of putting the portkey down on his desk at the man’s forthrightness.

“Forgive me, I must admit that I find your interest… puzzling.” said Alphard, carefully.

“I was following a lead on cursed portkeys,” said Hawthorne promptly, nodding to the rain stick in Alphard’s hands, “I would drop that if I were you,”

Alphard felt the object begin to hum in his hands, and did in fact let it drop from his hands. It was certainly not common portkey behaviour.

On the floor, tendrils of black smoke crept from the stick. A high-pitched whine filled the room, and it writhed and shrunk to a sinister looking root, petrifying in on itself.

Hawthorne waved his wand, and all sign of what had appeared to be Alphard’s portkey – handed to him by a ministry official – vanished from sight.

“I’m… a supporter… of your cause, believe it or not,” said Hawthorne, stowing away his wand, “Others, however, are not prepared for such revelations that would usurp their long-held beliefs of magical superiority.”

Alphard resigned himself to an unsettling fact.

“Someone just tried to kill me.”

Hawthorne bowed his head in dutiful concession.

“Yes, Mister Black,” he said, pausing before going on, “I think it may be prudent of you, to… go on your expedition, and extend your holidays,”

The gold-topped man produced an empty green tin of Muggle alcohol, dented in one side –

“Here –” he extended the cool light metal reciprocal, “I have done a spot of research myself, and I am certain you will find many things of interest to you in this particular corner of the world.”

Alphard Black had already known the Deputy Head of the Auror Department was of the trustworthy sort – from many previous encounters at Ministry functions (and the fact that he was a bleeding Gryffindor), and accepted the tin, with a nod.

Without another word, Hawthorne turned to leave. He made it as far as the rug between Alphard’s desk and the door before the elder man’s curiosity – and boldness – became too much –

“…Have you seen her?”

Hawthorne halted, as if by a spell. The tenseness of his shoulders told of his understanding as to just whom Alphard referred to. He turned his head ever so slightly and gave a nod. Hands still held oddly at his sides, the Auror swept out of the office, the door closing with him.

The portkey Hawthorne had given him – undeniably made by the younger wizard himself, and not the official office – transported Alphard to a wizarding community, the likes of which he had never seen before.

He had arrived in an obviously magical centre, the strange land’s seeming parallel to Diagon Alley; like a hidden carnival beneath foreign trees. All walks of life trudged the red dirt path to stalls, Englishmen, however, stuck out; with their heavy wizarding robes and general suffering as they breathed the humidity.

He had forgone his traditional robes, embroidered with the Black family insignia, and had opted for the muggle garb that seemed so popular amongst the magical folk. The khaki shorts, shirt, and boots were much more practical. For the first time in his life, he also wore a hat.

He had known of the land, but did not realise that the indigenous culture dated back so far – much further than Britain, whose muggles had tried to colonise the island; of which had been, seemingly hidden in the summer for a million years.

During the day, Alphard would pass through the gateway to the muggle word – to explore cave paintings, and sacred rock sites, for their magical links.

An innocuous, white weatherboard pub, with lodgings above, sat on the edge of a rural town. Either side were large cattle stations, and Alphard had seen more cows, grazing in convoys of silence, than he had muggles.

One early evening, he was returning to the pub; still seeing it in a state of moderate disrepair to deter most muggles from even approaching from his distance.He had apparated back to the long, dusty drive, and continued his approach on foot.

The birds’ cries from the winding row of trees behind the pub echoed around the rolling sunburnt plains overhead, as Alphard’s boots crunched into the dirt.

As he closed in, the pub became better tended as his magical eyes adjusted, and the liveliness of the bar inside steadily grew louder. Figures on the wrap around verandah became clear to see as witches and wizards laughing and watching the sun go down with pints in their hands of the local beer – that Alphard rather thought tasted like he expected dehydrated urine to.

With the sun a mere golden crown to the distant rocky formations, under a pale purple blanket of approaching night, the heat of the day had died down. Everyone’s skin, however, still glowed with the warmth of the day as the stars began popping out above.

“Is that Venus?” asked a witch, as she procured her broomstick from the outdoor shed, gazing raptly up at the sky.

Wrong.

Her wizard companion squinted, swatting a fly from around his mouth, “Mars, isn’t it?”

Even more wrong.

“It’s Sirius, actually.” Alphard finally said, as he took off his hat, using a handkerchief to wipe the sweat of the day from his hair line.

The young couple glanced to him, then back to the sky, nodding and mumbling their agreement.

“You’re the pom, aren’t you?” asked the young man, with bright ginger hair, his eyes bloodshot from spending the whole day outdoors in the dust.

Alphard knew not to take it as an insult anymore. Although it was odd being called such a thing, especially by someone who did not sound very different to himself.

Alphard gave a nod, “Alphard.”

He had become accustomed to leaving off his last name. It held none of the weight there that it did in his homeland.  

“Darren,” the young man gave a nod in acknowledgment, regardless of a lack of pomp and ceremony about anything – he had always found the people of the place to be friendly, “It’s a shame we don’t have anything like Hogwarts here – you learn astronomy and like, don’t you? The milliner said the subjects were things like that.”

Alphard was gripped by immediate intrigue – he’d never seen such a stall…

“The milliner?”

Darren nodded again, waving an arm up the front steps of pub –

“Here she comes now.”

Through the doors of the pub, bustled a middle-aged witch in a floral and stripe patterned linen dress. Her hair twisted atop her head, and was more silver than blonde, but he would know her anywhere, at any age.

Her eyes landed on him, and it became clear she had been looking for him.

“I heard there was an English fellow staying here from one of my clients today. I had never dared dream…” The lilts of her mellifluous voice were starkly sophisticated against the those of the ginger man.

Alphard immediately smoothed his hair, pulling back his shoulders.

“Friend of yours, Margaret?” asked the young man, glancing between them with amused realisation, before turning back to solely address Margaret, “Happy catchups and all then. I’ll see you tomorrow, I’ve got to take this one home to her folks by nine.”

“Fly safe, Darren!” Margaret called after the pair as they took off into the sky.

The doors to the pub settled behind Margaret, and the din and chatter became a dull distant sound. The cicadas had started up their night choir, though, as the sun dipped out of view completely.

She stood by the white wooden balustrade comfortably, looking very real as the yellow lights shone out on her from the windows. Slowly, she plodded down their stairs in her little dusty pumps.

He nearly fell to his knees. Instead, he stepped closer, checking for the tell-tale glow of any kind of enchantments.

She noticed his eyes and planted her hands on hips; wider than he remembered. An inimitable crossness rolled off the woman.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” he said, finally, satisfied she was real. An odd amusement rose up inside of him, his eyebrows shooting up – alongside the corners of his lips, “I wrote your death certificate.”

A head tilt – one so similar to a different girl, a younger girl, to whom he was acquainted – and, finally, he won a twitch of those rosebud lips, “Without doing your due diligence it seems.”

“How?” the word was laced with all the inquisitiveness of the younger man he had been – he felt as silly as Sirius now he was back in her presence…

“I had been wanting to leave Montague since I married him, the last straw was when he used ‘fornicae flagellum’ to appease his ‘Dark Lord’,” Margaret’s lips buttoned, she turned, crossing her arms against her chest at the light breeze, “I made it look like we had both been poisoned and I fled here.”

“Fornicae…” Alphard was flabbergasted, “That’s ancient magic...”

Margaret frowned, a far-off expression showing all her years across her face, “My dear little girl…she was only sixteen at the time… and did not even know.”

“That means…” Alphard trailed off, in realisation, connecting all the happenings in his office – the visitors.

Imperious green eyes stared across at him, swathed in hues of shrewd knowing.

“Yes,”

She turned her eyes away after the confirmation.

“I do not know how I could look at my grandson, and know he is the result of a spell and half of that…that monster.”

Alphard tread carefully with his next words, “Your grandson may have been conceived in potions lab, but he does not know that.”

Margaret blinked, shaking her head with a thoughtful frown.

“No, no one does – except for us,” she said, airily, “My late husband never got to see the fruition of his work – once he was born, I took the boy to my squib cousin so he could have a good, happy childhood.”

“He’s figuring it out.” said Alphard, inclining his head and holding her gaze meaningfully.

Margaret’s arms fell to her side. If she were a lesser woman, she might have thrown her hands up in the air in ire.

“What do you suggest I do about it?” she asked, with a humourless huff of laughter. She closed her eyes and raised a hand in front of her, placatingly, “So long as the secret is kept, all involved will be safe.”

Alphard felt light with humour, “The chosen one will prevail, and the world will be right once more?”

Margaret gave him a short look, turned away, and then turned back – exasperated –

“Goodness, Dumbledore is keeping her safe, isn’t he? The things I’ve read in the Prophet…” her tone shifted to sincere concern by the end of her words.

Alphard licked his lips, and gave his best smile, “Oh, yes, last time I saw her she was with my nephew.”

Margaret balked.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 29: The Wedge that is Severus Snape

Practicing Doubling Charms took up one half of Katherine's week after being released from the hospital wing. Detention took up the other half. But she couldn't complain, as her thirst to remember who had cast the near life-ending curse on her in Hogsmeade was quenched on her final evening of Detention.

McGonagall had Katherine helping Slughorn neaten the Potions classroom, and she found an old ratty textbook down the side of desk against the wall. Opening it to discover the owner to give it to Slughorn to return, Katherine found two different sets of handwriting – loose pieces of parchment shoved in with a vaguely familiar hand. In the predominantly scratchy scrawl, were the words 'Sectumsempra – for enemies'.

At once, Katherine's mind had clicked back together – partly, at least. She had seen those words before. She had held that textbook before. It had been snatched from her hands by the owner not a week earlier; by Severus Snape.

 

---

 

"Severus is so good a doubling charms that I don't think I can sit next by him in charms anymore… it's infuriating…" said Lily, laughing lightly as she and Marlene tried to double their bobby pins while they walked from Charms to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Katherine blinked, drawn from her memory from the previous night.

"You're very quiet today, Katherine…" said Lily, looking up from her bobby pin on her palm.

Katherine chose her words carefully, "I found something – a textbook with the curse used on me written inside."

"That's excellent then!" Lily grinned, a hand landing on Katherine's arm, "Whoever it belongs to was the one to curse you, Katherine!"

Katherine sucked her cheeks as they stopped by the classroom door.

Lily's grin faltered and her brow furrowed, "Are you okay –"

"It was Snape's."

Lily blinked, shook her head, and stepped back.

"You're having a laugh."

Katherine shook her head, and felt her explanation and new knowledge swim up inside her, "I recognised the ratty old cover – and get this –"

Lily had taken another step back, and held up her hand.

"No, you're mistaken," said Lily, her green eyes like shields, "Severus wouldn't…"

"I saw him down in Hogsmeade – it all makes sense –"

"When you snuck down and got yourself cursed?"

The edge to her friend's tone made Katherine feel both hot and cold all over – and a little bit sick.

Desperation stampeded through Katherine's chest, "It’s not the first time he’s cursed me, Lily –"

"I know you don’t like him – any of you –” she turned to the others at that, “But it’s not fair to put the blame on him just because he’s different –”

Marlene, wide-eyed and frozen, had gone to open her mouth, “Lily, Snape has cursed her before –”

“Did you see it?” asked Lily, cutting her off with an expectant raise of her eyebrows.

Marlene’s eyes darted to Katherine, and then back to Lily, “… well, no. But Potter –”

Lily huffed out a humourless laugh.

“Potter? That’s all I need to know then,” she had all but spat James’ name. she crossed her arms, and turned back to Katherine, eyes narrowed, “I never understood why you seemed so happy to hang around him for your lessons. I get it now,”

Lily’s eyes roved Katherine, with such a potent loathing, that it nearly made Katherine’s knees buckle –

“You’re just like him. All high and mighty in your pureblood status – picking on Snape because he’s a halfblood –”

“It’s not about blood, he’s nasty, Lily –”

Alice, Marlene, and Mary shared a look.

Why weren’t they saying anything?

Katherine all but cried out, frustration creeping up her spine, “He’s an oily little creep – obsessed with you –”

“Now who’s being nasty, Katherine.” countered Lily.

Katherine shook her head, and lowered her voice, incredulous – and distraught at her implication, “That’s not fair…”

“If you go to the teachers with this, Severus will be expelled,” said Lily, as if she were talking to a first year, “That’s not fair – when Hogwarts is just about all he has.”

Katherine could not find that she cared.

“He nearly killed me, Lily.”

Lily’s eyes flashed away. For moment, it seemed, she wavered.

“We don’t know that – none of us were there – maybe it was Greengrass,” she said, returning her eyes to Katherine. She paused, and then went on, out of the steam she had earlier, “Everyone already thinks Severus is… He doesn’t need an accusation like this on top of – on top of everything.”

It made Katherine feel on the very edge of insanity, arguing with Lily.

“Lily…” she pleaded.

“And I…” Lily broke off, and then mustered a firm resolve, “I will never speak to you again, if you do.”

With the slight pursing of her lips, Lily turned and marched through the doorway to the defence classroom.

Katherine couldn't feel her face…

The other girls looked back at her, wide eyed.

Alice was the first to speak, head bowed, "Come on, we should go in..."

One by one, the girls filed into the classroom.

Katherine trailed behind, wondering if she would be sitting with them all in awkward silence all day...

The classroom was full, as they were evidently the last to arrive. A few heads turned as they entered, eyeing the girls.

There were not enough seats left for them to sit all together anyway.

Alice slotted in beside Frank and Remus, who sat in front of the other Gryffindor boys that took up the entire back row.

Mary paused beside the empty seat beside Dobbs, the male Slytherin prefect of their year, before clearing her throat and saying, quiet as a mouse, "...do you mind... there's nowhere else..."

Dobbs glanced up slowly, and gave a short nod. With his foot, he pulled out the chair beside him, leaning back indolently in his own and stretching his arms behind his head.

Mary sat in the aisle seat beside the Slytherin, tiny in comparison to the long-limbed boy.

Mercifully, Avery and Macnair were seated a few rows in front of their housemate. Unlike them, Katherine had never seen Dobbs with Mulciber.

"Oi, Spencer,"

Katherine followed the calling of her name to the back row of seats just inside the door. James grinned and made a large motion with his arm –  

"Come 'ere."

Seeing Lily turned around in her chair; watching, Katherine slowly stepped over to the boys – painfully aware.

"Yes?"

"We've a spare chair." said Black, lounging back in his own chair, flicking his hair from his face with one efficient swivel of his neck.

Katherine frowned at where the three boys crowded the bench, "There isn't…"

James produced his wand and gave it a non-verbal flourish.

In absence of his words, the table rocked on its feet before shooting out an extension of identical swirled wood. Another tap of the legs of his own chair – the doubling charm they were being taught was noticed immediately by Katherine – and a chair spun into corporealness, rattling to a stop on all four legs.

James’ smile was quietly sincere, "There."

The CLICK of the door barely registered over Katherine's surprise at James' swift magic.

"If only you showed as much effort in your homework as you do in impressing girls, Mister Potter…" came Giles’ drawl.

James simply pulsed his eyebrows at Katherine before taking up his quill.

Professor Giles swept down the centre aisle of desks to the front of the classroom, "Counter charms are as important to have in your back pocket as your hexes and jinxes…"

With a wave of his wand, notes began scrawling themselves up on the blackboard.

Peter had leant forward to wave in greeting from further down the bench, from where he sat beside Black, who was on the other side of James.

Katherine returned it, unable to help a smile too at the boy. She slowly sat on the conjured chair beside James’ and began pulling out her notebook and quill –

"Oh, and Miss Spencer?"

Katherine's knee hit the bottom of the desk, and her eyes begrudgingly lifted.

Giles had paused his lead into the lesson, and inclined his head to her, "Please stay behind after class."

Katherine felt even more sick to the stomach. She made her best efforts to be as studious as possible – to not get into trouble, and to try and forget about her altercation with Lily.

Lily, however, was sitting a few desks in front – with Snape.

Katherine could not shake the feeling all lesson; of being all chewed up inside. That was despite the amusing quips going back and forth between James and Black quietly, from beside her –

“Nudge, nudge – wink, wink – say no more, know what I mean?”

Black gave James a side-eye, “Never before have I encountered such corrupt and bold perversity –”

Black turned fully to James, undeniably amused, and then asked – eyebrows raised –

“Have you ever considered a career in the ministry?”

When it came time for the bell to sound, Katherine still felt as if she was not firmly anchored inside her body.

A cacophony of sound erupted; chairs scraping, books slapping closed, and chatter breaking out.

Katherine wasn't to join everyone else in leaving their last class of the morning lesson block, and packed her things slowly.

“See you at lunch?” inquired Remus as he passed, pulling his bag onto his shoulder.

Katherine gave a nod, but could not find it in her to open her lips. She was too afraid she would be sick.

Slowly, she approached Giles’ desk, trying to prepare herself for a multitude of outcomes.

“I planned to give you this back at Easter,” said Giles, packing up some of his things before he too moved off to lunch, “In light of recent events, perhaps I should have been more persistent in getting it to you.”

His slid a skinny strip of parchment up his desk – to her.

Katherine slowly picked up the parchment; a permission form – an unconditional permission form to Hogsmeade, signed by Giles as her guardian.

Oh.

“Thank you, sir.”

Giles gave a short nod, “While there are no conditions explicitly attached to it, I do suggest staying in a group when you visit the township.”

Katherine bowed her head.

“Yes, sir.”

Upon leaving the classroom, Katherine found that she wasn’t very hungry at all. Instead, she made for Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, fearing her urge to spew all lesson might eventuate into the real thing.

After standing at the sink, breathing carefully for a good five minutes, nothing came up. That was when she decided to go to the toilet. Fortunately so, for as soon as she sat down on the toilet, voices carried through the tiled room –

“– if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s snobbery and one-upmanship. People trying to pretend they’re superior,” came Greengrass’ cut-glass voice –

Katherine lifted her feet up. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with Greengrass –

“– it makes it so much harder for those of us who really are.” she finished.

“Agreed,” said Flint, “And what kind of name is Kylie for someone of our supposed standing? It sounds like a foreign vegetable…”

Katherine licked her lips and found them tugging up in a smile at the two Slytherin girls.

They used the toilets, not taking any notice of Katherine in the far stall, and left again without any fuss.

Katherine stayed, however. All lunch.

She did not wish to ever leave the quiet of the toilet stall, truthfully. The prospect of returning to a classroom with Lily, the girls not saying anything in her defence, and sitting in pseudo exile with James Potter and his mates… well… At the beginning of term, she certainly would not have predicted it.

The bell eventually rang, and Katherine had to drag herself out of the bathroom, and head for Ancient Runes –

“Oi – you bastard!”

In the hallway outside of the toilet, were James and Black hitting a small rubber ball at a wall like a game of squash without rackets, as Remus and Peter watched on. Black had just hit it, it seemed, with brutal force, and it bounced viciously around the walls of the hallway – out of control.

Katherine even had to duck from the missile it made, the certain pain on impact of it whistling along with it.

James pocketed the ball as it rolled along the floor by him, eyeing Black with amused reprimand, “That’s enough, I’d say. Off to class now.”

Seeing other people happy and enjoying themselves when you were miserable always felt so personal, mused Katherine, as she skirted around them, heading in the direction of class.

Black was pulling on his robe, which he had evidently discarded while working up a sweat in he and James’ game, and cleared his throat as he rustled a thick bit of folded parchment into the pocket.

The entire way to the grand staircase, and up two flights of stairs, she felt them following behind her.

Lily was already there, in the front row, sitting with Snape. Again.

Mary and Marlene sat together behind them, leant back in their seats and eyeing Snape apprehensively.

Alice was seated with Frank on the other side of the classroom, chattering quickly before the beginning of the lesson.

When Katherine entered, she headed for the desk behind the couple, hoping to shrink into her seat – and the corner.

Quietly, Remus slid into the seat beside her. Just like he usually would. It put an end to her attempt at self-imposed exile.

At the noise of everyone entering and filling the classroom, those seated at the front of the room glanced back. Snape’s eyes found Katherine, uninterested in the others, smug.

SLAP!

Black’s textbook was placed down heavily on the desk in front of Katherine and Remus. He moved to take his seat, James with him, effectively blocking Katherine from Snape’s view.

Katherine was struck with the urge to kiss both the boys’ cheeks in glee, whether they realised what they had done or not. She didn’t even mind that she could barely see around Black’s head all lesson.

Due to Professor Brown falling ill in one of her earlier classes of the day, Divination had to be cancelled that afternoon. It left the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws with a free period – an early mark – after Ancient Runes.

Trailing as a large group of ten back to Gryffindor Tower, the girls and boys split in the common room for their respective dormitories.

The girls’ dormitory had never been so quiet before, as it was that afternoon. Not a giggle, nor a tune, or giddy whisper of a boy’s name could be heard.

Lily had began changing out of her uniform, pulling on jeans and a jumper. She was, obviously, going to leave.

Katherine loosely shadowed her friend as she bussed about getting socks from her drawers, “Lily –”

Lily gave no indication that she heard it. She sat on the edge of bed, pulled on her boots, and reached for her scarf hanging over her the back of her chair.

“Please, Lily – I want to talk about –”

Lily paused at the door, with one hand on it, and looked back at Katherine. With a shake of her head, she left. The door slowly swung closed behind her.

Silence.

“You’re right, you know,” came Marlene’s voice, “Everything you said.”

Alice sat on the edge of her bed, her hands between her knees, “Even if he didn’t curse you in Hogsmeade, his general vile personality is enough to make me loathe him.”

“Why didn’t any of you say anything?” asked Katherine, trying to not sound accusatory.

Alice shrugged, “Lily, technically, hasn’t done anything wrong either. We’re not taking sides –”

It felt like they were taking Lily’s.

“– we have to try and stay neutral, otherwise the next two years in this dormitory would be living purgatory.” she went on.

Katherine sighed, but nodded.

Mary began pulling off her tie.

“What happened at lunch?” asked Katherine, succumbing to a bone deep tiredness

Mary’s expression was apologetic, “We were trying to talk to Lily – to get her to come around.”

“I see she’s still talking to all of you, then.” said Katherine, unable to help herself, plopping down upon her bed.

Marlene gave a snort at Katherine’s theatrics, “It’ll blow over. Tensions just… bubbled over, we shouldn’t turn a temporary disagreement into a permanent rift by fuelling it with more arguments.”

She could imagine how it would have gone, how they would have lightly laid enough of the blame still on Katherine. Katherine felt crazy, and yet she couldn’t stop…

“I feel horrible to say this, but… I’m meant to meet Frank about now…” said Alice, glancing down at her wristwatch.

Mary slowly stood, “Peter and I…”

Katherine glanced to Marlene.

“You too?” she asked, wryly.

Marlene tipped her head, pushing herself up with a wince, “Well…”

Together, the three looked upon Katherine with the upmost sympathy.

Katherine sighed and waved a hand toward the door, “It’s fine.”

It really wasn’t.

They left anyway.

Katherine spent some time brushing Belle’s fur, and let the feline sit on her stomach, purring as she slept away soundly. Only when Belle awoke and flounced off the bed, did Katherine look around at the empty dormitory properly. She was unsure she had ever been alone in there before.

She watched the glowing specks of dust float down on the beds and desks. Her eyes fell on Lily’s portable record player where it laid, closed. All of her friends’ things were scattered around the room, but they were mere odd hollow things, not even a close mimicry of their owner’s presences. They all might have been gone twenty years already.

Disliking the way time bent differently in the castle when on one’s lonesome, Katherine kissed Belle between the ears on her little forehead, and stroked her back, before resolving to leave too.

She pulled on the nylon blue jacket on top of her trunk, which was already beginning to show signs of its recent increased use, and then she headed for the little spot – across the bridge, and onto the boulders underneath.

That was where Remus found her, pausing as he rounded the side of bracing. He continued down the boulders, and took up the space of stone beside her.

For a long time, they sat just like that, watching the owls swarm the cloudy sky, broken by streaks of silver where the falling sun poked through. The wind kept blowing steadily harder, storm clouds looming over the mountains.

More than once, she saw him turn to her out of the corner of her eye.

“You can ask, you know.” she said, squinting against the glare of the setting sun behind the clouds.

She felt his eyes on the side of her face again.

“I wasn’t sure if you felt comfortable talking about it with me,” he said, after a quiet beat. He turned away again, and said, “And I kind of overheard everything you and Lily said. We, er, all did…”

Katherine sighed out a short, humourless huff of laughter. If it had not been bad enough already…

“Am I… do you think I’m being unreasonable – accusing him?” she finally asked.

Remus re-arranged himself where he sat, sighing.

“Given your experiences with him, no,”

The words lifted Katherine’s head, which had been heavy with unease all day – and shame.

Remus gave a slight smile, his eyes dancing over her face, before he turned away, squinting against the bright glare.

“However,” he said, tipping his head, and turning back to her. He licked his lips, and went on, “I can see why Lily would be upset. Her and Snape knew each before Hogwarts even. Can you maybe try to see her side? Talk it out?”

A pang of betrayal twisted her stomach as she gazed up at Remus, and his imploring face – advocating reconciliation. Snape hadn’t just called her a mean name – he had tried to fatally harm her, intentionally or not.

It must have showed on her face, because Remus’ expression fell into one of guilt.

“Oh, Katherine,” he breathed out, blinking slowly as he rested a hand on her shoulder, “I…”

With a quiet ‘come here’, he folded her slowly, and somewhat tentatively, into his arms.

Katherine’s cheek was cushioned by his soft, chunky jumper, but she could not bring herself to lift her arms.

Still, he squeezed her, wedging his head atop hers.

“I’m not taking her side – I’m not taking anyone’s side –” Remus pulled back just enough to look down at her, “It’s… not silly… but it shouldn’t have gotten this big in the first place.”

You should be taking my side, she felt like saying, I would take yours.

She knew that was petty and childish, however. Remus Lupin liked-liked her. His arms were around her, their hearts pressed face to face, and yet…

Barely able to admit it to herself, she knew exactly what was wrong inside of her. She had half-hoped, at seeing her upset, he would spring into a white knight ‘rules be damned’ and go off and hex Snape to bits – like she knew he could.

Remus Lupin, however, always did the right thing. Or did his best to try to. He was a Prefect, at the end of the day, and could not be doing such things.

She was just angry, she supposed. Overloaded. Maybe next time he put his arms around her it would be different – better. 

Katherine pulled back, “Sorry for stealing your special spot.”

Remus cracked a smile, and reached down to pull up the zipper on the blue bomber jacket she was wearing – his blue bomber. His eyes, just as kind as ever, glittered down at her from beneath his fluffy head of hair.

“I wouldn’t have showed it to you if I didn’t want you to come.”

A trickle of warmth wormed its way back into Katherine’s chest. Still, she didn’t feel much like speaking, and gave hums and short replies as Remus spoke about what he was doing in Arithmancy. Slowly, the two strolled back across the bridge, towards the school grounds.

The afternoon seemed to drag on forever with the subtle lengthening of days in March, when it had began to drizzle, Remus and Katherine had jogged for the refuge of the castle.

Safe, and running a hand through his dampened hair, Remus turned to Katherine, “I’m going to the library, to finish that homework I mentioned. Would you like to come?”

“No, thank you,” said Katherine, managing a small smile, “I’m feeling a bit tired actually. I think I’ll head up to the Tower.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later.” with a wave, and a smile, Remus backed away and took off in the opposite direction.

In the darkening hallways of the castle, Katherine began navigating her way towards the grand staircase, in the direction of the tower. As she went, wall sconces sprung to life with loud WHOOSHES of flame.

"I told you everything you needed to know," –

Two shadows stretched around a corner ahead of Katherine before the light of the wall torches spilt onto two sets of Slytherin robes –

"– and you were still complicit in losing us the 'friendly' match,"

Neither boy had noticed Katherine yet. She thought, for a moment, that she might be able to slip past them too…

Regulus sighed, rubbing between his eyebrows and closing his eyes as long as he dared while walking, "Maybe we'll have to hold try outs next year…"

His eyes lifted after his last word left his mouth, and landed on Katherine. Regulus' steps slowed, and he waved a hand listlessly at the boy scurrying up beside him. His eyes, however, remained with her.

"That will be all, Rowle."

Rowle took one look between Katherine and Regulus, frowned, and then hastened on.

Regulus' eyebrows pulled up and his lips un-pursed, his eyes roaming her no doubt ruffled school robes.

"Are you going somewhere?" They both said together, at once.

There was a pause after the chorused four words, a smile of quiet exasperation, and Regulus blinked.

"Not in particular," said Regulus', answering first and lifting his chin in her direction – eyes shielded and shining all the while, "What about you, Miss Spencer?"

"No, just strolling." said Katherine.

"Two teenagers stuck inside, doing nothing," said Regulus, "On an early evening like this?"

Katherine regarded him sceptically, "What would you suggest to remedy such an injustice?"

"Tea." said Regulus in a breath, his shoulders lifting in a gentle shrug.

The reminder of all her skipped meals came to her at the moment, with the painful churning of her stomach. She could keep tea and biscuits down.

Katherine hesitated, unsure, and then said, "I would love to."

Regulus blinked, and he leant back – as if he caught himself from stumbling.

"With me?" Regulus' eyebrows pulled down and together, "But aren't you hanging around with my brother and his friends?"

"I can't do both?" asked Katherine, a tickle in her sternum – a laugh barely contained.

Regulus blinked, and smiled, "I’d have to check the legality around it,"

His hands slipped out of his pockets and his feet slipped into a walk, but he paused, turning back with an exasperated smile and a crooked finger –

"Come on."

Katherine shuffled along, half a step quicker than Regulus' languid stride just to keep up.

"Where are we going?" asked Katherine.

"To the kitchens," said Regulus absently, his eyes scanning the hallway in front of them and his eyebrows raising thoughtfully, "I have quite an excellent rapport with the house elves – they let me come in and make my own tea whenever I fancy."

When the door swung open the copper-gleaming sanctuary of the mass of bat-eared creatures, Katherine couldn't help but wonder how many people knew of the supposedly out of bounds room…

"Mister Black!" gasped a gleaming-eyed Binky, "We weren’t expecting you!"

Regulus grinned, genuinely – for the first time Katherine had ever seen. It was the most endearing sight on the usually stone-faced boy. He looked, for once, fifteen.

"Don't go to any trouble," said Regulus genially, inclining his head, "I'll be making tea for myself and Miss Spencer today, if that's alright?"

Binky nodded feverently, eyes wide and hands wringing in front of her, "Most certainly, sir."

The elf watched with both hesitance and deep admiration as Regulus sat near a tea set.

Regulus flicked his wrist to free it from his cuff as he reached for the teapot, "Which tea do you prefer?"

"Black." said Katherine, leaning back on the bench and watching him handle the tray with practised hands.

Regulus, however, paused, and blinked at Katherine.

"Yes, Spencer?"

Katherine realised her mistake, "Are you serious?"

Regulus' eyes glinted like the brass teapot he lifted once more.

"No," he said lightly, his lips curving, "I'm Regulus."

He allowed a moment of exasperation-filled tea-making – on Katherine's part, at least – before he spoke up again.

"So, I heard your little troupe of Gryffindor's golden girls broke up."

Katherine busied herself with carefully stirring her sugar in, feeling his eyes on her.

Regulus hummed, and finally lowered his eyes to his own tea.

Their time alone always seemed to work in his favour – something Katherine sought to change, "I've been meaning to ask…"

His face – angled down at his teacup – didn't move. But his eyes flashed up.

"Why were you in the hospital wing – that day I…" Katherine trailed off, frowning at the memory and the lack thereof.

Regulus, however, didn't betray a single emotion. He returned to stirring his tea – his eyes following his motions – and laid his spoon back on the tray before he lifted his eyes to hers once more.

"Didn't they tell you?" said Regulus with a raise of his eyebrows and the gentle shake of his head, "I was the one that found you."

Katherine's mind splintered further. She didn't remember that.

Regulus didn't offer anything further, lifting his cup to his lips.

His brother had been there too, but she thought it best to not ask after him…

"Do… do you know what happened to me?" asked Katherine, a hand involuntarily lifting to soothe her suddenly aching head, "It's like I've had some dodgy memory charm cast on me…"

Regulus lowered his teacup from his lips, and blinked across at Katherine, "If you can't remember anything, I'd say the charm was quite sufficient."

"Do you…" Katherine broke off.

The sick hot and cold feeling from when she had proposed something not dissimilar to her friends crept in through her ear.

"Do you think it was Snape?"

Regulus gulped down his sip of tea and placed his cup down on its saucer.

"Could have been," said Regulus, folding his hands together on the table, "But then again, it could have been any of the numerous shady characters that seem to want to murder you at the moment."

Katherine changed tact, despite his reaction being more favourable than Remus’.

“So, may I ask what that was before? With Rowle?”

Regulus bowed his head slightly, his lips forming a firm line before he responded, “Lucius Malfoy is the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. You know this, yes?”

Katherine nodded.

“He will be graduating in a few months, as it were,” Regulus gave a short thoughtful lift of his eyebrows, and went on, “He has already made the decision, along with Professor Slughorn’s agreement, to announce me as his successor before the end of the year.”

Katherine had never thought much about the Slytherin team before. She, in fact, was not entirely sure of just who filled out the team.

James would be a sixth year, in the following term, when he would take up the post. Or Black, even – him being even older, actually, due to his early birthday. Regulus, by any standard, would be exceedingly young. Certainly, there had to be older members on the team…

“I suppose congratulations are in order.” Katherine recovered, lifting her teacup to him, and taking a sip.

Regulus returned her gesture but said no more on the matter.

"Now," said Regulus, standing and brushing down his robes in one regal sweep of his hands, "I think we should take exercise after those biscuits."

His proffered arm wasn't a suggestion – but a direction to be followed.

"You would risk being seen with me?" asked Katherine.

Nevertheless, she slipped her hand along the inside of his bony arm as he pushed open the portrait door to the dungeons.

His smile was as smooth as the silk his robes were made of, "There are worse things,"

The corners of his eyes creased as they gleamed ahead, their feet climbing up the stairs; a mindful distance apart from each other's. He blinked once before he turned them on Katherine; still gleaming.

"Being seen with Skeeter, for one."

Katherine was unable to help a laugh as they stepped out into the Entrance Hall.

Not a second later, Snape stalked past; heading for the courtyard.

It was as Katherine pondered her next words to Regulus, that her eyes followed Snape's too-large-robes flapping down the lawns.

In the distance, she could make out James – and the others.

Snape very much seemed to be following them…

She really didn't want to know anything more about Severus Snape – lest it increase her trifle with Lily.

Regulus had, startingly, frowned – and slowed by a portrait waving exuberantly.

"It's about time," said the man in the portrait primly, straightening his cap and stroking down his goatee, "I've a message for my great-great-great nephew, Regulus Arcturus Black, from his father."

There was a twitch in Regulus' temple.

"You go on," said Regulus to Katherine, nodding ahead with a strained smile, "I don't know how long this will be,"

Katherine nodded, took one last glance at Regulus' great-great-great-uncle who eyed her undisguisedly, and turned to go. She made it all the way to the end of the hallway before curiosity overwhelmed her, and she glanced back at the Slytherin.

Regulus no longer stood indifferently in front of the portrait, but rather as if his spirit had been drained out of him through it.

Bad news, Katherine assumed.

She briefly wondered if horrible things really did come in threes – and what could possibly go wrong next...

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 30: The Whomping Willow

If asked to recount it, Katherine would not be able to explain quite how everything happened on the night of the full moon that early May day in 1976.

She remembered the days leading up to it and their peculiar quality; how they crackled ominously, darkly, like a powerline in a summer storm. It all commenced the morning after Katherine had left Regulus at the portrait…

At breakfast, the day after they had taken tea together in the kitchens, Regulus was nowhere to be seen at the Slytherin table. Nor was he there at lunch – or dinner.

Narcissa Black remained however, sitting alone at their usual spot; sipping her tea as she watched Katherine, eyes glinting with unnerving interest.

The Gryffindor Black, too, was in a very sour mood, adding to the curious aura of unease blanketing the castle. It did not help that Snape was seemingly done with Katherine – for the time being at least – and had begun skulking around the group of Fifth Year boys. Black was always the first to notice him eavesdropping on their conversations, and would fire off a ready jinx –

“Keep your great big nose out of matters that don’t concern you, Snivellus.”

It was rather civil of Black, even. Despite his cool clipped tone.

Snape had clutched his nose, which had great big green warts sprouting out an inch long off it, “A bit edgy, are we, Black? Aren’t your secret meeting usually reserved for the whomping willow? Or is that just for Lupin –”

“Why don’t you take your chances and have a big old look – if you can see anything over that enormous nose of yours, Snivelly.” fired back Black.

Snape sneered, “You just want me to go the same way as Davy Gudgeon.”

Black crossed his arms, wedging his hands up beneath his armpits. He leant forward at the waist, goadingly.

“Ah, but we get past it, you seem to believe so anyway.” said Black.

Remus’ eyes darted between the two, “Sirius.”

Snape skulked away, nursing his hexed nose.

Black turned back to Remus, “What? Getting throttled by a branch is hardly an ounce of what he truly deserves.”

“What Snape deserves is not for us to decide...” said Remus, head bowed as he and the boys all moved off.

Black did not seem to be listening. Something volatile seemed to roll off him as he passed Katherine’s spot, something like firm resolve across his stony features as he simmered away, just below the surface...

 

---

 

Katherine had not intended to be just as bad as Snape, but early on Wednesday evening, after classes, she could not help herself. She was coming out of the newly discovered kitchens, having chowed down on a few cream and jam buns to assuage her recent sorrows, when she saw Snape sleuthing along out to the courtyard, wand in hand.

Instinct was something that could never be explained or ignored.

After a few moments of indecision, Katherine followed. Was he about to lead her to a secret meeting of Voldemort’s underlings that had been operating within the castle? Or was he about to hurt someone else?

He was moving so quickly that Katherine almost lost him on the darkening lawns. She only caught sight of him again on the lighter dirt that he had to climb up the whomping willow. More than a little confused, Katherine clambered along at a distance to him… the whomping willow was out of bounds…

Katherine had heard many stories of broken limbs, and weeks spent in the hospital wing, about those who attempted to approach the savaging tree. When she reached the plateau it was perched upon, however, it was frozen.

The shadowed figure of Snape vanished through the hole in the large root base with a flash of his Slytherin robes.

Katherine hesitated. She felt no better than Snape, following him all the way out there – to confront him…

In the place of the whipping and snapping of the magical tree’s branches, came indistinct raised voices.

Katherine drew closer, curious. With one last moment of indecision – wondering if she should have fetched a professor (Snape would be done for being out of bounds immediately) – Katherine steeled herself, produced her wand, and slid through the hole.

Her back scraping the dirt, she landed in mangle of roots in a cavernous carved cellar beneath the soil above. Regaining her composure, she coughed, swatting the cloud of dirt from around her face –

“Snape – what are you –”

The raised voices were no longer, and in the dingy sub-surface light were Snape, James, Peter and Black staring back at her; stunned.

A better word, thought Katherine, might have been horrified – when her eyes landed beyond the group – on Remus, and his ashen face. He was kneeling in the doorway on a landing above a flight of climbing stairs, his chest heaving sharply –

“Arghhh!” he groaned, turning away, his hands clawing into the splintering doorframe –

Katherine stepped forward, drawn on instinct. Had Snape cursed him?

James blocked her, a hand on her shoulder, as well as on Snape’s. He tried to force them backwards up the tunnel – Katherine could not imagine why. Remus, her…

Remus was in trouble.

Katherine battled around James, shrugging off his hand, “Remus! Remus –”

The boy himself cut her off with a sole look; clinging, crushing –

“Run! Now!” roared Remus, his back hunching –

Katherine was halted by the peculiarity of his ask –

Remus slapped his hand on the doorframe – regripping it – as if to brace against great pain, “Katherine – Run!”

It was then that she watched, floored, as his neck seemed to lengthen. As his mouth tore open, he panted and cried out nonsensically – louder, and louder…

Peter turned to the group, and then began clambering up the staircase, “I’ll stay – go! Go!”

Peter helped Remus into the room beyond the door, and then shut it with a SLAM!

“I knew it!” exclaimed Snape, righteous anger rioting across his face, “I –”

“Shut up! We’ve got to go!” snapped James, grabbing Snape around the collar, to try and tug him away from where he had started to clamber up the stairs.

A firm arm hooked around her stomach, and Katherine was pulled back toward the entry to the tunnel. Her shoes clumsily trampling the roots, she gathered enough of her bearings to realise that it was Black dragging her, his eyes flashing wildly down at her.

James was still trying to pull the Slytherin along the tunnel, “Snape! –”

“I’ll wait here for Professor Slughorn – or another teacher – any teacher! I will tell them they couldn’t keep their little pet Prefect’s secret – that the whole school will know – and Lupin will need to be expelled! –”

James ran down the tunnel, glancing back over his shoulder at a crazed and raving Snape.

“Can you climb up?” asked James, as they crowded the ascending twisted opening in the roots.

Katherine nodded, “But Remus –”

“He’s alright. I know it doesn’t look it, but he’ll be fine. I swear it,” said James, eyeing her firmly from behind his spectacles. He turned to Sirius, “Come on, you and I will get Snape.”

Snape, meanwhile, continued to rave behind them, “– no place for his kind here – trouble, the lot of you! Now everyone will see what I’ve seen about you plainly all along! –”

“Whatever happens to Snivellus is own bloody karma!” panted Black, coolly furious, “He knew what he would find down here – he made his bed –”

“I wonder how he figured out how to get down here?” the veins were popping on James’ sweat slicked throat. His bulging eyes left Black, and he muttered, “Fine. I’ll get him myself. No matter what he’s done, he doesn’t deserve to bloody die,”

James turned to go, then turned back to Katherine. His anger faded, and the furrow in his eyebrow lessened –

“Hurry, Katherine.” he implored, before turning and taking after Snape again.

Black seemed to hesitate, to want to chase after James.

Katherine however, heeded James’ warning. A collective panic ricocheted around the tunnel. Her pulse hammered; her hair stuck on end – danger, was what her body sensed. Her breath coming short and hot, she felt her nails lifting as she climbed the roots back to the surface.

“Here.” came Black’s voice from just below, and then his hands cupped around the bottom of her flimsy black school shoes – that kept slipping off the roots.

Katherine experimentally put some of her weight on his hands, pushing up and finding his grip sound, “Thanks.”

Up she went, Black’s reassuring grip just behind her, until she crawled out of the upper ring of roots. The night cooled the sweat on her skin, and her breathing immediately slowed. Falling from her knees to her side, she let her muscles relax.

Black tumbled out behind her, landing on his back in the grass beside her.

Sucking in air, more calmly than before, they both looked to one another; unspoken relief rebounding between them. it was the sight behind his head, over the mountains, that drew Katherine’s eyes.

The sun had gone down, and the moon had come up…

A heap of robes were ejected from the gap in the roots. After them, came James’ familiar figure. He struck a powerful figure in the silver of the moonlight, and he gripped Slytherin robes in his fist, dragging a body off the ground –

“– it’s better than you deserve!” he said – to Snape, where he lay, near petrified on the grass, “If you continued to stand there, lily-livered, a moment longer –”

“Let go of me!” Snape struggled to free himself from James’ grip, scrambling backwards, kicking at James’ middle and legs –

James’ eyes were narrowed to slits, his glasses slipping down his nose, “You ungrateful – sneaking –”

A-WOOOOOOOOO!

Katherine was frozen where she laid on the grass, by the… by the howl. It echoed out from the tunnel, and no one made a sound as it faded into the night.

“Pomfrey won’t be far – I watched her bring him!” said Snape, scrambling clumsily to his feet.

The howl had distracted James enough for his grip to relax. He could only watch as Snape ran without abandon, or much co-ordination, back towards the glowing lights of the castle.

“Snape!” James called after him, feet moving after him slowly, trying to stop him – but not very hard.

CREAK… the whomping willow shivered back to life above them.

James, still on his feet, started into a run first, “Quick – run!”

Katherine and Black could not make it to their feet before a branch began descending down upon them, leaves falling on their faces ahead of the large, whistling limb. Black rolled over, colliding with her, to dodge the strike –

THUD! The branch sprayed dirt over the pair. Coughing, and quickly dusting it from around her eyes, Katherine saw the branch lift up again with a groan from deep within the bark. It had left an imprint in the dirt, the sides raise a foot high from the impact…

Katherine realised then, that she had screamed. Her throat was throbbing. Her eyes, peeled for the next assailing branch. Still, she laid, frozen.

“You’re okay,”

The comforting words startled Katherine from her shock.

Black panted above her ear, his front flush to her back, as he too surveyed the damage they had scarcely avoided, looking back over his shoulder. His eyes flashed to hers, and his hand encased her upper arm –

“Come on.” he prompted, shuffling his feet for purchase, and turning to clamber to all fours – to keep low.

Katherine, with Black’s arm around her back, made it to her feet. They ran on in the same fashion, if you could call it running. Every few steps they needed to stop and dodge branches that would thump down in front of them, to the side of them… whipping around their heads…

“James! Look out!” cried Katherine, spotting the branch coming from behind James, at knee level.

Barely turning in enough time, James’ jumped over the branch, not sticking the landing, and rolling to the ground.

Black halted her, alarm gripping his face, “Duck.”

In falling flat to the ground, to dodge the branch that had almost taken out James, Katherine and Black rolled away from each other.

“Katherine!” – that was James calling her name, she distinguished.

Katherine wrestled herself to her elbows, keeping her neck braced as she peered up. Through the obscuring night, she saw the moonlight flashing on James and Black’s skin, both equally as far away from her now, and equally just as far apart from the other in a loose sort of triangle –

Black too outstretched a hand, “Here!”

Katherine pushed herself up. Logic said James was closer to safety – beyond the reach of the willow. She started in his direction.

CRACK! A branch came down diagonally across her path. Katherine let out a squeal, jumping back.

Over the branch, she could see James on the other side, waving an arm. Katherine would have to go around…

At that precise moment, Black hurtled over the branch before it began to lift again, coming to a sudden halt before her. A gallant hand was extended to her.

Wired to centre of her being, they ran on together. Katherine was relieved for the comradeship of Black beside her, and they made it clear of the willow – to James. He took Katherine by the shoulders, spectacles glinting with the light of the moon, and her hand fell away from Black’s –

“You’re not hurt?” a quiet panic belied his inquiry.

Katherine lifted her hand to her cheek, where a sting had sprung up, “I think I just got whipped by a leaf.”

“Whipped by a leaf…” James repeated at airy chuckle, relieved disbelief across his face.

Black too chuckled as he eyed her sideways, a boyish grin playing at his lips and the trials of their evening glittering from his eyes.

A – WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

In a split second, the mood sobered.

James started off first, “Come on – we’ve got to go back to the castle.”

Katherine took one last glance at the whirling outline of the whomping willow as she turned to follow after James and Black.

He was a werewolf.

Remus Lupin was a werewolf…

 

---

 

Snape had, in fact, gotten nowhere with their professors, Katherine was to find out.

McGonagall, in her tartan dressing gown, had headed off Katherine, James, and Black in the courtyard. Dread sat at the bottom of Katherine’s entire being from the moment her Professor’s disappointed gaze fell on her, as well as the others.

“Mister Snape is waiting in my office with Professor Slughorn. I believe your recollections of this evening may vary...”

Katherine imagined the walk to their Head of House’s office that night must be what convicts of old had experienced on their walk to the gallows.

When they reached the office off Serpentine Corridor, on the first floor, Slughorn stood, yawning, in his night cap and slippers behind McGonagall’s desk. Four chairs were placed on the other side of the desk for the students. Snape sat on the far left, across from his own Head of House.

James had walked in first, taking the far right.

Katherine hesitated, eyeing the two chairs in the middle.

Black, however, sidled past her and inadvertently made the decision for her. He seated himself – as bold as bronze – beside Snape.

Confusion mingled with relief across the skin of Katherine’s face as she slowly sat in the seat between Black and James.

Two teacups plumed steam before the two Professors in their sleeping attire, grappling for alertness in the late hour, it seemed.

Professor Slughorn cleared his throat, looking very uncomfortable, “Now, we will relay the version of events Mister Snape has given us, and there are a few gaps we need you three to fill in, as well as giving your own…”

They went on to briefly mention that Snape had seen Remus being ushered out to the whomping willow through a window one night towards the end of fourth year. That he had always suspected Remus because of his disappearances. More so, because ‘Potter bullied him’ and he was paying more attention to the group of Gryffindors –

James had sighed, but stayed otherwise quiet. He had slouched in his chair, his elbow on the chair arm. As he listened, he rested his hand on his forehead, occasionally rubbing it –

It was then disclosed that Snape had overheard Black telling Longbottom that it ‘is all too easy to get past the tree’ and that all one had to do was to ‘touch the knot on the trunk with a big stick’. The lack of discretion, in letting Snape overhear him, was very unlike Black.

He had intended to be overheard.

The accusation of it hung heavy in the air of the room. James was looking across the front of Katherine to his friend, his expression inscrutable, yet unbreaking.

Black just sat beside Katherine, as indolent as ever, looking ahead and listening to their professors.

“If Mister Black and, as you believe, his friends too, led you to the whomping willow maliciously hoping for your serious injury or death –” Slughorn broke off, sounding very much that he was lacking distinct impartiality, even to a member of his own house, “Why were they also present, risking their lives in the same tunnel?”

Snape sat, fuming quietly, without an answer.

He would not be the one to answer, in the end.

“I found out what Sirius had said,”

Something about James’ words felt out of place.

Katherine thought back… in the tunnel, he had not been sure it was Black, but had strongly suspected…

In fact… what were they doing in the tunnel? With their friend, a werewolf albeit, that could kill them?

James went on, deadpan, “I knew it was the night of the full moon – that Snape would know this – and he would go after Remus. I went to make sure Remus was safely away, and unable to hurt anyone.”

For a moment, McGonagall and Slughorn were rendered speechless by the logical explanation. And marginally suspicious. They glanced at each other, before McGonagall turned her eyes to James, lowering her chin and eyeing him severely.

“As you are aware, Mister Potter, Madame Pomfrey does a diligent job of that before she leaves him every full moon.” she said.

James gave a nod, his eyes falling to McGonagall’s desk.

“Miss Spencer, may we please hear how you came to be involved?” asked Slughorn, with a rather out of place smile, given the evening.

Snape was not pleased at the obvious favour shown by his Potions Professor, and turned to glare at Katherine.

Black lifted a hand to Snape, and said, sharply, “Don’t look at her.”

Katherine’s sternum spasmed –

McGonagall frowned, drawing herself back to eye him, baffled, “Mister Black…”

Black didn’t budge, sitting still and straight with his usual air a haughtiness.

“While he’s being so forthcoming, why doesn’t he confess to cursing Kath – Spencer, in Hogsmeade? I was in the Hospital Wing when she came in, like a bunch of scraps of fabric a poor seamstress had gone at stitching up,” said Black, tone rising in indignation as he went.

Katherine found herself looking at him, something niggling inside her… but she couldn’t place it…

Black furrowed his eyebrows imploringly, “Isn’t it curious that he’s the one at the centre of all these recent bad events at the school?”

Slughorn’s eyes glittered at he listened, riveted by Black’s monologue, “A convincing argument, Black –”

McGonagall shot an indignant look to her colleague –

Slughorn cleared his throat and schooled the delighted interest from his face –

“But… er, not why we’re here this evening,” the Potion’s Professor recovered. He turned to Katherine again, with an encouraging nod, and raise of his eyebrows, saying gently, “Katherine, if you please…”

The use of her first name, and fondly no less, did not go unnoticed by Snape. He scoffed quietly, seemingly resigned to the whole process once he realised it wasn’t going his way.

“I was in the Entrance Hall, an hour or so after classes finished,” Katherine thought it best to leave out her breaking of rules to go to the kitchens, “I saw Snape running out into the courtyard, with his wand out. I realised fairly quickly that he going to the whomping willow, I know it’s out of bounds, but…”

Slughorn was the one to nod, holding his teacup thoughtfully, “You went to stop him… yes…”

Katherine had no words; she was being believed…

McGonagall glanced to Slughorn, the peeved expression at his galloping ahead back again, before she looked back to Katherine, looking troubled behind her spectacles, “Mister Snape’s account matches yours. He did not recall seeing you at all until after he had already reached the tunnel.”

Snape’s dark profile haunted Katherine’s peripheral vision, even with Black attempting to block him.

“They pulled us out. Snape didn’t want to leave, James went back for him at the last moment. Then we all… came back to the castle.” finished Katherine, sidestepping a few details – like nearly getting whomped by the willow.

“I see you owe Mister Potter a great debt, Mister Snape.”

The aura of hostility rolling off Snape, gave away that he very much thought otherwise.

“I hardly think my welfare was his focus. Much rather, trying to save his own skin.”

“Yes, well, his actions ensured that, mercifully, none of you were done any grievous injuries,” smoothed McGonagall, her eyes catching on Katherine, and she briskly frowned, “Except for that unfortunate cut on Miss Spencer’s cheek, it seems. You have shared all that you need to, so I would think it pertinent that you visit Madame Pomfrey, to prevent infection.”

At McGonagall’s flourishing hand, Katherine stood, preparing to make her leave –

“What? She gets to go? Just like that?” guffawed Snape, sitting forward and gripping the arms of his chair.

McGonagall pursed her lips at Snape, and then turned to Katherine, bowing her head.

“Twenty points will be taken from Gryffindor, for Miss Spencer going out of bounds.”

Katherine nodded, “Yes, Professor.”

“Before you go…” said McGonagall, anew. She perused all of the students before her sternly, “I would like to impress upon all of you that Mister Lupin, ordinarily, poses no risk to any students, or teachers,”

McGonagall gave the primmest of looks to Snape at her words, before going on.

“Dumbledore has ensured that it be so with many security measures. The secret of the boy’s condition will not be wielded as a means of social weaponry on any sort of vendetta. If I hear that any of you are spreading this around the school, you will be expelled.”

“Yes, Professor.” said Katherine again.

McGonagall nodded, then looked to the others, expectantly.

James looked almost offended, “We’ve kept the secret since we figured it out in second year. He’s our mate, Professor.”

“Mister Snape?”

Snape words twisted out, pained, “It is… understood.”

As Katherine left the room, she heard Snape being stripped of seventy-five points and being assigned six weeks of detention. Closing the door behind herself, she missed hearing her fellow house mate’s punishment…

It was, maybe, two hours after dinner. Katherine had yet to pass a clock on her journey to the Hospital Wing. It felt odd to be going to the Hospital Wing, as she felt rather fine. She was frightened, however, that McGonagall would check.

Madame Pomfrey healed the cut on her cheek with a swift wave of her wand, but the matron insisted she stay the night, as to not disturb her dormmates with a late return – or cause a stir amongst the students about anything being amiss. She knew what had happened, Katherine realised, at that comment.

Katherine complied, sliding into a bed. What could she tell her dormmates anyway? Lily certainly would not listen to a bad word about Snape…

She listened as Pomfrey bustled around, rather anxiously. Her long, concerned glances out of the windows were not lost on Katherine.

Remus.

Merely thinking his name pulled at something in Katherine’s stomach.

Still thrumming with adrenalin from the night, Katherine instead spent it mentally going through the facts of werewolves that she had learnt; the very beasts she had thought dangerous and dark. Something like that would write itself upon someone’s face, she had once thought.

All she could see, however, was a pair of kind eyes.

…a creature who normally resembled human being but, upon the complete rising of the full moon, became an uncontrollable, fearsome and deadly wolf…

A fluffy head of sandy hair, and a gentle, impish smile edged in around the contents she recalled from her textbooks. He liked The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac; took pains to follow the correct etiquette of an afternoon tea, for Christ’s sake; and gave her the jacket off his very back.

… a werewolf could not choose whether or not to transform and would no longer remember who they were once transformed and were very aggressive; multiple werewolves were known to kill their best friends or loved ones while in wolf form if they were given the chance…

Katherine found that she didn’t care.

She didn’t care!

All she could remember was laughing with him, sitting with him, and feeling warmed by his very presence. Remus would never hurt her – he hadn’t yet.

Buzzing with her new revelation, Katherine very nearly exploded with joy when the very boy was helped through the doors of the hospital wing by Madame Pomfrey, nigh three in the morning. The sky outside was barely greying with the rising sun. The moon, however, had undeniably gone down.

Katherine waited as Pomfrey bustled around him for a good fifteen minutes before returning to her office.

Slowly, she slid out of bed and crossed the room, hesitating at the privacy screen. All she wanted to do was throw her arms around him – as he had done for her. Any ill feelings about their first hug were long forgotten. She was sure this time would be different. Certain.

Katherine gently parted the corners of the screen, and stepped through.

“…Remus?”

Remus was sitting up, awake – and looking at her. He seemed no different than usual… tired… but the same…

Still, something about his eyes stopped her from launching into a hug, as she had initially planned. They left her, focusing out the window.

Katherine stepped closer, perching on the edge of his mattress, “You’re not injured or anything, are you?”

She laid her hand her hand over his, unthinking.

Remus flinched, and pulled back.

“I’m sorry, I…” her mouth felt dry.

What was happening?

Katherine drew her hand back to her lap, wishing she hadn’t done it in the first place, “I don’t think any differently of you, you know… I’m not going to say anything either…”

…Nothing.

“Remus – why aren’t you saying anything?” she whispered, her voice’s volume stolen by the indignity of the question.

Remus still didn’t look at her. His eyes, however, fell down.

Still, she persisted, “What Snape tried to do was terrible, you didn’t deserve it. I’m on your side…”

The slightest twitch of his cheek, and his eyes creased downwards.

She waited, and waited…

“I… I guess I should let you rest,” she said, feeling very foolish.

She stood, and then hesitated – waiting for him to say anything….

It didn’t come.

Katherine felt like crying.

“I hope you feel better, Remus…” she said, carefully leaving from the entrance of his privacy curtain, not wanting to make any unnecessary noise.

Once away from his bedside, and view, she ran. She did not make it to the doors before her burning eyes spilt over. Through her blurred vision, she couldn’t really see the handles. It didn’t matter, as they were pulled open from the outside –

James entered, and went to skirt past her. He did a double take at the tears, but kept on – to Remus’ bedside, at a quick pace.

Katherine broke for the hallway through the open doors, rushing for the alcove. Somewhat hidden from view, she let her back fall against the stone. Turning her eyes to the ceiling, she took deep breaths, willing back the tears that kept coming.

“See, here we are…” around the corner came two figures –

Katherine pressed further against the back of the stone alcove, and wiped furiously beneath her eyes.

Gideon, in his pyjamas and a cloak, escorted a very feverish looking first year up to the doors of the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey promptly rushed to the open doors, escorting the younger boy to a bed just inside the infirmary.

Katherine, unfortunately, did not blend into the castle décor as she had hoped.

The Head Boy’s eyes found her while he stood by the First Year boy’s bedside as he was tended to.

“… Just a second,” said Gideon, distractedly, breaking away from the bedside.

Gideon Prewett was in front of her, taking her by the shoulders, and analysing her tear-streaked cheeks before she knew it –

“Hey, what’s happened?” he inquired softly.

Katherine’s tears, became sobs, “I… I…”

“Katherine…” James said her name in a breath, breezing out from the doors of the Hospital Wing, and across the hallway to the alcove, “He didn’t say anything, but I can’t imagine why else you be in tears if he hadn’t been stupid about it all…”

Gideon fell back, and the Fifth Year Gryffindor took his place, pulling Katherine tightly to him. Much to her great surprise.

A James Potter hug was like no other, Katherine discovered. Unflinching and unhesitant. He rocked her slightly before he pulled back, gripping her by the shoulders. He gave a smile, righting his spectacles, and said – no big deal – “I’ve got to go take care of something, get some fresh air, yeah?”

Katherine nodded, wiping at her eyes, and tried to give him a smile.

James tore off, with new purpose in his quick strides, and disappeared around the corner.

Gideon crouched down, seating himself on the stone floor of the alcove. He patted the space beside him.

Katherine slid down the wall, aimless. First Lily – and now Remus… Katherine was unsure how much more she could take…

Gideon sighed, and lifted an arm to slide around her shoulders. If it had been four months earlier, she would have been a blushing mess.

“I gathered that this has to do with Lupin?” said Gideon, gently, to the wall across from them. His head turned to her, and he raised his eyebrows mirthfully, “You didn’t put him in the hospital wing, did you?”

“No…” she choked hotly, wiping her bubbling snot on her sleeve, finding she couldn’t feel embarrassed, “Of course not…”

Gideon nodded, with the slightest of smiles. He had the decency to not laugh.

Meanwhile, Katherine’s chunky gasping and sniffling filled the alcove, as she attempted to battle it away.

“You liked him, didn’t you?” Gideon went on, astutely.

Katherine nodded as she wiped her other sleeve under her nose. Her knees pulled to her chest, she rested her chin to them, hiding the lower half of her face against her arms.

Gideon hummed, with a slow nod, “That’s never easy,”

Of all the people that might have been the one to comfort her, she never expected it to be him.

“I didn’t know him well… he was always just one of my cousin’s mates –”

She always forgot Gideon was related to Black –

“– and I don’t know what really happened, but…” Gideon’s voice fell an octave deeper, and he hit his knees with Katherine’s, “He mustn’t be as smart as I gave him credit for, if he’s wrecking a chance with you.”

“You have to say that – I’m streaking snot across your robes…” sniffled Katherine.

Gideon gave a light smile down at her, before looking off again across the hall, “I’ve had worse. Fabian’s blood when he got punched in the nose, for one. He then proceeded to vomit on me as well, as he can’t stomach blood very well. Not even his own.”

“Did he deserve it?” asked Katherine, stopping the flow from her nose finally, as she calmed.

“Oh, yeah,” said Gideon, his smile colouring his voice.

A laugh choked through Katherine’s thick throat as she, indeed, knew what Fabian Prewett was like.

Gideon laughed with her, his arms squeezing tighter around her as his chest quaked with a belly deep laughter.

“Snogged his opposing beater’s girlfriend the weekend before the match. Lips of raspberry wine, it seems. She, er,” he broke off, licking his lips in amusement, “Couldn’t help but fall helplessly in love with him, broke it off with her boyfriend who went into the match practically begging to be hit – to be put in the hospital wing so she’d come see him again…”

The story lightening the air around them, Katherine sat in Gideon’s hold for a few silent moments. It was more comforting than it had any right being – for a place Katherine never thought she would ever be.

“Do you think you feel up to telling me what happened?” asked Gideon, gently. He peered down at her with soft eyes, “Not to the Head Boy, just to me…”

Katherine felt all the knots in her stomach slackening and beginning to come undone.

She nodded, and started at the beginning, “Snape had been antagonising Black – Sirius – all week –”

“That wasn’t very wise of him,” said Gideon, with a raise of his eyebrows, “Given what’s happened…”

Katherine’s eyebrows furrowed as she gazed up at him.

“You wouldn’t know, I suppose… but Snape would have known Regulus was called home, everyone in Slytherin dungeons would,” said Gideon, with a slight shake of his head. His eyes, then shot down and away, “Our Uncle Alphard just passed –”

The “– and Sirius was always very close with him...” faded behind the shock pulsing through Katherine’s skull.

“Oh, no…he…” He was just there – in the castle, at Easter…

Suddenly Katherine’s own sadness dimmed in comparison.

“Yeah,” said Gideon airily, and then he turned away, his lips pressing into a firm line.

Katherine did not know what to do, to say. She let her head fall against his shoulder

His head fell atop hers, heavy, and much bigger than hers.

Sometimes words were not enough.

They sat like that, an odd pair if anyone else were to pass them, watching the sun move through the colours of the stained-glass window across the hallway – across the sky beyond the windowpane.

He broke their silence with a sigh, and she felt his body tensing, as his muscles prepared to move.

She loosened her grip intuitively, letting him pull away.

“I need to go check on that first year, it’s tears all around today, it seems,” he said, blinking down her with a small, reassuring smile, “Here –”

He managed to pull out his wand, and wordlessly conjured a handkerchief.

Katherine would have been impressed if she was not so distraught. She accepted the silky square of fabric, dabbing at her eyes with it. Her eyelashes were sticking together unpleasantly. The upside – she had stopped crying.

Gideon stood to his feet, his knees clicking.

He paused as he turned to leave, placing a hand on her shoulder and lifting his eyebrows as he spoke, “I might be awhile, but if you’re still out here, I’ll be happy to walk you back to the tower once I finish.”

He vanished through the double doors of the hospital wing – to where Remus was too.

Katherine turned her head away from the doors at the intrusive thought. Gripping the handkerchief, she decided that she felt well enough to walk herself back. Any longer, and she would begin to run into students heading to early morning Quidditch practises.

She made it all the way back without seeing another soul, buoyed by a deep feeling of gratitude for Gideon Prewett.

"Eyes like the devil – I tell you, Violet!"

Katherine's feet slowed by the portrait, and she carefully considered a break in the conversation between the fat lady and her frequently visiting friend Violet.

"Snidget."

Violet drank from a chalice she'd brought from her own painting, "And with a soul as dark as his name, no doubt."

Katherine cleared her throat, "Snidget!"

The Fat Lady turned to Katherine; sighing at being pulled from the throes of gossip.

"There's no need to yell, dear," said the Fat Lady as she swung open, "There's enough of that going on inside already…"

Katherine found the Fat Lady's words to be true.

"Loyalty?" laughed James Potter, not a trace of humour in his voice.

Katherine winced at the volume, stepping out of the tunnel from the portrait to the common room.

James ceased mid-pace in front of the fireplace, shaking his scowl at Black, "You don't know the meaning of the word!"

Black sat back in the armchair by the fireplace, his hands gripping the arm rests and his eyes set on the flames. He gave no sign that he had heard James, apart from the pulsing of his jaw.

James raked his hands through his hair before letting them flop to his side, glasses flashing along with his eyes, "Should I watch out – are you going to go betraying me to merlin-knows-who because of your vendetta with Snivellus?"

Katherine half expected him to launch over the couch and tear into Black’s neck like a wild animal, but he didn't. James just held himself wider and lifted an arm, stabbing a finger at Black.

"You jeopardised Remus – and me – " he broke off his tirade, shaking his head incredulously before whirled around anew, "You're just like your family!"

There was no witty retort.

There was no eye roll.

It was a mistake.

Yelling was a mistake.

Saying those words was a mistake.

James knew it the moment he said them.

The common room turned to ice. Katherine's eyes themselves were frozen open, watching James and Black.

Black had turned away from the fireplace with such speed his neck probably needed to be looked at; slack jawed and eyes huge.

James' own mouth gaped – as if waiting for the words to roll back in, if his heavy cheeks were spoke anything of his regret. His eyes, however, flickered from emotion to emotion.

James seemed to settle on wrath – ruthless and cutting, as he chose his next words, "Maybe you should go home and sign up for the Death Eaters so you can carry out your sick revenge plots! It wasn’t just us there – I hope you never forget what you almost did!"

The words may have been sharp, but James’ voice had wobbled.

Notes:

Thank you for reading :)

Chapter 31: An Interlude

When Katherine woke later that morning, the girls had already dressed and gone. Katherine had overslept – or pretended to, at least. Truthfully, she was unsure if her eyes had closed at all.

She sat for a long time on the end of her bed, staring at the blue bomber jacket draped over her trunk. Remus. Something gripped tight around her throat – something, terrifyingly, like the urge to cry.

She struggled to take off her pyjamas, and pull on her uniform. It was a tiredness that had nothing to do with her lack of sleep.

That morning, she had forgone plaiting her hair. It had been enough of an ordeal to brush it.

Missing breakfast, she went straight down to Potions, feeling very airy with her exhaustion. The bell had yet to ring, but nearly everybody seemed to already be there. Katherine sat at an empty desk, waiting. For the lesson – for Remus to lope down the centre of the rows and sit beside her, like he always did.

The bell rang, and the seat beside her was still empty.

"Hey," the word was a sigh –

Katherine looked up from her desk at the front of the Potion’s classroom, and found Black's tired gaze upon her –

"Is it okay if I sit here? All of the other tables are full."

"Of course." said Katherine, her voice coming out weak and slightly strangled from disuse.

They even sounded the same, she mused miserably.

Black dropped his bag onto the floor, kicked it under the desk, and dwarfed the chair beside her. He sat back against his chair when Slughorn started scrawling up notes, his arm leisurely extended along the desk as he took notes.

The occasional sigh or squeak of his chair as he shifted drew Katherine's mind back to him from time to time. It was with extra thought given to the boy, that sympathy swelled up inside Katherine's stomach.

Katherine's falling out with her friends, as a small mercy, wasn't the talk of the school. Katherine felt a sudden spark of admiration at the indifferent expression on Black’s face as words about him reached their ears from the Slytherins around them.

"Insanity runs in his family…"

Black raised an eyebrow as he dipped his quill into his crystal ink well, "It practically gallops."

The Slytherins went on in their gossip; unhearing of Black’s murmured words.

"Could you be quiet?" asked one, scratching his nose and then proceeding to stick a finger part-ways up one nostril, "I'm trying to think."

A soft fall of air came from Black’s nose, and a bored, drawling voice came from his lips, "Don't worry, doing anything for the first time is difficult."

Katherine's lips tightened to contain the laugh rolling up her throat and into her mouth. Despite her best efforts, a quiet fall of amused breath came from her lips.

Black halted, and gave a slight sideway smile, but continued with his notes.

“Now –" Slughorn’s voice redirected their attention to the front of the room for the rest of the lesson.

Well… mostly.

Katherine found herself staring at Peter Pettigrew where he sat, miraculously intact, next to James. The memory of the night before came back to her – how Peter had stayed back – with a werewolf.

Maybe, pondered Katherine, Remus and his friends knew something about werewolves that wasn’t in the textbooks; something that would help one survive them…

When the bell rang, signalling an end to Potions, it was time for the fifth years to split up for their elective classes. Black and most of the others went off to Muggle Studies. Katherine and Lily – Snape too – did not take the particular class, for obvious reasons.

In their next class, Lily sat with Snape, as was to be predicted.

Katherine found refuge in the form of Debbie and Sue. It was marred by the distinct feeling of third wheeling two best friends, however.

When the bell rang for lunch, Katherine thought about going out to the bridge – but the memory of the night before came back like a humiliating mental slap across the face. She couldn’t go there anymore. It was Remus' spot. Instead, she headed for the Great Hall.

Katherine had found that she could sit with her friends at meals still, quite easily, so long as she was quiet. Every now and then, she felt Lily’s eyes on her, but she would look away before Katherine met them with her own.

It was a quiet impasse they had achieved – the girls.

The real spectacle was the one to be observed between the Gryffindor boys.

Black sat further down the table than usual that day, with Fabian Prewett and King.

James Potter’s resolve had held at lunch, and in two, mind-numbing hours of History of Magic in the double afternoon period. After turning and leaping up the stairs to the boys' dormitory after their argument, James had yet to speak to Black once…

That night, Katherine did her homework in the library, putting off the inevitable trip back to the dormitory as long as possible. She showered, and then stood in her towel, in front of the mirror, for a few aimless minutes.

… she skipped moisturising.

 

---

 

The next day, Friday, Transfiguration was the first lesson of the day.

When Katherine walked in, she found the back two rows completely empty – it was one of the larger classrooms. She took a seat in the middle of the back left row, and waited for the room to fill up.

Black was the next to enter, taking to the empty back right row, sitting on the far end.

Then came Lily and Alice, both heading towards the front, Marlene and Mary behind them, glancing back and giving Katherine a little wave – they took the desk together in front of Katherine. It was almost as good as sitting with her.

James and Frank strode in, laughing, and went towards the front, where Alice broke away from Lily to sit with Frank. Peter slid in next to James as Ravenclaws filled in the rest of the desks.

Katherine waited, and waited…

She felt him before she saw him.

Remus had paused inside the door, between the two back rows which only housed Katherine and Black, on separate sides.

Katherine glanced to him, hopeful whatever that had happened in the wee hours of the previous morning could be put down to werewolf hormones.

He walked right by, not sparing a glance. At the front of the room he slid into the empty seat beside Lily.

A heat gripped Katherine’s eyes, and a sick, twisting feeling took hold of her stomach.

It felt deliberate.

“As we lead into your O.W.L’s,” began McGonagall from the front of the room, “I thought it would be charitable to assign your last marked task in fifth year transfiguration as a essay to be completed in pairs –”

Hushed declarations of partnering up ricocheted around the room in front of Katherine, everyone turning to someone. Well, nearly everyone…

Marlene and Mary turned to one another, then paused, glancing back at Katherine.

“It’s okay.” she assured them, with an attempt at a smile.

Hesitantly, they nodded, and slowly eased into a discussion about the subjects to choose from on the blackboard.

“Miss Spencer – Mister Black –”

Katherine’s heart spasmed –

“– seeing as everyone else is already paired, please move to sit together.” instructed McGonagall, making a sweeping motion with her arm before turning to rotate the blackboard around with all the instructions.

At once, they both turned to each other, metres of desks between them. Someone had to move.

Black was the first to stand, stacking his books, and carrying them across the aisle. He took the seat on her right, on the aisle, where she had left it empty for Remus.

In front of them, everyone excitedly jabbered on. Some not even about the project, just friends happy for the excuse to chat.

Marlene and Mary glanced back surreptitiously at Black, then quickly faced forward again.

McGonagall produced a stack of parchments, and plonked it on the closest desk to the front, “Longbottom, Fortescue, please hand out the assignment sheets.”

“Can you see?”

Katherine startled at the sound of Black’s lowered voice and turned to him.

He sat, much taller beside her – as tall as Remus even – peering down at her expectantly.

With everyone in front, Katherine couldn’t see the board. Not without craning her neck and peering between heads. She had become used to it, however, having sat beside Lupin the last few months.

Before she could insist it was fine, Black was already getting up out of his seat –

“Of course, you can’t. Here, switch with me…”

Suddenly jostled out of sorts, Katherine slid across to the aisle seat while Black moved around her from the back and took her old seat.

She could see perfectly down the aisle! she realised with glee. She turned to Black, feeling a smidge guilty.

“Can you…” she trailed off.

Black gave a nod, “McKinnon and MacDonald are fairly short.”

Alice reached the back of the right rows of desks, and gave Katherine two assignment sheets with a smile before turning and making her way back to the desk she shared with Frank.

By the guidelines on the sheet, they would need to organise meeting times, and take down the minutes of what happened at each meeting. The subjects they could choose from ranged from easy to hard, but they would reflect the maximum grade one could achieve. The choices encompassed all four branches; Transformation, Vanishment, Conjuration and Untransfiguration.

 

On the board was a list;

1. Outstanding – Animagus Transformations, Conjuration of Personal Effects
2. Exceeds Expectations – Crinus Muto, Softening Charm, Hardening Charm
3. Acceptable – Cross-species Switches, Vanishing, Switching Spell

 

“While I have only listed the highest level attainable by the subject, a failing grade is always possible if you hand in sub-standard work.” McGonagall reminded the class as they all discussed their options.

Katherine’s mind strayed to Black’s usual manner of conversing with girls; he didn’t. How he ignored the Slytherin girls in potions a few weeks previous lingered in her mind.

His uncle was dead. The intrusive thought struck her out of nowhere, and then that they were just sitting there in transfiguration, and acting as if nothing was wrong…

“It’s not fair – Lily and Lupin are going to get the best grade in the class – there should be a rule against them pairing up…” moaned Marlene from in front, as Lily shot an eager hand up in the air to catch their professor’s attention.

McGonagall turned back from where she was writing up everyone’s subjects, so there would be no overlap. Every pair had to choose a different subject.

“Miss Evans, what have you and Mister Lupin decided upon?

“Crinus Muto.”

McGonagall wrote up their names and chosen subject on the board, and then her eyes fell to the back of the room, to Katherine and Black.

They were the last to pick.

“Miss Spencer, Mister Black, your chosen subject?”

“Animagus transformations, Professor,” said Black, with deceptive airiness from beside her.

It was the hardest one.

McGonagall’s eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, and she looked to Katherine, “…Very well.”

Their professor turned back to scrawl up their names and subject.

Black turned to her, looking somewhat apologetic, and went on to quietly explain himself, “To soften any blunders either of us might make at end of year exams, it is for the best that we try and get as many marks as possible for this assignment.”

Katherine nodded, took a steeling gulp, and said, “Right.”

“And part of me really wants to show up Prefect one and Prefect two,” he said, tipping his head with the barest of smiles.

Lily and Remus had indeed turned in their seats, their eyes drifting over Katherine and Black from the front of the room.  

“What’s the go with you and Evans, anyway?”

Katherine’s eyes snapped back to him where he sat beside her, his eyes perusing his assignment sheet boredly.

Was he… was he really asking her about it?

He lifted his eyes, half-lidded, and went on, his tone laced with mirth, “Does it warrant handbags at dawn?”

It was almost funny, thought Katherine, that both he and his brother had gone straight to core of the issue… the only ones, in fact.

“We had a disagreement over Snape.” she said, with her best attempt at a diplomatic answer.

Her anger had been what had gotten her in trouble with Lily in the first place…

Black gave a light scoff, drawing her eyes back to him, and his knowing look.

“You say the word and he’s a footnote in history,” said Black, inclining his head with glittering grey eyes, “I’ll make it look like a painful accident.”

Katherine fought a smile and pleased little jittery swell in her stomach.

Black raised his eyebrows, insistent.

Katherine failed at smothering a smile, but lifted the piece of parchment for their assignment, “We need to make a start.”

“On our murderous plan?” asked Black, lowering his voice, and his head by hers.

“The essay.”

 

---

 

Katherine went through her day with something like flimsy closure, making it all a little easier to accept Remus’ cold shoulder. Still, she found herself looking at him, and found it odd that she still knew all sorts of things about him. He lived in Yorkshire. His mum was a muggle. He had family he visited twice a year in London. He only liked one sugar in his tea…

And yet, his body language was completely closed off to her. His words were never directed to her – and neither was his gaze. Most of the time, she only could settle her eyes on the back of his fluffy hair.

At Quidditch practise in the afternoon, he was nowhere to be seen in the stands either.

Katherine blinked against the wind, her eyes feeling sore with tiredness. It was a wonder she didn’t fall off her broom. She wondered if she fell and died if Lily would come to the funeral…

Katherine’s eyes fell to her grip on her broom, and she noticed her dry hands, how they stung with the whistling breeze. She had stopped taking care of herself with everything that had been going on. Pretty soon, she’d get dermatitis if she didn’t get her act together…

"That's time! We’ll miss dinner if we stay out here any longer!” came Fabian’s booming voice from the ground, his hands around his mouth.

Katherine flew down to the ground.

Fabian turned back from where he discussed something rather intensely with King, and nodded to the gear lying about the ground, “Potter, Spencer, could you…?”

“I can’t wait until I’m a seventh year…” said James quietly, as he bent down to pick up two stray Quaffles.

As everyone else went to put their brooms away and change, Katherine and James did as Fabian had asked. By the time they finished and entered the changing sheds themselves, everybody was already gone. As a rule, they didn’t talk as they pulled off their quidditch uniforms, James facing honourably away.

As they walked back up to castle for dinner, in a comfortable companionable silence, Katherine thought she might never get a chance to ask him again, and took her chance.

“How is he?”

“He’s good,” said James without pause, as if expecting the question. He kicked a rock off their path, and went on, watching it fly away, “Physically – he’s fine.”

Katherine nodded, but then hesitated with her next words, “I wasn’t sure… should I… should I give him his jacket back?”

James turned away, watching the tapering stone pathway from the courtyard down to the lawns as he frowned.

“What jacket? –”

"– I don't care, Severus!"

James' head turned immediately.

Lily and Snape were walking across the castle courtyard, evidently arguing.

Katherine's eyes hurried after the pair, and her ears strained.

James' shoulder was warm as he fell against her, watching together, "That doesn't look good…"

The warmth vanished as he stepped forward.

"Are you going to follow them?" asked Katherine.

James turned back with a hybrid smile of daring and bashfulness, "Don't pretend like you don't want to."

"I can disillusion us." said Katherine, producing her wand.

James grinned, reaching into his bag, "I've got something better."

A shimmering cloak spilt out of his fist, and his shoes disappeared. Before Katherine could remark on the cloak of invisibility, it was cast over her – and James – and they were loping after Lily and Snape.

"…thought we were supposed to be friends?" Snape was saying by the time Katherine and James caught up, "Best friends?"

"We are, Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging around with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What did you see in him, Sev? He's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary MacDonald earlier in the term?"

Lily had reached a pillar and leaned against it, looking up into the thin, sallow face of Snape.

"That was nothing," said Snape, "It was a laugh, that's all –"

"It was dark magic, and if you think that's funny –"

"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?" demanded Snape. His colour rose again as he said it, unable, it seemed, to hold in his resentment.

"What's Potter got to do with anything?" said Lily.

"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"

"He's ill," said Lily, "They say he's ill –"

"Every month at the full moon?" said Snape.

"I know your theory," said Lily, and she sounded cold, "Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?"

"I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as every seems to think they are."

"They don't use dark magic, though," Lily dropped her voice, "And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there –"

Snape's who face contorted and he spluttered, "Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too! You're not going to – I won't let you –"

"Let me? Let me?"

Lily's bright green eyes were slits.

Snape backtracked at once.

"I didn't mean – I just don't want to see you made a fool of – he fancies you, James Potter fancies you!"

The words seemed wrenched from him against his will.

"And he's not…everyone thinks…Big Quidditch hero –"

Snape's bitterness and dislike were rendering him incoherent.

Lily's eyebrows were travelling further and further up her forehead.

"I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag," she said, cutting across Snape, "I don't need you to tell me that. But Mulciber and Avery's idea of humour is just evil. Evil, Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them."

Katherine doubted that Snape had ever heard the strictures on Mulciber and Avery. The moment she had insulted James Potter, his whole body had relaxed, and as they walked away there was a new spring in Snape's step.

And, Katherine mused, James had something in the way of his step – a root, which dragged him away from her and down to the ground when his shoe caught on it. The cloak went slack between them. James slipped out into the sunlight; blinding at the skirts of the dark cloak.

James' arms flew out to steady himself, "Bollocks…"

Katherine caught his hand and pulled him back under the cloak.

Snape, it seemed, caught the word though.

"What was that?"

James' glanced down at their exposed shoes and swore.

"What was what?" came Lily's voice.

James slipped his arms around Katherine and pulled her against him, the cloak lengthening around their mangled forms and hiding their shoes.

"I thought…never mind…"

The sound of footsteps faded, but James Potter's breath in Katherine's ear was loud, the smell of his peppermint gum swirling up through Katherine's nostrils.

At the same time, they seemed to grasp their close position, and the oddness of it.

James gave a quick smile, but then cleared his throat – extracting his arms from around Katherine.

With a tug, the cloak slipped over Katherine's head and pooled down from James' fist once more.

"You, er," James ruffled his hair and fixed his glasses that he looked at Katherine through, "Won't tell anyone about the cloak, will you? You’ve seen it twice now…"

Katherine didn't need to debate it internally for a second.

"Of course not."

James nodded slowly for a moment.

"Sirius was right," he said, frowning into the sun that Lily and Snape's silhouettes vanished into.

His glasses flashed, turning, and his thought-filled eyes stared back at her. Curiously, attentively.

"We should have let you in on it all earlier."

 

---

 

James’ amicable words did not resolve anything, however. The other boys were still giving Black a wide berth.

The girls were a little more emotionally conscious, and endeavoured to steal moments with Katherine, assuring her that they didn’t hate her.

When Katherine and James reached the Great Hall, dinner was already under way. They slipped in unnoticed at the level of din and chatter filling the cavernous room.

James slotted in between Remus and Frank, and the girls were packed tightly on the other side of them.

The only spare space, Katherine was to find, was further down the table with the seventh years – beside Black. She hesitated, not wanting him to think she was as enamoured with him as all the other girls just because he had sat with her earlier in the day’s classes.

Gideon, sitting with his cousin, and brother, noticed her at that very moment. He gave a beckoning wave, still chewing a mouthful of food and endeavouring to keep his lips closed.

Inescapable, Katherine accepted the unspoken invitation, and carefully stepped over the bench, and sat beside Black, trying to give him his space by keeping her robes close to her body. It felt terribly like invading a family dinner.

The three boys were halfway through their plates, chewing quietly, with the ease of familiarity.

Katherine placed her napkin over her lap and filled her cup with pumpkin juice as they paid her barely any notice at all. Relievingly.

It was as she perused the table around them, that she looked over Fabian and Gideon’s shoulders, and found Narcissa and Regulus Black’s eyes trained on the small regiment of their Gryffindor family members.

Katherine artfully lowered her gaze to the table, feeling suddenly very warm in the ears, and reached for the dish of roasted potatoes. They moved out from beneath her, however, before she got the chance to grip the dish.

Black paused at her hesitating hand, before extending them politely out to her, having been the one to also reach for them.

Katherine took two, and then reached for a slice of vegetable pie as he served himself. She was halfway through chewing her first bite of pie when Black leant by her ear.

“I was thinking that we could have our first meeting tonight in the library, after dinner.” he said, leaning back, watching her face as he waited for her response.

Katherine swallowed her mouthful, nodding, “Okay. I’ll need to shower first – I couldn’t after practise with…”

“James,” said Black, with a nod, and an amused smile, “I’ve got to get my things from my dormitory anyway. Seven thirty?”

Katherine nodded and went back to her dinner.

Sitting with Black felt less like expanding her horizons, as it had done with Remus and James, but rather more like a sigh of relief. Unexpectedly so.

Sirius Black was more like her than she would have ever dared suspect…

Across at the Slytherin table, Narcissa had turned away to speak with Malfoy, but Regulus was still looking. Their afternoon tea in the kitchens felt a lifetime ago…

“– he reckons he got a great deal on it. Two hundred bottles of cara-mead for twenty galleons, but he had to take it right then and there.”

Katherine tuned back into the conversation Black was having with his cousins at Fabian’s words.

The Head Boy simply raised his eyebrows, blinking aloofly, “How did he think he was going to get two hundred bottles of knock off butterbeer up to the castle in broad daylight?”

“I asked the same question,” said Fabian, hunkering forth onto the table and looking around at them with beguiling disbelief, “Do you want to know what he said to me?”

Fabian seemed to fall into an impersonation of a simpleton character, making a show of shrugging –

“I’ll have to do it in two goes.”

The boys barked with laughter. It was when it wound down, and they went back to their meals, that Katherine’s mind wandered – and her eyes surreptitiously slipped around the three.

It had been just over two weeks since their uncle passed away. She saw then the tired eyes behind the smiles – nearly identical in how their cheeks dimpled on their slim cheeks and chins. Would there be a funeral? Had it already happened? Regulus had been the only one to get pulled out of school…

“What are you thinking about so deeply, Miss Spencer?” asked Fabian, cutting up his sausages, and eyeing her over the task.

Katherine schooled her face, “I think I’ll have to excuse myself, actually. I have to go up to the dormitory to get my transfiguration stuff and head to the library.”

“I’ll see you there.” said Black, after swallowing the mouthful he had been chewing.

Fabian’s wolf whistle followed her as she began to walk away.

Katherine felt a heat roll through her body as dozens of eyes turned to her, she glanced back in disbelief at the boys.

Gideon glared at his brother and gave an exasperated look of apology to Katherine.

Black, however, had his tongue in his cheek – seemingly amused by Fabian (who was jollily laughing at himself).

Katherine made it back to the dormitory without further incident. The rest of the girls were still at dinner, but there was a new addition to the dormitory. On the way to the bathroom to shower, Katherine caught sight of the developed film from Lily’s camera on the Prefect’s desk.

She didn’t mean to snoop, considering the state of things, but… it was right on top.

The string still around the stack of moving photographs could not obscure Remus’ beaming face. It was obviously taken up in the spectator towers of the last match. In it, he cheered and then turned to grin at the camera, across his cheek, in red paint, was ‘Spencer’…

So that’s what it had said…

She spent longer in the shower than she had originally planned, and when she got out, she paused as she eyed the bottle of moisturiser. She had promised herself…

Compromising, she moisturised her hands that had been troubling her at practise, and then went back out into the dormitory in her fresh uniform. What she really wanted was to get into her pyjamas… it was nighttime after all…

The girls had returned sometime during her soak and were chatting about their essays as Katherine crossed to her bed.

She felt them looking at her and could sense the looks they were throwing around the room to one another. After the conversation dwindled, it remained quiet for a moment.

Marlene rolled over on her bed to face Katherine, their beds side by side.

“So, what’s going on?”

Katherine looked up, “Sorry?”

“Lupin didn’t sit with you – he didn’t even talk to you –” Marlene broke off, and eyed Katherine closely, “Something is definitely up. Spill.”

Katherine hesitated, having gotten away with not saying a word about the night of the full moon up until that point. She glanced around, all the girls genuinely inquisitive, except for Lily. The redhead had a very good idea of what had happened, if her conversation with Snape that Katherine and James overheard was anything to go by.

Lily still sat, just on the outer, listening. They could carry on a whole conversation without acknowledging each other. It was all very reminiscent of how the divorced parents her uncle dealt with at his law firm behaved.

Katherine chose her words carefully, “The other night, you know how something happened down by the whomping willow?”

The girls nodded.

Lily closed her eyes, bracingly.

“I, was, er… there.”

Alice sucked in a sharp breath, leaning in, “So there really is something haunting the shack? Something dangerous?”

Katherine nodded, locking eyes with Lily. The knowledge drifted unsaid between them, missed by the other girls.

“That still doesn’t explain why Lupin is giving you the cold shoulder.” said Mary, confusion leeching across her face.

“A lot happened – there was a great confusion around the whole night… I think…” she was careful to not give away Remus’ secret, “I think he believes I shouldn’t have been there – that I shouldn’t have gotten involved…”

A quiet acceptance fell over the dormitory, and for a moment the other girls just nodded. Lily had rather focused her attention on petting Marbles where she sat on her bed.

“Oh, Katherine – by the way,” Marlene perked up, eyeing Katherine pointedly, but somewhat amused, “You’re going to need to watch out.”

Katherine glanced around, perplexed, “Why?”

The girls, minus Lily, shared a look.

“You sat with Black today,” said Alice, tilting her head forward, a quirk at her lips, “In every class.”

Katherine felt her face screw up in her confusion.

“We were talking about our essay.”

Marlene licked her smiling lips, making a face before she said, “Yeah, that’s not what’s going around the school.”

Around the… Katherine’s heart pounded.

“…What’s going around?” she asked, heavy with trepidation.

The girls exchanged another glance.

Mary was the one to pipe up, “There’s a few girls that are a bit jealous that you and Black are suddenly so close…”

Katherine nearly laughed.

“Well, they needn’t worry. I haven’t the vaguest intention of flirting with him,” said Katherine, amusement creeping up on her, “Unlike them, I don’t fancy him.”

“I mean –” Marlene broke off, frowning before she went on, “…are you sure? He’s rather good looking…”

Katherine laid a hand over her heart, feeling it quaking with her laughter, “Cross my heart and hope to die – I don’t fancy Sirius Black.”

Alice held up her hands, “I mean – you don’t have to tell us – we know it’s ridiculous…”

“Just maybe try to avoid going around alone – you never know when you could get jinxed.” tacked on Marlene.

Katherine hesitated, her books stacked together on her nightstand, “I was just about to head out, actually…”

“One of us could –”

“Er, well… I won’t be alone.” she confessed, picking up the books.

“Got another boy of the back burner other than Lupin we should know about?” goaded Marlene with a grin, gently slapping Katherine on the backside, “You fine, saucy young trollop…”

“Black and I have our first meeting in the library for the essay.” explained Katherine, gently slapping Marlene back.

Marlene grabbed Katherine’s hand as she passed on her way to the door, saying, humourously, “May Merlin be with you.”

“Sorry you got stuck with him!” called Alice from behind, as Katherine breezed out the door.

Katherine shrugged, offering a wave back before pulling the door closed behind herself. Privately, she didn’t think it was so terrible.

Katherine was incredibly early – twenty minutes, to be precise, before their agreed time. She placed down her things on a desk by the windows, and wandered the shelves, looking for any transfiguration books she thought might be useful. Coming up short for anything related to Animagus Transformations, she returned to her chosen desk to wait.

As she unstacked her notebook and textbook, and prepared to sit, she found a head looking up at her from the chairs on the other side of the desk –

She jumped back with a squeal.

The carpet cushioned the THUD of her copy of An Intermediate Guide to Transfiguration hitting the floor.

Katherine held a hand to her chest as she took in Black where he leisurely reclined along the three chairs on his back, hidden by the edge of the table – except for his head, which hung half off the end chair.

He raised his eyebrows, amusement spreading slowly across his face at her reaction, “A gentleman is always early, don’t you know?”

“I… I did know…” said Katherine, faintly, mostly to herself.

“I’ll try –” Black lifted his arm, flicking his wrist to release his watch from beneath his sleeve, “– thirty minutes, next time,”

She slowly pulled out her chair, still standing; stunned.

Black looked back up at the arching ceiling, his expression thoughtful as he seemed to admire it, “I saw Snape on my way here.”

Katherine nearly snorted.

“Did he seem cross?” asked Katherine, lightly, as she seated herself.

“I could not say,” said Black mirthfully, furrowing his eyebrows. He reached out, grabbing her book from the floor, and pulled himself upright with his other hand gripping the edge of the table, “A dark hue perfused his cheek, and he attempted to kick a passing cat.”

With a deadpan expression, and then the faintest raises of his eyebrows, he placed the book down on the table in front of Katherine.

She could not help a smile.

Black gave the wryest twitches of his lips in return.

Around them, other students bustled quietly around the shelves, and whispered at desks. Some of them were their fellow fifth years and were doing the same thing as them that evening.

Katherine looked down at her books and took a deep breath, needing to proceed with the reason for their meeting.

“Okay,” she began, looking up again –

Black was already looking, expectantly, attentively.

Nerves tickled Katherine’s throat. She cleared it, and looked down at the assignment sheet on the top of her things –

“So… an introduction, a few body paragraphs, and a conclusion…” she listed, before shaking her head and admitting, “I don’t really know anything about the topic, if I’m being honest…”

“I know a few things,”

Katherine looked up at Black’s words.

Very studiously, Black sat up a little straighter and rested his hands on the table – not his elbows, Katherine noted, the etiquette surprising her and comforting her, both at once.

Black went on, easily, “There’s a potion, as well as a mantra of sorts you have to repeat every day, and a spell you cast at the end after you take the potion.”

Relief, at his forthcomingness, eased the tension in her spine. Katherine nodded, looking back down to her blank parchment for planning. She picked up her quill, and carefully scrawled Introduction, then left a space beneath before writing Paragraph One.

She spoke as she wrote, “Okay… so the first paragraph should be a brief history – who came up with it – the rules around it and so forth…”

Across from her, Black picked up his own quill, making quick markings on a piece of his own parchment.

Was he writing... her words?

“Then the process of becoming an Animagus,” said Black, running on from her. He looked up, earnestness across his face, “I would be happy to write that.”

Katherine was secretly relieved. It sounded terribly confusing…

Katherine nodded, and then hesitated for what should come next, asking, “And then… one on the animal you become? I’m not too sure about that bit – does it constitute a whole paragraph?”

“Yes. I would think so,” said Black, with a barest of nods, looking back to his parchment to make another marking, “There are limits to what one can do whilst in the animal form as well,”

As soon as he finished his markings, he placed down his quill, and looked up at Katherine.

“So, as I see it,” he said, nodding to her parchment, “We write the introduction together, then you write the first paragraph on the history, and I will take the next two body paragraphs on the process and the form one takes,”

He inclined his head, and asked, queryingly –

“Are you happy to write the conclusion too?”

Katherine nodded, energised by their momentum, “Yes.”

Black didn’t miss a beat –

“Ever been to the restricted section?” he asked, a glint reigniting in his eyes.

Katherine slowly shook her head.

He pushed himself up, tucking in his chair, and grabbing the assignment sheet – with the permission given by Professor McGonagall for all the students to access the section written on the bottom, “Come on, all the books we need will be in there.”

Black cleared his throat as they closed in on Madame Pince’s desk, gently pushing the sheet of parchment across to the witch.

Madame Pince simply raised an eyebrow at Black, before flicking a slightly less exasperated glance at Katherine. She plucked out two cards from a box on her desk, and then used her thickly plumed quill to ink in their initials after consulting a student list from one of her desk drawers.

Katherine had only heard about the process. The cards were to be placed in the space of any book you borrowed from the section. It was different to the rest of the library, as the restricted section was less often frequented, and if a teacher, for instance, went looking, they would be able to take it up with the student or other teacher to bring it back sooner. There wasn’t really a ‘limit’ on how long one could borrow a book for.

When the egg-white pieces of card, with the day’s date too, were slid back across the desk, both looked down at them.

S.O.B on his and K.O.S on hers.

As they crossed to the door of the section, Katherine wondered what the ‘O’ stood for in his middle name…

Black walked easily through the section, going straight for what would be their needed shelf of advanced transfiguration books.

The ‘A’ section was closer to the top. Mercifully, Katherine’s fingers were still able to skim the books that seemed to allude to the magic they were studying. The titles were old and flaking in many cases…

Thinking she spied one that might be helpful for investigating the history, Katherine rose up onto her tippy toes, reaching. She was careful to lean her weight on her other hand on the shelf, and not any of the books. One never knew what they would do…

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, and another hand stretched up alongside hers – beyond hers.

“This one,” said Black softly, from just above her ear.

Katherine watched his wrist flexing as he pulled it out. All at once, the presence fell away from her back, and she turned – to find Black extending the book to her.

He nodded to the one Katherine had been reaching for, tilting his head to the side and quickly wetting his lips, “That one is the lolly water of literature on the subject, despite it’s supposed great acclaim.”

“Oh, right.” said Katherine.

With one book each, they began their trek back to their desk by the window.

Black hesitated before sitting down, narrowing his eyes at his textbook, slightly off-angle, “Was that always like that?”

“…yeah?” said Katherine slowly.

“Sorry, it’s just… between you and I –” he broke off, with a wry look to her, “Our known list of enemies constitutes just about the entire school.”

He shucked off his outer robe, placing it over the back of the chair beside hers. He reached for his books, sliding them across.

They sat silently, side by side, facing out to the library as they flicked through their chosen books and took down all the information they needed onto their pieces of parchment.

It was… easy.

Black was a rather excellent companion, Katherine had to admit to herself. He did not always need to speak, but you could feel him paying attention to you. She battled down her surprise at his pleasant manner.

He had always been rather decent to her, hadn’t he…

By the time an hour had passed, they were almost done. All they had to do was rearrange the facts they had gathered into flowing sentences and join it all together.

Katherine finished writing out everything she needed for Paragraph One, and had done all her citing from the pages of the book, before the clock even ticked over to eight o’clock.

Black, after all, had taken upon himself the heavier load of the two body paragraphs. Curiously, however, he had already closed his book after making a side note on his parchment of the pages he needed to cite. It seemed he was doing it from memory…

He was cleverer than he let on, Katherine discovered that night – and left-handed.

She closed her book, and then reached for his abandoned tome, “Are you done with this one?”

Black nodded, not looking up as he focused on his writing.

Katherine stacked it on top of hers, and slid them closer to edge of the table –

Black looked up, frowning, and asked, genuinely puzzled, “What are you doing?”

“Putting the books away…” she said slowly.

Black abandoned his parchment and quill, stood, and tucked his chair in.

He reached for the books with a quiet smile and shake of his head, “No.”

“I’ll… help?” said Katherine, walking alongside him, feeling at a loss.

Black gave her an amused sideways glance, “Okay.”

Together, they breezed through the restricted section, and reached the card with his initials first.

Katherine reached for the top book in Black’s hold. His sleeves were pushed up, his forearms flexing under the weight. It was undeniably warmer around the castle – it was almost June.

Both of them only had their grey vests over their shirts and ties, as opposed to the full jumper.

Katherine pulled out the name cards, stepping back.

Black, much taller, placed back the last book – Katherine’s book.

“Excuse me…” came a new voice from behind.

Black turned, flicking his hair off his face.

Regulus skirted around them.

He stopped on the other side of Katherine, and the girl then had a dark-haired boy either side. His eyes slipped to her – an ever-piercing blue – as he placed his own name card; R.A.B.

With his chosen book, that Katherine had not seen the title of, he turned and left again, just as quickly as he had appeared. In his wake, the clear clean scent of him lingered behind.

Black stepped up beside her, and they both watched him leave through the doors of the restricted section.

He held out her name card, and said, with a furrow in his brow, still watching his brother, “I feel I should tell you... you could keep better company.”

“We’re hardly mates,” said Katherine, accepting her name card, and offering his in return, “Your brother is a mystery to me.”

Black accepted his card, his eyes gleaming as the slightest of curves lifted the corners of his lips, “He’s not that enigmatic, I assure you.”

Katherine slowly stepped forward into a walk towards the exit, turning to beckon him wordlessly along with her.

“Go on, then. Unravel him for me,” she said lightly, smothering a smile, “What can you tell me?”

Black fell into step with her, blinking slowly, and letting out a light breath, “Poncy bugger owes me ten sickles, for starters…”

Katherine couldn’t help the escape of a loud chortle of laughter, quickly lifting a hand to her mouth.

Black however, just chuckled along and peered at her out of the corner of his eye as they passed through the exit to the greater library.

Regulus was already long gone.

Lily, however, was hurrying past with her transfiguration textbook – and Remus.

And he was smiling.

For the past hour, Katherine had forgotten about her life outside of the library, that anything had been wrong at all. It all came crashing down around her right then. It was all she could do to try and keep it from her face.

Black’s own gaze settled on the pair, and he eyed them coolly as they too recognised that they had company.

It felt like a comical western stand-off, as they skirted around each other. Katherine thought she could hear the piercing desert whistle that was always in the films when two cowboys rounded on one another. 

Lily and Remus continued, sweeping out of the library, and Katherine and Black returned to their things at the desk.

As they packed up their things quietly, the moment from earlier still with them, Black glanced to her again.

“You’ve got your permission slip for Hogsmeade, don’t you?”

Katherine was confused as to how he knew, but nodded, “…Yes.”

“Excellent, we have to get more parchment for our final copy of the essay. Tomorrow? Right after breakfast?” he turned to her, blinking, then tipped his head in concession, going on to say, sincerely, “I know it’s terrible notice…”

Katherine shook her head, battling away thoughts of Remus, “No, that’s okay. Tomorrow is fine.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 32: A Revelation

"Quick – quick – we can’t waste time –”

Katherine woke to the hushed anxious words, her eyes snapping open –

“After this weekend, there’s only one more Hogsmeade trip before we go home!”

Around the dormitory, the girls rushed to get ready, jackets flying and brushes raking through hair at a rapid pace. They didn’t know that she had her permission slip yet.

Katherine opened her mouth, unsure what to say to halt them, “Guys –”

“Sorry for waking you up –” said Alice, wide-eyed, cracking a smile, “– we’ll see you when we get back!”

Marlene clapped a hand down on Alice’s shoulder, “Alice and Frank are going to kiss today! With holidays coming up, they've really got to seal the deal before they don't see each other for a few weeks.”

Katherine pushed herself to sit on the edge of her bed, genuinely excited for her friend.

“Well, that’s great –”

“More like terrifying.” said Alice, a little ashen, but still smiling as trudged to the door.

Marlene kept a hand on Alice’s shoulder, steering her with gusto, “Come on, we’ll get down there early and get you some tooth flossing mints from Honeydukes to carry around on your date.”

Just like that, Katherine was alone in the dormitory, half up, still in her pyjamas with her hair sticking to her neck.

She sighed, relaxing back into her mattress. Maybe she might see them down there, she supposed, before pushing herself up to go use the bathroom.

That morning, her tiredness lifted slowly, rather pleasantly in fact. She had been sleeping long and deep the past week. She thought the scent of jasmine coming from her enchanted crystal ball on the nightstand was stronger than usual, and briefly wondered if it had anything to do with the warming weather…

Perhaps she could ask Giles.

He had been busy lately, handling all the year levels in the approach to exams. She had not wanted to bother him. Often, he had seventh year girls crying at his desk; having stress induced nervous breakdowns.

They would have all summer anyway, she reasoned with herself. The thought of going home with the professor was odd – yet exciting. He knew more about who she was than he was letting on in their school environment. She thought she might finally get through to him if they got outside of the castle…

Initially, Katherine pulled out her jeans that morning, only to find that she could no longer button them without feeling like she was squishing her bladder into her spine. She suspected the cream buns she had been gorging on in the kitchens.

Sweating, she had to lay back on her bed to peel them back off her legs.

In search of something a bit looser fitting, she settled by her powder blue case, full of her old things from Claremont.

She hesitated before pulling out the soft crepe fabric dress her aunt had gotten made for her to attend a summer afternoon luncheon the year before. There was a heaviness to it, that came with all finely made pieces, as it spilled softly through her hands…

It was an ivory shift dress that fell to just above her knee, at first glance it passed as extraordinarily casual…

Pulling on a beige coat that had always gone with everything, she stood in front of the mirror. It was a remarkable transformation. Disregarding the thin paisley silk scarf Lily had gifted her Christmas tied around her neck, she had reverted to the person she was before they knew her.

Slipping her feet into some cushioned flats, she made her way down to the courtyard with her permission slip. She had missed breakfast, but she didn’t think it was the worst thing considering her morning tangle with her jeans.

Black was waiting.

He leant on one of the large open doors to the courtyard, his hands clasped behind his back, facing away from her.

It was as she slowed by him, that she caught sight of a group leaving to the nearby township ahead.

In the warming weather, Remus had seemingly no need for a jacket, and wore a plain buttoned shirt with his jeans and trainers.

To watch him leave, without her, when they were supposed to be going together that weekend…

Katherine gulped.

Black turned to her, his eyes drifting down and then back up, “Morning.”

“Morning.” said Katherine, the word feeling very light as she continued to watch Remus until he eventually disappeared from sight.

When she turned to Black fully, she returned his initial inspection.

He had always been a sharp dresser, presenting clean and crisp, but she had never really taken much notice – until then.

Katherine had become accustomed to Remus’ warm, chunky jumpers and assorted range of coloured woolly socks.

Black, however, was all angles. Pressed trousers, perfectly tailored robes, shined shoes… He cut an imposing figure, giving the impression of a man when he was still a boy.

“Hey, Black –” Frank Longbottom approached, clocking Katherine and offering her a smile, before turning to Black and lifting a hand to rifle through his hand, “I need to ask you something – a word?”

Katherine felt Black’s eyes shoot to her. When she turned to him, he was sighing and running a hand through his hair, looking back to Frank.

“Sure,” said Black, giving an earnest look of apology to Katherine as he stepped down the short stairs to the courtyard, “Excuse me for a moment.”

They stood a few metres away, Frank lowering his head by Blacks and seeming to stumble over his words, fidgeting with his hands.

Black, however, just gave a frown, shaking his head and saying a few quiet words that Katherine couldn’t make out.

Frank raked a hand down his face – “Bollocks…” He took a deep breath and went to leave again – in the direction of Hogsmeade – when he turned back to wave, with a defeated version of a smile, “Thanks…”

Black waved to Longbottom, crossing back to Katherine.

“Ready?” he asked breathily, blinking.

Katherine nodded, and they set off through the courtyard. Mostly everyone else had already left for the village, and the path was quiet. A good twenty metres in front, Frank Longbottom hastened along, the only other person they were to see for the whole walk.

The tips of the shop roofs were growing closer.

“The path gets uneven on your side just up here...” warned Black, slowing and stepping behind Katherine to swap sides with her.

Katherine settled over onto the better side of the path, having to dodge a root poking up out of the hard-packed dirt track.

They walked quietly for a moment, listening to the tweeting of birds and the breeze. It was all rather picturesque.

Black pointed, and said, very quietly, “Do you see there… that’s a dotterel –”

Of course, Black knew the names of birds –

“– I always see them this time of year on their spring migration. Somewhere around here must be some sort of traditional stopping spot…” Black peered around, following the path of the bird.

“Ever gone looking?” asked Katherine, as they entered a short thicket of trees, very close to the township now.

Black shrugged, “It’s their business, isn’t it? I wouldn’t like it if they came pressing their faces in on my house.”

Katherine nodded in acceptance, and the shade of the tree thicket completely engulfed them. When they emerged, the wide stone footbridge turned Katherine’s mind back to their reason for a visit to the town.

“So, does parchment actually bear a lot of weight in assignments here?”

At St. Mary’s, all their work was to be handed in on standard lined paper. So far, she had been using the regular parchment that she and Giles had bought together in Diagon Alley back in September. It was the same parchment all the other girls used, and she had been rather perplexed by Black’s insistence of buying it special for the assignment.

“Well… no,” said Black, tipping his head in concession as they walked down the path. He looked up, slightly narrowing his eyes at the clear blue sky overhead, “But, er, I was raised a scholar,”

His eyes slipped sideways, and his lips slipped up.

“Not to be confused with an intellectual, such as Moony, with his ideals and self-flagellating notions of morality,”

Katherine rather thought Black had described a poet, and not an intellectual.  

They had reached the high street, and their conversation waned as the need to navigate the excited crowd became paramount. Noise was coming from every direction, and so were sharp shoulders trying to edge through the thriving patch of people.

Frank, as well as the rest of the fifth year Gryffindor boys, were all standing together, draping over and leaning against the fountain of the town square.

Sometimes they could kid themselves that they were all grown up, it was the very times such as that which revealed them for the children they were however.

The image a pack of them made, was strikingly intimidating to pass. She knew that, may they sometimes be feckless chaps, they were young men of feeling as well as fun. Hence the posturing and clowning behaviour around the proverbial watering hole, as the girls stood together, just across the way, pretending to not be watching.

Beside her, the previous prince of the scene. He could fit right back in if the moment presented itself, no matter how humble he appeared on his own, and reformed from his previous, notoriously unreachable, reputation.

As a tribe, the boys were like any self-selecting club; they like being able to spot one another, and they like to look impressive.

They were all still alike, in the end.

Black quickly stepped ahead, pulling open the door of a shop and stepping aside, “Scrivenshafts, Spencer.”

DING! the door closed behind them as they stepped through into Scrivenshafts. The décor was lush and gothic, with it’s dark wooden shelves and ornate oil lamps. It was a different world entirely to the one they had left behind in the street.

Black immediately went for a series of climbing shelves, in which were stacked numerous sheets of parchment, varying in expense and look. He pulled down a crisp, thicker parchment, with a sort of iridescent shimmer – just noticeable.

“This is the one my father uses for inter-department communications at the Ministry. It’s still tastefully off white, crisp edges, and it’s rip-proof –” Black looked up, with a wry pull at the corners of his lips, “Fire proof too, for reasons I don’t think need divulging.”

Katherine thought the Black family sounded like a diligent lot. She had heard ‘paranoid’ used in association with them, but it wasn’t paranoia if your concerns were well-founded.

“Seems perfect.” said Katherine, readily agreeing with the choice.

Privately, she thought it was rather… pretty. She admired it as if caught the light of the oil lamps on their approach to the counter.

“Mister Black. May I interest you in another inkwell of quick dry ink?” asked the shopkeeper, looking up from where he was polishing quill tips at the counter.

Black inclined his head with a quiet smile, “Please.”

“You’re not another left-hander, are you?” asked the shopkeeper, looking up to Katherine with an inquisitive smile.

Katherine shook her head, “No. I always admired the crystal inkwell though… I didn’t realise it was particularly special ink…”

“Oh, how it makes the –” Black gestured with his hand, “– rainbow over the desk?”

He nodded to himself and went on.

“Yeah, it took ages for all the ‘dandy’ quips to die down from James, and the alluding that I was of the ‘Oscar Wilde sort’…”

Katherine frowned a little, and said, lightly, as she admired the ornate crystal inkwell on the counter, “I always liked it.”

Black gave a little smile as he fished into his pocket, producing a velvet pouch. Unprompted, he placed down a stack of galleons on the counter, and before she could comprehend that he had outlaid the full cost, their parchment and the inkwell had been placed into a handled paper bag, and Black was guiding her out the door.

The door gave a loud DING! behind them as it closed. In its place, was the loud matter; that Black had paid.

Katherine had been raised to not question it, however. It had once been normal for her, for her uncle to pay for she and her aunt wherever they went. She had forgotten it…

Black squinted into the sun beaming down the high street, lifting a hand to shield his eyes, “I must say, I never thought I would be seeing Mulciber here again…”

At the end of the high street, out of the dingy front door of the Hogs Head, came Mulciber.

A panic gripped Katherine at the sight of him. Not for her – but for Mary – wherever she may be nearby…

Behind him, came Avery and Snape.

Katherine had frozen then, and both she and Black watched together as the group of Slytherins split, Snape heading off on his own. It was an odd sort of ease, standing with Black as she watched it all unfold, knowing they were thinking the same thing in the same moment.

That had looked very suspicious.

“I was going to head to Honeydukes,” said Black, still watching Avery and Mulciber where they disappeared into an apothecary, “Would you like to come?”

Katherine suddenly didn’t feel like being alone, after seeing that, “If you don’t mind.”

They crossed the street, Black suddenly a lot more solemn and watchful.

Honeydukes was packed. The moment they walked in, people were turning to look. Katherine just couldn’t be sure, this time, if it was at her.

Black drew his own kind of attention, after all.

Katherine trailed Black as he perused the shelves of sweets, casually taking stock of all the different types of magical sweets on offer. She didn’t feel as if she had a sweet tooth that afternoon and was happy to be led through as he shopped for himself.

“…Isn’t that your so-called friend with Black?”

Katherine went still, and turned, seeing Snape out of the corner of her eye. He was whispering, not very quietly, into Lily’s ear.

Black had continued around the corner, rising up onto his toes to look at something on a high shelf.

“I told you something about her wasn’t right,” tacked on Snape.

Heart-piercingly, Lily said nothing in Katherine’s defence.

Snape pressed on, the real stepping on the neck of the comments still to come, “The kind of thing that happened to her family leaves a sort of dark mark on a person.”

Maybe, thought Katherine, it… did…

Black came back from looking around the corner of the shelf, eyes flickering between Snape and Katherine.

“Really, if you asked me to – I’d go punch him for you,” said Black, tipping his head, “Spells can be a bit too impersonal in some cases. Sometimes, you really just need to –”

He mimed his fist hitting into the palm of his other hand.

“No, it’s quite alright,” said Katherine, with a huff of laughter. She turned to the door, the crowd of people between, and then back to Black, “I think I might wait outside, though. If that’s okay?”

“Of course.” he said, with a short bow of his head.

The heat of the sun warmed her skin that had been cooled by the charms in the sweet shop – necessary to stop the chocolates from melting. She stood off to the side, closing her eyes and enjoying the cloudless sky. It had been an almost disturbingly long time since it rained…

At the DING of the door, Katherine’s eyes shot open, surprised Black had been so quick.

She was surprised again when it was actually Snape.

He eyed her as he stepped off to the other side of the door, presumably waiting for Lily.

“Is that a wand in your pocket or –” said Katherine, lightly, breaking off at his dark look. She turned to watch the students streaming past them down the street, “Yeah, I thought as much…”

Snape gazed loftily across the street, “Still suffering from wisecrackeritis I see, Spencer, as well as delusion,”

Katherine nearly rolled her eyes.

“Must be necessary, to avoid the bitter sting of losing all your little friends. Knowing you face certain death at the hands of the Dark Lord, you would think… well…” he broke off, with an unkind smile, “No, you wouldn’t think.”

Katherine took in a deep breath, and then let it out again, squinting against the sun as it moved over the shop roofs, “A chat with you, and somehow death loses its sting.”

“I did warn you.” said Snape, sounding far too high and mighty.

DING!

“And I thought I warned you.” came Black’s voice.

His shoes tapped against the steps, and he stopped beside Katherine, gazing with clear animosity at the Slytherin.

Snape fumbled, before pointing, his eyes narrowing, “I’ll have you for that, Black.”

“What are you going to do?” asked Black, a smile rising on his lips. He leant forward slightly, feigned interest pulling at his eyebrows, “Drown me in your tears?”

Snape stepped forward to say his next words, lowering his voice and all but spitting.

“Did you not get your masochistic fix out by the whomping willow?”

Black stepped forward, his arm extending across the front of Katherine.

“You should have gotten your fix, don’t you think? Of picking on girls?”  

Katherine thought she was hallucinating.

In a spin, she vaguely heard as Black promised that if he had his way, Snape would have his ‘arm in Essex, torso in Norfolk, and genitalia stuck up a tree somewhere in Rutland’.

Black went on to verbally decimate Snape. With it was the reminder that under the playful boyish exterior of her fellow Gryffindor, was a rapier-sharp mind, and a cold, cutting, ruthless streak.

James, Snape was annoyed by.

Black… he was frightened of.

It became starkly apparent in how he slid out from where Black was backing him against the shop wall, advancing as he, proverbially, cut the Slytherin to size. With an odd look of mingled shock and an attempt at a scowl, Snape turned and stormed through the middle of a passing group of girls.

Black turned back to Katherine, blinking, and giving a faint smile, “Right. Butterbeer?”

“Sure…” said Katherine, still blinking and coming to grips with what had just transpired.

They walked wordlessly up the cobblestones for a few moments, the breeze cooling the sun on their faces.

“Sorry about that before,” said Black, making a face of the upmost annoyance, “He’s just so bloody dense that, I swear to Merlin, light bends around him…”

There was no greater bonding agent, than that of a shared hatred.

Katherine felt the prim rage she had inherited from her Aunt rising up in her. Unlike when with the girls, she didn’t stop it. There was no need to filter herself with Black.

“Well, yes, unfortunately, the path of my life is strewn with the cowpats from the devil’s own satanic herd.” she said, blinking in her own resigned annoyance.

It earned her a bark of laughter, and a glance, “That’s a good one, Spencer,”

She wasn’t sure she’d ever heard him laugh before. At least, not at something she had said.

Black stepped ahead, and pulled open the door to the Three Broomsticks, “I was surprised you didn’t have plans with your friends,”

Katherine stepped through, with Black right behind.

“Evans is the only one not talking to you, right?” asked Black, settling beside her again, as they sought out an empty table.

Black pointed, and then led the way through the other tables and galleys.

“Alice and Mary have dates,” said Katherine, shrugging, “Marlene is off with a few people from the quidditch team,”

They stopped at the table, sitting down.

“What about…” Katherine trailed off, nodding to him.

“Due to the nature of what, er, happened…” said Black, looking down at the table, “James couldn’t have possibly explained to Frank what I did wrong. So, I’ve got him still talking to me. If Pete is on his own too…”

Katherine was shocked at the cold treatment, “That’s terrible of them, especially considering that your –”

Black’s eyebrows shot up. He had deftly deduced, it seemed, what she was about to say.

“They don’t know about my uncle, the family has kept it out the papers. Besides…” he gave a half shrug, then inclined his head, “Where I come from, feelings are meant to be buried.”

At his parroting back of her own words to her, she realised that he had been listening to her far more than she had ever anticipated.

As she sat, a little staggered, Black flagged down Rosmerta and ordered their butterbeers.

When Rosmerta had left, Black turned back to her, eyeing her, “You haven’t told anyone.”

It came out of nowhere, but Katherine knew what it meant.

“No, of course not.” she said, frowning down at the table and toying with her paisley scarf.

Two butterbeers were sloshed down with dual CLANGs, and Rosmerta was off again to attend to another table.

“That’s very kind of you,” said Black, waiting until the barkeeper was out of earshot, “Considering how Moony has been to you.”

Katherine tugged her tankard closer to her, slipping her hand through the handle, “Was he like that when you guys found out?”

Black blinked, his gaze turning distant.

“It was second year…” he said slowly, in memory. He cracked a smile, shaking his head at his tankard, “His mouth went about a hundred kilometres an hour, trying to explain himself… but… we just went on as usual – he was still just… Remus.”

Black took a sip of drink.

“So, I take it, the shrieking shack isn’t really haunted? It was… him?” asked Katherine, careful to not be overheard by the people around them.

“Actually, it was us,” said Black, tilting his head in amusement, “To reinforce the rumour, every now and then we would go run around under our bed sheets around the time of the full moon, where we might be seen from the castle.”

Katherine’s mind was cast back to the morning Mary was a victim of Mulciber’s cursed necklace, “That was what you were doing – the time Lily and I ran into you in the tunnel to the portrait…”

Quiet laughter, glittering eyes, and a nod were her reply.

And there it was again.

The feeling that there was something being left unsaid, that there was always something more beyond what was revealed. Katherine always got it with Black and his friends.

Black namely, would look at her, as he was doing at that moment, like he was on the verge of telling her something. That he wanted to say something.

“Black –” Frank Longbottom weaved through the tables, turning over his shoulder, “– Alice, come here, Spencer’s here too.”

Alice slowed behind Frank, pausing at the sight of Katherine.

Katherine gave her a sheepish smile, “I tried to tell you I got my permission slip…”

Alice sat down across from Katherine, with an equally sheepish smile.

“Sorry, we were a bit hasty this morning, weren’t we?” she admitted, before smiling, and nodding across to her, “Your dress is really pretty.”

Katherine tingled with surprised delight, a gave a blushing, “Thanks.”

“What was that with Snape? We saw you two with him on our way here.” asked Frank, glancing between Katherine and Black.

Black shrugged, “He was pestering Spencer.”

“Black, you’re incorrigible.” said Alice in gentle reprimand, laughing.

Katherine finished her sip, and then said, “It’s not like Snape was completely innocent.”

“But then that’s just revenge, Katherine, and revenge isn’t a good thing.” countered Alice, lightly.

Katherine pressed her lips together, tipping her head, and conceded, “Well, it is quite a good thing, because they know never to do it again.”

Frank closed his eyes from beside Alice, battling laughter.

A slow smile spread across Black’s face. He raised his eyebrows to Alice and Frank, and lifted his hands in a ‘well’ motion, stringing one arm along the back of Katherine’s chair. He peered down at Katherine out of the corner of his eye, licking his lips as he gave a quick wink.

“Oi – how do you feel about the match being tomorrow?” asked Frank, the conversation taken in a completely new direction.

Black tore his eyes away from her, and he shook his head to Frank, both boys seeming to be on the same wave of incredulity on the subject, “It’s ridiculous to do a match on a Sunday, it doesn’t matter that we’ve only got a week before exams start –”

That afternoon was spent laughing under the warm lamps, sharing wry glances with Alice as the two boys prattled on, surrounded by the din and chatter of the pub. Katherine had put off thinking about the match that was to take place the following day, and felt a hint of nerves creeping into the ease that had been travelling her veins at the amicable scene of all of them at the table…

 

---

 

The final match against Slytherin of 1976 would be remembered for several things, but mostly that it was the match that went ahead without James Potter and Sirius Black speaking.

Katherine watched idly as students that never came to Quidditch games passed the open tent flap, her fingers working in a similar manner to her eyes; missing the loops for her boot laces on more than one instance as a result.

A warm, soft shoulder met Katherine's –

"Nervous?" asked Marlene, her grin rather weak against her pale face.

James looked up from where he sat opposite them; fastening his shin guards, with a bolstering grin, "Fear isn't in Spencer's vocabulary."

Black, broom in hand, slowed to a stop in front of Katherine on his way out of the tent. He squinted at the bright grey sky glaring through the flap to the pitch.

"Look, today…" Black’s hand went to the back of his hair, shaking it, "Watch out for Regulus' knees – he'll try to knock you off course."

"Thanks." said Katherine, mustering a smile before she too fell into the line that filed out of the changing tent behind their Captain.

"This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." said Fabian as he mounted his broom at the Pitch's edge, looking out reverently.

"ALRIGHT, FOLKS, WELCOME TO THE MATCH OF THE YEAR!" came Gideon's magically magnified voice.

A new bundle of nerves tightened between Katherine's ribs, but she mounted her broom beside Marlene anyway.

"WE'VE GOT GRYFFINDOR!"

James ducked his head as he took off, shoulders broad beneath the cheers raining down on him.

"POTTER, BLACK, MCKINNON, KING, PREWETT, BROWN, AND SPENCER!"

Katherine was the last to join her team in the sky, and – once again – her lungs gave out as she faced the crowd. It was all she could do to take notice of Fabian’s arm waving the team into formation.

Their opening circle of the pitch began by the booing Slytherin Tower. Cheers replaced them immediately as they passed the Ravenclaw Tower, even more so as they passed Hufflepuff. The loudest cheering tower by far, Gryffindor, was last.

For a moment, Katherine's collar didn't feel tight, and dread didn't circle her stomach as Katherine circled the pitch on her broom. Anticipation, however, hummed in her fingers and toes.

"AND WE'VE GOT SLYTHERIN!"

Once the final note of Slytherin's chant carried off into the wind, the two competing houses began hurling sledges across the Pitch at one another.

Professors artfully squinted against the wind and barrage of slurs, watching the two teams – four players of which had heavy bats – with more interest and concern.

Fabian and Malfoy landed in the middle of the Pitch by Madam Smethwyck, both pulling off a glove and eyeing the other all the while.

"Captains!" said Smethwyck, waving a billowy-robed arm between the boys, "Shake hands!"

Fabian extended his hand first. Malfoy’s grip was firm; the joining SLAP reached Katherine's ears.

Katherine couldn’t but think there was more to it for the two boys…

"Take your places!"

The teams arranged themselves; impervious to the spectators' cheers and taunts. Katherine too had risen level with Regulus; both in line with the tips of the towers.

"Let the game begin!"

Smethwyck blew her whistle, and her thin arm tossed the Quaffle into the air.

Emerald and ruby swirled beneath Katherine, and, for a moment, she allowed herself to muse that it would be especially festive for Gryffindor and Slytherin to play each other at Christmas time each year.

It was Slytherin that made off with the Quaffle out the muck of elbows and knees; King clutching his rib with one hand and his broom with the other as he went after his green robed adversary.

"AND WE'RE OFF!" announced Gideon, "THE GRYFFINDOR VERSUS SLYTHERIN MATCH OF THE YEAR – THE FINAL MATCH OF THE YEAR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN – WHERE ELSE WOULD YOU BE?"

James and Black streaked down the Pitch, picking their marks in their opposition. James went for Malfoy; who promptly slipped through his arms like toad spawn soap.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Black was then upon his cousin-in-law; punching the Quaffle out from under his arm, passing the Slytherin, and then deftly catching the airborne Quaffle himself.

The Bludgers shot up from the chest, and growled down the pitch towards the Gryffindor Chasers who were already weaving the Quaffle toward the Slytherin Keeper – to the thick of the match.

Katherine tightened her grip on her broom.

Regulus buoyed in mid-air across from her, eyes hidden from her as they trained onto the snitch.

A glint of the Snitch divided Katherine and Regulus where they still hovered.

Regulus didn't move.

The Snitch flirted just above their heads.

Katherine wondered, briefly, if she should have tried to wait Regulus out. The anxious pull behind her navel – however – urged her into flight, the snitch like a magnet to her broom. The wind in her hair tickled a thrill out of her fingertips.

Vaguely realising she was alone in pursuit of the ball, Katherine gained speed. So did the snitch, but then it lifted up on the breeze on an unnatural angle – one Katherine's broom couldn't compete with.

Flapping against the top of her head drew Katherine's attention up. Regulus zoomed overhead; bony arm outstretched to the roars of Slytherin Tower.

Katherine hunkered down against her broom, the equivalent of kicking a horse's flank. In the pursuit of the glinting head of black hair on top of emerald robes, even the announcements were just a faint buzz in Katherine's ears.

Regulus weaved through the air like a bird – riding it, instead of battling it to the Snitch. But he was quicker than any bird she had ever seen.

As she neared him again, she watched for his knees, but he took a sudden dive. It was all she could do to follow him down into it – forgetting wariness.

"AND GRYFFINDOR TAKES THE FIRST GOAL OF THE MATCH – TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!" announced Gideon, "EXCELLENT PLAYER THAT POTTER!"

Gryffindors almost had an early defeat at that very moment, whether they realised it or not, Regulus' hand swiping down. If it had found the ball and not a wing, Katherine would have had her first game without a Snitch catch.

But he only had a choice word to show for his efforts, having over-reached – and slipped back in line with Katherine, his earlier tactics no longer offering advantage.

A slew of goals was punctuated with a new jolly verse from the Gryffindor Tower as the pursuit of the Snitch carried on.

It was then the growl of the Bludgers became much louder than the wind in Katherine's ears as she and Regulus dived.

"Bletchley's going to foul her!"

She didn't need the anxious twinge at the base of her spine to tell her something violent ripping through the air was coming her way – fast.

"I've got her!"

"Fabian's coming – don't!"

"He's too far away!"

Her thighs squeezed her broom tighter than ever before. Katherine half hoped she might meld with the wood.

"Sirius!"

There were gasps.

"James!"

There was a flash of red out of the corner of Katherine's eye. She ignored it. Everyone was everywhere during matches.

Among the sounds of flapping of robes and streams of wind behind brooms, there was a CLUNK and a soft grunt.

Someone screamed – a girl, Katherine thought…

People screamed all the time at matches though, so Katherine kept on. A sideways glance told her that Regulus hadn't even spared the little thought Katherine had to the sound, his eyes locked resolutely forward.

"POTTER'S DOWN – I REPEAT, POTTER IS DOWN!"

The space behind her eyes – burning against the wind – went suddenly hollow. Her broom sensed it, and it fell into the same strange, still static as Katherine. Her fingers buzzed. The only sensation in her body came from the junction between her legs against her broom.

Like a bird that had hit a window, James Potter laid crumpled in the sand basin of the pitch.

"THE REFEREE HAS CALLED A TIME OUT! IT LOOKS BAD FOLKS!"

Katherine followed the stream of her teammates to the ground.

"WHAT OUTSTANDING MORAL FIBRE WE'VE WITNESSED HERE TODAY –"

Beside his crumbled form in his pile of robes were his glasses. Katherine had never seen him without them. She moved towards them at the wrongness of the sight. The ground seemed to tilt beneath her as she picked them up, the metal feeling strangely like apart of James – like she had just lifted his arm off the ground.

They were still warm.

"JAMES POTTER TOOK TWO TO THE CHEST TO SAVE HIS SEEKER –"

Katherine bent and quickly deposited the glasses on James' face, careful not to touch his skin.

"Everyone, please stay back,"

Katherine jumped at Smethwyck's voice and stepped back as ordered.

It seemed, although, that she was the only one. A crowd of Gryffindors and Slytherins were battling the extraordinarily petite referee to get a closer look at the felled James Potter.

Smethwyck's eyes were almost as wide as her arms, "Everyone, please –"

"Oi, shove off!" came the booming voice of Black – his shoulder pressing into Katherine's as he grappled through the crowd from behind.

The crowd stepped back a good three paces at his words, and Smethwyck cast a brief glance at the boy as she crouched down next to his friend whose eyelids were fluttering open.

"Thank you, Mister Black," said a frizzy-haired Smethwyck, turning back gently pressing down over James' heart, "Now, Mister Potter, do you feel pain when I press here?"

James' jaw tightened, but he shook his head.

Smethwyck moved her hand to her right ribs.

"What about here?"

James's lips tightened, but – again – he shook his head.

Katherine felt Black’s hand brush past hers. It was shaking.

Smethwyck drew her analytical gaze away from James, "Will you take a penalty on Potter's behalf, Black?"

Black's eyes didn't glitter, glint, or gleam. He nodded and then, with impressive skill, stepped into his mounting of his broom – and was gracefully zooming up and away.

James lifted his cracked glasses from his nose, squinted, and lowered them back onto his face, "Where's Pomfrey – I need an industrial strength Episkey…"

It was then that the matron's robes emerged from between the Gryffindor Beaters, swatting away their bats and kneeling by James.

Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue as she ran her wand over his chest, "I'm going to have to owl your father…"

"I've had worse." said James, breathing heavily and uneven now, swatting a weak hand through the air.

"To brew more skele-gro, Potter," murmured Pomfrey, poking her wand tip firmly into the middle of his chest, "Not emotional support – Episkey!"

“Argghhh!”

Katherine, secure in the knowledge that James would live to gaze at the back of Lily's head in class another day, took back to the skies to await the recommencement of the game.

Regulus swooped in and stopped next to Katherine without a word, their broom handles parallel to each other as they watched the rest of the Slytherin team hover in the semi-circle around their goals; facing inwards.

"WHAT'S THAT I HEAR? BLACK IS TAKING THE PENALTY SHOT, EVERYBODY!" announced Gideon, snorting into the microphone in a rare show of indignity, "ROWLE, MATE, YOU'RE F–"

At the sudden breaking off of the commentating, Katherine glanced to the tower to find a wrestle for the microphone between McGonagall and Gideon.

"–FULLY GOING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR BEATER'S ACTIONS," Gideon sped out over the speakers, having won back the microphone, "THAT'S ALL I WAS GOING TO SAY, PROFESSOR – HONEST!"

Rowle had a head the size of three normal ones put together – the guard all three hoops, some people joked. But he looked small up there, alone.

Between the sole emerald set of robes, and the semi-circle of his teammates, was one sole red set.

Black sat back on his broom, tossing the Quaffle between his hands.

To the constant beat the Quaffle made against his hands, the THUD of dozens of hands against the edges of the towers thrummed up a precocious pace. Only when there seemed to be no rhythm in the thudding – the volume at a fever-pitch – did Black tuck the Quaffle under his arm and take his run up.

His left arm wound back and then Rowle was separated from his broom, the Quaffle hitting him square in the chest. Propelled backwards through the centre hoop, Rowle and the Quaffle came out the other side and then plummeted to the sand basin.

There was a DING as the score ticked over, and then screams from the Gryffindor Tower.

Katherine watched Black weave out of the Slytherin semi-circle of resentment surrounding him, like it was just another Sunday, and back to the centre of the Pitch.

"POTTER'S BACK IN AGAINST HEALER'S ORDERS!"

Katherine stopped in her position and took in the full Chaser line-up and found Gideon's words to be true; James – albeit hunched – took pride of place between King and Black.

"NO TIME FOR REST WHEN THERE ARE SLYTHERIN'S TO GRIND INTO THE DUST!"

"Prewett!" McGonagall's shrill tones could be heard even without a microphone.

"SORRY, PROFESSOR!" apologised Gideon insincerely.

Regulus and Katherine's resetting was just a formality – so that they didn't get unfair time without the added pressure of Beaters: a Seeker's natural enemy. The Snitch still fluttered around, taunting them to break free from their imposed positions.

And when the Quaffle was released – they broke off immediately. Both of them off the mark together this time. In any other scenario, it would indeed be a test of speed. But on the same brooms, it was inevitable that it would come down to skill, in the end.

The same size, they ended up in the same spots after barrel rolls, dives, and loop-the-loops – neither gaining the advantage.

It was when the pair climbed up into the clouds, out of sight from the pitch, that Regulus's outstretched hand clamped down on Katherine's wrist. His grip on her gloved hand, he propelled himself forward. The glove ripped – and fell into the clouds below.

Katherine returned the tactic by pulling on his tail twigs, dislodging a handful. She couldn't even have hoped that it would have the effect it did. Regulus' broom lost some of its stream-lining, jerked, and then the handle fell back to only to her broom's middle.

Regulus, unable to snatch her tail twigs without purposely falling even further behind, grabbed her elbow instead, and launched himself over her. He quickly realised his mistake, Katherine easily rematching his speed, and he caught onto her other gloved hand.

Back on the Pitch, losing her gloves wouldn't have concerned Katherine. But they were higher in the sky than she had ever been before. Condensation formed on her broom handle, and then it began to freeze – without her gloves, her hands would freeze to the broom.

The snitch seemed to shiver out in front of them, and then seemed to just drop out of thin air – out of flight.

Katherine immediately turned the handle of her broom down with her one un-gloved hand, dragging Regulus along by the grip he had on her remaining glove.

The flags on the turrets of the spectator towers peeked through the clouds.

Katherine's shoulder pulsed, hot and sharp; her arm out behind herself.

The goal hoops were the next to appear.

Her last glove left her person, and Regulus swore.

The Snitch darted left.

Katherine followed, extending her arm attached to her already sore shoulder as it was already up. The cool metal of the snitch against her palm shocked her.

"SPENCER'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH!"

Regulus still flew alongside her despite the ceasing of the game, undisguised shock pulling his mouth open.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS – 250 TO 130!"

Katherine didn't remember landing. The pats, slaps, and general grabbing of her person was the only thing that alerted her to the fact that she was no longer flying. At least up until James and Fabian passed her the hefty cup and hoisted her up onto their shoulders.

It was from her new vantage point that she saw Professor McGonagall primly battling through the barbarian-esque crowd to her team.

"The first cup win since my youngest brother graduated in seventy-two!" exclaimed McGonagall upon reaching the epicentre of the celebrations, "I couldn't have asked for a better replacement for his position!"

James and Fabian let Katherine down from their shoulders so that McGonagall could shake their hands. Their Head of House nodded curtly but proudly at Katherine before she wrenched her way back through the crowd.

"I still don't know…" trailed off Katherine as she watched the Witch's tight bun vanish into the crowd, "Why is McGonagall so…"

James craned his neck to speak to Katherine over the noise around them, "She had a nasty fall after a foul during the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match in fifty-five, which would decide the Quidditch Cup winner that left her with a concussion, several broken ribs, and a lifelong desire to see Slytherin crushed on the Quidditch pitch."

The red sea of robes and Gryffindor school merchandise parted. Black’s head of inky hair; still neatly windswept despite the match, bobbed nearer, his broom still in hand.

"Where did you jet off to?" asked Fabian.

"Just outside the arena," said Black, breathless.

He extended his hand, two vaguely familiar shreds of fabric clutched between his fingers.

"Er… sorry about your gloves, Spencer." apologised Black, bowing his head as his extended the remnants of her gloves in her direction.

Frowning at the useless shreds, Katherine accepted them.

Lily and the other girls had battled onto the pitch to congratulate Marlene, and Lily had been glancing over – as if she wanted to speak to Katherine, but thought better of it.

"Can't you mend them?" asked Mary from over her shoulder.

"They're imbued with magic, when they break – so do the protective charms on them," said James.

Lily's eyes lifted, and so did her eyebrows.

James cleared his throat, but continued, albeit in a more lacklustre fashion, "It keeps people buying new gloves, shops wouldn't make any money otherwise…if everyone could just buy one pair and keep mending them…"

Black’s eyes gleamed with mirth as he watched his friend, his eyebrows infuriatingly lifted.

"Many a broom gets lost the whomping willow. You're lucky they didn't blow there. That tree is a nasty piece of work," said Black, pushing up his left sleeve; revealing the angry, jagged pink scar Katherine had spied on various occasions, "It gave me this scar in second year when King dared me to fly around it once, unscathed, to get on the team,"

He smiled ruefully at his arm, pushing down his sleeve once more and blinking nonchalantly at Katherine –

"I tried out in third year to better success."

A breathy laugh left Katherine at the story as she thought there would have been a much grislier story behind the scar. The things that had happened out by the whomping willow…

Peter waved awkwardly from the other side of James.

At his side, was Remus; watching Katherine and Black, his pink nose just over his thick scarf. The last time Katherine had won, he’d been embracing and twirling her…

Black’s arm fell flush against Katherine’s as they watched their friends mingling with everyone but them. The heat of the day radiated off his dark hair and, up close, she could see he was a little burnt over the nose.

“Skive off the party with me?” he raised his eyebrows, grey eyes glittering like glass in the sun, “The pair of us will be regarded like a pair of interlopers with dragonpox if we show our faces, I dare say.”

Katherine gave a slight shake of her head, furrowing her eyebrows imploringly up at him, “What would we do?”

“Something better than butterbeer and shite music.”

Their destination that early evening, much to Katherine’s surprise, was to be the library.

After fetching their new parchment they’d bought from Scrivenshaft’s the day before, they settled into writing out their final copy of the assignment. They would be able to hand it in the very next day, even with a week left before it was due.

It was all very sensible of Black.

They had mused aloud about the shared introduction paragraph for a good twenty minutes, before Katherine transcribed it all down. Speedily, she was able to add her ready Paragraph One, then handed over the parchment to Black to add his two. She watched idly as he wrote, with nothing much else to do in the vacant, silent library.

To her great delight, Black was familiar with the oxford comma. Not to mention, he had the loveliest, legible cursive handwriting she had ever seen from a boy. Although, she was still yet accustomed to watching someone write with their left hand...

When he finished, he slid the parchment back to her, and then proceeded to lay across the seats – in the same fashion he had been when she found him at their first meeting as she started the conclusion.

She had carefully inked in all of three words when she felt a tug on her shoe –

“What are you doing?” she asked softly, glancing beneath the table.

Black didn’t falter, “Tying your shoelaces together.”

The odd delight of being touched, led Katherine to let him do whatever struck his fancy as she continued to write on. She could always fix them before they left if he wasn’t joking as she suspected.

He used the waxy end of her laces to poke her leg, and it took a while for her to realise that he was tracing her freckles. It was tickling, but she didn’t want to move, didn’t want to disturb him. It was more relaxing than she would ever let on.

It struck her then at that moment, as he toyed with the effects on her person… Sirius Black didn’t like being alone.

She felt guilty then. She must have been a poor substitute for James.

“Miss Spencer –”

THUD! Something hit the table from beneath, hard. Professor McGonagall paused, furrowing her eyebrows at the noisy desk.

Black gave a quiet, resigned groan as he sat up, rubbing the side of his head. When he laid eyes on McGonagall, he cleared his throat.

“I will admit, I wasn’t expecting to find anyone here given today’s earlier events, but I have something I need to discuss with you, as it happens,”

McGonagall’s eyes flashed to Black, then back to Katherine.

“After today’s match, it has become clear that you can be considered an accomplished flyer, Miss Spencer –”

Katherine was delighted at the praise, but felt something sinking inside of her – 

“Therefore, there will be no need for you to receive any further tutelage from Mister Potter on broomstick flying. I will inform him of this as well,” she said, confirming Katherine’s suspicions at the direction of the conversation, “It will be up to you if you wish to try out for the team again in your sixth year.”

Katherine would miss James…

“Thank you, Professor.” said Katherine.

“As curfew is not very far off, I would suggest that you two make your way back to Gryffindor Tower straight away.”

Katherine nodded, “Yes, Professor.”

McGonagall swept out of the library, the light dimming with her as she went.

Quickly, Katherine began packing up her quill, and paused at the book Black had pulled down to read earlier – and had since discarded. It was a tome on advanced Charms and, as it had flopped nearly closed, bar the front cover, she could see that there in the front, his name was already on the sign out sticker – the date being from two years ago.

It gave her pause.

Two years ago, she had been at St.Mary’s and he had been here.

“Do you think you’ll try out next year? For the team?” he asked, closing the cover of the book casually and placing it back on the shelf behind them.

She glanced down to her shoes. Black had not tied her shoelaces together at all, he’d just double knotted them. A favour, really, if anything.

“Er… no,” she said honestly, after a short moment of hesitation, “Although it’s fun… it’s not really my thing.”

His eyes slid to her, lips curving, “What is your thing, then?”

Katherine fell into step with him as they made for the exit of the library –  

SLAP – SLAP – SLAP – SLAP! Footsteps approached from down the hallway, heavy and fast. Katherine and Black could only watch, spellbound to the spot, as Gideon and Fabian Prewett sped past in varying states of undress – their ties wrapped around their heads.

“Which way?”

Gideon, paused, looking either way down the intersecting hallways, then pointed, “That way!”

They sped off, their aloud musings of which direction was correct fading with their footsteps.

“They’ll be doing the seventh-year traditions,” said Black, from beside her, with quiet amusement, “Every house has a bunch of dares and missions to complete, left by the previous graduating seventh years.”

Her amusement at the Head Boy not even being immune, gave way to a fatalist thought – that Katherine wouldn’t be able to do it as they were – Lily and her.

She and Black kept walking, until they slowed by an open balustrade where the night sky begged to be admired. The days were getting longer, and even just shy of eight o’clock, the sky was a deep purple, not black, and lit by enough stars that it must have been brighter than the light of even the fullest moon…

For a moment, Black glanced to her, and Katherine thought he might begin pointing out constellations. Instead, he pointed down to the forbidden forest –

“One night, we came across an acromantula colony out there by accident… just beyond that line of oak, in the middle of the pines…”

“Aren’t they dangerous?” asked Katherine, knowing only that they were incredibly large spiders.

He nodded, “Oh, yeah, terribly,”

Black turned to her, breaking into a smile, and a thoughtful expression.

“Moony scared them off though, and when I tell you that there was not so much as web in the castle for the next month…” he turned away again, shaking his head out at the night sky with a grin, “Peter had been screaming that they were dementors – and Dumbledore had sent them to take us to Azkaban for going into the forest when it’s against the rules… it was just a very large, very hairy, leg in the end…”

Katherine frowned, “What kind of magic scares away spiders?”

Black cleared his throat, and looked, for once, at a loss.

“Well, Remus wasn’t exactly himself at the time…”

Right, he was werewolf. Katherine had to keep reminding herself…

“At least Peter knows the right charm for a dementor now.” she said, moving past her forgetfulness.

Black nodded, then paused, and looked to her, “Have you managed a patronus yet?”

Katherine shook her head, “You?”

“It’s hit and miss,” he said, tilting his head, “It’s just a happy memory though, isn’t it –”

He glanced sideways at her, pulled out his wand, and then cast out into the sky in front of them –

“– and then… Expecto Patronum!”

Katherine gasped.

A silvery dog leapt forth from the tip of Sirius’ wand, bounding energetically around the night sky beyond the balustrade.

Katherine gripped Black’s arm, nearly knocked off her feet by the splendour of the magic. She knew Charms was his best subject, but…

It was something else.

Schooled awe retreated behind a thrilled grin as Black watched his own Patronus as it jumped and leapt like an over-excited puppy… it even did a circle around them, and felt like a warm, electric shock against Katherine’s cheek when it tried to lick her…

Katherine’s eyes followed the dog, never once losing its strength, “Giles says my memories aren’t strong enough to conjure one.”

Black turned to her, consideration plain on his face.

“Will you try something?”

Katherine hesitated, “Depends.”

“Your suspicion appeals to my very nature,” said Black, laughingly, before he nodded to her, sobering, “Close your eyes,”

Katherine’s eyebrows shot up.

“I’ll close mine too.” said Black in sing song voice, doing just that.

Katherine reluctantly followed his example, but couldn’t help muttering, “Fab – it’s the blind leading the bloody blind –”

Black just chuckled.

“What if we’re surprised attacked? Standing here with our bleeding eyes closed in the middle of the hallway… in the middle of the night…” said Katherine, opening an eye.

Black peeked through one of his own eyes, “It’s seven-thirty.”

“Well, I’ve got to get up in the morning.” said Katherine, opening both of her eyes this time.

Black too opened both eyes, “Unlike the rest of us that are planning to die in our sleep.” 

“Sirius –” she chastised, reaching out to swat at him.

He grabbed her hand dexterously, his eyes glimmering in the starlight –

“We’ve got class tomorrow.” she reminded him.

Black still held onto her hand, and said, blinking incitingly, “Yes, we’re partnering in potions – I’m rather looking forward to it.”

Katherine reached out with her other hand to smack her knuckles against his arm in playful reprimand.

Again, Black caught it. They stood; their arms criss-crossed.

Katherine’s mouth dropped open at his pure gall.

Black mocked her look playfully, his eyes far too amused.

Their grip on each other’s hands had pulled them in, almost front to front. It was then that Katherine got the chance to look at him up close for the first time. She sometimes wondered if he had used some sort of spell to make her feel at ease. At the very least, she was perplexed on all the warnings she had gotten on him.

Did people simply not know him?

“You will find –” another voice cut through the moment –

Remus stood behind them in his school robes, his wand in his hand – on Prefect patrols, Katherine realised –

“You’re likely to be late for your detention with Slughorn.” he finished, looking solely at Black.

Katherine and Black’s hands fell apart under Remus’ gaze, a hair sharper than usual.

“I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” said Black, turning to Katherine with a weak version of a smile before he stepped away.

Black’s shoulder ever so slightly clipped Remus’ as he walked off. As his footsteps slowly faded, Katherine was left standing there with Remus, in silence, wondering when he had started feeling like a stranger.

“I would say you’ve missed the celebration,” he said, his eyes on Katherine’s shoes.

All week she had wished for his attention – to have him speak her – and when she finally had both of those things, she couldn’t find her words.

Remus straightened his cuffs, and then said, rather unexpectedly –

“He can be very nice, can’t he?”

Katherine was befuddled, “I…”

“It could always be you, though,” he looked up, and met her eyes properly for the first time all week. A grim sincerity pulled his features into an almost emotionless expression, and he went on, “When he loses his temper and does something reckless – it could always be you that he puts in peril.”

Katherine didn’t want to talk about Black.

She stepped forward, with the only word that came to mind, “Remus…”

The glimmer of kindness was still in his eyes, though it felt far, far away…

“It’s close to curfew, you should go.” he said, turning his eyes to the wall across the hall, away from her.

“Remus –”

His jaw pulsed as he swallowed, stepping back and turning away as he spoke, “I’ve checked the east side. If you take the back way to the Tower, you shouldn’t run into any trouble.”

Katherine could only watch as he walked away down the hallway that was fragmented with squares of starlight streaming through the balustrades, open to the night.

THUD! A long creak, a giggle, and two figures spilled out of the broom closet, right to the left of Remus.

“Shhhhh! – oh…”

Remus paused, but then ignored it, hastening on again.

“Go!... go!” said one enthusiastically, breathy with happiness.

The light hit the owner of the more feminine voice, and Katherine recognised her as Jeanie; one of the seventh year Gryffindor girls she had met on the ice skating rink down in Hogsmeade.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” said the boy with her, parting and turning to leave.

Halfway down the hallway, he turned back to kiss her again, before running off the other way – down towards the dungeons.

Jeanie walked closer, stopped upon recognising Katherine, and then approached with a smile.

She lifted a hand to her head, and said, laughingly, “Ouch.”

“Er…” Katherine nodded to the scarf – the Slytherin scarf; rather out of place.

Jeanie noticed, holding it out to observe, “Oh, bugger…”

“Offering your commiserations to the losing side?” asked Katherine, lightly.

“Something like that,” said Jeanie, laughing. She nodded to Katherine, “I take you're going back to the tower?”

Katherine nodded, and both of them fell into step. Taking Remus’ advice, Katherine led Jeanie towards the east stairwell, and they found no one on their path.

“You and your boy on the rocks?” asked Jeanie, after a quiet moment.

Katherine nodded, sighing, “For some time now, already.”

“He seemed really sweet that time when we were all ice skating – like one of the good ones,” said Jeanie, as the plodded down to the landing to the fat lady’s portrait, “But he’s got to be a real bastard to do it to you right before O.W.L’s.”

Katherine hesitated outside of the portrait, conceding, “It’s not his fault – not really...”

Jeanie pulled open the portrait after whispering the password and paused with one leg through.

“Oh, I’ve been there…” she said, with a significant, pointed look.

As they walked through the tunnel, Jeanie held up a hand.

“Hang on a mo’ –”

The seventh year quickly ran up the dormitory stairs, only to come back, barely a moment later, with a vinyl cover clutched to her chest.

“You’ll be needing this, love,” she said, extending it to Katherine, “Side two, track four.”

Katherine observed the aptly blue cover, as it was marked as Blue by Joni Mitchell, “Thank you… I…”

“I think it’s served its purpose in my life,” said Jeanie, with a distant smile. She tapped it, “Let it see you through the next two years. I think you’ll find there’s a spot or two left as well for you to write a name – or two – yourself.”

Katherine gave a smile, and bowed her head, “Thank you, Jeanie.”

Katherine went up to the dormitory, and found the girls taking turns in the bathroom, scrubbing cheeks that had been painted for the game.

She went to her bed and sat by the lamp on her nightstand to get a good look at the graffitied cover. In all different colours of ink, there were the names of boys – from all year levels. A lot of them, Katherine didn’t recognise. She assumed they must have already graduated. It seemed to be a list of boys that had broken the girls’ hearts, with all sorts of drawings, some of cartoonish cracked hearts, and others more phallic and comical.

‘Fabian Prewett’ was written on there, predictably. Humorously, there had been a ‘x2’ written beside it, then scrubbed out to add ‘x3’, ‘x4’, ‘x5’…

Katherine nearly laughed, thinking back to the story Gideon had told her about his brother. What a cad, thought Katherine fondly. It didn’t mar her own opinion of the Quidditch captain, it was an occupational hazard of being a teenager to straddle the line between the heartbroken, and the heartbreaker.

Katherine made a mental note of the track Jeanie had instructed her to listen to. Katherine ran her hand over it, ‘A Case of You’. She knew she couldn’t listen to it just yet. Not with how things were with she and Lily, and the record player in the room belonging to the girl. It wouldn’t be right. She would have to the wait for the summer and find a way…

Katherine carefully put it on her desk, and then took to finishing the essay she and Black had been working on in the library.

As her eyes flitted down his writing, to the conclusion she had started, Remus’ words – his warning – came back to her…

The handwriting felt like a piece of Black, and oddly personal of a thing to be holding in her dormitory. She ran her fingertips over the evidence of his hand. If it was a reflection of him, it did not feel dangerous, as so many people insisted he was.

 

---

 

Katherine rushed to Transfiguration the next morning, with her and Black’s finished essay tucked safely into her robe pocket. As she slowed by the door, she began combing through the heads of hair of her fellow fifth years as they streamed in the doors –

“… still not great…”

Katherine found herself stuck behind a head of fluffy sandy hair, and messy jet-black. James and Remus had yet to notice her, and were murmuring about something.

She bobbed on her toes to peer over their shoulders, and spotted it – a head of windswept black, glinting in the light –

“Yeah, he would be chipper. Everything has come up roses for him, as usual,” said Remus, to James, in answer of a question Katherine had missed, “The one thing I might have over him has fallen neatly into his lap, hasn’t it?”

Katherine cleared her throat as she went to go around them once they got through the doorway.

They both glanced, Remus doing a double take, lips slightly parted.

Katherine bowed her head and sped walked to the back row on the left – to slip into the seat next to Black – pulling out the rolled-up essay and holding it aloft.

“Oh, spiffing!” Black’s eyes landed on it then lifted to hers, and he gave a smile, “We’ll wait for class to start, when everyone else is busy, and then we’ll take it up to McGonagall.”

Katherine nodded, and sat patiently despite feeling lit up inside, vein by vein. She nearly bounced in her seat.

As Professor McGonagall predictably started the lesson, and then allowed everyone to slit up around the classroom and work on their essay’s, Katherine and Black both unanimously stood, and made their way to the front of the room.

Lily was frowning at her parchment at the frontmost desk by McGonagall’s, “Remus, you’ve forgotten the comma before the ‘and’.”

“Oh, right, sorry.” said Remus, sounding a little lack lustre.

His eyes lifted, and landed on Katherine and Black as they waited by the corner of Mcgonagall’s desk –

“I’d like to write it all out before we hand it in, so it’s all cohesive and neat.” Lily went on, huffing as she analysed Remus’ contributions.

Katherine had not thought of that. Alas, it was too late, McGonagall had looked up from her own work of marking other classes homework and noticed them.

“We would like to hand in our essay, Professor.” said Katherine, extending the parchment.

Professor McGonagall peered up, her spectacles low on her nose, as she accepted it and began unrolling it, “Thank you, Miss Spencer – Mister Black.”

Alice sat up higher from where she and Frank were paired at the desk behind Lily and Remus, gobsmacked, “But… you spent the whole afternoon on Saturday in the three broomsticks with us – how…”

“Hey – Katherine – come help us!” said Mary, waving Katherine over with a grin to where she and Marlene sat.

As Katherine took a seat from an empty desk, and dragged it closer to Marlene and Mary’s she saw Lily watching them from the front of the room. Katherine recognised the look, the yearning.

“I don’t know much about switching spells…” said Katherine, hesitantly, as she eyed all their bits of research parchment and open books spread over the desk.

Marlene shrugged, “It’s alright, we mainly need help structuring the essay – it just all seems important, you know?”

Katherine nodded, and began looking through their notes, too learning about the ins and outs of the piece of transfiguration magic.

The quiet was only broken when the empty chair beside Katherine was spun around, and Black sat backwards on it as he eyed where James sat with Peter across the room.

Mary and Marlene’s quiet conversation stopped in its tracks as they eyed the new addition to their table.

Black tilted his head to Katherine, his eyes dancing, “Do you think perhaps James might like to whip me naked through the streets of Aberdeen for my penance?”

“Oh, I don’t think we need to go that far,” said Katherine, frowning as she tried, and failed, to keep down a smile. She turned to Black, and said, lightly, “Aylesbury’s quite far enough.”

Black laughed quietly, his chest quaking as his tongue traced his teeth behind his closed lips –

“Ahem.” Marlene had cleared her throat, and nodded back down at the parchment to refocus Katherine.

“Oh, right,” said Black, sitting a little straighter as he eyed their parchment, “Switching spells, is it?”

While Black was distracted as he went on to offer his own input, he missed the identical looks of baffled astonishment from Mary and Marlene.

When he looked up, they schooled it away, nodding and taking down a few notes on their parchment –

“– I mean, that’s just what I know about it, however.” he tacked on, shrugging.

Marlene shook her head, “No, no – thanks for that Black.”

“Yes, thank you!” said Mary, rushed.

Katherine thought Black looked slightly sheepish as the girls redirected their attention to their parchments.

“Oi – Black – come here!” came Frank’s voice, and a waving arm, from across the aisle.

Black pushed himself up on the back of the chair. He turned to glance back at her over his shoulder as he went, tucking his hands into his pockets.

As she watched him go, Katherine came to terms with the realisation that, as of that morning, the essay was done.

They had no reason to talk anymore. Not really.

It could all go back to the way it was.

“He's nicer than I thought he would be…” said Mary.

Marlene blinked, looking up at a poster on the wall behind Katherine’s head, thoughtful, “I don’t think he’s ever spoken to me before.”

“Mesmerised?” asked Katherine playfully, feeling her eyebrows lift.

Marlene made a face, “He can’t hold a candle to Gary.”

Katherine gave a strangled sort of laugh, not wanting to appear to their professor as enjoying herself too much. Instead, she chanced a glance over to the desks Frank and Alice had claimed to work on their essay, where the subject of their conversation had retreated to.

Black was already looking.

She had been acutely aware that something had been beginning as they carried on in their own little way; threading loneliness into loneliness…

The distinct feeling of something being unfinished rose up between them as he distractedly carried on a conversation with Frank.

“For those of you with potions next –”

All the Gryffindors looked up at Professor’s McGonagall’s words –

“There has been an incident this morning in your usual classroom that is still being cleaned up as we speak. You will need to meet Professor Slughorn down the on the second level of the dungeons in the alternate brewing lab.”

When the bell rang, Katherine was one of the first out of the classroom with Mary and Marlene. It became a problem when they started descending the dungeons, as Katherine had no idea where she was going.

Katherine hesitated at two intersecting hallways, “Was it that way…”

An arm slipped around her shoulders, tugging her back the other way –

“This way.” Black’s hair tickled her cheek as he steered her the correct way, with a good-natured look of patience down at her.

Katherine found her feet as she was tucked into his unexpectedly muscled side after a stumbling moment of re-orienting herself. When they passed through the doorway to the alternate brewing lab, Slughorn was waiting –

“Hurry in – hurry in!” their professor ushered the fifth years, “The method is on the board for your final potion that you will make this year!”

Katherine stopped by a bench in the front of the room, orienting herself to the new space. It was then she saw Remus and James weave past her chosen bench. The former was locked in a tense exchange of looks with Black, who had slowed to a stop beside Katherine.

Mary and Marlene bustled up to the opposite side of their bench, to share it. They both spared one another a look before they, for a few seconds, eyed Black like he was a new species, and then looked back to the method written up on the blackboard.

"Now, that should be enough time studying the method," Slughorn punctuated his words with the clasping together of his hands as he looked out over the classroom. "You are to make the Invigoration Draught in the pairs you are sitting in – you have one hour."

Tendrils of smoke shot from the tip of Slughorn's wand and formed a countdown above his head.

The crowd of robes at the ingredient cupboard was instant, and Katherine eyed it apprehensively.

"I'll get the ingredients." said Black, without hesitation, already stepping away.

Using her wand to set the temperature of the flame beneath her cauldron, Katherine glanced around at her classmates.

It was as she happened across a yawning Remus wiping his sleep-crusted eyes with the inside of his thumb that she spied the curious sight of Snape tying his shoelaces by the bench; looking around.

“Got in first.”

Katherine's eyes snapped back to her own bench – to a returned Black – like elastic bands.

"Oh, excellent," said Katherine, feeling her eyes stray back to the suspicious Slytherin.

The returning students from the cupboard crowded the spaces between benches, and Katherine's view was compromised.

"The moondew goes in first…" said Katherine, mainly to herself, as she returned her attention to the potion.

"Then the billy wig…" said Black, picking up a knife and the brown sprigs to prepare them to the recipe's specifications of slices.

Steam rose from the warm cauldron at the addition of the moondew, and through it, Katherine saw Snape only just returning to the bench he shared with Lily; without ingredients, and with a fistful of loose parchment.

"What is it?" asked Black, as he glanced up at her between slices of the billy wig sprigs.

Katherine blinked back at Black, "What's what?"

Black pushed the billy wig sprigs deftly to the side of the cutting board with the blade of the knife. His eyes lifted, his face still turned down, and there was a glint of silver – this time not from his eyes, but from the knife he flourished in the general direction of her face.

"You're thinking hard about something." said Black, putting down the knife.

"Snape is up to something." said Katherine, turning back to watch the Slytherin surreptitiously.

Black cleared his throat, and Katherine felt him wipe his hands on her apron.

Startled, she turned and realised that he had done so as an excuse to disguise from prying eyes as he whispered, "I'll cause a distraction."

Stuffing his hands in his pockets – a hand ghosting over the pile of asphodel on its way into his robes – Black hummed an unrecognisable tune as he feigned a trip to the ingredient cupboard.

Feeling a pang of thrill at being complicit in an act of subterfuge, Katherine slowly made her way to where Snape and Lily were starting their potion. Glancing constantly at where Black travelled parallel to her on the other side of the benches, she timed herself to not draw attention to herself until he'd made his distraction.

It was as he feigned a slip on a puddle of dropped moon dew and needlessly grabbed onto the back of Goyle to hide his throwing of asphodel into the boy's potion that Katherine moved quickly.

The loose bits of parchment stuck out of Snape's book that was conspicuously closed – out just enough to read. For Snape and Katherine.

Katherine knew immediately that it wasn't his handwriting upon the parchment, having not forgotten the cramped, spidery script of the curse that nearly had her bleed out in Hogsmeade.

The writing was familiar still. But Katherine's mind scattered in a million directions – to the plays she went over for Quidditch at practices, to the noticeboard in the Gryffindor common room, and to sitting in the back of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

A realisation ricocheted through Katherine's brain with the same force as the succession of explosions of Goyle's potion.

James was brilliant at potions. His father was a Potioneer – the greatest of the current generation, and the last; the inventor of staples like sleek-ezy and the descendant of Linfred of Stinchcomb who created skele-gro.

And Snape had been leering over James' notes with his wand out – not tying his shoelaces; completing the motion of the doubling charm that Lily sang his praises for mastering. Of course, he had mastered it, mused Katherine – he'd been masquerading with James' knowledge the entire time.

Katherine recovered from her shock, and slunk back to the bench where the Invigoration Draught was turning from gold to a snot colour. Closing her hand around the pile of Alihotsy leaves, Katherine sprinkled them into the potion and stirred clockwise three times.

Ladle down and breath bated, Katherine watched the potion bubble and shimmer. It pulsed, wavered, gleamed, but it didn't turn the particular and required shade of emerald green.

A shoulder fell against hers.

With a glance to her left she found Black back from the other side of the room, a gentle nudge from his elbow, and a smile of comradery.

Together Katherine and Black stood in the soft silence of their joint deed. It was only broken by their mutual reaching for the discarded ladle and his murmur of –

"Maybe an anti-clockwise stir…"

Katherine started in on three of them, and, when she was finished, the potion creamed over to a brilliant emerald.

"What a potion!"

Slughorn closed in, sniffing the cauldron. He laughed merrily, before clapping his hands down on a shoulder each of Black and Katherine, pushing them together before bussing off to check on their neighbour's potion.

Looking up, Katherine found all of the Gryffindors' eyes in the room on them.

Black sook his head with a grin, his hand hovering over the brown paper packet of billy wig, "I'll put the ingredients away if you clean the cauldron?"

Katherine cleaned the cauldron with a quick Scourgify and had packed her bag by the time the bell rang. She hesitated before leaving, Black not having returned yet.

In her hesitance, she became privy to results of James and Snape leaving the room within a metre of one another.

"Maybe you're the bad influence, Potter," said Snape, his grin juxtaposing his scathing tone, "One potions lesson without you and Black's top of the class."

"I think you know that's not true," said Katherine, stepping forward into the light, "Otherwise, why would you have been stealing James' notes all term?"

Snape whirled around, his limp curtain of hair parting from the sudden movement.

"I'm only new, though," said Katherine, feeling something bloom and roll around her chest – something strengthening, "Maybe you've been stealing them since first year..."

"What?" said Snape, clutching his bag's strap across his chest tighter, "Why would I steal that dunderhead's notes?"

The sun suddenly no longer shone on Katherine's shoulder.

"What did you just call me?"

James squinted at Snape from beside Katherine, pushing his glasses up his nose in a none-too-gentle manner.

The SLAP of James' textbook against the workbench behind them made Katherine's eyes slam shut instinctively. When she opened them again, Remus was extending an arm out between James and Snape.

Black stalked in from the side, his wand slipping deftly into his hand from up his sleeve.

Remus looked as if he were a rag doll with two invisible parties pulling on his arms, trying to keep a permanent block between his friends and their sworn enemy.

"James – Sirius –"

Katherine thought she had a better way to diffuse the situation, and slipped under Remus' arms – not being of his concern – and snatched the loose parchments stuffed into Snape's worn textbook.

"Then what are these?" asked Katherine, holding them aloft.

James' lips quirked.

Black crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows smugly at Snape, his wand still peeking out of his left hand where it was folded beneath his right elbow.

Snape glared and made towards Katherine, hand outstretched.

No sooner than Katherine turned to look at her won handful of parchments, were they snatched from her.

"Severus…" said Lily slowly, her eyes roaming the parchments and then lifting, "That's Potter's handwriting."

James’ smile faltered, "You recognise my handwriting, Evans?"

Snape had stepped forwards, his large nose poking further out of his hair than Katherine had ever seen it.

"Lily, please," said Snape, all but falling to his knees, "You were always so good at Potions, I just wanted to have something in common with you."

James rolled his eyes.

"We have plenty in common." said Lily, shaking her head and squinting.

Snape gulped, "Not since we started Hogwarts."

Lily visibly bristled.

"You're my oldest friend," said Lily, throwing down the parchments, "I'm not just going to cast you away."

Snape's eyes were comically wide – pleading, "I had to be sure."

"By stealing!?" Lily crossed her arms, scowling, "All this time… I thought that you were brilliant at Potions,"

Lily's scowl eased as she turned, an expression of awe and reticence replacing it.

"But it was him." said Lily, almost at a whisper.

James shuffled his feet beneath the gaze he often monologued about to Black, clearing his throat.

Snape swore beneath his breath, glared at the struck expression on Lily's freckled face being directed at James, and went to stalk from the room.

James watched the retreating Slytherin with a calm sort of apathy, “Kinda wish I didn’t save him now.”

A beat passed, and the boys just stood together.

“I shouldn’t have put Moony in that position in the first place.” said Black, glancing at James.

Another beat passed, and James gave a curt nod.

"I was sorry to hear about your Uncle Alphard, mate…" said James, with a rough hand on Black’s shoulder, "My condolences."

Black opened his mouth as if to speak, but shut it again, and gulped. There was flash in his eyes – of, surprisingly, fear.

James' arm hooked around Black's neck. Their fronts slapped together, and James' other arm encircled Black’s back; patting it.

Black’s hands were white where they clung to the back of James' robes.

The girls closed in, looking between Katherine and Lily where they stood, side by side.

Lily had a very vacant expression, “How did I never notice…”

“He’s your friend,” said Katherine, conceding, “I think most of us like to believe the best of our friends.”

A beat of silence passed.

“You’re my friend.” said Lily.

Katherine felt her lips tugging up, “I am.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t been a better one,” said Lily, frowning. She turned to Katherine with the most humbled of faces, “It was really stupid to bust up over that, wasn’t it?”

“Especially considering the special breed of twat Snape –” Marlene cut herself off, looking between Katherine and Lily. She gave a considering look, and asked, “Too soon?”

For the first time in over two weeks, all the girls laughed together.

 

---

 

At lunch, Lily quickly swiped some sandwiches up in napkins, hooked an arm through Katherine’s, and pulled her out to the sunny courtyard.

“With Lupin, was it…” Lily hesitated, and then whispered, “…was it scary?”

Lily had figured out Lupin’s secret – long before Snape had begun trying to feed her his own theories, Katherine discovered.

Katherine slowly shook her head, “He was still just screaming… I didn’t actually see him…”

Katherine peeled back her bread, rearranging the tomatoes to fit more neatly, to distract herself from the grim memory.

“I saw him in the hospital wing, the next morning. Lily, he…” Katherine’s throat seized up on her, and she had to whisper her admission, “He wouldn’t even look at me…”

Lily placed a hand over hers, “Oh, Katherine…”

“I told him I didn’t care – I didn’t – I don’t!” vented Katherine, sighing after the release of the words off her chest.

Lily nodded, “Of course, you wouldn’t. It doesn’t bother me either – because, well, it’s –”

“Remus.” they said together at once.

“I used to think the wizarding world was so much more accommodating than ours, but I’ve seen how they treat people like him…” Lily shook her head, then looked up at the sky, sighing, “It really sucks that he couldn’t trust you to react well. Monumentally sucks…”

Katherine sighed her agreement, “Monumentally sucks.”

A shared smile, and a beat of quiet passed between them, full of understanding and appreciation of the other’s company.

“So, what’s with that record on your trunk?” asked Lily, fixing her skirt where it crumpled up beneath her thigh.

Katherine gave a short smile of amusement, “Jeanie gave it to me to initiate me into the sisterhood of jilted Hogwarts sweethearts.”

“What are we waiting for?” asked Lily, sliding down off the fallen stone column, with a rousing gusto, “Come on, let’s go give it a play.”

Hand in hand, they ran up to Gryffindor Tower, laughing with all the jolly feelings of being reunited after such a long time.

When they got into the dormitory, Lily eyed the graffitied cover, initially amused, “I think my mum has this one.”

She placed it onto her little portable player. There was a long fizz, and then the jaunty little pluck of a guitar, climbing up, and then back down again.

Katherine fell against the corner post of her bed, leaning on it as she listened. Immediately, she was gripped.

 

Just before our love got lost you said
"I am as constant as a northern star"…

 

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 33: Snape's Worst Memory

Katherine woke the next day feeling brand new. She leapt from bed, feeling better rested that she ever had before. It was amazing, the weight of emotions – and how they could drain a person. The sense of organised chaos that usually ruled the dormitory had returned as the girls flitted around in underpants, bras, and head towel turbans.

It was the last full day of classes before the exam block would begin.

For the first time in a long time, Katherine was eager to start the day. She happily brushed her hair in the bathroom, going as far to twist up the sides and pin them. She even felt… pretty. An ode to just how joyous her mood was, was the urge to hum along to a newly familiar tune –

“You’re in my blood, you’re my holy wine –” as Katherine attempted Joni Mitchell’s piercing high note, it was echoed on the other side of the door –

The girls had found the song rather catchy too, when they had come back to find Katherine and Lily playing it the previous night. It had been a rollercoaster of a song.

Spritzing her perfume, she quickly ducked out of the bathroom, laughing at herself, and the others, when she found Lily in the mirror, humming as she fastened her tie, “I could drink a case of you…darling… and I would… still be on my feet…”

Lily linked her arm through Katherine’s on the walk to breakfast, and the girls chatted excitedly about the prospect of catching up over summer. All things going well, they were planning to meet in Diagon Alley in the summer to the do their school shopping together.

“Here they come…” said Alice, nodding down the Gryffindor table to the opening double doors of the Great Hall.

James and Black’s laughter boomed out ahead of them as they spear headed the group of fifth year boys as they strode down the length of the table. James sat, beaming, beside Lily – with a hopeful expression.

Lily pointedly eyed him, before turning back to her breakfast.

To Katherine’s great delight, with the entire Gryffindor table available, Black still sat beside her.

“I hope you have your thinking cap on, you’re helping me this morning…” said Black lightly, as he unfolded a copy of the Daily Prophet, found his crossword, and pulled his quick dry ink out of his school bag, “Now, a four-letter word for…”

Remus sat down across the table, on the other side of James. He and Black had yet to look at each other. Katherine was unsure if Remus would ever forgive Black – never fully, anyway…

To all the world however, things seemed every bit back to normal on that day. Katherine and Lily sat by one another in every class, as if nothing had happened.

James and Black were never seen parted either. Katherine briefly wondered if they even went to the loo with one another…

Things only went slightly off course on the walk to Care of Magical Creatures that afternoon, Katherine listening as Lily relayed her prefect duties in helping supervise the younger years exams –

“So, I’ve got to miss class to go see Professor McGonagall –”

Katherine frowned as they walked out of lunch in the Great Hall, “You won’t be in class?”

“No,” said Lily, shaking her head. She bumped shoulders with Katherine, with a smile, “You’ll be right with Debbie and Sue though, won’t you?”

Katherine quickly nodded, blinking, “Yeah, of course.”

Lily split with Katherine, heading for the grand staircase, while Katherine began her trek down the lawns. The grass was over her ankles, and gave a loud swish with her step she dragged through it. She was unaccustomed to dry grass, especially in the highlands. Lily’s parents had written her to say it hadn’t rained where they lived either – for nearly ten weeks…

Katherine slowed by the meeting spot at the edge of the forest, by Debbie and Sue, “Hi.”

“Hi, Spencer.” they chorused, looking away from the pens of fire crabs.

“No, Evans?” asked Sue, looking around.

Katherine shook her head, “She’s seeing Professor McGonagall about her prefect duties with the younger students’ exams.”

Sue nodded, too a prefect, and turned back to the pens.

Debbie glanced up then, a conspiratorial light to her eye, “We knew not to believe the rumour, by the way.”

She was going to have to be much more specific, mused Katherine. She could name three of four rumours that involved her floating around the school.

“Which one?” asked Katherine, fighting the rising corners of her lips.

Debbie turned to her, eyes wide with enthrallment as she repeated the tale, “That you and Evans weren’t talking to each other because you both fancied Lupin – and were fighting over him.”

“Everyone heard about you two going to Puddifoot’s together.” said Sue, just as enthralled as her friend.

Katherine briefly wondered if the reason for that had been Sue herself. She had seen the girl there that day in the tea shop.

The two best friends went on to tag team the explanation –

“Then he starts ignoring you and sitting with Evans –”

“But you and Evans are fine now – so it was clearly wrong –”

“And you and Lupin just busted up the way everyone else does.” tacked on Sue, nodding in understanding as if it were a sensical conclusion.

There were serious doubts on her part that she ‘busted up’ the same way as the others. Katherine wryly wondered if there were a lot of werewolves kicking around Hogwarts…

“I hope you’re not too downtrodden by it,” said Debbie, patting Katherine’s hand, “I mean, Lupin is nice…”

“You’re prettier than that though,” said Sue, her face pulled into the perfect picture of consoling, like her friend, “You can do better.”

Katherine blinked, not bothering to hide a smile as she nodded, turning to look at the smoke drifting up out of one of the fire crabs, “Oh, that rumour.”

Sue and Debbie giggled, sharing a look.

“Oh, yes. As if the one about you and Black is true – you’d have to be completely balmy to believe that one –”

Debbie broke off – and Katherine remembered at that moment that the girl had been the one to fancy Black out of the two – turning to Katherine with a questionably sincere look of apology –

“No offence, Spencer.”

Katherine blinked slowly and gave an unaffected swat of the air to reassure them that ‘none was taken’.

Ahead of them, the lesson was beginning, after all, “We’re working in pairs today –”

“Splendid afternoon, isn’t it?” came the low luxurious drawl of Sirius Black.

Katherine turned as the boy stepped up beside her, his eyes sliding to her and then back to the pens they were to be tackling in the lesson.

“Oh, yes, there’s nothing quite like the smell of burnt manure on a Thursday.” said Katherine, dreading the task.

Black snorted, and they both stared ahead to listen as their professor talked the class through the practise run he was giving them at their O.W.L practical for the subject.

Debbie and Sue, however, had gone completely quiet on the other side of Katherine.

The bitter irony of the afternoon, led to Katherine laughing more than one ought to as they dodged flames, squishing the excrement of magical creatures beneath their shoes as they desperately tried to sweep it away. Jets of water were flying wildly around the lower part of the lawns, as well as squeals and yells.

Black rushed out behind her when they cleared the dung, slashing his wand at the back of his robes, “Aguamenti!”

A jet of water spouted from his wand, putting out the ember that had caught him on the way out.

“Now, we just have to get the feed…” said Katherine, careful to use her elbow, and not her hands, to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

To pass, they would have to clean out the enclosures, without getting burnt, and then lay out the correct feed.

She eyed the forest with trepidation, needing to go out to the shed with had the shelves of feed.

“Come on,” said Black, without hesitation, beginning to walk in.

Katherine hesitated for another brief moment, before following him in.

He stepped over a root, glancing back and seeming to note her unease. He gave a smile, “You’ve never had a good romp in the forest?”

“Not as many as you, I’d wager.” said Katherine, reaching out to steady herself on his shoulder as she clambered over a fallen trunk.

“Here’s the thing about a haunted forest –” said Black, helping steady her on the other side of the trunk, eyes gleaming as he leant into whisper, “– it’s not going to haunt itself.”

Behind them, Cal Roberts and his partner were closing in, also journeying to the feed shed. They caught up when Katherine and Black reached a little stream, parting the forest. Usually, it was barely running. For some reason, despite the lack of rain, it was flowing particularly fast on that day.

Across it, was a fallen tree. Seemingly left there for the very case of the stream flowing too fast to cross on foot.

It was the only way across.

Black stepped up onto it easily and began balancing out across it. He stopped, turning back, and bent his knees as he bounced.

“Black.” said Katherine, feeling her eyes widen.

Black gave an apologetic smile, holding out his hands in a beckoning motion.

“It’s okay,” he said, laughing lightly, “I’ve got to make sure it can take both of us.”

Knowing that one of the Professors had likely charmed it anyway, Katherine battled down any nerves as she stepped up, and began balancing out to Black where he waited in the middle.

All four students got across without incident, and, on the way back, Katherine went first.

Black was right behind her, the bag of feed slung over his shoulder.

Katherine got midway when she wobbled.

“What are the odds…” came a voice, amused, from back on the bank.

The other two boys waited back on the feed shed side of the stream, not wanting to risk the movement of the log with all four of them on there at the same time.

Cal Roberts gave a chuckle, “Eighty percent – she falls and he doesn’t catch her, killing her instantly as she hits the ground…”

Black, however, steadied her immediately with a hand on the left side of her waist.

“Thanks.” said Katherine, as his hand dropped away again.

Together they made their way across safely and began trekking back through the forest to the edge of the lawns.

The two boys behind them looked rather disappointed as they had come across the log behind them, whispering about an exchange of sickles to take place later that day.

“Do you hear that?” asked Black, pausing and looking up at the canopy of trees.

Katherine halted, nervous, “What?”

“The birds,” he said, looking back down at her. He gave a short smile, “They can only be heard like that when there are no predators around.”

Katherine paused a moment with him, and just listened. For that moment, at least – the forest was safe.

They kept on back to the pens after the boys passed them, a halo of serenity around them from the moment of recognition at the nature above their very heads.

Once they had laid out the feed, also while endeavouring to not get burnt, they were free to laze up further on the lawns, enjoying the sun until the bell rang.

Katherine flopped on her back, feeling sweaty and smelly, peering down the lawns as James used ‘Aqua Erecto’, blasting Peter clear off his feet as he attempted to put the other boy’s alight robes out.

With a laughing sigh, Black sat beside her, easing down onto his elbow on his side rather than his back. He too watched his friends, amused.

Katherine ignored the looks Debbie and Sue were throwing up the lawns, their hair sticking to their faces, soaked.

“What’s up with those girls?” asked Black, giving the slightest increment of a nod in their direction, turning to Katherine as he squinted under the bright sun.

“It’s you,” laughed out Katherine lightly, turning pointed eyes on him, then looking back to the sky.

Black frowned, utterly perplexed, looking back down the lawns at the girls, “Me?”

Katherine went on to explain the conversation that the girls had been having before he showed up earlier in the class.

“I’m riveted.” said Black, as he had rolled onto his elbows to look down at her as he listened, raising his eyebrows as the ludicrous rumour about Katherine, Lily, and Remus.

Black was laughing by the end of it, then sighed.

“And it didn’t even get around that we were seen in no less than three establishments in Hogsmeade together. A shame, really.”

“Which one do you hope it was? That fancied you?” asked Katherine, nodding back down the lawns, but not looking.

Black cast his eyes over the girls from their distance, face inscrutable, “Neither. I was more impressed by the contents of my handkerchief the last time I blew my nose.”

“Oh, gosh, they’d die...” grinned Katherine, laughing up at the sky, frowning in sympathy.

Black looked back to Katherine, laughing, his eyes light.

He nodded to her, wetting his lips, “You don’t seem to be succumbing to my machismo, Spencer. I’ll have you know I was born a charming man, with a silver tongue, pearl teeth…”

“You’ve got me,” said Katherine, deadpan, “Back in the dormitory, we’ve got little piccies of you hanging up, and I go all girlish and giggly when I look at them.”

“My fourth-year school photograph was a favourite of my mothers for a reason,” said Black, nodding in mock approval. He tapped her shoe with his, “Curious, really, as you gave the impression that you fancied Moony.”

Katherine felt the fatigue of the earth creeping up through her back, something ancient and melancholy, “Will he ever stop ignoring me?”

“Well, as my father always says, freshly cut flowers rarely go unappreciated,” said Black casually, with a deep breath.

Katherine laughed so hard, snorting by mistake as she laid on her back, that she choked – painfully – instead.

“Sorry,” said Black, laughing, holding out a hand to pull her to sit upright.

Katherine, once sat up, took in a few breaths, her laughter waning.

Black turned away, squinting down the lawns to the glistening surface of the Lake, “It’s not you, though.”

Katherine fell back onto the grass, a breath beat out of her in the motion, her arms falling above her head.

“I don’t know. These past weeks, with Lily not talking to me… and then Remus… I couldn’t help but think…” she began to feel her throat tightening as she thought back to Snape’s words in Honeydukes.

Black’s eyes were so warm and intense on Katherine, that she was sure he could read all of her thoughts.

He inclined his head, and said softly, encouragingly, “Go on…”

Katherine couldn’t look at him while she said it. She turned her eyes to the sky and tried to gather her words.

“Well… maybe they were onto something – maybe there’s something going wrong inside of me – after everything…” she turned to him, sighing, “I’m just so angry, all the time… and…”

Black’s face had slipped into something unreadable as he eyed her, listening.

“I don’t know.” said Katherine, uselessly, as she looked back to the sky again.

Black rolled onto his back, and they looked up at the sky in tandem.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you,” said Black, glancing to her, “If it counts for anything,”

He lifted an arm and his hand fell into the grass above his head, his fingers haphazardly brushing over hers. He looked up to the blue sky, his expression faint as he went on.

“If there’s something wrong with you, then it’s the same thing that’s wrong with me too.”

 

---

 

Soon enough, it came time for the fifth year’s first exam. The afternoon on the lawn with Black was the last time Katherine had truly relaxed in the lead up. Every day after, she had spent most of her time in the library or dormitory, feeling as if her eyes were going square from staring at textbooks, and her notes.

In the Great Hall, all four house tables were gone. Instead replaced with more than a hundred smaller tables, all facing the same way, at each of which sat a student, head bent low, scribbling on parchment. The only sound was the scratching of quills and the occasional rustle as somebody adjusted their parchment.

Sunshine was streaming in through the high windows on the bent heads of students, which shone chestnut, copper, and gold in the bright light.

"Five more minutes!"

The voice made Katherine jump slightly in her chair, raising her eyes briefly to find Professor Flitwick's head moving between desks a short distance away. He was walking by a boy with untidy black hair – James.

James yawned hugely and rumpled his hair, making it even messier than it had been. Then, with a glance to Professor Flitwick, he turned in his seat and grinned at a boy sitting four seats behind him.

Black, who gave him a thumbs up, returned to lounging in his chair with ease. He was tilting it up on two legs again.

Katherine couldn't see Remus or Peter. But she didn't need to. Remus would be absorbed in his exam, re-reading his answers and scratching his chin with his quill. Peter would be anxious, chewing his nails and glancing at his neighbours' papers.

Having finished her own exam a few minutes ago, Katherine looked back to James, seeing him pull out a fresh piece of parchment to doodle on. She couldn't see the parchment, being five seats back and a row over…

"Quill's down please!" Professor Flitwick squeaked, "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!"

Over a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backwards off his feet. Several people laughed. A few students at the front desks got up, took a hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows and lifted him back onto his feet.

"Thank you… thank you," Professor Flitwick panted, "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

Katherine collected her things, watching her friends around her in her peripheral vision.

Lily had been one of the students to help Flitwick at the front of the room, so Katherine walked to meet her halfway, walking past the boys.

"What did you think of it?" asked Lily, breathless as she swung her bag over her shoulder.

Katherine shrugged, "It wasn't as bad as I was expecting."

Marlene sidled up to them.

"Not as bad?" asked Marlene incredulously, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically, "It was terrible, I forgot about the dilated pupils of the eyes for the five signs that identify a werewolf."

They passed James' seat, where he still remained. He had stuffed his quill into his bag, which he slung over his shoulder, and stood waiting for Black to join him.

Katherine went to check her bag for her wand and found it, but she felt the absence of her quill.

"Blast!" whispered Katherine furiously before looking up to her friends, "I forgot my quill."

Katherine stopped and glanced back at where she had sat for the exam…

Marlene shrugged, "We'll wait."

Katherine turned to Marlene and smiled, shaking her head, "Go on down to the lake, I'll catch up."

After retrieving her eagle-feathered quill, she stuffed it onto her bag and rushed back to the doors where the girls were joining the throng of students lingering in the Entrance Hall. Katherine had gotten stuck behind James, Black, Remus, and Peter.

Between them and the girls, was a group of loudly chattering Slytherin girls.

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Black as they emerged into the Entrance Hall.

"Loved it," said Remus briskly, "Give five signs that identify the werewolf. Excellent question."

"D'you think that you managed to get all the signs?" asked James in mock concern.

"Think I did," said Remus seriously, as they joined the crowd thronging around the front doors, eager to get out into the sunlit grounds.

The Slytherin girls let out an obnoxious burst of laughter, and Katherine didn't catch the end of Remus' reply to his friends. But they too were laughing by the time the Slytherin girls' squawks died down.

Peter was the only one who didn't.

"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes and the tufted tail," said Peter anxiously, "But I couldn't think what else –"

"How thick are you, Wormtail?" James asked impatiently, "You run round with a –"

"Keep your voice down." Remus implored his friends, looking around vigilantly.

Katherine picked up the pace, having pulled off her shoes and shed her robe which she carried in her hand as she ran past the Fifth Year boys to catch up with her friends.

"Well, I thought that the paper was a piece of cake," Katherine heard Black say as she passed, "I'll be surprised if I don't get an Outstanding on it at least."

Katherine resisted rolling her eyes, but couldn't resist a smile.

"Me too." said James, pulling out his golden snitch from his pocket.

The boys loped casually across the grass, slowly closing in on where Katherine and the other girls had rested on the edge of the lake, cooling their bare feet in the water.

Between glances back at the boys, Katherine saw that James had started playing with the snitch, allowing it to fly as much as a foot away before seizing it again. His reflexes really were excellent. And meanwhile, Peter watched on in awe.

The boys' conversation was just out of reach for Katherine's ears…

 

---

 

James licked his lips, smiling at where the girls splashed each other.

Marlene waved at the boys cheerfully. Lily and Alice were the main partakers in the splashing while Katherine smiled from the middle of the scene; her hair gold beneath the summer sun and a beacon from the beech tree.

James returned the wave before his eyes flickered to Remus and Peter to ensure that he wasn't overheard.

“You’ve got to do something, mate.”

Sirius blinked, turning to look at James.

"About what?" asked Sirius incredulously, looking back to the lawns.

"You know." said James blankly, catching the Snitch again.

Sirius squinted lightly at the Ravenclaw boys, hesitating, before his face creased in annoyance at the buzzing of the Snitch.

"Put that away, will you," Sirius finally said. He cast a dark look at their blond friend before looking back to the lawns, "Before Wormtail wets himself with excitement."

Peter turned slightly pink, but James grinned.

"If it bothers you…" James conceded loudly, stuffing the snitch back into his pocket.

"I'm bored," said Sirius loudly, "Wish it was the full moon."

"You might," said Remus darkly from behind his book, "We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you could test me. Here…"

Remus held out his book.

Sirius snorted, "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all."

"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," said James, flicking his eyes to the lawns, "Look who it is…"

Sirius' head turned to where Snape was sitting. He became very still, like a dog that had scented a rabbit.

"Excellent," said Sirius, "Snivellus."

 

---

 

Katherine watched as Snape had gotten to his feet, stuffing away his O.W.L paper in his bag. As he left the shadows of the bushes and set off across the grass, Black and James stood up. Remus and Peter had remained seated.

There was a tug of unease in the pit of Katherine's stomach…

James and Black stalked Snape like prey, their strides long and silent, and their heads low and eyes calculating.

She reassured herself with the same words she'd imparted upon Black; he deserved it.

Remus was still staring at his book, though his eyes had stopped moving and a faint frown line had appeared between his eyebrows. Peter was looking from Black and James with a look of avid anticipation on his face.

"Alright, Snivellus?" said James loudly.

Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting the attack: dropping his bag, he plunged a hand inside his robes and his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, 'Expelliarmus!'

Snape's wand flew twelve feet into the air and fell with a little thud in the grass behind him.

Black let out a bark of laughter.

Katherine, though righteous, didn't share his amusement. It felt… too far.

"Impedimenta!" said Black, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet halfway through a dive towards his own fallen wand.

Students all around had turned to watch. Some of them had gotten to their feet and edged nearer. Some looked apprehensive. Others looked entertained.

Katherine closed her eyes and sighed, hitting Marlene's arm and nodding in their direction before pushing herself up.

Snape lay panting on the ground.

James and Black advanced on him, wands raised, James glancing over at the girls by the lake as he went.

Marlene continued the chain, nudging Alice.

Peter was on his feet now, watching hungrily, edging around Remus to get a clearer view.

"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" asked James tauntingly.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," said Black viciously, "There'll be great grease marks all over it – they won't be able to read a word."

Several people watching laughed, Peter sniggering shrilly.

Snape was trying to get up, but the Jinx was still operating on him; he was struggling as though bound by invisible ropes.

With the most dangerous job, Mary hesitated before nudging Lily and bending her neck to whisper in the red-head's ear.

Katherine was already up and walking over to the scene.

"You–wait!" Snape panted, staring up at James with an expression of purest loathing, "You–wait!"

Katherine saw Black’s eyes flit up. He paused for but a moment before he turned pointedly away and stood even taller by James' side.

"Wait for what?" asked Black coolly, "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"

By the time the other girls had met Katherine, having stopped to pull their shoes on, Snape was letting out a stream of mixed swear words and hexes, but with his wand ten feet away nothing happened.

"Wash out your mouth," James admonished him coldly, "Scourgify!"

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once. The froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him –

"Leave him alone!"

James and Black looked around, James' hand immediately jumping to his hair.

"Alright, Evans?" greeted James, his tone suddenly more pleasant, deeper.

"Leave him alone," repeated Lily, "What's he done to you?"

"Well," said James, appearing to deliberate the point, "It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…"

Many of the surrounding students laughed, Black and Peter included. But Remus, still intent on his book, didn't. Neither did the Fifth Year Gryffindor girls.

"You think you're funny," said Lily coldly, "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone."

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," said James quickly in bargain, "Go on, go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

Behind him, Katherine could see the Impediment Jinx wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out soap suds as he crawled.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid." said Lily.

"Bad luck, Prongs," said Black briskly, turning back to Snape, "Oi!"

But it was too late, Snape had directed his wand straight at James. There was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James' face, splattering his robes with blood.

Katherine felt numb to her fingers – it was a variation of the curse he had used on her!

James whirled about and a second flash of light later Snape was hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants. Many of the people in the small crowd cheered.

Black, James, and Peter roared with laughter.

Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as thought she was going to smile, said, "Let him down!"

"Certainly." James agreed, jerking his wand upwards.

Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes, he quickly got to his feet, wand up.

But Black said, "Petrificus Totalus!" and Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" shouted Lily.

She had her own wand out now and James and Black eyed it warily.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you." James warned earnestly, truly disenchanted at the prospect.

"Take the curse off him, then!"

James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the counter-curse.

But McGonagall was approaching, her tartan robes sweeping across the grass. A few students had disbanded from the crowd, not wanting to be guilty by association. But those at the centre of the conflict were oblivious to the Professor's approach.

"There you go," said James as Snape struggled to his feet, "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus –"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Katherine couldn’t even blink…

"Fine," said Lily coolly, "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus."

"Apologise to Evans!" James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.

"I don't want you to make him apologise," shouted Lily, rounding on James, "You're as bad as he is."

"What?" James yelped, aghast, "I'd never call you a… a you-know-what!"

"Mister Snape may not be apologising," said McGonagall loudly, fixing the boy with a pointed look and pursed lips, "But he will be seeing his head of house for using such obscene slander on school grounds."

Lily, recognising that she wasn't in any kind of trouble, turned and hurried away. Katherine saw the tears on her cheeks before she went.

"Evans!" James called after Lily, "Hey, Evans!"

"What's it with her?" said James, trying and failing to look as though it was a throwaway question of no real importance to him.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate," Black answered him distractedly, his eyes wandering, “Oi – Spencer –”

Katherine was too preoccupied with turning to chase after Lily with the other girls to stop. Marlene had all but foretold it – way back in the beginning of term – that Snape would ruin the friendship with Lily all on his own. But this…

This was terrible…

 

---

 

Lily sobbed into her pillow for a good hour.

The girls could not get a word heard over the wailing, and just sat on her bed with her.

When she finally spoke legible words, it began with, “I can’t believe he… he… I hate him! I hate him!” and then ranged along the entire spectrum of human emotion before she reached a sapped, near emotionless, “…why would he say that?” her eyes bloodshot but vacant as she stared off.

Katherine knew she wasn’t the right one to speak on Snape, and just gently pulled Lily’s sweat-soaked hair away from the snot blobbing down the lower half of her face. She knew how that felt. She also knew how pedantic Lily was about her hair, and did her best to finger comb it – to save it – while the other girls gave their reassuring whispers.

It was the kind of hot sick emotional explosion that meant Lily didn’t particularly feel like going down to dinner when it came to that time of the night. The other girls were starved, and left off, promising to bring back a few things whether Lily felt like eating them yet or not.

Katherine stayed. She could resist hunger, easily, when there was something she deemed more important.

It was not the time for a record, or a joke, or a piece of gossip designed to distract.

Katherine laid beside Lily on the bed. Just laid.

Lily stared at her, blotchy-faced, and with bloodstained eyes for so long without blinking that Katherine, for a moment, feared her friend had suffered psychotic break. Then, however, she just reached out, looping her pinky with Katherine’s.

They stayed just like that until Lily’s pinky went limp, and the girl’s puffy eyes closed.

Katherine waited a few moments, rolling onto her back and listening to Lily’s breathing even out, before she got up. She picked up Marbles from where she was grooming herself on the ground, and plonked her down gently by Lily, “You look after her, okay?”

Needing a moment to gather her own thoughts, Katherine headed for the door. It was as she was plodding down the stairs to the common room, that familiar voices carried up the stone stairwell –

“We’ll always be best mates, won’t we?” came Peter’s voice.

“Of course, Pete.” said Black.

“Until the very end.” declared James.

As she neared the bottom of the steps, the common room opened up to her. The boys were gathered around the couches and armchairs by the fire, back early from dinner, and the only occupants.

Black was the first to look up, and was immediately up and out of his seat, “Hey…”

“Hey,” returned Katherine, casting her eyes around at the furniture, “Is it okay if I…?”

“Of course, here…” said Black nodding, a sitting back down on the couch, leaving a space beside himself.

Black was acting weird. As she sat, she was incredibly aware that he was watching her; closely, curious, almost… tentatively.

“How’s… Evans?” asked James, attempting for casualness, as he tore his eyes from Black to look at Katherine.

“She’s sleeping now.” said Katherine, having to stifle a yawn herself.

"I guess that summer couldn't have come at a better time." sighed Remus, pressing his fingertips to his forehead.

It wasn’t addressed to her, that much Katherine knew.

"James will be in a right state the whole time," said Black to Katherine, crossing his ankle over his opposite knee, "Now that Lily hates him for real."

Katherine felt her brow crease, and she shook her head gently, "No, she doesn't."

"No?" asked Black, turning to Katherine, and lifting his arm over her head to rest along to back of the couch.

Katherine pursed her lips, "Well, she hates Snape more if that's any consolation."

The other boys had taken off on their own conversations. Remus, however, may have been listening to them, but his eyes were flickering between Katherine and Black. 

Everything in the castle was back to rights, except with Remus.

A twinge of sorrow seized Katherine around the middle of the chest. It hurt to sit there. Without thinking too much, she had already begun to push herself up from the couch.

“Katherine – no – you can’t be ready for bed already! You just came down!” said James, breaking off his conversation with Peter.

Black slapped his hands to his knees and too stood, “Well, we do have transfiguration still to come…”

James threw his hands up.

“Night.” said Katherine, throwing a quick smile around, not really directed at anyone.

She made it out of the arrangement of furniture and began closing in on the dormitory stairs. Behind her, she could hear Black trying to corral James and the others up to head up to bed, and then a muffled TAP – TAP – TAP of shoes against the stretches of stone between the carpets dotted around the room –

“Hey –” Black’s fingers brushed hers, and a smile gave way to a light frown, grey eyes darting back and forth across her face, “Alright, Spencer?”

Katherine tried for an unaffected expression, “Yeah. Just a bit tired is all, I think…”

Black glanced to Remus, and then back, and gave a nod.

As she climbed the stairs, she pondered the oddity that was her ending the year, closer with Black than she was with Remus…

 

---

 

Lily still needed to attend to her prefect duties. At least, that was what she said when she pulled herself up by the proverbial bootstraps the next morning, having a perfectly normal length shower, and pulling on her uniform.

In a tizzy at the news, the girls had all fussed around her in the slippers and pyjamas in an effort to slow her towards the door –

“I’m sure Professor McGonagall would understand –”

“We need to make a plan –”

When Lily turned around, though, Katherine recognised the look in her eye. Wrath.

“It’s alright,” Lily’s eyes dropped, and a hint of sadness from the previous night crept back, “Just… keep him away from me.”

Katherine’s wand felt like a sword in her hand that day. It did not hurt that, with Black never too far away, it almost guaranteed Snape would not even look too much in their direction. Katherine, however, could not help her concerned looks in Lily’s direction.

Lily sought to put an end to it, going on a spiel insisting she was fine –

“What do I need Snape for?” she said, in a moment of realisation in her assuring, “I’ve got you guys,”

Lily lowered her chin and eyes at Katherine at her words.

“I’m not the only one going through a tough time either.”

Katherine hummed, then blinked, asking, “Who’s that, then?”

“You –” said Lily, with wide eyes, fighting a smile as she gestured wildly with her hands “– and the whole Remus thing.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Katherine, in remembrance. She felt herself frown as she thought of it again properly for the first time since the incident with Snape, “Yeah…”

Every time she had an exam, Katherine would put away all her textbooks and notes neatly in her trunk later that night. She was, evidently, back to her usual, organised self. Slowly, the trinkets dotting her bed and surrounds had disappeared. Ready to leave.

In a week, she would be leaving the castle.

As she packed away her defence textbooks, notebooks, and loose bits of parchment, Katherine lifted the needle of Lily’s record player back onto Blue. She hummed along as she packed, breaking intermittently to pet Belle.

The song Jeanie had suggested was like a hug. Truthfully, Katherine no longer even found it sad.

“…Oh, I am a lonely painter
I live in a box of paints
I'm frightened by the devil
And I'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid –”

“I remember that time you told me
You said, "Love is touching souls"
Surely you touched mine
'Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time…”

Katherine could not help but smile, despite the melancholy tune, as the song began climbing again, knowing the belting chorus was to come –

“Oh, you're in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet
Oh, I could drink a case of you, darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I would still be on my feet

I met a woman
She had a mouth like yours
She knew your life
She knew your devils and your deeds
And she said, "Go to him, stay with him if you can
But be prepared to bleed – "

“Hello, Katherine,”

CLICK, the door closed, and in flooded the rest of the girls.

Lily raised an eyebrow, sitting on the edge of her own bed, “Joni, again?”

Katherine sighed, closing the lid of her trunk.

“It really speaks to me, that song.” said Katherine, feeling humoured herself by the admission.

Lily struggled to keep her face straight, furrowing her eyebrows, “I’m sorry to hear that, Katherine.”

“I’m not,” said Marlene, crossing to Katherine with a steely expression, “It’s time, Katherine –”

Marlene stopped and took Katherine by the shoulders –

“You’ve got to get a ruddy grip!”

“I think what Marlene means to say…” said Alice, gently pulling Marlene back, and replacing her with a gentle smile for Katherine, “… is that… forget Remus –”

She didn’t want to. She wanted to sit with him again – talk to him – and have it all be as if none of it ever happened…

“– at the end of the day, he’s really just a boy.”

Meanwhile, behind them, Lily had been changing over the records. Courteously, she gently slid Blue back into it’s sleeve. Katherine rather thought the temptation would have been there to snap it over her knee. Marlene might have, anyway, she thought, amused.

“I declare –”

The girls all turned to Lily as she placed the stylus down onto the new record –

“– that we’re all going to be sad tonight – and then, never again –” Lily broke off as the record fizzed, tipping her head in concession “– not for a long time, at least,”

Katherine raised her eyebrows, and the other girls shared a look.

“…hopefully.” added Lily, wincing a bit.

“Mama, take this badge off of me…”

It had been used in the film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Katherine had seen it the previous year at the cinema – and, evidently, so had Lily.

“I can't use it anymore…”

Lily took Katherine by the hands, pulling her to her feet, and moving her arms.

“It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door…”

A grin won out against Katherine’s lips, and she loosened her joints, swaying with Lily.

“Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door…”

Lily led Katherine through a spin and they came back together again. Hand in hand, they faced another. With breathless grins, they screwed their eyes shut, and screamed along, terribly –

“Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door!”

Bowel-shaking laughter struck up in the silky backing vocals that followed in the sombre lull between verses. The song gripped them again, and their laughter waned.

“Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore…”

Katherine and Lily swayed, inexpertly, and let their cheeks press together tightly, lazily. Wordlessly, they let the mood travel back and forth across their skin, as if through some form of osmosis.

“It’ll all work out…” said Lily, softly, squeezing Katherine’s hand as they swayed, “…in the end…”

Katherine, more than a little choked up by the moment, gave a nod, watching their friends sway and dance out of time in some sort of impressionist new-wave genre over Lily’s shoulder.

“That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door

Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door…”

That night, Katherine only had one fear. She feared that one day it would all feel as if it were disappearing into a blueness, bluer than it used to be.

That they might forget Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell – and just why Remus Lupin’s name was etched into the rest of the graffitied cover of that record. To only be left with a fading recollection of warm, welcoming eyes, the settling tingle of familiar laughter, and not much else… when they had all been incendiary.

The next record on – a Yardbirds record – struck up a debate on the history of the The Yardbirds. And then onto the New Yardbirds after the original line up of members busted up, which went on to be Led Zeppelin.

“– Jeff Beck,” said Lily, adamantly, when talking about the best bloke from the group, “He was there first – and his new stuff is tops.”

Katherine held firm, “Jimmy Page.”

Alice, Mary, and Marlene sat watching.

“Do you know who either of those guys are?” asked Marlene, frowning.

Alice shook her head, her eyes darting between Katherine and Lily, light with her amusement, “Not. A. Clue.”

It was not to be a divisive argument, however. Katherine and Lily ended up giggling in their beds, wondering out loud about the two long-haired English guitarists, like any other two sixteen-year-old girls as the hours weened closer to midnight.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 34: Removing the Guard

Notes:

Chapter Warning: Character Death

Removing the guard: A chess tactic where a chess piece is either captured or forced to move in order to eliminate the protection of an opponent's piece.

---

 

The Fifth Years' remaining exams were interspersed with attempts by Snape to talk to Lily after the incident down by the Black Lake.

Lily, however, ensured that she was scarcely alone. She went to bathroom with at least one of the other Gryffindor girls, every class had nine other Gryffindors ready to be in between her and the Slytherin in the event that their schedules coincided, and she and Remus patrolled together whenever their prefect duty required it.

The night before the last exam of the school term, the stress and studying had drained Remus' weak constitution and he was admitted to the hospital wing for the night to guzzle some invigorating potions (It was a full moon that night, however, Katherine knew). Even then, Katherine volunteered to patrol with Lily, no matter how unorthodox and outside the rules it was.

"It's nearly midnight," said Lily, yawning and checking her watch as they strolled under the beams in the entrance hall, "If we split up, we can make it back to the common room and manage to get six hours of sleep before breakfast."

Katherine hesitated, despite longing to be sleeping inside the velvet hangings of her four poster, "Are you sure?"

"If you start from the courtyard and I start from the Great Hall, by the time we reach the common room we will have covered all our allotted spaces in half the time." said Lily, rubbing her bleary eyes with the inside of her index finger.

"Okay…"

Lily slowly vanished into the shadows of the Entrance Hall, and Katherine made her way towards her starting point in the courtyard. She couldn't fight feeling worse and worse the further apart the two girls went.

Katherine tried to talk herself out of worrying by reminding herself that not even a mouse had stirred on their patrols of the castle that evening. In an ironic twist, it was then that a rat scurried across the walkway of the courtyard and leapt through the grass, vanishing by the whomping willow.

Odd, thought Katherine…

For a short moment, she held a silent awe-struck vigil for Remus as she looked out onto the whomping willow, the full moon almost blindingly bright behind it. I hope you’re okay, she put out into the universe, feeling a tug at the backs of her eyes.

Having taken the alternate route through the trophy room after hopping off the staircases at the fifth floor, Katherine caught the sight of two shadowed figures outside the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Katherine ducked into an alcove she had never seen before, deeper than any other she had been in – a statue of a stately witch at the back. Coming along the wall, Katherine was able to slip into the alcove as well before she was caught.

Katherine knew that she wouldn't be surprised if there was another secret passage behind the statue…

"I'm sorry."

Snape's voice was unmistakeable as one of the two outside the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

"I'm not interested."

Katherine felt guilt boil her stomach at Lily's voice. She had been caught alone. Katherine knew she had lingered too long, looking upon the whomping willow…

"I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath."

Lily stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

"I only came out here because Alice told me you were threatening to sleep here."

"I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you a Mudblood, it just –"

"Slipped out?" There was no pity in Lily's voice. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I ever talk to you. You and your precious Death Eater friends – you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?"

Snape opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking.

"I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

"No – listen, I didn't mean –"

"– to call me a Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth a Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?"

He struggled on the verge of speech.

With a contemptuous look, Lily turned and climbed back through the portrait hole.

"You think it would look too suspicious if he got attacked by a fire crab in the showers?"

The breath against the skin below her ear shocked her more than the words, and Katherine turned to look at the second person clouding up the alcove.

His face was cloaked in shadow, but it didn't matter. Katherine would recognise that voice anywhere.

"Black!"

Black’s eyes caught a scarce flicker of firelight from the wall torch across the hallway, glittering down at her.

"What are you doing here?" asked Katherine, at a whisper.

Black tilted his head, his amused face angled down at hers – before his eyes snapped up. He went very still, but then smiled, stepping back two steps –

"Watch it…he's coming this way…"

Snape had indeed finally turned around from the Fat Lady's portrait and was stomping down the staircase.

Katherine gracelessly stumbled back a step and held her breath.

Black didn't share her caution.

Snape's shoe touched down on the piece of hallway directly outside their hiding place.

Katherine's eyes trained completely forward only to catch a stomach hollowing sight.

Snape's eyes had slid sideways and his shoes had halted.

She should have taken the second step back that Black had, thought Katherine bitterly. Like magic, Katherine felt Black getting nearer, like a pull in her stomach.

Snape squinted right at where Katherine hid in the quasi-darkness of the alcove.

Relief, though, came in Snape shaking his head and resuming his path down the moving staircases.

"Are you alright?"

Katherine turned to the only person left out so late and realised how strange it was that he was alone.

"Where's James?"

With a breath and a quirk of his lips, Black nodded towards the staircase.

"He's in bed,"

Black inclined his head down to her with an appraising look, "Which is where both of us should be as well,"

He stepped away and made a motion with his hand dangling at his side –

"Come on."

Katherine didn't hesitate to follow that time.

Conversation seemed to have been left behind in the alcove, for they didn't speak up the staircase to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Black gave the password quietly, they had stepped through and then stopped in the common room.

Katherine bowed her head slightly, "Goodnight."

"Nighty-night." said Black with sparkling eyes, turning and leaping up the boys’ staircase.

 

---

 

Despite his absence that night, James Potter filled Katherine's every morning following.

He sent charmed gifts to Lily at breakfast, without fail, each increasingly more ridiculously than the last. They only stopped the day Lily opened a box concealing a replica model of the Quidditch pitch made out of newt spleens – complete with Snape strapped to the goal post.

That was the day Lily started smiling again.

With a bite of his apple, smiling around his chews, James cleared the Hall with his friends to go down to Hogsmeade for the last trip after their exams.

Katherine, having proudly loped along with her friends, caught up with the reason why that was so on the walk down to the village.

"I signed your slip so that you could spend more time with your friends." said Giles with a sideways smile.

Katherine watched Lily skip arm in arm with Alice past her and Giles.

"Not so I could partake in underage drinking by buttering up Rosmerta for the 'good stuff'?" said Katherine jokingly.

Giles gently snorted, "You've been hanging around Potter and Black too much."

The boys in question went around them, ripping up grass and smacking each other over the head with it in an attempt to deposit it down the backs of each other's shirts.

"What a brilliant day!" said Peter, trailing behind, face turned sky wards.

A pale Remus, fresh from the hospital wing, smiled on, "Even with those blockheads."

They were all just your average, fun-starved teenagers fresh from exams, dragging along a few reluctant Professors.

They could not have possibly known that one of them would not make it home.

"Miss Evans is back to her vivacious self today." said Giles, watching ahead.

Katherine felt her mood drop a little, "Even though I didn't like him, I can't bring myself to be glad at how her friendship with Snape ended…"

"Who you choose to be around you lets you know who you are." said Giles, sagely, blinking and watching ahead –

"The last table in the three broomsticks is ours!"

Katherine looked up and found Marlene trying to squeeze through the doorway to the mentioned pub. She was blocked by Frank Longbottom and Peter Pettigrew who were doing the same.

Giles bowed his head and stepped onwards, "Go – have fun, Katherine."

"Yeah, as a collective, we did better on our exams." said Alice from the two groups of Gryffindor Fifth years looking on.

James furrowed his eyebrows, "The results aren't even out yet."

Alice's chin lifted as she surveyed the boys coolly, "Some things just go without saying."

"But not without hurting." said James lightly, a hand over his heart.

"I think I'll go to Dogweed and Deathcap to replace those fairy wings I borrowed from Slughorn while this plays out…" said Lily through a laugh, turning and bouncing off down the high street.

Marlene was scandalised, gaping after the splitting group, "Guys!"

Black stepped forward, "How about this…I'll buy you whatever you want from Honeydukes if we have that last table until lunch – and then you girls can have it?"

"Alright," Marlene sighed, dragged herself from the doorway, and looked to Katherine, "Are you going to help spend Sirius' gold, Katherine?"

Black’s eyes lifted, his eyebrows and lips too.

Katherine shook her head, "I'm going to check out Tomes and Scrolls for some reading material over the summer.”

"Suit yourself." said Marlene, shaking her head and linking arms with Black to drag him across the high street to the sweet shop.

His friends had streamed through the door to the pub to enjoy the spoils of their friend's bargain.

An amused sort of pity bubbled up inside Katherine for Black on the walk to the book shop. As soon as she walked through the bell door, it was quickly forgotten, and Katherine was lost to the shelves of magical books. There were only two others in the shop, and it was the kind of quiet, with occasional scuffle, that was spine-relaxing.

Katherine looked closer at one of the men in the corner by the books on Alchemy and saw that he looked suspiciously like a hag; not even completely human.

Katherine trailed down the aisles of the shop, her neck becoming increasingly sore from reading the titles on the top shelves to see if any struck her fancy.

It was at near noon when she saw his eyes across the room. The other man – the non-hag – nearly made her trip over her own boots when she finally looked away from the books for the first time since entering the shop.

He had already been looking, and said, "Hello,"

He was taller than any boy she knew. His black clothes were the same shade as his black hair; parted impeccably, a slight curl to the short length. It all only served to make his dark green eyes her centre of focus.

He flashed a most charismatic smile. It was a wonder how anyone could resist.

"How are you?" he asked, inclining his head gently.

Katherine’s mouth was dry. Too, she noticed in quiet horror, slighted parted.

There was a slight raise in his eyebrows.

Katherine swallowed, still finding herself at a loss for words. She stared unintelligently, eyes frozen open.

His small lips pulled away to reveal a dizzying grin and he tapped her arm gently.

"Well, my name is Tom," he raised his eyebrows daringly, "You see, that is usually how these exchanges go."

Katherine smiled at that – down at her book – clutching it to her chest.

"Katherine."

Katherine's eyes lingering on his line-free face and clean-shaven cheeks and jaw, his bobbing Adam's apple in his throat…

His eyebrows raised again.

"I know," said Tom, leaning closer, "I couldn't help but introduce myself."

His eyes caressed her face with their stare.

Katherine felt a smidgeon of disappointment that he only wanted to approach her because he’d read about her in the Prophet, "Well, it’s nice to meet you, but I best be going…"

Tom stopped her with an arm against the bookcase.

"Well, I guess 'Plan A' is off the cards now," said Tom, with odd brightness.

Trepidation swirled in her fingertips, "What's 'Plan B'?"

Tom's green eyes glinted, and he stood perfectly still.

“I’d like to see if you could solve a riddle for me,”

Katherine was perplexed, beyond it, actually. Was this custom in the wizarding world?

"First think of the person who lives in disguise, who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies," he whispered, advancing toward her, "Next, tell me, what's always the last thing to mend, the middle of middle and end of the end?"

Katherine frowned up at him, working quickly to piece together the… riddle. A man named Tom, wanting her to solve a… she’d heard the name before – seen it, rather – in a newspaper clipping… in whispers around the school…

She let her wand drop down out of her sleeve and into her hand.

This was Voldemort…

Tom watched it, smiling. His eyes fixed her with a menacing but amused glint.

"And finally give me the sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word," he went on, backing Katherine to the window at the front of the shop, the keeper noticeably absent, "Now string them together, and answer me this,"

Katherine's eyes darted to the door handle just to her right, centimetres from her fingertips. Anyone would be able to look into the shop and see them against the window. But in the event that no one was coming to save her, she needed to find her own way out.

Tom planted his hands on the glass above Katherine's head, leaning down and only stopping when his was a hair's width from hers.

"Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"

"You're Voldemort." whispered Katherine.

"It's a spider, actually," said Tom – Voldemort – lightly, "But…yes."

Katherine inched towards the handle, gripping it in her fingertips. She just needed to distract him enough to slip out without him grabbing her.

"But… but you're not this young…"

Voldemort raised his eyebrows.

"Glamour charm." said Voldemort.

The aforementioned charm faded slowly to reveal waxy skin and red-glinting eyes. He still didn't look any older than his mid-thirties.

Katherine grappled for an out, ripping open the door. She threw herself into the now brisk afternoon summer air.

Tagging onto the back of a strolling group of younger Ravenclaws she didn't recognise, Katherine went on in a strange walk verging on a run. Her anxiety was barely reigned in and was making her shoulders twitch.

She knew he was behind her somewhere and couldn't resist a glance over her shoulder.

Voldemort stood in the open doorway, pulling at his gloves finger by finger.

"Alright, run, then!" The lack of a recognisable human emotion beneath his brow unsettled her, "I'll give you a head start!"

Katherine's grip on her wand tightened. She turned and ran harder, her legs feeling hot and clumsy beneath her.

The Ravenclaws now between she and a calmly loping Voldemort, Katherine fought to put more distance between them.

The twinge at the base of her spine urged her on and on, past the statue in the square, past Honeydukes.

Laughter tickled at the anxiety quivering up and down her spine, and it was then that she spotted the Fifth Year Gryffindor boys walking out of The Three Broomsticks; the source of it.

"Spencer!" said James cheerfully.

Pushing his glasses up his nose, his eyes looked her over from behind his frames. He frowned.

"What's wrong?"

It was then that the sound of numerous people apparating silenced the village's chatter, silver Death Eater masks glinting in the afternoon light.

Screams erupted from students and elderly wizarding patrons alike.

Katherine turned back to the boys, noting that their wands had already slipped into their hands. She pushed them in the direction of the castle.

"Run!" the words escaped Katherine at a scream, "It's him! Get everyone out of here!"

The boys fought her pushing, stumbling against her.

Black looked around with wild eyes before they fell on Katherine, "What about you?"

Katherine tried to breathe as she looked around desperately.

"I'll lead him into the forest." she decided, turning to do just that.

Black caught her arm, "No way!"

"We have no choice!" Katherine shook his hand off. "Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

She pushed him one last time in the direction of the castle before turning.

"Wait!"

Katherine was whirled back around with a hand around her wrist.

Black’ chest was warm against Katherine's. It seemed that they were both having the same diaphragmatic attack.

"Katherine Spencer!" a booming voice taunted.

In his – and everyone else's – distraction, Katherine wrenched her arm from Black’s burning grip and stumbled to the caller of her name. To the man who sought her demise. It felt stupid – really stupid – but… what else was there to do?

Everyone had paused as Voldemort swept into the town square. Those who hadn't apparated out or ran back to the castle watched on, transfixed, as Katherine stood; trying not to shake as Voldemort closed in on her.

"Crucio!"

Katherine made to dive behind the fountain, but the curse seized her. Pain ripped swiftly through her entire body. She thought she might have ruptured from the inside out. A scream ripped out of her chest, uninhibited.

Black spots eclipsed her vision.

On the edges of black, Katherine made out a few familiar things.

Lily's trembling wand raised… James grappled at a black mass attempting to rocket forward onto the scene… Marlene's hat fell from white, clawing hands… The veins in Black’s neck rippled violently…

Arms and legs possessed by the curse; Katherine commanded her eyes to Voldemort. He wasn't edged in black, but rather the encroaching crowd.

Katherine saw a few things in swift succession in the reluctant crowd; Frank stepping in front of Alice… Fabian spreading himself wide across some third year Slytherins…

Katherine felt a heavy duty sit inside her rolling stomach. She had to get him away from them. Her purpose triumphed over her pain, and gave one screaming throw of her body in the direction of the fountain.

It was enough. The spell relinquished its hold, snapping back to Voldemort's wand like a rubber band.

Katherine sucked in breaths; untainted with pain and cried all the way up onto her elbows. Through bleary eyes, she saw only the forest separating the town from the school.

Voldemort cackled, "She hides!"

Katherine clenched her eyes closed.

"Tell me, Katherine Spencer," the sound of his shoes crunching in the dirt accompanied his words, "How many people are you going to let die for you?"

Katherine's eyes wrenched open as his footsteps continued. Anxiety pulsed in her chest.

"Your precious parents...”

Indignity flared through her limbs – hotter than her anxiety. The emotion brought her curse-tired limbs back to life. Katherine sprung to her feet, her wand in her hand and a spell on the tip of her tongue.

"Expelliarmus!"

Voldemort slashed his wand through the air, and the red jet of light bounced harmlessly off it. He narrowed his eyes condescendingly.

"You weak, pitiful girl!" Voldemort raised his wand again, higher, to her, "You'll die like your squib relatives – defenceless –"

From the onlooking crowd a mass of tweed and brown curls glided to a stop between Voldemort and Katherine.

Katherine almost cried out in relief. With Giles she was safe.

Voldemort's eyes flashed with momentary surprise, "Lucky!"

Giles turned his head at the name – like he'd been struck.

Katherine's cheeks buzzed with confusion and trepidation.

"How nice of you to join us!" said Voldemort, and spread his arms open.

Katherine was too struck, like Giles, but by the lack of animosity in Voldemort's voice.

His profile only available to her, Katherine watched something heavy thread through Giles' cheeks and jaw. He didn't raise his eyes.

Voldemort, however, raised an arm; making a summoning motion with his hand, "By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me."

Voldemort seemed to notice the wand in Giles' hand at the same time as Katherine.

"Oh, I see…" said Voldemort with a cold laugh, "You've grown to care for the girl!"

Giles' eyes shot to Katherine, wide – alarmed, and almost…pleading.

"How…touching…"

Despite the disparaging tone, Katherine felt something akin to hot barbed wire being dragged through her heart.

Voldemort levelled his wand with Giles.

Another burn was lit behind Katherine's eyes.

"No!" the word burst forth from Katherine along with a cauldron of panic.

Giles caught Katherine around the middle mid-spring. She had tried to jump in front of him – to take the curse for him.

He pushed her behind himself and faced Voldemort; his wand in one of the arms he spread to cover Katherine. His gaze crumbled over her once more, over his shoulder. There was a flicker of fear on the outskirts of the warmth she found there.

"I've hidden the prophecy at the place where geraniums grow," Giles' whispered words were cryptic to Katherine's ears, "I –"

"Avada Kedavra!"

The blinding green flash faded away from the makeshift village arena as quickly as it filled it. What was left, was Giles; lain limply on the ground.

“KATHERINE!” a guttural scream of her name faded in her ears…

Katherine fell to her knees.

She screamed this time. She wailed. She gasped – like she was going under the surface of the Black Lake again. She halfway hoped that he would hear her – that the sound of her needing him would wrench open his eyes. She snotted and shook at her body's mercy, only looking up – searching – for help –

Remus was closest, anguish streaking down his face, but he didn’t move. He just looked at her…

Through the ringing in her ears, she heard the waning, raw repetition of her name again – “Katherine!" – Was it James? Maybe… Gideon… she couldn’t tell…

Katherine laid herself across Giles, not knowing what else to do – not prepared to admit… but she knew…

Giles heavy shoulders no longer held any protection.

Voldemort watched, head tilted, with something akin to sympathy. But it was twisted with contempt. His wand hung patiently at his side, dangerously so. The green that had emanated from its tip felt as if it covered her – marking her for death, marking her as its next victim.

She had to get away. She was the only one that had a semblance of a hint as to where Giles had hidden the prophecy. She only had moments before Voldemort would round on her again, so, still violently twitching, she let Giles' shoulders slip down her thighs to rest at her knees.

With a shaking hand on Giles cheek for the first time, death breaking down the barrier of propriety, Katherine stumbled to her feet and in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

Gasps erupted from the crowd as she got away, albeit uncoordinatedly in her pained state. But she went fast, just trying to not fall down.

Without looking back, Katherine knew that Voldemort was following.

An unnatural roar made her look back just as she sprinted into the tree line. Voldemort's silhouette was completely black against a line of fire that he had cast along the line of the Forest – the trees like torches.

No one was getting in or out until he took it down.

The sound of a great WHOOSH of wind in the distance prompted Katherine to turn back. The impenetrable flames had parted. A blur of red hair was illuminated by the flickering flames.

"LILY!" a voice shouted, "No!"

Before the gap disappeared, another body penetrated the barrier… and then another.

Dodging branches and clearing fallen trees and large roots, the three gained on Katherine and Voldemort.

Stumbling into a clearing, further into the forest than Katherine had ever gone before, Katherine's legs suddenly locked together. She barely had time to put her hands out, to stop her face from meeting an exposed root. Still, she landed hard.

"Crucio!"

Katherine convulsed onto her side. Vomit rose hot and quick; unable to be stopped, Katherine's breakfast spilled onto the forest floor. Tears mingled with the vomit on her chin, her skin too warm to inhabit any longer.

She looked up. The pulsing of grief in her ears unbalanced her, even as she lay clutching cold dirt and roots.

Voldemort shifted side to side as if on tilting earth… Katherine's eyes felt like they were going to pop out of her head….

She felt, even in her disorientation, that the centre of Voldemort's attention was a very dangerous place to be.

"I've heard so much about you," said Voldemort, slowing stepping toward her, "But nothing prepared me for seeing you for the first time in twelve years…"

Katherine eyed the distance between them warily.

He suddenly smiled.

"I'm not as bad as everyone says, you know?"

Voldemort paused, eyeing her.

"It need not be this way," Voldemort crouched beside her, his eyes creasing in feigned care, "I can make everything better,"

He flourished his wand harmlessly in the vague direction of Hogsmeade.

"This arising war is a tragic waste of magical blood," Voldemort sighed, "But it is necessary to prove that I am right,"

Voldemort went still, his eyes sliding to watch his right periphery. His wand was raised not a second later, the corners of his lips too.

"I'm going to have to stop you right there." said Voldemort, a wispy white barrier springing up around him and Katherine.

Lily, James, and Black were illuminated in the light of the spell. The barrier rippled as they tested it with their own wands, but it didn't weaken.

"I woke up this morning," Voldemort paced along the cylinder of light separating he and Katherine from her friends, before he stopped in front of the three Hogwarts students, his gaze cool, "…thinking of a public execution…"

Voldemort turned back to Katherine, grim faced, and raised his wand.

"But I will settle for this."

The determination… the capable steadiness of his hand… he could kill her – would kill her. And she wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

"No! Not Katherine!" Lily sprung forward, colliding with the barrier and thumping her hands wildly, "Please!"

Her words, however feeble and pleading, made Voldemort pause, at least.

James and Black held steadfast either side of Lily; wands raised and brows stern.

Voldemort crouched beside Katherine, green eyes to green eyes, and they shared breaths.

"Felix Giles pretended to steal the prophecy for me from under the nose of the order of the phoenix," Voldemort's voice was suddenly vicious and hissing, "I know that they do not have it,"

Voldemort leant back on his haunches.

"But I am sure that your mother and father's friend could not have helped letting something slip to you," Voldemort stood, towering over Katherine once more, "I'll give you one chance to tell me what you know."

Katherine made up her mind as she stared down the length of Voldemort's wand, "I don't know anything."

Voldemort's eyes crinkled and his jaw ticked.

"That's an understatement," he flicked his wrist, "Avada –"

Katherine's arms crossed in front of her face, a reaction she couldn't control any more than the spell leaving Voldemort's wand.

Or so she thought.

Her hands somehow found Voldemort's shins through his robes, and then there was a scream. This time, it wasn't hers.

A wand dropped onto the leaf litter in front of Katherine, and then Voldemort followed. His robes had been burnt away. Below his knee his legs had turned to coals; his flesh crumbled and burnt.

Looking from her hands to the disintegrating Dark Lord, Katherine realised that he hadn't touched her at all that day. Recognising the power her touch seemed to have over the writhing wizard, Katherine pressed them against his chest.

Voldemort's eyes bulged, and a hiss broke through his teeth.

Katherine moved her hands; one to his neck and the other to his forehead.

A cry from the wizard reverberated through Katherine's fingertips, and she hesitated.

The damage, however, was done. Voldemort's eyes glistened, his mouth frozen open and expelling smoke. He had gone still.

For a second time that day, Katherine had her hands upon another body. This one, though, burned. It burned until it collapsed to ash in front of her. Then only four were left, one still crouched.

Katherine wiped her ashy hands on her stocking covered knees.

James ruffled his hair, turning and squinting back through the blackened trees and smouldering roots, "We should go back."

'What for?' rolled around Katherine's tongue, but didn't escape.

Giles was dead. Exams were done. The train would arrive to take them all home in only a few days, and Katherine had nowhere to go. She didn't dare say the words in the face of the three people who risked their lives to save hers. How could tell them it was all for nought?

On the walk back, an untold heaviness sat inside her.

James wrapped an arm around Black’s shoulders, pulling him over to where Remus and Peter came barrelling out from under an eave of one of the shops in Hogsmeade – Professors and Aurors crowding the village and towering all the students.

Katherine kept on to the castle.

She heard the curiosity in Lily's steps, a half-second slower than hers, even if she didn't ask where she was blindly following her friend to. The two only stopped when they had trespassed through the dark arts classroom to Giles' office and personal chambers.

"I've got to find it," said Katherine, unable to meet their eyes, "The prophecy."

"If Dumbledore couldn't find it, what hope do a couple of kids have?" asked Lily, lifting and lowering her hands in an exasperated motion, "And what would you do with it?"

Katherine shrugged, her eyes having anchored on a photograph on Giles desk – too far away from her to make anything out of it.

"Destroy it," said Katherine, and then she spoke so quietly she wasn't sure if she wanted to be heard, "I don’t want anyone else to die for me."

"You don't even know where it is!" said Lily, stepping forward and trying to catch Katherine's eyes and hands.

Katherine shook off Lily's hands and turned to survey Giles' desk, "He must have hidden it somewhere with meaning to him…"

Lily's chest heaved more slowly, and then one last time in a sigh. Her teeth caught her bottom lip, and the desk caught her eyes.

"Look around his desk," said Lily, striding across the room to the mentioned piece of furniture, gingerly lifting a piece of parchment, "He has to stare at it for hours on end a day..."

Katherine, out of selfish curiosity, picked up the photograph first. Only to find her parents, Giles, and Rory Hawthorne, the Deputy Head Auror, smiling up at her from outside a heartstring tugging house.

With shaking hands, the back of the frame popped out and there was familiar cursive on the back. 'Number 7 Geranium Lane'. Though, it wasn't Giles' writing as Katherine had come to know it from the blackboard…

Katherine showed the photograph, both sides, to Lily. All the while, she was beating down the pulsing feeling in her neck with a gulp. Grief, it named itself.

Her voice cracked, despite her best efforts, when she put down the photograph and said, "Let's go."

"Katherine, no – wait!" Lily's oxfords tapped after Katherine, "It might not be safe –”

"Nothing's safe anymore! He's dead, Lily!"

Katherine and Lily stared at each other, wide-eyed. Neither had expected it, even Katherine, and she was the one to erupt.

"He's dead –" The repetition, the affirmation, wobbled Katherine's voice and lowered her head, "– and it's my fault…"

"Katherine…" Lily's voice was honey-soft, and her hand around Katherine's was just as so, "It… it's not…"

"I see it in your eyes – you know it's true," Katherine shook her head, and gripped Lily's hand back tighter, "This whole year… all the danger you've been put in… it wouldn't have happened without me,"

Katherine let go of Lily's hand, it having gone slack in the owner's shock.

"Stay if you like, I'm going." said Katherine, turning to the green glowing fireplace and fumbling around for the floo powder.

Lily's fingers reached into pot of green powder alongside Katherine's, "Not without me, you're not."

Lily stepped forward, smiling valiantly.

Linking arms, the two girls threw their floo powder into the grate – "Number Seven Geranium Lane!"

 

---

 

The sound of a crackling fireplace licked at Katherine's ears. Looking around she saw that, although abandoned, the house had been perfectly preserved inside.

Lily hadn't moved from beside Katherine, the flames still licking at the back of their robes.

Katherine didn't know if she too felt weighed by the ghost of the event that led to Katherine's roundabout return to the house.

She turned back to the mantle where a handful of photographs were framed.

There was one of her parents on their wedding day. They were swaying slightly as they stood arm in arm, smiling at the camera and then at one another.

With a start, Katherine thought that she was looking at a slightly older version of herself once more. She and her mother seemed within centimetres of each other in height. Their faces were both oval, with the same nose. The same slender hands. The same elbows.

Katherine looked around at the living room the woman in the photograph had painstakingly organised and tended to, and ached at the thought of leaving it so soon.

A 'Transfiguration Today' magazine was open on an end table, right where it had been left all of those years ago. The broom by the fireplace had a polishing kit open beside it, abandoned mid-thought. There were dishes in the dish rack, two mugs and a sippy cup.

Katherine half expected her parents to run down the stairs and inform her that it had all been a terrible mistake; that they were alive. But they wouldn't.

"What does a prophecy look like, you reckon?" asked Katherine squinting into cabinets and along bookshelves.

Lily shrugged, careful not to even graze along any furniture, "Orb-like, faintly glowing –"

Katherine stopped by a cabinet.

"Whispering?"

Lily nodded, turning around, "Yeah, how'd you –"

Among a tastefully organised row of childhood mementos from the short four years she spent with her parents, was an orb; faintly glowing, whispering, and swirling with promise.

Katherine gulped, but pulled the handle, the glass glinting as it swung open.

"How do I read it?" asked Katherine, tentatively moving a lock of her baby hair aside along with a mould of her hand and footprints.

"I assume it would just…give off some recorded message or something at your touch…" Lily trailed off, shrugging.

Katherine took a breath to steel herself, and reached in – "Okay…here goes –"

A raspy-voiced Professor Brown promptly filled her mind and ears as soon as her fingers clutched the orb, "…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born when the sun burns in Aquarius ... A Tuesday will bring forth a girl with power the Dark Lord knows not ... And he will meet his match…"

Katherine hadn't pondered what would happen upon hearing her fate. A reignited purpose. Enlightenment, perhaps. Fainting, however, wasn't even in the realm of possibility. But it robbed her of consciousness, nonetheless, her magical core pulsing at the words ebbing around the edges of her increasingly blurry vision..

She could hear Lily's exclamations of shock, and felt hands beneath her instead of the floor as the words of the prophecy circled her mind like a drain.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 35: The Chosen One

Opening her eyes was the only thing that alerted Katherine to being asleep.

She only relaxed when she recognised the sheets of the hospital wing below her. Her hands twitched as she gripped the sheets in gladness, and she closed her eyes once again; safe.

There was a long time when Katherine didn't hear anything but the distant chatter from the hallway outside the closed double doors.

Katherine felt the familiar prickling of her skin as she was looked at. She could not be sure if it was a dream. A feeling – a warmth – of togetherness, of something entirely too tender, travelled her skin like a salve. Scared at what she might find, she barely cracked her eyes open…

It had to be a dream. Beside her, on the chair, was… was certainly what seemed every bit to be her father. A bowed head of blond hair, glowing gold in the late afternoon sun streaming through the window. The broad shoulders of the man seemed like the ideal place to rest, after such a long day…

Some more time passed. Katherine wasn't sure how much. Her muscles finally slowly stiffened with an anxiety to know, so she opened her eyes, and pushed herself up against her pillows.

The blond man was gone. On the table, however, was a vase of white lilies; mourning.

As if by magic, Dumbledore swept through the doors of the Hospital Wing. His eyes twinkled upon seeing Katherine up.

"Katherine," said Dumbledore softly, "I am very sorry that we failed to keep you safe."

Katherine gulped, nodding to the Head Master, "The prophecy…"

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore's pale blue eyes blinked solemnly, "What was the exact wording, if you please?"

Katherine took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The crackle of the fireplace filled her ears once more… the mingling scents of geraniums and broom polish circled her nostrils…she remembered the floor she fell upon, cushioned by Lily's arms, and the words that had circled her brain.

"…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born when the sun burns in Aquarius ... A Tuesday will bring forth a girl with power the Dark Lord knows not ... And he will meet his match…"

After a beat of silence, Katherine opened her eyes, concerned the Headmaster may have fled.

Dumbledore, however, had just steepled his fingers together and stared out the window, "I see…"

Katherine was full to the bone with frustration.

"There's no doubt that it meant for me then..." said Katherine, trying to coax his thoughts out into the open.

Dumbledore nodded and eyed her in agreement.

"Yes, I thought so too," he said softly, "And it's still in effect as Voldemort… is still alive."

A chasm opened up in her chest, robbed of her justice, "But I…"

"His soul escaped, you only burned down his body." said Dumbledore matter-of-factly.

"How is that even possible…?"

A shadow fell across the Headmaster's face, his lips taught, "Dark magic."

"It doesn't say that we have to kill each other," Katherine realised, "Just that if I wanted to, I could defeat him."

"That is true," said Dumbledore lightly, blinking, "But if you have the power to vanquish him, it would be senseless to not do so – to stop the suffering of the wizarding world at the hands of tyrant.”

Something heavy settled on Katherine's chest, and she had to glance down to check that she didn't have devil snare clenching tighter and tighter around her beneath her clothes.

"Is everyone okay?" the words were automatic out of her mouth, and so was the first person she wanted to ask for, "Giles –"

"Felix Giles' sacrifice was a tragic loss,"

Katherine's face and legs buzzed, goosebumps breaking through her skin.

Dumbledore bowed his head, let his fingers unsteeple and his hands land on the windowsill beside Katherine's bed. He frowned out on the grounds the window faced – out on the forbidden forest.

"But he knew what he was doing," Dumbledore looked back at Katherine, over his shoulder, "It triggered old magic…in casting himself in front of you, he imparted a sort of protection upon you."

"It wasn't dark magic, was it?" asked Katherine, glancing down at the intruments that made Voldemort's quasi-defeat possible, "Why else would my hands have… have…"

"No, Katherine," said Dumbledore swiftly and softly, "That wasn't dark magic,"

Dumbledore's hand fell from the windowsill and he turned, pacing to the end of her bed.

"It was the one avenue of magic that Tom had never cared to pursue and therefore was woefully defenceless against,"

Dumbledore stopped and smiled.

"Love."

The word and Giles didn't connect in Katherine's brain.

"But Giles…"

"You're the only person named in his Will," said Dumbledore, frowning at the floor, "Being the very prepared man that he was, he left you memories, among other things, to be received when you come of age,"

Dumbledore looked up, back at Katherine, with a genial expression.

"I believe that it will explain his fondness of you."

There was a sense of finality in his tone. His eyes didn't twinkle.

Katherine didn't know what to say, and just watched as Dumbledore glanced at the double doors leading to the rest of the school.

"I will retire to my office to contact a few people who ought to know of your well-being," Dumbledore announced, turning a kind eye on Katherine once more, "But for now, Katherine, you should get some rest."

Dumbledore turned to go.

Katherine's mind turned onto a new curiosity – a new worry.

"Professor – where am I to go this summer?"

Dumbledore halted, his shoulders still to her. She wasn't sure if she imagined the sigh.

"You see, Katherine," Dumbledore turned around, "I must admit that I have kept something from you this past term,"

He didn't lift his eyes, only his eyebrows.

"You're aunt, she's alive and rather healthy."

The screams of the night Giles had brought her across the threshold from the non-magical world to the magical one, were sharp through Katherine's ears…

She'd seen her aunt drop…

But, mused Katherine, lots of spells had similar colours – and she hadn't heard the incantation…

Katherine nearly winced in realisation, "Will I be going back to Claremont this summer, Professor?"

"Yes."

Katherine nodded, reluctantly.

"But she has chosen to be obliviated after you reach seventeen and are legal – in our world, at least – to leave home."

"Obliviated?" The word was thick on her tongue, and Katherine choked out her next words, "Of everything?"

"Everything," said Dumbledore with grave nod.

Dumbledore opened his mouth and closed it before persevering.

"I won't keep you any longer from enjoying the end of year feast," said Dumbledore, "I'm sure you're anxious to see your friends,"

Katherine nodded, feeling the knot of anticipation in her stomach tighten.

Dumbledore went to turn, "Do try the pork roast."

Katherine knew she wouldn’t be attending the end of year feast that year, intrinsically. Instead, she hunkered down in her bed in the hospital wing. She was certain that with one look at her friends’ faces that she would burst into tears.

Joni Mitchell, she wagered anyway, wouldn’t fix this…

 

---

 

The walk to the train the following morning was dampened by the city of ash that was the forest. Katherine couldn't help but wonder if it would ever be the same. In twenty years' time, would they still be tarnished for the first years arriving?

She did the mathematics and thought that the nineties seemed very far away. The students would be the children of the students attending Hogwarts at that very moment. It was a strange thought. Their world as they knew it was so very theirs. It wrenched something from Katherine's stomach at the thought of children having to go through the same things that they all had done…

The sun blared them on the walk along grey and blackened grounds. It was a wasteland. Katherine felt bleary eyed and gritty as she traversed it.

The train itself was the same. This time, however, Katherine entered it without Giles.

The younger years were either running around like the firecrackers buzzing down the hallway, or were morose at the thought of leaving Hogwarts.

Katherine empathised with the latter.

"Feel strange to be going home, Katherine?" asked Lily, dusting her hands on her dress and sitting down on a seat.

"Very," said Katherine, in the understatement of her life.

She used the action of pushing her trunk up on the overhead rack as an excuse to not meet her friends' eyes.

"It's going to be hard to let my wand gather dust for the summer."

"Well, you'll have us to owl." said Lily lightly, poking a finger inside Marlene’s owl's cage.

The thought pulled through her heart like a wisp of hope, "It would be nice to have a reminder that this past term actually happened."

On the off chance that the crushing weight on her chest wouldn't, she thought bitterly.

It was an odd dance they were doing. No one had said Giles’ name since she returned to the dormitory to dress that morning. They had simply told the tale of Slytherin winning the house cup, miraculously. It seemed very much that they had all entered into the unspoken agreement of acting as normal.

It helped, Katherine found.

"I can't believe we've managed without you for so long, Katherine," said Marlene, lifting her legs up and stretching across a whole seat, wiggling her toes, "I've never had so much fun."

"Fun?" Lily repeated, aghast.

"Fun?" Katherine and Marlene mocked her with identical grins.

"I wonder what it will be like next year…" said Katherine, after a moment's silence.

She couldn't bring herself to tell her friends that their efforts had all been for naught – that Voldemort was still alive out there, weaker than a ghost. The odds of him returning before they finished Hogwarts were slim to none, however…

Lily artfully toyed with her hair and hummed while she looked out the window, avoiding answering.

"A piece of cake." said Marlene with a snort.

Lily snapped back to her vivacious self, "Said like a girl without a care in the world about N.E.W.T's."

"We take them in seventh year, that's ages away."

"Ages away…" Lily muttered under her breath with a host of incredulous facial expressions.

One of those facial expressions, was Giles' favourite. An impressed sort of exasperation.

The numbness returned to Katherine's chest, and she cleared her throat – as if to clear it away – and to catch her friends' attention.

"I'm going to go change into my muggle clothes." said Katherine, keeping her eyes low as she gripped the handle of her smaller carry bag filled with a change of clothes and her purse.

She heard shrill tones start up behind her as she left, even from behind the closed compartment doors – “Fun? Bloody hell – someone’s died –”…

While she changed in the girls' bathroom, Katherine wondered how Lily and Marlene had gotten on at all before she arrived at Hogwarts…

She was zipping up her favourite black boots while leaning against the wall outside the bathroom when she heard whispers.

"An unbreakable vow… I had my suspicions…"

Katherine edged towards the voices until she was forced to halt at the sight of two dark shadows towering together outside the boys' toilet. Gauging the secrecy of the interaction, she stepped back into an empty compartment and only poked her head out enough to squint stealthily.

The sight was both so natural and jarring, all at once. Black held Regulus at the elbow with one hand, the other pushing up his heavy black velvet sleeve.

"The marks will fade."

Regulus snatched his sleeve down and his arm away, "Great."

Black’s sleeve, meanwhile, cuffed Regulus over the head lightly.

"It's a miracle that what you did didn't get you killed."

Regulus righted his hair and glanced around, refusing to meet his brother’s eyes, “Your concern is misplaced.”

"Don't give me that, Regulus." said Black, quietly, but firmly. In the way only an older sibling could do.

Regulus' roving eyes forced Katherine to step back into the empty compartment completely to avoid being caught eavesdropping. She didn't dare risk a disillusionment charm in case the underage magic traces on the train weren't masked by Hogwarts.

Regulus' sigh was loud and long.

"I've got to go talk to Malfoy."

"If he's a git about it, tell him I'll –"

"You'll what?" asked Regulus, his voice sharp with amusement.

"What I've always done," said Black, "Look out for you."

"Look out for yourself," said Regulus promptly, "You'll need to, now more than ever – if you're smart..."

There was a heavy pause.

"See you next year…Sirius."

Footsteps began to sound.

"See you next year, Regulus."

The footsteps paused, but then re-commenced; faster.

Katherine waited until Regulus' footsteps faded, and Black’s sigh too, before she moved out from the compartment and flattened her hair.

"Alright there, Spencer?"

She jolted around and found Black; arms crossed and one shoulder leaning against the window.

Katherine thought of a lie, a challenge while staring down the gunmetal grey of his eyes, "Yes, quite alright – I just passed the trolley lady and got –"

"I didn't mean it that way," Black smiled slowly, nodding in her direction, "Don't forget –"

Black tilted his head and pushed off the window –

"I may not know what it's like to be the chosen one,"

His legs lazily crossed the distance to her –

"But I do know what it's like to be talked about. To be in the papers." he finished.

His mercurial grey gaze lowered, and pinned her into place, with a playful sort of firmness. Mostly, she found there, was complete and plain understanding.

Katherine's heart thumped in her ears, but it couldn't triumph over the insecurity he had touched on with two simple words.

"What if I don't want to be the chosen one?"

"I don't want to be this good looking and athletic, but we all have our crosses to bear." he said, with a little, gentle smile.

Katherine felt herself unfold in front of him, all of her worries leaking out of her pores. One disturbing thought penetrated her mind without her permission. She wanted to be held.

"I'm not…I'm not like, like a chosen one should be…" she stumbled through the words, but couldn't stop herself.

Black frowned, "What does a chosen one look like?"

Katherine laughed.

"I think they imagined that I might be taller," she shrugged, blinking, "Perhaps a glow?"

Black snickered, turning away to watch the Scottish countryside blur by, "I can’t say I imagined a glow."

A glowing red heat was lit behind Katherine's cheeks.

A beat of amusement passed between them, as well as a glance with no name for it.

“Black,” said Katherine, to recapture his attention. She swallowed her trepidation, and hesitated before asking, “…Remus?”

Black’s face slipped into something unreadable. After a short moment, he finally shook his head.

“Give him some time,” he said, sighing, “He’s ashamed – it’s nothing new, mind you – but it has nothing to do with anything you’ve done.”

James' laughter and Peter's wheezing burst out of the open doors of a compartment at the end of the train.

Black stuffed his hands into his pockets, "I should probably return to my compartment before someone comes looking for me."

He didn't move away.

Katherine tried to smile, "Have fun."

Black smiled at the carpet running along the train, and turned –

"Be miserable without me," he said, with glittering eyes.

Katherine watched him prowl away until he reached for the door of his shared compartment before turning to set off back to her own.

"Spencer!"

Katherine turned back, still embarrassingly close to where he had left her.

Black had paused, his hand on the handle of his compartment door.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, a furrow in his brow and curve in his lips.

What could she say? ‘I can’t exactly describe how I feel, but it’s not quite right – and it leaves me cold’?

Such things were not train hallway conversations.

Feeling unspeakably changed, Katherine stepped away, her eyes scanning the way his face worked – wondering if she might forget it, among other things that had become central to her new life, in the coming months.

‘The Blacks’, Giles had said, what felt like a lifetime ago, ‘Nothing for you to worry about.’…

The questioning furrow of his brow had disappeared, and the curve of his lips deepened, a dimple popping that slim chin on his as he watched her as she watched him.

Not a chance, thought Katherine, in forgetting such a thing as that –  

“I’ll see you next year, Black.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 36: The Precipice

The Black family's chateau on the French Riviera had never been less relaxing than on the day of Narcissa Black's wedding to Lucius Malfoy.

Shrieks and yelling regularly burst forth from the closed doors of Narcissa's suite in the South wing of the summer home; locked away in preparation with her mother and her sister, Bellatrix.

Regulus kept a wide berth of the south section of the home on his urgent quest to the most North Tower, palms sweating in his pockets. One palm was around a potion phial that would ensure questions were Regulus to be caught with it. It would be most unfortunate for him to lose possession of it after losing a whole month of his summer brewing it.

"It's ready?"

The woman left the shadows of the family's Owlery, her broom abandoned by the arch she flew in through. She looked unnervingly like the owner of the some of the yelling emanating from Narcissa's suite. As she moved nearer, he noticed the distinctive marker of light hair and wider, kinder eyes that separated Andromeda Tonks from her elder sister.

Regulus lifted the phial, "I got the strand of hair this morning from our unknowingly generous donor."

Andromeda stepped closer, eyes scanning Regulus and the stairs behind him.

"Are you sure it's the right one?"

"Don't you trust me?"

Andromeda's lips came together.

Regulus smiled and returned his empty hand to his pocket, "It's okay, I know Sirius was your favourite."

For a moment, Regulus wondered if the creeping pang of amused resentment was how Sirius had always felt about him.

Andromeda frowned, turning her eyes to the sun-bathed piece of France on show for the Black family whenever they so choose to visit.

"No. I liked you both equally as much," she said quietly, turning back to Regulus with an imploring glint in her eyes; older than Regulus remembered, "One can only stomach so much rejection though before they spend their energy where it is appreciated."

Regulus was rendered speechless with shame for only the beat of a moment.

"Here," he said, holding out the phial of potion.

Andromeda accepted it, uncorked it, and promptly threw it back.

"How's Nymphadora?"

Andromeda's eyes closed in a heavily lidded blink as she pushed away her twisting lips at the rancid taste of the potion.

"You should come visit." said Andromeda, imperious, much like the rest of the women in the Black family. Charming in all their steel nerve.

Regulus nodded slowly, averting his eyes in case he caved and committed to a time – most likely sooner rather than later if Andromeda had her way.

"I will…one day…" he said, lips twisting wryly at a mental image, "I cannot have her thinking Sirius is the standard for how a Black should behave…"

Andromeda's laugh was as fresh as the first bird song of spring.

Regulus had forgotten the sound.

"She preferred Potter when they came to visit the other week," said Andromeda, sighing away her laughter as her eyes shuttered from Regulus in a memory he wasn't privy to, "They had her playing Aurors and Dark Wizards for hours..."

Regulus couldn't help the rumble of laughter in his chest or his eyebrows' inclination to lift.

"A Black? An Auror?"

Andromeda blinked in concession, before smiling distantly, "Sirius will pave the way for her, surely…"

Regulus's mind galloped ahead of his propriety – of his obligation to his family's collective loathing of the most recently discarded member.

"So, he's really going to do it? Be an Auror?" Regulus mentally cursed himself for sounding so young and interested – so wistful.

Andromeda looked through Regulus with an annoyingly perceptive twitch of her lips, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Regulus' lips pursed, as if to hide away his excited speech that betrayed him, and his brows lowered – if only to hide away his traitorous eyes.

"It's too risky…until we're back at school anyway…"

It was his saving grace that it was then that Andromeda's features began running away from her face, replaced with lighter hair, more pointed features, and far more lines than was natural for the young mother.

Feeling the change, Andromeda unsheathed her wand and conjured a mirror.

"Blonde, lovely," said Andromeda, banishing the mirror between she and Regulus, "So who am I?"

"Lucius' eldest Aunt, Marguerite Malfoy." said Regulus easily.

"Married to?"

Regulus smiled, "Her Kneazles."

"Got it," said Andromeda with a knowing smile, "Anything else I need to know?"

"She is known for being a witch of few words and many offered, but politely refused, caramels."

Regulus dug into his pocket until his fingers closed around a pleated velvet bag with a ribbon for a drawstring.

Andromeda accepted the bag with a dainty wrinkled hand and eyed Regulus with foreign pale eyes.

Regulus thought that it was her that still shined through the new pair of eyes. The way she used the muscles of the face were uniquely her to anyone who knew her.

"You really have thought of everything."

Regulus hesitated, and then spoke with more emotion than he intended, surprising himself, "I don't… I don't want you to be caught out."

Andromeda offered a bracing smile.

"What's the worst that could happen?"

Neither Black could have prophesized that in the kerfuffle of seating for the ceremony, that the disowned of the two would be confronted with her mother, father, and older sister.

"Marguerite, do you need help to your seat?" asked Bellatrix, her curls tamed into a chignon at the base of her neck. Combined with her polite words, she was almost as unrecognisable as her poly juiced sister.

Regulus panicked as Andromeda just blinked back at Bellatrix.

"Caramel, deary?" said Andromeda finally, forcing her voice through her nose.

Her wide eyes, from her shock, passed as the startle of a senile old lady.

Regulus stepped forward, "I think I saw her seat card by Great Aunt Cassiopeia – I'll be happy to escort you, Marguerite."

Bellatrix's face relaxed into something Regulus hadn't seen since they were young. A smile.

"Be sure to kiss your aunt, Regulus."

Regulus waited until he had turned away with Andromeda' newly frail arm tucked into his before he let his lips twist into a scowl.

Andromeda's voice came through Marguerite's lined lips, "I'd forgotten about how she used to imperio you and Sirius…"

"If anyone deserved to go blind…" muttered Regulus as they closed in on his relative that was as stationary and as heavily beaded as a lamp shade.

Andromeda flashed Regulus a wicked grin before plastering her best impression of a senile old lady back on features still unfamiliar to her.

"Caramel?" said Andromeda, seeming to enjoy her act.

Cassiopeia whirled around a stared unseeingly past the heads of Andromeda and Regulus.

"Oh, yes please, darling."

Shocked from the acceptance, Andromeda hurried to produce a sticky square from her velvet bag as fast as Marguerite's body would allow.

Regulus' eyes wandered in search of his own seat, homing in on the familiar heads of his parents closer to the front. The space between his mother's glossy bun and her brother, Cygnus (with his thinning but exceptionally combed hair), was undoubtedly reserved for Regulus. He found it was strange for the seat beside his father to not be filled by Sirius but by one of their grandfathers, Pollux.

"Regulus, my chivalrous escort, doesn't that place card have your name on it?"

Regulus was startled by his name, and cleared his throat and his mind as he squinted at the gold plaque and the wriggling black script.

It didn't, but Regulus and Andromeda both knew that.

"I'm afraid that without the spectacles you left at home you are mistaken," said Regulus, amused at the tactic, "That card says 'Reginald'."

But the damage was done. Cassiopeia's neck twisted and her eyes found Regulus with frightening accuracy, for a blind woman.

"Regulus, come here and greet your aunt properly." She grinned with open arms, lace-gloved hands grabbing at air.

Rigid with reluctance, Regulus lowered himself into her grasp without the use of the Imperious curse. Tradition and respect were almost just as powerful.

For the second time that day, Regulus found himself thinking of his brother. Were he there, Regulus knew that Sirius would skillfully conjure a manner of things for their Great Aunt to kiss. One year, a fish – when their parents hadn't been looking.

"Forget Ronald –"

"–Reginald–"

"–You can sit wherever you like, you're a Black."

Andromeda's gaze was suddenly misty as it locked on something in front of them.

Regulus turned to find that, at the front of the marquee, Narcissa had emerged from the side to meet Lucius in the middle at the arch.

Andromeda was one Black who was far from where she wanted to be sitting.

Regulus sat beside Andromeda in recognition of the pit of grief opening up on her face, and offered a handkerchief.

When she returned it at the end of the ceremony, it was too damp to put in his pocket.

The reception would be the thing that lowered Regulus' mood to Andromeda's during the wedding.

Sirius wasn't there to sneak them firewhiskey, or convince the band to play a Hobgoblins song, or to spell people's shoelaces together beneath the tables.

"Oh, cheer up, won't you?"

Regulus blinked, and found that it was his Great Aunt that had spoken.

"I beg your pardon, Aunt Cassie?"

"You've always fallen prey to moods, my boy, and they extend beyond the visible realm – I can smell it – taste it," Cassiopeia wrinkled her nose, "It's stifling."

Regulus hummed and went back to perusing the room disinterestedly.

"Weddings do it to me," said Regulus, his eyes falling upon a group of Malfoy's guests whispering and pulling up their sleeves in corners, "Frivolous things."

Cassiopeia wasn't done with him yet, it seemed, "But there's something new about you…"

"I have undertaken great duty recently." said Regulus, each word niggling at his newly unblemished forearm.

"Regulus! Aunt Cassiopeia! And…"

Narcissa had approached the table in her rounds for the afternoon reception with practiced charm, but hesitated, unsure of the third person at the table.

"Marguerite Malfoy," said Regulus, with a significant look between the two sisters, "I brought her in earlier."

"Lucius' Aunt, of course," said Narcissa with a plum-painted smile, "Would you like me to take you over to your other sisters?"

Andromeda let Marguerite's face lapse into the depths of some sort of anguish, "I would like to be with my sisters, yes,"

Narcissa held out a hand to help what – to her – seemed to be an older lady.

Andromeda took it, perhaps too quickly.

"Would you be able to show me to a bathroom first, deary?" asked Andromeda.

The glint in her eye seemed to only be noticed by Regulus.

After spending nearly an hour in the bathroom, when the girls returned Narcissa deposited Marguerite back with Regulus as opposed to with the other Malfoys. The telling red tinge ringing their eyes meant that Regulus had accomplished all he had set out to do a month ago.

"So," said Andromeda, clearing her throat and smiling, gesturing around at the marquee, "You're next."

Regulus scowled into his drink, "There's too much risk in loving."

There was an explosion of laughter from the other end of the marquee, and the white dress of the bride was at the centre of it.

"No," said Andromeda, with the faintest of smiles, "There's too much risk in not."

Her smile was so very Andromeda that Regulus forgot she was Marguerite. And then he realised that it was because her features were battling through against Marguerites – and that the Polyjuice was wearing off.

Regulus leant forward, laying a hand on an arm that was getter fuller and fuller of healthy muscle, "An –"

"I know," said Andromeda, with a smile down at her hands that were already completely her own.

She stood as the lined skin of Marguerite evaporated from her face.

Regulus also stood, taking a wary scan of the marquee.

Andromeda righted her newly returned brown hair and the mischievous glint in her eyes was back in full force.

"Bonsoir, Aunt Cassie." said Andromeda, leaning in and pressing a kiss to both cheeks of the matriarch.

Cassiopeia didn't bat a blind lid.

"Bonsoir, Romy." Cassiopeia returned, the nickname rolling effortlessly off the tongue – a knee jerk reaction.

Andromeda's hand lingered on her Great Aunt's beaded sleeve before she swept away, back in the direction of the chateau.

Regulus loped at the witch's heels all the way back to the north tower, squinting into the blistering afternoon sun.

Wordlessly they passed Rodolphus, Bellatrix's husband, locked in a passionate embrace along the chateau's outside wall with a blonde Veela from the Malfoy clan.

The hallways along their walk were dotted with whispering pairs.

Witch and Wizard…Wizard and Wizard…Witch and Witch. Wizard, Witch, and Wizard…

Sweet nothings fell from the lips of some. Spells from others.

Andromeda didn't spare a sideways glance and continued on the familiar path – it had not been erased from her mind like her face had been from the tapestry at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

The two were passing the bedrooms in the south wing on the uppermost level when a dropped fan startled Regulus from the path his feet carried him on mindlessly.

"If this were us…" came a low voice.

Then came Narcissa’s unmistakeable voice, "Gideon, oh how I wish this were us…"

"Our son, what would we call him?"

"Whatever you would like, Gid." answered Narcissa, automatically.

A hum, and the light caught two strong hands sliding around the waist of wedding dress, covetingly, by the alcove of a hidden bedroom door –

"Draco."

"Such a 'Black' name…"

Narcissa's long blonde hair swished behind her as a head of golden hair tugged her into the suite she had spent the morning preparing in. Turning over his shoulder, Gideon's grinning face was visibly but a moment before he, and then Narcissa, disappeared behind closed doors.

"Take care, Regulus." said Andromeda, upon reaching the Owlery.

To his great surprise, she leant in and wrapped her arms around Regulus.

She was still soft around the middle from childbirth, and her arms were stronger from the picking up and carrying of her daughter.

He couldn't manage a word in response.

Andromeda didn't wait for one. She hovered her broom out of the stone arch and hopped nimbly out the window, flying off into the peach-hued sky.

Regulus stood for a while, watching as she shrunk to a black dot on the horizon.

On his walk back, the chill of night seeping into the castle walls, Regulus noticed a grouping in the side hallway that sparked his interest more than the scandalous romantic pairings.

Lucius, Griselda Greengrass, Lucius' father, and Bellatrix were in the exchange of – not kisses or heavy petting – but a book.

Slowing by the corner, Regulus held his breath.

"– with you back to Hogwarts."

Regulus' ear seemed to unfurl at the mention of the school, unadulterated curiosity bubbling through his limbs.

"I don't understand – how does it work?" came Greengrass' voice.

Bellatrix's response was like the crack of a whip, "You don't need to know how it works."

"Just know that…if we play our cards right…" said Lucius diplomatically, "The dark lord will return…"

The words chilled Regulus to his feet.

The closing remarks – a mention of 'Katherine Spencer' and something else barely made it through his ringing ears…

However, the sound of the feet of the group hastening back up the hallway, towards where he was eavesdropping, sent Regulus whirling into the shadows of an alcove.

A few people flashed through his mind as he waited for the hallway to clear, but only one name fell from his lips.

"Kreacher."

 

---

 

"Can we get a smile from the bride and groom – for Witch Weekly?"

Narcissa felt the tug of an icy hand on hers, and fell against a sharp hip and stiff clothing. She looked around instead of at the man she had been tied to in front of dozens of their closest family and friends.

Bellatrix was twirling around the dancefloor with their father, eyes doleful.

Rodolphus watched on, his robes ruffled, and his drink drained.

Her mother was at a table with Walburga, casting a pair of judgmental eyes over the soiree and passing words between each other before sniggering or scowling.

Regulus was darkening a corner with a wilting pastry in hand, eyes set on something beyond the marquee – beyond the night.

At least, thought Narcissa wryly, everyone was fashionably robed. If one were to be miserable… it was the least they could do…

Silver chalice in hand, Narcissa turned to the flash of the camera. A smile at the camera was sincere – she was going to be the envy of every witch opening the magazine the next day. The smile at the icicle of a man beside her was harder.

At the last moment, however, her eyes caught on a head of golden hair behind Lucius. Gideon was watching on, a bittersweet, lop-sided smile wrapping around her heart like a life-preserver.

The happiness of their earlier rendezvous leeched through her smile and was immortalised in a puff of smoke.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 37: The Potters

"Oh, blasted blue beetles…"

Fleamont snatched up his wife's magazine to fan away the fumes from his bubbling cauldron.

Euphemia gasped and snatched back the glossy pages, "Fleamont, I was reading that!"

"I thought you were stirring for me?" said Fleamont as he waved his wands wildly to stop the fumes travelling across the room to the two teenage boys at the kitchen table.

James; his head buried in a notebook he was furiously scribbling in, and Sirius; leisurely scanning the Daily Prophet, hadn't so much as glanced up.

Fiona, the Potter family's wrinkled but spritely house elf, crossed the scene and clicked her fingers. A swirl of wind encapsulated the smoke and blew it out the open kitchen window.

"Thank you, Fiona." said Euphemia with a gracious nod.

"Of course, Mistress," Fiona bowed her bat-eared head and wrung her tiny hands, "Would you be liking a new copy of your magazine?"

"No, thank you, Fiona," said Euphemia, with a sideways look at her husband, "This one is still in readable condition."

Fleamont's hazel eyes rolled behind his spectacles, but his lips pulled up and apart in a smile, and the lines by his eyes deepened.

"What's so interesting anyway, mum?" asked James from the table, taking a break from his notebook and stretching his arms. A grin slotted into place with an almost audible BING. "Someone wore the wrong hat to a charity fundraiser?"

Euphemia waved the damp cover at her son, "No, it's the Black and Malfoy wedding."

A swirl of fair hair and expensive robes was all that James was able to catch from the brandished edition of Witch Weekly.

"Banking on an invite, huh?" James leant forward with a salacious grin, "Were you ropeable when you didn't get one?”

Euphemia didn't hear him, or at least pretended not to. She, instead, sighed at the picture.

"She looks enamoured with him, doesn't she?" she said with a nod, placing down the magazine and picking back up the ladle to stir for Fleamont, "It's good to see a young pureblood couple marrying for love and not social politics…"

"Blacks don't love," Sirius' expression was dark despite his light tone, "They fulfil duty."

Euphemia – one hand on her hip and the other brandishing a ladle – looked up with a stern smile.

"Well then, it’s a good thing you're living with Potters now then, isn't it?"

Sirius cleared his throat, but the three blood-related Potters could see the curve in his lips. Each had the grace to not mention it.

"Do you reckon they fired dark marks into the sky to celebrate?" asked Sirius, leaning back in his chair and flicking his hair hack from his face.

James looked up from his playbook and snorted, rubbing an ink-stained finger underneath his glasses, "The reporter must have missed that after one of your mother's special cocktails."

Sirius' eyebrows pulsed as he fluffed the copy of the Daily Prophet in his grip.

"That, and the muggle they probably tortured on Malfoy's stag night to prepare for such an auspicious occasion…"

James blinked into space before his eyes slid back to his mother in realisation, "Didn't you babysit Narcissa, mum?"

Euphemia simply stirred at the stove, her back unnervingly still.

"No, your grandmother's Black blood wasn't strong enough to absorb her son's –" she cast a dark look at Fleamont "– lack of tact, so that duty fell to…"

"To?" urged James.

Euphemia took stock of both Sirius' and James' eyes on her, huffed, waved a hand, and turned her back to the boys once more.

"Never mind that," said Euphemia, stirring stiffly, "Get your father some hemlock root from the ingredient cupboard, Sirius."

James grinned into his notebook, licking his smiling lips as he made another notation on his page for Seeker strategies.

Fleamont looked up from where he tinkered on a cauldron and closed one eye in a deft wink.

Sirius ruffled James' hair on his way to the ingredient cupboard in the corner, acquiescing with Euphemia's request, despite her minor lapse.

"There's no hemlock root left." said Sirius in a sigh, loping back to his chair.

Euphemia made a prim noise at the back of her throat, "I just went and got your book lists from the alley yesterday…"

"It's just a flame hop away, mum," said James distractedly, not bothering to look up as he scrawled, "Sirius and I can go, if you'd like?"

Euphemia and Fleamont whipped around from their individual tasks with the same urgency and a chorused "No!"

Both parents and boys stared wide-eyed at one another.

James held up his inky hands in concession, "Alright, I got the wrong ingredient and measurements once."

Euphemia and Fleamont exchanged a charged look.

"That's not it, son." said Fleamont begrudgingly, sparing another glance towards his wife.

James' eyes followed the exchange between his parents and his lips stiffened, "What's going on?"

Euphemia sighed, swatting a hand at the question as she turned back to the stove.

"Isn't it obvious, James?"

James blinked, gentle exasperation leaking through his cheeks, "I've got my glasses on and everything and I'm not seeing it."

"Yeah, it should be safe – what with the entirety of the Black and Malfoy broods sunning themselves in the French Riviera." said Sirius in contribution.

Euphemia hesitated, but ploughed on, "If it weren't for the lingering supporters of…"

"Bunch of rotters…" Fleamont's genial demeanour lapsed into something darker, "I'll tell them what they can eat – they can eat my –"

"Even if it weren't for them, yes," said Euphemia with a patient smile at her husband, "Damocles Belby has mobs outside his new shop day and night – and I don't wish for either of you to get into a brawl,”

Euphemia spared a kind but exasperated look between the two teenage boys.

"I know how passionate the two of you are in your defence of the issue…"

James blinked and screwed up his face in thought, "The Wolfsbane bloke?"

"Yes, darling, 'the Wolfsbane bloke'." confirmed Euphemia distractedly as she got back to helping Fleamont at the stove.

"People should be glad!" James erupted, his arms and his voice raising, "Glad that the people they call beasts will be able to keep their minds! They won't be the beasts they claim in any way shape or form anymore – there should be better rights and, and…work opportunities!"

"They're not all like Remus, James," said Fleamont patiently, throwing Euphemia a significant look, "They were easy recruitments for…well…"

James' lips thinned, "Have you been having coffee with Lyall again?"

"That's no tone to be speaking about your best friend's father in, James Potter." said Euphemia with a pointed finger in her son's direction.

"It's his fault Remus was bitten in the first place!" said James, his fist falling against the table with THUMP that rattled the cutlery laid out for breakfast, "Needs to learn to shut his big trap –"

Fleamont lifted a pacifying hand and levelled James with gentle eyes, "I'm sure Remus doesn't see it that way, son.”

"No?" asked James, the word sizzling with suppressed anger, "Not when we run around under our bed sheets moaning all night to keep the shrieking shack rumour alive for him?"

"Not when we –"

Sirius' foot found James' shin beneath the table none too quietly.

James cleared his throat, "You know, er, do our best to cushion the blow of his condition."

"Nice save." said Fleamont with a knowing smile.

James raised his hands in surrender, nodding and sighing.

"Okay, okay, we won't go to the Alley."

The white haired and knuckled parents relaxed at their son's words.

Sirius, however, began to panic.

He leant forward and whispered urgently, "I've got to go to Kensington on the thirty first –"

James laid a hand on Sirius' wrist with a pointed look and bowed head.

"Relax, we'll get Fiona to help us." said James, nodding to the house elf that he still had trouble convincing to not swaddle him in his bed each night.

Sirius took a breath and nodded tensely, "Alright…"

"How far is Kensington from Islington anyway? Where you used to live?" asked James, rearranging his place setting idly.

Sirius shrugged, "About forty minutes on foot."

James nodded earnestly for a moment, then a slow sly smile spread across his face.

"And to…Claremont Square?"

James barely ducked in enough time to dodge the makeshift missive Sirius made of his silver teaspoon.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 38: The Summer of '76

MUGGLE MYSTERY

TWO MUGGLES WERE FOUND WANDERING THE WIZARDING TOWN OF UPPER FLAGLEY ON THE 20TH OF JUNE 1976. THE MAN AND WOMAN HAD NO RECOLLECTION OF THE PAST WEEK AND WERE MUMBLING ABOUT BOTTOMLESS WARDROBES AND SNAKES WITH HUMAN FACES. ANY WITNESSES ARE URGED TO COME FORWARD.

 

SHOP OPENING

SHOP 102A DIAGON ALLEY IS NOW A NEW SPECIALISED APOTHECARY, OWNER: DAMOCLES BELBY. SERVICES WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM AUGUST 20TH.

  

With a sigh, Katherine put down the copy of the Daily Prophet that had been delivered that morning.

For nearly four weeks, the articles had been almost identical. A plastering of peace on the front and then a sprinkling of conspicuous happenings throughout the rest of the pages.

If she wasn't able to hole up in her room for the better part of the day, Aunt Victoria had her running errands or cleaning some far away corner of the house.

Katherine and her aunt had never held a heart to heart in all the twelve years that Katherine had lived at Claremont. The only mention of magic had taken place on the day Katherine returned from Hogwarts, walking herself home from the train station, as usual.

Marlene had ducked off through London to the Leaky Cauldron to use the floo as soon as walking through the wall separating the magical and muggle platforms.

Lily, however, had introduced Katherine to her parents, waving from the backseat of her dad's car not ten minutes after – needing to beat the traffic back home.

Katherine walked back along the familiar streets. She could almost kid herself that the past year hadn't happened. That Giles was alive, somewhere in the countryside. That she hadn't gone to Hogwarts, and she was walking back from St Mary's.

The sun was in the right spot , she realised, it being the same time she would usually return for the summer holidays. The same amount people were on the pavements for an early afternoon.

In front of her, however, Regulus had strolled the entire way.

When Regulus had reached the front gate of the space between Number Eleven and Number Thirteen Grimmauld Place, he turned back, as if sensing her gaze. He squinted into the sun, and then lifted his hand to wave farewell.

It felt like the magical world saying goodbye to Katherine – for a few months, anyway.

Katherine lifted a hand and managed a smile.

Regulus gave a nod and then disappeared mid-step towards the neat line of the townhouses.

The non-existent Number Twelve Grimmauld Place finally made sense to Katherine. It was magically concealed. She wondered, briefly, the amount times she must have walked past it during summers when Sirius and Regulus had been locked behind its magic. She wondered if they had ever looked back, unknowing...

Katherine strolled on – around the corner and down the street. Twenty-one…Twenty-two…Twenty-three… The gold numbers on the darkly varnished doors blurred until Katherine stood on a familiar stoop. Behind her, a pack of motorcycles screamed down the street, startling her with their guttural growling, engines.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katherine's vision split back to the night she left Number Twenty-Four Claremont Square. Flashes of red, pink, blue, and green might have been coursing overhead once more. She recalled of a flash of golden hair swirling by. The memory of the Dementor prickled her sunned skin.

Giles warm grip…his mop of dark curls…the burning intensity of his coal gaze…

"Katherine?"

The door had opened sometime during Katherine's reverie, and Aunt Victoria stood, a willowy wisp of a woman, in the doorway.

"You gave me fright…standing out there like that… people would think you're up to no good…loitering…" she muttered to herself, turning and hastening back down the hallway.

It was cleaner than usual , Katherine noticed. The only frames on the walls were paintings. All photographs of Aunt Victoria and Uncle Henry were conspicuously absent.

"I see you got your clothes,"

Katherine looked up.

Aunt Victoria stood in the archway to the kitchen at the end of the hallway, crossing her arms.

"That strange Gills fellow was rather adamant he retrieved all your belongings," she said, eyeing Katherine with a charged, unnameable emotion, "He seemed to think that you wouldn't be coming back..."

It was as if something was tugging at a loose thread of a sleeve – but inside Katherine's chest. Every mention of Giles pulled it further and further. Katherine wondered if there would be anything left of her by the time she returned to school if it continued on.

"Giles," said Katherine, the indignity of his name being fudged steadying her voice, "His name was Giles."

Aunt Victoria quirked an eyebrow.

It was a strange new dynamic between the two. Neither felt that they were supposed to be there.

“Oh, you have…” she crouched down, peering through the grated front of Belle’s carrier, “A cat.”

“Yes, the school allows owls or cats…I…” Katherine broke off, looking down at her shoes and feeling very young, “I wasn’t expecting to be coming back here with her.”

With a deep breath, Victoria turned with a waved hand, "So long as you clean up after her, I suppose. She’ll keep away any rodents…”

She paused, and turned back –

“Katherine?”

“Yes, Aunt Victoria?”

“Her name?” she asked, with a pointed look to Katherine, then to the carrier.

Katherine gave a smile, lifting the carrier slightly, “Belle.”

Aunt Victoria nodded, looking pained in her hip as she moved off again –

“We’ll get her some food tomorrow morning,” she said, moving through the arch to the sitting room, “Tea is on the bench, I'll be watching my show in the sitting room…"

After depositing all her things in her old room – looking exactly how she left it, in the limbo of summer light and dust – Katherine returned downstairs to the kitchen, truly alone for the first time in months, and fixed herself a cup of tea.

Laying her spoon carefully on the tray, Katherine nursed her cup in her hands and found her eyes travelling back down the hallway she had once run down with a hand – green from floo powder – to witness her uncle drop on the threshold she had stepped across moments ago.

She stood in the ashes of who she used to be.

RING – RING! RING – RING!

The sound of the telephone startled Katherine from her memory of returning from Hogwarts –

“Spencer residence,” came Aunt Victoria’s voice, in all its mellifluence, “Lady of the House speaking…”

Thoughts of purchasing her own owl filled Katherine's mind, only able to get the Daily Prophet courtesy of Marlene sending it on every other day with short notes of what she was getting up to on the holidays. And then she wondered just how she would do that – and how she was going to get to Diagon Alley to get all the items on her Sixth-Year school list.

September first , she lamented, was only two and a half weeks away…

Katherine jumped again at the chiming of the doorbell – the muggle world, she had found, was much louder than she remembered…

"Katherine!" came Aunt Victoria' shrill voice, accompanying her shoes on the stairs.

Katherine stood from her desk, preparing to acquiesce to whatever task Aunt Victoria wanted her to complete.

"Yes?" she called back, unable to summon much enthusiasm.

Her doorknob turned from the outside, and Aunt Victoria looked in – a frazzled glint in her eyes.

"You have a friend at the door,"

The words sent Katherine's chest into spasm, and a heat flooded through her skull.

Aunt Victoria gulped, composing herself, before adding primly, "From school."

Lily Evans stood on the stoop of Number Twenty-Four Claremont Square, red hair shining underneath the sun. Grinning at Katherine from behind her large colourful sunglasses, Lily threw her arms around her without much warning.

Katherine caught her friend in time to return the hug instead of being knocked backwards into the hallway.

Aunt Victoria watched on with reserved curiosity, watering a rubber plant by the door.

"I got my license!" Lily squealed, pulling away and waving a freckled arm to the curb.

Any person with any ties to the muggle world in a post-World War 2 society could instantly recognise the Volkswagen Beetle. Lily's was a sun-beaten blue.

"Dad's been too busy to come into London after work – and mum has been helping Petunia find a flat in the city – "

Katherine blinked in the onslaught of words from her friend, and held up a hand, smiling in confusion, "Lily, Lily… what's going on?"

Lily took a breath and smiled anew.

"It's why I haven't been able to come get you so you can stay," she said, before gesturing to where her car sat parallel to the pavement, "But now…"

The gloom of Number Twenty-Four seemed to shed from Katherine like a second skin.

"I can stay with you for the rest of the summer?" asked Katherine, reigning her heart in from where it tried to jump into her mouth.

Lily eyed the woman bent out of view – pretending to water plants – cautiously, "Only if it's okay with your aunt, of course."

Little did Lily know that it would be, in fact, very okay with Katherine's Aunt.

 

---

 

Needing to gather her things, Katherine invited Lily inside and led the way up to her room. The house felt different with Lily in it; it was the distinct sensation of two worlds colliding. Katherine felt all out of sorts, panicked and pointing things out in a brief tour.

Lily, actually, did not look extraordinarily out of place at all. It was a muggle house, and she was a muggleborn. She happily glanced around as they climbed the levels of the townhouse, but her enthusiasm seemed to wane every time she inspected a frame and found landscape paintings, as if hoping for family photographs.

Katherine’s door was still ajar when they reached it, and Katherine pushed it open, clearing her throat as she led the way through.

“So, this is your room…” said Lily softly, twirling around in a circle.

Katherine nodded, feeling oddly vulnerable, and knelt down to pull Belle out from where she liked to sleep under Katherine’s bed, “I haven’t got much to pack, mostly everything is still in my trunk. Could you grab Belle’s carrier from in the wardrobe – in the bottom by the –”

“Glove boxes?” asked Lily, opening the doors, raising her eyebrows.

Katherine swallowed a little, a smile twitching her lips, “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice those…”

“How many pairs of gloves could one person need…” murmured Lily, pulling out the carrier carefully.

Katherine knew of at least four different occasions that required different types of gloves, but did not think Lily truly required an answer. Instead, she packed away the few books and items she had pulled out of her trunk since arriving back from Hogwarts.

With Lily coaxing Belle into her carrier, Katherine did one last sweep of her room, the creeping feeling of desperation to not forget anything nearly paralysing her from leaving. With a quick visit to the toilet, the girls made their way back down to the front foyer.

Aunt Victoria was waiting and, upon seeing them, opened the coat closet and reached in for her handbag. From inside, she pulled out a crisp envelope. The long lengths of notes of muggle money poked out of the top slightly.

“Here,” said Aunt Victoria, extending the envelope to Katherine, “Your figure has come in since you left last year. You will need some new clothes before you go back to school – I got it out for you last week, and meant to take you… but…”

Aunt Victoria’s eyes darted to Lily, and all of Katherine’s earthly belongings cluttering the foyer.

Katherine accepted the envelope, delicately folding over to the top, “Thank you, I… haven’t been able to convert any muggle money from what my parents left me at...”

“I figured as much,” said Aunt Victoria, with a glint in her eye, “I do know what Gringotts is, by the way,”

Her aunt looked to the cat carrier, then back to Katherine with a firm glint in her eyes –

“You have all her things? Food? Litter tray? Water bowl?” she coached Katherine.

Katherine nodded dutifully, “Yes, Aunt Victoria.”

Lily edged closer to the door –

“I’ll start packing everything into the car.”

Aunt Victoria watched Lily as if she were going to pull a rabbit out of her back pocket at any moment ever since the redhead stepped under her front stoop. She and Katherine slowly took the front steps, lingering.

“Thank you,” said Katherine, watching Lily load Belle’s carrier in – the last thing – giving her reassurances to the cat for a safe journey and a reunion with Marbles, “For letting me stay over at Lily’s.”

Aunt Victoria gave a short nod, and seemed to be appraising whether Lily might be a safe driver, her eyes drifting over the Volkswagen. It was new territory for the aunt and niece. The warnings of getting in the car with another teenager had not been something they had ever needed to address before.

“My parents are happy to drive us to Kings Cross for school too, so you needn’t worry, Mrs Spencer.” beamed Lily, coming back to stand beside Katherine on the pavement.

“That is most gracious of your parents, Lily,” said Aunt Victoria, bowing her head. She then turned to Katherine. A light intake of breath, and she squinted a little under the early afternoon sun, “I suppose… you can always call… if you need anything.”

Katherine nodded and gave a little wave and she and Lily went to their respective doors of the car and slid inside.

CLANG! Lily pulled her door quickly shut as traffic began to come up on her side of the car.  Feeling the weight of the door, Katherine knew she couldn’t be delicate, and too pulled it shut soundly, her CLANG! echoing Lily’s.

At the stifling encased heat that resulted from the metal vehicle baking in the sun, both girls reached for the window winders, and quickly wound them down. Sweat was already beading under Katherine’s eyes when Lily put her key in the ignition, and the engine spluttered to life.

As Lily surveyed the passing traffic in her side mirror for a gap, Katherine let her eyes wander the face of Number Twenty-Four through her open window. At the tug of the car pulling away from the gutter, Katherine stole one last look at her aunt; watching them leave from the front steps in her summer dress.

Fondness for a person , mused Katherine, snuck up on one at the strangest of times…

When Katherine could no longer see the familiar black door and front gate of her aunt and uncle’s house, she took a deep breath and faced forward, watching the road along with Lily. As they edged a set of traffic lights at a time out of the borough of Islington, the liveliness of London lit a spark of giddiness in Katherine’s chest.

Even more chest-soaring was the independence of flying down the buzzing streets of London to the faintly playing radio, just the two of them. Katherine had never been in a car with a friend at the wheel before. It all felt terribly adult. Lily did not bunny hop once, even when creeping along the crawling queues of cars at the more complicated intersections.

“Have you heard of The Ramones?” asked Lily, watching the road, and reaching for the volume knob, turning it up in increments, “This has just come out…”

“Hey, little girl, I want to be your boyfriend
Sweet little girl, I want to be your boyfriend
Do you love me, babe?
What do you say?
Do you love me, babe?
What can I say?
Because I want to be your boyfriend..”

Katherine thought Lily Evans had never been cooler than she was on that mid-August afternoon in her big sunglasses with her hair whipping out the window, flaming in the sun. She too, felt rather cool herself, just by association.

A group of long-haired, tight-trousered young men even whistled and hollered at Katheriene and Lily at the last set of traffic lights on the edge of the built-up areas of the city as they loped across the crossing with their bouncing swaggering gaits. After the flash of hot surprise faded from Katherine’s chest, she and Lily just looked to one another and laughed before driving off as the light turned green –

“Love you!” screamed one, having turned around to walk backwards, his hands around his mouth.

One of his mates hooked him around the neck, dragging him up onto the pavements, away from the dangerous moving cars. Still, he waved theatrically as he was pulled onto the pavement and into a crowd of people.

Katherine, humouring him, waved back, feeling very giggly. She fell back against her seat afterwards, the seatbelt cradling her, and the sun warming her thighs through the windscreen. This was sixteen.

They passed a power station, and then the houses became a little further apart – with yards, and garages. She had not asked where Lily lived, Katherine realised. With the familiarity with which Lily took turns, and expertly went around cars parked on the side of the road, Katherine wagered that they must have been getting close…

“Oh, look over there – that’s Will, with his brothers, and some of their mates…”

Will, Lily’s neighbour; the one who made her the mixtape , Katherine remembered. She rested her chin on her arm that was resting on the window, watching as the teenage boys played football on the patchy grass of a clear corner block. It was partially fenced off with a home developer’s signage posted all around, but construction had yet to begin.

Katherine glanced back to Lily in the driver’s seat, “Which one is he?”

“Dark blond hair – in the Liverpool kit shorts.” said Lily, quiet pride dancing across her gleeful face.

Will had his foot resting on the ball, trying to muster the others, exasperated –

“You lot are so gay. Why aren’t we playing football?”

“Chasing men around a field with your top off? What could be more gay than that?” heckled one of his mates back.

Will crossed his arms, nodding back to the boy without missing a beat, “You.”

Katherine wasn’t going to say anything, but the boy already reminded her a great deal of James. The bespectacled boy would never know about Will, however; his main competition in the race for Lily Evans’ affections.

Lily changed down to second gear, and placed on her blinker, pulling to a stop beside a gutter a little way down the from the boys playing football, “Here we are…”

Katherine let her eyes drift over the home as she wound up her window, and opened the door…

The Evans family lived in a neat two-story, red-bricked house in the London-side suburb of Cokeworth. The grass was green, the flowers were yellow and pink, and the pleasant smell of pastry and cherries drifted out of a kitchen window where it rested on a neatly folded red and white tea towel.

Lily, meanwhile, was pulling out Katherine’s trunk from the backseat.

Katherine jumped into action at the large travelling case, even though it had weightless charms on it, feeling guilty, “Oh, I’ll take that – could you take Belle’s carrier?”

Lily nodded, poking a finger into the front grate of the carrier, before picking it up and keeping it carefully level as she led the way up the drive, through the gate.

Lugging her trunk to the front door, Katherine maintained a few steps between her and Lily – still taking it all in. The heady scent of roses rolled over the girls, as the flowers climbed almost the entirety of the front façade.

The front door was unlocked, and Lily pushed it open easily – “Mum – Dad! We’re home!”

“Kitchen, darl’!” came a woman’s voice, not unsimilar to Lily’s.

“You can just leave your trunk here for now,” said Lily, crouching down and placing down Belle’s carrier, opening the front. She sprung up, and then began walk, waving Katherine along, “Come on, this way.”

Down the stairs prowled the calico, Marbles, tail high and curled at the top, eyes fixed on the direction of her feline friend emerging from the carrier.

Katherine left the familiars to their greetings and followed Lily.

On the right, through a large open arch, was the kitchen, with its green cabinets and linoleum floor. A strawberry-blonde woman stirred at the stove while a red-headed man sat the kitchen table, reading a newspaper. Katherine recognised them easily from their brief meeting at Kings Cross Station at the end of the previous term as Lily’s parents.

Her father glanced up from his paper, spotting Lily, and broke into a warm grin.

"Lily – sweetpea!" he greeted, abandoning his newspaper, "How'd your car go?"

"Brilliant, Dad!"

Katherine watched Lily sit easily beside her father at the table, before motioning at Katherine –

"You remember Katherine!"

Lily's father rose to his feet and extended a hand and a smile, "Good to see you again, Katherine."

Katherine couldn't help but drawn comparisons between the man the only other father figure she had known – Uncle Henry. She found them at opposite poles on the Earth's surface. Where Uncle Henry was clinical and bland, Lily's dad was exuberant and warm.

"You too, Mr Evans." said Katherine, gently shaking his calloused-over hand.

"Call me Robert, 'Mr Evans' still feels like my father." he said, laughing as he withdrew his hand and sat back down at the table.

"I'm sure he feels the same about your grandfather," said Lily's mother, turning away from the stove, wiping her hands on her apron, "You can call me Anne."

No , thought Katherine, I really can't. She smiled and nodded politely at Lily's mother.

Katherine bowed her head, unsure how to communicate her gratitude to the fullest, "Thank you for having me."

"Not a problem, sweetheart," said Mrs Evans, taking one of Katherine's hands between both of her small, soft ones, "Have you eaten?"

Mrs Evans had Lily's emerald green eyes, and they glittered up at Katherine disarmingly, sweetly.

"I… haven't." she confessed, vaguely remembering breakfast.

The sun was beginning to set, pink light spilling into the kitchen.

"Well, sit, sit," Mrs Evans ushered Katherine into the seat across from Lily, "Ice tea and fruit?"

Katherine nodded quickly, "I would love some."

Lily stirred her ice cubes loudly as she sucked on an orange slice.

Katherine flinched at the sound.

…but no one reprimanded Lily.

Mrs Evans hummed at the stove, re-tying her frilly apron to be tighter around her slight frame.

Mr Evans whistled, carrying the same tune as his wife, before breaking into rasping laughter as he reached the funny papers.

Katherine's posture relaxed, and she even slurped on the edge of her glass to no consequence.

After an early dinner of chicken, mash, and salad, Katherine moved through to the living room with the family for the early evening news. Katherine and Lily were allowed to bring their bowls of ice cream and sat on the floor as their cats curled around; occasionally tapping one another playfully – yet violently.

Mr Evans took a deep breath, his hands on his knees as he eased into his recliner and lovingly referred to the television as – “Ahh… the old idiot box…”

Mrs Evans folded the laundry on the couch behind the girls, giving her husband an amused look –

“If I didn’t have Top of The Pops to listen to while I clean this house – it just wouldn’t get done, I tell you – I’d be miserable…”

Through the heavy cream lace curtains, came the distinct warm yellow glow of little headlights coming up the drive.

Mrs Evans looked up from her folding, “Oh, that’ll be Tuney…”

“She works too hard, I keep telling her…” said Mr Evans, shaking his head, his eyes flickering with the pictures from the television.

“I think Vernon Dursely appreciates when she splits their fish and chips.” drawled Mrs Evans.

“Vernon…” tittered Mr Evans, in a similar tone to his wife.

Katherine did not quite know what to expect when Petunia Evans walked through the front door. She knew very little of Lily’s elder sister, in fact, apart from the fact that she was two years older than Lily. All Lily had hinted at was that their relationship was a tad strained as Lily was magical, and Petunia wasn’t.

As the elder teenager bustled through, the first thing Katherine noticed was that her hair beginning to fall from its curls. She looked like a blonde version of Lily, was her next realisation – with a slightly longer neck and sharper cheeks and nose. Her workwear too, thought Katherine, could have been out of a magazine.

Mrs Evans was out of her chair immediately, “Let me heat you up some leftovers –”

Petunia placed down her handbag on the bench in the kitchen, and leant against the green cupboards as she ate and chatted with her mother. Mrs Evans cupped her cheek dotingly, the elder daughter evidently adored just as much as Lily.

Katherine tried to watch the weather report on the television, but her eyes kept straying to the kitchen – to Petunia. Every now and then, Katherine caught the girl’s own gaze directed at Katherine and Lily.

“I’ve got to make a call to the home to mum,” said Mr Evans, seeming to mean his own mother, pushing himself up out of the deep chair, “You girls should hop in and out of the bathroom or else you’ll have to suffer my whiskers all over the sink.”

He ran a hand through his short stubbled facial hair – a five o’clock shadow if Katherine ever saw one, as it had not been noticeable at all over dinner. Men’s facial hair was a magical marvel all in itself with its speedy growing. It was easy to forget, as the boys at school had yet to come into the ability grow it.

As Katherine and Lily put their empty bowls in the sink, and left in the direction of the upstairs bathroom to do as Mr Evans suggested, Katherine heard the whispering order of Mrs Evans to Petunia –

“Be nice.”

It had not struck Katherine as a possibility that Petunia might have the same grudge against Katherine as she seemed to against Lily, just because she was magical too.

Lily insisted Katherine went first in the bathroom, and Katherine navigated the different hot and cold taps, and the different pressure from the shower head at the Evans’ house for the first time. When she emerged, wet hair combed back, Lily was cleaning the kitty litter in the little alcove across the hallway from her bedroom.

Marbles and Belle were tangling on the floor by the window at the end of the upstairs hallway, playfully tapping and slamming each other around the wooden floors.

Lily put the tidy bag full of litter in the bin downstairs, and then came back upstairs into her room to grab her pyjamas from her drawers, as well as a copy of the magical newspaper they knew so well, “Here’s today’s Prophet by the way… just –”

Lily glanced out her ajar door, before looking back to Katherine –

“– don’t let my parents see it,” she whispered, frowning, “I… I haven’t really told them about what happened. I don’t want to worry them. If they didn’t let me go back to Hogwarts, I don’t know what I would do…”

Katherine nodded, and privately thought it made sense – as Lily’s parents had been treating Katherine all too normally. She leafed through the edition while Lily was in the bathroom, before placing it back in Lily’s drawers where the girl had pulled it from.

Lily’s room was small, but easily fit her twin-sized bed and a set of drawers. Katherine glanced around at the record player from Hogwarts, sitting proudly in it’s true home; the old Beatles paraphernalia fading on the walls; all sorts of hair instruments and a small cluster of makeup on top of her drawers; old muggle school awards and certificates…

When Lily crossed back into the room from across the hallway, noises from outside drew them both to Lily’s window that looked out onto the street.

Will and his mates were piling into a panel van in their jeans and bomber jackets, and making quite a ruckus, jolly with the promise of a long night ahead in the city. They pushed and horsed around under the pale streetlamps, the sky still not quite black with night in the long summer days upon them. With a squeal of the tyres, and a cry of ‘total frigging legend’ that echoed the street, the powder yellow car careened around the corner with the limbs of teenage boys hanging out the window.

“So,” said Katherine, leaning against the windowsill and listening to the distance squeals of brakes. She eyed Lily with her best suggestive look, “You and Will…”

Lily smiled, but the giggling girl that had fawned over Bertram Aubrey, was no more.

“We’ve only gone to second base.” said Lily, in playful defence.

Katherine’s eyebrows shot up, “Snogging?”

“Well, er, no…” said Lily, sheepish and mirthful at the same time, “Dad was at work, and mum was at the shops… so I went over to Will’s last week… and his parents were out too…”

Katherine sat up to attention, leaning forward, on tenterhooks.

“Our clothes stayed on!” Lily rushed out at a whisper, before smiling and blushing, “But, yeah, we, er… you know took snogging to the next level… and he er…”

Lily bit her lip, keeping in a little squeal as she got up and launched herself onto her bed.

Katherine followed, the girls laying on their stomachs.

Lily leant closer, her expression completely scandalous, whispering and gesturing to her crotch with an explosion motion with her hand, “He – you-know-what – in his jeans…”

Katherine’s mouth dropped, and she gripped Lily’s hand, the two squeaking in laughter and excitement together.

Lily proceeded to give the ins and outs of all she and Will had gotten up to so far on the holidays (not all of it was heavy petting, they often went on bike rides, and for sweets at the corner shop). Mrs Evans knocked and ducked her head in at around nine o’clock with a smile and reminder of ‘lights out, girls’.

They continued to talk in bed in the dark as Lily’s pedestal fan clicked and turned, cooling the room. The conversation, in the absence of the light of day, or any lamps, took a turn. Their nightgowns twisting in the sheets, Lily broached the taboo subject of the last Hogsmeade trip.

“Are you okay, Katherine?” Lily whispered, “Like, really okay?”

“I don’t know… I guess…” said Katherine, toying with the folded over blanket at her waist, looking away from Lily’s eyes, as both girls were rolled over to face one another, “We weren’t very close, but… he was the first face I saw in this world…”

Giles’ face in the flashing lights of the skirmish in which she had met him sprung to mind – and not for the first time. His curls blowing in the wind, and those big brown eyes – almost like a baby cow. Katherine wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry at the mental image.

“That’s understandable.” said Lily softly.

Katherine wasn’t even sure she understood…

A thought, however, had been plaguing Katherine that summer, and she voiced it to Lily then, “Do you think he’ll come back?”

“Come back?” asked Lily, carefully.

Katherine sought to explain herself, lest she sound like a nutter, “Yeah, the ghosts at Hogwarts…”

She felt Lily’s understanding leech through the dark.

“They say it’s pretty rare… but maybe,” said Lily. She took Katherine’s hand, and gave a squeeze, “We’ll have a go around the castle when we get back.”

Katherine nodded, feeling sleep begin to grip her tighter, “Okay.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 39: Cokeworth

In the following three days, there were no cracks in the family's façade – they just loved each other, simply, sincerely.

Mr Evans was up at dawn each day to drive to the police station where he stayed until dusk.

Mrs Evans woke with her husband, making any new presses necessary to his uniform and packing his lunch before sending him out the door. She spent the rest of the day cleaning, gardening, and cooking.

Katherine and Lily followed her around, allowed breaks to lay out on towels in pairs of Lily's swimsuits to enjoy the summer sun. At night, the girls poured themselves into Lily's twin-sized bed, full of food, smelling of the goats’ milk soap the family used, and more freckled than they were when they woke.

It was on the third night that Katherine had her only, and most peculiar, dream.

A grumpy house elf with violent tendencies had accosted her when she made a night time trip to the toilet. The house elf had warned her about returning to Hogwarts, thumping her on the leg to impress the message's importance when Katherine insisted on returning. The house elf had left her, mumbling 'Kreacher warned the cursed girl… Kreacher did what master asked…Kreacher will sleep easy…' before disapparating.

Katherine wrote the dream off; her mind having constantly been on Hogwarts all summer.

It was on the fourth day, that Lily was set to introduce Katherine to Will (who was kept busy by a part time job at a sporting outfitter at the local shopping complex) – after the girls made the trip into London to slip through the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley to purchase their school things for the following year.

Aunt Victoria’s comment about Katherine’s figure coming in, had been entirely apt. She was by no means busty, but her muggle clothes were barely keeping her inside anymore. On the way to the Leaky Cauldron, the girls stopped at a muggle shop to purchase some new clothes, trainers, and undergarments.

Katherine had been at the register of the rather trendy shop when she saw it.

On a rack of records, right at the front, was Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled album. The very same one Katherine had become besotted with in the muggle interest shop in Hogsmeade.

'Drive My Car' by The Beatles drifted easily through the car's speakers from the cassette tape Lily had slid in while Katherine coveted her new record, examining every square centimetre – twice – on the short ride to Stoney Street. She owned it – she could listen it whenever she liked! she realised with glee.

The windows cranked down, the sun seared pleasantly across Katherine's thighs. As they were on the last wave of the summer, Katherine's skin still glided easily over the cream leather seats every time she shifted around. Her fingers ran over the crimson stitching as she sang along with Lily.

"Baby you can drive my car… and maybe I'll love you…"

The girls turned to one another, grinning –

"Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!"

Lily smiled distractedly as she turned on her indicator, checked both ways, and pulled into the street that housed the Leaky Cauldron.

The clusters bell bottoms had thinned noticeably. The dresses grew longer, and the hats had strange unidentifiable feathers poking out of them.

Looking for a space on the curb, the car crawled as Lily quietly swore about 'clutch coasting' and then 'do they forget manual cars exist…'

"There!" said Katherine, pointing at a space between another Volkswagen and a soft-top coupe.

Lily put her indicator on, grinning, "I knew all of the practise for reverse parallels would come in handy…"

Katherine unclicked her seat belt, turning to Lily as it slid over the front of her ringer shirt, "Ready?"

Lily lifted her sunglasses on top of her head and adjusted her orange and purple flowered halter top in the rear-view mirror and wiggled her jeans up in her seat. She shared an amused sideways glance with Katherine.

"Ready."

Katherine nodded, and reached for the springy metal handle, sliding across the warm leather seat. Then she was struck with a thought…

“Hang on –” Katherine reached for her new record, “– I don’t want it melt in this heat.”

Locking the car doors, the girls started as inconspicuously as possible towards the blackened front of the Leaky Cauldron. Lily only spared the briefest of amused glances at the record Katherine clutched reverently under one arm, before ignoring it.

Linking arms, the blonde and red-head pushed through the door and weaved through the bar to the back courtyard and then onto the bustling alley. The prospect of possibly running into some of the other girls was a happy possibility, and both girls were keeping an eye out.

Katherine, however, was unprepared for the reminder of Giles. She had been with him, on her last visit to Diagon Alley.

“Shall we get all our textbooks first?” said Katherine, trying to stitch up the gaping hole of bereavement in her chest at the reminder of Giles.

Lily nodded, “Sounds good, then we can get our new robes… this time they’ll probably see us through until the end of seventh year, honestly…”

The gaping hole in Katherine’s chest was only to be ripped open again with every shop they passed through. She feared she would never be able to return to any of them ever again without hearing Giles' words from that first day in her ear, and hearing the strange rhythm of his shoes on the cobblestones beside her, just as if he were still there…

As they left Twilfitt and Tattings (Lily insisted on going to Madame Malkins for hers beforehand, as she had been getting her robes done by the witch since her first year – despite Katherine’s preference for Madame Tatting as Giles had introduced her to the witch), Katherine fingered her velvet sack of dwindling coins. She’d never been in Gringotts before. She might need to, she thought, for enough money to get through the school term to replace parchment and ink as she went through it…

Both the girls had their bags of robes on their elbows, and a brown-paper wrapped stack of textbooks, tied up with string, gripped in hand. Katherine too, juggled her Fleetwood Mac record. They were nearly back at the Leaky Cauldron, when Lily gasped, and began waving with her free hand –

"Remus! Remus – Hi!”

Out of Madame Malkins, came a trio in muggle garb. Remus’ figure was instantly familiar, and the man and woman with him were unmistakeably his parents. With his father, Remus shared the same towering height and slim frame. As Lily and Katherine got closer, there was a great deal of his mother in his eyes and lips.

Eyes, Katherine noticed glumly, that were determinedly avoiding her.

“Hello! I’m Lily, by the way – Remus and I are Prefects together,” Lily introduced herself to his parents, shaking their hands, “And this is my best friend, Katherine.”

His mother’s eyes widened ever so slightly, as she looked from Remus to Katherine, “You don’t mean to say this is the Katherine…?”

“Oh, I take it you’ve read the Prophet…” said Lily, to Mrs Lupin.

Mrs Lupin looked up at her son, who had a strained sort of expression on his face (the two seemed to communicate without words), before she turned back to Lily and then smiled to Katherine – that same gentle smile as Remus – “Oh, I’m sure you’re sick of it being brought up all the time…”

“It’s okay.” said Katherine, feeling her heart pulsing in her chest as she smiled back at Mrs Lupin.

Remus’ eyes, however, were fixed on the Fleetwood Mac record under Katherine’s arm.

“We were going to down to the creek by my house today – I live in Cokeworth, not far from here – would you like to come, Remus? We never get to catch up outside of school…” said Lily, with a coaxing grin at Remus.

Remus lifted a hand to his hair, “Ah –”

“Only if that’s okay, of course. I’m sure you’ve all got a busy day and all…” tacked on Lily, turning a charming smile on Mr and Mrs Lupin.

“Actually, we were just going to visit some family in the area,” said Mrs Lupin, patting Remus on the arm, “But I’m sure our Remus would prefer to hang out with people his own age. I think it’s a marvellous idea. Lyall?”

Lyall Lupin struck Katherine as a serious sort of man. His partiality to his pretty wife, however, softened him undeniably.

“Well, I think I feel much easier about leaving him with you girls than I do with Potter and Black,” said Lyall, with a surprising, deep laugh. He cracked a smile, speaking to Lily, “You’ll spend the afternoon, I’m guessing? We’ll pick him up before it gets dark?”

Lily nodded, then rustled out some parchment from one of her shopping bags, “Oh, I’ll write down my address for you…”

Katherine was seized by the urge to run. They were not even on speaking terms – and now they had been sentenced to spend an entire afternoon together. Lily and Will would be there, given, but…

Katherine was grateful for the small mercy that was Lily Evans walking in the middle as the unlikely trio made their way back through the Leaky Cauldron and out onto Stoney Street.

“So, you’ve gotten your license then?” asked Remus, as Lily pulled out her keys as they closed in on the blue Volkswagen.

The normalness of his tone was painful. He was still the same old Remus as ever, but just not with her.

Lily began piling her and Katherine’s purchases into the car, “Yeah, was dead scared to take the test. Are you going to do yours?”

“Not too sure yet. Might get around to it after I graduate.”

Opening the doors all together, Remus took the backseat and left the two girls their unofficially claimed front two. After Lily squeezed the car out of the parking spot and began the newly familiar route back to Cokeworth, she continued to chat with Remus, meeting eyes through the rear-view mirror.

Remus was large and boyish in the back, his legs spread, peering into the wind whipping through the window; animated and smiley as he went back and forth with Lily.

Katherine had to restrain herself from undoing her seatbelt, opening the door, and rolling out at sixty kilometres an hour.

She wanted – desperately – nothing more than for him to look at her the way he used to. For eyes that lit up when they saw her – for that soft ‘hello’…

Katherine did not know Lily’s address, but she knew which turns to take, and what the house looked like. When they pulled up, Lily’s parent’s cars were gone, and so was Petunia’s mini. When they carted all their new purchases inside, Lily found a note on the fridge –

“Mum’s gone to the shops…”

Belle and Marbles circled their ankles, and Remus reached down to scratch both the cats beneath their collars. Katherine thought it the highest betrayal for Belle to bat her green eyes at Remus and curl her tail around his leg.

“Hey, Lily – where might I find the loo?” asked Remus, straightening up.

Lily put down her mum’s note, and began heading to the staircase, “Upstairs – follow me – we have to get changed anyway.”

Both the girls went first, closest to the stairs, and Katherine felt Remus coming up behind her on the stairs; closer than he had been to her in months. She almost forgot how to walk.

Katherine went straight for Lily’s room, placing her Fleetwood Mac album into her trunk with her Joni Mitchell one. Excitement rolled over her at the beginnings of her own record collection. She hadn’t bothered taking off her cross-body bag, especially as they were to leave again soon.

Lily came through the door after directing Remus to the toilet, closing the door and pulling out a pair of brown bikinis from her drawers, the ones with the rings on the hips –

“Lily… I…” Katherine broke off, and then whispered, “I got my period this morning.”

Lily pushed down her jeans, eyeing Katherine’s shorts –

“Bold of you to wear white shorts today then,” she said lightly, before turning as she pushed down her underpants too, quickly pulling up her bikini bottoms in their place.

Lily turned back as she pulled her bikini top on over her halter top, smiling good-naturedly and tipping her head to Katherine.

“And it’s okay, Remus didn’t bring swimming trunks either,” she shrugged, then pulled her halter top out from underneath her bikini top with all the flourish of a magician pulling a tablecloth from beneath a laid table. Lily leant forward conspiratorially, “You two can sit together.”

“Knock! Knock!” came a distant voice – from downstairs.

Lily quickly pulled on a sundress, hear head stuck in the material – “It’s Will!”

Rushing, Katherine and Lily caught up to Remus – who was halfway back down the stairs after using the bathroom – as Will stepped through the front door, blond and beaming.

Lily rushed around everyone, hooking a hand around Will’s bicep happily, as she introduced everyone.

Will. William. It was her father’s name too, but Katherine did not know him. Katherine stood beside Remus, comfortable – and yet distinctly uncomfortable – at the same time, giving a little wave when Lily said “– and this is Katherine, I’ve told you all about her already –”

Lily’s Will looked a bit like Andy Gibb from the Bee Gees. She knew that he played football for his school and had a pair of shorts reminiscent of one of the aforementioned kits pulled up over his shirt. He had an undeniably athletic build beneath his shirt, with its wide collar that revealed his glistening collar bones and sternum.

Remus, however, was much taller. It was something both boys seemed to silently acknowledge as they sized one another up.

Remus had left his polo untucked, as it only just covered the belt loop of his poplin shorts. Katherine had never seen him in shorts before that day. His legs were long, but didn’t look odd, like some tall people’s did. He seemed just right. Just Remus.

To Katherine, anyway.

It was not missed how Will eyed Remus’ hand in trepidation, specifically the bandage that was wrapped around the palm.

Will nodded to it, an arm around Lily’s waist, “Did you get into a fight or…?”

“Something like that.” shrugged Remus, his tone light.

“Right,” said Will, not probing further, turning to Lily with a smile, “We’ll just swing by mine to grab my bike, and we’ll be off to the creek?”

“Oh, I’ll just get my towel and camera!” said Lily, breaking from Will’s side and heading for the stairs. She turned to yell over her shoulder, “You guys go ahead – I’ll be quick!”

“Come on then, Remus,” said Will, the way his mouth moved around the foreign name placing slight emphasis on. The boy wasn’t teasing, however. He had a very James Potter friendliness about it when he turned over his shoulder as they stepped out into the street, “Know much about bikes?”

Will had a Raleigh Chopper. Katherine knew this, because the boy had spent the best part of ten minutes detailing the specs of his bicycle to a polite, yet disinterested, Remus Lupin.

Lily caught up to them with her bag and camera, stopping to snap a picture of Will and Remus, the latter standing and watching as Will rolled his bike back and forth as he sat on it, nattering away. Will would look back on the photograph one day, and never know he was sitting across from a wizard.

Will changed tact, and tried to talk football with Remus as Lily took photographs of everyone while they meandered down Will’s drive to the road. He brought up a controversial goal that had been allowed in a game he’d seen on television recently that he had argued with his father over, rather spectacularly if the expletives and faces Will were making were to be believed.

Remus looked rather confused.

Lily handed her camera and bag to Katherine as she distracted the muggle boy, “Hey, Will. Do you think you could double me for a bit? Like last week?”

“’course, love.” said Will, effectively redirected from Remus.

Lily slid up behind Will on the long banana seat, holding him around the waist. With a giggle, and a slight wobble, they were off – a few metres in front, doing a lazy zig zag of the piece of just down from Lily and Will’s houses.

Katherine quickly snapped a picture with Lily’s camera, smiling at her getting of the sweet photograph. As she and Remus trailed behind, Katherine wondered if Lily might marry Will one day. If she didn’t, Lily would have to explain to her future children who this boy was who she was glued to on the bike in the photograph Katherine had just taken…

After a few near falls from the back of the seat, Lily decided to return to walking again, taking her bag and camera back from Katherine gratefully.

“I left a note for mum, too, so she knows to expect your parents, Remus. Just in case we aren’t back in time,” said Lily, pulling out a hat from her bag and plonking it on Katherine’s head, “I put sunscreen on, but I know you didn’t. We can’t have you getting heatstroke, you’re almost as fair as I am.”

It had not rained in sixteen weeks.

The dark kind of summer heat, the choking kind, was thick around them. It almost forced one’s eyes shut with the strong breath of it against the face. The gutters were dry and dusty, and not even the weeds survived in the cracks of pavement. Through the windows of the houses they passed, curtains blew with the force of fans working overtime… kids played on the grass with hoses and sprinklers...

Will lazily lapped the three as they walked down to the creek, popping wheelies, and making jumps off gutters. He would flick his hair from his face ever time after, the very image of male pride.

“You’re not swimming, Katherine?” asked Will, as he stepped off his bike, leaning it against a large Beech tree by the creek they had reached.

“She didn’t pack her swimsuit when she came to mine.” said Lily to Will, not entirely lying.

Will and Remus, however, did not seem to wonder why Katherine did not simply just borrow one of Lily’s. Boys, thought Katherine, could always be relied upon to be thick.

Will pulled off his shirt, and said, “Alright – but don’t be afraid to put your feet in at least. It’s much cooler in, it’s fresh water.”

Lily shimmied off her dress, passing it to Katherine, before taking Will’s hand. Katherine and Remus watched as the two ran wildly down the embankment and leapt into the quivering, quiet surface of water with a big SPLASH!

Remus bent down to sit in the large, shaded area of grass beneath the Beech tree, leaning back on his hands.

Katherine neatly folded up Lily’s dress, and put it inside her bag with her camera, before sitting down by Remus – giving him a good half metre or so of space.

She wanted to joke about football and bicycles with him. She wanted to ask about his hand. To gush about her Fleetwood Mac record.

Anger started rising within Katherine, at everything that had happened. Especially after…

Remus had no right to treat her like that when Giles was gone, she decided.

Lily and Will splashed in the water, and pulled themselves up onto a fallen tree that floated the width of the creek, laughing and kissing. Lily kept looking over at them, however.

The twinge of a cramp pinched through Katherine’s pelvic floor at that very moment, on top of everything.

“I’d say she’s hoping we’ll talk.” said Katherine, clutching her knees to her chest and easing out a breath through her teeth, hoping the cramp passed.

Remus squinted at the fields on the other side of the creek, and ripped up a bit of grass, “So… how have your holidays been?”

Katherine nearly laughed.

“What? Do you think I’ve been frolicking all summer?” she said, looking out from beneath her hat.

“No, of course not,” said Remus, frowning, and looking down at his legs. He dusted some grass off his shorts, “I… I’m really sorry about what happened with Professor Giles.”

Katherine kept her eyes on him, and raised her eyebrows, “Are you?”

“Well… yeah…” said Remus, finally looking up, confusion across his face at her words – or rather, her tone.

“I thought… after everything…” Katherine turned away in her exasperation, sighing, “You know, I didn’t expect you to single-handedly battle off the cruciatus curse, but I thought you might have at least…”

Remus pulled up another piece of grass, “I don’t see what I could have done –”

“I wanted you!” said Katherine, looking back to him, her eyes pinned open with her pent up frustration. She shook her head at the memory, “And you just stood there!”

Remus looked back to her; the grass forgotten.

“Everyone just looks at me…” Katherine went on, ranting, “The worst thing has happened, and I look up, and –”

Katherine choked on her words. Panic sparked inside her as she realised that tears were coming – fast.

Locking eyes with Remus, she saw the moment he saw it too.

“Oh, Katherine…”

Like a swooping catch a Chaser would make of the Quaffle before it hit the ground, Remus wrapped his arms around her quickly, tightly –

“I’m sorry, I… didn’t think it was my place.” he apologised, his cheek pressed to the top of her forehead, as they continued to sit side by side.

Katherine leant fully against him as relief ricocheted around inside of her, his arms holding her together in more ways than one.

“Who else do I have, Remus? Parents?” asked Katherine, as they looked out of the creek together, still embracing, “Lily came and got me as soon as she was able, but I was stuck in that house – in my room – with only the memory of that day for company.”

Remus gave a squeeze, “That sounds really terrible.”

“Yeah,”

Katherine nodded, then hesitated.

“The girls did owl.” she conceded, a tinge of amusement at how pathetic she was sounding making its way into the words.

Remus’ cheek puffed against the top of her head, “James said he thought about owling you when I went to see him and Sirius at the Potters last week.”

The words hung inconsequentially in the air; considerably lighter.

“Do you want to go put our feet in?” asked Katherine.

Remus nodded.

Together they stood and crossed to the edge of the creek, taking off their shoes and dipping their feet in to escape the summer heat. Katherine took off her hat as Remus squinted under the sun, reaching up to pull it over his fluffy hair with both of her hands.

He bowed his head, letting her, laughing all the while.

His laugh made Katherine smile, and she focused on memorising it as they swung their legs through the cool current of water, on the off chance there came a time like had just gone; without him.

“I take it… Lily knows?” he asked, as he watched Will swim across the creek, Lily on his back, having a turtle ride.

Katherine watched her feet, wobbly looking beneath the surface of the dark water, “She’d had her suspicions for a long time, but it was only after the incident by the whomping willow that she knew for sure – Snape had been in her ear for a while.”

Remus scoffed then.

“Snape…” he muttered, looking off from underneath the brim of Lily’s hat Katherine had been using.

“Lily doesn’t care,” said Katherine, in assurance. It was pointless, as it went without saying, as Remus had not been confronted, or outed to the school. “She knows you – trusts you.”

The implicit ‘So do I’, lingered after the words.

“Katherine…” said Remus, sighing, and watching his own feet gliding through the water, “You think you want me around. That you can look past it. It’s all good while we’re at school. But to the rest of the world, I’m a were –”

“Don’t,” said Katherine, cutting him off, “I meant every single word I said to you in the hospital wing – you know, that time you completely ignored me –”

Katherine widened her eyes up at him, playfully –

Remus made a face that gave an indication that he indeed felt some guilt over it –

“James and the others don’t care – they don’t –” Katherine nudged his arm with hers, pointedly, “And I don’t either.”

Remus chuckled then at his knees, then lifted his eyes, and his eyebrows to Katherine, “I’m beginning to get the idea.”

Katherine wrinkled her nose, pushing him slightly.

Remus just wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her back, closer.

“Why did you have to be like that hospital wing?” asked Katherine, resting her head on his shoulder, “I would have preferred that we had it out like this.”

“I never wanted you to know about it,”

Katherine looked up at him from his shoulder.

Remus frowned slightly as he looked off ahead, “I just… it was self-preservation, I guess… I couldn’t deal with it. When I came to after the moon, knowing that you knew… I was gutted. Worse yet, the first person I wanted to take comfort from… was you,”

A tug at his lips, and his eyebrows raised again, at the memory –

“You gave it – oh, and it was better than anything I could have imagined…” his smile waned, and he shrugged beneath her, “It was just… all too much.”

Remus Lupin, you idiot. You bloody intellectual. Black had been entirely right in his assessment of his mate, it turned out.

“I left the chair open for you in classes – after,” said Katherine, instead of what she wanted to, “I wanted to talk to you, even after you completely dusted my pride in the hospital wing.”

Remus gave a huff of laughter, and then an apologetic, small bracing smile down at Katherine, “Once you’ve made one bad decision, it’s easy to just keep making them.”

Katherine huffed, and then gave into a short laugh.

“The only time you bloody spoke to me, was when you gave me that cryptic warning about Black – what was that all about?” she went on, looking up at him anew.

Remus made a face.

“Forget that – forget that I’m me for the moment,” he said, turning down to look at her beneath his arm, “I’m your benevolent therapist right now, checking in on your wellbeing after a traumatic event.”

Katherine blinked, “Well, that’s good, ‘cause Remus Lupin’s been a massive prick to me recently.”

Remus eyes slammed shut as he grinned, chest quaking with silent laughter.

“Ah, ah, no deflecting with humour –” he said, with playful authority, opening his eyes and inclining his head “– no matter how splendid I find your deep cuts at my expense.”

Katherine just smiled, and leant her head back onto his shoulder, “I missed you.”

It came out easily; it was the truth.

“I thought about it, talking to you – when you came back from the hospital wing,” said Remus, after a moment, “I thought about following with James and Sirius when you-know-who chased you into the forest…”

His hand lifted up and down her arm gently, and he rested his head atop hers again.

“Whatever you may think, it wasn’t easy to watch any of that.” the words were a mere murmur, dripping with sincerity.

The sat quietly for a moment, pitched back to the day it happened.

“He really is gone, isn’t he?” said Katherine, the words coming out of her unbidden.

She gulped, before going on.

“I know, deep down – I saw it… held him…” she trailed off, frowning, before admitting, “It just still hasn’t quite sunk in yet.”

Remus stroked her arm again, and she could hear the serious look on his face before he even spoke, “Do you think they buried him?”

“I’d say so.” said Katherine, in light realisation that there must have been something done for him.

“Did he have any family?”

Katherine was stricken by the question, “I… I don’t know.”

“Jeez, look cheerful – the sun’s out,”

Will and Lily swam back to the edge of the creek, pushing themselves up out of the water.

Will reached for towel, drying his face, his voice coming out deep and muffled, “You’d think someone died.”

Katherine, Remus, and Lily shared a look.

Lily checked her wristwatch, that she grabbed from within her bag, “Oh, it’s nearly four…”

Katherine felt her stomach give a slight pang of hunger – she and Lily had not eaten since breakfast. Beside her, Remus took off the hat, and placed it gently back atop Katherine's head.

“Should we stop at the corner shop? Get something to eat? It’s been a while since breakfast…” said Katherine, to the group, adjusting the hat.

“Are you two hungry?” asked Lily, turning to the boys.

For once, Remus and Will seemed to be in complete agreement. They seemed thinner by the minute. How could Katherine and Lily have not noticed it before…

Lily and Will dried off the best they could, and then pulled their clothes back on over their swimsuits.

Katherine and Remus pulled their feet out of the water, and pulled back on their socks and trainers. As Katherine cringed at the feeling of wet socks, Remus jumped to his feet, and extended a hand down to her.

Will looked relieved as Remus took Katherine’s hand, his jealous looks at how familiar Remus and Lily were all day had not been easily missed.

Remus did not let go when Katherine got to her feet, and swung their arms slightly as they walked back in the direction of the corner shop, on the way back to Lily’s. Katherine looked up at him; his fluffy hair, his tired eyes, that gentle smile, and those long arms and legs – and nearly sighed in contentment.

They were alright. Regardless of what had happened, the mere fact of having him back made it all a little easier to bear.

At the corner shop, the group decided on sausage rolls, and each took their turns paying for themselves. Remus and Will both did the boy thing of pulling wallets that had never been noticed in pockets before, while Lily had her tote bag, and Katherine her cross body bag with her purse inside.

As they placed down their coins, and took the paper bags of steaming pastry, the shopkeeper gave Remus a fond nod –

“You need a bit more sun, love. You’re almost looking poorly.”

Katherine startled at the words – possibly more than Remus did – as that slightly hassled, ruffled look he had about him had always been terribly endearing to her.

Remus just smiled benevolently and took Katherine’s hand again as they began the walk home, all quiet as they took bites of the sausage rolls. Will managed the feat of riding and eating at the same time, his shoes tied together and looped around his neck.

When they began down the road to Lily’s house, the sun blared them from the other end as it began it’s decline through the sky. With her paper bag scrunched in hand, waiting for the bin at Lily’s. Katherine noticed the fluffy clouds on the horizon. She had almost forgotten what they looked like, with the long absence of the English-typical weather…

Sweat slicked her and Remus’ palms, even in the lesser heat of the afternoon. Neither let go. There seemed to be some kind of point being made in the gesture, that Katherine still couldn’t quite wrap her head around, but it was important, nonetheless.

“Will! Dinner!” called a woman, putting out the bins across the road from Lily’s house. She tisked when her son rode closer to their drive, “Look at you – you’re burnt to a crisp!...”

“Mum –”

Lyall Lupin was standing at the waist-height picket fence of the Evans’ home, conversing with Anne as she watered the garden with the hose.

Even Mr Evans was home, doing a spot of DIY as he painted the wearing window frames at the front of the house, sitting on a stainless steel work stool. He waved at Katherine and Remus as they came up to the house.

Lily strode right up to her mother and Lupin’s father, regaling them about their time at the creek.

Remus held Katherine back a little with his grip on her hand, and they stopped on the pavement down from everyone.

Katherine turned to look up at him, as the sprinkler on the Evan’s grass went on with a CHICK – CHICK.

The afternoon sun shadowed his face in swathes of gold, and his gentle eyes caressed her face, “I’ll see you on the train?”

Katherine nodded, letting their hands fall apart.

Remus licked his lips, glanced to his where his father was still busy, and then slid his arms around Katherine’s shoulders.

Katherine closed her eyes, leaning into the lean planes of muscle of his chest, wrapping her arms around his middle.

Everything was warm, the sun, their skin, her heart…

They stood for what felt like a long time, the humming of cicadas sounding from the bushes of lemon myrtle in the garden the only sound. When they let go, Remus gave one last smile, and walked up the path to his father.

Lily was smiling a little evilly at Katherine, while her mother was flittering about a rose bush, pulling off yellow leaves, determinedly not looking up. Mr Evans was painting the window with great, painstaking, attention.

Katherine meandered up the path, feeling very light and airy, watching as Remus waved goodbye to Lily and began walking down the street with his father. When they got to a group of large trees, Mr Lupin put a hand on his son’s shoulder, and they vanished from sight, apparating away...

“Come on, let’s go have our showers before dinner.” said Lily, linking arms with Katherine.

The jolly greeting of “Hi, Martha!” from Mrs Evans followed the girls up into the house as she waved at their neighbour.

When the girls came back down, and sat at the kitchen table for dinner, it was already dark outside – clouds steadily swirling in the rushing wind as the weather took a turn. The family, and Katherine, ate quietly, sharing the occasional look at the distant rumblings of thunder.

“A good boy, that Remus… despite his odd name,” said Mr Evans, finally, smiling around his fork, eyeing Lily with glittering eyes, “Has he got any wizard mates for you, Lily?”

Lily made a face.

Katherine licked her lips, unable to help her grin, “Well, there’s Potter.”

Lily widened her eyes, her mouth falling open.

“Not bloody likely…” she snorted.

Katherine made a face back at Lily.

Lily kicked her under the table.

Mr Evans looked between Katherine and Lily, amused, before turning to his wife, “Was Lily a twin, darling? By any chance?”

“I’m starting to think they pulled a fast one on me at the hospital.” said Mrs Evans, eyeing the girls mirthfully.

The ease of routine fell over the home, and everyone wound down, watching television and preparing for bed. Just like any other night.

Katherine fell into bed, sunburnt to her heart. Her eyes closed almost immediately.

It rained that night.

For the first time in months.

It began as a rush of cooler air through the window, that made Katherine lift the blanket up over her shoulders in the middle of the night, and then… TAP…TAP. All at once, a cacophony of noise descended upon the house; straight rain coming down.

Katherine closed her eyes, feeling very cosy in bed with the warm reassuring presence of Lily on the other side of the mattress.

Then it came down harder.

She opened her eyes, unable to possibly sleep with the noise, and watched the spray pebble onto the open windowsill. Just when Katherine thought it couldn’t possibly come down any harder, it did.

Thoughts of Giles swam through her head, unbidden…

 

---

 

When Katherine woke the next day, the house was silent. The rain was gone. So, was Lily from the bed.

All the doors were open, and light moved between rooms, as if half-asleep; there was no hurry. Time moved so slow that Katherine could hear it breathe in the curtains. Barefoot on the stairs, her hand sighed gently down the smooth wood of the banister as she listened to the silent song of the house.

In the kitchen, Petunia sat at the table, sipping her morning tea. Her empty bowl of cereal meant her departure for work was imminent.

“Dads at work. Mum’s gone to visit Grannie. Lily –” Petunia broke off her explanation for the quiet house, sliding the cereal box across the table “– is engaged in a passionate goodbye out the front as Will leaves for war, I presume.”

Petunia reminded Katherine a great deal of Narcissa Black at that moment.

Katherine retrieved a bowl from the cupboard, and sat across from the older girl, “Parents flooding the sport outfitter in back-to-school shopping was not a frontier soldiers in Vietnam needed to face, to give him credit.”

A lip twitch was her response.

It was quiet as Katherine poured her cereal, then her milk, and began eating.

Petunia eyed Katherine as she took a long sip of her tea, “You’re not like him.”

“Who?” asked Katherine, pausing her eating, blinking sleep from her eyes.

Petunia placed down her empty teacup, eyeing Katherine plainly, “Small, dark, and scary.”

Katherine had an inkling as to whom she was referring.

It was no use re-hashing the whole ordeal, so she picked her words, “Snape and I don’t really get on, he… played a nasty trick on me, this past year…”

A beat passed.

“Good, because I nearly hit him with my car the other day, up near Spinner’s End.”

Katherine looked up, to find the faintest traces of amusement pulling Petunia’s face up. She looked like Lily when she smiled.

“Oh, no.” said Katherine, deadpan, battling a smile.

Petunia Evans, decided Katherine, was alright.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 40: A Midsummer's Knight Bus

Come September first, Mr Evans drove the girls to the train station on his way to work, helping load their trunks and cats onto trolleys before bidding them farewell; a fond grip of Katherine's shoulder and a kiss upon Lily's flaming crown, and then he was gone in the ever beeping and bumper to bumper traffic of London.

Rushing underneath the clock tower outside, and through the glass doors, Katherine saw that it was a quarter past ten – they had forty five minutes before the Hogwarts express was due to leave. Plenty of time.

That is, if a couple hundred other witches and wizards weren't making the very same pilgrimage as the two girls.

Katherine hadn't recognised anyone in particular, yet as the girls pushed their trolleys under the large doming glass ceilings, there were a few tell-tale signs of travellers out of place.

Owls were an undeniable marker of a witch of wizard. Strange garb – usually one of two; either fully robed, uncaring purebloods, or those who made an attempt in the muggle styles but were usually a few decades – sometime centuries – behind the trends.

As the girls' strappy summer shoes closed in on Platform 9 ¾ Katherine noticed something else. An order – an abstract line of sorts.

Katherine remembered how discreetly Giles had pulled her through the previous year. They were so late that Katherine hadn't been privy to the struggles of trying to cross the barrier on mass.

Lily, however, seemed accustomed to the secretive dance, and slowed by a schedule board.

"The group by the map are next," said Lily at a whisper, peeking out of the corner of her eye, "We might be able to run in after them…I can't see any others close by…"

A white-haired witch huddled by a wall-mounted map with a white haired man and two dark haired boys. She discreetly peered at the barrier from beneath her deep purple velvet hat. With a quivering peacock feather, she turned back to her group.

Katherine bobbed away to maintain her view of the barrier. Instead, she got a clear view of the purple-hatted witch, assumedly her husband, and the two dark-haired teenage boys; one neat, and the other messy – a piece sticking up at the back.

At their familiar faces, Katherine's heart felt as light as lace.

"Ooh," The purple-hatted woman next to James bobbed to look over the crowd, "Is that Lily Evans?"

"Oh, I should have gotten a haircut." said the man next her, smoothing back perfectly white wisps that stuck up – at the back.

James tried for a casual look, but he was crossing and uncrossing his arms – his eyes flickering around wildly, self-consciously. His feet shuffled beneath him, as if readying to run.

"Someone your age should be happy that you still have hair to cut." said James, with a throwaway grin.

A head of neatly swept back black hair emerged from behind a seventh year's burly shoulders that obscured the group in passing –

"I think you look great." said Sirius Black, with a barely-there-smile tugging up his lips, charmingly.

The entire Black family was like that. They were all tall, dark-haired, thin, and super-poised. They never did anything – play quidditch, eat roast potatoes, clean out fire crab pens of dung – without maintaining their cool. Sirius Black especially. He was gifted with the kind of coolness that one could not acquire by buying the right jeans or trainers.

James' father turned to Black, "Well, thank you, son-I-should-have-had."

Black, Katherine noticed, had gotten another few centimetres on James in height over the summer. He basked in the sun flittering through the end of the tunnel for but a moment, a shadow and a new expression crossing his face.

Katherine's chest sprung forth without her at the sight of slicked back hair and a shiny black suit.

"Regulus…" said Black, clearing his throat, "You're taller."

He was, Katherine noticed. And rather… tan.

Regulus's eyes slipped around loftily to his brother over his high cheekbones – hollows having formed between them and his jaw over the summer.

"As are you, Sirius," he said, in a casual, although hesitant manner. He ran the back of his knuckles along either side of his own jaw and spoke through a cresting grin. "Did you forget to grab your razor from the bathroom – looking a bit raggedy there…"

Black half scoffed and half barked out a laugh.

"Did you remember to pack your stuffed quaffle, Regulus?" said Black, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows, "Say you run into Voldemort's ghost,"

Black licked his smiling lips and gave a taunting turn of his head, eyebrows lifting aloofly –

"You could take it out and he'd laugh to a second death."

Regulus nodded and smiled with dangerous patience, "Or you could show him your O.W.L results."

"Show an interest in your family, Regulus," said Black, a grin sliding into place, "I got eleven O.W.L's."

With that, James tugged on Black's arm. The two disappeared behind the brick veil between the muggle and magical worlds, James adamantly following his parents and Black grinning as he stepped through backwards.

Regulus stood in place for a moment, an expression of shocked amusement lingering on his face as he stared at the wall. With a shake of his head and the whisper of 'bleeding moron' he followed his brother through at a brisk, bowed-head pace.

The vacuum left by the boys was quiet and disjointed.

It took a moment for Katherine and Lily to realise that their departure signalled the girls' turn to pass through the barrier.

"Ready to go back?" asked Lily, shifting her grip on the bar of her trolley and eyeing the intimidatingly solid bricks.

A warmth swelled in Katherine's chest and throat, and she nodded.

Katherine nudged her trolley alongside Lily's, her arms fighting to not buckle in their grip on the trolley's bar as her whole body jostled in a run.

The twisting metal of their trolleys where they met the brick wall was as jarring physically as it was mentally.

Katherine's magic had never failed her before.

Picking themselves up off the chewing gum dotted ground, the two girls met eyes while dusting down their dresses. The question was communicated non-verbally with their eyes; what had just happened?

"What do we do?" came Lily's voice, as her eyes flashed around.

They had been the last to pass through the barrier.

"I…”

The DING of the station clock cut Katherine off and signalled that it was eleven o'clock.

They had missed the train.

"I don't know…" said Katherine, feeling the heat run away from her face.

She thought only of one thing – to ask Giles.

Lily's hand went to her hair as she turned in a circle to worriedly scan the rushing crowd around them.

"I could use the telephone box out front to call my mum…but we might need to catch the bus…"

The memory of the Knight Bus bloomed in Katherine's mind. Her wand felt like a warm piece of hope in her pocket – and all she needed to call for help.

"That's it! We'll take the bus to Hogwarts!"

Lily shook her head at Katherine, frowning, "It'd take days – and then, I don't think any muggle buses even go to Hogsmeade."

"Haven't you ever heard of the Knight Bus?" asked Katherine, resisting to urge to bob in joy.

Lily shook her head again, eyeing Katherine unsurely.

 

---

 

In a non-descript side street a few blocks away from the station, Katherine and Lily stood on the gutter with their heavy trunks – Katherine with her wand outstretched.

Not a second after raising her arm, there was a loud BANG and then a midnight blue bus slowed against the curb.

Lily gripped Katherine's hand, eyes and mouth wide.

Katherine smiled at her friend's wonder for but a moment, but then – once again – her mind turned back to Giles. Had he looked on as Katherine gaped naively – the daughter of his friends – and felt a strike of pride as she did with Lily?

A man that, still, strongly resembled a pipe cleaner with eyes, moseyed up to the door from the inside. Like he did a year ago, he leant on the pole and eyed a card in his hand with a bored expression.

Katherine was glad to know that some things never changed – no matter how much she herself had.

"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus; emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard," he droned, sighing and blinking, "My name is Dave Jenkins, and I will be your conductor this evening."

Dave Jenkins looked up, raised his eyebrows and waved an arm in indication that Katherine and Lily step aboard.

It was as he leapt down onto the patchy grass in his curled-toe magenta boots to pick up their trunks and animal carriers, that he broke from the rehearsed social dance.

"Merlin – yer' her!" Dave Jenkins spat as he spoke, his finger almost landing on Katherine's face as his saliva had done, "Yer' Katherine Spencer!"

Lily glanced between Katherine and Dave Jenkins concernedly.

Katherine fought the urge to wipe her face free from his spit in front of Dave, and her lips tugged up in her startled discomfort.

"Yes," said Katherine, knowing there was no hiding from the photograph regularly across the front page of the Daily Prophet, "Lily and I missed the train and are in quite a rush to get to Hogwarts…"

Dave Jenkins blinked and nodded rapidly in tandem, "Of course! Of course! We'll do this, er," he leant closer and said, in a voice not much lower, "Hush, hush…yeah?"

Dave waved the two girls on –

"I'll get yer trunks – you two go find a seat upstairs."

Katherine climbed the stairs and then reached for her purse, "What about payment?"

Dave landed Katherine's trunk on the hexagonal chrome landing with a loud THUNK. He wiped his brow and grinned.

"For Miss Katherine Spencer? It's free."

Katherine hesitated, something pulling uneasily in her chest, but then nodded.

Lily frowned, "That doesn't sound like a very solid business plan –"

Katherine cleared her throat and gently took her friend's elbow to whisper, "I didn't get enough out of Gringotts last term anyway."

Lily suddenly grinned, turning it back on Dave Jenkins.

"In that case – merci!" she waved as Katherine tugged her along the bus to the stairs to the next level.

"Laying it on a bit thick, aren't we?" said Katherine, once out of earshot.

Lily eyed Katherine amusedly as she weaved around a rolling bed, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. She sat gingerly on a seat at the front of the second level, tucking her dress beneath her.

"How long do you think it will take?" asked Lily, looking around at the muggle world outside of the bus, "And they can't…"

"The bus is concealed," said Katherine, nodding. Thinking on Lily's second question, she shrugged, "And as for how long it will take… It took me about ten minutes from nearby Claremont to the Leaky Cauldron…"

Dave Jenkins, panting and wiping his brow again, emerged from the stairs, reeling off two tickets from the dispenser slung over his shoulder.

"Two to Hogsmeade – estimated time of arrival;" Dave paused to check a fob watch jiggled out from his uniform pocket, "Five pm."

He vanished down the stairwell and there was a rap on glass.

Katherine gripped the arm rests of her chair, "Lily, fair warning –"

Lily's squeal, and a THUMP against the glass alerted Katherine to her insufficient warning before her friend returned to her seat rubbing her cheek.

 

---

 

"Here we are – Hogsmeade!"

Dave Jenkins was already lugging Katherine and Lily's trunks off of the Knight Bus by the time they stood from their chairs; eyes crusted with sleep, and limbs stiff from curling up on the hard seats.

The lights of Hogsmeade quickly woke the girls, despite the absence of the sun that had set on their journey from London to the Scottish Highlands.

Her body jolting from the step down to the uneven pavers of the street outside The Three Broomsticks, Katherine was unprepared for yet another when a piercing breeze blew through her thin summer clothes.

She could see the spot, just across the way, by the town square; where it had happened. It had been nearly three months since Katherine stepped foot in Hogsmeade. Since she left Giles behind, on the ground...

Dave Jenkins swung back up onto the bus and tipped his hat with the hand not gripping the pole, "Have a good year, Miss Spencer!"

Katherine waved as she and Lily hurried along the cobblestone high street of Hogsmeade with their heavy, clunking trunks, their cat carriers on top. Guilt at the rough ride of the two cats niggled at her too, but there was little they could do.

The two only paused at the junction of signs on the edge of town. 'Hogwarts', 'Hogsmeade', and 'Dufftown' were emblazoned on thick timber in gold lettering. They were barely legible in the blue-dark of the early evening, barely aided by the lamp post across the lane.

The castle was already visible up the hill, the Great Hall's windows glowing out like a beacon.

"I was worried I'd never see it again." Katherine managed out through jagged breaths.

Lily laughed through her own heavy breathing, "Come on, the gates shouldn't be more than ten minutes up the path."

The path, that the Thestrals would tug carriages of students along, was empty. But not a smooth journey. The BANG's from beneath the wheels of the girls' trunks reverberated through their arms and up their spines to their skulls.

Something about the path always felt eerily familiar. As if Katherine had seen it in a dream before...

Even as they stopped at the closed gates, Katherine's cheeks buzzed on.

It soon became clear that the only company the girls had, was from the winged boars on the large pillars either side of the heavy wrought iron gates.

Lily frowned up at the gates triple their heights, "Do we climb it?"

"And get fried?"

"It's not electrified, Katherine…" said Lily, before hesitating, "Right?"

Katherine inspected the innocuous black bars, "Bound to have loads of spells on it though."

"Hang on… is that…" Lily sprung up onto the tips of her toes and started waving with both arms, "Mister Filch! We missed the train! Can you let us through?"

The slinking shadow against the lights spilling out of the Entrance Hall blinked out of view. A smaller shadow, undoubtedly Mrs Norris, followed.

Katherine shook her head, "I never liked him."

Lily sighed, throwing herself down upon her trunk and letting her face fall into her hands.

Katherine, realising that it was now up to her to find a way in, squinted through the thickening darkness.

It was after barely a moment of scanning the castle for anyone else whose attention they might be able to grab, that Katherine spied a new development.

"Lily…someone's coming…"

Lily lifted her face from her hands, and then – at recognising help – sprung to her feet once more.

A long, dark figure stalked towards the gates.

Katherine and Lily shared a sideways glance, neither recognising the figure.

Colourless robes swished around shiny shoes as the wizard came to a stop. Eyes like spikes, set into a sallow olive face, narrowed at the girls through the iron bars of the gates –

"Mister Filch seems to think we have two troublemakers at the gate who claim to be students who missed the train…"

Lily bristled and brandished her red badge, "I'm a Prefect!"

The wizard tilted his head.

"A Prefect should be punctual."

"I usually am…" Lily tapered off, her eyes lowering.

"The barrier at the train station wouldn't let us through, sir." said Katherine, trying to help their case.

The wizard lowered his chin, and peered down at the girls coolly, "That happens when you're late."

"But we weren't!" said Lily, eyes wide and pleading, "We had at least two minutes left – I checked the clock!"

The wizard's penetrating gaze didn't let up from the two girls, but it became edged in dark amusement instead out outright distrust.

"Inability to tell time…should I be writing these down to relay to Professor McGonagall?"

Lily went ashen.

Scared her friends would shrink out of existence beside her, Katherine stepped forward.

"Please, sir," Katherine tried for her most polite tone, "This is Lily Evans, anyone – student or staff – would recognise her if you brought them out."

His hair glinted like onyx as he turned to fix Katherine with sharp eyes, "And you are?"

Katherine inwardly cringed.

"Katherine Spencer."

His gun-metal gaze hardened.

"I should have known," his upper lip curled back from his teeth, "The level of dissonance… it would have to be Hogwarts’ hero."

Ire bubbled at the base of Katherine's neck, quietly, dangerously. She held her tongue, however, and her fists a little tighter.

Lily looked nervously between Katherine and the wizard, "Excuse me, er…"

The wizard bowed his head an increment –

"Professor Zabini."

"Professor Zabini, sir," said Lily, smiling unsurely, "Does this mean we can come through now?"

Zabini's lips thinned, but he nodded, "Very well,"

He waved his wand over the gates, and they opened with a teeth-aching SCREECH. Something flickered above the gates, like a silvery film, as Katherine and Lily hurried across the threshold. Protection spells, Katherine realised.

"Do not think you two are in the clear," said Zabini, his eyes like slits, "Expect to hear from your Head of House."

Both Katherine and Lily nodded, chorusing, "Yes, sir."

"What are you waiting for?" Zabini's eyes widened in exasperation, and he made a scooting motion with his hands, "Hurry along."

The sound of the gates locking shut echoed behind the girls as they scurried up the green lawns.

A steady plume of smoke rose out of Hagrid's cabin and tickled Katherine's nostrils. The insects hummed from behind the trees in the forbidden forest. A million stars glittered and winked over the tallest turrets of the castle, and, perhaps, a million voices chattered behind the sanctuary enclosed behind the Entrance Hall's doors.

A smile rose to Katherine's lips, unbidden.

Lily turned to her as they met the Entrance Hall doors, mirroring the smile.

"Finally…" the words escaped Lily at a sigh. Her shoulders had lost all of their tension.

The warmth of the castle permeated through to the bones as the Entrance Hall doors closed behind them. The last of the students had arrived, and the castle seemed to recognise that it could close it's borders.

The previous year, Katherine had been daunted at her arrival at the castle. The castle, in that moment, was no longer an adversary. Katherine approached it with fond knowledge of the Gryffindor common room, the library, the kitchens…

Katherine glanced at the doors of the Great Hall, "Should we get changed into our robes…or?"

Lily's lips caught between her teeth, and her eyes scanned the hallway.

"I think that broom cupboard is one of the more roomy ones…" she said, pointing to the door beside the steps that led down to the Dungeons and Kitchens.

Lily undid the latches of her trunk with two swift CLICKs and grabbed her neatly folded uniform on top. She sighed, lit her wand with a whispered ‘lumos!’, and disappeared into the shallow home of brooms.

Katherine followed suit, barely a minute later, and the two girls were soon robed and brushing spider webs from their shoulders as they closed in on the Great Hall –

"Your mother simply despises me!"

Katherine and Lily shared a look as they parked their trunks outside the doors to the Great Hall, poking their fingers through the front grates of their cat carriers in a temporary farewell.

"No, she doesn't," came Frank Longbottom's voice, hesitant, "Surely…"

Turning around, the girls became privy to an alcove-bound altercation between Alice Fortescue and Frank Longbottom.

Alice's arms were raised, and so was her voice, "She wants a pretty house-witch for you."

"You're pretty, love." said Frank, reaching out a tentative hand to rest on Alice's cheek, and bestowing a loving smile on her.

"Oh, she'll never accept me," said Alice, shaking her head, "She'll never be happy unless… unless…"

Alice promptly dissolved into tears.

Frank's expression, however, hardened. There was a flame in his eyes when he spoke.

"I'm not breaking up with you."

The words were firm, final.

They couldn't stop Alice's fretting, "No Longbottom man can stand against Augusta –"

Frank stepped closer.

"This one will." he said, taking Alice's hand.

Alice lifted bloodshot eyes and snotty lips, "Frank, you're…you're…"

"Handsome?"

Despite her best efforts, Alice's lips twitched.

"Charismatic?"

Frank took her other hand and danced her in a small circle.

"Steadfast?"

Alice laughed blearily as they finished a twirl, "Crazy."

"Only for you, love." with his words, Frank swept her into his arms.

It was as Katherine watched Frank's lips land softly on Alice's hair that Lily spoke up beside her –

"Come on, we'll miss the sorting." said Lily, hooking an arm through Katherine's.

Katherine's eyes settled on a familiar throng of Gryffindors, further down. There were no seats left beside their peers, however, and Lily and Katherine slipped in by the previous year’s sixth years – the new seventh years – at the back of the table.

The Sorting Hat broke into song, cutting off any conversation, or any attempt to catch their friends’ attention.

It was a light-hearted jingle, and the sorting commenced with the clearing of Professor McGonagall's throat and the calling of "Abbey, Georgia!"

Soon enough, Katherine's hands tired from clapping, and Gryffindor had ten new members to their house. Twelve, if Katherine were to count Frank and Alice who snuck in towards the end of the sorting and took their seats.

"Now… to our new students, welcome! To our old students, welcome back!" Dumbledore greeted, "Another year of magical education awaits you,"

Dumbledore smiled over the Hall.

"There are some start of term notices;" Dumbledore declared, "First of all, I would like you all to welcome Professor Zabini to our school, he will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher,"

Polite clapping sounded around the Great Hall.

Zabini stood, his robes so dark that Katherine wondered if he'd vanish from the spectrum of visibility. He gave a curt bow and seated himself once more quickly.

McGonagall shifted in her seat beside him, lips pursed.

Katherine felt Lily and Alice's eyes on her, as well as a plummeting pit in her stomach.

"Moving on…Mister Filch would also like me to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is in fact forbidden," Dumbledore continued on, "And without further ado, let the feast begin!"

At his words, the four house tables became flooded with food, the Hall filled with the chatter of students who hadn't seen each other for a whole summer. Gold goblets bubbled to the brim with juice and water, glazed turkeys and roast vegetables popped onto extravagant trays in the middle of the table.

The ghosts combed the table, as well as prompt conversation.

"Hello, Alice," said Katherine with a smile, "Good summer?"

Alice glanced at Frank – locked in conversation with Lily, and smiled, "Yeah, you?"

"Actually... yeah." said Katherine, not needing to lie.

The conversation dimmed at the steady CLICK – CLACK of boots from behind Katherine.

Lily gulped down a mouthful of tomato soup, her eyes widening and her hands jumping to her napkin.

Katherine turned at the prim clearing of a throat to find Professor McGonagall peering down from above her pursed lips, a feather quivering along the brim on her conical hat.

"Professor Dumbledore has requested you come to his office at eight, Miss Spencer," said McGonagall, her stern gaze lifting to each sixth year of her house in turn, "Enjoy your meal,"

She bowed her head and turned, her emerald robes glinting under the candlelight.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief and went to say –

"Oh," Professor McGonagall turned back, and her large green eyes found Katherine with unnerving accuracy. There was something indecipherable flickering and mulling in her gaze, her lips twitching, "And welcome back."

This time, when McGonagall swept off, the doors of the Great Hall closed behind her in finality.

Katherine and Lily shared a look, before tucking into their dinner. They caught Alice up on the incident at the train station, ‘How odd…’ Alice had said as she frowned at the platform closing itself off, as they ate.

“Hey, Lily? –” Katherine brandished her empty wrist, in silent ask.

Lily checked her watch, and said, through chews of bread, “Seven-thirty.”

Katherine took in a breath "Oh, I best be going…it's getting on…"

"I'll come with you." said Lily, scrunching up her napkin and leaving it in her bowl with her spoon.

"No, it’ll be alright. You can catch up with the others, I don’t know how long I’ll be with Dumbledore.” said Katherine, pushing herself up.

Lily relaxed back into her seat, but eyed Katherine still, closely, concernedly.

Just before she turned away from the table, to make for the close by doors, Katherine caught the eye of a certain fluffy haired prefect, further down the table.

Remus’ eyes sparked with recognition, and curiosity. He bobbed around James’ head to hold her eye.

Katherine had already begun towards to doors. She would talk to him tomorrow, she decided, as she passed through the doors. As she closed them behind herself, she saw the numerous turned around heads.

She hoped the stares after what took place at the close of the previous year would not last too long. At Hogwarts, something always happened to replace whatever scandal or event came before, and Katherine was counting on it - and hoping that whatever it was, would not include her.

On the walk, she found herself slowing to inspect the ghosts and poltergeists dotted along the way, on the off chance...

Just as she caught her breath from the evening, she found herself standing in front the heavy oak doors of Dumbledore's office.

A not all together pleasant feeling of déjà vu washed over Katherine like a poorly cast disillusionment charm.

She raised her hand through a heavy tar-like burst of melancholy, and knocked.

The response was a swift and soft, "Come in."

The silver instruments still whirred. Fawkes still preened on her perch. And Dumbledore still sat behind his desk. He waved a hand toward the empty chair opposite.

Katherine felt very small as she sat gently, smoothing her skirt.

"Sherbet lemon?" said Dumbledore, predictably.

Katherine bowed her head, "No, thank you, sir."

Dumbledore twisted one open for himself.

"You might wonder why I've asked you here this evening… after all that occurred last term - after your triumph,"

At the headmasters' riling, congratulatory tone, Katherine lifted her head.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled across at her in what seemed every bit to be pride.

Katherine did not feel very triumphant. Rather just... nothing.

Did everyone else see it the same way as Dumbledore?

"We must not be complacent, however, in our pursuit of a true defeat of the evils that threaten our world, our very walls," he paused to suck on his sweet, "I am afraid that I have something more to ask of you this year, Katherine,"

Dumbledore lowered his chin and gazed over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

"I require your assistance in obtaining some very pertinent information."

"Information?" said Katherine.

Dumbledore nodded gravely.

"Something that without, I'm afraid, we cannot hope to succeed in keeping Voldemort at bay."

Katherine hesitated, suddenly fearful at the enormity of such a task, "What… what do you need to know?"

"Professor Slughorn has an uncanny knack of weaselling into the confidences of many a student," Dumbledore blinked, "Even… Tom Riddle."

The name felt like a shot to the heart.

Her voice didn't sound like hers when she went to use it again, "Because you think he's going to come back?"

Dumbledore lowered his solemn gaze to the ashes below Fawkes' perch.

"Regrettably."

Katherine nodded, "What do you need me to ask about?"

"I’m afraid you won’t be able to be so daring as to plainly ask," said Dumbledore, his eyes now on a far-off vision, "But, you need to discover everything Tom Riddle might have learnt about living beyond death."

His hands balled on his desk with his urgency –

"We need to know how… what he might have used…"

He hadn't mentioned Giles, Katherine noticed. He didn't ask how she was. Nor if she had anything she wanted to discuss with him about her summer, about her aunt.

Maybe he was the accomplished Legillimens he was rumoured to be, she mused.

Or, perhaps, he simply didn't care.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 41: Déjà vu

By the time Katherine returned to her dormitory after visiting Dumbledore, all the other girls were already fast asleep.

Katherine quietly prepared for bed, and joined the group in their collective slumber, with only a few thoughts rattling around her brain.

She had time, she had decided in the dark of the dormitory, to get that information from Slughorn. After all, she did not know the man very well. Lily, on the other hand…

In the safety of the castle, Katherine rolled over and gazed out the open windows of the dormitory.

In the adjacent, boys' side of the tower, Sirius Black had long since rolled over in his own bed, the same stars spilling into his dormitory – that he gazed out at, with her. Their beds a mirror image.

 

---

 

When Katherine woke, it was with Lily weighing down the other side of the bed. Her friend laid atop the covers, fully dressed in her uniform.

It did not feel unordinary after sharing a bed the whole summer.

When she felt Katherine stir, Lily turned to her, and gave a smile –

“I was going to give you three minutes before I really woke you up – come on, still plenty of time to get breakfast.” she said, pulling herself up, and slapping Katherine’s legs through the heavy blanket.

Katherine sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, looking around the empty dormitory, “Oh, I’ve missed the other girls…”

“It’s alright,” said Lily, with a light laugh, as she neatened her hair in the mirror, “We all agreed that you looked as sweet as bub, and none of us wanted to wake you – not after you got in so late last night…”

Katherine gave a smile, but did not elaborate on Dumbledore’s meeting that Lily had hinted at. In due time, she promised herself. With that, she got up, and prepared for the day.

She and Lily did not speak much – they did not need to. They had yet to be parted for over three weeks.

Still, Katherine found that she was yet to tire of Lily.

Lily, it seemed, felt the same. She lingered, handing Katherine her tie, blazer, and outer robe after Katherine pulled on her knee socks and shoes.

Together they strolled lazily down to breakfast, united in a comfortable silence.

Katherine's sixth year at Hogwarts began in earnest on that morning, like the sun rising for the first time over the castle in many years.

As far as everyone knew, the Dark Lord was no more.

The spells were harmless sparklers being shot around the hallways and trip jinxes between friends, not unforgiveables.

The greatest concern of most girls past fourth year was if their skirt had been hiked up far enough to grab the attention of whichever boy's shaggy hair and rolled up sleeves they had taken a fancy to.

There was even music coming from somewhere, a Hob Goblins hit about asking a witch at a bar to show her golden snitch. No matter how frantically they searched, not a Professor could locate the source of the racket.

Heads of hair flashed by Katherine as she strolled to breakfast, spelled to have multicolour streaks. Magical tattoos flitted around the exposed skin of a few seventh year boys' biceps, dragons, broomsticks, and even an inked snitch fluttered around the wrist of Hufflepuff's Seeker.

It was the most peaceful and light-hearted chaos Katherine had ever witnessed. In the great confuffle of it all, no one seemed to pay Katherine any mind. She walked the halls just like any given day.

"Hooligans! The lot of them! –" cried McGonagall at barely a moment past seven in the morning – "Hopped up on summer fun and… a few illegal substances I believe…"

The feather in her conical hat quivered, like her voice, with indignity.

"Tattoos have cropped up, students aren't bothering with their ties, and hems of skirts are more varied than bertie bott's every flavour beans –"

"The uniforms are a grey area, Minerva." came Dumbledore's wizened, amused voice as he strolled beside her.

Emerald eyes flashed –

"Grey areas are gateways!" McGonagall gestured wildly, "Today it's untucked shirts, unlaced shoes – and tomorrow it's organised crime and gang warfare!"

Still huffing, McGonagall placed down Katherine and Lily’s new schedules – 

“Miss Evans, Miss Spencer…”

Katherine immediately balked, seeing that she had potions first up that morning –

“Mister Lupin…”

Professor McGonagall has begun to bustle off, but had caught the fluffy haired prefect as he closed in on the table.

Remus took his schedule with a quiet ‘thank you’, but he was looking at Katherine. That certain way. He sat down directly across from her, beside Lily.

She didn’t know what to say after their hug and hand holding in the summer.

“Hi.” said Katherine, feeling suddenly very shy.

A small smile played on his lips, “Hi.”

“What’s everyone dropped?” came Marlene’s voice, cutting across them.

“Herbology, Astronomy…” Remus listed off, rubbing an eye.

It was all very deceptive, thought Katherine. As, beneath the table, Remus had trapped her shoe beneath his own.

Katherine’s ears burned.

Remus looked across at Katherine, plain innocence across his face, “Did you keep History of Magic?”

Katherine shook her head.

Remus made a short, forlorn expression, as he peered across at her schedule.

Katherine could see that they only had a few of the old core classes together – DADA, Charms, Transfiguration…

Should they have matched their classes? Was… was this something she had to share with him from now on?

“Oh, thank goodness – you’ve dropped Potions too, Lupin,” said Marlene, cheerily, “What did it for you? I hated smelling like bubotuber pus all day…”

There was an odd freeze at the table, though Katherine thought only she, Lily, and Remus had felt it.

It was the pause of a secret. The jarring reminder of the handful of different dynamics running within their new group of sorts. Remus had an incredibly heightened sense of smell – a part of being a werewolf.

“Yeah, er,” Remus tried for casualness, picking at his breakfast, “The smells did it for me too. Gave me headaches…”

“It really did do that – didn’t it?” agreed Marlene, in earnest, nodding in thought.

Remus cleared his throat, “I didn’t need it anyway.”

Katherine briefly wondered what he and Professor McGonagall had discussed in their career counselling session…

Professor McGonagall still milled around, the stack of parchments in her arms thinning considerably as breakfast went on –

“Mister Potter –”

Katherine’s heart squeezed –

“Mister Black.”

In the empty space beside her, a slip of parchment was placed down beside hers – with Potions across the top of that day’s classes, just like hers.

The press of his arm against hers, as he wedged in between she and James, brought with it the ghost of the previous term, and those lazy last few weeks they'd spent; nearly, and oddly, inseparable –

“You weren’t on the train.” his voice was deeper.

In noticing it, was the obvious, loud fact that they had been separated. Sitting there beside him, calm as ever, it all might have been yesterday.

Katherine focused instead on her breakfast as she said, quietly, “Surely, you’ve heard?”

“Well, yes,” came laughter lilted words, and then the nudge of his large elbow into hers, “I would like to hear it from you, however.”

She turned to Sirius –

She caught herself. Katherine wondered when on Earth she had stopped thinking of him as Black?

It took a second to place her finger on it, but it came down to him. He had changed.

She had not heard his voice in nearly three months. It was different; so warm and open, so unlike his old, distant haughtiness.

“We missed the train.” said Katherine, with a little shrug, battling away her self-consciousness at revealing it.

Sirius poured milk atop his cereal, and said casually, “That happened to James in third year.”

Katherine glanced across the front of Sirius to James – to find him listening, and already looking back at her as he chewed his own breakfast.

Katherine jumped inside her skin just about at it.

“Did you take the Knight Bus too?” Katherine asked James, schooling away her surprise at his keen attention.

James gave a light frown and shake of his head, swallowing his chewed mouthful.

“Mum flooed through to McGonagall’s office,” said James, matter-of-factly, blinking and looking off in thought, “I never really thought about what would happen if I lived in a house without a floo…”

A glint on James’ robes caught Katherine’s eye. James was not a prefect. Peering closer, Katherine saw the ‘C’ – for Captain.

Katherine very nearly split open. Her heart flew out of her chest – and her eyes found the boy next to her.

Oh, Sirius…

After the night out by the whomping willow, it really should not have come as such a surprise however…

Katherine redirected her attention to her breakfast. It would not do to look doleful at the table.

It was a happy table, after all. Frank and Alice sat undisguisedly together on the other side of Lily – who was chatting happily with Remus (he occasionally tapped Katherine’s shoe with his own from time to time – it would make Katherine jump, and nudge arms with Sirius accidentally).

In a seemingly endless string of distractions that morning, was the sliver of the Slytherin table that Katherine caught as Lily shifted across from her to compare schedules with Alice.

Regulus Black was clear to see, sitting at the Slytherin table. This time, without his cousin for company. He sat with Rabastan Lestrange instead, quietly eating.

They were probably related, thought Katherine wryly. The Blacks seemed to be related to everyone.

He was looking back. Like usual.

Lily settled back into her spot of bench beside Remus, cutting off their view of one another.

Instead, Katherine was faced with Remus’ gaze across at her instead. He gave a small smile, his eyes sliding to Sirius and James beside her, and then he lifted his teacup and took a long drink.

A tickle on her cheek from curls of hair was Sirius lowering his head by hers, placing his napkin beside his plate as he spoke, “We better get a move on to Potions; we don’t want to be late.”

Katherine thought she saw Lily’s eye twitch.

“So, we’re all still mostly together for potions…” said Lily, mostly to herself, as she stood on the other side of the table and gathered her bag onto her shoulder.

Together the group of sixth year Gryffindors unanimously stood, as the bell for the first lesson of the day would soon clang out. As they began strolling down the table to the double doors of the Great Hall, Sirius slid an arm around Katherine’s shoulders.

Katherine was jostled against his side, but enjoyed the warmth of muscle, and settled.

“What’s the go with Evans?” he whispered.

Lily marched slightly ahead of the group, opening the doors to the hallway.

“Maybe don’t mention time around Lily.” Katherine whispered back.

Sirius lowered his face by hers, raising his eyebrows in his own patent way, “Terrible accident with a clock?”

Katherine had to turn her head away as she laughed.

She shook her head, keeping her tone quiet as she and Sirius caught up to Lily, James, Alice, and Frank, “Zabini cut her to pieces over her punctuality when he met us at the gates last night.”

“The new Defence Professor?” asked Sirius, voice blooming with curiosity.

Katherine nodded, not speaking further on it, as they had fallen in beside Lily.

Sirius nodded again, and was quiet for the beat of a thoughtful moment, before saying –

“Seems like a bit of tosser.”

Lily frowned across the front of Katherine, “Black.”

Sirius startled slightly, peering down at the redhead, “Bloody hell, forgot you were there.”

Katherine could not help a laugh at Lily's look of incredulity, and eyeing of Sirius as if he were something entirely foreign.

Two parts of Katherine's world, that had once been very separate, were suddenly mixing. Like oil and water.

The large contingent of Gryffindors were nearly at the first set of staircases that would descend into the dungeons, when the TAP – TAP – TAP of shoes slapping the stone floor closed in on them, growing steadily louder.

Sirius’ arm slipped down from around Katherine’s shoulders as they all turned.

“Moony!” greeted James, cheerfully.

Remus nodded to his friend in greeting but turned his eyes on Katherine.

Katherine could feel Lily’s smile boring into the side of her face, and resolutely refused to meet her friend’s gaze.

“I’ve got a free,” said Remus, a little breathlessly, and smoothing back his hair with a gentle smile, “I’ll walk with you.”

Shaking a hand through his hair, Sirius stepped out the front, and took point down the stairs with James.

Alice and Frank fell in behind them, holding hands.

Lily nudged Katherine closer to Remus, before going around them doing a bit of a quick step to catch up to walk with Alice.

“What are you going to do with your free? You’re not on your own, are you?” asked Katherine, as she and Remus began taking the stairs, watching the others in front of them.

Remus shrugged, with a fresh-faced smile down at her.

It wrapped around her heart a bit. His happiness.

“I don’t mind being on my own for a little bit,” said Remus, “I’ll probably do some reading for History of Magic later today.”

They walked on, jolting down the steps, shoulder to shoulder. Featherlight brushes of their hands were constant, and in them were the reminder of summer. The new closeness they had fostered in Cokeworth had not quite translated seamlessly back to the castle, it seemed.

Waiting outside the Potions classroom were a few other students. Severus Snape, namely.

Lily, at seeing him, hid surreptitiously behind everyone else.

A brush on her ear startled Katherine –

“I’ll see you in Defence?” whispered Remus, having leant by her face.

Katherine froze. Paralysed. She worried, for a split second, that Remus was about to kiss her on the cheek.

But why shouldn’t he? She had never given him any reason to think it would be unwelcome…

But – Was he her boyfriend? Or were they just… close?

Katherine, with bated breath, nodded. She tried a smile but knew it must have looked terribly shy – at best. Frightened as a rabbit, at worst.

Remus just nodded back, giving a lazy wave to the others before taking his leave – back up the stairs.

Katherine let out a breath, stepping closer to Lily and the others. Meanwhile, she got caught back up in her head –

Why would it strike up such worry in her if he really were to kiss her on the cheek? She knew she should be giddy. She liked him.

…didn’t she?

Thinking about boys was a heavy loaded subject all in itself, she decided. Katherine had much more respect for the abject anguish Alice and Mary must have been gracefully – constantly – battling the previous term.

“Good of him to accompany us, wasn’t it?”

Lily nudged Katherine, with that evil grin back from the summer –

“Considering it was so out of his way.”

Katherine was very aware of James and Sirius standing right by them. She held in a girlish, blushing ‘shut up’, and just hummed. Her eyes wandered, searching for distraction.

Alice and Frank stood off on their own, across the hallway. They faced one another as they leant against the wall, holding hands as they talked happily; absorbed in one another.

Alice managed out something indistinct through laughter, looking very pretty in the morning light dappling through the lake-clouded window at the end of the hallway. Frank rested a hand familiarly on her hip as he inclined his head to chuckle with her.

Katherine quickly averted her eyes, feeling as if she were intruding on a very intimate moment.

Lily was still turned resolutely away from Snape, looking down the other end of the hallway, absently watching people travel past them to other classes.

James was murmuring to Sirius, who – to Katherine’s flash of hot surprise – was looking, blank-faced, and rather frighteningly, at her.

Then his lips quirked up in a friendly smile, before he turned to respond to James.

CREAK! The classroom door swung open, a cloud of dust fanning out over the waiting students –

“Good morning, Sixth Years!” came the cheerful bellow of Professor Slughorn.

Promptly, everyone began forming a line. Lily teetered on her feet as they shuffled closer to pass through the door.

Katherine felt her plait shift – be flicked – but couldn’t turn, wedged in from behind – too close to allow much movement at all, bar forward –

“My girls!” beamed Slughorn, with open arms at the sight of Lily and Katherine, waving them through.

“Morning, Professor.” Katherine and Lily chorused.

As they passed, Katherine kept her smile but consciously avoided looking too much at the Professor. She could not help wondering... just what did he know?

As everyone took to the benches, trying to get a look at the potion scrawled up on the board, Slughorn began his start of term monologue –

“In addition to the set curriculum for this upcoming term, we have the unique opportunity for our NEWT students – yes that’s you now – to help in the monumental effort that is regrowing the forbidden forest –”

The cold grip of what had happened in that forest took hold of Katherine’s face –

“Whenever our schedule allows it, we will be brewing growth tonics. If you take Herbology, you may also be lucky enough to go out distribute it them and see the new sprigs of life already blooming from the ashes!”

CLANG! the heavy oak door shut soundly.

Looking around at the final numbers of the class, it felt premature to be beginning the lesson. The benches were considerably more sparsely dotted than the previous year. It was an odd phenomenon to see all four colours of house robes in one room.

A clearing of a throat, and the space beside Katherine was no longer empty, “To think I considered dropping this subject.”

“Academic exclusivity appeals your prideful nature, luckily enough.” came James’ voice, as he cleaned his spectacles on the bottom flap of tweed of his blazer, shooting a slightly unfocused look of amusement at Sirius.

James proceeded to slot in next to Lily.

Regardless of the increased mixing of houses, the old adage held true. Birds of feather, flock together. The legion of Gryffindors were the largest representation of a house by far.

At the front of the room, Slughorn went on to list through what they would be covering for the term, and moved up to his bench – where examples of some of the more complex potions they would be studying bubbled and smoked.

"Can anyone tell me what's in this particular cauldron?"

A few confused glances were exchanged among the class, as a few tried to take a closer look.

Lily’s hand was on its way to shooting up – when she was beaten to it –

"Amortentia." said Sirius, easily.

The rustle of robes, and nothing else, filled the room as the class turned to look at source of the answer.

"Very good, Sirius," said a mildly stunned Slughorn.

Snape rolled his eyes from behind the Professor.

"It is considered the most powerful, and dangerous, potion of it's kind in the world. Powerful infatuations can be induced by the skilful potioneer, but never yet has anyone managed to create the truly unbreakable, eternal, unconditional attachment that alone can be called Love,” Slughorn continued before pausing, a twinkle in his eye, "Ten points to Gryffindor too, Sirius,"

James had leant his hip against the table, his arms crossed, and lifted a hand to wipe the corner of his smiling lips.

Lily looked back and forth between the boys, a mixture of amusement and a suspension of disbelief mingling across her face.

Sirius however was the striking picture of studiousness, his eyes focused ahead. There was an aloofness that radiated off his figure, that told of the cool, focused scholar he had only joked about – that lied beneath.

"Now," Slughorn went on, smiling anew, "As Amortentia smells different to each person, according to what attracts them, I have a tradition of letting students have a whiff – a very, very, brief whiff,"

The professor cast his gaze around the room, baby blue eyes sparkling.

"The lovely Lily and Katherine – why don't you girls give it a try?"

Slughorn waved the two blushing girls up to the cauldron, as everyone watched on.

Lily leant over the vapours first, her face lighting up before she lifted her robe to cover her nose and mouth. She quickly retreated back to the bench, her ears pink.

Katherine steeled herself and leant over next. She felt her nostrils, not tickle, but be caressed by some of the best smells. Butterscotch, firewood, and soap lulled Katherine into a relaxed cat-like state.

Chest warm, Katherine understood Lily's reaction. She felt on the verge of passing out in contentedness, yet frantic to smell it some more. With all of her power, Katherine pulled herself back, and took measured, light-headed steps back towards the confused faces of James and Sirius.

"Mister Potter? Mister Black?" Slughorn summoned forwards without pause.

The rest of the class took their turns, Slughorn needing to gently pull Greengrass back from the cauldron after she was so affected that she went to plunge her hand into the simmering concoction.

"Now, I'm sure you all did your readings before class and know what this is –" Slughorn produced a vial of what seemed, every bit, to be Felix Felicis from the readings Katherine had done together with Lily in the summer, "– whichever pair brews the best glamouring potion will get half each of the vial."

Ladles were in hand and flames were lit post haste, a cacophony of sound filling the chamber.

"One condition for you two sharing a bench," Slughorn slowed by the four Gryffindors, pointing at James and Sirius, "You can't work on the same potion."

James grinned, "Evans?"

"It seems so, Potter." said Lily, perusing their ingredient list.

Sirius slid away to the ingredient cupboard with James.

The running shadow of the previous year was a palpable undercurrent through the entire day. There came points, however, when something deviated. Like then, in potions, Snape was there – but pointedly ignoring them – feeling very far out of their sphere. Katherine almost forgot he was there, sometimes.

Lily and Katherine stood together at the bench, but then had their attention split from each other when James and Sirius returned – their partners, of all things. Last year there would have had to be some sort of Geneva convention in place for Lily to work with James.

James too, was on his best behaviour. Or maybe, thought Katherine, he was just being himself – without the bravado.

“I think Dingle and his partner are ahead of you two, Prongs,” goaded Sirius, before raising his eyebrows to Lily, “Wish you got him, Evans?”

“Dingle,” scoffed James, as he focused on he and Lily's potion, “Don’t worry, Evans, I’d bump into cleverer people at a lodge meeting of the Guild of Village Idiots…”

James, perhaps, was the funniest when he was not trying.

“What kind of nickname is Prongs, anyway?” asked Lily, focused on slicing the next ingredient she and James needed to add.

James froze, but his eyes darted up to Sirius, “Ah…”

Katherine glanced to Sirius, to find that he too had frozen.

“Is it for, you know, those bits on the glasses...” Lily went on, gesturing up by her own face.

“Yes,” said James, blinking, and then looking pointedly across at Sirius as he spoke, “Yes, it’s for the glasses.”

Sirius too nodded quickly, “Yes.”

It was one of those times, mused Katherine, where they gave the distinct impression that they were keeping one of their many secrets.

Slughorn was to hand the vial of Felix Felicis to Katherine and Sirius at the end of the lesson however, despite all the talk from James, and despite Lily's own prowess.

Everyone was surprised.

Except Sirius.

James shook his head, incredulous, but smiling, “I could have sworn you two fudged it, though, I was watching you – you were behind us.”

“Well, yes, we did,” conceded Sirius, slinging an arm around Katherine’s shoulders with a grin at James, “Luckily, I’m in possession of something other than potions nepotism. A different thing. It’s spontaneous, and it’s called wit.”

Lily had rolled her eyes to Katherine at the boys’ behaviour.

Greengrass hadn’t even tried, it seemed, scribbling in her diary the whole time.

How strange, thought Katherine, as she watched the girl bustle out of class without so much as a glare in her direction…

It was as the sixth years from potions, who had DADA right after, made the trek up through the castle, that Katherine noticed younger students splitting from their friends to go around them.

Katherine became acutely aware of a shift in the castle. The new fifth years, looked… so small. Not to mention, the first years – a bunch of little strangers, coming in underneath all the other years…

She looked around at her friends. They had all been dragged up, one spot from the top of the school, without any say in the matter…

Sirius and James were laughing about the events of potions class, in their usual way, oblivious to the younger girls that passed them looking a little longer than was necessary when navigating the castle in a busy intermission. Katherine remembered Debbie and Sue, the previous year, waxing on about how the sixth and seventh year boys were ‘well fit’ and decidedly more interesting. The boys beside them, however, were the same as ever; simply taller.

Marlene met them halfway up the moving staircases, and it was then Katherine took notice of the shorter hem of her skirt. None of the others seemed to bat an eyelid over it. Katherine, however, looked down at herself – wondering if she looked any different…

Remus was waiting, with Peter and Mary, outside of their next classroom.

“Feeling alright?” he queried, leaning against the stone wall, tilting his head down at her.

Katherine was a little confused, “Yeah, of course.”

No sooner than the words had left her mouth, did she realise his meaning.

He had remembered where she had not. They were standing outside of the DADA classroom. The last time they had done so, Giles had been waiting inside for them.

Oh.

It was a word. A sensation. It was an internal dropping of something. Perhaps the neat walls she had subconsciously conjured up – to manage the feat of plundering along – that was a necessity when something terrible had happened.

The bell rang then, without mercy.

“Fill the room, front desks first, no nonsense, please…” came the low tones of their new Professor.

Airy-footed, Katherine milled in through the open door to the classroom, seeing at once that she would have to take one of the front two desks. She could not sit anywhere else without making a fuss – something she desperately wished to avoid.

Maybe it would be so close, that Zabini would look over her, not noticing her at all.

Swiftly, Remus slid in beside her. It was the first time they had sat together since the whomping willow incident. Still, it felt like pulling on an old comfortable pair of pyjamas.

Zabini did not mention his predecessor. He did not mention Voldemort. Or the Death Eaters.

With a simple wave of his wand, he sent stacks of parchment up the aisles, the term outline, as he handled the house keeping. His name was Professor Zabini. He had worked in a research department in the Ministry that liaised with textbook writers for the very class they were in…

Katherine took prompt, neat notes on the details of their assigned homework to take from the class that day, not risking so much as a word to Remus beside her. He was not the type to talk during lessons anyway.

It was near the end of the lesson that Zabini’s short, cordial manner broke. It seemed to pain him too –

“Now, it is necessary to impart the true gravity of, not only your NEWTs, but the other inevitability that comes with the embarkment into your Sixth Year –”

From his tone, Katherine was certain he was about to prompt them to write their final will and testament –

“By the time you return home for the summer, you will no longer be under the trace –”

A buzz of excitement lifted the dusty, morbid room. A few short whispers broke out but died down again at Zabini’s stern gaze.

“For all intents and purposes – in the eyes of the Ministry, anyway – you will be…” Zabini paused, for but a second, and said, “…adults.”

The bell curtained Zabini’s dire warning of approaching adulthood, and everyone began scraping out of their chairs at the prospect of Lunch; the first break of the year.

Katherine felt all thumbs as she put her things away into her bag as her hands were shaking so much.

Zabini was lingering by the front desks, seeing over the flood of students streaming out of the classroom.

Surely, he wouldn’t speak to her?

Remus was slinging his bag onto his shoulder, and righting his Prefect pin, when he was pulled away, across the aisle, by the call of James Potter. It was three metres, at most, away.

Three metres between anyone else, and Katherine and Zabini, felt an exorbitant distance in which anything might happen.

“Oi, Spencer,”

A shield came between she and Zabini, in the form of Sirius Black.

Sirius’ light expression of greeting faded as his eyes flashed to Zabini, and then back to Katherine –

“Coming?”

Katherine nodded, and felt her hands free up – enough to finish placing her inkpot inside her bag, and lift the straps onto her shoulders with numb, cold hands.

Zabini, his arms crossed, gazed at Sirius a long moment as the boy waited patiently on the aisle edge of the desk.

Sirius, in fact, looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

Katherine shuffled out into the aisle, tagging on to the back of Remus and James as they slowly meandered out behind other students – a bottleneck at the door. She glanced back, to see Sirius reliably behind her.

Also, to be seen, were Zabini’s raised eyebrows as he uncrossed his arms and turned to stroll back leisurely to his desk. He glanced back with a something akin to faint amusement beneath his brow, before beginning to pack away his own things.

Katherine leant by Sirius to ask quietly, “So, still think he's a tosser?”

“I don’t like legillimens that can’t keep inside their own head, for one.” said Sirius lightly, blinking ahead.

“He was reading your thoughts?” asked Katherine, her awe meaning the words were mere hushes.

She fought the urge to look back. Meaningless, really, if the man could read her mind…

“A few teachers do it,” said Sirius, easily, “Our new defence professor makes no secret of it, however.”

Katherine thought back on the lesson, blinking as they passed through the door, “I never noticed...”

Sirius gave a tip of his head, wetting his lips –

“An accomplished legillimens will sift through your thoughts with you barely noticing, even if you know what to look out for,”

Katherine nodded in acceptance of the new information, despite any minor feelings of violation –

“My father, notably, is particularly good.”

It was rare one heard Sirius speak of his family.

Katherine, suddenly feeling as if she had been chucked in the deep end with bricks strapped to her ankles, did not know what to say.

A nudge to his arm with hers was all the silent communication she could offer for something she did not yet have the words for – something she expected she would be able to offer as some more mature adult version of herself.

He nudged back.

Out in the hallway, they were thrust into the noise of their fellow excited students who were making a mass exodus through the hallways in the direction of the Great Hall.

Before they could get very far, arms came around Katherine’s shoulders, and a chest pressed to her back. Over her shoulder, came a head of fluffy hair, and the smell of warm, clean wool –

“Hey.”

Katherine felt the tingles of her startlement fading, “Hey.”

Sirius fell away in the direction of the others, raising his eyebrows at Katherine in clear amusement.

Shame, thought Katherine, that he was already out of thwacking distance.

Remus’ arms slid down from around her and he fell into step beside her, peering down at her, a tendril of hair falling onto his forehead endearingly, “Would you like to come for a walk with me? After you get something to eat?”

Katherine nodded, feeling tingles rampaging through her chest and throat instead that time –

“Katherine is needed for urgent girl talk, Lupin – you’ve had your time.” interrupted Lily, hooking her arm through Katherine’s, and pulling her on.

Katherine threw an apologetic look over her shoulder.

Remus shook his head, amused, and smoothed his hair as he took a few quick loping steps to catch up to other boys.

“So,” said Lily, squeezing Katherine’s arm as they walked, “What was that all about?”

Katherine felt her brow furrow, “What?”

Lily hooked her arms around Katherine’s shoulders, her arms a lot leaner than Remus’ – who she was doing an impression of. Lily dropped her voice, comically, and said through laughter, a dopey ‘Hey’.

A bark of laughter squeaked out of Katherine, and she bent forward with the force of it.

Lily too laughed, waddling along, her arms still around Katherine’s shoulders. A struggle really, considering they were the exact same height.

“Oh, Remus,” Katherine joked along, holding Lily’s hands fondly where they clasped around her collar bones, “You have such gentle hands.”

Lily’s arms fell away, and she braced against the wall, bent at the waist, “No – stop – seriously – I’m going to wee myself!”

They waited there a moment, wheezing and red-faced, as they both settled down.

“He asked me to take a walk with him – after we have something to eat.” said Katherine, through waning pants as she leant back against the wall, watching the thinning stream of students pass them by.

“I’d say he wants to talk.” said Lily, through her own calming breaths.

Katherine turned to her, questioningly, “Do you know…?”

Lily turned to her, and shook her head with a smile.

“If he told me anything – you would know.” said Lily, holding out a hand.

Katherine took her hand, and the two swung their hands as they strolled down to lunch.

When they got to the table, the only space big enough for the two girls was between Marlene and Remus. Lily took the space of the bench closer to Marlene.

When Katherine slid in, Remus spared her a quick polite look before continuing his conversation with Peter over the merit of the other boy keeping Divination.

Mary and Peter had sat on opposite sides of the table, returning to their respective groups of friends for the break – but Mary was laughing almost constantly. It was the cheeriest, and most like herself, that Katherine had seen the girl since the return of term –

“Hey, Katherine – have you heard Marlene’s big news yet?” asked Mary, with happily glittering eyes as she leant down the table.

Lily too grinned, “Yeah, it starts with ‘Gil’ and ends with ‘Chrest’.”

Katherine abandoned her search for food, her voice falling to an awestruck whisper as she leant across Lily, along the table – rapt –

“You met Gary Gilchrest?”

“His younger stepbrother who goes to Beauxbatons,” said Marlene, with a shrug, putting down her sandwich as she began to regale Katherine with the tale, “Turns out he’s a friend of a friend of my cousin, Marcus, and we ran into him in Diagon Alley. To my great surprise, he asked me for out for ice cream,”

Marlene raised her eyebrows at the memory, then shed a scandalous grin on Katherine –  

“Brother’s resemblance and all that – I thought I’d give him a go.”

“How did it go?” asked Katherine, her chin falling to her palm.

“Well,” Marlene licked her lips, and tipped her head, “Perhaps fourteen is a touch too young – he –”

A short laugh escaped her, and a delicate flush lifted on her cheeks –

“He spent most of the afternoon staring at my cleavage.” she managed out, before dissolving into her laughter completely.

Katherine’s eyes slammed shut as she, and the other girls, laughed with Marlene.

As her laughter wound down, Katherine sighed, eyes still leaking, “Sometimes I wish I had cleavage so people wouldn’t look me in the eye.”

The laughter started up again, but across the table James had choked on his sip of juice.

“I’m just going to duck off to the loo,” said Remus, leaning by Katherine’s ear, with a spirited smile, “Meet me out at the spot? By the bridge?”

Katherine nodded but could not bring herself to watch him go. Instead, she focused intensely on keeping down a cucumber sandwich, thinking it would be the easiest thing on her stomach.

“Alright, I’m off.” said Katherine quietly, as she stood up from the bench – knowing she could not put off leaving too much longer.

Lily responded with a light swat on the bum, and a teasing smile.

Katherine flushed, feeling the amused stares of their group on her as she walked off and made her way out of the Great Hall. It took the walk to the courtyard to regain her composure and to will the blood back from her cheeks. Then the nerves kicked in.

It was Remus, she told herself. Just Remus.

When she reached the bridge, she saw the familiar back of him about halfway across. Katherine started into a jog –

“Remus!”

As she drew nearer, his smile became clearer to see. He outstretched a hand and, as Katherine slowed to a huffing stop by him, took hers inside his own. Just like that.

“I was hoping to get there first…” said Remus, lightly, before peering down at her happily.

“Can’t you just tell me now?” she asked through light laughter, anxiety and amusement galloping inside her. She managed a smile, “It all feels like quite the production – it’s all making me rather nervous…”

Remus turned back to her fully, taking her other hand and stepping closer.

Katherine’s stomach wrapped itself in another knot.

“Well, it’s rather grave business, I would think,” he said, eyeing her with playful sternness, eyebrows raised, “That we ought to tackle maturely; quasi-adults that we are.”

“Remus.” laughed Katherine, in light reprimand.

Remus grinned, but cleared his throat, continuing on importantly, “On account of me acting like a massive prick last term, we missed out on utilising those last two Hogsmeade visits to fulfill the terms of an agreed upon deal. So…”

Remus looked down at her anew, in earnest, knowing she was catching on –

“I brought you out here under the pretence of asking you – again –” he broke off, with a self-depreciative smile “– if you would come to Hogsmeade with me?”

Katherine blinked, “Oh,”

It seemed only logical, really, that they would be going together, after reconciling in the summer holidays.

“Yeah – of course.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 42: The More Things Change...

People, sometimes, felt more akin to fixtures of the castle. Those giggling third year girls, that were so enamoured in their friendship that they could talk for months – did talk for months – without break. Those casually good-looking people from other houses, other years, that you never knew the name of. They were just there, always around.

And then they weren’t.

In the abrupt ending of the previous year, Katherine had not taken the proper amount of time to realise the gravity of the ending year – and everything that went along with it.

King, the eternal failing student and Gryffindor Chaser, was suddenly gone. With a creeping buzz of goosebumps, and an internal ‘oh, no…’ did Katherine realise that Fabian and Gideon, were too never to return. The memory of Joni Mitchell’s blue album, and Jeanie –

A quick sick gripped Katherine’s chest –

Jeanie.

Katherine had always thought of her fondly, and was struck by the deep wishing that she could have gotten closer to the older girl. The bittersweet space of a friendship that might have been.

With the losses, were the inevitable gains of trimming the proverbial fat. Rita Skeeter, had graduated with the rest of Slytherin class of ’76. Malfoy, among others, was also gone. Narcissa Black – now Malfoy – too…

Like a hammer inside, the revelation ripped down through her as she traipsed through the castle to Herbology.

The bell had promptly rung after she had agreed to attend Hogsmeade with Remus, signalling the end of lunch. It was Katherine’s first free period of the year, and she was to find it was one she shared with absolutely none of her friends.

Instead, Katherine had gone up to the dormitory and begun work on her Potions and DADA homework assigned that morning. Belle too got a good scratch in before hopping across the room to curl up with Marbles on Lily’s four poster.

Brushing white fur from her robes, Katherine continued to leisurely make the way to Herbology – the bell had yet to ring, but there were a few other students on breaks – or taking very long trips to the bathroom to meet up with friends who were on free periods.

Just outside the girls’ toilets, were Debbie and Sue; huddled around another girl, who Katherine discerned as Emmeline Vance as she passed –

“What do you suppose it means when it’s an amethyst?” asked Sue, rather brashly, as she tilted Emmeline’s hand this way and that.

Emmeline Vance flushed, “I mean… er, I’m not too sure –”

Debbie pushed the girl’s hand up, getting underneath it to observe the way the ring caught the light, “I think it’s real.”

“You’re so lucky!” gushed Sue, letting Emmeline’s hand fall, squeezing it tightly and then patting the girl on the arm.

Emmeline gave a shy smile, “Thanks…”

“I can’t wait until it’s me…” sighed Debbie, falling back against the wall and holding her hand to her chest, looking off dreamily.

Katherine almost fell over when she realised which hand the girls had been holding aloft – the left.

It was… an engagement ring.

Katherine tried not to stare as the girls continued to whisper about the new jewellery, and could only feel her spine buzzing in shock – Emmeline was a sixth year. Just like her. Katherine’s thoughts galloped ahead of her, even as she left the girls long behind –

Weren’t they all a bit too… young?

They, she and Lily, had seen the notice in the paper toward the end of the summer at Lily’s house together – that had marked the beginning of Katherine’s awareness of the concept in regards to them.

Bruce and Vicky, who had both graduated the previous year, were pride and place in the centre of the announcements section of the Daily Prophet; gold rings glinting on their fingers. Married.

Although, Katherine had reasoned, they were nearly eighteen. Albeit… Katherine had witnessed a horrible break up of theirs by the cloisters not sixth months ago…

It must all make sense when you’re older.

Romance, it seemed, on that first day of the term, was everywhere. First, Remus. Then Emmeline Vance. The bloody hallways – they were filled with couples running hand in hand, heady conversations full of leaning into one another, hair twirling, half-lidded gazes…

Katherine meandered along to Herbology in a daze, not entirely sure who was going to be there. Quietly simmering with anxiety, she watched other people arrive to class.

Snape and his Slytherin mates were next to arrive. He was laughing, and looked very much as if he belonged with the other boys in green ties.

Acceptance, mused Katherine, was a powerful lure.

Not wanting to antagonise him, Katherine looked away. Starting it, was his thing…

FWEEET! a sharp whistle pierced the air, from the Slytherin group of boys.

Katherine glanced in the direction of the hallway approaching the classroom, but there was no one for them to be greeting –

FWEEET – FWEET!

Frowning, Katherine looked back at the boys –

Avery was already looking; pushed off the wall, as if he was about to cross to her. He paused when he saw her looking back. He pointed, as if to say ‘yes, you.’

Katherine waited, watching – for whatever came next. Feeling very ill about the whole thing.

Avery smiled, his eyes sparkling in a much too gentle manner as he went to speak, “Spencer. Splendid summer, I’m sure?”

Katherine frowned, looking around.

Macnair was grinning at her.

“Bet you were, er –” Avery crossed his arms, grinned, and leant back against the wall, all-too-pleased “– dying –”

“Knock it off, Avery,” the words were sharp – and from one of his fellow Slytherins on the wall.

Katherine thought it was the first time she had ever heard Dobbs speak. He towered over the others; even as he leant against the wall with his arms and ankles crossed, his head back, and his eyes closed.

Dobbs cranked his eyes open – just. They were filled with exasperated mirth as they slid down to his fellow Slytherin. He proceeded to eye him with a kind of casual, innate insolence –

“You might be able to pay your way out of most immoralities, but there’s something to be said for the social currency of one’s dignity.”

Macnair was licking his lips, and swiping his thumb along his chin, looking between Dobbs and Avery.

Still waters, thought Katherine, in fact ran deep in Dobbs case.

Avery gave a muted smile, and seemed very much on the verge of rolling his eyes, “I was just asking.”

Dobbs blinked once down at his friend, tightened his crossed arms, and closed his eyes once again – settling into the wall.

Avery did not so much as look back once in Katherine’s direction after Dobbs’ verbal slice; holstered.

Katherine could almost not believe it. Avery and Mulciber had been the most antagonistic Slytherins the previous year. Mulciber’s expulsion had done little to temper the flame, either. One word from Dobbs however…

“Oh, looky over yonder… here come the two princes…” drawled Avery eagerly.

Down the way, came James and Sirius. With them were Lily and Marlene – who was laughing at whatever her new quidditch captain had said. Lily and Sirius seemed significantly more disinterested in whatever James had to say. They must have all had Ancient Runes together.

Macnair let his head fall back against the wall, as he watched, his arms on the fold, “Shame about them, isn’t it? I grew up with Black. Wasted in Gryffindor…”

Avery snorted –

“I’m not even sure Black was sorted there, you know… and he just waltzed over to check out the scenery…”

The boys laughed with a resigned sort of fondness at Avery’s words that set Snape’s lips on a nasty, displeased curl.

Dobbs had even cracked a smile.

Katherine realised then… that these boys were like Sirius – from the very same stock. Snape exempt, they had the similar aristocratic posturing of their Gryffindor counterpart; the indolence, the arguable grace – the cruel streak.

Lily broke away from the group, running cheerily with her books clutched to her chest.

“Did you snog?” she asked in a rushed breath, lowering her head by Katherine’s eagerly. She gripped Katherine by the arm, pulling her gently off from the approaching others, books still clutched to her chest with one arm.

Remus, Katherine had to remind herself, Lily was asking about why the boy had taken her off on her own at Lunch.

Lily glanced around before lowering her head and her voice – grinning, “He strikes me as the attentive type – tell me I’m right.”

“Oh,” Katherine flustered at Lily’s assumption, shaking her head, and finding her words, “He just asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him – whenever a weekend comes up.”

A beat passed.

Lily widened her eyes, and urged Katherine on with a motion of her head –

“And? What did you say?”

Katherine perked up, “Oh, I agreed.”

Lily nodded, but then briskly fell into a considering frown.

“…Katherine,” she said tentatively, with sizing eyes, “Is there something the matter?”

Over Lily’s shoulder, Marlene and the two boys were closing in.

Katherine averted her eyes back to Lily, leaning closer and speaking quickly, quietly –

“I… I think maybe I’m nervous? I don’t know, I just felt… odd about it,” she confessed, with a shrug. “And on the way here, I saw – well, Emmeline Vance is engaged.”

Lily gasped, enthralled and gripping Katherine’s shoulder – “No.”

Katherine nodded back with widened eyes in emphasis.

Lily held thin fingers to her slowly curving lips, still parted in her shock.

“It’s just –” Katherine broke off, sighing exasperatedly as she gestured around and whispered, meaningfully to their previous train of conversation, “Everywhere.”

Lily softened where she stood, “Oh, darl’.”

Lily sounded extraordinarily like Mrs Evans at the words, and folded Katherine into a tight one-armed embrace.

“I’m only sixteen.” moaned Katherine, putting the full weight of her head on Lily’s slight shoulder.

A tinkling Lily Evans laugh quaked through the Sixth Year Prefect’s robes to Katherine.

Lily rubbed Katherine’s back, “If Remus gives any sign of proposing, I’ll put a right stop to it.”

“Thank you.” said Katherine, earnestly, and increasingly aware of how silly the whole thing was.

Together, the girls fell into a short peel of laughter, and fell apart from one another.

“Nothing is set in stone, yeah?” said Lily, with a hand on Katherine’s shoulder, “Just –”

Lily guided Katherine through a long breath –  

“Do your best to relax, and just… see if the oddness goes away.” coached Lily.

It had never been more obvious that Lily seemed very much to be a calmer and more settled version of herself after her summer with Will.

Katherine nodded, but then anxiety made a relentless appearance, “If it doesn’t?”

Lily eyed Katherine with firm kindness –

“Remus is really sweet, Katherine. He’ll understand.” said Lily, with one final squeeze of her friend’s arm.

With a glance behind herself, Lily turned to the approaching others –

“Hey!” chirped Marlene, bounding to a stop beside them, her dolly eyes flittering off to take in the other congregating students joining them in the class.

Sirius and James closed in behind Marlene, shoulder to shoulder, and deep in their own conversation –

“Did he say anything to you?” asked Sirius quietly, eyeing his friend with a strange keenness – despite it all, he still held his usual bored sort of haughtiness.

James gave a wry amused little glance, but his tone was that of patient assurance, “You know I’ve always been in your corner on this.”

They settled just across the way, by a crumbling pillar, in the narrow hallway.

Sirius settled a hand on the pillar, shifting his weight across his hips, and shaking his head, “He’s just… –”

In a quick tense movement, Sirius pulled a piece of stone from the crumbling pillar and, in his seeming frustration, pelted it down the middle floor of the corridor to where it backed out onto the lawns.

“Arggh!” a bunch of girls screamed down the way, scurrying towards the wall.

It never would have hit them anyway, thought Katherine with an internal twinge of annoyance –

“Katherine –”

Katherine looked away from the tall huffish dark-haired boy to Marlene –

“– here comes Professor Sprout.” said Marlene, nodding down the hallway in the opposite direction.

The girls, and those around them, pushed off the walls they had been lounging against, and stood to attention of the approaching teacher.

“Good afternoon, Sixth Years!” greeted Professor Sprout, in her patent gleeful, out of breath way. With glinting eyes, she peered around the familiar, albeit markedly matured, faces she had taught the previous year, “We’ll be kicking off the year with a trip into the forest –”

Katherine’s eyes flashed out onto the available view of the lawns, and the scorched trees beyond… She pushed away the rising memories and listened, a little resignedly, to their task for the afternoon.

They were to take down growth potions to the slowly re-growing forest “after the incident at the end of the previous year –” (Professor Sprout had taken on a slightly hesitant expression at those words, and spared Katherine a careful glance). The Professor then proceeded to flourish the stack of parchments she had brought along with her, that had allotted quadrants drawn up for efficiency.

“Mister Avery –” Sprout called out first –

To his credit, though looking as vicious and cut out of stone as the others of the pureblooded Slytherin fraternity, Avery sprung off the wall, and swiftly strode up to their Professor. He even said, “thank you.”, like a polite boy receiving a biscuit –

Professor Sprout simply plucked up the next sheath of parchment, holding it aloft, “Mister Black.” –

Katherine’s eyes followed Sirius as he performed in a similar manner as Avery. Though Katherine thought, in knowing him herself, and despite her earlier observation of their similarities, that Sirius was somehow superior to his Slytherin predecessor –

Professor Sprout offered Sirius a smile at his murmured manners, before cheerily lifting her next piece of parchment –

“Mister Dobbs.”

Dobbs, with his Prefect pin, and meticulously swept back hair, approached Sprout with a genial, light expression. When he passed the Gryffindor, he offered the slightest, most imperceptible of nods.

To Katherine’s great surprise, Sirius nodded back...

As the maps were given out in alphabetical order, Katherine had to wait until near last to receive hers. Slowly, the corridor became more and more cavernous as students flounced off into the sunshine. The stone of the castle meant Katherine was nursing a nose nipping with coldness as she eyed the nearby warm lawns – just out of reach.

Some quadrants for groups were mercifully close to one another – “Yours is by mine!” Marlene had declared cheerfully, before dragging Lily off, their arms linked. They bounded down the uneven lawns, caught by the flaming afternoon sun.

Lily glanced back, red hair flying around her face, with a speaking look at Katherine.

It was funny, thought Katherine, how much more the eyes seemed to be speaking than mouths so far that year.

Nevertheless, Katherine caught her friend’s meaning – her concern. It all really was… okay, she had found however, as she began her own approach of the tree line.

With a marginal degree of trepidation, Katherine allowed herself to appreciate the picturesque quality the surrounds of the castle had retained. The lake where it lapped out into the loch, the hazy tippy-tops of the distant ridges and mountains, what looked like the Thestral creatures that towed the carriages flying above them, all of it greener than green…

Even with the scorched trees, and misaligned canopy triangulating to where Katherine had faced her final (or at least, she had thought at the time) stand with Voldemort, it was all quite… beautiful. She watched her classmates heads bob along in front, early September sunshine wheeling through their hair, over their robed shoulders.

It had yet to be a full twenty-four hours since arriving at the castle. Yet, it was almost as if the summer holidays had not happened at all. Hogwarts, with its reliable routine, made it all too easy to slip back into things.

“…and Svetlana –”

Alice’s voice, wobbling with scandalised rage, preceded the girl. Traversing an impossible to pass patch of dropped lawn, both she and Frank had needed to back track – and they were blazing a path past Katherine, shoulder to shoulder –

Frank scoffed in a shared outrage, “Of course, it would have had to be Svetlana –”

“Thinks she’s entitled to Gran’s Wizard Skittles trophies in the will because they played together – all of one time –” Alice went on as Frank listened, rapt, as they trudged further down the lawns, passing some familiar heads.

Marlene and Lily had all but vanished into the tree line at their flouncing pace, still arm in arm; resembling some sort of forest nymphs.

Behind them, were two tall dark-haired boys; within an inch of each other in height, heads held aloft in a casual, haughty sort of way as they strolled expertly, not losing their footing once unlike their often-toppling classmates.

James fanned himself with his parchment as he turned to walk backwards at a spritely speed, considering the terrain, “Toodle-loo, good chap.”

“Ta, ta, rambunctious fellow.” returned Sirius, with a mock bow.

A large, half-decayed fallen tree laid across the lawns immediately behind James’ hastening – backwards – feet.

Katherine’s hand lifted involuntarily, and her mouth fall open to shout a warning –

It was too late.

James’ long frame teetered off balance as the first heel of his oxfords encountered his obstacle. His arms shot out, his back arched as if he were going to arch painfully backwards over it, but then…

He caught it. With the grace of a gymnast, James Potter did a pseudo-pirouette jump up onto the log.

Sirius still walked behind his friend, albeit at an ambling pace as he gave a laughing shake of his head; one arm lifting from where he had crossed them over his chest so he could pinch the bridge of his nose.

James righted his glasses, dusted down his lapels, and gave a smile and a lazy salute. By the skin of his teeth, James Potter had done it again.

What luck…

“May we both return with the taste of adventure and the usual debauchery clutched victoriously in our jaws.” declared James importantly, open armed.

Sirius lifted an arm, his index finger and middle finger forming a backwards ‘v’ he flicked up – the obscener, two-fingered, version of his friend’s earlier salute – which James returned, smiling.

It was the fond kind of rudeness boys bonded with, Katherine supposed.

James turned, and with a click of his heels, jumped down on the other side of the fallen tree and strutted off into the tree line.

Like silver bells ringing in Katherine’s skin, was the urge to laugh.

Before she could process it all, Sirius had started walking backwards, shoulders jolting – until he slowed by her. With a lick of his lips, he bent his neck to squint down at her parchment dangling at her side. He held his next to it in keen analysis.

Like puzzle pieces were their marked-out quadrants.

When his eyes lifted to hers, he flicked his hair back from his face. His dimples were deep around his quiet smile – “Alas…” was all he said in acknowledgment, his jovial mood from earlier with James still evidently lingering.

Squinting beneath the sun, his dark and strong features were an antithesis to the whimsically calm, pastel summer afternoon. It stirred salving memories of the previous term, out on the lawns. She could hear his voice as clear as day, as if he were speaking the words again, ‘I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you, if it counts for anything…’

In step, they strolled on – watching those in front of them – a silent string of understanding between them.

Katherine’s eyes turned skyward, and she followed a trio of soaring Thestrals. When she had encountered the skeletal horses the previous year as they pulled the carriages, she had not realised they could also fly as high and nimbly as birds…

“Alright, Spencer?” asked Sirius.

Katherine startled and glanced sideways.

He walked beside her, his shoulders back and his long legs bending in his trousers. He was peering over, more rather down, at her out of the corner of his eye. Gosh, he was tall…

“Yeah,” flew out of her mouth automatically, “…yeah. It’s just –”

Just everything, she mused sarcastically. Giles was gone. Katherine’s old life in London was gone. She was rubbish at her new one and could not even duel a tree to save her life. People were getting bloody married left, right, and centre –

“There’s a lot to get used to, back here.” Katherine decided on, squinting to try and follow the trio of Thestrals vanishing over the ridge.

“Like?”

Katherine blinked, and turned to him again –

He was watching her openly, plainly.

She had not expected him to press.

Katherine flustered slightly as she tried to explain, and lowered her head as she whispered, the words weighted by the scandalous feeling Katherine felt in knowing it, “Well, on the way here –”

A twitch of his lips, and the raise of his eyebrows, and Sirius leant in to listen un-preoccupied –

“I saw – well, there’s a girl in our year that’s just gotten engaged.” revealed Katherine, looking to him.

Eyebrows rocketing up anew, Sirius just smiled, “And?”

Disbelief ricocheted around inside Katherine’s cheeks, hollow and buzzing.

“Well, we’re all a bit too young for that – aren’t we?” blustered out Katherine. She hesitated, and at his unflapped reaction, asked timidly, “Is it… normal in your world?”

Accompanying his light cough of laughter, was a light frown and the gentle nudge of his elbow to the back of her arm –

“It’s your world too,” said Sirius, lightly.

The words stirred something unexpectedly tender in Katherine’s stomach, as she held his piercing, considering gaze.

Sirius turned back to face forward as they walked on, looking out on the loch disappearing beneath the canopy of trees that loomed ever closer –

“As for if it’s normal,” he went on, with a salacious glance back to her before saying, very casually, lightly, “Yes… mostly, I suppose,”

Sirius tilted his head, and a slight contemplative screw of his features appeared before going on –

“In my experience, with the witches in my family… it’s seen as diligence – to get it out of the way, get on with your life…” the words were unexpectedly frank.

She blinked, thinking of what marriage looked like – thinking of her aunt and uncle, “I wouldn’t know what to do with a husband…”

A short huff of laughter came from beside her.

“Well, make sure you don’t go accepting engagement rings willy nilly, Miss Spencer –”

With glinting eyes, Sirius leant by her with his mock lecture –

“In our world –” he went on, with a pointed nod down at her “– there’s magic involved. It really is forever.”

They had reached the tree line. Katherine had evidently stopped paying attention somewhere along the line during her conversation with Sirius. She barely noticed as they stepped over the scorched ground together in one leaping lope.

Sirius took point wordlessly.

Katherine did not have to think much as she followed him, gladly.

Eventually, her mind wandered back to their previous conversation – and the concept of worlds. Magic still held a novel oddness to Katherine. A peculiarity.

It was hard to reconcile all that happened in the closing weeks of the previous term, as the world had retained its whimsy and definite difference to the normal world. Even the air seemed to crackle and spark, and the charm of only candlelight and oil lamps cemented the fairytale quality.

Beside her, Sirius was very real and normal looking. There was something decidedly wizardy about him though, thought Katherine. Perhaps if only because she had only ever known him at Hogwarts.

She could not imagine him in all her old familiar muggle places; in London, in Cokeworth in the summer, or as a pupil in the brother school to St Mary’s – St Paul's Boys' School – that they used to have dance practice with once a term.

Sprout tsked ahead of them by an ancient fallen oak, a hand reverently placed upon the trunk, “Eventually even the mightiest trees fall…”

As Katherine placed down her knapsack of growth potion she was tasked with distributing that afternoon, she noticed the faint rustle of cracked and sunburned leaves overhead. The SHHHHH of them washed over her.

If she closed her eyes, Katherine could imagine herself at a beautiful seaside, the breeze on her hot skin…

HOOT! 

A large owl flew overhead, beelining for the tall owlery tower, shattering the illusion. Katherine’s eyes followed the broad feathered wingspan of the bird as it eclipsed the segments of blue sky glimpsable through the remaining forest canopy above.

The humming of the forest, she realised at once in the silence, was gone. Birds – and Thestrals – had been the only creatures Katherine had heard or seen in the scorch affected thickets.

Birds, Katherine remembered from Sirius’ words the previous term, could only be heard in such a way when there were no predators nearby.

The forest was – for that moment – safe.

A trickle of her own perspiration trickled down her jaw, along her neck. She lowered her eyes from their observation of the forest tangled view of the sky, and persisted through the blearing heat beading beneath her woollen school uniform as she uncorked a phial and found her first damaged trunk.

Sirius too had placed down his knapsack of potion, shucked off his outer robe, blazer, and jumper – “It’s a bit hot…” he breathed out, pulling his shirt back and forth away from his front, to generate breeze.

Birdsong, and the SNAP and CRACK of twigs underfoot, were the only sounds for a long while as they worked. It was only as Katherine moved to the outer banks of her quadrant that she heard the gurgle of the stream, and the faint giggle and chatter of her classmates.

Kneeling by the stream, Katherine washed her hands free from any dribbled potion – finished – before making her way back, following the sounds of a gently humming Professor Sprout, seemingly sidetracked, with her head inside a log in observation of the surviving flora.

Katherine skirted around the professor, and continued back.

Sirius was not where she had last seen him.

One never heard him under normal circumstances, let alone in the silence of the woodland. There was not a broken twig, or a smooshed leaf to follow. No sign of him at all.

Following a tingly feeling down her shoulders and her arms, her feet rambled along through the forest. Katherine thought it might be the magic in the air she was tapping into. Crackling around her, it seeped into her skin, decorated her chest like a spangle of honeydew, tugging her this way and that…

A warm sigh, deep in her bones, slowed her feet.

She had found herself in a beautiful grove, with spurs of pollen stirring through the dappling sunlight. Then… a flittering set of wings tickled Katherine’s hair, her cheeks; a… fairy. A smile rose to Katherine’s lips, and she followed, entranced – further into the grove, feeling a bit like a fairy too.

When magic was like this…

Dancing around an elm tree after the tinkling hum of wings, Katherine came to a halt –

Across the grove, working at a tree, was a familiar windswept, inky helmet of hair, and a set of broad shoulders.

When Katherine opened her mouth, she found it soft and tender from her time in the forest, “Hey – Sirius –”

Sirius turned with a parted lips and a blink. Something flickered across his face, before he blinked again, and a smile appeared –

“Yeah?” he spoke gently, as if too not wanting to disturb their tranquil surrounds.

Katherine carefully traversed the root ridden place, crossing to him.

She closed in, wobbling carefully along a root, “I was just thinking…”

Sirius stepped forward, extending a hand.

Katherine gripped it, and traversed the rest of the root, landing in front of him, “It’s kind of nice out here… now…”

She glanced out, away from him, back out at the little Eden-esq chamber of trees and boulders. It should have felt cold, but it didn’t.

Sirius gave a hum as his hand fell away from hers, “I was just thinking the same, and then… well,”

Katherine turned back to him.

He leant on the tree with his flat palm, looking at it, and not her, “It’s a bit, well… stupid, but…”

Katherine had never heard Sirius so timid.

“Go on.” said Katherine, carefully.

“Inevitably, the day will come when I am no longer around,” said Sirius, eyes moving over the tall face of the tree, “This tree will be though,”

It was then that Katherine saw that he had been carving something into the tree.

“It would be nice to sort of…” he lifted his eyes to her again, his expression open and light as he nodded to his started carving, “It would be a kind of… living on – wouldn’t it?”

Katherine nodded, and nudged him, “It’s okay, you’re making sense.”

A small smile seized his lips – something very young about it – and then he lifted his wand and went back to carving.

Feeling boneless from the day and afternoon, Katherine watched lazily as he carved an S, and then a dot…

Her eyes followed the shavings of wood as they curled and fell onto his shoes. The gentle, repetitive CHIT at the bequest of his wand lulling her almost off to sleep. She watched him, in his loosened tie and rolled up sleeves, and thought of how odd it was – that there would be a Hogwarts one day full of people who had no idea who Sirius Black was.

She then wondered if she would ever see him again after they graduated. Surely, he would go on with his exciting life, with James, and she would hear occasional stories – see him in Diagon Alley – his wedding announcement in the paper – his children’s birth announcements…

Sirius blew off the wood shavings, a finality to it that caught her attention.

Katherine found only two letters as she glanced to examine his work;

S.B

“No middle initial?” asked Katherine, remembering his library card from the previous year when they worked together on their transfiguration essay.

“It stands for Orion,” said Sirius, casually, as he brushed the tree down with his fingers, “It’s my father’s name,”

Katherine got that distinct feeling of not knowing what to do again, in the pause after the words.

Sirius just turned to her, cracked a smile, and stowed away his wand, saying – “You should know, the passage of becoming one’s own man is an essential journey for all of us young fellows,”

Katherine smothered a smile, and gave a nodding ‘ah’.

“And you?” prompted Sirius, with a nod to her. He lifted an arm to rest on a low branch, leaning on it and tilting his head, lips curving, “An ‘O’ is a very unusual middle initial…”

Katherine had never told a soul. Not even Lily. Then again, Lily had yet to ask. Katherine felt it jumping forth in her chest right then, however.

Fair was fair, she supposed.

“…You have to promise not to tell.” she said.

A smile battled on his lips, as he nodded and gave a light clear of his throat, “Our little secret.”

Katherine hesitated, eyed the distance between them, then made a beckoning motion with her hands.

Sirius promptly leant down with a chuckle.

Before she knew what she was doing, Katherine was pushing his hair back from his ear and cupping a hand around his ear in the way she did when she was a little girl.

Sirius gave a complicit laugh, and his skin moved over his jaw as his ear tugged up.

As she whispered her middle name into his ear, she was distracted by something else –

He smelt different to Regulus.

But he leant back then, and raised his eyebrows over her secret.

Katherine quickly offered up her pinky – and a stern expression.

A smile spread quickly over his face. With what seemed to be an attempt at pulling his features into some semblance of solemness, he gulped his smile, and lifted the same hand he had used to give a rude salute to James earlier.

Like a jolt from a dodgy light switch, was his littlest finger clamping around hers.

For a moment, there was nothing to do but just look at one another as the moment locked them together. Katherine was still getting accustomed to having him in front of her, to the shape of him.

The boy left in his face was undeniably vanishing. Even from as recently as the previous term. There was something heady about him in the afternoon sunlight wheeling through the trees, through his hair, like a halo of testosterone hanging around his head...

“Hoo-roo!”

Katherine nearly fell off the root she was balancing on –

Sirius’ pinky tightened around hers, pulling her right back.

“Thanks...” breathed Katherine, distractedly, as there seemed to be movement suddenly all around.

Sprout was crunching through the forest behind them, wand pressed to her cheek to magically magnify her voice –

“Sixth Years! It’s time to head back to the castle!”

Both Katherine and Sirius began moving toward their teacher, hands falling away.

Sirius jumped off the root system, and onto the hard-packed dirt of the main forest floor with a dull THUMP of his shoes.

Katherine followed, a little more cautiously.

Sirius shrugged back on his blazer and robe, running a hand through his locks, and joked, “How’s my hair?”

“You’re a vision.” said Katherine, lightly, as she picked up her empty knapsack.

Sirius swung his own knapsack from the ground up onto his shoulder, knocking it lightly into hers.

Katherine bumped back as they fell into step.

Students poured in from all directions, meandering through the gaps in the trees. All were headed for the edge of the lawns – their afternoon off in the forest now over. Lily and Marlene were just visible in the distance, and the urge to wait for them niggled in Katherine’s spine. James was probably not far off either, though Katherine had yet to spot him.

Sirius did not seem bothered, keeping his pace.

They’d catch up, thought Katherine, as she kept on with Sirius.

“Katherine –” Alice bounced cheerily down a small mound of dirt from the right, something passing behind her eyes before saying, “Black.”

Sirius gave a short, throwaway nod.

The spritely blonde girl fell into step with them, linking arms with Katherine.

Frank ambled down from an embankment on the left with a grin, eyes moving over all three of them.

“Good frolic, girlies?” greeted Frank cheerily, moving around them all to walk beside Alice.

Sirius gave a huff of laughter, shaking his head as he looked off ahead, “Suck my balls, mate.”

Alice laughed, her arm falling from Katherine’s as she took Frank’s hand.

“Cut that hair, won’t you?” said Frank, playfully, across the tops of the girls’ heads between the two boys.

Sirius gave a breathy laugh, and an unaffected twitch of his lips, “Yeah, yeah…”

Katherine's indulging smile felt like a faint ghost of itself at the boys' banter.

She found herself hoping he didn't, as she glimpsed at him out of the corner of her eye. Something about the way it moved, and the way he arrogantly threw it out of his face was just... so him.

Loads of purebloods seemed to keep their hair long. Malfoy had even kept longer locks than Sirius. Katherine assumed it was some kind of wizarding eccentricity. An old world notion.

They had reached the edge of the lawns, and were blasted by the full sun as it began it’s decline over the looming castle.

A quiet exchange went on between Alice and Frank, and the latter leant around to Katherine and Sirius.

“Alright, you two – pip pip!” said Frank mirthfully, as he and Alice hastened out ahead, “We’re off to… well…”

Frank grinned at Alice before turning back –

“We’re off.” said Frank, amusement running all over his face.

Alice waved their joined hands in goodbye.

“Farethewell.” said Sirius, in quiet amusement.

The pair were already out of ear shot, Alice laughing at something Frank had said, oblivious to all else.

Katherine could not help but grin as she watched her friend with her beau. With a glance behind her, she could not yet see Lily and Marlene on the lawns – to see if they had seen too, so they could gush together.

It was as she turned around, that she saw Debbie and Sue already up in the courtyard; sitting on the stone benches, wiping sweat from their brows, and undisguisedly eyeing the boy next to her.

A group of third years were coming down the lawns for their own class, and Katherine and Sirius passed the boys of the group just before Hagrid’s hut. The girls had hung back, gripping each other and whispering – throwing none too covert looks at the tall sixth-year boy.

Katherine licked her lips, pressing down a smile as the girls ‘shhhed’ each other feverishly and seemed to hold their breaths as they passed. When they were gone, Katherine turned, to see the girls turned around to admire the boy from behind as well.

Slowly, Katherine descended into quiet, quaking laughter.

Sirius peered down at her, “What is it?”

Another group of girls approached, acting identically to the ones before.

“They’re looking at you.” she whispered.

Sirius was unaffected, watching his step on an uneven bit of path, “Who?”

She eyed the side of his face, incredulous, “Everyone.”

“Really?” he asked through quirked lips, with open amusement. He was still yet to look in the direction of his admirers.

“Don’t act so surprised, they’re fluttering their eyes so much at you it’s a wonder they haven’t taken off in flight…” she whispered, in reprimand of his nonchalance.

A furrow appeared between his eyebrows, and he gave a light shake of his head, saying lightly, “I don’t see them.”

“Have you ever seen an optometrist?” she asked, newly amused.

A bark of laughter was her reward – the high pitched, uncool kind that Sirius Black usually only did in private. That was her favourite Sirius; the one he became when he was just with her.

“Not what I meant – “

A small smile lifted his lips and he turned to her –

“– and you know it,”

Sirius tucked his free hand into his pocket as they strolled and glanced back to her with an appraising look.

“None of them even talk to me, you know?”

Katherine thought she might one day have to tell Sirius Black just how intimidating he was.

He went on, “Besides, they just might be looking at you.”

Katherine’s eyebrows knit together.

“What for?”

Sirius turned to her, a tinge of disbelief threading through his amusement, “Have you forgotten about slaying the Dark Lord? Done a few?”

“Oi.” reprimanded Katherine, knocking into his shoulder.

Sirius was barely moved. He laughed though.

It was a sound she was still getting used to.

For a moment, both focused on their trek as they reached a steep section and the only sound were their occasional pants of effort.

Katherine used the moment to allow herself to appreciate how much she had enjoyed the trivial feel to their words. No one else had mentioned it. Not really. She was glad for it right then. None of them would have been able to do it right – do it like that. She could kid herself that it had all been worth it, just so they could joke about it as they strolled up the long lawns together.

The blooming feeling of coming back to herself sprung up in the short quiet. Every now and then, it struck her. It was something strong and bright that started in her stomach and lengthened her spine.

When Sirius turned to her again, he was smiling.

So, she realised then, was she.

“So,” said Sirius in jutting breath, facing forward and raising his eyebrows, “I see Moony finally pulled his head out of his arse.”

Surprise jolted through her chest.

“Yeah…” said Katherine, glancing to watch her shoes at the reminder of what had happened even before her confrontation with Voldemort.

It had all happened – the very worst possible things that could have – and she was still walking up that hill on a sunny afternoon. Those feet of hers had carried her through it all.

Katherine went on to regale Sirius with the tale of summer, and running into Remus in Diagon Alley, and the consequential making up that took place. She skimmed a few details, not sure if boys were interested in hearing about hand-holding, and how she felt about it, in the same way that the girls were.

As Sirius listened, head bowed attentively as they strolled on, watching his step all the while, a swell of guilt rose up inside Katherine. It was an odd sort of thing, a way of thinking, but… making up with Remus seemed to erase the odd sort of place that had belonged to Sirius at the tail end of fifth year.

Katherine plundered on, despite the odd rioting feelings inside, and finally got to the bit about Petunia.

Sirius listened happily, loving the story about Lily’s older sister nearly hitting Snape with her car – if the way his eyes lit up were anything to go by –

“Are you sure she didn’t clip him?” he asked through reigned in laughter, squinting his eyes and leaning his head down closer by hers – “Just a touch?”

Katherine shook her head, quietly laughing.

Sirius sighed, “Shame.”

It was after telling him about the Fleetwood Mac album she had bought being the highlight of her summer, that he ‘ahed’ and said, “So, you like music? Ever gotten into any wizard bands?”

Katherine shook her head.

“I’ll have to show you some, sometime,” said Sirius, earnestly, before squinting up into the sun cresting over Gryffindor Tower, “I’ll admit, my knowledge of the muggle world is pretty limited…”

He went on to tell her about a tape deck in the muggle studies classroom where he had heard the muggle national anthem, and the town nearest James’ village that had a few muggle haunts.

“I rather fancy the pinball machine – in the arcade there,” he revealed, before giving a short laugh, “Mr Potter had to come drag us both out by our ears, toward the end.”

Katherine laughed, but not at the mental image of he and James being bodily removed from an arcade. Her mind had gone in a different, muggle direction, and she heard a tune in her head.

“What’s so funny?” asked Sirius, with an appraising glance over her face, amusement still gripping his.

Katherine shook her head, smiling to herself as she tried to explain, “Nothing really… there’s just a song… called Pinball Wizard – by The Who.”

“The Who?” repeated Sirus, the perfect picture of confusion.

“Oi –”

James stood up ahead, waving his arm –

“Pads – we’ll be late!”

Sirius stepped ahead, turning over his shoulder with a grin, pointing emphatically to Katherine, “Later!”

She slowed as she watched the boys swing their arms around each other’s shoulders, patting roughly and loping off.

Part of Katherine seemed to pull after him. She had plenty more to talk to him about, yet it seemed no amount of time was ever enough to get it all out…

“…almost worth keeping the subject – just for a whiff,”

Katherine glanced back, to see Marlene and Lily had caught up, just a few steps behind –

“I could rule out the whole quidditch team within three minutes in the changing room then.” she went on.

Lily rolled her eyes playfully to Katherine, as all three girls fell back into step with one another.

“It’s not necessarily a person you smell,” said Lily, with a look to Marlene, “Unless you already love them – and then it might only be one thing in particular you associate with them. It’s things in general that appeal to you.”

Amortentia, Katherine realised – they were talking about the love potion from earlier in the day.

Marlene nudged elbows with Lily with an expectant smile, “Go on then, Evans.”

Lily lifted a hand, and listed off on her fingers –

“Mowed grass, peppermint, and…” Lily trailed off, and shook her head, “I couldn’t place the last one.”

Mowed grass, Katherine knew, for Lily, was home. The Evans house had smelt of it the entire Katherine had been there. Between Mr Evans tending the gardens, and their neighbours doing the same, it had been constant - as well as the warm burn of two-stroke fuel, and the prattling, chunky rattle of the machines.

Katherine had developed quite the appreciation for it too over her short time there, in the surburbs.

Marlene nodded, and then said, in offering, “Treacle tart has peppermint in it – you love treacle tart – that must be it.”

“Yeah, must be…” said Lily slowly, eyebrows on the rise.

“You know what… not even to know that would I willingly take another subject, honestly,” laughed Marlene, turning her face up to the sun, “I’m already waiting on the bloody weekend…”

Katherine had yet to think about it, admittedly. What would they even do this year? Alice was off with Frank, Mary with Peter, Lily had prefect duties, and they had all been given enough homework to keep them busy until the following weekend…

“Do you think I could get away with dropping Astronomy? I got the OWL in it. I really don’t think I need the NEWT too…” Marlene pondered aloud.

“You only got seven OWLs as it was,” said Lily, with wry amusement, “It’s easy enough, it’ll look good on any sort of job applications you have to fill out – won’t it?”

Marlene snorted, “Not really.”

“Really?” asked Lily, “Not even if I got ten?”

Katherine felt herself close off. Her lips pressed a little tighter together, and she looked off into some far-flung section of the castle as the girls climbed the stairs back to the common room – hoping she would not be expected to contribute.

She had only gotten five.

Upon reaching the portrait of the fat lady and traversing the quiet tunnel – Katherine thought the three girls must have been the only ones finished with classes for the day.

Until –

“Hi, Lupin,” chirped Marlene, “Nearly forgotten what you looked like.”

Remus had been perched up on the wooden windowsill, and a slew of wood shavings came down with him as he hopped down as he gave a distracted, frazzled sort of wave and glance to the other girls as he clocked Katherine behind them.

What was it with boys and carving into things? Was it like dogs urinating on lampposts?

Lily hooked an arm through Marlene’s and tugged her away with a pointed look at Katherine, whispering, “We’ll leave you two to it.”

The needle of panic twinged in the middle of Katherine’s spine as she watched the girls get further and further away. She threw a look to her retreating, very unsubtle, friends.

Marlene made a kissy face behind Remus’ back as he approached Katherine.

Katherine, mortified, was torn between making the dirtiest face imaginable at the curly haired witch, and maintaining her composure.

Remus stopped in front of her with a breathless, “Hey.”

“Hey.” said Katherine, a little frazzled herself.

The slow droning CREEEAAAK! of the dormitory door proceeded a burst of upbeat music that drifted down to the common room –

Remus’ head turned towards the stone staircase booming with Maxine Nightingale’s voice –

”…Ooh, and it's alright and it's coming along  

We gotta get right back to where we started from

Love is good, love can be strong

We gotta get right back to where started from –”

CLUNK! the door closed once more, and the common room was plunged back into a dusty quiet.

Remus turned back to her with the slightest of smiles, and a tinge of surprised amusement dancing in his eyes.

Katherine cleared her throat, stifling a laugh.

Remus held her gaze, face softening from laughter. In a blink of his eye – he seemed to catch himself – and went to righting his cuffs in his usual harassed sort of Prefect way.

“I’m afraid we’re to miss each other yet again,” he said, with a bashful conceding smile. He tipped his head forward ever so slightly, his tone taking on a distinct note of importance, “Professor Dumbledore passed on to me earlier that he would like to see you as soon as you’re let out of classes for the day.”

“Oh.”

That was the last thing she had expected out of Remus’ mouth.

Remus stepped closer slowly, “Hey…”

The brush of his robe sleeve came against her wrist, and then his fingers danced around after it –

“I’ll walk with you.” the words were gentle as he craned his neck to catch her eye.

The hallways were empty as they passed closed, full classrooms. The occasional muffled boom of a lecturing Professor’s voice broke through under the cracks of wooden doors. Katherine and Remus walked on as the blue sky poured through the castle arches and bannisters onto them.

Mostly, Katherine found herself watching his long trouser legs and polished shoes as he walked alongside her. A silence had sprung up between the pair since leaving the common room. Katherine was unsure if it were only noticeable due to the lack of chaos and noise in the hallway, as she struggled to remember anything they had ever talked about before…

Her mind turned over… and over… as she snuck, what she hoped, were covert glances at him. His arms and legs were as long as ever, his hair still fluffy, eyes still softened with tiredness…

Sirius was probably taller than him now, she thought.

Despite the thought striking her out of nowhere, Katherine remembered the way Sirius had strolled beside her on the lawns – ‘So,’ the voice in her head sounded nothing like hers, and exactly like his, ‘I see Moony finally pulled his head out of his arse.’

An ache perfused her cheeks – and she realised she was smiling again.

Katherine quickly redirected her gaze to a sunny courtyard, content that it could pass as a joyous appreciation of the summer-swathed castle scenery.

The time moved quicker as Katherine’s mind replayed her conversation from the lawns, and she attempted to recapture the strong, bright feeling – and carry it forth in her chest again. Sooner than anticipated, they were turning the final corner, approaching the big statue in the alcove…

Tucking his hands in his pockets, Remus slowed to a swaying stop and turned to her with one of his small, patently gentle smiles.

“See you?” offered Katherine, caught between where she was and where she was about to go. Both demanded remarkably different things of her.

Remus nodded to the statue in playful instruction she bustle along, but said, softly, “See you.”

He remained unmoved as Katherine gave the same password of the previous night, and stepped onto the staircase that appeared.

As it began twirling up and away, she watched him move off; towering over a few underclassmen dotting the hallway, looking very grown up with his broader shoulders and settled strolling gait. He yawned, stretching his arms and ruffling the back of his hair. They all scattered for him.

She wondered if he noticed...

That afternoon, Katherine was introduced to the curious instrument that was a pensieve. In it, she saw her first memory of Tom Riddle not belonging to her.

Many things felt as if they went over her head, admittedly, but she could not help but notice a particular locket – Slytherin’s locket, Dumbledore explained. He had been wearing it, realised Katherine, in Hogsmeade, back when Giles…

Katherine gulped down many a thing that afternoon in Dumbledore’s office as she listened, passively, to everything Dumbledore knew, suspected, or wanted to know. It took everything in her to stand there and not show, what was sure to be, obvious symptoms of insanity.

Perhaps, she had thought in passing at one point, that was just grief.

When she swirled back down the staircase, barely an hour later, she felt copacetic even – and even more grown up, at the closing of her day as a Sixth Year. On the edges of it all was the oddity – that she was in possession of knowledge that she knew she should not have known as a Hogwarts student.

With it, came a sly sort of sadness that crept in on her – of gaining something, yet having something taken from her all in the same breath. She did her best not to dwell, lest she ruminate over concepts of her innocence; a fraught, fraying thread as it was…

Regardless, a niggle struck her as she traversed the high tower’s walkway, the low sun blaring her –

Voldemort - Tom - had been wearing an odd sort of ring and locket too, but Katherine didn’t think it was worth mentioning. Wizarding garb could be very strange sometimes…

It was too late to go back. She strode on.

In no rush, she let the sun scald her to the bone. She ignored the sweat beading underneath her eyes… behind her socked knees… It was a lazy delight, fuelled by a content idleness in her muscles that last year she could have only wished to have possessed.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 43: Rambling On

Tom Riddle/Voldemort

• Slughorn – memory. Living Beyond Death
• St Wool’s Orphanage

 

Katherine’s pen hovered above her list. Was that everything she and Dumbledore had gone over so far?

“I’ve booked in,” came Alice’s huff, as she and the other girls closed in on Katherine’s spot outside of their Divination classroom, “It’s going to be the weekend after my birthday on the twenty-seventh.”

Katherine shut her Divination notebook with mindful casualness. Maybe it was all nothing – but she didn’t want to worry her friends yet, either way.

“Gosh…” grinned Lily, gently elbowing her friend, “To think – come October – you’ll be apparating all over the place…”

Katherine gave a smile, but their conversation fell to the back of her mind as she saw the Gryffindor boys lining up outside their classroom. Katherine wasn’t sure what they had for that class period – except that it wasn’t Divination…

“Frank’s already got his –” Alice said, nodding to where the boy and his mates were, just down the way, “His seventeenth birthday was back on the thirty-first of August.”

Marlene grabbed Katherine’s elbow with a grin, and began shaking her “Oh, if they're all starting to trickle in that must mean your –”

Katherine gave a look –

“– your Remus -” Marlene finished – or rather, amended, "– will be here too soon,"

Lily gave an amused look of sympathy.

Alice cleared her throat, but it sounded on the verge of a laugh.

“Soooo, we don’t know if it’s ‘official’,” shrugged Marlene, before her eyes lit up, “We could always ask one of the other boys…”

She started off in the direction of her thoughts.

Katherine’s heart nearly fell out of her backside –

“No – don’t do that.” she whispered quickly, pulling Marlene back – hanging desperately, really – with all her weight.

“Look, Remus isn’t even here yet –” broke off Marlene, reassuringly, waving her arm in their direction, “It’s just Frank – and, would you have it, Sirius, which means…”

Katherine’s heart spasmed, “You’re not asking him.”

“Yeah, Marls – no.” piped up Lily, with a shake of her head.

Marlene gave a look of scandalised incredulity –

“I’m not asking Sirius – Sirius is scary,” she whispered, indignant.

Marlene bobbed onto her toes, anew, and searching –

“Him being around, rather, means that Potter is never far behind…”

“Maybe it won’t be necessary,” Alice quickly nudged Marlene, “Here he comes…”

Marlene made a face, but turned quickly, and took painstaking effort to appear natural. They all did.

Remus, with the early morning sunshine wheeling through his fluffy hair, closed in on the group of girls.

“Hi, Remus.” greeted Lily, chirpily.

Remus gave a smile and a nod, but lowered his head down by Katherine’s and whispered in her ear –

“Meet me after classes?”

He pulled back, craning his neck to stay close by her face – to be heard over the hallway noise.

Katherine, feeling the stares on them, thought it simpler to just acquiesce – she nodded, “Where?”

Remus gave a small smile as he stepped back away –

“You know.”

He tacked onto the back of his class as they streamed into their newly opened classroom for second period.

Lily perked up, “Oh, we’re going in… here come the fifth years…”

Professor Brown had thrown open the door to the Divination classroom, and out were streaming the fifth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. They looked very young. What with their baggy skirts, knobby knees, and spotty chins. Granted, Katherine and her friends still got the occasional spot.

When Katherine had been in their shoes the previous year she had already been locked in cupboard and nearly assassinated at that point… She chewed back a smile, and walked easily through the familiar doorway with her friends. Taking in the dust, incense, and warm scent of velvet hangings, Katherine felt no need to hurry as she meandered to her and Lily’s old table.

“Now, to begin, I would just like to impress the importance –”

Katherine sat down in a hard-backed wooden chair and listened to the warning all the sixth years had received in every class so far that year. She and Lily silently pulled out their quills, wands, and notebooks as they passively listened. It was the same predictable spiel about newfound responsibility, their burgeoning on adulthood, and the importance of the things they were learning – mainly, non-verbals.

Katherine was pants at them.

She eyed her wand where it sat; still. When her fingers strayed near it, however – they tingled. She enjoyed the exchange of potential hanging in the air. It had been like riding a bike – the way she said a hello to her wand with the commencement of classes once more. Getting right back on was instinctual.

Two more years, she thought. It was hardly enough to teach her everything she needed to know. Nothing, she knew, prepared her for anything Dumbledore had planned. She just had to rock up, and be very brave – and stupid. She was beginning to understand James Potter more and more as time went on. At the very least, she carried more admiration for seat-of-the-pants-flying.

They did have more assigned homework, Katherine admitted. If she had not dropped the considerable number of classes she had done, she would be swamped – like Lily and Remus. Ever still, there was a palpable dichotomy of some people slacking off and some taking it more seriously.

Lily, Katherine knew, spent her non-class time breaking up snogging couples as if she herself had not spent her summer lip-locked with a promising young muggle footballer. When she wasn’t doing that, she – like the other girls – seemed to keep one eye trained on Katherine.

It was almost amusing.

In the hallway that morning on the way to breakfast, there had been a spell gone awry from a pair of horsing around underclassmen– and with it came a massive ‘BANG!’. The girls had all whipped their heads around to Katherine immediately. Lily and Marlene had even put their hands on Katherine’s shoulders, as if to console her.

“I would take points if I could! Someone could get seriously hurt – take it outside at the very least if you’re going to be so positively stupid with it –” Lily continued to admonish them until they quietly apologised and ran – pulling their bags onto their shoulders haphazardly.

The girls seemed to think she had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, she realised. Did she? Katherine didn’t know. All she did know, was that the bang of an ordinary spell didn’t send her running for the forest, screaming. She wished people would stop looking at her too.

When the afternoon came, and the conclusion of Katherine’s lessons, she made for the bridge. A small relief – no one would really be able to see her there, unless they knew to look.

Remus was waiting. He put away his arithmancy textbook when he heard her scooting down the boulders of the ravine.

“Hi.” he greeted, windblown.

Katherine dusted her hands, squinting against the sun and offering a smile back, “Hi.”

They sat for a while, not speaking. Just looking out. Katherine wondered what he might have been doing instead. It felt a bit… out of the way. For both of them. Guilt crept in then – they could have really hung around their friends. It didn’t change much, being alone.

Remus peered sideways at her, “Alright, Katherine?”

Katherine pressed her lips together, swallowing for a moment. She didn’t quite know how to tell him – assure him – that she didn’t need all this extra effort.

“I just… don’t want to always have to take you away from your friends… I –” she broke off, unable to meet his eyes, “I don’t want you to come out here with me if you don’t really want to… and you’re just trying to – I don’t know…”

Remus lowered his head by hers, to catch her eyes –

“I want to,”

A riotous feeling struck up a dance inside Katherine’s stomach.

Remus looked away, squinting at the loose piece of stone that had crumbled from the boulders they sat on. He twirled it in his big hands where they rested between his knees –

“If we couldn’t be out here alone, the whole motley gang would have come in tow with me to loiter around you girls,” he gave a breathy laugh, then turned to Katherine anew – with a playful, pointed look, “But, I didn’t think you’d want to hang around all of us – all the time.”

Katherine laughed, “Oh, yes – it’s always ‘Moony’ this, and ‘Moony’ that…”

Remus grinned, screwing his eyes shut as he gave a belly laugh.

“Not exactly discreet, is it?” he asked, opening one eye.

“Oh, I don’t know. I didn’t guess it.” Katherine shrugged.

“Go on, then –” Remus gently elbowed her, licking his wind-chapped lips “– what did you think it was all about?”

Katherine battled with a smile, “I thought perhaps you were a notorious streaker.”

“Oh, yes,” grinned Remus, eyes sparkling as he looked out into the ravine, “Quidditch matches, parties, anything.”

The clear, obvious happiness on his face that just made her want to grab him by the ears and pull him close.

THUMP! – THUMP! – THUMP! – THUMP! Above them, heavy footsteps sounded through the wooden bridge slats. Laughter, and a blokey shout of – “Three Quid – Fucking class, innit?”. More raucous laughter followed, and the rattling force of teenage boys jumping along and out of the end of the bridge shook all around.

Katherine watched along with Remus as long legs emerged, and faces matched to the voices – a bunch of seventh years, and –

Katherine blinked in surprise –

Sirius.

With his hands in his pockets, Sirius sauntered in the middle of the pack. Bursts of magic surrounded the boys – some of them had forgone their school robes for bathrobes and slippers over their grey school socks. Looking very much like hedonist sea captains, a couple of the boys even had pipes hanging from the corners of their grins.

“Bit young for pipe tobacco, aren’t they? –” pondered Katherine aloud, turning back to Remus wryly, “Or is it different in this world?”

“It’s herbal. So, its healing, actually,” he explained, with a small smile, “Not the great act of rebellion it appears to be.”

Katherine nodded but found her eyes following Sirius, in surprise. At a loss. 

“Thought he’d be with James...”

“We’ll surprise you yet,” said Remus, with a proud twitch of his lips, “We don’t always just hang around with each other,”

He returned his attention to the stone he was turning in his fingers, and when his voice came again, it was tender –

“Especially now – with all our commitments in sixth year.”

Commitments? Katherine felt a bit adrift. The boys seemed the same as ever…

“You’re a Prefect…” said Katherine, putting down a finger on her hand, listing, “Peter…?”

Remus smiled easily, “Mary.”

“Right,” agreed Katherine in a huff of amusement. She paused, then broached the others - together, “…and James and Sirius?”

“Quidditch,” was his immediate, mirthful answer.

Remus turned to Katherine, a furrow in his brow –

“Since when’s it been ‘Sirius’ anyway?”

His tone was light.

Katherine, however, tread carefully.

She shrugged, looking off in an attempt at casualness, “I couldn’t call him by his last name forever,”

Remus tipped his head in concession.

A beat passed.

Katherine felt brave –

“Remus…can I ask you something?”

They turned to one another at the same time, apprehension mirrored.

Remus’ expression was earnest, and gentle, when he said, “Of course.”

“Does it bother you…?”

Remus tilted his head, with a ghost of humour on his lips, “Does what bother me?”

Oh, gosh – here she went –

“When I hang around with Sirius?” she clarified, tipping her head, “Especially after the incident last year…”

Upon Remus’ face was… nothing. He just looked down at the rock beneath her legs. Paused.

Katherine went on – “He was just… he was really there for me, when –”

“When I wasn’t?”

Remus had lifted his eyes, in them – this time – was guilt. He had returned from whatever far away place he had gone a moment prior.

Katherine had to look away.

“Sirius was there for at a time when no one else was.” she said, finally, with all the catholic guilt of a confession.

A deep sigh moved all of Remus where he sat beside her.

“We don’t talk about it,”

Katherine looked back to him.

“That’s just Sirius though, isn’t it?” dark mirth coloured his voice.

Remus pulled back his arm and threw the piece of stone. It gave a tapering TIP – TIP… TIP as it ricocheted down into the ravine below.

“I half expected something like that might happen one day, with my condition…”

Katherine didn’t know what to say, so she squinted off into the declining sun, “Right.”

Another beat passed.

How had they even ended up talking about Sirius in the first place?

“A word of warning. I just… don’t want you to be surprised if Sirius doesn’t hang around with you as much as he did last year,” said Remus, breaking the silence.

Confusion pulled at Katherine – as well as the urge to laugh.

“The boys will be busy,” Remus reassured her, with kind eyes, a bit of his former gusto from earlier returning, “Sirius is not always the most considerate person, and might not think to let you know. I wouldn’t want you to be left hanging.”

Katherine licked her lips, nodding, “Right.”

Above them, the rowdy group of boys were making a passing return. So, in fact, was the wind.

Katherine tried to suppress the chatter trying to wobble her jaw. To will it to be summer a bit longer.

Remus saw it anyway –

“Come on,” he said through a sound of effort, standing to his feet and extending a hand down to her with a gallant smile, “I’ve got to check in with the new fifth year prefects before dinner anyway.”

They parted in the Entrance Hall, and Katherine made for Gryffindor tower.

The shadows of an ever-encroaching evening were coming early upon the castle, and its walls. The torches were already lit and flickering – but it barely impacted the grey limbo of a dreary afternoon. The novelty of blue skies, sun, and sweaty knee socks was fading fast.

A chill went through Katherine – sudden and sharp.

The webby, silvery form of a ghost emerged in front of her – had gone through her – only the back visible as it floated on out ahead.

Her heart pumped hotly. Could it be…?

Her legs, cool and clammy, launched into a run –

“Giles!” she called, following as the apparition didn’t slow, “Professor –”

The ghost turned a corner, and Katherine saw that it was in fact not Felix Giles.

In the same moment, Dumbledore glided by ahead, between corridors, humming in his bright orange robes with silver stars. He gave no sign of seeing her.

Sometimes Katherine felt as if she were on some show, and only he knew the reality…

Laughing darkly to herself, and, feeling the complete absence of tears – not sure if she were relieved about it, either – Katherine made her way back to the common room.

CLUNK! The Portrait shut behind her, and the din and chatter of full common room echoed down the tunnel. It took the chill out of her robes, and she slowly moved towards it – trying to shed the odd feelings of the afternoon as she went. Her eyes began roaming the occupants and found a lot of younger years splayed out on the floor. Games of marbles, gobstones, and exploding snap were aplenty.

In the chair by the fire, Katherine’s gaze got stuck. A head of black hair, held indolently aloft, and a pair of grey eyes meeting hers across the sea of people between them. Sirius was already back, evidently.

Movement down the boys’ staircase pulled Katherine’s eyes away –

James plonked down the steps with his playbook in one hand, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. He made a beeline for Sirius, and it seemed important to leave them be.

Katherine’s eyes next fell upon Frank and Alice studying together at a desk in the corner. He tucked her hair behind her ear as she wrote away on her parchment, with adoring eyes.

Well, thought Katherine, Remus hadn’t done that...

Frank stood with a yawn and a stretch that lifted his shirt and jumper and made his way over to James and Sirius. He ran a hand along the back of Alice’s chair in farewell as he went.

Katherine took her chance and slipped into his vacated chair.

Alice looked up, looked back down at her parchment, and smiled –

“With Remus, were we?”

Katherine watched as Frank settled in easily with the boys, “Yeah.”

“How was it?”

“Mhhm?” Katherine turned back.

Alice had paused her writing and looked up through her lashes at Katherine, gently incredulous.

Katherine remembered where they had been, blinking and shrugging, “Yeah, yeah. Good.”

“Any… moves?”

Katherine surreptitiously shook her head, keeping an eye on the boys just down the way, “He’s not anything like, you know…”

Katherine made a small motion to Alice’s beau.

Alice put her quill down, tipping her head as she aired her parchment.

“Remus will be different to him,” she assured Katherine quietly, checking her parchment over again, “Frank’s a pureblood…”

“I thought it didn’t matter?” said Katherine, lightly.

“No – of course not,” Alice readily agreed, she then floundered a moment, looking for words, “They’re just… different. Behaviour wise.”

Katherine coughed, “Mulciber.”

“He was a cockroach.”

“Oh, don’t I love a cockroach –” Lily sat down sideways on chair she had pulled over, with the sigh of a working mother, with sore feet, “What’s all this then? Any goss?”

“Professor! Professor!” exclaimed a portrait from the wall, jumping between frames –

CREAK! – CLUNK!

The chatter of the room died down. Only the flicker of the fireplace made a noise as they waited, only for the CLICK – CLACK of boots to sound out through the tunnel. McGonagall paused on the edge of the common room, eyeing them all suspiciously - “As you were…”

James cleared his throat loudly, pointedly, “So, anyway – as I was saying –”

The chatter broke out again, almost deafening in its abruptness. Katherine watched passively as Professor McGonagall pinned sign-up sheets for the new term up on the notice board.

“AHHHHH!”

Silence descended on the common room again the wake of a scream.

Lily went to push up from her seat, but slid back down.

James had sprung from his seat, his wand already whipped out, and rushed to the younger boy who had screamed.

The boy pointed to the window. A grey mass blurred by –

“AHHHH!” he and James this time screamed together.

Professor McGonagall hesitated at the notice board, eyeing James.

“What was that?!” begged the boy, looking up at James.

James blinked, his hand going to his hair. He glanced sideways – to the girls, at a loss, whispering, ‘What was it?’

Katherine had recognised the blur, and mouth back ‘Thestral’.

“Oh, that –” James sped out, voice higher than Katherine had ever heard it “– that’s just a Thestral. Means no harm,”

James clapped the younger boy on the shoulder -

“Didn’t you see them tugging the carriages this year?”  

The younger boy swayed slightly under James grip, but his eyes were still fixed on the window, “Why are they all… bony?”

“Well, you know –”

James looked back to Katherine, at a loss, before he pulled one out of somewhere –

“What if you were bony?”

Lily snorted, resting her forehead on the back of the chair.

James went on, gently, “It probably wouldn’t feel very nice if people ran scared from you all the time? And asked why you looked a bit funny? Would it?”

They shook their heads together, as if it had truly been a teachable moment.

McGonagall, after a brief look of astonishment at James Potter, saw that all was under control, and left quietly.

A sense of normality returned slowly to the common room. A number of people began to depart for dinner, the younger boy included. James watched him go as he chatted with Frank and Sirius.

Once he was gone, James turned around in his seat, before standing to full height and ruffling the back of his hair, “Now,”

He turned eyes, begging belief, on the girls –

“What the bloody hell is a Thestral?”

Frank had his head lolling on the back of a plush red arm chair, and peered over his chin at James, “You said you saw them pulling the carriages this year.”

“Yes, but why just this year?”

“They’ve always pulled the carriages, we just hadn’t been able to see them.” said Frank, his eyes barely open.

Peter looked to James, asking, “Some sort of invisibility cloak?”

James shrugged off Peter’s question, shaking his head and blinking in listlessness.

Alice made her way over and perched herself on the arm of Frank’s chair, and the two shared a long look.

Frank rested a hand on Alice’s crossed knees as he spoke again, “My sister warned me… I thought more people might have gotten one too from their families, especially after –”

Katherine flashed hot and cold, knowing what was coming –

Frank’s eyes slashed sideways to her as he cleared his throat –

“…last year,”

At the light words, knowing eyes triangulated around the room. At one point or another, Katherine felt them all take their cursory glance at her. It all served to spark the odd sensation of a room within a room. Concealed from the joyous oblivious gatherings of younger years by a thin, blue film. Even if only imaginary. For all that was happening around them, there was a soft crackling silence surrounding the sixth years.

Katherine looked back to Frank Longbottom, where he sat forward in his chair, his elbows resting languidly on the knees of his slacks. He was looking back, hesitance rippling through his furrowed brow – apology, she found there too. He had never looked more grave than he did right then in the swathes of candlelight and firelight.

Katherine fought an odd sort of smile as she realised at that moment just what Alice saw in him – just how handsome he was in her friend’s eyes.

Frank seemed to consider her back for a moment, unblinking. His eyes slipped down Katherine’s frame, and settled on her shoes as he pursed his lips ever so slightly before lifting them to James again.

James sat across from Frank like a keen mirror.

Lily had been standing with her arms crossed after the Thestral incident, but slowly sat down on the expanse of empty couch beside James, enthralled.

Peter sat on the floor between Lily and James, his back resting against the plush maroon velvet upholstery.

Katherine found herself looking at Sirius, however, where he sat apart from the others – though undeniably listening, while he gazed into the hearth. He was always listening. She found herself wishing that she knew what it was he was thinking.

When Frank next spoke, it was with tender cadence –

“You can only see them if you’ve seen death.”

Sirius tore his eyes from the fire – to look at her. As she had – not… predicted – but, perhaps… hoped. That if nothing else might interest, or rattle him, that…  

Was he trying to read her mind? she found herself thinking at one point, as she burned under the intensity of his coal gaze. What a coincidence it would be, indeed, if they were trying to do the very same thing.

No one spoke again in the common room that night as it slowly cleared of students, the very carpet and hangings seemed drowsy and lazy on that early September night. Summer pulsed unbidden through the open window with the distant chant of cicadas from the forest.

The night – clear, humid, and starry as it leaked in – wrapped them all, almost like the simmering invisible hand of Destiny; settling, claiming…

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 44: A Secret Between Two

Another day went without Katherine hearing from Dumbledore.

She laid with lavish laziness on the wispy grass of the lawns in the intermission between the first two lessons of the day.

“So, have you heard from Will since you’ve been back?” came Remus’ voice.

An odd sort of trio that took form over the first few days back consisted of Remus, Lily, and Katherine. Their Prefect duties, as well as their new friendship from the summer, meant they were often already together when Katherine sought out Lily.

“Yeah,” said Lily, absently, pulling up grass, “He’s leaving school, I think. To pursue his football career.”

Katherine looked between Lily and Remus, “Do people leave school here to pursue Quidditch?”

Lily looked to Remus, just as at a loss as Katherine it seemed.

Remus shrugged.

“It’s pretty rare for the professional teams to sign anyone under seventeen, but it has happened.”

Lily looked thoughtful, and paused her ripping up of the grass, “Is there an equivalent for football rules in Quidditch rules? Like, offside…?”

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose –

“Don’t talk to me about football…”

The girls laughed, remembering the summer.

Lily kicked the side of his leg, “Alright then, what are your academic plans? What did you talk about with Professor McGonagall last year?”

Remus gave a look that spoke of perhaps his preference for talking about football.

“Come on.” mustered Lily, looking to Katherine – as if for back up.

“What’s the point?” he groaned, leaning back on his hands, shutting his eyes against the sun.

Lily frowned, “Sorry?”

“No one’s really hiring werewolves, Lily. No matter how many NEWTs they’ve gotten.”

Lily pinked a bit. She had never heard him talk so brazenly about his affliction.

He did that, Katherine realised, when he was exhausted. A sort of apathy he wore like a comfy old jumper.

Lily flustered, “But… but you’ve always gotten good grades – kept your head on straight –”

Remus glanced to Katherine out of the corner of his eye –

“– what was it all for?”

Remus gave a humourless laugh, raking a hand down his face, “God, I don’t know… not anymore…”

Katherine understood that and did not argue with him. It was one thing they undeniably had in common.

“How’s Snape, then?”

Katherine’s eyes shot to Remus. Katherine had yet to even broach the subject of Lily’s former friend. She couldn’t believe he asked that…

“I’ve avoided him,” Lily confessed, looking off, “Except… he cornered me after Potions. He, er, may have told me in no uncertain terms that… he smelt me in the...”

The Amortentia.

Katherine gently broached the obvious question, “Did you… smell him?”

“No,” shot out of Lily’s mouth, and she shook her head. She paused before going on, “I mean, I don’t think so – not anything I associate with him.”

“There’s usually a handful of scents, isn’t there?” asked Remus, “James said he smelt apple, pine sap, and the crisp linens his house elf does at home.”

Lily started in on the grass again, “There was another one – from the others, but I couldn’t figure out what it was… it was balmy…”

“Something from home, maybe?” suggested Katherine.

Lily’s expression turned thoughtful, “Maybe...”

Katherine looked to Remus.

He was already looking. In his eyes, there was a glimmer of curiosity.

Katherine knew she smelt no scents from the Amortentia on Remus.

He hadn’t asked her what she smelt. He looked at her sometimes, however. Just like he was doing right at that moment.

His eyes shifted over her shoulder, “Oh. Here they all come…”

James and Sirius spearheaded the dotted groups of students that made up their Care of Magical Creature’s class.

“Hello!” beamed James, sliding down onto the grass and slinging an arm around Katherine’s shoulders.

Being with James Potter was a bit like stepping into the sun. Katherine missed him a bit. They no longer had broomstick flying lessons, or quidditch…

His minty gum permeated the air as he leant down by her face, “So, Katherine,”

James looked to Sirius with a cheeky grin, before looking back to her –

“– are you sure you don’t want to be back on the team this year?”

Sirius kicked him lightly, “Don’t pester her, Prongs.”

James and Sirius launched back into discussion on the upcoming quidditch trials, while the others listened passively.

Lily watched them, and nudged Katherine with a droll look, “You would think they would move onto more important things now, not regress into childish play…”

“Prefer him to start asking you out again – more seriously?” goaded Katherine, quietly.

Lily rolled her eyes but offered Katherine a good-natured smile of chagrin.

“I honestly think he’s forgotten all about me, actually...” said Lily, absently, as she peered through the sun’s glare.

Remus silently looked up to Lily, then quickly away to Katherine with amused eyes, wetting his lips. That’s likely, went unspoken.

Katherine relaxed in a brief moment of merriment, and gently tapped the outside of Remus’ leg with the back of her hand in reprimand.

Remus gave a light huff of laughter and leant back on his hands, letting his head fall back and his eyes close. He seemed to fall into a light meditation in the sun’s rays.

“Well, I’d have to be General, as I’m the tippy top of the team.” came James’ pondering voice.

Katherine glanced back across the group’s circle.

Sirius sat with his legs bowed out in front of himself, his wrists resting languidly on his thighs as he ripped a stick of red chewy taffy into a long string. He squinted under the sun, looking away from where he had been glancing sideways at James – to Katherine. The taffy broke with a SMACK. He gave a haughty little smile, and said lightly, “If you think so.”

Sirius kept Katherine’s eye as he lifted the taffy to his mouth, his jaw pulsing sharply as he chewed through a smile.

“You’ll be my Lieutenant General,” James went on, elbowing Sirius with a beaming grin, “Absolute prick of one too,”

Sirius’ shoulders rolled easily with James’ shove, as he laughed – loosely. He broke off another piece of taffy and handed it to James.

Katherine smiled to herself – at the boys – and took to pulling up dead blades of grass and began balancing them on her leg out towards her knee to amuse herself.

Lily was laying down with her head on her bag, her arms and ankles crossed. There was still a graze on her ankle from the peddle of Will’s bike that was yet to fully heal.

“Major General Moony,” said James, through chews of taffy, taking it out of his mouth to point it emphatically at Remus, “Should anything happen to us.”

Remus’ arm brushed Katherine’s as he sat up properly again.

Katherine glanced to him –

“Consider me flushed.” said Remus casually, with an indulging smile – as if he were dealing with a very young child.

SMACK.

Sirius had pulled apart the taffy further and was chewing slowly as he listened to James, but he was staring blankly across at Remus.

Katherine was unsure if Remus noticed, as he had taken to ripping up grass too. Instead of placing them on his own person, he gently lowered a piece, careful to balance it on the exposed bit of skin above Katherine’s knee she had reached.

She watched, nearly squirming in ticklishness, screwing up her nose.

Remus laughed, but gently pulled his hand away once the blade of grass seemed safe from overbalancing. Then he waited, watching – for her to take her turn.

Katherine laid another, and then glanced back at Sirius.

He was watching their little game and giving the occasional nod to a still-talking James. Sirius was furrowing his eyebrows, his eyes narrowed with such thoughtfulness, that Katherine was sure he was thinking about something else – far away from her leg, and the grass balancing on it.

He had wanted it, she postulated. Sirius must have really wanted to get Captain…

Around them, people had begun standing up. The Professor had arrived –

“Up we get, sixth years! Up we get!”

In Care of Magical Creatures that day, they were to receive a lesson on Thestrals. Everyone above third year (who would have been in Hogsmeade the previous year) was apparently, according to the whispers from Debbie and Sue. They looked at Katherine as they said it – and made no secret of it.

Lily looked back, crossing her arms. Whenever she did it, Katherine had noticed that her ‘Prefect’ badge would glint and flash.

They did not seem concerned with keeping the quasi-friendship from the previous year with she or Lily. No one, really, had come up to any of them – the ones who had been involved in the event in Hogsmeade – who had run into the forest and flames.

Guilt wracked Katherine all lesson at her friends’ sudden plummet in reputation by mere association with her. Most of them would not have noticed too much, but Lily and James were popular. In their own circles at least. People knew their names and wanted to talk to them – gregarious and good looking as they were.

Perhaps it would settle down, Katherine pondered, once people got away from a summer of reading headlines and bosomed in their families’ own assumptions…

Thestrals were sensitive – as were all creatures – to energy, but even more so as they were unused to being seen. Like unicorns, they were ‘more partial to feminine energy’ – Professor Kettleburn explained.

There were a few exceptions – and a few people who had not witnessed what had happened in Hogsmeade. They either sat back or roamed around carefully with their ‘seeing’ friends, looking for hoof tracks and listening out for the occasional gentle whinny.

Oddly enough, the Thestrals seemed to prefer those lacking the sight. They would nudge and seek food from them. Or just stand, and investigate the ground around them, content.

“Just tell me where!” laughed Emmeline Vance, holding a strip of meat aloft like she was to strike a pinata with it, and walking with the care of someone blindfolded.

“Left!” called James from the boulders, amused – but correct.

Emmeline swung around.

The Ravenclaw boy beside James winced, but grinned, and called out with his hands around his mouth, “Your left, love.”

Emmeline gave him a toothy thumbs up, laughing and swinging up in the right direction.

The Thestral caught it and chomped away happily, chunks raining at Emmeline’s feet.

Katherine decided she liked Emmeline Vance right then.

“Here, Vance,” said Lily, holding out a hand, “They’re really gentle – I can help you pet him.”

Coming as a surprise to no one, Thestrals loved Lily.

With hesitance, and then blind awe, Emmeline pet the Thestral who had lowered its head in gratitude for the food with Lily’s assistance. After a while, the creature held its head back aloft, and Emmeline’s hand slipped down its neck.

“Wow, it’s got a really big smooth head.”

Lily smiled patiently, “That’s it’s neck.”

Emmeline nodded solemnly, looking up past the creature’s head and into a hollow of the tree behind.

Having walked around with Lily most of the lesson, Katherine hung back as her friend stood and chat with Emmeline. Coming to a rest against a cluster of rocks sparsely surrounded by a few other students.

Emmeline walked back over to the Ravenclaw boy that had called her ‘Love’, casting Auguamenti on her hands. She had to adjust her ring. Settling between the boy’s knees, his hands came around her hips as he seemed to laugh with her about her encounter.

He must be, Katherine realised, her fiancé. He seemed nice. She recognised him, but she didn’t know his name. They looked every bit of smitten. Happy – stupidly so – and… right.

Debbie and Sue had no luck, squeamishly approaching, hand in hand, a chunk of meat in the other. They jumped back when the Thestral they had been approaching gave a snort and tossed its head. With screams, they dropped their meat and ran back behind a confused, and non-plussed, Cal Roberts’ shoulders.

On Professor’s orders, most of the boys hung back, leaning their backsides on the surrounding boulders and observing.

The Thestral leant down, to find Debbie and Sue’s meat covered in dirt. It nosed it around but didn’t pick it up.

Katherine’s heart squeezed, as all the other Thestrals had taken part in successful encounters with other students. Others had gotten to eat their clean food.

Her feet moved beneath her before her mind started catching up. It eventually did, when Katherine neared the gargantuan creature – and realised that it could possibly be dangerous, what she was about to do.

Carefully, Katherine knelt down at a knee achingly slow pace. I mean no harm, she tried to communicate in every gesture. It was conflicting. As she had in fact found herself, the previous term, capable of exacting it. Could the animals sense it? That she may not be as pure of heart as she feared she fooled everyone else into believing?

Although not killing him, Katherine had willingly put her hands on Voldemort after figuring out that it would harm him – possibly kill him. Without hesitation. She had never even gotten in a cat fight at St Mary’s before. Had she just never been given the opportunity – to do something horrible?

Katherine lifted the meat off the dirt, and circled her wand at it, whispering, “Auguamenti!”

The Thestral bowed its head, nudging its nose against the clean meat.

Katherine body hummed with surprised relief.

“It’s okay, you can take it.” she said gently, holding it out.

Unlike the others, it did not chomp it and rain chunks down at her feet – or in her hair – the creature gently nibbled. The pull of strong teeth tugged Katherine’s arm forward with each bit it tore off. Tug, break, release, then the grazing ‘SMACK–SMACK…’ of tongue and teeth as it chewed… on and on, until it was gone.

When animals liked you, a warm happiness settled in the chest. An understanding.

Katherine glanced up – looking for Lily, and found her playing chasies with a female calf. It was all very puppy like. Lily would go up to the baby creature, it’s head already at her shoulders, and it would playfully jump and then run off – and wait for Lily to follow. Lily did the same in return.

The redhead was laughing with girlish abandon as she chased the calf around a large tree near where the boys were perched. When she rounded it, her laughter tapered –

The female calf was burying its nose in James Potter’s jet-black tresses.

Arms crossed; James turned with wide, amused eyes as it tried to lick down the piece that always stuck up at the back. It nuzzled his face as he turned, and James lifted a hand to give a warm cradle – to lean in cheek to cheek with the waxy skin of the Thestral –

“Hello.” he greeted with surprised mirth, giving a healthy pat.

James Potter would be wonderful with dogs, thought Katherine – observing his confident ease and warmth.

“Come on, Evans,” goaded Sirius, when he saw her backing off, “Kids and animals –”

Sirius nodded to James with a slow smile –

“– great judges of character,” he went on, inclining his head. His gaze darkened with the patent bite of his humour before he said – “You can both pet the little one. James doesn’t bite.”

“Yeah,” James snorted, knocking his back at Sirius with a grin to Lily, “That’s Sirius.”

Sirius battled a smile, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back as he quaked with silent laughter.

Remus gazed skywards – for strength, it seemed. The were lines of amusement pulling around his lips however.

Lily gave a pet goodbye, and a roll of her eyes to James and Sirius, and went back over to the group of girls congregating around the main group of Thestrals.

Katherine waited until her Thestral moseyed off to help groom a calf before she cleaned her hands with a quick spell. It would not do to hurt his feelings by seeming grossed out by the very thing it enjoyed eating.

The lesson was coming to an end, and everyone was gathering their belongings and heading back towards the lawns.

Away from her friends to grab her bag, Katherine caught a small group whispering – not having seen her.

“…did you hear…”

“The Blacks?”

“Reckon he’s…”

Katherine caught on, at once. They were talking about Sirius.

Katherine felt the urge to clear her throat – or something. She hated hearing the whispers. It was wrong, all so wrong.

None of them knew him at all.

A pinging sort of annoyance worked through Katherine’s shoulders as she made for the others. The shame of cowardice too – that she hadn’t been able to jinx them, or something.

The group of Gryffindors were all congregating together in the sun.

James turned, opening his arms, “Here she is.”

“You have a free, don’t you?” asked Lily, from where she stood beside Remus.

James shoved Sirius, “You do too, yeah?”

Sirius gave a nod, righting himself – his eyes catching Katherine’s.

“You two bludgers…” grumbled James, playfully.

Sirius scoffed, “Hey, we’re in class when you’re off.”

“I think I could probably drop this class…” Remus pondered, everything about his posture reluctant – as he watched Sirius and James.

Lily and James both whirled around at once – “No, you won’t!” they chorused.

Remus sighed and began a begrudging walk to follow the unofficial captains of the group as they began their march up the lawn. Determinedly three feet apart.

Then there were two.

Katherine and Sirius stood, watching their friends go. She often worried about what she would say to him – the horror of running out of conversation – and that he might find her boring. She always seemed to invent something, however.

Katherine nudged his shoulder and started walking – they couldn’t stand on the lawns all day.

Sirius fell into step wordlessly, nudging her back.

Up ahead, Remus looked back before disappearing into the entrance hall.

“Why does he look at me like that?” Katherine asked aloud.

Sirius gave a sideways smile, “You’ve never encountered the famed, green-eyed teenage werewolf?”

Katherine’s face moved without her volition.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

“He’s jealous?” asked Katherine. She paused, then shook her head, “No…”

Sirius nodded pointedly, watching his step.

Katherine was at a loss, “What’s he got to be jealous about? We’re all sort of… friends now – aren’t we?”

Sirius tipped his head and gave a little lift of his shoulders. When he turned back to her, his eyes and lips were alight –

“Come on, I want to show you something.”

Katherine felt the spark of anticipation travel from her chest and down through her arms.

His grin was always halfway a smile, halfway suggestion.

Sirius led Katherine through the castle, up the grand staircase – all the way to the tippy top of an out of the way tower on the north side. Then there was the half-door, as if it were some sort of glaring mistake, that they crouched through. It led to the rectangular tunnel, cramped with storage of all the castles seemingly unused tapestries.

It was as they battered dust from the tapestries with their shoulders, sidling through, that she slowed.

Sirius moved expertly ahead, holding the heavy woven things away like branches in a jungle expedition. 

He looked back, “Alright, Spencer?”

Sun – from somewhere on the other side of all the tapestries – illuminated the dust swirling around his dark hair.

Katherine made forward again, slower than the pace she had been following him with before –

“Gosh, are you leading me to some room where you kill me as some sort of sacrifice?”

Sirius looked over his shoulder, with a breathy laugh, “I thought you trusted me?”

The light was growing stronger, and the tapestries were growing scarcer.

“It’s tempered by the fact that I still don’t really –” Katherine battled spiderwebs out of her hair “– know you very well.”

They had stopped – reached the edge of the room. There was a door, and big windows, and hazy golden light all around. Sirius opened the door, and it very much seemed to be another mistake on the castle’s part. There was barely a balcony edge. It led straight onto a series of gently sloping rooftops. Katherine thought it might have been the above of the Great Hall…

As Katherine observed the view, Sirius leant his shoulder against the open door frame –

Sunlight streamed across his happy face, “Oh, yeah?”

Katherine shook her head at him in disbelief.

“Come on.” Sirius stepped out easily and looked up – a head below – holding out his hands to her.

Katherine took them.

“If I should die, know this –” Katherine stepped down, Sirius’s strength keeping her balanced – “I’ll be back to get you.”

Sirius shivered comically.

“Do you promise?” he grinned, “I love a haunting,”

Sirius reached out; keen grey eyes focused on the top of her head –

Katherine rooted to the spot, as her hair shifted just ever so slightly –

Gingerly, Sirius pulled a string of grey web away. He wiped his hand haphazardly on the side of his trousers to roll it off himself –

“Anyone ever tell you that you would make a rather fetching spectre?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, turning to lead – holding his hands out behind his back.

Katherine took them anew and followed him over the slanting rivets to a flatter spot. A spot to sit. When they found their place, they looked out above and below, the sky so piercingly blue, and the crisp autumn sunlight unperturbed by the cloudless day. There was a light wind, but the full strength of the sun soothed it away. In the distance, Thestrals flew over the forest…

“Can I ask…”

Sirius turned to her, with open eyes –

“Well, why are you so nice to me?” finished Katherine.

“Did you expect me to be nasty?” joked Sirius, leaning in, then laughing. Then he paused, doing a double take back to her, “Merlin –”

Such sincere shock gripped his face –

“– did you?”

Katherine closed one eye, shrugging, “Well…”

Awed silence followed for a moment. Sirius looked away, then looked back – with full fervent attention –

“Okay –” he nodded to himself “– so you’ve got to get to know me?”

It was more a reaffirmation for him, than her. Hence, Katherine just waited for what seemed to be coming next on his tongue –

“Ask anything you like.”

“Okay, er…” she grappled, before settling on something easy, “What’s your… favourite subject?”

“Quidditch.” he said blankly, looking out at the sky again.

Katherine had no doubt it was the truth.

She knocked their knees together, grinning, “Uh-ah, Quidditch isn’t a subject.”

“Well, it isn’t an object,” said Sirius, mirth across his face, “So it must be a subject.”

Katherine just laughed to herself –

“Oh, clever.” she said, drolly.

She looked back to the sky.

“What kind of subjects did you do at St. Mary’s?” asked Sirius.

Katherine had to actually think about that, surprising herself, “Ah… Mathematics, Chemistry, History, English, French…”

“You speak French?” asked Sirius, keenly.

“Not well,” she admitted with a light laugh, before going on, “I did alright academically – better than I do here, anyway. I was… well, I had made Prefect…”

Sirius peered sideways, “…and then you came here?”

Katherine could only nod.

“Do you ever… look at Evans and Remus, and maybe… wish it were you? Know you could have done it too?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” admitted Katherine, smoothing her skirt, “I’m not sure I’m of the right… sort anymore...”

Sirius’ brow furrowed, “Anymore?”

Katherine took a deep breath and was forced to admit something to him (as she often found herself doing) as well as to herself. Sirius was like a mirror.

“I look back, and I feel like the person I was before I came here was… a whole other lifetime ago. I was –” she broke off, with a huff and laughter “– so good.”

For a moment, they just listened to sun – and the popping rivets as they expanded and shrunk.

“I don’t think you’ve changed, perhaps, as much as you think you have.”

Sirius’ words lingered in the air for a while after. Salving.

“It will always be ‘what might have been’, I guess…” said Katherine, turning to him, “I mean, with you… and James – the whole Quidditch Captain thing…”

“What might have been…” he repeated in a breath. He shook his head down at his knees, eyes thoughtful, “I’m not sure I’m the right sort for it either, truthfully.”

Katherine watched his face, “But you wanted it?”

His lips twitched, his eyes still fixed on his knees.

“Oh, yeah,”

He let out a short laugh, blinking –

“I cocked it up for myself – which is always the way –” he turned to her with a small smile, raising his eyebrows, “A lesson, in controlling my temper.”

The breeze blew in Katherine’s ears in a short pause.

“Snape deserved it.”

“Definitely.”

They fell into a short peel of laughter. Gosh, they were terrible…

“I think… it was meant for you Sirius,” said Katherine, sobering. She looked to him and then back to the roof beneath her legs, “You would make a wonderful Captain. You really are, well…  the best on the whole team.”

Sirius’ eyes pierced her face, and his voice came – tender, “You think?”

Katherine, feeling a bit sheepish at his eyes, nodded.

“Would you want to do Quidditch after school? Will it hamper any prospects for you?” she asked further.

“The captains get taken more seriously, for sure,” explained Sirius, before screwing up his face, “As for if I want to do it after school… I don’t know,”

He picked some lint off his trousers –

“If you asked me in fourth year, maybe I would have said yes, but…” he shook his head, and trailed off, “It seemed like everything changed last year…”

Last year.

Katherine felt guilty, “I’m sorry – if I hadn’t –”

“You have nothing to apologise for,” the words were consummately gentle, and so was Sirius’ gaze that he had turned on her – unflinching, “It’s alright,”

He gave a small smile, his eyes roving her face.

“It’s just… another thing to add to the list of things that seem to not be in the stars for me, in this life…” he said, looking off again.

It wasn’t fair. Sirius Black was meant for brilliant things…

His eyes fell back upon her, as if sensing her downturn, “Hey,”

His hand followed his words, gently looping Katherine’s upper arm.

Sirius inclined his head, tilting it imploringly –

“There are more important things, Spencer.” he said softly.

“Katherine.” she said gently, in correction.

Sirius smiled quietly, directly into her eyes, and gave a slight bow of his head –  

“Katherine,” his low, posh tones drew out the syllables.

She smiled.

His widened.

In the following moments, his hand slowly fell from her arm. With it, went a great warmth. Sirius licked his lips as he looked ahead.

“This is a secret spot, you know,”

His words captured Katherine.

“Not even James knows this is here,” he said, measuredly. He turned to her, “Do you swear you won’t tell?”

Sirius’ eyes glittered down at her.

Katherine's words came easy.

“I swear.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 45: At the Weekend...

Time, it seemed, was moving differently in sixth year. Faster.

“Criss… cross…”

Lily’s oval nails gently traced an ‘X’ on Katherine’s back, disturbing the straps of her top –

“Applesauce…” continued Lily, with lulling, lazy cadence –

The grass of the lawns tickled the backs of Katherine’s legs, as she sat, eyes-closed, in front of Lily –

“Spiders… crawling… up your back…”

The words were punctuated with the gentle taps of Lily’s fingertips up Katherine’s spine. They pressed through the thin material of the summery garment, as tender as the sun beating down on them. There one moment, gone the next –

“Crawling here,” Lily’s fingers danced up to Katherine’s left shoulder, skimming the soft skin down the backs of her arms –

“Crawling there…”

Lily reassuringly continued the game up over Katherine’s right shoulder –

Lily paused, before climbing her fingers up Katherine’s neck at a prance, leaning in with laughter lilted breaths, “Spiders… crawling… in. your. hair,”

Katherine smiled as Lily’s hands cradled her head –

“Crack an egg…”

Lily placed a hand flat on Katherine’s crown, then gave a gentle tap upon it with the bottom of her first –

“– on your head,” Lily washed her cool hands through Katherine’s hair and over her shoulders, “Let the yolk run down…”

Katherine’s spine felt lazy in her back –

“Tight squeeze,”

Lily wrapped her arms around Katherine from behind, firmly –

“Cool breeze,”

Lily blew gingerly across the back of Katherine’s shoulders –

“Now you’ve got the shiveries.”

Laughing, as Lily tickled her ribs, Katherine fell sideways onto the grass. When she opened her eyes again, it was to the grins on Marlene, Alice, and Mary’s sunned faces as the girls laughed along – with a manically cackling Lily.

Marlene held out a hand to help Katherine back up into a seated position, “It almost sounds like a spell, don’t you think?”

Katherine glanced to Lily, and saw the humour glittering in her friend’s eyes. Together, they turned back to the other girls, and waggled their fingers in mimicry.

Alice’s eyes flickered up from where she was working on a chain of daisies, following something behind Katherine’s head.

Katherine turned, squinting under the sun.

Joining the frolicking students out on the lawns, were the sixth-year Gryffindor boys. Frank parted from them. He gave a grand wave as he made his way toward the girls, where they lazed in the daisies.

Alice pushed herself up to her knees, then her feet, brushing down her clothes, “Right, I’ll be off for a bit.”

“He’ll kiss them off your face soon enough,” joked Marlene, making a kissy face at Alice, “Snog your lips right off, he will.”

Alice laughed, pushing Marlene over into the grass as she passed in her fluttering little skirt, her eyes already off on Frank.

Marlene gave a mock sigh, pushing herself up onto her elbow and watching Alice and Frank wander down by the thickets of trees dotting the Lake’s edge –

“What’s Longbottom got that we don’t?”

The words drifted off on the breeze, and the girls went back to plucking stems up from the dirt. They proceeded to take turns to sit still in the long, whispering blades of grass, and have their heads crowned with strings of daisies, twined gently through their long lengths of hair. They all needed haircuts.

“Oh, Mares,” said Marlene anew, nodding to the other sixth year boys, “There’s Peter – over yonder.”

Mary’s eyes fixed off into the distance, into the hundred odd yards away that Peter and the others were. With a flicker over her face, she summoned a smile, and leant in with a whisper –

“And leave the weave session?”

With laughter, the girls fell about their pseudo circle; over Lily – the sun, over Marlene – the expanse of the lake, over Mary – the ancient towering tips of Hogwarts’ towers. All the cardinal points of the grounds. Katherine took note of the position of the sun, and calculated their respective directions… the sun in the west, the castle in the east, the lake in the south…

The boys strolled by in a pack, seemingly heading for the boulders under the large Beech tree. James gave a short wave as he passed, at the front of the group.

Katherine, the only girl looking up, gave a short wave back.

He turned back to the group as they strolled, “So, Padfoot –”

Sirius. Sirius was Padfoot, Katherine knew, and – with a glance to the boy – found that he was looking back at her.

Eyes flickering just behind him, she found that so was Remus.

The boys did nothing more than that. They walked on as a quartet, Peter the only one to glance back. There was a busyness about them all as they chatted.

“What do you suppose they’re chatting about?” asked Mary, to the air.

Lily gave a huff of laughter, “Potter and Black don’t chat, they collude…”

With short laughs, the girls went back to weaving flowers into each other’s hair. The ebbs and flows of conversation were barely able to disturb them from their soaking up of the last bits of summer.

It was the first Saturday of September.

There would only be three more.

Katherine stayed curious, and passively watching the boys; in a bit of trance. Maybe they hadn’t changed all that much, she mused.

She had thought she had been seeing the boys closer up, from the inside, but… there was something secretive about those boys…

Katherine watched as they congregated – closer to the girls than she had initially expected – just down the lawns. Perfectly innocuous. Yet… they would stop their conversation whenever people would pass too close; speaking to not be overheard.

There were other things that she had never given much thought to, that she was noticing more and more frequently. In class, especially, they would pass notes. Everyone did. However, if she ever found their little scraps of parchment in her eyeline – it would be blank. Or rather, unreadable to her eyes.

Snape had tried to do them in during Charms, but Flitwick – in all his Charms Professor might – did not seem to use the right spell on the confiscated scrap from James Potter’s desk.

James, however, seemed to have a new maturity about him with the addition of his Captain pin to the left lapel of his robes. Teachers seemed more readily agreeable to the boy, and the reputable status he had been elevated to.

Professor Flitwick placed down the parchment, having found nothing untoward hidden there, back down on the table between James and Sirius. His eyes moved between them.

Sirius had long since tucked his hands beneath the armpits of his robes, having watched keenly the Professors numerous attempts to break any enchantments; a spark of amusement in his eyes. There seemed to be an attempt solemnity, nevertheless.

“Honestly, Professor,” James had managed out around a reigned in, winning smile, “It’s just a bit of parchment for writing down ideas for Quidditch.”

Snape scowled, then turned to the Professor, begging, “Then why is it blank?”

Flitwick made a considering expression, pursing his lips, and turning back to James, expectant.

James blinked indolently.

“Well, I haven’t had any yet, have I?”

Flitwick turned to Sirius with a wavering, yet still scrutinising eye. As if his decision rested on what he found there.

The entire class watched, silent.

Sirius – with his hands still tucked beneath his armpits – gave an innocent expression; all owlish blinking and raised eyebrows. His lips curved, however – in his very haughty way.

Flitwick waved a hand, and turned away from the desk, “Yes, very well… on with the lesson…”

The boys remained composed, apart from quiet twin smiles and a sideways glance to another.

Watching them again on the lawns, Katherine did not think it would ever be possible to as close to them as they were to each other. Even Remus – even after being let in on his secret.

Her eyes roamed the familiar boys; shoulders back as they laughed, and felt the twinge of something beneath her shoulders. I can’t break through your world.

An inordinate amount of time passed, only broken by some thrown out words – “Should we head back up to the dorms? Listen to a record?”

Katherine could not even remember who had said it. Yet they dragged their gangly, tanned limbs up off the lawns, and traipsed up the castle. She had felt the boys watching as the girls walked away, like the sear of sun on the backs of her legs.

None of the girls looked back to the chasing eyes of the boys.

Passing younger years, and older years alike, Katherine felt so far removed from them. From everyone. Except for the girls with whom she marched in a whimsical sort of unison; sun tendered.

It was strange to be back at the castle.

It was the same as ever. Still. Fragments of soft afternoon light wheeled through the stained glass, catching spiralling specks of dust. It had become less like a destination and more like a place that Katherine was passing through. Yet couldn’t leave.

After Giles, going to class felt inordinately stupid. Leaving school – equally as so.

Katherine was stuck in the middle.

She didn’t want to do much of anything anymore. The summer, and all it had entailed – the brief happiness – was feeling further and further away. Katherine thought she might have liked to run around London with Lily forever. In anonymity.

At the castle, people looked at her. Sometimes she forgot why. An ache of sadness pulled at her neck, however, when she remembered.

“Say, Katherine,” said Lily, flicking through her records, boredly, once they made it back to the dormitory “Could we listen to your Fleetwood Mac one?”

It was rare Katherine felt truly useful since stumbling into Hogwarts the previous year –

“Of course.” she said, easily, with a strange – but not unpleasant – feeling in her chest.

The other girls had pulled out various homework assignments and laid out on their beds.

Katherine laid the needle down, and out burst the rousing opening track, “Monday morning you sure look fine –”

“How’s the boyfriend?” grinned Marlene at Katherine.

Katherine plopped down on her bed, bouncing slightly, eyeing her friend lightly, “Remus isn’t my boyfriend.”

Marlene pretended to pay attention to her parchment, but continued smiling, shaking her head –

“I didn’t even say his name, love.”

Lily snorted.

Katherine pleaded her case before her amused friends’ accusing glances, “It’s only been three days, classes have been full on.”

“Divination.” said Alice, with great humour.

Katherine battled a twang of self-consciousness, but knew it was in jest, “Yeah, I’m a prodigy, remember?”

Laughter and snorts met her from all around.

Mary sat at her vanity, combing her longer caramel hair. Long gone was the bob from when Katherine had met her the previous year.

“Lily, do you think you could cut a fringe in for me?” inquired Mary, after scrutinising her reflection.

Lily jumped up, and they assessed Mary’s hair together in the mirror before Lily picked up her scissors. She was keeping long pieces down to Mary’s lips by the look of the snips she was making.

Katherine watched on, petting Belle.

“Have you seen Peter much?” asked Lily, cheerfully.

Lily would make a very good hairdresser, mused Katherine.

Mary closed her eyes as Lily combed her hair across her face, “Most meals, you know – I like to sit you guys in classes –”

Their conversation slowly waned not long after, and Katherine thought it was the longest she and Lily had been in the same place all week – bar lessons –

“Hey, Lily. I know school’s been full on…” she began, “But… do you think we could go looking for Giles’ ghost? Like we said in the summer…”

The girls' listening in, did not go unnoticed. They had all collectively paused.

“Yeah, of course,” smiled Lily, bussing around Mary’s head, “I’ve got all of tomorrow free. We’ll go then?”

Katherine nodded, “Yeah, thanks.”

“Katherine,”

Katherine looked back up –

“You can talk about it with us, you know? Whenever you feel like it. You won’t annoy us or anything –” Lily gave a decisive SNIP with her scissors, and a lock of Mary’s hair fell to the floor. Lily met her eyes through the mirror, concern rippling across her freckled cheeks, “– or else you’ll turn into a nutter.”

“I don’t… I don’t really have anything to say,” she confessed, tipping her head, “When I do…”

Lily nodded, still standing with her scissors, “Okay.”

“You don’t have to rush to be ready,” came Mary’s voice, breaking the stupor, “It takes time.”

The girls shared a smile in the mirror. Mary, indeed, understood.

“None of us think you’re a nutter, either. We think you’re normal.” declared Marlene, from her bed.

Katherine bit back a laugh, “The more you say it – the more I’m starting to worry about any new rumours that might be flying about the school…”

“Like the one about you, Lily, and Lupin having a threesome?”

“What!?” Katherine and Lily chorused.

Marlene looked taken aback, “I thought you knew?”

Laughter and jeering filled the dormitory as Lily finished Mary’s hair that afternoon.

Gosh, she would have to tell Sirius that one...

Katherine found herself looking around at the girls. All of them. When had they stopped being strangers? Like a split frame in time, it was as if she could see the edges of her old St Mary’s dormitory all around. She remembered, at once, Fiona...

Oh, Fee… thought Katherine, if only you could see me now…

A cold squeeze pulled everything in Katherine’s middle – down. She turned away from her new friends, grief working through her cheeks like knots. The welling of her eyes always brought a panic.

Katherine gave Belle one final pat and gathered her clothes – “Going for a quick shower. Wash all the grass and dirt off” she voiced to the dormitory –

“Alright!” came the perfunctory chorus, without fail.

In the cloud of steam, and behind the cool frosted glass, Katherine could almost pretend none of it had happened at all. Her name was Katherine Spencer. She had attended St Mary’s College for Girls since the age of eleven. She lived with her aunt and uncle in Islington. She was a prefect – and would surely go on to be Head Girl. She was completely, and unquestionably, sane.

It was almost funny, how the stress left her bare shoulders under the spray of hot water at the salve that was the prospect of her old self.

None of it was true – of course. Not anymore. Katherine was, unfortunately, still very sane. Perhaps that’s why she was so conflicted. She wished it would stop – the dwelling – she really did. Her mind wandered, however.

At least she could still wash…

Soap the neck, the arms, belly and back, the legs, the feet. Shampoo the hair, squeeze, conditioner the hair. She didn’t have to worry about looking any way.

It was always easier alone.

Katherine tried to squeeze out the tears that desperately strangled the backs of her eyes – for Fiona, for her uncle Henry, for Giles, her parents… the guilt for thinking she was better off alone…

There was no going back. The end would come, and Katherine hadn’t a clue when, and this too would all be over.

It was almost a relief, that Katherine knew she would likely go first. That she wouldn’t have to say goodbye to Lily, the girls, James – Sirius… She got that much from what Dumbledore had said – and had not said.

The tears wouldn’t come.

She washed her face instead and finished up. As Katherine got out of the bathroom, and padded over to her four poster, Stevie Nicks’ voice still wobbled out –

“…Oh, take my love, take it down,

Oh, climb a mountain and turn around…”

Her friends’ little noises melded with the music and drifted in through her ears all together as Katherine fell back onto her bed.

Belle trot over. How could Katherine have forgotten Belle in her preemptive mourning? Katherine would need to write a Will. Lily would get Belle, she decided. She and Marbles would get to stay together then.

Her eyes strayed to the surrounds of her four-poster. Her father’s face smiled down at her from his frame on her bedside table, the charmed crystal ball glowed behind, and her old tennis shoes were tucked under desk chair. Hanging from the back of said chair, was a blue bomber jacket…

Katherine found her fingers reaching for the crystal ball. She had been sleeping long and deep that first week back at the castle. Some nights, when she found her mind drifting, she held it – and traced the glittering, charmed jasmine flowers as they pulsed fell through a perpetuity of swirling metallic…

The fragrance burst forth and cradled her once again.

She was here now.

She should enjoy it.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 46: Time In Hogwarts

Mary’s almond locks bounced in front of Katherine on Monday morning as the girls moved through the halls after breakfast. Her new haircut seemed to have given her a new lease on life. It was simple – but the boys dotted the hallways were even simpler – and were paying undeniable attention to the group of girls as they walked – to Mary really, with her new happy disposition that had brought her out from where she used to happily trail in the middle or back of their group.

Lily shared a sideways look with Katherine.

A gaggle of fifth year boys turned and got Mary from behind too – before whistling lewdly.

“Go on, Marlene – out the front.” Lily grinned, swatting her friend on the backside in direction.

Marlene gave a good-natured look over her shoulder, but linked arms with Mary out the front of the group. They made quite the duo, close in height – and all dolly bambi-eyed and porcelain skinned. They could almost pass as sisters.

Mary was willowier, however, and even to her hair.

Marlene’s persistent curls were deep in colour, a rich chocolatey chestnut – and she filled out her uniform, already in the shape of a woman.

Alice gave a sighing laugh, watching the girls fondly, “Last of us on the market, isn’t she?”

Katherine must have given a – rather – speaking look.

“Sorry, Katherine,” smiled Alice, as she and Lily snorted to one another, “Shall you join them, then?”

“Katherine doesn’t exactly need to be out the front to get attention, does she?” said Lily, with a salacious side eye to the said girl, and a subtle bump of her hip.

The girls all slowed by the Potions classroom, on their round trip of dropping each other off at their morning classes. Katherine, Lily, and Alice were first in Potions. Mary and Marlene had History of Magic after a free – with Remus.

A group of seventh year boys were just down the way in the corner, chasing away the heat with bottles of butterbeer in hand.

A lot of the time, the seventh years congregated in big groups – of all houses. They didn’t tend to loiter often and felt already grown up and half gone; merely just tolerating the confines of the school hallways. Then you would see them roaming alone – eyes ahead, only stopping to speak with teachers about approaching career opportunities. Not unlike the castle’s ghosts, untouchable – it seemed.

Marlene turned back to the others quietly, and nodded towards where the group of seventh year boys lounged, “They go somewhere – have you noticed?”

“Mhmm?”

“The seventh years,” clarified Marlene, at a whisper, “They… just disappear.”

Katherine took another look at the boys and felt her brow pulling down. She hadn’t noticed…

Lily gave a sideways glance, “You don’t think it’s anything funny, do you?”

Katherine blinked under the weight of all the girls’ eyes turning to her. Was she the go-to on suspicious happenings now?

Katherine gave a shake of her head.

“Not those guys, at least…” she said, referencing the arrangement of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Quidditch players.

Marlene linked arms with Mary anew, and they shared smiles, “Alright, we better be off – see you!”

“See you.” chorused Alice, Katherine, and Lily.

“Alice!” called Frank, jogging down the stairs adjoining the hallway.

Within seconds, they were pressing their lips together in a short greeting, holding hands – and through the door to the classroom.

Chatter leaked out of the door – the class was evidently already filling up.

“The boys might be there already...” mused Katherine, heading for the door.

Lily swayed slowly foot to foot, her books to her chest, “You know, I think we should make up nicknames of our own.”

“What?” asked Katherine, but nodded her agreement.

“Potter and Black –” said Lily, waving a hand listlessly, “Remus and Peter too. They have those stupid nicknames for each other,”

Katherine snorted.

“That way, we can talk about them without them knowing,” said Lily, with a smile, before frowning, “…but what?”

Katherine’s hand closed around the handle, and she shrugged as she pulled it open, holding it open. Lily passed through first, and over her shoulder Katherine could see two heads of notable dark hair on opposite sides of the quartet’s usual bench.

Lily turned back with a silent look – their conversation would be continued later.

“Come on. Nothing to say? Really?” James’ voice drifted over, his arms wide on the bench as he leant forward to give Sirius – it seemed – quite a ribbing.

Sirius too had his hands on the bench, and gave an aloof shake of his head – Katherine could only see the back of him as she and Lily approached.

“When all summer holidays, all I heard was –” James broke off, grinned, and seemed to put on a very banal impression of Sirius – “Do you think she likes –”

“Shut. Up.” came Sirius’ clipped, drained tones.

Katherine found laughter bubbling in her chest already – without a single idea about whatever it was they were bickering about.

James looked up and gave Katherine a nod as he clocked her and Lily approaching.

Sirius turned, and gave Katherine a pleading sort of smile, “Thank Merlin you’re here…”

James perked up –

“Yes, Katherine – now that you are here, I have to ask –”

Sirius’ forearms appeared cut from stone as he braced them on the bench, and he had a rather pinched look on his face – directed at James, “Shut. Up.”

Lily looked away, chewing on her bottom lip. It did a poor job of hiding her laughter.

Katherine had never seen Sirius’ cheeks with such a healthy flush. One might think he had just been for a vigorous run out on the dewy morning grounds. This, however, seemed to be… embarrassment.

Sirius was never embarrassed…

Slughorn clapped his hands together at the front of the room cheerily, “Now! If we get through making our growth potions today for the forest rebuilding effort, we can do a short fun potion of your choosing to close out the lesson!”

The brewing got under way, and conversation waned – except to discuss the potions everyone might like to make.

Back at their own table, Lily was eyeing James sceptically.

“You’re not going to, I don’t know –” she seemed to search for a moment, “– make mustard gas or something – just for a laugh – are you?”

James gave a stoic shake of his head.

“No,” he said, his taking on a distinct glitter as he turned to Sirius a mirthful grin of comradery, “I don’t fancy mustard.”

Sirius closed his eyes with a tired smile, his chest quaking just ever so.

A noise came out of Lily, however, that no one had expected.

Sirius’ eyes glittered this time, and his hands came down on the table, “Oh, my brother by Merlin, could it be?”

“Oh, it must…” said James, with a bright, playful expression.

“Evans? Laughing?” tacked on Sirius.

Lily’s laughter promptly ceased, and the groups got to work.

Sirius nudged Katherine’s arm with a small, amused smile, and a flick of his eyes over at Lily.

Katherine nudged back, nodding to their workspace.

Lily’s gaze on them had all the stricture of a silent suggestion from McGonagall to behave.

He turned back to the bench with a grin and had already started the fire beneath their cauldron – his cauldron. As it was a potion that was aiding the school (and not strictly part of the curriculum), Slughorn had already kindly laid out all of the ingredients at each bench.

Griselda Greengrass had partnered with Snape, of all people. Katherine’s eyes caught on them over Lily’s shoulder. They occupied the bench closest to Slughorn’s desk – three benches behind the four Gryffindors’ own.

Lily had her back to Snape, effectively ignoring him as she alternated her eyes between the cutting board and looking up at James (who was resolutely focused on the potion, and quietly answering her questions and requests. No argument to be seen).

Katherine found herself looking at Snape again, however. He smelt Lily in the Amortentia. He loved Lily. Or he at least was genuinely infatuated with her… She almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

Greengrass seemed to be just stirring while Snape worked and she looked… off in a dream. She had yet to really confront Katherine that year.

Katherine had a strange feeling in her stomach, and it wasn’t the spleens she was pulling out of their preserve to slice…

Maybe the girl had always been the lesser of the evils. It was Snape who nearly killed Katherine, after all. It was Snape who hung around Mulciber, and the likes who fancied cursing muggleborns – for a laugh…   

“What are you thinking?”

Sirius had finished preparing his allotted ingredients and leant his hip on the edge on the bench – turning into her to speak with incredible softness. Lily and James wouldn’t have even heard him, Katherine thought. Every moment between them seemed to be treated as a secret, preserved by quietness.

She was eye to eye with his Gryffindor tie, and looked at it instead as she found her words, “Just… Greengrass and Snape…”

Sirius spared a quick glance over to the Slytherins, and made the most microscopic of expressions –

“Weird, isn’t it?”

Katherine hesitated, “You think?”

Sirius pressed his lips together, and gave a tip of his head as he began adding ingredients to the potion –

“They’re mostly…indifferent to one another, from what I gather,” he said, stirring. A lofty little twitch came to his lips with his next words, “Greengrass, however, usually wouldn’t cavort with a half-blood so… easily,”

Sirius glanced to Katherine with a little shrug and glinting eyes –

“Slim pickings in here for her, I guess.” he said.

“I guess…” said Katherine slowly, in contemplation.

A beat passed.

Sirius’ voice came nearly at a whisper, “Katherine…?”

The grey eyes piercing down at her were cloaked in suspicion. There was nothing apprehensive about his voice – or his gaze – his presence rolled over her like a wave.

The quiet, crackling silence that had her spine feeling lazy was disturbed by Slughorn’s sudden announcement of – “Oh – we’re nearly at the hour! Just the growth potions today, everyone! Just the growth Potions… yes, yes…”

Wordlessly, Katherine and Sirius went back to the potion. Her eyes strayed back to the two Slytherins, however. Absentmindedly, she added her own prepared ingredients – while Sirius stirred. When all was done, Katherine just watched the vapours, thinking… and thinking….

Sirius walked their potion up to Slughorn at the end of the lesson while Katherine cleaned up.

Lily took hers and James’ up – and James just dutifully cleaned up, without any remark, whatsoever. Even to Katherine. His eyes had a faraway look in them, and strayed to the window regularly –

The Quidditch Pitch could be seen in the distance.

When Sirius came back, he slung his bag onto his shoulder and the other arm around Katherine’s shoulders – steering her towards the door.

“Now,” he whispered, inclining his head to hers and flashing a cursory glance around the other fleeing students, “What was with the whole Greengrass thing back in there?”

They passed through the door, and into the hallway –

“Just… well, nothing,” muddled out Katherine, “She hasn’t come up to me at all this year…”

His eyebrows shot up in amusement, “You miss being tormented – is that what this is?”

Katherine gave a huff of a laugh –

“No,” she said, lightly. She felt her brow furrowing again with her next words, “It’s just… why? What’s changed?”

Sirius nodded slowly, watching in front of them, “I’ll admit. I’ve been thinking about a few odd things myself…”

Curiosity sparked in Katherine’s chest, and she turned to his anew –

“Yeah?”

“Katherine –” Lily stopped short, eyeing Sirius.

James came out of the classroom behind her, eyes widening as he endeavoured to not run into her – before he skirted around with a mirthful sort of look to Sirius.

Sirius gave a chesty sort of noise – almost something like laughter. He unwound his arm from Katherine’s shoulders. With a private, speaking smile to Katherine, he crossed the hallway to James.

The Quidditch Captain had looped his arms through his bag so that it was against his chest, as he rifled through it, a quill feather in his mouth.

Sirius ended up with his arms progressively more loaded with James’ textbooks with each second that passed, watching his friend patiently.

“They’re really clever, aren’t they?” said Lily, watching them – a mixture of surprise and disgruntlement on her face, “I’m starting to see how Black beat me to the top of Charms last year…” 

She turned back, and lifted a finger to Katherine was already failing sternness –

“– but just because you and Black are suddenly best mates – it doesn’t mean you can just lump me with Potter all the time.”

Katherine bit back her laughter, “Sorry.”

“You’ve got a free?” asked Lily, freeing her hair from beneath her bag strap.

Sirius’ head turned.

Katherine bit back a smile, “Yeah. See you back at the dormitory before lunch?”

“Yeah,” said Lily with a tired smile, bumping her hip with Katherine’s as she passed, “See you!”

Katherine stepped across the hallway to the boys.

Sirius was sliding James’ books back into his bag, while taking James’ strict instructions on just where they belonged.

James was meanwhile flicking through a little book, fervently searching for a particular page, it seemed.

Katherine stopped by Sirius’ side.

James pulled his quill out of his mouth, spitting feather strands like someone who was trying to get a tuft of cat fur from their tongue.

“Where are the pair of you off to, then?” he asked, with a wry look, before looking back to his book.

Katherine turned to Sirius.

Sirius was already looking back.

“The library.” said Sirius, with a quiet smile, turning back to James.

James laughed.

The pair gave each other a mirrored rude two-fingered salute in a wordless farewell, before James fell back into a walk – his bag still strapped to his front.

They watched him go down the hall, and up the stairs to his next class.

Katherine nudged Sirius arm, having to look up at him with their closeness, “So, James really doesn’t know? About the spot?”

Sirius turned his face down to her, his sharp features softening into a smile –

He shook his head.

Katherine too shook her head, in disbelief. A laugh escaped her. These boys…

“Come on.” whispered Sirius with feigned clandestineness as his arm circled her shoulders again, his hand dangling by her collar bone.

They trekked like that all the way up to the North tower, with the half door. Katherine thought they navigated the narrow passage with all the hanging tapestries a bit faster than the last time. This time, however, Sirius picked up a wireless that had been already placed in preparation on the windowsill.

The wizard bands, Katherine remembered. He said he would show her some…

He opened the door, a gust blowing in and breaking the dusty castle loch of sorts. Like last time, he hopped down. Placing the wizarding wireless down on the roof, he turned back – and reached for Katherine’s hips.

Katherine floundered, as he had given her his hands last time, and had to use his shoulders for purchase. She found them hard beneath her hands. She knew she should have some concept of possibly falling, but the thought didn’t enter her mind until after – when she was holding his hand, following him across the rivets with his sure feet.

Sitting in their usual spot, Katherine enjoyed the sights, sun, and breeze while Sirius tuned the radio with his wand. Her eyes passing over the bridge, she remembered –

“I saw you the other day,”

His head whipped up –

“Hanging around those seventh years.”

Sirius gave a distracted smile, turning his attention back to the wireless as he spoke –

“They’re on the team – or –” He looked back, making a face – “They will be on the team, officially, by the end of this week,”

He went back to his tuning –

“James has two more classes than I do. He spends the afternoon plotting in his little book for the season too – he needs to be alone to focus,” explained Sirius, with a shrug, “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be...”

Katherine did a poor job of hiding her surprise, “No?”

It was then that Katherine remembered that Lily’s duties took her away from all her friends – not just Katherine – just as much as James’ captain duties did. It wasn’t so bad, because… well –

“Well, it means I get to hang around with you.” said Sirius, speaking Katherine’s own thoughts aloud.

The whirring ‘bzzz’ of the radio snapped into a warm ‘ZAP!’, and on came the voice of a radio presenter, announcing the Hobgoblins and the song that was about to play, ‘Snitch This’.

Sirius laid back on the warm roof shingles, stretching his arms above his head as the wind flapped against his shirt.

Out rang a sternum thumping bassline, and then came the clang of guitars – like thunder –

“...I did my time in Hogwarts

Eleven to seventeen

Kissing behind the broomshed

Leaving it all out on that Quidditch green!...”

It was a real ‘bollocks out’ hard rocker of a tune. Katherine loved it immediately, and all the little wizardry references that she was now ‘in’ on. She felt cool by association – just by listening to it.

When the song faded, a slew of advertisements followed. That much remained unchanged. Katherine was amused by the novelty of the wizarding advertisements, however – and their jingles, that she had never heard before.

Her eyes fixed on the sky – on the waxing silver gibbous orb visible on the clear day.

“You know what that means?” said Sirius.

“What?”

He pushed himself up onto his elbows –

“There will soon be a full moon,” he said, with suggestive playfulness.

Katherine let her head fall back down, and she just looked up at it. Something that had once been so innocuous in her life…

Sirius tapped her shoes with one of his, “What?”

“Are you breaking some code of secrecy talking to me about –” Katherine broke off, pointing up at the sky.

Sirius just laughed.

“Yeah, a bit,” he said lightly, looking up once again, “But if Moony didn’t want you knowing, he should have stayed away from you.”

Sirius turned to her after his words, with a reassuring, pointed look.

Another Hobgoblins tune started up, but Katherine hadn’t heard what the presenter had called it. For a couple minutes, she and Sirius just listened – and looked up. A few clouds had begun to bloom in the sky…

“One question, then – that’s all I will ever ask of whatever it is that you do with him,”

Katherine felt Sirius listening to her.

“Is it safe?”

The wind blew for a moment.

Sirius looked across at her with those solemn eyes of his. A smile broke on his lips. He nodded silently, but earnestly.

Katherine nodded, then knocked her shoe sideways into his.

He knocked his back.

There was no way of knowing how long they were laid out there for. It just went on, and on…

She was certain she had to check into a library session soon (a condition of having so many free periods being to attend supervised study periods under Madam Pince).

She didn’t want to go. That too, she was certain of.

Katherine had never felt like such a teenager before. She could think of nothing worse than having to go to it. She had never understood teenagers who skived off and claimed they hated going to school, and she attended a magical one no less – but… she finally got it.

She just wanted to sit, and look out at the clear, crisp blue sky. Listen to the birds, the wind. Anything she didn’t want to do, felt automatically exhausting ever since she returned to the castle. Some inner rebellion they all tuned into.

No longer as simple as children, not yet as complicated as adults.

“What do you have?” asked Katherine, after what felt like days.

“Arithmancy,”

Sirius turned to her –

“But I’m not going,” he grinned lazily. He flicked his hair back, and nodded to her, “You?”

“Library session.”

“Pfft,” Sirius dismissed easily, “A free –”

He stretched out again with his arms above his head, closing his eyes against the sun –

“Stay with me.”

Katherine found her own eyes closing, “What would we do with another hour?”

“Peter did say he was going to spend time with Mary… we could…”

Katherine’s eyes snapped open, and she peered sideways –

“What – Spy?”

A thoughtful expression flitted across Sirius’ face, then came the shake of his head, “We’re more interesting.”

“We’re lounging like lizards.” Katherine laughed, smoothing the heavy grey wool of her skirt down, and feeling the static through her hands.

Sirius snorted, “Yeah, so that’s saying something.”

It would be the wind picking up, to a rather annoying degree, that would clear them off the roof.

Once through the tapestries, and – as surreptitiously as possible – sneaking back out into the hallway (just in case) Sirius was back to full towering height, and his arm was around her once more.

“Where am I walking you to?” he asked casually, peering down over his cheekbones.

Katherine found herself yawning as her head tucked neatly into the soft muscle of Sirius’ chest, “Dormitory.”

“Tired?” he asked, with a blinking smile down at her.

Katherine took in a deep breath through her nose, and somewhere along the way her mind strayed –

Gosh, he was warm. The clean wool of his uniform, and something on his skin – maybe the soap he used – nearly lulled her off to sleep on her feet. Katherine, her skin cooled from the fresh air, leant more into his side as their legs fell into sync.

“– so, he’s alright? Your dad?”

Both Katherine and Sirius slowed by an occupied alcove. They had happened across Peter and Mary after all.

Mary sat sideways in Peter’s lap, picking at lint on his school jumper, “Yeah. All back to normal now, really.”

“How’s all the homework? I’m barely keeping above it – what about that thing from Divination you were talking about –”

“Peter, I don’t really want to think about it right now,”

Mary paused, before saying, gently –

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, okay…”

There was a tug of sympathy at Sirius’ jaw for his friend, as they walked on together – and pretended that they hadn’t seen anything.

They were nearing the Grand Staircase as Katherine remembered what she had wanted to tell him earlier –

“I like the Hobgoblins.”

Sirius turned to her with an open smile, “Yeah?”

“Oi – Black –” one of the Seventh-Year boys Katherine had seen him with out on the bridge had shouted from where he and his friends sat on a set of steps off to the side –

Sirius waved them off without looking – “Later,”

He kept walking with Katherine, his head bowed by hers –

“Next time we’ll move onto the Bent Winged Snitches.”

Chatter about genre sparked up, and what was considered ‘naff’ and not, and before Katherine knew it, they were stepping through the portrait hole and loping out into the common room.

James was perched up in a sun-filled window with Frank and had set eyes on Sirius immediately, “There he is!”

Sirius’ eyes slid sideways, and he nudged Katherine’s arm with his before crossing the room to his friends in a few long-legged strides, running a hand through his hair.

James Potter, Frank Longbottom, and Sirius Black made a towering trio in the common room over all the ‘littles’, as Katherine found herself wanting to call the younger years as of late. She found herself looking at the boys a long moment. It wasn’t often that it was just the three of them, they emanated… something she couldn’t place.

A smile rose on her lips as James and Frank seemed to be joking about working out, miming push ups and wrestling.

Sirius stood with his arms crossed in front of the two and gave Katherine a haughty little side eye over one broad, sloping shoulder.

Boys, thought Katherine, as she started up the stairs.

“What’s got you smiling?”

Lily was already back in the dormitory; posted up at her desk with her shoes kicked off and her feet curled beneath herself on the chair. A quill in her hand, she looked up from whatever it was she was writing upon Katherine’s entrance to the room.

“Just… Potter and Longbottom being… Potter and Longbottom.”

Lily gave a breathy laugh, and went back to writing, “I’m just writing to Will, won’t be a mo’…”

Katherine felt, suddenly, like a very horrid friend. She hadn’t asked Lily much about herself at all since they had been back at the castle.

“Has he written much?”

“Just the one – it came a few days ago,” said Lily, with a shrug. It was still rather good for a seventeen-year-old boy to write within the first two weeks, went unsaid, “It’s trickier with him being… you know…”

Muggle.

Katherine nodded, but then gestured to the parchment, “How do you…”

“I address it to my parents, and then they pass it on.” explained Lily, licking her smiling lips – bashfully.

Katherine had a mental image of Mr Evans painstakingly crossing the street, holding his breath, and depositing the letter in the letterbox belonging to the boy who took his daughter out gallivanting all summer.

The gentle scratch of Lily’s quill filled the air.

Katherine gave Belle a pat, and then picked up her brush to get out the tangles from being up on the roof with Sirius. Her eyes wandered the room as she let Lily write away in peace and quiet. The settled on the torn Gary Gilchrest poster above Marlene’s bed.

Marlene had been, quietly, rather disappointed and had set to fixing it with spello-tape. It was all very mature of her. It was growing brittle up on the wall, in the sun. Alice had offered to try a spell, but they all feared it might distort the image of the golden-maned keeper, and his rippling torso.

With a sigh, the sound of folding paper sliced the air – and Lily finished.

Katherine watched as the red head neatly folded it away into an envelope, and then into another envelope.

“I like Will.” said Katherine, finally feeling the brush run through the lengths of her hair without catching.

Lily looked up with a pleased smile, “Yeah?”

Katherine nodded.

“Yeah, I could see…”

“Us in a little neat home in Cokeworth around the corner from our parents’ houses?” suggested Lily, with a wry expression.

Katherine snorted.

“No –” said Katherine, with a laugh, “We’re modern women,”

She nodded pointedly –

“A cool flat in London.”

Lily turned in her chair, bracing on the back rest with an alight grin, “You’ll live with us. It’ll be tops.”

“We’ll… spend our days working in a record shop – or a vintage clothing place – and by night we paint the town, all tarted up.” said Katherine, lightly.

“You’ll bag Jimmy Page,” added Lily, clutching a hand theatrically to her chest, “Who will fall madly in love with you the moment he sets eyes on you. You’ll have rock symphonies inspired by your lengths of golden hair,”

Katherine squeaked, falling back onto her bed and covering her face.

Lily pushed herself up, running and jumping onto Katherine’s bed beside her. It was all very cat-like.

The mattress settled slowly beneath them.

Lily picked up Katherine’s brush, and fanned out Katherine’s hair on the blanket with it.

“I can never tell him.” came Lily’s quiet confession.

Katherine looked up into face of her friend – who was determinedly focusing on the brushing out of Katherine’s lengths.

“Sure, you can.” tried Katherine, reassuringly.

Lily put the brush down, her face full of apprehension, “Will’s… I’m not sure he could take it – me being part of a world he has no access to,”

Lily looked to Katherine; eyes obstinate.

“I could never leave magic behind… but I can’t imagine a life where my parents aren’t still deeply involved in it, either,” she looked away, neatening the edge of Katherine’s blanket, “It’s… exhausting.”

Katherine knew how that felt. It was a fine line she had to walk herself to not fall back down into that pit every time she managed to pull herself out. Or rather, when her friends unwittingly made her see a point to living.

“You don’t have to make a decision just yet,”

Katherine rolled onto her side –

“We’re only sixteen. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you,” said Katherine, with the distinct feeling of switching roles, “You’ll figure it out, eventually.”

Lily nodded, and the lightest lifts came to the corners of her lips. She laid full force down on her stomach and let her arms and legs hang either side of Katherine’s bed. She took to striking the floorboard below with her toes, as some sort of release.

Katherine did that sometimes with the headboard – when she couldn’t sleep. With a smile, Katherine ran a hand through her own hair again, feeling for any tangles on her scalp. She closed her eyes.  

The girls, in their socks, didn’t speak for a long while.

It was that kind of afternoon.

Content, Katherine’s face snuggled down more into her own robes as she laid on her side next to Lily. Until her nose perked up. There on her robes, was the faint smell of jasmine, but – more overwhelmingly – was an unexpected smell –

“I have to ask, it’s… not exactly worrying me, but… Katherine, is there something…? The stuff with Dumbledore…”

Katherine couldn’t lie to Lily.

At least, not well.

She looked off to Marlene’s socks on her trunk, wishing she could have staved off the gulp that came.

“I don’t really know yet,” she said, before trying for something true she could certainly offer, “I haven’t heard from him… since...”

“When he breaks down the door…” joked Lily, miming an axe, “Then we worry, I suppose.”

“Yeah,” laughed Katherine, unsure which fluorescent set of robes she would like to imagine Dumbledore breaking down doors in. Or would he use a wand?

Lily started humming, kicking her legs again.

“I think Jeff Beck would dig it – you, being a witch.” said Katherine, to the air.

“If he wouldn’t – stuff him,” said Lily, rolling onto her side so she and Katherine were face to face, “It’s always going to be me and you, anyway.”

Katherine reached out and linked her pinky through Lily’s, and said with the feigned corrective stricture of a teacher, “You and I.”

Lily wrestled their pinky’s – grinning –

“Me and you.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 47: How To Disappear

Marlene pointed, her eyes set off down a hallway, “Ghost –”

Together, she and Katherine lifted their feet – and chased. Her friend’s shoes slapped the stone floors, clambered the stairs, and skirted the corners with admirable ease.

Katherine was driven, not by fitness, but mania. She hit elbows and shoulders into columns and the jutting appendages of statues that lined the hallways.

“Bloody baron…” breathed out Marlene, her breath steadying quickly – with shared disappointment.

Katherine’s chest heaved, despite her stalled feet. With a nod, they began walking again – slower. Katherine did her best to hide her burning heaves of breath.

With Lily being so busy, it was Marlene who offered up her company to go looking for Giles in the end. Lily, too, might not have agreed to go so close to the witching hour. ‘Moody, isn’t it?’ Marlene had said in her suggestion.

“So, how are you feeling about the upcoming try outs?” asked Katherine, picking up their idle chat from earlier.

Katherine was on a bit of friendship kick as of late.

“You know, I’m not even nervous – I mean –” Marlene broke off, with an unaffected shrug, “It’s James Potter. It all feels a bit… unserious, you know?”

Katherine thought it was a great turnaround from the previous year when Marlene had paled at trying out for Fabian Prewett’s side. No matter how charismatic and warm their old Captain had been, there had been a superior distinction that made on look ‘up’ to him.

She nodded in understanding.

Marlene gasped quietly, and flung an arm out to stop Katherine, “Look – over there – the seventh years!”

Shacklebolt and two of the seventh year Gryffindor girls were laughing as they loped along – and then went through a wall. Disappearing.

Katherine and Marlene shared a look.

Marlene’s face lit up with triumph, “I knew it!”

DONG! – The clock had begun to chime in the hour – DONG! – DONG! – DONG! – DONG! – DONG! – DONG! – DONG! – DONG! – DONG!

Katherine counted…

“It’s ten.” she said.

“After curfew.” said Marlene, with a goading smile.

It was not exactly Katherine’s first time.

Katherine laughed, “Thrilling to you, is it?”

“The thrill of getting away with it is always more thrilling than the actual crime.” joked Marlene, as they walked on – same as before.

It was undoubtedly not Marlene’s first time either.

All was quiet and well, until –

“… did you hear that?” whispered Katherine, a faint, echoing ‘SMASH…’ sounding out from somewhere below them –

Or was it behind them? Back where they had seen the Seventh Years?

Katherine felt a cold creep over her – she didn’t like risking much anymore.

She took off running.

“Merlin, Katherine…” came Marlene’s huff as she hastened up in line with Katherine once again.

Katherine scanned for a hiding place, finding only an ajar door to a broom cupboard and a set of stairs curling up an away…

They couldn’t run forever – it was a long corridor. They would be seen.

Katherine didn’t like broom cupboards, so she banked for the staircase. Her legs burned as she forced them to clamber up the uneven stone steps –

Only for them to end, just around the curve.

“…bollocks…” whispered Katherine, face to face with an unbeatable stone wall.

The tap of shoes on the floor rang out in the hitched breath silence – TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP…

It was too late.

An old, tailed hanging with the Hogwarts insignia adorned the walls, and Katherine did her best to pull it over herself and Marlene. It was a poor disguise, and they looked as if they had been lamely streamered to the wall.

Katherine and Marlene held onto each other in their shadowed alcove as the footsteps stopped, right below.

The light from the wall torches caught a tall figure, and a head of fluffy hair –

“Remus?”

The faint lines of surprise were losing their grip on the Prefect’s face, and he blinked, “I didn’t see anything.”

“You’re looking right at me.” said Katherine, voicing the – amusing – obvious.

Owlish eyes blinked again, but there was mirth in them, “Am I?”

CLOP!–CLOP! CLOP!–CLOP! CLOP!–CLOP! –

All their heads turned at the echoing gallop of hooves. The staircase down to the Entrance Hall gave a clear view of a deer running along the floor below…

Remus watched on with a bit-lip look of screwed up apprehension, but did not make to move.

Katherine’s feet began moving, and before she knew it, she was taking the stairs cautiously with Marlene in tow.

Remus trailed, wiping a hand down the lower half of his face.

At the other end of the hallway, was Sirius; waving a torn curtain, and dodging antlers last minute – before he took off bolting to other end of the hallway – past Remus and the girls – to the large open double doors.

Both Sirius and the large creature vanished through the doors – into the dark of the night.

“…How did a deer get in?” breathed Marlene, watching the doors, “I’ve never even seen deer on the lawns…”

From the dark, emerged Sirius once more – sprinting with graceful abandon through the doors, flicking his wand to shut them behind himself. With a look of surprise at the girls’ arrival, he did the lock on the doors with one hand.

“There – back out frolicking with all the other woodland creatures again!” he panted hard.

THUD!

With a backwards flick of his eyes, Sirius spread his arms and body across the doors to keep them still, “Moony, did you find Pete?”

THUD!

Remus gave a nod, glancing between Sirius and the girls, “Vomiting his guts up in the loo on the third floor.”

THUD – THUD –

“I thought you were on patrol?” said Katherine, confused.

All eyes fell upon Remus.

He scratched the back of his head, “Well…”

…THUD.

Sirius listened to the door for a moment, his arms relaxing an increment, “Say he’s knocked himself out?”

A beat passed, as they all looked around at one another.

“Maybe you two better…” Remus trailed off, nodding his head back in suggestion they head back to the Dormitories.

“Less chance of seeing any Professors if you go the north way around,” said Sirius, still holding the doors. He tipped his head with small lively smile that softened as it moved from Marlene to Katherine, “Their private chambers are in the south.”

Marlene took Katherine’s hand, and tugged, “Come on… I can’t get a detention before tomorrow…”

The girls had to sidestep some shattered glass, and a pool of liquid that reeked like sweet vinegar. “As if they’re going to know the north way… no one ever goes that way…” came Remus’ voice, fading as the girls rounded the corner.

Then came the clunky CLICK of the doors unlocking –

“Oh, Katherine knows her way, Moony…”

Katherine smiled to herself at Sirius’ words – and their meaning. As the girls walked, however, it faded. The night had not been the success she hoped for. It seemed very much to be – that Giles had not chosen to come back. Despite Marlene beside her, Katherine plunged into a deep loneliness with the realisation –

Her consummate protector was gone.

“You know,” began Marlene, eyes gleaming as they set out ahead, “I didn’t have Lupin pegged as the type.”

Katherine glanced sideways at the sudden new subject, “The type for what?”

Marlene gave Katherine a pointed side-eyed glance.

“Lupin was… off. Pettigrew was vomiting his guts up…” Marlene listed, tone laced with implication, “Katherine – I think they were drinking.”

Katherine felt her face change, “What? Butterbeer?”

Marlene shook her head slowly, focusing on their climb up the stairs.

“I don’t think so,” said Marlene, before nodding back down in the direction they had come from, “I’ll eat porridge from my hat if that glass on the floor wasn’t from a bottle of Firewhisky…”

The absurdity of the night closed in on them as they walked on, the Gryffindor common room up ahead in swathes of orange torch light.

“Gosh my legs hurt…” lamented Katherine.

Marlene broke out laughing, clamping a hand over her mouth.

Still, the portraits around them peeked through sleeping eyes – huffing and trying to return to their slumbers.

“What?” asked Katherine, she herself already amused by the outburst.

“Oh, my morgana –” Marlene broke off, looking up, in memory, “You ran so fast…”

Katherine screwed her eyes shut at their failed escape from being found, and the girls quietly giggled all the way up to the portrait. They clamped hands over their mouths as they tip-toed through the blue-dark common room, up the stairs, and through their dormitory.

Not even one of the other girls stirred in their beds.

Katherine and Marlene fought laughter as they eyed each other across the room as they buckled down beneath their blankets.

 

---

 

Marlene and Katherine slept a little later the following morning as a result of their nighttime misadventure. When they arrived at breakfast, they were the last to.

Katherine began eating breakfast and reached for a copy of the Daily Prophet. On the front was a photograph of a congregation of Witches and Wizards in their finest, cutting some kind of ribbon –

‘BLACK FAMILY MAKE SIGNIFICANT PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTION TO THE SOCIETY FOR MAGICAL HISTORY CONSERVATION’

Katherine’s eyes flickered up on their own accord.

Sirius was sitting across, just down the way, doing his crossword like always.

She wondered how odd it must be for him…

Lily clutched her paper tighter as she scanned, “Dufftown…”

She looked up, across at Alice, who had a knowing look to offer back –

“That’s not far from here.” said Lily, going back to her fervent scanning.

Marlene leant over as she sipped her tea, “What’s happened?”

Lily fluffed the pages open before handing her copy over to Marlene –

“A witch in her early twenties was stabbed with an athame last night…”

Marlene’s frown deepened as she read aloud, “The Regulation of Magical Instruments department advises against blood rituals, sacrifices or anything else so notably stupid…”

Katherine looked to her own copy in confusion.

Lily reached for Katherine’s copy, thumbing the corners and flipping it to the sixth page for her.

There it was – the photo of the crime scene, and grey-robed aurors completing some sort of spell work in seeming investigation. It was an alley outside of a pub off a busy high street, and on the wall was a Hobgoblins poster advertising a show the very same night.

Why wasn’t that on the front page?

“…Surely she didn’t stab herself?” said Katherine, fearing she was stating the obvious.

Lily slowly shook her head, her mind working behind her eyes, “She survived. If someone wanted to kill her, why not… you know… finish the job?”

“Did they check her for the Imperious Curse?” asked Mary, from beside Alice across the table – and without a copy.

Marlene made a face of shocked disgust, “Whose kind of an idea of a sick joke would that be?”

It had taken Katherine a second. Really, she should have cottoned on the moment ‘Imperious Curse’ left Mary’s lips –

Mulciber. It was Mulciber’s kind of idea of a sick joke…

Katherine found herself watching Mary, while an almost unbearable squeeze took a hold of her lungs. It wasn’t the place, at breakfast, to bring all that back up again.

Routine slowly took back over their morning. Everyone ate, and knew – by then – exactly what classes each other had. Or, in Katherine’s case, didn’t have. As the girls meandered from the Great Hall on their way to their first lessons, Katherine only knew that she wanted to think.

Alone, her feet carried her in a newly familiar direction.

The morning bell rang as Katherine was balancing carefully across the slanting roofs on the north side of the castle. For all the education and hallways scuffling that must have been carrying out beneath her, Katherine could have been the only person left alive – in the high-up silence.

She felt less and less like a student as the days of September dragged on.

“I’ve been dying to know,”

Katherine turned –

Sirius was stepping over the roof rivets, closing in on her spot –

“What were you and McKinnon up to last night?” he asked, with a sideways smile of amused interest as he sat hip to hip with her.

Katherine watched as he dusted his hands on his trousers. She thought she could ask him the same thing…

She hesitated, “It’s… kind of morbid.”

“I love morbid.” said Sirius, turning to her, squinting one eye against the sun.

Katherine felt a smile creeping back onto her face, but she found herself looking at she and Sirius’ shoes.

There came a light knock to her elbow, and the warmth of attention spread over her cheek.

“Since I’ve come back to the castle, I’ve been, well… looking for Giles.” she admitted.

“Of course, his ghost.”

Sirius had not missed a beat.

Katherine looked up, to find him looking out over the grounds.

“Yeah.” she said, looking back down at her hands where they rested in the gathers of her skirt.

Sirius tipped his head forward by hers, with thoughtful lines pulling around his eyes.

“Ask one –” he broke off to add pointedly, with grave mirth pulling his face straight, “Not Peeves,”

Katherine laughed at her knees.

Sirius’ breathy laughter waned, and his voice came sincere and soft once more, “Sir Nick’s a good bet. Our house and all.”

“I didn’t think of –” Katherine broke off, stumped by the ingenuity of it. She let her shoulder fall against Sirius’, and her lips pulled up, “Thanks, Sirius – really.”

Sirius broke his forward seated position to lean back and wrap an arm around her back, giving a reassuring squeeze as he instructed further, “Being a prefect, if Evans walks around shouting for him – he should turn up pretty quickly.”

Katherine nodded slowly, before weighing up actually following through with the suggestion…

“I don’t want to bother Lily too much,” she confessed.

Sirius attempted to keep her gaze –

Katherine was focusing on folding up the hem of her skirt exactly on the stitching, however, “She and the other girls are already treating me like I’m made of glass –”

She looked up –

“I went down into the forest,” she said, with a laughing huff, “Not Normandy.”

Sirius’ lips twitched. He looked off down at the grounds, before looking back – wetting his lips –

“Tell them.” he said, with those keen eyes of his, and a furrow to his brow.

“I can’t, Sirius,” said Katherine, shaking her head, “I’d feel mean.”

He tilted his head, his lips in a parted smile – as if he were trying not to laugh, “Want me to say it?”

Katherine snorted, leaning her weight against him again – rocking them where they sat.

Sirius was barely moved as he laughed.

The wind in their ears settled full force again, and they just looked out together. They didn’t talk about the girl in the paper.

“James doesn’t ask me about my uncle.”

Katherine felt something swell in her.

“If he did,” she broached, quietly, looking away, “What would you say?”

“I miss him.”

In her periphery, Sirius looked up to the sky.

Katherine hesitated. She wanted to reach out and touch him – console him.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “That was bit intrusive of me to ask. I don’t want you to feel pressured to tell me anything you’re not comfortable about.”

Sirius turned to her anew, with creasing eyes and faint pull to his lips, “I want to tell you.”

Katherine nodded, but felt forced to look away by the gravity of their conversation.

“Did he have a funeral?” she asked.

Sirius nodded, “While I was in school. Regulus got pulled out, but…”

He pressed his lips together, and a sad pull went down his jaw and neck. Sirius just shook his head – he didn’t go on.

Katherine rested her hand down by his, her little finger just touching his hand. That was safe.

“I think he would know, Sirius,” said Katherine, remembering the man they were discussing. A pang of sadness spread behind her eyes as she went on, with an incline of her head to him, “That you would miss him – more than all the others. For…what it’s worth…”

He didn’t pull his hand away.

“Yeah…” he said, finally.

After a moment, he lifted his eyes to her again. Contemplation was plain across his face.

“Are you trying to read my mind?” asked Katherine, after a long moment.

A grin exploded on his face, “Why, what are you thinking about?”

He turned without waiting for an answer, to his bag he had brought out with him, and pulled out his arithmancy homework. It was a fine enough day that the wind didn’t pick up the parchment too much.

Katherine watched passively as he began drawing up the calculation charts like he had been balancing sheets in a twenty-year-long accounting career. Of course he was good at mathematics.

Katherine became curious, “What kind of careers use arithmancy?”

Sirius did a long, straight, free-handed line with his quill.

Katherine could not lie – she was impressed.

“Er… well… the obvious, if you go into statistician work... Sometimes businesses will have in house arithmancers to make sure everything is squared away for the coming months…” he explained, as he rolled up his sleeves, and made a marking. He went on distractedly, “In a lot of families, especially where there is significant wealth involved, the head of the family will manage the distribution from family vaults out to members… being able to read the charts helps…”

Looking up, Sirius tipped his head with a smile –

“And, of course, some people use it for gambling.”

Katherine felt her face contort, “How?”

“Want me to show you?” asked Sirius, with a salacious raise of his eyebrows.

“Do you gamble?” asked Katherine.

Sirius snorted –

“No,” he breathed out, shaking his head, “But any wizard worth his salt should always know how.”

The ringing of the bell curtained his words, and he began packing up his homework and quill.

Katherine thought she might try the kitchens for something sweet, before going back to the dormitory to visit the cats and do some homework of her own.

After traversing the tapestries, and sneaking back out into the hallway, the two began their walk down the stairs, back to the rest of the castle.

Sirius readjusted his bag on his shoulder as they joined a flowing hallway, “Are you coming to try outs later?”

Katherine nodded –

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

POP!

“Ahh!”

The students ahead of them had paused and cleared a space in the hallway.

A Ravenclaw underclassmen was jumping up and down as magical sparks cracked and exploded around his ankles.

Sirius stepped out in front, holding a gentle arm across Katherine, but his high up shoulders were as tense as stone.

Bradford Dobbs had arrived, pushing through the crowd on the other side with his wand in hand. With a wordless flick he cancelled the spell.

The Ravenclaw boy brushed down his robes and scrambled for his waiting friends.

The hallway began to move again.

Avery was stowing away his wand, and opening his arms with a grin, “Come on – just a joke!”

Dobbs closed in on his fellow Slytherin with crossed arms, and a none-too-impressed glare.

The sight was blocked from Katherine's view as a mass of tartan stopped in front of her.

Professor McGonagall’s eyes flitted between Katherine and Sirius, in scrutiny.

“Mister Black – Miss… Spencer…” she said slowly, as if about to catch out misbehaving students by leading them into a confession.

There was nothing to confess, however. The two had done nothing wrong.

…besides being out of bounds for the past two or so hours...

“Don’t you have somewhere you need to be, Mister Black?” queried McGonagall.

Sirius bowed his head, “Yes, Professor.”

He made to leave, looking back with a questioning look.

“Miss Spencer,”

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows, peering over the top of her spectacles –

"I have a request of you, with your sudden surplus of free time this term, if you may be so generous…"

Katherine thought maybe it was for Dumbledore, but Professor McGonagall did not lead her that way.

Hagrid had found himself a few roosters short since the beginning of the school term. Their untimely demise led the gameskeeper to arrange to send the rest off to a farm further north to save them from whatever predator was stalking the grounds. Professor McGonagall had recruited Katherine to help wrangle squawking, and surprisingly normal, beasts that Hagrid had been keeping since the previous year.

Flying overhead on her broom in the slowly fading summer air, Katherine cast a series of Immobulus charms over the afternoon to catch the straying members of the clan that Hagrid and McGonagall couldn't wrangle into cages on the ground.

A cup of tea in the staffroom was Katherine's reward.

Katherine remembered sitting in that very staffroom with Giles. His old desk had been cleared and replaced with an ornate silver quill set and a light absorbing black travelling robe. The desk did not look like it belonged to Zabini, despite his possessions.

“How have you found the beginning of term?”

“Yeah, good,” she needed to stop hanging around Marlene – “Thanks.” She quickly tacked on.

“Earning fewer OWLs than the rest of your classmates is something we all expected may happen, given your late start at Hogwarts. However, that is no reason for you to not be afforded the same opportunities,” said McGonagall, with reassuring quiet shrillness, “With the subjects you’re taking, you can still expect a rewarding career after school, it just may take a little extra help,”

Katherine nodded, but felt rather constipated verbally.

“Mister Lupin might be of great help, as well as Miss Evans,”

Katherine blushed at the fact that it had not gone unnoticed by her Head of House – all that had transpired between she and Remus, whatever it was…

“Mister Giles –”

Katherine’s head snapped back up, and a coolness replaced the heat in her cheeks –

“– would not want you to let your studies slide because of him, Spencer.”

It was the first time she had heard his name from a teacher in the longest time.

Katherine bowed her head to hide quickly welling eyes, “I know.”

“You still miss him.”

The feeling of hearing him mentioned from someone else's lips washed over Katherine like pins and needles. Her eyes prickled.

Katherine managed out quietly, "You're the only one who has…"

McGonagall's face was immediately sympathetic.

BANG! The slamming of the door lifted dust off every surface in the room and Katherine's backside from her seat.

McGonagall bristled, her eyes clamping shut. When they opened, they were wide with derision.

"Did you have to slam it?" her prim Scottish tones sung through the room.

Zabini stared blankly, infuriatingly so, "I didn't slam it – I closed it, with… authority."

"You slammed it, with severity," McGonagall maintained, huffing and turning her attention to Katherine, "You should head down to dinner, Spencer. Thank you for your help this afternoon."

Katherine bowed her head, "Yes, Professor."

She felt Zabini's eyes on her like needles as she slipped out of the door and into the hallway.

"Watch it!"

Right into Greengrass.

Katherine was surprised, most of all, by the fact that Greengrass' nose was not in her book for once.

"My apologies." Katherine tried to keep any sarcasm out of her voice, turning to go – her stomach clenching painfully in hunger.

That was until she felt a none-too-light tug on her hair.

Scalp searing, Katherine whirled around, "What was that for?"

Greengrass simply glared, reaching into her robes, "Payback."

Katherine automatically raised her wand.

"Attacking another student –"

Katherine cringed, the sound of the staffroom door clanking open behind her.

Zabini stood there, looking far too pleased.

Greengrass, unlike Katherine had originally thought, had not been pulling her wand. It seemed, however, that she had been stowing something away…

"Detention, Spencer."

Divine intervention came in the form of Dumbledore strolling down the hallway with a benevolent smile, untwisting a lemon drop wrapper.

"Miss Greengrass, please head along to dinner," Dumbledore dismissed.

Greengrass, looking every bit like she thought she had gotten away with murder, scampered off.

"Professor Zabini, Miss Spencer did not fire a curse. Detention may be ever so slightly extreme, don't you think?"

Zabini's cheek twitched.

"Your time may be better spent not disciplining her, but teaching her," suggested Dumbledore, "I’ve been meaning to talk to the both of you about this. The previous Professor that held your post helped Katherine to learn to protect herself for those out in the world who wish extra harm upon her. I had hoped you could pass on your talents…"

Zabini turned to Katherine after a silent beat of a moment, expression inscrutable, "Certainly, Headmaster."

"I'm afraid you may have missed most of dinner, Miss Spencer, however you may be able to grab a slice of carrot cake before tryouts of you are swift."

"Quidditch." Katherine remembered at once, a cauldron of panic lit in her stomach.

Zabini turned to go back through the door to the staffroom, "I must start with her priorities…"

“Miss Spencer, I have hoped to broach another matter with you,” said Dumbledore, ushering Katherine to the side of the staffroom door, “Until we find out what we need from Professor Slughorn, and have ensured that you are a safe as can possibly be –”

Katherine got an uneasy feeling in her stomach –

“I’m afraid I will have to revoke your Hogsmeade privileges.”

Katherine barely heard as Dumbledore asked if she were handling classes and if she were sleeping well without having any weird dreams. Did it really, in fact, have to do with the girl in Dufftown? If it was so dangerous, why didn’t the professors collectively ban everyone from Hogsmeade?

Upon dismissal, Katherine traipsed down to the Quidditch Pitch. It glowed in the inky night in the distance. Her shoes dragged through the dark blades of grass, and she wrapped her robe a little tighter at the cool of the night.

“Katherine!” Lily waved, from where she and the others were laying out on a picnic blanket.

“Ha ha-ha, ha, ha…” a croon came from a faintly playing wireless with one of the other groups loosely draped around the pitch. Students from all houses had come out to watch the trials. Eating, laughing, and even ducking off to kiss behind the broomsheds.

“Where have you been?”

Katherine let her exasperation bleed onto her face as she sat on a corner of the blanket –

The girls laughed.

“Hey.” came Remus’ voice, as he sat down behind her.

Katherine turned, surprised, “Hey...”

“Katherine was just about to let us all in on where she was all day.” said Lily with wry amusement, over Katherine’s shoulder to Remus.

“So,” began Katherine, with a huff of air, “McGonagall pulled me aside to help her and Hagrid around lunch. After I left the tea she invited me for in the staffroom, Greengrass –”

The girls sat up even more at attention –

“– was outside. We ran into each other – she pulled my hair –”

Alice’s usual mild manners gave way to a bug-eyed expression –

“Zabini tried to give me a detention for pulling out my wand, but Dumbledore intervened. Before I went, he also let me know that my Hogsmeade privileges have been revoked for this term.”

Mary shook her head, with a wrinkle of her nose, “No Hogsmeade? You’re joking…”

“Dumbledore’s probably just being overly cautious,” reasoned Lily, looking off down the pitch, “There probably are followers of You-Know-Who lurking around still…”

Peter cracked his knuckles as his arms dangled forward over his bent knees, where he sat beside Mary.

Katherine felt a coolness off Remus behind her, and his legs either side of hers –

The blow of a whistle drew everyone’s eyes to where James Potter and his prospective team congregated on the pitch. He was addressing them, instructing them on the proceedings, it seemed. Katherine couldn’t hear from their distance.

Marlene was easy to pick out, as the only girl.

Only James and the previous year’s members wore their uniforms. The quidditch kit undeniably had a personality of its own. Its own presence. The infamous scarlet and gold commanded attention, and respect. Potter and Black, just standing there, reminded Katherine of the photograph of her father’s own school side that sat of her bedside table, emanating strength.

“Here they go…” said Remus with bated excitement, into Katherine’s ear.

He must have seen a bunch of these, Katherine realised. The novelty, however, gripped Katherine where she sat. She had only seen Marlene’s private audition in fifth year, not the whole team.

Cheers and jeers erupted from the other spectators around them as James ran Chaser and Keeper prospectives together, rotating people around in their desired positions to give them an even chance to show what they could do. It was close to match conditions.

Katherine’s eyes strayed to a particular Chaser regularly, and she wasn’t the only one. The heckling always fell into awed rapt intakes of breaths when the Chasers would shoot by like arrows – with one setting a distinctive brutal, blistering pace.

Sirius was as flashy as a matador. He weaved on the wind, barged shoulders and never came off worse, and nearly took Marlene off her broom on one of his approaches to goal. Everything he did looked dangerous and graceful…

Katherine’s chest soared as she watched.

The Beaters and Seekers were ran separately, with James releasing the Bludgers with almost apology to the younger years trying out for Seeker. By the end of the night, a few underclassmen had been escorted by Professor McGonagall to the Hospital Wing. It seemed routine for their Head of House.

Much of the team remained the same apart from the departures of the seventh years. Frank filled King's position as the third chaser with James and Sirius, Alice's squeals and cheers egging him on from the sidelines.

Marlene kept her position – without question, as she did not let a single quaffle through. Last year’s confidence seemed to be still with her.

The two new beaters were Shacklebolt and Dagworth, two seventh years that seemed far too cool for school with their vibrant lackadaisical silk shirts under their uniforms – Shacklebolt even had a gold hoop through one of his ears.

As those trying out vanished into the changing sheds, conversation picked up again all around.

“So, what happened with McGonagall, earlier? What did she have you helping Hagrid with?” asked Remus, quietly.

Katherine relayed her afternoon helping Hagrid, and parts of the conversation Katherine had in the staffroom with McGonagall about not letting her schoolwork slide.

“Are there any classes you think you’ve got covered?”

“Divination,”

A huff of laughter moved the hair on her neck.

“No, really,” she insisted with a grin, and reached for his hand, “I can read your future from your hand now… let’s see…”

His big boyish head came over her shoulder, and they examined his hand together.

“These lines here, on the outside of your palm, below your little finger…” she indicated, running her finger over the lines gently, “They indicate that you’re likely to marry later in life – or –”

She leant back into him, and gave him a gentle ribbing with her elbow –

“Have multiple wives.”

A choke of laughter caught in his throat, which he cleared, before saying, “Let’s take ‘later in life’.”

As she continued her quiet examination of Remus’ hand, her arm nudged the warm inside of his trousers. She found herself contemplative – cradled loosely by his long arms and legs.

Fifth year – a whole year at Hogwarts – was behind her now.

There would only be two more.

As her examination finished, and the two began listening to the others around them, Katherine’s fingers twined with Remus’, and she was stricken with the yearning to hold on tight – and never let go. It was real. He was real. Magic may have often been something just escaping her full comprehension, but he was not…

FWEET! A sharp whistle pieced the air – “Black! Potter! come ‘ere!”

Shacklebolt wrangled the two sixth years under his arms, and seemed to be explaining something of the upmost secrecy to them – if his expression was anything to go by. Dagworth stood by them, arms crossed, and nodding with feigned solemnity.

Katherine’s eyes found Sirius, and their conversation from earlier flashed in her mind.

Ripping out him was a barking laugh as he guffawed with the rest of the boys. She found the sadness there, however, cloaked in that sparkling grey.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 48: The Moon and the Map

It rained the next day.

It was a loud curtain of noise around the dormitory as the girls all dressed and then went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. They dodged puddles the closer they got to the ground floor, from wet shoes already tracking through the castle.

Sitting with Marlene meant that the girls sat budged up to the Quidditch team too. They were going over the event that was the previous night’s try outs – again. Really, everyone loved quidditch. It was all they talked about whenever it was on.

Katherine even walked past a second year Jeffrey Aldridge, who failed to give her his usual gaped-mouth-stare as he whispered with his friends ‘Potter…’ – ‘But did you see Black!’.

James was buttering a piece of toast as he talked tactical with Dagworth and Shacklebolt when he looked up from his conversation, with a grin – “Oi – here he is!”

Sirius, morning fresh, breezed down the table.

“I don’t know how you do it, Black. You get better with every year…” said Shacklebolt, clapping Sirius on the shoulder as the younger boy took the seat beside him.

Shaken by the older boy’s grip, Sirius took the compliment with a quiet smile as he rested his wrists on the table and joined the conversation with a quick quiet quip Katherine couldn’t hear.

The quidditch group erupted in laughter, however.

Debbie and Sue, arms locked, whispered with each other on the strut down between the tables, looking positively giddy as they passed the group –

“Hi, Sirius!”

“Yeah – hi… amazing try out…”

Sirius turned his head at his name, but was still looking down the table at the quidditch group’s conversation.

Marlene, beside Katherine, began quietly cracking up into her eggs.

Debbie and Sue looked rather put out, as they waited, slowing their walk – and sharing confused looks at each other – before hastening on to their own table.

“Hi, Sirius!” Marlene mimicked girlishly, once the girls were out of earshot.

Katherine gently swatted her friend through hushed laughter, “Shh!”

Marlene was already slowly spitting out her eggs back onto her plate, eyes leaking tears of laughter.

Katherine too felt her eyes beginning to leak as she dabbed a string of spit dangling from Marlene’s lips and chin with a napkin.

Marlene made a show of pulling her hair back from her face and pushing her face out for examination once they girls had settled, “Is it gone?”

“Yeah.” said Katherine, in a huff of residual laughter.

Looking back to the group, Katherine found that Sirius had set his attention on them at some point during the girls’ laughing fit. Amusement glinted in his eyes. It transformed, fairly quickly, once he realised he too had Katherine’s attention. He licked his lips and gave a cursory look around to the others at the table, then back to her.

Katherine recognised the look.

He wanted to talk to her about something.

“So, after lessons –”

Katherine looked to Lily, as the girl began addressing their dormmates –

“– we’ll meet back at the dormitory, and start going over the big plans for Alice’s seventeeth!”

“It’s before Hogsmeade trips start,” said Alice, looking to Katherine with a speaking smile, “So we’ll all be confined to the castle.”

Katherine returned the smile, a little more wryly.

Remus caught her eye from down the way then. The boy must have heard their conversation, by the look of sympathetic knowing he gave her.

Across the table, James stretched on the bench seat, looking back at a standing Sirius, “See you in Defence?”

Sirius gave a low ‘Yeah’ and pocketed a piece of parchment, probably a copy of the Daily Prophet. He then gave Katherine a surreptitious nod, and headed for the double doors at the end of Great Hall.

The tings and scrapes of utensils on plates were useless hollow sounds in Katherine’s ears.

After a suitable few moments passed, Katherine made to push herself up, “I might head to the library…”

Remus pushed himself up with a short sound of effort –

“I’ll walk with you.”

Katherine waited for him in the space between tables, quietly panicked.

He kept a slow pace at her side, yawning a few times by the time they made the double doors to the Entrance Hall. Cal Roberts nodded to the boy as he righted his tie, coming through to the doors – “Remus.”

Remus nodded back with a firm-lipped smile, catching the door and passing through quickly ahead of Katherine.

Sirius was nowhere to be seen in the Entrance Hall.

“Katherine –”

Remus’ fingers closed around Katherine’s hand, gently tugging her with urging eyes to a quiet corner.

Katherine went easily, her feet light with surprise. She looked up at him in question as they stopped.

Remus bowed his head with imploring eyes, “It’s tonight.”

Katherine blinked. Tonight…

Remus inclined his head again.

The astronomy chart they used in Divination flashed to mind – the moon. It was a full moon tonight.

“Oh – oh!”  managed out Katherine, caught off guard. She gave a nod, unsure what he was asking of her, “Okay.”

A furrow appeared in Remus’ brow, “Okay?”

“Is… there something I’m supposed to do?” asked Katherine, slowly, searchingly.

The furrow disappeared and was replaced with a quiet smile, “No,”

Remus looked over Katherine’s head with glittering eyes, and wiped the corner of lips with his thumb –

“It’s just,” he broke off to laugh. He looked her anew, with delighted surprise, “You really don’t care – just… business as usual. You’re not… scared of me?”

“Of course not,” shot out of Katherine’s mouth. It was the truth. She hesitated before going on, tepidly, “Are… are you feeling tired, or…?”

“Bit achy,” he confessed, as he rested his hands on her shoulders. He looked down at her with a lazy smile and a sigh, “I’ll see you in defence?”

Katherine recognised his farewell, and gave a nod and a small smile.

Using his grip on her shoulders, Remus leant forward and gave a chaste, passing kiss to the top of her head before he walked on around her, and down the hall.

The warm pressure of it lingered in Katherine’s hair, like a piece of chewing gum.

As she turned to watch a casually strolling Remus disappear around the corner and up the stairs, Katherine’s eyes caught onto a figure she hadn’t noticed before. Off the Entrance Hall, was a small alcove and stairs that led down to the kitchens –

Sirius slid, keeping his back to the stone, around from the quasi-corner with a light whistle. His eyes were high up on the ceiling beams, feigning obliviousness.

Katherine and he stood facing one another, on either side of the hallway.

“It’s raining.” said Katherine, with twitching lips.

Sirius pushed off the wall and stood to full, towering height. He crossed the space between them in two lazy strides and inclined his head with his usual act of indolent mirth – 

“My favourite past times extend beyond sitting on the roof, I’ll have you know,”

Katherine felt her smile pull at her cheeks.

With a grin, Sirius extended a hand –

“Come on.” he said, with a sideways look of playful proposal.

Sirius led Katherine up to an empty muggle studies classroom. After her initial pause of surprise upon entrance to the room, he led her slowly through the desks by her hand.

Katherine looked around in an attempt at deduction. Alas, she did not find an obvious reason for his bringing of her up. Something slowly unfurled in her, however, as she passed a telephone, a tape deck, an early version of a television set, the very same muggle education posters on the wall that used to adorn the hallways of St Marys…

At the back of the classroom was the door to, what Katherine assumed, must be some sort of storage cupboard. When Sirius pushed the door open, he revealed a slightly larger cupboard than expected. It had benches lining the walls, filled with all sorts of muggle appliances and toys – taken apart.

“In sixth year, we’re allowed a muggle contraption of our choosing – to take apart… charm… and put back together…” Sirius explained, as they closed in on a bench with his name labelled on the side.

A shrunken down Triumph motorcycle, the size of peewee bike, sat there with the engine cover off.

“Living in London, I always saw them around… but on the last day of holidays, before fifth year, I saw a bunch go past my house… Harley Davidson’s I think, but, er –” he gave an absentminded shake of his head, “Not really my style…”

Katherine tepidly nodded, “Yeah. I saw them too…”

Sirius peeked sideways as he toyed with the handlebars, their unwittingly shared history loud between them.

He had always been there. Out of everyone at the castle, by pure technicality, she had known him the longest. They might never have grown up playing together, but they were children in proximity of one another. Aware of each other.

That – almost animal – awareness of each other could be felt again then, in the small back cupboard.

It was the closest they had ever come to talking about it.

“So,” said Katherine, looking from the bike to Sirius, “Are you putting me to work? I took apart an old transistor once… putting it back together, however…”

“Actually,” Sirius abandoned the handlebars with new purpose, crossing to her and perching his backside on the bench beside hers. He reached for his pocket, “I wanted to show you this,”

He produced a large, folded bit of parchment –

“Peter may have mentioned to James and I last night in the dormitory that you are no longer allowed down to Hogsmeade,” said Sirius lightly, tapping her leg with the parchment – and a raised brow smile, “Many moons ago, us young lotharios just may have discovered a tunnel or two that led from the castle, among… other things. To keep track of these, we devised a map,”

Sirius unfolded the aging parchment as he kept speaking –

“Of course, we couldn’t have just anyone picking it up and using it. Some people can’t be trusted. So far, only the four of us – and Frank – know of its existence –” he broke off to nod at her, with earnest warmth “– and now, you,”

He produced his wand, and tapped the parchment with it –

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

As the swirls of ink bloomed on the page – with magic – Katherine held onto Sirius’ wrist in surprise, as she watched on in wonder –

Messrs 

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers
Are proud to present
THE MARAUDER'S MAP

Katherine recognised the nicknames immediately amongst the impressive sketches. It looked like a real, commercial map one would buy in a shop…

Sirius opened the map with practiced hands, and Katherine saw an exact replica of the castle – of the muggle studies classroom they were inside at that very moment, and their names, side by side –

She let go of his wrist and pointed, in amazement, with a laugh, “That’s us…”

Sirius met her eyes, wetting his smiling lips. He opened the map further, and pointed –

“When going down to Hogsmeade, the passage takes you through Honeydukes’ cellar. Being able to see people’s whereabouts is… imperative to not being caught,”

Katherine thought that made sense but in the edges of her mind – was awe. Those boys were far smarter than they had ever let on…

“We’d have to keep it quiet, when we go,” said Sirius, as he watched the moving map alongside her. His eyes flicked up to her and he nodded down at the map, “After the first time, should you ever need to go…”

Katherine stopped short of thanking him, and asked, feeling concern creep in, “Do the other boys know?”

“I think James figured you’d see it eventually,” said Sirius, tipping his head and looking off for a second with a squint of his eyes, “Moony and Pete probably suspect…”

He shrugged, lifting the map, and then depositing it onto Katherine’s lap –

“Feel free to have a good look.” he said casually as he walked back to his bike and began turning one of the bolts securing the handlebars.

Katherine looked and looked in studious silence for what must have been nearly twenty minutes while Sirius removed his handlebars and sorted his nuts, bolts, and washers methodically into containers…

“The spot up by the North Tower’s not on here…” she said, at last, after her search.

“I only found it towards the end of last term,” Sirius made a twist of his head to throw his hair off his face, glancing back to her, “I was going to take you after the final Hogsmeade trip, but…”

Sirius let the words, and their implication, fade into the air. He moved around the bike with assessing eyes, before facing her straight on with a twitch of his lips and a tilt of his head –

“Anyway. I thought you, of all people, would appreciate a place where no one could find you.”

Katherine gave a grateful smile.

Sirius returned it and spun a socket wrench as he went back to his bike. The spinning ‘CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK’ of it ceased as he put it to work, cranking.

He left it off the map. Sirius was a bit funny like that. Usually extraordinarily diligent in matters of mateship, and magical scholarly pursuits – in which the map was the ultimate – but his intensely private nature seemed to override it. He kept many a secret.

She, Katherine felt, was one of them.

It didn’t bother her. She liked, in fact, that they had something apart from everyone else. Just them. Something just hers.

Katherine found her eyes drifting back to him, and how the jagged scar on his left forearm jumped and pulsed as he worked. Those broad shoulders of his flexed beneath his shirt, tapering down to his lean waist. Their days out on the roof had tinged his face a rosy beige – the skin pulled tight over strong cheekbones and a sloping jaw. However, there were always faint creases at the corners of his lips and eyes, from near constant laughter, softening him.

Jumping up inside of her was a warm appreciation for the form of him…

Katherine, however, had her own task that was becoming increasingly more time sensitive.

She moved the map to safety, on a clean piece of bench, and took out a piece of purple card – folding it carefully in half. Lily had owled her parents for the glitter pens she then pulled out of her bag.

Alice’s birthday card could, unfortunately, not be worked on in the dormitory.

Katherine was unsure how she would write the words just yet and set to drawing a flower border with the gel pens as the first order of business.

“What’s all this, then?”

Katherine had not noticed Sirius approaching.

She glanced back to see all his tools put away – he was done for the day, she deduced.

“It’s Alice’s seventeenth next week.” she explained, tampering down her cheesy smile of joy.

Sirius’ eyebrows lifted as he contemplated the card, “I didn’t realise her birthday fell before mine…”

The memory of the previous year, and their shared assignment, came back to Katherine as she found herself at the point where she needed to write on the front –

“Could you…” Katherine hesitated, and went on sheepishly, “I never learnt calligraphy. Could you possibly write on the front for me?”

Sirius checked his hands, nodding easily, “Just ‘Happy Birthday, Alice’?”

“Yes, please.” said Katherine, with a pointedly grateful look up at the boy.

Sirius gave a huff of laughter, then blinked, looking off, “Could you please get my quick dry ink from my bag? I’d hate to smudge it…”

Katherine got up and reached for his bag – and promptly nearly dropped it to the floor. It was heavier than hers. With a twinge in her shoulder, she carried it over, and moved through the novel feeling opening the soft leather for the first time and reaching in for the crystal inkpot.

“Thanks,” said Sirius, picking up Katherine’s quill that laid discarded off to the side, “I can spell the colour to whatever you want afterwards…”

With that, he made his first swipe of the quill on the ‘H’ – and then came the curls of calligraphy. Katherine watched in quiet enjoyment as he carefully inked in the letters.

“Thank you, Sirius. Really.” said Katherine, as the boy finished the ‘E’ on Alice’s name.

Sirius put down the quill with an easy smile, and reached for his wand again. In a flash, the black ink became a glittering, winking gold.

It did go with the purple…

Sirius gave her a playful sideways look, “Want the flowers to move?”

“How…” Katherine trailed off in bewildered anticipation.

Sirius lifted his wand again, and showed her the movement, “Here, like this…”

He was doing it non-verbally.

Katherine followed the movement the best she could, but thought it best to make her confession then.

“The colour changing spell from earlier… I... I never learnt… McGonagall wants me to get extra help from Lily and Remus to learn younger year spells because, well…”

Sirius promptly paused his wand hand –

“How are you with your non-verbals?” he asked, carefully.

Katherine took in a breath as she battled embarrassment, “I…”

With an immediate look of understanding, he moved behind her and looked over her shoulder down at the card.

“What kind of wand do you have?”

Katherine pulled it out from her bag, “Rosewood.”

Sirius paused.

“I’ve only ever seen one – can I…?” he trailed off, uncharacteristic excitement lilting his soft words.

Katherine handed her wand back to him. A feeling of self-consciousness crept in – and a bereftness for her wand. No one else had ever held it before.

“Merlin, whiff that…” said Sirius, leaning back in his examination of her wand – lifting it by his face for the characteristic faint smell that lingered with the wood for many years after being harvested from the tree. He handed it back with a contented sigh and shiver of his shoulders, “Core?”

“Unicorn hair.” said Katherine, in faint amusement, as she stowed it away again.

Sirius nodded, but reached for his own wand again –

“While yours should be great for charm work… I would like you to try mine, just for this,”

He moved up behind her again and slid his own wand into her grip. 

“It’s Elm,” said Sirius, in explanation, “It’s known for few accidents and excellent charm work… unicorn hair…”

She had never held someone else’s wand before. Katherine thought perhaps the fact that it had a unicorn hair like hers made the magic of it feel familiar. It seemed to hum with potential – just like hers.

“Now,” his low tones hummed through her ear and spread out over her skin as he leant his head down by hers, “We learnt this in fourth year. We’re going to gently slash our wand downwards with a loose bend to the left before going straight down again, and… Colovaria,”

No one had ever guided her physically before. Katherine was quietly grateful he was using his non-dominant right hand to make sure she got the right movement. She held a colour in her mind, and…

“Colovaria.”

The gold letters became glittering blue.

It had been easy. Katherine was glad Sirius was behind her and couldn’t see the awe of accomplishment on her face.

“Try and change it back, non-verbally.” whispered Sirius, his hand falling away to the bench.

Katherine stood in the cradle of his arms braced either side of her on the bench, and repeated the motion – willing, just willing…

It listened.

The letters glittered and winked gold once again. They watched it together for a moment. Well, Katherine did.

“Thank you, Sirius.” whispered Katherine, turning around and holding out his wand to him.

Sirius lifted one of his hands off the bench to accept his wand, but he still had her wedged between he and bench, “I don’t think it was the wand, for what it’s worth.”

He gave a small smile.

Katherine returned it, a little more sheepishly.

“Would you sign it? The card?” she asked, turning back for it.

Sirius blinked a little, but nodded and picked up her quill again anew, “Yeah, sure...”

Katherine looked away around the room to give him the privacy to write his little message.

“I can get the others to sign it, if you like?” said Sirius, as he carefully placed her quill back by her inkpot when he finished, “Longbottom’s sorted something. He’s got his own card and all.”

Katherine was surprised by the offer, but nodded quickly, “That’d be great. I didn’t think of that.”

Sirius closed the card and slid it inside the cover of his charms book, before putting it in his bag.

Katherine was secretly relieved at the care he had shown it. It had been nerve-racking to think of it in the custody of boys…

“So, it’s not the rosewood?” she asked, after a moment of thought that strayed back to the spell casting of before.

Sirius shook his head with a slow smile.

Relief sprung up in Katherine. She really had grown to love her wand – from the smell to the swirling handle. 

DONG! – DONG! – DONG! – the ringing of the bell cut across their conversation.

Sirius immediately reached for his bag, closing it, “Bollocks, come on –”

Katherine quickly put all her materials back into her own bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Sirius tapped the map with his wand – “Mischief managed…” he whispered – before folding it and stuffing it into his robe pocket. He reached for her hand, and then they were both off and flying out of the muggle studies classroom. DADA was on the other side of the castle, afterall.

Sirius muttered beneath heavy breaths, “Rushing to see bloody Zabini…”

Katherine could only laugh as they thundered down the steps of one of the longer staircases together, their bags bashing wildly on their backs.

At the bottom, Sirius had taken the last steps in one and turned to help Katherine down the last steps with his grip on her hand.

“I try to not think anything terribly important ever since you said he’s a Legillimens,” she panted out –

She jumped the last step to the landing with their speed –

“I think he thinks I’m daft,” she tacked on –

Sirius gave a bark of laughter as they picked up the pace again. They squeezed past a pair of underclassmen running the opposite way. Running and Hogwarts really did go hand-in-hand.

“I never asked –” jolted out of Katherine as they flew down a seventh-floor corridor that bridged wings of the castle “– are you a Legillimens?”

His words jolted out as they ran, and the corridor was filled with him – his voice, “James and I practise on each other a bit – just for fun. I've never done it on anyone else though…”

With the shortcuts they had taken, they arrived at the Defence classroom just as the back of Peter vanished through the open door.

Gasping dry breaths into hot lungs, Katherine bent to pull up her socks, “Hang on…”

Sirius waited, and Katherine used his shoulder for balance. He watched, an amused light in his eyes, as he too caught his breath. Both were slicked in a fine sweat from their foreheads to their collars.

Sirius waved her through first with a hand when she had finished fixing her socks.

The room was abuzz with chatter. It was somewhat of a social class and one of few consistently full rooms – as no one had dropped it.

“Katherine –” Lily called her, waving from a desk in the front.

Mary was sitting closer to the back with Marlene, and Katherine and Sirius had to pass on their way to front.

Dobbs too, had to skirt along the front of the girls’ desk to sit beside Macnair – who was obstinately not moving from the aisle seat at their table. With a ringing slide of glass against the wood, it was quite a loud ‘almost-spectacle’ as he deftly caught her inkpot from falling and shattering on the floor.

Mary’s hands had been running after it hopelessly, and she accepted it back with a breathy, “Thank you.”

“Of course.” said Dobbs, smoothing back his hair and taking his seat in front of Mary without any further fuss.

“Oh – here she is.” declared Alice, from the table behind Lily’s, where she sat with Frank.

“Katherine,” said Lily with a smile of greeting, that faded into amused exasperation, “Where have you been?”

Sirius and Katherine split with a final look for their friends.

“We were looking for you.” said James in greeting to Sirius, just across the aisle.

Sirius took his seat, busying himself with pulling out his materials, “I wasn’t hiding.”

James gave Sirius a look, and then his eyes drifted over to Katherine as if he sensed her gaze on them. He gave her an absent sort of smile. With a ruffle of his hair, he turned back to the front and began ribbing Remus – or maybe Peter – who were sitting in front.

Remus was sitting up silently. With every loud laugh from around the room, his shoulders seemed to tense more.

Probably Peter, then. James wasn't so cruel.

Zabini emerged from his office and quelled the noise immediately - the scrawling on the board denoted a theoretical lesson. The crisp scent of fresh parchment filled the air as everyone pulled out their reams of writing surface.

“Inferi were created through the magical branch of Dark Arts called necromancy, which is the art of raising the dead. The spells used to reanimate the corpse are very complex…”

In breaks between writing and listening about Inferi, Katherine began thinking of the previous year, out by the willow…

How Remus screamed and heaved…

It was closer to end of the lesson when Zabini stopped by the boys’ desk at the front, and placed down a slip of parchment with a quiet, “Mister Lupin, your note of early leave…”

Remus packed his things, as Zabini struck up his lecture again –

“This an image of an unlucky person killed by an Inferi –”

With an ancient ‘CLICK’, the projector moved to the next slide, and it was just a bloody mass on the ground –

Katherine looked down at her parchment quickly, feeling a bit ill.

Lily looked to the window, as if she had been struck.

“Ergh!” cried one girl from behind.

“Gosh, why would they show us that…” said another.

A few boys gave guffaws – of amusement or awe, Katherine couldn’t exactly tell without turning around.

As Remus passed, the light of the projector catching on his forehead, he dropped a folded piece of parchment on the corner of Katherine’s desk. Zabini wouldn’t have seen it, but –

Avery whistled.

Laughter rose in all the students behind them.

Remus carried on at a strolling pace with a defiant, almost amused, tug in his jaw.

Zabini whirled around with a pointed look.

Silence descended on the classroom again, and with another ‘CLICK’ the gruesome photograph was gone from the screen –

“The Inferius might be cursed to respond lethally if disturbed, to kill indiscriminately, and to undertake perilous jobs for its master. Its limitations are, however, obvious; it has no will and no brain of its own, and would not be able to think its way out of unforeseen trouble. As a warrior or guardian with no regard for its own safety, however, it had many uses…”

As Katherine took down her notes, Lily had reached over with her own quill and scribbled on the top corner of Katherine’s parchment. Only when Katherine finished her taking down of Zabini’s words did she look at it.

A circle, gone over half a dozen times –

A full moon.

Katherine faced forward studiously. It didn’t stop her feeling when James and Sirius glanced over from across the aisle.

The four of them; the ones who knew.

The sun of the day was moving around the castle windows, and had dipped behind the clouds, casting the classroom into grey. It was fitting with the grim mood of the lesson, and the approach of the night.

“The most obvious sign that one is facing an Inferius rather than a living human are the white and cloudy eyes, indicating their owner is devoid of any form of life…”

When the bell rang, chatter erupted about the subject matter of the Defence Lesson, and zombie impressions haunted the hallway.

“Have you looked at the note?” whispered Lily, as they trailed the other girls.

Katherine took the moment – now that everyone had forgotten the event of Remus leaving – and unfolded the note. There was Remus’ familiar hand on the parchment –

‘Visit me in the Hospital Wing at lunch tomorrow? - Remus'

Katherine stashed the note back away into her pocket, “He wants me to visit him tomorrow – after.”

Lily nodded, and gave Katherine’s hand a squeeze –

“The waiting is just killing me… I can’t imagine how it is for you,” she whispered, letting go of Katherine’s hand. With a sympathetic glance, she began to back into the stream of foot traffic, “See you back at the dormitory? I’ve got Runes…”

Katherine nodded, and waited for a break in foot traffic to cross the hallway and take the stairs up to Gryffindor Tower as Lily’s head of hair disappeared.

Through heads, Katherine spotted James and Sirius pouring over a piece of parchment –

Over the map.

James spotted her and waved her over.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” he said quietly with a grin, as she neared.

James threw an arm around her neck, and pulled her in head-to-head with he and Sirius to watch on the map as Remus and Madame Pomfrey left the Hospital Wing together.

His arm fell from Katherine’s shoulders as he used his wand to close the map with a whispered, “Mischief managed.”

He handed it to Sirius, and then pulled him into a considerably rougher headlock than the loose one he had been holding Katherine in.

James laughed heartily as he mussed Sirius’ locks, “First moon back for you. Feeling strong?”

He then feigned a punch in Sirius' guts.

Sirius arched back reflexively, even though James’ fist stopped very short. He gave a playful look of exasperation to Katherine.

“You’ll see tomorrow if he’s terribly disfigured,” said James to Katherine. He then took Sirius’ jaw in his hand and gave an affectionate shake and smack to the cheek, “Right shame it would be…”

Sirius let himself be rag-dolled in a show of the good humour between the two boys.

“I’m going to the loo on the way – I’ll meet you at Runes.” said James in farewell, releasing Sirius and clapping him on the back as he moved off.

Sirius smoothed his hair with both hands, giving Katherine a side long look with bated laughter.

James turned and gave a cheery wave to Katherine before he disappeared.

Katherine was struck by the feeling of guilt as the stood there in the clearing hallway – she really was monopolising a lot of Sirius’ time. He’d be sick of her soon enough. After all he helped her with too…

She decided then that she’d distance herself a bit – and give him more time with his friends. The moon was a fantastic intervention, in that way.

Awkwardness seized her then, as she asked hesitantly, “When will you be going – for tonight?”

“As soon as lessons finish.” said Sirius, promptly, eyeing her.

He seemed to have picked up on the shift in her. She thought he would probably put it down to everything around the full moon, however.

“Right,” she said, giving him a smile, “I guess… er,”

Sirius’ stare was holding.

“See you?” she offered.

He grinned, nodding to the map folded in his hand –

“Stalk you.”

Katherine pressed her smiling lips together as she clutched her books to her chest.

Sirius loped easily, his laughter filling the hall. His glittering eyes flashed back over his shoulder one last time before he rounded the corner.

Katherine too began her climb of the stairs with a blooming chest, shaking her head.

 

---

 

While she waited for the girls to return after their days’ lessons, Katherine took to changing the colour of her bed hangings – back and forth – and non-verbally. It was easy. She never wanted to put her wand down ever again…

Belle was watching, transfixed – and a bit perplexed at her owner’s sudden performance. She swatted at the hangings, and her head moved back and forth.

It was as Katherine tried a non-verbal levitation charm to put on her Fleetwood Mac record, that the girls returned. They were already on the subject of Alice’s birthday, it seemed –

“We don’t want to do it up here, do we?”

Alice made a face, “Well, Frank can’t come if it’s up here…”

“Does anyone know of any secret spots the teachers won’t find?” asked Lily, to the room of girls sitting on their beds.

Mary shrugged, shaking her head.

Marlene sighed, looking off out the window in thought, “If only we knew where those seventh years disappeared too…”

“Well… er, actually…” spluttered Alice, disjointedly.

Marlene’s eyes locked onto her friend, and delight lit up her face, “Fortescue – spill.”

The girls all went quiet, as they waited for Alice to go on.

“It’s a place called ‘The Pipes,”

Alice toyed with her blanket, looking up with timid explanation –

“It’s mostly seventh years, but they invite some sixth years and stuff so that the place doesn’t get lost when they graduate. Frank’s seventeen, and he got invited along last year. He’s taken me a few times – I’ve seen nearly the whole Gryffindor quidditch team there too…”

Marlene shook her head as she looked off blankly, “Prats.”

The girls laughed.

“Is it really, you know… ‘invitation only’, or…?” trailed off Lily, as she broached it again.

Alice smiled slowly, tipping her head, “Well, I’m technically ‘inviting you’, aren’t I?”

It was settled. Alice’s birthday was going to be at The Pipes.

“Okay, so I think I’m – kind of – seeing someone,” piped up Marlene, falling on her stomach and swinging her feet as she broadcasted to the room, “What do you think it means when a guy…”

Katherine took the moment to go to the bathroom as the conversation shifted to boys. When she came out, Marlene was groaning and covering her face.

The other girls were laughing through sympathetic expressions, and Alice was stroking Marlene’s hair.

“You’re so lucky to have Frank…” sighed Marlene, in seeming disenchantment from their girls’ conversation about the new guy she was seeing.

Katherine was unsure what was worse on a teenager’s nerves; having someone, or not having someone.

HOOT! a rather stately looking owl landed on the window sill, and extended a leg with a large flat envelope. Already up, Katherine went for the owl while the girls reassured Marlene. On the front was scrawled –

Katherine Spencer,

Sixth Year Gryffindor Girls’ Dormitory,

Hogwarts.

Confused, she took it back to her bed, opening it –

The gold writing on Alice’s card winked up at her immediately from a piece of purple card –

Katherine quickly stuffed it under her pillow.

Sirius had obviously gotten the boys sign it already. He must had owled it back before they went down through the whomping willow…

“So, where did you go after breakfast again?” asked Lily as she made a pass of Katherine’s bed on her own way back from the bathroom, making conversation.

“Oh, I was with Sirius.”

“Oh, right,” said Marlene, with a nod, before furrowing her eyebrows, “What class would you guys have had first up?”

“No, our, er, free periods line up. We just, you know,” Katherine shrugged, “Work on homework, walk around…”

Alice snorted, “Walking isn’t above him then?”

“What do you two even talk about?” asked Lily, her face screwing up in thought as she folded her weekend clothes away.

Katherine searched for something inconsequential – she didn’t want to betray Sirius’ trust –

“Er… well today we spoke about how Professor Zabini is a Legillimens, and how he and James practise on each other sometimes...”

“Severus used to do that – he tried to teach me so we could talk back at home without Petunia knowing what we were saying…” Lily looked up, and gave a small reassuring smile – “You have to know occlumency as well – resisting the mind reader – unless you want someone to sift through every thought you’re having.”

“Is it hard?” asked Katherine.

Lily shrugged, closing her trunk again, “Some people are naturals – like flying – but… er, yeah, it is…”

“Could you… show me?” broached Katherine, gently.

“Yeah, okay.” said Lily, with a little laugh, plopping down on the end of Katherine’s bed.

“How do we go about it?” asked Katherine, sitting criss-crossed in her socks and skirt.

Lily mirrored her sitting position, holding her own socked feet, “I’m going to think a word, over and over, and you try and guess it.”

Laughter filled the night, as the other girls watched on as Katherine and Lily attempted mind-reading.

“It is big one?”

“Depends on what you deem as big.”

“Scrofilingus?”

“The fungus?”

“Not Scrofilingus, then…”

It was as Katherine looked into Lily’s dancing eyes that Katherine got a niggle – right behind her ear – but as if it were from the inside of her head…

Nothing more came, however.

Alice was the one to stand and say – “Come on – we’ll miss dinner.”

“You know, I knew you’d say that.” said Lily, lightly as she got up and slipped her shoes on.

Alice laughed, passing through the door with a turn of her eyes back to Lily, “Sure you did, Morgana…”

The boys were, as expected, missing from dinner.

Frank sat with the girls – well, with Alice. He ended up reaching for all the far dishes for the girls, however. Marlene gave Katherine a wry smile and mouthed ‘Our boyfriend’ with a round gesture at the group, after Frank asked if they would like the roasted potatoes.

Later that night in the dormitory, Katherine found herself looking out the window to the soft, slow breaths of her sleeping friends. The moon had long since moved up and out of sight from where she laid in her bed.

Her skin buzzing, she had the sense of falling in and out of weird dreams all night as she laid with her head in a pool of moonlight. It wasn’t until she was poked in the neck, that she pulled out the card for Alice that she had stuffed under her pillow earlier.

In the light cast from the moon, and Katherine’s charmed crystal ball, Katherine tilted it this way and that. The gold glittered in the blue dark. A smile rose to her lips as she remembered...

She carefully slid open the bottom draw of her bedside table and placed the card inside, before she fell back into the blankets of her bed. She fell asleep with a smiling sigh at the canopy of her bed.

It was only after the thick air of slumber had settled over all the girls, that a long, ‘A-WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’ echoed over the hills and forest, before melding with all the other noises of the night…

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 49: The Pipes

The boys weren’t at breakfast, either.

Two owls dropped letters in front of Katherine as the girls sat down to eat in dim morning light. Katherine had to lean them by a candle on the table. One was the gold-gilded lime parchment from Slughorn, inviting her to his first dinner of the new school term. It was promptly and unceremoniously stuffed into her robe pocket.

The other, however, was a crisp black slip with silver inked letters, perfectly spaced.

‘Miss Spencer,

Your training commences at 4:30pm, two weeks from today, by the large beech tree by the Black Lake.

Cordially, Professor Zabini.’

Briefly considering burning it in one of the candles in the centre of Gryffindor table, Katherine too stuffed it in her robe pocket with Slughorn's. With a glance up at the Head table, Katherine caught Dumbledore’s glancing eyes as he conversed with Professor Flitwick.

Madame Pomfrey bustled out from the side door by the table then, as Katherine’s attention lingered on the table. She smoothed down her robes and joined the rest of the professors. The last to arrive.

When the girls had woken and dressed, the moon was still making its descent through the tall pines of the forbidden forest. Pomfrey’s arrival meant that it must be completely down – and Remus was already back in the Hospital Wing…

Katherine busied herself with a copy of the Daily Prophet. Across the front was a large image – a block of flats, just over from Diagon Alley – ablaze. She didn’t raise it to the girls.

They didn’t either.

‘…likely the case of damaged Floo...’ the article had cited, in cause, and that ‘The Ministry advises that Floo upkeep is necessary household maintenance…’

Frank tucked a Daily Prophet under one arm and took Alice’s hand with the other when the bell rang. They, as well as Katherine and Lily, moved off to Potions.

Katherine showed the note from Zabini to Lily on the walk.

Lily read it, confused at first, before handing it back with an apologetic look –

“I wonder what you’ll be doing…”

Katherine did too.

Upon reaching the Potions classroom, Katherine laid eyes upon James and Sirius for the first time since lunch the previous day – or, rather, the back of their tall heads – as they walked through the door.

Upon crossing into the room, Katherine discovered that Slughorn had implemented a new seating plan for theory lessons. On the blackboard, were the chalked instructions to look for their names on the desk.

It wasn’t a long hunt. Slughorn had, mostly, kept things the same.

Lily had found herself at the front left desk, in the aisle seat – James beside her. Then it was Katherine. Sirius had been placed on the end – by the window. It seems their professor wanted friends broken up to reduce the risk of chatter.

Katherine sat, remembering the letter in her pocket. She spared a glance to Sirius.

Sirius, pulling his hands through his hair, glanced back.

So much for giving him some space, thought Katherine. The only thing she wanted to do was wave out her letter and show him – to talk to him about the building fire, ask if it happened a lot…

The class filled up, quiet chatter at the seating plan crackling through the silence. The scrape of a chair, a sniffle, a cough. All the sounds of students in the morning.

Lily glanced around the front of James, pointedly flickering her eyes to the boys and then back to Katherine again.

James and Sirius had been sitting with resolute silence at their desk in potions, their backs firmly pressed to the chairs. Their arms were crossed over their slowly rising chests – eyes closed. Half asleep, they seemed, in the silence of the morning.

“You’ve been acting weird.”

Lily eyed James with her aloud observation.

James cracked an eye, and peered out the side, “Like?”

His voice had come out husky, and he gave a deep clear his throat afterward.

“I’ve been sitting here next to you for five minutes, just about.” said Lily, her quill in her hand, over her parchment, as she waited for Slughorn to emerge.

“And?” asked James, blinking – with both eyes – before turning his lazing attention on her, fully.

Lily moved in her seat, a furrow appearing in her brow, “You haven’t tried to pester me.”

Sirius took in a deep breath through his nose, clearing his throat and taking a luxurious stretch forward over the desk. His eyes slipped sideways to Katherine over his long arms, amusement at their conversation they were hearing plain across his face.

“I’ve got a bit on.” said James, lightly.

Sirius let his head roll onto Katherine’s forearm, where it laid beside her parchment on the desk. He was reminiscent of Belle, when she would headbutt Katherine.

“Well, try and keep your eyes open –” Lily’s gentleness faded, as she leant closer to whisper “– and spit that gum out…”

Lily leant out of her chair and reached for the wastepaper basket in front of their desks, by the blackboard. She brought it around and up to James –

“Better me than Slughorn. You don’t want a detention.” she whispered, in bargain.

Truthfully, they all knew Lily was going easy on him. They had yet to speak about it – the moon – but it lingered around the four of them, as if it were still up in the air, right above their heads.

James spat it into the bin, and gave a tired grin, “No. I’ve got to polish my broom.”

“…Is that peppermint?” asked Lily, pausing before putting the wastepaper basket back.

James’ eyebrows lifted, “Why? –”

He turned to her anew with an earnest expression –

“– want some?”

Slughorn walked out of his office cheerily, busy with a stack of parchment in his arms – worksheets for the day, no doubt.

Katherine nudged Sirius’ knee below the desk.

Sirius snapped up, faint red lines on his cheek from the bunching fabric of Katherine’s robe arm. He gave a bracing grimace as his whole body jerked forward into the hard edge of the desk.

Frank had kicked Sirius’ chair from where he and Alice sat behind them, Dobbs between them.

Sirius shook a hand through his hair and made a lewd backwards gesture that Slughorn wouldn’t see.

Frank and Alice’s stifled laughter followed.

Katherine was stifling her own and risked a glance back.

Sirius was doing the same, slinging his arm along the back of her chair in a dual motion to stretch his shoulders, it seemed.

“Golpalott's Third Law!”

Slughorn’s voice turned the two back around just as fast, and they shared one last smile before facing forward – 

“Which is to say that the antidote for a blended poison — that is, a poison created by mixing several other poisons together — cannot simply be created by finding the antidotes to each separate poison in the blended whole and mixing them together,” Slughorn went on, strolling the front of the classroom, tipping his head, “The potion maker then must find that single ingredient which, when added to the blended antidotes, transforms them near-alchemically into a combined whole which will counteract the entire blended poison. Simply put, according to this law, a true antidote to a blended poison is more than the sum of its parts –”

Slughorn waved his wand, and the stack of parchments he had carried in began handing themselves out, row by row –

“I ask you, today, to consider its validity.”

James took his sheet in his hand. After a quick perusal he said, through a yawn, with a glance around Katherine to Sirius, “Why, when you could just give a bezoar...”

“Well, yes, Mister Potter –” Slughorn gave an excited smile down to James, then began addressing the class again enthusiastically “– just that sort of ingenuity is what I want to encourage in you all today…”

Katherine wrote her name across the worksheet and leant back in her seat, stretching her legs out beneath the desk and settling into filling in the rest of the sheet.

Time passed slowly, but Katherine was grateful it wasn’t a practical lesson.

With the ringing of the bell, Slughorn yelled to be heard over the sound of everyone standing from their desks and packing up –

“Before our next lesson, I want each of you to hand in eight inches of parchment on the known uses, effects, and limitations of Polyjuice Potion –”

Sirius packed his things beside her, and their elbows mashed in their busyness –

“– not the ingredients or recipe. Please do not go swarming the restricted section for Most Potente Potions… you will not need it...” Slughorn eyed the class pointedly as he paced, watching them pack and leave.

Katherine closed her bag and swung it onto her back.

“Katherine –” Lily reached around the back of James, pulling Katherine through with her grip on her hand. On her face, the obvious look of having things to say – having been separated all lesson.

Skirting out in the aisle with Lily, Katherine’s eyes fell back.

Sirius stood with James, holding his bag on his shoulder, the boys exchanging quiet words. Sirius’ eyes trailed after Katherine as his lips moved, his head half-turned to James –

“What… am I thinking… right now, Katherine?” asked Lily, squeezing in behind the tall shoulders of Dobbs in the line leaving the room.

Katherine looked at Lily a long moment, before saying, confidently, “Nothing.”

Lily gripped Katherine’s arm a little tighter as they spilled into the busy hallway –

“You know – actually, you’re right…”

Together, they fell into a short peel of laughter.

Lily used their linked arms, and gripped Katherine’s hand as she looked up in thought as they walked on, “Oh, let me do you…”

They let their heads fall together – temples pressing – as they sidled out into the foot traffic in the hallway. Katherine and Lily continued guessing all the way down the Herbology, with their heads together.

It was a distribution day – of growth tonics – in the forest. The girls sat on the lawns as they waited for Professor Sprout. The rest of the class were dotted around the exit from the castle. A wind had picked up, and the girls sat leg-to-leg shivering with each strong gust – despite the sun.

Lily’s teeth chattered, as she made another guess, “You think… well I don’t think I can say that about Zabini out loud as a prefect, quite frankly…”

Katherine laughed merrily, “That’s cheating.”

“That’s knowing you,” said Lily, knocking her shoulder into Katherine’s.

The girls’ laughter waned.

Alice waved from where she stood with Frank, James, and Sirius, leaning against a pillar.

Katherine and Lily waved back, before needing their hands to pull their wind-blown hair from their mouths.

“You did a really good job on the card too, I think she’ll love it.” said Lily, quietly, looking away from Alice and back to Katherine.

While Alice had dressed that morning, Katherine had whipped out the card and the girls quickly signed it in their pyjamas.

“Thanks – I hope so anyway…” said Katherine, squinting under the sun and dusting some grass off her knees.

The clouds were whirling by wildly above, the sun would strengthen – then go behind clouds – before blaring out the other side again.

Professor Sprout emerged from the shadowed castle cloisters with wooden racks of vials, “Okay, Sixth Years! You know the drill! Same quadrants as last time – come collect your potions!”

She stopped by Alice and the boys first with her wide, wooden racks.

Katherine and Lily stood, dusting the backs of their skirts and legs, and got in line for their potions. It was then that Marlene ran out of the castle – late – and tacked onto the back of the line with panting breaths and a playful look of exasperation.

As the girls started walking down the lawns toward the forest, Marlene explained where she had been, “I was seeing Adam –”

“Adam?” asked Katherine and Lily together.

Marlene waved a hand, “That Hufflepuff seventh year with the curly brown hair, cute smile…”

The girls walked on, listening to Marlene’s appraisal of the cosyness of the broom cupboard outside the Astronomy classroom. That, and the fact that Marlene was grateful he didn’t use tongue. Something that Katherine privately agreed with, not being able to see herself enjoying the feel of someone else’s tongue in her mouth. That, as well as thinking, well… Katherine rather thought Marlene had a thing for blondes instead…

The girls slowed by the tree line of the forest, coming up to the back of Alice and the boys. Everyone was consulting their maps and beginning to split off in different directions.

Lily and Marlene were spinning their maps –

“Was it over there… or over there?”

The girls faced away from Katherine, pointing back toward the Lake edged section of trees.

Alice, Frank, and James had already left.

Sirius however, lingered, with a glance over his shoulder. He took two backwards steps and held one of his hands out behind his back.

Katherine glanced at the busy girls –

They were too busy to notice –

She took his hand.

Sirius pulled her into a run with a gentle tug, and off to the opposite side they went – to their assigned quadrants – laughing through adrenalin filled breaths. Over roots, and dirt hills, around trees that were hundreds of years old and as thick as houses.

When they reached the grove from last time, and the tree with ‘S.B’ in the trunk, they stopped with sideway smiles and knowing looks to one another.

As she caught her own breath, Katherine reached into her pocket –

“I got this at breakfast this morning.” she said, handing over the black slip.

Sirius let go of her hand to take it and unfold it. His eyes ran over it keenly, as his chest heaved with reigned in breaths –

“I can hide in the bushes,” he bargained, handing it back.

Katherine eyed him with barely disguised disbelief.

Sirius began pulling out his potions, his glittering eyes flashing sideways to her as he poured one out on a blackened trunk –

“I mean, no –” he amended, good-naturedly, with a light laugh of his own. He corked the empty potion bottle, and glanced back with playfully raised eyebrows – “…unless…?”

Katherine laughed a full laugh – from the back of her throat – and she too began pouring out potions, happily flitting from tree to tree as they spoke and laughed in the late morning class.

“So… The Pipes?”

Sirius feigned a wince, “Alice?”

Katherine nodded with droll look to him, pouring out her last potion.

Sirius crouched by the stream, washing his hands, and flicking his hair from his face, “Yeah. I figured it wouldn’t be long until she told you all. I only went the other night, after try outs, for the first time…”

Katherine crouched down and washed her hands alongside him –

“We’re going to do Alice’s party there – once she gets back from her apparating test at the Ministry.”

They stood – finished – in their full uniforms, unlike last time. It was cold enough to. There was no wind in their grove, however.

Sirius slung his bag over his shoulder, and his arm around Katherine’s shoulders, as they started the slow march back to the tree line –

“I’ll be there.” he said, peering down at her.

Katherine stepped into him as they walked, “Good.”

Sirius gave a chesty laugh.

They were the some of the first to return to Professor Sprout on the edge of the forest. Alice and Frank had followed right behind them, as it happened. As they waited for the bell, or the return of everyone – which ever happened first – Sirius fell back against a tree, using it as a wind break.

“Ready for your test, Fortescue?” asked Sirius, as the four settled together between two large pines, “Next Friday, isn’t it?”

Still under his arm, Katherine leant her weight on him and her head back on his chest - watching for Alice’s reply.

Alice blanched a little, “Oh, goodness, don’t remind me…”

“Oh, you’ll be alright. It took Longbottom two goes, there’s no shame in not passing the first time around.” Sirius consoled her.

Frank made a lewd gesture that made the group of them laugh.

Katherine let her eyes close as Frank and Sirius exchanged playful jibes, Sirius’ laughing chest rocking her gently – almost to sleep. Gosh she was tired. She didn’t know how Sirius was staying so alert given his night…

She only opened her eyes again when Sirius’ arm left her shoulders and circled her waist. He leant his face down by hers, his eyes focused behind her –

“Bell’s about to go… I’d say Professor Sprout is about to give us an early mark…” His eyes fell back to her, a sincere smile replacing the duelling one of mirth he had when ribbing Frank earlier, “Moony will be waiting – bored out of his mind too, I’m sure.”

Katherine wasn’t surprised he knew what Remus had asked her in the note. It was weird to think, though. Did the boys talk about… her?

“Okay, it’s just about lunch – why don’t the seven of you head along early…” conceded Professor Sprout, tipping her head up to the castle.

Lily and Marlene still weren’t back.

Katherine glanced to Alice, to find her already looking over at her – from under Frank’s arm.

“Could you please remind Lily that I’ll likely miss lunch?” pleaded Katherine, lightly.

Alice nodded easily, cracking a smile, “Yeah, of course.”

“What will you and Remus Lupin do with a whole hour?” joked Frank, wrapping both his arms around Alice’s middle and giving a squeeze.

Katherine took the ribbing in stride, but – as she went to leave – Sirius flicked her skirt.

Frank sniggered.

Katherine gave Alice a pointed look over her shoulder at the boys’ antics in parting.

Alice gave a mirthful look of sympathy. Her eyes went back to Sirius and the boys laughed, however – assessing, almost…

 

---

 

Katherine stopped at the toilet, and dusted sprigs of brown grass from her pilling wool socks, before she made the climb through the castle to the Hospital Wing. The bell rang after the first flight of stairs off the Entrance Hall. It didn’t matter to her. The flood of students would miss her in the hallway that housed the Hospital Wing, the first level above the Entrance Hall – all on its own.

The echoes of students moving en masse were far off sounds to Katherine’s ears as she closed in on the open double doors. She could see, from the threshold, that only one bed had the sheets mussed, at the foot.

Katherine approached Remus’ bed slowly, just inside the door.

He was paler than usual, she noticed. He seemed okay otherwise. Mussing his already fluffy hair, he turned tired eyes on her – hearing her footsteps.

Katherine slowed to a stop at his bedside.

They had been there once before.

This time, he simply smiled and patted the space of bed beside him with glinting eyes.

Katherine put her bag on the chair beside the bed with a shy smile. Turning to sit on the edge first, she eased up next to him. It was a tight fit. The pillows at their back were soft, however.

Katherine had never been in a bed with a boy before…

Remus lifted his outer knee, creating more space, “So, what have I missed?”

“I have the finishing notes on the Inferi lesson we had in Defence, from after you left…” she began.

His head moved to her shoulder as she talked him through what he missed in their shared classes.

Katherine’s stomach swirled, but she went on.

Remus lifted his head after she finished, turning to her in a slowly staggered kind of way, “…You smell different.”

“I do?” Katherine was perplexed.

Remus’ eyes flew a little wider, “Not bad. Just… different…”

“Is it like a…” Katherine trailed off, gesturing to his state – his recent werewolf transformation, “You know…thing.”

Remus chuckled, with a nod.

Katherine inclined her head, “Really?”

“Yeah.” said Remus, lightly.

With fondly glinting eyes, he reached out a hand to rest on her knee. The letters in her pocket rustled.

Katherine reached for her pocket, remembering, “Oh, I got this letter from Zabini this morning…”

She played it cool, but there was only one thing ricocheting around her brain. His hand on her knee. His hand on her knee –

Remus sat with the folded-up letter in his hand, eyeing it – but not opening it.

“…I feel like I shouldn’t be seeing this.” he said, in his prefect sort of way, handing it back.

Oh.

Katherine hesitated but took it back and slid it back into her pocket, “You’re probably right.”

She gave him a small smile.

“What were you saying about Alice before?” he inquired, returning the smile.

“Oh–yeah. We’re going to go to The Pipes for her birthday next Friday.” said Katherine, sitting up a little higher.

Remus’ eyes danced with amusement beneath his raised eyebrows, “The Pipes?”

Oh, yes, she knew…

“Yeah –” she lightly poked his side “– The Pipes.”

He had the sense to give a chagrined smile, closing his eyes as he turned away and laughed.

 

---

 

The wind stuck around all week.

Between lessons, and attending frequent Quidditch practises to support Marlene, the days streaked by.

Katherine and Sirius held onto their tans in the lazy tail end days of September they spent up on the roof, in vain.

It was becoming very important to watch the cycles of the sky as the earth turned undeniably, below them. It moved, but they remained; sitting on the same piece of the stone battlement. Everything that might be happening out there in the world became obsolete as the world narrowed down to them, looking up. Doing nothing else observable to any possible onlooker.

Sirius shared on Wednesday that he had his bike completely apart and charmed. All he had to do was put it back together. They talked about classes too – a rarity. He asked how many she was actually taking.

“Not a lot,” she had said, looking down, “It’s not by choice. I… I only got five OWLs… you know… and…”

He turned, where he laid on his back, his eyes firm, “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“You got eleven.” said Katherine, knocking their shoes.

Sirius huffed, shaking his head, with a light smile to her, “I’ve been in lessons since before I could walk.”

“So, you’re not a scholar by choice?” she joked, referencing the previous term.

He gave a gentle shake of his head, and his eyes roved her.

“You did the best you could. It’s not fair to compare yourself to the rest of us that have been at Hogwarts for years,”

With a crinkle at the corners of his eyes, he tore them from her face – and he looked up at the sky –

“I certainly could not have done what you did at the end of last term…”

Katherine did not know anyone more capable, skilled, and stubborn than Sirius Black.

“I think you could have,” said Katherine, honestly, “I think you could probably do anything you wanted to, Sirius.”

Sirius paused before he went on. When he did, it was with a slowly growing smile he appeared to be attempting to stifle –

“That’s the thing,” he wet his lips, “If I was given the choice between the doing the ‘right thing’ by the world, and someone dear to me –”

His eyes flickered to her –

“The world would lose out every time.”

Katherine’s lips twitched under his waiting gaze, “That sounds very honourable.”

“Moony said I was selfish.”

“Well, he’s an intellectual, isn’t he?”

They laughed. They laughed so hard that they began to choke and needed to sit up.

Sirius’ laughter waned with a sigh, and he shook his head, a bitter twist at his lips, “I still can’t believe he was too caught up in own twisted logic, even after…”

He reached out a hand and took Katherine by the shoulder, peering into her eyes semi-seriously, his brow raised –

“If he ever does that rubbish to you again –”

He bore an incredible resemblance to an avenging archangel – equal parts beguiling and frightening, with those scorching grey eyes –

“– I’ll kill him,”

Katherine felt a flutter, low in her stomach.

His stony face – his serious face – always made her feel dreadfully important when it was directed at her. What his words meant – that he deemed her worth defending – made her eyes warm –

DONG! – DONG! – DONG! – the bell clanged out.

Sirius’ hand fell from her shoulder, and, with a grin, he jumped up with zest – “Class first, however.”

Katherine sat with him in Charms that day. They got there early and took the front desk and discovered that they were to be learning how to turn vinegar to wine. Beside Sirius, Katherine and he became two of few who managed it. “How did you do it?” Alice had asked, moving over to their desk with Frank.

On Thursday, Katherine was caught alone in a crowd rush as a duel broke out between Barty Crouch and Gilderoy Lockhart. Well, Lockhart had been posturing to a Gryffindor Girl in his year – fourth year – and Barty Crouch had hexed him from behind. Tentacles erupted from Lockhart’s mouth and hands.

As he fell back through the crowd, Katherine was pulled away in the nick of time – to avoid being slapped by a slimy, sucking tentacle.

Regulus, having been standing beside his mate, Barty Crouch – had pulled Katherine by her robes.

“Alright, Spencer?” he had asked with inquiring blue eyes – that sliced her – slow to relinquish his grip on her robe.

Katherine nodded and began skirting around him to get back on her way to the library, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” he said, with faint little smile.

Katherine always got the sense that he was making fun of her when he smiled like that.

When she got to the library, Katherine checked in for her supervised session with Madame Pince, and set about milling to her usual desk, overlooking the Quidditch Pitch. She had barely gotten out her materials, when she felt something burning her leg –

Katherine patted the outside of her robes, wondering if somehow an ember from the hearth in the common room had made its way onto her somehow. At worse, she feared she’d been hexed in the hallway…

At last, she pulled a scrap of parchment from her robe pocket. She wasn’t burnt. The parchment wasn’t burnt, either. The glow of magical heat around it disappeared once she held it in her hand. On it was scrawled ‘Secrets of The Darkest Art – Owle Bullock’.

On all accounts, it seemed to be… a book recommendation. Katherine spent the rest of her library session searching for the book – even using the pass Slughorn has given his NEWT level Potions students for the Restricted Section to search for it. She found nothing even resembling it…

By Friday, Alice had mastered turning vinegar into wine.

By Friday, Alice was barely eating at meals.

Frank had greeted his girlfriend on the morning of her seventeenth birthday with a kiss, an elaborate bouquet of flowers, and a dainty little box. Inside of it, a slender promise ring – of ruby and diamonds.

“Oh, Frankie… I love it – it’s beautiful.” she said, with her pale smile, leaning into the planes of his chest.

Frank, broadening with each Quidditch practise, wrapped her in his big arms –

“You’ll be okay, love.” he said, with a kiss to her temple.

She toyed with it all day, with her nerves.

Toward the end of Transfiguration, the first of the afternoon classes after lunch, Professor McGonagall excused Alice upon Dumbledore’s knock upon the door. The headmaster chatted cheerily with a witch in Auror robes just out into the hallway while Alice packed her things away.

“Goodluck.” Lily whispered, squeezing Alice’s hand.

Alice gave a tight smile, a faint shade of green as she slipped down the aisle to the door.

Frank returned a familiar wave to the witch at the door.

The witch in Auror robes put an arm around her shoulders. She had Alice’s big, kind eyes.

“Her mum?” Katherine asked.

Lily shook her head, “Her older sister, Cecelia. She graduated the year we started. She was Head Girl – did Alice ever tell you?”

Katherine shook her head, and barely reigned in her focus to the remainder of the Transfiguration lesson.

Soon they would all be going to The Pipes.

Upon going back to dormitory that afternoon, the girls changed out of their school uniforms. They lazed on their beds in jeans and jackets, waiting for word from Alice – or for her to appear so they could plonk the ‘Birthday Girl’ paper crown they had made upon her head.

Lily was making her way back from putting on mascara in the bathroom, when something flew in through the window. It moved at a gentle pace compared to the paper aeroplanes that would slice the air around the castle. Dodging the other girls, the flying object landed in front of Katherine, and she found it to be folded paper, in the shape of a bird.

A dotterel.

A smile spread over her face as Katherine appreciated the neat folding work – he had probably spelled it, nevertheless… she didn’t want to tear it. On the wing was the message –

Tunnel. Tonight. While everyone is at dinner before the pipes – Sirius.

“What is it?”

Lily leant over, mascara tube still in hand.

Katherine vibrated in nerves as Lily took it. She knew it was likely out of concern that it was jinxed, but –

Lily tilted it this way and that, before frowning –  

“Huh… there’s nothing on it…” said Lily, placing it on Katherine’s bedside table.

It was charmed for just her to see it, Katherine realised.

“The boys messing around I think.” said Katherine, feigning disinterest.

Lily snorted, “Likely.”

As the girls prepared to leave for dinner, Katherine used the distraction to place the paper bird in her top drawer. They placed their outer school robes over their mufty clothes, for a quick discard on the way up to The Pipes after eating.

Katherine double knotted her tennis shoes before tacking onto the back of the girls. She was careful to dawdle just the right amount behind them on the way down to the Great Hall – so they knew she was there, but so she wasn’t deeply involved in conversation. Touching down into the Entrance Hall, the crawl of students slowed as everyone passed through the double doors. Katherine began letting her eyes look around, attempting casualness.

Just as her feet left the marble staircase, a hand gripped hers –

In shock, Katherine pulled back instinctively as she turned –

A familiar roguish grin met her.

Sirius put a finger to his lips and pulled her to the side of the staircase and up into an alcove behind a robust line of terracotta soldiers. He began pulling off his robe – his mufty clothes beneath –

“We’ll wait for the doors to close – and any last stragglers,” he whispered, stowing his robe away at the back of the alcove. He pulled his hair from his face with a parted smile of exhilaration, “The opening of the passageway is behind the One-Eyed Witch.”

Katherine nodded silently, shucking off her robe and stowing it with his.

Then they waited in the dusty alcove, coldness leeching from the walls, avoiding the streams of light that perforated the swathes of shadow…

The doors closed with a THUD.

Sirius didn’t move.

Two first years hastened along, both using all their might to pull the doors back open, breathless. Once the doors closed again, the seconds passed – one, two, three, four, five…

Once nearly a full minute had elapsed, Sirius reached for Katherine’s hand again, “Let’s go…”

Eyes flashing around, they jogged over to the statue of the One-Eyed Witch. Sirius made a show of process. Tapping the hump, whispering, clearly, ‘Dissendium’. With a hollow SCRAPE, the statue swung around, as if on a hinge.

The arch was bricked, and the stairs leading down below were as sturdy as any other in the castle. Once they ended, however, Katherine and Sirius’ shoes made a CRUNCH on the dirt. The statue turned back on its own and plunged them into darkness.

The blackness in front of her eyes was so complete that Katherine only knew Sirius was still with her because of the hold he still had on her hand.

Sirius lit his wand non-verbally, and the rustle of parchment echoed around the tunnel as he pulled the map out from inside his jacket with one hand. It was already opened to the tunnel section that led down to Hogsmeade.

Katherine lit her wand, peering out ahead – unable to see anything more than the rings of dirt a few metres in front of them.

Sirius squeezed her hand.

Katherine glanced to him.

With a boyish little smile, he nodded his head forward, “It’s safe, I promise.”

Katherine never really felt any sort of apprehension when she was with Sirius, anyway.

Together, they stepped forward. It was an easy walk, sloping down, then flattening out for a stretch, before gently sloping up again. A fork appeared around halfway –

“We go left,” said Sirius, steering her with their joined hands, “The other one’s a dead end. Goes for ages too…”

When they reached the end of the tunnel, a ladder ascended to a rounded hole – covered. Sirius referred to the map and saw that the owners of the shop weren’t even on the premises, so up they went. Sneaking around boxes – careful to not nudge anything – Sirius even covered their footprints in the dust with a wave of his wand, a breeze sweeping behind them.

They went through the staff door at the back of the shop, swiping a key from one of the employee’s pigeonholes on the wall. Then they were out in the cobblestones of the back lane running the length of the shops on that side of the high street.

Sirius glanced sideways in the quiet back lane as he slowly closed the door behind them, to not make noise, whispering, “Do you think you can remember all of that?”

Katherine nodded, lifting her shoulders to hide more of her neck in her jacket – to brace against the nighttime breeze.

Sirius stuffed his hands in the pockets of his plum velvet blazer – the expensive looking one – and proffered his bent elbow –

Katherine slipped her arm through his and stuffed her own hands in her pockets. She’d need to start wearing her gloves soon…

“Anywhere you want to look in particular?”

Katherine had a mental list –

Secrets of the Darkest Art

A Birthday Present for Sirius.

On both counts, she would need to be very subtle.

“I got given a book recommendation,” she started, not lying –

Sirius nodded as they strolled on –

“– and I also wouldn’t mind checking out the muggle interest shop…”

“We’ll start at the muggle shop, it’s on the furthest edge of town – and work our way back.” said Sirius, easily.

Katherine felt like a little girl, excited to be in the town. It most certainly wasn’t her first time, but… it was different with Sirius. Everything was.

It was almost October, and before they knew it – Halloween would be upon them. Their shoes crunched over the hard ground. A sharp gust of wind lifted dry leaves to dance around them. The moon was half hidden behind low clouds, not yet more than a slender crescent.

Katherine watched his dragon-hide boots and her tennis shoes stride in sync below them, a spark of thrill in her chest – radiating out to her fingers and toes. There wasn’t need to speak. It was enough to be linked at the arms, and glance at the sides of each other’s faces.

They sucked in jagged, icy breaths as they slowed down their approach down a side lane between shops – about to join the meandering foot traffic on the High Street. The light twinkled above them, strung under shop eaves, and the glow of the streetlamps gave a warmth as they passed under each one.

The muggle interest shop seemed on the verge of closing when they entered it. The Shopkeeper perked up, however, remembering Katherine – 

"You should know – there will be a single from that band you like coming out near Christmas." he informed her, with a genial smile and nod.

"Fleetwood Mac?" she inquired, her feet drawing nearer to the register.

The Shopkeeper pointed emphatically, "That's the one..."

Katherine nodded but thought she should ask after what she was looking for, to halve her searching time, so he could close.

"Do you have any tapes, by any chance?" she asked quietly, bending at the waist to lean over the counter while Sirius spun the magazine carousel around by the door.

The Shopkeeper pointed distractedly over to the other side of the shop, "Just over there, love."

Katherine quickly thumbed through the alphabetical tags, plucking out a handful, and quickly purchased them while Sirius wasn't looking.

He approached the register while the shopkeeper was handing over the little plastic purple bag, "Ready?"

Katherine nodded, and waved back at the shopkeeper.

With a DING! they were back out into the street again, and linking arms.

"So... you've been there a lot?" asked Sirius looking back, as the shopkeeper turned the 'Open' sign over to 'Closed' and the lights began dimming.

Katherine rearranged the bag on her arm, her face tingling with happy accomplishment and the cool of the night, "Yeah, I love it."

An older couple up ahead leaving The Three Broomsticks, arm-in-arm, were bundled in a mixture of wizarding and muggle garb, and waved to them with happy, ruddy cheeks –

"Good evening."

Sirius tipped his head with a smile, "Evening..."

Katherine gave a little wave with her free hand. She always loved seeing the sweet older couples...

The Bookstore loomed ahead, and Sirius stepped out in front to open the door, "I need to look in here as well..."

They split at the door, with a return of greeting to the shopkeeper, and ended up travelling down different aisles. Sirius seemed to know his way, and it took him far from the back wall, with the cobwebs and the label 'dark arts books' that Katherine needed. She feared she would be searching for ages, and might be forced to explain herself to Sirius, but found the Dark Arts books were scarce. Secrets of the Darkest Art was one of the largest volumes in the section, bound in faded black leather.

She ran into Sirius on her way to the front of the shop.

"Find what you were looking for?" he asked.

Katherine nodded, "You?"

He shook his head.

Katherine placed the book face down at the register.

“Ooh, big book…big book,” said the shopkeeper, jovially. He adjusted his glasses as he lifted it to himself to see the cover, “Would you like it wrapped?”

“Yes, please.” said Katherine, with a nervous twitch of her lips.

“That will be –”

Sirius’ head turned quickly. An eruption of noise outside – an argument of sorts – swept under the bookshops’ front door. He glanced back at Katherine, “I might just check that out while you finish up here,”

He tipped his head with an innocuous sort of smile to the shopkeeper –

“Just to be on the safe side, you know.” he tacked on, lightly.

The shopkeeper gave an indulging laugh, and a blinking nod of agreement as he reached for the brown wrapping parchment –

DING! the bell on the door rang as Sirius pushed it open – and then again when it closed behind him. The outline of him remained on the stoop, his hands in his pockets – looking out –

“That will be forty galleons, Miss.”

Katherine opened her velveteen drawstring bag, and began sliding them across to the shopkeeper, counting them out… It was the most she has ever paid for a book.

The shopkeeper was, thankfully, discreet. There was not so much as one curious look for her choice in volume. He lifted the packaged book by the twine, and extended it to her –

“Have a lovely evening.”

Katherine slipped her fingers beneath the string and stepped back with a shy smile, “Thank you.”

The door opened from the outside as she approached. DING! – the bell rang behind her in gentle chimes as Sirius closed the door once more. He proffered his arm to her again, inclining his head –

“I think a bunch of people apparated outside the Hogs Head and went inside before I even got out of the shop,” he said quietly, his eyes scanning around – ever watchful, “The later it gets, the more drunkards come out. I think it’s best if we head back – if you’re done?”

Katherine nodded, shivering and looping her arm through his again –

They began walking back towards Honeydukes, the pole of signs out ahead. Beyond it, the big lit windows of the Great Hall.

“Do you think dinner will be done –”

BANG!

Katherine’s shoulders tensed up to her ears, and the two of them whirled around –

The door to the Hogs Head had slammed open, and out strode three cloaked young wizards. Malfoy’s blond hair shone under the warn glow of the streetlamp, the first thing Katherine recognised –

“Quick.” Sirius whispered, pulling Katherine down an alleyway.

Holding their backs flush to a wall, they waited for the group to pass.

“I only saw Malfoy.” whispered Katherine.

Sirius swallowed, keeping his eyes on the alley entrance, “Rodolphus Lestrange and Dolohov are with him.”

Dolohov, Malfoy’s lieutenant. The Slytherin was still in school, a sixth year – like them.

The footsteps grew louder, and the low murmur of conversation. The three cloaks passed slowly by the entrance of the alley way, glancing down in a diligent surveyal of the area – no matter their state from time spent inside the pub –

Sirius turned, and pressed Katherine to the wall – his arm lifted strategically to shield her face – his body shielding the rest of her. The big book and her bag was pressed up between them, poking into their ribs.

One of them whistled suggestively. A shared chuckle between them, and their shoes began crunching over the hard ground again, passing…

“So – the critters in your house scared away your wife?” came Dolohov’s voice.

Malfoy clicked his tongue, “It’s that blasted thing Bellatrix brought over…”

“Alright. Back to school with you, young lad.” came a third voice that Katherine didn’t recognise – Rodolphus, she supposed.

“Right – and the pair of you are heading back to your bunk beds?”

A moment of spirited back and forth followed before –

POP!

A tenth of second passed –

POP!

A lone set of footsteps crunched on, growing lighter and lighter…

Sirius’ head was turned to them, as he listened.

Katherine’s chest relaxed enough for a huff of laughter, “So, you're related to two out of three –”

Sirius turned back –

“And none of them recognised you.”

Sirius eyes squinted up in laughter, and he shook his head – stepping back –

“Most people turn away when they see – what they think – is snogging,” said Sirius, proffering his arm to her arm again, “We should thank merlin they’re not close enough of relatives to be well acquainted with the back of me…”

They had almost made it to the side alley by Honeydukes when four people popped out of thin air by the sign pole –

“There we have it! Our little sister safely seen back to school!” said one of the wizards, as he warmly shook the shoulder of Alice.

The other wizard shook her other shoulder, “Give Frank a kiss from me.”

Alice, her sister Cecelia, and the two wizards laughed and conversed at the pole – in a seeming farewell. She had passed her apparating test, Katherine deduced.

Katherine tugged on Sirius’ arm where it linked with hers, “Lily told me about her older sister, Cecelia – but who are they?”

“Her brothers – even older,” said Sirius, in mirthful embellishment. He went on to explain, nodding to the four of them, “They’re a big Ministry family, like the Longbottoms. A lot of us met as children that way. The lot of them – and Frank’s older brother and sister – are Aurors.”

“Bye – bye!” came a jolly shout from one of Alice’s brothers.

Alice gave a grand, grinning wave, turning to begin the walk up to the front gates where a professor would be waiting – “Bye!”

Like fireworks were the three consecutive POPs of apparition of her siblings departing. Katherine found herself watching the space where they were, almost expecting to see the smoke of powder that was left with explosives.

Sirius had been watching alongside her. He nudged her, with a smile, and fell back into a walk –

“Come on, we’ll miss the party.”

They consulted the map before sneaking back through the staff door at the back of Honeydukes, locking the door, and placing back the key where they found it. Back through hole in the cellar, down the ladder, and back along the tunnel they went. At the other end, Sirius checked the map one last time, before pushing open the statue. They were home free.

“I’ve got to head along to The Pipes,” said Sirius, with a pointed look to the map as he stowed it away, “You saw the girls waiting back at the common room –”

He wet his lips –

“See you soon, I'm guessing?” he whispered, with dancing eyes.

Katherine pushed down a laugh –

“Katherine?”

Alice strolled through the front doors of the Entrance Hall, her eyes bright – but flashing between Katherine and Sirius, curiously.

Sirius stepped back, away from Katherine, into a walk with a backwards wave.

“You passed?” asked Katherine cheerily, in a light mood from her trip down to Hogsmeade.

Alice cracked a grin, “Yeah. Come on, we’ve got to get the other girls and head to The Pipes.”

Upon retrieving the other girls, Alice led them to the seventh floor where Katherine and Marlene had seen Shacklebolt and the two seventh year girls vanish when they were on the search for Giles’ ghost. From behind a nearby tapestry, Alice picked up a satchel of powder –

“You only have to do this once, and then the entrance will remember your magical signature…” she explained, drawing stars on the backs of the girls’ hands with glittering metallic ash.

“We just… walk through?” asked Marlene, staring at the solid stone wall.

Alice nodded, “Like the train station platform.”

With a smile back at them, Alice demonstrated walking at the wall – and was promptly swallowed by it.

Marlene followed with only a brief moment of hesitation.

Mary jumped through after her.

Lily took Katherine’s hand, and together they walked at the wall – the last left on the other side. Katherine fought the urge to bring her hands up to protect her face, and brace –

The Pipes was a seventh Year hang out spot in disused south tower, with a bunch of gigantic plumbing through it. The hot water that serviced the castle heated the entire place. Scarves and things were hung up around to give an even warmer feeling to the stone and the gleaming copper pipes, and ancient cracked cement ones.

The old cement pipes had stoppers a metre or so inside of them, and seemed to be frequented by couples; holed up inside of them to snog in privacy.

A wizarding wireless fizzed and played throughout the cavernous walls as people practiced delightful little bits of magic to amuse themselves. Magical birds, sparklers, twinkling lights like stars, smoke rings – and even the odd patronus streaked around in the swathes of low light. Starlight streamed in through large windows and glass doors that lead out onto a balcony.

Around the box towers of knock off butterbeer – the caramead – Katherine saw students from all houses, but mostly seventh years. There seemed to be some sort of peace treaty in place. No one seemed to bother anyone else. Dobbs was even there with Avery…

Frank had organised a cake, by some miracle, and at a table by the windows he lit the candles with his wand.

Lily struck up the girls first in a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, and eventually a few stray students – who Katherine didn’t even know the names of – joined in jollily. Even James and Sirius stretched their vocal cords as they stood, butterbeers in hand, with the seventh year Gryffindors; tall enough to blend in.

Katherine and Lily tried to angle Lily’s camera in the low light so they could capture the moment –

Alice leant by the candles, their glow golden on her grinning face –

“Make a wish!” whispered Katherine, her hands around her mouth.

Alice paused, to think –

James pretended to blow out the candles, to the deep tenor laughter of the Quidditch team around them.

Alice swatted him away and blew the candles out to cheers.

Laughter pervaded the darkness in the absence of the might all seventeen of those candles.

With a wave of his wand, Frank removed the candles from the cake with magic – and set them to hover above them, relit. He then handed a knife to Alice –

Lily – snapping photographs – shouted – “And don’t forget to kiss the closest boy!”

Shacklebolt pretended to push Frank out of the way –

Blokeish shouting ensued as they all jostled – some to protect Frank’s position, in Sirius’ case. He stood in front of the others, one arm out, and the other still holding his butterbeer.

Alice plunged the knife down, hitting the bottom.

Frank wrapped her in her arms and pulled her in for a long, passionate kiss.

“Yeah, Longbottom!” cried James, smacking his friend on the bum as he remained locked at the lips with Alice.

Marlene whistled.

When Alice parted from Frank, she righted her paper ‘Birthday Girl’ crown, a deep flush in her cheeks.

Katherine thought her heart was going to fly out of her throat as she grinned with Lily, as she and all the other girls closed in to help cut and distribute the cake on napkins to anyone who wanted some.

The wireless was cranked back up in lieu of the birthday festivities –

“…and here’s Snitch This!”

“I did my time in Hogwarts –”

Katherine laughed with the other girls as they debated the best shape to cut slices in, leaning over Mary to pass a piece to a waiting James.

James took a bite and gave a distorted ‘thanks’ through his chews, before he went back to Dagworth and Shacklebolt.

Over the candles, as Katherine made sure no one else was waiting on a slice, she caught Sirius’ eye – the Hobgoblins still blaring out.

He was talking with James and the other boys from the Quidditch team, as he looked over. Sirius’ eyes shone in the candlelight as he held Katherine’s gaze and lifted his butterbeer to his lips as they slipped up –

“Oh, bugger! I’ve dropped the knife – can you see it?” came Mary’s yell over the music, as she crouched down to look under the table.

Katherine blinked, tearing his eyes from Sirius’ and crouched down to help Mary look.

“Over there…” came a new, low voice.

Dobbs had crouched down, leaving his butterbeer up on the table, to pull the knife out from where it had gotten kicked under some discarded napkins.

Katherine pushed herself up off her hands and knees alongside Mary.

“Thanks.” said Mary, with a laugh as she accepted it back.

Dobbs tipped his head gallantly, “I’m probably going to head back to the dorms soon – would you like a hand to clean up?”

“Yeah, sure.” said Mary, after a breath of surprise.

The sixth year Slytherin prefect looked even taller out of his school uniform, but he moved with careful grace as he scraped crumbs and wax from the table alongside Mary.

An arm pressed in on Katherine’s, and then came the whisper against her ear, “I think they’ve got it handled…”

Remus gave her a smile, tugging on the blue bomber she wore.

His fingers closed gently around her wrist, “Come on.”

Remus tugged her over to one of the ancient cement pipes by the doors of the balcony, through the crowd. No one seemed to notice them go.

“I still really feel like I shouldn’t be here sometimes…on principle…” he mumbled, as he sat on the inside of the pipe’s rim, with a smile to her before looking out around at the debauchery.

Katherine sat beside him, the cool cement working through her jeans.

An echoing, warbled giggle sounded from the pipe next to theirs.

Katherine could not help the face she made as and turned to crawl further inside their pipe – the cement muting the sound from anything outside.

Remus laughed this time, scooting down with her. He looked up, as if assessing the sturdiness of the pipe.

Katherine didn’t like the kind of music the seventh years were playing. One of the seventh-year girls had been tinkering with the wireless after the Hobgoblins had finished, and a slower sort of crooning tune filled the room. The cool off the cement made her shiver.

Remus moved around, facing out of the pipe – to look out and up at the stars – and sat with his legs bent and bowed out –

He held his hands out, his breaths falling in visible white puffs, “Come here – it’s freezing.”

“Do you think it’s the cold coming in through the glass of the windows?” she managed out through sounds of effort as she contorted her body to crawl again.

Katherine went between his legs, turning around. With her to his chest to his back it was a little warmer.

“There are fewer running pipes over here, I doubt the seventh years would think to do warming charms in every single one…” he said, in postulation.

Remus didn’t put his arms around her. He rubbed his hands up and down her jacket arms, however, in an attempt to warm her up.

Katherine, in a moment of appreciative affection, wrapped her arms over his knees. Her hands rested on his broad boyish shins and the thick denim of his jeans.

“Here, I can do bluebell flames…” came Remus’ voice, and his wand out in front of them.

His head came over her shoulder, and together they watched as he non-verbally he conjured a ball of blue flames into his opposite hand.

Katherine watched as her finger, tinged blue, prodded them. While giving off warmth, magical flames never burnt. It made her think of the fire incident over from Diagon Alley… the flames of a Floo were magical, they shouldn’t…

“What are you thinking about?” asked Remus, as he rolled the flames off his hand, and into hers.

Katherine tested the flames in her fingers, watching them dance, “The flat fire.”

A beat passed.

“I… I can’t say I expected you to say that.” said Remus, in a huff of laughter.

“No, I’m actually wondering if you think my hair looks alright.” she joked.

Katherine smiled and rolled the flames back onto his hand. Their fingers were navy silhouettes against the bright burning cerulean.

“Is this about what Professor Dumbledore said – or didn’t say – to you before the try outs?” asked Remus, his cheek moving against her brow as he spoke, “You think the girl being stabbed…the fire… might be the followers or something left behind?”

“Yeah, sort of…” said Katherine, running her fingers through the flames again.

“Have you heard more? Throughout the full moon, or…?”

“He hasn’t told me much,” she admitted, honestly, “No one has said anything untoward about anything that’s been happening at all…”

“If Professor Dumbledore says it’s okay, then I’m sure it’s fine.”

The words were simple. Safe. Diplomatic, even.

They sat like spikes in Katherine’s ears, however. She wished she didn’t, but she bristled –

“Just like last year, then?”

Remus tone took on the drone of a lecture – of a reciting of the school rules, “Katherine, Professor Dumbledore is a very accomplished wizard –”

“You’re biased, Remus,” the words spilled out of her, and she scooted a bit further forward.

She turned to look back at him –

“He came to you when you were young, and promised to help you get an education as normal as any other. You said yourself how grateful you are to him… You take his word as law – and who is to say he’s right?”

“Probably not us,” Remus gave a humourless laugh, and a shake of his head as he eyed her imploringly, “We don’t really know anything.”

“I know enough –” said Katherine feeling the firmness of her own brow as it set “– to know he’s guessing just as much as we are.”

Remus gave a light scoff, looking off. The blue shadows lit a tense neck, “You’ve been here a year…”

Katherine went cold to her toes. Her mouth wouldn’t work, and she felt a great terrible distance from Remus – despite their proximity. The blue bomber jacket around her felt like it was strangling her, she began unzipping it –

Remus’ eyes slid back to her at the sound – “What are you –”

“I can’t believe you said that to me –” something hot and thick gripped her throat as she pulled her arms out of the nylon “– I don’t think I want to wear this anymore…”

She tossed it at him.

Remus sat, bow legged, a pool of blue nylon in his lap. He picked it up in one hand, looking up to her with a half-caught smile of disbelief –

“You’re being silly, Katherine – I didn’t mean –”

“I’ve been here a year,” she repeated, at a hissing whisper, paused from turning and making her exit from the pipe, “Look what Dumbledore has let happen to me. My life was wonderful – before I came here! Everyone was even still alive!”

Remus settled back down from where he had been tensing up – rising to meet her in argument. He still shook his head with a lofty blink –

“Forgive me for not believing that you’re taking it all very seriously,” he came back. The words were cool, and Katherine finally understood how docile Remus Lupin ran with James Potter and Sirius Black. His eyebrows gave a short lift, and his eyes were dark shields, “What with birthday parties, and all your wasted free periods – Katherine, what do you do?”

Katherine felt even colder, and smaller. The lack of a jacket didn’t help. Something horrible and big was rising up between she and Remus in that cement pipe. She didn’t think she could ever forgive him.

She began to cry.

And she hated it.

Remus’ eyes softened immediately.

Katherine turned, not wanting him to watch her, and scurried out of the last bit of the pipe.

Remus crawled after her, managing to catch one of her belt loops, “Katherine –”

Katherine kicked back blindly –

“Don’t.” she choked, willing back sobs.

He let go.

Katherine’s hand found the rim of the pipe, and she pulled herself out. Her arms went around herself – feeling naked in her t-shirt. Out of the stuffy pipe, the clear air cleared her welling eyes, and she tried to re-orientate herself in the tilting room of scarfs and low, glowing lights. She wanted to go quickly – she didn’t want Remus to catch her – she risked a glance back…

Remus was climbing out of the end of the pipe, holding the blue bomber in one hand and smoothing his hair with the other.

Cramping, her legs moved clumsily as Katherine forced pace into them. She ran into someone –

“Sorry, I’m so sorry –” her words died.

It was James.

“It’s alright,” he said cheerily, with a hand gripping her shoulder, he looked behind her, “Oh, here comes Moony too!”

Katherine felt every nerve ending on her body zap. She had to go –

“Hang on, he’s got your jacket, Katherine.” said James, oblivious, holding her in place.

Dagworth grinned and made an elbow-bumping gesture to Katherine, even across the group of Quidditch players – “Got you out of your jacket, did he? Remus Lupin, that cad…”

Shacklebolt have a head-shaking laugh.

Katherine glanced back, and jumped –

Remus was right behind her.

“Katherine…” he tried again, his shoulders fallen.

Katherine broke James’ hold. She went under his arm and slipped around the group.

The group were still laughing about something – and hadn’t noticed. Even James, who just seemed momentarily perplexed as to where she had ducked off to from beneath his hand, before getting back into the conversation.

The groups of students felt like molasses Katherine had to traverse through, and she couldn’t see any of her friends…

Glancing back, she found that Remus was not following. He was rubbing the back of his neck while he tried to participate in a lacklustre fashion in the conversation he had happened across.

The only eyes she found on her, were on a member of the boys’ group, on the wall on the window end. Who would have seen the whole kerfuffle of Remus chasing her out of the cement pipe –

Sirius’ eyes followed her, searching between she and Remus, an off-kilter sort of gleam to them –

“Katherine! There you are!”

Lily’s hand slid onto Katherine’s shoulder, and she inclined her head to he heard over the noise –

“Sue Bond tried something a bit harder than butterbeer and spewed on Cal Roberts –” she explained, with a grimace of empathy, “He’s left her here. All her friends have already gone back to their dormitory. We’re going to help her to the Ravenclaw common room… come on.”

Lily held out her hand.

Katherine took it.

Together they slid through the crowd like they were slicked in oil. They were getting out of there… finally…

All week she had looked forward to Alice’s night.

She couldn’t have possibly foreseen her own desperation in those moments for it to end…

Sue Bond’s tears, Katherine found, were to trump her own, however.

“I thought he loved me!” she sobbed, her legs giving out.

“Woah…” said Lily –

She and Katherine caught Sue from falling in a heap to the ground with their grip on her arms, as they marched her two by two along a corridor. Katherine wasn’t looking forward to the stairs. She looked ahead, thinking of the distance they had to cover before they even set back for Gryffindor Tower.

If she just passed out…

A niggle came in behind Katherine’s ear –

…then we could just levitate her.

Katherine glanced at Lily.

Lily glanced at Katherine.

Had they just…?

Sue had another collapsing episode of the stairs, and the girls had to crouch down with her to the stone –

“I know, I know…” cooed Lily, pulling back vomit-streaked hair from Sue’s face, “Love always hurts, doesn't it? Boys are rats…”

Sitting on the stone, Katherine burst out into a cry of mirthless laughter.

She turned to Lily, drained, “Do you want to know what happened with Remus tonight?”

“What?” asked Lily, with a blink of surprise, leaning forward unpreoccupied.

Sue laid down then, with demented sort of smile on her face.

Katherine leant over to check she was still breathing, “Oh, she’s out…”

Lily whipped out her wand, and gave a swish and a flick –

Sue levitated in front of them as Lily locked arms with Katherine, “So, what happened?”

On the walk to Ravenclaw Tower, Katherine recanted the whole fifteen minutes she spent in a pipe with Remus Lupin, and why she was jacket-less…

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 50: Bubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble

Katherine woke the next morning with her period.

“Oh…bugger –” she huffed, breaking off as she felt the familiar twinges in her hips.

She pushed back her blankets and made for the bathroom, with a brief stop to dip her hand into her top drawer for fresh underpants. As Katherine sat on the toilet, wiping sleep from her eyes, she wondered – had that been why she had been so quick to argue with Remus the previous night?

Katherine did the spell Alice taught her in fifth year on her underpants – to make sure that anything that touched them was automatically vanished – and headed back out to the dormitory as the girls slowly woke and went about their morning routines.

She and Lily decided to not tell Alice what had happened the previous night. At least for a day or so – to let her bask in her glow of her birthday and passing of her apparating test. Katherine and Remus didn’t tend to spend weekends together. It would be impossible to know the true impact of what had happened until Monday. Still, there was the hope…

Maybe it would all blow over.

The weekend passed with brief showings at meals – in which Katherine would strategically position herself to hide behind her friends – and then Katherine and Lily further experimenting with reading each other’s thoughts. They even progressed to standing; one in the dormitory, and one in the bathroom – with the door closed. They were focusing on sending direct messages to each other, rather than reading every single passing thought.

 “Is your hand on your heart?” Lily would check from the other side – “– and close your eyes!”

In the between moments, when her friends were out of the dormitory, Katherine unwrapped her new book she had gotten from Hogsmeade and shoved it under her bed. She would have time to read it later in the week during her free periods…

 

---

 

September changed into October as the new school week began.

On that Monday morning, the groups of sixth year Gryffindor boys and girls stood around outside their respective classrooms. Neither Katherine nor Remus greeted each other or looked in the other’s general direction. They just stood with their friends, ignoring the other.

Katherine felt sick to the stomach. With it, came the warm prickles around her eyes – of tears coming. She was trying to be mature about it all, but she didn’t know how much longer she could continue to stand there…

Sirius held her eye across the group as he snacked on something he was pulling out of his robe pockets. With fading laughter, at something James had said, he crossed the conjoined groups and leant against the wall beside Katherine and Lily.

“Fudge mint square?” he asked, sideways, producing a purple wrapped square as he watched his friends’ conversation he had just left.

Katherine tentatively accepted the square, “I’ve never had one.”

“If you don’t like it, you can spit it out. I don’t mind.” said Sirius, with a shrug.

Katherine unwrapped the plush fudge square, and plopped it in her mouth – the chocolate waxiness giving way to a burst of mint. It refreshed her entire mouth within a few chews. Something about having Sirius standing arm to arm with her, made Katherine feel less sick too – along with the mint. Had it really only been two nights since their trip down the tunnel?

“I’m off, love.” announced Frank, as foot traffic began to increase around them with the imminent ringing of the bell –

He hooked an arm around the back of Alice’s neck, and pressed a quick kiss to her lips –

Alice braced herself on his arms, before waving as he turned to weave out of their group.

Peter sheepishly tacked a kiss onto Mary’s cheek, then followed Frank.

Remus went too. He didn’t say goodbye. He did, however, glance back, rubbing the back of his neck.

Katherine watched him go, but turned into Sirius, “Is he mad?”

“At what?” asked Sirius, glancing down with a blink.

Katherine wrestled internally for a second –

“We had a disagreement about Professor Dumbledore, believe it or not. At The Pipes.” she explained, battling with a frown.

Remus rounded the corner, and his fluffy head of hair was gone.

Katherine looked up to Sirius.

Sirius’ lips twitched, and he bowed his head –

“With all of Dumbledore's extra interest you, I think most people assume you’re his number one fan.” he said, lightly.

Katherine huffed, shaking her head and looking out to watch where James and Marlene were still conversing, “No, that’s Remus.”

A short cry of laughter caught in Sirius throat, and he looked to her anew – surprise in his eyes. With an amused sigh, he wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her arm.

A sigh deflated Katherine’s chest, and she leant her head on his chest.

“I actually rather thought, maybe it might have been about…” Sirius trailed off as his eyes followed Marlene jogging after James as the other boy went to leave.

“… I know –” was all that Katherine could hear of what Marlene said.

James sighed resignedly and held out a hand.

Marlene placed something small into his hand, and then they walked off together, still lightly bickering – it seemed…

“Oh, heavens, I’m going to have to sit through that, aren’t I?” asked Sirius, looking to rafters above. He slowly pulled his arm from around Katherine, and stood from the wall, clutching his bag strap to his shoulder, “See you after classes?”

Katherine wished she could.

She gave a slow shake of her head, “I’m meeting with Zabini.”

Sirius made a face, his upper lip pulling up from his teeth slightly, as he began to fall backwards into a walk –

“If you see a suspicious, quivering bush –”

He pointed his thumb back up at himself.

Katherine laughed, but waved as he went.

Sirius waved back, before clocking Lily beside Katherine – he made a show of waving to her too.

Lily just watched him go, blinking slowly. Disbelief across her face.

Sirius laughed – as if at his own joke – then turned and fell into his usual, swaggering bow-legged stride.

Lily and the others eventually streamed into their class, and Katherine traipsed back up to the dormitory – not having one.

Until her actual first class of the day, Katherine instead began flicking through Secrets of the Darkest Art. It was essentially an encyclopaedia. Arranged in alphabetical order, Katherine had even opened it accidentally to the page that described how to make Inferi when struggling with the weight of it. Professor Zabini had certainly not covered that in their Defence Against the Dark Arts lecture on the creatures…

Was it Regulus who had dropped the book recommendation into her pocket in the hallway? What could he know – that she didn’t? And if it wasn’t Regulus… then who?

She had barely gotten through the first ‘A’ section when she had to load it into her bag with her other textbooks and head off to meet the girls again for Divination. Also, in her pocket, she had the slip of parchment she had received from Zabini – with the time and place of their meeting on it. She kept referring to it, not wanting to mix it up.

4.30pm. The Beech tree down by the lake.

All day it felt like a stone in her pocket, weighing on her until she crossed the lawns that early evening, cicadas humming.

The black dot of Zabini's robes grew larger and larger as Katherine approached, and so did her dread. By the time she reached him, Katherine thought she may vomit.

Barely turning his head, Zabini swept his cool gaze across Katherine, "You are to run laps around the lake, no cutting corners."

"But I'm not dressed for running!" Katherine spluttered.

"Do you think your foes will wait for you to change clothing when they decide to attack?" asked Zabini, as amused as he could be without his lips deviating from their straight line.

Katherine could only blink, her robes suddenly feeling very heavy and constrictive.

"Well, go."

Face numb with incredulity, Katherine did.

Her feet fell easily at first, and then her ankles began to burn halfway through her first lap. Stamina – she had, muscle – she did not.

With every outward huff of air, Katherine cursed Zabini a new way. She only paused her verbal lashing when she passed the man where he sat on a boulder, reading and yelling out the number of the lap she had completed.

It was at the yelling of '10' and when the lights of the castle glowed like torches from the windows, that Zabini allowed Katherine to head to dinner, sore and damp from an early evening drizzle.

"What did he teach you?" Lily asked, frowning at Katherine's appearance when her friend sat down at dinner.

Katherine couldn't move the dark expression from her face, "How to run away."

Zabini passed the sixth year Gryffindors, robes flapping, and whistling, the closest to a smile Katherine had ever seen him.

"Well cheer up, we've got our first apparating class tomorrow." said Lily, plucking a leaf from Katherine's stringy, wet hair.

 

---

 

It was to be one of Katherine’s busiest weeks at Hogwarts so far. Between busting up with Remus, not talking to Remus, telling Alice and the other girls finally just why that was, her free periods being exclusively spent at the library reading all the way up to ‘G’ in Secrets of the Darkest Art (as well as some homework), her lesson with Zabini, observing Regulus Black at meals, and then – she had her first apparating lesson, to top it off.

Wilkie Twycross was the young bespectacled examiner the Ministry had sent along to Hogwarts, to instruct the sixth years – and any seventh years who had failed the previous year. Alice, Frank, and Dobbs were the only ones allowed to sit out. They sat on the house tables that had been pushed to the sides of the Great Hall. Spread out on the floor, were hoops that they were supposed to jump between – in apparition.

Most were eager. Katherine, and Lily, were among the others approaching it a bit more cautiously.

Remus was the first of the boys to get it. On one lazy go after dozens, he turned on the spot, swirling into a pin-prick of nothingness, then re-appeared – as if in a gust of wind. He looked just as surprised as one would with a sudden, blowing gale.

Katherine met his unguarded gaze, and between them – hesitation. This was where she would congratulate him – ask him how he did it…

Lily gave him a smile – she seemed to not be as overtly friendly with him ever since the incident at The Pipes – but Katherine knew they were on good terms for their prefect duties.

Katherine went back to trying her own spins, almost not wanting to go – lest she end up splinched like some of the others.

James and Sirius kept trying to push each other over as they did their spins.

"Destination, determination, and deliberation!" echoed Twycross through the hall, clapping his hands together. He frowned as the second stretcher of the morning passed, on it was Greengrass with a splinched hand, "Not distraction! There are only three D's of apparition!"

Katherine paused in her attempt as Greengrass' stretcher passed.

"My diary – you need to bring my diary!"

"Yes, yes – someone will fetch it…" said Flitwick as he levitated her stretcher.

Katherine frowned in confusion as she watched Flint rush to place the requested leather book in Greengrass' remaining hand. She couldn't help but wonder what was so important about the diary – and if there were anything in there about Katherine…

She sighed and used the sleeve of her robe to dab at her nose. The night of running around the lake in the early evening drizzle leaving her with the beginnings of a cold.

“Oh –” Twycross stopped by Katherine, with a hand on her shoulder, pulling her out of her hoop, “I would have had you sit out if I knew you were sick – it’s dangerous when the mind’s in an addled state… over here… over here. You can try again next time.”

Twycross had steered Katherine over to Alice, Frank and Dobbs. Not knowing who her friends were, he had deposited her next to Dobbs.

Katherine felt in inopportune rising at the back of her throat and nose, speedily lifting a hand to her face, “A – choo!”

Dobbs non-verbally conjured a tissue and held it out, undoubtedly seeing the spray on Katherine’s sleeve. He had the grace to keep looking straight ahead blankly.

“Thank you.” said Katherine, with a sick-heavy huff of laughter, taking the tissue.

Just as Peter splinched his finger in the group in front of them, Mary managed a perfect – injury free – apparition.

“Oh my gosh – I did it.”

Lily high-fived her, “Good job, Mary!”

Cheerily, Mary waved over at Katherine.

Katherine waved back.

Dobbs leant forward slightly, and his eyes slid sideways to Katherine, “Are you coming tonight?”

She almost forgot he was a Slytherin for a moment.

“If I don’t get any worse.” said Katherine into her tissue, with a nod.

Katherine would not be making a return to the Hall for dinner, as it was also the night of Slughorn's first dinner of the term. Dobbs was also invited – hence his asking. Albeit unexpectedly.

Upon returning to the dorms, Katherine picked out her outfit. She placed it on the bathroom sink and stared at herself in the mirror a long moment. It was becoming a struggle to prioritise everything. Unlike Remus seemed to think, she had yet to even give any further thought to the next bleeding birthday coming up – which was Sirius’. Katherine had hardly even seen Sirius that week…

She slowly got dressed and left the bathroom for Lily and Alice to get ready in. Then she laid on her back on her bed until it was time to go, with a head full of congestion and eyes that filled and leaked.

“Come on, Katherine. To dinner – and then Madame Pomfrey, likely.” said Lily, standing at Katherine’s knees with her hands on her hips.

She had to go. What would Professor Dumbledore think of her otherwise?

In the common room, Alice split for Frank, and they steamed ahead on the way down to the dungeons.

Katherine and Lily walked behind Sirius and James, passing the Great Hall and the students streaming in for their regular dinner. A tissue stayed in Katherine’s hand the whole way, her eyes so bleary that she navigated by the familiar back of Sirius’ head as he chatted with James.

It was as Katherine paused outside the door to do one last mighty blow of her nose, that she noticed something off – in all her sick delirium –

Sirius had walked through the door.

Katherine and Lily shared a look before following the boys in. Weaving through the small mingling groups, the girls only had just come to stand beside them – yet to ask after Sirius’ sudden appearance at one of Slughorn’s soirées – when Katherine had sighted Regulus, back-to-back with Lily, as he conversed with Dobbs. How was she going to investigate if he had sent the note with everyone around…

"Mister Black!" Slughorn greeted excitedly.

"Yes?" Sirius and Regulus chorused.

They looked to Slughorn and then at each other.

"Oh, him." said Regulus, turning his head and taking a long sip from his goblet.

"What a pleasant surprise," Slughorn laughed merrily, resting a bejewelled hand on the buttons of his vest. He held up his goblet to the group, "And Katherine! Good to see you here too as always!"

Katherine gulped a scratchy throat and gave the professor a smile. She couldn’t see any talk happening with the Professor that night on what Dumbledore sought…

Mostly, Katherine just wanted a hot shower – and to go to bed.

“Alright, everyone! Let us be seated!” announced Slughorn, splaying his arms wide.

Greengrass had somehow made her way back into Slughorn's good graces, becoming alarmingly good at potions since the beginning of term. The only other Slytherin apart from Regulus and Dobbs, Slughorn guided the girl to sit next to her fellow housemates. That left two seats between Greengrass and James.

Sirius predictably took the seat next to James, that left the one next to Greengrass for Katherine.

Regulus stood and gestured politely to Greengrass, "Would you care to swap, Griselda, to be next to Professor Slughorn?"

Katherine waited for the snarky comment, for a huff – the raising of her chin – for anything. Anything but the sweet smile Greengrass gave Regulus.

"Of course, Black."

When the smile was then transferred to Katherine, the flash of malice in her eyes was plain to see.

Before she sat, Katherine checked her seat in paranoia before taking her place between Regulus and Sirius.

The food magically appeared on the dishes in the centre of the table as it did in the Great Hall and Slughorn lifted his goblet for a toast.

"To a new year!"

Katherine clinked goblets with Regulus and Sirius, but hesitated on taking a sip after locking eyes with Greengrass who lifted her goblet to Katherine before she took her first sip, watching Katherine too closely for comfort.

Throughout the course of dinner, Katherine found excuses to check her goblet, inspecting it for off colours or smells. She was still yet to take a sip as dessert was cleaned off mostly everyone's plate. Regulus had been glancing at her intermittently – Sirius too.

She must have seemed odd.

The table laughed at something Slughorn had said – Katherine hadn't been paying attention. She was parched. She laughed, and then, as her lips cracked with dryness, she took a sip. It would be best to be poisoned in a room full of witnesses, she decided.

But it tasted fine, exactly like butterbeer should do. Nothing out of the ordinary sprouted from her person, and her skin remained its normal colour. Relieved, Katherine let herself engage in the conversations going around the table once more.

Pressure on Katherine's thigh alerted her to the presence of someone's hand – the only thing out of the ordinary that happened. She glanced to her right, where Regulus sat. His hand was no longer on the table and had disappeared under the tablecloth.

Katherine's face flared red-hot when he began rubbing circles into the skin above her knee. Her hand immediately went to gently swat his away. Her eyes flashed around. No one had detected anything out of the ordinary.

"Reg-Regulus… what…" Katherine whispered urgently, "What are you doing?"

Katherine's chest spasmed at the sharp intake of breath. Her inability to breathe properly did nothing to help her red skin. Still, no one was looking.

"Have you been drinking?" she rushed out, breathless in shock – and sickness.

She swiped his goblet from beside his bowl and swayed it beneath her nose. But instead of the stench of alcohol, she smelt soap and…firewood – Amortentia.

"Sirius," Katherine whispered urgently to the boy of her other side, nodding to Regulus, "Someone's given him a love potion."

Sirius pulled his now-clean spoon out of his mouth with a frown.

"What?" he whispered back.

Katherine pushed Regulus' hand from the inside of her upper thigh back down to her knee.

Sirius pulled his brother back by his collar very quickly after that, clearing his throat and catching Slughorn's eye.

"Professor Slughorn, may my brother and I be excused?" Sirius inquired with a suddenly honeyed grin, "He has a chronic… stomach thing…"

Slughorn put his spoon down, frowning all the while. His watery eyes flitted from Regulus to Sirius intermittently. Regulus, doped up from love potion, was fidgeting and groaning to be allowed to be with Katherine. It helped their case, Slughorn unable to hear what he was groaning for.

"Oh, er," Slughorn mumbled before gesturing that the boys could stand, "Very well."

Sirius stood, his hand leaving Regulus' collar and his arm snaking around his brother's tapered waist as if to hold him up.

"I'm going to need Katherine's assistance, if you could spare her absence?" Sirius inquired; his words broken in the effort of keeping his brother in line.

"If it's serious, perhaps you should take him to Pomfrey in the hospital wing –"

"No, no," Sirius cut Slughorn off with one hand waving down the idea, "He's had it since he was little, I can manage it fine with a little help to brew the potion."

Slughorn looked unconvinced.

"Okay, if you're sure," Slughorn conceded reluctantly, his eyes falling to Katherine, "Go lend him your assistance, Katherine."

"Yes, sir," Katherine replied, standing and smoothing out her dress, "Thank you for dinner."

As soon as the three were out in the hallway, Regulus made a reach for Katherine. He managed to slip away from his older brother.

In a last-ditch effort, Sirius stunned Regulus.

"Oh, for goodness’ sake…" Sirius whispered in reprimand as he caught his slumped brother.

Sirius gestured for her to get on Regulus' other side and help him carry his brother.

Katherine did just that, holding Regulus' arm around her shoulders and wrapping one of hers around his back.

"What are we going to do with him?" Sirius grunted out as they turned onto the next hallway.

Katherine shifted her hold, Regulus' feet dragging on the ground too much. Sirius had more than a full head on Katherine in height, so they wouldn't be able to carry him evenly no matter how she held the younger boy.

"For the most part, we just have to let the potion run its course, I think," Katherine answered through her light pants, remembering her textbook, "It will last a few hours at most."

"So, take him back to his dormitory?" Sirius asked, looking at her over the back of Regulus' head that had lolled forward.

Katherine, not knowing what else to do, nodded.

So, the two Gryffindors struggled down the hallways of the dungeons, a Slytherin held up between them. But when they got to the Slytherin door, Katherine realised the flaw in her suggestion. She turned to Sirius, but he was already opening his mouth, his eyes set keenly on the door.

"Ogden."

Katherine didn't ask how Sirius knew the password to the common room.

“How are we going to get past everyone?” she did ask.

Sirius gave his wand a complicated little wave that would save them getting a detention, "Disillusionment Charm."

Virtually invisible, they breezed past the common room and found an empty Fifth Year Boys' dormitory. They set him down on his bed, endeavouring to not be tripped by his invisible legs.

Sirius waved his wand and Regulus entered the visible spectrum once more. It became apparent that Sirius and Katherine were terrible at guessing his body parts. Regulus' robes were ruffled to the extreme, his legs on the bed and his head at an odd angle against the floorboards.

An invisible force, a Disillusioned Sirius, lifted Regulus' head onto the bed.

Katherine hesitated, "We can't just leave him like this..."

"…we'll put a pillow under his head." came Sirius’ whisper.

They very well couldn’t stick around in the Slytherin Dungeons much longer. Disillusioned or not.

Then they crept out the way they came, skirting clueless students streaming through the common room and up to their dormitories. There was even one scary moment, where Dolohov seemed to look right at them. Katherine was scared anyway. Sirius just tugged on her hand, guiding her to the entrance, and they waited at the door for someone to come through – it was to be Dobbs, coming back from the party, in the end.

Only when they were in the next hallway over from the entrance to the Slytherin common room, did Sirius take the charm off of them.

Sirius looked around, raking a hand across his forehead, before looking to Katherine, thought clear in his eyes, “A love potion...”

Katherine remembered, at once, that this concerned Sirius’ brother. Regardless of how things seemed between them. She didn’t have any siblings, but she imagined that – if she were him – Katherine would feel… touchy about it. Should she tell Sirius about the note – and the book? She wouldn’t be able to stop with it, she would have to go on and explain everything else as well, to make sense of it…

“Do you think it was it meant for him?” asked Katherine, feeling as stumped as he looked.

Sirius lips pulled, and he gave a half shake of his head –

“He doesn’t really have any enemies in the castle,” he said, before nodding down to her, “You, on the other hand…”

Katherine nodded in acceptance, before gnawing on her bottom lip –

“Greengrass was acting weird...” she confessed, shaking her head at the memory – trying to see something in retrospect that might have indicated what the true purpose of it was…

Psst.

Katherine jumped, and glanced around, “What was that?”

“It’s alright,” said Sirius calmly, laying a hand on her shoulder. With the other, he pulled out a jagged piece of glass – of mirror – from his pocket, “James?”

“I can see you two down in the dungeons on the map… what happened?” came James’ voice.

Sirius glanced around before speaking into the mirror, “Look, not here. Get the others. Katherine and I will meet you at The Pipes…”

Before Sirius stowed the mirror away, Katherine caught sight of James’ brow and spectacles.

Katherine blinked, “Where did you get them?”

“Made them,” said Sirius, with a little smile, tipping his head, “It’s a charm – I’ll show you one day – but we’ve got to get up there before any teachers or prefects spot us…”

He took her hand, and then they both started running. The Pipes was nine levels up from the second floor of the dungeons and it was clear that he didn’t have the map. When they passed through the wall, eight others were waiting on the other side. Even Remus. All – bar Lily, James, Alice, and Frank – were in their pyjamas.

James glanced between Katherine and Sirius, an amused light in his eye, “I saw some of it. But… what – in the name of merlin – happened?”

Katherine looked to Sirius.

He was already looking, and said with glinting eyes “…oh, I think Katherine has the most information…”

Katherine started in on an explanation, beginning with when they arrived at the dinner party, and the shuffle of seats…

"A love potion?" Lily's face twisted around the words, at the end of the explanation.

Katherine and Sirius nodded, looking to each other at the synced motion before looking back to their friends.

"Who would do that?" Alice asked from Frank's lap.

“Greengrass is the most likely culprit, I think – but –” Katherine spared a sympathetic glance to Lily before going on “– I wouldn’t put it past Snape, either, after last year. Or them working together…”

Sirius nodded beside her, before wetting his lips, “I would consider Dolohov, as well.”

Katherine looked to him, in surprise – before remembering their trip down to Hogsmeade. She then nodded, having to get used to the prospect. Katherine had never even spoken to Dolohov…

A few yawns went around the group, as they sat in contemplative quiet.

Katherine felt at a loss, and asked, “Should we, you know, tell a teacher?”

The room became even more quiet, if possible.

Katherine looked around and found nine sets of eyes on her.

Her cheeks began to warm –

“Yes – yes, we should.” said an unexpected voice.

Remus had stepped forward from the others and was looking at her with a light in his eye, slightly shocked, but pleased.

Sirius made the most subtle of expressions, and hummed – in seeming suggestion of the opposite.

Lily was still shaking her head, “I just want to know… why…”

Katherine did too.

She stood between Remus and Sirius; lost.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 51: A Ream of Unlikely Events

After the love potion at Slughorn’s dinner, the sixth year Gryffindors were left guessing at things. How bad they were… if it were really an innocent joke...

Katherine used to be able to go to Giles. He would cut through it all, give her the facts he could, reassure her, and send her on her way. Twitching in her body was the muscle memory of the trip to the DADA classroom. Zabini would be there, however.

Not knowing what else to do, they went about as normal. Just more watchful. The girls moved as a group to the Quidditch Pitch the following morning for a Gryffindor Practise, to support Marlene. It felt settling on one’s nerves when they were all in eyesight of one another too.

They sat huddled in their cloaks, on the benches at the top of their usual spectator tower –

“You know, Greengrass was probably going for Sirius,” whispered Alice, through chattering teeth, “To make Remus jealous. It might have been just completely petty – wanting to make your life difficult.”

Mary looked around Alice, with pointed assurance to Katherine, “Which – we know is stupid, but the boys –”

“Are stupid.” tacked on Lily, with a laugh.

The girls shared shivering laughs.

Remus and Peter glanced back from where they leant on the front of the tower – separate from the girls. They wouldn't be able to hear more than the girls' laughter.

Alice perked up, her eyes skywards, “Oh, it looks like James is wrapping up the practise…”

They trudged down the red tarpaulin-wrapped tower stairs behind Remus and Peter and waited by the edge of the pitch for Marlene. Frank came over, and laid a kiss on Alice’s forehead, before taking her hand and pulling her back up towards the castle. Sirius passed with Shacklebolt and Dagworth too, smoothing his hair and catching Katherine’s eye –

It had been a while since they had talked – alone. Which was one of the rare times anything seemed to make any sense.

“McKinnon!” called James, as he packed away the bludgers, quaffles, and the snitch into the box –

Marlene turned from her trip over to the girls –

James crooked a finger in a ‘come here’ motion.

“You go,” said Marlene to the girls, “I’ll catch you up at the castle.”

She then turned and jogged over to a waiting James. Their heads bowed in conversation, but Katherine couldn’t hear it. She and the girls turned and made their way back up to the castle for Breakfast. On their way, they went past a few seventh years girls crying to Professors in the hallways – and some seventh year boys leaning on pillars, asleep.

The stress of the approaching exams before the Christmas Holidays was evidently already mounting.

Everyone thinking about their futures more seriously, it seemed. In her spare moments, Alice, notably, spent time mapping out her schedule – up until graduation. To maximise the efficiency of her efforts to get into the Auror training program right out of Hogwarts. She even had her morning toilet trips factored in.

“Alright there, young Regulus?” came Slughorn’s jolly greeting as he caught the boy on his way into the Great Hall.

Regulus gave a sheepish smile, clutching at his chest, “Yes, sir. My apologies for interrupting your dinner, again…”

Katherine’s feet had stopped.

Over Slughorn’s shoulder, they caught eyes.

Regulus’ eyes slid to Katherine’s friends, then back again.

Katherine turned to Lily – to find her already looking.

“Go in,” whispered Katherine, nodding to the double doors, “I’ll be fine talking to him out here.”

Lily nodded, albeit hesitantly, and ushered the others along from behind – who had not noticed Regulus.

Regulus politely carried out his conversation with Slughorn, before excusing himself. With eyes on Katherine, he walked toward her purposefully – ‘kitchens’ he whispered as he passed and did not stop.

Katherine turned with him as he passed in the near empty Entrance Hall, and followed him as inconspicuously as possible down to the kitchens. After greeting the house elves, who were busy preparing dishes to send up to breakfast, Katherine took her bag off her back and rested it on a bench at one of the tables.

Regulus reached for a tea set, pouring a cup – offering it to Katherine.

She took it, and let it warm her hands.

An odd feeling – the memory of the physical touching of the previous night– danced around them, invisible.

"It was Greengrass, wasn’t it?” she asked, watching him pour his own cup.

Regulus put the teapot back down and lifted his cup to his lips – nodding. He swallowed, wetting his lips, and eyed her – without any self-consciousness despite what had transpired.

"I would say she wanted to cut you off from everyone, one friend at a time. As none of you particularly like or trust Slytherins. My, er, uncharacteristic affection might have started something." Regulus explained, with a shrug.

He took another sip.

Katherine took her own sip, and swallowed it slowly, in contemplation, "She took a big risk, she didn't know which goblet was Sirius’, and which goblet was yours, until we sat down."

Regulus stared at Katherine strangely for a moment.

"I didn’t say she’s of the mastermind variety." Regulus finally said, a small smile on his lips and his eyes glittering.

Katherine could not hold it in anymore, "So, what is it with you lately? Since last year, actually…”

Regulus gave her a meaningful look, eyebrows raised.

"Despite my better judgement, I am trying to help you."

Katherine sighed, putting down her teacup.

"Then stop speaking to me in rhymes and riddles," She looked back at him, feeling her face all but crack open in frustration, “Please, just…"

Regulus turned his head, frowning at the flagstone floor, "I am not supposed to be helping you,"

He turned his eyes back to Katherine, an electric blue – crackling with his own internal battle.

"If you met my family, you would understand."

Katherine blew out a breath in amusement, "What's Sirius then?"

Regulus' lips twitched, and he stared off with a distant expression at the fireplace down the end of the room.

"Sirius…he's different," said Regulus, frowning, "He always has been."

His throat bobbed violently, and he turned away again.

"With a very few exceptions, I and my family knew nothing of the world beyond our own," His eyes raised, completely unguarded. He shook his head as he gazed imploringly at Katherine –

"How could I have known how unusual we were?"

Katherine did not know what to say, but she… understood. As much as she could, anyway. She nodded and let him drink from his teacup for a moment.

“So,” she said, as she picked up the straps of her bag, sensing their imminent parting, “How much do I need to worry about Greengrass?”

Regulus put his drained teacup down on the table, “She’s not the one playing the game of chess against you.”

“Is she a piece on the board?” asked Katherine, the flap of her bag breaking open at the weight of all her books – and the sizeable tome that was Secrets of the Darkest Art.

Regulus’ eyes found the bound ancient black leather of the book peeking out the top of Katherine’s bag, and said, lifting his eyes again, “Aren’t we all?”

 

---

 

The calm cool breeze of the mountains, the clear blue skies, were all but gone as October got into full swing. Cloudy, blustering days were upon them. Katherine felt like her body was a dam wall – and it was cracking. Out threatened to come everything she knew – what was really going on with Dumbledore. She had to physically hold herself back in quiet moments with the others.

Nothing further happened with Greengrass, however. It was proving to be a waiting game.

On the day that news broke in the Prophet that Gary Gilchrest’s engagement fell through, it seemed to be the last thing on Marlene’s mind. She pulled the girls up to the dormitory after dinner, like she had ants in her pants. Once the door closed behind them, she reached under her bed and pulled out a large crumpled brown parchment bag.

“After seeing what happened to Sue Bond at The Pipes –”

Marlene opened the bag and pulled out a bottle. On the label, was ‘Ogden’s Finest Firewhisky’ –

“I think it’s safe to say that none of us want to be the girl left abandoned by the boys for getting too sloshed.”

“Is this what you were conspiring about with Potter?” asked Lily, closing it and taking the bottle – eyeing it.

Marlene nodded, “He has some sort of way of getting things from Hogsmeade. I paid him in kind, and he came through –”

Marlene took the bottle back from Lily, and waved it at the girls –

“So, what do you say?”

Alice cracked the fingers on the hand she had raked down her face, to peer out, “Oh, alright. Let’s see what the fuss is all about…”

Out of the bag came two bottles of Butterbeer, in case they didn’t like the taste. Alice, the best at Transfiguration, turned the bottle caps into cups for the firewhisky to be poured into for each girl. They stared around at each other, in a circle on the floor – no one daring to take a sip.

“Ready?” asked Marlene, lifting her cup.

Lily made a bracing expression, and clinked her glass with Marlene, “Cheers.”

The other girls followed suit –

“Cheers!” they chorused.

As one, they tipped back their glasses.

Katherine swallowed, resisting making a face. Firewhisky burned...

“Gosh, that’s terrible…” said Marlene, taking her next sip, her mouth twisting again.

Alice swirled her glass, clicking her tongue as she tasted, “Maybe it gets better as you have more of it… and get used to it…”

“Could I have some of that Butterbeer, actually…” asked Katherine, reaching a hand over to Marlene.

Marlene handed the Butterbeer over.

Relieved to have it in her grasp, Katherine began downing it – that was enough firewhisky for her…

As the girls sipped, their conversation circled around the love potion – and then, naturally, Remus.

“Was I stupid?” asked Katherine, beginning to feel sick from all the butterbeer she had downed to get the taste out of her mouth.

Mary shook her head as she nursed her first glass still, “No.”

“Definitely not.” agreed Lily, pouring her third glass.

Alice hiccupped, and put her second cup down – finished, “Frank and I are keeping track of the stuff in the Prophet, what they put on the front page and what they bury in the back pages.”

“…and Dumbledore?” she broached, carefully.

“I think you were right in the way that he’s guessing as much as we are, for the most part,” said Alice, gulping a burp, “I don’t think he means to neglect you, though.”

Mary nodded, “Maybe if you told one of the other professors how you were feeling? He might be able to reassure you. Help you…”

Katherine thought there was nothing she would like to do less.

“Yeah.” she said, just to reply.

Lily shook her head, sipping on her new glass, “It’s just not like Remus to go off on someone like that, though…”

Katherine toyed with the label on the bottle of Butterbeer.

“I don’t know… maybe it is…” she said, in thought.

“Black shouldered him in the hallway on the way out of class, after Runes. Things are definitely tense between them,” said Marlene, putting the empty bottle of firewhisky back into the brown bag, “Maybe you just caught him at the wrong time.”

Katherine shook her head at the memory, watching Marlene shove the bag back under her bed, “It doesn’t change that he meant it – he really did, you should have seen his eyes…”

“Then forget him,” said Marlene, dusting her hands, and offering Katherine a smile, “Be like me – and get it all out of the way with blokes you don’t care a great deal about.”

Lily put down her glass, scrunching up her face and laughing, “Poor Adam...”

“Oh, he knows.” said Marlene lightly, swatting the air.

“I think –”

Alice began pushing herself up –

“I think I’m going to be ill –”

Lily and Marlene quickly followed Alice as she ran into the bathroom.

Katherine and Mary were left, sitting on the floor.

Mary looked across at her intently, and a little glassy-eyed. She reached over and took Katherine’s hand into her cool, little one –

“You deserve someone who is crazy about you, Katherine,”

Katherine’s breathing stopped – at the unexpectedness of it – and then the sweetness –

Mary gripped Katherine’s hand harder, and eyed her more keenly –

“Crazy.”

Katherine held Mary’s hand back, nodding placatingly at her friend, “Okay.”

Lily came back through the bathroom door, hands wedged in the frame. From around the back of her, came the sound of retching and groaning –

Marlene’s flustered voice too – “She’s hit her head on the toilet –”

Lily glanced over her shoulder, and then back to Katherine and Mary.

“I think we need to take her to Madame Pomfrey.” came her slow, measured words.

She swayed on her feet a little bit, however.

Mary jumped up, her nails making their way into her mouth as she watched Marlene hobble Alice out of the bathroom, “We can say it’s food poisoning.”

“It’s best not to lie to her…” said Marlene, adjusting Alice’s arm around her shoulders. She nodded to Katherine, indicating she take Alice’s other side, “Come on –”

Katherine wrapped an arm around Alice’s back and pulled a weak, thin arm around her own shoulders.

Alice was light enough. The girls managed to help carry her out of the common room, and down the main staircase without too much trouble. It was at the Entrance Hall, closing in on the Hospital Wing, that Alice began to really plant her feet and pull away.

“Hang on, can we… stop for a second…”

The girls slowed.

Alice sat on the steps leading up the hallway that housed the Hospital Wing, a hand rubbing a spot between her eyebrows –

“I think… I think I’m okay.” she said, looking up.

It went unspoken that it would be best to not go to the Hospital Wing in their condition unless absolutely necessary.

“Okay, how about we just catch our breath,” said Katherine, feeling odd to be spearheading the group – in the absence of both Alice and Lily at full capacity. She took a breath herself, before going on, “And then we’ll head back.”

Lily’s eyes followed the ghost of the Grey Lady as she floated by above them, then through a wall. She stood, and began mimicking the floating –

“I wonder what it’s like to be a ghost…” she said twirling –

She stopped, swaying in dizziness.

Mary stood, and mimicked Lily’s twirling, “It’s like at the ballet…”

Dread climbed up inside of Katherine. Surely… they weren’t that far gone? They had been alright a moment ago…

“Guys…” Katherine stepped after the girls, feeling very un-authoritarian, “Guys we should really start heading back…”

Lily and Mary shared a look, before twirling off – giggling.

Marlene was crouching by Alice, to help the older girl back to her feet again. Sympathetic exasperation was plain across her face.

They were to stay together, it was unspoken. So, Katherine – with Marlene and Alice in tow – tried to wrangle Lily and Mary back in the right direction, following, and hoping for some common sense to prevail…

It was as the twirling girls rounded a darkened corner – that they screamed –

“Ah!” they chorused, clutching each other and running back to Katherine and the others.

Katherine stepped forward tepidly, at first, but recognised the hair atop the tall figure emerging from the shadow-swathed corridor at once. Her chest sagged in relief, and she ran to him –

“Sirius.”

Sirius’ steps slowed as they met, and he steadied Katherine with a gentle grasp that slid up around her forearms. His eyes softened as he inclined his head, pulling a piece of hair from her forehead –

“What’s going on?” he asked in his usual quiet cadence.

Katherine blew out a laugh lilted breath, wanting nothing more than to rest her tired forehead on the front of robes, “Firewhisky.”

He began nimbly stepping Katherine back, light falling onto her back – and then onto his face as well.

“…really?” he asked, in holstered amusement – his eyes searching over the group of girls.

“Bloody hell, Black…” Lily clutched at her chest, “It’s you…”

Sirius reigned in a quiet smile at Lily’s reaction to him but looked back down to Katherine with raised eyebrows.

Katherine went on to finish her explanation, “Alice got sick, and we were taking her to Madame Pomfrey when…”

“I’m so tired… I just want to go to sleep…” moaned Mary, draping herself against Sirius’ arm – eyes closed.

“I…” Sirius broke off, eyeing the sleeping girl before giving her a hesitant, gentle shake by the shoulders, “Maybe not here, MacDonald.”

Katherine bit back a smile, but nodded to Sirius and then to Mary, “Could you…”

Sirius nodded. He wrapped an arm around Mary’s back –

“Come on, MacDonald. Let’s get you to bed,”

Sirius paused as he went to go past Katherine, his eyes off on the others –

“I don’t have the map.” he whispered, against her ear.

“I’ll go first then,” Katherine whispered back, glancing to the girls and then back to Sirius, “If a Professor comes, leave me – and try and get them back to the tower – please?”

Sirius’ gaze, and voice, turned restrained, “Katherine…”

“Lily’s a prefect, if she gets caught like this…” she whispered – pleaded – waving a hand in the girl’s direction.

Sirius looked off, throat bobbing as he swallowed –

“I don’t like it, but –” he looked back to her, giving a nod as he blinked in concession “– okay.”

Katherine placated him, playfully, in a sing song voice, “I’ll stay within your vision.”

Sirius gave a huff of laughter –

“Yes, you will.” he said, with glinting eyes.

A flutter came, low in Katherine's stomach.

Mary giggled, wrinkling her nose as her eyes flitted between them. She and Lily seemed to go down the child-like path of drunkenness.

Sirius slashed his eyes to Katherine, amused – but exasperated. He gently urged Mary into a walk.

Katherine hastened her pace to get out in front of the others and check the intersection of hallways. The first one, was safe. They kept on. Whispers and hushed giggles met her back. Katherine, at the absurdity of it, glanced back –

“Oh, it’s a bit late for all of you to be out and about, isn’t it?”

Katherine froze.

Slughorn was to be the Professor to come across them all. He looked between them, as the girls and Sirius caught up to stand before their Potions Master. The girls all looked, suddenly a bit more sober, towards Katherine – who had the least to drink.

Katherine looked up into Slughorn’s watery blue eyes, tinged with sternness. Her mouth went dry – then came the rising up her throat – and the taste of Butterbeer –

“Oh –” Slughorn jumped back –

Still, some of Katherine’s liquid dessert ended up on his shoes.

A hand spread between Katherine’s shoulder blades, gently patting, “That would be last year’s sweets, I’d say.”

Sirius had stepped up next to Katherine, facing Slughorn.

“Sweets?” repeated Slughorn, turning an inquisitive eye on the boy.

Sirius gave a stoic nod, his face a careful mask, “Yes, sir.”

“That’s why we were going to Madame Pomfrey,” said Marlene, from behind where she was trying to hold up Mary surreptitiously, “A few of us felt a bit sick after dinner - and after the sweets.”

“Oh, I think I could fix you a tonic,” said Slughorn, quickly changing his tune – to more sympathetic, “You’re all feeling sick, then?”

The girls quickly shook their heads –

“Much better, actually.” piped up Lily.

“Just Miss Spencer, then,” said Slughorn, motioning for her to step forward with him. He turned back to ask, “Would one of you like to accompany her so she doesn’t walk back to Gryffindor tower alone?”

Sirius stepped forward –

“No, I should go.” said Lily, trying to skirt around him.

Sirius side-eyed her, “Back to the tower, that is,”

Lily’s playful demeanour from earlier vanished in a blink, and her eyes took on a squint as she looked up at Sirius.

“You’re probably still not feeling a hundred percent well, are you?” he went on.

Lily just about rolled her eyes, and her hands found her hips, “You think you know – that we’re just silly girls that can’t handle our –”

Sirius made a face, and cut Lily off –

“Look, we’ll all go then –”

Katherine watched them argue all the way to the end of the hallway. Marlene was walking un-aided. Alice was linked at the arms with Lily, pressing her fingers to her forehead. Mary was holding herself up with an arm around Sirius. As the back and forth between he and Lily finished, Sirius returned his arm around the back of Mary and continued to help hold her up as they all rounded the corner.

It wasn’t far to Slughorn’s office, just down the stairs to the first level of the Dungeons. He had potions brewing. Of the personal variety – she assumed, as she idly watched the clouds of vapours drift to the ceiling. Meanwhile, he rummaged through a case of vials.

“Sorry for leaving your dinner early the other night, sir.” she apologised, making conversation.

“Oh, it’s quite alright…” he said, distractedly, pulling two vials out and eyeing them, “It’s good to see that you’re such good friends with the Blacks. That they would trust you at such a time of illness…”

Katherine wondered if he had truth serum on the boil, as she suddenly felt very guilty and very ready with a confession –

“I have to share with you, sir…”

Slughorn glanced sideways, unease in his posture as he began mixing the tonic in a beaker –

“Someone slipped Regulus a love potion at your dinner.”

Slughorn’s shoulder fell as he laughed jollily.

“Oh, yes – I had figured that one out.”

Katherine felt all the tension inside her unravel, “Really?”

Slughorn nodded, and went back to his stirring, and adding of peppermint leaves to the beaker with a happy hum.

“Weren’t you… concerned?” she asked, watching him.

“Not terribly, I must admit,” he replied, absentmindedly, “I assumed a practical joke of sorts when I smelt the goblets after you left. Two out of three…”

Katherine felt her body lock up, “…two, sir?”

He hummed –

“Oh, both of the Mister Blacks,” he said, casually, before extending the beaker to her, “Okay… here we go – drink up and you’ll be back to robust wellness,”

He turned back to begin cleaning up his bench –

Katherine hesitated for but a moment, before downing the tonic quickly. It tasted like television static –

“I assumed perhaps it wasn’t outside Mister Potter’s capability – or idea of humour…” Slughorn said, as he turned back to reach for the empty beaker in Katherine’s hand.

Katherine’s empty hand fell back to her lap, where she leant on the edge of his desk. What would come of her sharing her suspicions of Greengrass? At the very least, that evening, she had made in roads with the Potions professor – just as Dumbledore had requested of her.

A gentle liquid POP came from one of the simmering potions, with it came an onslaught of scents – soap, firewood, and…

The smell of butterscotch never came. Katherine put it down to the butterbeer used to douse the taste of firewhisky, that of which she had tasted on its way back up in the hallway. She waited, and instead came a familiar, balmy, clean scent –

Not unlike that which came after rain.

“Is that amortentia, sir?” she asked, timidly.

“Yes, it is, Miss Spencer,” said Slughorn, warmly, but with the reservation of someone that was caught out, “I will admit to you, in confidence –”

He comically tapped his nose –

Katherine laughed –

“That, on the side, I make potions to sell to apothecarys,” he revealed, sighing, “Alas, a teacher’s wage is a modest one…”

He made a show of putting away one of the vials from earlier –

On it, was the label ‘Alcohol Tonic’.

“Our secret, ay?” he said, with shimmering eyes, as he placed the lid on the Amortentia.

 

---

 

"Just calm down, Mr Black!" squeaked Wilkie Twycross, the young instructor sent from the Ministry of Magic to teach the sixth years apparition.

Sirius rolled on the floor between the hoops they were supposed to disappear and reappear in, clutching at where his lower leg used to be.

"Calm down?" cried Sirius, incredulous, "My leg just dematerialised, and you want me to calm down?"

He returned to howling in pain, a contrast to the laughing he had been doing with James as they messed about just moments earlier. He had been the second student, behind James, to accomplish a successful hoop trip during their second lesson.

James followed behind as his friend was carted away on a stretcher to the hospital wing –

“I can carry the leg.”

Sirius cast an arm over his eyes, “Shut up.”

“You’re a right sarky bastard lately, you know that?” said James lightly, following behind –

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Lily's exclamation of joy drew Katherine's attention back to the class.

Lily stood, perfectly in one piece, in the hoop on the other side of the Hall getting a pat on the back from Professor McGonagall.

It was not a moment later that Lily bent forward, clutching a hand to her mouth. McGonagall transfigured a piece of parchment into a paper bag that Lily promptly emptied her breakfast into.

"Most people do get sick the first time – more so when apparating side-along."

Sirius had James, and it was not like she could exactly leave without another excuse…

Katherine sighed, shook out her hands, and commanded her tired ankles to try and do the initiating spin of apparition. Expecting the dizziness and pain in her ankles of another unsuccessful attempt, Katherine was taken aback by the lurching of her navel into her throat. A rush of air through her hair and ears, and feeling as if she was temporarily trapped in a light post, was proceeded by Katherine's eyes adjusting to the view from the other side of the Hall.

"Katherine – you did it… too…" said Lily, trying for enthusiasm, but nearly as green as her eyes.

Mary, still on the other side of the hall, lifted something into the air and waved it at Katherine.

Quickly, Katherine checked her limbs and that she had all her fingers.

"Just a hair tie left behind," said McGonagall with a puckered smile, "Better than your father, he left most of his clothes behind when he first tried,"

Katherine smiled at her shoes.

“Oh, and Spencer?” said Professor McGonagall, “After your lessons, I would like for you to come visit me in my office.”

Still feeling queasy from the previous night, Katherine gave a tepid nod, “Yes, Professor.”

She knew, was the panicked thought ricocheting around Katherine’s head all throughout the rest of apparating practise. Just what – Katherine didn’t know. Had Slughorn told her about doling out an alcohol tonic? Had she discovered that Katherine went down to Hogsmeade – unallowed?

As Wilkie Twycross packed up the hoops with a wave of his wand, and gave a wave of his hand in farewell, Katherine continued to ponder as the teachers set the house tables back to rights for lunch. Not to mention, Sirius…

With the students streaming in for lunch, glancing around curiously at the changed Great Hall, came James Potter too – on return from the Hospital Wing –

“Is he alright?” whispered Katherine, as James slid into the spot of bench between her and Peter.

“Mostly. Moaning a lot, but that’s not out of the ordinary considering he’s missing lunch. He gets tetchy when he’s hungry,” he said, lightly, reaching for a recently appearing plate of sandwiches. He paused before beginning to eat, his eyes sliding sideways, as he said, quietly, “He won’t be allowed any visitors until morning. Not even me. The potions he’ll be on are painful.”

Katherine nodded, and took another bite of her food, “Right.”

James took a bite of his sandwich, and chewed quickly –  

“He’s asked to see you in the morning though, if you’ll come?”

Katherine’s ears went hot as James’ considering gaze fell on her. She nodded.

He nodded, and turned to Peter, “So, how’s the fingie?”

“Still there, thank goodness…” came Peter’s relieved mumble, still a little pale in the face as he moved the bandaged finger.

All around, everyone else chattered about the apparating lesson. It almost felt like a dream that she too had managed it, the further she was away from it. The noise, albeit of her happy friends, was becoming too much. Katherine leant by Lily as she gathered her bag straps –

“I’m going to do a bit of reading before Herbology – out in the courtyard.” she excused herself.

Lily turned, a hand raised to cover her chews, “Okay, we’ll come through just before the bell so we can all walk together.”

Katherine hoisted her heavy bag onto her bag and felt Secrets of the Darkest Art digging into the back of her ribs all the way to the courtyard. Unlike her textbooks, there was only one of it. Once she finished it, regardless of what she found, she could go back to keeping up with the assigned reading from her professors.

Perching up on a – now – rare sunny piece of stone in the courtyard, she cracked the large tome open to the ‘H’ section. The first subject listed were hags. It was a lighter subject than the blood rituals, sacrifices, and chopping off of one’s bits that she had been enduring…

It was a short section, she was to find. After skimming some nastier hexes, she came across a peculiar word, one she had never heard before –

Horcrux.

Once she started reading beyond the first line – she knew she had found exactly what Dumbledore had been alluding to all along. As she finished the section, she put the book down and looked down over the sloping lawns, and the sliver of open sky between the distant ranges. It felt like nothing – there was no cathartic release. Just words on a page.

Voldemort had changed the entire trajectory of his life – of her life – based on a few words on a page.

Irritation rose in her –

It was all so stupid.

She pulled out her piece of parchment that she stowed in the back of her Divination book, and added the word to the bottom of her list.

 

Tom Riddle/Voldemort

• Slughorn – memory. Living Beyond Death
• St Wool’s Orphanage

• Horcrux. An object in which one conceals a piece of their soul, so that in the event of death – they will not die.

 

“Katherine!” the girls approached.

She closed the book and slid it into her bag along with her piece of parchment. She didn’t even reach halfway through the massive volume, and part of her was almost disappointed…

Herbology was in the greenhouses, and they learnt about propagating the venomous tentacular. Professor Sprout mainly demonstrated, but pulled Alice up the front to aid her while the others took notes down on the process. At the end of the lesson was the warning that it may turn out to be one of the things in the first of their N.E.W.T examinations – coming up ‘very soon’, Sprout reminded them firmly.

As the other girls moved on to their next afternoon class, Katherine decided she would drop her bag off to the dormitory before going to see Professor McGonagall. She made it to the Entrance Hall and came across the Slytherin and Hufflepuff fifth years heading out to their own Herbology lesson. A bunch of Hufflepuff boys, likely of the quidditch sort, were joking around with a few of the girls – showing off – as they threw a crumbled up parchment ball between them, weaving –

Katherine tried to go around them, but –

One of them shoulder barged Katherine as he tried to make a running catch – “Oh – sorry –”

Katherine’s bag had slid off her shoulder, and out had spilled her books –

The boy’s eyes widened as they locked on Katherine, recognition flashing in them. He rubbed the back of his neck with a murmured ‘er…’

Katherine had already crouched down the begin sliding her books into her bag, “It’s alright…”

 “Well, don’t help her.” came the familiar cool clipped tones of a sarcastic Regulus Black.

Laughter came from Crouch and Lestrange, where they flanked Regulus.

Regulus gave a wave of his hand to his friends, in a motion of ‘go on’, before he crouched down by Katherine. The last book was the largest one, bound in ancient black leather – he, of course, had to pick it up. As he did, it opened to Katherine’s most recent bookmarked page. He held himself very still as his eyes roved the page.

“Thanks.” said Katherine, holding out an expectant hand.

Regulus closed the book and handed it over, his face a passive mask.

Katherine slid it into her bag and stood back up from her crouch.

Regulus caught onto her robes as she turned to go on her way away, “Alright, Spencer?”

Katherine turned back – struck by the similarity his deepening voice held to his brother’s –

“Alright,” she confirmed, with a small smile, once the shock faded.

Regulus let go of her robe.

Everyone had cleared the Entrance Hall by then.

She reached for his arm as he went to walk on, whispering, “Sirius is in the Hospital Wing – splinching accident.”

Regulus halted, blinking as his eyebrows rose –

“His head?”

Katherine gave him a droll look of reprimand, saying lightly, “Leg.”

The corners of Regulus’ lips quirked, and he tipped his head before walking on. He turned back with a grin before he stepped out into the weakening sunshine in the courtyard.

Katherine shook her head, but decided to check her pockets before she started walking –

Something warmed to her fingers as she plunged her hand into her right pocket, after finding nothing in the left –

“Regulus...” she huffed under her breath, as she pulled out a piece of folded parchment.

He was long gone, however.

 

Astronomy Tower. Halloween. 8:45pm.

R.A.B

 

There was no mistaking who it was from this time. The note cooled in her grip, and when she got back to dormitory, she slipped it into the top drawer of her dresser – with the last one, and the paper dotterel. While the dormitory was empty, Katherine placed Secrets of the Darkest Art into the bottom of her trunk.

Then she set off for Professor McGonagall’s office. The bell rang as she traversed the castle, back to the first level off which sprung Serpentine Corridor. Upon being let in by her professor, Katherine found that all of her earlier worrying had been for naught –

“With Professor Giles now gone,” McGonagall had began, as Katherine sat across from her. The teacher slid across a piece of parchment and a quill, “It would be prudent of me to teach you how to mail order a withdrawal from Gringotts, yourself…”

It was a merciful distraction, thought Katherine.

Tomorrow, of course, was the first Hogsmeade trip of the term – and naturally – Katherine’s couldn’t go.

 

---

 

Katherine didn’t really sleep that Friday night. Her mind was galloping ahead, devising situations in which she could withdraw all of her money and run off – and figure the horcrux thing out herself. She would wait to meet with Regulus, either way, to see what he wanted to tell her…

A few winks, she ended up getting in – before getting up in the morning with the other girls. They had breakfast together before they set off down to the township. Katherine too set off – to the Hospital Wing.

James was already there, sitting on the chair beside Sirius’ bed –

“– and you’ll maybe have to miss the first match against Hufflepuff…” James was saying, eyeing Sirius’ bandaged leg.

Sirius’ eyes had lifted as Katherine walked through the door.

James followed them, and he grinned –

“Say, Katherine…” he trailed off, straightening his spectacles –

“I can’t catch.” she said, with a small smile as she crossed to the bed.

James picked up an orange from Sirius’ food tray, and threw it –

Instinctively, Katherine caught it –

James grinned.

Katherine made a point of dropping it.

Sirius let his head fall back against his pillow, laughing and gazing at her through half-lidded eyes.

James summoned the orange, and then plonked it in the bin by Sirius’ bed –

“We could brew Polyjuice potion, no one would ever know.” he said mirthfully, inclining his head.

Katherine shook her head, adamant, as she lingered at the bedside.

Sirius patted the bed, motioning with his eyes.

Katherine sat on the edge, wary of his leg.

“I’ll be fine,” said Sirius to James, moving his leg in show of his recovery, “It’s just waiting for the tendons to restrengthen. They’re letting me go today – I’ll be on crutches a week at most.”

James pushed himself up from the chair with his hands on his knees, and a deep breath, “Alright. I’ll get you some more fudge today though?”

“Please.” said Sirius, lightly.

James pinched Sirius cheek none-too-gently, “Such a good little boy.”

Sirius pinched the elbow of the arm James had reached out.

They both laughed as they smacked each other’s hand away, and James went on his way – giving a rude two-fingered salute before passing out through the double doors.

Sirius looked back to Katherine, with a slow smile.

The Hospital Wing had been plunged into quiet with James’ departure.

Katherine’s eyes moved over him, where he laid in his pyjamas. A pinstriped light blue long-sleeved shirt with buttons, and matching trousers. His hair was all over the place, and there were darker circles under his eyes. Still there, was his never failing - and seemingly innate - grace.

“Have I missed much?” he asked, pushing himself up higher against his pillows, and bending his good leg out.

Katherine slowly shook her head, “Professor McGonagall taught me how to mail-order withdrawals from Gringotts yesterday afternoon – and in herbology, we learnt how to propagate the venomous tentacula…”

“Good,” he said, blinking over a small grin, “I didn’t miss a trip into the forest,”

He nodded to the space he cleared by bending his leg –

“You can make yourself comfortable.” he said, easily.

Katherine kicked off her shoes, and brought both her legs up onto the bed, crossing them beneath herself.

“What do you think went wrong?” she asked, nodding to his leg, and the faint shadows of red beneath the bandages.

Sirius lips pulled into a short grimace, as he too eyed the leg – he shook his head, “I think… it wasn’t quite a full turn – I was rushing…”

Katherine nodded, and they spoke for a short while about apparating. Until Madame Pomfrey came by and deposited a comb on Sirius’ bedside all too pointedly.

Sirius watched the matron go with light eyes, “She’s been trying to give me a haircut while I’m here.”

He reached over to the bedside table for the comb, and then began running it back through his hair. He made a face when it caught –

“I haven’t had my own cut since last year, when Lily did it…” trailed off Katherine, assessing her own long lengths, and the splitting ends.

“I like it long.” said Sirius, his eyes roving her hair.  

Sirius gave her a smile, finishing his combing and reaching to put it back on the bedside table.

Katherine’s chest warmed, but she busied herself with flicking her hair back over her shoulder, “My aunt, when the comb would begin catching, would always take me to get a haircut…”

“I don’t know, maybe I should cut mine then… get everyone off my back about it.” He trailed off, running a hand through his smooth locks.

“Don’t,” burst out of Katherine, before she could stop herself, “It’s just so… you. I’ve always liked it, you know...”

“Really?” he asked quietly, his tired eyes creasing with lightness.

Katherine took a handful of his hair and found it silky and strong, she gave a gentle tug –

“Really.”

Sirius reached up and gently took a handful of her hair, playfully.

It didn’t hurt.

Not too long after, Madame Pomfrey came back around with crutches and discharged Sirius with a plethora of conditions with it – one being that she was to see him on Wednesday for a check-up.

Katherine waited as he changed back into his school uniform behind a screen, making small sounds of effort and pain. He emerged, testing his weight on the crutches with his socked foot lifted. He moved with the ease of someone who had been on crutches before.

Madame Pomfrey folded his pyjamas and put them inside his school bag that had been brought up with him the previous day, before she handed it to Katherine –

“You’ll be walking him back, I assume?”

Katherine nodded with flushing cheeks under the matron’s firm stare, taking the bag and swinging it onto her back as Sirius began his slower trek across to the doors. As they plonked down the stairs to the Entrance Hall, it was already dotted with students – returning early from Hogsmeade for lunch.

Remembering James’ words, Katherine asked, “Do you want to get some lunch before going up to the tower?”

“Do I…” he said lowly, before laughing and glancing to her with a happy nod.

They had only managed to sit down at the Gryffindor table – Sirius’ eyes losing their dark circles as they roved the roasted potatoes, soups, and sandwiches – when Lily ran down the table, breathless –

“Katherine – you’ve got to come quick –” Lily broke off, to pant, and push her hair from her sweaty cheeks with her gloved hands “– Mary and Peter have broken up.”

Katherine and Sirius looked to each other; dishes of food paused in their reaching hands.

“Oi – Pads!” James called, as he strutted down the table.

Frank, Remus, and Peter were with him.

Katherine quickly wrapped some food in napkins –

“I’ll talk to you later.” she whispered to Sirius, before clambering over the bench and running carefully back down to the double doors with Lily.

The girls were to take their lunch alfresco in courtyard – that’s where they found Mary.

“After everything that’s happened and changed… I just needed to figure out who I am –” explained Mary, as the girls gathered around her, “To do that, I need to be alone. Like, really alone – without a boyfriend.”

Peter took it as well as can be, apparently. Katherine listened to the details of the day, thinking about the previous year. The tooth shrinking spell, the trips to Hogsmeade, the care in which he comforted her after she had been cursed by Mulciber…

All of that could happen and…

Some things, no matter how important they once were, aren't meant to last forever.

“So, does that mean…” Marlene trailed off, looking around with bated amusement, “That we’re all just about single again?”

Lily gave a tired laugh, pressing her forehead, “With things with Will… gosh, I don’t know what I am…”

Marlene gently nudged Alice, joking, “Any cracks with you and Frank that we should know about?”

Alice laughed and shook her head.

“I can’t explain it with Frank,” she said, her smile turning a little more solemn. She looked off, “It’s just… right. I just can’t see us breaking up – ever.”

Lily eyed her, toying with her sandwich, “Does that scare you?”

Alice gave a half-shake of her head down at her own napkin of food. When she lifted her eyes, they were set –

“No.”

Her voice didn’t so much as waver.

“I was talking to James when we were all in the three broomsticks, you know – before the shite hit the fan –” said Marlene, lightly, eyeing Mary –

Mary cracked smile, lifting a hand to her face and groaning lightly –

“– there’s going to be a Halloween party at The Pipes next weekend.”

Alice nodded, “Frank and I heard – it’s not a dress up or anything.”

“Thank heavens.” said Katherine, relief spreading through her.

Lily turned to her, with raised eyebrows as she pulled out some cheese from her sandwich, and lifted it to her lips, “Do you think you’ll talk to Remus by then?”

“Or is going to be weird?” tacked on Marlene.

Katherine looked around in mirthful disbelief –

“Making it weird, would not be my doing alone – to be fair.”

Mary nudged her, “Oi.”

The girls laughed.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 52: Halloween 1976

It would be on Wednesday – two days out from the party – that Katherine would be seated next to Remus in Charms, by pure happenstance.

Sirius had left early for his appointment with Madame Pomfrey and would be missing the lesson, in it’s entirety, for a series of function and motor tests on his leg. A healer was even coming in from St Mungo’s with extra potions and new, supposedly groundbreaking, spell work on the common type of injury.

Katherine ran a little late to class, and the only chairs left were beside the fluffy haired prefect – or Avery.

She sat slowly into the seat beside Remus.

“Hang on a moment – forgive me –” said Flitwick back to the class, as he fussed around his desk, “I need to fetch something from my office before we can begin today’s lesson…”

The teacher vanished into the door leading to his office. Chatter broke out, immediately. Katherine could feel the eyes of her friends on her and Remus where they sat near the front.

Remus wasn’t saying anything. If he noticed she was there at all, he wasn’t giving it away.

“I never wanted to argue with you,” said Katherine, with the words she had been practising in her bed every night.

Remus’ head turned an increment, but his eyes stayed focused on the front of their desk.

Katherine played with her quill –

Her voice jumped nervously as she spoke, “It was all a bit… stupid, wasn’t it?”

Remus sighed, lifting a hand to rub across his eyes, “What I said to you was horrible, Katherine.”

Katherine's chest peeled open in relief.

He turned to look at her, his eyes un-shielded. In them, was a multitude of quarrelling emotions.

Katherine gave a tip of her head, and resisted a smile, “It was a bit.”

Remus gave a groaning laugh. He sat back fully in his chair, languid. With a shake of his head, he turned to her anew –

“I wasn’t even angry with you, I was angry with –” he cut himself off, taking a deep breath. Remus blinked, and shook his head again, speaking quietly, “I just shouldn’t have said it. I’m sorry, Katherine.”

Katherine nodded, but she didn’t have the words.

Something irreparable still hung between them.

Flitwick had returned however, with a gramophone. A peaceful little piano piece struck up when he lowered the needle of the control arm. He turned back to the class, lifting his arms, “Okay – everybody! I will ask you to close your eyes. Today, we will be focusing on relaxation techniques in the run into your NEWT exams…”

Some students laid down on the wooden floorboards between desks, and others placed their heads down on their desks. Katherine was one of the latter.

Remus was too. The warmth of his robe arm radiated through to hers, and the sound of Flitwick’s footsteps echoed strangely through the wood – through the bones of their faces – “Now I want you all to take a deep breath – in – and out… ah, isn’t that better already…”

Remus peered sideways out of his bent elbow as his head rested on his arms, his eyes alight.

Katherine tried to close her eyes and succumb to the exercise. Goodness knows she needed it…

“Imagine warmer days…” Flitwick started again, passing by Katherine and Remus’ desk, his voice soft in the dusty classroom.

Katherine felt a tingle go from the nape of her neck… down and outwards from her spine… down the backs of her legs…

The faint giggles of Lily and Mary on the ground were the last thing Katherine remembered hearing before she fell asleep.

DONG! –

Katherine’s eyes, coated in heavy liquidy sleep, snapped open with the ringing of the bell –

DONG! –

She lifted her head slowly from the cool desk, discreetly wiping the corners of her mouth.

Flitwick stopped the piano music, “What a good lesson everyone! Take this with you today in times of stress, and practise before bed! Class dismissed!”

Blinking, Katherine quickly forced the shapes of the classroom to sharpen around her, and her numb and tingling hands reached for her things. Around her, chairs scraped – and everyone teased each other. She stood, light on her feet in the drifting lazy sunlight from the window –

“Did you fall asleep?” came Remus’ voice, and his hand on her shoulder.

Katherine nodded, and to confirm it even further, yawned.

Remus gave a light laugh, rubbing her shoulder and behind her neck as they meandered out of the door and into the hallway with the rest of their classmates. He came with her when Katherine made for Lily and Mary, the fraught, tender strings of their recent reconciliation hanging tepidly between them as they walked.

Mary waved at Peter as he moved around from the back of Remus with James – on their way to their next class.

Peter gave a tight-lipped smile, and a wave back, but kept on.

“What is it with him? He’s treating me like… nothing –” Mary tore her eyes away from him, and frowned, “Like I’m just – I don’t know… one of his mates…”

Lily patted Mary’s shoulder, with a small smile.

“You are kind of just one of his mates to him, now,” said Remus, softly – and with sympathetic eyes, “You broke up with him, remember?”

Mary’s frown turned into something else, unreadable.

Lily gripped Mary’s shoulder, and said gently, “At least you’ll be able to focus on exams.”

“Come on, let’s go then. I guess…” said Mary, in a sigh, clutching her books to her chest.

Remus glanced back with a bracing sort of expression at he followed the girls, guilt at the effect of his words plain to see.

Katherine waved after them, but turned and began her trek in the direction of the library. She didn’t really have anything to do there. It was a good place to think about everything, however. Greengrass, the matter of a Horcrux, her approaching meeting with Regulus…

The party would be a good excuse to be out, she decided. All she had to do was sneak away with enough time to spare to make it to the Astronomy Tower –

FWEET!

The sharp whistle turned her around –

Sirius’ head was poking out of the door to the muggle studies classroom she had just passed. He waved her back toward him with a grin –

“Come on, it’s empty.” he beckoned, shaking his hair from his face.

As always, as she closed in on him, Katherine forgot what she had just been thinking about. She stepped through the classroom door and observed him standing there, un-aided –

“No crutches?” she asked.

Sirius closed the door with a CLICK, “I’m healed,”

His eyes sparkled, and he lifted a hand to rest on the doorframe, leaning down towards her – tilting his head.

“Did I miss much in charms?”

Katherine shook her head, her teeth finding her bottom lip, “Flitwick had us practising relaxing techniques.”

“Can you catch me up?” he asked, lips slipping up.

Katherine put her bag on the desk, looking around, “Well… we’ll have to get comfortable… a few people were laying on the ground, but…”

Sirius paced the classroom, then pulled a bean bag from the corner into a spare bit of carpet by the window.

“There’s only one.” she said.

CRUNCH went the beans inside the faded magenta fabric zip-case, as Sirius pressed a hand down into them, forming a well –

Up went his eyebrows, “Then we’ll have to share, won’t we?”

Katherine crossed the desks, and then tested the beans with her hand before sitting – well, sinking in. Her hand caught her skirt in the nick of time. Katherine’s legs had splayed out on their own volition with the malformed contours of the bean bag.

Sirius gave a husky laugh as he eased backwards in front of her – between her legs.

Katherine caught her breath – and racing heart – as the large form of him settled.

With childlike playfulness, he wedged his arms over the tops of her knee socked legs – and with it, came the feeling that they were about to go down some water slide together. He laid his head back gently on the front of her skirt, looking up at her –

“So, how does it go?” he asked, worming around in the beans to get more comfortable. His long legs splayed far off beyond the seat – onto the carpet.

Katherine gingerly placed her fingertips on his forehead, “First, you close your eyes…”

Sirius’ eyes batted closed like petals.

As softly as possible, Katherine explained Flitwick’s methods – how he paced, talking them through a visualisation. The castle was cold – but the sun coming through window was still warm. Sirius was even warmer atop her, like a blanket that wrapped her.

As she instructed him on a series of slow breaths, Katherine’s eyes caught on the ajar door of the storage cupboard. The metal of his bike glinted from the back.

She spoke slowly, thinking on the spot, “You’re driving by the sea on the bike… the wind in your hair…”

She felt like an explorer as she traced her fingertips up his cheekbone, his temple, into his hair… 

“You can smell the sharp scent of salt spraying from the waves…”

The tresses of his hair were soft around her fingers as her nails skimmed his warm scalp –

“You stop for fish and chips in a charming village...”

Sirius’ eyes fluttered, but stayed closed, “Is there gravy?”

The tickle of laughter rose in Katherine’s sternum –

“Did you eat breakfast?” she asked lightly, her hands falling to his collarbones.

Sirius laughed, “Yes. I’ve been training a lot with James these past few weeks –”

He reached for her hand, and put it back into his hair –

“Keep going.” he said, hunkering down in her lap once more.

“It’s a warm day….” She went on, softening her voice once more, “You go for a swim…the water’s not cold… and you lay in the sun until you’re dry….”

As the sun warmed his face, Katherine noticed fine dark hairs across his upper lip for the first time –

“You’ve got all day… there’s nothing else you have to do…”

Katherine had nowhere else to go with her guided relaxation, and just stroked his hair back from his forehead. Her own spine was lazy with her slow, soft intonations – and she leant back into the bean bag.

A few moments passed, of just breathing.

“…Sirius?” she whispered.

“Mhhmm…?” he hummed, turning his head and blinking his eyes open, “It worked then?”

He had fallen asleep.

“Yes,” said Katherine, in holstered amusement.

He sat up, rubbing his palms against his eyes and then shaking a hand through his hair – stretching.

Katherine watched him inflate back to his full imposing size before her, “When Professor Flitwick was doing it, the soft-spoken words they… well they make me tingle… like all over –”

She broke off, and motioned down her neck and to her toes.

“Let me try.” said Sirius, pushing himself up with a muted grunt of effort.

Katherine slid forward on the bean bag tepidly, “Okay.”

Sirius stepped over her legs, and then slid in behind her –

“Shit –” he whispered under his breath, as he almost fell off the side –

Katherine reached back to him –

Sirius anchored his hands on her arms as he slid more into the centre –  

“Is it better if I sit up higher?” asked Katherine, as they both wiggled the beans into a more comfortable shape around them.

“Yeah, here… lean back…” he said softly, his hands closing around her waist, pulling her back into the lean planes of his chest and abdomen.

Katherine did, but found herself laughing at their struggled on the bean bag.

“What’s so funny, Miss Spencer?” came Sirius’ whisper in her ear, and his breath on her neck.

A sharp breath pitched her chest. He had already decided to start. Tingles ran down her neck, all the way through her pelvis and legs – and she wriggled, overcome, trying to sit forward –

Sirius locked his arms around her waist, and held her to him, “Uh, uh, uh…”

In his soft tutting, she could hear his smile.

“Close your eyes…” he said gently, his grip relaxing, “Relax back…”

Katherine did as he directed.

“Now, we’ll take a deep breath…”

The front of his chest rose into her back, as hers too lifted – moving together as one. She was interested to see where he would take it.

“Imagine your arms… lightening… and lightening… until they weigh nothing at all…” one of his arms relinquished her waist, and he ran a hand down her arm, “Feel your hands go boneless… your thumb…”

He ran his warm thumb over hers.

“Your index finger…”

Katherine felt her eyes go hot, and her lips fall apart as she succumbed, and felt her body go limp in his arms.

Sirius went through all of her fingers, and laid her hand back down on her lap gently when he was finished.

Katherine was aware that she was still awake, but she laid, paralysed against him – in waking sleep. Was this meditation?

A long moment went without him speaking.

His lips brushed her cheek as he leant his head down by hers, “Alright?”

Katherine tried to swallow the dryness of her mouth –

“Yeah.” she said with weak contentedness. She didn’t want to move.

Sirius still held her against the cradle of his body, and asked, casually, “Are you coming to the Halloween party?”

She nodded, before turning to look up at him from his chest –

“Your birthday’s coming up, isn’t it? Do you have anything planned?”

Sirius gave an easy shake of his head as he reached for his wand, “Not really.”

She had already wrapped his present and made him a card. She fought the urge to tell him, and to give it to him then.

Instead, she laid there and watched as he tuned the wizarding wireless with his wand, turning it this way and that.

His eyes were focused, but his face might have been carved from marble; handsome and indolent.

Propelled by something outside of her, Katherine reached up a hand and tracing her fingertips over his thumb, down his wrist…

Just like he had done to her.

The wireless gave a distant ZAP, as it snapped into a channel.

Katherine let her hand fall back down onto the bean bag as the blood rushed down to her elbow, her forearm and hand going numb.

Sirius placed his wand off to the side and then reached for her fallen hand. He slotted his fingers through hers, pushing hers apart further than they had ever been before.

A spark of startlement settled in Katherine's chest. It was like footsies, but with hands...

His were so soft, yet so manly and stark, against her thinner ones. He gave a squeeze, then relaxed his hand.

Katherine twined her fingers around and flattened her palm against his, to compare the size. They both watched as his fingers splayed out an inch beyond hers, and it left her feeling small and soft.

She watched as their hands wheeled through the sunshine, casting shadows back on their faces.

Their exploring fingers reminded her of birds. How they would tangle in the air, and flit around each other, as light as air – one in the same…

 

---

 

“What are you thinking about so intensely?” asked Lily, as they waited for Slughorn to emerge from his office the next day.

Katherine had been sitting, knocking knees with Sirius below the desk, warmed through and lazy.

Lily leant forward on her desk with her cheek in her hand, observing Katherine. Alas – she had asked, so she had not read Katherine’s mind.

Just that Katherine knew exactly how Voldemort was keeping himself alive, and she had the knowledge that could possibly stop him. All the while, they had a Halloween party to attend, she and Remus were on weird terms still, and there were birthdays on the way – and they were just sitting in Potions.

“Oh, you know –” Katherine waved off, casually, “– potions.”

A grin slid onto James’ face as he commented lightly, with a nod, “Girly things.”

Lily rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself.

Katherine laughed, leaning back in her chair – and found something warm rather than the cool wooden chair. She looked to Sirius, and found his arm was slung along the back of her chair. Katherine fell into contemplation, watching the weak morning sunlight bounce from his face like spikes of gold…

She listened passively to Lily probing James, and secretly delighting in annoying him the way he had always done to her with her inquisitive questions – “So, why can’t you add it to this potion?” In reply, came James’ blinking and – “It changes the entire nature of it, and it’s no longer considered it’s former –”

Katherine’s musing – of running off to figure out the horcrux – fell silent within her, as she remembered the past month, and the past year, as Sirius lightly tapped a rhythm on the back of her chair. The realisation crept upon her suddenly –

She couldn’t leave –

Sirius’ gaze lifted to hers, as soft as his hands had been the afternoon before –

She would miss him.

 

---

 

The week continued to trickle past as the Halloween decorations truly began going up in earnest. The professors were faced with the conundrum of trying to keep the spiders inside the castle – as they seemed to keep fleeing.

Remus sat by Katherine in the odd class and sometimes at meals, but they had yet to spend time alone again.

Often, she caught eyes with Regulus while moving around the castle. Strung between them – a secret only they knew. Katherine hoped no one noticed. Anticipation climbed each day for their impending Halloween meeting, and their glances grew more frequent and less discreet.

Quidditch practise too was ramping up in the lead up to the first game that would take place on the second weekend of November. Every time Katherine saw Marlene, James, Sirius, and Frank they seemed to have their quidditch jumpers on and the cool October wind streaked through their hair.

Despite sharing a dormitory with her, Katherine barely even spoke to Marlene, truthfully – until Friday night.

Katherine was laying on her bed, petting Belle with one hand, and consulting her makeshift ‘Voldemort Study Sheet’ in the other.

“Katherine?” asked Marlene, as she stood there with her hands on her hips – out of her quidditch jumper for the first time that week, bar lessons.

Katherine’s eyes drifted over the black bellbottom trousers her friend wore, and the sheer sparkly shirt, tied up at the waist, “Yeah?”

“What are you going to wear to the party?” asked Marlene, her glitter-smeared eyes glancing over Katherine’s uniform and socks.

Katherine opened her trunk.

Marlene dove a hand in –

“You have to wear this.” said Marlene, holding aloft a white mini skirt that Katherine had picked up over a year ago – on a weekend shopping trip with Fiona.

Katherine nearly balked, “We’re expecting early snow next week, you know?”

“Yeah, exactly,” said Marlene, shoving the garment against Katherine’s chest, “You won’t be able to wear it then,”

Marlene pulled out Katherine’s fur-trimmed Afghan –

“That skirt just may land you an odd handful of seventh year boys – just panting after you.” she said lightly, passing over the coat.

Katherine took the coat and bent down to dig out her boots, with a huff of laughter, “Yeah, alright…”

“Don’t sell yourself short, love. I overheard Dagworth telling Shacklebolt that you –” Marlene broke off with a lascivious grin, “– have nice legs.”

Katherine went hot all over and was struck with the urge to cover her face, “…he…did?”

Mary laughed as she breezed past to her bed – for her brush –

“What do you think Remus would do?” she asked, with a scandalous look, plopping down and brushing out her curlers.

“Forget Remus,” said Marlene, waving a hand, “He has a habit of making you sad –”

Marlene poked Katherine’s cheek with earnest eyes, despite her smile –

“We want to see you happy.”

Alice and Lily came out, their hair up in curlers still, but their makeup done.

“Agreed! Dance with all the boys your heart desires, Katherine,” said Mary, with sparkling eyes, “Like me and Marlene.”

The girls shared a glance and did an excited little dance.

Katherine smiled as she unzipped her school skirt and let it fall to the floor.

“We could make a thing of it,” said Alice, stepping into her dress and sliding it up over her arms, “We can pick the ones we like the best – and set up dates to go on afterwards.”

Lily laughed as she zipped up Alice, “I do like that idea.”

Katherine buried a brief feeling of insecurity – that… well… who, out of all the boys at the castle would still want to go out with her? After all that had happened? It was one thing for Dagworth to think she had nice legs; it was another entirely to deal with… whatever it was that was happening to her in Sixth Year…

As Katherine pulled on her mini skirt, however, she felt her worries fading away. She remembered – she was meant to be trying to enjoy herself. For however long it would last.

“Hair.” said Lily, as she began brushing up a section of Katherine’s hair for curlers.

The room brimmed with unbridled girlish delight as they fussed with faces of makeup, and fluffed hair in mirrors, and slipped little feet into chunky platforms. Going to the toilet one last time, Katherine took a moment to herself in the quiet bathroom. She pinned the sides of her hair up, checked her teeth, and ran a finger over her eyebrows in inspection for stray hairs. 

Laughter echoed through from other side of the wooden door. With friends like that, dancing with boys was the last thing on Katherine’s mind. She pulled her coat around herself and hurried in her boots out of the bathroom.

Arm in arm, the girls flounced down the stairs, out of the common room, and into the night.

Walking through the wall at the entrance with less trepidation than last time, the girls found The Pipes mostly the same. Dim, the scarves hung up all over the place, but with the addition of some stolen Halloween decorations from the hallways of Hogwarts. The floating, lit pumpkins had been enlarged, and sat in the main four corners like spooky totems.

A wizarding wireless was already amplified beyond it’s usual top volume, and blasting out a disco track about witches taming all manner of creatures of the night from vampires to werewolves. The girls crossed to the drinks table, their eyes peeled for familiar faces.

The crowd was made up of nearly every seventh year in the castle that night. It was endearing, to see them let loose – when the younger years were so accustomed to seeing them tearing their hair out over schoolwork. They danced, laughed, and kissed – already in the shape of men and women.

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! One of the Slytherin seventh years had enchanted the pumpkins to blow coloured streams of smoke – like dragons – over the heads of the dancers. Girls screamed, and the boys jumped – swiping their hands through it – and good-naturedly pushing each other around.

“Katherine?” asked Marlene, lifting a butterbeer from the drinks table.

Katherine remembered the taste of it mingled with vomit on her tongue – and shook her head –

“Do you reckon they’ve got pumpkin juice?” she joked, semi-seriously. She would drink it if they had it.

Lily wrapped her arms around Katherine from behind, and said into her ear, “There is water – over there.”

She pointed to a table by the windows, with a large pitcher and stacked glasses. Some older boys were quickly downing glasses, before dancing back out onto the floor and nodding their heads to the music again.

The girls turned at a familiar voice –

“Hey.”

Remus reached for a butterbeer, knocking the top off with the edge of the table. It joined the large mound of bottle caps already on the floor.

“Remus,” greeted Lily cheerily, reaching for his arm to shout over the music, “We were wondering if we were going to see anyone we knew – where is everyone?”

Remus glanced to Katherine as he answered Lily, having to raise his voice to be heard over the noise, “Dancing.”

His eyes were dancing with Katherine’s, that was for certain. Even if nothing else seemed to be as concrete. He skirted around the others to stand by her as the girls all chose their drinks – mostly butterbeer. After their experimentation with firewhisky in the dormitory, Alice certainly would never touch it again.

Alice came to stand in front of Katherine and Remus, rolling up on her tippy toes to yell into Remus’ ear, “Have you seen Frank?”

Remus blinked, and looked off into the crowd, craning his head. After a moment, he pointed and leant by Alice –

“Over… there…” he directed, with a small smile.

Alice bobbed, trying to wave down Frank.

Remus lifted his hand that wasn’t holding his bottle, and waved a bit higher – before pointing down at Alice.

Frank emerged from the throng around them moments later, glistening with sweat, his shirt already unbuttoned halfway down his chest –

“There you are, love!” he greeted, with an enthusiastic kiss.

Alice laughed against his lips, bracing herself on his arms, “Do you want to go back out?”

Frank nodded, waving to the other girls cheerily before guiding a bopping Alice away and through the crowd, closer to the centre of the floor beneath the disco ball.

“MacDonald?” asked the seventh year Ravenclaw prefect, Dingle – holding out one of the shots of firewhisky that he and is friends were pouring just down the table.

Lily watched with a hand over her mouth, and glittering eyes, as Mary downed the shot – to the cheers of the seventh year Ravenclaw boys.

Dingle patted Mary on the back, leaning down by her face with a raised-brow smile, “Want to come dance?”

Mary nodded, taking his proffered hand – before looking back –

“You girls come along too!” Dingle proclaimed, waving them along.

Lily stepped after Mary and Dingle, a long, muscled arm descending around her shoulders. Oh, those older boys…

Marlene grabbed Katherine’s shoulder and shouted into her ear, “I’m going to go find Adam – okay?”

Katherine nodded, and waved as she went.

Remus was the only one left standing by her.

“Do you want to…” she trailed off, nodding to the floor.

Remus put his butterbeer down on the table, with a light laugh, “Yeah, alright.”

To get into the crowd, they skirted along a wall first – Remus, with his height, keeping an eye out for breaks to weave in –

HISSS! The four pumpkins exhaled smoke down from above in a short puff, this time – HISSS! People still screamed – from enjoyment, as well as fright. The smoke fogged the spaces between people’s heads.

Katherine reached for Remus’ arm –

He eyed her hand –

“Maybe we could wait here a second, for the smoke to clear…” she suggested.

He gave a soft smile and a nod. That was the Remus Katherine remembered from the beginning of fifth year.

They rested back against the wall more fully, watching the debauchery playing out before them. With the climbing heat of the bodies packed in around them, Katherine slipped out of her coat, and clutched it over her arm.

“Katherine, I –” Remus went onto say something, as he eyed her sideways.

Katherine hadn’t heard it.

She leant closer, trying to read his lips, “What was that? I didn’t hear!”

Remus took her arm to stop the crowd surging them apart, leaning down to yell into her ear –

“I’ve missed you!”

Katherine felt her body go into a pause.

Remus stayed by her ear, his breath fanning her neck. He moved around as people danced away – to look at her front on while her back was still to the wall –

“I’m so sorry – for everything – Katherine!” he said, craning his neck and all but touching his forehead to hers.

Katherine leant into the cool of the stone wall, nodding –

“It’s okay!” she assured him, trying to catch her breath.

It was getting too warm there, with a running copper pipe above them, and she and Remus were swapping hot breaths – she needed fresh air –

“Come on!” she said, spying a break in the crowd and taking his hand, “Let’s go in!”

The flash of the disco ball, blue lights – and a cooler layer of air – was above the dancefloor. Finding the end of the open pocket, Katherine turned back to Remus, feeling suddenly awkward in all of her limbs. She had never really danced with a boy at a party like this one. To be fair, the floor was so crowded, she could barely move her feet…

Remus was doing what everyone else was doing – shifting his weight to the beat – with the surge around them. He fit in. He was wearing a new jacket, in the same style as the blue bomber. It was red with white sleeves, and it buttoned down instead of zipping. His hair was getting longer but swept back at his ears – it caught the lights strobing above them. He looked almost otherworldly in the swathes of darkness…

Katherine let herself dance close to him, and the familiar shape of his body.

He smiled and took her hand.

It didn’t feel bad…

“We’re good?” he asked over the noise – as the song changed.

Katherine’s eyes were on his neck, bobbing with his words. She pulled back, looking up at him – she nodded.

The new song was a higher energy one, and the lights flashed quicker with the tempo. Katherine briefly wondered if she may be epileptic and hadn’t known it – turning her head and clamping her eyes shut. The jumping around them pressed Katherine and Remus chest to chest.

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! The longest smoke eruption so far began floating down around their heads – it smelt, to Katherine’s wonder, vaguely like pumpkin – and a burning fire.

Remus hand spanned the width of her lower back, pressing further into her as he said into her ear, “You look really beautiful tonight, you know?”

Katherine gave a laugh as she reached for the smoke, trying not to lose her coat over her arm, “I do?”

Remus nodded, lifting his other hand to her cheek –

“You do.” he said, his eyes burning with tenderness as his face grew closer – and closer – and so did the faint smell of firewhisky.

The weight of him pressing down on her pushed her backwards, her feet stumbling – she turned her face, and his lips fell short of her temple. The smoke was too thick to see through properly. Katherine was grateful for it, as she already felt sick enough to her stomach without having to see his reaction.

A knock came from Katherine’s back –

“Oop – sorry – Oh, it’s you, Katherine –” James had been dancing by her, squinting through the smoke, and adjusting his spectacles –

He made a dancing motion, reaching for her hand and spinning her –

“Come on, we haven’t had a dance yet!”

Katherine gave a nervous laugh as she was twirled with reckless abandon – and James turned her away from Remus. She still couldn’t see him through the hazy veil of clearing smoke…

Katherine found more room on the dancefloor with James, and found herself doing the monkey, the lasso, and other cheesy moves. It was as James took her hand, and placed the other on her back, steering her in an informal dance circle – that Katherine thought to ask him, her head swinging back as she laughed –

“Have you seen Sirius?” she asked, as she lifted her head back up.

James took her other hand, doing a push and pull move, stepping back – then back up to her –

“Oh, he’s around – I saw him with Dagworth last.” he panted out over the noise, linking their arms and swinging around.

Katherine was slicked with sweat –

“I think I’m going to get some water!” she yelled, slowing her feet, “Do you want some?”

James let go of her hands with a grinning shake of his head, “I’m alright! You know where to find me if you want another dance!”

He then turned, and began shimmying and shaking against Frank, where the other boy danced with Alice.

Katherine felt immediate bruises popping up with each elbow she took as she pushed back out of the crowd, getting knocked this way and that like it was some sort of pinball machine…

She spied Mary and Lily as she made her way. They were dancing up on the slightly higher stepped-up level of The Pipes with the seventh year Ravenclaw boys from earlier. Lily would look at home in a disco, thought Katherine, as she watched her friend sway her hips and twirl her arms.

Below them, was Peter – shouting up to Mary, who wasn’t listening –

“Mary – I think you should put some clothes on!”

Mary was just wearing her minidress and had taken off her jacket. Dingle, who she was dancing against, was running his hands over her – inadvertently pushing up the fabric a bit higher….

Jealously reared its head at the strangest of times, it seemed.

Katherine finally got to the table with the pitcher of water, and had just reached for a glass, her thirst becoming desperate, when –

Marlene hooked Katherine around the arm cheerily, “Katherine –”

She pulled Katherine close, to shout into her ear, and splayed her arm out to the boy next to her –

“– this is Adam.”

The tall Hufflepuff – with brown curly hair – held out his hand with happy eyes, and one arm around Marlene’s waist.

She took his hand and offered a smile, “Katherine.”

He laughed, in earnest –

“I know,” he said, good-naturedly, before letting go and sweeping a hand over to the boy next to him, hitting him on the chest to grab his attention, “I don’t think you’ve met, but – this is my mate, Frederick.”

Frederick turned from the conversation he was having with their other Hufflepuff mates, blinking and extending an easy hand.

Katherine flushed and took the large, warm hand – slicked with condensation from his butterbeer, “Katherine.”

His hand enveloped hers completely, and he gave a considerate, gentler shake than Adam. Frederick reminded Katherinea great deal of the Prewett Twins. Blond and all.

“Call me Freddie,” he said, with a charming grin, inclining his head to be heard over the noise.

When he pulled back, he held a long gaze into her eyes.

Katherine’s stomach kept flopping over.

Marlene was keeping conversation with Adam, who was leaning down so she could yell into his ear.

Freddie leant over again, a querying light in his eye, “Would you like a drink?”

“Oh, I’m okay, thank you,” said Katherine, turning back to the holy grail of the water table, “I was actually about to get a water…”

Marlene and Adam seemed to finish their conversation, and her friend hooked Katherine around the arm again with a nod to dance floor behind her –

“Come on – let’s dance.”

Katherine was tugged through the throng of bodies moving and shaking around them. She spared a shy glance back at disastrously handsome Freddie, who was in the midst of finishing his drink and putting it down to follow the girls and his mate.

That’s when she caught, though the gap of heads, a pair of searching eyes –

Katherine let go and made for him, hoping she would have seen him that night – “Sirius!”

She could feel Marlene grab onto the back of her shirt, as the group moved back out of the dancefloor.

Katherine gasped a breath of fresh air once breaking through the edge of the mass of warm teenagers.

Sirius had met her, wearing a buttoned shirt she had never seen before. In the navy shirt, with the top bottom undone, he looked new – yet calmingly familiar.

She threw her arms around him, happily –

“I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to see you.” she said, as she squeezed her arms around his shoulders.

Sirius’ arms slid around her waist in embrace, “I’ve been looking for you since I got here.”

He pulled back at his light words, to look her in the face with an amused little smile. There was a faint glint of exasperation in his eyes as they left her to glance around at the large crowds of students. It was a busy night at The Pipes.

Katherine glanced back to see Marlene hanging over Adam.

Katherine got onto her tippy toes to speak into Sirius’ ear –

“Come on, we were all going to dance before – I’ll introduce you,”

Sirius’ eyes fixed over her head as he listened and nodded. He kept one arm around her waist as they nudged sideways through the crowd.

Katherine turned back to explain as they walked, “Marlene is seeing Adam,”

Sirius nodded with an attentive smile and nod –

“– and they introduced me to his friend –”

They closed in, and all at once everyone was looking at one another –

“Freddie –” Katherine grinned around his name, gesturing to Sirius at her side, “Have you met…”

Sirius extended a hand in a very blokey way –

“Sirius.” he said, with an upwards nod.

“Oh, I know,” said Freddie, with a blinking smile. His lips pressed a little firmer as he took Sirius’ hand and said, curtly, “Frederick.”

The veins in their hands jumped as they both shook, and quickly let go again.

Marlene reached over to pull Katherine’s hair from her neck, “Maybe we should have a rest before we do any more dancing, yeah? It is bloody hot in here…”

“I think I should take you for some water.” said Sirius with a furrowed brow to Katherine, tugging her lightly back to his side with his arm he still held around her waist.

“You’ll meet us back on the dancefloor once you’re feeling cooler?” asked Marlene, already tugging the boys back to the gyrating forms of their peers.

Katherine nodded, giving a wave as the crowd tore them apart.

Sirius took her hand this time and led her through the crowd. His broad shoulders shielded her easily, and she contentedly bobbed behind him.

The air seemed to collapse from around her completely when they made it to clear section by the water table, and the cool of the night was upon her skin. She took her coat from where it was stuck to the inside of her elbow by the sheer force of her own sweat and slipped her arms through the bulky sleeves.

Sirius poured the pitcher of water, just like the ones in the Great Hall, into a glass – before having a surreptitious sniff before he passed it over to her.

Katherine sipped keenly on the glass, feeling her clear-headedness rushing back to her.

Sirius leant back on the table and watched passively as she drained her glass.

His presence was an undeniable relief.

“I haven’t… had anything to drink – or anything.” she said, before resuming her sipping.

“It’s alright. I believe you,” said Sirius sincerely, through a light laugh. He pushed off the table, and pulled some of her hair out of the collar of her coat, with focused eyes, “Still, we can’t have you passing out from dehydration either,”

His eyes lifted to her face again, and his lips tugged up –

“I like the glitter...” he trailed off, nodding to her eyes and temples.

Katherine reached up and took some from her temple and swiped it gently down his temple and cheekbone.

Sirius gave lazy smile down at her, his gaze heavily lidded. He didn’t smell like alcohol – he smelt fresh, like soap, and… It was as his watch pressed, cool and metallic, into the skin of her side – that Katherine remembered her other task for the night.

“Oh – would you happen to know what time it is?”

Sirius gave a blinking raise of his eyebrows, before checking his watch, “Five minutes to eight.”

“Oh…”

It was nearly time to make the trek up to the Astronomy Tower to meet his brother.

“– and here comes the new cover by the Bent-Winged Snitches! Monster Mash!” came the voice of an announcer from the wizarding wireless.

In place of the usual instrumentals, came a blistering guitar and chest-thumping bass.

Sirius tilted his head down at her, “You love the Bent-Winged Snitches.”

Katherine was torn. Could she still make it the Astronomy Tower on time?

Deciding, she held out her hand to Sirius as she took her last sip of water before placing her glass down on the table.

Sirius took it with sparkling eyes and moved with purpose back towards the dancefloor.

As they re-joined the throng of dancers, Katherine realised – she’d never seen Sirius dance before.

The lights flashed purple and blue over-head, but mostly it was black – and silhouetted figures of friends and others all around them. They slowed by a spot near the middle, and the jumping crowd made it nearly impossible to see anyone anyway.

Above them, the disco ball spun and spun…

As Katherine glanced to it, she found her hips beginning to sway to the rhythm in the anonymity of the entire cacophony of lights and sounds, descending into the fever all around…

Sweat slicked her from her neck to ankles… the strong columns of Sirius’ neck were lit up in purple… his eyes on the disco ball… then on her… those sloping planes of his face… she couldn’t see his eyes…

It might have minutes – it might have been hours…

Alice waved from where she danced with Frank…

Katherine turned to try and see – to wave back…

She was barged from the left from an exuberantly winding girl…

Sirius arms caught her –

“Alright?” he panted in her ear, still moving with the surge around them.

The song built and built to nerve-frying crescendo all around –

She was looking at him –

He was looking at her –

Their hips were swaying together –

His eyes – oh those sparkly eyes of Sirius Black’s –

“Katherine!”

His breath fanned her lips –

“Have you seen Katherine?”

“Dancing over there!”

Her lower stomach thumped, and thumped…

A hand closed around her arm, and pulled, “Katherine –”

Remus had pulled her around, his eyes over her head on Sirius, unblinking – his jaw set.

The spell was broken.

“Fight! Fight! Fight –”

The crowd had receded from around them – closer to the windows to encircle a quarrelling duo.

James could be seen fighting back through the crowd. He fixed his spectacles and grabbed Sirius’ shoulder –

“It’s Pete.”

Katherine moved through the crowd behind the boys. People gave way quickly when they saw who they were.

There Peter did stand in the centre too, before a towering Dobbs.

Mary stood between them, a hand on each of their chests.

Peter was pushing back against her.

Dobbs just peered down at him with glittering eyes.

Peter pushed around Mary and swung – and missed – at the Slytherin prefect.

Katherine felt her face screw up – she wasn’t sure she could watch this –

Dobbs pushed Peter back easily, but hard. He walked after him, his jaw pulsing.

Peter went to push back –

Dobbs pushed again – and this time Peter went down.

James broke out of the onlooking crowd first and tried to lift Peter up and out by the back of his shirt.

Dolohov and Avery descended into the circle, flanking Dobbs.

Sirius left Katherine’s side, with a side long look, slipping through the crowd behind James.

“Katherine –” Lily was reaching a hand over heads of the others as she battled through – “There you are!”

Behind Lily came Alice, Frank, Marlene, Adam, and Freddie. All trying to peer over the crowd’s heads into the centre of the circle. Frank broke free too, and made his way, despite Alice’s tug on his hand – “I’ll be alright, love – just there to pull it apart if need be.” he said gently, before pushing his way through.

The girls couldn’t push through in the same way.

“Yeah, that’s right – back off pip squeak.” laughed Avery.

Peter broke free from an exasperated James’ grip, as he was pulling him away back into the crowd.

Dolohov lifted his wand –

Sirius fist collided with the side of his face in the same breath.

Katherine squeezed Lily’s hand.

Dolohov fell back, clutching his cheek and spared Sirius a murderous look.

“Don’t escalate it to wands,” said Sirius, casually shaking his hand out. He stood tall and broad, eyeing Dolohov coolly, “You’ll lose.”

Lily squeezed Katherine’s hand back, before turning worried eyes back on the boys. Both of their cold hands trembled together.

James approached, his shoulders back and his hands lifted, “Now, now –”

Avery pushed James backwards roughly.

James fell back one step, paused – glanced to Sirius – then turned with a vicious hook into Avery’s jaw.

Then it was all in.

Dobbs was left as the only one trying to pull it apart as his fellow Slytherins took on Sirius, James, and Peter.

Katherine and Lily shared a look of awe. They slipped through a surge – and could see what had become of everyone.

Peter was on the ground, swinging up at Macnair – while Dobbs tried to pull off Macnair.

Frank joined Dobbs, and ripped Macnair back with such force that the Slytherin tumbled into the crowd like a bowling ball taking down pins. The two shared a look, before Frank had to drag Peter back by the collar from attacking Dobbs anew.

As Katherine’s eyes followed Frank dragging Peter across the floor on his back – away – they caught on James atop of Avery, wrestling and striking down as the Slytherin guarded his face. The Gryffindor Captain’s back heaved and pulsed with each strong strike.

The two dark heads of Sirius and Dolohov switched places so quickly that it was difficult to catch them, as they rammed into the wall and switched around – trying to uppercut each other’s vulnerable middles. Sirius seemed to bore of it, and ripped Dolohov off the wall and threw him down on the ground. It was as he bared down on the Slytherin, that Remus caught him by the arms –

The other fights were over – it was over.

Katherine felt her chest sag in relief. She pulled on Lily’s hand, getting closer – hoping to grab Mary and ask what had happened. Lily kept up behind her, forming a chain to Marlene and Alice behind. Mary’s pale face, and trembling hands over her lips, came into view –

Sirius broke free of Remus’ grip and pushed the prefect backwards.

Hushed awes spread through the crowd.

Sirius’ voice was dangerously low, “Are you being serious right now, Moony?”

“Me?” laughed Remus, humourlessly. He stood up chest to chest with Sirius, but there was no mirth in his eyes.

Remus pushed Sirius back.

Katherine had reached the edge and felt her friends piling up behind her, all she could hear was bits of Sirius’ retort about ‘seeing’ something ‘first’ before –

Remus swung at Sirius – THUMP!

Sirius didn’t miss a beat before swinging back –

CRACK!

Remus stumbled back, his back heaving as he lifted a hand to his cheek bone.

“Feel better?” asked Sirius, haughtily.

Remus’ eyebrows gave a sardonic lift, and he said in a not-too-sincere huff, his face twisted, “Yeah, a bit.”

What was happening?

Sirius turned first, testing his jaw against his hand as he strode off into the crowd. His leaving gave the distinct feeling that the party had ended.

The HISSSSSSSSSSSS! of the enchanted pumpkins was deafening in the absence of the blasting wizarding wireless, and partying students.

Katherine’s eyes went after Sirius in the flashing lights as the smoke descended once more, and her feet started moving –

 

---

 

The cool of the sink salved the hands that sought sanctuary in the out-of-the-way bathroom. The tenderness of bruising was beginning to pulse through his left hand, his knuckles a violent red still.

“Oooooooo-weeeeeeee –” Moaning Myrtle whirled out of a toilet stall, and halted when she spied him – “Oh, no… that’s quite a bruise coming up – have you been… fighting?”

Myrtle twirled her hair, and sat atop a stall door, kicking her feet –

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone…”

Sirius was beginning to understand how someone killed her.

TAP – TAP – TAP – TAP came the warbled sound of shoes down the long-tiled entrance of the bathroom.

“Someone’s coming – oh you naughty boy, you’re going to get caught! It’s after curfew!” whispered Myrtle, before diving down a toilet.

Sirius was just relieved the ghost was gone, and ran the tap – wetting his hand, and dabbing it to his cheek. The glitter had stayed put, he discovered.

In the mirror, alongside his own face, was another, however.

A year… and her face had become as familiar to him as his own.

Sirius turned off the tap.

Katherine stood in front of him in her big cream coat.

“Does it hurt?” came the soft lilts of her voice.

Sirius gave a slight shake of his head, eyeing his cheek in the mirror, “I can’t feel it yet,”

Katherine nodded with worried brows, and they looked into the mirror together.

“How did you…” he trailed off, gesturing to himself and the bathroom.

She couldn’t have possibly had the map, unless James…

“I was right behind you.”

With the same demeanour as she had gripped his hair in the hospital wing, she reached up and touched her gentle fingertips to his cheek – right below where the rising numb blob was beneath his skin.

He lifted his own fingertips to her cheek.

Katherine looked down for but a second, and looked back, and finally said it –

“You hit him.”

He felt no remorse in the bathroom, despite time passing. Sirius would do it again right then were Remus there.

“I saw him forcing himself on you a bit earlier,” he admitted truthfully, with a shake of his head, “I didn’t like it.”

Katherine’s eyes flashed down –

Sirius placed his hand over hers on the sink.

Her lips twitched, and she gave a weary laugh as she looked off, “I can’t say I expected him to hit you…”

Sirius sucked in a breath, tilting his head –

“He saw us going down to Hogsmeade together, he was stewing about it for a while,”

Katherine’s eyes snapped back to him, guilt plainly swimming in them –

Sirius gave a huff of laughter, and leant his hip against the sink, “Really, we’ve both been hanging to punch each other’s lights out.”

That was the understatement of the term. Still, Sirius didn’t want to guilt Katherine further with the complete truth. Not on that night – anyway.

“Is this about last year? With the whomping willow incident?” she asked, carefully.

He hated it when she looked nervous for his reaction. There was nothing she could possibly ask him that he would not answer, gladly. He chose his words carefully however.

“Oh, it goes back a little further than that.”

What could he tell her?

About all the inconsequential glimpses on Claremont before he even knew who she was?

Or when he was fifteen when he smacked Peter on the back outside Potions and murmured nothing designed to impress – and she had laughed. She looked at him, and he looked at her, and something happened.

It did not take very long at all to know –

He was done for.

Fifth year saw many a thing – one being that Remus seemed just as gone. On the odd occasion, Sirius thought about putting him in the hospital wing for a few weeks with some unidentifiable curse. James ran interference when he could, to keep peace in the dormitory.

Sixth year had come, after a certifiable disaster in Hogsmeade after the last term’s examinations, and everything seemed to have changed.

Katherine Spencer came back different.

He glimpsed the girl from sunbathed summer streets of London – of childhood – again sometimes, when it was just the two of them. They didn’t need to do anything. Not really. He would look at her, and she would look at him and…

It felt easy. Like the universe had put the two of them together deliberately, like it had been the plan all along.

“I think we should go to Madame Pomfrey and get some bruise paste or something… and just to make sure nothing’s broken,” said Katherine, tangling her little cold fingers through his.

Her serious face of concern gave way to her rarer, more playful nature. The one he loved. She looked up at him with a lip-bitten smile of joy –

“I can say I did it.”

Sirius huffed out a laugh, but let her pull him away from the sink, “What shall I have done to you?”

They walked back down the long entrance together.

Katherine thought for a moment before raising her eyebrows at him semi-sternly, “Found out you were cheating on one of my friends.”

“Ooh,” he nodded in mirthful agreement -

He held up a hand – flat –

“How’s your uppercut?”

Katherine let go of his hand and drove her fist up, with the gentle THUD of flesh hitting –

He moved his hand, “Right hook?”

Katherine swung around with a sounder THUD.

He hooked his arm around her shoulders, with a grin, “I was done for, really.”

She laughed against his side, and they walked on through the nighttime corridors.

Sirius, as he kept watch around them, was struck by retrospective worry about her following him to the bathroom on her own. Sirius pulled her closer as they walked, steadfast in the knowing of what he was right at that moment; her sword and her shield. It was something he always wore easily, like a birthright.

“You two –” came the shrill of Madame Pomfrey when they arrived at the Hospital Wing doors, her eyes flashing between them exasperatedly, “Again –”

The matron’s eyes seemed to lock onto Sirius’ face, astutely discerning the injuries on his person –

“What was it this time?” she said, lifting her skirts as she hurried them over to a spare bed.

Sirius blinked, “Well –”

“The truth.” said Madame Pomfrey, turning stony eyes back on him.

Sirius took a bracing breath, and nodded to Katherine beside him, a bit embarrassed by saying it aloud, “Defending her honour.”

“It’s true.” said Katherine, with an abashed nod, her hands behind her back as she teetered on her boots.

Madame Pomfrey pointed at the bed, indicating Sirius sit, “Shall I be expecting another patient?”

Sirius sat, and the matron began her inspection of his face and knuckles immediately.

Sirius blinked helplessly in discomfort as she shone her lit wand at his eye and held up his eyelid, “I think lycanthropes heal faster…”

Madame Pomfrey sucked in a deep breath as she put his eyelid down, looking at Sirius with wide eyes. The boys had never hit each other before. There had been spells gone awry, and misadventure, of course, but…

“Oh, my stars…Remus John Lupin…” the matron grumbled his name, then went back to assessing Sirius.

She glanced sideways to Katherine –

“’Trouble two’, you can sit next to ‘Trouble one’.” said the matron, her tone lighter than before.

Katherine bit her lip with the faintest smiles pulling at her eyes as she sat beside Sirius. She smoothed the little skirt she was wearing, but it didn’t change that everything bar her knickers were visible. Sirius, admittedly, liked the skirt – personally…

Madame Pomfrey swatted Sirius’ arm –

“Look up here…” she reprimanded, redirecting his eyes from Katherine’s legs.

No matter how hard he tried, Sirius could not get the smile off his lips as they sat there together on the edge of the bed in front of Madame Pomfrey. Like little kids...

“Nothing is broken, just bruised,” was Madame Pomfrey’s final verdict, as she swiped on some bruise paste.

Sirius winced at the coolness, at first. Then felt extremely heartened by the watchful eyes of both Katherine and Madame Pomfrey, overseeing the application. James would have already been kicked out by the matron by this point…

“You’re safe to go back to your dormitory – and here –” Madame Pomfrey handed a slip over, a permission slip to be out after curfew due to medical emergency.

She had never given Sirius one before.

“Cheers.” he said, waving it and walking to the doors with Katherine – who was pulling her coat tighter around herself.

Madame Pomfrey crossed her arms – but the faintest of smiles rose on her lips. Her eyes followed them out, trailing over their garb. She never did ask many questions… the things she must have seen…

They were moving on, however, to yet another place of the night. The clutches of sleep encroached on them – in their ruffled clothes and sweat-dried faces. Still, the glitter remained on the pair of them.

As they began their climb through the grand staircase, they began to pass other partygoers making their wobbly returns to their own common rooms throughout the castle. It was entertainment at its finest, as far as Sirius was concerned.

When they closed in the Gryffindor common room – streams approaching it from all directions – Katherine took his hand –

“I can’t see the girls – I might just duck back to The Pipes to make sure they’re not still there, after…” she trailed off, with a timid little smile up at him, “Earlier.”

Sirius felt a riot of things inside at the prospect of her walking back up into the higher levels of the castle alone. There were plenty of partygoers still streaming out and about, however. He couldn’t very well stop her, and – if it were the girls, they’d probably want to debrief the night alone…

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Katherine’s eyes were already looking off, and she laughed lightly, shrugging, “Well, at worst – I can at least help clean up.”

Sirius nodded slowly, letting their hands fall apart.

Katherine went to go, but turned back with a low wave, and looked – to his delight – as reluctant to part as he –

“Bye…”

Sirius waved back, feeling a pull in his chest the further she went, “Bye.”

He watched her go, with nothing much else to do, as he waited in the line of students making their way through the Portrait of the Fat Lady. Some with more success than others, in their states. Katherine was just disappearing up and around onto a landing on the seventh floor, when a familiar figure left an alcove and followed.

Sirius trusted his brother with Katherine. Truly, he did. He left the line at the portrait, and began following out of curiosity really –

 

---

 

She should have told Sirius, thought Katherine, as she strode quickly – and paranoid – through the dark corridors of the seventh floor. It was the most out-of-the-way route to the Astronomy Tower. That, and it wouldn’t give away to Sirius – who she had lied to – just where she was going.

She felt sick with guilt.

It was as she passed one of the detention rooms – the light still on – that Katherine was taken out of her thoughts.

Slumped by a bench outside, was a collapsed Gryffindor girl – a first year by the size of the robes, if Katherine had to guess.

"Oh… are – are you okay?" said Katherine slowly, as she edged closer to the girl.

Bending down, Katherine found that the girl had not fainted or fallen – for her eyes were wide open.

Jumping back with a gasp, Katherine noticed the pool of red liquid in the corner of the hallway for the first time.

The floor seemed to sway beneath Katherine, her ankles the consistency of lolly snakes, and that's when she saw the writing on the wall.

 

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE

 

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 53: The Chamber of Secrets

Alphard Black's office at the Ministry of Magic had been vacant since he left it, or so everyone thought. It had, in fact, had a frequent visitor.

Wand between his teeth, Alexander Abbott picked through the late wizard's filing cabinets, like he did most days when he wasn't tending to the requests of Minister Bagnold. He could not find a shred of paperwork on his mother beyond his birth certificate in the Abbott's family file and a photograph – ripped in half…

He had since branched out to his grandmother's married family – the Montagues.

Working quickly, endeavouring not to be caught poking around Ministry documents unauthorised, Alexander sifted through the Montague family's recent history until he found the same photo of his mother, waving up at him and laughing with her twinkling green eyes and white-blonde hair – but this photograph was whole.

Arm in arm with his mother was a man with hair nearly just as fair and a dimpled grin, the pair were in wedding robes.

Alexander had passed over the familiarity he felt when looking at the torn photograph of his mother as maybe having some ancient memory of her. But now, seeing the full photograph, he knew it was because he had seen it before –

"Abbott!"

The call of his name made his hands clumsy, more so because it was Minister Bagnold’s voice

He rushed to put everything back and lock the door behind himself. When he met Bagnold a hallway over, Alexander was sweating. Bagnold would never know that it was a cold sweat, and that Alexander's hands were shaking inside his long robe sleeves.

"We're going to Hogwarts, Abbott – get your travelling cloak on the way to the Floo." grumbled Bagnold in her no-nonsense tone as she stuffed documents into a case.

Alexander blinked, "What business should I prepare for?"

Bagnold paused, waiting for the witches and wizards coming and going from the offices in the hallway to be out of ear shot.

The secrecy only doubled Alexander's anticipation.

"Did you ever hear the old tale about the chamber of secrets back in the forties?"

Alexander nodded.

Bagnold pursed her lips.

"Not a tale."

Heart racing, Alexander felt eleven again as he leapt out of the emerald flames into Dumbledore's office at his old school with Bagnold – not ten minutes since he was rummaging in Alphard Black's old office.

"Albus, is it true? Truly true?" Bagnold's words were the quietest, most innocent, that Alexander had ever heard come from the wizened witch's lined lips.

Dumbledore bowed his head, "I'm afraid so."

The three journeyed through the familiar hallways to the ground floor where the writing remained.

"How? When?" Bagnold's words began to jumble, uncharacteristically.

"A Gryffindor first year, Georgia Abbey…" Dumbledore sighed, shaking his head, "Muggleborn…"

Dumbledore pointed to where the girl must have been laid.

Alexander blanched, having been raised by squibs and having many muggleborn friends at school, "Dead?"

Dumbledore shook his head quietly –

"No, dear boy – Petrified," he corrected as he frowned, "Miss Spencer must have had a similar line of thought –"

Alexander thought his ears might actually have pricked up –

"– she fainted on finding her, the poor girl…" Dumbledore went on, "Poppy believes she should be waking soon."

Bagnold nodded, "Indeed –"

"Will we be questioning her?" Alexander could not contain himself.

Bagnold frowned at her assistant –

"Yes, Abbott," she looked him up and down, "Though I'm not sure you're up to task – you've been a bit…off…"

Albus Dumbledore's gaze made Alexander feel as if he were made of cellophane.

"No – no, just a bit taken aback by the news – do we know what petrified Abbey?" Alexander recovered as smoothly as possible.

Dumbledore shook his head, his eyes returning to the writing, "Some beast that only the heir of Slytherin has knowledge and control over, we had our suspicions as to who…"

"That Hagrid fellow?"

Dumbledore bristled ever so slightly.

"He has been proven innocent," he corrected, before clearing his throat and going on, "A certain dark wizard attended this school at the same time as the attacks the first time around, if you remember, Millicent."

"You-Know-Who?" Bagnold gaped, "I don't remember… it was such a long time ago..."

"When he attended school here, he was known by another name," said Dumbledore, his eyes set on something far in the distance, perhaps…far in time, "Tom Riddle."

"But he's dead! Regardless of his name!" cried Bagnold, "Katherine Spencer defeated him!"

Alexander flinched at the outburst. Staring, startled, at chin of the Minister of Magic that was quivering with fear.

Dumbledore was very quiet for a moment, and, when he spoke, Alexander got the distinct feeling of receiving a half-truth.

"We believe there may be a copycat."

Bagnold's eyes went wide, "Well, of course – he… he had no heir!"

Dumbledore hummed, his eyes skimming past Alexander and Bagnold all too quickly, "Come now, we should go see Miss Spencer."

Strides unusually quick for a wizard of his age, Alexander scrambled to keep up with Dumbledore and respectfully stay a step behind Bagnold. Alexander found himself smoothing down his hair and robes as they slowed by the doors of the Hospital Wing.

Over Dumbledore and Bagnold's shoulders, the sight of two curtained off beds led Alexander to wipe his suddenly sweaty hands on the inside of his robes.

“Miss Abbey lays in here,” said the school’s Matron, parting the curtains of the first bed.

The first year laid in her Gryffindor robes, her eyes frozen open, and her arms and legs stuck in a position of being frozen mid-step.

Alexander couldn’t look away. Inside, he felt… almost nothing. Shock, perhaps. He had never seen anything like it…

“Professor Sprout has recommended Mandrake, to cure the petrification. It is being brewed as we speak. There is not enough, however, should any of the other students find themselves petrified. The other plants are only in infant stages…”

As Madame Pomfrey parted the curtains of the next bed, there was not a sole inhabitant, but two.

"Mister Black was the one to come across the fainted Miss Spencer…”

The familiar black hair of the aptly named Black family strummed a chord of guilt somewhere deep inside Alexander (Was Alphard some Uncle or Grandfather to this boy?), but it was buried beneath a plethora of other emotions when he saw the form of Katherine Spencer, slumbering under a sheet.

“Mister Black, you’re free to go. Your statement has been recorded by Professor McGonagall.”

Madame Pomfrey patted a dainty hand on Black’s shoulder, “Oh, dear Regulus… should you find yourself troubled by what you’ve seen tonight, you can always come back for a calming draught, or dreamless sleep potion…”

Regulus Black nodded, looking vulnerably young as he went to leave – until he lifted his eyes. They zeroed in on Alexander with the intensity of a hawk. Hunter’s eyes. A lot of the Blacks had them – but in Regulus’, there was a spark of something further like… recognition. Despite the two having never met.

Alexander eyed the boy as he passed.

Regulus’ stare held, turning to run his eyes up and down over Alexander as he closed in on the ajar double doors.

On the other side of the door stood the taller, older Black that Alexander had interviewed the previous year at the Dementor attack. Sirius Black awaited the younger boy – arms crossed, and visibly furious. He grabbed Regulus by the robes, inclining his head down in unrestrained aggression to speak quickly.

Regulus battled to escape the boy’s grasp at first, but pushed him off eventually – and the two moved down the hall – out of sight – the fading sounds of their argument echoing back into the Hospital Wing.

Dumbledore rocked on his feet, faint amusement across his aged face that was half-turned in the direction of two of his departing students.

Madame Pomfrey cleared her throat before straightening the sheet over Katherine Spencer attentively.

“I think, Madame Pomfrey,” said Dumbledore, with a gentle bow of his head, “It would do to wake Miss Spencer now.”

Madame Pomfrey eyed Alexander and Minister Bagnold out of the corner of her eyes, “Yes… but I ask that you don’t crowd her. The last thing she saw before she fainted wasn’t pleasant.”

Alexander nodded, but his eyes were fixed on the peaceful face of the girl. He had not spoken with her properly on his previous trip for the Dementor attack. Still, he found the features sparked a deep feeling of familiarity within him… perhaps from the papers...

The Matron lifted her wand –

“Ennervate.”

Alexander found himself edging closer as the twinkling green eyes of Katherine Spencer finally opened…

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 54: The First Horcrux

Katherine saw the faces of the Minister of Magic, her assistant, and Dumbledore upon awaking – not having realised she was ever asleep.

It was bright, and the white walls intensified the glare. Katherine cast an arm over her eyes –

"Why am I in the Hospital Wing?"

Dumbledore cast a sympathetic glance over her, "You fainted, Miss Spencer."

The glassy, blank stare of Georgia Abbey came flashing through Katherine's mind unbidden, as well as the writing on the wall.

"The first-year girl… is she okay?"

Dumbledore's exchanged glances with the Minister did little to quell Katherine's concern, "She will be… the Minister needs to ask you some questions for her investigation – so we can help figure out how to help Miss Abbey, Katherine."

Katherine felt that Dumbledore knew more than he was letting on as he hung in the back of the curtained off area, but she answered the questions of Bagnold as her assistant furiously scribbled them down. The feeling of being in a zoo returned to Katherine as Abbott scanned her, a sensation becoming familiar to her since crossing the threshold into the magical world.

"If you can think of anything else… my card, Abbott." said Bagnold, before strolling out of the Hospital Wing without pause.

Abbott produced an inky blue card with the Minister's office address on it and left it on the bedside table before following his boss, but not before looking over his shoulder with a curious look.

CLICK, the big double doors closed behind the witch and wizard.

Dumbledore remained, looking out the window into the night.

Katherine had been careful to employ the little she knew of occlumency that she had learnt from Lily. For some reason, Katherine did not want to divulge anything about Horcruxes. It felt like her knowledge…

“Professor, I still don’t know…” said Katherine, playing the sheet pulled to her stomach, “What is the Chamber of Secrets?”

An ancient sigh escaped his lips, and his head bowed – still turned away from her.

“That is tale that goes all the way back to the founders of this school, Katherine,” he said softly, lifting his head and turning around on the spot slowly as he spoke, “Upon construction, Salazar Slytherin made a chamber in a location in which only he knew the whereabouts. You’re aware of his feelings about blood purity, yes?”

Katherine nodded.

“It was a safeguard, the monster he kept in the chamber. When released, it was intended for it to go after and kill muggleborns – that is the story, anyway.” he explained.

“… and someone’s opened it now?” she asked.

“It seems so, Katherine,”

Dumbledore gazed out the window to the darkened Quidditch pitch.

"I believe Voldemort’s loyal followers have infiltrated the castle, using a student most likely – most unfortunately…" Dumbledore's eyes had gone dull as he spoke.

Katherine felt a panic seize her at the obvious implications, "Sir, will the school close? What will happen now?”

Would she go back to Claremont? To St Marys?

“We, the Professors, will try to find and close this chamber, naturally,” said Dumbledore, with a placating hand lifted to her, “It is nearly myth… and Miss Abbey is simply petrified – not murdered… it could all very well be a…. very ill-humoured practical joke…”

The air was stale around the suggestion.

“Hogwarts will stay open, for now,” said Dumbledore, decidedly.

Katherine nodded, watching her feet flex beneath the sheet – not knowing what else to do.

Dumbledore turned to leave, but paused, and looked back with his twinkly blue eyes, "Have you made any progress with Professor Slughorn, Katherine?"

Katherine shook her head and used it to redirect her eyes to her lap. She focused on the memory of the Potions’ Professor giving her the alcohol tonic – just in case.

"Not yet, Professor." she said, quietly.

Her guilt, she did not have to fake.

Dumbledore nodded, "You are free to leave, Katherine. When you are ready."

With that, the headmaster turned and left in earnest, his robes swishing after him.

Madame Pomfrey descended upon her right after –

“Now, Georgia Abbey’s parents have just arrived, and I have to stay put here,” she informed Katherine, feeling her forehead one last time, “The common rooms have been on lockdown since nine. The castle is as safe as can be, and you should only encounter Professors on your walk…”

Or whatever it was that petrified Georgia Abbey.

Katherine nodded meekly, “Thank you, Madame Pomfrey.”

Madame Pomfrey gave a tight smile, and hesitantly approached the curtained off bed next to Katherine’s.

Katherine glance to the clock, to find that it was only ten. She had only just been there, in the same bed at the Hospital Wing, an hour before – with Sirius. She pushed herself out of the bed, the sheet having covered her short skirt – likely for modesty. Bless you, Madame Pomfrey, she thought. Rubbing her eyes – she paused – and found glitter on her hands. Bugger…

Straightening her clothes the best that she could, Katherine left her bed, and made to skirt around Georgia Abbey’s bed.

Through the parted curtains, were a man and woman in robes. The man, Georgia’s father, was sitting in the chair beside the bed – listening to Madame Pomfrey. Georgia’s mother, however… was up on the bed with her young daughter; weeping and stroking the girl’s hair back from her face. Her husband rubbed her back, but she was inconsolable.

Katherine’s heart wilted in her chest. Feeling gritty from the night, and terribly lonely, she hastened past.

The glow of torchlight from the hall illuminated the crack in the double doors. In the warm golden light, she saw the silhouette of a familiar profile – and dark curly hair. As Katherine closed her hands around the handles, the figure vanished. She pushed the doors open and stepped out into the hallway.

Regulus stood there, in his uniform still, waiting – watching the door for her emergence – dutifully.

Katherine pulled the door shut at her back – CLICK.

The crying of Georgia Abbey’s mother was muffled by the wood.

Regulus gave the slightest of tips of his head as they looked at one another –

“I found you, when you were on your way to meet me,” he said, standing in the middle of the hallway, confessing – it seemed, “I was interrogated before you were woken up. Professor Dumbledore sent me back to my common room, but no one checked if I came back, however,”

He gave a slight smile, turning into a walk.

“Is the school staying open?” he asked, glancing over at her.

He paused, waiting for her – to join him, and to speak.

Katherine fell into step beside him, looking around at the empty castle, “Dumbledore thinks it could be someone playing a prank.”

Regulus scoffed –

“It can’t be. Only an heir of Slytherin can open it – could know what words to write,” he said, in sudden, impassioned animation. He shook his head imploringly, “What kind of spell petrifies a person like that?”

He let out a sharp huff, looking off ahead – tense.

“How do you know this?” asked Katherine, turning into him as they walked.

“It’s been opened before, by You-Know-Who himself,” said Regulus, subdued as he went on, “My grandfather, and a few great uncles, were a part of a sort of… school gang while they were here. The Knights of Walpurgis…”

Katherine connected what he had said, “So, Tom Riddle was the heir of Slytherin?”

He blinked ahead, tilting his head –

“I’m not sure exactly what his parentage is, but –” Regulus broke off, and nodded in answer.

Their feet moved slowly down the stairs to the Entrance Hall, in a short contemplative silence.

“So there really is a monster?” asked Katherine.

Regulus nodded again, watching the floor in front of them, “Likely some variety of serpent...”

“Do the teachers know this?” asked Katherine, in disbelief.

Regulus pressed his lips together in a short moment of thought, before saying, “Dumbledore, at least.”

Katherine was not the only one who had been withholding something in the conversation with the headmaster it seemed…

They slowed by the junction of the Entrance Hall, with the stairs that went up – and the stairs that went down to the dungeons. All that could be heard was the faint ticking of clocks. The ghosts were nowhere to he seen, and the portraits were all empty.

Katherine and Regulus stood across from each other again, in imminent parting.

Katherine was desperate to get as much information as possible before they did, “If it has to be an heir to open it… and we know Vold –”

Regulus’ cheeked twitched –

“You-Know-Who –” amended Katherine, before going on, “– has hidden a piece of his soul in something… a horcrux…”

It was the first time Katherine had said the word aloud.

Regulus’ eyes glinted at the word – all she needed to know that she had indeed figured the right thing out.

Katherine went on, in conclusion, “That means that there’s a piece of his soul here in the castle…”

Regulus looked down at his shoes.

“You know.” she said, softly.

He gave a quiet nod.

Regulus’ eyes settled on a wall sconce, the flames reflected in the hard blue as he spoke again, "At Narcissa's wedding, Malfoy gave Greengrass a diary – said there was something special about it…"

He looked to her, with a troubled brow –

"I knew that whatever it was would bring trouble to Hogwarts – that's why I sent my house elf, Kreacher."

The house elf she thought she dreamed at Lily’s in the summer…

Katherine blinked, "You…"

Regulus nodded, looking a bit pale –

"Me."

“Why…” Katherine was flabbergasted, shaking her head, and trying for gentleness, “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

She reached for his hand, where it dangled at his side –

“We’re on the same side, aren’t we?” she asked, softly – despite there being not a soul around.

They had never conversed so boldly before.

Regulus’ hand twitched but remained cool and limp in Katherine’s. He was looking down again, resolutely –

“I wanted to make sure I had my information correct. We’ve only been back at the castle for around five weeks,” he said, more lightly, looking up. He blinked, and was almost back to his usual indolent self, “I had to find the right books… sending Kreacher back and forth between here and home – and, not to mention, I have classes.”

Here and home… the home Sirius ran away from… it crossed her mind just how dangerous this was for Regulus, and that, perhaps, she was the only person he was able to confide any of that sort of information with…

Katherine looked down this time and said with quiet sincerity as she let go of his hand, “Thank you, Regulus.”

He took a deep breath.

“I just want all of this to be over.” said Regulus, exhaustion dripping from the words.

Katherine nodded in her understanding – in her agreement. She lifted her eyes again, slowly, and asked, thinking aloud –

“Even if we were to separate Greengrass and the diary…” she said, before frowning, “What would we do with it?”

“You kill it,” said Regulus, matter-of-factly, “Fiendfyre is the only way I know of.”

Katherine had never heard the word, “Fiend…”

Regulus took in a deep, slow, breath – the corners of his lips lifting –

“You’re going to need another book, I’d say.” he exhaled, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Katherine gave him a pointed look, but it was flimsy.

Regulus attempted a timid smile.

They both knew, however, that he enjoyed his insubordination whenever he was with her.

“Would that close the chamber?” she asked, moving past his dig.

Regulus became solemn once again, nodding slowly, “I think the beast would only work on instruction, otherwise half the school would have been dead by now… so if the piece of soul controlling it went away…”

Katherine nodded in understanding, “Then we –”

“We?” Regulus repeated, with raised eyebrows.

Katherine faltered – she had thought it had gone without saying…

“I trust you –” she admitted, blinking and tipping her head in concession for his attempts on her life the previous term “– that you want this over as much as I do,”

Regulus eyed her, relenting with a short nod.

Katherine went on, explaining, “There’s a reason Dumbledore hasn’t announced his concerns to everyone. You never know where the rat is…”

“You haven’t told any of your friends?”

The words were quick.

Katherine looked up.

Regulus’ eyes were alight, and he leant forward with a parted smile –

“Which one don’t you trust?” he inquired, seemingly rapt.

Katherine shook her head, “It’s… not that I don’t trust them…”

Regulus leant back, his eyes scanning her face. He gave a knowing look, all of a sudden –

“You’re trying to work it all out before Christmas, so their holiday plans aren’t thrown off,” he said lightly, with a jaunty little laugh, “Bless your cotton socks, Katherine Spencer.”

He sighed, eyeing her like she was the most amusing thing he had seen in a long time – shaking his head.

Katherine shook her own head, “I don’t want any of them to get hurt – to end up like Gil –”

She couldn’t finish – suddenly choking up.

Regulus’ face went stony again. He looked off, down the hallway.

“Well, I won’t tell them,” he said, and then turned back to nod to her, “You might have to, one of these days,”

He inclined his head, with glittering eyes –

“Do you think You-Know-Who would make it easy for anyone to get their hands on a piece of his soul? Catching out Malfoy handing the Diary off to Greengrass was pure luck.”

Pure luck…

Maybe getting it off her would require it too. Katherine might have an idea on where to find some, as it happened…

The clock began its hourly donging –

They both looked to it. Unsaid, was the fact that they were running out of time before a professor eventually found them.

“So,” said Katherine, buoyed with the revelation of knowledge, “We focus on Greengrass for now?”

Regulus gave a huff of laughter, but blinked and said, “Yes, our book club will reconvene the next time we find ourselves a nice dark stretch of shadows.”

He stepped back, towards the stairs leading down the dungeons.

“The whole secrecy bit is your thing, Black.” Katherine reminded him lightly, crossing her arms.

A breeze went past her legs, and she shivered in her skirt and boots.

“Say hello to my brother for me, won’t you?” said Regulus, mirthfully, his eyes grazing her legs. He looked up, paused with a hand on the top of the handrail descending the sloping stone wall, “Maybe let slip to him that it wasn’t I who opened the chamber and knocked you out?”

Katherine felt her brow furrow, “Why on earth…?”

“When I found you on your way to meet me…” he said, gesturing between them, “He found us –”

He shook his head with pointed eyes –

“It didn’t look good,” he admitted. He wet his smiling lips, and blinked at the ground, before looking up at Katherine, “If Professor McGonagall hadn’t come along when she did to shoo the party goers from the Halloween party, I would have surely gotten the thrashing of my life.”

With that, Regulus turned and began leisurely taking the stairs down to the Slytherin common room.

Katherine turned, and wondered what would await her in Gryffindor Tower. Tiredness seized upon her working legs as she climbed and eyed the empty portrait frames. How was she going to explain all of this to the girls?

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)

Chapter 55: What Was Once Hidden

Upon his return to the Ministry, Alexander made a beeline for Alphard Black's old office. Unlike every other time, this time it wasn't empty.

The grey robes of an Auror immediately set off panic in Alexander's stomach.

The wizard however, seemed to have been waiting for him, golden-topped and haphazardly dressed as if he had just gotten off his broom. His backside parked on the desk.

"What are you doing in here?" the words left Alexander's mouth before he could think, a possessiveness over the abandoned office filling and blooming inside his chest.

The man stood to full height, broad-shouldered yet thin – an obvious ex-quidditch player. Alexander observed the wizard as he lazily sauntered around the desk.

"I could ask you the same question, Alexander,"

His name from the lips of a wizard he had never met struck him with surprise.

"Don't do what you're thinking of doing." he went on, firmly.

"How do you…"

The man, not more than a decade his senior, fixed Alexander with a meaningful look, "I know."

With one look in the Auror's eyes, consistent with the shade of butterbeer, Alexander knew that he truly did – know. He had felt like cellophane earlier under Dumbledore's gaze, but he barely felt like gossamer at that very moment in Alphard Black's office.

With a POP, the golden-topped Auror was gone.

Barely a thought was spared as to how the wizard had apparated from within the Ministry when there were wards in place, when all the rest of his thoughts were occupied with the discovery of Alexander's new identity. Who he had always been...

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Alexander noted that the clock on the wall had him in on overtime. Grabbing his cloak, the Minister's assistant made for his own Floo and within moments found himself on a stool on the Leaky Cauldron, staring into the bottom of a butterbeer.

He was barely out of Hogwarts but was slouched as if he was on par with the Headmaster.

"M - my…?" stuttering came from his left.

"Excuse me?" said Alexander, dropping the hood of his travelling cloak and turning on his stool.

"Merlin, Abbott? What’chu doing running around with your hood up like that…"

Donny Wilkes, a fellow Slytherin Alumni stood by the bar, tankard in hand.

He scratched his forearm, shivering, before taking the stool next to Alexander and knocking shoulders, "You look different now that you're older."

"That bad?" said Alexander, raising his eyebrows and taking a long sip of his butterbeer.

Donny cackled, "Really, though, what are you doing with yerself these days?"

An hour passed with pleasant small talk and closing the two year gap between graduating Hogwarts and what the two wizards were doing now, mostly slurred by Donny who needed a shave and a breath mint.

"Did you ever hear about the old tale, that you-know-who knocked up a bird and she threw herself down a flight of stairs one stormy night in February a good twenty years ago?" Donny leant forward with reeking salacious grin, "People say the heir died, but a few of us think it was a cover, and the little tike is livin' on somewhere out there…"

A silent moment passed, when all that sounded between them was the crackling of the flames in the Floo. The other patrons in the back of the bar might have well as not even been there.

"Hey, isn't your birthday in February, laddy?" Donny exclaimed with a slap on the table, "Crikey – maybe you're 'im!"

Donny was laughing so hard he could not possibly notice that his friend was not.

"Maybe…" Alexander traced the rim of his tankard absentmindedly.

Donny guffawed, "Merlin – I missed ya'! – forgot you were such fun!"

Alexander gave a smile, but it couldn't grace his face for much longer than to convince his intoxicated school friend.

"How about I help you get home, yeah?" Alexander suggested, standing.

"Yeah, yeah…" Donny swatted Alexander's hands away, standing much more slowly than his old friend, "I can handle myself – but write, yeah?"

Alexander agreed half-heartedly as Donny stumbled through the Floo.

Notes:

The re-ordering of chapters is complete! Hopefully I didn't disturb anyone's reading!

The count is slightly higher, so I don't know if any of you would get a notification for an update - but there is nothing new (yet). All of your lovely comments are still with this fic, but they won't match up with the correct chapter past the third chapter. All my author's notes didn't match up either, so I just deleted them - but it will all be back to normal with the coming chapters :)

Chapter 56: Middlegame

Notes:

In honour of mercury retrograde beginning in earnest… here comes a necessary, yet uncomfortable, conversation for our Katherine…

(If you feel like it, listen to ‘Don’t Be Like That’ by Drowners for the *vibe* of the breakup scene)

“All upcoming Hogsmeade trips will be cancelled until further notice –”

Katherine paused, closing the Fat Lady’s portrait behind her –

McGonagall’s voice continued to carry down the tunnel from the round common room, “Quidditch too will be cancelled, along with practises –”

Walking slowly towards the warm glow of the room, Katherine hoped no one would notice her –

“The curfew that will come into effect is as this…” said McGonagall, coming into view, where she stood in the centre of the room with a scroll of parchment, off which she was reading, “No one will leave the common room before six thirty in the mornings – and no one will be allowed out past eight thirty in the evenings,”

Everyone stood around, solemn faced under the stare of their Head of House over her spectacles. Most were in their pyjamas. A good two dozen sixth and seventh years, however, were in various states of dishevelment in their party clothes from the Halloween bash. Regardless of garb, everyone looked bleary-eyed.

“Furthermore, when traversing the castle, you will need to walk in pairs at least,” said McGonagall, rolling back up her scroll, “No one is to walk alone,”

By the boys’ stairs, Katherine’s eyes found a motley line up; a fluffy haired prefect in his red and white bomber looking out the window, a lip-busted Peter with his shirt buttons ripped halfway down, wild jet-black hair slicked haphazardly across James’ forehead as his arms still pulsed with the earlier fight, an unaffected Frank Longbottom leaning on the back of a couch, and then Sirius with his fading red cheek.

All of them stood, or leant, with their arms crossed.

Katherine found her eyes drifting over Sirius – who was still in his navy shirt – his jaw pulsing as his eyes clashed like swords with the boy on the other end of the impromptu line up.

Remus had turned back from looking out the window –

Katherine had nearly gasped –

His eye was ringed with an angry purple bruise.

At their tenseness, it became clear that their opposing positioning on the ends was unlikely to be happenstance. The other boys were strategically placed between them.

“Now,” said Professor McGonagall, waving her scroll, “Off to bed, off to bed…”

The younger kids leapt up the stair first – back to bed. Left dawdling, were the older years – talking amongst themselves with grave faces and hushed whispers.

Professor McGonagall bustled through the common room in her nightgown and slippers and paused upon seeing Katherine on the shadowed fringe. She gave a tight smile and nod, clasping a firm hand on her shoulder –

“Miss Spencer…” was all she said, before she sidled past and out of the portrait.

CLUNK the portrait closed behind the Gryffindor Head of House.

A few heads lifted, jittery, at the noise. That was when eyes finally caught onto Katherine – some with familiar recognition, and others with unadulterated curiosity. It had gotten around that she had been at the centre of another event at Hogwarts, it seemed.

Her friends, in all their party finery, spotted her, and waded closer through the furniture –

Lily was going to reach her first, bobbing with a quiet call of her name, “Katherine…”

Katherine sidled past the tall shoulders of a gently smiling Dagworth, with a whispered apology. ‘Not to worry love…’ was his quiet reply. There was a distinctly different feeling to all the other going-ons at the castle that Katherine had been apart of. Her eyes caught Sirius’ as she went – and her feet nearly stalled.

He had already been looking.

Lily’s hand closed around Katherine’s, and she gave a gentle tug, “Come on, we should get upstairs…”

Katherine nodded, glancing back to Sirius as she was gently guided to the girls’ staircase.

Sirius was turning as he talked lowly with James, his eyes still tangled with hers, the boys heading up their stairs too.

Passing behind the boys, were the glancing eyes of Remus as the prefect fussed with his hair.

Marlene came along on Katherine’s other side, taking her hand and blocking all else from view –

“Come on…” she whispered gently, as the girls began taking the stairs.

Alice walked up ahead, her arm around the back of a quickly stepping Mary – keen to vanish from the common room.

With a CREAK, Mary pulled open the sixth-year girls’ dormitory, and hurried through with Alice. Once Katherine, Lily, and Marlene caught up, they were under the curious eyes of the fifth-year girls that had been scurrying up the stairs behind them in their pyjamas.

Marlene shut the door soundly, but the whispers of the fifth-year girls caried through underneath before their footsteps faded up the stairs to their own dormitory.

The quiet of the glowing lantern-lit dormitory was only broken by the distant squeals of bats through the window, and soft HOOTs of owls, as the girls sat about their beds in the aftermath of the night that had been. The sky was still black outside. It had only been a few hours since Katherine was still dancing at the Halloween party, but it felt like it had been days…

“So…The Chamber of Secrets.” huffed out Lily, sitting on her trunk and reaching down to undo her shoes.

Katherine nodded slowly.

“How did it all happen?” asked Alice, wrapping an arm around the left base post of her bed, staying standing in her party dress.

Katherine went on to relay how she found Georgia Abbey – leaving out that she had been on her way to meet Regulus – her subsequent fainting, and then waking up in the Hospital Wing. She repeated what Dumbledore had told her of the chamber, without the connection of Voldemort, to her friends. Then she revealed what Regulus had indicated – about how it would target muggleborns, but only on command of the apparent ‘heir’.

Marlene gave a sarcastic blink, “Oh, brill.”

Lily sighed, staring off into the orange flicker of an oil lamp – resigned.

Mary drew her knees up to her chest, shaking her head slowly –

“Bad things always happen here.” she said quietly.

Marlene turned to her, with a mirthful smile, “Hate to break it to you, love, but if there’s anything we’ve learnt – it’s that bad things always happen everywhere.”

“What will you do with no Quidditch?” asked Lily, eyes set on Marlene.

Marlene glanced back, then paused at the seeming realisation, “Godric…”

Katherine tipped her head with a little smile, “It’s alright – you can hang out with me.”

Marlene’s eyes slid to Katherine –

“No offense, Katherine – but I’d feel basically unemployed if I hung around with you all the time.” she joked, with glittering eyes.

Katherine grinned, despite herself, “Oi.”

The girls laughed, and it broke the grim film that had settled over them in the dormitory as they discussed the opening of the chamber.

Katherine’s eyes roved the girls. She could give them something to do. The knowledge of Greengrass and the diary was rising inside of Katherine – ready to spill out. Would they do it, however?

She would need to start testing the waters – Alice, she knew, was ready and rearing to be an Auror. On the other end of the spectrum of her friends, Katherine thought maybe Mary had rather already had enough of it all…

“So,” said Lily, broaching –

She glanced around at all the girls –

“Lupin and Black…”

Alice clutched a hand to her chest, looking around beseechingly “Sweet Morgana…did you see Lupin’s eye?”

“Are you really surprised? Black’s batshit...” said Marlene, with a wide-eyed side glance.

Something inside Katherine’s prickled, and she flinched up a little straighter –

“How did that all start?” asked Alice, gesturing to Katherine, “I was dancing with Frank by Katherine and Sirius…”

Marlene glanced to Katherine, for but a second, before looking around –

“Well, I think it all started when Peter tried to fight Dobbs –” Marlene broke off, with a little laugh, “Sorry, Mares. But Peter’s not made of the ‘stuff’, you know?”

Mary nodded, looking down and rubbing her forehead, “I… know.”

Alice tepidly patted Mary on the back.

“Dobbs and I got paired in class –” broke off Mary, waving a hand dismissively, “We’re friendly,”

She gave a shrug, looking down again as she went on –

“He just came up to chat to me at the party…”

Alice winced, and asked, “Then it was ‘all in’?”

The girls all shared a light laugh at the memory of the brawl, reliving the most memorable bits. ‘How was Frank dragging Peter away along the ground –’ Marlene mimicked it across their dormitory floor – ‘Frank? How about Dobbs knocking Peter down like he was a fly!’ was Katherine’s contribution, as she clutched her pillow to her chest, feeling shivers run down her back in memory.

Even Mary gave a stifled laugh, groaning and clamping her eyes shut.

“I’ve patrolled with Dobbs,” said Lily, sighing her laughter. She gave an earnest nod, “He’s alright.”

Alice nodded, but halted – “Why did Lupin and Black turn on each other, though?”

“It’s always a mystery with those boys, isn’t it…” trailed off Lily, shrugging, “I’m taking the shower first – someone spilt their drink down my back, and I feel gross…”

The girls took turns in the bathroom, taking their makeup off, having showers, brushing their teeth…

Katherine, clean, and curling up with Belle on her bed – thought back on the actual party.  Remus had tried to kiss her –

She clutched her blankets up near her chin, blowing out a breath. There was no ‘blowing over’ of that which could possibly take place. She had, plainly, pulled away.

The memory of dancing with James afterwards assuaged some of the mortification of the whole ordeal. Katherine rolled onto her back, and felt her lips pressing hard against the blankets – a smile begging to win out on her face as she remembered what had come next –

CLICK Alice turned the bathroom light out, and left the door ajar –

“Night.” she said to the Dormitory, yawning and crossing to her bed.

“Goodnight.” they all chorused back.

It was as the rest of the lights went out, and everyone’s breathing settled, that Lily lifted the corner of Katherine’s blanket –

“Katherine – where did you go? After? Before you found Georgia Abbey…” she whispered, climbing in, and pulling the blanket up to her chin.

Katherine shuffled over to make room for Lily, “I went after Sirius.”

Lily’s eyes flashed silver in the night, as they roved Katherine.

“…I won’t pretend like I understand your friendship with him.” she said, after a thought-filled pause.

“He’s not batshit,” whispered Katherine, feeling the blanket become wet under her lips and breath, “Sirius,”

Katherine took a breath in, before explaining what none of the girls knew earlier – explaining why Remus’ eye was so bruised –

“Remus tried to kiss me on the dancefloor – a bit forcefully –”

A new expression dawned on Lily’s face –

“He was – really… he was looking out for me...” finished Katherine.

Lily gave an incremental nod, “Of course…”

A deep sigh followed, from Lily, in the silence. Beneath the blanket, she nudged Katherine –

“Remus asked after you, last night – or, earlier tonight, I suppose…” she said, anew.

Katherine felt goosebumps break out all over her flesh.

Lily yawned, hunkering down in Katherine’s blankets –

“You should talk to him.” she said gently.

Katherine nodded, but – really – she would rather try and pry the diary from Greengrass’ claws in the middle of the Great Hall at breakfast.

 

---

 

Katherine woke early the next morning and added to her list everything that she and Regulus had spoken about. Despite all that had happened, she felt more hopeful than she had in weeks. They knew what it was. They had to get the diary off Greengrass, and then destroy it. That was it.

While the other girls still slumbered, Katherine headed for the common room. She thought she would head to breakfast early – before the certain mass pandemonium of everyone there discussing the opening of the chamber – hoping on a stray younger year waiting to head to breakfast.

When Katherine touched down in the common room, halting at the sole occupant –

Remus’ head turned around at the sound of her footsteps, the bruise around his eyes already fading.

Katherine paused, and hesitated before asking, “Going to breakfast?”

Remus turned to her fully, his shoulders lifting in a sigh –

“Well, I can’t very well go alone.” he said lightly, with the lightest of lifts to his lips.

He nodded his head towards the portrait and began taking slow strides.

Katherine stepped down into the common room and caught him up in the tunnel to the portrait. She glanced sideways, unsurely –

“Is your eye okay?” she tried.

“My cheekbone was fractured,” he said, blankly.

Katherine glanced to him, aghast.

Had Sirius really hit him that hard?

Remus tipped his head with a faint, assuring smile, “Madame Pomfrey fixed me up while you were being interrogated last night by the Minister.”

“So, you’ve heard everything then?” she asked, bracingly.

He sighed and nodded, “Just about.”

They had reached the portrait, and Remus pushed it open. He stepped through and waited.

“I’d like to, er,” Katherine faltered as she stepped through, the portrait closing behind them. She steeled herself, and did her best to hold his eye as they stood on the landing, “Could we talk about what happened last night?”

Remus broke into a short laugh, blinking gently down at her, “Yeah,”

Relief began working through Katherine’s muscles.

He nudged her arm with his –

“Come on, I’d say the bridge is still allowed…”

The two made it all the way down through the castle, without seeing a soul – only a handful of ghouls – and got halfway across the bridge to their spot, when they were halted mid-step –

Remus reached out a hand, and a blue ripple fanned out before them – across the bridge.

A barrier.

Katherine watched the ripple, in disbelief, “What if we needed to escape the monster?”

Remus stood beside her, blinking against the cool morning wind as he observed it alongside her –

“Oh, that’s only allowed with a teacher.” said Remus lightly, with a sideways smile.

A beat passed, and Remus took the initiative of turning to rest on the railing on the bridge, just shy of the barrier.

Katherine settled beside him, looking out.

Another beat passed between them.

Katherine’s teeth found her bottom lip, “Last night, I…”

Remus took a deep breath beside her, shaking his head down at the railing.

“I’m so sorry, Katherine…” he said, breathily. He lifted his eyes to her, apology pulling down his face, “You looked terrified…”

His eyes dropped down her face, and then back out into the ravine –

“It shouldn’t feel like that, you know?” he said, softly, to the wind.

Katherine looked down at her pale, quivering hands, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said, shaking his head again, still looking out, “It was nice, for a little while, to pretend like I might…” 

Remus’ lips gave a quick lift, but he sighed out his next words –

“With what I am… I can never marry or have children, Katherine. I might not even be able to get work. I can’t offer you any sort of future,”

His eyes finally lifted, still half-lidded – but pinned on her –

“I like you, Katherine,”

His eyes gleamed strongly as a small smile played on his lips.

“You saw me for what I was, and you never...” he sighed, giving a shake of his head to stop himself, and looked out over the ravine, “Perhaps with everything that’s happened and is happening… it’s just highlighting the fact that as nice as this has been – whatever this is – that it can’t hold up in the real world…”

Realisation was heavy in Katherine’s stomach –

“Are you attempting to break up with me, Remus?” she asked, looking at him straight on.

There was something incredibly sad about his little smile, despite his huff of laughter and playfully roaming gaze – charting her face, seemingly.

“It’d be a bit silly of me, wouldn’t it?” he said lightly, inclining his head. The lightest of furrows appeared between his eyebrows, commiserating, “Considering we were never really together.”

The wind nipped Katherine’s cheeks under a vanilla morning sky that oozed like her heart in her chest. Ever still, she didn’t want to let him go.

“I care about you, Remus.” she said, not knowing what she expected in reply from the words. They were the truth, however. It felt important to say them.

“I know,” he said, nodding to her with his sweet sad little smile again, “I care about you too,”

A sincere beat passed between them, in which his eyes flashed over her face, and then down –

“I think we both know, however, that it’s in a different way.” he added, raising his eyebrows down at his hand on the bridge railing.

Katherine Spencer stood there next to Remus Lupin on the first morning of November, feeling like the most horrible person alive.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them spoke further.

It had all been said.

Still, Katherine wanted to try to make it as amicable as possible, “Can…”

She gulped, her mouth dry.

Remus reassuring gaze lifted to her, warm.

“Can we… start over?” asked Katherine, with a bated smile.

Remus laughed again, nodding.

Katherine had a small huff of laughter herself – though hers was mostly relief.

He leant by her, wetting his lips, “This time I even promise to not fall in love with you.”

Katherine held up her little finger in proposition.

Remus gave a good-natured, though indulging, smile as he linked his little finger with hers. He gave a playful shake, before letting them drop.

They stayed standing there, leaning on the bridge and looking out. Carefully avoiding touching shoulders. Sideways glances, however, were thrown liberally.

She wanted to say something more, to soothe him or… something – but the words would not come.

In his searching green gaze, was a wise silence. His face and hair at the mercy of the breeze, the bracing lines disappeared – his lips tugged up.

It seemed he knew.

“Come on,” he said, pushing back off the railing, “We should head back.”

Katherine had to fight from visibly rejoicing on their quiet walk back – she was single! She belonged to herself. She wanted to skip with glee, and sing to the birds fluttering through the castle cloisters – she felt as weightless and joyous as sunlight. It was all so bloody stupid, in the end…

Once through the courtyard and Entrance Hall, Katherine’s eyes found two separate groups; there was Lily and Marlene talking to Dingle, from last night, and one of his Ravenclaw mates – and then there were all the sixth year Gryffindor boys, just across the hallway, lingering. Waiting for Remus, it seemed.

Katherine took a nervous glance to Remus, worried he might start acting like Peter had with Mary.

He just smiled sleepily down at her, however – the wedge between them widening as they approached their friends.

“See you.” tried Katherine, with a small smile – swelling with relief at their resolving of everything.

Remus gave a light huff and laughter and a nod, making for the opposite side of the hallway, “See you.”

There was more in the exchange of words.

Lily was waving to Dingle and his friend as they went into the Great Hall for breakfast, and turning eyes of exasperated anticipation at an approaching Katherine at the same time – flashing them to Remus and back.

Katherine bit down a widening smile, buoyant in her quick strides.

A few things happened in quick succession that stopped girls’ debriefing, however.

Alice and Mary plopped down the marble stairs, joining Katherine, Lily, and Marlene off to the side –

The boys’ conversation went suddenly quiet as a series of footsteps echoed from down the hallway –

Bradford Dobbs spearheaded the group of Slytherin boys from the fight the previous night, as they walked past – nearing the girls first –

Dobbs, tall and indolent, glanced sideways at Mary with the slightest of smiles –

Peter watched, rather nonplussed, but silent –

The Slytherin boys sauntered past their Gryffindor counterparts, something volatile radiating off both groups as they eyed each other –

Dobbs gave a haughty little smile back to Avery as they passed completely, and made their way through the opened doors of the Great Hall –

Dumbledore then swept down the marble stairs, with three Aurors in tow – two of them with identical heads of golden hair.

Marlene beamed, and broke away from the girls, “Fabian!”

Fabian Prewett stepped down, and opened his long arms with a grin –

“There’s my Keeper!” he beamed back.

Marlene threw her arms around her old quidditch captain’s neck, and was pulled up off her feet in his embrace.

Marlene clutched his robes as she was lowered back to her feet, with a solemn face, “They’ve cancelled Quidditch.”

Gideon stepped down behind his brother, with a faintly exasperated side eye. You can take the Head Boy out of Hogwarts, but…

“Oh – I know, love,” said Fabian lightly, stroking the end of her plait with his thumb as he stood a good head and a half over her, “No good, isn’t it?”

The sixth year Gryffindor boys began to close in on the returned pair of alumni with alight eyes, and Gideon went to greet them while his brother tended to a distraught Marlene.

“They’ve just announced the Quidditch world cup too – it’s all hush hush,” said Fabian, in a whisper. Making a face of mirthful secrecy around at all the girls as he held a finger up to his curving lips, “It’s going to be around Easter...”

Katherine’s eyes caught on what was happening behind the young man’s head, however.

Dumbledore shook hands with Hawthorne, by the doors leading into the Great Hall –

“Now I think some breakfast would be in order. Farewell, young Rory.” said Dumbledore with a genial smile and wave as he floated through the open doors.

The headmaster’s robes were scarlet with silver stars that day.

Young Rory turned then, eyeing his underlings before turning to slowly make his way into the bright sunshine at the end of the Entrance Hall. This must have been his school too, once...

She should have expected Aurors, Katherine mused privately. Still, she had been surprised at their early morning appearance to survey the castle, and it's safety.

“Captain Potter, how are things?” asked Fabian, turning from Marlene and clasping hands with James in blokey way.

Gideon broke away from the boys, now that they were crowding his brother – their former captain, with fervent chatter about quidditch. His eyes caught Katherine’s, and he gave a short upwards nod – stepping into a turn.

Lily pushed Katherine from behind with a quiet little smile.

Katherine looked back, scandalised, with a whisper of “Lily!”

“You never know when you’ll see him again.” Lily whispered back, with a little shrug, and sparkling eyes.

Alice bit down her laughter, as she and Lily lightly nudged each other and watched Katherine cross to Gideon.

Sirius’ head lifted from his conversation with Fabian as Katherine passed, then darted to Gideon waiting down the way.

She closed in on Gideon, however, feeling oddly… calm.

“I’m afraid that I don’t think we’ve spoken since before last term’s final Hogsmeade trip,” said Gideon, as he strolled slowly at her side as they crossed through the sun-bathed courtyard, “My condolences, by the way.”

Katherine nodded, looking at her shoes – then focusing on the back of Hawthorne vanishing down the lawns, “Yeah. Thanks...”

She felt him looking at her as they began traversing the dew dampened lawns.

“Hawthorne is brilliant Katherine, we’ll figure this all out soon,” he said with bow-headed softness, “You’ll be safe here.”

The barely-there-touch of his fingers circling her wrist, drew her gaze up to his gently imploring eyes. The sight of him, and his blond locks that bounced down from his pompadour style onto his forehead, stirred a well of nostalgia in Katherine’s chest. She felt like a fifth year once again as she stared up at him. Everything about him was still just as clean, just so, and handsome.

Something inside of her was different, however.

“Katherine!”

Just further up the lawns, gracefully loped Fabian and Sirius – who still had his hands bracketed around his mouth from his yell.

Katherine grinned at the approaching swaggering form of him, turning a more sheepish smile to Gideon –

“See you.” she said, having to make a conscious effort to keep her feet still.

Gideon gave a wry sort of look of amusement back to his cousin, before turning to Katherine with glimmering eyes.

“Until next time.” he said, with a nod, before pocketing a hand and strolling on in the direction of a waiting Hawthorne at the gate.

Katherine broke from her hold of propriety and dashed back up the lawns to Sirius.

He lifted an arm as he closed in to meet her, hooking it around her shoulders with a grin of greeting.

Fabian waved cheerily to Katherine, already stepping off ahead to meet his brother and their superior.

Hawthorne was chatting idly with Gideon and glancing back up at them.

“Any reason you were meeting up with my brother last night?” asked Sirius lightly, still looking down the lawns.

Katherine wrapped an arm around Sirius’ back, looking up to him –

“Snogging.” she said, squinting one eye against the sun.

Sirius broke into a grin and peered down at her mirthful eyes – wide with mocking, “Good thing you and Remus cleared things up this morning then.”

Katherine blinked and felt her brow furrowing –

“How do you know about that?” she flustered out, with bated laughter.

“We were all standing around when you two came back from the bridge – it was pretty obvious,” said Sirius, with a huff of laughter. He then squeezed her closer to his side and turned them back in the direction of the castle, all in one motion, as he leant down mirthfully, “Also, James is a notorious gossip.”

Katherine laughed, leaning into the tower of strength that was the sixth-year boy as their strides synced in the climb up to the courtyard. He felt more familiar. Katherine could not explain it, but supposed it had to do with the previous night.

The girls were waiting up in the courtyard, peering down the lawns as they talked and laughed.

“Gosh, he’s such a dish!” gushed Mary, taking Marlene’s hand.

Lily laughed, throwing her head back, “Which one, Mares?”

“Fabian…” sighed Mary, holding a hand to her heart – and looking off at the young man.

Fabian had turned back as he met his brother and their superior on the other side of the Hogwarts gates, blocking the sun from his eyes and squinting back up before apparating away with a POP.

With the ease of the Saturday morning, Katherine and Sirius strolled on past the girls in the warm silence of knowing they were both heading to breakfast – coming to pass the boys where they lingered at the threshold of the Entrance Hall.

Not far behind them, were a group of giggling fourth year girls – who ran off into the Great Hall with hushed whispers, leaving one on their own. She approached the sixth-year boys with a nervous smile, and tapped Peter on the shoulder –

“Excuse me – Pettigrew?” she said quietly, flushing –

Not only Peter – but James, Remus, and Frank turned to look at her, halting their conversation –

The girl knitted her hands together, stepping back a little so Peter blocked the sight of his imposing friends behind him, “Could you walk me to breakfast? The new rules and all…”

Peter blinked with a shrug, “Yeah, sure…”

Katherine chanced a glance up to Sirius.

Sirius was wetting his smiling lips, looking down at her with suggestion glittering in his eyes. It had not escaped him either.

They shared a knowing smile and walked on together.

It was a calm sort of change that had come upon the castle that morning. For Katherine, at least. Though everyone was acting funny as they acclimatised to the new rules, and checking around corners before running in case they were next to be petrified, it didn’t feel catastrophic.

As she walked into the Great Hall with Sirius, if people glanced at her – they looked away quickly, once catching his haughty, reproving gaze.

All bar Regulus, who caught eyes with her over a forkful of his breakfast sausage. His eyes flashed to an exhausted looking Greengrass seated down the table as he chewed sharply.

They knew what they had to do – and then it would all be over.

Notes:

Writing insight: In my head, I could head the bursting guitars of 'White Room' by Cream when Katherine sighted the busted up boys lined up in the common room while Professor McGonagall was addressing them all with the new rules lol

Chapter 57: The Third of November

Summary:

I love you guys, thank you for being so patient <3

Sunday was spent with the girls. They moved between the library and common room, Katherine eyeing Remus from afar whenever their paths crossed – and hoping everything really was going to be okay between them.

On one occasion when he looked back, he offered her a small smile. They didn’t speak again. After all, it had barely been a day since their heavy conversation.

Ever still was the feeling – that they were okay.

Things between the boys seemed as normal as ever, as well. Although Katherine didn’t see Sirius and Remus talk to one another – or really look at one another…

Katherine was, frankly, more preoccupied with the announcement of a self defence club that was to take place on Monday, after lunch. That, and the fact that she had received a letter Sunday evening in the dormitory. From Zabini. In lieu of all that had happened, his lessons were placed into a matter of higher importance by Dumbledore, according to his tensely phrased letter.

Katherine had sat, letter in hand, with her drawer still open at her knees. In the ajar drawer was the glinting wrapping paper of Sirius' present that she was preparing to pull out for the following day.

The rest of the castle's experience of the chamber opening had, as of that moment, come crashing into Katherine's.

She had looked out the darkened window for quite a time after that.

Paranoia was rife as some students became nearly agoraphobic – confining themselves to their common rooms and dormitories when not at meals. By the beginning of the new school week, there began to be a split in students and the way they were behaving in lieu of all the new rules.

A new thing, usually done by older students, was that they had taken to bolting through the hallways on their own – hoping teachers and prefects didn’t catch them. There was not always someone around to take with you.

Katherine was one of the quick dashers; a pureblood – safe. Guilt rose in her when she felt relief in that knowing.

Monday came, the third day of November. It had never meant anything to Katherine before. Ever yet, was the feeling that it probably still shouldn’t…

The day was, unavoidably, Sirius’ seventeenth birthday.

Katherine had no idea whether they were close enough for presents but had not been able to ignore the tugging urge. They were friends. Weren’t they? Feeling a bit silly, Katherine stashed her present for Sirius into a large inner robe pocket before leaving the dormitory.

The girls made it all the way down the staircases in their group, pausing in the Entrance Hall at a scream –

“AH!”

The group of rambling Sixth Year Gryffindors slowed to a collective stop outside the Great Hall.

Avery laid in the hallway, motionless – his eyes open.

“Is he petrified?” asked Bulstrode – clutching at her chest, “I thought he was a pureblood…”

Avery blinked –

“You’ve got me.” with his words, he jumped up with an exuberant flourish –

Bulstrode jumped back with a shriek, swatting at the boy as he chased her through the doors to the Great Hall – his fingers pointing up against his forehead in mock horns, flicking his tongue crudely.

Avery’s brash laughter faded behind him in the Entrance Hall, along with the fright from the prospect of another petrification.

Katherine glanced to Lily apprehensively as all the girls walked through the double doors to the Great Hall themselves.

Lily, the only muggleborn among them, had only the slightest tinges of disdain for Avery’s crude joke upon her face as she tossed her hair back from her shoulders and strode alongside Katherine.

By the time the girls had gotten inside, Avery and Bulstrode were already seated at Slytherin table with their respective friend groups. The girls moved down Gryffindor table – and Katherine’s chest lifted with a slow breath that seemed to tingle her lungs –

Sirius was shaking hands with James, as the other boy handed over a bag of sweets –

“Cheers, just what I wanted.” said Sirius, with buoyant sincerity.

After their business-like handshake, both Sirius and James sat down at the table with the other Gryffindor boys from the Quidditch team. A small pile of sweets had accumulated in front of Sirius’ plate. A few girls passing behind him on their way to their seats glanced at him but did not say anything – and just eyed the group of broad-shouldered Quidditch players. A formidable, very insular, group.

Marlene, out of all the girls, sat the closest to the group of players – one of them –

“Happy birthday, Black.” she said casually, reaching for the toast.

Sirius turned with a short lift of his head in a nod, replying just as casually, “Cheers, McKinnon.”

Before going back to his conversation with the others, Sirius’ eyes drifted over the newly arrived group of girls – flickering to Katherine – at last – and catching.

Katherine offered a small smile.

Sirius’ passive mask slipped – up, into a short smile – before he turned back to the other boys.

Lily blew out a breath beside Katherine, her spoon clinking around her teacup, "I wonder what it is…"

Those had been the five words of the days following Georgia Abbey's petrification. Werewolves, vampires, and red caps had been the names thrown around the hallways and over meals in the Great Hall.

The Chamber of Secrets, Katherine had to remind herself – and the beast within it. The rest of the school wasn’t exactly concerned with the matter of Sirius Black’s birthday.

Lily had tried to quell her fellow Gryffindors' panic by insisting they do not fret over what was in the chamber, but, this time, the words had come from her mouth. It was a feat, because she had taken to stuffing her nails into her mouth so often it was a wonder the words could make it out.

A shadow blocked the sun shining through the stained-glass windows of the Great Hall.

Lily's entire body seemed to shrivel up beside Katherine.

Bertram Aubrey, now a seventh year, the new Ravenclaw quidditch Captain, and, most notably, the one-time boyfriend of Lily Evans, stood there behind James and Sirius, annoying and suspicious.

The happenings at the castle had not yet made it to the Daily Prophet, but the castle was an echo chamber.

"I bet it was you two that set it loose – for a laugh, yeah?"

James all but rolled his eyes, not turning as he added his sugars to his tea.

Aubrey bristled –

"Not clever enough for that, are we – Potter?” he asked, with a slowly rising smile, “Has it even occurred to you to it could be your very own best mate? Choosing Gryffindor in first year would throw everyone off – but we all remember what tree his apple rotted off. He’s seventeen now. Why don’t you just roll up his sleeve?”

James paused, and his eyes narrowed.

Sirius gave his friend a parted sideways smile – unaffected, it seemed.

Katherine, however, felt her mouth slackening as she stared up at Bertram Aubrey. What has inspired such a... such a tirade? It was ridiculous. Sirius was nothing like he was saying…

“You know what? It hasn’t,” said James, abandoning his tea and turning with unsettling serenity, “This has though –”

With a shared nod, the two stood, hooked Aubrey beneath his arms, and carried him out of the hall kicking and yelling.

Katherine’s amusement faded as she watched the spectacle disappear beyond the big double doors – to worry. With Sirius’ disappearance, she might not see him again until lunch…

“Nothing to say, Lily?” asked Marlene, after pulling her spoon out of her smiling lips.

Lily just shook her head, buttoning her lips to suppress a smile – feigning indifference.

Katherine sat there through breakfast, her eyes straying to the doors. No one came back through, however – only Remus and Peter stood to go out.

“Come on, we better begin heading up to Divination…” said Alice, standing up, and kissing Frank’s cheek in a goodbye.

Frank had offered his cheek, still chewing his bacon and eggs, before going back to eating and listening to Dagworth.

Katherine stood hesitantly, the last of the girls, pulling her bag over her shoulder. She meandered behind the other girls to the double doors, and then up the marble staircase and beyond. It was on the second floor when a loud, barking laugh echoed out of the boy’s lavatory –

“Total legend!” laughed James Potter, as he clapped a laughing Sirius Black on the back.

Remus and Peter brought up the rear of the group as they spilled into the hallway just in front of the girls.

James tipped his head as he went to pass in the opposite direction, with an absentminded smile, “Evans…” – he then turned to Remus, pulling him up by him to laugh about something else without missing a beat.

Lily and Alice glanced back after the boys before going on ahead, with an amused sort of non-plussed expression.

Sirius lingered behind the others, smoothing his hair.

Katherine’s feet began carrying her across the midline of the hallway, away from her friends – who were already metres out ahead.

“Come on, Peter – hurry… hurry…” urged Sirius mirthfully, steering the boy from behind with his hands on the shorter boy’s shoulders momentarily, before they fell back to his sides.

Peter indeed quickened his step, tacking his hands onto James and Remus’ shoulders to laugh with them.

Sirius flicked a quick glance over his shoulder – at the girls further down the hallway – then back to Katherine. His feet had stopped, but his eyes danced.

Katherine’s heart began swelling up like a big balloon as she closed in on him. She reached into her pocket as she approached, pulling out the shiny blue wrapped square – just over double the size of her palm – with the red bow –

With her other hand, she reached for his elbow and turned them against the wall, off to the side of the hallway –

Sirius held her elbow in return, bowing his head down with a smile of bated surprise –

Katherine handed over the gift, filled with such instant happiness she thought she might burst –

“Happy birthday.” she whispered, tampering down her grin –

Sirius’ eyes sparkled up as they lifted from present in his hand back up to her –

“Katherine!” came the echoing call of Marlene’s voice.

Both Katherine and Sirius’ heads whipped around –

The girls were waiting at the end of the hallway, having noticed Katherine’s absence, and stood – watching curiously.

Katherine dropped Sirius’ elbow, and went to step back from the warmth of their closeness with a quick smile of farewell –

“Wait –”

Sirius’ grip enclosed her hand, and tugged her back around –

Katherine steadied herself against him at the sudden force, having to tip her head back to look up at him –

A pleased glint in his eyes married with the surprise still across his face, and Sirius watched the waiting girls over her head with sparkling eyes –

“Thank you, Katherine.” he whispered against her temple.

Katherine tampered down another smile, and she whispered back, “Of course – I hope you like it.”

“Katherine, we’ll be late!” came Lily’s call this time.

Katherine turned to go again, setting her eyes on her exasperatedly amused friends –

“Ah –”

Sirius used his remaining grasp on her hand to pull her around again, laughing huskily –

He leant down to whisper, “Meet me in the muggle studies classroom? Next period?”

Katherine nodded, her teeth finding her bottom lip –

“Oi – Sirius!”

“Katherine!”

Their friends’ calls came at the same time.

Katherine and Sirius shared one last glance, dropping their grip on each other’s arms, and separating in the direction of their respective friends.

“Oh, I forgot –” said Lily in mirthful greeting, “You had to say happy birthday to your new best friend.”

“Oo – oooh!” chorused Mary and Marlene, with glittering eyes.

Marlene grinned, prodding Lily’s arm, “Someone call Professor Dumbledore – I think we’ve found the green-eyed monster.”

Lily rolled her eyes.

Katherine slung an arm around Lily’s shoulders, breathless and grinning, “Come now – it’s you and me. Lily and Katherine. We even get our periods on the same day.”

“Me and you.” said Lily, with a little smile, jerking her head to free her hair a bit from Katherine’s arm.

It wasn’t their usual way to grasp onto one another – that being linking arms or holding hands.

The girls’ heads knocked together as they began walking, in the unaccustomed movements that resulted of it. Katherine released her laughing friend before they rounded the corner onto the next hallway, and the two walked side by side up to the Divination classroom behind the other girls.

They were to be doing cartomancy and consulting the tarot cards to read their table partner’s future that lesson. Quickly, people began probing the cards about the Chamber of Secrets. One girl pulled the ‘Death’ card, and her table mate promptly burst into tears –

“You’re not muggleborn – it’s okay!” the reading girl, Cornelia Bones, blustered out, reassuring.

The blubbering girl, Jessica Wood, wiped her thumbs under her smudged mascara, “But what if? What. If?”

Chancing a glance to the girls, Katherine toyed with the cards she had pulled for Lily; the tower, the hanged man, and the seven of cups. Professor Brown had paused by their table and asked to hear Katherine’s best interpretation of the cards.

Under the professor’s observation, Katherine interpreted that the combination of cards could suggest that Lily was going to experience a point in which her life as she knew it would change forever – the tower – and that she would face a series of options in the wake of it – the seven of cups – and would need to think outside the box – the hanged man – to find the best path for herself going forward.

Professor Brown gave a thoughtful nod and the muttering of ‘yes…yes… quite possibly...’ before she had flittered off to another table, leaving the girls in their corner of the incense hazed classroom.

“Are you really worried about it? Being muggleborn?” asked Katherine, quietly, “I can walk you to your next class – I have a free, remember.”

Lily glanced up from the stack of cards she was splitting with a wry look –

“Actually, I’m worried about you – in that free,” said Lily, looking back to her cards and going on distractedly, “You’re going to have to walk back to the common room all alone…”

Katherine blinked, watching Lily run her hand over the spread of the shuffled and cut deck, “…I didn’t think about that.”

Lily glanced up –

“Let’s consult the cards, then…” she said in a forced whimsical tone, wiggling her fingers before turning over three cards. Her eyebrows lifted in genuine thoughtfulness as she read them, “The ten of cups, the king of swords, and the lovers…”

Lily pressed her lips together then pursed them as she thought, before pointing to them in turn –

“Well, the ten of cups is ultimate fulfillment –” Lily glanced up with an indulging smile of amusement, “Your happily ever after…”

She looked back down, pointing to the next card –

“The king of swords… has me a bit stumped,” she admitted, tipping her head to the side, “Usually it would mean that you’re in your power, ruling from a place of authority and respect…”

“Alas, Miss Evans… the king of swords can represent a person,”

Professor Brown had floated back around to their table –

“Usually a man, that embodies the qualities of the air modality – Gemini, Libra, Aquarius… appearing cold, aloof, and a bit uncaring – but will command unwavering respect as an authority figure of sorts, due to intellectual prowess and moral integrity…” she went on in explanation.

Lily nodded sagely at the Professor’s words, before gently saying, “Well, Katherine’s an Aquarius, Professor Brown.”

“Is she?” blinked the Professor.

Katherine wondered if some fragment of the prophecy the witch made about her was stirring in her mind.

“Mhmm…” hummed Professor Brown, before going on in conceding tones, “Katherine – Miss Spencer – is more of Queen of Cups, in my opinion. Which represents a supportive and caring person in the lives of others –”

Lily and Katherine caught eyes, battling sparks of laughter at the corners of their lips –

“– a mature instinctual female. Embodying qualities of love, kindness, and sensitivity…”

Katherine thought she had never been so ill-perceived in all her life.

“You’re sure you’re not a Scorpio, dear? I’m getting Scorpio…” trailed off Professor Brown, waving her hands around Katherine’s ‘aura’.

Katherine shook her head, “My birthday is the sixteenth of February, professor.”

“Oh, yes,” accepted Professor Brown, with a sincere nod, before going on, “The King of Swords could represent you. But with the lovers, perhaps this King of Swords is the person with whom you’ll have your happily ever after. Otherwise, why else would you have not come out as the Queen of Swords?”

Professor Brown have a whimsical little smile, before floating off once more.

Lily placed down the King of Swords card, murmuring, “Sounds like a bastard…”

Katherine cast her eyes down at her textbook, for the card meanings –

“Maybe it’s foretelling that I need to triumph over Zabini – cold and uncaring, ‘a man with a silver tongue’ –” she traced the words under the picture of the King of Swords card “– to reach contentment.”

“Okay, Queen of Cups,” smiled Lily, amusedly, tracing the description for the aforementioned card, “Use your ‘powers of psychic intuition’.”

A bark of laughter slipped out of Katherine, despite her best efforts, “If I’m the Queen of Cups, it’ll be in reverse.”

Lily snorted, closing her textbook. She rested her elbow on it – then her chin in her palm – as she gazed across at Katherine –

“Have you got a lesson with him coming up? Professor Zabini?” she asked, barely above a whisper, with a glance around.

Katherine gave a mute nod, taking slow breath in through her nose at the prospect.

Mary leant over from where she and Alice sat at the table next to them, “A lesson with who?”

DONG! DONG! DONG –

The bell rang out, and Professor Brown waved her hands over the room – “Class dismissed – think about your cards as you go about your day! Think about your cards!...” – she called as the students stood and packed their bags.

“Oh, just her adversary, the king of swords – Professor Zabini,” said Lily to Mary, slinging her bag onto her back, “Possibly, anyway,”

Lily gave Katherine a little smile as they rounded their table and stepped down from the platformed section of tables –

“I still like to think you’ll achieve your happily-ever-after through bold leadership and standing in your power.” went on Lily.

Katherine jolted down from the raised platform, joining the flux of students streaming down the walkway to the stairs with a huff of laughter, “Yeah…”

Lily got to the stairs, turning and beginning to take the rungs, down –

“Or do you know any other Kings of Swords?” she asked, mirthfully, before disappearing down the rungs, hand-over-hand.

Katherine eased down onto the ladder, following behind Lily. She had yet to get to bottom and see her friend again, when she heard her –

“Black – you’re not supposed to be walking alone –”

Katherine nearly fell off the ladder –

“Technically, I wasn’t.” came Sirius’ buoyant reply.

Katherine reached the bottom of the ladder and turned, finding herself standing beside an arm-crossed Lily who was eyeing Sirius with barely disguised disbelief.

Sirius stood behind two second years, who were remarkably out of place with the upperclassmen all around – towering over them by heads. He perked up with an upwards slip of his lips as his eyes fixed on Katherine.

Looking into his eyes, she knew that he had seen what Katherine had gotten him as a gift –

“Black… they don’t have classes this way.” Lily admonished, as she gave the lightest of furrows of her brow at the two younger boys.

Sirius clasped his hands on the boys’ shoulders –

“Well, actually, Evans,” said Sirius, blinking, “Jeffrey Alderidge and I are great mates –”

The veins on the back of Sirius’ hands jumped as he squeezed the boy –

“Aren’t we?” asked Sirius, turning a dazzling smile down to the boys.

The boys nodded fervently up at Sirius – then at Lily, more imploringly.

Jeffrey Alderidge tried an innocent smile. 

Lily’s arms dropped from across her chest, “Alright,”

The boys visibly deflated –

“Stay together,” she said, pointing at the two boys, “And head onto class, before you’re late.”

Jeffrey nodded, and blustered out, “Yes, Professor – ah, Prefect –”

He squinted his eyes shut, before squeaking out, unsurely –

“Evans?”

Lily turned to Katherine in muted disbelief –

Sirius gave the boys a covert thumbs up, his eyes glimmering –

Lily, missing it, turned to step over to the other girls who were readying to head on for their next classes –

“I’ll see you later?” she asked anew, turning back.

Sirius and the boys paused mid-motion –

Lily was blinking attentively at Katherine, however.

Katherine nodded with a smile and wave.

The girls waved back before heading on, their books clutched to their chests.

Sirius made quick work of dolling out sweets to the boys and them ruffling their hair. With his hands in their hair, he pushed them on down the hallway playfully as he walked around them – his eyes on Katherine.

Katherine watched as the boys clutched their bribes and ran off laughing, unable to help a smile as her eyes followed the boys in the billowing robes around the corner.

Once they were gone, there was only Katherine and Sirius left standing in the hallway – both watching after where the boys had vanished.

“I thought I’d come and pick you up,”

Katherine glanced up to Sirius at his words.

Sirius’ tilted his head, eyes flickering around her face quickly –

“Rules and all,” he tacked on, with a twitch at his lips.

They lasted for but a second, before both their faces cracked into grins and laughter burst from their lips –

“Come on.” said Sirius, holding out a hand with a sideways smile of suggestion.

Katherine took it, and then they were loping off cheerily in the direction of the muggle studies classroom.

“Having a good birthday?” asked Katherine, as they climbed the stairs up to the next level.

Sirius took two steps at a time next to her, “Yeah, I am, actually,”

He glanced sideways with a genuine smile, his eyebrows lifting –

“How was Divination?” he asked, as they reached the landing, and started down the hallway running off it.

Katherine gave him a deep-breathed glance.

Sirius bit down on his smiling lips, looking off with an understanding nod.

“Professor Brown was convinced I was a Scorpio, to begin with…” began Katherine, lightly.

Sirius gave a scoff of laughter, turning to her with bright eyes, “Funny. I’m a Scorpio, but she thought I was a Gemini in first year...”

He looked off with faint amusement, as they slowed by the approaching door to the muggle studies classroom.

Katherine’s eyes drifted over him, and how everything about him was intense to the umpteenth degree –

“I don’t know how – you’re definitely a Scorpio.” said Katherine, with a light laugh.

They had slowed to a stop outside the door.

Sirius turned to her, blinking slowly and wetting his quirked lips, “Oh, yeah?”

Katherine felt a tickle in her sternum under his gaze that had ever so perceptibly darkened.

Case in point.

He turned away to reach for the door, stepping through and holding it open with a chivalrous, patient expression.

Katherine passed through and made for the tape deck by the back windows, feeling Sirius following closely behind. She sat on the bean bag – at first – and watched as Sirius pulled out the blue wrapping that she had rolled the tapes in. He held it loosely around the unravelled gifts before putting them down on top of the tape deck. Katherine had tried to choose the most boyish colours she could in the blue and red, but she had certainly missed using glitter with her usual reckless abandon...

It was strange to see it all in his hands, she found. The wrapping she had picked out… the bow… and how it had lived in a drawer in her bedside table for the past two weeks – waiting.

Sirius’ hands deftly parted the blue crinkly paper, and he flicked through the tapes she had chosen.

It was all his now.

He turned with an expression of gentle inquiry, “Which one first, do you reckon?”

Katherine tapped the cassette with ‘The Who’ down the spine and ‘Tommy’ on the front, with a small smile.

“Flip it to the other side before you put it in.”

With only a brief, questioning glance, Sirius did just that before sitting back on the carpet with a huff.

As the deck whirred to life, Sirius scanned the back of the case. A slow smile spread over his face before his eyes flickered up to her –

“Pinball Wizard?” he asked, with low tones of interest.

Katherine nodded, sliding down off the bean bag and sitting below the window with him – the sun was moving over, and would be on them soon.

With the opening of the chamber and everything that went along with it, the castle had been certifiably glum. The first Quidditch match would have been that very upcoming weekend. The was very little to look forward to as it was, however. As she and Sirius sat with their backs to the wall underneath the window, their legs out in front of themselves as the listened – waiting for the particular track – Katherine felt as if she were drinking sunlight.

Leaning his head back and peering through hazy light, Sirius pressed his shoe up against one of hers. A good two inches of the soles of his oxfords peeked over the top of her mary-janes.

Katherine straightened her other leg, so that both of their shoes pressed together.

It was a funny feeling.

Eventually, came the ringing out of a precocious thrumming beat, and then –

“Ever since I was a young boy
I've played the silver ball
From Soho down to Brighton
I must have played 'em all
But I ain't seen nothing like him
In any amusement hall
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball –”

Sirius grinned, closing his eyes.

He liked it.

They continued to sit on the floor as they listened, pressing their shoes together – gently wrestling, really, until one of them bent their leg in pseudo defeat. Then they would reset. Sirius even let her win a few times...

The next tape they put on was Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin – it had only come out the previous year, and Katherine hadn’t heard it either. As Sirius slotted it into the deck, he listened with attentive nods as Katherine gushed –

“Gosh, they’re amazing. What you really want to listen to, though, is the guitars – that’s Jimmy Page,” Katherine broke off her tirade with a sigh that felt sweet in her lungs. She held a hand to her chest as her cheeks ached with a smile, “He plays from outside this realm completely...”

It was on the second track, The Rover, that Sirius’ eyes really lit up. It was a familiar light. Katherine had reacted in the same bodily fashion when she had heard Stairway to Heaven for the first time –

“I think I like this band.” he said, with a lightly awed sideways glance, before he went back to listening with rapt attention.

Katherine found herself looking at Sirius, and felt something glowing in her chest.

He looked how the music sounded. Swaggering, blistering, and just... electric. Sirius had no idea was electricity was – but that was what he was. That was what it felt like to stand – to sit – next to him. Like one’s every nerve end was frying.

“You got me rocking when I ought to be a-rolling
Darling, tell me, darling, which way to go
You keep me rocking, baby, then you keep me stolen
Won't you tell me, darling, which way to go, that's right…”

Katherine physically sat up straighter as Jimmy Page’s guitars galloped and took off with all the might of an aeroplane, while goosebumps ravaged her skin.

Katherine and Sirius continued to exchange glances throughout the tracks on the tape when they heard something they had liked, but when it got to Ten Years Gone – Katherine knew she had heard, quite possibly, her favourite song ever. She was hooked from the gentle inviting guitar at the beginning. There was something so incredibly tender about it that left her wanting to curl in on herself while the song salved her and unravelled her, all at once.

“Through the eyes an' I sparkle
Senses growing keen
Taste your love along the way
See your feathers preen
Kind of makes me feel sometimes
Didn't have to grow
We are eagles of one nest
The nest is in our soul…”

As it closed back to gentle, glimmering guitar, Katherine caught Sirius eyes on her. They were the deep serious ones of his –

“Vixen in my dreams, with great surprise to me
Never thought I'd see your face
The way it used to be
Oh darlin', oh darlin'…”

The song climbed again, out of tenderness – and into gutsy eruption –

”I'm never gonna leave you
I never gonna leave –”

Sirius’ lips quirked, and his eyes softened. He turned, his profile soft, as he listened to the denouement of the track with her –

“Holdin' on, ten years gone
Ten years gone, holdin' on, ten years gone
Ten years gone, holdin' on…”

 

As the song faded away, Katherine exchanged wordless, covert glances with Sirius as they waited and listened. There was still some weird sort of hangover from Halloween that had carried forth into all of their interactions of that day. Something like the feeling of knowing someone a bit too well, when maybe one shouldn't...

DONG! DONG – the bell, signalling lunch, began tolling – DONG! DONG!

“Did you want to get something to eat?” she asked, moving up onto her knees and ejecting the cassette.

She didn’t want to hold him ransom on his birthday.

“Yeah,” he said with an unaffected shrug, “No rush, though.”

Katherine nodded, and put the tape back up on the blue wrapping with the others, not sure what he would want –

He was just passively watching her, as always, though – when she turned back. It must have been fine.

She smoothed her skirt and sat back down on her legs, “I’m kind of nervous about that self-defence club after lunch that they announced… has there ever been one before?”

Sirius blinked, his eyebrows lifting. He shook his head as he picked some lint from his trousers in a lackadaisical fashion –

“No. But I’m sure it will be the same old, same old…” trailed off Sirius lightly, tipping his head with a lazy grin, “Protect yourself as well as you can while not causing harm to others… etcetera, etcetera…”

Rubbish, was unsaid. It was clear what Sirius thought of it all in his eyes, however.

Katherine nodded slowly, and stood just as so, smoothing her skirt before leaning on the windowsill. They would have to leave soon – if they wanted to get lunch and be on time to delf-defence club.

“We’re er –” Sirius broke off with a sound of effort as he jumped to his feet, following her suit, “A bunch of us are going to meet up at The Pipes this Friday – a late sort of birthday party,”

He busied himself with putting the tapes – in the blue wrapping – into his bag. As he swung it onto his shoulder, he smiled down at her –

“Will you come?” he asked, his eyebrows lifting.

Katherine swung her own bag onto her back, biting down on her smiling lips – and offering a nod.

Sirius wet his lips, turning into a walk before glancing back to her at his side with sparkling eyes in invitation to fall into step with him.

“Did they get you a cake this year?” asked Katherine, as they meandered out into the hallway.

Sirius lifted his head a little, and a low amused laugh rolled up out of his throat. He shook his head.

Katherine nudged his shoulder as they tacked onto the back of a group of students at the stairs.

He nudged back.

 

---

 

It was after lunch, at a self-defence club that had been arranged at the opening of the chamber, that Katherine found out what had become of Bertram Aubrey. After missing the day's lessons, he was discovered in the boy's toilets – well, on a toilet – permanently stuck, in fact. The charm was a tricky one too if the amount of professors dispatched to take care of it were anything to go by.

Lily crossed her arms, trying to pay attention to Flitwick at the head of the Great Hall.

"He'll squeal on you two before they've even gotten him off the loo." she whispered furiously, her eyes slashing between James and Sirius.

James and Sirius quivered with laughter as they recounted, inaudibly with the snorts and squeals of amusement they were making, what they did to the seventh year.

"It was even non-verbal, Flitwick would have creamed himself." said Sirius, before his face cracked open in joy, eyes squinted and bent over holding his stomach in a fresh peel of laughter.

"Honestly," Lily huffed. She turned to the two other friends of James and Sirius, "Remus, how could you let this happen?"

Remus cleared his throat, eyes fixed determinedly on Flitwick at the head of the Great Hall where he paced the Head Table.

James elbowed his friend, face red from laughing, "He suggested it."

Sirius sighed, his face settling from it's exuberant displays of amusement.

"Well," said Lily, battling the increasing curve of her lips, "We should pay attention – it looks like we're getting into the good stuff…"

The group finally gave their full attention to the Charms Professor heading up the session for senior students – Fifth Years upwards. The Slytherins were noticeably the only ones that did not mix with the other houses and instead stood together like a big green bait ball.

Professor Flitwick had led an impassioned speech about protecting not only themselves, but others around them. There were many community centered sentiments in it all.

Katherine caught Sirius' eye on a few occasions. Each time, she had to restrain herself from laughing.

"A man may fight for many things: his country, his principles, his friends, the glistening tear on the cheek of a golden child –"

Sirius snorted, "Personally, I'd mud wrestle my own mother for –"

"Now, we are all going to pair off!" declared Flitwick.

The Professor flitted about the hall, pairing everyone up – a mix of year levels and houses. It was an unexpected addition to what Sirius had told her to expect. Flitwick intended for them all to practise defensive measures, both physical and magical.

With odd numbers in her friend group, Katherine waited off to the side like a lot of others were doing around the Hall. She watched as everyone practised breaking free from half-hearted headlocks, blocked light punches... all the while laughing. As Alice locked her arms around Lily's middle, Lily went limp and lifted her arms to slide right through onto her bum on the floor. Some took it more seriously than others, but mostly everyone was taking the mickey out of the exercise. Her eyes eventually moved around the room and fell on a particular pair that already progressed from rough-housing and pulled their wands out.

On one side: Potter. On the other side: Black. They both nonchalantly held their wands at their sides, a mirror of confidence and ease. Mirrored too were their grins. They circled, stalking each other – opponents. The air snapped and vibrated without a single spell cast. The room brimmed with power.

She had never seen them duel each other. Katherine, as well as many others, found herself watching the duo.

It was different, she observed in a moment of realisation. His friendship with James – to his friendship with Katherine. Sirius, a wizard of prodigious skill and questionable moral fortitude when it came to besting one’s opponent, found an equal in James.

Katherine knew she and Sirius would never be paired to duel in such a way – even in practise. She would never be as good as him.

She found herself looking around at Lily, who laughed as she duelled Alice with zest, and Mary and Marlene…

They were all capable.

Katherine eyed Greengrass where she leant on the wall down the way – her eyes closed, and her face pulling with exhaustion – sitting off to the side of the duelling like Katherine.

She had to be good enough to get the diary off Greengrass, and she had to be skilled enough to destroy it too – even with Regulus’ help. Whether or not she would have to come face to face with Voldemort again as well, Katherine didn’t know…

 

---

 

With her epiphany, Katherine went to the library whenever she wasn’t in class in the following days. She didn’t find anything on the fiendfyre Regulus had mentioned. Katherine instead moved on to making lists of offensive and defensive spells to practise – that weren’t getting taught to them in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Sometimes her friends accompanied her. They each had their own priorities that they eventually left off to attend to, however.

Alice was the one Katheirne saw the most – usually studying a few tables behind Katherine with Frank, holding quiet, serious conversations about the approaching NEWTs and their future entrance into the Ministry as Aurors.

Marlene did enough work to keep up with passing her classes with ‘Acceptables’, and then furthered her education in the opposite gender – sneaking off with Adam.

One time, Regulus even approached her table while Katherine was reading silently with Lily (who was supportive, and pleased to no end, about Katherine wanting to further herself). Regulus cleared his throat, with a nod to Lily, however –

“Are you ready for our patrol?” he had asked, in a gentle, measured voice.

Lily nodded, blinking and rearranging her stuff to put back into her bag, “Of course… I’ll see you later, Katherine…”

Lily showed no apprehension as she joined the younger Slytherin Prefect in leaving the library, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

Katherine had watched, wondering what they talked about… if they talked…

And, of course, sometimes Sirius sat with Katherine, folding the map into his pocket – with only a brief glance of curiosity up at her – before taking out his own homework. With the cancellation of Quidditch, it was rare that Sirius was seen without a newly idle James. It had spelt a bit of an end to their escapes to the muggle studies classroom – and to the North Tower.

They had not been on the roof in over two weeks anyway. In early days of November, the temperatures were plummeting to a teeth-chattering cold.

On Thursday afternoon, Katherine had been waiting for Mary in the common room, after classes. The girl had asked to tag along to the library with Katherine – which Katherine accepted with delighted surprise. Mary was always off somewhere else, it seemed. Katherine could never find her, either, if she went looking. She supposed she was keeping her head down, after all that had happened the previous year…

As Katherine waited, leaning back against the back of a plush armchair, her eyes drifted over to where Peter perched up on the couch in front of the fireplace. He was keeping company with the fourth-year girl who had asked him to walk her to breakfast Saturday morning, and her friends. They giggled as Peter had his wand out, firing off little bits of magic.

Remus was the only other one of the boys in common room. He sat at the desk behind Peter, giving exasperated glances up from his textbook. His hands strained as he held down the pages, squinting to focus –

BANG!

Remus’ shoulders jumped, and he peered sideways with thinly veiled irritation.

Peter had fired off a small sparkler that harmlessly circled the girls.

“Oh – make it purple!” gushed one of the girls, reaching out the touch the sparkler.

Katherine watched the sparkler change colours – into purple – and caught Remus’ eye around the flaming edges of it as he stood and packed his stuff into a pile.

“Wow – you’re so good at these spells, Peter...” came the admiring words of one of the girls.

Katherine watched Peter’s shoulders pull back, and him play down it down humbly – he was smiling, however.

“Going to the library?”

Katherine tore her eyes off the group by the fireplace –

Before her, were a tall pair of shoulders. Katherine nodded slowly as her eyes drifted up, finding a Prefect pin, gentle eyes glinting with tiredness, and a head of fluffy hair.

Remus gave a pointed look of quiet, exasperated desperation, “May I join you?”

“Well, I very well can’t go alone.” said Katherine, feeling smile rising onto her lips at the words. His words.

Remus’ lips parted into a fast smile, and his eyes relaxed from their tenseness. 

Katherine stood from where she was leaning on the back of the couch, knocking her shoulder into his upper arm as they started into a walk to the portrait. Mary, evidently, wasn’t going to show.

It was as they exited the portrait, and stepped onto the landing, that Katherine’s mind was cast back to the first day of Fifth Year…

…Alice stood, straightening herself up in the mirror, glancing back, “Who got top of the class last year? Was it you Lily?”

“Lupin.” said Lily, with a short raise of her eyebrows, and a little smile…

Remus still was the best student in Defence Against the Dark Arts – and just the person to ask, really...

Katherine clutched her books to her chest, and peered up at Remus as he shut the portrait –

“Do you really want to do homework – or do you want to go somewhere else with me?” she broached, tepidly.

Remus’ expression caught, and he blinked, lowering his head by hers in question, “… somewhere else?”

“Somewhere not inside,” clarified Katherine, before seeking to explain herself, “I… do you remember when Professor McGonagall suggested I catch up on stuff I would have missed before fifth year?”

Remus nodded attentively.

Katherine opened the front of the top book of her stack, pulling out the list of spells she had crafted and handing it over –

“I thought a focus on defence against the dark arts would be better suited,” said Katherine, watching his eyes rove the parchment. She tried a small smile, going on, “…and you’re the best in class…”

Remus pressed his smiling lips together, looking up and blinking, “Actually, Professor Zabini has Snape and I on equal first this year.”

“I think I would prefer you to be the one throwing hexes and curses at me.” said Katherine, lightly.

Remus gave a huff of laughter, eyeing her with glinting eyes and raised eyebrows, “Jinxes too tame for you?”

Katherine smiled with him but looked down and felt it fading into something more solemn.

“I… need to learn to defend myself from the kind of things that are actually out there in the real world.” she admitted, cautiously.

She wasn’t sure if he was going to argue – given their track record of bickering about just how serious the threats around her were, and Dumbledore’s seeming jurisdiction over her person and bodily choices.

“Okay,” was all he said, however.

He gave a small, easy smile – and then a turn of his head –

“I know somewhere where we can practise these safely…” he trailed off, stepping off and taking point.

Katherine bobbed happily at his side, feeling very puppy-like as he whispered the occasional ‘jesus, Katherine…’ under his breath at her choice in spells to learn.

She pointed out one in particular as she sensed his eyes reaching that part of the parchment, “Snape used that one on me once.”

Remus blinked, and paused on his step – looking to her, aghast.

“Is that why the step is…?” he trailed off, gesturing back at the blackened step leading up to the Fat Lady’s portrait.

Katherine wet her lips and nodded.

Remus closed his eyes as he shook his head side to side, as if to clear it, before he stepped down.

They continued, walking down the stairs as Remus inspected the parchment in, mostly, quiet – and he eventually led her to an old disused classroom on the second floor.

CREAK! The door swung open in an aching sound and revealed a dusty room.

“This was our defence classroom in first year,” explained Remus, stepping through into the centre of the room –

The dust-laden desks were pushed the side of the classroom, and an animal skeleton was suspended from the ceiling. The light from the large grimy windows lit it in yellow light as specs swirled around the odd shaped bones –

Remus turned back, with a faint smile –

“I always liked it,”

He pulled a sheet off the large professor’s desk that laid dormant at the front of the room, revealing a beautiful – preserved – rosewood piece.

Katherine took it in reverently as they both placed their bags down on the clean surface, running her hand over the swirled edges. Like her wand.

After consulting the list one last time, and laying it on the desk, Remus stepped into the centre of the room with his own wand.

Katherine followed his lead, standing across from him.

The filtered light wrapped them. They stood, glowing gold.

Remus inclined his head toward her, his wand dangling at his side. He lifted the other, in a halting fashion.

“We’ll start slow.” said Remus softly, his eyes earnest.

His warm voice had travelled the space between them, working into her ear as if he were standing right beside her. Good acoustics, Katherine supposed…

She nodded, but found herself tampering down a smile –

“Okay, Professor Lupin.”

With a huff of laughter, Remus took to rubbing his brow as he smiled down at the floor in his usual bashful sort of way.

That afternoon in the old defence classroom, Katherine felt a slow joy building in her chest. She briefly wondered what she had done to deserve such a magnificent friend like Remus Lupin...

Notes:

I will do my best to try and make sure the wait for the next chapter isn't as long as the one for this chapter 💖

Chapter 58: Uneventful Events

Friday was spent coasting through classes and doing the very bare minimum. Katherine’s knees jittered under the desk at the new November cold as her eyes watched the clock, where she sat beside Marlene in Transfiguration.

In the hush, as Professor McGonagall roamed the classroom to help watch them do their quiet reading, they had been whispering about Sirius’ party at The Pipes due to take place – in mere hours.

TAP… TAP… TAP… Professor McGonagall’s boots slowed to a stop by Greengrass’ desk she shared with a yawning Flint, who scrawled notes disinterestedly. The teacher, her hands behind her back, peered over the girls’ shoulders silently.

Katherine waited, lip-bitten, before surreptitiously lowering her head by Marlene’s again to whisper, “Is Adam coming, you reckon?”

Marlene paused her writing, and gave a wry sideways smile –

“Freddie too.” she whispered back, brows lifting in a pulse.

Katherine shook her head, knocking her friend’s arm – but couldn’t push down her grin.

Marlene nudged back with a little precocious head wobble.

Lily’s head turned in front of them, and a mirthful sideways glance found them.

Short breaths of laughter escaped them as they used their free hands to smother any noises their mouths made, kicking each other’s shoes under the desk.

Katherine’s heart galloped in the silent room. She chanced a glance to Professor McGonagall and found her still standing by Greengrass and Flint – but she had moved to cross her arms as she looked down her nose, over the top of her spectacles.

As Katherine clutched her quill a little tighter and prepared to go back to taking notes – her eyes caught onto Sirius’. The boy whose party it was.

Sirius sat with Frank, two desks behind Greengrass and Flint – almost directly across the aisle from Katherine and Marlene. The two boys were whispering lowly like the girls had just been, their eyes flashing around watchfully.

The whole party was more secretive than usual due to the circumstances at the castle with the opening of the chamber. Of course, purebloods certainly weren’t concerned – but everyone else was wary. Everyone was going to meet earlier and forgo dinner, to try and keep as much within the new curfew as possible.

Katherine thought that Sirius didn’t look terribly concerned about much at all.

He sat back in his chair with his usual haughty countenance in place, his lips barely moving as he responded to Frank. Sirius had turned in his seat, leaning his head back against the wall and facing the other side of the classroom straight on. His leg stretched out along the back of Frank’s chair luxuriously. His eyes happened to be focused over Frank’s head – on Katherine –

TAP… Professor McGonagall stepped back on the heel of one of her boots –

Katherine speedily pretended to pay attention to her parchment, clutching her quill in what she hoped was a thoughtful, studious manner. She held her breath – not daring to look up. For a moment, all she heard was the ticking of the clock….

TICK…TICK…TICK –

“Miss Greengrass – you are aware that this is Transfiguration? Yes?”

Katherine, along with Marlene – and those in the desks around them – jumped.

Professor McGonagall’s voice was cutglass in the silence.

“Extracurricular reading is all fine and well – on your own time. With your marks clearly suffering, I’m afraid that I will be taking this until a time comes in which I can see an improvement in your classwork…”

Greengrass turned, with a sleepy startle, “No, please…”

As Professor McGonagall turned away to stride back to her desk, Katherine saw just what she had confiscated from Greengrass –

A black leather diary.

Katherine froze in her seat. A buzz seemed to flip her skin inside out – then back again – in the space of a breath.

Professor McGonagall placed it on her desk, sitting with a sigh and reaching for a book of her own.

Katherine thought she couldn’t blink if she wanted to. Her eyes fixed on the diary on the corner of the desk, and something in her began to call out –

Regulus. She needed to tell Regulus about this somehow…

Professor McGonagall’s eyes flashed up again to survey the classroom.

Katherine looked down at her parchment but could not focus on a single word.

Beside her, Marlene had gone back to making quiet scratches of her quill against her own parchment.

A cacophony of noise was breaking out in Katherine’s head. This was her chance. And yet, she had to sit there and pretend like it was not taking everything inside of her keep still. Almost holding her hands in fists – she endured the silent room. Everything felt as if it were just hanging, teetering on the edge…

She consummately looked down, and tried to ignore that she could feel Sirius’ eyes on the side of her face from across the aisle again.

 

---

 

“I can’t believe we’re about to go to Sirius Black’s birthday party,”

Lily slipped a shirt carefully over her already made-up face –

“Given the state of things…” she huffed under her breath, straightening her shirt in the mirror.

The night being spent at The Pipes had been a given in Katherine’s mind – her thoughts for most of the day had been preoccupied with the incident with Greengrass earlier in class admittedly. Katherine chanced a glance around at her friends from where she had sat at her desk since returning from lessons, toying with her half of the vial of liquid luck she and Sirius had won.

The girls all pulled off their uniforms hurriedly and replaced them with warm garments. They barely matched – none of the girls were really putting in any effort at all. It was cold, Katherine supposed… It was always hard to dress when the weather was miserable.

“We’ll make an appearance to be polite, then head back here?” asked Alice, spritely, as she pulled her hair out of her shearling jacket collar.

The rest of the girls nodded their agreement – apart from Marlene who hearteningly gave a shrug.

Katherine had been so caught up – that she hadn’t considered – well…

Did any of them – bar Marlene – even want to go?

Lily brushed her hair in the mirror by Katherine’s desk, turning and eyeing Katherine –

“Picked out something warm yet?” she asked, with a distracted smile, before grimacing as her brush caught a knot in her long lengths.

Katherine pushed herself up, remembering herself, and moved into action, “Yeah…”

In their summer shopping trip, Katherine had purchased a new pair of trousers among other things. Skirt weather was, tragically, gone. As she pulled on the soft brown corduroy trousers, tucked them into her boots, and pulled on a shirt, a jumper – then her Afghan coat over the top – Katherine’s eyes found the window.

It had showered on and off all day. Occasionally a gust would blow the clouds thin over the rising, waxing moon, but the stars were still hiding. It would have only been around five or six in the evening – and the silver-streaked skies were slowly turning a deeper gunmetal grey.

Dressed, Katherine pet Belle as her friends took turns in the bathroom.

“…hey, Lily?” she broached tepidly, when she found her friend alone again.

Lily pet Marbles on her own bed, looking up with a blinking smile, “Yeah?”

“You’re a prefect…” trailed off Katherine.

Lily gave a slow, amused nod.

Katherine tipped her head, “…and Regulus is a prefect…”

“Yes…” confirmed Lily, trepidation across her face – also, a smidgeon of knowing.

“Just with what happened with Greengrass in class today… I… don’t know. She’s acting strange…” she began to clarify, shaking her head, before meeting Lily’s eye again, “Do you think… you could pass on that I’d like to meet with him? To ask him if he knows anything?”

Her friend held her gaze for an unnerving moment.

Slowly, however, Lily nodded.

“Yeah, okay.” said Lily, easily.

It seemed that the love potion incident, and the aftermath, from Professor Slughorn’s dinner seemed to raise Regulus Black in Lily’s estimates a bit – and she was becoming accustomed to the fact that Regulus seemed to help Katherine sometimes. It wasn’t something they exactly talked about.

It was almost funny, thought Katherine, that Lily seemed far fonder of the Slytherin Black brother than the Gryffindor one…

The girls made their way through the castle, shivering in their coats and jackets. While the rest of their unformed classmates made their way down to dinner – they went up. It felt very business as usual to walk at the wall, and step through into the pipe-filled room. Especially carrying the feeling that the rest of the girls kept one foot out – ready to leave already.

It looked the same as ever, with the scarves filtering the warm orange light, and the wireless was playing faintly already. It was significantly less packed than it had been on Halloween. There were a few groups dotted around, talking and indulging in the knock-off butterbeer. It was a taller crowd – mostly consisting of seventh years, and was skewed more to the side of the castle’s wizard population.

Marlene’s hand closed around Katherine’s elbow, tugging her close to whisper, “I’m just going to see if I can find Adam –”

Marlene pulled back, and let go of Katherine’s arm –

“Freddie too.” she tacked on with a little smile, before turning and cutting her way between two close by groups.

Before Katherine could even smile in chagrin, her eyes drifted to where a larger crowd was parting – around Sirius. Her heart picked up in her chest –

A tall blonde seventh year girl moved into view with him, and kissed his cheek, “Happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday!” sang another girl Katherine didn’t recognise – a seventh year likely – as she swung long ebony curls out of her face to kiss Sirius’ other cheek.

Both girls were draped in fine looking robes, likely purebloods too, and were just as tall as Sirius was even. More girls – their friends seemingly – closed in and took turns kissing Sirius’ cheeks – some of them pinching in motherly fashions.

The boys surrounding Sirius jeered and shoved him in the sweet falsetto choruses of ‘Happy Birthdays’.

Alice waved to Frank across the room, then glanced to Katherine and Mary, and gave a light huff of laughter –

“It’s a bit of an old custom.” she explained, with a shrug.

Mary leant by Katherine as she watched on too, and asked lightly, “He’s not expecting us to do that, is he?”

Katherine laughed, but tore her eyes away from Sirius and the gaggle of girls –

“I doubt it.” she said through a smile, quashing down a weird feeling that was settling in her stomach. Maybe they shouldn’t have skipped dinner…

“Oh –” Mary tapped Katherine, “He’s looking over now. Sirius.”

Frank closed in, circling an arm around Alice’s waist in greeting.

Alice steadied herself against him, and lifted her eyebrows to Katherine, “Did you want to go over and say happy birthday?”

She, Frank, Lily, and Mary looked expectantly to Katherine. It was unspoken that once they made their rounds – they were to go back to the dormitory.

“Maybe a bit later,” she said, looking down the table they were beside – seeing water and butterbeer on offer, “He’s talking to a lot of people right now –”

“I hoped I would be seeing you two.” came a deep cheerful voice, and a tall figure cutting through their group.

Dingle perched himself in front of Lily and Mary – with whom he had danced the night away on Halloween.

As the seventh year charmed away the sixth year girls, Frank and Alice made their polite exit for the old cement pipes at the back of the room, and Katherine’s eyes began roaming the room again – looking for familiar faces. As she did, she noticed something else. There were significantly less Slytherins than on an ordinary night.

Katherine didn’t know why, but she half expected to see Regulus in the collection of happily chatting faces in the room. He wasn’t, however.

She did spot Marlene again as she looked around – making her way back over with Adam in tow – and waving.

Katherine waved back.

The blond-haired head of Freddie bobbed over from the crowd of seventh year Ravenclaws, meeting Marlene and Adam where they settled next to the table – on the other side of Dingle and the girls.

Marlene leant back, unseen by the boys, and pulsed her eyebrows at Katherine – then to Freddie, and his sudden arrival.

Katherine went to roll her eyes mirthfully, but before she could, Marlene disappeared behind a pair of broad, turning shoulders.

Freddie was still talking with Adam but had turned to look at Katherine. When he caught her eye, he did a double take, then smiled.

Katherine returned his smile. Had he come to see her? she wondered. He and Sirius didn’t seem like they were close…

A sudden warmth bloomed at the small of Katherine’s back, and ran up and down her spine like honey –

“Hey,” the breathy word fanned down onto the shell of her ear and turned Katherine around –

Sirius stood near flush to her with his head bowed down by hers. Happy eyes glittered atop a small smile, and he gave a backwards nod –

“Come on,” he whispered against her temple, his splayed fingers finding the curve of her waist, “I want to properly introduce you to a few of my mates…”

The other girls didn’t notice Sirius’ arrival, or Katherine’s leaving of their loosely tangle group at the table. Not that Katherine had really been an active part of either group… but she found herself floundering, wondering if she should tell them where she was going…

Sirius guided her gently with his arm around her waist over to the large contingent of sixth and seventh year Gryffindor boys, however. She would be the only girl over there, she noticed. Her heart started beating wildly in her chest.

“Katherine!” beamed James, with a jolly clap of his hand on her shoulder.

Katherine’s racing heart settled a little at the familiar bespectacled face of James Potter.

Beside him, was Remus – who stood leaning on the edge of a table, a butterbeer in hand. He licked smiling lips and offered Katherine a nod.

Katherine’s head was spinning. The whole situation felt like it was taking place on some parallel plane –

“Well – hello, hello –” came the rambunctious greeting of a tall boy, donning a sea captain’s hat and a pipe hanging out the corner of his smiling lips, “Who might be this lovely girl you’ve brought to the Grindylows, Black? –”

The boy gave an inciting grin to Sirius, then a wink to Katherine –

“Surely, it’s not Katherine Spencer –” he broke off, taking the pipe out in his mouth in mirthful consideration of Sirius’ form, tapping the pipe at him “– hanging around with the likes of you…”

Sirius took the jibe laughing, nodding between the two in introduction, “Katherine, this is Archibald Hammersley –”

Hammersley wedged his pipe back into the corner of his mouth in a performative kind of way –

“Hammersley, well… you know who this is.” concluded Sirius, something firm sitting beneath his amused tone – something akin to ‘behave.’

Hammersley grinned crookedly around his pipe, holding out large hand, “Don’t I just.”

“Nice to meet you.” said Katherine, as she dutifully held out her hand to the flamboyant seventh year.

Hammersley didn’t grip her hand too tight, but he shook it with a glad sort of fervour that left Katherine wanting to laugh – and a certain fondness. That, and the fact that she noticed he was wearing worn purple slippers in lieu of shoes. With it, came the realisation that he was one of the boys in bath robes that Katherine had spotted Sirius with earlier in the term out by the bridge.

Sirius gently steered Katherine by her waist around to a few other slippered young men – aspiring hedonist sea captains as they surely all were – introducing her in much of the same fashion, until Katherine eventually felt almost completely at ease in the jungle of tall shoulders, musky colognes, and deep laughs.

Just like Sirius, they weren’t so scary after all.

She found herself settled with the blokes from the Quidditch team in the end; Sirius – of course, James, Dagworth, and Shacklebolt. Remus came and went – chatting with Lily and laughing over a butterbeer when Jessica Wood asked him to dance before he politely refused.

“Come on… I bet you can cut a rug, Lupin…” she grinned, persistent.

Remus flushed, ruffling the back of his hair, “Er, it wouldn't be fair to leave Pete on his own. Thank you, Jessica – truly. Maybe next time.”

“Wish I had his woes, don’t you?” laughed Dagworth, as he returned from further down the table with two glasses of firewhisky, throwing a glance over to where Remus and Jessica were.

He held one of the glasses out to Sirius with raised brows, sipping on his own.

Sirius held up a nonchalant hand and gave a half-shake of his head.

In Katherine’s peripheral vision she saw James lifting his butterbeer in answer to Dagworth’s offer of the firewhisky.

Sirius tapped his hand to Katherine’s back, nodding behind her.

“Crisps?” asked James, extending a basket of the snack from on the table beside him.

Sirius pinched a few between his thumb, index finger, and middle finger – with a nod to James.

Katherine battled down a warmth in her chest – at feeling very included – when James extended the basket to her next. She took two, and happily nibbled on them alongside the boys.

A glass of sizzling red liquid was then thrust under Katherine’s chin –

“Oh,” Katherine blinked at the firewhisky, as it fizzed, “I’m okay, thank you.”

Shacklebolt took a sip of his own firewhisky, and hit the back of his knuckles against Dagworth’s chest, “She’s not seventeen yet, remember…”

“Are you sure? No one will know,” said Dagworth, peering mirthfully down at her.

Katherine glanced to Sirius and James, who were watching on.

Dagworth noticed and swatted a hand in the boys’ directions, “Oh, they won’t snitch on you, love,”

Katherine gave a genuine laugh at that, letting her eyes slip in the direction of the two amused boys.

James and Sirius traded silent glances with each other – they had done far more risqué things than underage drinking with Katherine over the past year at the castle, like dicing with the whomping willow, for starters –

“– and you won’t tell, will you? Shacklebolt?” Dagworth shook Shacklebolt by the shoulder – the one of the two that seemed a little more rule-conscious, the seventh year Gryffindor Prefect (even if he didn’t quite make Head Boy) – even in his lackadaisical silk shirts and hooped ear.

Shacklebolt shook his head into his drink, smiling, “Oh – leave the kids be.”

Dagworth gave Katherine one last charming smile, before sipping his own firewhisky and turning towards the dancefloor – shimmying his shoulders as he crossed over with the two glasses –

“Oh – Jessica!” he sang as he shimmied over to the girl put out by Remus earlier.

Shacklebolt murmured something to James, and the two boys laughed – turning to the table for more crisps.

Katherine glanced up to Sirius, to find him still at her side.

Sirius glanced around, nodding back to a few people who yelled their well-wishes as they milled about, before glancing to her.

Katherine nudged his arm with hers, trying a small smile, “Sorry, I don’t mean to be a wet blanket at your party.”

Sirius gave a smiling shake of his head, looking off a moment –

“I’m not drinking firewhisky either.” he said, looking back to her – his eyes glinting gently as they creased in reassurance.

Katherine still felt guilty, as he seemed to feel a duty to stay by her in the group of boys she barely knew – not counting James – and she was not exactly a fun party animal…

“Has anyone seen the raspberry elven wine?” one of the seventh year girls from earlier cut back through the crowd, frowning.

“We crossed our little hearts and hoped to die – and alas –” Hammersley stepped aside from the hoard of harder alcohol at the table, flourishing his hands at a tall wine bottle “– none of us nicked your girly drink. As promised.”

The seventh-year girl took the outstretched bottle from Hammersley, with a cool look of consideration and a tepid nod.

Hammersley gave a faultless smile and tipped his captain’s hat.

The seventh-year girl gave a hard-won smile, her eyes drifting over the boy’s tall figure before turning back to her friends with the bottle.

Katherine was struck by the sense that she was watching some sort of mating dance.

Hammersley held a hand to his chest in a thumping motion, grinning to himself and turning back into his friends that were guffawing and patting his roughly on the back. His hat almost fell off and all.

Katherine turned to Sirius, asking curiously, “What’s elven wine?”

“Expensive,” he said in a playful tone, watching the retreating girls over the sip he took of his glass of water. He turned back to Katherine with a more earnest expression, going on to explain easily, “It has the alcohol content equivalent of butterbeer, and is so named for it's ability to only have enough to intoxicate a house elf. People usually add a stronger alcohol to it,”

Katherine nodded and watched the seventh-year girls conjure crystal-stemmed glasses out of thin air, pour their wine, and sip demurely, their laughter ringing like bells…

CLINK, the sound of Sirius putting his glass down was muffled by the tablecloth –

“Do you want to go somewhere?” he whispered warmly into her ear, his hair tickling her cheek. He leant back, tipping his head with a boyish quirk of his lips, “Just us.”

Katherine glanced around, to see that no one seemed to be paying them any mind. She nodded as she turned back to Sirius.

At once, his hand was upon the small of her back once more – guiding her away with an inclination of his head, towards the balcony doors.

Katherine had never been out there.

“Hang on…” murmured Sirius –

They had stopped the table the seventh-year girls had vacated to dance. Sirius deftly plucked up one of the two identical bottles from the ice bucket, swinging it to weigh it in his hand –

“This one is already half done; they won’t miss it.” he said through a muted smile to Katherine, leading her on to the doors once again.

They slipped through the doors as the sounds of the party carried on at their backs. Sirius bent his knees and sat himself on the stone balcony that was wedged between two sloping roofs, but there was still a clear sky above – and a slice of the forest visible in the distance, if one leant enough to one's side...

Katherine lowered herself beside him, wiping her hands on her trousers.

Sirius wafted the narrow neck under his nose before he took a sip straight from the bottle.

“I thought it was a girly drink?” asked Katherine, referencing Hammersley from earlier.

Sirius gave a huff of laughter, and extended to bottle out to her, “Just between us girls, then?”

Katherine took the bottle, faltering momentarily at the thick weight of the bottle, and took a sip – easy with the knowledge that it wasn’t truly alcoholic. She tasted something earthier on the rim first, where it was still slightly damp from Sirius’ lips, before she tasted a sweet raspberry liquid that twinkled across her tongue – and something more anchoring, like clove maybe…

Sirius glanced back through the glass, gently pushing the door to an almost full close. The sound was almost completely muffled and only the loud shrieks and laughs made it through to them outside.

“Oh…” Katherine rolled the smooth liquid over her tongue, swallowing the traces of it on her tongue again as she held it out with a light arm back to Sirius, “That’s really nice...”

“Yeah?” asked Sirius, taking the bottle back with raised eyebrows. He swirled it in seeming consideration as he inspected the glinting label, “This is a fairly cheap one, I’ll have to get a Black label one for you to try one day – it has rose and dirigible plum in it too. It makes it syrupier –”

He lifted the bottle to his lips again, tipping it back.

“You don’t mind it? When everyone else is…” she trailed off pointedly, nodding back to the crowd inside that was chomping at the bit to act like the ever-quasi adults they fancied themselves through drinking firewhisky and the likes of it.

Sirius' cheek pulled, and his lips parted in a sigh as he handed the bottle out sideways without looking.

“Growing up, there were a few lushes in my family,” he said, taking a deep breath in through his nose. He released it through his mouth, and his words, with a shake of his head out into the night, “I always hated it… and their breath…”

Katherine sat with the bottle in her hand, resting on her bent leg – floored by the admission – and not quite knowing what to say.

“I’m…” he started, before turning to her with a short blip of a smile, “I’m glad you don’t like it either…”

Katherine felt greatly honoured by the off-the-cuff words, looking down.

She took her sip and handed the bottle back to him with a smile, “I’ll drink raspberry sugar syrup with you at any party, Sirius.”

Sirius accepted the bottle laughing, tipping the bottle to her –

“Cheers.” he said jollily, before taking another deep, long sip.

They laughed together again – Sirius endeavouring to not spit out his mouthful of elven wine – and swaying where they sat with their amusement, knocking shoulders.

They continued to trade sips as they sat under the balcony eave while clouds moved across the sky, patches speckled with stars emerging ever now and now. The odd sprinkle of rain came down and a crisp clean scent with it.

Katherine sighed, contentedly, and reflected on the party – and what it meant for the boy, well, young man, beside her –

“So, what changes at seventeen in the wizarding world?” she asked, curiously.

She knew a little form overhearing Alice and the other girls, but…

“To begin with, I no longer have the trace on me,” said Sirius, toying with the peeling edge of the bottle label as he went on, “I can do magic as I please, really. I don’t have to defer anything to a parent or guardian – if I wanted, I could leave the castle for every holiday and just take the knight bus anywhere. I’ll be able to go for my apparating test whenever I fancy now too…”

Katherine nodded, imagining being in his shoes at that moment, “It must be hard then, to stay here when you know you can just…”

Katherine made a motion – of fleeing – taking off – with her hand, the best she could.

Sirius’ face slipped up quickly into a smile, and he looked out again, tipping his head –

“It would probably get boring pretty quickly.” he said lightly, his smile still playing on his lips.

“What, without James?” she asked, it being the only logical explanation – as James’ birthday wasn’t until the new year.

Sirius smiled sideways at her as he took another sip, his eyes glittering as he knocked his knee into hers.

“This is Tony Blackburn for Radio 1…” the wireless carried out to them.

Katherine’s head turned at the familiar – muggle – tagline, “Is that…”

She sat, paused – at the dog whistle of sorts from her past life.

Sirius gave smiling shrug, tipping his head –

“As a, er, birthday favour of sorts –” he began, his lips curving as his eyes slashing to Katherine mirthfully, “Shacklebolt managed to tune the wireless into a muggle radio station – he’s ace at that sort of stuff… said there’s been some sort of shift from AM to FA – or something…”

“FM,” smiled Katherine, before nodding and looking off out into the night again, saying more softly, “Yeah, I know…”

A spritely flute and the strumming of a guitar gently carried out to them –

“Can you hear the drums Fernando?
I remember long ago another starry night like this…”

Katherine nearly gasped –

“ABBA…”

She turned around instinctively, looking back through the glass – searching for Lily’s red hair.

Sirius gave a thoughtful huff –

“Funny names, these muggle bands…”

You wizards can talk, thought Katherine wryly as she came up at a loss in her search for her best friend. She turned back to Sirius beside her.

He nudged her leg with his –

“We’ll have to go see some –” he broke off his smiling words, tipping his head to her pointedly, “Once you’re seventeen, and we’re out of this place…”

He eyed her over his cheek bones – his head fallen back to reveal the sloping planes of his strong neck. A sloth-like smile spread over his lips, and he looked out into the black night again.

Katherine gnawed on her own smiling lips, looking down at her knees –

“Led Zeppelin.” she breathed out, in excited anticipation.

She could visualise it – the sun, a hill of grass, and Sirius; the music thumping up their tailbones and sternums…

Sirius gave a sighing nod in agreement, “Led Zeppelin.”

They laughed together, sharing a stolen, speaking glance at one another.

They descended back into another contemplative quiet right after. The cool of the rain rushed across them in frigid, intermittent waves. Katherine felt her muscles jittery beneath her pebbled skin. She didn’t want to move from their spot, however. Not until he did.

The music carried through the crack in the balcony door as it climbed to the chorus –

“– I was so afraid Fernando
We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die
And I'm not ashamed to say
The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry

 

There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando –”

 

Katherine glanced back through the windows at all their friends as they milled about the party. She thought of what they would all be doing in two short years…

The girls already knew what they wanted to do – Alice was going to be an Auror, Lily was going into Healing, Mary was interested in a few departments at the Ministry and was more than happy for desk work, Marlene joked she wanted to be trophy wife of a quidditch player. Sometimes, Katherine wasn’t sure she was entirely joking…

As for the boys…

James Potter was certainly spoilt for choice. Adults loved him – wanted to offer him opportunities. He seemed somewhere between professional quidditch and becoming and Auror himself – like Alice and Frank. He had the innate disposition of never thinking anything was impossible. To him, nothing really was.

Peter, like Mary – coincidentally – was happy with a desk job at the Ministry. He didn’t quite have the same hunger for excitement as James.

Remus had mentioned off handedly that he might even do muggle work, when he could. It was a waste of his talent, that went without saying…

Katherine turned back to Sirius once more, leaning on her bent out leg, keen with her question, “What do you think you’ll do? Once you leave Hogwarts?”

Sirius’ brow furrowed as he continued to look out. His lips parted, but nothing came out –

The hush of smattering rain drops filled the buzzing silence –

He blinked out ahead, his lips in a thoughtful pressed line before, finally –

“I don’t know,” confessed Sirius.

The words were striking with their sincerity.

“I suppose I’d have to leave the Potters… get my own place…” he went on, with tepid slowness.

Another break of silence fell over them like a blanket as the rain peppered down a little harder again.

Sirius peered out from under the eave, blinking as he said – with the most tender of cadences –

“I wonder when this rain’s going to stop...”

Katherine hummed as peered along with him, before ducking her head back under the eave when her face started becoming chillingly wet.

Sirius rested his palm on the knee of his trousers, and – to Katherine’s surprise – went on from earlier –

“My uncle left me more than enough gold… so I’m not that worried about finding somewhere to live,” he said, casually, before breaking and swallowing, “It’s just…”

He kneaded his palm against his knee a little harder, pressing his lips together –

“It’s a bit of a scary prospect, being on your own –” he looked to her for but a second, before looking back down – his eyebrows lifting in contemplation “– I don’t think I’ve ever been completely alone in all of my life…”

Katherine waited a moment in the silence that followed.

Sirius, it seemed, wasn’t going to say anymore. He just looked down as he fussed with adjusting the side seams of his trousers.

Katherine’s heart throbbed in her chest.

“You won’t be alone, Sirius,” she said.

Sirius looked up.

A tender string of vulnerability was strumming between them, like something Jimmy Page might play.

Katherine glanced back through to the others on the other side of the glass –

“I mean,” she said in a smile, at an attempt to lighten the air, “Look at everyone who came out to your party.”

Sirius blinked in a huff of laughter, turning to look back through the glass with her in the direction of the shadows of their friends on the other side. As he turned back, he had peer down at her in their closeness – his chin at her bridge of her nose.

In the swathes of blue light as rain fell like silver glitter all around them, Sirius reached out to tug back Katherine’s jacket from where it had shifted to expose her collarbones.

Katherine’s eyes instinctively followed his movement.

Sirius didn’t let go right away, and his gaze lifted to hers. The jacket had became some sort of conduit between them.

“Ha – ha! –” brash laughter boomed out behind them through the ajar balcony door, and James Potter was suddenly peering down at them in surprise, then delight, “Oh – there you are –”

Sirius clamped his eyes shut –

“Prongs –” came Sirius’ low stricture as he opened his eyes, turning to his friend with a droll sort of exasperation, blinking once “– piss off.”

James took one glance between the two of them, and then turned to take his leave – as instructed –

“Oh, right – cheerio –” said James, lightly, over his shoulder, “You’ll miss me when I’m dead.”

With a ruffle of his hair, the back of James Potter disappeared with spritely steps – already laughing with Hammersley anew on the other side of the party within moments.

Sirius turned his head with a laughing groan and rested his forehead on Katherine’s shoulder for but a second, before lifting it and offering her a smile.

“Are you cold?” he asked, blinking and letting his head fall to the side as his eyes roamed her. He had likely felt her cool skin.

Katherine gathered her coat tighter around herself and made to move while saying with a little smile, “A little. But, come on – back to your party. You’re probably being missed.”

Sirius sighed as he too made to get to his feet again.

Katherine dusted the back of her trousers and reached for the door –

“Hang on –”

Sirius swirled the bottle of elven wine, then took a long swig, before holding it out –

“Last bit’s yours.”

Katherine felt like she was doing something very illicit – despite the negligible amount of alcohol in the elven wine from the slight fermentation of the berries – as she lifted the bottle to her lips, and tipped it up to finish it.

Sirius accepted the bottle back before tucking it with feigned surreptitiousness into his jacket’s inside pocket. He held a finger to his lips, then led Katherine back into the party by her hand. Slowing by the seventh-year girls’ table, Sirius glanced around casually as he slipped the bottle down his side with the other empties and then tugged Katherine off again towards the table with water and butterbeer.

“Yeah, yeah…” came James’ high haughty voice as he turned to find the pair behind him, mimicking Sirius from earlier with a rude two finger salute, “Piss off.”

Sirius laughed but returned the two fingered gesture.

James laughed easily, and handed Sirius a butterbeer, “Have I told you? Happy birthday, mate.”

It was a strikingly genuine exchange, despite the fooling around.

“Thanks, mate.” said Sirius, clinking his bottle with James’ before taking a smiling sip.

James did the same, before turning back to his conversation with the others.

There were less people around, Katherine noticed – as she glanced around the room. She leant to look at Sirius’ watch and found that it was eight on the dot. Curfew was in half an hour, so it was no wonder. It was a strange feeling – to know that people were so scared. To know that parties were maybe something that was becoming frivolous.

Alice and Frank were among the most noticeable of those missing. Peter too. Nearly all the seventh-year girls from earlier were gone, except for one that was snogging Hammersley by one of the old stone pipes in the back – the one Katherine and Remus had their argument in.

In the slow warm light filtering out from behind the fringed scarves, Katherine began to feel a content sort of tiredness. It certainly wasn’t exactly the debaucherous night The Pipes was accustomed to seeing.

Yawning, Katherine turned and began to push herself up to sit on the table. The relief in her knees was immediate. Katherine continued her glance around when familiarity gripped her at the sight of the girls – they had stayed after all.

Lily and Mary were directing an indulging Shacklebolt on which station to tune the wireless into –

ZAP!

“What's the sense in sharing
This one and only life
Endin' up just another lost and lonely wife
You'll count up the years
And they will be filled with tears –”

The girls squealed in delight, holding hands and jumping up and down again –

“Love only breaks up, to start over again
You'll get the babies, but you won't have your man
While he is busy loving every woman that he can –”

 

Sirius pushed himself up on table beside Katherine with a sound of effort, flicking the hair from his face –

“Say I'm gonna leave a hundred times a day
It's easier said than done
When you just can't break away –”

Katherine watched with a smile as the girls took each other by the hands, spinning around and singing to one another –

 

“Oh, young hearts run free
Never be hung up –”

“Wooooo!” whooped Dagworth in encouragement, with a hand around his mouth and the other around his firewhisky –

“Ooooh, young hearts, to yourself be true
Don't be no fool when love really don't love you
Don't love you –”

Marlene joined the girls, and they became a twirling three – joined at the hands –

Sirius nudged Katherine –

“Are you going to go over?” he asked, with curving lips –

As if on que, Katherine yawned again – and shook her head with a sleepy, albeit regretful, smile –

Sirius smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders –

Katherine’s head fell easily to his shoulder, and they watched out together –

“Say I'm gonna turn loose a thousand times a day
But how can I turn loose
When I just can't break away
Oh, young hearts run free
They'll never be hung up
Hung up like my man and me –”

Lily turned pointing to Katherine and twirling around –

 “– You and me –” she sang pointedly, before turning and lifting her arms above her head –

Katherine’s smile cracked into a raging grin as she tried to keep her heavy eyes from closing, and a tired laugh vibrated her chest and back.

The girls were the only ones dancing, but no one seemed to mind – least of all them. It was as Katherine’s eyes drifted around the steadily emptying room, that she saw James watching Lily with a tender smile.

Hazel eyes tracked the red-haired witch’s twirling movements behind the flashing reflection of her on the front of his spectacles.

It was when Shacklebolt decided to call it a night, that the wireless went with him. Not long after, with a unanimous glance around at each other, did everyone else lift their tired bodies up and make for the wall back through to the rest of castle –

“We’ll go in pairs – less conspicuous if any professors are about.” suggested Remus, clapping Dagworth in the back and nodding the wall.

The two boys stepped through the wall, vanishing.

Sirius surreptitiously slipped his hand into Katherine’s.

The warmth, mingling in the hidden recesses on Katherine’s coat, lit a well of delighted surprise in her chest. That he would choose her to walk with.

Lily turned with bleary eyed concern as she stood in a three with the other girls, “Oh, Marlene –”

“I’ve got her.” said James, lifting one of the arms of a very depleted Marlene and wrapping an arm around her back.

Pair by pair, they all went through the wall.

Katherine and Sirius went last, lingering behind the others – watching on as they all stumbled through the old castle hallways. Their fingers stayed loosely interlaced and Sirius swung them occasionally between their long, lazy strides.

They reached the common room, and everyone crawled up the stairs, with distant calls of ‘goodnight’. Everyone except for Katherine and Sirius.

In the flickering firelight of the empty common room, they lingered.

Katherine took a moment to feel his fingers between hers; warm, and soft at the end of such a cosy, happy night. With a smile, Katherine remembered earlier in the night –

“Hey, I forgot something earlier – at the party.” she said, softly.

Sirius hummed, turning half-lidded eyes down to her.

Katherine rolled up onto her toes, and pressed her lips to the cool dewy skin of his cheek –

“Happy birthday, Sirius.” she whispered lightly, mimicking all the girls from earlier.

Immediate, deep lines bracketed Sirius’ smiling lips. His eyes were their usual sparkly grey as they followed her happily, as she stepped back away.

As Katherine stepped towards the girls’ stairs, their arms stretched, then fell. All the while, their eyes followed each other in the swathes of dwindling orange shadows. When they both had one foot on their respective staircases, they paused.

“Goodnight.” said Sirius, barely above a whisper.

It carried across the cavernous room easily.

Katherine smiled, resting a hand on the cool stone wall, “Goodnight.”

Step by step, they both went higher and higher – until they could no longer see the other.

Katherine slipped into the dormitory and found her friends still milling around in the quasi-darkness. It really wasn’t even that late. Through the open window, the giggling first year girls could even still be heard as they gossiped.

Alice was already in bed, reading, and listening to Lily’s recounting of the night after the other girl had left with Frank.

Marlene had been the first one showered, crawling under her stack of blankets with her hair still done up in a twisted towel.

Mary was the one missing from the room as steam poured from underneath the crack of the bathroom door.

As Katherine waited for her turn, she petted Belle. For once, she didn’t feel gross coming back from The Pipes – she wasn’t in rush to wash the night off. She could still taste the raspberry wine on her lips. When it finally was her turn in the bathroom – and Katherine faced a mirror for the first time in hours – she found that her lips were stained faintly red, even after brushing her teeth.

Clean, and crawling into warm blankets, Katherine felt the buzzing heaviness of sleep tugging at her arms and legs. With a huff, her head fell against her soft pillow, and she pulled her blankets up to her chin. The weight of Belle came against the back of her legs as Katherine followed the swirling flowers of the charmed crystal ball on her nightstand once – maybe twice – before her eyes shut.

With her friends all around, Katherine could still feel her smile as she slipped from the room – and into sleep.

For a night that the girls had not really wanted to go out on – it had turned out to be the one they had needed for a long time. Finally –

A night in which nothing terrible happened.

Notes:

I know it's not much, but I wanted to get something out for you guys - and for me too, to get this story at least a little closer to completion 😊

Chapter 59: Dante Zabini

Notes:

This was a bottleneck in my chapter outline for a lot longer than it should have been. Thank you so much for your patience and sticking around/coming back. I really REALLY am trying to work on the next chapter as well, so it doesn’t go so long again.

This one's a *little* angsty, so bear with me - the next one is a lot more fluffy 😊

Saturday morning, Katherine sat happily in the common room – talking at the mussed sandy locks of Remus Lupin as he hid his face in the arms of his thick wool jumper.

Katherine took a curving bottom lip between her teeth, asking, amused, “How many did you end up having?”

“Hammersley mixed a few different things together… I can’t be sure…” he murmured, lifting his deeply ringed eyes in the dim morning light.

No one else had trodden down to the common room yet, apart from a few younger years – who had gone straight down to breakfast. Katherine had left the girls snoozing in their beds for a Saturday lie in, and gone down to the common room hoping to find someone to walk to breakfast with.

Remus had been the first of the boys to descend the stairs that morning and had held his mouth as he sat quickly to the seat across from Katherine at her chosen table – “I need a second, not sure if I’m gonna…” were his words of greeting, and warning.

It was the morning after Sirius Black’s birthday party and Remus – and quite a few others – seemed to, very much be, hungover.

He had sat, pale for a moment, staring off and waiting. Just waiting. Nothing happened, however, and Remus murmured his need to put his head down before they left off for breakfast. Katherine just watched his shoulders lift in slow, measured breaths for a few moments, before she had broached her question.

In the aftermath of his murmured words, they just eyed each other with soft smiles. It was strange, and almost homely, to sit there with him again. The air of ease was an undeniable relief. They could be friends.

A deep breath was sucked in through his nose as Remus eyed her with knowing plaintiveness about his state, and stretched long arms out behind his head with a face splitting yawn –

“Distract me from impending feeling of doom that would be seeing yesterday’s lunch again – please –” he said though his yawn, breaking it off and blinking, “Spells you want to practice – anything…”

Katherine blinked, thinking, “Well –”

Footsteps skipped down the girls’ stairs behind them and drew both their eyes –

Mary looked remarkably fresh given she had fallen asleep with her head haphazardly wrapped in a towel and her pyjama top buttoned zig-zaggedly. She all but jumped off the final step, waving jollily at Katherine and Remus before turning to leave through the portrait – alone –

“Mary, hang on –” called out Katherine, after the girl, “We’ll come with you, you can’t go alone…”

Katherine rose from her chair –

“Oh,” Mary waved her down, blinking atop her absentminded smile, “I won’t be alone.”

Katherine paused and her eyes flashed to the stairs. No one was coming down them, however.

“Is…?” Katherine trailed off, looking back to Mary.

It was then Katherine noticed that Mary was wearing makeup –

“Oh – Lily certainly won’t be far behind, what with the prefect meeting this morning…” said Mary, glancing to the stairs, and then back to Katherine. She paused, appearing significantly more sheepish before she went on, “Er, and I have… a date…”

Katherine saw Remus sit up a little more attentively in his seat in her peripheral vision.

A short lull fell over the common room that rang in the ears, and led to a headspinning feeling –

“Oh,” Katherine blinked, gathering herself, “That’s great, Mares,”

Mary gave a smile, knitting her hands together.

Katherine tucked her hair behind her ear, finding one flaw with the whole thing –

“But, er, if you don’t mind me asking… where?” she broached, in cautious amusement.

The new rules were still as strict as ever, and there certainly wasn’t any chance of sneaking down to Hogsmeade. Unless… well… Katherine did in fact know a way…

Mary just perked up again, her bottom lip tethered between her teeth, “I don’t even know yet – I’m meeting him soon.”

She turned, waving a hand to the portrait she had been heading for.

“Oh,” Katherine flustered, waving, “Good luck!”

“Thanks!” called Mary over her shoulder as she hastened down the tunnel to the common room exit.

CLUNK! the portrait closed soundly – and Mary was gone. In her absence, was the ticking of the clock and the faint crackles of flame from the dully burning hearth.

Katherine, still paused just out of her seat, looked to Remus again, with a smile –

“We should probably get a move on as well, anyway,” she suggested –

Remus stood slowly, like he would after a full moon –

“You have that prefect meeting, after all.” she tacked on, feeling mirth tickle at her.

Remus blinked with a light expression and lifted his hand to give her a lazy rude two-fingered salute.

Katherine’s mouth dropped open, but the corners were lifting – despite herself.

Remus grinned good-naturedly, hooking his arm around her neck and giving a warm squeeze before dropping it back to his side.

Hip to hip, they walked through the portrait. They plodded all the way down the Great Hall bouncing into each other’s arms. They sat at Gryffindor table and began eating – waiting for the others.

Remus smeared some jam on his toast, lifting it to his lips, “So, you didn’t have anything last night?”

Katherine shook her head with a silent smile.

Remus nodded, chewing –

“I didn’t realise that was an option…” he murmured lightly, before his eyes strayed to the open double doors of the Great Hall.

Outside, Lily could be seen – and a collection of prefects in all different robe colours.

Remus began pushing himself up, swiping a banana from a fruit bowl, “I’ll be back.”

As he strode off, down the tables towards the doors, the other girls came around him – and set their eyes on Katherine’s spot immediately. Mary was conspicuously absent. Katherine briefly wondered if the other girls knew of the date…

The other girls were still in conversation about the previous night when they sat and began making their plates.

Katherine didn’t mind, her eyes were following the moving sets of prefect robes milling outside the Hall in their meeting. There was Lily, Remus… Dobbs…

“Morning.” James Potter sat himself cheerily down in Katherine’s eyeline.

She blinked, “Oh, morning…”

Sirius just cleared his throat as he sat himself beside his friend, giving her a secret smile before he reached for toast.

A burst of liquid happiness spread through Katherine’s chest at the memory of the previous night, and she went back to eating her porridge.

“Oh – they’re all coming back in…” said Alice, craning her neck to look back down at the double doors.

Oddly enough, Katherine through she might have seen Mary passing the doors as she turned to look…

It was to be Remus who came back first, taking his place beside Katherine again and holding her eye as he took a prompt bite of his banana – side eyeing her over his chews in light exasperation.

Katherine returned a droll smile at his sorry state and went back to surreptitiously watching the doors again. It paid off, however, when Lily and Regulus came through last – after conversing at the open doors a second longer, away from all of the others…

Lily had asked him, as promised.

Katherine felt jittery as she busied herself with her utensils.

Lily sat down on the other side of Katherine and knocked her shoulder pointedly.

James sipped his tea, and glanced around at the, now, filled sixth year section of the table, “Have you heard about the game this morning?”

“I haven’t played that in years…” trailed off Sirius, shaking his head and taking another tired bite of toast.

Katherine felt her brow furrowing in confusion, “What’s that?”

James and Sirius both glanced to her and went to open their mouths –

“There’s going to be a game of ‘war’ today after breakfast,” James spoke first, tilting his head before going on, “Some people call it Aurors and Azkaban.”

Katherine nodded slowly but glanced to Lily.

Lily’s face was a mirror of confusion.

Remus cleared his throat, eyeing his friends with playful exasperation, before turning into Katherine and Lily –

“Cops and robbers.” he said in soft explanation.

“Oh.” Katherine and Lily chorused together, in immediate understanding.

Katherine, too, had not played that for years.

Throughout the remainder of breakfast, Katherine and Lily listened as the others explained the rules of the game – as wands were in play at Hogwarts, unlike the girls’ years of muggle schooling.

In a game of ‘War’, everyone was given secret roles at the beginning – Auror or Azkaban Prisoner. You could build alliances with whoever you like, regardless of your role (which you did not have to disclose). The goal of the game was to round up all of the Azkaban Prisoners in a ‘cell’ that Professor Flitwick transfigured for them in numerous alcoves around the seventh floor of the castle. The whole thing was teacher-endorsed, and encouraged even, given their confinement to the castle – and would be watched over.

After breakfast, most of the year levels made their way out to the Entrance Hall where Professor McGonagall waited with the sorting hat –

“The procedure will be as follows. You are to roll up your left sleeves, and place your hand inside of the hat,” Professor McGonagall explained, flourished the hat open, “You will be given a mark on your forearm. It will fade by dinner… you all know the game’s rules…”

Katherine waited in line with her friends as Professor McGonagall made her way down, allowing them to all place their arms inside the hat. There would be a silvery flash, and then the students would withdraw their arms and walk off to inspect their mark in private before taking off running towards the seventh floor.

Alice was the first of the girls to get her mark, and ran off – promising to find them upstairs. Then it was Marlene, and Lily…

Professor McGonagall finally opened the hat to Katherine as her marked friends vanished up the stairs, and she tepidly placed her arm inside the humid old leather headband of it.

Sirius stood beside her, waiting.

James, on the other side of Sirius, was playfully trying to sneak a peek at Katherine’s arm.

Sirius pushed him back by the chest, an equally playful expression on his face.

The hat flashed around Katherine’s arm, and a warm rush tingled up her skin. Pulling her arm out, she did as everyone else had done – and pulled down her sleeve and took off running up the stairs.

“Faster Katherine!” called James, with his hands around his mouth, “You’re going to have Sirius coming behind you, you know?”

Katherine glanced back, a flutter in exhilaration fanning out through her chest.

Sirius was chuckling back at his friend, as the hat flashed around his arm –

Katherine didn’t wait – she didn’t know what Sirius was going to do –

It was Regulus, though, who caught her eye as he tacked onto the end of the line as she rounded the corner up onto the staircase.

Katherine tampered down a riot of feelings as she focused on landing her feet on the climbing steps, and she went over the rules for the game to soothe her mind.

Basic duelling was allowed, as were as most jinxes. Hexes and curses were banned from being used during the game and would be grounds for immediate disqualification. Physical restraint, within reason, was allowed during the apprehension and ‘escorting to prison’ – as well as magical restraint, but only Incarcerous.

Katherine took the chance to glance at her forearm too, and found an ‘A’ with an odd sort of cross symbol rising up inside of it.

The Aurors were just simple ‘A’s’.

She was a Prisoner.

The heaving tapping of shoes sounded behind Katherine as she approached the seventh-floor landing. She glanced back with a spark of fright down the back of pelvis –

Sirius was grinning breathlessly up at her as he reached the sixth-floor landing, flicking his hair back –

James was laughing as he clambered up just as quickly behind him, using his hands to brace on the stone balustrades with his speed at the corners of the staircases –

Katherine couldn’t help her grin, but felt like her pants were on fire as she turned and kept running onto the landing, pulling out her wand as she passed Professor Flitwick at the ‘Entrance’ of the game. She was unprepared for the exhilaration to drop out from her as she walked in, nerves replacing it.

It was quiet. People ran quickly from classrooms, alcoves, and from behind pillars. Whispers of collusions were dully heard too. Then would come the outburst of an ambush –

“Bones!” exclaimed Dolohov, running after the boy – out of a classroom on the right –

Katherine ran for a pillar, to hide –

Avery dropped down from a rafter with impressive athleticism, and flourished his wand wordlessly –

A blue flash of light, and Bones seized mid-step – stupefied –

“Bollocks –”

THUD! The boy fell in the middle of the stone hallway.

Avery and Dolohov clasped hands in victory, and Katherine saw their plain ‘A’s on their exposed forearms. They were Aurors.

A pang of genuine cold fear made a line down though Katherine’s stomach.

Avery and Dolohov levitated Bones’ stunned body, walking shoulder to shoulder as they laughed at their catch –

“I stunned someone else in the room, but I couldn’t see a thing – heard the thud, though…” said Dolohov keenly, smoothing the back of his hair.

Avery laughed, throwing an arm around his friend’s shoulder, “They won’t be going anywhere – we’ll come back.”

Checking that the coast was clear, Katherine snuck out from behind the pillar, keeping an eye out for the girls. It was as she did, that she caught a glimpse of Sirius and James as they snuck into the room behind her – then vanished stealthily into the shadows.

Slipping into the classroom Dolohov had chased Bones out of, Katherine found it dark – with the curtains drawn. It was warm the presence of bodies in it, but Katherine couldn’t see them. An ill sort of feeling sat like a stone in her stomach. Was this what open water ocean swimming felt like?

Wading cautiously through the darkness, Katherine’s foot caught –

Stilling, yet feeling her whole body shaking, Katherine cast a non-verbal lumos –

Marlene laid there, with wild eyes – stunned.

Katherine quickly glanced over her back, to ensure the boys hadn’t returned, then flourished her wand at her friend to counter the stunning spell.

Marlene sat up with a heaving breath, holding her arms out. On her left arm was an Auror mark.

Katherine pulled her up by them –

“They’re taking Bones to jail.” she whispered.

Marlene was looking at Katherine’s arm, however – at the Prisoner mark.

“Come on, let’s find the others.” whispered Marlene, taking Katherine’s hand and puling her back towards the door.

Katherine glanced back as they ran into the cool air of the hallway, “They weren’t in there?”

“It was only Aurors in there,” whispered Marlene, pulling Katherine behind a suit of armour. She glanced around, taking Katherine by both her hands, and bowing her head by hers to go on, “We were all chasing Bones. I couldn’t have any of them seeing your mark or overhearing us.”

Katherine nodded, feeling warm at the prospect of her friend’s willingness to harbour her as a fugitive, before asking after their other friends, “Alice and Lily?”

“Lily’s an Auror,” panted Marlene as a whisper, as she had just about caught her breath from their running, “I don’t know about Alice…”

Katherine nodded, glancing back around the cold suit of armour. When she glanced back – they were at an odd sort of impasse.

Both girls looked at one another for a long moment as they caught their breaths –

“As an Auror it’s your job to turn me in.” whispered Katherine.

Marlene’s lips twitched, and she lightly hit Katherine’s arm with a loose fist, “As your friend, it’s my job to make sure you’re the last prisoner left standing.”

“And then?” asked Katherine, battling a smile at the nonsensical approach.

Marlene shrugged, still smiling as she peeked over the suit of armour again –

“It will be dog eat dog until they can check everyone’s arms,” she whispered absently, turning back and nodding down at herself, “They would have chucked me in as an Auror – if they came back and found me, you know?”

Marlene didn’t wait for a response, and went on –

“If we find the other girls, we’ll be stronger together –” she whispered with a cresting grin, nodding to the hallway “– and maybe we can put them away.”

Katherine nodded, then paused – listening –

“Declare your status.”

The low voice came from the hallway.

Katherine and Marlene shared a glance before peeking out from behind the suit of armour, Katherine crouching down low and Marlene leaning over her back–

James held his wand to Shacklebolt in the hallway, but he was smiling at the older boy –

Shacklebolt held his hands up, “I’m here as a prefect, I’m not playing.”

James’ smile faded ever so slightly as he scanned his quidditch teammate for a moment, before his wand arm dropped.

Shacklebolt lowered his hands to his sides.

Marlene’s hair was tickling Katherine’s temple, and she fought a shiver –

James backed away at first, then turned into a walk –

Shacklebolt pulled his wand out of his pocket at the speed of light –

James had a jelly-legs jinx on him before he could even get a step away–

“Ha ha!” cried Shacklebolt in triumph, before running off down the hallway and around the corner.

James, with begrudged amusement, cancelled the jinx on his legs and took off after Shacklebolt anew.

Katherine pushed Marlene’s curls off her own temple as she retreated behind the suit of armour.

Marlene licked her lips, standing and pushing her hair behind her ears with a smile of apology.

One thing was loud and unsaid between them –

They had to make a move.

Katherine had a thought, “Could the other girls be in jail? Should we check first?”

“Not a bad idea…” acknowledged Marlene, with an absently raised brow. She turned to Katherine, smiling slowly and pinching her cheek, “Not just a pretty face, are you?”

Katherine swatted her hand playfully.

Marlene gave a breathy laugh, and then held out her hand.

Katherine took it – and then they both started running. She liked to think that their footsteps were falling quieter than James’ had done…

On the way to the jail ‘cells’, the only thing that slowed them in their tracks was a dangling foot that was quickly pulled up – and out of sight. They could have easily missed it, if they weren’t so paranoid. Together, Katherine and Marlene followed the movement up –

Remus was sitting in the window box of blocked off window on a staircase that led only to a stone ceiling. Working smarter, not harder. He peered down at them with light eyes, holding his knees and nodding in indication they keep on.

Katherine pulled Marlene along, trusting him.

Rightfully too. Not a second later, there was a faint grunt and a THUD. Remus had used his vantage to stun Dolohov – who had been about to ambush the girls from behind.

Unfettered, the girls ran from Dolohov’s hopelessly chasing eyes.

The first ‘cells’ they were to come across, were empty. The girls shared a glance. Something about it left a strange feeling in the stomach – looking at an empty cell. Was someone about to jump out at them from somewhere else instead? It crawled up their spine as they rounded the corner – then stalled –

In a corner cell, stood Sirius and Regulus Black. They leant back on the stone wall a good two feet apart; their arms crossed over their chests, and mirrored expressions of haughty boredom across their faces. They wouldn’t be able to see the girls yet.

Katherine let go of Marlene’s hand in shock, advancing forward and whispering, “Sirius?”

Sirius leapt forward, wrapping his hands around the bars –

“Katherine –” he grinned in a breath, leaning back an increment to look at the bars framing his face, “You can let me out.”

Marlene eyed him undisguisedly, up and down, “Who caught you?”

Sirius scoffed –

“James, the bastard.” he said, smiling.

The only person who could.

Regulus remained unmoved. The black brothers stared out, faces side by side, behind the bars.

Marlene crossed her arms sceptically, eyeing the two boys, “What’s your status?”

Regulus eyed her back; his own arms cross as leant casually against the back wall of the cell. He didn’t say a word. His eyes, however…

Sirius licked his smiling lips, “My status?”

He gave a breathy laugh, falling back from the bars he gripped before levelling Marlene with a raised brow smile –

“Well, I’m the Chaser who will keep the quaffle in the Slytherins’ goal end to stop them from coming down your end and fouling you for the rest of the school term.”

Marlene hesitated, glanced to Katherine, then nodded once.

The jail cells didn’t require so much as a spell. They were rigged so that they could only be opened from the outside, and the bars were imbued with a shield that stopped prisoners from reaching through to undo the lock from the inside themselves.

Katherine flicked the lock, and held the door tightly so it didn’t creak and alert anyone to come running.

“Potter’s useless without you, isn’t he?” smiled Regulus as he followed his brother out, dusting down his lapels. He turned a raised brow on them all as the Gryffindor’s stood together, “You know to have someone on guard duty.”

Sirius gave a half-pleased little smile, before his head turned quickly and his smile dropped. He was still like a dog scenting a rabbit –

“Someone’s coming, it doesn’t sound like James…”

Marlene turned into a run, “Quick, come on –”

A hand gripped Katherine’s wrist –

Regulus held a finger to his lips and began pulling her in the opposite direction.

Katherine glanced at the vanishing back of Sirius and Marlene, before committing to a run alongside Regulus.

They didn’t get far before Regulus ducked behind a tapestry and into a short passage that seemed to come out just further down the hallway.

The dusty fabric closed heavily behind Katherine, and the red-warm light dimly lit their faces.

Katherine never knew when she might be alone with him again, and did not waste time –

“Professor McGonagall confiscated the diary off Greengrass yesterday.” she whispered.

Regulus paused, and blinked as he inclined his head closer – so that the incredulity in his eyes was clear, “She…”

Katherine nodded, with rising excitement. She wanted to grab his hands and jump excitedly like she would with the girls.

Regulus didn’t seem the type, however.

Katherine’s lips twitched at the prospect regardless.

“Do you know where she took it?” he asked, shouldering in closer and eyeing her keenly.

Katherine felt her own excitement waning as she divulged, “Locked it in her desk for the rest of the lesson, but then I don’t know…”

Regulus nodded, leaning back. He looked off in thought for but a moment before he nodded down to her –

“Come on – let’s go check out the desk in the classroom,” he suggested, reaching for the corner of the tapestry, and peeking out diligently as he went on distractedly, “She doesn’t know what it is, it’s unlikely to be fort knox…”

Katherine followed him out into the glare streaming in from the overcast skies outside, whispering as she too looked around, “How are we going to get past everyone?”

Regulus glanced back, motioning her forward with his hand –

“Stay close to me –” he whispered, his wand slipping into his hand as he threw a wry look over his shoulder, “– and run fast.”

Regulus kept a fast jogging pace, keeping to the sides of the hallways – at one point he pushed her into an alcove when seeing Avery, who nodded to him and then kept on his way. Apart from that, the two made it all the way back down through the castle.

Suddenly, it seemed, they stood at the door.

Katherine eyed Regulus, then the door, “What if she’s in there?”

Regulus gave a half smile and huff of laughter, letting his temple fall against the outside of the doorframe as he looked across at her in amusement –

“She’s monitoring the game.” he said confidently, reaching for the handle and pushing it open easily.

CREAK!

Regulus stepped through and made a direct line for the desk.

Katherine leapt through on tiptoes, and carefully closed the door behind them, wincing in effort to prevent another sound from the hinges. When she turned around, Regulus was already at the desk – reaching for the draw and giving a tug.

It rattled, but didn’t give –

“Locked,” he said, definitively. His eyes flickered up to her, nodding to the door, “Keep a look out.”

Katherine cracked the door a sliver, standing beside it and peering out as she listened to the sounds of Regulus’ attempts at the drawer.

“None of the regular spells are working…” he huffed quietly.

The hallway outside still clear, Katherine glanced back.

Regulus was bent at the waist, squinting as he inspected the lock – running his fingers over it.

Then it came –

The distant sounds of footsteps.

Katherine closed the door with painful care, and ran on light feet back towards Regulus at the back of the room –

“Someone’s coming.” she whispered frantically.

Regulus’ head went on a swivel around the room, before they locked on the ajar window. He started toward it, pushing it all the way open, poking his head out and then lifting his shoe up onto the sill –

“Out here –” he turned back with a beckoning nod, pushing himself out so that he was straddling the stone wall and windowsill. He waved his hand more quickly as he looked out and down, “– I can summon my broom once we’re out on the ledge and out of sight.”

Katherine, feeling like she was being electrified at all ends, found the smooth stone ledge with her hands and pushed herself up airily. She sat on the windowsill first, swaying with a light gust that rushed against the open window. She held herself steady with her hands on above her, pegging the inside and outside of the castle to hold steady –

Regulus was already standing up, holding the outside shingles. His black polished oxfords spun around in place on the stone windowsill Katherine straddled, and – with a spray of stone dust from beneath them – he was walking out onto the ledge, out around the turret –

Faint voices carried out to them, and Katherine glanced back to find the sliver under the door flickering with shadows –

Surely Regulus could do some sort of spell to catch her if she fell spectacularly? With reckless abandon, Katherine followed Regulus’ moves from earlier and was up on her feet and skimming the side of the turret with shaky hands –

CREAK…

Katherine’s heart thumped in the front of her throat as she shuffled, her back to the shingles, to stand alongside Regulus. Their hair blew around their heads cyclonically. They were out of sight, however – safe.

“I’ve got a key – at home –” whispered Regulus, his chest heaving as he looked out at the blue sky they stood up in. He turned an increment to Katherine, holding himself still and flat against the turret shingles, “It’s a master key, it should work.”

Katherine nodded, her vocal cords tingling with paralysis.

Then they waited, listening. To silence. To the wind, to the hoots of owls, and the odd slamming window in the lower levels of the castle. It wasn’t as high as the North Tower. Katherine’s shoes, however, only just fit on the narrow, rickety wooden ledge.

It had to be at least a minute – of standing out there. Not a sound from inside had leeched out to them.

Regulus glanced to her, and carefully began trying to dig his wand out of his robe pocket – to summon his broom – when his eyes snapped back to the window with undisguised shock –

James and Remus’ heads were poking out the window, the map in James’ hands –

“They’re here.” called Remus, back into the room, as he met Katherine’s gaze with eyes brimming with incredulity.

Katherine supposed it must have been a sight. She and Regulus shared a look –

“Hello,” greeted James, with casual cheerfulness, before looking out to observe the weather –

The rain from the previous night had cleared and it was a fine morning – if not windy and cold –

“Best order of business would be to get you back in swiftly, I’d say.” James tacked on with equal amounts of mirth and sincerity, nodding back towards the inside of the room.

Katherine began skirting back along the ledge. Easily, at first. Easier than the first time getting out there anyway. Her confidence, however, was to plummet out beneath her when foot slipped an increment as bits of the wooden ledge fell off below her feet –

James threw the map to Remus and held out his hands, in waiting aid –

Katherine made the mistake of looking down at the ledge. The ground below was dizzyingly distant, and she unwittingly swayed –

Regulus’ grip around her wrist was quicker than light. He held himself back tightly still, but he eyed her with incredulous panic.

Katherine gulped, “Thanks...”

Regulus gave a nod.

Katherine nodded too, more so for herself, and kept shuffling – with the heat of Regulus not a second behind. Easiness spread through her rigid limbs the close she got to the window and, before she knew it, she was swivelling around and changing her grip at the opening in the shingled turret.

James’ hand was warm as it locked around the back of her left calf, and he extended the other – reaching for her hand.

Regulus’ hand spread out between her shoulder blades, keeping the pressure to push her in as she, almost counterintuitively, needed to lean further outside the castle to slide in.

James guided her hand to his shoulder as she slid down inside, the other following to his other shoulder –

Wrapped safely in James’ arms around her waist, Katherine found her feet on the carpet inside the room once more. She nearly fell to it in relief.

Regulus swung through easily behind her, dusting his clothes down.

Remus, pocketless, was handing the map off to Sirius as he had paused walking through the door.

Sirius glanced between Katherine and Regulus with an unreadable expression, after the clear initial shock that must have been seeing them clamber through the window together.

“Interesting way to hide,” said Sirius, lightly, as he pocketed the map away. He blinked, and his brow went on the rise as he slowly strode closer, “Doesn’t work with us, however.”

James squeezed Katherine’s shoulder with a playful grin, righting his spectacles with the other hand, “The game’s not that serious, you know.”

Peter laughed.

Katherine found her lips twitching, but she didn’t quite have it in her to laugh just yet.

Regulus stood beside her, shifting his weight onto one hip – looking boredly around at his brother’s friends.

Remus was looking back out the window, then turned back – his face slackened with grimness –

“Merlin, there really is barely three inches of ledge out there…” he remarked, before closing the window with a faint CLICK.

Katherine and Regulus stood in the middle of the questioning stares of the other boys.

“Alright, I’ll bite,” said James, into the silence. He shook his head at them with an incredulous smile, “What on earth were the two of you doing out there?”

Katherine sighed as she rested her hand, and then forehead, on Regulus’ shoulder in the sudden hit of relief that came from not being caught –  

“We thought you were McGonagall.” she breathed out, closed-eyed, before pushing back off Regulus and opening her eyes again.

Remus looked around with light eyes and a buttoned smile, “Funny place to avoid her, her office.”

“We…” Katherine trailed off.

The boys all looked to her, waiting. Was she really about to tell them? She hadn’t even told her own friends…

She looked to Regulus, for her answer.

Sensing her eyes, he glanced down to her and gave the most minute moves of his shoulder; indifference, clear as day. He seemed to be letting her take the lead.

Katherine looked back to the boys, decidedly going on, “We were looking for Greengrass’ diary that got confiscated in Transfiguration on Friday.”

“We?” shot out James’ mouth, as his eyes shot to Regulus with plain disbelief.

“She’s acting suspicious –” Regulus shrugged, crossing his arms across his chest and wedging them up beneath his armpits. He pursed his lips in concession, tipping his head, before going on, “– wanted to see what was in it. She did lace me with a love potion.”

A silent beat of a moment passed as the group stood dotted around the classroom, looking at one another. Peter was the one to move, peeking out the door – in watch, it seemed.

James looked to Sirius, waving a pointed finger between Katherine and Regulus before laughing and rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses, “If there was ever any doubt that you were related…”

“Guys –” Peter turned back from the door, an urgent spark belying the whispered word, “It’s really McGonagall coming this time.”

James launched into action, running for the door, “Quick.”

One by one, they all slipped through the door speedily and took off down the hallway with desperately flailing arms that pumped to put as much distance between them and the room as possible –

BANG! Regulus slammed the door behind them, the last of them out.

“This way – it’s closer towards the game!” led James, waving as he careened down the left corridor at the end of the hallway –

A tug on Katherine’s hand pulled her right –

Regulus had caught up, tipping his head in the opposite direction.

Katherine followed him to a stop at the end of the hallway, at another junction. There was not a soul around. The two caught their breaths as they glanced about – they were safe. Even if McGonagall happened across them there, she would have no grounds to be suspicious.

Regulus inclined his head down at her, his neck slicked with a fine sheen and his chest pitching up and down sharply, “I’ll figure out a way to get the key – then we’ll try again.”

Katherine nodded, gulping, before asking –  

“How will we get in?”

Regulus said, deadpan, “We both get detentions,”

Katherine was forced to quickly muffle her snorts of laughter.

Regulus, with a pleased little smile that broke his deadpan expression, took a perusing glance around –

“I can sabotage her academics,” he said, turning back to her more earnestly with his own fading amusement. He nodded to her, and went on, “So that McGonagall is forced to hold onto it for longer. Until we can figure out a way into her office again.”

Katherine nodded.

A beat passed, and it was clear Regulus’ departure was imminent.

“You’ll tell me, won’t you?” asked Katherine, timidness seizing her.

Regulus blinked, turning back to her with a sincere furrowing brow, “Someone will need to be look out.”

A warmth spread through Katherine at his inclusion of her – and, buoyed by it, she remembered a long-ago conversation from the previous term –

“Next time we could fly in – James said they did that to get their confiscated items back.” said Katherine, in offer.

A flicker of surprise passed over Regulus’ face, but then he gave a curt, deciding nod –

“We fly in.” he said, before turning to make his departure, scanning around.

Katherine had another thought and reached for his hand. His shirt lifted up his arm with his sudden halting, and that was when she saw it –

He was an Auror. He’d been wrongfully put into the jail – and had not given up his status…

She remembered herself, and met the clear blue eyes staring back across at her –

“I… I won half a vial of liquid luck earlier in the term, in Potions.” she revealed quietly, glancing around.

Regulus eyed her a moment before nodding once –

“Hold onto it,” he instructed, bowing his head slightly, “Wait until we know more, so that it doesn’t go to waste,”

Katherine nodded.

Regulus stepped back an increment, and their hands dropped –

“Liquid Luck does not always work as… expected either.” he said, in a warning laden tone.

Katherine felt the weight of the warning, and nodded, “Okay.”

Regulus’ eyes were shining with amusement as he gave another curt nod and turned into a walk.

Katherine vowed to try and kept the liquid luck on her in the following days, however, should the moment present itself.

 

---

 

Katherine went about her days as normal, as she waited to hear from Regulus again.

Everyone else seemed to as well.

On Sunday, she only received a few odd looks from Sirius – the rest of the boys seemed to have forgotten the precarious position they had found Katherine and Regulus in out on the turrets altogether. Sirius didn’t say anything, however – they had yet to have a moment alone.

It was on Monday that Katherine had a momentary distraction that came in the form of a necessary meeting with Zabini in the afternoon. The weather was dreadful, however. Their weather protocol for their ‘sessions’ was to meet in his office instead at the allotted time. Katherine, and many others, spent the day in lessons watching the wind lash sparse raindrops against the rattling windowpanes. It truly did howl.

As she walked back to the dormitory at the early end of her day of lessons, Katherine even sighted the whomping willow whirling wildly in the wind like a root-knotted windmill.

Once shouldering her way through the seventh years milling in the common room and climbing the girls’ stairs, Katherine closed the door behind her with a CLUNK. Only the cats, Belle and Marbles, stirred about in the dusty room. The other girls had classes until the end of the day. Katherine had an inkling that Sirius might finish in fourth period…

With a sigh, Katherine put away her books and prepared her bag with the books she would need for the next day. She had every intention of using her time to do homework – she even set up her quill and parchment on her desk.

And yet…

Katherine laid back over the end of her bed, and pet Belle, before the feline’s purring sent her owner off to sleep with an aching wrist falling into the nestle of the blankets. Half in, and half out, Katherine was loosely tangled in a disjointed dream.

The pumpkins from Halloween were blowing smoke over her head in a long HISSSSSSSSSSSSS… The Dining Hall at St Mary’s flashed with the light of spells in a skirmish…Professor McGonagall stood off to the side with parchment and a quill, grading Katherine… through the smoke came Voldemort….

“I don’t want duel him – please – someone, help!” cried Katherine, stumbling back –

Her legs moved with unbearable slowness beneath her… When she looked up, Voldemort had turned into Remus… A benevolent smile stood across from her instead, and he glowed gold like he had in the old defence classroom… Professor McGonagall was gone –

Remus’ smile faded into panicked concern, “Katherine – what are you doing here? How can you be here? You’re not supposed to be here…”

All around them was gold, like the sun from all sides… Mr and Mrs Evans were there then… Aunt Victoria too… one by one, all her friends popped into view…

“Katherine!” called Lily, seemingly stuck where she stood.

Mary was holding hands with Peter, and frowning, “Katherine – what are you doing here?”

“You can’t be here!” Marlene’s grim face was suddenly right up in front of hers –

Katherine stepped back – away – overcome by a slimy, ill feeling –

Through their heads, at that moment, she saw one figure standing alone… He wasn’t yelling, he was just… waiting.

She ran to him. Her legs worked properly again, gliding through the air… His figure grew more solid… more corporeal… She knew it was him. Inside her body, every part of her called out his name –

She threw her arms around his neck… His arms locked around her waist… It felt like the sun exploded from their joined bodies… Katherine pulled back, to look at him, to say –

“Katherine,” came Lily’s sweet voice, and a prod to Katherine’s arm.

Her body swayed with the cushion of her… mattress. Katherine’s eyes flew open, feeling a bed at her back instead of non-corporeal arms, gasping at the feeling of freefalling back into her body –

Lily jumped back, her hands up, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to spook you.”

Katherine held a hand to her chest, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

Belle had since pounced down with a buoyant sound of effort.

“It’s alright… weird dream…” said Katherine slowly, looking around the room.

All the girls had returned and were lounging on their beds in their socks and sucking on sweets. Mary was perched up on Marlene’s bed, cuddling her pillow and listening as Marlene prattled on about what Fabian had mentioned about the Quidditch World Cup in the letter she had just received that afternoon –

“Students under the age of seventeen will have to return home to their parents and guardians on the Easter Holidays, and will be taken to the Cup grounds via portkey…” Marlene went on, reading from the folded parchment in her hand.

Mary eyed her friend with sympathy, “You won’t be seventeen.”

“I won’t be able to afford the tickets…” said Marlene, with a sigh, before falling back onto her bed.

Marlene continued to scan the letter on her back, as if looking for a ticket that Fabian might have happened to send with his correspondence, before holding it to her chest and staring up at her bed’s canopy.

“Your parents definitely could.” said Lily to Marlene, leaving Katherine’s bedside and kneeling on her own bed – she eyed Marlene as she wrapped her arms around a bed post.

Marlene gave a scoffing laugh, “I don’t want to go with them…”

A plethora of sighs followed – all from Marlene’s bed – and the other girls reassured her that none of them were going either. That was before Lily turned back to Katherine with a frown –

“Hey, Katherine – didn’t you have that…” she trailed off, waving a hand.

Katherine’s heart stopped, then violently thumped again –

“Zabini.” she said in realisation, clambering to her feet.

Still dressed, she smoothed her hair the best she could as she sped out the door with a wave over her shoulder and the promise to see her friends at dinner. She sped down the stairs, giving an absentminded wave back to James Potter as she passed him in the common room, and then flew through the castle.

Although Katherine had rushed to the session, barging through the door breathless and red-faced, it seemed Zabini was in no such rush to be in his own office.

Katherine, awkward and alone, sat in the chair on the other side of his desk unable to think of anything else to do but wait.

At first.

A shimmer danced across the floor by the corner, like the shadow cast by water when a bright light was cast upon it. Like the pensieve Katherine had just spent time inside of in Dumbledore's office…

Curious, and glancing around to ensure she was still alone, Katherine stood up and edged closer to the strange light only to find her suspicions to be confirmed. Zabini had a pensieve, the inky black telling sign of a memory circling the bath like a fighting fish.

She wondered…

It was a cold night in Zabini's memory, the moon a mere crescent hanging in a starry sky above. The light night sky meant that they had to be in the country somewhere, far from light pollution.

Zabini stood, a solitary figure in the night.

Katherine looked around for a sign of where they were, hearing jolly laughter and the clinking of tankards in the distance. Lamp posts shone down onto the snow-caked cobblestones, the frost visible drifting through the air like low cloud in the warm yellow spotlights.

There was a church just down the way. Katherine squinted at the sign and discovered that they were in Godric's Hollow – and that Zabini was no longer alone. A heavily cloaked figure was now conversing in hushed tones with the man, standing at a distance and glancing around.

A breeze blew the hood of the figure's cloak back, and Katherine very nearly fell to her knees. Her tears were immediate and froze on her eyelashes – freezing her eyes open as they locked onto her mother.

"Just get it over with now," Florence met his eyes with fierce determination, "Tell them – Let them kill me."

"No." The word was like a bullet from his mouth.

Florence closed her glassy eyes, "You will."

Zabini's expression didn't falter, but he allowed a curt nod, "But not tonight, go back to your husband and child – while you can."

Katherine watched her mother reach out and rip up the sleeve of Zabini's robe to reveal smooth, clean olive skin.

"There's still hope for you, Dante."

Zabini flinched, rushing to lower his robe sleeve, "We may have been engaged to be married once, Florence, but do not go thinking – for one moment – that you know me," he gulped, "There is… no hope."

"Then why are here – in Godric's Hollow – warning me?"

Florence stepped forward, pleading.

Zabini stepped back.

Zabini held Florence's eyes, "If this is discovered, I will surely face swift retribution."

The frustration on her mother's face made Katherine smile. She too knew what it felt like to converse with Zabini to no avail.

Florence shook her head, "Then why bother?"

"I am not on their side."

"But you are not on ours either." said Florence, frowning up at him.

"No," the word was crisp, "If you had any sense you would have run for the countryside and waited this whole war out like I did – safe."

Florence stepped forward again, "Then take my Katherine with you if it is so safe – save an innocent child!"

Zabini didn't step back, almost chest to chest with Florence as he spluttered, but Katherine could not make out the words…

The cold of the stone castle floor was not an improvement to the snowy scene Katherine had just been ejected from, landing hard on her backside.

Her mother had been close enough to touch.

Her vision blurring with hot tears, Katherine clambered to her feet and made for the door. Ripping it open, she prepared to speed down the hallways – but, sooner than expected, she was halted outside Zabini's office.

By the man himself.

The colourless robes were softer than they had any business being, thought Katherine. She pulled back from the front of the man, lifting her sleeve to wipe her nose. Her eyes, in mercy, had stopped watering at the shock of the collision. Her chest was hollow, and her throat felt thick when Katherine tried to swallow.

Zabini looked as if he were about to deduct points or give a severe dressing down at the very least, until his eyes caught the strange shimmer in his office. He became as still as the suits of armour on the wall, his eyes endless as they latched onto Katherine.

She could not bear it. At that moment there was only one thing to do – the very thing he taught her to do.

Run away.

She did not dare look back until she had put behind her four flights of the staircase. When she did, she found the castle empty and quiet behind.

He did not come after her.

 

---

 

Katherine’s floundering feet found their way to the North Tower on their volition.

The half door looked different in the dark, as she bent and contortioned herself through it. Even in the dark cobweb strewn and shadowed corners of the castle, however, Katherine couldn’t find it within herself to be scared.

The tapestries boxed her back as she pushed through the heaving hangings, the dust – for once – not making it though the snot and tears streaming hot and relentless down her cheeks. Katherine shuddered and heaved in breaths throughout her diaphragmatic attack of sobs and found herself, sweating and crying, on the other side of the tapestries.

The door to the roof rattled with the wind, and a high-pitched howl rushed in through the gaps in the doorframe. The rush of air was cool on Katherine’s exposed hands.

She hesitated.

A worming in her bones of hopelessness urged her to push the door open. The wind took it the rest of the way, and it swayed recklessly like a flag against the outside of the castle. Katherine stepped out carefully into the nipping artic wind.

She didn’t go out far and fell to her backside – against the shingles on the outside of the castle, just beside the door that had closed with an almighty BANG!

The universe whirled overhead that November night, the stars peeking through angry clouds as dew was kicked up into the air that vibrated with cold.

She couldn’t feel it, Katherine realised, the cold. She brought her knees up, crossing her arms close to her chest – rocking as she pushed back her tears.

They kept coming.

The idea of seeing anyone else at anytime in the foreseeable future seemed like the worst possible fate.

Could she stay up there and freeze from hypothermia – never to be seen or found again? They’d all move on, she supposed – her friends. Really, it wouldn’t be so terrible at all – and she wouldn’t have to keep going on like she was… half mad and guessing, just guessing all the time…

She resigned herself to staying there.

Really, she did.

Until the hollow pangs of hunger crept in when the sobs subsided. To cry against the needling gale had begun to make her feel half-sick, when the heat of her tears and snot started to dry against her cheeks and lips. After a few steeling breaths, she lifted herself up on static-filled limbs.

Bone tired, she made her way through the tedious path back out of the secret spot in the North Tower. Fear crept in the dark lonely hallways – and Katherine took them quickly, the promise of dinner glowing like a warm beacon in her chest. Through the parting veil of her melancholy, Katherine felt herself standing straighter. She wiped at her face with the sleeve of her robes, and tried to separate her eyelashes that had dried together – rock hard.

She fluffed her hair back as she approached the doors of the Great Hall, but found it was absent of the great light that accompanied a meal. Her primping was for naught –

Katherine had missed dinner.

She stood, listening to the faint ticking of clocks and snores of portraits – completely, and entirely, alone.

Katherine, with no other course of action available to her, hastened back up through the castle toward Gryffindor Tower and passed – at last – a few Ravenclaws leaving the library and heading for their own common rooms. Katherine tried a smile at them as they passed. The chattering seventh years gave distracted nods, and went back to their impassioned discussion about the subject they seemed to have been studying.

The castle was as normal as ever.

Only Katherine knew that the entire world was amiss, yet again.

Katherine slowed, feeling safer, as she gave the password to the portrait of the Fat Lady and stepped through to the darkened tunnel that led to the common room. Sighing, she began her final walk, and wondered distantly about what the night had held for everyone else –

Had anyone even noticed she was gone? Were they all tucked up in bed?

The glow of the fireplace grew larger, and the shadows of the room’s occupants fanned out on the stone walls –

Alice perched up with Frank… Mary and Marlene crowding a recliner… Peter prodded the fire… James and Sirius sat wide-legged on the loveseat with the fire at their back, their hands paused in gesture… Remus stood leaning on the back of the couch on which Lily sat up primly on, paused in their addressing to the group, it seemed.

Paused, as they had all turned to look at her.

They were all there.

“Katherine –”

Lily was up out of her seat, and then paused, concern seizing her brow –

“Christ – where have you been?” she said as she crossed to Katherine, pulling wind-blown strands from across Katherine’s forehead.

Katherine let her, and the two girls returned to the couches – to sit with their friends. All of whom seemed to drop their pre-occupations to turn into the girls.

Sirius’ arms had slid back from where they were splayed out behind him, and he leant forward, uncrossing his knees. There was something across his face that – though intense – Katherine could not decipher.

“Lost track of time,” said Katherine, swallowing and trying an oblivious smile of inquiry around at the others, “Did I miss anything at dinner?”

Glances were thrown, and a throat or two cleared –

“The school photos will be taking place once Georgia Abbey is un-petrified – which is expected to be soon, apparently.” said Lily, with rising cheer as she reached around the back of Katherine’s head to run her fingers through the tangles –

“Oh, yeah –” cut across Marlene, before lifting her brows with an inciting slow smile “– and just the announcement that Zabini’s resigned.”

The news was like a thud in Katherine’s chest.

Alice leant in, contributing, “Everyone thinks he’s scared about the beast.”

“He didn’t even come to dinner,” went on Marlene, before looking around at all the others as she spoke further, “At first, we all just assumed he was still with you… as you weren’t back either…”

A loud crackle came from the hearth on Katherine’s right, and the warmth came like a slap across the cheek. She turned her head with it, bracing…

“It’s not about the beast.” she said into the quiet.

POP, an ember fizzed up and then fizzled into the blacked bricks. Everyone was quiet.

Lily’s eyes pierced Katherine’s warm cheek, “Did something… happen?”

Katherine nodded, pressing her lips together and hoping to hold back the returning quivers.

Lily glanced around at the others – and Katherine saw Alice shaking her head listlessly back, and shrugging. The red-headed witch rested a tentative hand over Katherine’s –

“Katherine…”

At her name, Katherine turned.

All the eyes of her friends were waiting, welcoming – she could tell them. Had to tell them.

She took a breath, and…

Katherine explained – everything. From when she arrived at the office, to what she saw in the pensieve (and explaining just how she knew what one was), and then to her coming face to face with Zabini.

“What did he say?” asked Lily, wide-eyed, through the hand that had been across her mouth.

Katherine blinked under her friends’ waiting stares –

“I don’t know – nothing really…” she flustered out, before shrugging self-consciously, “I… well – I ran.”

Mary nodded solemnly, looking off at the fire, saying gently, “That’s understandable.”

Katherine still felt very cowardly under the eyes of the likes of James and Sirius, in addition to her friends. The boys didn’t say anything – they just sat attentively. It was strange. They really were all becoming an indivisible group…

“Did it maybe, you know… help you – to know what had happened?” came Lily’s tender words, and her hand on Katherine’s shoulder that was equally as so.

“I don’t know…” admitted Katherine.

She took in Lily’s words in full in the silence of the common room. Despite everyone all around, Katherine felt something missing. Something inside of her – weeping like a child, for it’s…

“…I miss my mum –”

Katherine’s breath caught, and her chin wobbled, on the final word. She had not expected it.

The room around all seemed to stop.

The inside of her chest rubbing raw up against her skin, Katherine broke into hot, shoulder-seizing sobs. Another child-like urge gripped her – to hide it. Her body caved in on itself there on the couch –

“Oh, Katherine…” came Lily’s whisper through the hot pulse in Katherine’s ears.

“It’s –” Katherine shot to her feet –

She sucked her snot back up her nose, and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robes –

“It’s okay – I think I’ll go for a shower, actually.” came her high, pretending voice – as she turned quickly and left, before anyone could convince her to stay.

She knew there were carpets, tapestries, and couches all around, but all Katherine saw was a red-hot blur as she fled to the girls’ stairs, however. She dealt with the mortification of sliding around girls on their way down the stairs – gaping openly at her – before she stole away through the sixth-year girls’ door.

Petting Belle, she put on her best impression of the cat’s usual happy go-lucky owner, but it only served to make the tears come even hotter. They sliced down her cheeks like quick bullets – and Katherine just pet her cat –

“You’re a good girl…” she squeakily praised the purring feline, before taking her pyjamas into the bathroom and closing the door.

Her entire being deflated. Even the tears stopped in the solitude of the cool, tiled room. Bathrooms truly were a world all their own. She went through the motions… undress, turn the taps, test the water with a timid foot…

Katherine stood under the stream of water for a long time. Until the coolness of the roof was gone from her nose, and the tears stopped sporadically erupting. Until she was fine. Until she began wondering if she had ever been fine…

As one got older, they were supposed to get stronger – but Katherine had never felt so weak. She had never wished so vehemently for her mother at her side as she had done that night.

Mourning people that you never knew was difficult. Missing them was like the sudden longing to sit down somewhere familiar and safe, only to find that someone had moved the chair.

 

---

 

The next day, at breakfast in the Great Hall, Katherine felt very silly about the whole thing.

More so when James Potter kept looking at her with those sympathetic hazel eyes of his. The boy had been one of the first down the breakfast after Katherine and the girls – along with Remus.

Remus had sat by Katherine, wedging her between he and Lily, and he just talked to her. ‘Could you please pass the jam?’ and ‘We’re going to get sleet today, I think…’ were among the many throw away attempts at normalcy that passed between he and Katherine. It was a blessed relief, and he smelt like tea and warm wool. Two of the most wonderful things in the world – in Katherine’s opinion.

Katherine wanted to lean on the soft front of his robes. There were very few people as familiar to her as Remus Lupin was. With him, it was always like picking up an old teddy bear – from long ago.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,”

Remus leant by Katherine as he finished chewing, still looking down at his plate –  

“When do you think you’d like to meet for our next lesson?” he asked casually, reaching for his next piece of toast.

Katherine gave a small, involuntary smile at his words. Remus – her favourite professor. It was a funny private thought she often had in recent times.

“Tomorrow afternoon?” she inquired, a brief happiness rising inside her at the prospect.

Remus gave a barely-there sideways smile, his eyes half-lidded in amusement, before saying, “Alright, you’re on.”

Across from them, a throat-clearing Sirius took his place at the table – reaching for a cup of tea.

Green met grey over the rim of the teacup.

For a moment, Katherine held Sirius’ eye as he took a long, deep sip.

Katherine was sure he felt awkward, even in the deepening binds of their new friendship – to try and comfort her about what had happened. He seemed to be keeping his distance because that was what one did where they stood around close enough to someone in the first wave of something tumultuous like grief – they kneeled into muck of tricky feelings, with arms of bandaging comfort.

Sirius’ eyes flickered to Remus, and then he attended to piling his breakfast onto his plate.

Katherine wasn’t sure there was a way to tell Sirius that she wanted him in her muck, but she did. Selfishly. There was something new about Sirius, something that no one else could offer her – that might just be the salve for it all.

Maybe he would come in once the likes of Lily and Remus had pulled all the proverbial bodies off the battlefield again, and they were all meeting again at the mustering point – of life going on.

Slughorn swept by, breaking Katherine’s train of thought with his own musing –

"I mean, did he resign – or did he resign?" intimated Slughorn.

"The position isn't cursed, Horace," said Kettleburn, his peg leg sounding out an echoing CLACK, "Absolutely poppycock, I tell you!"

Zabini, Katherine realised, was who they were discussing.

Katherine found her chewing slow.

The whole school seemed to have been discussing the Professor’s sudden departure – taking a carriage down to Hogsmeade in lieu of even attending dinner for the announcement of his departure from his post, apparently.

Regardless, she felt her body go into another lull throughout the rest of breakfast. With minimal input to conversation around her, Katherine kept her eyes on her plate as she worked through what little food was left there before the Sixth Year Gryffindors headed off to Defence Against the Dark Arts with suitable curiosity, given the post’s sudden abandonment.

When they arrived, Professor McGonagall was waving them through the door with stern attention to punctuality.

Katherine and her friends were in comradery of confusion with the rest of the class, glancing around, before tepidly taking seats in their friendship groups with the seating plan no longer in effect.

Professor Flitwick waited at the front of the room, for the students, and for Professor McGonagall to join him again. He offered smiles of reassurance to the eyes he met, as everyone settled into seats.

CLICK, the door closed far more gently than Professor Zabini had ever allowed. Professor McGonagall even did it by hand, with a grave sort of demeanour, before she strode to the front of the room. Her robes quivering out behind her as she adjusted the lapels of them to sit neatly on her chest –

“Now,” began Professor McGonagall, once standing beside her fellow professor, “Along with myself, Professor Flitwick will be sharing the responsibility of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts to all of the years…”

The professors took it in turns to explain how their Defence lessons would go forth, before Professor McGonagall had to leave to attend to her seventh year Transfiguration class. They were to begin with revision of previously learnt subjects to ensure a smooth transition.

Katherine’s entire being seemed to sigh in relief, at hearing the news. The two professors were, perhaps, the most capable in Hogwarts. The two Katherine felt most comfortable with as well. Even with Remus’ help, Katherine was still antsy at the prospect of duelling – especially in front of the class, given her reputation from a run-in with Voldemort.

She didn’t want anyone to know she was rubbish.

Flitwick waved his hand, and chalk began scrawling on the blackboard –

The Patronus Charm.

“Please stand,” directed Flitwick.

The chairs all scraped back as everyone did as instructed, glancing around at one another. Some were excited and making eyes, and whispering.

They had learnt with it with Giles, but Katherine, personally, had never quite gotten it.

“I know that we will all be at varying levels of competency in this particular charm,” Professor Flitwick began, waving his hands and sending the desks and chairs to the sides of the room where they stacked themselves neatly with dull wooden scrapes, “Some qualified witches and wizards still cannot perform the charm. It is a helpful defensive measure to have in one’s arsenal, however… and a fun one to begin with…”

Katherine shuffled off with her friends to a sunlit corner of the room, leaning back on a stacked desk – carefully winding her arms around the upside-down legs of the top desk – and then closing her eyes as the sun warmed her knees.

All around, were the murmurs of ‘Expecto Patronum’, as well as sighs of disappointment and the occasional cry of triumph.

Professor Flitwick roamed the room, helping, and voicing suggestions to the class at large –

“Where your focus goes – your patronus will too – focus on exactly what you want…”

Katherine watched as the girls intermittently tried the charm, and then would sit with her on the desks to rest their knees and reset while watching everyone else before making more attempts themselves.

Alice’s Patronus took the form of a badger, clear and corporeal it pounced around the girl’s head as she laughed.

Lily nearly got it – through the silvery wisps, it was clear that her Patronus was some four-legged creature.

Marlene was convinced hers was some type of bird, though it was more wisp than creature.

A ruckus erupted when a Lion burst forth out of Dobbs’ wand, and eclipsed all the others – the King of the classroom, it seemed. Until he controlled it, the roar sent the rest of the Patronus forms scattering and dissolving.

Avery and Dolohov quietly sniggered as their prefect friend humbly ignored his accomplishment with a quiet smile and murmur of apology to Professor Flitwick.

As everyone tried again, Katherine’s eyes caught the familiar form of a large dog bounding around. She smiled immediately –

Sirius.

She followed the hound back to the owner’s wand and glanced around at Sirius and the other boys.

The dog was chasing a mouse – Peter’s mouse. Or was it rat? Katherine couldn’t tell…

James was sitting back on the desks, laughing as he watched his friends – but his own wand was tucked into his folded arms.

“Your technique is impeccable, Mister Lupin –” Professor Flitwick commended Remus, patting him firmly on the back as he observed Remus’ non-corporeal shield –

Flitwick made to move off to he help the next group –

“Keep attempting, it’s bound to happen.”

Remus gave a smile to the teacher, letting his shield drop before lifting his wand again with the murmur of the incantation –

A wolf – as clear as day – burst forth from his wand that time.

Katherine sat up imperceptibly from the desk she leant on at the brilliance of the form –

Remus eyed the wolf for but a second, expertly slashing his wand – and it was gone.

No one, not even the boys who were horsing around with their forms, had noticed.

“Ah, Professor McGonagall!” greeted Flitwick, turning to the door with opened arms.

Professor McGonagall had indeed returned, to check in on the class. Her eyes followed the silvery forms and wisps around the in the air above their heads –

“Some of the students are even moving on to using them as messengers – would you believe it?” exclaimed Flitwick happily, coming to stand beside Professor McGonagall and pointing the forms out, and saying more quietly, “See there, Mister Black has remarkable control of his…”

A barking laugh met Katherine’s ears before her eyes found Sirius again.

He had indeed moved on to using it as a messenger, under the impressed eyes of Professor McGonagall, but the way James guffawed after the silvery wisp paused by his ear – it was not likely something that would have impressed the professors much further.

Mary sighed, the last of the girls – bar Katherine – to make at least a shield that day. She shook out her arms before flourishing her wand with conviction beside Katherine –

“Expecto Patronum!”

Marlene jumped back with a squeal as a large form brewed from wisps, growing larger and larger, until –

A Lioness gnarled and gnashed its teeth above the smaller form of Mary.

Marlene squeaked and jumped back.

Katherine’s mouth dropped open, and she gave a wide-eyed pat to Mary’s back where she stood, too wide-eyed, beside her.

Lily gave a huff of appreciation up at it before grinning at Mary, “On ya’, MacDonald…”

Hushed whispered broke out around them, as others noticed and pointed. Through the dissolving wisps, at Mary’s inattention, was even the awed face of Dobbs and his Slytherin mates.

Mary bristled, uncomfortable, before giving Katherine a gentle smile – and an elbow –

“Come on, Katherine, you’re the last of us…”

Professor McGonagall’s head turned, and then she stepped closer curiously –

“Yes, Miss Spencer. I, for one, would like to see your progress,” encouraged Professor McGonagall, with the firm sort of smile of encouragement that wasn’t really a smile, “Professor Giles held great hopes for you in accomplishing the charm, from what I can remember.”

Katherine’s low scattered mood, that had been there ever since her altercation with Zabini, nearly suffocated around her throat. She lifted her wand, however – and struggled to think of a memory –

“Expecto Patronum.” the words were warm and lonely in her mouth –

A stream of silvery wisps fanned out from her wand – almost to the form of a weak shield – before collapsing. Katherine felt a bit like that herself…

“Yes…” murmured Professor McGonagall, her face fallen in gentle disappointment, “Technique is just fine… pronunciation perfect…”

“I fear she and Mister Lupin are facing the same issue,” offered Flitwick, in a sideways murmur of concurrence, “They just haven’t found a powerful enough memory to use…”

Katherine and Remus glanced sideways to each other at their names.

Remus’ eyes glinted with mirth before he licked his lips and went back to his conversation with Frank.

“It’s okay, Katherine,” said Lily, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder, “You’ll get it – we’ll practise.”

Katherine nodded with an easy, non-comital smile, “Yeah.”

It was as the girls reached for their school bags, at the ringing of the bell, that Katherine’s cheek tingled –

The bright light of a Patronus was at her face – a dog, in fact – and it had licked her. As it dissipated into silvery blue wisps, through it were the sparkly eyes of Sirius Black across the room as he chatted with James.

Lily rolled her eyes, pulling Katherine along.

With her cheek still tingling, Katherine milled from the classroom with the rest of the sixth years as they delighted in their accomplishments that lesson. Surprising herself, Katherine couldn’t find it within herself to be terribly bothered by it.

She took some comfort in the possibility – a wonderful notion, whispering unsaid –

Your happiest moment is still yet to come.

 

Notes:

Fun fact: I went to see a band for their 50th anniversary tour last Tuesday – Cold Chisel – who are Australian LEGENDS and I found myself crying a little (something I never do at concerts) during a song called Flame Trees. I lost my Nana when I was 17 and there’s a line in there that always makes me think of her. By the time the song finished, I actually began thinking about the Marauders too as there’s a line that goes 👇

“Number one is to find some friends to say "you're doing well"
After all this time you boys look just the same”

And another, further along in the song👇

“Takes more than just a memory to make me cry
And I'm happy just to sit here a table with old friends
And see which one of us can tell the biggest lies”

I’ll link the youtube video if anyone is interested. It’s a song with a great amount of meaning, not just to me, but to an entire country, really. It’s always playing at the pub and at BBQs. They never made it out of Australia, but they’re a premier rock and blues band. Most of their success was in the 70s and early 80s before they split up for a bit, so it's very period correct for a marauders piece too 😊

So, anyway, here’s a piece of my heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8KgP2aOXcA

Let me know what you think if you do give it a listen!

Chapter 60: Kismet

Notes:

So much for my plan to begin writing shorter chapters to make this story more of a frequent uploader 🫠 It was my full intention to keep my writing more vague with the new themes being slowly introduced, but the details just kept expanding from my outlined dialogue tags, and then going some more... and more... 😅

The next day saw Katherine back in the old Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom on the first floor with Remus, jumping physically out of the way of his spells as well as attempting to slash her wand to block them –

It was nearing the bell, when Remus gave a decisive slice of his wand –

The spell, however, fizzled at Katherine’s feet – for once.

Katherine waited as he corrected himself – and fired again –

“Ughh-ahh…” the grunt of frustration came out of Remus at a sing song pitch, his head falling back as he shook out his shoulders.

They were practicing mostly non-verbally, so Katherine was often left to guess at what he was casting at her – unless it hit. The spell had been purple and flame-like before it fizzled – Katherine hazarded a guess that it may have been the first of the true (and somewhat still legal) curses that he was going to try on Katherine. There was only so much that they could do within Hogwarts.

“Was that supposed to be…” she trailed off.

Remus’ eyebrows flashed up and back down and he gave a sheepish smile, laughing out, “I’m learning too.”

“It’s okay,” tried Katherine, with a small smile, before going on, “To not have done it before.”

Remus gave a quiet smile, “I thought that was my line...”

He looked up at her after his words and then walked back to the front rosewood desk, sitting on it and sighing as he flexed his fingers.

Katherine slowly stepped after him –

“Maybe we could practise on the dummies in the duelling room together?” she suggested, turning and resting her backside on the desk beside him. She tipped her head in concession, “I kind of need to learn it too.”

Remus nodded, his throat bobbing as he looked at the floor beyond their legs.

“…yeah…” came his quiet response.

Katherine recognised his reluctance –

“What is it?” asked Katherine, lightly.

Remus sucked in a slow breath that lifted his shoulders –

“I…” he breathed out on the word, still not lifting his eyes from the floor as he frowned, “I wish you didn’t need to know these kinds of spells.”

Katherine let out an amused huff, tipping her head with a smile, “Me too.”

Remus turned to her, his face softening in a smile –

“Are you sure you don’t want to practise the Patronus Charm instead?” he inquired, inclining his head to hers with a raised brow.

Katherine nudged his arm mirthfully, “So, you’re done pretending that you can’t do it, then?”

“Oi.” Remus feigned insult, nudging back – but laughing as he did it.

Katherine laughed with him for a beat of a moment, before it waned into a short silence.

“It was a wolf, Remus,” she said, broaching the subject further with a tickle of timidness in her stomach, “Not a werewolf.”

Remus sighed, shaking his head –

“…I don’t see much difference…” he said softly, blinking off.

Katherine sat up a little straighter, “I looked it up – what a wolf means –”

Remus’ head lifted –

“It belongs to someone intelligent, and loyal –” Katherine went on, holding his gaze, “– with a strong sense of justice,”

Remus looked down at his knees again –

“They’re naturals in combat too.” tacked on Katherine.

Remus gave another little smile at his knees.

They sat in the lightened moment just a beat longer.

“We’ll have to come back to that particular curse another time,” said Remus, standing up and stepping backwards to his place on the floor with a flourish of his arms in show, “For now…”

Katherine pushed herself up off the desk and began crossing back to her own place –

“For now? –”

The words of query barely made it all the way out of Katherine’s lips –

Remus had sliced his wand, with deft, practised ease this time –

CRACK! The spell flashed white hot across the distance between them, seizing Katherine mid-step and hoisting her up into the air upside down. Levicorpus. Katherine had never seen Remus use it before, it was well known as one of James’ favourites –

“Remus!” squeaked Katherine, trying to keep her skirt from falling indecently – and failing.

The spell was swiftly cancelled –

Katherine was half-way returned to her feet, but fell the rest of the way – onto her hip –

“Ow….” she laughingly lamented, having braced for the floor, before relaxing against it with a heaving chest of breathless defeat.

A cheeky little grin met her across the room.

“Sorry.” murmured Remus, with barely suppressed amusement. His eyes were shining far too much, however – and his crossed arms broke so he could rub his chin, as if to physically force down his grin.

DONG! DONG! DONG! –

The ringing of the bell curtained their morning session and spelt the beginning of the day’s classes. Katherine and Remus simultaneously made for their bags on the rosewood desk, brushing themselves down.

“What did I do wrong?” asked Katherine in beseeching amusement, swinging her bag onto her shoulder.

Remus swung his own bag onto his shoulder, and slowly swayed into a step toward the door, “Trusted me too much.”

He turned back to her with a playful smile as they fell into step with each other.

Katherine left the old defence classroom sweating and laughing with Remus, and their appraisal of their lesson continued as they joined the rest of the castle commuting to their first lesson of the day. They had Transfiguration…

“It’s like kicking a kitten, hexing you –” Remus broke off, as they neared their friends where they congregated outside the classroom –

He groaned, rubbing his brow and closing his eyes as their steps slowed –

“You don’t know what you’re doing to me, Katherine...” he went on lightly, shaking his head and stopping behind the shoulders of James and Peter. With a sigh, Remus fell onto the wall and peered down at Katherine with gentle amusement still there in his eyes.

Debbie was on the other side of Remus, peeking around the pair with shining eyes –

“Is that…” she trailed off at a breathless whisper, turning wide-eyed to Sue.

Sue was equally as wide-eyed, “Regulus Black…”

Katherine’s head whipped around –

Regulus Black was in fact walking down the Transfiguration corridor. Like a man on a mission. If that man was ever-so-slightly unsettled by his upperclassmen, giving it away with his self-conscious scanning glances back at the ogling eyes of wonder at his presence among the sixth years –

“…he’s kind of cute, you know.” whispered Debbie, in pursed lipped appraisal.

Sue frowned, whispering back, “What’s he doing here, though?”

“Shh… he’s coming by here…” said Debbie, with light hits to her friend’s hands.

They turned more into the wall, side-eyeing the approaching fifth year.

Remus glanced from the girls, somewhat amused – to Regulus as he stopped by them, significantly less amused –

“Katherine…” came her first name in all of Regulus’ sotto voce, and the incline of his head. This was about Greengrass.

Remus gripped the strap of his bag over his shoulder, not moving right away as he eyed the dark haired fifth year – the pocket version of his friend.

Katherine stepped away from Remus –

“I’ll just be a mo’…” she said with a cheerful little smile of reassurance over her shoulder, pushing on Regulus’ shoulder to gently steer him away.

Remus gave an increment of a nod before turning to talk to James. He didn’t look away, however.

Katherine became aware of her hand on Regulus at the warmth of him coming through his robes as they partially sequestered themselves around the corner. It left Katherine feeling odd inside – touching Regulus. She removed her hand just as quickly as she had placed it –  

“Greedy.” came Debbie’s whispering huff, as she and Sue’s eyes followed them.

At their mirrored rigidity, it was plain that it was not just Katherine that was keenly aware of everyone looking at them.

“I’ve got the key –” Regulus bowed his head by hers in a hurried whisper, his eyebrows lifting “– have you got the liquid luck?”

Katherine’s heart galloped at his words, but she nodded quickly.

“Take it. Stay behind and ask to speak to Professor McGonagall about something – anything –”

Katherine felt as if she was being hoisted up by another Levicorpus, but followed along with his whispered plan –

“Barty and Rabastan are going to cause a distraction –” he broke his solemnity to give a wry smile and tip of his head as he clarified “– they don’t know anything –”

Katherine felt a fond twitch at her lips at his due diligence –

“It will draw Professor McGonagall – and you – out. I’ll sneak in and get the diary, keeping you completely above suspicion,” he took a breath, lifting his eyebrows as he eyed her, “Alright?”

Katherine nodded, taking on some of his seeming nerves as she agreed to the plan, “Alright.”

Truly, it was a better plan than she could have asked for. She was not even in any risk of trouble – Regulus was the one taking on all of it. It stalled Katherine a bit, in gratitude – in surprise…

Regulus gave one last nod at her –

“After class...” was his parting whisper of reminder, with pointed eyes, before he turned and strode off quickly.

After making sure no one was watching, Katherine swung her bag around to the front – to dig for the vial of liquid luck she had been keeping with her. She quickly uncorked it, paused in a short moment of apprehension, and then tipped it back into her mouth.

It tasted like bubbly spearmint, relievingly enough.

CREAK! the door the Transfiguration classroom opened.

Katherine tacked onto the back of all the other sixth years streaming into the room, knowing her friends were ahead somewhere already inside. She took a deep breath and tucked her hair behind her ears as she stepped slowly in the line. Everything was sorted, she had to remind herself –

All that was left to do was to figure out what to ask Professor McGonagall…

On autopilot, Katherine breezed past the back desks housing James and the other boys and made for the one Marlene and Lily sat at in the front. It was a regular class as any other – she would have an hour to devise a reason to stay back. With a glance at the board, she saw that they were learning about Crinus Muto.

Katherine pulled out her writing materials and heavy textbook, feeling the heavy side-eyed stares of Lily and Marlene.

Professor McGonagall had stood by the blackboard, however, and was beginning the lesson –

“Crinus Muto can be used to alter many parts of one’s person. There’s the matter of vanity – to acquire more glamour. It is also used for methods of concealment of one’s identity…”

Professor McGonagall went on to explain the mechanics, and wand work needed, before she paced the classroom as the students silently took down all the remaining notes of the Blackboard – and the set homework assignment.

It was in that quiet that Lily lowered her head by Katherine’s, the long lengths of her red hair pooling on the desk –

“So, what was that earlier? With Black?” she whispered, flickering her eyes back to Professor McGonagall in dutiful watch.

Katherine gave a little shrug and gave the briefest of explanations she could – without lying, “Greengrass.”

Lily lifted her head back up and away with a small, slow nod. Her eyes, however, shone with playful exasperation.

“Now, before I allow you all to try the incantation yourselves, I would like to demonstrate on a lucky participant so you all know what a successful attempt looks like,” started Professor McGonagall, before her eyes began a scan of appraisal out over the class –

Katherine, in the front row, froze –

Professor McGonagall’s eyes passed over Katherine and the other girls in the front row.

Please – not me, Katherine begged silently.

“Miss Fortescue, if you could make your way up to –” Professor McGonagall broke off, to pull a stool out from beside the blackboard, and dragged it front and centre of the desk aisles “– this stool for me, please.”

Alice gave a huff of laughter back at an amused Lily as she pushed herself up and shuffled around the backs of Lily and Katherine’s chairs. She stepped out into the aisle, and crossed the short distance the front of the room before sitting easily on the stool, looking back up at Professor McGonagall in wait.

Professor McGonagall gave Alice a nod and then flourished her wand at the girl –

“Crinus Muto!” came the clear, loud voice of the professor.

Alice’s milky blonde hair, that had just surpassed her shoulders, was suddenly red – like Lily’s.

Frank whistled.

A low chorus of laughter rolled around the room.

Alice touched her hair up, observing herself in the handheld mirror that Professor McGonagall had handed her.

With a flick of her wand, Professor McGonagall set Alice’s hair back to rights. Dismissing the girl with a small smile and a nod, the professor looked out over the class again –

“Now, you will all be using the handheld mirrors as you attempt to change the colour of your eyebrows – but if you, somehow, manage to vanish them instead like Mister Dingle managed last year –”

Professor McGonagall eyed them over her spectacles with faint amusement –

“Just know…” she crossed her arms over her chest, “…that I will be impressed.”

Katherine tucked her chair in closer to the desk, sucking in her stomach, as Alice shuffled behind her and Lily on her way back to her seat.

Handheld mirrors suddenly appeared on the desks in front of everyone, and they all began attempting the spell – with varying success. No one ended up vanishing their eyebrows in the end. James, the best at Transfiguration in their year level, made his purple on the first go. Lily, beside Katherine, eventually made her eyebrows – what they all agreed on as being – a lighter shade of ginger, instead of her usual deep red.

Before Katherine knew it, the bell was ringing again –

DONG! –

Her heart squeezed, as did her thighs against the seat –

DONG! –

Everyone stood and began shovelling their belongings into the bags and prepared to leave at varying paces – depending on if they had a class next, or not.

Katherine deliberately packed her things away as slowly as possible.

“Katherine?” asked Lily expectantly, stepping in to the aisle and glancing back as she pulled her hair out from beneath the strap of her bag.

Katherine gave a small reassuring smile and a wave of her hand, “Just a second, I want to ask Professor McGonagall something…”

Lily gave an easy nod and tacked onto the back of the line filtering out of the classroom, shoulder to shoulder with Alice as they chatted idly.

Katherine finished packing her things, swung her bag onto her back, and lingered by her desk – glancing at where Professor McGonagall stacked away her things on her desk busily.

She eventually looked up as the room became a quiet echoing chamber of her thudding stacks –

“Miss Spencer?” she asked, with a raised brow, before going back to her stacking.

Katherine, feeling the bubble of liquid luck in the veins of her forearms, still stumbled on her words, “I…”

Professor McGonagall gave a silent wave of her hand, and the door shut behind the last of Katherine’s classmates. She glanced up at Katherine again, and crooked a finger at her – beckoning her up to the desk –

“I was wondering when you would come to see me...” she said, as she went back to stacking her things.

Katherine stepped slowly up to the professor’s desk, vibrating with cold nerves, “You were?”

“Yes, after everything that happened with Professor Zabini…” she said, all too casually, still looking down at her piles – making two into one, decisively, before looking up at Katherine over her spectacles.

Katherine’s knees felt like they did when Remus did a Jelly-Legs jinx on her, “You… know?”

“Not everything,” said McGonagall, with a shake of her head and a light, contemplative frown as she picked up her quill to put atop her stack distractedly, “Dante Zabini is a wizard of few words when it comes to personal matters…”

Katherine nodded but knew, with abrupt suddenness, which confession she had to make at that moment. It sprung forth, almost unbidden – was it the liquid luck helping her?

“I… may have looked into his pensieve when I was waiting for him in his office for one of our sessions…” she admitted, in the staggered kind of way of a child that got caught with their hand in the biscuit jar.

Professor McGonagall have a slow upwards nod of her head, “Ah…”

Condemnation did not come.

Katherine watched the professor continue to tidy her desk –

“He… he knew my mother, didn’t he? In the memory I saw, she said they were betrothed…” she asked, emboldened by her lack of punishment at the admission.

Professor McGonagall’s hands stilled.

“It would be like…” she looked up, her eyes unfocused behind Katherine in thought, before she went on, “Knowing that, since you were born, you were betrothed to… I don’t know –”

She blinked and waved a hand –

“James Potter, for instance,” she offered in example, “Betrothals don’t always necessarily go ahead. Especially if a more natural love match arises. Like it did, in a way, with your parents,”

A burst of something spread though Katherine’s chest.

McGonagall’s hands came to rest on her desk, and she leant on them as she eyed Katherine.

“William and Florence were courting for six years before they married. Completely in love, Katherine…since they were seventeen…” went on McGonagall, with a light shake of her head as she looked off in, seemingly, memory, “I would hope that, in me telling you this, you never have… doubts about that,”

Professor McGonagall inclined her head to Katherine, with a raised brow.

Katherine gave short quick nods despite feeling very out of sorts at the sudden information about her parents on, what had been, a rather ordinary morning.

“Now, is there anything else?” asked Professor McGonagall absently, going back to tidying her desk.

Katherine went to shake her head, then paused in the realisation of a question she did, in fact, still have –

“I… er, won’t be punished? Will I?” she asked, knitting her hands together and teetering in her shoes.

“While it is frowned upon to nudge one’s nose into a Professor’s matters as a student –” Professor McGonagall eyed Katherine with amused exasperation. “No. Professor Zabini resigned and should have – truthfully – been more prudent in guarding his pensieve. This time, we will say that no one was at fault.”

In the relieved quiet that fell over the room, came the edging in of a faint distant fizzing sound – and then –

BANG!

Katherine and Professor McGonagall met each other’s eyes as they jumped in place. They turned to find the cracks around the door lit up bright white from an explosion in the hallway outside the room.

Professor McGonagall moved quickly around her desk and sped down the aisle of desks to rip open the door.

“Quick! Go – go –”

Distant shouts poured into the room as Katherine moved behind McGonagall to the door, looking out –

A head of curly dark hair – which Katherine knew had to belong to Rabastan Lestrange, as Barty Crouch had shorter and lighter hair – could be seen ducking around the corner in wild, long-legged leaps.

Professor McGonagall started off down the hall, her pace slowing in a sigh of defeat before she glanced back to Katherine –

“Did that look like Lestrange to you?” the professor inquired, with a puzzled frown.

Katherine had no quarrel with the quick-witted – and often dry humoured – flanking mate of Regulus.

She gave a listless lift of her shoulders as she slowly shook her head side to side, “I…”

“Oh, never mind. You better get along to your next class, Miss Spencer –” said McGonagall, with a swat of her hand as she took one last look down the hallway the two boys had vanished from, “I, myself, have a gaggle of second year defence students that need to learn about mountain trolls…”

Katherine nodded, glancing back at the classroom door –

She had not even caught a glimpse of Regulus.

“And, Spencer?”

Katherine turned.

Professor McGonagall was slowly striding back down the hallway to where Katherine had paused a few paces outside the door.

“I’m glad you have more sense to confide in me the regular way. Would you believe that Miss Greengrass broke in here yesterday and attempted to steal her confiscated diary back?” she said, stopping by Katherine and turning at the door –

That was the moment Regulus leapt out of the classroom with a wildly thrown glance at Katherine over the back of Professor McGonagall’s tartan-robed shoulders –

“She couldn’t work the lock, luckily. I’ve had to move it, like Professor Zabini should have done with his pensieve, into my personal chambers,” the Professor went on, mostly muttering to herself.

She had no idea that Katherine was burning the words into her mind in a committal of memory as she watched Regulus streak, with marvellous silence, down the hall and around the corner –

He wasn’t wearing any shoes, sliding in his socks –

Professor McGonagall waved her hand, and her stacks of books and parchment levitated out through the door –

“A cry for help from that girl, if I ever saw one…” the professor murmured with an emphatic glance at Katherine before she strode off down the opposite direction of the hallway to Regulus, her possessions hovering behind her.

Katherine waited until the professor was almost around the corner before she began in the direction Regulus had vanished in. She checked over her shoulder one last time before ducking around the corner, and found him there immediately –

Regulus balanced on one socked foot as he crouched to pull his shoe back on –

“It wasn’t there.” he grunted softly, as he slipped his foot inside the polished black leather and preoccupied himself with the laces.

Katherine nodded, letting her shoulder fall to the wall. She lifted a hand to rub her suddenly aching forehead –

“Greengrass broke in yesterday and tried to steal it back – she’s moved it,” she relayed to him, letting her hand drop so she could look at him, “Into her personal chambers,”

Regulus paused after tying his laces on his first shoe and stood to full height – looking back at Katherine with exasperated comradery, his other shoe dangling from his hand.

Katherine turned her temple into the cool stone of the wall, closing her eyes as she murmured in frustration, “Is this what you meant by the liquid luck not always working?”

The ruffle of his robes sounded as he began slipping his other shoe on –

“No, it worked,” he grunted out in quiet effort.

Katherine opened her eyes and peered sideways at him from where she leant on the wall.

Regulus bent his knee up to his chest as he focused on tying his shoe, “We now know that it’s no longer in the desk – and where it’s been moved to.”

He stood straight again, dusting his hands on the outside of his trousers.

Katherine sighed wistfully at their well laid plan coming asunder.

“…We’ll have to figure out the times she leaves and returns to her personal chambers.” she said aloud, in conclusion – in a plan forward.

Regulus nodded once, and then smoothed his hair back –

“We could still fly in, that was a good plan.” he said, glancing around watchfully.

Katherine nodded along, but was struck by another possibility –

“What if…” she began, halting at the sudden grave prospect she had entertained, “What if she gives it back to Greengrass before we get in there, Regulus?”

Regulus’ lips went into a short line, and he gave a half turn of his head in dismissal as he looked off down the hall behind Katherine again –

“The attempt to steal it back guarantees that Professor McGonagall will hold onto it for at least another few weeks in punishment.” he said, looking back to her.

Katherine nodded, attempting to look at a clock down the way, asking, “Have you got class?”

“There’s another distraction going on in the Runes room, I think,” said Regulus, with a suppressed curve rising on his lips. He stepped backwards, lifting a hand to her and nodding once, “We watch Professor McGonagall.”

“We watch Professor McGonagall.” agreed Katherine, with a nod.

It only took three, maybe four, steps for Regulus to vanish onto the next corridor.

Katherine stood alone in the empty hallway for a moment – not having a class. She couldn’t help but feel like perhaps her liquid luck might have been better used. On the walk back to the dormitory, Katherine resisted the urge to kick stray bits of stone.

Then again, she reminded herself as she rambled along, it just might have allowed her to hear about her parents.

At the thought of them – of them being in the same castle as her, together… She was filled with love at the remembrance of what Professor McGonagall had said, and felt ten feet tall all of a sudden, as if it shielded her from all else.

She just wished they were there.

She walked on, imagining them loping at her side. So caught up, in fact – in the wondering of how fast or slow they might walk – that she almost missed quite the sight in one of the out of the way alcoves.

It was Mary.

What stopped Katherine from going over to her friend immediately, was the fact that she wasn’t alone.

Bradford Dobbs sat back on a bench in the alcove, with Mary, as they talked and laughed. Dobbs listened to her, with a smile that transformed his face as his eyes squinted up in laughter.

When did that happen?

A bolt of cool surprise struck her through her chest and stomach as she climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, not entirely sure that she had not been hallucinating. In a daze, she replayed it over and over as she frowned at the path she was coursing through the common room and up the stairs the dormitory.

It was empty.

With not much else to do, Katherine went for the stack of records to pass the time until the girls returned before dinner. She hadn’t listened to the Cream record Lily had, only recognising ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ from the back of the sleeve, so she put it on out of a sudden curiosity. Although, she didn’t put the needle down right away. Something about the crackling fizz of it was soothing as she brushed her hair, pet the cats, and got to the halfway point of her transfiguration homework.

Eventually the tones of a familiar voice came through the first song, ‘Strange Brew’, and Katherine dashed back to her bed to get back to her homework as she listened –

TAP! TAP!

The sound of rapping on the glass window lifted Katherine’s head, thinking of a possible owl delivery for one of the other girls –

Sirius Black was at the window, however, straddling his broom and holding the window with one hand to duck his head inside.

Katherine abandoned her homework on her bed, rushing over –

“Sirius?”

He swayed with the wind a little, and glanced back up to the open boys’ window before wetting his smiling lips –

“You weren’t coming down to the common room,” he said lightly, tipping his head as his smile deepened, “I couldn’t wait forever,”

He nodded his head in indication for her to step back.

Katherine, feeling as if her skin had been turned inside out, stepped back.

Sirius ducked his head and flew inside the girls’ dormitory. He swung his leg off and leant the broom against the inside of the windowpane, before turning back and wiping his hands on the front of his blazer. He had forgone his outer robes.

She couldn’t believe he was there – and was waiting for something, like the slide mechanism on the stairs, to eject him suddenly from the room. Katherine could only shake her head and laugh.

Sirius’ smile cracked and gave way to his own laughter before he openly scanned the room, slowly stepping over to Katherine’s bed and gently running the back of his knuckle along the side of Belle’s neck, beneath her ear –

“I’m guessing this bed’s yours?” he asked, turning back with a light smile and eyes glittering like glass.

Belle made a noise, lifting her head into his hand.

Katherine nodded, stepping over after him.

“Yeah,” said Katherine, laying back down across her bed where she had been working on her homework with a huff. She moved the parchment and quill further up the bed, clearing a space, “You’re welcome to sit.”

Sirius continued to pet Belle, making little tittering noises of affection until the feline rolled over and stretched out. It was then he sat and flicked his hair back off his face. His ear turned to the music, listening, before his eyes caught on her bedside table. They moved over the photograph of her father and the crystal ball that stood pride of place, creasing at the edges –

Sympathy, Katherine supposed. A tingle of self-consciousness at his appraisal of her belongings crept in.

“So…” she began, listlessly, battling down amusement.

Sirius’ eyes tore away from her bedside table, and his smile was instant –

“We haven’t been alone in days,” he said in mirthful performative angst, laying down on his side and resting his head on his arm that extended off the edge of the mattress.

Sirius gazed across at her with those sparkly eyes of his. They charted her face, and his smile slowly waned into something more tender and solemn –

“I wanted to check in after…” he trailed off, pressing his lips together and looking off before looking back – his gaze re-intensified and keen. He was done dancing around it, it seemed. He asked, softly, his brow furrowing, “Is everything alright? After Monday night…”

The night before last, when she had burst into tears in the common room and blubbered for her mother. Katherine looked down at the blanket beneath her hands at the reminder, and tried for a pluckier, easy tone than what she was feeling –

“Yeah. I stayed back after Transfiguration today – I wasn’t sure if I was going to get in trouble for what happened with Zabini,” she said, smoothing out a fold in her maroon blanket, lifting a shoulder as she went on, “It’s all okay. Professor McGonagall even told me a little bit about my parents after I asked about Zabini’s betrothal to my mum…”

“Yeah?” said Sirius softly, his brow lifting an increment. He reached out to pull the fold in the blanket from his side, helping Katherine, “What did she say?”

Katherine looked at the neatened blanket, reflecting –

“It was really sweet, actually,” she confessed, with a slowly growing smile.

Sirius mirrored her smile back at her from where he laid beside her on his side –

Katherine found herself swinging her legs up in the air as she laid on her stomach and went on, trying not to sound too over-excited and mental about it, “Apparently they were in love since they were our age, you know? Everyone is breaking up and getting new boyfriends and girlfriends –”

Katherine gasped – in memory at what she saw on the walk back – and looked to Sirius –

His face had pulled straight, and he even lifted his head off his arm in startlement –

“That reminds me. I have to tell you something –” she reached for his wrist, nearly vibrating with her urgency to tell him “– on the way here I saw Mary,”

Katherine bowed her head by his in emphasis –

Sirius nodded, a half-formed smile on his parted lips as he bowed his own head forward in attentiveness –

“With Dobbs.” said Katherine, slowly.

Sirius blinked, then his smile went wild –

“Really?” he asked with low rapt amusement, leaning in closer.

Katherine nodded, wide-eyed, “Really,”

Sirius laughed from the back of his throat. It was the uncool kind of one where he snorted, his chest jolting as his head fell back down on his arm. When he looked up at her, it was with joy-creased eyes.

The surprised delight – that he was laughing at something she had said – still lit up a well in her chest, even with a year gone past.

Katherine rolled onto her back beside him, her laughter waning into deep breaths.

“Is he… alright?” she asked to the ceiling, after a quiet moment, turning to Sirius.

Sirius smiled warmly across at her, his eyes half-lidded as he nodded, “Yeah, he’s alright.”

Katherine turned back to the ceiling, nodding to herself. That was all she needed to know. The reminder that Sirius shared his dormitory with Mary’s ex-boyfriend rushed through her mind –

“Don’t tell Peter?” she asked, turning to him and lifting her little finger.

Sirius linked his little finger with hers, his dimples sloping down his chin.

He looked at their hands a moment, where they laid linked on the blanket – an absentminded look in his eye. That was before he grinned, and looked up at Katherine with newly alight eyes –

“Anyway, it’s really rather good that MacDonald’s moved on because Peter –”

Sirius coughed pointedly through his smile as he broke off, lifting his eyebrows in implication.

Katherine felt her mouth drop open –

“No.” she smiled out, disbelief tickling all over her tongue.

Sirius nodded with fervent mirth.

He used their lazily linked little fingers and swayed them, lifting his eyebrows as he smiled through his scandalous revelation, “You know that fourth year girl who asked him to walk her to breakfast after the Halloween party?”

Katherine nodded – they had seen it together, when they were walking back from seeing the Prewetts – his cousins – off with Hawthorn.

Sirius dipped his head with a parted smile in indication.

“Oh…my…gosh…” whispered Katherine, breathless but smiling with him – lifting her free hand to her lips.

Sirius laughed fully again.

“You can tell whoever, if you like,” he said, with sighing laughter, blinking at the ceiling with a fond gaze, “Pete’s pretty proud of himself.”

The thudding opening riff of ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ bloomed through the room, slow and prowling. It worked along Katherine’s spine, relaxing it.

Katherine sighed on her back as her laughter waned, “Am I the only one, then?”

“The only what?” asked Sirius, glancing to her, before looking in the direction of the record player – of the music.

“It’s getting near dawn…”

“The only one that’s…” she broke off bashfully, peeking a sideways glance at him, “Well, Sirius, I’ve never… had a boyfriend, or anything like that…”

Sirius’ brow lifted quickly, “What about Moony?”

“It wasn’t like that,” said Katherine, moving her shoulders back against the bed in a shrug, “We certainly didn’t kiss or anything of the like…”

She looked back to the ceiling –

“It never used to bother me but… Sometimes, having no experience, I feel… left out… in a way – with all the other girls.” she admitted.

The music played in the space after her words.

“I'll be with you darling soon
I'll be with you when the stars start falling…”

Sirius’ head turned to her in her peripheral vision, “Well, I could always kiss you if you like.” 

“Have you kissed someone before?” asked Katherine, blinking and turning to him in surprise.

Sirius, looking back up at the ceiling, broke into a small smile –

“No,” he said, easily, shrugging, “I’ve never liked anyone, before.”

He turned to her, his small smile soft – and open.

It made Katherine unfurl like a flower –

“Sometimes I worry that no one’s ever going to like me,” she said, looking back to the ceiling, feeling a frown tug at her forehead, “With everything that comes along with me – like what happened at the end of last term, what’s happening this term… and how mental I must have looked bursting into tears in the common room the other night…”

Sirius turned onto his side, resting his cheek on his fist with new interest across his face, “Where did you go? Before you came back to the common room that night? I couldn’t find you on the map…”

Katherine’s entire being caught in pause. She hadn’t realised anyone had gone looking for her –

“I went up to the North Tower.”

Sirius’ brow furrowed, and he shook his head lightly, “I checked the room – I didn’t see you…”

“I was out on the roof,” Katherine confessed lightly, wiggling her foot where it hung over the edge of the bed, “No one knows about it but us. I felt safe.”

Sirius let out a short huff of laughter, looking away and then looking back with light eyes, “That’s just spiffing, because I felt like I was having kittens – alongside Evans.”

A small smile bloomed on Katherine’s lips, and she gave him an apologetic glance.

“I couldn’t really bring myself to face anyone after…” she trailed off, before looking off as well, “It all feels a bit silly now…”

”I'm with you my love
The light's shining through on you
Yes, I'm with you my love
It's the morning and just we two…”

“No,” said Sirius, after a music filled beat of a moment, “To be truthful, I wouldn’t have done it any differently,”

Katherine looked to him.

He smiled.

Her lips lifted too.

The guitars rose into a galloping syncopated solo around them where they laid on the bed, listening – to the music, to each other presence, to nothing.

Sirius blinked suddenly, saying, in remembrance, “Oh, right – we’re not kissing, are we?”

Katherine laughed, rolling onto her side and using her elbow to prop herself up – were they really going to do this?

Sirius shuffled a little closer, holding her eye with his own glittering ones – a bashful sort of mirth in them. It was them, for goodness’ sake – while others were kissing and holding hands, they just didn’t spend time on that sort of stuff. They joked, and laughed…

“Okay, we’ll shut up for ten seconds and see what happens.” she said lightly, pushing down the butterflies trying to flap out of her throat.

It probably wasn’t going happen anyway, she thought. It was like one of the jokes they made…

The thudding guitars from the beginning of the song made a return –  

“I'm with you my love
The light's shining through on you…”

It was like playing chicken, looking across at each other.

Katherine found herself really looking at the boy laying across her bed in his unbuttoned grey school blazer. That collar length hair of his that looked so much curlier up close, and almost brown. The smiling creases by the corners of his eyes, that consummately flashed that peculiar shade – like the glint off the silver suits of armour in the castle. His lips, which she had never looked at before…

It was just Sirius, she told herself.

He was looking at her too.

Neither of them were moving.

Katherine felt a tickle of laughter rising up her throat, and tethered her bottom lip between her teeth in an attempt to stop it tumbling out.

Sirius began cracking up, and his eyes – that Katherine had no idea how she ever interpreted as being cold and aloof – were reaching out across the short distance and almost pulling her in as they gleamed warmly.

Katherine hid her face in the pooling fabric of his blazer shoulder.

Sirius’ chest quaked beneath her, and he took her elbow – pulling Katherine back enough to look down at her as the music reached the stuttering final verse –

“I’ve been waiting so long –”

As natural as ever, he scooped her neck into his warm hand and gently slanted his lips across hers.

The sun could have jumped off it’s gravitational axis and into the room with them, for all Katherine knew from the warmth exploding out from them.

Oh, gosh – they were kissing, Katherine realised at the sudden point of connection between their faces, she was really kissing someone…

Sirius’ lips were warm and dry – and just a little chapped from the weather. They were gone as quickly as they came.

The music continued to play –

“I’ve been waiting so long –”

The flash of nervous absurdity at the act fell away as Sirius lingered a hairs-width from her face, his eyelashes fluttering against Katherine’s cheeks.

Between them was mirrored unexperienced tepidness. He really had not done it before, she knew then. For, perhaps, the first time... they were on equal footing.

Heat rose behind Katherine’s eyes at their mingling breaths.

“Can I try…” she whispered, gulping her broken words.

Half-lidded, Sirius gave a miniscule nod as he quickly wet his lips.

Katherine trembled as she reached for him and fell short, clutching the blanket beneath them instead as she crossed the short wisp of air between their lips again.

“I’ve been waiting so long –”

This time, Katherine felt something surging and simmering up from her toes – all the way to her lips – but she was running out of breath before it reached them. Katherine let her lips relax back from their second short kiss.

“To be where I’m going –”

The music dripped down the walls around them. A sharp breath fell from Sirius’ nose, fanning over Katherine’s upper lip –

“Just…” his whisper cracked in his throat –

The bouncing of the mattress only contributed to the swirl in her stomach – Sirius had followed her as she pulled back from the kiss. He readjusted his elbow where it sank into the mattress so he could cradle the back of her neck in his hand, and then he nudged his nose past hers once again.

“In the sunshine of your lo-o-o-o-ve…”

There was a decent amount of truth, Katherine found, behind the phrase she had heard repeated over and over by the other girls –

It really did come naturally.

As the guitars rang out in a final cacophony, they were pulling back again with mirrored blown gazes.

His tie hung from his neck onto her bed between them. No one had ever been as close to Katherine as Sirius was in that moment. His balmy scent rushed off the smooth sloping planes of his face, solid and real –

CREAK!

The warm bubble enveloping them swirled up and evaporated away above their heads that had turned to the door –

Alice walked through, her arms up as she pulled her jumper over her head. It was, mercifully, stuck over her face –

“Bloody murder, it’s been. Wore the wrong bra this morning…” came her muffled voice through the wool.

The mattress dipped beneath Katherine, and she nearly rolled into the new ditch –

Sirius quickly launched himself up off it with a look of panicked amusement to her. He light-footedly dodged a roaming Alice, with her jumper still caught under her chin, and grabbed his broom as he swung a leg out over the window.

Ducking his head, he gave one last glance back in his ruffled uniform – and then slipped out.

Katherine rushed over to Alice, helping her with her jumper and guiding her away from the window.

“Thanks.” breathed Alice, when the jumper pulled, with all its static, up over her mouth and nose.

Katherine was just as lost for breath, “It’s alright.”

For a moment, Katherine thought Alice would know in an instant what she had done – just by looking at her.

Alice just gave a grateful smile, however, smoothing her hair as she turned to her dresser and pulled out the right sized undergarment for her maturing figure –

“The other girls will be here in a mo’, they just went to the library for a bit –” she said over her shoulder, breaking off to pull her shirt off and change, “I’m going to go to the loo too before we all have to head down to dinner…”

Katherine nodded, standing by her bed and reaching down to straighten her blankets – not knowing what to do with her hands, “Right…”

CLICK, the door to the bathroom was pulled closed behind a newly changed Alice.

Frost was beginning to form on the glass of the window again as the dishwater blue colour of the day drained from the late autumn sky. The coolness of the coming night pierced through the room. Katherine made for the window dutifully, pulling it shut with a dull THUD –

CREAK! The door sprung open, and in tumbled Lily, Mary, and Marlene – laughing and shrugging off their bags –

Marlene stopped by her mirror to smooth her hair and inspect a spot that had come up on her face that morning, “I’m starving…”

Light spilled out from the opening bathroom door, and Alice stepped out, wiping her wet hands on her skirt –

“About time,” she said with wry amusement to the girls, “Are we going down to dinner now?”

“Yeah, yeah…” said Lily, hurriedly unpacking her books from her bag and stacking them on her desk.

Katherine pulled off the Cream record and put it away in its sleeve. The slowness of the music was a fading memory to the quick tempo pinging around the dormitory with all the returned girls. It knocked Katherine off kilter, and she barely had time to smooth her hair in the mirror before she was trailing out the door with the rest of the girls.

As they walked down through the warm torch-swathed stone walls of the castle, Katherine listened as the girls talked about how they planned to try using Crinus Muto on themselves later that night. She smiled distractedly, feeling a silence sitting contently in her chest despite knowing she couldn’t get a word in edgewise anyway between Marlene and Lily’s back and forth over the proper use of the spell.

They arrived down to dinner, and everything went on as usual. The hall buzzed with chatter as the girls passed anonymously down the Gryffindor Table. It was full. The girls must have been some of the last to arrive, slowing and bobbing on their toes to look for gaps –

Alice pointed, “Oh, there’s space by Potter and Black… is Frank with them…”

“Katherine, you have to sit by Black if we go there…” mumbled Lily, looking off for a more appealing space.

Katherine flushed to her ears at the sight of Sirius sitting with the other boys, his back to her. Desperately, she willed it down –

Could she sit with him after that? What if he thought she was suddenly in love with him and clinging on – and was weirded out?

James' eyes lifted at that moment, most opportunely.

“Oh, finally –” he said, locking eyes with Katherine and giving a playful beckoning wave as he spoke to the other boys “– here come the girls.”

Frank jeered lightly, opening his arms in playful welcome. He moved over and made room for Alice with a sweet smile.

Alice slid in under Frank’s arm, closing her eyes and grinning as Frank smooched his lips against her cheek –

Katherine looked away –

“You move in there, Katherine…” nudged Lily at a whisper, nodding to the space beside Sirius.

As if hearing, he turned away from the table, his shoulders opening from where he had been boxed into his conversation with the other boys at the table. His expression caught in a frozen faint smile; his lips parted.

Feeling like a pinball, Katherine stumbled at a more forceful nudge from Lily – sitting with a small smile around at the boys as Lily and Marlene slid in beside her –

“Did we miss anything?” Mary asked to the boys, nodding up to the faculty table as her eyes scanned the plates of food on offer.

James gave a shake of his head as he passed a heavy bowl of turkey legs to the waiting hands of Remus, “A few defence classes are being rescheduled due to conflicts with Charms and Transfiguration – doesn’t affect us…”

“So, Mares – what did you end up doing with your free before we met in the library?” asked Lily casually, slicing up a pork chop with her knife and fork.

Katherine thought Mary ever-so pinked.

“Oh, you know… caught up with a few people…” said Mary, vaguely.

A warm-clothed knock came to Katherine’s knee –

Sirius glanced to Katherine with a knowing smile as he cut up his roast vegetables, leaving his knee flush to hers beneath the table.

Katherine’s teeth came down on her bottom lip as she gave a suppressed smile back.

With the exchange came the realisation that there had been nothing worry about with Sirius at all. He still felt as familiar – and as soothing of a presence – as always.

Listening to the conversation going on around her, Katherine began reaching for dishes to load up her plate, taking a slice of spiced pea and gravy pie before searching – and not finding – what she wanted to accompany it –

“Prongs. Potatoes, please…” said Sirius, swallowing his chewed mouthful and flourishing an expectant hand down the table to James –

Katherine watched as the dish of potatoes changed hands, and then as Sirius placed them down in front of her.

Just what she wanted.

Sirius picked up his knife and fork and went back to his meal, with a glinting sideways glance to down to her over his cheekbones.

She eyed the dish of potatoes at their sudden appearance for a beat of a moment before reaching for them.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Notes:

It's taken over 300,000 words of slow burning- but it's happened! This is not a drill!🚨🚨🚨

(Also, to me, Katherine and Sirius are an indie pop song. I was listening to 'Kathleen' by Catfish and the Bottlemen alot when thinking about them lol)

Chapter 61: The Proposition

Notes:

It's the 3rd of November

Sirius Black's Birthday

I HAD to get something out

“Best behaviour!” shrilled Professor McGonagall on Thursday morning as she fluttered about with the other professors, “Best behaviour… perhaps you might need a new skirt Miss Wood…”

Professor McGonagall paused by Jessica Wood, and eyed her skirt that sat halfway up her thighs from her knees.

“Ties tied, gentlemen!” Flitwick bounced on the soles of his feet through the morning rush of students heading to their first class, “Yes, very good… very good – ah, what colour would you call those socks –”

“Peeves! –” McGonagall left Jessica Wood to chase after the Poltergeist dropping waste-paper baskets on second years’ heads “– away with you!”

Katherine stood with Marlene and James as they waited outside the Transfiguration classroom, the first ones to arrive. Together, they all observed the panicked professors rushing about – and the unaffected students sleepily trudging to their first classes of the day with bits of toast still in hand –

FWEET! Came a short, piercing whistle –

James looked up, his eyebrows and the corners of his lips lifting –

“Oi –” came a low familiar voice –

An arm slid around Katherine’s shoulders –

“What’s going on?” asked Sirius, settling beside her and shifting his weight onto his hip.

James’ brow pulsed, “Governors’ walk.”

Sirius' features morphed into something more frigid.

“Right.” he said quietly, glancing around over Katherine’s head –

“You slept in long enough –” James commented lightly, with a nod to Sirius before he eyed Katherine in amusement, jutting his finger back at Sirius, “Usually up at the hoot of the first owl, this one – light sleeper…” 

He then shook his head humorously back at his friend.

Sirius’ gave a sideways glance down over his cheekbones at Katherine, with something like embarrassed amusement.

There was still so much Katherine didn’t know about him.

James cleaned his glasses on his robes, launching back into a spiel, “Anyway, I was doing that Runes assignment last night and –”

Sirius’ eyes glossed over almost immediately. He listened, noddingly, to his friend, however –

“I think you can do it either way, but I did it the same as you.” he said, finally, in reply to James’ homework query.

James nodded, relief plain across his face as he turned to Marlene, “Keeping fit? We never know when Quidditch might come back on…”

Sirius’ arm tightened around Katherine’s shoulders –

“He’s sleeping ten hours every night now.” he whispered softly, watching James and Marlene with faint, muted exasperation.

Remus sidled up, glancing between them and James –

“I saw him looking at the sign-up sheet for Chess Club the other day.” he whispered, in an expression of matching exasperation.

Sirius gave a short huff of laughter as he eyed James, and then glanced down at Katherine under his arm, “Oh, we bore him…”

James truly had been at a loss for what to do since the cancellation of quidditch and all the new rules. He was funnelling his newfound energy, it seemed, into being annoyingly productive. The only outlet he had that Katherine knew of being the full moon outings and the occasional trip to The Pipes. Though, she knew she would not be surprised if all the boys were sneaking down to Hogsmeade whenever they fancied…

Professor McGonagall finally swung the door open, stepping inside and waving her sixth year Transfiguration class inside.

At the sight of her, Katherine remembered her and Regulus’ plan. Well, she was there right then, realised Katherine, and certainly not in her chambers…

“Katherine –”

She and Sirius turned at her name –

Lily, Mary, and Alice had arrived from breakfast and were pushing their way through the line and into the classroom behind them. Lily reached Katherine first, hooking a hand around her elbow as her eyes flashed to the boy whose arm her friend was under –

Sirius wet his lips, and the weight of his arm became slightly less so –

“North Tower, after Potions?” he whispered, inclining his head down to hers.

Katherine blinked in surprise, as they hadn’t been up there for ages, but nodded back up at him.

At it, he released her from the cradle of his arm. He stepped over to the other side of the classroom with the rest of the Gryffindor boys.

Lily tugged on Katherine’s arm, and led the weave towards the girls’ usual desks. As they went, Katherine wondered –

Did no one really notice anything different between she and Sirius? Part of her had thought it would be obvious to everyone around them – like a neon sign above their heads – ‘Katherine Spencer and Sirius Black kissed’.

Granted, Katherine kept the whole thing to herself.

Sirius seemed to as well, given how normal James and Remus were acting that morning.

Katherine sat between Lily and Marlene as Mary and Alice took the desk in front. The din and chatter of the classroom settled as Professor McGonagall began taking the roll, with the first name on her parchment, “Cornelia Bones…” ticking her off with a quick glance up, before moving onto “Bradford Dobbs…”

Then came, “Giselda Greengrass…”

Professor McGonagall’s eyes scanned the room, and then she even craned her neck to look over and between people’s heads –

“…Griselda?” she asked to the room at large.

Flint raised her hand, “She’s sick, Professor.”

Katherine struggled to feign disinterest.

“If she has not already –” Professor McGonagall made a note on her parchment as she peered at it down her nose through her spectacles “– see to it that she visits Madame Pomfrey before the end of the day…”

It was getting colder, Katherine supposed. More than a few students were beginning to come down with sniffles. Everyone had quickly gotten into the habit of wearing their scarves, and it was no longer a novelty to be seeing their own breaths in front of the faces as they walked the hallways of the castle. The girls wore their thick denier stockings beneath their skirts, and then pulled their socks up on top as high as they could possibly go. The House Elves were doing their bit, too, and were leaving out blankets in the areas that they knew were frequented.

Professor McGonagall went on with taking attendance, “Remus Lupin…”

Maybe Regulus could fake sick and go to her personal chambers while McGonagall was teaching? Katherine would have to talk to him about that. She could barely believe they had not thought of it in the first place…

Once attendance was taken, Professor McGonagall went on to address the buzz of the morning, “Now, today you may have members of Hogwarts’ Board of Governors coming into your classes at some point…”

Despite the sudden announcement, it had done little to dispel the real news of the day that had come to light at breakfast –

Georgia Abbey, as of that morning, had become un-petrified.

It was after Transfiguration, and on the walk to Potions, that Katherine saw the first year girl with her own eyes – rushing between classes, grinning, and hand in hand with another first year girl. It could have been Katherine and Lily.

Tears promptly began welling at the back of Katherine’s eyes –

“Alright, Katherine?” asked Lily, having glanced to her by happenstance.

Katherine quickly swiped beneath her eyes and gave a high squeak of – “Yes.”

Katherine was becoming weepier the older she got.

Lily took her hand and swung it, mimicking the younger girls.

Slughorn lit up where he waited at the door to wave everyone inside, “Good morning, girls!”

“Morning, sir!” chorused the girls.

Mary turned from where she had walked alongside Alice, holding her bag strap, “I’ll see you guys at the photos later?”

“Bye, Mares!” farewelled Lily, chipperly.

Dobbs, having walked ahead with his long-legged strides, turned to look from where he was lined up with his fellow Slytherins. His passive mask broke at the sight of Mary, doing a lip-parted double take.

Katherine and Lily streamed past Dobbs and the others, then separated to stand across from each other at the bench.

James and Sirius slotted into their places at the girls’ sides –

“We’ll be going over slicing techniques today,” instructed Slughorn, as everyone finished filtering into the room and the door closed with a hollow CLUNK, “Please use the ingredients laid out on the benches, and get to preparing them as per the instructions on the blackboard…”

A few glances went around the room at the lesson. All the teachers were, undeniably, acting off at the prospect of having their class observed. Even when she started the previous year from scratch, the only lesson Katherine had ever gotten on slicing was from watching her friends.

Katherine reached for a Billywig Sting, and then glanced to the blackboard. It was to be julienned. With a blown-out breath of reckless abandon, Katherine began her attempt – unsure of how it would go…

Lily and James had both gone for the most difficult option, to paysanne an eel eye.

Lily frowned at James’ deft knife work, then at her own attempt, “How did you…”

“Just like…” he trailed off as he demonstrated, holding the slimy eye fearlessly against his flattened index finger with his thumb as a stopper, and then slicing smoothly through in a circular motion.

It was in contrast to the guillotine method Lily had been using to avoid touching the eye too much.

 “So… any news from the professors on Quidditch?” asked James, glancing sideways.

Katherine glanced beside her.

Sirius was glancing back, mirth sparkling in his eyes –

 CREAK! the door opened behind them –

Sirius went stiff beside her, and the sparkle faded from his eyes before Katherine could blink. They left her – focusing instead on the bench.

James’ eyes flickered from the door to Sirius, and he gave a short shake of his head –

“Ah, Lucius Malfoy!” greeted Professor Slughorn, “Good to see you back in the castle so soon after your graduation!”

The professor proceeded to schmooze with the alumni as he took him around the room, explaining what they were doing that lesson –

Malfoy paused by Flint, and lifted her bat wing from the cutting board with a squinting smile, “Oh, I think I remember…”

“Must have just taken over from his dad…” whispered James, with a weighted glance to Sirius.

Sirius glanced to the door, but then reached for a Bezoar he was to dice in four equal parts – ignoring Malfoy as the graduated Slytherin made his rounds of the room –

SQUELCH! The pod went under his knife.

James' upper lip slightly lifted as he watched Sirius dice the pod, “You can really tell it was in a goat’s stomach, can’t you?”

After Malfoy left, the rest of the lesson was spent on ‘proper cleaning etiquette’. The students disposed of their sliced and diced ingredients, cleansed the knives and cutting boards, wiped down the benches, and then lined up at the side water troughs to wash their own hands –

DONG! –

“Don’t forget to wash your hands well – under the nails too!” coached Slughorn, over the chiming of the bell.

Lily and Katherine stepped up to the trough together –

“I’ll meet you down at the photos before lunch?” asked Lily, sliding the nail of her thumb under the rest of the others to get all the Eel juice out of them.

Katherine nodded, sliding her fingers between the others of each hand and then rinsing off to make way for James and Sirius waiting behind them.

Wiping their hands on their robes, the girls returned to the bench for their bags and then made their way out into the bustling hallway –

“This way… this way… here you can see the warming charms in the dungeons are working better than ever since the work that was done to seal up the damage done by the spontaneously erupting vine incident back in seventy-three…” guided Professor Flitwick to a group of elder witches and wizards that trailed in a group behind him.

“Father!” exclaimed Jeffery Alderidge as the second years arrived at Potions, running up to a familiar face –

Bartholomew Alderidge greeted his second-year son with an arm around his shoulders, and a ruffle of his hair –

“Uncle Bartie!” around them came James, cheerily greeting Bartholomew with a one-armed hug.

Bartholomew glance up at the group of them behind James, and nodded, “Sirius – Miss Spencer… how do you do…”

Katherine gave a small smile and a wave –

“I’ve got to get to the fifth floor –” whispered Lily, as she went to walk around Katherine, “See you at photos.”

Katherine nodded, “See you at photos.”

Sirius cleared his throat, eyeing the warm exchange between Bartholomew, Jeffery, and James from where he stood beside Katherine. He reached down and took her hand into his grip –

“Come on,” he said with a small smile, already turning into a walk.

He didn’t speak again as they climbed all the way up to the North Tower. There was something very stiff about him, even his hand felt rigid in hers. He kept a fast pace. Before Katherine knew it, they were battling through the tapestries to the antechamber at the end.

Sirius paused, lifting a folded blanket that was left on the windowsill with a contemplative smile, “The House Elves have found us.”

Katherine gave a short smile, glad for his seeming return to his usual self, but moved for the window, pushing it open for some fresh air. The room had been turned into a dust bomb from their trip through the tapestries.

“Do you reckon it’s too cold for the roof?” asked Katherine, adjusting her scarf.

Sirius gave a thoughtful tip of his head, “Probably. We could still sit in the window to catch the sun…”

So that was what they did. They both sat sideways on the windowsill, the blanket spread out over their laps, as they looked out to the courtyard below. Flitwick appeared down there, then a large group trailed him – the Board of Governors.

Sirius pointed down below, narrowing his eyes, “Do you see down there… the man in the emerald robes..?”

Katherine peered down below but spotted the man easily enough from the others – with his dark head of hair. She nodded to Sirius.

Sirius wet his lips, watching the strolling man – out ahead of the others –

“That’s my father.” he said, looking back to Katherine with bitter sort of smile.

Katherine’s eyes drifted back towards the father of the boy next to her.

Orion Black looked like royalty in some sort of military-esq wizard equivalent of tails, as if he was making a cheeky school visit before mounting his horse and rushing off to some ball. They held themselves in the same way, he and Sirius. Heads high, a swaggering bow-legged gate…

Sirius probably dressed like that, at home, she realised.

Katherine glanced back to Sirius, struck by the resemblance as she asked, “Is that why you’ve been acting a bit…”

“Mental?” he supplied, with a raised brow smile of acknowledgement.

Katherine turned, hiding her smile, “I don’t know. I thought maybe it was about something else…”

His brow lifted, and a flicker of something unreadable shaded his eyes –

“No.” said Sirius with a decisive shake of his head, his lips lifting into a soft smile as he eyed her.

Katherine turned back to the window and watched Orion Black as he strolled with Malfoy and what seemed to be Lestrange and Dobbs’ fathers.

“Malfoy looks like the youngest there…”

“Abraxas –” Sirius broke off, and bowed his head in explanation “– Malfoy Senior, that is – was never keen on the school visits to begin with…”

“So, it’s just… what? Inherited?” asked Katherine, her brow furrowing. There was nothing like it at her old school.

Sirius hummed, watching out below, “Young twats get to grow up into powerful twats, and there’s little justice in any of it – is there?”

He turned to her with a wry smile –

“You can all think of us what you like, but…” he said, tipping his head, and looking out below again – his eyes finding his father easily, “There’s a world out there, waiting for us, positions that have been minted for us since birth. James, Frank, and… well, maybe not me, not any longer…”

He blinked as a twist of smile rose back to his lips –

“Though we may sometimes seem a tad moronic in the eyes of everyone else… we do know our limits…”

A contemplative frown then lined Sirius’ forehead –

“Hogwarts –” his eyes lifted to her “– is the last time we get to disport ourselves without anyone watching.”

Outside, a low roll of thunder echoed over the mountains. The sun was near gone. Instead, came a gust of wind as a storm brewed overhead – that was how it felt, in her veins, when Sirius looked at her.

Katherine gave a slow nod, the tingling on her skin from both the wind and his gaze, “I get it.”

The storm in his eyes swirled away as Sirius smiled. He turned and looked out and up into the glare of silver skies –

“I think we should probably shut the window…” he said, turning his eyes away and gripping his edge of the blanket as he stood from where he was sat on the windowsill.

Katherine rose, holding the blanket as it dipped between them.

Sirius pulled the window shut soundly.

“If we’re going to sit on the floor…” Katherine trailed off, her eyes finding the floor length window – that didn’t open. That way they would still be able to see out.

Sirius sat down in front of the window, his knees bent out in front of him.

Katherine eased down onto her side, curling her legs beneath herself so that they could both still fit underneath the blanket.

They sat for a long while, quietly looking out and pointing out the creatures they saw. It was mostly birds – and mostly Katherine asking ‘What’s that one?’ and Sirius patiently answering each time.

“If there’s a life after this one…” Katherine found herself saying, after the bell rang for the next period, “I hope I’m a bird.”

Sirius’ eyes burned at the side of her face for a long moment –

“Yeah?” he asked, softly.

Katherine nodded, “Just… the freedom to look at the world the way they must do. For home to be whatever tree you land on. To walk the branch, and eat the berries – and the flowers… if there’s ever any danger, you can just fly away…”

He nodded in her peripheral vision after a thoughtful pause.

“I get it,” said Sirius, repeating back her words from earlier.

They shared a smile and looked back out the window once more.

At the ease of sharing the blanket, Katherine considered the large form of him beside her. Her mind drifted back to her thoughts in Transfiguration that morning. Part of her wished she could ask him then to get Regulus for her – so she could tell him about a new plan to break in while Professor McGonagall was teaching. Really, the whole new plan could be ingenious –

“You know – the other day?”

Katherine’s eyes lifted back to him at his voice.

Sirius was looking at her with an exploring gaze, with just a twinkle of suggestion in the corners.

He was talking about the kiss, Katherine realised with a hot and thumping heart.

Sirius tipped his head, wetting his lips as his eyes dipped to her lips, “I’ve had thoughts on how to do it better.”

Realising he was asking permission, Katherine nodded.

Their faces already close, his hand rose to cup her neck. Their increasingly heavy breaths were silenced as he pressed his lips to hers once again. Just like that. Like the previous day, it began with kisses that tested.

With it was the deep awareness that it was something carnal that they were dabbling in, as they went on, as it were, practising. That seemed to be the silent proposition – that they were to keep going.

DONG! –

Sirius’ groan travelled down Katherine’s throat –

DONG! –

“Photos…” breathed Katherine, gulping.

Sirius’ chest heaved between them, “Right.”

Time passed differently when they were together – quicker, though it felt slow…

With a boyish little smile, his arms relaxed around her.

Katherine went to get up from her knees. Something warm and slow travelled her body as she rested a hand on his shoulder, a simple familiar gesture she would do with any of her other friends.

Sirius’ head fell back to look up at her as he smoothed his hair back with both hands.

Katherine though that, below her, he was so... beautiful and unthreatening...real and human.

Sirius followed her up, towering over her that time. His eyes creased at the edges, gleaming happily as he reached down in one swoop and took her hand into his –

“It’s a shame our tans from earlier in the term have all but faded. Another pasty photograph to join the others, it is…” he trailed off, as he stepped forward to lead the way through the tapestries.

Katherine tried not to sneeze as the tapestries slapped the back of her legs as she moved through them behind him, “Do you know… I haven’t even seen mine from last year…”

“I can show you. They keep all the yearbooks in the library.” Sirius said over his shoulder, bending to go through the half door to the hallway.

Katherine followed, smoothing herself down and drinking the fresh air in greedily.

“How’s my hair?” she asked, peeling a cobweb of her robe sleeve.

Sirius reached out a hand, his eyes on the top of her head –

Very gently, a large piece was tugged back to the other side of Katherine’s parting. Tingles ran down her spine –

“You're a vision.”

Katherine’s eyes slammed shut and she gave a groaning laugh.

Sirius gave an earnest grin and nodded down the hallway, “Come on, we’ll have to run.”

Together they bolted through the hallways, down the stairs, and past the classrooms of younger years. It was as they reached halfway down the marble of the Grand Staircase that they spied the milling line of sixth years. Katherine and Sirius would have been some of the last to arrive.

As the group edged into the Entrance Hall, another group could be seen by the doors out to the courtyard – those who were done, and waiting for friends. Lily was there, bobbing on her toes, and waved when she saw Katherine.

Katherine waved back.

Sirius lowered his lips by her temple from behind, “We’re going in…”

With his hands on her shoulders, he pushed her forward through the doors of the Great Hall.

“I hate getting photographed…” she said, leaning back against his front as the moving line stopped again.

Sirius chuckled huskily, and lowered his head down over her shoulder, “I won’t look, promise.”

“Spencer, Katherine!” came Professor McGonagall’s call, as she stood off to the side of the photographer with her scroll.

Sirius’ hands fell from her shoulders, and he flicked her skirt.

Katherine smoothed the back of her skirt down as she stepped forward with burning cheeks. She turned, standing on the taped ‘X’ on the floor in front of the camera –

“Okay, are we ready?” asked Mister Underwood, his large pluming magenta feather quivering in his cap as he lowered his eyes behind the camera.

Katherine nodded, giving a playfully incredulous look back at Sirius – who was, of course, looking – and made a surreptitious shooing motion with her hands where they dangled down by her skirt.

Sirius pretended to look away, with a smile at the rafters overhead.

Katherine couldn’t help a grin as she glanced back to Mister Underwood –

FLASH!  

“Wonderful! Thank you, Miss Spencer…” said Mister Underwood with a smile, waving her off with a sweep of his hand.

The SCRITCH of a quill marking Katherine’s name off the parchment preceded Professor McGonagall’s next, firm, call –

“Black, Sirius!”

Jessica Wood and Cornelia Bones giggled from their place in the line as Katherine passed them, biting their lips as they bobbed on the toes to watch –

A gasp, and then came the whisper of their exchange –

“Do you think he was looking this way?”

“I think that’s the first time he’s smiled in his photo!”

“You know, he’s not so scary when he smiles…”

 

Notes:

Did I maybe post a new WIP to help move a writing block that was developing with this fic?? 🤭 Don't worry, this fic is still the priority, but if you're ever looking for something else to read 'The Loved One' has its first chapter up after being in an unrevealed collection for a year or two 😊

Chapter 62: Practise, By Any Other Name...

“Okay, pair up – pair up!” ushered Professor Sprout, holding her board laden with vials of growth tonics, “This will be our last trip into the forest before winter’s grip… yes, here you go… here you go…”

The growth tonics had a temperature limit, Katherine had discovered that nippy morning out on the lawns. The next distribution would take place in spring. Three months seemed worlds away…

Katherine glanced around.

Lily and Marlene were already down by the tree line.

Mary and Dobbs were walking a good ten feet apart, but the long-legged boy matched her pace, and they crossed into the trees at the same time. Through the tree trunks the distance between them began to close for those who cared to see.

James was cleaning his glasses on his jumper as he walked ahead with Remus and Peter, glancing back.

Sirius was nowhere to be found.

Like the echo of metal hitting metal in and empty room, was the feeling inside of Katherine’s stomach. She, instead, tacked on to the back of Alice and Frank as they strolled down the lawns, swinging their conjoined hands.

Was Sirius sick? Or…?

With a glance back at Professor Sprout, once they had had it to the trees, Katherine split off from the couple and made her way to her allotted quadrant. As she trudged over the ancient roots, she battled away thoughts of the boy who usually accompanied her.

From his curious gaze back up the lawns, Katherine began to wonder if, perhaps, James knew something…

It had been nearly thirty minutes since the beginning of the Herbology lesson. They had met at the classroom, then been escorted down to the lawns by Professor Sprout, where she had explained the temperature sensitivity of the growth tonic at length and the plan for the forest rejuvenation going forth. By the time they were done distributing the potions, it would almost be time for the bell to ring again.

Katherine worked slowly, with chilled fingers. The canopy above had thinned considerably in the month of November as they plummeted into a frosty winter. Above her was a blearing grey sky and, at it, Katherine’s mind wandered to someone with eyes the exact same shade…

A flash of something niggled in Katherine’s peripheral vision, and the CHHT of something heavy hitting bark –

Katherine’s head snapped around instinctively –

Sirius had jumped through a forking tree, dusting his hands –

“Hey.” was his breathy greeting, through a considering smile as his eyes flashed up and down over her.

He was, suddenly, there again. They were spending so much time together, that it was a novelty to need to greet one another. Tingles coursed all the nerves in her body – like tinkling silver bells. He looked taller somehow, she thought…

Katherine returned the smile and opened the knapsack of vials to him, where it rested on the forest floor, before going back to pouring out the vial still in her hand, “I wasn’t sure you were coming…”

“I had to stay behind to negotiate my slacking attendance in Ancient Runes,” he said, uncorking a vial with a POP, before pouring it out on the new green stalks teetering up out of the scorched trunks, “Not like there’s a monster on the prowl or anything…”

Katherine gave a huff of laughter and murmured as she poured out her own vial, “I think the monster’s been forgotten in lieu of the quidditch world cup, to be fair…”

A comfortable beat passed of forest silence.

“So, are you girls going?” asked Sirius, glancing up sideways at her, before uncorking another vial and pouring it out.

Air fell from Katherine’s nose as she turned to him in amusement, “I wouldn’t even know how to get tickets for a start,”

Sirius tipped his head, looking off with the light of understanding in his eyes.

“All this talk about the quidditch world cup, and really – I don’t even know –” Katherine went on, shaking her head imploringly “– what is it? I gather it’s a quidditch tournament of some sort?”

Sirius glanced back to her, blinking thoughtfully as he looked back to his work once again.

“All of the national teams come from all over the world to the cup grounds. The grounds are decided upon by international bids by all respective ministries in the four years between cups, this year it’s England’s,” he stood up with a satisfied grin at the announcement.

He crouched to wash his hands in the stream, tipping his head as he went on –  

“It goes for about two weeks in full. Most people camp, but some just arrive for the Grand Final on the last night.”

Katherine nodded, piling all her own empty vials in the knapsack with Sirius’ –

“Marlene wants to go,” she said, busied by the task, “I don’t know, it does sound like fun,”

She flicked her hair out of her face and moved to wash her hands in the stream –

“It’d be good to get away too, for a bit…” she confessed, distractedly.

Sirius glanced to her as he wiped his hands on the front of his robes. He gave a smile –

“Yeah…” he said, with light eyes.

A beat passed.

Their eyes danced, and Katherine could not remember – for the life of her – what they had been talking about.

Sirius’ alight eyes roved her face, and the conversation was abandoned in full when he reached out to delicately take her face into his two big warm hands.

Katherine admired the curling frame of his hair around his forehead, almost like little love hearts, as his face grew closer – until her eyes were closing and her lips were met with his. Warm, slightly chapped – and pulling her into him. Sirius Black’s lips were becoming persistently familiar.

Worry about the horcrux, and the uselessness she felt, faded away in those moments they stole. In its place was giddy new feeling – that he was kissing her just to kiss her. The bell would ring momentarily, there was nothing new they were to try…

Sirius paused as he pulled back after, perhaps, the thirteenth kiss shared crouched by the stream, and turned his ear back to the vague direction of the tree line –

“The bell should have gone…” he glanced down at his watch on the wrist lifted between them, and gave a begrudging laugh, “Ah, bollocks,”

He glanced back up with a wry twist at his lips –

“We’ve missed it. Transfiguration starts in five minutes,” he said, taking her hands and standing together. He reached down for the knapsack with one hand and firmed his grasp on her hand with the other, “Come on.”

Hand in hand they ran back through the forest, leaping over the roots as their arms strained and pulled – put never parted. The flush in their cheeks strained, almost painfully, against the bitter winter chill as their scarves flew about their necks and shoulders.

Both were panting out laughter the whole way, Katherine squealing with urgency to keep up when Sirius would slip up and run at his full pace before he would settle back to match her strides.

Katherine’s words jolted out of her as she ran, remembering earlier, “So, what did you say? For missing Runes?”

The sound of their shoes hitting the stone, and her words echoed the near empty castle –

“That everyone left without me, and I couldn’t walk to class alone –” panted Sirius, as they began taking another flight of stairs, looking over to her with a grin, “It’s against the rules.”

They huffed out their laughter and continued their frantic climb through the castle, exchanging twinkling glances. The stairs were equalisers, and soon enough they reached the outside of the Transfiguration classroom, their lungs both burnt and chilled as they gulped their breaths down.

DONG! DONG! DONG –

At the final bell, Katherine and Sirius shared a glance. They had made it.

They let go of each other to smooth their hair and straighten their uniforms in a pause before stepping through the doorway, their hearts still running in their suddenly slowed bodies –

“Padfoot –”

“Katherine –”

Their respective friends had been turned around in their seats, waving them to their desks on opposite sides of the desk aisles.

CLUNK! the door closed at Katherine and Sirius’ backs. A lingering second strung them together where they stood at the back of the classroom, and then they parted ways for their friends.

Her seat was freezing. It sent Katherine back into the winter shivers that had seemed to seize all the girls in the past week. As everyone’s knees jittered below their desks, Professor McGonagall began their lesson. About halfway through, the content tapered off in favour of the ‘stress management’ tactics that were becoming more and more prevalent in all the sixth-year’s lessons as Exams approached.

Katherine was surprised every time she was reminded of them. Inside her chest, too, was the bramble – of not particularly caring. She listened, unhearing.

All of them were almost too old to care about much to do with school anymore, and their own ideas about their futures were becoming dreadfully important as the days went by. Not all of them came with pamphlets in their career counselling sessions.

For that moment, they all sat together.

It was a room filled with boyfriends, girlfriends, something teetering in between them, friends, and archnemesis’ accrued over their tenure confined in the walls of the school. It was hard to tell much of anything to any of them – experts, as they all were, in themselves with the finishing of their childhood years. They stood at the top, ready to jump off to the next...

“Now, I will present you each with this instrument in turn. You simply need to place your hand upon it, and it will provide you the inspiration that you are in most need of…”

Professor McGonagall began making her way through the aisles of desks with a brass instrument that was not unsimilar to a miniature typewriter. It had no keys, however. Some students coveted their tiny slips of parchment that they received from it, and others proudly waved theirs to friends.

Katherine waited, with a tingle of curiosity, for what hers might hold. In no time at all, Professor McGonagall was stopping in front of her and holding the instrument aloft.

Katherine gingerly rested her hand on the cool metal. It almost felt wet –

DING! it chirped quietly, and then the mechanics worked quietly to reel out her slip of parchment.

Katherine took it, and McGonagall moved on to Lily. The cool slip of parchment unfurled in her hand –

‘I am not afraid; I was born to do this’

 

---

 

“Like this –”

Lily sat sideways in Marlene’s lap on the girl’s four-poster, then moved to straddle her – with a knee either side of her friend –

“– or like this?” she asked.

The girls had been discussing the manoeuvre Marlene was trying to explain from her earlier rendezvous with Adam before Transfiguration. In their socks, Lily and Marlene had clambered up onto the bed in their socks to try and re-enact it.

“The second.” said Marlene, through laughter – pushing Lily off and hiding her red cheeks in her bunched blankets.

Lily fell backwards on the bed, laughing and screwing her eyes shut.

Lily sighed in waning laughter, looking up at the bed canopy, “You know, one of these days, you might need to address what you and Adam are to one another.”

She turned to look at Marlene with playful sternness.

Marlene looked away, and up at the bed canopy.

“Yeah,” she said, in raspy agreement, before clearing her throat, “Makes me feel like a right tart when I have to refer to it as ‘fooling around’, even if that’s what we’re doing…”

Katherine remembered her Aunt’s friend, Janette, then. She had married an older man, and was fond of the young boat boys that would work on the yachts they shepherded out in the summer months in France. Overhearing a scandalous afternoon tea her Aunt and her circle of ladies were having one late, slow summer afternoon – Katherine remembered what she had heard them referring to it as –

“My Aunt’s friend had called it ‘taking a lover’.” she offered, from her own bed.

Marlene nodded her eager agreement, lifting a hand to point emphatically, “Now that’s classy.”

Katherine’s lips twitched, and she looked back up at the canopy of her own bed. The woodburner was reaching from the centre of the room to her socked feet she wiggled at the end of her bed.

The girls went on talking –

“Oh, and don’t worry, Katherine – your time will come to take a lover yourself… you’ll understand what we’re talking about…” prattled off Marlene distractedly, before turning to chat with Lily again.

Katherine thought of Sirius then, as she laid back on her bed. How it was instinctive – to reach out and touch him, to accept his warm and tender lips upon her own. Somehow, they had slipped and fallen closer to each other than Katherine could have ever imagined.

The girls didn’t know that Katherine was very much on her way to ‘understanding’. She could have said something – it would have been the perfect time to mention it all, for the simple girlish confession –

‘Sirius Black kissed me, and it was…wow.’

Something kept Katherine quiet, however.

 

---

 

It all happened within two and a half weeks. The forming of quite the habit came when Katherine and Sirius were left with little else to do except explore the secret world that they had unlocked, by pure happenstance, on the end of her bed on the slow dreary day that had been the twelfth of November.

It didn’t help with the time warp of the castle. Days felt like weeks. In a moment, they might have lived lifetimes, sometimes.

Sirius had kissed her just to kiss her on Friday the fourteenth of November.

On the sixteenth, Peter had officially debuted his relationship with Rosie – the fourth-year girl – as they walked hand in hand. Everywhere.

The first snow came on the seventeenth.

On the twentieth, Katherine serendipitously carved her hands into the hair at the nape of Sirius’ neck for the first time – and he had made the most wonderful sound at the back of his throat.

They all had another apparition lesson on the twenty-second, in which no one splinched themselves.

By the next day, the twenty-third, Greengrass stopped showing up to classes completely.

On the twenty-fourth, however, Sirius had slipped his hands up the back of Katherine’s shirt up in the North Tower for the first time and she had forgotten all about the Slytherin girl.

Katherine found herself struggling to focus in class the next day, the twenty-fifth, and found herself looking at him – another bad habit she was picking up.

They all woke up on the twenty-eighth to news of a playground near Diagon Alley burning down overnight. That day’s front page was the first clipping Katherine took from the Daily Prophet.

By the next day, all had been forgotten in lieu of the changing weather. December’s wintery breath had already been clouding the ponds and frosting the panes.

On the thirtieth, the last day of November, Katherine and Regulus almost had a moment alone for the first time since their liquid luck fuelled attempt on Professor McGonagall’s office. She had gone to the toilet during Potions and the two found themselves alone in a corridor by the loos – having been doing exactly the same thing – fortuitously. Marlene and Adam spilled out of broom closet, naturally, before they could do more than look at one another, with Marlene rising from her knees as Adam zipped up his trousers.

A laughing grin was exchanged between Katherine and Marlene that day, but the girls didn’t discuss what they saw before they all parted ways. It spelt the noticing, on Katherine’s part, of hue that had fallen over the castle as of late, however.

There was an idleness that bred promiscuity and laziness in castle with the opening of the chamber and the restrictions of…well – everything. It was the professors’ faults really, for mandating the students go two-by-two.

Everyone had, by the first of December, settled into the new routine like a worn in bed outline. Without so much as another incident – or bloodied writing sprouting up on walls – more and more people were forgoing walking with friends and walked alone. The Professors were increasingly looking the other way, so long as everyone was in their common rooms straight after dinner each night.

And, mostly, they all were.

Sometimes the older students found their ways to The Pipes on the odd night, however. When Georgia Abbey became unpetrified, the nights had begun happening again – although infrequently. Alice had gone with Frank a few times – and Marlene with Adam – but the others had been hesitant.

Until the first night of December, when Lily had received a letter up in their dormitory after dinner.

Katherine had watched Lily speedrun about ten different emotions on her face upon accepting the letter from the owl and opening the lone sheet, in her other hand – a red and blue striped scarf.

Katherine turned away from where she was watching Alice and Marlene get ready for their night at The Pipes –

“Is it from your parents?” she asked.

Lily continued to eye the parchment intently, but her voice had a shaky sort of quality to it, “Will.”

“… is everything okay?” asked Katherine, carefully.

“Will’s been contracted to a football team, he’s getting paid heaps now too,” said Lily, looking up with quiet, happy pride. It faded a smidge, and she looked back down, rubbing her thumbs over the parchment, “He’s asked me to drop out… marry him – and he’ll look after me…”

The other girls’ conversation tapered off, and they all looked around at one another.

Marriage.

Lily was to be the first one of them to have it proposed to her.

“Obviously, I can’t.” she said, looking up with a wry sort of bashful smile – and a laugh that tinkled, and lacked sincerity.

Would that be something Lily would want to do? wondered Katherine. A sick feeling pricked Katherine’s stomach at the prospect, and the shock – she didn’t want Lily to go.

“You could,” Katherine found herself saying, thinking that maybe it might be safer – in the end – after some quick internal thinking, “Once you’re seventeen – it’s only at the end of January…”

The wood burner in the centre of the room was the only sound. The ludicrous air settled over them all at the fact – that it certainly was an option.

Lily looked up, and held Katherine’s eye –

“I can’t.” she said emphatically.

Though there was a shade of sorrow in those emerald eyes of hers, Lily began writing out a stuttered reply to the boy – to the man who wished to marry her. In the quiet, her decision echoed around the other girls as they listened to the scratch of her quill.

It was one of those strange moments beginning to afflict them all more often – the feeling of a fork in the path, then aftermath of making a choice –

Will; Lily’s road not taken.

It only took about five minutes for Lily to find her words, fold the letter up, and send it back with the owl that delivered it. He would likely get the news by the following afternoon, once Lily's parents passed it on. Lily watched the bird disappear into the black night, then turned back to the other girls.

“I feel rotten.” she said, with tormented furrow between her eyebrows.

She crossed her arms across her chest and held herself.

Marlene approached after spritzing her perfume on, and peeled one of Lily’s arms away – holding it comfortingly in both of her hands –

“Come to The Pipes with us, Lily –” she broke off to look back at Katherine, “Katherine, you too,”

Marlene patted Lily’s arm with a warm smile of encouragement –

“This is our time, and now we’re all single –” she glanced to Alice and tipped her head with a grin “Or thereabouts –”

Alice laughed good-naturedly –

“Forget the boys.” said Marlene, looking around at the other girls beseechingly.

The girls laughed, and with one glance around at each other, shared in Marlene’s mustering of unity –

“Forget the boys!” they chorused, even Alice.

They all busied themselves with getting ready, and Katherine's eyes drifted around the room. There were the new additions of their quotes that they had received in Transfiguration pinned up by their desks. Katherine’s mind turned to her own quote as she lay there, listening vaguely to her friends with the faintest of smiles –

‘Snogging only, no relationships’ came Marlene’s clarification –  

The quote, that she now kept in her top draw with the plethora of other Hogwarts keepsakes, helped Katherine distance herself from the teenage troubles circling around her. Leaning into her fate, as it were. She was there – and she was meant to be – born to be. Everything that was happening was only leading her closer to it.

She didn’t want to worry the girls with her sudden moment of clarity upon receiving her slip in Transfiguration, lest they think she was going more by the Japanese samurai way of hara-kiri than just accepting her mortality.

She thought of the one person who might understand – what it was like to succumb to something outside of themselves. Remus. He was a bit like her; marked.

When the girls passed through the wall into The Pipes not ten minutes later, she found herself looking for him as the other girls went off to talk to the others they knew that had made it out to the spot that night.

Remus, as it happened, was not hard to find. He stood off with Peter, a very young and out of place Rosie, and Jessica Wood – who was tugging at his jumper, flirting with him.

Katherine made her way through the room, looking to find a clear spot to stand – feeling like there was scrambled eggs in her chest. Eventually, she settled by the doors out to the small balcony – and tried to look for her other friends – for James, Sirius…

“Come on, I know you want to…” Jessica’s playful tone reached over to where Katherine stood.

Katherine’s eyes found their way back to pair – where Jessica was even more openly flirting – and Remus was barely resisting. A cool loneliness gaped at the back of Katherine’s ribs, surprising her – or was it disappointment? That Remus really was just like every other boy?

Katherine felt herself frowning –

“Hello,”

Sirius approached at an ever-slowing pace her with a butterbeer in hand. When he stopped beside her, he followed her previous eyeline to Remus.

“You should know,” he said, wetting his curving lips –

He turned back to her, tipping his head to the side –

“You’ve been making eyes at Moony since you arrived tonight.”

Katherine turned away and couldn’t help making a face, laughing lightly, “It’s not like that.”

Sirius stood closer to her, inclining his head down to her – attentive. Heat rolled off him, as well as something potent and a touch dark that made her tongue feel hot and wet in her mouth.

He gave an incremental nod to glass door, urging her out onto the balcony silently.

Katherine stepped out and felt him following closely behind. The metallic CLICK of the door closed them off from everyone inside, but it wasn’t cold out there – there was the tell-tale sign of a warming charm, that one of the older students must have done out there since Sirius’ birthday party night.

Any of the intermittent snowfalls that they had received over the past week or so had already melted again. Katherine and Sirius sat out in the cool dewy night, the slicked turrets reflecting starlight back to them.

Katherine dusted her hands on the knees of her trousers, and nodded back to the room –

“I was hoping to talk to Remus, he’s, er…” she trailed off in explanation, and felt her brow raising on it’s own accord as she looked out into the night, “Busy, it seems, however…”

Sirius’ head fell forward so he could look at Katherine’s face from beside her, amusement plain across his, “Jealous?”

Katherine shook her head, jagged laughter falling from her lips in breaths –

“No, it’s just… weird,” she confessed, blinking and shrugging, “He’s been helping me with my duelling. We’re talking a lot, but… he didn’t mention anything…”

Sirius gently knocked her shoulder with his, “I thought I was helping you with your spells?”

Katherine rocked with his knock, shooting him a bashful smile –

“Different spells…” she amended.

Sirius gave one upwards nod of playful understanding.

Katherine, smiling, looked back out again, trying to separate the black mass of the forest from where it met the sky. She couldn’t.

“With Greengrass, and whoever may be putting her up to task… the stuff they know… it isn’t the sort of stuff we’re learning in class. We’re throwing more advanced things at each other, and – well, his land sometimes –” she broke off from her continued explanation, tipping her head, “As I expected. But… well…”

Katherine hesitated, feeling her cheeks heat up –

“I’ve seen you duel.”

She supposed she might have expected Sirius to laugh at the words.

He didn’t.

Sirius' head fell forward again as tried to catch her eye – and he shuffled closer, reaching for her arm to turn her to him –  

“You’re scared of me?” he said softly.

Katherine was trapped by his mercurial gaze, and her heart squeezed at the tender furrow between his eyebrows.

“It’s not like that…” she said softly, turning her head – overcome –

Sirius chased her gaze, guiding her chin back around with his fingertips –

His throat bobbed as they traded fluttering-eyed shallow breaths. The tangling illicit heat of his closeness rolled over Katherine like a wave. Then came his kiss, to follow it – and leave her raw and strung out like a pebbled shore. The breathy catch of his gulp fanned across her lips as they lingered by each other’s faces. All around them was a pulsing molten red –

“Please, don’t be scared of me...”

 

Notes:

I know it’s been a little while, but the approaching occasion has urged me on to write. This was an early birthday present of sorts to myself lol, I’ll be 25 on the 4th and that means that I’ve been reading and writing fanfiction for nearly fourteen years! I can barely believe it! 🫣

Chapter 63: The Matter of the Beast

“So, how did it go with Black?”

Lily peered sideways with a wry glint in her eye, before continuing to dress in front of her mirror the following morning.

Another molten red heat gripped Katherine. Her chest, however, went quickly empty as her heart thumped wildly in it –

“What?” spluttered Katherine.

Lily followed her hands in the mirror as she did up her necklace, unaffected, “I told him you wanted to speak with him – ages ago now…”

Lily meant Regulus.

“He said he would keep an eye on Greengrass,” said Katherine, willing down her galloping heart. She turned her attention to straightening her blankets, shrugging, “She’s in the hospital wing now, though. So…”

Lily nodded, checking her earrings as she turned back from the mirror –

“How are you going with your classes, then? Keeping up with everything?” she asked distractedly, reaching for her brush on her desk.

Katherine watched her friend’s movements absently, “Yeah, yeah… but you know I don’t take as many as the rest of you…”

“I’m starting to think you’ve got the right idea – I’m in the library whenever I’m not in bloody classes…” she huffed lightly, before glancing up out of the corner of her eye, “Speaking of – the other girls and I were saying that we’ve missed you lately. We usually all sit together in the library, and we always look for you…”

Katherine winced bracingly away as she folded her pyjamas, “Yeah… I haven’t been… going.”

She heard the air of Lily’s whirl around –

“Katherine.” Lily admonished, with exasperated amusement.

Katherine held up her hands, “Remus is helping me with my defence work. Really – I’m learning more than I ever did with Zabini.”

Lily’s hands found her hips, and she tilted her head down at Katherine in light sternness –

“And all your other classes?” she asked.

Katherine smiled placatingly, nodding slowly in point, “I always hand in my homework.”

Lily’s hands fell from her hips –

“Okay,” she conceded with an amused huff of air, eyeing Katherine sideways as she turned back around to reach for her shoes, “But… just – ask if you need any help, yeah?”

Katherine blinked long and slow as she said, reassuringly, “I will.”

“You are doing well though,” said Lily, looking up from where she did up her trainers, sitting on the edge of her bed, “I’ve seen you getting the non-verbals in class.”

Katherine tampered down a smile, and memories of Sirius flush against her back in the muggle studies classroom and showing her how to do them. Then a brief worry came that Lily might read her mind one of those days…

Katherine wasn’t ashamed of anything, it was just… private. She wouldn’t want Sirius telling every detail to all his friends, so Katherine gave him the same courtesy. It’s not like they were dating or anything either.  

Walking down to the common room that Saturday morning, Katherine continued their line of conversation from upstairs –

“Do you think you’ll take less subjects next year?” she asked.

Lily shrugged as she reached to open the portrait and stepped out, “Yeah, probably. It’s just… you only get to go to magical school once,”

She turned, watching Katherine step through –

“It all kind of feels important.” she tacked on, with a tepid smile.

Katherine nodded, but sought to assuage her fears, “I’m sure when you go into healing –”

“When we go into healing, you mean.” corrected Lily, with a wry sidelong glance as they began taking the stairs down to the Great Hall.

Katherine jolted down the steps, feeling only an apathetic indifference towards the career –

“I…don’t know if I want to do it anymore.” she confessed, to the dust swirling the cavernous open staircase.

In Katherine’s peripheral vision, Lily turned to her.

When her voice came, it was gentle with confusion, “What?”

Katherine could only shrug, and glanced sideways to Lily as they kept their pace over a landing and down onto the next flight of stairs.

A furrow in her brow, Lily was quiet for another flight of stairs –

“Well, what do you think you’d like to do after school, then?” she eventually broached softly as they touched down in the Entrance Hall.

Katherine stood next to her, looking off into the sunlit Great Hall for a moment. Nothing came to mind. She looked back to Lily after a thoughtful beat of a moment –

“I don’t know.”

As Lily looked at her, Katherine couldn’t help but feeling like a faulty teenager, like something must have gone wrong inside of her. She felt normal, granted…

“Hey, guys – come on, we’ve got to eat quick.” said Marlene, clamping her hands on the girls’ shoulders as she steamed through from behind on her way into the Great Hall.

Mary bobbed through behind, explaining chipperly, “There’s going to be another game of war this morning.”

“We’re playing again?” asked Katherine.

“Yeah, why not?” shrugged Marlene, turning back over her shoulder before she disappeared into the Great Hall, “What else is there to do?”

A slight edge of boredom, at the juvenile nature of the game, lingered among the older students. No longer as simple as children, not yet as complicated as adults. The sensation she’d identified earlier in the term up on the roof with Sirius reared its head again as they ate breakfast together and the impending game loomed over them.

Truly, however – what else was there to do?

It was as they lined up in front of Professor McGonagall again and waited to plunge their hands into the sorting hat to receive their marks, that Katherine saw Sirius for the first time since the previous night at The Pipes. The night came back to in flashes – ‘Please, don’t be scared of me…’ came again his whispered words. As well as the sense that there was something less mystical about his presence, simply from that request.

It was a bit like a game of ‘pass the parcel’. She was tearing through the layers, one by one, and she felt she was getting terribly close to the centre…

Lily hit Katherine’s side surreptitiously, and whispered, “Your mate…”

Katherine followed her friend’s gaze and found Regulus lining up with his fifth-year friends.

Katherine got her mark – a Prisoner, again – and took off for the upper floors.

Her friends followed not far behind, fellow prisoners she was to discover as they all compared arms before entering the blocked off level the game was to take place on.

They mostly hid, and went back to back to protect each other from Aurors when they had to move. Marlene had branched out to test the waters with the boys, only to run back firing spells over her shoulder frantically –

“Potter’s coming!” she squealed, breathless and not slowing, “Run! Run they’re all Aurors!”

Lily clasped Katherine’s hand, tugging her into a run with a breathy squeal –

“This way! They’re all here!” came James’ bellow –

TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP! – the cacophony of their shoes rung out on the stone as they came running –

“Take one each – split them up!” further instructed James, the seeming leader.

Lily jumped, swatting a spark of a jinx from her jeans – and her hand fell out of Katherine’s –

“Mutiny! Mutiny in Gryffindor!” cried Marlene –

The girls ran on as a group, screaming, before they came to a stop at a junction –

“There’s five of us – and four of them!” Lily whispered quickly.

Mary nodded through her gasps, “They can’t take all of us!”

“Say Frank will go easy on you?” asked Lily, with a fraught laughing smile, glancing back.

“We’re the last,” whispered Alice through her quick panting breaths, “They’ve even put Peter away.”

The boys slowed as they set eyes on the girls – where they stood at the junction of a hallway, ready to scatter in any direction. James, Remus, Sirius, and Frank; prowling like a fearsome quartet, undefeated.

Katherine felt a tingle low down in her stomach. She could not outduel any of them – even on their own. There was something about the way Sirius looked at her, too. Like he would eat her alive…

“Wands ready…” whispered Lily, as they girls rotated to keep eyes on the boys –

Alice gulped, whispering out to the other girls, “Reconvene back here, okay?”

Katherine’s sweaty fingers gripped her rosewood wand –

Then came Lily’s whisper –

“Run.”

“Arghhhhhh!” came their collective screams as they each scattered down a hallway. Katherine and Lily went down one, Mary and Marlene down another, and Alice hedged her bets alone – the best dueller of the girls.

Frank was first to move off the mark – before the girls had even broken from their spots – and made a beeline for Alice, his arms pumping alongside his quick feet.

Glancing back from alongside Lily, Katherine found a terrifying sight –

James Potter and Sirius Black; fleetfooted behind them and hunting them down.

Coming around the corner – they found Mary freeing a cell of other captured prisoners while Marlene was being pushed back by an advancing Lupin. Sparks flew as the two duelled, forcing everyone to duck and run.

The flood of a dozen other students allowed the girls to lose the boys, and they all ran on as a group anew. They reconvened at their agreed spot – keeping an eye out for other aurors, not just the boys.

“Bloody hell, does it end?” cried Marlene, “Might just lock myself up…”

The girls laughed breathlessly as they looked vigilantly around like neurotic prey animals.

“Potter…” whispered Mary, nodding down the hallways behind Lily.

They girls turned, spreading into a line –

Katherine took her chance, and used something she had been practicing with Lupin, flourishing her wand –

James Potter’s legs locked together, and he was promptly falling to the floor –

“Nice one, Katherine.” cheered Marlene, shoving Katherine good-naturedly.

Lily squawked out a short, impressed laugh, “It was non-verbal and everything –”

Lily broke off, her eyes widening behind Katherine’s head –

“Katherine –”

Pressure around her neck – an arm – pulled her away from the other girls. She couldn’t move, couldn’t push it off. Even before the barking laugh, she knew who it was from the familiar hard body she was pulled against –

ZAP!

CRACK!

POP!

WHAP!

The girls fired jinx after jinx, but Sirius deflected them all with deft flicks of his wrist. All the while, he stepped her backwards.

The smell of wand fire lingered in the air – and burnt stone crumbled off the walls – as they stood around at an impasse. The girls’ hair frizzed and crackled as they caught their breaths.

A cool prod came to Katherine’s jaw, pushing it up – his wand. Then came a flutter in her stomach –

“Either you sacrifice Katherine,” his low voice vibrated the bones in Katherine’s body, “Or I’ll take all of you girls – hard bitten thugs of the worst description – in too.”

It was useless to try and out duel him, they all knew it.

Katherine made it easy for them, and urged them on, “Leave me! Go – go!”

“We’ll come back for you!” promised Lily, as they girls turned to run on – from a newly upright James Potter.

James was righting his glasses as he gave an amused sort of exasperated look to Katherine, passing she and Sirius to chase the other girls.

A beat passed – and she looked up at Sirius from his loosening headlock –

“Are my eyebrows still on?” she asked, semi-seriously.

Sirius’ arm fell away, and he peered down at her with an easy laugh, taking her face into his hands to inspect her –

“Yes, you’re fine,” he assured, with happy eyes.

He glanced around, then made a noise in the back of his throat – like a combination of a sigh and moan.

Regulus looked just as disgruntled to happen across them too.

Hesitation brewed up between them, and neither raised their wands.

“You know I’m an Auror,” said Sirius, in a stately cutglass tenor, “Declare your status.”

Regulus held firm, though aloof, “Auror.”

Something slipped through Sirius’ impassive expression –

“Swear to it.” he said, with well-practised ease.

Regulus held Sirius’ stare easily, and after a beat of a moment his lips twitched. It was then, too, that his eyes dropped to Katherine and Sirius’ joined hands –

“AHHHHHH!” came a piercing scream “The monster! It’s the monster!”

The bottom of Katherine’s stomach fell out –

Wordlessly, the three of them followed the noise at a jog slowed by trepidation. Along the way they found themselves in a stream of other students doing the same thing. The game, quite clearly, was forgone.

“It was a Boggart!” came Professor Flitwick’s reassurance to the approaching students, before he went back to comforting a younger Ravenclaw boy, “They can transform into all sorts of things… it’s okay… there’s no monster…”

A hollow kind of buzz hung around the hallway still.

Sirius’ hand in hers forced Katherine back into her feet. She looked around with him – for the familiar faces of their friends through the bobbing heads of their classmates. Everyone was looking for someone.

Others moved off, at the behest of an approaching Professor McGonagall, “That’s enough for today! Everyone back to your common rooms until lunch…”

More than a few resigned sighs filled the air.

In the clearing hallway, Katherine locked eyes with Regulus again.

It was a false alarm.

But an alarm, nonetheless…

 

---

 

The week began anew.

Up in the dormitory, as the girls dressed into their unforms in the morning, Katherine was musing aloud the logistics of their travel plans around the castle for the day –

“Alice and Lily have Arithmancy… Remus should be there with Sirius and James so we can pair up and go off with our spare… Mary and Marlene have…” Katherine trailed off, checking their schedules.

A gentle hand stroked the back of Katherine’s hair –

“Slow down, love,” said Alice gently.

She gave a sweet little smile, her hand moving to Katherine’s shoulder –

“It was a false alarm on the weekend.” she went on, reassuringly.

Katherine was tormented, wanting to tell her friends the truth of it all –

“I just feel like… it’s the least I can do…” she settled on.

Marlene looked back from where she was doing her tie in the mirror, “It’s not like it’s your fault, Katherine.”

Katherine offered a tense smile in return, and then they all proceeded to pick up their bags and leave the dormitory. But, oh, how it was…

“All we can all really do, is keep ourselves sharp –” said Alice, as they all plopped down the steps to the common room, “The best thing you can do, for all of us, is go off with Remus in the spare you two have this morning and keep practising, Katherine.”

Katherine nodded and walked along with all the other girls. She went back inside of her head, however, as the rest of them chatted about their morning classes. Even if she got the diary, and destroyed it… what if the monster continued to roam the castle? An if it went back to its chamber, how would the professors even know that danger was over – unless Katherine told them?

Katherine felt like she was doing a lot – and achieving nothing. She had her regular lessons, homework, keeping up with her friends, meals, taking care of herself, lessons with Remus…

Ever still too, was the realisation –

She was going to have to tell one of the professors –

Everything.

The feeling of being a bit stupid, to hide it from them in the first place, crept in too.

Katherine was in over her head.

As the girls strolled on, the subject matter of the conversation turned towards the class they were nearing. Arithmancy. In which Lily had been paired up at a desk with Snape in their new seating arrangement.

“He chose to act the way he did,” said Lily, with a sidelong glance at her friends, “If he hadn’t called me a –”

She took a breath and blew it out, shrugging –

“Well, we’d still be friends…” she admitted, blinking thoughtfully.

Marlene knocked shoulders with Lily, “While that’s very mature of you, hopefully he can be as civil.”

“Yeah…” said Lily, looking off down the hall as the girls settled outside the classroom.

Alice was in the class with Lily, but none of the other girls were. Soon the rest would be moving off to finish the round trip of the morning class drop offs.

Snape wasn’t there yet, but Dobbs and Avery lingered just down the way on the other side of the hallway to a very familiar trio of Gryffindor boys.

They all tended to overlap a few times a day.

Katherine found herself giving a coy smile to Remus, where he stood between James and Sirius. She didn’t want to approach the three of them while they were in conversation – regardless of their increasing familiarity.

She waited by her friends for Remus to make his goodbyes and step over to her –

“Ready to go?” he asked, holding his bag on his shoulder and inclining his head with a gentle smile.

Sirius and James stepped over behind him, eyeing Katherine and the other girls.

“With all the lessons you two are doing, I’m sure you’ll do away with the foul beast roaming the corridors in a swift duel should you cross it, yeah?” grinned James, giving an upwards nod.

Remus gave a short noise of amusement from his throat, “Unless it can do a class Levicorpus…”

Katherine’s mouth dropped open, and she gave a pointed look at the quip –  

“Remus.” she admonished, closing both her hands around his closest arm to push him off on their way.

Remus stumbled into step, laughing – a shade of apology in his eyes as they glittered down at her. He leant down, to murmur lowly –

“What colour today…” he pondered aloud, pinching the side seam on her skirt.

Katherine swatted him on the arm with the back of her hand, glancing back at the others.

The girls waved them off – laughing lightly.

James’ own laughter was waning as he turned back to Sirius and struck his chest with the back of his hand.

Sirius, catching Katherine’s eye, even cracked a smile. His attention then flashed to Remus, considering the back of the other boy. The corners of his lips slowly lowered as he listened to James in his ear.

It was easy to forget, in the warmth of Remus’ presence, that there was any danger in the castle.

Upon reaching the old defence classroom, it became clear that Remus was not as vivacious as the exchange by their friends would have had them all believe. The full moon was that night. After he grimaced and stretched his shoulder a few too many times, Katherine called it –

“If you’re not feeling up to it –”

“It helps,” he smiled tiredly, tilting his head reassuringly, “It takes my mind off it.”

Katherine nodded in tepid agreement, but strolled over to the rosewood desk they placed their things on –

“Still, I think we should probably reconsider some of the stuff we’re practising…” she trailed off, going to lift the sheet she had written all the defensive spells on that she offered to him when she first asked him to help her.

Blinking, she wondered when Horcruxes had been on that list – and then she hurriedly swapped her ‘Voldemort information sheet’ back out with the spell sheet before Remus reached the desk too –

“What’s that one?” asked Remus gently, over her shoulder.

The warmth of him was a hairs width from her back –

“Oh – just notes from class that got mixed up in everything…” she muddled out, stowing it away into her bag.

Regulus’ unimpressed side eye came, unbidden, into her mind’s eye. It was not something her diligent Slytherin partner in Horcrux destruction would have ever let happen…

“I think I need to sit for a moment, anyway.” murmured Remus, turning to sit on the edge of the desk and closing his eyes and shuffling his hip – grimacing.

“Is your hip okay?” asked Katherine, gently.

“It’s nothing you did,” he said, cracking an eyelid open with a small smile. He gave a little clear of his throat as he shuffled again, brief discomfort flashing across his face, “It’s the cold – wreaks havoc on my joints when they start stretching.”

Katherine considered him a moment, sympathy welling up inside of her, “You can lean on me, you know – when we walk…”

Remus leant back on his hands, his head falling back before he rolled it towards her with a droll smile –

“Shall I fetch my tweed cap and old man moccasins while we’re at it?” he joked.

“I didn’t mean like that, just –” Katherine nudged his arm with hers, before shrugging, “You could put your arm around my shoulders, or something…”

Remus’ lips twitched, and his eyes lifted from Katherine’s knees back up to her face. There was a faint dusting of pink across his cheeks and neck.

“It will probably be better to go to the Madame Pomfrey before the bell rings for second period,” he said, with a bracing breath before standing up. He glanced back to her with light eyes, a tendril of hair bouncing down against his forehead, “And I can’t very well go alone…”

Katherine popped up with happy immediacy and packed her things away before they left the old classroom together and slowly made their way to the Hospital Wing.

“I expected to walk you anyway, you know?” asked Katherine, swaying from foot to foot more than walking, “With everything with the monster…”

Remus was walking carefully beside her, setting their pace.

“Well, yes – but I do worry about you walking back alone, you know?” he said, his head falling forward to look down and around at her with a gentle tug at his lips.

Katherine couldn’t help a short high pitch catch of a laugh, looking up at him with playful solemnity, “I’ll run really fast.”

Briskly, they fell into laughter. They looked at each other as they did – in a moment of closeness, and of memory of how things used to be between them.

Remus’ eyes were creasing fondly, happy lines running down to his chin and transforming his weary features. He shook his head as his chest continued to quake, looking off the looking back – with that light in his eye.

All the air was sucked out Katherine’s lungs.

She thought of Lily then – and Will – and of stories of stars defying love. Of roads not taken...

When they got to the stairs, with a sigh of effort, Remus put his arm around Katherine’s shoulders. One by one, they took the steps. Katherine found herself surprised when she felt true weight pressing into her shoulders. Touched too, that he really was leaning on her.

She held him back, needing to push back up against him to step up herself.

“Will they feed you?” she asked, thinking the fall of night was still a while away.

Remus gave a sidelong, raised brow twitching smile, “Will Madame Pomfrey throw me a medium rare cut, you mean?”

They had reached the top of the stairs.

“Remus.” said Katherine, turning to face up to Remus from beneath his arm.

He gave a bowed head smile, a sincere one, as he lifted his other arm up –

“I eat, before I go.” he said reassuringly, squeezing her shoulders playfully as he looked down at her over his cheeks.

Katherine nodded, then let her eyes flash to the doors of the Hospital Wing.

With a long deep breath through his nose, Remus lazily folded her into his arms. He let the breath out, just as slowly, and his body expanded against and around Katherine’s.

“Be safe,” she murmured into the warm front of his robes, pulling her face back to look up at him, “I’ll try and visit you in the morning?”

Remus’ arms fell as he continued to smile, backing away towards the doors –

“So, you’re not just using me for my tutelage?” he joked, with a hand over his heart as he pushed through the double doors with the other –

“Remus Lupin – you will take more care entering this wing – very nearly took your head off –” bellowed out Madame Pomfrey’s stricture.

Remus ducked inside the doors with a jump of startlement, murmuring his apologies.

Through the crack in the door, silver dinner platters, medical instruments, and bed pans flew around the room at the behest of a housekeeping spell before stacking themselves neatly in their places. Katherine’s eyes found Greengrass laying in a bed – hooked up to a drip, her eyes closed.

Katherine felt funny about it and turned to make her way back up to Gryffindor Tower. She didn’t get far before a silvery wisp joined her, trotting along at her shoulder – a patronus, in the shape of wolf. Remus.

“With sending a message, it should stay with you until Madame Pomfrey comes back, and I have to put my wand away…” came Remus’ voice, sounding far away – and right by her ear, all at once.

It kept away dementors – maybe it would keep away the monster, too?

She went on, regardless. Warmed by the presence too. About halfway there, Katherine changed direction and made a pass at Professor McGonagall’s chambers. It was a familiar path in recent times. Katherine thought about confessing to Professor McGonagall – about the Diary Horcrux…

At the door, however, a placard slid across – ‘Out of Office’. She was teaching – of course.

It was as she turned to go that, through the silvery wolf, Katherine thought she saw a shadow – of a tall boy at the end of the hallway. Cold gripped her. Stepping around the patronus, she tried for a better look. There was nothing there to see when she did…

“Remus, stay with me…please… please…” she whispered to herself, knowing he couldn’t hear her.

Calming her nerve, the patronus did stay with her until just shy of the common room. That was where she stayed as she waited for the lunch bell, working on her homework and neatening up her ‘Voldemort Information Sheet’. She hid it in the pages of her textbooks whenever someone came too close.

As she sat alone bundled up in front of fire, all her friends in their classes, Katherine turned her gaze out the fogged, frosty window. Give me a sign if this isn’t the right thing to do, otherwise I’m going to Professor McGonagall after dinner, she put out into the universe.

She held out hope she would run into Regulus before then too, to let him know what she planned. She would leave his name out of it – she didn’t want him to get into any trouble.

Lunch came, and Katherine collected everything into her bag and trod down to the Great Hall behind some seventh-year girls to eat and to meet her friends before going off the afternoon’s classes. As soon as she walked through the doors, she was looking for him.

Katherine was so distracted in fact, that when she closed in on where her friends sat and waited for them to budge up to make space for her, she rested her hands familiarly on Sirius’ shoulders from behind before she realised what she was doing.

Sirius’ hand raised to cover hers in return as he talked, straight-backed and semi-seriously with James.

About the full moon, Katherine realised with their stray words –

“We’ll meet after dinner and go down...”

“The usual plan it is…” said Sirius with a nod, having not pushed Katherine off – holding her in place with him.

Like a gong inside came the realisation – and Katherine’s body went into a static filled lull. Her eyes flashed in the direction of her friends as her heart raced.

They were loading their plates and chatting about their earlier class. Lily looked right up at Katherine, finishing chewing and asking –

“How did it go with Remus?”

“Yeah, good… good…” said Katherine, sliding down onto the bench, perusing the food laid out, “I walked him to the hospital wing after.”

Lily nodded with a side glance to their other friends, with the throwaway words of cover, “He did say he was feeling poorly…”

James whistled, looking to Sirius –

“I don’t know –” his eyes flashed back to Katherine. He chewed on a piece of celery, grinning, “Wily vixen of a witch you are, Katherine Spencer. Bet you hexed him good.”

James gave one deft wink, then went back to chatting across the table to Sirius beside her about the standings in the Professional Quidditch League.

Katherine, instead, went back to looking for Regulus. A brief glimpse of familiar slicked back locks was stolen through moving heads, but no more than that.

She didn’t spy him in the post-lunch exodus, or in the patronus-laden hallways between DADA and Divination either.

She went down to dinner with fading optimism about her hopes of catching him alone. If anyone noticed how keenly she was eyeing him during the meal, from across the Great Hall, they didn’t say anything.

Regulus stood up on the early side of the end of dinner, with only a few other students having left – namely James, Sirius, and Peter – who were chasing the already risen moon. He left alone too.

Katherine turned to Lily, “I’m going to go try and talk to Regulus.”

“I’ve got rounds, but I’ll see you back at the dormitory.” said Lily, nodding and chewing.

Katherine’s feet halted, remembering earlier, “But…Remus…”

“I’ll be fine, I’ll take one of the girls with me.” said Lily, laying a brief hand over Katherine’s wrist before nodding her head in the direction of the doors.

Katherine nodded. With a squeeze of Lily’s shoulder, she hastened back down the length of the Great Hall. A tenseness in the air seemed to crackle. Pushing through the doors, she didn’t find Regulus on the other side –

“You’ll owl me before bed?” was the timid murmur of Rosie, Peter’s new girlfriend.

She and Peter stood by the staircase leading up and out of the Entrance Hall –

“I’ll owl you before bed.” reassured Peter, tenderly.

He kissed her cheek, then urged her up the stairs with an encouraging nod.

Rosie went slowly, turning back – waving in a lacklustre gooey kind of way.

Sirius came around her, taking the stairs quickly down from the direction of the first-floor lavatories. His cool gaze moved over her and then clocked Peter down below, waving.

Rosie hastened out of his way, turning to take the stairs up a bit quicker.

Mirth overtook Sirius’ haughty features, and he turned around, mimicking a cheesy wave at Rosie’s back. When he leapt off the bottom step, he hooked an arm around Peter’s neck – rustling his hair and then tossing him out in the direction of the open doors –

“Go meet James,” he said, turning to where Katherine lingered outside the Great Hall doors, “I’ll be along in a second…”

Sirius stood across the hall from her, flourishing the closed map with bashful lick of his lips –

“I, er… wanted to see you, before I went.”

CLICK – CREAK!

“…Yeah?” asked Katherine, absentmindedly, as she turned to the doors opening behind her.

Out came a stream of students, none of them their friends.

Sirius watched them move around them and off up the stairs, before nodding to an alcove further down with a glint in his eye, “Do you want to…”

Katherine followed him to the alcove, ducking inside. The torchlight cast them in swathes of amber shadows in the dusty stone recess off the Entrance Hall, but the combination of their bodies filled it with burgeoning warmth.

Already ducking to fit, Sirius slowly craned his neck – removing the space between their faces –

Katherine had shied beneath him.

Trepidation gripped his handsome face, and his eyes scanned her face –

“Everything okay?” he asked, barely above a murmur.

Katherine was glad for the darkness as she felt her face warm to the point of her eyes watering, whispering with a huff of laughter, “It’s just… I think I have food in my teeth.”

“Oh, good –” he broke off with a laugh, neatening her hair back away from her face as his body pressed up against hers – backing her to the wall, “I’m hungry.”

Katherine grinned, yielding to him, “Sirius.”

“No, really – I just grabbed something quickly in there –” he broke off, the even tone of truth in his voice. He turned to look out of the alcove, going on absentmindedly, “But it’s going to be a long night…”

He looked back down to her, tipping his head with a boyish amusement gripping him –

“James has a bit of wager, should we cross the monster – whether it will eat Remus – or Remus will eat it. But, er…” he trailed off, shrugging and giving a bashful little smile, “Sorry, it probably sounds a bit stupid to you – to be doing it with the monster on the loose.”

Katherine’s eyes found the doors to the outside of the hall, “It’s probably safer out there than it is in here, to be honest…”

“My thinking exactly,” said Sirius, with raised brows and a satisfied nod. A furrow creased his brow as he went on, “I worry about you, though…”

His eyes took in her face, and then he took to stroking the end of her plait between his forefinger and thumb –

“You’re going straight back up to the tower?” he asked, his eyes flickering to her lips as he gave a tender tug on the end of her plait.

Katherine nodded, warmed through.

“Okay,” he whispered in acceptance, chasing the words with his lips upon her own – a slow, rolling tug of a motion.

He pulled back, a sliver of warm air between their faces.

“I should go…” he breathed against her lips.

Katherine nodded with fluttering eyelids, squeezing his arms softly in farewell, “Be safe…”

“Promise…” he murmured, his fingers around her arms as tender and fleeting as their faces that lingered together, like butterfly wings gently lapping.

What a wonderful thing, found Katherine – to reach out to hold, and be held back.

When Sirius’ hands fell from her, and he stepped back out of the small space, the warmth went with him.

Katherine blinked in the alcove in the wake of him. Wrapping her arms around herself to brace for the cold trip back up to Gryffindor Tower, Katherine stepped out into the hallway – unsteady on her feet with the headiness of their impromptu rendezvous clouding her head.

The hallway was empty –

Bar Sirius hastening back down it. His set lofty features broke into a grin when took her face back into his hands and, despite his pace, his grasp was consummately gentle. Sirius swooped down, tilting his head –

Katherine swayed on her feet, bracing against his towering frame with her hands on his upper arms –

“I’ve really got to go…” he murmured, eyes barely open as he pulled back.

A breathy laugh rose up Katherine’s throat, “Okay.”

Sirius sported a twin grin and laugh, feigning an attempt at composure. With his thumb and forefinger, he tilted Katherine’s chin up and gave a short peck and then – with a squeeze of her waist – he was turning and leaving off again at a loping pace.

It was times like those she wondered what he got out of it. Still, Katherine didn’t want to ruin any of it by questioning it.

Neatening her hair and eyebrows, Katherine walked back down the hallway towards the staircase leading up and away from the Entrance Hall.

The hallway was only spotted by a few stragglers leaving the Great Hall after dinner.

Sirius was gone that time – for real.

“Hurry… hurry… curfew soon…” came the urging from one of the portraits on the climbing wall beside Katherine. The top of the frame was adorned in a lavish red bow, with bells that jingled as the occupants moved.

It was too late to go to Professor McGonagall’s office that night.

Boughs of Holly, Poinsettia’s, and branches of pine were strung up all throughout the castle. Regardless of what was happening, there was no avoiding the simple fact – that it would soon be Christmas.

The balustrades were wrapped in tinsel, and the metallic smell permeated the immediate air, unavoidably. Slowing, Katherine smiled. Bittersweet was the feeling of being pitched back in time. the years feel away from her as she walked, sixteen, fourteen, twelve… nine…

She stood, alone on the fifth-floor landing of the staircase in the gargantuan castle, and might have been six years old again, and dressing up to go and look at the lights in London with her aunt and uncle…

Katherine made the turn onto the corridor leading to Gryffindor tower instead, however. Through the criss-crossed led panes of glass, she looked out on the grounds. Gryffindor Tower had the best view of the grounds after all. It was by the edge of the forest that she saw it, in the end –

The flash – of a mirror. Another flash broke the dark night, from the hill of the whomping willow that time. James and Sirius, she knew.

So far, all seemed to be well.

Katherine still peered out the windows as she walked the length of the corridor to the portrait of the Fat Lady – hoping to catch another glimpse of them. Her feet moved slow, but Katherine felt when she ran into something –

“Oh –”

Katherine stopped in her tracks at the set on robes in a heap on the stone floor, something familiar about them in the torch lit darkness –

She stepped forward and that was when she saw –

Long red hair.

“Lily…” Katherine fell into a crouch, rolling her friend over by her arm –

Stiff as an ironing board, Lily was rolled back – and her eyes were pinned open –

Petrified.

 

Notes:

I've been running out of steam a bit and it's a bit discouraging to post lately. Maybe I'm going through a depression spiral 🤷🏼‍♀️

I know a lot of people aren't fond of WIPs, so thank you to all of you reading along whenever you can 😊

Chapter 64: The Forced Hand

Notes:

Disclaimer: I don't speak French, and I 100% used google translate for that section in this chapter and I apologise in advance if it's not exactly correct 😅

The real world had come crashing back in.

Katherine’s scream had drawn out her friends from the common room – then… it was all a blur… Alice sent Frank for Madame Pomfrey and, by the time they returned, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were not far behind…

Under the light of the full moon streaming through the castle windows, Katherine ran alongside the levitated stretcher her friend laid upon all the way to the Hospital Wing. Mary, Marlene, Alice and Frank all followed in the pyjamas, bathrobes, and slippers.

When Lily was levitated off the stretcher and onto a Hospital Wing bed, Katherine found her hand on her friend’s arm to make sure she was safe should the spell fail. It was hard to hand their friend over to be cared for by the faculty members. Lily’s uniform meant that she had yet to do her nightly routine and shower, and Katherine found it hard to accept that she was being put to bed without it.

Madame Pomfrey did her best to assuage the distraught girls’ fraught high-strung emotions –

“… a day to brew the mandrake potion…”

Katherine felt the reassuring hands and arms of her friends around her, but she could only stare at Lily’s frozen form – waiting, just waiting… she would spring up and open her eyes, she was sure of it…

“…a few days of doses until it takes effect in her body…”

The Professors left to contact Lily’s parents and Madame Pomfrey pulled a thick blanket up to Lily’s stomach, folding it back neatly to tuck her in. Then the girls were left on their own in the silver light of the moon streaming across Lily’s bed and the dull light of the oil lamp on the side table –

“I – I need a moment –” Marlene broke off, choking back a sob –

She ran for the doors, and they gave a muffled sound as she slipped out into the hallway –

“I’ll go check on her…” came Mary’s sad little whisper, taking one last wide-eyed look at Lily before she too passed out through the doors.

Frank and Alice stepped back to whisper between one another.

Katherine sat carefully on the edge of Lily’s bed, however, and reached for her friend’s hand. She hadn’t cried yet. Part of her wanted to, another part wanted to be the level-headed friend along with Alice. All threaded through Katherine’s clatter of emotions inside – was guilt.

The terrible, most tragic thing of all was that the only thing Katherine could keep thinking was how much she wished to talk to Lily about it all. There Lily laid, however.

“I’m so sorry…” whispered Katherine, at first – at a loss. She went on with more resolve as she took the cool hand into both of hers, “I’ll sort it all out, Lily. I promise. When you wake up, I’ll tell you everything…”

Katherine linked her pinky through Lily’s, and held on – watching her friend’s fixed expression of absent shock.

Alice stepped closer, sighing and patting Lily’s knee through the blanket, “I wish Frank and I had stayed with her… she insisted – one last look outside the portrait and she would be right behind us… think she got caught up spotting Potter out on the lawns…”

Lily and Katherine had, evidently, been doing the same thing.

Katherine could almost laugh.

Almost.

The swayed muffled THUD of the doors alerted to them a returned Mary and Marlene, who were wiping their eyes.

Together, they all sat around, feeling terribly guilty.

Frank sat in a chair behind them, a silent and familiar presence, allowing them their moment.

“I shouldn’t have gone off with Adam…” sniffled Marlene, brushing Lily’s hair from her cheek as she laid up beside her on the bed.

Mary’s eyes closed, and her head fell back with her own confession, “I shouldn’t have been so pre-occupied with getting back to the tower just to avoid seeing Peter and Rosie making eyes at each other… gosh, makes me sick – she’s like twelve…”

Katherine shouldn’t have been so caught up in going after Regulus. Then anger came – that the blasted boy made himself so hard to find –

“Mister Longbottom, I can make an exception for a few more hours for Miss Evans’ dormmates… but I suggest you head back to Gryffindor Tower to get some sleep.” said Madame Pomfrey softly as she checked Lily’s vitals.

Alice sat up, reaching for Frank with a panicked quiver in her voice, “He can’t go alone.”

“By all means, Miss Fortescue…” said Madame Pomfrey just as softly as before, waving her hand towards the doors.

Alice held onto Frank’s hand, and looked from the door and back to Lily –

“Stay, it’s okay – there’s plenty of Professors out looking for any sign of the monster,” assured Frank, lifting her hand to his lips before stepping back, “I’ve got to tell the others what happened anyway…”

Frank’s eyes went to the window as he went –

“Whenever they get back from wherever they went, anyway…” the murmured words were quiet, and lingering in the wing long after the THUD of the doors closing once more.

Katherine watched the blades of light wheel through the window from outside, moving across Lily and shadowing the other girls’ faces. Time bled away from them steadily like that. Until, eventually, the unbreakable black of the December night gave way to the deepest of blues.

Katherine watched as the moon fall away behind the mountains and then as Madame Pomfrey made a surreptitious exit from the wing…

The other girls noticed nothing, until Madame Pomfrey bustled back through with a tall, exhausted Remus Lupin leaning on her –

“What happened to Remus?” whispered Mary, with wide little eyes that followed the boy to the curtained off bed across from Lily’s.

The other girls craned their necks and strained their ears alongside Mary to deduce just what was wrong with the Prefect.

Nothing came from behind the curtains, however.

“The boys like to go down into the forest – exploring,” whispered Katherine, with a performative shrug, feeling something inside of her trying to fly out and across the room to him. Instead, she tampered it down, and said – looking at Lily again, “I’ll go over in a minute and check on him. Tell him what’s happened…”

The girls nodded, sparing the curtained off bed across from Lily’s one last curious, worried glance before returning to their bedside vigil.

The bustle of Madame Pomfrey rounding Remus’ curtains and returning to her station at the back of the oil lamp lit wing tingled in Katherine’s shoulders. She waited a respectable time, then slipped away from Lily’s bed and crossed the shadowed floor on light feet.

Skirting around the edge of the curtain, Katherine slowed at the bed.

It was a head of fluffy hair she would know anywhere. In the small white sheeted single was the large, ragged form of Remus Lupin. His eyes were closed, his face turned into the side of his pillow with a faint screwed-up grimace of pain.

Katherine stepped closer slowly, tentatively running her hand up the edge of the mattress. When she reached midway up the bed, she paused and rested her hip against the mattress –

“…Remus?” she whispered aimlessly.

He shifted beneath the sheet. Eyes blearily cracked open, Remus’ face relaxed in recognition –

“Katherine?” he whispered back, before groggily moving over on the small bed.

Katherine gingerly crawled in beside him at the promise of comfort.

“I heard whispers about another petrification from the portraits on the way in...” he whispered further, as they jostled around to fit into the bed together.

Katherine paused up on her elbow, gulping and looking at his half-unbuttoned pyjama shirt, “It’s Lily –”

The tears had finally come – as Katherine choked on a sprouting sob, rushing a hand to cover her mouth –

“Come here…” were Remus’ gentle words as he pulled her atop his chest, wrapping his arms around her.

Katherine’s wet eyes were buried in the soft flannel of his pyjama shirt as she stifled hushed cries.

Remus’ arms continued to hold her until the quivers faded.

It was a wonder the bed didn’t collapse beneath them.

Katherine sniffled, lifting her eyes from the material and resting her cheek on his chest when she felt herself calming.

Remus stroked her hair for a silent moment.

Katherine toyed with a button on his shirt, confessing, “I found her on my way back from dinner, a bit later than the others…”

A sigh lifted Remus’ chest, and the faint ‘thump–thump’ of his heart met Katherine’s ear.

“I should have been patrolling with her.” said Remus, to the ceiling above them.

Katherine looked up at him from his chest, feeling her eyebrows knit together, “You can’t exactly help it, Remus –”

“It ruins… everything…” sighed Remus, his body tensing up as he went on in hushed frustration, “Everything would be so much simpler – and straightforward – I can’t keep getting sidelined…”

“Any one of us girls could have gone in your place,” reassured Katherine, her eyes falling guiltily again, “We didn’t – we got distracted with other… just nonsense…”

Remus shifted beneath her, a catching noise rumbling in his chest –

“Are you in pain?” whispered Katherine quickly, holding her body weight off him – frozen.

Remus blinked non-committedly down over his cheekbones, “It’s fine…”

Katherine shuffled back off him, to roll onto her back as well as she could, and reached for his hand instead.

Together, they stared up at the ceiling of the Hospital Wing for a long moment.

“What do we do?” he whispered, into the quiet.

Katherine got caught up in the feel of the bandage on his palm, like in the summer…

“I don’t know.” she finally answered, after a bated pause in which she stroked her thumb against the grain of the bandage.

They continued to look up at the ceiling, side by side. Everything was swathed in the grey hues of dawn.

“Things are changing,” came Remus’ voice again – this time, in low tender fullness, “Aren’t they?”

Katherine matched his grave, full use of voice, nodding up at the ceiling, “Yeah, I think they are.”

Remus nodded against the pillow in her peripheral vision.

The exchange hung in the air around them for a while before Remus broke it again.

“If they close the school… well, I’ve come to like seeing you every day…” amusement coloured his voice that time.

Katherine tampered down a smile, and said matter-of-factly, “I’ve got a house; you could come be my live-in tutor.”

A gentle laugh rippled through the air to Katherine – and Remus’ head turned to her on their shared pillow –

“Imagine the madhouse once everyone caught wind and insisted on moving in too...” were his breathy, mirthful words.

They shared a short bout of laughter together before his waned to a grunt of pain. Silence fell over them once more, but Katherine found it comforting rather than awkward as she had in the past. They continued to lay together staring at the ceiling until the smell of the antiseptic began making her feel queasy – and dry throated.

“It will be morning soon,” croaked Katherine, gulping to coat her throat, “We can’t do anything until then –”

She began pushing herself up, accidentally trapping her hair beneath her elbow and resisting a loud exclamation –

“You should rest.” she finished, still suppressing her wince.

Remus’ eyes followed her as she sat up and swivelled her legs over the edge of the mattress –

“You should rest too,” he said, motioning his eyes to the doors leading to the hallway –

He gave a sleepy smile, and a resigned glance around to his confinement to the bed –

“I’ll watch Lily.”

Katherine indeed felt, markedly, better about leaving her with Remus – even if he were asleep too. She nodded, patting his knee through the blanket gently as she went through the curtain and into the greater Hospital Wing once more.

Madame Pomfrey had returned to Lily’s bedside, and was in the midst of assuring the girls that they could visit Lily between classes if they wished – and that she would notify them of any changes. Then came the final, blow –

“I believe it’s time you girls went back to your dormitory.” said Madame Pomfrey, gently. She glanced to the clock over the doors in point.

It had struck five in the morning.

It had been an inevitability, but the girls began hovering unsurely – yet to make their own strange goodbyes to an unconscious Lily. The castle still slumbered around them. Nothing seemed to stir, but… alas there was a curious flicker by the ajar doors that caught Katherine’s eye…

A head of slicked back glossy raven locks was all Katherine could identify, but it was enough.

Regulus.

Katherine stood up to the bed to make the first of the goodbyes, tearing her eyes away from the doors – only light between them once more. Not knowing what to do, Katherine’s hand fell upon Lily’s feet where they tented beneath the hospital blanket.

They didn’t so much as twitch.

A jagged breath lodged in Katherine’s throat – thick and warm. Unexpected were another round of tears. Katherine quickly covered her mouth with her hands, and found snot coating her upper lip.

It was like a cool porcelain doll taking the place of where her friend should be.

Katherine patted Lily’s feet, squeezing them. ‘I love you, I’ll be back’ she willed telepathically before letting go. The other girls’ hands on her back felt choking, and Katherine moved away quickly to the doors as Marlene’s sobs started again in spite of Mary’s gentle cooing.

Katherine held her breath until her hand found the door handle, gently pulling it open and then shut behind herself.

The world seemed to open up again.

“Hello,”

Regulus quickly looked away from her face, his own contorting away from apprehensive shock at the tears – as if in an offer of grace. To not mention her state.

“I’ve heard the news. I thought we might, logically, need to meet.” he went on, matter-of-factly.

Katherine nodded, not looking back at him. She stepped over and leant on the brick seat surrounding the large stained-glass window.

Regulus leant beside her, looking resolutely back down the hallway to the descending stairs.

All the anger at him from earlier was gone.

“So –” Katherine sniffled, wiping at her eyes fruitlessly, “We still need to get into Professor McGonagall’s office?”

Regulus nodded in her peripheral vision.

Katherine’s eyes blurred with tears again, and she lifted her robe to wipe it inelegantly down her entire face.

“You have to stop crying.” came Regulus’ deadpan words.

Katherine was wracked by a shaking sob and whined, pathetically, “I can’t.”

Regulus continued to sit silently beside her – until she did stop crying. He wordlessly stopped her from using her robes again and offered a handkerchief after long moment of pained endurance.

“Being petrified, you know… is actually the safest thing Evans can be until we destroy the diary,” said Regulus, after pointedly depositing the white silk into Katherine’s clammy hand. He righted his robes, glancing sideways to her, less affected now that the rattling sobbing had abated, “The rest of your friends are half-bloods or purebloods.”

Katherine nodded. Her face was tight and itchy beneath her drying tears, but her chest had fallen silent – although throbbing and hollow, painfully so.

“I was looking for you tonight – instead of going with Lily,” she said nasally, dabbing the handkerchief at her snotty nose, “I thought we might have to tell a teacher soon…”

CREAK… the doors opened, and the other girls wandered aimlessly into the grey dawn lit corridor with their arms crossed over their bodies at the cold. They turned and found Katherine and Regulus immediately. Alice tugged the girls across the corridor, away from the doors, to wait as they spoke quietly.

Regulus watched them, completely still.

“Who is to say the teachers will let us destroy it?” he asked, finally, turning to her.

It was the first time Katherine had seen his eyes – and they were lined with exhaustion. He hadn’t slept either, it seemed. She had never seen him so… ruffled…

“Then it just goes on longer...” he went on, tipping his head in emphasis.

Muffled murmurs reached down to them at an arrival up the stairs –

Frank had returned, with a few tall yawning figures in tow. They closed in on the girls and spoke softly. It was mainly Alice and Frank speaking – that much Katherine could gather. No one seemed to know what to do. It was as Remus came to the doors in his pyjamas and bandages, that roving eyes turned down to Katherine and Regulus – some taking a second curious look before returning to the conversation being had.

One pair didn’t look away, however. His mouth moving in response to a shell-shocked face-scrubbing James, Sirius continued to stare straight down the barrel to his brother.

An amused clear of Regulus’ throat beside her was all the warning Katherine got before he lowered his face down to hers –

“That’s just about the only person who knows just about everything that I know,” the words were warm against Katherine’s ear, “I did fear we might need my dear older brother –”

Regulus stood, his lips brushing her ear as he kept his face close –

“Tell him.” he whispered, before abruptly loping away without a glance back.

A sense of doom bloomed in Katherine. How would Sirius take it?

Regulus skirted the group, despite their stares, and kept on without stopping. His shoulders bounced as he took the stairs down to the Entrance Hall at a jog.

Katherine stood slowly and closed in on the group, blowing her nose into Regulus’ handkerchief and attempting to appear unaffected.

Sirius’ stare was holding.

It didn’t scare her. As out of sorts as she was… he stood there, tall and waiting. Like a net as Katherine plummeted from the trapeze –

“… we should probably walk back before everyone starts coming down for breakfast.” said James, from between them, to the group at large.

Katherine’s eyes darted away from Sirius’ to the others –

“Should we just go to breakfast…?” suggested Mary, timidly.

Marlene stared off, her pale chin set beneath the tracks of mascara smudged across her cheeks.

Fear filled Katherine suddenly, and she felt the weight of her tears and snot on her robes, and she managed a crackling, “I…”

Alice’s hand came to rest on Katherine’s shoulder –

“Katherine should probably have a shower and get out of yesterday’s clothes first…she didn’t get a chance to last night…” she murmured softly, reassuringly.

“I’ll walk her back,”

His voice clenched tenderly around Katherine’s heart –

Alice glanced up to Sirius –

Sirius’ grave expression gave way to a slight smile as he gestured down at his rustled robes –

“I need to change too. We can meet you back down – after.” he went on, easily.

Alice nodded slowly, blinking and glancing to the stairs –

“Okay…” she agreed easily, something vacant about her expression.

In it – the easy acquiesce of the girls’ strong unofficial leader – came the proof that they were a shambles. All the girls were evidently running on the fumes of an oily rag…

Frank steered Alice with an arm around her back. The others fell in behind. With a gentle THUD, Remus too vanished back into the quiet Hospital Wing.

Where Lily laid.

It was a physical feat to wrench herself away from those doors – to leave her there on her own.

Wordlessly, Katherine and Sirius eventually fell into step – a half pace behind the others.

Peter changed direction from the Great Hall last minute, smoothing his hair, “Might head back to the tower… don’t want Rosie to wake up to the news and have to come down alone…”

James threw a speaking glance to Sirius – in it, something like exasperation – before he ducked inside the open double doors of the hall behind an arm-linked Mary and Marlene.

Peter turned and leapt up the stairs.

Katherine and Sirius followed behind, much slower.

Between them then, was not an awkwardness. Their eyes followed Peter out in front, and the second he vanished into the common room they no longer had to keep up the act. It hung in the air around them, like crackling power lines in the wind.

“Did you get any sleep?” asked Katherine, softly – innocuously – as they slowly climbed.

“Snatches – in the shrieking shack, around midnight… I think…” he blinked, squinting up in memory. He turned to her, his eyes fixating on her swollen ones in undisguised appraisal, “Have you…?”

Katherine shook her head –

THUD.

The portrait had closed behind Peter.

Even slower, after a knowing glance, Katherine and Sirius climbed the final staircase to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Neither gave the password.

Katherine looked at his shoes beside her, and almost smiled – they were still as large and boyish as ever beside hers. Had it really been so long since they walked back after Slughorn’s party in fifth year? Slowly, her eyes lifted along his towering form.

The glance of Sirius’ melting eyes was softer than sleep, and his arms flowed like water – pulling her in. The tight clamp of his chin came against the top of her head, and a deep breath ruffled her hair around her parting –

“I won’t lie and say I like the fact that you seem to have some secret going on with my brother.” he murmured softly against the top of her head –

Sirius squeezed his arms before relaxing his grasp enough to lean back and look down at her, his gaze searching.

Katherine still held her arms up around the middle of his back, knitting her fingers together and resisting diving her face down into the front of his robes again. In his arms, she thought she might tell him anything –

“He’s trying to help.” she offered lightly – honestly.

“What? With Greengrass?” asked Sirius, bewilderment overtaking his face. He reached up a hand to tuck an errant strand of hair behind Katherine’s ear with a burgeoning soft smile, craning his head down to hers again, “Does he know that Evans might be taking more precedent for you at the moment?”

Katherine’s chest lit up at his caring, but she had to explain herself to him –

“Actually, it’s the same thing…”

Sirius’ brow furrowed to tense pinch. The intense desperate deciphering look upon his handsome face almost made Katherine want to laugh –

“Hem… hem…” the prim throat clearing came from neither of them, but from the portrait beside them.

Katherine and Sirius, their arms around each other, turned to the lady perched in pink.

“Oh, right,” Sirius blinked, “Finicking Finches.”

CLICK, the Portrait popped off the wall and swung open on its hinges.

As their arms fell from around one another, Katherine reached for Sirius’ robed elbow –

“I need to show you something – up in the dormitory, to help explain things…” she whispered.

Sirius nodded easily, turning into her as they walked to whisper, “I’ll fly in from ours, like last time.”

The whispering had been for naught, as the common room was still empty in the early hours of the morning. Sirius leapt quickly up the boys’ stairs, taking them three at a time.

Katherine quickly jogged up the girls’ stairs, slipping inside their dormitory, and immediately went to open the window. The icy breeze rushed in and, shivering, Katherine raced back across the room and down onto her knees to pull out a large book and a sheet of parchment –

THUD, a muffled noise came from on the carpet –

Katherine halted and turned – 

Sirius had landed inside the dormitory and was already closing the window and leaning his broom up against the inside of the wall, before stepping away – over to her.

Katherine sat on the end of her bed, closest to the wood burner in the centre of the room. Her nose was running with how cold the castle had been since leaving the Hospital Wing. She lifted her blankets up from where they were tucked into the foot of her bed and pulled it over her lap as she sat sideways –

“Greengrass’ diary is the reason the chamber of secrets was opened,” explained Katherine, handing over her ‘Voldemort Study Sheet’ to Sirius’ waiting hands –

Sirius sat on the end of her bed, facing her with the sheet in both of his hands as his eyes quickly scanned –

She flipped open the heavy tome, bound in ancient black leather to a place marked by the ribbon –

“On the night of the welcoming feast, Dumbledore disclosed to me that I, perhaps, had not truly defeated Voldemort…” she went on, holding the open book up to face Sirius.

Sirius’ eyes lifted from both the parchment and book, and they pinned her keenly –

“A Horcrux.” he said softly. The clear glint in his eye betrayed Sirius’ cleverness, however. Katherine could already see him leaping and bounding ahead in his mind.

She nodded slowly, accepting the book back from his hands –

“To close the chamber, we need to destroy the diary. Destroy the piece of Voldemort’s soul. As far as we know, it’s still in Professor McGonagall’s quarters somewhere…”

Sirius nodded attentively, reaching back to pull the blanket over himself too, “Right.”

He was taking it so very well. What had she been so afraid of for all those months? How much time had she wasted?

Shuffling, her leg pressed against his –

“Sorry.” she said quietly.

Sirius gave an affected turn of his head, still visibly in thought, “Oh, it’s okay.”

“I…” she hesitated, before going on, “I thought about telling you…a few times…”

Katherine looked down, feeling weepy again as she went on with a chunky throat –

“I haven’t even told Lily –”

Katherine cleared the sob from her throat, shaking her head at herself. ‘You need to stop crying’ echoed throughout her mind.

“Moony mentioned your meetings in passing with Dumbledore, earlier in the term,” supplied Sirius, sensing her lack for words. His voice with warm with assurance as he went on, tipping his head, “I’m sure our headmaster would have implied for you to not tell anyone.”

“I want to – now,” she sped out, sitting up straighter, before faltering unsurely, “If you want to – or, I don’t know, maybe you don’t –”

“Katherine,”

Sirius’ calm tenderness was accompanied by a hand over hers –

“I do.” he said, pointedly, into her eyes.

Katherine nodded and shuffled as she prepared herself. Their legs pressed tightly together again, but she didn’t bother apologising.

Sirius didn’t move away.

As the sun rose and streamed through the condensation-dimpled windows, Katherine told Sirius everything. They kicked off their shoes and wriggled their socked feet closer to the warmth of the wood burner, and the blanket – at some point – was pulled up around their shoulders.

She started with Dumbledore at the beginning of term, then her attempts with Slughorn, to Regulus’ interventions. When Katherine finished, with a sigh, she looked to the wood burner with a contemplative frown – wondering if she missed anything, and simultaneously feeling guilty for lumping it all on Sirius in one go –

“That’s all?” came Sirius’ gentle words.

The doom in her chest broke apart in lieu of her shock –

Sirius shifted to turn further into her, shuffling closer on the edge of the mattress. The blanket shifted around their shoulders –

“I can help you with all of that – easy,” he shook his head imploringly at her, craning his neck and softly smiling, “We’ll get the diary, destroy it, and Evans will wake up by the end of the week,”

Suddenly, Katherine was crying again – but she had never felt more relieved. Somewhere in the blur of tears, she became aware of Sirius’ hands lifting to her cheeks –

“It’s going to be okay.” he murmured, wiping at her tears with his thumbs.

Katherine’s face fell, heavy, into his hands, and she thought them so very wonderful that morning. Then, however, came Sirius’ lips – warm and slightly chapped – upon her cheeks, and she felt the will in them to take the tears away as they were falling –

She had never felt more like a little girl, completely at his mercy.

Sirius moved to kiss her by her hairline, then tucked her head beneath his chin. Her smaller frame became fully enveloped in his larger one. There was strength in his embrace, but there were no clumsy, hard, boyish edges. Just warmth, all around. The smell of his throat, too – with the faint traces of his soap, the crisp earth of the forest, and the balm of perspiration. Him.

As her tears began slowing, and the need for a deep slumber began to discombobulate her thoughts, Katherine remembered thinking that Sirius just might be the sweetest person in the world – and that no one would ever dare guess…

 

---

 

The girls had all been excused from morning lessons to sleep. The others brought the news back with them from breakfast, finding Katherine already strewn across the end on her bed with her blanket haphazardly pulled around her shoulders in a mouth-open half-stupor, drooling against the sheet. Belle had curled up in the ruffled spot that Sirius had vacated sometime in between Katherine’s flickers of consciousness.

Before Sirius had left, he had duplicated the parchment so that any changes would immediately be transferred to the other when made. The final measure had been to make it unreadable, like the map, to the unsuspecting eye. They would need to tap it say –

“ Au Seigneur Fou .”

Katherine scrutinised the words in her ear, only understanding part of it, “To the…”

Sirius quickly wet his lips, his eyes flashing up to her in mirth –

“Daft Lord.” he said, with the faintest of snorts.

Katherine snickered out breathily, “Sirius.”

“I think it’s great.” he defended, with raised brow amusement.

Katherine held her own sheet, and found her brain, still, miraculously working enough to think logically –

“Could you get one to Regulus?” she asked, glancing to Sirius.

Sirius nodded slowly, looking down at the identical sheets held loosely in their hands –

“We should probably all meet in person, today at some point,” he said, with a blink. He tipped his head to her and went on, “It’s the safest way to communicate.”

Katherine nodded, then suggested through a yawn, “Library?”

Sirius’ eyes flashed sideways to Katherine, and an odd, stoppered noise came from behind his curving lips –

“We can’t just be seen together in the library.” he said, lightly – though with a patient kindness.

Katherine felt her brow pulling together, “You’re brothers.”

Sirius lips twitched, and his eyes glittered –

“Not that kind.” came his voice, melodic with mirth.

When Katherine woke in earnest, to the gentle tinkling bells of the collection of the girls’ alarms, solid bright light beamed into the dormitory. The coolness of winter still perfused the room, felt on the other side of their heavy maroon blankets. It was, suddenly, midday.

The girls groggily sat up in their four-posters, wiping sleep from their eyes.

The dormitory was dust-silent.

Lily’s bed was made and empty, and the smell of her was already fading from the dormitory. Marbles, too, was pacing the dormitory and then leaping onto the windowsill, looking out with big eyes. He didn't know what had happened.

Alice was the first to pull herself out of bed and to begin dressing. Slowly, the rest of the girls followed – pulling on their uniforms and brushing their teeth.

The vague vestiges of a tear-induced migraine niggled in Katherine’s head like an old bruise. She splashed her face, and just brushed out the tangles in her lengths of hair – not bothering to put it into the plait she had begun going back to most days with her ever growing locks. She made sure to pet Marbles copiously before leaving.

As they walked down to Lunch like ghosts, the girls murmured the occasional wondering aloud –

“Do you think her parents will come to the castle?” mused Mary, as they closed in on the double doors of the Great Hall.

Unintelligible murmurs and shrugs met her in response, and the girls settled into their usual spot and began picking at the food on the table.

“Shall we go visit her? Before classes?” suggested Marlene.

Katherine nodded, feeling sick with missing Lily already, “I’d like to.”

“Me too.” said Mary softly, looking out the window in a daze.

Alice nodded between bites of her sandwich, “Yeah.”

It was as they left Lunch, early – to miss most of the other students coming from the far-flung corners of the castle – that Katherine saw Sirius again. He and James were yawning and jogging down the steps to the Entrance Hall from the last of their morning classes, both of their faces vacant and pale with exhaustion.

Unlike the girls, they had not been excused from their morning classes.

Sirius’ eyes sparked back to life again when they landed on Katherine and the girls, and then he was making his way, undisguisedly, over –

“I’ve got the, er,” he broke off as he looped his hand around her elbow, glancing to the other girls who watched him with blank eyes, “Notes. From potions – that you missed this morning.”

“Oh, right,” Katherine cottoned on, turning back to the other girls, “I’ll meet you guys at the Hospital Wing?”

Mary yawned, waving, “Alright, bye…”

Stepping slowly, the girls went on their lazy way.

James ruffled a hand through his already mussed hair, waving goodbye too – but he streamed into the Great Hall with Frank, instead.

It was unspoken that Sirius was taking her to meet Regulus somewhere, but that didn’t stop Katherine from wondering what had gone on in the lessons that morning as they climbed the stairs through the castle again –

“So, how was Potions?” she asked, airily.

Sirius clasped their hands together, pulling Katherine along down an off-shooting corridor she had never been down before –

“Did bugger all, really. Slughorn was off with the nymphs,” he said, swinging their arms as he looked out ahead unaffectedly, “Evans always was his favourite.”

Two turns later, and Sirius was opening the door to an old disused classroom – of which were aplenty in the castle.

Leant on a desk, just inside the door, was Regulus.

CLICK, Sirius closed the door behind them after a cursory glance outside in the hallway.

“I’ve checked the room,” said Regulus, with upwards lift of his head to Sirius.

Sirius nodded once.

At that moment, Katherine wondered how they had agreed upon meeting in the classroom as she observed their strange ways. Sirius had a way of accessing Regulus that Katherine just didn’t. It had all come together so easily, and so fast. She also did not quite know where to stand between the brothers...

“After the recent petrification, it’s going to be harder to find excuses to be lingering around Professor McGonagall’s quarters,” Regulus went on, with the gusto of being the most well-rested person in the room, “My suggestion is that we turn our focus to methods of destroying it, should the opportunity fall into our laps to retrieve it. The only way of destroying a Horcrux, that’s somewhat available to us, is –”

“Fiendfyre.” said Sirius, nodding.

Regulus gave one nod. Then a plain, unshielded glimmer of curiosity crossed the younger of the boys’ face –

“Did father ever teach you?”

Sirius gave a slow muted shake of his head.

A beat of a moment passed as the two boys considered one another, and Katherine was struck was the feeling of being obsolete in the room.

“I feared that particular conjuration skill might be beyond us all,” mused Regulus, looking off to the dirty window. He paused, looking down at the front of his robes as he went on, eyes flickering back to Katherine and Sirius, “I’ve… taken the liberty of asking Kreacher to procure pocket Fiendfyre from Knockturn Alley.”

In the flash of a second, Sirius’ lips took on an imperceptible purse. It was gone just as quickly –

“How long?” he asked, with a considering nod.

Regulus tipped his head, looking down at his glinting shoes where they were crossed over one another at the ankle –

“A few days,”

He tapped his shoes together thoughtfully, then pushed himself off the edge of the desk to stand –

“I’ll let you know.” he said, with his own brand of perfunctory politeness as he spared them both a short nod, before beginning towards the door.

Sirius took a slight step towards him, pulling out a piece of parchment from his inner robe pocket, “You’ll be needing this.”

Regulus plucked the parchment out of his grasp, and considered it with near derision –

“A spare bit of parchment?” he asked, loftily.

Sirius gave a firm look of amusement, and tapped his wand to the parchment in show –

“Au Seigneur Fou.”

Sirius was stowing his wand away and crossing his arms as Katherine’s writing bloomed onto the page before Regulus’ eyes.

The younger boy blinked at the parchment, then folded it – lifting it once with a wry incredulous look back to them –

“…to the… Daft Lord.” he repeated, as he busily jiggled it into the inside of his blazer pocket.

 

---

 

As the trio left the classroom, as inconspicuously as possible, Sirius habitually hung back with Regulus as Katherine darted off to catch the other girls at Hospital Wing before afternoon classes commenced. She barely out-edged their pace. It was daylight, in a busy castle at that too. Sirius and Regulus strolled behind, watchfully, however.

Sirius couldn’t help his questioning glances at the boy beside him.

“Out with it.” said Regulus, simply, as they jolted down the stairs.

Sirius’ tongue found the inside of his smiling cheek, before he turned to him with a furrowing brow, “You trusted her enough to tell her all of that?”

Regulus glanced sideways incredulously as they reached the bottom of the stairs and reached the Entrance Hall once more –

“If I didn’t… well she could have very well –” he blinked out ahead “– unwittingly –”

Regulus turned to him, raising his eyebrows emphatically –

“– died.”

It was at that moment that the boys watched Katherine run into Remus at the base of stairs to the Hospital Wing as he was coming down them.

Sirius spoke sideways, with burgeoning dark mirth, “Ah, but that’s what Bellatrix and all her lot want.”

Sirius felt eyes on the side of his face as he watched Remus slide an arm around Katherine’s shoulders, tugging her into his side as they turned together to climb back up the stairs to the Hospital Wing. He turned back to Regulus.

Regulus was watching as Katherine strung an arm around Remus’ back, leaning into him as they swayed up the stairs slowly in the filtering afternoon light.

“She… doesn’t deserve it.” he said, as they disappeared from sight, watching the place they had been at the top of the stairs.

Sirius felt a tickle in his forehead, of surprise, “Is this all because of… me?”

Regulus spared him a long droll sideways glance –

“Get off your broomstick,” he said, almost in laughter. He glanced back away, his brow knitting together slowly, “It’s because she’s –”

Regulus shrugged –

“I don’t know… nice.” he supplied, with awkward sincerity.

Sirius felt his smugness climb up from his chest and bloom out into a smile –

“And perhaps a bit pretty?” he goaded, feeling his brow lifting.

Regulus’ blank aloof gaze left the windows at the end of the hallway to fix on the rafters above them, moaning incredulously, “Oh, my goodness…”

Regulus was always too easy, remembered Sirius in relaxing satisfaction.

“You don’t deny it.” Sirius went on, shoving his brother easily around the back of the head as they walked on towards the double doors of the Great Hall.

In the moment, the familiarity of his brother’s hair came rushing back to Sirius. Like his own, just shorter. Some tether, never to be broken, proved to continue to bind the brothers. It was as unsubtle as being impaled on the very same double blade. Your hair is my hair… your eyes are blue like our fathers, mine are grey like our mother’s…our hands and feet have the same bone deep peculiarities –

‘We were forged in the same fire’, it all said.

Regulus had stumbled at the shove and righted his robes with a dark look to Sirius. The corners of his lips had the slightest of twitches, however…

“It hardly matters,” he said coolly, in the silly pompous way he had adopted sometime around the age of ten when he had figured himself someone important –

Sirius found himself smiling again as he glanced back to the empty staircase Katherine had vanished up, suddenly wishing to tell her all about growing up with his brother with the knowing she would get a kick out of it –

“– She can barely take her eyes off you these days, can she?” Regulus had gone on, slashing his half-lidded eyes wryly to his brother.

Sirius’ lips failed him in want of a witty response.

Regulus all but rolled his eyes in his periphery but still walked on beside him until they needed to split for the respective house tables, if not a metre apart – for austerity.

Delight glimmered, unavoidably, in Sirius’ chest. He had spent so long wanting after Katherine Spencer –

Did he really, finally…have her...?

The glimmer gave way to a wringing crush that swiftly stalled his breath, as his head filled with what losing her might look like. Arguing with her like he did with his mother. Boredom. Restriction. Disappointment. Turning into an apathetic twin of his father –  

No, he stopped himself quickly, she was nothing like his mother – and he was not his father. Neither, truly, were bound by any of the shackles of their families; the orphaned daughter and the disowned son.

They could be something new entirely, he decided. With it was the foreign strand of something streaking through his entire being. He feared that it was exactly the ‘something’ that had never fit him properly, or looked good upon him – in Sirius’ opinion, all too wishy washy…

There it was, however, stark and bold as it straightened him out.

Hope.

 

Notes:

🎶 You're in the wind, I'm in the water
Nobody's son, nobody's daughter 🎶

That part of Chemtrails Over the Country Club is just perfect for Katherine and Sirius I just can't even 😫

So, there we have it! A little POV change AND Katherine has finally spilled the whole can of beans to someone! Something tells me Sirius is exactly the kind of person she has needed to help out all along... 🤭

Chapter 65: A Plan of Action

One sleep down, thought Katherine as she woke the next day.

Marbles had taken to curling up behind her neck in Lily’s absence. The cat knew, it seemed, that something was wrong. It had alarmed Katherine, at first, because she was certain someone was stroking her hair as she slept. It didn’t help that Katherine often made monsters out of the shadows at night, especially the long, tall shadow that seemed to become a fixture beside her bed since winter fell upon the castle – trick of the light with the moving heavens, she supposed…  

It was the second full day since Lily had been petrified, and Katherine found herself irked by the persistent feeling that she was walking around with all her clothes on inside out.

Around the castle were increased signs of paranoia in the student population at the new petrification – especially of someone as well-known as Lily Evans. By the time Katherine reached breakfast, it became clear that everyone had already gotten over staring at the sixth year Gryffindor girls since the previous day. She ate breakfast in relative peace.

When it came time to move off to morning classes, Katherine followed her friends – even though she would be returning to her beside vigil at the hospital wing for her free period.

Alice ducked into the lavatory, and Frank stood a steadfast silent sentinel outside.

Bundled up, with frost-bidden fingers and toes, the others settled on the cloisters of an interior courtyard of sorts just down the way. The bell had still yet to ring. It was then that Sirius and James strolled down to meet them, seemingly having had a late rise.

The topic of quidditch, for once, was conspicuously absent from the murmurs of conversation against the thick sleepy blanket of morning cloaking them all. As Frank and Alice crossed over to re-join the group, it became clear that the boys were in fact rising early to exercise and train in their dormitory –

“Keeps away the cold, doesn’t it?” said James to the others, shaking out his arms.

Katherine observed them from where she leant on Remus’ shoulder, both of them as anciently exhausted and cold as the stone they perched their backside upon.

The boys did have a healthy ruddiness about them, and a clear-eyed alertness to their freshly showered heads. Sirius, especially, was appearing more muscular around his neck…

Eventually, the conversation turned back to the castle’s reaction to what had happened, and musings about the beast –

“I mean, Katherine was always set on Greengrass being part of it, but she’s not even in the castle anymore…” trailed off Marlene.

“What?” asked Katherine, lifting her head from Remus’ shoulder.

Remus peered down at her, their arms still pressed together, “You must have been a bit pre-occupied the other night to notice, but… Greengrass wasn’t there in the hospital wing. She was taken to St Mungo’s a few days before Lily, er…”

“Oh…” was all Katherine could muster, as her mind began spinning. Did Regulus know this? What did it mean for the Horcrux?

As they all moved off again, regrouped, to class, Katherine caught James’ careful glances her way when she was looking at the boy beside him.

Sirius, beside him, glanced back often, in his eyes was the transparent desire to talk about Greengrass – and about their plans and attempts to get the diary.

Katherine walked behind slowly, knocking shoulders with Remus. She wished to talk to Sirius about all of that – plus, she… was struck by the urge to lean into him again and take comfort from him, but… was that overstepping some sort of line? It might have been all fine and well to practise kiss… and he stepped up as a friend to comfort her the previous morning given the extreme circumstance, but…

“– can’t believe it didn’t just get a mudblood this time, it got the mudblood.” sniggered Avery, glancing to the approaching cohort of Gryffindors as they arrived at the first class of the day.

Snape stood with the boys, a face of stone. He did not say a word.

Dolohov snorted, and turned flashing eyebrows on the group of girls, plus Remus –

“Shame it can’t get all you girls.” he said, with lascivious smile down at Mary as she passed out the front of the group.

That time, Snape sniggered with the Slytherin boys –

Dolohov was roughly shoved back into a pillar, wincing and reaching for the back of his head – 

“Oi – oi –” Avery’s pacifying was cut off –

“Don’t speak to her like that.” came the icy voice of Dobbs, who had arrived around the corner in just enough time to see Dolohov’s approach of Mary.

Avery spread his arms wide, laughing genially, “Come on, Dobbs.”

“It’s funny.” added Macnair, pulling Dolohov off from where he was pinned at the pillar by the Prefect’s tall figure, and roughed his hair playfully –

“Argh!” came the yell, of Macnair, as a rather exuberant stinging hex sent him into a back arched reach of his backside.

“Funny, is it?” asked Dobbs with acerbic calm, his wand dangling by his side.

The other Slytherin boys laughed at Macnair until he managed to reverse the hex, with a dark look to Dobbs.

Dobbs was unbothered and approaching Mary, tender-eyed and voiced as he spread a hand over the small of her back, “Okay, Mares?”

Mares; the nickname only the girls and Mary’s family called her – coming from the mouth of the Slytherin prefect sent quick glances between the Gryffindor girls…

Oh.

Oh.

They watched Mary turn into the boy’s side, her own hand reaching around his back familiarly. The date she had gone on after Sirius’ birthday party…

Katherine glanced sideways to Remus.

Remus was glancing back, with incredulous silent comradery.

DONG! – DONG! – DONG! –

James, Sirius and Frank were stowing away their wands as the scene in the hallways settled at the ringing of the bell. Mary had her own protector, evidently, and had rendered them useless.

Four loose groups settled around the hallway as they waited to be let into the classroom – the Slytherins, sending scathing looks of disapproval at Dobbs where he stood off to the side with Mary; the Gryffindors, watching the Slytherins and glancing after their own watchfully as she took up with their newly pariah’d prefect; a few new arrivals from other houses, glancing around curiously at the tense atmosphere; and then Mary and Dobbs, oblivious to it all as they stood closely, and obviously, together.

Marlene blinked in appraisal of Dobbs, pursing her lips acceptingly, “I didn’t have him pegged as the type…”

“I suppose we shouldn’t be too surprised, given how serious everything is… that he would make his allegiances known…” mused Remus, with the girls.

Alice nodded, glancing back – 

“The last time the chamber was opened, someone did die,” she whispered, shaking her head, “She wasn’t even muggleborn.”

Katherine glanced around, “What?”

“Forgot you wouldn’t know…” trailed of Marlene, before inclining her head to explain quietly, as she glanced around at the moving students lining up for class, “Katherine – Moaning Myrtle. Ever notice she’s the only ghost in a Hogwarts uniform?”

Katherine nodded, and then said with slow tepidness, “Has anyone… you know… asked her about it? Did she see what the monster is?”

Marlene gave an amused sort of side-eye, as she took to lining up.

“The Professors would have done.” said Alice, reassuringly, as she tucked her books to her chest and swayed off into line with Frank.

Katherine hung back with Remus as everyone moved around. The boys usually went in last.

“Where are you going after this?” asked Remus, as Katherine stepped along with him.

Katherine stepped away from the line to the midline of the corridor as it neared the door – through which she was not going –

“I have to check into a library session, and then I’m going to skive off it to go see Lily.”

Remus stepped backwards into the classroom, tapping the doorframe to hang on a second longer –

“Tell her I said hello.” he said, with a short smile, before apologising to Jessica Wood as she waited after him.

Jessica Wood was far from put out, giggling and pushing his back with a playful hand on his arm.

Katherine flashed her eyebrows to Remus.

Remus shook his head quickly, yet surreptitiously, in an embarrassed return with a light furrow between his eyebrows. He then made an innocent expression of apology as he attempted to not trample into people as he turned around and disappeared down a row of desks –

“Has Evans had any doses of mandrake yet?”

Sirius had planted a hand on the wall beside Katherine’s head and leant in, loitering outside the classroom with James. He chewed his gum idly as he peered down at her in wait –

Katherine tore her eyes away from his pulsing jaw, “First one this morning, I think,”

James glanced between her and the door, firmly standing, but appearing uncertain, somehow. Until it clicked for her –

“I’m not about to start crying again.” said Katherine, finally, to him – a smile tugging at her lips.

James grinned in clear relief, shaking a hand through the back of his hair, “Just check–ing.”

James’ voice had cracked, and he cleared his throat soundly afterwards as he stepped off.

Katherine ignored the voice crack, but privately thought it was rather endearing.  

Sirius lingered, smacking his gum and glancing to James with a small smile.

James fell backwards through the doorway to the classroom with speaking smile, addressing the slip up good-naturedly.

Sirius glanced over his shoulder to watch him disappear, then turned back to Katherine – his eyes flickering over her face as he swallowed his gum –

“So, you have your free, and then Divination…?” he murmured closely.

Katherine nodded, watching the bobbing on his throat. She wondered if she would ever hear his voice crack. Sometimes it went high – especially when he laughed. Not for the first time, she was struck by the wish to know him as he was when he was young. Something told her he was just as impenetrable and aloof even back then…

His body swayed nearer to hers, something heady about it –

“I’m not late, am I!?” puffed Pettigrew with a sound slap of his shoes on the floor as he jumped down the stairs.

Sirius closed his eyes in a long patient blink, “No, mate, you’re alright.”

Peter smoothed himself over as he closed in, breathless –

“Had to see –”

“Your little girlfriend to class.” said Sirius, mirthfully.

Peter arched up onto his tip toes to wrangle an arm around Sirius’ neck, grinning and trying to rough the boy’s hair. He dragged him through the door with that arm.

Sirius gave one last turn back as he laughed, shoving off Peter easily –

CLUNK! the door closed magically behind the two boys.

Katherine stared at the solid wooden door, the hallway suddenly silent. The moving shadows of Sirius and Peter moved beneath the gap for but a second before they must have taken their seats. Then there was only dust – and weak morning light. Funny, thought Katherine, she thought could still feel him – even through the weak separation that was the door…

She kept a watchful eye out as she began her climb through the castle to the library, where Katherine signed in to her allotted library session under the approving gaze of Madame Pince. She chose an innocuous desk out the way of everyone. Then, she waited. Schoolwork was the last thing on her mind – ‘Sorry, Lily.’ she mentally apologised…

Soon enough, however, she slipped out and made her way to the Hospital Wing where she apologised out loud –

“I really am – sorry, that is,” she said to her, normally, as she perched up on the edge of her bed, “But I had to tell you…”

Katherine went on to tell Lily about Mary and Dobbs – and the encounter in the hallway – in great detail.

Lily laid there, unmoving. Katherine missed her delightful expressions already. Her clever quips…

Katherine reached out to neaten Lily’s hair on the pillow, going on from before, “Look who he turned out to be…”

There was no response, as expected.

It was less unnerving to talk to her when not looking at her, so Katherine held onto Lily’s hand and gazed out the window.

“Have I told you? I’m thinking of lopping all my hair off – getting a bob up to my ears…”

Katherine laughed to herself, like a lunatic, for a short while after that. Katherine saw the reflection of her solemn chin in the window as she calmed again. She blinked wistfully as she sat on what might be her next words a moment longer as she looked out over the grounds.

It was then that Katherine thought she felt Lily’s hand twitch. Katherine finally looked back to Lily’s vacant face, searching it for any sign of movement. Her heart flying into her throat, Katherine paused – and waited.

“Lily?” she asked, squeezing her hand.

Nothing.

Katherine nodded in acceptance of it and looked down at her lap – rocking their joint hands again. She thought she might practise her confessions, for when she woke.

“Anyway, what else did I meant to tell you? Oh, yeah – have you ever heard of Horcruxes? That’s how you got here...” she sighed, before going on, “Voldemort’s hidden a piece of his soul in that diary Greengrass was lugging around. It’s being held in Professor McGonagall’s office – we’re going to break in and get it. Then destroy it with fiendfyre – don’t ask, Regulus can barely explain it to me…”

There were still too many loose ends. Katherine wished she could tell Lily what the monster was, the difference between it petrifying and killing someone –

Lily had seen it, Katherine realised – when it petrified her. When she woke, she would be able to tell everyone…

When she woke.

Katherine eyed the potion on Lily’s bedside table, and the faint earthy smell that smoked above the tea-hued liquid. It would not be long until she could talk to her again for real…

“Gosh… I miss you…” whispered Katherine, holding onto her hand a little tighter.

CHINK, the sound of the metal rails of the curtain was pulled behind her –

Katherine turned –

It was haphazardly being closed rather than opened and, on the other side, was a shadowed hunched figure and large hooked nose –

Through the gaps of the gossamer curtains and their gleaming copper rails were tell-tale Slytherin robes. Snape.

Katherine jumped up, her hand falling out of Lily’s –

“Wait –”

Katherine chased the retreating Slytherin robes that flapped out behind the boy all the way down to the Entrance Hall. She caught up to him just before he began taking the stairs down to the dungeons –

“It’s okay –” she sped out, panting.

Snape paused, his shoulders like rocks. Still, he did not turn –

“I won’t say anything – to anyone…” she finished, heaving breaths – and waiting.

Lily saw something in the boy, that was all Katherine knew. That, and the fact that Snape must have enjoyed growing up with Lily Evans as much as Katherine had enjoyed her own time with the girl – albeit much shorter. If Snape wanted to see Lily, she would have, undoubtedly let him – were she conscious…

“About what?” he sniped, over his shoulder, “You’re… seeing things, Spencer. Don’t bother me, of all people, with your mental delusions.”

With that, he went to flee again.

Katherine stood there in the empty Entrance Hall, in disbelief –

“I never did anything to you on purpose, Snape.” came out of her, in incredulous exhaustion.

Snape paused again, glancing over his shoulder –

For a moment, hope rose up inside Katherine – that maybe she could make some sort of impasse with her best friend’s old best friend –

“All you had to was walk through those doors, and all that you’ve brought since is ruin.” were his quiet, cutting words.

Katherine stood, like a gutted fish, gaping inelegantly for a fraction of second. Then came the slow crawling fog of resigned acceptance. As harsh as the words may have been perhaps, maybe he was right…

“Argh!” Snape jumped on the spot, hopping on one leg and quickly rolling up the trouser leg on the other –

“I was going to let Katherine be nice to you –”

The clipped low words, and a towering presence looming at her back, turned Katherine around –

Sirius stood behind her with a face of annihilating stone, his wand poking out from his crossed arms – 

“– but you just had to go and be as stupid as you look.” this was said in a sighing air of tiredness, as Sirius blinked indolently.

Snape’s eyes flashed up like daggers from the outbreak of angry welts on his legs, and he advanced back towards them with his wand dangling in his hand –

“Just wait until we’re in the real world, Black,” he spat, with eyes of wild excitement – and threat. They passed up and down over Sirius, and Snape sneered out, “Pureblood ponce like you...”

Amusement, with a dark edge, passed over Sirius’ face, “You think?”

Snape’s sneer became a scowl, and his arm snapped up – all at once, a non-verbal was flashing out of his wand –

Sirius slashed his wand, moving as if having taken offense at the spell –

The wind of the shielded spell knocked Katherine back a step.

Snape too, was sent stumbling and clutching the rail of the stairs he had been standing at the edge of.

There was something glinting and cool in Sirius’ eyes, like a knife. It had been some time since their lips last touched, but Katherine remembered the exhilaration of kissing someone like that – like licking the edge.

Snape gave one last dark look, then turned and stole away down the stairs and disappeared off a landing onto a hallway, out of sight.

When Sirius glanced down at her, warmth flickered in at the edges of those eyes of his. In one step, Sirius took her cheeks and jaw into his hands – tilting it up and side to side in inspection with cool, featherlight fingers –

“Alright?” he asked, in an inspecting murmur as his eyes ran all over her face and then, finally – to her eyes.

Katherine nodded, her spine relaxing the way it had done in Professor Flitwick’s ‘relaxation lessons’.

“After that –” his eyes flickered to where Snape had been. With a quirk of his lips, he looked back to her with a tilt of his head, “I think I’ll walk you to Divination.”

Without thinking, Katherine reached for his hand as they started walking – then froze. She had never held his hand first before. Unsure if it was only okay when he did it, as his own kind of ‘joke’ as their ‘practising’, Katherine’s heart flipped over nauseatingly in her chest…

Sirius’ hand had wrapped hers back, however – and the boy continued, tall and unflapped beside her.

They walked on to Divination, up through the levels of the castle. Only slowing when they reached the classroom’s corridor and ran into the back of a small crowd – of boyfriends’ dropping off their girlfriends.

Sirius peered through the sudden appearance of taller heads at the female-dominated class nonchalantly, his hand still, dutifully, in hers. Almost…fatherly. Like Katherine was a child he was helping cross the street. The thought warmed Katherine equally as much as it amused her.

“Black…” greeted Dobbs with an upwards nod, as his hand squeezed Mary’s in backwards goodbye as their arms stretched and fell apart.

The tall Slytherin prefect closed in on them.

Katherine turned to Sirius, loosening her grip, “I’ll see you?”

“See you.” said Sirius down to her, with patient, sparkling eyes as he squeezed her hand in farewell.

Katherine stepped off an away to Mary – where the other girl bobbed on her toes and waved an arm over the crowd for her. Once the girls reached one another, they wordlessly glanced back at the boys together.

Sirius and Dobbs shared wry smiles and a quiet exchange of words and hand gestures in seeming reference to the crowd around the corridor. With chuckles, they turned together and walked off at their loping long-legged pace.

“Braddy did mention he grew up seeing Sirius and his family around a lot, but… I guess, I didn’t expect them to get on…” were Mary’s light words of appraisal at the interaction she and Katherine had just witnessed.

“Okay, bye-bye, love –”

Frank Longbottom’s words were broken by the kiss he pressed to Alice’s lips as he walked her backwards up to the other girls –

“See you after.” he said in warm farewell, smoothing a strand of Alice’s hair back off her face.

Marlene walked around the back of the couple with an amused smile, having evidently tagged on with them on the walk up to the class.

Frank gave a rushed wave over his shoulder to the other girls and then dashed off quickly in the same direction as Sirius and Dobbs.

“I was chatting with Remus in our last class after McGonagall pulled him out,” said Marlene, as the girls watched all the boys slowly vanishing from the corridor at the ringing of the bell, “Lily’s parents will be arriving a bit before lunch. He’s tasked with walking them back to McGonagall’s office after they finish seeing Lily and talking to Madame Pomfrey.”

Katherine nodded, then paused, “Are we all going to…”

“I’ve never met Lily’s parents properly, I feel a bit…” Marlene trailed off, with an uncertain expression.

Katherine nodded in reassuring understanding. One of them should go, however…

“Be careful with that one will you, Mares –”

Alice and Mary’s conversation reached back to their ears as they all streamed along in a line to the ladder up to the classroom –

“Pureblood boys take the whole dating thing very seriously – propose a lot quicker and all that,” she said, with an amused sideways nudge and grin, “I’m happy for you and Dobbs, but just…”

Alice’s concerned brow was warm and sincere, even from her profile –

“Don’t get into anything you’re not ready for, okay?”

 

---

 

Katherine spent most of Divination tensely debating with herself on whether or not to go see Lily’s parents after class. She barely paid attention to the omens of catastrophe that kept popping up in everyone’s tarot readings, and Jessica Wood’s murmurs about Lily and the fact that she was sure she would be next.

“Look at Myrtle – it killed her, and she wasn’t even muggleborn!” She had evidently, come to the same conclusion as Alice and Marlene earlier.

Katherine felt annoyance twinging through her, and she murmured, unable to help herself, “I suppose, if you’re annoying enough…”

Mary choked beside her on a snort of laughter, turning wide-eyes of incredulity on Katherine –

“Oh my god…Katherine…” she whispered in awed shock. Her lips were curving, however.

Marlene barely contained her quivering laughter from the table beside them, sighing out in blinking mirth, “It’s becoming less and less of a mystery how you and Black get on…”

Katherine stifled a smile at the myriads of emotions that sparked through her at the simple words.

For the rest of the lesson, she watched the clock. Remus would be on his free – maybe even with Lily’s parents at that very moment. She vaguely heard Wood and Bones whispering his name as well as the droning TICK-TOCK of the clock repeated over and over –

DONG! – DONG! – DONG! –

The chairs all scraped back as everyone rose and began packing their things away.

Mary leant closer, to whisper, “Are you going?”

“Yeah, I should…” said Katherine, nodding distractedly as she clumsily pushed her books inside her bag. She swung it onto her shoulder as the soles of her feet grew itchy, “I’ll see you at lunch?”

Mary, nodded, waving her off as Katherine weaved ahead to get to the ladder –

“Say hi for me!”

Katherine waved back in response, before going down the ladder hand over shaky hand. Then she ran. She ran all the way down the staircases, into the Entrance Hall, and slowed herself to climb the stairs to the Hospital Wing. She paused on the climb as her eyes peeked over the top and she could see Remus – and set of little muggle pumps, lingering outside the double doors as they all listened to Madame Pomfrey –

Warm air rushed against her ear as the only warning before –

“What are we looking at?”

The whisper made Katherine jump in place on the step, and she turned back –

Regulus stood flush behind her, peering over her shoulder. He had quiet feet like his brother.

Katherine turned back, to make sure they hadn’t been spotted, whispering back, “Lily’s parents.”

“They’re both really muggles?” asked Regulus quietly, rising up onto his toes on the step beneath hers to see better, “What would happen if I went and shook their hands?”

“They’d turn into pumpkins.”

“Really?”

Katherine turned a wry eye on him.

Regulus grinned, “Come on, Spencer. I take Muggle Studies,”

He glanced over her head again, wonder overtaking his features –

“I’ve never touched a muggle before though…” he admitted, his eyebrows knitting together as he turned to her – solemnly, “Are they… friendly?”

Katherine tipped a head in Lily’s parents’ direction with an earnest smile, “They are.”

She turned to watch them, feeling the warmth of familiarity come rushing back to her.

“I’m not feeling quite up to broadening my horizons today…” said Regulus as he watched over her shoulder with her. He paused, before going on, whispering meaningfully, “I’ve been following Professor McGonagall; her schedule remains the same,”

The warmth of him receded from her.

Katherine turned.

Regulus was stuffing his hands into his pockets and bending at the waist –

“Should you need to… visit her.” he tacked on, glancing around nonchalantly as he went to step down and away.

Katherine started after him, “You’re not coming? When we go for the…”

“There’s more of us now. We should conserve our efforts where possible,” he said, lowering his head by hers as he glanced in the direction of people streaming through the Entrance Hall behind them, “I’m keeping the pocket fiendfyre under lock and key in my dormitory but…”

He turned, as if concealing his face – the colour of his robes –

“It’s difficult.” he said, clearing his throat.

Katherine felt her eyes widen a fraction, “Will it… go off?”

“No,” the word was almost laughingly barked out, and he stepped back – lifting his eyebrows, “But will someone steal it?”

He gave an incredulous nod in answer with pointed eyes, stepping back and turning into a walk – off and away –

“Katherine, dear! –”

Mrs Evans’ voice turned Katherine around.

A few curious onlookers slowed to look as they made their way into Lunch.

Mrs Evans little pumps clacked down the stone steps between a police uniform-clad Mr Evans and a hair-ruffling Remus Lupin in his Gryffindor robes. It was a strange scene to behold. Before Katherine could unstick her dry engorged tongue to form any words, her face was being taken into warm soft little hands –

“Come here, love, come here…” cooed Mrs Evans, pulling Katherine into her arms like an injured child.

She swayed them back and forth as she clicked her tongue soothingly, before pulling back and scanning Katherine’s face with warm, glistening emerald eyes. In them was a distinctive – yet foreign – motherly love –

“Oh, you’ve grown – hasn’t she, Robert?” Mrs Evans grinned, turning over her shoulder to her husband with increasingly more grey in his red locks he shared with his daughter.

Mr Evans rested a big warm muscled hand on Katherine’s shoulder, gripping it in a fond greeting as he lifted his nose in the direction of the Great Hall, “Must be the roast potatoes I can smell, ey.”

He gave a wink of his eye before sharing a speaking look with Remus at Anne Evans’ clucking, his hand falling away back to his side.

Remus and Katherine shared their own look, of amusement – tinged with the slight awkwardness of chatting with your friend’s parents, without one’s friend.

“…oh, I really can’t believe we’re here. Despite the circumstances, it really is… as magical as Lily always said…” went on Mrs Evans, as she looked around in undisguised wonder.

Katherine had forgotten how strange everything was. It crept up on her, then, how strange she had become too in attending the school. She was another odd, cloaked teenager to the muggles’ eyes that had just happened to spend the summer in their home. She wished she could impart just how muggle she still was – like them.

“I doubt we’ll be back, anyhow,” said Mr Evans, with a bolstering hand on his wife’s waist, “It’s all going to be just fine, they say.”

“Yes, yes…” said Mrs Evans, a grave flicker of determination in understand flickering through her eyes as she watched a house elf peek out of the door to the kitchens. Blinking, in bewilderment, she turned back to Katherine and offered an amused little smile, “It’s taking a little more potion than expected to wake her, apparently,”

Mrs Evans turned a fond smile on her husband –

“She is a red head.” she went on, mirthfully.

At the donging of the clock at the end of the hall, on the hour, Mr Evans looked back to Remus –

“Oh, I would say we should probably be getting a move on, you say?” he asked lightly. he turned back to Katherine with a proud little smile, “Remus is to walk us back to the Professor’s office so we can go through the floo to the leaky cauldron, so we can get the car and get back home to tell Petunia everything that’s going on.”

Katherine wondered just how much they had been told of what was going on…

“I’ll walk with you all.” suggested Katherine, meeting Remus’ relieved eyes.

“I still can’t believe you all go to school here…” said Mrs Evans, shaking her head as she looked around gleefully. Then she slashed a sideways glance to Katherine and Remus, “Don’t be all proper on our account, either. You two can hold hands, you know –”

She broke off to stage whisper around her hand –

“We won’t tell your professors,”

Katherine and Remus glanced to each other as they walked, their gazes pointedly panicked –

“Oh, so bashful,” laughed Mrs Evans, before reaching out and clasping their hands together with a glint in her eyes as she looped her arm back through Mr Evans’, “I saw you two in the summer…”

A lot had changed since summer.

Tensely glancing around at the stragglers still making their way to lunch, Katherine and Remus continued to hold hands to keep up the charade. It went unspoken that Mr and Mrs Evans did not need any other sort of news.  

They only let go once they had warmly waved the two muggles through the Floo in Professor McGonagall’s office.

Katherine glanced around the empty office and thought vaguely of the diary. So close, yet so far. What she really needed were the Professor’s personal chambers on the other side of the castle. She thought about telling Remus about horcruxes in the weak winter sun streaming in through the windows but decided not to – it wasn’t the time. They left the office and closed the door dutifully behind themselves.

Then came the ribbing.

“Oh, what if it gets back to Jessica?” teased Katherine about their hand holding, knocking shoulders with Remus as they walked back down to the Great Hall.

Remus snorted and bumped back into her shoulder, “Haven’t spoken to her.”

“She’s in a shambles with the petrifications, she could use a big strong shoulder to cry on,” Katherine went on, grinning, as she and Remus pushed their arms against one another’s like rams, trying to ‘win’ their little game, “That’s what her cards said in Divination, anyway.”

Remus all but rolled his eyes and looked up at the rafters, but he was grinning too, “Oh, god…”

Katherine nudged him again at his ‘boyishness’, for Jessica.

Remus’ eyes slid sideways, and a dimple popped deep and long down his cheek and jaw, “I’ll drop you off with James, and mention protein –”

At her laughter, he pulled her into a playful headlock –

“I will.” he grinned his threat against the top of her hair, rather insincerely.

They wrestled affectionately onto a landing, Katherine’s hair tangling around her face and mouth as she laughed –

“Oh, shi –” Remus broke off, clearing his throat and disentangling himself from Katherine –

They had nearly knocked a group of second year girls off the landing –

“Sorry! Excuse us… sorry…” he amended, with an embarrassed little smile to the girls, then back at Katherine – his eyes glittered with a light of mischief in her direction, however.

The second-year girls giggled, though tried not to in the face of the prefect, as they scurried on and around – glancing back as they hurried on.

Remus squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassed bracing for what had just transpired.

Katherine reached for the lapel of his robe and gave a gentle tug as she stifled laughter.

Remus opened his eyes, and they creased softly as the corners of his lips tilted up.

Katherine’s laughter bubbled up, and her lips burst open in a ‘pfft’ as she cracked in full on snorts.

Remus shared a laughing grin as he reached for her elbow to tug her along.

They ran on, sharing barely buttoned looks of laughter. It felt like flying down the hallways as their robes streaked out behind them.

Then came the guilt, when she remembered Lily.

 

---

 

At lunch, it had never been clearer that everyone was coupling off. Remus and Katherine had arrived midway through and quickly gathered some sandwiches in napkins to take out to the courtyard to ‘catch a bit of sun’ with the others. The idea had been spearheaded by Mary, who walked hand-in-hand with Dobbs.

From behind, Katherine mused as they walked out, he could have belonged to any house.

FWEET! came a sharp short whistle from behind, “Oi, McKinnon!”

Adam jogged to catch up with the group.

Surprised delight lit up Marlene’s face as she was encircled in his arm, “Hey…”

“Got a second? I wanted to have a bit of a chat.” he said chipperly, nodding off to the side of the hallway.

Marlene slowed in step with him, casting glances to the others, “Yeah, sure…”

Up ahead, Alice and Frank turned back around to keep walking hand-in-hand next to Mary and Dobbs. Peter dawdled just behind them, Rosie swinging their hands.

Katherine was going to make a comment to Remus as they slowed in the courtyard where the others had chosen a space to sit, when an arm swung around her shoulders –

“What happened to your hair?” asked James, with a passing glance at the top of her head before looking out ahead.

The surprise, that it hadn’t been Sirius, faded into self-consciousness as she reached up to smooth her hair.

The other girls turned to look, as if in indignation themselves, at James for the comment. Sirius too leant forward around the front of James from his other side, to look at her for himself.

“There was a wind.” Katherine said, lamely.

Remus snorted as he waved his wand at a section of stone, drying the melted snow from it before the rest sat.

Katherine shot him a look.

Remus turned away, poorly hiding a burgeoning smile of amusement.

Everyone moved on, anyway. They were all more engrossed in the new addition to their group in Dobbs. It took a few minutes of observing him as he laughed and chatted with Mary, leaning back on his hands for Frank and Alice to include him in their conversation before Remus moved over too, talking Prefect duties amicably.

Mary positively beamed, looking up at her beau.

Peter sat with Rosie, looking somewhere else as the younger girl played with his hand and tried to chat with him about what seemed to be a saucy bit of gossip amongst the fourth years.

Katherine sat between James and Sirius on a separate piece of stone. James, in particular, watched Dobbs unsurely. He was on the Slytherin quidditch team. Everything with defending Mary aside, he was still very much undoubtedly the enemy in the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain's eyes.

“Lily always spoke warmly of him when it came to Prefect stuff.” said Katherine, aloud to the air.

James turned to her, and then turned back to watch the new addition, “She did?...huh…”

Katherine half expected the boy to tilt his head like a dog then. He didn’t. She went on to wonder what it would be like once Lily was back with them – how the group would feel as a new whole…

“Hey…” sighed Marlene as she approached from behind, eyeing the occupied slab of stone.

Katherine patted her lap playfully.

Marlene sat, however, sighing again.

Oh, no…

“Adam isn’t coming…?” asked Katherine, carefully.

Marlene shook her head, steadying herself with her arms looped loosely around Katherine’s shoulders, “He said it’s all ‘a bit heavy’,”

Marlene had mocked his voice, and his facial expression –

Katherine bit back a smile and waited patiently for Marlene to go on –  

“He said he’ll give me some time with you girls to deal with everything…” she trailed off, looking down the lawns and squinting against the glare.

She sighed again.

James and Sirius glanced sideways, with tactful deftness, to each other around the front of the girls.

Katherine adjusted her knees beneath the backs of Marlene’s legs that were pinning her skirt up in an oddly feeling bunch of material against her thick stockings –

“You don’t want time.” she said, in droll support, as she manoeuvred herself.

“No. I want him,” she snorted, before sighing again, “…daft prat…”

Katherine knitted her hands together on Marlene’s hip, looking up at her, “You could tell him?”

Behind Marlene’s head, James nodded down at his knees as if in agreement – listening.

“I can’t tell him that…” Marlene all but laughed out, incredulous. She looked to her knees, a furrow appearing in her forehead as she went on, more tepidly, “We’re… we’re not like that.”

Katherine nodded, feeling her eyes creasing down in sympathy, “That’s hard.”

“Yeah,” said Marlene, with morose softness.

As she looked around, at a loss, Katherine’s eyes got tangled in Sirius’ –

Marlene shifted on Katherine’s lap –

“I’ll go tell Lily about it, and then I’ll head up to the dorms –” she smoothed her skirt down as she stood, turning back to Katherine with a faint smile, “Are you coming?”

James put his arm across Katherine like a seatbelt.

Marlene gave a swatting wave, but an amused grin too, before she turned and left off in the small crowds of students moving around the lower levels at lunch. It was unspoken that it was one of the very safe times to walk alone.

Still, Katherine watched her go until she disappeared inside the castle walls completely.

“Merlin… do I need a slash and something to eat…” moaned James, before turning to Katherine, as if realising she were still there, “Sorry, love.”

Katherine gave an unaffected shrug at the crass words, “We can head back. I could eat some more –”

Katherine pushed herself up off the stone and dusted her hands –

“Think they’ll even notice?” trailed off Katherine, in amusement at the impact – or lack thereof – of their departure on the lazing pride of coupled up teenage lions on the other slab of stone.

With huffs of laughter, the three uncoupled Gryffindors moseyed back inside the castle as a group and made for the closest boys’ lavatory. James turned back to Sirius with a questioning look as he stood at the opening of the tiled walkway to the toilets.

Sirius had simply shaken his head and leant on the wall beside Katherine, peering down.

The sound of James’ echoing footsteps faded.

Katherine and Sirius watched the occasional approach of other boys that disappeared into the lavatory as they waited for him.

Sirius spoke up after a short moment, nodding back towards where James had vanished, “He’s going quietly out of his mind with all the new rules, no quidditch, no…”

“You?” supplied Katherine, feeling her eyebrows lift in amusement.

Sirius tipped his head in playful concession, giving a slight shrug.

“You don’t have to hang around with me if you’d prefer to hang out with James, you know?” said Katherine, letting her head fall back against the wall to look up at him beside her.

Sirius huffed out a light laugh as he looked out over the hallway, “You moan less.”

Katherine pressed her lips together and elected to ignore the double entendre.

Sirius’ eyes flashed down to her, a hybrid expression of mortified amusement catching his features –

“I mean…” he smiled out, closing his eyes.

Katherine allowed herself to laugh.

Sirius, opening his eyes at it, joined in good-naturedly. He glanced back at the opening to the lavatory before glancing back to her, newly keen in their waning laughter –

“As taxing as it can be to liase with my little brother, it’s been… almost fun – what we’re doing,” he said lowly, before looking off again and sighing, “It feels like we’re actually doing something...”

“I know what you mean,” said Katherine, nodding, “If we can close the chamber, we can make sure no one else ends up like Lily… at the very least…”

Sirius nodded, and a beat of a moment passed before he glanced sideways again.

“I’ve been thinking… we’ll probably need the cloak,” he said, at a near whisper as he eyes roved the hallway around them. He lips pressed into a fast line as he looked off, shaking his head, “I hate lying to him, though…”

Katherine’s own lips pressed together as she did some quick, serious, thinking as she looked up at his profile.

“I trust him, you know?” she said, in decision. Of course she did – it was James Potter for crying out loud. Above all else, she knew that if James were ever not loyal to her for whatever reason, he was loyal to Sirius.

Sirius turned to her and his eyes took her in.

“We’ll tell him, then,” said Sirius, in buoyant decision, “We’ll get this all over in a snap, yeah? Get Evans back –”

He turned fully to Katherine, and took her shoulders into his hands –

“– everything will go back to normal,” he said gently, his head lowered down by hers with a reassuring smile.

Katherine couldn’t bring herself to not believe him, or his sparkly grey eyes.

TAP… TAP… TAP…TAP… the sound of footsteps approached from down the tiled walkway, and, sure enough, James finally emerged.

Sirius stood to full height, his hands falling from her shoulders, “Take a wrong turn in the u-bend?”

“Mate…” said James with a mirthful pointed glance as he approached, with hand over his middle. He reached them, nearly swaying with momentum, and gave a bright smile with attentive eyes behind the spectacles he had to adjust on his nose, “Anyway, what did I miss?”

It had been a casual, throwaway question. James was even already looking off at the milling students in the hallway.

“James…” began Katherine, considering him tepidly.

James peered sideways in open trepidation, “…yes?”

Katherine glanced to Sirius, to find him watching the interaction with light eyes –

“Do you remember how Regulus and I were looking for Greengrass’ diary a little while back?” she broached, turning her attention back to James.

“It looked more like ritual suicide off a turret,” said James, relaxing into a grin as he crossed his arms across his chest and leant his shoulder against the wall, “But, yes, I remember.”

Katherine glanced, unsurely, to Sirius as she went on to choose her words carefully, “We have… intel that she has something to do with the chamber opening.”

James’ eyes flickered alertly between them –

“Intel from…?” he trailed off, with a slight turn of his head in apprehension.

Sirius cleared his throat from behind Katherine’s shoulder, and the boys seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes.

“…Right,” said James, with glittering eyes as he cleared his own throat, “Makes sense.”

Katherine went on, “We wanted to get the diary to figure out how she was doing it – so we can put a stop to it.”

“Okay.” said James, easily, not even adjusting his blink-rate.

Katherine realised she would need to clarify further, “Would you like to…”

“Help?” he supplied.

Katherine nodded, brimming with relief that she had somehow gotten to the point.

James’ eyes flickered between Katherine and Sirius as they stood together, facing him.

“The professors don’t know what you’re doing?” he said slowly, in an astute guess.

Sirius gave a light scoff of amusement, “The professors don’t know what they’re doing, to be fair…”

“Once we’ve figured it out, I suppose we’d have to tell them,” placated Katherine, “So they know it’s safe for the rules to be done away with…”

“And the quidditch ban,” he said, as if mulling the words around in his mouth more so for himself, nodding, “I hear you. I hear you,”

Blinking, as if remembering himself, James gazed back across to Katherine with infectious zest –

“Alright, what’s the plan?” he asked, casually.

Katherine felt amusement at the monumental task she was about to lay out –

“We have to get the diary from Professor McGonagall’s private chambers.”

James laughed immediately, deep and plummy. He gave a short waning whine as he scrubbed his hands down his face –

“Oh, yeah. Easy job.”

Sirius cleared his throat, “Tonight.”

Katherine whirled around on Sirius with James, as they both chorused –

“Tonight?”

Notes:

A bit of a bridging chapter this time. Sorry it takes so long, even to get these kind of 'inconsequential' ones out. I'm trying to get more regular with writing - and therefore my posting as well - but for anyone following the story with interest, there is a group of chapters a little further along in my outline that are sitting at near completion. When I eventually work up to them they will be posted much closer together <3

Chapter 66: Burning Down the Horcrux

Notes:

For those of you that follow me on twitter, you will know that I've been going *through it* lol. A lot of this chapter felt like a fever dream. I did my best to edit, but I will be having to go back through to fix typos undoubtedly :)

After hatching their plan around boys’ lavatory, James, Sirius, and Katherine returned to the Great Hall for further lunching as they had agreed upon, while their friends lazed back in the courtyard. In the cacophony of all the other students, the three sat – in silent comradery; Sirius beside Katherine, and James across from them.

Through chews and after the occasional glance, a few muttered words solidified their plans –

“It’s more inconspicuous if we arrive late to dinner together, than if we leave early together…” whispered James, his eyes darting between his lunching companions and then around at the other students.

Katherine nodded and bowed her head to give her own contribution, “From her quarters, the walk is fifteen minutes to the Great Hall…”

James and Sirius glanced to one another, then to her, with bated smiles of assessing surprise.

Katherine sought to explain, meekly, “Regulus and I must have done it a thousand times over the last two weeks.”

James lifted his eyebrows in amused interest before going on with a nod –

“We meet in the hallway at five-fifty then. She should be gone to make it to the beginning of dinner by then.” he whispered, looking to Sirius.

Sirius gave his nod of approval as he chewed and then glanced back to Katherine.

“What if we get caught walking alone?” the question sprung up as her and Sirius’ eyes tangled.

“I’ll take the map –” James broke off, to nod to Sirius – then to her – “Sirius will take the cloak – and you.”

Katherine nodded, speaking mostly to James as Sirius already knew the next tid-bit –

“In her office, the drawer it was kept in needed a special key. I don’t know if there will be anything like that once we get inside…”

Sirius patted his chest where, beneath his robes, was a secure pocket inside his thick wool blazer, “I’ve procured that very same key, as it happens. Just in case.”

Katherine nodded, the realisation that he had spoken to Regulus for it creeping up on her – and that she had missed out on it. She battled down feelings of ineptitude, and being left out of her own bleeding plans…

“That’s just leaves, well… how do we get inside?” she whispered, using her sandwich crusts to push the crumbs around her plate to appear as if they were discussing something innocuous to anyone watching.

The boys shared a sparkling eyed glance –

“Oh, we’ve done it before, Katherine.” said James, mirthfully.

Beneath the table, Sirius’ knee pressed to hers, and he gave her a semi-apologetic smile. It was tinged with mischief, however.

DONG! – DONG! – DONG! –

The ringing of the bell for afternoon lessons curtailed their conversation. They stood with the proverbial shaking of hands in agreement of their plan in their glances to one another, then went on to their shared classes without another word on the matter.

Katherine barely focused on a thing in Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures. Mostly, she stared out the icy windowpanes and pondered the approaching night as she sat silently with the girls. On numerous occasions she considered writing on the parchment linked to Regulus and Sirius’ to tell the Slytherin Black about the plan to go for the diary that night but ended up deciding against it. She would tell him once they had it. There was still every chance they might not acquire it that night, after all…

“Miss Spencer?”

Katherine jolted mid-step and whirled around as she strolled at the back of the group of her friends –

Professor McGonagall stood with one of the second-year girls Katherine and Remus had barged into after seeing Lily’s parents –

The other sixth years glanced back curiously as they continued walking on, but walked on –

“I asked Mary to stay back and help neaten the classroom after I dismissed the second years. Her friends have gone on back to the common room, I’d say. Would be able to walk her back?”

Katherine eased immediately, and tried a tepid smile at the younger girl, “Of course,”

Professor McGonagall nodded and turned to make her way in the direction of her personal chambers before the approaching dinner.

Katherine stepped into a walk, trying for polite conversation –

“I have a friend named Mary too.” she said, with a smile, before turning back to look ahead.

“Mary MacDonald.” came little Mary’s shy voice.

Katherine turned back, nodding happily at the memory of her friend, “Yeah.”

It was strange to think that people – younger students – knew who they all were despite not sharing classes.

Little Mary suddenly pointed out ahead, “Oh, there they are!”

Out ahead were two girls, little Mary’s age, dawdling by a portrait that was engaging them in conversation. Her friends.

Pepped up, it seemed, Mary bounced in step and turned her full attention up to Katherine –

“Can I ask…I saw you with Remus Lupin the other day…” she broached timidly, tangling her hands together, “What’s it like? Having –”

She glanced around, and whispered –

“– boy friends?”

Katherine was caught between surprise and amusement.

“Oh, er…” she stumbled a moment at the girl’s eyes gleaming up at her –

Her friends joined, having heard, and were eyeing Katherine sideways –

“It’s okay, they’re really not all that different. They –” Katherine conceded a laughing smile, and tipped her head to them “– tend to like Quidditch a bit more, though.”

Little Mary’s friends giggled with her, and then they all sighed dreamily.

“Shall we all walk back to Gryffindor Tower together, then?” Katherine suggested, buoyed by the confidence of being considered an authority – even on something as trivial as ‘teenage boys’.

“So, which one is your boyfriend boyfriend?” asked Mary up to her.

Her friend stepped out in front of Katheirne, turning to grin excitedly as they walked, “Remus Lupin or Sirius Black?”

“I…” Katherine’s heart hammered in her chest –

“Lupin is soooooo nice,” gushed Little Mary, nodding to the other girls, “I bet he would be the sweetest boyfriend.”

Katherine nodded quickly, blinking, “Yeah, yeah – he is nice… but, er…”

“Rosie, Peter Pettigrew’s girlfriend, is always talking about you guys and how you all hang out together. What she gets up to with you all.” said one of the other girls.

That rose Katherine’s eyebrows as she chose her words carefully, “I think, maybe, there’s been a bit of miscommunication there…”

What she hadn’t said must have made its way onto her face, and the younger girls guffawed –

“She’s such a liar!”

“Yeah, as if she heard Sirius gushing about a crush he had on Pamela – she’s a fourth year.”

Katherine resisted laughing, looking down at the glossy hair of the girls at her elbows, “What’s all this about?”

Little Mary, turning back up to Katherine with droll amusement, going to explain, “Pamela is one of Rosie’s friends and she has a massive crush on Sirius Black –”

Her friend interjected with a pointed finger, “Even though she’s just as scared to even speak to him as everyone else –”

“And she hates you.” finished Mary, emphatically back up to Katherine.

Katherine did laugh that time, “Me? Why?”

“He’s always with you.” said one of the other girls, with a rolling look up over her shoulder to Katherine – a quiet smile on her lips.

The other girl piped up giddily, “Someone said they saw you snogging –”

“Rosie was telling everyone how all you older guys are having…” Mary continued on, breaking, and looking terribly scandalised as she whispered out her next spelt letters, “’S’ – ‘E’ – ‘X’ with each other at your age – and she thinks you’re doing it with him –”

“And that you’ve hoodwinked him just because you have –” the other girl broke off before whispering, and gesturing to her chest “– boobs –”

Katherine looked down at her very small chest, and wetting her smiling lips –

“She thinks he deserves better and that you’re a loony with all the chosen one stuff and that professor dying the other year –”

Mary scowled, swatting a hand, “As if she’s better –”

“It’s just a rumour too about the snogging too,” sped out the other girl from earlier, “No one actually knows…”

The girls eyed Katherine with bated curiosity at the mention of the rumour.

Katherine just rolled her smiling lips together –

“Well, we’re all really good friends,” placated Katherine, holding court with them as they walked on, bending down with a lascivious smile for them, whispering – “And, as for ‘S’ – ‘E’ – ‘X’ –”

The girls wrinkled their noses with barely contained laughter –

“We’re not all having it. That’s something a bit more adult,” she explained, looking around at them, “Yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Of course!”

Katherine nodded, and gulped her amusement as they reached the grand staircase.

Little Mary sighed as she trudged on beside Katherine, “Boys our age can’t wait to get away from us after lessons anyway…”

A well of sympathy sprung up within Katherine –

“Oi, Spencer –”

THUD! Sirius landed, having jumped over the opposite staircase to land on hers. A little breathless, with a hand through his hair, his eyes moved from Katherine to the younger girls. Unease flashed through his eyes for but a moment, and he undoubtedly had something about the plan for the diary on his tongue –

“Hello.” he greeted them, with sparkling eyes.

The girls couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces –

“Hi!” they chorused, in a sing-song kind of way.

Katherine bit back a grin, feeling very motherly over them. It might be good for them to get some real interaction with a real-life-boy. She nodded up ahead as she met Sirius’ eye again –

“We were all having a chat on the way back up to the common room.” she explained, looking around to include the girls.

Sirius wet his smiling lips, stepping up to her side, “I’ll join you.”

The girls held onto each other, shooting him glances.

Sirius gave them the grace of pretending not to notice.

“Anyway, where were we?” asked Katherine, aloud, before remembering – and turning back down to the girls in consolation, “I think all boys are like that at your age, you know?”

“They have really grimy hands and stuff too.” said one of the girls, making a face.

Katherine gave a light clear of her throat, before smiling out, in playful aghast, “Do they?”

“They never wash them.” seconded Little Mary.

Katherine gave a quiet tut and shake of her head in sympathy, “No…”

Sirius rubbed his nose with the back of his hand casually, concealing a buttoned smile as he looked out ahead as they walked.

“So, I don’t even think I want to hold hands with them, let alone kiss them…” said one of the other girls.

The other girls gave sounds of disgust in agreement.

Katherine bit down her grin, nodding with feigned earnestness, “Oh, yeah, of course not.”

“Do you have to hold hands with a boy you’re dating?” asked Little Mary, turning back as she walked ahead, her eyes flickering bravely up to Sirius – including him.

“Only if you want to.” placated Katherine gently.

One of the other girls piped up, “My mum says it’s part of a courtship.”

“It is.” said Sirius, with a quiet smile, from beside Katherine.

The girls went on, giggling and whispering ahead – seeming very pleased that they were talking with Sirius Black.

Katherine glanced to Sirius again.

He was already looking, with those eyes of his – like teeth –

“Argh!”

“Oh – no – the disappearing step!”

Out ahead, Little Mary had gotten her leg caught in the disappearing step and was holding onto a stone balustrade while her friends tried to help pull her up –

Sirius took the stairs three at a time, and swooped his arms down around her – just beneath her arm pits –

“Ready – and… up we go –” with ease, Sirius pulled her back up out of the step as he carefully straddled the gap between steps –

Little Mary let out a cry when she went to stand on her own –

“My ankle –” she grabbed for it, in a genuine yelp of pain “– I think it’s twisted…”

“Well, there’s only one thing to do. Hospital Wing.” said Sirius, dusting his hands on the outside of his robe, turning to Katherine.

Katherine nodded her agreement.

Her friends had started to prop her up, to help her limp back down the steps.

Sirius made a noise in his throat as he watched –

It was very slow. They had to get back to their friends and then to dinner soon.

With a wry glance to Katherine, Sirius crouched down, holding his arms out either side of himself –

“Here, hop on my back. It’ll be quicker – less painful too.” he offered.

Little Mary hesitated a moment, before reaching out to balance on his shoulders and giving a one-legged hop up onto the older boys’ back.

Sirius rose to full height, giving a little bounce to jostle her into place as he hooked his hands under the back of her knees.

Little Mary gave a huff of laughter, then a grimace of pain – before hiding her face in the back of Sirius’ shoulder’s –

“Alright?” asked Sirius, backwards.

Little Mary nodded, “Yes.”

Something happened inside Katherine’s stomach at that moment. She rushed on along with Sirius however as he started moving, with the shorter-legged girls in tow. One slipped towards the bottom of the steps, but Katherine grabbed her hand to help her back up and keep her upright as she ran on to keep pace with the older, taller, students.

They reached the Hospital Wing in record time, and – when Sirius set Little Mary down on a bed – gave no sign of effort or exhaustion –

“Oh, just a sprain… just a sprain…” tsked Madame Pomfrey warmly, bustling out to quickly attend the arriving group, “A bit of paste and a potion and you’ll be right as rain, Mary.”

“Can we stay with her?” asked the younger girl holding Katherine’s hand.

Madame Pomfrey gave a sweet smile to the girl, nodding genially, “Of course.”

“I’d say we should be heading back to the Tower, then.” said Sirius, with a parting smile around at the younger girls.

Katherine gave a squeeze of the girl’s hand she was holding before letting go, “See you.”

“See you.” the girls chorused, waving.

Katherine paused by Lily, and noticed – with a start – that she had rolled over –

“Oh, and thank you –”

Madame Pomfrey’s call stretched across the wing, turning Katherine’s head –

“Black.” she said, nodding to him with faint exasperation as she wrapped Little Mary’s ankle.

Sirius gave a perfunctory nod back, turning and coming to a stop beside Katherine.

They looked at Lily together.

“She’s moved.” spoke Katherine aloud.

Sirius nodded, “It won’t be long now.”

Katherine rested a hand on Lily’s shoe and felt that the foot inside was warm. She looked as close to sleep as Katherine had ever seen her. Katherine willed her farewell telepathically, before patting Lily’s shoe gently and stepping away from the bed.

Sirius gave a tender glance over his shoulder as he stepped away with her, extending his hand back and wiggling his fingers.

Katherine smiled and clasped her hand with his. For her, holding hands with Sirius felt like walking hand-in-hand with a friend in childhood – and all the unpretentiousness of it.

Sirius intertwined their fingers as he gave a light swing of his arm, leading the way out of the hospital wing leisurely.

Katherine glanced back at Lily one last time to find her friend unmoved, but the second-year girls peering after the departing sixth years.

“We’ll find some kind of excuse to go off separately before everyone starts heading to dinner,” said Sirius, as they strolled, “James is going to fly around from our dormitory and meet us there.”

Katherine nodded, and they walked on in – mostly – silence. A few clarifications about the night ahead cropped up, but they swiftly returned to comfortable quiet as they climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

Their hands dropped as they went through the portrait, Sirius holding it open for Katherine to traverse first. As she emerged from the tunnel into the common room, Katherine found herself immediately under the gaze of Rosie – who whispered quickly to her friends who then turned to look at her.

Pamela, Katherine guessed, was the one to glare at her. The girl then went onto whisper something to her friends that made them giggle and throw slicing looks over their shoulders in Katherine’s direction.

It was a different kind of giggle from the second-year girls.

Sirius appearing at her side quelled them instantly, and then they all turned away with quaking shoulders as they fussed over Pamela – neatening her hair…

Sirius angled his head by Katherine’s, extending his arm to gesture in the direction of their friends over in the corner by the fireplace – James and Frank playing a finger-tented game of chess while the others watched on boredly, huddling under blankets, and sipping from cups of tea.

Sirius sat beside Peter on a two-seater, extending his arms out behind himself and sinking in, yawning and then closing his eyes.

Katherine was greeted with smiles from Mary, Marlene, and Alice – who draped themselves over another two-seater, Marlene sitting on the floor as Alice plaited her hair.

Katherine wedged herself onto the arm rest of Remus’ recliner, closest to the fire – hoping to warm her cold legs and feet.

Remus, his hands crossed over his stomach, looked up with a small, tired smile of greeting.

“I saw Lily – at the hospital wing. She’s rolled over.” Katherine said to the group at large.

Frank and James glanced over; their game paused –

Katherine wriggled around and ran her arm along the back of the squishy upholstery of the armchair, so she didn’t fall off –

Alice looked up with raised brows from where she was working on Marlene’s hair, “That’s good, she’ll likely wake up tomorrow or the next day if she’s moving –”

An outbreak of loud laughter from the fourth-year girls drowned out their conversation.

Everyone glanced over, with varying degrees of annoyance.

“What is it with those girls?” droned Remus, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting his head fall back into Katherine’s arm pit.

Katherine leant closer down to Remus to ask softly, and amusedly, “What’s her last name? Pamela – over there?”

Remus blinked, glancing over and squinting, “Uhh… I think she’s Sue Bond’s cousin.”

“She hates me, I’ve just discovered.”

Remus frowned, looking up un-preoccupied, “Why?”

“She fancies Sirius.”

Sirius snorted, then closed his eyes and let his head fall back as he pressed his index finger between his eyebrows –

“Oh, merlin…”

Frank plopped onto the arm of the couch, beside Alice.

James balanced, wide-legged, on the arm of the two-seater Sirius and Peter sat on.

Katherine wet her lips, going on, “She, er, thinks I’ve hoodwinked him into hanging around with me with because of my ‘boobs’.”

Everyone was already listening in, laughing.

James adjusted his spectacles, his gaze lowering down Katherine’s form –

Sirius cuffed the back of his head with a shaken-head smile.

“Claims she fancies me, and yet thinks so lowly of me…” said Sirius around at the group, before looking to Katherine – with those sparkly eyes of his, “There’s also your legs.”

The others went into uproars – even the girls.

Remus quaked with quiet laughter beneath Katherine, taking an appreciative glance of them were they perched up on the arm of his chair.

Katherine swatted his knee playfully, laughing herself.

She looked around at her friends, and her tears of laughter felt a little more wet –

Gosh, Lily, wish you were here…

James sobered, crossing his arms as he leant back the best he could, peering across at Katherine drolly, “Are you scared?”

Katherine reigned in a huff of laughter –

“Trembling.” she joked.

Marlene snorted from the floor, gazing into the fire as Alice went back to working on her hair, “What’s going to happen to Black’s poor first girlfriend?”

The musing went around the group as they all tipped their heads, and, indeed, seemed to imagine –

Katherine locked eyes with Sirius as he took a long drink from a teacup, his own gleaming keenly –

“I don’t know…” said Katherine, having to look away, tacking onto Marlene’s musing, “But apparently Rosie has told them all about us…”

Mary’s head snapped to Peter at that, a chastising frowning pinching her features primly –

“Peter…” she whispered, furiously.

Peter frowned himself, giving a defensive, and infuriating – “What?”

“You have to tell her to not gossip about us.” went on Mary, crossing her arms and turning in her seat towards him – lowering her head.

Peter shrugged, mostly unaffected, but a slight irk in his voice, “Well, she’s going to hear things if she’s hanging around us all…”

“You say that as if we want her hanging around us to begin with.” laughed Mary, cold – and annoyed.

James’ eyes went wide, and he made a bracingly amused shape of his lips to the others –

She had only said what they were all thinking –

“You’re jealous.” sniped Peter.

Mary huffed a laugh of contempt, “You’re thick.”

James’s eyes darted around at the quick escalation, lifting his hands placatingly –

“Now –”

It was no use. Mary and Peter had kicked off – properly – for the first time since their breakup –

“– went and picked a slytherin, after thinking about what would really get under my skin –”

“– I don’t think of you at all, Peter,”

Katherine’s hand lifted to her parted lips as she watched on, rooted to the spot, her skin tingling in thrill of watching her friend give it to her ex-boyfriend who was very much deserving –

 “I can’t even see you over Braddy’s shoulders – or, I should say, under –”

Katherine’s eyes flashed wide, unbidden, and turned to find Sirius’ –

Sirius had tethered his bottom lip between his teeth, barely suppressing laughter as his eyes danced –

Everyone was looking away at that point, to hide their reactions – and check everyone else’s – 

“He’s using you to get intel on the quidditch team. You’re going to be made a fool out of. I overheard them all – making bets on girls – earlier in the term. Didn’t you ever ask yourself what he sees in a mousy thing like you?”

Silence was the fallout of the words.

Everyone looked back to the pair, gobsmacked.

Even Sirius’ face had fallen, and he eyed his friend with undisguised disapproval, “Pete…”

Mary quivered with rage as she stared at Peter, unblinking –

THUD! The frame on the wall had suddenly fallen – down onto the back of the two-seater, and over Peter’s head –

Sirius jumped back in the nick of time –

Mary stood up, her arms falling from across her chest as she berated down at Peter who was trying to extricate himself from beneath the frame –

“I wish I never dated you,” she said, low and cutting. She pointed emphatically as she fumed on, “You’re foul and loathsome – I pity any girl who comes after me.”

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the common room who had only just taken notice of the row at the falling of the frame –

“Mares – where are you going?” Katherine jumped up, going after her.

Mary turned, taking stock of all the eyes on her, and deflated –

“To see Braddy.” she said softly, bowing her head self-consciously, and crossing her arms.

Katherine stepped forward, hooking a hand around her elbow, “I’ll walk with you.”

Mary nodded, and the girls went to turn into a walk together –

“I’ll walk with you –” Sirius had jumped up, turning an outstretched hand back expectantly – “James.”

James tossed Sirius something – the cloak, likely – and Sirius was jogging after the girls through the maze of common room furniture.

“For what it’s worth,” said Sirius, as they closed the portrait and stood in the silence of the grand staircase, “Dobbs does genuinely like you.”

Mary nodded, looking down at her shoes and shuffling her feet, “I know…”

“Don’t think on the mousy comment for a second either,” said Katherine, with imparted urgent reassurance, turning into her as they walked, “He’s the rat bastard.”

Mary gave an upset blip of a laugh, blinking and looking off as she smothered a smile.

Sirius cleared his throat, smiling off.

Mary glanced up, unsurely, nodding behind herself –

“Braddy will be in the library, you know…”

“That’s okay,” said Katherine, blinking and gesturing to herself and Sirius who were ready to walk with her, “You’ll get in trouble, on top of everything, if you walk there alone though.”

The wall sconces burnt brightly in the early evening, lighting their path in the near dark castle.The sky outside the windows that they passed was already a slate grey.

“You know… that really was gold, MacDonald. The bit of accidental magic just topped it off. Truly…” commented Sirius as they walked on, letting his head fall back and laughing quietly in memory.

Mary’s lips twitched, but she walked on, watching her shoes.

Katherine gently nudged her arm, standing between them, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah… yeah… I don’t really care about him at all. He’s just so dumb…” she vented, before leaning forward around to Sirius, “Sorry, I know he’s your mate…”

Sirius shrugged, “He mostly just started following us around in first year and we just let him, felt, er… bad for him. Couldn’t shake him after that.”

The girls nodded their understanding, and they walked on.

Katherine was struck by a thought, and smiled it out, “Do you think Dobbs will knock him out?”

Mary broke into short laughter.

“Gosh, part of me hopes so, you know?” she sighed out, blinking in amusement. She turned to Katherine, gripping her arm, “Isn’t it so hot when guys stand up for you? Like – ‘Oi - that’s my girlfriend!’ – and then – THWACK!”

Katherine fell into laughter with Mary –

“Yeah…” she sighed through waning laughs, blinking and nodding.

Amused falls of air came from Sirius’ nose, and he cleared his throat, wiping a hand across his mouth as he listened to the girls.

They had reached the library, in a more contented state than they had left the common room, and Mary loitered by the open doors with them – pointing in –

“There he is…”

And there Dobbs was, studying at a desk with a Slytherin boy Katherine didn’t recognise. His eyes found Mary immediately.

Mary physically relaxed where she stood, noticeably.

So, that was the look of love, mused Katherine. She smiled at it, feeling tender just from witnessing it – 

“Alright, see you at dinner?” she farewelled.

Mary smiled, passing through the door and waving backwards, “See you guys at dinner.”

Sirius slung an arm around Katherine’s shoulders, and said, mirthfully, “Bye-bye.”

Unspoken was the agreement for she and Sirius to watch Mary into the Library, and only once she was greeted by a standing Dobbs – who pressed a kiss to her temple and shuffled his stuff over to make room Mary – did they turn and begin their stroll up to Professor McGonagall’s chambers.

“I wonder what’s going to happen at dinner…” mused Katherine aloud from beneath Sirius’ arm as they lazily walked into one another.

“I hope Dobbs headbutts him.”

Katherine barked out a laugh, grinning incredulously, “Sirius.”

“Oh, Peter deserves it.” he said lightly, turning to her with a semi-sincere expression belying a small smile – his ears lifting in his genuine amusement.

Katherine privately agreed as they walked on. Eventually, she began glancing around at the students in distant hallways and rounding corners off the ends of corridors…

“I feel like I should put the cloak on, so no one sees me with you – lest I get hexed by fluttery-hearted fourth year girls…” she joked, keeping a roaming eye.

“Make sure you hex them back,” was Sirius’ deadpan reply.

Together they laughed out ahead at the absurdity of it all, knocking their sides together as they walked on.

Sirius extricated his arm from around her only when they reached the final staircase that led up to corridor housing Professor McGonagall’s personal chambers. He took her hand and gave a sideways look – of both trepidation and warning – as they began slowly climbing the stairs, careful to try and peer over the top –

CLACK… CLACK… CLACK... CLACK…the sound of heeled boots echoed out above them –

Sirius craned his neck to spy over the top of the top steps and then quickly reached for the cloak, pulling it over them –

“Crouch down – else she’ll see our shoes…” whispered Sirius – 

Katherine teetered slightly off balance, wrangling with the heavy draping fabric and not kneeing Sirius accidentally –

“Bugger –”

Sirius settled, hot-breathedly, beside her with equal difficulty –

“Fu –”

They both reached, at the glimmering form of Professor McGonagall appearing at the top of the stairs, muting each other with fingers up between their lips.

McGonagall took the stairs slowly in her boots, eyeing out below the long black points –

Katherine and Sirius traded hot heaving breaths under the cloak –

Without pause, the professor went on.

Katherine held still as she scanned alongside Sirius for signs of her return, or anyone else loitering. A painful pull started from the sole of her feet up through her ankle to her knee…

They waited… and waited…

Katherine risked a whisper, “I’m getting a cramp.”

“I think I’ve cut off circulation to my feet.” huffed Sirius right back, with the strains of muted pain in the whisper.

They stood unanimously, shaking out their legs and bounding – a little more gumbily – up the stairs with the cloak still around both of their shoulders. They knocked elbows beneath it as they bustled along until they reached a door Sirius slowed beside.

At the end of the corridor was a balustrade that opened to a courtyard balcony – and the night sky. Through it came a chill.

And James Potter on his broomstick.

James landed, dismounting with an easy flourish, “Right – she’s gone?”

“Just passed her.” confirmed Sirius, with a curt nod.

Katherine battled with pulling strands of her hair from her face – that the cloak had mussed – irking her like the feeling of walking through a spider web.

James eyed Katherine fixing her hair, cracking a smile, then wiped across his chin as he turned to look out the window. Silently, he hovered his broom beneath his hand –

“I’ll go around to check the outside window,”

James swung a leg over his broom, turning back to them with blinking dutifulness –

“Run if anyone comes. Let me know on the mirror, and I’ll fly back to the dormitory…”

“Right, er…” Katherine went to shrug off the cloak, gesturing.

James turned away again, bowing his head with the pull of a smile going up his face.

“Katherine, I’ve grown rather fond of you – you know?” he said, turning back with glittering eyes behind his spectacles.

Katherine gazed across at him unsurely, “…Yeah?”

James nodded with plain amusement –

“Yeah. So, when I say that there’s no harm meant in saying…” he trailed off, glancing to Sirius, “We’ve been doing this sort of stuff a lot longer than you. I’ve got my broom and the map. Sirius can run off and not get caught – tried and tested,”

James glanced back to her, inclining his head pointedly –

“I want you to take the cloak tonight –” his expression eased to a charismatic grin, “Please.”

Katherine gave a nod of acquiescence, though stuttered from surprise.

James gave a nod back to her, then to Sirius, and then flew off into the dark of night once more. His broomstick’s lacquered tail bristles glinted with the warm orange light of the burning torches before completely disappearing around the stone curve of the castle.

Katherine and Sirius stood, the cloak still around their shoulders like a blanket in the cool corridor, watching after where he vanished. Waiting, in conscientious silence. For a short while.

“It’s good to have him with us, yeah?”

Katherine nodded her agreement to Sirius’ quiet words, “Yeah.”

A beat passed.

“I don’t exactly feel easy about keeping the horcrux detail away from him…”

Katherine mulled over her next words carefully.

“How do you think he would take it?”

The cloak shifted as Sirius, much taller than her, shrugged –

“He’d be a bit put out that he’d been led on thinking You-Know-Who was completely gone,” he said, shrugging again, and tipping his head thoughtfully, “Not really your fault though that…”

It felt like it. A terrible guilt rose up in Katherine – at putting something between two people as close as James and Sirius were.

“Is it worth it? If we’re about to destroy the diary?” she asked, trying to make light of it.

Sirius took a raised-bow assessment of the bottom crack beneath McGonagall’s door, “That did cross my mind too.”

She hated seeing him so conflicted.

“I’m sorry.”

Sirius glanced up in blinking surprise, before a furrow appeared in his brow once more and he looked back to the door.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t trust him with,” he said, seemingly more so for himself. He took a deep breath in and out through his nose before going on with tender acceptance, “There’s a reason Dumbledore didn’t just announce it to the school, however. One overheard word at the wrong time, in the wrong place…”

Katherine nodded, but wished she could find the words to alleviate the burden of it from his shoulders. In the silence of her searching for words, came a strange sound from Sirius’ person, and then –

“Pads –”

At the whisper, Sirius dug out his shard of mirror from his pocket –

The reflection was dark, but there was an inky blue hue that was unmistakable as the skin of James’ face – and the glint off the metal of his spectacles –

“I’m through the window, stand ready at the door.”

“Got it.” whispered back Sirius, shrugging off his half of the cloak and turning to wrap it carefully around Katherine’s shoulders more fully –

CLICK –

The door swung open to a black abyss that was the darkened room.

The large looming black figure just inside – if Katherine didn’t know it were James – would have been the knicker-soiling stuff of nightmares.

Her eyes adjusted as she and Sirius stepped into the dark with him, and Katherine could make out the map in James’ hand – that he was keeping an eye on as he waved them through –

“Go – go…” he whispered, peeking out into the spilling torchlight of the hallway before pulling the door closed behind them –

CLICK.

The room was plunged into blind-dark again, and went silently still –

WHOOSH, the torches inside the chamber sprang to life at the behest of one of the boys’ wands.

“I’ll check the desk.” said Sirius quietly, making his way over already.

James nodded, going to the far side of the room, “I’ll check the bookshelves.”

Katherine scanned the room, overwhelmed by the lack of obvious hiding places apart from the ones the boys were already investigating. She checked underneath a stack of fiction books on the end table beside the fireside couch – and found nothing bar the books. Hiking the cloak up over her elbows and around her shoulders, she moved to peer into a basket shoved into the corner –

Inside were a bunch of confiscated items; dormant practical joke items from Zonko’s – all tagged with their owner’s names, and then…

“It’s here.” declared Katherine, going still at the sight of the black leather diary.

She plucked it out, not believing her eyes.

The boys crossed the room and were at her back in an instant.

“That’s mine... from third year…” James said, plucking a fanged frisbee from the basket. He lifted it to the light to smilingly inspect it, “…practically an antique.”

Sirius tapped his wand to the diary, non-verbally duplicating it before dropping the copy back into the basket.

Katherine might not have thought of that on her own.

Sirius clapped a hand on James’ shoulder, turning back to the room, “Okay, everything back as we found it…”

Katherine stowed the diary into her inner robe pocket after a startling moment when she looked down and saw that her body – beneath the neck – was invisible. How the boys had taken her seriously, she didn’t know…

The three sped around, righting the room. James begrudgingly left the fanged frisbee after a sighing moment. Snuffing the torches with a wave of a wand, Katherine and Sirius rushed out of the door that James locked from the inside before flying back out of the window.

Sirius didn’t wait for his friend, reaching into the invisibility cloak and tugging on Katherine’s hand once more –

“He’ll be going to drop his broom back at the dormitory – he’ll meet us down at dinner…”

With that, they took off running like something was chasing them.

It had been easy.

Everything with Sirius was.

If anyone were to be looking in on that corner of the castle that night as the rest of the occupants dined below, they would only see Sirius and a partially visibly Katherine as they ran down through the corridors to dinner – strung together by their arms, laughing as they passed through the warm squares of the windows at what they had accomplished…

They arrived, breathless from running and laughing through the school’s halls, outside the closed double doors of the Great Hall –

SLAP! A third person joined them, jumping down the final stairs –

“How’s our time?” asked James, looking to Sirius as he smoothed his hair and righted his spectacles.

Sirius checked his watch, “Ten past six.”

James grinned in beaming satisfaction –

“How good are we?” he guffawed laughingly. 

The boys clasped hands firmly in celebration, patting each other on the back.

Katherine handed the cloak off to James once they finished.

James stowed it away inside his regular cloak and then held a hand to his stomach as he turned to push open the double doors, “I’m bloody starved…”

Sirius slashed a mirthful glance to Katherine, holding the door open for her before they both followed James through.

In the dinner hall that evening the silverware glinted, the fireplaces on either side of the long room roared gold and warm, and the snow filtering down through cloudy starry night on the ceiling pitched Katherine back to dazzling winters of childhood. In her chest too, was a bright spangly feeling – like rattling little bells.

Lily was likely to wake in the next day or so. Everything was going to be okay. It was all almost over…

The meal was only marred by a few scathing looks Marlene threw down the table where Peter sat with Rosie and her friends. Katherine kept her eyes pointedly away from Pamela, wondering what the girl would think if she knew that Sirius’ knee knocked playfully with hers beneath the table the entire night…

It was on leaving the Great Hall, in the streams of students separating in the direction of their common rooms, that Peter was plucked away from Rosie and shoved – hard – against a pillar.

Gasps went up around the torchlit Entrance Hall. The streams dissolved as everyone loitered to watch as Dobbs held Peter against the pillar, whispering something lowly –

Sirius had been walking with Dobbs, the Slytherin having made a beeline for him once they were no longer bound by their house tables, and recovered from the off-kilter surprise that had stalled his movements – but simply watched on, almost in curiosity –

Peter put up a futile struggle –

Rosie pulled at the back of Dobbs’ robes, “Let him go – I’ll get a teacher –”

Macnair and Dolohov blocked her escape with their tall, arms-crossed, figures. Regardless of what had transpired over Mary, it seemed their animosity with any Gryffindor seemed to win out over it –

Sirius, beside them, with own arms crossed by happenstance– seemed to fit right in –

James, Remus, and Frank hovered just away – evidently not entirely disagreeing with Mary’s boyfriend’s right to stick up for her –

For an uncomfortable minute, Dobbs held Peter silently – like a dog, by the scruff of the neck – until he gave up.

Around the hall, the dissolving of respect for Peter Pettigrew was almost audible. The disappointment, too, that there would be no fight.

Dobbs viciously shoved Peter back on his way and then stalked away in the direction of the dungeons.

Hushed whispers of the crowd followed him.

Macnair and Dolohov too followed, with savagely satisfied silent smiles back at Peter and their arms still crossed.

Katherine turned to watch them follow, then startled as Marlene shook her and gestured with her head beside them–

Avery was silently standing beside Katherine – his hand above her head against the wall, gazing down at her keenly –

Katherine jolted back a step in fright –

Avery’s cool obsidian gaze danced in the firelight. It wasn’t friendly, per se – but, perhaps, amused. He turned, looking for something across the Entrance Hall, before he turned to follow his friends where they disappeared down the stairs Katherine had faced Snape at only a few days ago. He struck up a cheerful whistle as he reached them, glancing over his shoulder at Katherine with a glinting head of white-blond hair that flicked up from where it was combed to his neck.

Dolohov favoured imitating a little yelping puppy.

Troubled by the fact that she had not even noticed him beside her, Katherine turned back to the Gryffindor boys.

James pulled Peter into a walk by the back of his robes, patting roughly between his shoulders but not looking terribly impressed – appearing almost completely somewhere else as he murmured throwaway words likely meant to bolster the boy back up.

The other Gryffindor boys closed back in, and they went up the stairs ahead as a pack. Sirius’ eyes followed Avery – a pinched expression visible even from her distance.

Mary spent the walk battling a smile.

Once back in the dormitory, Katherine passively participated in the post-incident debrief with the other girls as she surreptitiously wrapped a knitted shawl around the diary and placed it in the bottom drawer of her desk – as far away from her bed as she could possibly get. She then, under the pretence of checking homework, whispered “Au Seigneur Fou” to the parchment she shared with Sirius and Regulus. She made work of updating it –

Tom Riddle/Voldemort

• Slughorn – memory. Living Beyond Death
• St Wool’s Orphanage

• Horcrux. An object in which one conceals a piece of their soul, so that in the event of death – they will not die.
• Diary. Retrieved

 

She closed it with a simple ‘Finite’, folding it and tucking it back into her top drawer. She would have to hold onto the Diary until she got word back from Regulus.

Katherine then prepared for bed, showering and dressing into her pyjamas. She slid happily beneath her heavy blankets, wedged between Belle and Marbles who were curled up on top of them. She thought she was going to sleep like a log that night. With one last thought to her evening, she slipped off to sleep with a faint smile…

“Ah!” a sharp scream pierced the air –

Katherine’s eyes snapped open, only moments after the dormitory had descended into dark silence –

“What is it, Marlene!?” Alice rushed across to her bed, switching on the lights with her wand –

Marlene was scurrying up her bed –

“I saw someone – standing –” she stabbingly pointed with eyes of pure fright at the space beside Katherine’s bed, “There!”

“Oh,” Katherine clutched her chest as it sagged, “That shadow comes depending on the phase of the moon – with the light coming through the window… I’ve seen it too…”

Marlene’s eyes clamped shut, and she held her heavy chest, “Merlin…”

“Here, we’ll put something to hold them closed tonight…” suggested Alice, using hair clips to pin closed the heavy velvet curtains with Mary.

As the girls settled into bed, there was a reluctance to turn out the lights – but eventually, they all went out, one by one. The dormitory became blindingly dark. Shadowless.

Katherine hunkered beneath her blankets, still disturbed. It was a shadow – wasn’t it?

She put her head under the blanket, so that the only breathing she knew she was hearing was her own.

 

---

 

After the fright of the previous night, Katherine had gone on to sleep soundly. Even breaking free from her blanket at some point in a more relaxed sleepy state. It was always funny the way night played tricks…

As the girls moved off to their classes, Katherine pulled out the diary – and placed it in her bag before heading off to the library for her first free period of the day. Part of her was paranoid that Professor McGonagall would figure out that it had been taken, and she would know it was them. Katherine wouldn’t put it past the professor to know some sort of spell like that...

Also, Katherine’s mind wandered to the matter of House Elves. Regulus’ handkerchief that he had lent her had disappeared by the time she returned from classes the day following his giving it to her. They always seemed to return things to ‘their place’. She didn’t want to risk the same thing happening with the diary – so she made the decision to keep it with her until they destroyed it.

She didn’t intend to open it.

Not at first.

It was only when she finished her homework, and bored of staring out the window at the rain washing away the snow, that Katherine reached for it. Part of her was curious as to what Greengrass may have written inside…were there any clues to opening the chamber or the beast inside?

The leather cover opened just like any other. On the inside was the inked ‘Tom Marvolo Riddle’ beneath the 'This Diary belongs to...’

It had definitely been in his possession.

A bit of a chill ran down her at the thought of it in his hands – and it being, then, in hers. She turned the page, and…

Found no further ink in the pages.

Katherine remembered Greengrass writing it, and persevered with a ‘lumos’ in case it was some sort of invisible ink…

Nothing appeared.

It was as she went to close it into the wrappings she had made of her old knitted shawl, irked, that she spilt her ink well – and it vanished.

Katherine blinked at the page for long, spooked moment. She tried casting ‘Revelio’ next.

That was when ink finally did erupt upon the aged parchment –

‘Try writing.’

Katherine’s chest flashed hot at the absurd, astute response. She hesitated before fetching her quill and ink. There was no other way to know, she supposed…

‘What did you do to Griselda Greengrass?’

She watched as her inked words disappeared into the page – as if absorbed. Almost immediately, unfamiliar old-fashioned handwriting replaced it in response –

‘Nothing, Katherine.’

Katherine felt sick seeing her name, and nearly shut the cover –

‘Don’t.’

Katherine hesitated, but wrote back –

‘Why shouldn’t I?’

‘We may never get to speak again’ came the prompt response, a faint desperation in the lettering, ‘I’m sure you have questions for me, Katherine.’

She did, of course.

‘Will I end up like Greengrass if I do?’

When the next words came, she could imagine Tom Riddle’s high cold laugh preceding it –

‘You’re not weak like she was.’

The pandering compliment felt like slime down her spine. Still, she wrote back –

‘How did she get sick?’

She watched with unblinking eyes as the largest piece of text was scrawled out before her –

‘A piece of my soul rests in these very pages. You can feel the magic in the book, can you not?         

She confided in me and shared with me her secrets. That is a powerful energy exchange not to be underestimated, and is beyond the magic one can master and wield’

There was a paragraph break. The properness almost amused Katherine –

‘As she poured her energy and feelings into me, as she laid her hands upon the pages, I grew stronger…’

Katherine lifted her hands.

‘You’ve seen me, Katherine. Haven’t you?’

He went on, with all the burgeoning macabre of a classic grim brother’s tale –

‘A flicker in a dark corridor… out of the corner of your eye… in the corner of your dormitory…  Waiting for my soul to be strong enough to cleave itself from these pages,

Griselda Greengrass lies in St Mungo’s, artificially extending her life.

Fortunate, isn’t it?

That this no longer needs to be a life for a life.’

Footsteps approaching from down the library aisle made her speedily close the cover –

THUD, the cover flew back open on its own accord, hitting the desk –

‘Too late.’

Katherine just about vomited immediately from fright.

Closing it again, she tied it shut with the makeshift wrapping of her old shawl that she had been keeping it in. Panic made her hands jittery – ever after they stopped working the wrapping. It didn’t thrash or anything within the knitted shawl like she expected. Still… she didn’t want to be alone with it. Her mind conjured up only one answer – and she was soon after flying through the hallways in the direction of it.

He had Arithmancy, didn’t he? she reasoned, slowing by the classroom and peering through the open windows on the courtyard side as she closed in on the door. What was she going to do if she had his schedule wrong? Would she have to run all over the castle?

It was as she reached the door and waited to be noticed by the professor that she could really scan the room. The students noticed her first, naturally. Cheek-reddingly, her eyes roved them and found Avery, Snape, and then – more relievingly – Alice, Frank, Sirius, Dobbs, and James all together on the other side at the back of the room –

“Yes… Miss Spencer?” asked Professor Vector in notice, turned back from his blackboard and blinking amid a droning explanation to the dusty room of lazing sixth year scholars.

Locking eyes with Sirius, she caught her breath –

“Yes, uh –”

Sirius was lifting out of his chair already, his eyes scanning her state in an astute deduction that something was wrong –

“I’ve been sent for Sirius Black by Professor McGonagall,” she lied, giving a tight nervy smile of feigned reassurance, “He’ll be right back afterwards.”

“Very well…” he blinked easily, turning and waving an arm in allowance, “Mister Black.”

Sirius loped quickly down the aisle of desks that hosted the smartest witches and wizards of sixth year. Arithmancy was an exclusive subject.

Katherine let him guide her over and away from the door, so they weren’t overheard, with her rushed apology already on her tongue –

“I’m sorry – I’m so sorry to drag you out in front of everyone –”

“Don’t worry about it,” he spoke softly, reaching up to take her face into his hands as he lowered his down by hers with a concerned furrow between his brows, “Breathe, Katherine – tell me what’s the matter…”

Katherine swallowed to coat her dry, panicked throat.

Sirius’ hands slid into the groove beneath her ear. The thumbs remained, stroking her lower cheeks back to just before her ears while the rest of his fingers slipped behind her neck – beneath her hair.

Katherine’s hot thumping heart began slowing to the point she began feeling dizzy.

“I… wanted to see if there was anything about the chamber in the diary, or the monster…” she went on to explain how Tom wrote to her, and how she wrote back, all up until the mentions of his form becoming corporeal around the castle.

Sirius’ hands fell slowly from her cheeks –

“He can’t… can he?” he shook his head in slow imploring, and confusion.

“I’ve seen the shadows, Sirius. I just wrote it off as a trick of the mind –”

Katherine broke off, to steady the quiver overtaking her voice once more as she inclined her head –

“I’ve seen him, Sirius.”

Sirius nodded quickly, blinking and scanning over her. His mind was moving a million kilometres an hour behind his eyes –

“Okay,” he said, with face of upmost seriousness, “Okay, we’ll –”

He reached out, took her hand, and gave a tug –

“Come on.”

Sirius walked her quickly a few hallways over, and knocked on the open door of another in-session class –

“Sorry, Professor. A word with my brother, if I may,”

Katherine glanced into the class of fifth years, who were peering out with amused interest –

“Family matter.” clarified Sirius, with a deceptively winning smile.

Katherine could feel how tense his hand and arm was, however.

Regulus was excused, and walked down the rows of his classmates – some jeering at him – before he joined them in hallway, and they were all quickly whispering furiously in the corner about what had happened –

“I don’t know how much stock to put in his words, Katherine. The Dark Lord was a master manipulator…” whispered Regulus, alternating between looking up at his brother and then down at Katherine, “And Greengrass – the news is that she’s getting better with the treatment at St.Mungo’s. If the diary was still feeding off her then she would remain in the same, weakened state without any sign of improvement at all.”

Sirius moved closer to his brother –

“I’m not taking the risk of the reason for her recovery being that the diary has moved onto Katherine now.” he whispered in tightly reigned annoyance, gesturing to her beside him.

Katherine blinked in surprise at the sudden heatedness –

Regulus backed from his brother ever so slightly, glancing between Katherine and Sirius, as his mind worked behind his eyes – not an iota different from his brother earlier –

“Tonight. Once everyone’s at dinner and there’s no prefects or teachers about.” he said, at last, with a distracted gaze down at their joined hands.

Sirius inclined his head in query, “You’ve got it?”

Regulus gave a stunted nod.

Katherine and Sirius seemed to deflate in tandem, glancing to each other.

Regulus went to leave back towards his class, then paused, turning his head but looking at the floor –

“We’re going to get caught.” he said, plainly, looking up to them again.

Sirius shrugged, his lips twitching slightly as he held his brother’s eye.

Regulus huffed out a humourless laugh, shaking his head as he sauntered casually back into his class.

Sirius nodded to move on away from the prying fifth year eyes out of the classroom window, and the two began walking back in the direction they came.

Katherine assumed they were going back to his class –

“How are you feeling?” he asked, glancing sideways to her.

Katheirne blinked, having to focus on feeling into her body, “Fine, just in a bit of shock, I think…”

Truly, she was running on adrenaline. She had been for nearly two years.

“Maybe we should go to Madame Pomfrey for an invigoration draught – just in case…” he trailed off, thoughtfully, his eyes moving off.

Katherine gave a sidelong look, “Haven’t you got class?”

A sharp fall of air came from his nose –

“As if I could focus.” he turned to her with an amused raise of his brow.

Katherine nudged him, with pointed eyes, “I said you would be back.”

Sirius sighed mirthfully, letting his head fall back as they trudged all the way back. He gave a whisper of ‘don’t go anywhere, give me a few minutes’ before he ducked inside.

Katherine indeed waited – a little out of the way so she went unnoticed. A slight commotion rose from inside the room after around five minutes –

“Okay, you go – go –” the professor’s voice carried out, a slight panic belying his tone –

Sirius’ form grew large as he approached the door again, clutching his nose –

“Stress of the news – there’s been a death, you know.” came James’ voice from somewhere within –

Glancing over his shoulder, to check he was scot-free, Sirius then gave a flourish of his arms as wiped ‘blood’ from his nose and upper lip. It was as ‘proper’ a way as any to skive off class as one could get –

Through the open windows, Dobbs smothered a laugh with a cough and side-eyed Katherine and Sirius as they jogged off hand-in-hand.

“Where to?” asked Katherine, as they neared the Grand Staircase, “Common room?”

“I was thinking about the library,”

Katherine turned to him –

Sirius gave a shrug, and a conceding smile before he bowed his head down to hers in explanation –

“We’ve got a few hours to waste, and I did promise to show you the yearbooks…”

 

---

 

The yearbook shelf was not as extensive as Katherine might have thought.

The school was a thousand years old, but the records only went back around six hundred years. Six hundred books didn’t take up all that much room, surprisingly.

“The older books are kept away in the restricted section because of their fragile condition...” Sirius had explained, as he began thumbing through the tag ‘1970’s’.

There were only six books in the tag. Sirius pulled out the most recent one – the shiniest one. When opened, the overwhelming scent of ink wrapped Katherine’s nostrils –

“So far, it just has every year level’s pictures…” he explained as he flicked expertly through the thin tome, “As the year goes on, quidditch and club stuff will be added…”

Katherine noticed that the pictures where split by year, and then by house. The houses were in alphabetical order, so Gryffindor came first. When the page was laid flat, open at the sixth years of 1976, Katherine saw Sirius’ picture grinning up at her immediately – and then Lily’s beside it.

Katherine’s smile was immediate.

She had never seen all her friends captured in such a way before…

Lily and the other girls’ pictures moved from small closed lipped smiles, to timid grins, then back to blinking smaller smiles. Most people were looking straight down the barrel of the camera, in fact. So, it was noticeable when people’s pictures were looking off – like Katherine and Sirius’ were.

She knew, should hers and Sirius’ pictures be put side by side, that they would be looking at one another.

Katherine watched herself smiling and laughing back up at her and thought it must of the been the nicest photo ever taken of her. Warming too, was the fact that she looked like she belonged in the lineup of Gryffindors.

“Will you show me your pictures throughout the years?” asked Katherine, wryly, to Sirius beside her as he too looked down at their pictures, “I want to see what you looked like when you were eleven.”

Sirius gave a huff of laughter, and looked, for once, a little sheepish – 

 “…Okay.” he slowly agreed, going back to shelf and returning with five more slim tomes.

He watched, alongside her, as Katherine thumbed through them cheerfully –

She squeaked when she opened the first-year tab and saw the eleven-year-old Gryffindors, with Sirius right at the front, again –

“You were so cute!” she exclaimed, turning to the boy next to her and reaching up to pinch his cheek.

Sirius closed his eyes, groaning in embarrassment – before laughing down at the picture.

A strange feeling filled Katherine as she turned back to it with him. He really was adorable, she maintained to herself. His face was rounder, his hair was gelled back, and he wasn’t quite smiling, but his dimples were popping in a perfunctory sort of expression. Everything about him was fresh and young. There was no sign of haughty fifth-year boy she had first met yet.

Lily looked a lot like herself, beaming in twin plaits over the front of her shoulders. Her teeth looked bigger – yet to be grown into. Adorably sweet, and very freckly.

Remus, beside her, made Katherine want to ‘awww’ out loud. He looked very cute with mop of sandy locks cropped neatly – she had never seen his hair so short.

James beside him was almost unrecognisable without his glasses – yet to have been prescribed them yet, it seemed. His hair was mostly smooth, but you could still see the unruly piece that stuck up at the back. Some things never changed.

As Katherine thumbed through the second, third, and fourth-year photographs of her friends, she watched as James and Sirius began sporting twin gazes of sparkling mischief. Despite the fact that James always beamed, and Sirius’ only became more aloof and portrait-esque, with their jet-black hair – he and Sirius could have passed for brothers.

Katherine paused at the fourth-year photographs, taken only a handful of months before they all met Katherine. Somehow, she thought they looked different. These people didn’t know her yet.

“It’s weird to think that while I was at St. Mary’s that you were all just here…” said Katherine, closing it and reaching for the next yearbook.

Sirius tipped his head down to her with a small smile, “Well, you were meant to be here with us.”

The fifth-year yearbook seemed to carry a lot of damage, and Katherine got confused as some of the names she was seeing as she flicked. The house names were nearly all but rubbed off, glinting in broken gold lettering. It seemed, too, that – for whatever reason – the whole year levels were bunked together. The names were all collected the bottom too instead of with the pictures, which made it difficult to reference –

“Is that you…?” Katherine pointed, confused that Sirius, for once, wasn’t at the beginning of the line. A blonde girl was in front –

Sirius leant forward on his elbows, his brow furrowed and a strange gleam to his eyes –

“No, that’s my Uncle Alphard. But that…” he trailed off, pointing to the blonde in front of his uncle.

“Looks like…” Katherine looked closer, and thought she was looking at a photo of herself she had never seen before, nodding with Sirius –

“You.” finished Sirius, turning to look at her with faint astonishment gripping his face.

He held their place with his fingers, but flipped the book over to the faded front –

“Nineteen thirty-five…” read Katherine, squinting to make out the gilded title, “Someone must have put them back in the wrong order…”

Sirius opened the book again, and his finger went to tracing along the name of lines at the bottom –

“Margaret Abbott… and, as is the tradition, amended to show she married into… the Montague family…” he murmured, his hand falling away as he looked down at the page in distracted puzzlement.

Katherine, knowing her mother’s maiden name was Montague, and that the year would place the girl in the picture just about right enough to be –

“My grandmother…”

Katherine knew, always, that she must have had one. To look at her picture was another thing entirely. To see people that looked like you, that you had never met, and would never meet…She thought she might be able to look at her picture forever.

“Do you reckon they knew each other?” asked Katherine, to Sirius beside her as they looked down at their respective kin.

Sirius was looking at her with a strange expression that Katherine could not decipher. With it, came the feeling of a something being held back. One she had not experienced in a long time with him.

“I’d say so…” he said, with a short little smile, looking back to the other stack of yearbooks and neatening them. The same look of distracted puzzlement had returned to his face.

In the strange lull of the discovery, Sirius went about investigating the diary for himself while Katherine found the 1975 yearbook and then went looking for her parents’ yearbooks. He snuck a few peaks as Katherine paused and hungrily took in the faces of her parents but kept a respective silence.

Katherine found only a handful of Blacks in the same year as her parents, and they were in Slytherin. None of them looked quite like Sirius enough to be his parents, and she didn’t want to pry into it with him.

She took the books back to the nearby shelves as the bell rang signalling either lunch or the beginning of afternoon classes (she couldn’t be sure), putting the 1935 one back in its proper place as well. She got curious, thinking to look for Tom Riddle’s pictures, but thought it would only bring more disturbance instead of any sort of cathartic release. The 40’s section seemed to hum as she left it untouched, however, and returned to the desk Sirius was perched up at.

He was trying a few spells on the diary, but had yet to write in it. It seemed, very much 'dead'. It did not flip open on its own accord even once.

As Katherine sat beside him once more, he, wrapped it back in the shawl.

"What time is it?” asked Katherine, glad Sirius was keeping the diary down his end.

Sirius checked his watch, “One thirty.”

“We’ve missed lunch.” she realised, with a blink.

Sirius moved to sit against window on the booth seat, bringing his knee up and looking at her over his cheekbones, “Are you hungry?”

“Not really.” admitted Katherine, with a half-shrug.

“Me neither. A bit tired, if anything…” said Sirius, trailing off into a yawn.

He shuffled against the window, and shut his eyes as his arms crossed loosely across his stomach. Like a sleeping knight. Katherine thought she would remember forever how he looked in the haloed glow of the stained-glass panes. Handsome and real…

She went back to looking, with trepidation, at the diary – and pondering what lay ahead that evening.

Sirius took in a deep contented breath through his nose, his eyes cracking open a sleepy fraction, opening his arms, “Here, lay back against me and we’ll go through what Flitwick taught us about relaxing,”

Katherine, with a smile of wry compliance, turned and slid back against him.

Sirius’ legs rose up to bracket her on the cool peeling red leather of the booth seat, humming –

“Mhmm… okay – now, sleep.” he said in soft, playful command, crossing his arms over her collarbones and securing her to his front.

Katherine barely kept in a laugh, “Sirius.”

“Shh…”  he laughed out, his quaking chest moving her up and down with him.

Once their laughter settled, Sirius took one of her hands and worked through the bones with his forefinger and thumb like he had on the beanbag back up the muggle studies classroom.

Katherine’s head found a comfortable nook beneath his collarbone and shoulder. She watched their hands together, feeling her body go into the same boneless state as last time.

When Sirius spoke again, it startled her slightly, despite his tender softness, “You know… should You-Know-Who come back in any capacity when we destroy the diary tonight, you should probably learn the killing curse…”

Katherine had never thought about it before. She began tangling her fingers back with Sirius’, and watched them wheel together in the dreary light coming through the window behind them.

“Remus would have a conniption if I asked.” she said, feeling the corners of her lips lift.

Sirius gave a soft breathy snort, “He doesn’t know the wand work anyway,”

The lofty words faded into the dust-silence of the library.

Sirius took her wand hand in his –

“It’s a short zig-zag… kind of like a lightning bolt…” he explained, barely above a whisper –

He moved their hands slowly, purposefully, in the motion he described –

“…and then…” the dark colour of his voice returned, like molasses moving down the back of Katherine’s neck, “…avada kedavra…”

Katherine was almost asleep, though felt a faint prickle of something taboo…

“You have to mean it, or it won’t work,” along with his words, she felt his keen stare on their hands and could imagine his focused, yet aloof sort of expression as if he were in front of her, “…it won’t even knock someone back off their feet…”

Katherine found herself looking at Sirius’ legs where they locked her in. There was something about those svelte thighs… longer than hers – stronger, too. Elegant all the while, and in perfect, slim shape. As was the rest of him…

At a gentle touch to her neck, beneath her jaw, Katherine opened her eyes – not having realised she closed them –

“Are you checking my pulse?” her lips moved groggily around the question, and she swallowed to coat her dry throat.

“You were very still –”

Sirius’ words were curtailed with chest-shaking laughter.

Katherine turned, burrowing into his front like it was her mattress –

Sirius’ arms tightened, and he lowered his head to speak against the top of her head – 

“– like a little bird, sleeping in my shirt.” the smile could be heard in his voice.

Katherine, wrinkling her face, angled her head up to look at him.

Sirius gazed down at her, his expression soft –

“…oh, here’s Katherine and Black.”

Katherine’s head snapped back around, and from Sirius’ arms she watched as Mary and Dobbs closed in on the seats on the opposite side of their table. She went to ease up from their position –

Sirius momentarily tightened his grip –

“Black.” said Dobbs, nodding to him once as he pulled out a chair.

Sirius nodded back, loosening his arms from around Katherine, “Dobbs.”

Katherine scooted upright and smoothed her robes down as Mary sat down, already flicking through her notes and then asked something inaudible to Dobbs beside her as he unpacked his inkwell and quill.

Deftly, Katherine slid the shawl-covered diary off the table and along the small patch of leather booth seat to Sirius.

Sirius moved it over his lap and wedged it between his leg and the window with a throat-clearing short smile –

“So, what did I miss in Arithmancy?” he asked, setting his sight on Dobbs.

Dobbs cleared his throat, and gestured down at his sheet with his quill, “Professor Vector went on to explain the rule of…”

Katherine and Mary shared a glassy-eyed look as the pureblood boys went on about the subject that might further a white-collar career in the ministry after school. With twitching lips, they looked away from each other once more. Mary went back to her own homework. Katherine, however, people watched in the library.

Until she tired and took to laying her head down on the table, stretching her arms out.

“… and that’s all you’ll need to know for the homework…” finished Dobbs, scribbling on a ripped bit of parchment to slide across to Sirius with the textbook readings listed.

Sirius accepted it, tucking it inside his pocket, “Yeah, cheers.”

As Dobbs went back to working silently alongside Mary, Sirius laid across the table beside Katherine – turning to face her in a mirrored position, nudging elbows.

Katherine smiled absently, then asked, “What time is it?”

Sirius checked, sighed, then laid back down and stared across at her glumly –

“Two thirty.”

Katherine felt a soft groan rise up her throat.

For a moment, they just stared across at one another.

“We could have a staring contest.” suggested Katherine, feeling a prickle of juvenile boredom.

She didn’t exactly expect him to acquiesce…

Sirius nodded, however, “Ready?”

“Last blinks…” instructed Katherine, nodding with him.

Sirius eyed her and then gave short, “Now…”

Back and forth she went between each mercurial iris… taking note of the grain direction his eyebrows grew in… the errant freckles over the bridge of his nose…

The times she had done it in the past as a younger girl, it had burned to try and keep her eyes from blinking. With Sirius, it felt like tuning into the right station on the wireless with a warm, crisp ZAP. Like the peace of a clear, wide night sky laid out for her. Too there, was the feeling that were on the precipice of dipping into each other’s minds – and consciously holding back…

“I’m going to have to head back to my common room, love,” came Dobbs quiet words to Mary –

Katherine and Sirius blinked, turning and sitting up slowly –

“You’ll be alright walking back with Spencer and Black?” Dobbs went on, stacking his books and writing materials.

The pair went on to say their goodbyes – seeming to hold back from a more intimate parting, and settled for a forehead kiss before Dobbs waved his farewell to the other table occupants and was on his way out.

Mary turned to Katherine, rubbing her arms, “It is getting cold, should we…?”

“Yeah.” said Katherine, glancing to Sirius and pushing herself up.

It was rather freezing. Katherine’s toes had gone a little numb in her mary-janes somewhere during the staring contest. As they were leaving the library, the bell rang – and the doors in the castle opened, flooding the hallways.

They all shouldered through with a little more difficulty, with their bags on their backs.

Mary was out the front, and reached back blindly for Katherine’s hand.

People tended to give way once they noticed Sirius, noticed Katherine with amused annoyance. Mary didn’t notice, pulling Katherine up alongside her like a slingshot once they got to the grand staircase and set eyes on the portrait of the fat lady in the distance.

Sirius fell back then, but was a steady presence behind them until they separated in the common room and went to drop their things up in their respective dormitories. He gave a speaking look over his shoulder before he disappeared – it would likely be the only time they parted before they met up in the entrance hall with Regulus.

Anticipation for the evening began mounting.

“What if Peter’s back down there…” groaned Mary, as the other girls arrived in the dormitory one by one.

Katherine pet Belle and Marbles, “We could always play chess, or something? Out of the way…”

Alice and Mary turned around to Katherine as one –

“You? Play chess?”

Katherine battled indignant amusement, “Well, I don’t exactly know the rules –”

“The rules are the game, Katherine.” came Alice’s benevolent interjection, a warm smile taking any bite out of the words.

Katherine gave a light shrug, admitting, “I like watching the pieces whack each other.”

So, that was what the girls did once they returned down to the common room. Huddling under blankets and relishing in the heat from the fireplace – they poured over the chess board.

“Knight to…”

Alice looked up from where she perched beside Mary, “Katherine, you can’t keep sacrificing your knights. You’re not going to have any left.”

“I like the way the horsies move.” she confessed lightly in defence, through bubbling laughter.

A light huff of air fell from behind Katherine – from Sirius, where he sat with his back to her as he chatted with the other boys. Occasionally, he would turn his head – take in the board surreptitiously – and whisper suggestions, ‘Move your tower to protect your King… get your last pawn forward… and move your bishop left – then you’re nearly controlling the centre…’

“Bishop to B7.” she decided, after Sirius’ coaching.

The bishop zoomed diagonally left. With a CLINK, the bishop gripped its staff and smashed over Mary’s Pawn – leaving her King unguarded.

Mary pressed her fingers to her forehead as she pondered her next move.

Marlene muffled a laugh, then looked between Katherine and Mary as she shook her head in incredulity, before looking back off to the fireplace.

“What time is it?”

Katherine’s head turned at Sirius’ question.

“Six.” came James’ voice, breaking into a yawn.

“Blimey, already?” came Frank’s voice, then the call of – “Alice? Dinner?”

Alice jumped up, patting Mary’s shoulder, “Come on, enough for one night.”

Mary gave a begrudging moan, eyeing the board – then Katherine. Her eyes narrowed playfully.

Katherine grinned, standing up with everyone else as they unanimously began making their way out of the common room for dinner.

Alice and Frank led the sixth-year group, holding hands and chatting easily as they went down the tunnel and out of the portrait.

Mary and Marlene chatted amongst themselves too, bumping shoulders as they went.

James walked with Remus behind them.

Peter swung hands with Rosie at the back of them, the girl looking noticeably taller after a recent growth spurt…

“Katherine?”

Sirius stood, waiting – opening an arm to her.

Katherine walked forward into it –

It was time.

Sirius slung his arm around her shoulder, and the pair walked slowly – hanging back. No one seemed to notice them. Katherine took notice of the change in weather outside, however, and whispered her new concern to Sirius –

“It’s started raining again, will that…”

“No, it’ll be alright…”

Their friends waltzed through the doors to the Great Hall without looking back, as they had banked on.

Katherine and Sirius went on past, pausing by the doors open to the outside courtyard. They peered up at the rain. Thick drops, shining like crystals, fell out of the black sky above. The flickering torches burnt on despite it, barely leeching out into the night.

Katherine shivered under Sirius’ arm.

TAP… TAP… TAP… crisp, evenly paced footsteps approached – and did not stop. With the slightest sideways glances, Regulus went past and stepped out casually into the downpour with his wand up in an umbrella charm.

Sirius glanced behind them, then to Katherine, and tugged her forward by her hand.

Together they followed Regulus under Sirius’ own umbrella charm, traversing the lawns to a section concealed from general view of anyone happening to look out – and far enough away from the castle that it shouldn’t burn the stone.

Rain quickly drenched their shoes and socks as they seemed to silently roam around, glancing in surveyal of the ‘right’ spot. Katherine didn’t know what would be needed with fiendfyre and let the brother’s made the executive decision.

“Here?” asked Sirius, peering up from the rain cascading down from the invisible edge of his charm over their heads.

Regulus nodded as he looked around, in satisfaction –

“Yeah, here,” he said, crouching down and procuring an ornately carved metal box from within his robe pocket.

It bore incredible resemblance to a jewellery box.

“There’s no moon,”

Regulus had looked up, past their heads, as he seemed to be distracted from what he was initially going to say. His expression was of hesitant awe, as he went on in a very whimsical tone –

“People tend to think it’s full moons when crazy things happen, but rather it tends to be new moons instead… all is shadow –”

Regulus pushed himself up with a grunt of effort on his last words, lifting his wand as he stepped back from the box –

“Get ready to jump back.” he warned, turning his wand and focus to the little latch.

Sirius and Katherine stepped back together, watching. The box seemed to ‘tick’ in the dark rain-drowned silence…

Katherine understood what Regulus had been getting at, at that moment. All was shadow – it was easy to hide in it. She got the sense that the three of them were kind of lost of the proverbial road as they went forth with no guidance…

She glanced around, and thought she saw a shadow by the edge of the forest. Like someone, or something, was watching them...

The loudest noise became the drips of rain that fell onto the diary cover clutched in Sirius’ hand over the curtain of noise of the rain –

Until it was eclipsed by the sudden gush and roar of flames. The fiendfyre was a cyclonic tower of flames, exploding up –

Katherine jumped back in the face of scolding heat in her cheeks, feeling Sirius’ hand tighten around hers –

Regulus leaped back in the mess of flames around them, clutching the side of his face –

“Regulus! Are you alright!?” Katherine yelled over the roaring fire, starting in his vague direction from what she could make out –  

A figure scrambled up from the grass – on the other side of the tower – flailing a desperate arm –

“I’m fine – just the shock of the heat! Chuck it in!”

Sirius turned away from the heat, squinting back from it – and lobbed the diary, spinning it –

WHOOSH! A large eruption emerged from where the diary had been eaten into the orange flame, taking the form of a large snake head that hissed and writhed – lashing out at them –

They all went, jumping and diving away, and Katherine and Sirius were separated from one another –

Katherine landed elbows first in the long slimy blades of grass, the back of her robes soaking through immediately under the heavy drops of rain. The water did nothing to douse the fire –

A ghostly clanging howl filled the air as the fiendfyre lifted up from its metal box and went loose –

“Run!” shouted Regulus, flailing to his feet and taking off as a dark figure on the fire-shadowed lawns towards the lake –

Katherine pushed up from her elbows –

Sirius was turning around and flicking his wand at the fire to push it back, squinting – then stopped when he saw her –

Katherine ran for his outstretched hand. He – for once – was not gentle. Sirius nearly pulled her arm out of its socket as he pulled her down the lawns –

The fiendfyre roamed the lawns like a dragon was screeching behind it, gaining and gaining –

They reached Regulus and the closest they could get to the lake approaching it from that direction. A steep drop-off of earth signified a sure fall to reach the water – and then… water didn’t seem to stop the flame…

“What do we do?” shouted Katherine, feeling as if the flesh was melting down her face in the approaching front of the wall of flame.

Still, they were all spraying the rain from their lips as it pelted down on their heads.

Regulus tried to look over the flames, nodding back towards the castle –

“Someone will come!” he was firm with conviction.

Sirius seemed to be lacking the same conviction as he eyed his brother across the front of Katherine. Regardless, he lifted his wand and started making strong slashes at the flame –

Regulus lifted his own wand.

Katherine felt helpless. She scrambled, thinking quickly – and found her mind straying to James Potter, and how he always escaped frays by the skin of his teeth. What would James do? What would the sharp as a tack…. Quidditch… Captain –

Brooms. James’ weapon of choice was always a broom –

Katherine felt confident when she lifted her wand, “Accio broom!”

The boys turned back at her shout –

Sirius’ face had half-relaxed, and his lips parted in a faint smile of surprise, “Good thinking!”

“We just need to stay together until it comes!” Katherine maintained, glancing between the boys –

Regulus gave a grim nod, before turning back to duel with one of the many serpent heads that had sprung from the flames –

Regulus and Sirius became twin figures against the flames as they slashed their wands and directed it with gusts of wind. It was barely containing it, however. It seemed to have a sentience of its own and was turning on them –

Regulus and Sirius turned, running back towards her –

“– run! Run!”

The three ran along the escarped earth of the lawn edge, Katherine trying to keep an eye out on the dark skyline for her broom –

HISS! –

Serpent heads dove towards the middle of the three and they all dove out of the way –

When Katherine lifted her head from where she had cradled it beneath her arms, to protect her face, she could only see Regulus’ knees running toward her, buckling as he traversed the uneven ground –

“Get back!” Regulus bellowed, reaching down and dragging her along by her forearms with wild, barely-upright movements –

Katherine’s ears rang as her eyes searched, finding nothing but flame behind him –

“Sirius! –”

Sirius voice came back, relievingly – “Go – go! I think I saw the broom coming! I’ve got to get my wand!”

He was further down the line, on his backside and about to be engulfed by flame. Then he was rolling and tumbling wildly down the drop off of earth, crawling in the wet grass for his wand he’d lost.

Despite his own urging of Katherine, Regulus too remained unmoved in their fraught patch of safety as he watched his brother alongside her.

It was going to get him, realised Katherine. She had never thought about Sirius Black dying before – it didn’t seem possible…

“The broom!” shouted Regulus, running for it as it made it’s descent around the flames, with its own sentience, “Come on –”

“– but, Sirius –”

Regulus whirled back around with wild eyes, “There’s not enough time!”

The unalienated truth of life, was that one never knew what kind of person they were until it all proverbially hit the fan.

A thick heavy pull of a magnet seized her – and then Katherine was moving before she knew what she was doing.

The onlookers that hung from the towers of the castle could only bear witness to the spectacle that became of the next moments. Katherine Spencer, streaking across the uneven lawn along the billowing front of crawling, hissing flames to Sirius Black as he shuffled back frantically – Regulus Black bolting behind her on a nimbus and conjuring timely gusts of wind to see her safe passage, screaming her name.

He even struggled beautifully, came an awry errant thought in the back of Katherine’s mind as she reached him. His face was turned from the heat, his body turning – bracing – for incineration. It could have been a bloody painting. A swell of emotion trembled through her body as she threw it across the front of his, her arms wrapping around his shoulders without pausing –

Sirius turned back from his bracing position, though all she could see was the wet hair across his forehead and cheeks before he swiftly cradled her to him. There was no move from either to shuffle or run. The distant thought that they would never kiss again devasted Katherine’s stomach, and she held him so tightly that she thought her muscles would rip from her spine –

Katherine had never known such heat –

She clamped her eyes shut, knowing that if Sirius’ arms crushed her ribs to pieces that it would be worth it –

“All together now! –”

WHOOOOOOOOSH! the swirling might of a cyclone of air very nearly lifted Katherine and Sirius from where they embraced in the grass –

“There they are!” –

The heat was gone, and there was only wet grass to be felt against their skin – and the deep, chest heaving breaths the other was taking –

A hand clamped on Katherine’s shoulder –

“Merlin, you’re both alright…bloody hell…” came Regulus’ pants of relief, and the sound of him squatting down into the long grass and the dropping of the broom, “You can let go… you can let go…”

Heads lifting from each other’s necks, Katherine and Sirius found themselves in near blinding darkness left in the wake of the blinding white heat of the flames that had surrounded them. Their eyes adjusted to find them all blue in the night.

Sirius barked out a laugh, and hooked an arm around Regulus’ neck – bringing him down onto the grass with them. They rocked in hysteric relief as they watched a final slip of orange flame, as it swirled up and vanished into the rain falling like shattered pieces of glass from the black sky, above a troupe of witches and wizards with their wands lifted over their heads.

A curtain of rain separated the three from their saviours.

Their professors, that were turning in their direction and surveying any damage of the area.

Katherine sat in Sirius’ lap where they all were still loosely embraced, feeling the relief drain from her like the flame from the skies –

“Are we going to get expelled?” she asked, rolling the drops of rain between her lips.

“Are… oh –” Regulus’ reply stalled, and he turned to Sirius, asking gravely “– Are we going to get expelled?”

Sirius watched the approaching form of Professor McGonagall, “We can only hope.”

Professor McGonagall slowed to a stop beneath her magical umbrella in her tartan night robes, eyeing them with trembling incredulity –

“The three of you. My office.”

Sirius and Regulus quickly conjured up their own protection from the rain, and Katherine walked on between them with her broom – never having learnt the spell. As they neared where they had opened the pocket fiendfyre, it became clear that there was nothing left of the diary – or the grass. The outside of the castle walls bore a few – absurdly high – scorch marks, but there seemed to be no true damage.

It was quite a surprise. To Katherine, it had felt like a volcano had sprouted up through the earth…

McGonagall marched them silently to her office off Serpentine Corridor on the first floor, before leaving them to seat themselves and wait as she helped corral curious students to their common rooms.

Katherine found herself sat between the brothers. All three still possessed the warmth of the fiendfyre in their cheeks, and their robes all sagged with dampness and streaked with long green blades of grass. They all stared resolutely forward across the desk at Professor McGonagall’s empty chair.

TICK…TICK…TICK… went the clock, the only sound in the room apart from the licks and fizzes from the fireplace.

The further time moved them away from what had occurred, the more ludicrous it began feeling. Things could be justified in the dark that left one sheepish in the stark light.

Katherine glanced to Sirius.

He glanced back.

That was all they needed before bursts of stifled laughter began breaking through their lips.

Regulus’ eyes flashed – wide – sideways to them as he remained tightly buttoned on his chair –

“It’s not funny,” he gave his strictures, turning more as he went on, his eyebrows lifting, “The etymology of it, is essentially ‘devil’s fire’. It has its own sentiency and only knows how to destroy, indiscriminately. Water charms don’t work at all – you must know the counter curse or else it’s certain suicide.”

Sirius sat easily against the back of his chair, tipping his head forward indolently to peer to him around Katherine –

“So, er, how did you plan to stop it?” the words were smiled out, with an inciting raise of Sirius’ eyebrows and turn of his head in expectation.

Regulus opened his mouth, then closed it, facing forward once again with lost gusto, “I… I thought I might be able to… close it.”

Sirius let his head fall back again, facing forward once more –

“Slight flaw in that product, I’d say. Destroying its own packaging.” he sighed out amusedly.

“Merlin –”

Regulus broke off, rubbing his face in a moment of seeming clarity –

“We could have died.” he went on, sincerely – yet quietly – mortified, looking plainly to them.

Sirius snorted, and droned out sarcastically, “Oh, Kreacher would never forgive himself…”

The three’s eyes met, a moment of incredulity passing between them, before they each dissolved into their own degrees of laughter.

Regulus leant forward with his face in his hands and his elbows on his knees, his back quaking –

CLACK…CLACK…CLACK –

The three snapped up, buttoning laughter-quivering lips at the approaching boots of their returning Head of House.

Professor McGonagall, Professor Slughorn, and the Headmaster all stared across at them – Dumbledore taking the seat in his colleague's office as she and the Slytherin Head of House stood behind.

Dumbledore opened and closed his mouth a few times, clicking his tongue faintly.

“We will start, I suppose, with inquiring as to why the three of you thought it a clever idea to let off fiendfyre on school grounds.”

Regulus piped up, clarifying, “It was pocket fiendfyre. None of us cast the spell.”

“It was the only way to destroy the diary.” Katherine quickly added, nodding.

Dumbledore blinked slowly, “The diary?”

Katherine swallowed, glancing to Professor McGonagall hesitantly –

“The one you confiscated from Griselda Greengrass, it was what was making her sick… we discovered…”

“How did you discover this?” inquired Dumbledore gently, tenting his fingers together and knocking them against his lips.

Katherine floundered for a moment –

“It was I who witnessed it being handed to her by… known Death Eaters – over the summer,” Regulus came to her rescue, albeit reluctantly, glancing to Sirius.

Dumbledore eyed the Slytherin keenly.

Sirius remained forward facing, but closed his eyes.

Regulus went on, a little more haughtily with his next words, “It wasn’t hard to figure out what it truly was when the Chamber of Secrets opened, with the heir of Slytherin being the Dark Lord himself –”

“Well, that preposterous! Even if he was the heir – you don’t mean to say he’s in the castle!? He’s been defeated!” blustered Slughorn, his eyes the size of tennis balls –

Dumbledore raised a hand to the Potions Professor behind him –

“There is another way to live once one’s body is slain, Horace. You may recall I came to you, asking for a pertinent piece of information once upon a time,”

Professor Slughorn looked as if all the life had been drained out his feet and into the carpet as the calm words from the headmaster –

“The diary is ash. Were this a wizengamot trial, we would be asked to prove it even existed. We would only have the word of three students,” Dumbledore went on, waving a hand, “You, however, Horace… might be able to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that Tom Riddle was aware of a way to live beyond death. That Tom Riddle was aware of a way to split his soul, and hide it –”

“Yes! Bleeding hell, you old man! Yes – he asked me about Horcruxes when he was my student!”

The abrupt confession left the room in deafening silence s it rang out.

Slughorn turned, resting a fist against his lips as he seemed to look up – in prayer –

“The diary was a horcrux.” said Dumbledore, gazing across at Katherine alone from behind his half-moon spectacles.

Katherine nodded, “Yes, Professor.”

Dumbledore nodded slowly and breathed deeply at the information. He looked off, behind Katherine’s head, and then looked back – with a slight raise of an ancient white brow –

“Why didn’t you bring this information to anyone on the staff?” he inquired in his soft, gravelly tenor.

All three teachers stared across at Katherine then, in expectation – in disappointment, trepidation…

“I thought it might not be destroyed right away while it was investigated,” Katherine chose her words carefully, having somewhat already rehearsed the speech, “I thought that… the monster in the chamber would continue to be controlled by the piece of Tom Riddle’s soul, and continue it’s attacks while he grew strong enough to take form again.”

Dumbledore’s blank stare became quickly disturbing.

Katherine glanced behind him to see McGonagall and Slughorn nodding in acceptance of her logic –

Sirius’ leg touched to hers in an innocuous little movement, and there was a sideways smile he hid under the pretence of wiping his lip.

It was very nearly open defiance against the headmaster –

A lack of trust.

“If we had a hold of the diary, we would be able to take it to the ministry and prove that a very dangerous wizard was technically still at large.” said Dumbledore, inclining his head forward.

“He spoke – wrote – through the diary. That’s why Greengrass was so taken with it. Once it… came into my possession –”

Katherine glanced to McGonagall, but she had yet to know just what had happened, it seemed –

“– I figured out how it worked, by accident. He wrote to me. Told me he would be whole again soon because Griselda was being kept alive at St Mungo’s, and it would no longer need to be a ‘life for a life’.”

Dumbledore gave a begrudging nod, then asked, “How did the diary come into your possession?”

Katherine traded covert glances with the boys either side of her –

“Professor McGonagall confiscated it from Greengrass earlier in the term, and, er… once I figured out what it was, from what you told me, Professor Dumbledore – I –”

“Stole it from Professor McGonagall’s chambers?” finished Dumbledore, for her.

Katherine did look down then, timidly, “Yes, sir.”

TICK… TICK…

“How did the Misters Black become apart of this?”

Regulus was the first to speak, “I gave her the book on Horcruxes once I figured it out myself, it came from our family library. I thought she ought to know as she would be his primary focus, were he resurrected.”

Katherine let the half-truth go unadressed.

“Yes, of course…” nodded Dumbledore.

TICK… TICK… the clock went on, closer to the later hours of the evening as the three students sat – under the examination of their teachers.

Dumbledore’s sigh bloomed throughout the room –

“As of tonight,” started Dumbledore, again, “It seems as if any means of Tom Riddle returning to any sort of life has been eradicated. Seeing as Katherine only carried out, though much further than I had intended –”

Dumbledore’s eyes bored into Katherine’s in genial reprimand –

“– what I had asked of her, I can’t very well expel any of you from Hogwarts. In fact, you have done the wizarding world an enormous favour that they will never know they should repay you for,”

Dumbledore laid his hands on McGonagall’s desk –

“The monster will, surely, remain in the chamber without anyone to command it further. Hogwarts is, now, once again completely safe from any further injury to students by it. In the morning, I will happily announce the closing of the chamber and the return to business as usual at the school,”

Katherine glanced to the boys, with rising excitement –

“However,”

The group turned back to their headmaster –

“You broke several school rules in the process,” he said in due stricture, tilting his head, “All three of you also showed a dangerous arrogance in not going to a teacher at any point, when you had ample opportunity to do so,”

Sirius sat, wide-legged and relaxed back in his chair, boredly receiving his dressing down –

Katherine and Regulus were sitting a little higher in their seats –

“One Hundred Points will be taken from each of your houses for your involvements as I cannot very well verify who did what,” said the headmaster, his eyes scanning them – almost amusedly, “No detention will be necessary, as I believe the social repercussions of losing so many points will be punishment enough. I also hope it serves as a reminder that you cannot work alone on such things, and that your actions affect others.”

A faint ire rose in Katherine at being seemingly unallowed to act on the things that righted her life back to a semblance of a normal track –

"Yes, sir.” she said, dutifully, however.

Sirius and Regulus gave their own, quieter echoes.

“Our last matter to address this evening is that there is an understanding between you all that this is all to be kept of the upmost secrecy due to its highly sensitive nature – from any other students, or family members,” went on Dumbledore –

The headmaster turned to the boy on Katherine’s left –

“Regulus?” he prompted, with a raised brow.

Regulus gave a prompt, “Yes, Professor.”

Dumbledore nodded, and then turned to the right –

“Sirius?” he added on, peering over his spectacles.

Sirius stiffened beside Katherine; she felt it through his knee –

“Of course.” he said, loftily.

Dumbledore’s eyes drifted, with a returned twinkle, from Sirius and back to his brother.

“Regulus, you and your head of house are free to leave,” he said, with slight cheer as he stood from the desk. He turned to McGonagall, “Minerva, it is up to you if you would like to say anything further regarding the breach of your personal chambers. I personally, will be visiting the kitchens to catch up my dinner…”

Professor McGonagall turned from the headmaster, and set her eyes on the two members of her house –

“Yes, Professor Dumbledore,” she said curtly, folding her arms across her chest.

The Headmaster, Slughorn, and Regulus all left orderly through the door.

Professor McGonagall did not shut it behind them. She sat back down upon her own chair at her desk with painstaking slowness, holding the gaze of her students.

It was an infinitely more frightening prospect than anything with Dumbledore.

TICK… TICK…

Sirius’ arms uncrossed, and his hands rested on his knees.

Katherine was doing her best to not squirm visibly.

Professor McGonagall finally took a deep breath in through her nose, and then out again, “Should you ever find yourself needing to break into my chambers again, I suggest asking first.”

“Yes, Professor.” Katherine and Sirius chorused quickly; gazes low on her desk.

TICK…TICK…

“Why –” Professor McGonagall became visibly worked up, balling her hands on her desk, then flattening them again, before going forth with hushed strains “– did you feel you could not bring this to us?”

Katherine and Sirius’ eyes went back to each other’s once again. They didn’t need to invade each other’s minds to know what they contained…

“We didn’t think Professor Dumbledore would let us destroy it – at least, not right away,” Katherine was honest with the Head of House, “I couldn’t risk him coming back. Or more petrifications – or worse – after Lily –”

Professor McGonagall’s face softened as Katherine caught herself – broiling with emotion, suddenly, at the mention of her friend.

Sirius’ hand slipped over the top of Katherine’s, and his eyes slipped to the side of her face.

It had surprised Katherine too. She desperately swallowed her emotion down, and put it down to the night they had all just had…

“While misguided…” McGonagall spoke slowly, her eyes resting on the pair’s hands, “I suppose your reasons are understandable,”

McGonagall looked up, her gaze becoming firmer – but warmth was beneath it all the while –

“Should you come across any more information, you will bring it to us – won’t you?”

Katherine’s gaze lowered, in a knee-jerk reaction. It was there that she found her and Sirius’ hands still overlapping – and felt Sirius’ gaze in the same direction. She followed it back up to his eyes –

They caught each other’s mirrored gazes of resistance –

“Yes, Professor.” they said, together, turning back to her.

TICK…TICK…TICK…TICK… the clock filled the silence of the sombre moment. The candle on the desk between them flickered, casting long billowing shadows.

“I feel I should tell you, Katherine… you’re becoming more and more like them as time goes on,”

Katherine’s eyes went back to Professor McGonagall, quizzical –

Professor McGonagall’s face was inscrutable –

“Your parents,” she said softly, and it was then that her eyes glimmered.

Katherine was glad that she had Sirius’ hand to hold, so that she didn’t float away. A riot of feelings stirred within her –

“The pair of you are free to go,”

Katherine and Sirius stood at their dismissal, and made their way to the door in damp robes that were beginning to unpleasantly catch the castle drafts –

“Black?”

Sirius turned at his name –

“One last thing. How did you get into my office?” asked Professor McGonagall, peering over her spectacles as she reached for a quill to make a marking on a parchment before her on the desk.

Sirius blinked, deadpan, “How do you know it was me?”

Professor McGonagall’s forehead creased deeply as her eyebrows lifted.

Sirius wet smiling lips, and tipped his head to her –

“The Floo,” he lied.

McGonagall tsked but waved them on out of her office, already going back to her parchment. The pair were unaware their teacher looked back up to catch Sirius taking Katherine by the hand as they began running back up to the tower, needing a thick swallow and a flurry of blinks before she could go on with her evening …

“I told you we’d have it sorted by the end of the week –”

Sirius’ panted words broke off as he stopped them once they were down the hall and around the corner. He inclined his head down to hers, taking her face into his hands with triumphant grin –

“It’s done.”

Katherine closed her eyes, grinning, “Oh my gosh, it’s…”

She fell against the front of him in relief, gripping his damp robes in her hands. Their warm skin fought through their wet personal effects as they embraced.

Sirius leant back only to swoop down and press his lips to hers.

Euphoria. Like a million suns opening in her chest – that was what it felt like to laugh and smile into each other’s mouths – knowing everything was fine. He had almost died that night, the reminder crept in. Katherine held him closer at the memory of it, and knew she would take him however she could get him, and didn’t know, nor care, what it meant anymore –

“You’re shivering.” breathed Sirius, against her lips. His forehead flitted against hers.

Katherine noticed then, the 'blood' still on his white collar from earlier –

Their foreheads slipped away from one another’s as she turned to glance down the empty hall, and Katherine tugged him along back into a run –

“Come on –”

They clambered up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower with laugh lilted heavy breaths in their wet robes and flame-warmed ruddy cheeks, hand-in-hand. The castle had never felt so conquerable as it did that night…

It was over.

It was all over…

Notes:

I hope the length somewhat makes up for the wait!

Lily WILL make her long awaited return in the next chapter too! :)

Chapter 67: The Remarkable Return of Lily Evans

Notes:

A few days ago, I decided that I reallllllly needed to update this fic - it's been waaay too long. I was stuck on the later parts so I just decided to cut the chapter in half 🥴🤷🏼‍♀️

I envisioned this chapter having an odd sort or limbo/echo quality. Of things being 'right' yet sort of wrong. A song that inspires me endlessly is 'Reckless' by Australian Crawl (it has its own starring role in my upcoming fic, 'The Loved One' too 😉) They're one of my favourite bands that I've been listening to here in Australia since I was a little girl. My favourite bit is when the video cuts to the empty stage toward the end (around 4 minutes and 34 seconds) - that sight, and the guitars/synth, is all really haunting and it just pulls at me. It kind of fits each of the characters in this fic in their own way. I'll link it, and you can have a listen if you like 😊

https://youtu.be/JIrUqsB-0vw?si=lvSM1fThi-dERg02

Let me know what you think of it!

!!!Also! I have a special announcement in the end notes of this chapter!!!
👇👇👇

All Lily could smell – was mandrake. Earthy, tart, and crisp mandrake. It really got up the nose. Bone tired, she wanted to roll over and go back to sleep under her thick blanket. Gosh who was brewing in the dorms…

She could hear people shuffling about, getting ready for the day with quiet whispers. Her alarm hadn’t gone off yet, though…

“…after we see Evans’, we’ll –”

“Shhh…” came a slow gentle hush.

A beat passed.

“Lily?” came the immediately recognisable mellifluent tones of –

Katherine. Then her friend’s hand followed, gently wiggling Lily’s own –  

“Lily, are you awake?” came Katherine’s hushed tones again.

She never woke Lily up. Was she late for class? Urgency sparking through all her sleep-laden joints, Lily shot up –

She wasn’t in the dorms, she realised at once. Blinking blearily, the white beaming light of the white hospital wing walls glared back at her. At the end of her bed were two sets of keen eyes. Green and grey pierced through Lily and left her feeling even more off-kilter –

Black, too, was even smiling.

Lily lifted her hospital blanket up higher in balled fists, “I’m… in the hospital wing.”

Katherine sat on the edge of mattress, by Lily’s feet, and glanced up over her shoulder at Black –

Black bent at the waist where he leant his hands on the foot bar of the bed, returning it, unspoken –

“You were petrified, on the night of the full moon,”

Katherine’s words drew Lily’s eyes back to her. Katherine’s eyes were charting Lily’s face, alight –

“It’s…” Katherine trailed off, and looked down to her hands, “It’s been just over a week...”

Lily’s heart sank quickly. She had been petrified, the only muggleborn out of the sixth year Gryffindor girls. Of course she had. Then it all came rushing back to her – seeing Potter out on the lawns, watching the moon through the window, then closing it… and a pair of large yellow eyes, thick strings of venom dripping from fangs…

Katherine looked up from her hands, something undeniably changed about her. There was something rather more serious in everything about her friend.

Lily wet her cracked lips, and said, honestly, “You look different.”

“I do?” asked Katherine, her eyes glittering again. Younger. In a snap…

Lily let herself be buoyed by her friend’s show.

“Your hair is longer –” offered up Lily, before looking down at her own split ends where they spilt onto the waffle white blanket drawn up to her chest “– my hair is longer.”

A chuckle came from Black, at that. It drew Lily’s eyes. Ever-irking, was the feeling of him being less out of place there than he might have been the previous term… that Lily was becoming… used to him…

“They found the person opening the chamber.” came Katherine’s voice once again.

Lily’s eyes snapped back to her. One of the things Lily loved about her was that she didn’t often mince words with her –

“Who?”

Katherine’s eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, and all too pleased, “Greengrass.”

Katherine went on to explain the diary – and what a Horcrux was – to Lily. How it was being used by Voldemort, who was the heir of Slytherin, to open the chamber. How Regulus helped her – as well as Black and Potter in the procurement of it – and how they destroyed it –

“So, You-Know-Who… he’s really really gone this time?” asked Lily, taking it all in.

Katherine nodded slowly, blinking off, “I think so.”

Lily nodded too. A strange, unsatisfying finality dogeared the moment. What now?

Black ran a hand through his hair in a lavish, unaffected manner, looking off.

They had all come together in a strange sort of unity, the girls and the boys, to face it all – what were they all to… do, without it?

Katherine eyed Lily intensely, waves of apology radiating off her, and then she burst – 

“Dumbledore swore me to secrecy about it. Regulus figured it out before I did, however. We were hoping to sort it out before any more people became petrified. But, then, when you…” Katherine broke off from her impassioned rant, her eyes following her hands where they picked lint from the blanket where it tented over Lily’s feet –

Katherine looked back to Lily, her eyes gleaming –

“I wanted to tell you from the beginning. Everyday. I just…”

Katherine looked down again, listlessly.

Any indignation at being left out of loop was overshadowed by the fact – that it didn’t matter anymore. Afterall, had Dumbledore asked the same of her, would Lily have kept it a secret just the same?

“You’re telling me now. Even when, I’m guessing –” Lily broke off, her amusement worming onto her face “– you’re not really meant to?”

Katherine’s lips twitched quickly, and she tipped her head.

Lily bit down her laughter.

Katherine did the same, eyes dancing.

The invisible rules of the castle – of Dumbledore – were strung up in the air around them all.

Yet, they flouted them. As always. Did it really matter to break a rule if it didn’t hurt anyone or anything?

“Alright, just… from hereon in,” said Lily, wiggling her toes and turning a droll look on her friend weighing down her blankets, “No more secrets.”

She offered up her pinky finger –

Katherine linked her own promptly –

“No more secrets.”

Madame Pomfrey bustled around at that moment, a paused with a resignedly warm huff of air at Katherine and Black–

“Of course it would be you two.”

Katherine and Lily’s joint little fingers fell onto Lily’s lap together as they turned to the matron at her entrance.

Madame Pomfrey proceeded to assess Lily with her usual brand of severe mother-hen fussing.

Black cleared his throat, sharing a smile with Katherine behind the matron’s back.

Katherine turned back to Lily with pursed lips to suppress her amusement.

Black pushed himself up from where he leant on the foot of Lily’s bed, and flicked his hair back, saying, “I should go let the others know.”

He wasn’t talking to Lily.

Katherine nodded to him.

Black hesitated, flicked one last long look to Lily, and then sauntered off towards to the doors, disappearing.

An awkward lull buzzed in the air.

Madame Pomfrey continued prodding Lily all over with her wand.

Katherine still sat perched up on the bed with her, watching.

Lily’s mind was still on Black –

“Is he being nicer because he thought I was going to die, or something?” she asked, laughter tickling the back of her tongue, mingling with disbelief.

A snort ripped out of Katherine.

“Something like that.” she said, smiling with glimmering eyes down at the blanket she straightened around Lily’s feet once again.

Madame Pomfrey left and instructed Lily that she was free to leave whenever she was ready and was not expected at the day’s lessons, as it was already nearly the end of lunch. There were a few extra strictures on taking things slow, and eating carefully, but Lily was – for the most part – completely fine.

Lily slowly dressed back into the uniform she had worn the night she was petrified with Katherine helping – handing her each garment in order as she told Lily about how they had all come to visit her every day.

She became grateful for her tights and knee socks when she saw the length of her leg hair.

“Remus came with me sometimes after our lessons…” went on Katherine, recounting the lost days –

She handed Lily her last garment – her Gryffindor tie –

“And, er… Snape came too. I feel I should tell you.”

Lily took the tie slowly, then busied herself with fastening it around her neck –

“Right…” she murmured, somewhere between surprised and not all that shocked.

Lily brushed down her tie, thinking all the clothes still smelt faintly of the dusty corners of the castle corridors and mucous….

She observed her face in the mirror, neatening her hair – when she realised –

“I don’t have a will,” she turned to Katherine, feeling her worry pinch her brow, “If I had died, how would anyone know to give you all my records?”

Katherine’s startlement gave way to amusement, and she slung an arm around Lily’s shoulders as they headed for the double doors –

“How about we both write one up?” she suggested, lightly.

Lily reached an arm around Katherine’s waist, letting her head fall on her friend’s familiar shoulder –

“You’re not allowed to die.”

“You neither.”

 

---

 

Brightness seemed to stream into the castle with the closure of the Chamber of Secrets. The few late stragglers to Lunch, or early leavers, that Lily passed with Katherine seemed so much more cheerful and relaxed than the last time Lily had walked the halls. People walked alone, unhurried…

To save people bombarding her, Katherine left Lily outside the double doors – to run in and grab some food to take up to the dorms.

Lily leant on an ornate stone pillar opposite the double doors, feeling a little lonely in the empty Entrance Hall. She’d have to write her parents to tell them she was back to normal. Or would Professor McGonagall or someone else have already done it?

She thought of Will too, in the silence. In a weak moment. It wasn’t that long ago that she would not have thought twice to owl him. They had still dated together longer than they had been broken up for. It had ended on good terms. He understood – her being at a ‘prestigious’ boarding school that she wasn’t keen to leave. She wasn’t eighteen for a whole thirteen and a half months too. Not that she could tell him – what she was, not ever…

If Lily were to marry someone, it would have to be someone that understood this world, she decided.

Still, without him, it felt like her whole life had shrunk just a little bit. Romance was a bit like shaving one’s legs, thought Lily – once you start, you kind of have to keep on doing it…

Slughorn bustled past with a jittery sort of bowed head smile once he did a double take – upon noticing that it was Lily – but kept walking, busily.

Through the barely closed doors, behind the professor, burst the sixth-year Gryffindor girls – their hands laden with sandwiches –

“Lily!”

Lily smiled and allowed herself to be pummelled and squished into a melting pot of perfume and pumpkin juice. It was like honey in Lily’s heart.

They all rushed back up to their dormitory, to eat their sandwiches and catch Lily up on everything she missed before they had to dash off to their afternoon classes.

“The whole fiendfyre fiasco was last night –”

Katherine had to good grace to look marginally sheepish at Marlene’s flippant words –

“The closure of the chamber was announced at breakfast –”

“Dumbledore will be relieved. The board of governors wanted his head over the attacks –”

“It’ll be out now that you’ve been unpetrified too –”

The girls left in as much of a whirlwind as they arrived in at the ringing of the bell for the first of the afternoon lessons. Except for Katherine. Lily had never thought to be so relieved that Katherine had so many free periods before – she would be bored with nothing to do in the dorm on her own.

There were a few silent exchanged glances in the wake of their other friends. There were things that Katherine had clearly omitted to the other girls, about what had truly happened. Part of Lily enjoyed being ‘in’ on it all…

Lily showered, shaving her legs, while Katherine prepared her notes from their shared classes for Lily to look over when she emerged from the bathroom. Most of their afternoon was consumed with homework, listening to records, and with Lily trying to capture the attention of a timid Marbles in apology for her absence.

Until it came time for one of their shared classes. Divination –

DONG! –

Katherine glanced over as she pushed herself up from her stomach on her bed –

DONG!

Katherine hesitated as she packed her bag.

“I’ll skive off.” she said, in suggestion.

Lily shrugged, “Or I could just come along?”

Katherine eyed Lily gently, resting a light hand on her shoulder –

“You’re not tired or anything?” she asked softly.

Usually, it was the other way around, thought Lily, amused.

Lily pushed herself up, “I’ve just had the longest sleep of my life.”

It was only Divination. They rarely even used the textbook, even…

Katherine had reason to be cautious about the speed of Lily’s return to regular life, however. Lily had choked rather spectacularly, and unexpectedly, on the first bite of her sandwich earlier. She had been fed potions in the hospital wing for sustenance, but her swallowing muscles would need to be trained carefully back to what they were. Madame Pomfrey had warned her…

Katherine led the way, her shoulders back, reaching back for Lily’s hand and guiding her through the gawking crowds on the way to class– with practised ease.

They all just looked at her…

It didn’t bring warmth. It was a cold sort of feeling of being observed, like a circus animal. It was different to being known as a prefect – to making heaps of friends. Sometimes, she had, falsely, assumed that maybe some small part of Katheirne must have enjoyed the attention she had gotten. Now she knew just how lonely it was.

She squeezed Katherine’s hand, physically unable to keep her eyes up after a certain point.

Katherine squeezed back.

The incense-clouded Divination classroom was a quiet refuge. It was a girl-dominated class, and they allowed Lily the dignity of her anonymity back. Perceptivity – and consideration – were feminine traits, after all. She and Katherine took their usual wooden seats. Lily’s legs ached – in the pain was the reminder that she hadn’t used them for over a week. She kept it to herself.

Along with all the other regular activities that had resumed that morning, was quidditch. Through the window, towards the end of Divination, Lily could see Potter and Black with their Gryffindor jumpers on as they strolled down the pitch with their broomsticks over their shoulders.

Marlene glanced out the window occasionally throughout the lesson, her knee bouncing.

Lily didn’t know how they all ended up walking down the lawns after classes, rugged up, to watch the Gryffindor practise. Alice wanted to watch her boyfriend, Frank. The other girls, truly, wanted to be there for Marlene. And, well… what else was there to do?

Lily, too, found herself surprised by the need to not be alone. It had never bothered her before.

Mary tugged her woolly hat down further over her ears –

“I feel like I shouldn’t be going…” she said, eyeing the looming quidditch pitch with marginal trepidation. She turned to the other girls, with a look of sincere concern, “What if they think I’m some sort of traitor and I’m leaking their strategies to Braddy and the Slytherin team?”

Alice swiped a long ashy blond strand away from her forehead in her own struggle with the wind, and linked arms with the girl, “No one else cares but Peter, love.”

“Did Frank say that?” asked Mary, turning into Alice as they walked. She turned her rapt expression up to her friend.

Lily had been caught up, of course, about Mary’s involvement with the Slytherin prefect, and the clash with Pettigrew over it all. She strode beside, listening in – adjusting to the change in dynamics. Beside her, was Katherine – looking ever much more like her old self with her hands in her pockets, flicking her hair away from where it seemed to attempt to strangle her with its blonde length. It was getting darker, Lily noticed – her friend’s hair. Alice’s too. It was rare for the golden hue to stick around in adults.

Was that really what they were all becoming?

Alice went on to soothe her friend, assuring her that Frank had not mentioned it all – because it had blown over that quickly.

“I never thought I would say this, but… I actually really like Sirius.” said Mary, her face contorted in disbelief as she looked out ahead at the lawns ahead, dulled by the grey sky above.

It was the strangest declaration Lily Evans had ever heard from one of her friends. Could she be sure that she had woken up? Was it all not some convoluted dream her mind had conjured up?

Katherine ducked her head around the other girls, squinting against the glare of the sky with a wry grin, “What about Dobbs? And tales of star-crossed lovers? Of houses Slytherin and Gryffindor?”

Lily watched, amused, at the lyrical waxing done in jest with the other girls – laughing as a group.

“Get off it, Katherine –” Mary reached around to shove Katherine lightly, grinning all the while –

Katherine allowed the shove, laughing herself –

“Not like that. It’s just… he was really nice about it all when you two walked me to the library after.” Mary amended, shrugging, and squinting off ahead at the boys where they congregated around the pitch opening.

The conversation picked back up, and lingered on assuaging Mary over Peter – and that one’s first boyfriend is usually their biggest embarrassment. Lily privately held in her disagreement, sparing another fond thought for Will for the day. Katherine had been quiet then too, not contributing. Sometimes, Lily wondered if they made her feel left out with all the boy talk…

As well as quidditch being back on, so were Hogsmeade weekends. As the girls closed in on the pitch opening, talk started up about pooling their money to get each other Christmas presents. They all liked the idea of jewellery, and trying to find something to match – a lasting memento of their friendship.

“We’ll pool our galleons later!” said Marlene to curtail the conversation, turning as she jogged off towards the changing rooms with the rest of the Gryffindor team.

Potter and Black, already in their quidditch uniforms, stepped aside for Marlene where they chatted with the Captain of the Ravenclaw team – likely about the timetable for practises.

James waved, with a short smile, when he saw the rest of the girls behind where Marlene had come from.

Katherine and Alice waved back.

Lily’s hands felt stuck inside her pockets, however.

The boys went back to the conversation with the Ravenclaw captain and a few, familiar, stragglers from the team –

“Oi, Spencer –”

Freddie jogged over, smoothing back his blond curls and beaming –

“With all the rules being done away with, I thought – ‘hey, we’ve never hung out outside of school’ –”

Alice and Lily met eyes, sharing – it seemed – a similar, amused, train of thought –

Katherine had gone stiff –

“– maybe we could meet up in Hogsmeade?” Freddie finished, oblivious to all behind him.

Over his shoulder, the talk between his fellow Ravenclaws had picked up into a burgeoning argument with their Gryffindor boys –

FWEET!

Freddie turned, and both he and the girls followed the whistle to his teammates. They were waving him over like a dog harassing a bush –

“Leave the bird, Freddie!” came the amused beckoning of his captain.

The Ravenclaws and the Gryffindor boys had all turned to look in the direction of the girls and Freddie, their altercation halted.

Freddie waved an arm uncaringly in the direction, calling back, “Just a second!”

He turned back, with a beaming expectant smile. ‘Well?’ it asked, of his earlier proposition.

Katherine flustered, “Actually, I’m not allowed down – I don’t have a slip.”

She gave an apologetic shrug, before shivering against a sudden breeze.

“Oh, yeah… er, forgot, you don’t have…” Freddie’s clear and present disappointment gave way to awkward guilt – Katherine didn’t have parents to sign her slip. He turned to walk back, ruffling his hair and pointing with a determined grin of parting and a huff of laughter, “Maybe once you’re seventeen, yeah?”

Katherine returned to huff of laughter, “Yeah.”

The girls bustled out of the weather, approaching the stairs up to the spectator tower and leaving Freddie to rejoin the others outside the changing sheds.

Lily half expected a punch up, from the way Black was leaning with crossed arms on the outside of the changing shed with pinched frigid features and rolling eyes before his lips twisted around some, seemingly, none-too-kind words to back up a hands-raised Potter who was appearing to attempting to pacify the whole thing –

“It’s to make the boys jealous. Poaching us,” said Alice, amusedly over her shoulder, once inside the warmer red tarpaulin that wrapped the stairs of the spectator tower.

Lily thought that sounded stupid enough.

Breathlessly against the cold, the girls jogged up to the next landing. That was where Alice did a twirl back around, smiling and tipping her head to Katherine –

“I think Sirius fancies you.” she teased, with sparkling eyes as she turned to begin her climb up the next set of stairs.

Katherine looked up to a slightly faster Alice with a pinched brow –

“You think?”  she asked.

Alice nodded back down over her shoulder, barely buttoning a naughty little smile.

Mary, beside Alice, nudged arms and exchanged secretive glances with the other girl.

Katherine shook her head down at the stairs she climbed along with Lily, their shoes thundering out beneath them, “I don’t know…”

Alice turned with an emphatic look over her shoulder –

“Frank knows, Katherine.”

“He does?” was Katherine’s furrowed-browed verbal reflex.

Alice’s voice bloomed through the flapping tarpaulin, through her own heavy pants of breath, jerking out –

“Sirius doesn’t make friends with girls, at all. He likes his mates, and quidditch – and that’s it. I mean, can you imagine him in Puddifoots?” Alice snorted laughter, turning back intermittently, and going on as she continued to climb in front, “The average observer might write it off as you coming in as a new student, and everything that’s happened since, but…”

Alice shook her head to herself –

“My goodness, Katherine, his eyes…they never leave you…”

Lily took a quick mental inventory of the last two years and… oh my gosh, she realised –

“Him and the rest of the school, then,” joked Katherine, unaffected. She spared a long, wry sideways look to Lily but spoke to the group as a whole, “After the fiendfyre incident, the first years look at me like I’m practically gang-affiliated…”

The girls’ laughter rang through the tower as they reached the top. They paused, the opening was a bright silver square of sky awaiting them. The cold too.

“It’s different,” said Alice, more soberly, picking up on their earlier trail of conversation. She turned to Katherine, tilting her head and gently tapping Katherine’s front with the back of her mittened-cloaked hands, “He’s different – around you.”

Katherine glanced out of the silver square beside them, stuffing her hands back into her pockets again, “You’re not going to warn me like Mary?”

She looked back to Alice, eyes alight.

Alice rolled her eyes, matching her unseriousness –

“When he kisses you, then we’ll worry.” were Alice’s parting words, before she passed Katherine to lead the way out.

They all laughed at the ludicrousness of it as they walked out to the stands to sit.

They weren’t alone, however. The fourth-year girls – Rosie and her mates – were already there to watch. Perched right at the front.

“Pamela fancies Black – has it in for Katherine.” whispered Mary, falling back to Lily’s side.

They watched as Alice, then Katherine, clambered up the stands – laughing and chatting. Completely unaffected. They were on the receiving end of the foulest staunch off from the younger girls, however.

Lily and Mary followed, huddling together with them on a bench at the back and trading a few pocketed sweets to try and ward off the freezing cold. The wooden back of the stands and the short canopy above shielded them from the worst of the wind.

Peter arrived next and made his way to his girlfriend, who squealed and open her arms to him with grabbing hands.

Lily thought she may vomit.

Katherine was half-watching, biting down on a barely suppressed smile.

Mary was looking off through her gold ornate binoculars that wouldn’t look out of place at an opera – ‘Braddy bought them for me, for games’ she had said of them earlier – seemingly looking for any of the Gryffindor Team down low on the pitch.

Peter’s cheerful expression stalled when his eyes climbed the stairs.

Mary lowered her binoculars a beat of a moment later.

There was an odd tangible CLINK of a moment – of one running, certainly, not smooth…

Alice looked across the front of Mary to the skies, ignoring it with a semi-pained expression.

It faded quickly when Shacklebolt’s girlfriend and her friends arrived not far behind Peter, with steaming thermos’ in hand. Laughing, the seventh-year girls waved when they spotted the sixth-year girls and clambered up to join them. They gave amused nods back over their shoulders, without looking –

“Oh, remember being young…” they quietly teased as they settled, wrapping their cloaks.

Alice glanced up, waving, “Here comes the team…”

Shackbolt’s girlfriend waved to him where he balanced on his broom with his beater’s bat, then swivelled around with her back to the pitch – just as cool, if not cooler, and as lackadaisical as her beau –

“Now, who needs tea?” she extended her thermos to Katherine first, then produced a bunch of shrunken teacups from the Great Hall.

There were only a handful, so the girls took to sharing the cups with one another.

Lily passed a cup back and forth with Katherine beside her as they watched the practice –

“Oh –” Mary pointed excitedly up above with one hand at one point, balancing the cap carefully with the other – “Did you see that twirling twin barrel roll James and Frank did? Christ…”

It was as she watched her friend, at the exchange of their shared teacup, that Lily noticed the something ‘different’ about Katherine that she had seen first back in the hospital wing earlier that day creep across her face again.

Lily, for once, did not know what to do. Something was trying to jump out of her chest, however. She sat silently with the gremlin in her chest and watched Potter and Black streak down the pitch as she gnawed on her lip. Gosh, they were fast… she’d give them that…

As entertaining as the flying acrobatics were – Black even did a dangerous looking one-armed trick to swing around his broom on a dizzyingly fast run into goal to dodge a bludger that Lily had only ever seen professional players do in Marlene’s quidditch magazines – what Lily enjoyed the most was the community of the girls huddled up at the back of the stands. Some of the girlfriends even heckled their boyfriend’s harder than any Slytherin would.

At the end of the practise, Lily hung at the back of the group of girls with Katherine as she plodded down the tarpaulin-clad stairs again –

“Awww – that was fun, girls. Same time, same place?”

“We’ll bring scones next time if you bring the cups.”

The combined group of sixth and seventh girls sarcastically joked out ahead about the glamourous life of quidditch players’ girlfriends. ‘It’ll be different once they’re signed’ said one – ‘box seats, catering, and maybe even a house elf…’ lovingly moaned another.

Slowly, the gap between them and Katherine and Lily widened.

Katherine was silent in a way that tempted Lily to peer into her mind. Their little trick was hit and miss between the friends, but it had been beginning to err closer to consistent ‘hits’ before Lily was petrified….

Lily knocked her arm into hers, instead –

“Is everything okay, Katherine? Really?” she asked, endeavouring for lightness – yet sincerity.

Katherine smiled at the knock, but then frowned as they jogged the steps, “Yeah, why do you ask?”

The wind howled around the rickety tower.

Lily mulled her next words as they continued their synced steps.

“I don’t know… you seem… sadder…” she finally said, shrugging, and turning into Katherine as their steps slowed a little to a plod.

Like speaking a spell, Lily watched her words trigger more of the earlier expression to grip Katherine’s face. Apprehension, too.

Katherine buried her hands further into her pockets, sighing, “It’s nothing really, it’s just…”

If there was a stone on the step, Lily thought that Katherine would have kicked it at that moment. Listlessness was as clear as day in her friend – like some escaped balloon…

“After destroying with diary with the fiendfyre – after being disciplined – Professor McGonagall mentioned my parents,” the words escaped Katherine at a huff. Her face wrinkled up, and she shrugged her shoulders, watching her step more closely, “She said… that I’m becoming more like them…”

There it was – a whole truth. Relief flooded Lily in place of the odd feeling that had been pulling at her since waking up.

Lily tactfully inferred the meaning of the bodily reaction, “That’s… not a good thing?”

Katherine snorted, and spared a lighter sidelong glance to Lily –

“It wasn’t said in a very complimentary tone, no. I…” Katherine broke off, taking a deep breath and looking down once more, “I think she’s trying to caution me about being too… you know…”

She didn’t, in fact.

“Too…?” probed Lily, lightly.

“Reckless.”

The word had come out begrudgingly. With it, the clear obstinate fact that Katherine didn’t identify with the word. Lily didn’t want to further contribute to her friend’s struggle with feeling misunderstood, but…

Lily thought she agreed with the Professor, however. Partly. Sometimes, she too felt that Katherine was beginning to feel further and further away from her – even when standing right beside her – and closer to a tragic headline on the front of the Daily Prophet.

The wind howled again.

Lily just nodded her understanding – some things were better left unsaid.

Katherine looked away.

They kept taking the stairs down, steps synced. Somewhere on the way down, in the frigid silence, Lily regretted her inaction – feeling an extra degree of separation seem to slot into place between them, despite everything…

Katherine didn’t meet Lily’s eye again until they reached the bottom of the tower and walked out into the crisp air, catching the others. It was to exchange a glance at the appearance of Bradford Dobbs.

Mary bolted from the group of sixth and seventh girls without so much as a goodbye, before running off hand in hand with her beau. Dobbs pulled her closer, warming her hand between his own and blowing a smiling warm breath of air into them.

Lily squinted after them, “What… what do you think we call him? We can’t exactly call him by his last name forever…”

“Braddy feels too tender. We might as well kiss him on the mouth while we’re at…” joked Katherine, watching after the couple alongside Lily. She went on, tipping her head musingly, “Bradford feels too formal…”

Katherine turned to Lily, shrugging and feigning a wave from inside her pocket –

“Hey, you…” she offered, mirthfully.

Lily snorted, bending at the waist.

Katherine grinned, looking off as her own chest quaked.

The laughter always brought them back together, in the end.

“I’ve missed you.” said Katherine, with sudden sincerity, looking back to Lily and burying her chin into her scarf to brace for another wind.

Lily knocked their wedged elbows, “I missed you too.”

“You were asleep.”

“Even then.”

They traded smiles.

The other girls were talking amongst themselves, waiting by the changing sheds – waiting for their own boys, and barely spared a glance for the space Mary had left.

Katherine and Lily stood slightly apart from them, waiting for Marlene. It was different – to be one of the ‘girlfriends’. It gave them all immediate comradery. They all chatted about ‘their boys’. The two single girls exchanged their own glances of comradery at some of the comments. Sometimes it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be… and certainly not love – not the pure kind they all dreamt of…

“Alice, my love – the common room fire is calling our names –” Frank emerged from the changing sheds, steam from his shower lifting from his wet, slicked back hair.

Alice gave a grin of parting to the other girls before taking the boy’s outstretched hand.

Frank proceeded to take her hand, lift it to his lips, pausing afterwards to smile at the promise ring he had gifted her, and then let their arms fall and swing between them –

The door to the changing sheds swung open –

Everyone turned –

The girlfriends groaned and went back to their resigned waiting –

“Can’t chat – we’re going back up to the boys’ dorms to go over a new keeper strategy! See you at dinner!” Marlene had burst out of the changing sheds with Potter, bustling past with their brooms and bags.

Katherine and Lily blinked, their wait having, seemingly, been for naught.

Marlene and Potter just bustled along, bracing into the winter winds to traverse the climbing lawns.

Lily felt the same as ever, but she had never gotten more of the sense that everyone else had gone and changed…

Lily turned to Katherine, feeling her brow lift, “Is that code for something? Are they…?”

Katherine gave a huff of laughter, shaking her head away from her neck and face again –

“No. Marlene met up with Adam before breakfast this morning for a passionate rendezvous to break their dry spell.” she said, in wry reply.

Startlement kicked Lily in the chest. Even she hadn’t…

“They’ve…?”

Katherine quickly shook her head, “Oh, no – not yet, I think… anyway…”

Lily became certain again in the fact that something really was different about her best friend as she took her in where she stood, her hands in her pockets and her head high as she perused around them aloofly. Something that was, although a bit sad, it was also stronger – more confident.

Katherine seemed to be looking for something, but was not finding it. She glanced back to Lily after a beat of a moment, gave a little smile, and a nod in suggestion they too start climbing the lawns. Halfway, she pointed, and said – ‘If you squint, you can see a scorch mark in – I, and Sirius, think – the shape of snake on the side of the castle up there. That’s where we did it…’

Katherine’s mirthful tone led Lily to humour her friend with a nod and light thoughtful ‘Ah… yeah, I see it…’, instead of taking her seriously. Lily rather thought the brown and blackened patches of grass, like crop circles, right under their feet were a clearer display of the fiendfyre’s immense power.

“So, do you still want to go to the library to begin catching up on your classes?” Katherine asked, after a moment of quiet, trudging through the patchy grass.

Lily nodded, looking down at her shoes as they crunched over a patch of blackened dirt, “Yes – I really should…”

It was a lie. A bold-faced lie. Lily wanted to figure out what the monster had been – from her recollection of the night – while it was still fresh. And she didn’t want to worry Katherine after everything she had gone through with the diary. It was just… what if the chamber had indeed closed, but the monster wasn’t inside? Or what if there was some other heir that might come forward?

There was still a niggling in the back of her – Even then, what could you do about it, Lily? Kill it?

Vague intentions about telling Katherine once she figured it out, maybe Remus too, and then taking it to the teachers – the three of them. What could be a more convincing, responsible trio? They would have to take it seriously…

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”

Lily blinked, glancing back up, “You’re meeting Remus for a lesson, aren’t you?”

Katherine grinned out, shrugging the best she could with her hands still in her pockets.

“More like a spanking.” she joked, turning to Lily with bright eyes.

Together, they took the last long step up from the jagged lawns and onto the stone of the courtyard –

Lily grinned back, feeling her eyebrows lift, “You or him?”

Katherine stepped out ahead, twirling around –

“Tah-tah.” she farewelled mirthfully, before turning to hasten through to the Entrance Hall. She glanced back a few times, smiling.

Only when she was truly gone, did Lily slow her pace – blowing out a breath at her aching ankles and knees.

Black passed her in the courtyard, slowing as he was accosted by his brother in the Entrance Hall.

Lily found herself looking at the lowly talking boys – unable to help herself. It was strange, she didn’t know why. They looked so alike. Yet… not.

They paused their talk, glancing to her as she passed.

She took in a smiling breath through her nose and passed, allowing them their privacy. She dipped her chin and lips down into her scarf. She knew, after all, the unspoken bond between siblings. Even those ones.

Lily thought of Petunia – and missed her.

She took one last glance back at the boys as she began climbing the marble stairs. She wondered if Sirius was more like Petunia or her in their dynamic…

Sometimes she wished Dumbledore would have allowed Petunia to come to Hogwarts. They bickered, as all siblings did, but looking across a room and seeing them was the closest feeling to home apart from the four walls themselves. She realised she was jealous of Sirius Black, about halfway up the staircase.

A hall shy of the library, Lily was struck with an unexpected taste of the home she was feeling sick for.

Long curtains of black hair… a hooked nose… dark eyes…

She’d grown up with them, after all. Lily barely recognised the boy they belonged to as he laughed and, seemingly, flirted with Flint by an alcove, however.

Recognising that it was no longer her place to stop and say hello anymore, Lily kept her eyes forward and intended to pass by without incident.

Snape saw her and then, making sure Lily was watching, turned back to Flint – leaning in and lowering his chuckle.

Lily was a good ten paces past them, when her intentions to pass without incident were dashed –

“Jealous?”

Lily halted at the familiar voice. It was haughtier than usual – it made her frown, and turn back around.

Flint was already down the other end of the hallway.

Severus Snape looked less like himself as he leant back on a stone pillar, and more like Macnair and Avery than ever before. Lily thought she could see the little boy she had met inside him, however, if she squinted…

“I heard that you came to visit me.” she offered, opening the gates of communication as diplomatically as she could.

Severus gave a turn of his head, drawling out, “Morbid curiosity.”

“Don’t give me that, Severus.” whispered Lily, turning to watch the flicker of a wall torch.

He had heard her – she knew. Severus was up in his head, thinking. She knew that too…

“I didn’t see your precious Lupin there.” the words left his mouth, each like a spike.

It was a lie.

Snape had always been jealous of Remus. Standing before him, and watching him lie about something she knew, Lily wondered… How many other times had Severus Snape lied to her – to come off looking better?

“What does it matter if he did or didn’t?” defended Lily.

Snape looked joyous with contempt, “Just, maybe… he’s not all that you think he is. You know what they say about were –”

“Severus,” Lily hissed, glancing around the empty hall and stepping closer, “Why are you treating this like… like some sort of contest? I… I thought you might have come to see me because you still cared for me as a friend. That we might be able to make amends.”

Lily crossed her arms, frowning across at him. She felt like she had been frowning across at him all her life.

“What? Go back to how it was before?” the words twisted out of Snape’s lips, his eyes narrowing, “With you hanging around with me – and then going around with Lupin – and Will from down the road – why not go around with Potter while you’re at it, you know he’s always liked you –”

“Do you only think of me so long as you can convince me into romance with you? If it’s not on the table, I’m just – What? Discarded? A non-person?” fumed Lily, tightening her arms across her chest – her hurting chest.

Had he ever just been her friend?

Snape scowled, stepping back –

“A bit of friendly advice, then –” his eyebrows lifted as he slowly stepped back again, “You should know, you shouldn’t be walking around alone…”

“Is it… is it about the monster?” she asked, newly interested, given where she had been heading when she ran into him. Did he know something –

“For the same reason the monster exists in the first place.” said Snape blankly, stopping and looking at her pointedly – annoyingly.

Her blood.

Lily turned away, the fact like a warm slap across the face.

“Avery has a bit of a sick thing about Spencer –” Snape’s lips twisted around Katherine’s name despite his amused tone, and he turned back into his walk, saying over his shoulder “– but I can’t speak for the rest of them and what they would do to you, or your friends.”

With that, Snape truly left – stalking away in the direction Flint had left in earlier.

Lily could only watch, alone in the hallway. That told her everything she needed to know about where she stood with him. Still, as Lily kept on her way to the library, she couldn’t help but wish for her mum – and her comfort. Snape was her oldest friend – and Lily had only been able to walk away from the certifiable graveside of that friendship on that night.

They had been amicable when seated together in arithmancy. Until he could see her as a person – one that didn’t belong to him, or anyone else – they had to put their friendship and history to bed.

She told herself that was the most mature thing she could have done…

Once at the library, Lily battled with thoughts of abandoning her research and going to find Katherine and Remus (The other girls had been feeling progressively less and less available). It didn’t help that her research was proving fruitless on that night. It was hard to tell if the library was lacking, or if Lily was lacking zest to truly look.

She packed up stumps as everyone around her began moving off for dinner. She told herself she wasn’t scared, as she inconspicuously stayed close to the straggling groups heading down to the Great Hall. She could hear their conversations, however.

There was, apparently, to be a special assembly that evening – before dinner.

The doors to the Great Hall were closed when Lily and the library group reached the Entrance Hall. Oddly enough. Lily began looking around, for her friends, and struggled. The cacophony of conversations echoing around the stone hall melded into something collectively unintelligible – and loud.

Black and Potter were together – as expected, tall and twin-like with the jet-black hair as they waited, dutifully, with their eyes on the doors as they chatted idly. Then she couldn’t spy a single Gryffindor group after that. She thought she saw Dobbs’ tall head, and what might be Mary’s caramel head of hair hidden around his shoulders… and maybe Frank, with Alice surely by him somewhere… would Marlene be with the Hufflepuffs and Adam?

It was as she found a group of Gryffindor first years, that Lily found two sixth year Gryffindors behind them, like shepherds of the flock.

She had found Remus’ tall head of fluffy hair first – then there was Katherine, as expected, beside him.

Lily began sliding through the crowd in their direction, murmuring her excuses to the congregating students. She kept her eye on them, unable to help as she began wondering…

Remus was kind of like Katherine’s ‘Snape’, wasn’t he?

Remus was laughing beside Katherine – shutting his eyes as something she had said, his arms crossed loosely across his front. They slashed amused sideways glances at one another as they were held up at a creeping pace behind a gaggle of first years, swaying into one another.

Why was it so different for them?

Notes:

One of the loveliest people I've encountered in the fanfic community has begun posting her own Sirius/OC fic!

'Into the Light' by my_dad_didnt_strut

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64014103/chapters/164213644

If you can, go on over and check it out and show her some of the same love and support you've shown me - it's really what makes writing fanfiction so special/rewarding when you get to share it amongst such a warm, embracing community as you guys 😊

Chapter 68: Secrets

Remus quaked with laughter at their recounting of their disastrous, lazy duelling practise; his hands clasped at his front.

Both had been exhausted. Was it only twenty-four hours ago that she had been bypassing dinner to go set a diary ablaze on the lawns with Regulus and Sirius? It all felt ludicrous then, packed to the rafters with the rest of the school the Entrance Hall, like nothing had happened at all…

Katherine was about to launch into another mirthful spiel about it, when he nudged her with his elbow –

“Oh, there’s Lily…” murmured Remus, with a tip of his head across the Entrance Hall.

Katherine followed his gaze and found a head of red hair shouldering through the mob of students, bobbing like she was wading through the weeds at the edge of the black lake. Her heart squeezed at the familiar sight. Had it really only been one day with her back?

Lily reached them, just as the doors the Great Hall creaked open –

Professor McGonagall stood there, the feather of her conical hat quivering as she opened her mouth to address the sea of heads –

“Students –”

The cacophony of noise roared on, riotous laughter bouncing around the stone hall that was slowly rising in temperature from such close quarters –

Lily reached for Katherine’s hand, sidling up closer to her. Together, they bobbed to look for Professor McGonagall again –

“We will momentarily proceed into the –”

Professor McGonagall’s voice was drowned out once more.

The doors parted again, and Slughorn emerged, lifting his hands, “Everyone –”

Remus and Katherine shared a lightly exasperated look –

“Silence!”  

Remus and Katherine’s arms jumped against each other –

Professor McGonagall’s magically magnified voice boomed around the hall, ricocheting off the walls, lashing all ears. The odd student clutched at their ears, some winced, some muttered under their breath…

A hush had fallen over the hall, however.

When Professor McGonagall spoke again, it was with her normal voice –

“At the doors, you will all split into two orderly lines. From there you will proceed into the hall. No funny business, you will fill the rows from the front to back. There will be time to sit with your friends at dinner afterwards,”

Professor McGonagall “Now… quietly…”

The castle, the teachers, were silent.

The creaking of the door proceeded only the sound of shoes on the stone floor; moving solemnly with the weight of hesitant anticipation for whatever awaited inside. The unform sounds echoing around rose inside Katherine like a stirring strings section of some orchestra – building, and building… with every glance, every down-turned head.

The three Gryffindors stepped slowly closer to the doors, like cattle in the queue.

Katherine couldn’t sight any of their other friends. As she got closer, however, there was no more looking back for them –

“Three this way…” were Slughorn’s quiet directions, and his indicating arm –

Katherine and Lily shared a glance from behind Remus’ shoulders. They might be split –

“Three that way…” said Slughorn, indicating Remus and the girls in the perfunctory manner, already looking to the next groups behind them.

In silent victory, the girl’s squeezed hands. Katherine reached forward for Remus’. He glanced back the best he could as they streamed along with the other tight line, clutching back and leading the girls to the right rows of seats. They found three, gratefully, on the end together.

Remus slid in first, letting go to brace his hands on his knees as he sat with a huff – leaning back and smoothing his hair as he glanced around the hall.

Then went Katherine, smoothing her skirt beneath herself as she let go of Lily’s hand.

Lily slid in on the end, too smoothing her skirt, and leaning out into the aisle to peer down.

Everyone seemed to be glancing around.

Katherine checked who was on the other side of Remus, but didn’t find a familiar face. It was then, in the light, that Remus’ spotty stubble became clear shadows on his face. It was coming in on his chin and up his jaw. She had never seen it before…

The magnified clearing of a throat drew Katherine’s eyes to the front.

Dumbledore had taken his podium. He was watching, patiently, as the last of the students took their seats at the back with dull scrapes against the stone floor.

“In light of recent events at the school, I thought it prudent to hold this assembly,” he began, looking around the hall.

Lily became very still in her seat beside her.

“The chamber of secrets may be closed, but it represents something… something much more, that it is dire we address. Something that can, and has, proven to be dangerous,” 

Katherine felt herself shrink in her chair ever so slightly. Sitting across the aisle, one in front of theirs, Katherine then spied a familiarly bent knee. So too familiar were the shoes and socks peeking out from beneath the long, tailored trouser leg –  

“You see, secret keeping is all well and good when buying your friend’s birthday and Christmas presents. But, sometimes, secrets harm others…”

Katherine found that head of curly black hair at last, and those broad shoulders. His neck was turned – he was already looking. A quick lick of his lips, and Sirius turned back to face the front, as composed as ever –

“Here at Hogwarts, though we all come from different creeds, we are united in the pursuit of education – of making you all into the witches and wizards that will shape the future. Each and every one of you are capable of great things. Great things! That is why, unfortunately, you prove a desirable target…”

The word drew Katherine’s eyes off the back of Sirius’ head. On the way up to the headmaster, they caught on Avery’s unabashed backwards stare – flickering between she and Sirius. Her heart spasmed in her chest –

“There are people who do not seek harmony in our world. Who, instead, desire to sow division. To hurt others, even. That is what happened with the opening of the chamber of secrets – one of you were targeted. Asked to keep a secret…”

Katherine kept her eyes fixed straight ahead on the podium, focusing on Dumbledore’s voice, barely making out the words as she ignored Avery –

“I want to impart – to each of you – that no matter what someone may tell you. May they be friend, foe, and even family –”

Dumbledore paused, having been riled up from his own spiel. When he went on, he was calm, and emphatic –

“That help will always be given at Hogwarts, to those that ask for it.”

Katherine felt like she was in another room, watching it all happen.

Only moments later did Dumbledore step back from his podium. Everyone was asked to stand and move to the sides of the Great Hall, the rows of chairs were vanished, and the house tables sprung up in their usual places. Food flourished into view atop them, and everyone took their seats – and took their dinner.

The cacophony from in the Entrance Hall earlier made an un-hesitant return.

Katherine felt pale and ill, however. The only thing close to talk of the assembly, was a glance exchanged with Lily before they ate their dinner in near silence with Remus and the other girls. Katherine was viscerally aware of just where Sirius was sat, even though she couldn’t quite see him. The boys had settled a bit down the way.

They only reunited in the Entrance Hall, after dinner, as everyone headed for their common rooms –

An arm slung around Katherine’s shoulders the moment she walked out the double doors –

“And I thought – ‘hey, we’ve never hung out outside of school –”

Katherine shoved Sirius lightly –

Sirius pulled her closer into his side, unmoved, with a grin. He turned over his shoulder, shaking his hair back –

“Oi, James –”

James and Frank descended from the spot they’d been waiting in for Remus and the girls, and the two groups merged with Frank’s kiss upon Alice’s cheek as he slung his arm around her. They all laughed, poking fun at Katherine and Freddie from earlier, down by the quidditch pitch as they strode on.

Katherine took it on the chin but rolled her eyes at Lily.

Lily just laughed, the most beautiful, tinkling noise, and was – so clearly and certifiably – back with them all. At long last.

On the walk up to the common room, beneath Sirius’ arm, Katherine was struck with the urge to tell Lily – everything. How she and Sirius would kiss – how she felt absolved through his touch and transformed into something divine – about their secret world they’d tripped and stumbled upon…

Then again, it wasn’t like it was a secret. Was it?

And yet… there was another, larger, part of her didn’t want to involve any gossip and ruin it. Sirius’ feelings were not something she felt she needed to ask after. Not after the fiendfyre incident, anyway. It had flicked some sort of switch between them – any flimsy pretence had dissolved into an unspeakable sort of bond.

What she really hoped – was that Lily wasn’t too weirded out by the closeness that had sprung up between Sirius and herself. Lily looked at them – then. Under her gaze, Katherine felt like two different people – all at once.

The one that she had met at the beginning of fifth year, still – essentially – a child, and all closed in on herself.

Then the one who leant lazily into tall Sirius Black’s muscled side, as he idly wound his fingers through the hair dangling over the front of Katherine’s shoulder as he chatted with James; teetering on the edge of seventeen, and of becoming a woman.

Lily’s gaze was passing, however. Katherine and Sirius didn’t seem to intrigue her. The group trouped on – up the staircases and through the portrait. They took to lounging on the couches and chairs that the seventh years hadn’t claimed –

Lily clicked her tongue, her eyes set on some fourth-year boys colluding by the windows –

“What are they doing…” she muttered to herself, making a frowning beeline over.

Remus sat on the recliner, his head tipped back as he pressed his index finger between his brows.

Katherine felt a bit like that too. With Lily back, there was some cathartic release that seemed to allow all her muscles to finally unclench… not to mention that Voldemort was completely gone and unable to make any future returns…

Sirius wedged up beside James on a loveseat, lifting his arm in beckoning as the two boys chatted with Frank.

Katherine slid in, half up on the edge of the plush leather arm rest and half pressing into Sirius’ sloped lap as he lazed. She could fall asleep, she thought as she succumbed to the cradle of the leather…

She vaguely listened as James, Sirius, and Frank discussed their arithmancy homework. She propped herself up along the back of the couch, slightly above Sirius from her vantage of the couch arm – sliding her arm along the back of him to watch Lily stricture the younger boys –

Sirius’ arm slid down to the gap between her waist and the couch –

Katherine’s heart hammered at the large warm hand that splayed out in rest over her hip, like a hot wax stamp –

“Why should we listen to you – you went and got petrified because you were out on your own. Which means you didn’t follow the rules.” carried over one of the voices of the fourth-year boys. They had, evidently, turned on her.

James turned, with a cutting frown, from the sixth-years’ academic discussion – it promptly dissolving –

“I…” Lily faltered, her arms falling from across her chest. She gave a short flurry of blinks, and her body took on a more offensive stance – her finger beginning to lift – “You –”

“Oi!”

The fourth-year boys jumped at James Potter’s bellow –

James sprung up from the couch. He prowled over, slow and strong. He eyed the boys sternly before turning to Lily and talking softly out the corner of his mouth –

“Fourteen-year-old boys cannot be reasoned with,” he assured her, with a mixed expression of faint embarrassment and amusement – memory too, it seemed, at his twitching lips and look off. He sheepishly tipped his head as he said, in more of a suggesting query, “It might be better if I handle this one.”

An argumentative flicker passed over her face, but died just as quickly. Lily’s arms went back to their perch across her chest. Slowly, she nodded. It didn’t stop her giving a firm glare at the younger boys from behind James’ shoulder as he went in to – it appeared, at least, anyway – bargain with them –

“That’s not fair! You –”

“Unless you comply with us on this matter,” said James steadily, over Lockhart’s whining rebuttal, as he withdrew his palm, “No more toffees will be forthcoming.”

Frank snorted, his head hanging as he sat forward with his elbows on his knees.

Alice shook her head with a lip-bitten smile from where she sat, her legs tucked beneath her, beside him.

“Have they even got pubes at that age…” was Sirius’ low, amused brogue, his neck turned to watch the proceedings.

Remus gave a stifled laugh, peering across with half-lidded eyes and a lazy smile.

James was steering the boys back to sit around the wireless, out of trouble – and within eyeline of all the senior students – when Lockhart piped up –

“How did you know –”

“Trust me –” broke off James, slowing by the back of the couch and nodding to Sirius, “Everything you do, we already did four years ago.”

Sirius’ brow lifted indolently, “Better.”

James pushed the two on with light-hearted roughness, before rounding the couch and collapsing back into his old spot with a sigh. He turned to Sirius, his hands knitted together over his stomach –

“It seems you’re not the only one who needs to be wielding a large metaphorical stick…”

Lily moved through behind him, sighing but not sitting, “I think that’s enough for one night. Katherine – time to head back up to the dorm?”

Katherine nodded, extracting herself from the edge of the couch. The only thing left in her place was Sirius’ fallen arm. An unspoken glance of farewell went between them.

“I’ll be up later,” piped up Alice, gesturing to Frank and the boys, “We’re going to do some revision for a mock exam we’ve got tomorrow afternoon.”

Mary pushed herself up, “I promised Braddy I’d…”

“Adam too…” tacked on Marlene, too standing.

Lily waved them off as she reached for Katherine’s hand, locking them together and tugging with a light-hearted roll of her eyes. They reached the dormitory after a short climb up the stairs, and Lily went to her bed, reaching for book and then looking back with a smile –

“You can go first in the shower. You look like you’re about to sway right off your feet.” she said, with a smiling frown of care.

Katherine gratefully took her turn, even finding herself humming – for the first time in a long time – ‘…took my love, I took it down… climbed a mountain, and I turned around…’. Out of the steam, and warbling walls of the water closet, Katherine twisted her hair up in her towel as she walked out to find Lily lounging over the end of her bed.

Still humming, Katherine took her dirty clothes to her hamper –

“Katherine?”

“Yeah?”

A beat passed.

Lily hadn’t gone on.

Katherine turned with a hand on her blankets.

Lily was rising up from her bed, and tipped her head with a timid sort of smile –

“Since we have no more secrets…”

Katherine focused very hard on not pausing, and on peeling back her blankets and top sheet at a normal, regular pace –

“I’ve been looking into what the monster is.”

Katherine’s back sagged in relief. She kneed down onto her mattress and swivelled around with a little smile.

“I was going to ask… but I didn’t want to overwhelm you on your first day up and about…” she confessed.

Lily paused as she gathered her things for the shower, turning with an expression of frustrated perplexion –

“How can they even be sure it’s not still roaming?”

Katherine had shared that very same thought –

“I think ‘Tom’ would have to call it to get it to leave the chamber – and ‘do’ something…but, I don’t know…” she shrugged, honestly, pulling her blankets up to her waist, “Part of me can’t stop checking the toilet and shower drains...”

Lily turned to her anew, asking keenly, “You think it was moving through the pipes?”

“Regulus’ theory,” said Katherine, finding herself blinking as she tried to recall it under Lily’s sudden interest, “He thinks it must be a serpent of some sort, being something Salazar Slytherin could control…you know… being able to speak to snakes…”

Lily nodded in slow thoughtfulness, going to place her things in the bathroom –

“Oh! –”

Lily swung back out, holding the doorframe, “That reminds me, I ran into Severus…”

Lily leant on the doorframe as she recounted seeing him with Flint, and everything he said – his warnings that alluded to the fact that some of their classmates were still just as painfully prejudiced as they always were –

“You, apparently, should keep an eye out for Avery.”

Katherine frowned reflexively, “Avery? I mean, he’s a bit of annoying twat, but…”

Lily eyed her as Katherine trailed off –

“The words were, ‘has a bit of a ‘sick’ thing for Spencer’…” she said, with emphatic eyes over her shoulder as she reached to close the door and, finally, go in for her shower.

Katherine didn’t have long to ruminate on the new information. As soon as Lily closed the door to the bathroom, Alice came in from the stairwell –

“He watched you all the way up those thirteen steps...” she said in a sing song voice, balancing her books in her arms, and closing the door with her foot.

“What?” asked Katherine, turning –

CLICK –

Alice turned back, with a mirthful look of wryness, “Last name rhymes with ‘Flack’.”

Katherine’s lips immediately budded up into a smile, despite her best efforts –

“Arrrgh…” she huffed out, sliding down under her blankets, bringing them to her chin and spying over the top at Alice, incredulously.

Alice laughed, busily putting her things away at her desk.

Katherine’s mind was cast back to what her friend said earlier, down by the quidditch pitch –

“What did you mean? Earlier today? When we were climbing the spectator tower. If he kisses me, then we’ll worry?” she played it off as a throwaway question, her arms splayed up on her pillow and toying with her unravelling towel twist, “What would there be to worry about, exactly?”

Alice hummed absentmindedly, toeing off her school shoes and gripping her desk for balance, “…Sirius is a funny one. Different to all the other boys…”

She used to feet to neaten her shoes into their place –

“I can only really tell you – hypothetically – the way pureblood boys court in general,” she said, with a glance up on ‘hypothetically’ –

She neatened her hair and crossed the room to bounce down onto the edge of Katherine’s mattress. She gave a lip-bitten smile at the opposite post as she mulled over her next words –

“A date to Hogsmeade… some hand holding… a kiss is a claim and automatic exclusivity…eventually a promise ring, which is as good as a betrothal in this world – only done when underage, to signify intentions and lay further macho claim on you to all the other blokes…” she trailed off, tipping her head as she looked off in thought.

Katherine pushed her toe into Alice’s leg though the blanket with a smile into her blanket, “So, you’re practically…”

CREAK, Lily pushed the door open, and steam rolled out as she went back for her dirty clothes –

Alice gave a conspiratorial smile, before her eyes clamped shut, “Alice Dianne Longbottom –”

She fell back over the end of Katherine’s bed, sighing girlishly as she lifted her hand to observe her ring.

Lily paused on her way to her own bed, leaning over and smiling at the ring –

“Oh, that really is just the most darling ring. I love the ruby.”

Alice’s smile faltered, and then turned more timid, “It’s, er… not exactly a ruby…”

Lily’s expression turned quizzical.

“It’s… you know…” Alice pushed herself back up into a sitting position, splaying her hands out on her tight-clad thighs, “…Frank’s blood,”

Lily blinked, moving back an increment from her observation, “Oh.”

“Protection thing – pureblood thing…” explained Alice, with rushed sheepishness.

Lily nodded, moving to put her old clothes in her hamper and asking backwards, “How does it work?”

Alice flexed out her hand, observing her ring as she tilted it side to side. It caught the light like sun on water.

“I can kind of… call upon him when I wear it, should I ever be in trouble,” she explained, “He’ll feel it pulling on him. Also, it will help him apparate directly to me. Usually, they give you their family ring – as you’re considered a part of it from thereon in – but Frank is really close with his brother and sister and likes the link to them as well. So, he pricked his finger and did a bit of handy spell work on a new ring. He knows I feel guilty about receiving any of the Longbottom heirlooms, given his mother is…prickly towards me, at times…”

Lily gave a sucking breath of sympathy and a strained smile back at Alice.

Alice tipped her head with huff of whining laughter, pushing herself up. She crossed to her own bed and began collecting together her things for her own shower.

“So, is there anything I should look over in particular for arithmancy?” asked Lily, as she slid into bed.

“Not really, but you can take a copy of my notes,” said Alice, nodding to the books stacked on her desk, “It’s mostly the other subjects we ended up going over. James and Frank are the only ones who take just about all the classes…”

She went to step toward the bathroom, then paused –

“Well –” she conceded, going on from before, “There’s Sirius, but he doesn’t study. I don’t even know what he does half the time…”

Alice disappeared into the bathroom, and shouted back –

“Katherine, what does he do?”

“Apart from gazing intensely at you, she means.” ribbed Lily, as she pulled her blankets up to her chin.

Katherine’s mouth just about dropped, “Lily!”

She reached for a stray wrapped sweet on her nightstand and pegged it across the room –

Lily lifted her blanket, hiding behind it as the sweet landed with a dull thud against the fabric –  

Alice closed the bathroom door, laughing.

Lily lowered her blanket. She retrieved the sweet, unwrapped it, and plopped it in her mouth with a grin.

Katherine shook her head as it fell back on her pillow, with a breathy grin at the canopy of her bed.

“I thought you hated him?” she said to the dormitory.

The crinkling of the sweet wrapper was all she could hear as Lily disposed of it.

“It’s not fifth year anymore,”

The level, frank words drew Katherine’s eyes. Her head fell to the side, and she peered over her chin and blankets at Lily, who was doing the exact same thing –

“Things have changed –” Lily looked up at her own canopy, blinking “– we’ve changed,”

The warm crackle of the wood burner bloomed in a short pause –

“You don’t have to ‘cross your heart and swear to die’ that you don’t fancy Sirius Black,” came Lily’s droll, amused words – poking fun at their younger selves.

Katherine couldn’t help the smile that rose onto her lips, or the closing of her eyes –

“Hypothetically, if you did… I mean –” Lily broke off, laughing and pressing her fingertips between her brows, “Christ, Mary is dating a Slytherin...”

Katherine looked up, feeling her smile grow into a grin, “He’s a prefect.”

Lily snorted –

“Well, I suppose that makes it alright then.” she said, with light mirth.

At the tepid acceptance lingering in the air, Katherine felt brave –

“Lily?”

Lily was preoccupied with smoothing her blankets and petting Marbles, “Mhmm?”

Katherine’s lips fell into a line, and she gulped before going on –

“If I did, hypothetically, that is –”

CREAK! Alice stepped out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her –

“Oh, I’m just simply exhausted!” she trudged back to her bed, climbing into her bed with wet hair and pulling closed her curtains, “Night, girls.”

“Night.” chorused Katherine and Lily.

Lily reached blindly for a book on her nightstand.

The moment for confessions had passed. Katherine pulled her towel from where it still loosely cradled her head and dropped it over the side of the bed before she turned off her oil lamp and laid on her back, absentmindedly petting Belle where the feline curled up atop the blanket beside her.

The other girls slipped into the dully lit room closer to half past nine – the only warmth coming from the wood burner in the centre and Lily’s oil lamp that she read by. They showered and crawled into their beds, sighing happily.

Lily turned off her oil lamp and fanned her hair out on her pillow – like always – before settling down with a down-feather-soft huff.

All was quiet – and as it should be.

Katherine stared at the canopy of her four-poster in the dark as winter bit in at the edges of the dormitory. In the silence, she allowed herself to think of Sirius. What it might be like to have his warm body there beside her. He had been in there before, of course. Even sat on the bed. At the memory of it, her body quivered with silliness. She stretched and turned – curling into her side. 

She had force herself to stop thinking of him. Despite being allowed to, now that everything with the prophecy was all over. Her heart was beating too fast – she could feel in her throat – and she would never sleep if she kept on. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the castle at night as it began its slumber, deep in the wintry Scottish Highlands. The crackle and pop of the wood burner…the wind howling past the tower like waves at the beach… Lily’s slippers shuffling across the floor –

“I can’t sleep,” she whispered, a sliver of gold light falling across Katherine’s face as she pulled the door ajar, “I’m going to keep reading in the common room…”

Katherine watched her go, rolled onto her side, her eyes following the flicker under the door until it stopped and settled. She stared at it as she pet Belle’s little head and ears. Eventually, she slipped off to sleep… her bones, and soul, finally resting…

 

---

 

Lily had intended to just read in the common room. She hadn’t been lying. She was restless, however, and decided that she could likely find a book on Slytherin – and maybe a reference to snake language. It would be handy to know…

She strode along the hallways in the direction of the library as quietly as possible in her slippers, keeping her Prefect credibility ready in her verbal proverbial back pocket should she be caught by a professor. Getting caught wasn’t what had her on edge, admittedly. She couldn’t help but feel Severus’ words from earlier that day sticking with her in the drafty, moaning old castle.

Regardless of whatever gang they might be attempting to be apart of, Lily had grown up with those boys. She refused to be intimidated. Especially when he knew she was better than all of them at charms. She walked on.

The shadows cast on the walls seemed more sinister somehow, however. Distant voices… muted laughter… rain lashing the windows… wind rattling the panes…

A cloaked shoulder was suddenly in front of Lily, and a green tie–

She clutched her wand tight in her hand –

“Oh, excuse me…” murmured Bradford Dobbs, doing a double take. Before he vanished, he offered a half-smile – of recognition – to his girlfriend’s friend.

Still, there was something about a set of green robes that triggered a quiver in Lily’s heart. More followed Dobbs – green-robed students. Lily thought, this is what being circled by sharks in open water must feel like…

As she neared the library, the trickles of students had waned. Lily only sighted the odd house elf popping in and out to dust the ancient fixtures of the castle… some ghosts floating through walls…

Still, there was a feeling like there was something there.

Lily did a spot of surveillance – something her dad had taught her, about checking if one was being tailed. She went in a long wide circle around where she intended to go, the library, taking odd corridors. Still, the feeling never left her. Despite her eyes finding nothing.

It was when she reached the library again, that Lily put it down to paranoia –

…crunch.

Shoes on loose, crumbling stone. That weren’t hers.

Lily halted, her shoulders erupting in goose bumps. A niggle of fear gave way to annoyance – and she whirled around –

Out from behind a tapestry – a secret passage – staggered a body, into hers –

The scarf Lily grappled with on a broad strong chest, however, was maroon and gold –

James Potter righted his spectacles.

Relief was not a strong enough word for what Lily was feeling.

Potter jiggled a piece of parchment into his cloak pocket as he backed up from her.

Lily pulled her cloak further closed over the front of her pyjamas, feeling her brow tug together, “Are you stalking me?”

Potter’s eyes landed on Lily’s fluffy pink unicorn slippers, his lips slipping up –

“You say stalking, I say walking extremely close behind.” he said lightly, his eyes lifting to meet with hers. They glittered behind his spectacles, that too caught and flashed with torchlight.

Lily crossed her arms, her voice coming out reprimanding, “Potter.”

“It’s late, Evans,” came the sighing words, from a quickly sobered James Potter. He took a surveying glance at the darkened corridors around them, before looking back to her with a grim expression that sliced Lily at it out-of-placeness –

“The Chamber might be closed, but who’s to say the monster was in it when it did?”

Lily was unsure if she were impressed or slightly offended that the two seemed to share the same exact train of thought – 

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” asked Potter, astutely, eyes roving her from behind his spectacles, “You remembered something about what you saw. You’re researching,”

He turned, and slapped a hand against the stone arch of the closed library –

“Bit hard when it’s closed, though…” he said, in appraisal of the metal grate over the doors, before looking back to Lily with twitching lips.

Lily felt petulance bubbling up inside her – he was carrying on like ‘he’ was the prefect –

“I need to get into the restricted section, and I don’t have a pass,” she said, tightening her arms across her chest where they crossed, giving a short imploring shake of her head, “Happy?”

Potter’s face slipped up into a great, conspiring grin as he turned away to the doors, then back. His tongue darted out to wet his smiling lips, and he bowed his head by hers –  

“Want me to show you how?”

The sincerity – despite the clear amusement – on the boy’s face stalled Lily –

“I…” she broke off, at a loss. Worse yet, she couldn’t find she wanted to say ‘no’…

Potter was still expectantly looking down at her – when had he gotten so tall? – the shadows sloping down his cheeks, across his upper lip, and chin having very little to do with the torchlight… and he was suddenly a young man with all the trimmings…

“Why…” Lily went on with her lacklustre verbal skills that evening.

Potter gave a shrug, glancing around again casually –

“Katherine didn’t rest until she got the diary after you were petrified. It was all she spoke about – hazard a guess it’s all she thought about too –” he broke off to look back to her – tipping his head, “Like you, I wouldn’t mind helping her out. Afterall, she got quidditch back on...”

The throb in Lily’s heart at his seeming show of sentimentality ceased with the end of Potter’s spiel. She resisted rolling her eyes –

“Okay.”

Potter’s brow lifted, alongside the corners of his lips, “Okay?”

Lily gave a firm look.

Potter grinned, and – with a flourish – pulled another cloak out from within his school one.

Lily eyed it in trepidation.

Potter flipped it over where it spilt out of his fist, in show –

His legs vanished behind it –

“That’s got to be against the rules!” was Lily’s hissed whisper, as she glanced around, stepping closer with eyes blowing as wide as – it felt – dinner plates.

Potter shook it out, lifting it over his shoulders like a towel after a day at the beach, “Ah – it’s not even in the rules, you’ll find, Evans.”

He sounded – tragically – about right. Lily had never even heard of one, if it had been in the rules she would have remembered…

Lily timidly reached out to touch the shimmering material, “Since when have you had this?”

“Always,” Potter shrugged easily, chipperly, tipping his head, “It was dad’s, then his dad’s before him, and his dad’s…”

Lily lifted it, peeking under, then dropped it as her mind whirred ahead –

“What sort of stuff have you used this for?” she withdrew, skeptically.

“We have bigger fish to fry than trying to see you girls in your knickers, Evans,” was Potter’s snorting response, before he glanced around watchfully, “Now, come on –”

Potter lifted on side of the cloak, beckoningly –

“He who hesitates, dies –”

Lily stepped into the thrown swish of the cloak, and found herself instinctively copying Potter to pitch it over her head with her fingertips.

Together, they stepped forward.

Potter began working the doors with a non-verbal spell, speaking sideways as he worked, “You know, for two best friends, you and Katherine sure had different reactions to the cloak….”

“Katherine?” Lily turned, incredulous, shaking her head, “She never told me…”

Potter shrugged, with a short little smile and pulse of his brow, “Swore her to secrecy, didn’t I?”

Lily was unsure if it were a relief, or a concern, that Katherine Spencer was so good at keeping secrets –

Potter frowned in concentration as he continued turning his wand in complicated little way, murmuring distractedly –

“The less people that know, the better –”

CLICK!

Lily and Potter glanced to one another.

Potter pushed open the grate, then the door, and led the way.

The cloak swished around Lily’s ankles, and she feared for its competency under the eyes of a professor…

There was not a single soul – nor ghoul – inside the library, however. The restricted section was easy without Madame Pince guarding it. The two streamed past the librarian’s empty desk and were soon amongst the stacks of the school’s restricted material with only their wands for light in the inky blue starlight.

The cloak was balled up and left on the bench edge that circled the bookshelf lined walls of the octagon room, and the two separated to look around.

Potter moved confidently around in the quasi-darkness, and indicated a shelf with an old, crumbled label, “These will likely be the most promising tomes on beasts…”

Lily stepped up to the ancient leather-bound covers, scared to reach out and touch any of them. Potter was a pureblood, surely he would know – and tell her – if they were dangerous to handle…

“What about snake language? It would help to speak it if it’s some kind of serpent…” she asked, turning back, and stalling from touching the grotesquely bound spines. She doubted it was cow leather.

Potter was eyeing her, rather intensely, at her words.

“Parseltongue…Strikes me as more a ‘petrify first’ and ‘ask questions later’ variety of beast –” Potter turned his wry eyes away from her, and continued on more thoughtfully, “Maybe in Knockturn alley you might find something. It’s usually an inherited, not learned, language, however…”

Potter then snorted, and tacked on –

“Funny story. Sirius has this one cousin…”

Lily was, soon into the story, quickly disturbed by Sirius Black’s family and simultaneously impressed that James Potter was, seemingly, very literate. In Latin too, no less –

“We taught ourselves a bit when we were looking up what kind of beast Remus might have been in second year…”

Potter had pulled a book off the shelf and had begun thumbing through it casually.

Lily felt her brow furrow as she turned to him from her title scanning, incredulous, “It took you until second year to realise something was wrong with him? Not after two or three astronomy lessons – and all the moon gazing we did?”

Maybe not so erudite, after all…

Potter shrugged, his bespectacled gaze scanning over the bookshelf before him as he put back the book he had been thumbing through –

“Well, he was our mate. We didn’t want to be right about him being a monster.”

“He’s not.” said Lily.

She stepped back on the creaking boards to move around his tall shoulders.

When she looked back, she caught the side of Potter’s fond smile at the book spines. A lift of his eyebrow, and his face began turning to hers – the corners of his eyes creasing –

Lily looked away. She went back to her own perusing, all the while pretending she couldn’t feel Potter’s gaze over her back – like the spider webs protecting the bookshelves.

The creak of a floorboard, and the dust-easy silence springing back up between them, signalled their return to their respective perusing.

It was as she pretended to not notice Potter – something she was semi-professional in by that point – that Lily’s mind was cast back to Black’s own genuine smile at the end of her bed earlier that morning, and found that she was scarcely able to remember him as the rude eleven-year-old boy she met on the train…

She wondered if, like Black, Potter was changing too –

Growing up.

“… did you hear that?” whispered Potter, ear turned to the entrance –

He was freakishly still –

“Potter, I swear –”

“Not playing,” came Potter’s gentle low tones, reaching for his invisibility cloak and moving in a business fashion, “Neaten the books – let’s go –”

WHOOSH! Potter cast the cloak around Lily –

She fussed with her mussed hair against the static of the velveteen inside of the cloak –

Potter neatened it to cover her expertly, before he turned around, his back to her front – he reached back –

“Stay behind me… slow steps.”

Their breaths became loud and hot as they slowly shuffled forwards, out of the restricted section and then the library itself –

“Can you…” Potter’s whisper trailed off as he turned to signal the metal grate that locked away the library at night from students.

Lily nodded, the cloak pulling and dipping around them as she reached back and pulled the grate back across with pain-staking slowness. The metal burned her fingertips with its iciness –

…click.  There was an almost inaudible metallic wobble up the grate to the tall stone ceiling.

As Lily winced, she turned back to budge up close to Potter’s back once more – and that’s when she saw that they had company after all.

Severus and Flint were strolling, their wands in their hands.They cast a curious eye towards the library –

“Thought I heard…”

“Me too…”

Potter and Lily were paused in their pyjamas and cloaks, deathly still. Their breaths were reigned in, but no less hot. Lily was breaking into a sweat beneath the invisibility cloak. The torchlight of the corridor was still warm and yellow on their skin through the fine, black-laced view of the inside of the cloak – it was an exposed sort of feeling. 

On impulse, Lily reached for the backs of Potter’s upper arms – to steady herself. Glancing down, she found that his wand was already in his hand. Ready.

Potter stepped forward, turning his head back slightly – to wordlessly indicate to Lily to move with him.

As they skirted around Severus and Flint, Lily caught a scent of something dreadfully familiar. Something balmy… Was it on Severus – or Potter? Soon there were ten paces between them and the Slytherins… then twenty… then they were around the corner…

Then Potter was turning his head back over his shoulder, asking a breathy, backwards, “Okay?”

Lily dropped her hands from the backs of his upper arms –

“Fine.”

Potter turned around more fully, pitching the cloak above his head. He grinned, nodding his head down the hall with bright eyes –

“Come on, before they catch up.”

Then they were running. The cloak flapped around their legs, and they threw checking glances back to the empty hallway –

“Oh, that’s them!” whispered Potter excitedly in a sing-song voice.

Lily glanced back – and found he was telling the truth. She was unable to squash a squeal. With a niggle up her tailbone, she careened around the corner with him and tried to keep the cloak off her face. A feat with their speed. She had to stop and take off her slippers at one junction, and continue in her socks with them in hand, instead.

Potter was huffing out laughter, reaching for her elbow to tug her onto thin corridors she had never been down and through tapestry-cloaked passageways, and never leaving her behind.

It got to a point where it became clear that Severus and Flint were unlikely still following – if they ever were to begin with…

Lily couldn’t bring herself to stop their fleet-footed escape, however. Lily hadn’t felt like such a child since… since – she didn’t know. Despite her best efforts too, when Potter smiled down at her – it felt like the sun on Lily’s face. Like May shining through a December window.

It felt like nothing could touch them as they ran under the cloak, grinning and laughing, through the night…

Notes:

Lily just keeps slipping in now when I go to write, prepare yourselves for more of our vivacious redhead...

Chapter 69: A Very Merry Christmas

It was, suddenly, very nearly Christmas.

Time, thought Katherine, was not just moving differently in sixth year. It was quickly, and relentlessly, steaming along – like the train that would be very shortly on its way to collect them once more. Between classes, meals, and dwindling dark hours spent in front of fireplaces, the days slipped away from Katherine.

“How’d you rat your hair like that?”

“I got my jeans from Chelsea Girl, but where did you get yours – I’ve never seen anything like them!”

“Did you see – Gilderoy – he was looking at you…”

Katherine sat, watching the third year girls gush and gossip, feeling a faint smile rising on her lips. She looked around at her dormmates where they lounged in the common room, soaking in the heat from the fireplace. Mostly, they were returning letters home.

Alice, notably, had news about whether she was going to stay for Christmas –

“Looks like I’m going home this year…” she read aloud, squinting at the lines of scrawl, “…the Fortescues have been invited to the Longbottom’s Yule gala… and we’ve accepted…”

Lily lifted her eyes from her own letter to give Katherine a meaningful look –

Alice looked up, blinking, “My parents think it’s a marvellous idea for me to rub shoulders with as many witches and wizards from the Auror Department as possible.”

“Put in a good word for us, will you?” joked Marlene.

A jovial lightness fell around the girls as the smiled and went back to their idle tasks.

Sirius cleared his throat from behind. He lounged on his back along the couch Katherine rested her back against from her spot on the floor. His head was right behind hers, and his breath shifted her hair –

“It’s just a formality…” he whispered, amused –

James’ eyes gleamed from his spot – cross-legged – on the floor beside Katherine, “Frank’s proposing in the summer.”

Something seized Katherine’s entire being at the revelation –  

Marlene looked up at the same moment– to Katherine – and then to the other girls, before she went back to furrowing her brow at her copy of the Daily Prophet –

“How do you think I should phrase this letter expressing interest in a block of flats? They open up after refurbishments in a year… right in time for when we finish…”

Alice leant down, lifting her eyebrows as she read over Marlene’s shoulder distractedly, “Are your parents helping you out?”

Marlene shook her head –

“I’m hoping to get weekend work in Hogsmeade next term…”

Katherine blinked, the words flying out of her mouth before she could stop them, “You can do that?”

“Yeah, we get more privileges to be out, as seventh years,” shrugged Marlene, unflapped, “On school holidays, you can book a room down there and just work the whole time… if you want…”

Lily, Mary, and Alice all gave their murmured appraisal of the advertisement in the paper while Katherine had a monumental shift inside of her entire being. Maybe she could do that too. It had been a fear of hers, in recent, horcrux-less times, that her parents’ money would run out one day. And then how was she going to make money to keep on living?

Katherine looked around at her friends. Never clearer had the realisation been – that the girls had been discussing jobs, plans for the future, and being away from family instead of boys, gossip, clothes, and music. Not to say those things weren’t on their radar… but –

They were all getting older.

Katherine almost couldn’t bear it.

“It’s going to be hard to leave them…” said Mary to Lily – their conversation about moving out of home having played behind Katherine’s own brutal epiphany –

“Once we can apparate, I mean… we can always…” Lily tried to bargain, but it was half-hearted.

A large chunk of them all weren’t even returning home for Christmas that year…

Mary picked at lint on her stockings, “When you don’t live there, it stops becoming home at some point – and starts becoming a place you visit. That’s what my older cousins say, anyway…”

“Yeah… I s’pose…” said Lily, blinking, and fluffing the letter she had received at breakfast that morning. She eyed it with a distant expression, “Mum says that Petunia never comes home anymore since she moved to her flat in the city…”

Katherine, however, was all too well-versed in goodbyes. Selfishly too… she was almost… looking forward to the girls cleaving themselves away to be in the wizarding world – so they could all be alone, together.

 

---

 

James Potter had been running the Gryffindor Quidditch side like a Drill Sargeant ever since the recommencement of the playing season.

Every morning the team could be seen running laps around the Black Lake in the fog and weak morning light, in their trackpants. Some lagged more than others. Potter and Black seemed to egg each other on at the front, when they weren’t stoically jogging with their tall chests held out and strong – keeping a very athletic pace. Frank would only be slightly out of step, along with Dagworth, Shacklebolt, and Marlene. The young Seeker and the reserves lagged behind the main playing group, with tired jelly-like strides as they threw themselves onwards.

When they would all drag themselves up to castle to shower and dress as breakfast began, Lily had often crossed their paths after her morning studying in the quiet, fire-crackling library with Katherine and Alice.

The two girls had seemed to peer out the frosty windows of the library most of the oil-lamp lit study session – Alice, after her beau, and Katherine… well…

In the Entrance Hall when the groups would pass one another, Frank would give Alice an affectionate pinch on the backside, riled up and still sucking in big gulps of air before he passed with a grin –

Potter would be busily spearheading the group with a slew of team members scurrying up to him like some sort of messiah as they talked strategy –

Often, Professor McGonagall would be arriving early to breakfast and would watch on approvingly – albeit surprisedly – at the Captain and his group –

And then… there would be Black. He walked his own sort of way with his ruddy cheeks and evening-out breaths whilst he and Katherine seemed to have conversations with their eyes, after which Katherine would look off unconcernedly – and Black would keep looking, with a slow sort of prowling, black-honeyed smile.

Katherine insisted he was harmless, but Lily rather felt something similar to the Slytherins rolling off of him. Something off. Suppose he really did fancy her, thought Lily, he still didn’t feel… safe. There was something decidedly wild about him. Unstable. Lily felt Katherine was in the most precarious, unwitting position as the object of his affections – because it was the same sort of danger that emanated off the kind of rockstars she liked, dark and seductive… and as such, you never saw the bite coming…whatever it might be.

She was balancing tepid trust in him at his helping in the recent events in the castle with her inner feminine intuition. She needed more time to make up her mind about Sirius Black.

Potter, on the other hand…

Many times, when Lily had tagged along with her friends down to the pitch, the Gryffindor team would be doing gruelling ‘broom pull-ups’ to train for mid-match recoveries. They would have to sloth hang from underneath their brooms a foot or so off the ground, and then swing back up the right side before repeating –

“I want to see each of you do fifteen –”

Potter broke off his commanding striding along the group of his dangling teammates, stopping to lift a hand to Marlene –

“Remember – ten will be fine for you, McKinnon!”

Marlene slashed an exhausted side-eye to where Katherine and Lily huddled in their jackets and scarves at the boarded entrance to the pitch, where they watched on. She had gotten her period that morning.

Katherine and Lily made sucking noises of sympathy as they shuffled their feet against the boards in an effort to keep warm. If Marlene had gotten hers that morning, it also meant that they would be far behind…

Potter swung onto his own broom and led the group – out the front – in their pull ups.

Alice and Mary had forgone that afternoon’s practise, and were instead studying in the warmth of the library with Dobbs and Remus until it was Slytherin’s turn to take over the pitch after the Gryffindors.

Lily had mentioned about her sore legs after being bed bound, and asked if Katherine fancied a walk. As it just so happened, around the same time as the Gryffindor practise, when she knew James Potter would be about (He had been holding onto the last book from the restricted section for longer than they had agreed, and Lily was growing impatient).

Katherine had humorously suggested going to watch the practise to see what Potter was putting their housemates through on that particular day.

It had all lined up, marvellously.

The practise had been pencilled in when the Ravenclaw’s pulled out of their slot so, as a result, the younger fourth year groupies hadn’t caught wind and were conspicuously absent. It was something Katherine and Lily had communicated their gladness for with a speaking look when they arrived – the first down. Shacklebolt’s girlfriend and her best friend had trundled down after retrieving a blanket and some soup from the up at the castle and had set up in the warmer cradle of the wooden panel lined entrance to the pitch on the floor.

Katherine and Lily stood, leaning on the framed openings to the stairs that led up to the spectator towers, continuing their conversation from earlier.

Katherine had, evidently, been in a bit of silent panic herself about what was going to happen after school –

“I mean – how expensive is it to live in this world? Do we… pay tax?”

Lily found herself flummoxed, and frowned, looking off thoughtfully, “…I… don’t know.”

A beat of silence passed, with only the grunts and complaints of the Quidditch team filling it. Lily watched as Potter wrapped his arms around Marlene’s knees and helped lift her over her broom for the last couple pull ups –

“Perhaps we should take off once we’re off age – after your birthday. Live in the muggle world…” she suggested, airily, as she watched Potter and Marlene and all the floating broomsticks.

Katherine hummed, then said – surprising Lily –

“Feels safer there, sometimes…”

The words hung between the two girls.

Katherine squinted into the afternoon sun setting over the castle, back up the lawns, before looking back to Lily with her hands still in her pockets. She nudged her with her winged elbow, and a smile –

“What about graduating? What will your parents think?”

Lily shrugged, turning her attention to the intricate wood swirls on the wood she was leaning against, “They don’t have to know, do they? Once I’m seventeen, they won’t receive any more Hogwarts correspondence. I could even pretend I’m still at school…”

Something had happened to Lily over the past year or so. Some things had become more important, and others… less so. The older she got, the more responsibility that was getting pushed onto her – onto them all – the more she wanted to take the reins and run her own race. Instead of the one that had been laid out for her. Everyone seemed to think her so capable, after all…

“Seems like you’ve given it some thought, then.” said Katherine, with a considering sideways smile.

Lily felt her lips twitch, “Haven’t you?”

Katherine tipped her head in amused concession. She had, perhaps, the largest escapist tendencies of the lot of them. Usually, she was going head-long into death-eaters, fiendfyre, and dark lords on some noble suicidal endeavour to spare everyone else. Lily knew, however, how her friend yearned to not deal with any of it at all. To be normal.

It was something Lily understood intimately.

“Don’t you just get sick of it?” she asked, sighing and gesturing around them with her winged elbow as her hands remained warming in her pockets, “Sick of it all, sometimes? –”

Anger, too, was a burgeoning common theme. At being a woman in the muggle world – and a muggleborn in the wizarding one. She was unsure which was worse, sometimes –

“It’s always the blokes that get to take off, isn’t it?” she went on, tittering, “Go away and find themselves – like we don’t want to?”

She just wanted to live. Her own life.

“Would we apparate and floo around, or take the V-dub?”

Sometimes Lily forgot Katherine was as muggle as her. The other girls would never know to use the slang for her car. Hearing it, was a sort of unexpected shot of comfort –

“Bit of both,” mused Lily, wetting her lips and then rolling them together, “We’ll find work – like we always said – and live in our fab flat between adventures,”

Katherine was suppressing a smile as she looked off.

Lily did too, until she was struck with a fault in their plan –

“I mean… I don’t have a lot of money, but…” trailed off Lily –

“I do,”

Katherine beamed with a smile like the sun setting behind her. She tipped her head, with knowing eyes, “I’m happy to cover things until we get on our feet.”

Lily tipped her head, giving a pointed look.

Katherine returned it, not giving an inch.

“Anywhere you want to go?” asked Lily, instead of pressing about their inequal finances.

Katherine shrugged, then held still, before confessing –

“I’ve always wanted to go fruit picking. A girl at my old school and her hippie boyfriend did it one summer and it sounded like fun…”

Lily bit her smile down, tapping her shoe to Katherine’s, “We’ll wear overalls and all.”

“Paint them with flowers.” tacked on Katherine, with feigned whimsy.

The icy wind blew their hair from their necks.

Lily sucked in a plaintive, shivering breath, “God, I think we’ve nearly just about completely missed free-love, Katherine…”

“Locked up in this school…” sighed Katherine lightly, looking around at the confines of the pitch. She pursed her lips thoughtfully, then grinned, “You know, I think my aunt would go apoplectic if she saw me hanging around with anyone who even looked like they knew where to buy psychedelics...”

“I don’t know, love –” Lily reached out and gently wound a long loose lock of Katherine’s hand between her forefinger and thumb, “With your long hair, these days…”

There was a curious, meaningful glint in Katherine’s eyes as she reached out and did the same to Lily’s hair.

“Pot calling the kettle black, really,” said Katherine, in breathy brusqueness, as she withdrew her hand back to her pocket and nestled down into her scarf once more. She tipped her head with a wry little smile, “All the old crowd were on white-collar uppers…”

CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! –

The team began trouping back in their boots, along the wooden boards – past the girls – into the changing rooms –

Katherine shuffled out of the way, tucking her flying locks of hair behind her ear –

Black playfully spread his hand over the back of her head as he passed, dwarfing it, and giving a gentle ruffle –

Potter glanced back, giving a short upwards nod to Lily –

Katherine slowly continued stepping over with a droll smiling look over her shoulder to a retreating Black, and then settled closer to Lily –

It wouldn’t be long until they were back out.

Katherine gave a slight sniffle, and nudged Lily with a renewed smile –

“What about you? What would you like to do?”

“Go to a disco.”

Katherine’s eyebrows shot up, but then she nodded with a happy, conspiratorial smile –

“We’ll dress up really fancy.”

The went on – with frenetic, rising excitement – as if they were planning an outrageous sleepover. Sleep in a field. Spend enough time hanging around the beach to get tans. Meet Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Go to France and and maybe get their portraits painted as muses for pretentious ‘artiste’s’. Maybe even become famous fashion models –

“So, March?” asked Katherine, as their planning had waned to vacant, wistful smiles.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Marlene leaving the changing room –

Lily nodded distractedly, “March it is.”

Marlene came over in gust of wind, huffing her disgruntlement –

“I’ve got to get back up to the dorms to shower properly and… you know… change.” she intimated, with a cautious glance over her shoulder.

“Oh, yeah – of course!” sped out Lily, in a wind-braced shiver. She spared a glance to an equally unmoving Katherine, both of them hesitant, “I… just have to catch Potter… he’s got this book out from the restricted section that I need…”

Marlene nodded, “He was just getting out of the shower when I left. I’ll just head up and catch you guys at dinner, see you –”

She waved as she turned into a walk, and hurried up the lawns with Shackbolt, Dagworth, and their girlfriends –

“Bye!” waved Katherine, before quickly shoving her hand back into her pocket.

Lily, rather, was turning at the sound of the change room door creaking open again –

THUD! It closed, and Black was sauntering out while he shook a hand through his wet hair and adjusted his bag over his shoulder –

CREAK –

Through a crack of light and steam, from inside, came Potter, right behind him. He had his bag in one hand, and was pulling his jumper down from where it was half on with the other. He winced, and reached for the red, spotty patches of skin on the lower halves of his cheeks.

He always got like that before a big game.

Lily found herself looking at him. Something about him was terribly different…

“You know, I think the more advanced players could probably do twenty…” grinned Black over his shoulder at his captain

Potter pulled his spectacles out of his bag, and slipped them on, “Right, I’ll make sure to tell McKinnon and Longbottom.”

His specs, realised Lily. She hadn’t seen him without them in nearly two years.

The two boys shoved each other all the way over to the girls.

Black laughingly reached to pinch the back of Katherine’s jacket, “Hey.”

“Hey.” returned Katherine, turning with a spritely wind-blown smile.

Black’s gaze, like treacle, lifted and slashed over to Lily, a flicker of question in them.

Lily felt suddenly very out of place.

This – the boys, she mused, was Katherine’s usual domain.

“You –” Potter sidled up to her, reaching into his bag once more, “Will be after this, I’m sure…”

He procured a book, extending it to her with a tight smile, cover down.

Black leant down to whisper something into Katherine’s ear –

She shoved him lightly, and the two lazily began striding over away from the change rooms as they verbally seemed to go back and forth. They knocked shoulders, glancing back to Potter and Lily.

Potter zipped up his bag, watching Katherine and Black getting further and further away with distant smile of amusement –

“After that, we will have exhausted the library.” he said, nodding to the book Lily was sliding into her bag.

Lily nodded, then asked, “Hogsmeade?”

“Probably beyond,” breathed out Potter, before going on, “I…”

He hesitated, looking off, then looking back with a shy sort of querying glint behind his spectacles –

“I’d like to ask my dad, if that’s alright?”

Lily shrugged, “Sure,”

The wind blew and moaned through the tunnel of the pitch framing as Potter seemed to reorganise every book he owned in his bag –

“Do you think Remus – or Pettigrew – could help?” asked Lily.

Potter made a noise in his throat as he jiggled his bag one last time and went to zip it, busily, “Er… Remus is really trying to study, so I don’t want to bother him… and Peter can’t help because he’s… Peter.”

Lily nodded slowly, then gestured to his bag that he was swinging onto his back –

“Is that some new training technique? Carry all one’s books around? For your… back muscles or something?”

Potter laughed breathily, adjusting the straps over both of his shoulders and bouncing on the balls of his feet, “I need to get Outstandings in – at least – Charms, Potions, Transfiguration and Defence to get into the Auror program,”

He momentarily winced at the weight, gazing off into the last rays of sun as they wheeled through the tall canopy of the regrowing forest –

“After everything that’s happened… to make it in – and learn all the tricks of trade – is more important than ever –” he turned to her, with an easy expression of knowing, “Don’t you think?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before he went on, rolling his wind-chapped lips –

“Besides –” he shrugged, with a head-tipped smile (that was more charming than it had any right to be), “Everyone thinks I just get given things because I’m a pureblood. This is something I have to earn fair and square, however.”

Lily felt something spreading through her as she continued looking up at him in the wake of his words –

“Prongs – Evans – you coming!?” called Black, Katherine under his arm as they waited a dozen metres out ahead.

Lily and Potter shared one last glance before they hastened along to catch up. Then they all began winding up the lawns, shivering breathily, as a four –

“Sirius?” asked Katherine, turning to him from beneath his arm.

Black blinked easily down at her, his voice coloured with mirth, “Yeah?”

“Do you pay tax in the wizarding world?”

“Tax?”

Lily refrained from laughter.

Potter lowered his head by hers to whisper, solemnly, “Dead animals, isn’t it? Mum was never into that much…”

Katherine, meanwhile, had gone on trying to explain it to Black –

Black was desperately trying to understand – and failing –

“Why would the ministry take people’s money every year?”

Katherine made flustered hand gestures, “Well, how does anything run? How do ministry worker’s get paid?”

Black shrugged –

“Deals with the goblins going back centuries – bit of exploitation, really… trading with other nations…donations from wealthy families –”

“Bribes.” coughed Potter, with a pointed slash of his eyes toward Black –

Black, unbothered, went on to explain laws that had gone through because of his grandparents and great aunts and uncles –

Lily spared a horrified glance to Potter, only to find him looking ahead with a throat clearing smile. It was as she turned back to Katherine and Black’s conversation when she felt the breeze go through her just that more sharply –

Severus was trundling down the lawns with a smattering of other Slytherins – making their way down to the pitch for their scheduled allotment, after the Gryffindor teams –

Unable to shake, was the feeling that Lily had been caught breaking some sort of law. How many times had she needed to promise him that didn’t buy into the whole house rivalry bit? That she made Gryffindor friends because she shared a dormitory and a common room with them – and that he was still her oldest and truest friend. 

To stroll – the four of them Gryffindors – held an indiscriminate peace. The effort to run between him and the girls was distant, exhausting memory now. She understood, at last, when people said they had found ‘their kind’. She began to understand how easy it was to fall into an ‘us’ and a ‘them’…

Severus walked on, his head on a swivel to watch Lily. There was a dark satisfaction there, that it all seemed to be playing out to the narrative he’d always spun…

Lily walked on, she and Katherine wedged between Black and Potter – the boys their proverbial impervious armour to the Slytherins. They’d all fallen quiet as the two house squadrons passed one another. There was a charge in the air, especially when Avery – with his broom over her shoulder – took a lascivious up and down of Katherine as he sauntered past, aptly very snake-like…

Once passed, the lock broke. The magnets had repelled one another from their proverbial action field. She could breathe again. The oddness lingered, like a zap from a light switch, for a moment further as Lily focused on swiping her legs through the long damp grass.

She wasn’t alone, however.

Three other sets of legs wound through up the lawns beside her.

Lily looked around at Black – with his dumb long hair, and his arm around Katherine as they talked and laughed once again like kids on a playground, in sympatico – and then to Potter as he looked off into the setting sun, and noticed the hum, the frequency, stringing them all together. She really was, she realised, one of them –

“Evans – one last thing –”

Potter had turned to her as they all reached the courtyard outside the Entrance Hall, his bag swung around to his front as he dug through it again. He pulled out a book, looked at it for a short moment, and then extended it to her –

“This book will help with that transfiguration we have to do for the exam coming up... I know you want the NEWT there too…”

Lily eyed the book, the shiny lettering glinting in the dulled gold of the last rays of the day’s sun – and Potter’s hand patiently holding it –

“Thanks…” she managed out, accepting the heavy book.

They walked on, a bit behind Katherine and Black.

Lily swung her own bag around to slide the book in with her own, and was struck with a thought –

“Hey… you know in Potions the other day…”

Potter looked back, attentive behind his spectacles. That was becoming rarer. In recent days, Lily felt more like she was running after him. With Quidditch, his studying…

Lily walked easily beside him and received a – near – expert analysis of the theory component they had been asked to consider in their Potions’ written. As he spoke, he went to rub his chin and cheek in thought, and winced at his tender raw skin there.

Lily hesitated, the burst –

“I put aloe vera on mine.” she attempted, innocuously.

Potter turned, a vulnerable sort of quirk at the corners of his lips, and a quizzical – almost sceptical – furrow above the bridge of his spectacles –

“Yeah?”

Gone was the tricky-to-pin-down-Potter of recent days. His piercing attention was back on her, like the heat that rolled out of a hot opened oven.

Lily nodded. She faced forward to put a bookend in the prematurely galloping pace of their burgeoning familiarity and, in her peripheral, she could see him nod and look back ahead.

Barely missing a beat, he launched back into theories he had overheard his parents discussing. She found she had to keep holding herself back from looking too excited.

He was more like an equal than she had ever dared allow him to be.

She too found that Potter was an antithesis to Severus – the only person Lily had previously deemed as smart or smarter than her – in every way imaginable; forthcoming, and… warm. In every way. Bright hazel eyes, streaks of ruddy health down his angular cheeks to a strong jaw, wavy jet-black locks that glistened and seemed to defy gravity on their own accord with his buoyant mood, physical heat rolling off his tall, muscled figure…

Potter didn’t need her, either. He was just… him. It was like witnessing a marvel. Someone so strong – and unalienably themselves. As they walked and talked, it was like his tornado was turning and sparking off her cyclone.

Lily blinked away from where his biceps bulged in his clinging maroon quidditch jumper, and felt a pang spread out from the feeling of the sun in her chest. A pang of regret.

If she had met him as a child – before Severus Snape – 

Would Lily have hated James Potter?

 

---

 

“Miss Spencer… you will be staying, I presume?”

Katherine glanced up from her steaming porridge as Professor McGonagall paused by her as she took down names for those students staying at the castle for Christmas at breakfast that morning.

“Yes, professor.”

It was the middle of the second week of December. It was, notably, cold. Katherine hunkered into her cloak, tucking her hand inside that wasn’t spooning porridge and fruit up to her chattering teeth. The boys and Marlene were still yet to return from their laps around the lake and their morning showers –

“Miss Fortescue…”

“Returning home, professor.”

“Miss MacDonald…”

“Home, professor.”

“Mister… Mister Dobbs?” the professor did a double take at the Slytherin prefect, where he sat at the Gryffindor table with his girlfriend.

“Oh, I’ll be going home, Professor.” he answered easily, with a speaking smile exchanged with Mary. They would undoubtedly be meeting up on their holidays.

Lily rubbed her smiling lips together as she looked at the couple, and then to Katherine –

Katherine returned the pursed smile and hushed ‘aw’–

“Miss Evans, you’ll be going home as well?”

Lily cleared her throat, “Staying, professor.”

Professor McGonagall hesitated, and peered over her scroll –

“You’ve discussed this with your parents, yes? I would think they would like to have you home after your petrification…”

Lily nodded as she rubbed persistent crusts of sleep from the inner corner of one of her eyes, “Yes, professor – I’ve spoken with them. They’re going to stay in the city with my older sister for the lights and markets, anyway…”

Professor McGonagall’s eyes flashed to Katherine, where she sat across from Lily, and then back to the marking she was making on her scroll. There was a twitch in her lips –

“Very well.” their Head of House said, softly.

With a lack of any further Gryffindors at the table, McGonagall criss-crossed to the Slytherin table, slowing by Regulus Black. Katherine didn’t know when Regulus’ birthday was exactly, but she supposed he would already sixteen by now –

“Ready to go ahead to divination?” asked Lily, yawning again as she reached for her bag straps.

Alice blinked, yawning out, “I’m going to wait to see – to see Frank...”

Mary’s full English spread was just about finished, beside Dobb’s identical plate, but they were long-lunching their breakfast in the lazy morning light of the Great Hall and faint smoky haze from the fireplaces –

“I might just have another hot chocolate first…” she bargained.

Dobbs hummed wordlessly, pushing his empty teacup to her as he finished cutting his toast and loading a piece of egg onto it.

Lily looked to Katherine, in silent question.

Katherine nodded and lifted with her things. She had hoped to see Sirius, but…

The girls blearily shivered down the length of the Great Hall together. Lily spared one last glance back to their friends as she pulled open the door to the Entrance Hall –

“Still don’t know what to call him.”

Katherine let loose a chest-shaking laugh as they strode away –

“Oi –” Remus barely avoided a collision with the girls at the base of the stairs, but turned from his startlement to Lily as he kept on moving towards the Great Hall, “See you at Runes?”

Lily nodded, snapping off another yawn, “See you there.”

Remus clapped his hand playfully and clumsily with Katherine’s as they passed, as his head all but ripped open in a yawn.

There was a lot of that going around. The first of the sixth-year’s winter Exams was to be that Friday – the block would follow through the next week, to Thursday, and then the train would come and collect everyone to take them home for Christmas on the Friday morning.

Lily and Katherine arrived the corridor for Divination – the first – and lazed in the rare spot of morning sun shining through the east-facing windows, sitting on the deep-set brick sill with their backs to the sun. Tired from their classes and studying, the girls sat in companionable silence as they watched the dust swirling around in the slivers of weak light.

Katherine became quite absorbed in the stillness, feeling her eyes un-focus – and her bones liquify inside her.

Lily’s arm remained pressed, unmoving and solid against Katherine’s as she too sat – hypnotised by the quiet.

The only thing that broke their mindless reverie was a giggle –

“Shh! Shh!” came the hushed whispers of a pair of younger girls, at sighting Lily – and her Prefect pin – as they hurried along, early like them, to their class.

Beans for breakfast, Katherine supposed – they were practically skipping. Maybe she should start eating beans…

“Tomorrow we’ll wear our red ribbons – I’ll wear my hair up, and you can wear yours half-up –”

The younger girls, fresh-faced and all buttoned up in their school items, bounded around the corner, out of sight.

Katherine and Lily shared a glance. They were clean and showered, but it had been some time since they had taken a great deal of pride in their appearance. They brushed their hair and left it long and loose most days. Head aches usually crept up anyway by the early afternoon, let alone when it was tightly braided or pulled into ponytails. They adhered to the uniform rules but – in the cold – it was more about how much they could heap on and still move with practicality.

Alice, Mary, and Marlene were the ones who primped much of anything anymore, with mascara or occasional ribbons in their hair – for their beaus.

Lily reached into her bag for her brush and silently began taking it through her long lengths.

“Do you want me to plait it?” offered Katherine.

Lily nodded, swishing her hair onto her back and turning her back to Katherine where they leant on the edge. As Katherine began sectioning the hair, Lily glanced backwards –

“Do you want yours done too?” she asked, turning back to face forward.

Katherine’s body seemed to sigh in contentment at the prospect of having her hair played with –

“Yeah – that would be nice…” she murmured, as her gloved hands moved with careful slowness to twine Lily’s hair neatly.

Then they were trading positions, and Lily’s long breath out through her nose relaxed Katherine’s spine even further as her friend brushed, then plaited her hair.

Lily put her brush back away into her bag after accepting a backwards-passed hair tie from Katherine’s wrist to twine around the base of the finished plait, and the girls sat again with their backs to the sun – feeling fresher, and half-ready for sleep again, all at once. Their heads fell together as they struggled to stay slumped up.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you –”

Lily gently wiped the sleep from the inner corner of her eye before going on –

“I asked Remus if he would be amenable to joining us when we run off.”

Katherine felt her brow furrow, but her lips twitched, “What did he say?”

“He said so long as he was back before exams in June.”

A beat of a moment followed – then snorting laughter.

Katherine’s laughter waned in sighs with Lily’s as she watched their jiggling shadows on the wall across the corridor. Lily really was the best friend that Katherine had ever had, she realised with creeping warmth that had nothing to the with the sun on their backs. It pricked the backs of her laughter-squinted eyes.

“Should we wear ribbons tomorrow?”

“I’ll wear my hair up, and you wear yours half-up.”

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The girls dragged themselves up at the bell with wry smiles to one another, and swayed along to the ladder leading up the classroom. Slowly, the corridor began filling – with their classmates, and those just passing through.

For an hour and fifteen minutes, they went further over the subjects Professor Brown elucidated as being vital for their winter Examinations – their last practise run at the full NEWT level exams in June. Katherine rather enjoyed Divination – a fact she felt the need to keep to herself, given everyone taking the ever-good loving piss out of the subject. On that slow morning, they went over the theory of both Dream Interpretations and Cartomancy, practised Bibliomancy (opening a book to a random page and interpretating the meaning and context of it to one, or another’s life) and Ovomancy (cracking open eggs and observing which way the yolks fell).

Katherine left the class and parted with her friends who had other classes, heading for the dormitory to do homework and take a nap by the wood burner with the cats, feeling confident in at least one subject.

She didn’t make it far before she was intercepted by a swift-legged quidditch player –

“Your hands are freezing!” were the first words Sirius exclaimed as he caught her in the hallway, on his own way to Ancient Runes –

He took both of Katherine’s hands and pulled them up inside his jumper and blazer with his own, as he stood – with parted legs, to be at her eye height. Off to the side of a hallway, broken up smatterings of lagging students moved behind him in both directions –

“I’m staying for Christmas – are you staying for Christmas?” he asked, looking behind himself and then shuffling forward, closer to Katherine, to be more out of the way of other people –

His hands were dry and warm, and made Katherine’s own tingle back to life. His muscled front radiated even more heat, as he continued to hold her hands under his clothes. Katherine couldn’t help but be slightly knocked off kilter – it was something new. To be like that – to be like them when they were on their own – in front of so many other people –

“Yeah, I always stay.” said Katherine, a bit breathless from the cool air and the startlement of his sudden appearance, still having to look slightly up despite his wide-parted legs.

Sirius gave a slow grin, looking off, then back as he wet his lips –

“Well… we can use our extra time to meet in the muggle studies classroom, maybe?” he said, his hair swinging down onto his face as he inclined his head.

Katherine blinked, in confusion, inclining her own head in slight shock –

“To study?”

Sirius’ face contorted in almost a flinch, “Why – do you want to go into that department at the ministry?”

He had recovered, and his expression transformed into something earnest – and almost encouraging – by the end of his words.

“No.” Katherine huffed out in laughter. It was then that she cottoned on that he had meant to utilise the muggle studies classroom’s tape deck, likely. It had been so long since they had been up there…

Sirius squeezed and wiggled their hands beneath his jumper, peering across at her with light, renewed interest –

“What do you think you want to do?”

After school. It was a conversation that seemed to be on a loop, lately.

Katherine’s eyes scattered away from his chasing one’s, intense – as always –

“I don’t know.” her usual answer.

“Fantastic –”

His buoyant cheer at her listlessness lured her eyes back to him. It wasn’t the usual response –

“We’ll both rest on our disgusting fortunes and lead a life of leisure –” he broke off with a playfully pompous smile of lascivious suggestion –

Sirius casually pulled their hands out from his beneath his jumper, pressed a chaste kiss to the back of Katherine’s fingers, and let them fall down in one swift movement, with the silent communication from behind his twinkling grey eyes – ‘I have to go’ –

He began moving off, and shot back a shaken head smile of disbelieving condemnation, “Can you believe James? He wants to work…”

Sirius turned into his long languid strides, still shaking his head – seemingly in genuine puzzlement at his friend’s career decisions – before he began leaping up the stairs three at a time, out of sight, away up onto another hallway.

Katherine smiled absently at where he had vanished. She had forgotten her to put her gloves back on after divination, and all the egg cracking that had happened there. She pulled them out of her pocket then, and wriggled her hands back into them before heading for the dormitory. Lighter for having seen Sirius.

They were changing too. Remarkably, however, they seemed to keep walking in the same proverbial direction…

On her way back to Gryffindor Tower, she passed more seventh year girls crying and leaning their foreheads against pillars than usual. On more than one occasion, too, she needed to step over the long, lame legs of a seventh-year boy that had fallen asleep sitting up, leaning on a wall. Not a single snogging couple in sight. The most romantic thing she saw was a pair using flash cards in disused classroom, sitting slumped across from one another like they had been tortured by the Russian Mafia for the past forty-eight hours – “Love… love, your eyes are closed…” whispered the boyfriend, tenderly, and gently lifted his girlfriend’s chin before pressing a kiss to her nose.

Katherine went through the motions over the following days in the lead up to the exam block – she paid attention in class, did her homework, and practised what she was unsure on, but didn’t see the point in going too hard on the exam preparation. Maybe she wouldn’t get a sweeping board of Outstandings, but she was only liable of – possibly – failing Transfiguration; the most unpredictable magical discipline. What was Dumbledore going to go? Expel her? The thought almost made her laugh.

The uncaring feeling from earlier in the term, in the warm days spent out on the roof with Sirius, came flooding black.

Friday came, and each day of the exam block held a predictable routine around all the years levels. The desks were separated in classrooms and the Great Hall (for the older years). The hallways were silent and empty apart from the occasional lavatory visitor. Lonely hours were spent when one didn’t have an exam in which they had to entertain themselves in the library, common room, or – in Katherine’s case – a brisk walk on the grounds where people wouldn’t look at her too much. Meals were loud with an outpouring of the day’s repressed chatter –

The loudest meal of all was dinner on Thursday night, when everyone had finished their examinations. The next day most of the castle would be on the train home for Christmas Holidays.

Some of the results from their earlier exams had started being released too. James and Lily were having a spirited back and forth, much to everyone’s amusement –

“You’ve already got Transfiguration. At this point, really, it’s just greedy…” monologued Lily lightly, as she loaded her plate.

They had the shared top spot in Potions.

“You never know. Maybe Moony fudged his defence practical – maybe you’ll get it there.” placated James, with playful condescension, not even looking at Lily as he scanned his meal options.

Lily’s eyes were like pikes.

Remus mussed his hair as he slouched over his dinner, with a covert smile of amusement to Katherine.

Katherine’s face was tingling with her own amusement. It wouldn’t do to laugh at the table.

Defence results weren’t out yet, but it was a very contentious subject. With both a theory and a practical component. Most of the students were the cleverest of the bunch, or prospective Aurors, at that point in time in their schooling career. Or Chosen Ones with a cross to bear.

Apparently, Snape had done rather well, among others like Avery, Dobbs, Alice, Frank, and Remus.

Sirius had topped Charms, but no one had seemed noticed (Katherine was quietly proud, and a little chagrined that no one ever gave him his proverbial flowers). It seemed like a spot reserved for him. Lily was the only one who ever got close to him, really.

“Oh, can we take a break from talking about marks –” Marlene pinched the bridge of her nose, droning on, “That’s all I’m going to hear about when I get home tomorrow…”

Mary nudged her with a warm smile, wrapping her arm around her. She and Dobbs had separated for their respective house tables that night. She brought a warm, motherly, and mature presence back to the table as she sat there with her rare full attention. Different than she had been before – but in a good way.

Back up in the dormitory, Katherine and Lily went about their usual routines and watched as the other girls fussed about packing last minute things away to take home the next day –

“Alice – are you done? I think Katherine’s waiting!” called Marlene, knocking lightly on the bathroom door.

Katherine swatted the air as she sat on the edge of her bed, petting Belle, “Don’t worry about me, I can go whenever. I don’t have to get up early tomorrow like you guys.”

“Jealous.” sighed Marlene, with a shooting grin.

Lily frowned where she sat on her bed in her robe, her wet hair still twisted up in a towel –

“She has been in there awhile –” she murmured, before calling, jokingly, “Alice, you are alive in there, aren’t you!?”

“Probably shaving her fairy for Frank.” joked Marlene, making a ‘v’ shape over her pelvis with her hands between her folding of her underwear she intended to take home with her.

A blip of a laugh ripped out of Mary.

Lily shook her head with a laugh and a flimsy pointed look at the teasing.

When Katherine went in for her shower, however, she took an extra long look in the mirror in contemplation before shaking her head –

No bloke was seeing her without her undies on in the foreseeable future.

She showered and climbed into bed as they girls all chatted until they fell asleep, and before she knew it – Katherine was waving goodbye to them from beside Lily as they trundled away from the Hogwarts gates to Hogsmeade station, pulled in the rocking carriages by the Thestrals.

 

---

 

“Didn’t think Pete would go, if I’m being honest…”

James had been musing aloud, letting the snitch fly away above his head where he reclined on his bed – before snatching it again.

Remus hummed absently as he poured over a dark arts tome, “Once he realised the rest of us were staying, he didn’t want to. Rosie’s parents want to meet him, though. He’s, er, going over on Christmas eve.”

A collective wince went around the three left in sixth-year boys’ dormitory.

“Poor bloke.” huffed Sirius, plopping down on the edge of James’ bed –

The snitch was snatched before James’ eyes –

Sirius let it go again and leant back on his hands – casual as anything.

James caught the snitch, coveting it a moment longer before letting it go again, “The year’s half done – who do we think is going to get Head Boy and Girl next year? This is the time for laying bets…”

They often postulated about who would end up in the Heads' positions the following year, but this time it was different. This time it was going to be people from their year. There would be no one left above them. No one older, wiser...

“Head Girl?” prompted Sirius, glancing between James and Remus.

James snorted –

Remus looked up from his book wryly –

“Evans.” They all chorused in unanimous agreement.

The discourse on Head Boy was more convoluted. Bradford Dobbs was a strong contender as a prefect and a Quidditch captain, but he was a Slytherin – and Slytherin was, in their current climate, quite a dirty word. Dumbledore was first, and foremost, about keeping the peace.

James had put his bet on Frank. Everyone loved Frank Longbottom. Well respected and highly gifted, he was beloved within the school and out in the general wizarding populace as a Longbottom. He had his own charming, even-handed manner that separated him even from his own family. Teachers even called him ‘Frank’…

“I don’t know, maybe Moony…” teased James, as he observed where the long limbed boy reclined on his bed, reading and taking notes as he sucked on a sugar quill, “He’s already a Prefect… and look at him… studying on his holidays.”

Remus’ brows lifted in good-natured acceptance, but he said, distractedly as he made a marking, “It’s not for me. I’m revising spells for when I tutor Katherine…”

Her name was like a spell.

James nearly groaned as a predictable film of tension filled the dormitory – between Remus and Sirius. The undercurrent of passive aggression verbal jabs – and physical ones, like at Halloween – had been a permanent fixture in the dormitory since Katherine Spencer arrived at Hogwarts.

Remus never started the fights between them, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be rag-dolled – physically or psychologically, by Sirius.

Sirius seemed different lately, however. Calmer. Unthreatened by Remus in the way that he had been before.

It marked a change in their dormitory. At the mention of Katherine, Sirius had simply just shaken his hair back as he leant back on his hands – a twitch at the corners of his lips, before his tongue traced his teeth.

It was a relieving change for James, especially.

He thought it was all remarkably mature of his mate and felt a spark of pride at his mature behaviour. James had often worried about Sirius – and his habit of lighting fires wherever he went. Less so, in previous times. Probably around the same time that the way Katherine and Sirius stood in the same rooms started becoming reminiscent of watercolours trying to bleed across the page.

It was then, in the dormitory, that James realised that Sirius and Katherine were becoming tied in his mind. To mention one, was to think of the other. Sirius had not said anything to him about her in recent times, but, given their closeness, sometimes James wondered...

“So, Mister Ten NEWTs…” started Sirius, with concerning emphasis –

James held onto the snitch, and eyed Sirius over his chest –

Sirius produced the map, flourishing it –

“So accomplished, and yet… your clumsy magic was all over the map…”

Remus had laid down his books, and was rolling his sugar quill between corners of his mouth at he watched, with equally dancing eyes –

Oh no, realised James…

“I’ll admit, it was a decent attempt of cloaking magic, but –” Sirius broke off, and tossed the map at James, “What are you trying to hide, Potter?”

James accepted the map and opened it to find his ‘figure’ on there – clear as day.

“The map never lies, I guess.” he said, with an accepting huff of mirth.

Sirius shoved James’ bent legs, with gossipy inclined expression, “Come on, out with it.”

James kicked Sirius’ leg –

Sirius locked an arm around it –

Then proceeded a short wrestling match.

Side eyeing them, Remus picked up his book again and went back to his reading.

Sirius was larger than James, but James was stronger – and he had locked his legs around Sirius’ head and pinned him to the ruffled blankets of his four-poster –

“Gosh, your big toe is so strange…” came Sirius’ muffled observation, as he tried to pull his hair out of his mouth where he remained pinned.

“’Gosh’?” mocked James, knowing exactly where Sirius would have picked up on that lexicon –

SMACK!

James laughed at the sound hit to his derriere, and Sirius’ petulant look. He released his legs –

Sirius pushed himself up slowly, smoothing his hair back and coughing lightly.

“It’s nothing bad,” confessed James, pushing himself up into a seated position and tossing the folded map onto his nightstand, “It’s not a secret, either. Not really...”

Sirius’ brow lifted, prompting, “Then?”

James eyed the map where it rested, feeling the words wrestle behind his lips.

“Evans is trying to figure out what the monster in the chamber of secrets was. I… have kind of been… helping,”

Even Remus looked up.

“I didn’t think she would want the lot of you spying on me – and her, by proxy. The mere existence of that –” broke off James, tipping his head to the map “– would not fly with our dear Miss Evans, the prefect, to begin with.”

Sirius gave his nod.

“Did you show her the cloak?” he asked, however, after a short moment.

“…yeah,” admitted James, shrugging, “Had to – Snivellus rocked up,”

Sirius snorted, “Slithering out from his hole in the woodwork…”

The snitch buzzed around between them, unchecked.

“I... I just… the odds of the monster still being around are pretty slim, but – well, we see Dolohov, Macnair… Avery… every day… and we know how they feel about people like Evans,” went on James, slashing a look across the dormitory, “No doubt Snape mentioned Remus’ furry little problem to at least a few of them…”

Sirius gave a half-shake of his head, “They’d be too scared of him to try anything, heard all the fairytales…”

James’ brow lifted in his own private agreement, before it lowered again –

“Not too scared of Evans to corner her… curse her even… or worse –” he broke off, shaking his head and sighing.

They’d seen things. Heard about things…

“Think they’re card-carrying members yet?” asked Sirius, snatching the snitch.

“Surely that whole alumni gang thing has fizzled? What with…” James trailed off, gesturing to Sirius – and meaning the ‘fiendfyre thing’.

Sirius had been given the go-ahead by Katherine to tell them about Horcruxes. With the diary gone, however, You-Know-Who was no longer an issue. Just stupid bigoted prats…

His friend just shook his head listlessly then, however. He looked off toward the window. When he spoke again, his voice was wearier than James had ever heard it –

“I’m starting to think about the Aurors...”

James blinked, “Yeah?”

Sirius nodded thoughtfully –

“Yeah.”

He was undoubtedly thinking of other things, as well. There were some things – James knew – that Sirius didn’t even share with him. It was how he grew up, James knew – and didn’t take it personally. To see him so deep in thought was more reassuring than anything, because it meant he wasn’t about to do anything rash. Sirius was scarily sharp. The bloke had gotten eleven NEWTs and he had barely been trying. Sirius just remembered. He learnt things once, and then he knew it forever. James privately mused that the poor sod might even remember his own birth... 

It was with uncanny relief, that he and Sirius were maturing at the same rate. They had done just about everything else at the same time. The internal cringe came, however, when James remembered – with regret – the way he had acted when he was younger. He had lit his own kind of fires, of course. He felt less and less the need for unnecessary displays…

Things were changing.

 

---

 

On Christmas morning, Katherine and Lily had tepidly gone down to the common room in their pyjamas to find most of the seventh years, a handful of younger years, and the three sixth-year boys that had stayed behind.

Lily hesitated when she saw them.

Katherine tugged on her hand, seeing Sirius’ mussed curls and flipped up collar of his blue pin-striped flannelette pyjamas.

He turned at a nod from Remus – who was the only one facing the girls, his hands wrapped around his long shins –

Sirius blinked sleepily over his shoulder, mouth parted. It was unlikely that he had even brushed his teeth.

The endearment that filled Katherine at the sight of him just about drove her to wishing she could climb atop him and curl up on his wide exposed collar bones and sleep the day away –

“Merry Christmas!” James had cheered upon turning and seeing them approach, a Santa hat on his head. He was surrounded by gifts – some seemingly sent from home.

None of the presents were opened yet.

Lily sat on the floor beside an even more ruffled than usual Remus Lupin – who was mussing his hair and blinking sleep out of his eyes.

All of them looked like overgrown little boys in their pyjamas.

Katherine sat beside Sirius, their knees touching accidentally. Neither moved.

It still surprised her – as she was handed them by James – that she was receiving presents while not at Claremont. Only one of the four gifts had her aunt’s name of it. Katherine became filled with guilt when she noticed – as she hadn’t thought to get anything for her aunt…

“Okay – everyone start opening!” mustered James, waving a hand as he descended gleefully upon his own pile.

Katherine opened her aunt’s first, and found a lovely cashmere scarf – as well as a perfectly polite message written on a muggle Christmas card –

“Katherine –”

Her head lifted at Remus’ laughing voice –

“Old man mocassins?” he asked, eyes glittering at the inside joke.

Katherine grinned, pointing, “They’re charmed to warm through.”

Remus pulled them on over his socks, making a shape of appraisal with his lips as his brow lifted –

“Fab.” he said, sounding truly, genuinely, delighted.

Katherine opened her next present – her largest – and pulled apart the seam of the wrapping paper only to find what made it so fluffy and large –

Remus had gifted her back his blue bomber jacket.

Katherine pulled it on over her pyjamas and reached for a familiar package. It was identical to Lily – and the other girls’ that they would be opening at home – as they had all pooled their money and sent Alice, Lily, and Mary down on the last Hogsmeade trip to buy them, and wrapped them together.

A slim jewellery box was revealed and inside was a fine gold bracelet – with a pearl drop pendant at the clasp.

All the girls had a different pendant on their friendship bracelet. Lily’s was an emerald – to match her eyes.

They helped each other clasp them, then ‘clinked’ them together –

“Friends forever.” Lily proclaimed, smiling.

Beside Katherine, Sirius was unwrapping the present she had gotten him – more tapes, and large box of deluxe fudge mint squares. He sent her a mute sideways smile, the genuine boyish kind.

Katherine reached for last present – a flat, slightly puffy one. It wasn’t much larger than her hand –

“Wait until after breakfast to open that one – it’s from me.” whispered Sirius, leant down to her ear and watching everyone else pooling their discarding wrapping paper into a pile.

Katherine held onto it, nodding, and carried it down in the pocket of the blue bomber jacket to breakfast once everyone had dressed properly.

Breakfast was the same feast as the previous year. Slightly emptier, however. More people had been pulled home than usual. Katherine thought it had everything to do with the Chamber of Secrets fiasco.

There was no sign of it lingering however on that morning. Katherine and her friends tucked into a gourmet, steaming feast on one long table with all the faculty that had remained behind. They pulled crackers and donned paper crowns atop their heads as they all laughed and were merry –

“Evans, here –”

James had extended a cracker to Lily where she sat wedged between he and Remus.

Remus nudged her with an amused silent ‘go on’, as he shared a meaningful look with Katherine –

Lily eyed it sceptically, before pulling on it –

Katherine noticed that James had given her the long end, as Lily had yet to win a gift, and only hats and jokes in her pulls with Remus and Katherine –

“Oh – it’s going to go!” exclaimed Professor McGonagall, clasping her hands in bracing excitement as she watched the pair in a rare show of unrestrained joy –

BANG! The cracker broke with all the noise of cannon blast – as was usual – and a cloud of blue smoke enveloped them all where they surrounded the pair –

While she – and everyone else – were watching, Sirius took her left hand nonchalantly and rested their joined hands on his knee –

Dumbledore and Flitwick cheered –

“Good show – Evans – Potter!” was Flitwick’s bolster.

Remus leant over Lily’s shoulder curiously, “What did you end up getting?”

“Some kind of fob watch, I think…” said Lily, confusedly, as she lifted it from where it had fallen into her lap.

It glinted gold and silver, and when propped open – showed a map of the skies, spinning like a ballerina carousel that both Katherine and Lily had in their muggle bedrooms –

Lily gasped, entranced.

“Thank Merlin it wasn’t another chess set.” said Sirius, as he forked more of his breakfast into his mouth – able to as he and Katherine had opposing dexterity, and could hold hands beneath the table and carry on eating with their dominant hands –

Down the table, was a pile of wizarding chess sets and ‘grow-your-own-warts kits’ –

“Here, Katherine – look.” said Lily, rapt, leaning over the table to show Katherine the contraption.

Katherine peered through the holographic sun beaming out of it, lifting slightly out of her seat.

Sirius squeezed her hand as she sat back down. He was peering sideways at her with an eye-creasing smile as he sharply chewed his mouthful of food, then scooped up his next bite with his fork.

There was a moment when she considered just how insane the prospect of holding hands with Sirius Black beneath the table at Christmas breakfast was, and yet...

Katherine remembered his present sitting in her jacket pocket. She wasn’t to open it, however, until they were trailing behind the others as they moseyed out to the snow-laden courtyard for some fresh air –

Sirius watched her, keeping an eye on the others ahead, but holding a restrained pace so they could have a semblance of privacy –

Katherine gasped –

“Sirius – tickets to the quidditch world cup!?”

They would have cost a small fortune. Katherine began counting them –

“I took into account who would already be going with their family. I got enough for you girls and us blokes,” he explained, tipping his head with a small smile, “So, it’s a present for everyone, really.”

Out ahead, Remus had given Lily his arm as they began crossing the icy ground –

Sirius proffered his own arm, their hands having dropped when they got up from the table at the end of breakfast –

Katherine slipped her hand through his elbow, battling down rising excitement as their hips bumped with their strides –

“Will we be allowed?”

He shrugged, “It’s on the Easter Holidays. So, most of us will all be seventeen, and we won’t need parents’ permission – we can just go.”

We can just go. The words spoke to something deep inside of Katherine, and she found herself nearly overwhelmed, looking away to hide her smile.

“What gave you the idea?” she asked, instead, looking back to him.

Sirius eyed her, his lips twitching as he bowed his head by hers with a conspiratorial smile –

“You said you wanted to get away.”

She had – 

CRUNCH!

Something wet and cold had sprayed over Katherine’s cheek –

Sirius had halted, turning slowly to where James was packing snowballs – on Sirius’ shoulder was crumbling ice where he had been hit, soundly.

“Excuse me, Katherine.” said Sirius, importantly, as he gently unfurled her hand from his elbow with his thick gloves.

He bent down, scooping snow, and took after James.

Lily and Remus stepped over to Katherine, watching as the boys tackled each other – trying to lift the other off the ground and dump the other in the soggy piles of snow. All the while, magically conjured snowballs circled them idly, waiting for their wands’ command.

A drenched James – who Sirius had caught, lifted, and carried over to a puddle, before promptly dropping him with a satisfied grin – laughed, lifting his arms –

“Moony, come on!”

Without further warning, James’ conjured snowballs began hurling over in Remus’ direction –

Lily tore herself away from his side, reaching for Katherine –

The girls ran, ducking for cover –

THUD! Remus turned as snow covered the side of his face –

THUD! With a cool shock – Katherine felt her back covered –

“Arrrrgh!” Lily squealed, barely dodging one, “Oi – you guys are hitting us!”

Lily turned, brushing down Katherine’s back.

Katherine turned, and saw Sirius’ sheepish grin.

She bent down, and scooped up a handful.

Sirius put his wand away, his grin widening as he too reached down for another handful –

Then they were running at each other.

Sirius let her land her handful on the side of his neck – all she could reach – CRUNCH! –

Then came his glorious laughter as he tried to return the favour and Katherine attempted to dodge it, running around him and trying to hold onto him, so he couldn’t turn –

Around them, Lily and Remus were ganging up on James.

Katherine found herself on the edge of joy, and looking around at the odd collection of her friends who had stayed behind for Christmas and how they played...

Could they really still do such a thing?

After…everything?

They may have never grown up together, but Katherine felt she was getting a window into what it might have looked like...

Sirius locked his arms around Katherine’s waist in her distraction, smooshing his handful down the front of her jumper –

His arms were like a harness around her, lifting her up and up. She thought her heart was to fly out of her body. Katherine squealed in helpless delight – thrashing –

Sirius locked her into his front until he was done, however.

Katherine took off running, shaking the snow out from her jumper, and realised – with a lightning thrill in her chest – that Sirius was right at her heels.

Clumsily, he reached for her belt loops, then legs, and tackled her into a thick pile of snow, turning to absorb the fall. Then they were laughing again –

“Moony!” James called, laughing.

Katherine and Sirius’ heads lifted from their waning laughter, to find James spinning around with Lily on his back. She was smooshing snow over his face and into his mouth –

“Argghhhhh! I’m getting dizzy!” screamed Lily, holding on tighter as James spun and spun.

Remus sent a bunch of enchanted snowballs at them, hitting both James and Lily – sending them to the snow-packed ground as they heaved in laughing breaths.

"Never thought I'd see the day." said Sirius, with breathless laughter, letting his head fall back into the snow.

 

---

After their playing in the snow after Christmas Breakfast, the Gryffindor troupe had dragged their wet, shivering bodies back up through the castle to shower and haunt the fireplace until lunch, and then the short hours between then and dinner.

The news about the tickets to the quidditch world cup was shared at lunch, and the tickets were spread around. To Remus, to Lily... Katherine held onto the rest for the others when they returned. James, apparently, was already going with his parents. So were Frank and Alice.

Katherine sat with Lily, adjacent to the boys, in those dwindling hours between. Despite their morning of togetherness. It was clear that Lily preferred to keep separate company, excepting Remus. He was like a tepid cord of connection between the parked up groups in the common room.

Katherine listened to all of Lily's idle musings as they warmed themselves and pretended to not notice a certain keen grey gaze on her.

She and Sirius were not to have another moment alone until the following morning...

 

---

 

On Boxing Day, Sirius descended the boys’ stairs at a jog, a letter in one hand that he was hitting into the other in a rhythmic pattern. He dropped it in Katherine’s lap, before rounding the couch and sliding under the blanket she was hiding under in front of the fireplace before breakfast.

“What’s this?” asked Katherine, picking up the smooth parchment as she wriggled over to made room.

Sirius pulled his legs up onto the couch to sit criss-crossed, lifting the blanket up his chest and giving a light shiver –

“There’s been a cancellation, and I’ve been bumped up the order for my apparating test.” he said, watching her hands opening the parchment.

Katherine couldn’t believe she was opening his post, and clocked the large curly ‘M’ denoting the Ministry, she assumed – as she had never received correspondence from them herself –

‘Dear Mister Black,

We are pleased to inform you of the exact date and time to arrive for your rescheduled, accelerated position in the queue of hopeful young witches and wizards undertaking an Apparation Examination. You will be expected to arrive, with all due documentation, on the 31^st of December at –’

“New Years Eve…” murmured Katherine, glancing up as she handed it back –

Four days away –

Sirius accepted it back, tucking it inside his jacket pocket with a sucking breath, “How auspicious.”

POP, and ember sprung up in the hearth and hit the brick. The two sat, their shins touching beneath the blanket, watching the fire in silence. No one else was in the common room yet.

Katherine stole glances at Sirius’ serious expression. She shuffled her hands under the blanket, where it was lifted to her lips –

“You’re nervous?” she guessed softly.

Sirius blinked, turning away from the fire, and furrowing his brow at the blanket he shuffled up beneath his chin, “…Yeah… a bit.”

Katherine’s heart throbbed in her chest. She wanted to take him into her arms and smooth the lines from his suddenly young-looking face, where it sheltered in the fluffy red blanket in the morning light –

“I can’t see myself passing…” she offered up instead, with a reassuring light laugh.

Sirius straightened up slightly, leaning back against the couch as the blanket fell to his stomach. His hands stayed beneath it. Turning his head, he gave a tender smile as he considered her beside him –

“I’ll tell you everything that happens.” he said, with childlike conspiracy gripping his features.

Katherine nudged him beneath the blanket, smiling, “Thanks.”

Sirius smiled back, then turned to the fire again –

“I’ll be gone – not at breakfast – in the morning,” he said, turning back to her, “My appointment is at eight-thirty.”

Katherine nodded slowly, then asked, “Is… someone coming? To get you?”

There was a pull in Sirius’ cheek, and his eyes slipped down her face, to the blanket, and then back to the fire –

“The Potters offered –” he said, in a rising tone, before tipping his head and moving his shoulders, “But I’m of age now. I feel like it’s something I should do by myself, and I’ve been to the Ministry heaps of times, so…”

“How are you getting there?”

“I’m flooing from Professor McGonagall’s office.”

Katherine bit down a smile, and nudged him again, “And you’ll be apparating back?”

Sirius battled down the corners of his lips, rolling with her nudge –

“Hope-fully.” he said lightly, with an indulging smile and huff of laughter as he dove his hand down atop of hers, interlacing their fingers.

Katherine watched their fingers slot and wind together, letting the side of her head fall on the back of the couch –

“I don’t think it’s possible for you to fail at anything.” she said, at a whisper.

Sirius’ fingers tightened.

“Maybe I could use a little luck?” suggested Sirius, looking up from where he too watched their hands, “… a kiss seemed to work for the knights of old…”

Katherine played along, looking around the empty common room, “Oh, gosh, where are we going to get one of those?”

Sirius used their joined hands to gently coax her closer, then reached up to take Katherine’s jaw between his thumb and forefinger. His touch featherlight –

“Oh, here’s one –”

His eyes sparked and glimmered with playful discovery, as he leant in – grinning. They laughed into one another’s mouths more than anything, their foreheads rolling against one another’s –

“Maybe another…” he murmured half-lidded, on the pull back, before leaning back in to touch his lips to hers once again.

Slow and conversational were the pecks they traded that morning. Something more commanding was trickling into Sirius Black’s kisses, Katherine noticed. Ever still, however, was his gentleness. Like a moon bird’s kiss…

Notes:

I apologise for any typos! I rushed this together before I have to travel from where I live for a medical appointment. I've been kind of having some semi-serious health issues, guys. I'm doing my best to keep writing, as it really keeps my spirits up, but I can't promise frequent chapter updates at this point in time. I know you all have been so lovely and patient already! I'm so grateful for you all - and for every single comment of encouragement. I just wanted to let you all know so that you're not left wondering about long gaps between updates, should they happen. As always, thank you so much for reading! :)

Chapter 70: The Year 1977

Notes:

Once again, sorry for any typos - I do try to catch them all, and always go back through the chapters eventually to fix them!

N.E.W.T results came via owl during breakfast on the 30^th of December, whilst the girls – and Remus – were musing over the return of the rest of the school body to the quiet castle the following day –

“Eleven!”

James was reading over Sirius’ arm across the table from the girls, aggrieved disbelief gripping his face –

“How’d I only get ten when you –”

“You only take ten, mate,” assuaged Sirius, mirthful. “I have Alchemy, remember?”

“…’only for special twats’…” James tittered to himself, with a droll smile to Sirius beside him.

Sirius rolled his eyes as he read lightly from his letter as he placed it down, “You’ll be pleased to know they’re not continuing it next year – the Professor’s joining some research board…”

Sirius met Katherine’s eye with an amused glimmer in his own, before his gaze dropped to the letter that was half out of the envelope in her hand. Beside her, she could see the bottom line of Remus’ – Ten N.E.W.Ts…

She opened hers as casually as possible, skimming the preamble –

Charms – OUTSTANDING

Defence Against the Dark Arts – OUTSTANDING

Divination – OUTSTANDING

Herbology – EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

Potions – EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

Transfiguration – EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

“How many did you get?” Lily had asked, upon greedily scanning her letter.

Katherine had already returned her letter to the envelope and resumed her breakfast –

“Six.” she said plainly, blowing gently on a spoonful of porridge.

Lily grinned, “You only take six.”

“Yeah,” smiled out Katherine, in reply, before asking, “You?”

Lily sighed, folding her letter back into its envelope. She considered it, her hands resting lamely on her knees that she knocked together beneath the table – knocking accidentally into Katherine’s –

“Ten…”

“You only take ten.” Katherine repeated her words, smiling.

“I know,” huffed Lily, lightly – in acceptance. She sighed again, shrugging with a faint smile, “When I started Hogwarts, I had a fantasy that I’d get the highest possible – twelve…”

Remus nudged Katherine’s elbow.

She didn’t dare look, lest she laugh.

The rest of the day was spent enduring the swirling feeling of 1976 going down the drain, and all that had transpired within it…

 

---

 

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Katherine found her eyes pinging open the second the first ray of lightening purple sky began spilling into the dormitory. She checked her alarm clock –

6:30am.

She idly blinked the sleep from her eyes, and swallowed a thick, sleep-heavy throat.

The girls would be back on the train after lunch – as well as the rest of the school.

And…

Would Sirius already be gone?

The crescent moon was still in the sky, but Katherine couldn’t sleep another wink. She quietly dressed while Lily slept on and headed downstairs – breakfast would be on offer already. The wintry mornings at the castle felt like waking up in the middle of the night. Most didn’t stir until the sun was well and truly up, somewhere nearer to seven.

It was there in the common room that she caught the back of a pair of broad shoulders between the sleeping couches and armchairs, flickering with shadows from the fireplace, and nearly to the tunnel.

Sirius.

Morning heavy nauseousness evaporated when he turned at the sound of her footsteps and smiled. He waved her over, holding an arm out –

Katherine’s heart pounded warm, and she did a jolly jog over before she slipped under it –

“Couldn’t sleep?” he spoke softly, his gaze just as so.

Katherine shook her head as they walked, hips swaying together, to the portrait –

“Me neither.” he said in a restrained sigh, reaching for the portrait.

He gave a heavily-lidded blink, and twitch of a smile, as they stepped over the threshold out to the castle together –

On the other side, Katherine reached an arm around the back of his waist, holding on –

“I’ll walk with you? To McGonagall’s office?” she said, in tepid offer.

She didn’t want to overstep. She would have crawled inside his ribs and gone with him on his test, however, were it possible…

Sirius peered down at her beneath his arm, with a pleased raised-brow smile, “Yeah?”

Katherine nodded, relieved he hadn’t reverted to his aloof self with his nerves about his test.

They walked on in the empty castle, and Katherine remembered what she had been meaning to ask him since breakfast, the previous day –

“I’ve been meaning to ask…”

Sirius hummed, glancing down as they stepped off the main staircase.

Katherine tipped her head, looking forward as they began down the hallway that housed McGonagall’s office –

“Well… how did you get eleven N.E.W.Ts when you were up on the roof with me earlier in the term…” she asked.

Sirius looked straight ahead, with a pursed lip smile as he tipped his head – hesitating, at first, and then –

“I was skiving off.” he admitted, watching her face.

Katherine felt her eyelids peel further open, “Sirius.”

He gave a huffing groan, turning away at the chide in her tone –

“It’s all a bit of a joke, really. You should have seen my Astronomy exam –” he said, turning back, and lifting his eyebrows down at her, “I mean ‘The constellation Canis Major consists of Sirius A, a main-sequence star. Can you name what other faint white dwarf star makes up the binary star system?’”

He shook his head, laughing lightly at the memory –

“I think Professor Sinistra was having a laugh with me, honestly – because, well, of course I can –”  

He blinked in mirth as he broke off, before saying –

“It’s me.”

Sirius B, it was, indeed.

Despite their ever-slowing pace, they had reached Professor McGonagall’s ajar door. Their teacher looked up from a steaming teacup from her desk inside.

Katherine and Sirius stalled in the doorway, arms falling from each other’s backs –

“I should…” Katherine trailed off unsurely, stepping back –

“Mister Black, you’ve arrived in very timely fashion,” said Professor McGonagall, with barely restrained surprise. She turned to Katherine, “Miss Spencer… actually, please stay…”

She stood slowly, rounding her desk, and looking down at the letter Sirius clutched in his hand –

“You have your letter, good. Galleons too, I presume?”

Sirius nodded wordlessly, his jaw pulsing.

McGonagall extended an arm in the direction of her fireplace –

“You should have plenty of time to acclimatise yourself to the comforts of the ministry while you wait for your appointment. You will find the floo powder in the usual place…” she trailed off, with a pointed gaze to the pot on the mantle, before her eyes returned to Katherine.

McGonagall didn’t say anything further, she just waited – with a genial expression.

Sirius glanced to Katherine, then a passive mask fell over his face. He stepped towards the fireplace –

Katherine realised it was the first time she had ever seen him go through a floo –

With a sound handful of green powder, Sirius chucked it into the flame –

“Ministry of Magic.”

The green swallowed up the shiny black of his hair and then he was gone.

What happened next felt like a fever dream, on the edge of sleep, just before waking. Just as quickly… just a few words…

“After breakfast, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office, Miss Spencer.”

She thought she had heard the last of those requests.

Nodding, Katherine left with the headmaster’s new password, feeling very tight and young in face. Somehow, worn down and ancient at the same time. She sipped from a steaming cup at the Gryffindor table, gave a tense smile to James and Remus when they arrived, and was somewhat relieved that Dumbledore left the faculty table before Lily had showed up.

She excused herself.

Neither boy asked after her, nodding distractedly as they forked eggs and toast into their mouths.

She took the path less travelled up to Dumbledore’s office.

When she gave the password, the statue jumped aside, as it always did. She made her way up, and the doors swung open before she could knock on them.

Pleasantries were observed, she sat, he sat, and then he launched into a careful broaching of what happened with the ‘first Horcrux’. Then, after the strange choice of words, he informed her that Greengrass was ‘not getting better, but not getting worse either’ and that ‘it was still draining her – the piece of Tom Riddle’s soul’. Katherine thought she might know what that meant without him going on to say –

“It is prudent that we entertain the possibility that there may be more, like the diary.”

Katherine sat through the rest of Dumbledore’s elucidations of what may and may not come to pass and was asked for any input. She, truly, didn’t have any. She was dismissed under the following twinkling gaze of the wizened wizard.

She took to walking around the castle, feeling, perhaps, delusionally safe within the walls still. Katherine hadn’t seen visions of a young Tom Riddle since before they destroyed the diary…

How could Katherine tell Dumbledore that she was sure it would all be fine, and that she would really just like to keep kissing Sirius Black – thank you very much.

Eventually she made her way back to Gryffindor Tower, and found Lily parked up – all but launching from out of seat – beside Remus, gazing out the window.

“Hey – where did you go?”

James and Remus’ eyes lifted too –

Katherine’s ran anywhere but back to them –

“Dumbledore asked me to go see him after breakfast,” she said quietly, glancing back surreptitiously with a meaningful look –

Lily’s whole body buzzed with reticence, and she eyed Katherine unsurely –

Rightfully so –

“I’ll tell you later,” she promised just as softly, her eyes straying to a group of seventh years, “It’s… not urgent. Just… not around ‘everyone’.”

Lily nodded, in immediate understanding.

I love you, thought Katherine. Relieved. She could always count on Lily.

“Oh –” Lily took her by the hand, keeping eyes and voice low “– there’s going to be New Year’s party at The Pipes tonight. Fireworks and all…”

Katherine tried to shed her conversation with Dumbledore, and smiled, truly –

“Fireworks?”

A spark, like the pyrotechnics, spread through her at a prospect of a magical, innocent night with everyone. Before… well, she didn’t want to think about what was to come.

Katherine and Lily spent the day waiting for the other girls to return in the afternoon with the train, picking out their outfits for the night and battling the spark of thrill that came with the cloak and dagger aspect of sneaking out to the castle’s hidden cavernous room.

They were in the middle of eating lunch and discussing long-needed haircuts when Sirius arrived back.

Katherine struggled to sit in her seat as she watched James, Remus, and a bunch of seventh year boys joyfully embrace and rough him up –

“Double celebration tonight!” declared Hammersley, with all the bravado of his absent sea captain hat that he often donned at parties.

He’d passed.

Katherine and Lily ate and passively listened as the boys all loudly shared apparating stories – those who had passed, or failed – and shared amused glances. Katherine tampered down a feeling of being terribly left out, as Sirius had yet to so much as look her way. She could hear as he laughed easily, however, and when his head moved through the gaps of other heads – there was a radiant whirlwind about him.

From what she could hear, Sirius had come back late as he had apparated around afterwards – just because he could.

She hung back with Lily, and a hesitant Remus, as the large group of Gryffindors followed James and Sirius down to just outside the gates. Sirius apparated him to Hogsmeade and back – without any splinches. Much to the amusement and uproar of the gathered crowd.

Not long after, from the courtyard as the girls waited on tenterhooks in their winter school attire, the puffing exhaust smoke of the Hogwarts Express grew closer over the trees and Hogsmeade village.

The Thestrals pulled the bobbing carriages up the path and happy heads were bounding out before the carriages pulled off an away again. Alice, Frank, Marlene, Mary, and Dobbs all arrived in the same carriage. The girls broke from their boyfriends and collided in a mass of squeals and excited, unintelligent half-phrases about the fortnight they had spent apart.

The word on everyone’s lips seemed to be their exam results, no matter their year level. Owls would have carried everyone’s results to them the day before. Dinner awaited, however, and they all were ushered inside.

Adam managed to edge casually through the thrumming crowd, and pressed his lips to Marlene’s temple, exchanging a few casual cheerful remarks before heading off for his Hufflepuff mates.

Everyone seemed cheerful – the whole night seemed to thrum on an infinite high. Barely anyone even shivered at the midwinter temperatures that had plummeted even further over the school break. There were blazing torches, shining silverware, shimmering candles, and delicious aromas that flooded the hallway – along with deafening chatter.

Katherine watched it all, unable to help feeling like she was on a complete other plane to all her friends.

Back up in the dormitory it was better. Quieter. As they dressed for The Pipes, everyone shared the marks they had received, pinning their letters to their desks. Then came the gossip of what other people had gotten.

Frank and Dobbs were the only people they knew who had achieved Twelve N.E.W.Ts – which wasn’t terribly surprising. Alice matched Sirius and had gotten eleven. Lily, Remus, and James achieved ten. Mary got seven (and wasn’t bothered and proudly basking in her boyfriend’s noble achievement). Katherine came in just below her with six. Marlene and Peter got five (Marlene too received an additional letter from McGonagall as she had failed three classes.)

Chewing gum was smacked, perfume was sprayed generously, open-mouthed applications of mascara haunted the dormitory’s mirrors, and the girls soon put the whole talk of school behind them as they grabbed their wands and scarves.

Katherine pulled on the blue bomber jacket over her layers and jumper, shimmied her jeans a little higher, and left through a cloud of perfume with the others, their trainers and boots thundering down the stairs. They passed younger years in the common room – notably the fourth-year girls who, apart from Rosie, did not have an invite to the older student’s haunt, and were shooting barely disguised daggers and longing, curious, glances intermittently.

As they strolled arm-in-arm through the hallways, occasionally running into others heading in the same direction in their mufty clothes, Katherine tugged on Lily’s arm as they hung back to make sure no teachers were following close behind –

“You know, I can’t remember the last time you hesitated on a ‘Pipes Night’ anymore…” she said, through a semi-goading smile.

Lily went to reply, before eyes lifted over the top of Katherine’s head –

Katherine’s eyes turned, and she saw dark denim on long legs –

Sirius had caught up, and was strolling with the girls with his usual lofty air as he chatted back over his shoulder with James and Remus –

“I know it’s against the rules…” went on Lily, with a small quiet smile of acknowledgment, drawing Katherine’s eyes back to her. She looked out ahead, tucking her hands into her jacket pocket as she shrugged, “But it’s sort of exciting, isn’t it?”

James had moved up in line with Sirius and had seemingly listened in on the girls’ conversation. He licked his lips and glanced away, smiling, as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets.

They all bounded on through the castle like some troupe of rapscallions, and Katherine was struck again with an oceanic feeling – of a vast eternity – of the world narrowing down to all of them, right there. Adults loved to give strictures on teenagers believing themselves invincible and of being ‘the centre of the universe’ – but they were. They really were standing at the heart of the world, Katherine felt, all together…

“Does it all feel a bit stupid to you?” Lily asked in a quiet moment, as they stood apart from the others before crossing through the wall, “After… ‘everything’?”

Katherine watched her fiddle with her camera – to hold it tighter – and smiled absently –

“No. I think that’s all the more reason to do it,”

Lily smiled, squeezing her arm –

“We won’t be here forever –” Katherine said, pointedly, as they crossed through the wall into the warm, scarf-flung room.

Adjusting to the suddenly appearing space, people were pulled this way and that by friends. Music was playing, a sea-captain cap was bobbing over the tops of regular heads of hair in distance, and laughter boomed through the space…

The Gryffindor group loosely coalesced back together out of the way of the others appearing through the wall behind them.

It wasn’t long standing there at all before Marlene was whisked away by Adam to go stand with his friends, and cast a wry glance over her shoulder as she stood like a trophy at his side with his arm around her.

Come to think of it, Katherine couldn’t remember if she had ever spoken to the seventh year…

Standing by the drinks’ table, everyone picked a beverage – or, in Katherine’s case, didn’t, and just glanced around.

Commotion surrounded the concrete pipes at the back that couples holed up inside, taking turns. When a couple would emerge, sometimes doing up their trouser buttons and straightening clothes and hair, they would be met with cheerful uproars from the surrounded crowd that consisted of mostly seventh year quidditch players.

Lily ignored looking in the direction of it all until Frank took Alice by the hand and tugged her back in the direction.

Dobbs shouldered through the crowd from the Slytherins, joining in the space they left with a nod to the other boys.

Sirius returned it first.

Then Remus, distractedly, as he took the cap off his butterbeer with a deft knock against the table.

James gave the most subdued nod, quidditch rivalries and all in full effect with the return of matches, eyeing the Slytherin over his butterbeer.

Dobbs didn’t notice, clasping and shaking hands with Sirius in a blokey way as they laughed over something –

“Drink?” offered Dobbs, reaching for two butterbeers as Mary hugged him from behind and rested her head between his shoulder blades with a dopey smile to the other girls –

Katherine and Lily returned it, happy for their loved-up friend, and knocked elbows with one another at the cheesiness of it at the same time –

“Ah – nah –”

Sirius’ light-hearted refusal drew Katherine’s eyes around to him, closer to her than she realised –

People would pester Katherine about not drinking – butterbeer not exactly being alcohol, granted – but no one pestered Sirius, she noticed wryly.

Dobbs just nodded and handed Mary a butterbeer wordlessly as he settled back with her – leaning back in an almost reversal of traditional ‘roles’. Over his shoulder, were the Slytherin boys. They didn’t seem to care about their Quidditch Captain visiting his girlfriend but glanced over with amused looks every now and then.

Katherine startled when she caught Avery’s stare over the rim of drink he was deeply sipping out of. It bubbled and fizzed – firewhisky –

“I feel I should warn you,” came Dobbs low salacious tone, as he glanced over his shoulder and then back to the group of Gryffindors, “People are talking about your mate and that fourth year – playing chasies all over the place tonight…”

Remus groaned, mussing his hair and meeting Dobbs’ gaze with his glittering ones, “We think she’s scared he’s going to pull her into a pipe –”

“She’s striking up conversations with whoever she can, running interference, so they’re not alone...” carried on James, pointing to where Peter listening boredly and looked away from where Rosie was chatting to her older brother’s girlfriend.

Peter looked more than a little unnerved. Partly due to the fact that Rosie’s older brother was seventh-year Slytherin that was more in with the likes of Macnair, rather than Dobbs.

James went on, mirthfully, as he watched his friend from a distance –

“Snogged her on her pink childhood bed while her parents were downstairs after Christmas Eve dinner, likely spooked her with some wandering hands.”

Katherine felt a pang of sympathy for Rosie then. She was so far out of depth, and she was only just beginning to realise. Granted, it was Peter Pettigrew – but…

Dobbs was tapped on the shoulder by Hammersley –

“You’re up, mate.”

Hand-in-hand, Dobbs and Mary made their exit from the group and headed to a concrete pipe at the back of the room with a backwards wave.

The music swelled over their absence, and the five of them (six with Hammersley who lingered with a hand on James’ shoulder as he kept up without about three other conversations) were left standing around –

“Remus – come over here with us –”

Jessica Wood had wrapped herself around Remus’ free arm –

He looked down at her, adorably startled –

“– come on….” she pulled with a grin, leading the teddy bear of boy away – not one to put up an argument or shove off girls.

Then there were four.

“Evans, fancy a spin around the floor?”

As quickly as Dingle had danced over from his Ravenclaw mates, he had danced away again – with a laughing Lily Evans in his arms.

Katherine smiled to herself as she watched Lily be swung exuberantly around by her sometimes-dance partner at such do’s. Between all the girls, they had collected the United Nations of all the Hogwarts Quidditch teams in the boys vying for their attention that night.

A throat cleared beside Katherine.

Sirius leant down by her, “I made a stop today for something in particular…”

From the inside of his jacket, he stealthily half-pulled out a glinting black neck of a bottle. Black Raspberry Wine.

“The fireworks will be starting soon, I thought we could make for the balcony…”

“I…” Katherine hesitated from her agreement, lifting her eyes from the bottle, “Would it bother you terribly if Lily came? I think she’d really like it…”

It would be an excellent time to raise the issue of another Horcrux with the both of them, as well.

Sirius’ face was almost inscrutable. Almost.

“It wouldn’t bother me, no.” he said lightly, with a smile that didn’t quite marry up with his eyes.

Katherine pushed on his chest in playful reprimand.

Sirius bounced back, grinning and encircling her waist with his arm, undeterred.

“Prongs might as well come too, in that case,” he said, face inclined to hers. Then he let her go, guiding her gently back away, “Go on. Go grab her – I’ll see if he wants to come…”

Katherine, lip-bitten in her focus, sought out Lily and pulled her away from Dingle as politely as possible –

“Wait – what is it…?” Lily laughed, as they girls stumbled out from the heat of the party into the cool of the balcony air.

Sirius was waiting, leaning on the edge with the bottle in one hand. Alone. His eyes moved over Lily, and he lifted the bottle, wiggling it.

Lily was a heavier weight to pull when Katherine went to move forward towards him.

As the oddest trio at the party, they sat down with groans and knee-dusting hands. Sirius on the far end away from the door, then Katherine, then Lily. Sirius expertly broke the foil lip and pulled the topper out with a sound ‘PLONK!’

“Happy new year.” he said, lifting the bottle in an air-clink and taking a swig then offering it to Katherine.

Katherine lifted it aloft in a mirrored gesture before bringing it to her own lips, “Happy new year.”

They both sat with their wrists on their bent knees as Lily accepted the bottle next.

Lily eyed it, swigging it around, and sniffing it, before she took a tentative sip –

“Oh, my…” she said, in genuine appreciation, licking her lips.

“Of course this is what the pair of you would have been drinking–" James gave Katherine and Sirius a mirthful glance –"I’d expect nothing else than the ritziest schnapps from you, old boy –”

James squeezed in beside Lily, holding out a waiting hand.

Lily handed it off, eyeing him and shuffling over to make room for him – into Katherine.

Katherine went to move over but found a solid Sirius – and then solid stone right behind him –

He made a show of bending his leg closest hers further down and patting his lap once –

Lily and James weren’t looking, murmuring about who was sitting on the other’s jacket –

Sirius grinned and opened his arms with more sincere lightness, amending from his joke–

Katherine shuffled into the space left between his legs with a shivering laugh, and felt his arms go around her and warm her arms playfully by rubbing up and down –

“When it’s this cold you just want some real food, don’t you…” trailed off Sirius, reaching to accept the bottle James was passing back from behind Lily’s back, “It’d be good if someone did a run down to the kitchen…”

James’ voice strained with his effort as he re-centred himself, “Teachers love hanging out down there this time of year…”

After his swig, Sirius handed it forward to Katherine.

“Well, go on, check the…” he trailed off, before freezing.

A beat of a moment passed.

Lily glanced either side of herself –

“Check the ‘what’?”

 

---

 

Potter was looking off at the dark sky above, bracingly – and not answering her –

Black whistled lowly –

Katherine tapped the back of Black's hand lightly, but she was battling laughter –

Lily pressed –

“Is this another thing – like ‘the cloak’?”

CRACK – POP!

Above, was an explosion of colour –

“Oh, look – fireworks.” said Potter chipperly, pointing.

He wasn’t that daft – or easily distracted.

Neither was Lily.

She allowed a beat of a moment to pass, however, as they all gazed up in appreciation of the enchanted fireworks display the seventh years had put on.

“Does Katherine know?” whispered Lily, turning her head towards James’ shoulder as her eyes stayed on a dying eruption of a walrus in the sky.

Potter sighed a reluctant, “…Yes.”

Lily’s eyes trailed sideways.

It was there that Katherine sat in a cradle of Sirius Black’s limbs, lips parted as she looked up at the dispersing magical colours. She leant her head back against Black, resting her neck.

He was tipping his head back, swigging from the bottle of raspberry wine, the other arm locked around Katherine’s collar bones. He brought the bottle back down and around, trading it off in front. He then returned his other arm to wrap Katherine’s shoulders and collarbones completely, resting the lower half of his cheek atop her head.

They looked so… comfortable. Lily couldn’t stop looking at them – she didn’t know why…

Katherine turned, offering the heavy bottle out at Lily’s gaze – presuming.

Lily blinked, accepting it with a whispered ‘thanks’, before tearing her eyes away from the pair. Black had turned to look too, and Lily had yet to adjust to the intense piercing quality of them – even when they were shaded with night-softened aloofness.

The sticky rim pressed into Lily’s lips, and there was a longer wait – and a further tip – before the syrupy contents of the bottle flowed into her mouth. Gosh, it was nice. She handed it off to Potter, swallowing a rising blip of air in her throat.

The four of them would likely share all the same germs before the end the night.

One handed, Potter lifted it to his lips, holding her eye as he took a smiling sip from the rim –

The rim that still shone with her lip gloss –

Lily found her cheeks tingling with warmth as she realised that she had forgotten to wipe it off –

The swigging purse of his lips pulled strong hollows down his cheeks –

Lily had yet to turn away, however. Realising, she turned away as the fizz of a firework shot up like a wayward nymph into the velvety night above –

POP! POP – POP! POP!...POP…POP…

A gentle hollow clunk, and a scuffle against the chalky stone upon which they sat, marked Potter setting down the wine between his bent legs –

CRACK – POP!

With a clear of his throat, and a strained suppressed hiccup, Potter jiggled a folded bit of parchment out of the inner pocket of his jacket – noisily, in the quiet night.

It drew Lily’s eye.

He just looked at it a long moment, however. When Potter’s eyes lifted again, it was with a considering smile as he took in a breath, and pressed his lips back together before tapping the parchment with his wand –

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

Lily’s eyes buzzed with ravenousness as ink spurled out from nothingness –

“Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and… Prongs…” she trailed off breathlessly, before looking up at Potter in disbelief.

“So, the kitchens…” murmured Potter, opening it up and revealing –

A map –

“Slughorn’s there.” announced Potter, manoeuvring it around to look at the jiggling little ink banners –

Black scoffed from around the other side of Lily –

“He’s always there.”

Katherine laughed.

The two rocked where they sat, laughing and talking together – too quiet for Lily to hear.  It didn’t matter. Lily was too taken by the fact that she could see every single person in the castle on that map…

She whispered furiously, and shivering, up at Potter – and regrettably, in awe –

“I can’t believe you all kept this from me. Am I simply the last to know… everything? First, the horcrux diary…”

“Professor Dumbldore swore Katherine to secrecy,” Potter said across her, wonderfully diplomatic – even smiling patiently –

He inclined his head down to her, the strong planes of his face swathed in blue – and his eyes glinting just as much as his spectacles –

 “And since when have I ever held anything back from you?”

Lily buzzed happily with righteousness –

“The cloak.”

Potter half-turned his head with a playful ‘tsk’, “You didn’t ask.”

Lily turned away, more than a bit petulant – but not wanting it to show. It would not do for Potter to be the more mature of them there on the balcony that night.

“So, all I have to do is… ask?” she asked, wryly, turning back to him.

Potter eyed her for an unnerving moment, then tilted his head in an inclined half-nod –

“If it’s my secret to tell.”

She found that she somehow respected him more then, rather than if he had given up anyone and everyone – and told her just to impress her.

She sat, not too close, to Potter, and observed the map alongside him. The warmth of him still burnt into her arm, and the short space between their hips where they sat on the stone balcony.

Never in a million years would she have thought of it. Truly, she didn’t even know that spells that would have gone into making such a comprehensive version of it either…

Potter pointed to Slughorn’s retreating figure –

Lily followed it, and found the kitchens left empty –

“No one’s down there… could make a quick dash…” said Potter, around the back of Lily – to Black.

Black shrugged, leaning back on one hand. He didn’t look as if he was keen on moving –

Cool air bloomed over Lily’s ear and cheek –

“Wanna come?” whispered Potter, head inclined down by hers with a barely suppressed grin of suggestion.

Lily’s gut betrayed her immediately – fluttering out a silent bodily agreement – before her mind could catch up –

“Have you got the cloak?” she inquired, keeping whatever grip was left on her previous tightly reigned sensibility. Like it mattered. She feared she was beginning to see just what it was that Katherine must have always seen in the boys, that drew her into their web…

Potter pulled the balled up semi-visible fabric out from an inside pocket of his jacket –

“Have I got the cloak?” the low words dripped in mirth.

He was already leaping up in the same boyish way they all did, muggle or wizard.

Lily found herself moving to her feet too –

“Could you get some potatoes?”

Black’s called out words – his completely absurd request, in fact – startled Lily. She had forgotten they were there –

A hand closed around Lily’s elbow. It was warm. It was Potter’s. Most surprisingly, it didn’t drip with slime or gross boy germs, or tricks and jinxes –

“Come on.” he laughed lightly, barely above a whisper –

Lily found herself looking back –

Katherine and Black were watching them go with twin expectant grins, leaning forward as a joint unit as Katherine snorted ‘potatoes?’ back at him. Sirius tickled her in her lap, in returned jest –

Potter opened the door as he stepped through, nodding to Remus who lingered with Jessica Wood just inside. He nodded back, giving Lily a smile – the same as always. Everything felt like it was spinning in a vomitron machine ride, however. In a good way –

Katherine and Black’s laughter followed them through into the toasty, warmly lit party, as well as Black’s cut off plaintive follow on from his earlier request of roasted vegetables –  

“No, seriously –”

 

---

 

A piercing whistle shot through the sky, and then –

CRACK – POP!

POP – POP… POP… and then, even duller… POP….

Katherine watched the turquoise sparks drain from the sky. In its place was a lingering puff of smoke, and silence. The chill of the night air vibrated in it.

Lily and James had been gone for around five minutes already.

She sucked in a chattering breath but felt warm in muscle and fabric of Sirius’ thickly-robed arms.

He pressed a kiss behind her ear –

CRACK – POP!

The sky exploded again, like her heart.

Sirius’ lips lingered, and his warm breath fanned over her neck, sweet from the wine –

“There’s something up with you tonight.” he said softly, tugging the collar of the blue bomber aside and bowing his head down to lay a kiss on her collar bone.

His hair moved over her neck like her own.

Sirius left it at the kiss, however, pulling back and waiting for an answer seemingly. It was soothing gesture – not a push for heavy petting, she realised. Katherine relaxed into the crook of his neck as he wedged her head between his chest and cheek, nestling down.

It reminded her of Belle.

Katherine pushed down her twitching lips.

“Dumbledore asked me to see him after breakfast.”

A mirthful breath fell from Sirius’ nose, and then he sighed out against the top of her head, “What does he want now? Royalties for your story?”

A snort nearly won out over a sigh, making for a strange noise. She pondered how to say what she needed to him. When she found her words, the simple ones, they sat heavy and ancient in her throat –

“He thinks there might be more. Horcruxes.”

A very pregnant pause passed between them, despite being as closely pressed together as melted cheese on a toasted sandwich.

Sirius’ hair tickled her neck as he bowed his head forward again, and Katherine could feel his frown –

“So, you’re saying...” his voice was gentle with tepidness – with suggestion.

Katherine turned her head back slightly, but neither could meet the other’s eye in their position –

“He’s not sure.” She didn’t mean for the trickle of nervousness to quiver in her voice….

Sirius’ front disappeared from her back, and then he was reaching for her waist to guide Katherine to swivel around in his lap on the stone floor –

Then there was his face, against the glass that glowed with the warm light of the party inside – dripping in concern.

“Hey…” he said – as delicate as lace – coaxing her eyes to his with his gentle fingertips under her chin.

Katherine shuffled where she sat sideways on her hip between his bowed legs, her legs tucked beneath herself, “You’re not…mad?”

Sirius gave a calm muted shake of his head, his eyes gleaming warmly –

“No,” the word was milk soft.

With a smiling blink, he playfully reached for her ankles, and lifted them – planting one either side of his own hips – then using his grip under the back of her knees to pull her closer –

Katherine gave a huffed out laugh as she steadied herself –

“Hey – it’s a beautiful night,” were Sirius’ laughter-lilted words, low and rumbling up close –

He reached up to guide an errant strand of hair back over her shoulder with attentive care –

“The stars are out… the music’s good –”

They both laughed at his attempt of a rousing monologue, their lips clumsily and inadvertently touching as they sat front to front, the seams of their jeans flush upon one another’s –

“Fireworks… all our friends…” his amused tone grew more wistful, as he trailed off, holding her gaze.

Sirius’ hand rested on the back of her neck, his thumb stroking a warm path. Up and down… up and down…

“There’s plenty of shite out there to worry about, but not here – not tonight…” he all but whispered, his thumb still working warmly on the back of her neck as he inclined his head closer by hers, with the twitch of a smile – reassuring, coaxing…

Katherine nodded.

It seemed to be what he was after; he leaned in to touch their lips together with clear intention –

“We still said… no more secrets…” whispered Katherine, a hair’s breadth left between them –

Sirius halted, as if by petrificus totalus. Amused patience glimmered across his face –

“Tell them later tonight?” he proposed, his eyes already half-lidding again – and slipping to her lips.

A spark of thrill shot through her – at being so plainly desired.

“Just James and Lily,” she whispered, too close to his lips for full-strength words, “We’ll see how they react first, before we tell the others…”

His lips ghosted by hers, like parted petals. He really was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen…

They teetered on the danger zone. Of lost words – of their secret world they created.

As heady as the perfume of evening jasmine at a summer sundown, she gulped out, “I just hate to ruin Lily’s birthday.”

“When is it?”

Kiss.

“Thirtieth.”

His glorious laughter.

“We’ll get her something very expensive to make up for it,” he rumbled in clear low tones, his hands knitting together – hot – on her lower back through her jacket. The muscles in his arms tensed and, in a heart-jumping moment, he tugged the fronts of their jeans flush together.

And… over the edge they went. Like a rollercoaster.

Sirius even slipped back against the glass doors, groaning lightly as his head made a dull thud on a pane before breaking into laughter –

Katherine, having slipped down his front slightly, pulled back, reaching around for the back of his head –

“I’m okay,” Sirius laughed, half-lidded.

Katherine found her throat quivering in laughter, and she followed him forward – adjusting to their changed position – and reached to smooth the back of his hair anyway.

He was looking up at her, seemingly irreverent of her gentle stroke of his hair, eyes glazed over. If she didn’t know any better – Katherine would think him drunk. Then came the realisation, with a cool edge of the night that seeped under the risen back of her bomber jacket –

Katherine was on top.

Nervous at his attention, feeling like a spectacle, she tilted her head to the right, and – using her hand on the back of his head – bridged the distance between their faces once more. It all felt a bit clanky when it got cold. If they got closer, warmer, she knew they could fall into the groove again… it had never been on her before to initiate, is all… not since the first kiss up in the dormitory…

Sirius always made her brave. In the end.

Beneath her, he had yielded. Eyes closing – as pretty and blank as a doll she was playing with. Safe. Even then, she found, when she was kissing him – he was kissing her, holding court. Making her weak at the knees…

Still, Katherine touched her lips to his – just parted… a little pressure… and rolling them to seal the tepid, damp join between them – and wished for the suns opening in her chest to climb up her throat and jump into his mouth.

One of Sirius’ hands climbed up her spine. The other slid down her lower back and rested in the new gap at the back of her jeans, his wrist hanging on the waistband lazily.

It was always a disappointment to need to part to breathe. That was when the hushed – broken-kissed – whisper from Sirius had made it back through the heavy veil of their goneness, however –

“I like the way you kiss me.”

Katherine kept their faces close so he couldn’t see how her cheeks burned –

“…Yeah? How’s that?” she whispered, trying to keep her words light – and the vulnerability from strangling her throat.

Sirius hummed as he went back into kiss her again –

“Like an angel.”

Then they returned to Eden again, all sparkly eyes and dimples. Complete bliss was in his hand on the back of her neck, Katherine decided, and how it pulled her closer. She loved it when he touched her like that – like she was his.

He was so bloody pretty when he was chasing her mouth whenever she pulled back an increment to breath…

Katherine would have never guessed that it would be the night when Sirius pulled away from her for the first time.

But he did after a couple minutes of kissing– even lifting her slightly, strongly, up off his lap. There was a panicked gleam in his eye –

Katherine gulped, hot pants passing over her lips – and then right back in again –

“Are you okay?”

It was then that she noticed the strain against the front of his jeans.

He closed his eyes, resting his forehead on her arm as he panted, “Er, sorry about that…”

Katherine was not expecting the rush that shot through her at realising what had happened. She found herself reaching for his arm, vision hazy and warm –

“It’s… okay…” she whispered, carefully.

He met her gaze again slowly and his focused, frustrated expression disappeared –

“Yeah?” he breathed out, gulping as he timidly reached for her – swiping his thumb and knuckles over the thick denim of her hip, and letting it fall again.

Katherine nodded, her teeth finding her bottom lip to keep in a smile –

“Yeah.”

Sirius pulled her back down onto his lap again, unapologetically. Denim on denim. They kissed again, laughter rolling into each other’s mouth.

In the frenzy of the friction of their jeans, Katherine almost missed it –

Looking out of the glass doors over the head of the girl he was talking to, by pure happenstance, was Remus’ face –

Remus’ crestfallen face.

 

---

 

Katherine and Sirius hadn’t gotten around to telling James and Lily that night.

A fight broke out between some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as James and Lily returned, only moments after Katherine and Remus had locked eyes through the glass. Hammersley called it, breaking up the party, as the fight had ‘soured the night’. It was getting late, anyway. They all had classes the next day.

In a big group, everyone had scattered and ran back to their common rooms in the post-curfew castle. Katherine and the girls found each other, and it was just them for most of the run back up to Gryffindor Tower. The boys must have been faster. Once she got separated from Sirius, she didn’t see him again.

Katherine struggled to sleep. Wired. The good, and the bad, of the night wrestled inside of her all night long.

It was still there when she woke.

She didn’t want to leave the dormitory, but the girls were to head to the library before classes. Katherine doubted that she would even see Sirius until second period.

As much as she wanted to see him, she wanted to run in the opposite direction – screaming – just as much.

In the library, the girls settled on practicing some of their old Charms stuff that some of them hadn’t quite gotten the previous term. Lily spear-headed it, the best at Charms in the group.

Katherine’s back was to the library, beside Lily. She could only see people if they passed the girls and headed to the back stacks and less-used desks. That was how she liked it when she studied, so she wasn't distracted.

Useless, however. Once the tall uniforms of James and Remus sauntered by... Katherine completely lost the point.

James lifted a hand in quick smiling greeting to Marlene before they moved past without stopping.

Remus hadn’t looked at her, which was a louder gesture than if he had.

Katherine's heart thundered in her chest. She glanced around surreptitiously. If they were there, was Sirius...? 

By Madame Pince's desk she could see Frank and Shacklebolt....

“We should probably be heading off to Runes…” murmured Mary, checking her wristwatch. She then turned to Katherine, “Hey, could you help me put some of these books back, by any chance? Just because you don’t have morning classes..."

Katherine rose up from her chair on tingling legs, “Sure.”

She went bravely in the slowly emptying library. Surely they were already gone. Katherine managed to put the last of Mary's books back without incident –

When Remus found her between the bookshelf and the window.

He glanced back over his shoulder, then advanced closer, not wasting a moment –

“Sirius?” he inclined his head with the tense whisper, “Really, Katherine?”

He lifted his head back up tall and high, shaking it and blinking beseechingly –

“How did the two of you even…”

Katherine tightened her arms over her middle, glancing to the end of the bookshelf dutifully –

“We decided to… practise…neither of us had ever…” she trailed off her explanation, shrugging and looking to the desk shoved up against the bookshelf, and how Remus’ hip leant on it –

Even his hip looked baffled.

“Looks like you’ve gotten good,” came his lightly huffed words.

Katherine, feeling the words like a knife between her ribs, looked back to him.

Remus’ forehead creased and he just looked at her for a quiet, charged moment.

“So, what? You two are together now or something?” he asked, in a calmer, though bated, tone.

Katherine’s eyes scattered away on their own accord, and so did any semblance of elegant speech –

“Well, Sirius hasn’t said anything about it being like that…”

Remus’ eyes glittered, “Hasn’t said?”

He laughed, mirthlessly –

“Katherine – do you really think there’s any going back from what you’ve started?” he asked, peering down at her in a mixture of sympathy and condescension.

Katherine glanced to the end of the bookshelf – still empty.

Remus glanced too, before lowering his tone again –

“It wouldn’t be like this – like us,” his voice had gone softer, and he had stepped closer, “You can’t lead him on –”

“I’m not leading him on.” she said, shaking her head and wondering how on earth she was going to explain herself.

Remus sighed, leaning back and looking to the bookshelf, before looking back. He wet his lips, and nodded down to her once.

“You fancy him, then? Want to be his girlfriend?” he asked, matter-of-factly.

It was hard to hear the reality of the implication of what they were doing be aired out in such a way. Katherine felt like she was standing in front of Remus without any clothes on – because, although she couldn’t bring herself to say ‘yes’, she also couldn’t say ‘no’.

Remus saw her down to the bone anyway. His face fell at what he found there, with a whispered ‘oh, christ…’. He turned away again, his eyes closing as he gently rubbed at his forehead.

“Look at what happened by the whomping willow. Is that really the kind of person you want to be with?” he asked, softly, as he turned back – brow lifting.

Katherine looked down under his imploring gaze.

He sighed, stepping forward and reaching out to tenderly take her upper arms into his hands –  

“Katherine, I’m sorry – I –”

He inclined his head to catch her gaze, with his own gentle one –

“I’m not angry with you. I just don’t want you to be put in a shite position by anything Sirius might do. I know what he’s like…” the last part was said with a turned-head begrudging expression.

The way he stood… he looked sore. His back would always hurt right before…

“Remus?”  

“Hmm?”

Katherine stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, turning her head to rest her cheek on the soft gathered wool of his uniform.

Remus deflated around her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

Katherine didn’t know when, but – somewhere along the way – Remus had become someone she could argue with without any consequence. Like a brother. They would push, and poke, and still sit down at breakfast the next day and pass the jam.

They parted, Remus softly smiling and reaching out to neaten the top of Katherine’s hair in the rising yellow morning light.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

At the ringing of the bell, they began walking chummily back down the bookshelf, needing to collect their bags.

“So, it’s coming up soon?”

“Yeah. A week.”

“Do you think you’ll make it to Hogsmeade?”

“Do you think you’ll make it to Hogsmeade?”

Katherine glanced up at him wryly at his 'Prefect' sarcasm.

A sound – a catching groan in Remus’ throat – drew Katherine’s attention to where his own eyes had led, to the end of the bookshelf.

Sirius stood there. With the map in one hand, and Katherine’s bag in the other, he offered a biting smile to Remus and a lift of his eyebrows. There, clearly, for her.

Katherine went all funny inside.

Remus fell into a walk, all but rolling his eyes, and gave a speaking look back to Katherine before he vanished into the greater library beyond. With him, went the lazy golden film that had coated them through the window.

In its place, was something more charged – like standing outside in a lightning storm – 

“I saw you girls going over Charms stuff, before. I’m not sure you need me anymore, but…”

Sirius slowly sauntered toward her, pausing and leaning on the bookshelf – towering over her – near her, but not touching –

“We could go up to the North Tower –”

His voice was low, soft…

“Practice a bit…” the words fell onto her neck, like a kiss.

She could feel him watching her, and watching the end of the bookshelf.

People were streaming past, out of the library, for their classes.

“Don’t you have Runes?”

“I hate Runes.”

While their friends went off to their next class, Sirius took Katherine by her hand and ran her up to their secret spot.

“Can you drop it?” she asked, as they made their way up.

Sirius had given a half-lift of his shoulder, “You’re expected to continue all the subjects from your sixth to seventh year. There are special circumstances, however… if you’re struggling…”

Once up in the North Tower, he non-verbally transfigured a rug into a cushy two-seater. They began talking about charms. Somewhere along the way, it transitioned to a different kind of lesson…

He had been laying down, his back leg bent against the back of the couch and the other extended down long to where Katherine curled her legs up beneath herself. Their hands had twined and played idly together as they chatted, until Sirius used the grip to  pull her down to lay on top of him.

It was the first time they had ever laid atop one another.

With a throaty groan, Sirius gently readjusted Katherine’s knees.

It was different than the previous night – in their jeans. She felt more of the softness of his muscle and body through his thinner, grey, woollen trousers. They laughed as they talked it out –

“Is that alright?” he asked.

She nodded, “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

He shook his head with a smile, lifting his neck to connect his lips with hers.

Nerves – were a terrible thing that were cropping up in those days. Katherine had begun thinking about her breath more, and her perfume. She was spending longer in the mirror in the morning. If she were seriously unfortunate looking and had horrid breath, surely Sirius wouldn’t still be kissing her.

What were they leading up to… anyway? Did he have some sort of expected timeline? 

Instead of talking about that, Sirius broached the topic from the previous night –

“What do you think they would even they be? The horcruxes?” He asked, peering over his chest to watch their fingers intertwine off the edge of the couch. “I can’t believe he would consider making more than one…”

Katherine had never heard such a tone of disgust in Sirius’ voice before. Briefly, she wondered just how Horcruxes were made. ‘The Darkest Art’ had been vague in instruction….

Katherine watched their hands, her head on his chest as she listened to the ruffle of Sirius’ blazer and all the layers beneath –

“Personal effects – like the diary?”

Sirius’ other hand was resting idly on her lower back, but it was like warm heat pack. Soothing Katherine, nearly sending her to sleep…

“Was there anything he kept close?”

Katherine shook her head listlessly, then paused – caught – on a thought.

“He wore an odd sort of gaudy locket... and a ring...”

“I’ll ask Regulus.”

 

---

 

Katherine fell asleep after dinner immediately, and had not even removed her shoes. She laid upon her four-poster like a stone at the bottom of a river with the familiar smell of Sirius left on her robes from their earlier rendezvous between afternoon classes.

As the other girls drifted in and out of the bathroom, Katherine was vaguely aware of drool collecting down the side of her chin and of her hands going numb beneath her body weight as she toed the line between the waking world and sleep –

CLICK!

The sound of the door closing was the thing to wake Katherine. Eyes snapping open, face still pressed luxuriously down into her pillow, she found only the dark dormitory and soft breaths of her friends. A crack of light played in the corner of her vision, and drew her eyes, at last, to the bathroom. Katherine focused, and could hear the distant thrum of water –

Someone was in the shower.

The oddness drew Katherine up slowly. Was someone sick? She counted the filled beds of her friends, and found only Marlene’s empty – not even so much as ruffled…

Katherine tip toed across the cool boards of the dormitory, and knocked. TAP – TAP…

“…yeah…?” came a muffled call.

Katherine cracked the door, and steam rolled into her face, “It’s Katherine. Are… are you alright in there…?”

Silence.

Then, at last, as Katherine’s knees shivered in the dark –

“… I don’t know…” and a short whine of discomfort.

Katherine checked over her shoulder –

No one had stirred.

She slipped inside.

Marlene’s shadow was bunched up at the base of the shower – sitting.

Katherine crouched down, sitting on the fluffy bathmat outside the thick frosted glass doors on their gleaming brass tracks. As Marlene had once done for her.

“Do you… feel sick, or…?”

The sound of Marlene spraying water from her lips preceded her words –

Words that seemed to stop the world, and narrowed it down to those girls sitting in their school bathroom –

“I slept with Adam tonight.”

They were ludicrous words that Katherine never expected to hear.

“Are…” Katherine recovered, allowing her face to succumb to the emotions – if not her voice, that she tried to steady – with the dividing fogged frosted glass between them, “Are you okay? You’re not hurt or...anything?”

The shower water thundered down like rain.

“Not… not really. Maybe a little bit…” came the water-logged confession, then a pause… “It was alright, I guess – he was nice about it all… I just… feel dirty…”

Katherine nodded, forgetting Marlene couldn’t see her for a second. She went to try to say something – anything –

“Could you… could you please get Alice?” Marlene cut off any attempt, with her gentle request.

“Yeah. Yeah, of course… I’ll…” Katherine, feeling all out of sorts, pushed herself back up to her feet and dusted her hands on her skirt, “I’ll go right now…”

Katherine felt more than a bit odd, and like she was in some sort of limbo zone, as she rushed out to Alice’s bedside. She gently shook her friend’s sleeping shoulder –

“…Alice?”

Blearily eyed, the eldest of the girls was a sound mind – thankfully – even on the cusp of sleep.

“Is everything okay?” she gulped out softly, rubbing at her eyes delicately as she propped herself up on her elbow.

Katherine whispered as quietly as possible, to not wake the others, “It’s Marlene – she’s in the shower. She, er… slept with Adam. She’s asking for you…”

Katherine began following the back of Alice’s nightie – glowing white in the night – but found her feet growing shy as they approached the glow of the bathroom once more. It felt like it wasn’t her place. As Alice stepped into the shower with a towel, cowardly, Katherine retreated to her bed. It was there that she busied herself with pulling off her shoes, skirt, outer garments… having fallen asleep in her uniform earlier…

She laid down, exhausted, in her white buttoned shirt, underwear and fluffy bed socks. She would shower in the morning.

“It will sting a bit… should go away in a few days…” came Alice’s soothing voice as she walked Marlene, in her nightie, to her bed.

Marlene walked mostly okay – like her regular self – but there was a timidness to her gait…

The girls exchanged inaudible whispers, of which Katherine only caught Alice’s assurance that Marlene ‘didn’t have to do it with Adam all the time…’.

Zonked, Katherine only caught a few faint whispers as Alice seemed to tuck Marlene in – with a stroke of her hair – before the dormitory fell into undisturbed slumber again.

Grittiness at sleeping in the day’s clothes ate in at the edges of tiredness – she could smell her stale perfume, as well as Sirius’ cologne (she whiffed extra deep when the notes of his rose to her nose). It all reminded her, terribly, of the times she would have bad nightmares and couldn’t sleep when she was younger. Her aunt would dip into her drawer of housewives’ helpers that all the ladies in her social circle kept, and broke off half a tablet of Valium for Katherine to have with a cup of tea.

There were calming draughts for that now – which were certainly more age appropriate, too.

She thought of Marlene again, and wondered if she would have benefited from some kind of potion…

Still too, she tried to put herself in Marlene’s shoes. She had asked for Alice, that must mean she would understand...

A very young and naïve sensation gripped her in the face of her friends’ ever-growing maturity. Katherine didn’t feel dirty with any of the kissing or heavy petting she had done with Sirius… She had slept easily, like a log, with him all over her – even with her being the germaphobe that she was.

He was a bit like Valium.

The rustle of sheets lifted Katherine from her thoughts –

Marlene had rolled over.

Katherine peered secretly across at her friend, feeling sleep-heaviness leave her at a heart rendering realisation –

Sleeping, Marlene looked just like a little girl…

 

---

 

The girls never mentioned what happened that night in the dormitory again.

Katherine had the vague sense that the others suspected – correctly – what had transpired, without words, however.

The girls with boyfriends still went off with them – Marlene included, but Katherine thought she looked tender somehow, like a bruise. It was in the way she walked, looked around, sat down…

Katherine hung around with Lily a lot in lieu of their other missing friends.

Remus looked at her a lot, and said next to nothing, but he was as friendly as ever. When he was around, Katherine felt more than a little transparent. He was perhaps the person that knew the most about her, unavoidably, after their confrontation in the library – in terms of the deepest secrets of her heart, anyway.

Sirius and James were focused on Quidditch, it seemed.

Katherine and Sirius hadn’t been truly alone since the first day back of classes. She had gently urged him to not skive off, as he had been doing, as all the new term’s information was being given out in all their classes. Part of her was disappointed that he heeded it, however. Just as she had accepted to herself that she well and truly fancied him, it was like he had vanished, like a slip of silk, into the breeze…

She told herself he was probably also liaising with Regulus in the shadows somewhere as he had mentioned up in the north tower.

He didn’t owe her anything, after all. It’s not like he was her boyfriend. Katherine couldn't imagine Sirius belonging to anyone, in fact. He was too much of a wild mustang. She was just glad to be close to him, from time to time...

The days wheeled overhead like the wild winds that had seized the Highlands. Before Katherine knew it, it had come time for the last Hogsmeade weekend before Lily’s birthday. She still, too, wasn’t technically supposed to go…she had stayed at the castle for all the others, even keeping Remus company in the hospital wing after the full moon earlier in the month instead…

Lily had stayed with her too, most weekends – unless one of the other girls, for once, didn’t have a date planned. That was rare. Lily stood out in the courtyard with them all that morning, but whether she would end up going or not, Katherine didn’t know…

Before she could lament her friends’ leaving without her, James wrestled the invisibility cloak over her head none-too-gently near an out of the way alcove outside the Great Hall after breakfast – as everyone was streaming out to the courtyard –

Sirius came up behind her, steadying her and pushing her along with an innocent grin to Professor McGonagall as they passed her –

It was odd to feel his hands on her in such a casual way, when she knew them in another –

Lily shook her head with an exasperated smile, remaining still as the other girls walked off hand-in-hand with their boyfriends, watching from the beginning of the path as the wind blew her red lengths around her head. She waited and joined them, walking beside an invisible Katherine all the way down to Hogsmeade. They couldn’t talk and give it away to the students around them.

Down the alley, behind Honeydukes, Katherine shed the cloak and helped James fold it up the right way.

Lily stood, arms crossed and shivering, checking around them.

James stowed the cloak away, and then had quiet words with hands-in-pockets Sirius.

Katherine went about neatening her hair and clothes.

Lily reached out and helped fix her hair parting, giving a side glance to Potter and Black.

“I do have to get your present…” placated Katherine, quietly, in their own aside from the boys.

Lily’s eyes widened a playful fraction, and she asked, playfully, “And where shall I go? Puddifoots? Alone?”

“What about Remus?” asked Katherine, glancing back to the boys.

“Jessica Wood plans to hold him ransom in The Three Broomsticks for as much of the day as possible, I believe.” said Sirius, airily.

“I’ll be quick,” promised Katherine, linking her little finger with Lily’s where they hung down at their hips, “Then we’ll go back up and hang at the castle – spend the day like we planned…”

James tapped the back of his knuckles to Lily’s arm, “It’s alright, we could go check out that book I told you about,”

Sirius’ eyes flashed to Katherine’s, disturbed –

Lily looked listless –

James coughed, looking around plaintively, with a shrug “You know, for potions.”

“Swots.” coughed Sirius, reaching for Katherine’s elbow and tugging her back along the alley – on the path they took they first time they snuck down through Honeydukes.

Lily and Katherine’s linked little fingers stretched, then separated, as they looked backwards to one another.

James and Sirius did a rude two-fingered salute to one another over their shoulders as they went on their separate ways with the girls. Katherine and Sirius made their way further down the back alley. Lily and James went back around the front of Honeydukes, in the direction of the Book Shops on the Main Street.

“Where to?” asked Sirius, swinging their arms.

Katherine smiled as she watched their feet crunch through the thin layer of snow over the cobblestones. He was wearing his dragon hide boots –

“The Muggle Interest shop.”

It was there that Katherine quickly thumbed through the new records and found the new Fleetwood Mac single ‘Go Your Own Way’ – which had been released back in December, she found from the colourful green date cards separating the record sleeves…

“Lass – the new album will be out in February –”

Katherine turned at the shopkeeper’s call from the register –

“It’ll be stocked right here, same day. I know you kids like that one...” he said, wagging a finger, smiling as he turned to serve another customer.

Katherine smiled, feeling grateful beyond measure at the unexpected kind gesture, and went looking for Sirius – unable to spot him right away. While she picked through the shop, she wondered if she would be dealing with Tom again by February…

Sirius had wandered while Katherine dived for records, and she found him in the racks of muggle clothing at the back. She lingered on a dark brown leather bomber jacket, with a fur collar. It looked like men’s – too big for her.

“Do you like it?” asked Sirius as he approached, with a ringer shirt slung over his shoulder. He eyed it the bomber jacket, feeling it, “It’s not dragon hide, is it? But it’s nice… you should get it…”

Katherine eyed it forlornly, and gave a huffing laugh –

“I think it’s definitely too big for me…”

She turned and made for the register, paying for the muggle record with her wizard money. Stepping aside, she made small talk with the shopkeeper as he served Sirius, folding up a pair of jeans, the white ringer shirt with the red trim, and another addition –

Sirius had bought the jacket.

As they strolled out, arm in jolly arm… Katherine couldn’t help but feel it all sullied by the uncertainty that had plagued her in recent days. Their feet crunched over the snow-packed township, and Katherine’s mind crunched over the best way to broach whatever it was that they were doing – or leading up to.

Terror thumped in her veins. All the while, the calm hypnotic affect of Sirius’ mere presence fought it hand-to-hand. She didn’t know when they would have another moment alone…

After all, too, the only person Katherine could really talk to about Sirius – was Sirius.

She all but winced under the glare of the snow and overcast skies as her words came tumbling out of her chattering teeth, “…You… you know how we’re practising and stuff…”

Wind-chapped, he nodded down at her with an attentive, parted-lipped smile.

Katherine’s stomach sloshed like a washing machine. He was really going to make her say it –

“Is there a point where you would see it stopping, or…” she broached tentatively, feeling insanely brave, unspeakably awkward, and mature all at the same time.

Sirius’ gait slowed as he turned more into her, bowing his head with a furrowed-brow blink, “Do you… like someone… or…?”

Katherine’s arms and legs tingled, and it had nothing to do with the cold. She looked up, held in place by his gaze, as they had all but stopped in the street.

His lips were still slightly parted, but his smile seemed as if it were mostly due to his panting against the cold breeze, unlike his amusement of before. His throat bobbed with his swallow. All the while, he inclined his head to hers – searching her face.

“No. I thought… maybe you might…” she proposed, looking down at their hooked arms, albeit slackened…

Their arms moved as Sirius shrugged –

“I don’t want to kiss anyone else.”

A blinking, shaken-head expression of confusion – and casual dismissal – accompanied his words. When he saw he held her gaze, and what he seemed to find there, led to the corners of his lips tugging up again –

“What’s brought all this on, love?” he asked lightly, sincerity pulling down his lightened expression.

Love. Katherine’s cheeks flamed at the casual thrown out word. Spoken by him, it felt like a caress. Gosh, she was falling to bits…

She spoke, wanting to turn and run from under his eyes, “We just... never addressed what we were doing apart from… you know…when we first kissed up in the dormitory. I just… didn’t want there to be any confusion…”

Sirius’ tongue darted out to moisten his lips, and he looked around at the other students in the distance –

“Is this about… you know –” he broke off, unease pulling through his face as he tipped his head in voice-lowered suggestion “– what happened on New Year’s?”

Katherine’s eyes darted, impulsively, to the zip of his trousers –

“No,” she quickly sped out, lifting her eyes to not embarrass him any further than he seemed to be –

How ludicrous it was to be standing there in the middle of Hogsmeade talking about such things as snogging and proverbial flag poles flying full mast –

Sirius seemed to be caught somewhere between reticent and amused, and unsure what to say –

But, of course, it had certainly played a part –

Katherine allowed a wince, and closed an eye as she tipped her head –

“Yes?” she conceded, voice climbing in pitch.

Sirius gave a laughing groan, lifting a hand to rake down his face as he turned slightly away in bracing mortification –

Katherine squeezed his arm, feeling her own embarrassment unfurl to assuage his –

“Not in a bad way. I really didn’t care –” she unravelled towards the end, and cleared her throat as she shrugged and recollected, “I suppose, I… just want to know how far you wanted to… well… ‘go’.”

Sirius nodded with a throat-clearing cough, “Yeah, um…”

He pressed his lips back together, seeming to weigh his words, and finally met her eye again. His chest fell sharply, and a smile spread out over his lips.

“Well, I… well only as far as you do. We can stop at any time,” he said, bowing his head. He blinked gently, and asked, eyes searching her face again, “…Alright?”

Something unfurled inside of her – like relief.

Katherine found herself smiling too as she nodded, “Yeah, alright.”

Bashfully they were just smiling at each other, and the conversation, in the middle of the street – the wind whipping their hair –

Until the door to the Hog’s Head swung with the breeze back into the inn, with a loud BANG!

They both turned in time to see Avery and Dolohov disappearing into the establishment. Avery reached for the door, pulling it closed against the wind as he looked over his shoulder.

Katherine’s chest tingled as their gazes locked –

“Come on, we should probably get a move on…” said Sirius lightly, turning his sceptical gaze away and lacing his fingers through hers. He tugged her forward, back into a walk –

Avery paused, his lips drawing into something solemn, as he pulled the door shut behind himself and his billowing robes –

Sirius swung their arms a little.

It drew Katherine back to them, and where they were walking. She focused on their shoes’ careful placement to avoid slipping in the snow.

Sirius glanced back towards the inn once. When he faced forward again, his eyes and lips were set.

They walked on in wind-blown silence for a moment. The world around seemed to be separate from them, as if by a glass shop front window. They seemed to be unanimous in their thinking about the suspicious behaviour of the Slytherin boys.

Some kids ran by them, then – their parents chasing them. Katherine and Sirius both watched absently as the sight drew their eyes towards the warm lampposts and the general mirth filling the village. Laughter all around… bells from shops…

“Oh, I almost forgot –”

Sirius turned to her, on an arm swing as they continued their trudge back up the main road, a certain levity returning to them by seeming osmosis from the upbeat section of the village –

“Shacklebolt wants to know what music to set up for Evans' party.”

Katherine blinked in startlement, “He’s going to…”

Sirius smiled, slow and warm, with a nod –

“Yeah, Marianne – his girlfriend – you know Marianne? She loves you and Evans…”

Notes:

*Story Time*
I found out the other day that Julian McMahon, the Actor who played Cole in the TV show 'Charmed' passed away.

I don't know anything about him personally, but it pitched me back in time to when I was a kid. I was often home from school sick as a kid (I still am, lol) but at lunch time I would sit down on the couch in front of the TV while my mum tidied, eating a 'Tuna Snack' (BBQ flavoured crackers, cheese, tuna, tomato, and sliced onion) and I would watch the Charmed re-runs that were always on that time of day. I LOVED that show, and I still do to this day (I hate the remake though 🫠)

When I heard the news, I could taste my old 'tuna snack' in my mouth, even though I've been a vegetarian for years now. That show was just about my only company from ages 5-11 until I got somewhat of a handle on my health in time for high school. I truly believe that it ignited the love in me for story telling, as it was such a well done complex world. It was important to me even before Harry Potter was.

Cole was probably my first fictional 'crush' too, and follows the same sort of 'type' that Sirius falls into - in my mind, anyway (Edit: Maybe more of a Tom Riddle, admittedly). I always longed for someone to love me as deeply and unwaveringly as his character loved Phoebe.

All in all, the news had brought me back to *this*, as I would often watch Charmed when I first started writing fanfiction for comforting background noise. From my sick bed, I was inspired to pick up my laptop again and finish off this chapter. I hope to keep working and sharing this little 'world' with you all, to entertain you in the spare moments of your lives, but if you're ever bored... I suggest watching Charmed (especially the first three seasons, they're my favourites 😊)

Notes:

Thank you for reading! :)