The Hidden Marauder (Harry Potter FanFiction)

Trust

“Now I know-“ Severus said, his panting still loud and obvious, “That you can’t do anything about it – Merlin knows I can’t either and I’m not looking for your sympathy, so please just leave.”

As much as she wanted to stay, and find out exactly why Umbridge’s visit had angered Snape quite the way it had, Katherine chose to leave whilst she still had her limbs attached to her torso; and whilst Severus’ expression read pleading as opposed to the anger it had only a moment prior. Tucking the Wolfsbane into her robes, she muttered a hurried ‘okay’, before turning and fleeing from the dungeons; robes billowing behind her.

*

Katherine’s day had gotten increasingly worse as time went on, and her before optimistic attitude had faded as quickly as it had come. She found herself annoyed with the slightest of things- from finding students playing ‘tongue hockey’ in the corridors to finding out that Harry hadn’t told her about yet another detention with the she-devil herself; to which Katherine had, in response, grumpily fixed Harry’s wounds and sent him off scowling as her bad mood passed onto him.

After travelling back to Grimmauld place, things hadn’t much improved. Her robes suffered burns from flooing, which was so rare that it was barely ever mentioned as a risk, Moony hadn’t even been in to receive his Wolfsbane as he was supposedly running errands, and Sirius had been avoiding her since their… ‘Incident’, in the kitchen, although honestly, Katherine simply wanted him to come running down the stairs and kiss her.

Scowling, Katherine flopped onto one of the couches by the fire that had seemed so comforting before, but in a silent, cold house – like Grimmauld Place currently was – it was easy to just see them as ugly, uncomfortable dust magnets. The fire flickering in the fireplace that had seemed ever-warm and welcoming was now simply a method of casting haunting shadows onto the ash-covered walls which Katherine found herself drawn to; her pessimistic thoughts running havoc in her mind; taunting her continually.

The heavy door of the house opening and closing drew Katherine’s attention, and she kept her ears peeled for signs of a threat. Her hand drifted instinctively down to the intricate carved wood and silver decorated wand that was hidden within her robes, her head turning automatically to the door closest to where she was sat.

Footsteps sounded through the echoing halls, and Katherine’s grip on her wand tightened as they grew closer and closer to where she sat.

Closer.

Then closer still-

A moment later and someone did indeed open the door, but no-one of any particular threat. Katherine let out a silent breath of relief at the appearance of Remus’ head, whose expression changed to a meek, guilty one on realising Katherine’s uptight, cautious own.

“Knock knock?”

“Hey Moony.” Said Katherine, taking her hand away from the wand concealed in her robes and using it to run through her hair instead, detangling it slightly.

“Sorry for startling you.” Remus said, stepping into the room and sitting on an armchair next to the sofa that Katherine occupied.

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” She said, her brow furrowed as she ran her fingertips over her forehead, “I’m just on edge.”

“Bad day?”

“The worst.” Katherine nodded, now simply using her hand to support her chin as her elbow rested on the sofa’s arm, “Things have been going wrong since Snivellus decided to be a jerk; now I just have this… Feeling that something terrible is going to happen…”