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SINCE THE CHANCE ENCOUNTER at St. Mungo's, Neville made it a point to avoid Kates as much as he could. Every time she tried to talk with him, he'd murmur an excuse and rush off, barely even making eye contact. She knew it would pass soon enough, but she still hated not being able to talk with him, not to mention she felt bad enough as it was for what happened to his parents.
A few weeks after their return to Hogwarts for the term, Kates set down her toast and retrieved her copy of the Daily Prophet, which had just been dropped by an owl moments earlier.
"I don't understand why you read that rubbish," said Seamus, just as he did every time she received her copy. She would have called him on it, but she had a feeling it was him trying to make up for his beliefs earlier that year.
"It still has news in it," she remarked, as she did every so often when she felt the need to give him a reply. She began to unroll the parchment. "I just look past all the rubbish. They still report all the big stories, even if their opinions are loads of..." But she trailed off, her eyes catching the headline and the images that were displayed beneath it.
"I suppose," shrugged Seamus, who was far too interested in his eggs and sausages to notice her reaction. "I reckon it's good for us to know if anything big's happenin'—" Dean elbowed him, looking across the table with concern.
"Kates," he said. "What is it?" When she replied, it was quietly, as if her voice had been scared away.
"There was a mass breakout at Azkaban." She stared at the paper for a moment more, then suddenly handed it across the table and looked around the Great Hall, rather alert. She, of course, was searching for Neville, and found him just as he set down his own copy and left the hall.
Without a word to her friends, she rushed after him, grabbing her bag and jogging to catch up.
"Oi, Nev," she called after him as she turned down the same corridor he was walking through.
"Kates, I could really do without the sympathy right now," he said, and it hurt her heart to hear him so sad and quiet.
"No, that's not—" She cut herself off, then skidded to a stop. "She's my aunt," she blurted, and that was enough to make him stop. He faced her, and she took a few steps toward him so she could speak without raising her voice. "Bellatrix Lestrange, she's my mother's sister. I despise most of my family, but her? I feel ill every time I think about her, and I've never even met her."
"You're nothing like her," said Neville quietly, still upset but calm enough to try and comfort her.
"I know," she sighed. "But I'm terrified, Nev. Terrified because I've already been threatened by one family member and I don't even want to know what would happen if we met, and terrified because I know...I know what she did to your parents and I don't want her able to do anything like that to anyone else. I know this won't make you feel better—it might even make you feel worse, but I had to tell you that I know, and that I'm sorry." She let out a breath afterward and felt a tear fall down her cheek, but she didn't make an effort to wipe it away. Neville, whose own eyes were glassing over with tears, only nodded, then pulled her into a hug. "I'm with you," she whispered.
"Thank you, Kates."
Since then, the pair spent more time together than they used to. Whilst their circumstances were different, they were alike enough that they felt understood around each other. Kates would go to the greenhouses with Neville and he would go up to the Astronomy tower with her; they may not have been interested in the same things, but they each loved hearing the other talk about things that brought them joy.
"I can't believe the term's almost over," sighed Kates as she and Neville wandered through the corridors after lunch one day. One thing they had in common was their love for the castle, so they frequently enjoyed walks around it in their spare time.
"Where are you staying this summer?" he asked her quietly, and her gaze fell to the floor as she shrugged.
"Not sure yet," she murmured, then she drew herself up and looked up again, suddenly more confident. "I thought about going back to Kinley Manor, pretending to do as they say but retrieving whatever information I can."
"That's dangerous," said Neville with wide eyes. "We're still in school, Kates—"
"And? We've been preparing for a war all year. I want to help—I can help." He opened his mouth to protest, but at that moment something caught their attention, causing them to stop in their tracks. It was a scuffle of some sort, that much could be heard from the shuffling of feet. Then:
"We haven't done anything wrong," said the unmistakable dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood.
"Tell that to the Headmistress," snapped a cruel voice Kates recognized as belonging to Ares Carrow. Her eyes narrowed on instinct. She and Neville looked to each other, nodded, then jogged around the corner.
"What's going on here?" said Neville, his voice louder and more confident than anyone had ever heard it. He was learning. Ginny was there too, trying to break free from the grip of an imposing Slytherin girl.
"Katherine," said Carrow with an air of surprise, but he soon narrowed his own eyes and turned back to Neville.
"Longbottom. You two are part of this too, I see. I shouldn't be surprised."
"They haven't done anything wrong!" said Kates. "Let them go." She stepped in and tried to push Luna free of his grip, but it didn't go the way she had intended. Carrow shoved Luna toward Wesley (who she just noticed was also present) and grabbed Kates' hair, pulling her head back. She yelped in surprise and Neville shouted something and lunged for them, but he too was grabbed by another member of the Inquisitorial Squad. Kates saw her brother flinch, but he didn't move or say anything. At least he was human enough to realize this wasn't right. Her suspicions about him were proving to be correct; she just hoped he could—or would—get out in time.
"I didn't want you to be involved in this mess," said her captor, his voice a forced calm, "but here we are. I won't hold it against you, you just need to be taught what side you should really be on."
"I'm not the one on the wrong side," said Kates through gritted teeth, and without another word she was released, only to be taken by the arm and led to Umbridge's office with the others.
Once they arrived, it was clear that whatever Ginny and Luna had been doing, it was to help Harry. Whilst Kates would eventually like to know why, she didn't really require more of an explanation than that. Ron caught her gaze the moment they entered, and she watched as his eyes went wide and he struggled against his own human restraint, but to no avail.
The woman was rotten, that much Kates knew already, but she had never expected her to be so truly vile as to, say, use the Cruciatus Curse on a student. It was only due to Hermione's intervention that she didn't go through with it, and soon Hermione and Harry were leading Umbridge toward the Forbidden Forest. The secret weapon thing was rubbish, obviously, but it would only help them for so long. They needed to escape before they no longer had a chance.
Being forced to wait for Umbridge's return, the members of the Inquisitorial Squad shoved their captives to the center of the room. Their wands had been confiscated upon capture, but were sitting atop Umbridge's desk, which rested between the two groups. The squad members were keeping an eye on Kates and her friends, but not too closely, for their arrogance and pride led them to be a tad careless. Good.
"We have to get out of here before they reach the forest," whispered Ron, purposefully having his back turned away from the squad. Carrow and his friends were talking amongst themselves, quietly but loud enough to cover up the sound of whispers from across the room. Kates slowly turned so she too was facing away.
"What are they going to find when they get there?" All of her friends were now looking to Ron, whose cheeks turned a shade of pink.
"Let's just say there might be a kid giant out there somewhere." Neville stifled a laugh, and Ginny masterfully covered up her own with a cough. Kates grinned, though it was only temporary. She chanced a glance over her shoulder at the pile of wands, and that was when an idea struck her.
"If I can get my wand, we can retrieve the others easily and make our escape," she murmured, and Ron's gaze shot to her, his head turning so fast that the Slytherins stopped talking for a moment, surely paying more attention to their group of captives. Kates made a point to avoid eye contact with any of them—they would get suspicious if she was looking their way—and pretended to look toward the window. Once they began to chat again, Ron spoke.
"And just how would you do that? They'd stun you before you got that far."
"I didn't say I'd be walking over there," she replied. "I've been spending all year practicing nonverbal spells. In theory I should be able to do wandless magic without too much trouble if I say the incantation out loud."
"Are you mad?" said Ginny. "If it doesn't work and they figure out what you're trying to do—"
"I know the risks," Kates whispered. "But I'm fairly optimistic."
"'Fairly'?" Ron breathed, staring at her with wide eyes.
"If anyone can do it, it's her," said Luna with her usual dreamy voice, shrugging nonchalantly. The two girls smiled at each other.
"Oh, now I'm so reassured," muttered Ron, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Luna's right," huffed Ginny, sounding none too happy about the idea. If risks were going to be taken, she was the one who usually liked to take them. Kates understood that, for she was the same way. "She's the best chance we have."
"Oi!" They all spun around to face Carrow, who was eyeing them suspiciously. "Shut up. The Headmistress said we're to keep you all in line, but she didn't specify how." A shiver went down Kates' spine and some of the other Inquisitorial Squad members chuckled—her brother not being one of them. She made a point to make eye contact with him, and he gave the smallest of helpless shrugs. It was a conversation for another time.
"You think you can get away with hurting us just 'cause you're Umbridge's lackeys?" said Ron, stepping to the front of the group with narrowed eyes. Kates was just off his right shoulder, and she had a feeling that he was not only defending them because he wanted to, but to give her a chance to make her move.
"Pretty much," said Carrow. "Anything else you'd like to say, Weasley?" It was a challenge, and Ron rose to it. He began talking about blood purists and how awful they were as a whole, using many of the same points Kates had told him during the summer. The whole thing amused her for that reason—and because she knew for certain he was acting as a distraction. She tuned him out and focused on the pile of wands. It's just like nonverbal spells, she told herself, just the other way around. Easy.
"You can do this, Kates," Neville murmured from behind her, just barely loud enough for her to hear. She took a breath, and pictured her wand in her hand. She imagined the power going through her hand to the wand, then let the wand disappear, leaving all the power with no other choice than to return to her hand.
"...and don't even get me started on the way you treat house elves." Now Ron was really reaching, meaning she didn't have much time before the Slytherins began to realize something was amiss. She raised her hand, took another breath, and then:
"Accio wand!" Her voice boomed through the room, filled with enough power and authority to make everyone flinch. She held her breath in anticipation, then exhaled swiftly as her wand flew neatly into her hand. Without a moment's hesitation she lunged forward, wordlessly putting out a shield charm just as the Slytherins began trying to disarm her. With her free hand she grasped the pile of wands and threw them behind her. Soon enough, everyone present had their wands, but the fight was far from even. The Inquisitorial Squad members knew their spells, sure, but the Dumbledore's Army members were ready to fight, not to mention they had the element of surprise. The whole matter was over in a less than a minute with the Inquisitorial Squad members laying unconscious behind Umbridge's desk.
"That was brilliant!" said Neville, his words one with his breath. He beamed and briefly embraced Kates. "Flitwick would be proud. McGonagall, too." In true Kates Kinley fashion, she shrugged modestly.
"I may not have some of the more advanced spells down, but sometimes speed and efficiency with the simple ones are all that's needed."
"That's fascinating and all, but—" began Ginny, and Kates picked up where she left off.
"Yeah, let's go before they all come to. Where exactly are we going, anyway?"
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THE SEVEN DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY MEMBERS WERE GOOD, but not as good as the Death Eaters they had come across in the Hall of Prophecies. The vision, as Hermione had suspected, had been nothing but Voldemort setting a trap for Harry, and now they had all fallen into it. Kates, ever the optimist, was having a hard time seeing a way out as a wand was held to her head by a Death Eater she (thankfully) didn't recognize. Ron was loopy, Ginny had a broken ankle and Neville a broken nose, Hermione was barely conscious, and Luna, Kates, and Harry all looked like they had seen better days. Their only hope, as dreadful as it sounded, was that Snape—who definitely understood Harry's coded message—a went to the Order for help.
Kates Kinley never, ever wanted to be in a situation where Severus Snape was her only hope.
Snape, as it turned out, came through after all. The Order members showed up at just the right moment and an intense battle began between them and the Death Eaters. Lupin approached the students with great haste.
"Get out of here, all of you!" he called over the din of the fight. "Get to safety!" Kates wanted nothing more than to join the fight and put her skills to good use, but it quickly occurred to her that her friends may still need protection, and many of them were injured. She needed to be there for them.
So she led them up the stairs, watching their backs the entire time (which was exhausting but necessary, as she had to shield them from three different curses). Only once they were in the safety of the Department of Mysteries did they stop. Ginny slid down against the wall, clutching her ankle; Luna bent down to heal her; Ron and Hermione both lay on the floor, loopy and barely conscious, respectively; Neville rubbed his nose, crouching down by Luna and Ginny. Kates, meanwhile, did not lower her wand until Tonks emerged from the Death Chamber.
"Oh, Kates!" she said, quickly pulling the girl into a tight embrace. "Thank Merlin you're all right!" As she pulled away, she glanced at the others. "How are they?"
"They'll be all right," Kates replied. "Where's Harry?" Harry, of course, had stayed down in the chamber, promising to be right behind them, but he hadn't emerged. Tonks' hair turned from bubblegum pink to an unremarkable brown—never a good sign.
"He's all right. Voldemort showed up, but Dumbledore fended him off and the Minister saw enough that he can't deny the truth any long. But, Sirius...he didn't make it." Kates felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She hadn't known the man long, but they had grown close during her stays at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Worst of all, she knew Harry would be heartbroken; he was the only family he had that was worth a damn. After a pause, Tonks continued in a ramble. "Goodness, I'd like to tell you off for coming down here tonight, but I would've done the same thing myself. Listen, the others will be up here shortly and we'll get you lot sorted, but why don't you stay at my place this summer? Mum and dad would love to meet you, and we've got plenty of room. We just can't stand the idea of you being in that house any longer—"
"Thank you, Tonks," said Kates, and in spite of it all she managed a genuine smile, albeit a small one. She felt Neville's gaze on her, and she knew he'd be glad she gave up on her idea from earlier. If the battle had taught her anything, it was that she deserved to be a student for a little longer instead of a soldier. The time would come where she'd fight, but she didn't need it to come any time soon.
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THE DAY BEFORE END OF TERM, a healing McGonagall called Kates to her office. Kates had seen her since her return from St. Mungo's, but they hadn't gotten a chance to talk, and apparently the older woman wanted to change that.
In spite of the horrors that occurred within the Department of Mysteries—or maybe because of them—the time since had been spent in a most lighthearted fashion. She spent a great deal of her time in the hospital wing, where she and her friends met regularly until Ron and Hermione were discharged. They would play games or talk or laugh (a particular moment of Ron scaring the daylights out of a stunned Umbridge was a moment she'd never forget), but most importantly they enjoyed each other's company. She spent time with Dean and Seamus too, of course; at first they had been furious with her for doing something so dangerous and not telling them, but she knew it was only because they were worried about her. They were back to their old selves again in no time.
An odd feeling had been visiting her daily since the battle, one that was comparable to a huge weight being lifted off one's shoulders. The only thing was, Kates had no clue why she felt that way. If anything, the tension in the wizarding world was only rising...yet she felt a strange sense of calm and relief, even with all that in mind. She carried that feeling with her as she entered McGonagall's office that morning after breakfast.
"You wanted to see me, Professor?"
"Yes, Kinley, take a seat," said the woman, greeting her with one of her closed-lip smiles that revealed little to those who didn't know her well. McGonagall, much like Kates, seemed to be in a particularly good mood since her return to Hogwarts. "Care for a biscuit?" Kates took one without hesitation, murmuring a quick thank you as she shoved it into her mouth. She had, of course, saved room for such a delicacy, for she had met McGonagall enough times to expect the pleasantry. There was a momentary silence, then: "I heard about your use of wandless magic back in Umbridge's office. Now strictly speaking I cannot condone what you and your friends did that night, but in the process of scolding you I can say that what you did was very brave and your use of magic was quite impressive." Kates had to fight back a smile, and she noticed the professor was doing the same thing.
"If I weren't being scolded, I would say thank you," she replied smoothly. The professor's expression soon faltered.
"How are you doing? I understand you and Sirius Black were close." Kates' smile fell as well and she leaned back in the chair she occupied.
"I'll be all right, in time. He, er, he treated me like family—I mean, I guess we were, in a sense, but that doesn't mean anything. My parents taught me that a long time ago." McGonagall's shoulders slumped ever so slightly out of sympathy.
"Do you remember what I told you when we first met?" The question caught Kates slightly off guard, but she replied nonetheless.
"You told me a lot of things, and I remember them all."
"Well, when I told you that I had seen someone in your situation before, it was Sirius to whom I was referring." Kates sat up straight again with interest. "You surely know he grew up in a situation much like your own. Now he was...let's say, more mischievous than you," she allowed herself the ghost of a smile before continuing, "but dare I say you remind me of him. You are brave, highly skilled in defensive magic—and yes I know you consider your skill to be solely in charms, but you play to your strengths and as a result are better than you think—and you will do anything for your friends."
Kates felt on the verge of tears, but not in the way she had for the few days after the battle whenever she thought of Sirius. This time, the tears that threatened to fall were ones of positive emotions. Somehow, McGonagall always knew just what to say. The professor leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk.
"I just want you to know, Kates, that whilst I cannot speak for him, I know he was proud of you, and that he believed in you."
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