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KATES SPENT THE HOLIDAY at the Tonks residence, but she spent more time at the Burrow than anywhere else. Ron was acting strangely, but she didn't have the faintest clue why. She thought they had gotten past all the awkwardness after he began dating Lavender, but ever since the day after Slughorn's party, he was...well, different. He'd avoid spending time alone with her (which wasn't too difficult with Harry around this time), but would also show a great deal of care toward her in even the most trivial situations. She didn't know what to make of it, nor did anyone else.
So instead she spent her time with Ginny, and Fred and George too whenever they were around. She also got to reunite with Fleur, who not only remembered her but was delighted to see a friendly face (because, as she explained, Kates had been one of the few Hogwarts students who had been kind to her and "normal" with her during the tournament). She spent a great deal of time trying to get Ginny and Molly to like the Frenchwoman, which was equal parts amusing and exhausting.
Aunt Jackie confirmed that she was in contact with Wesley, and that he had in fact been the one to approach her about becoming a spy for the Order. She advised him against it (he was still only a teenager and it was incredibly dangerous to even consider), but he was just as stubborn as his aunt and sister. She also told Kates that she should be extremely aware upon returning to Hogwarts because of her Ares Carrow problem. "Do not discount him just because you're at school", she had said, "you've got yourself a real problem there, and it's best to remain vigilant." Her words often replayed themselves in Kates' head. Jackie had often shielded her from the dark realities of the world they were raised in as best she could; just how much was she downplaying her own situation?
And then it was back to Hogwarts. Kates, who forever lived on the bright side, was trying to find the balance between that and keeping an eye on her surroundings at all times. She had been assessing each situation from a tactical standpoint since the battle back in June, but this was different. It was on a higher scale, because she could no longer keep her guard down in the castle. One of her safe places was no longer safe; between Carrow and the rising conflict, she had no choice but to remain vigilant even on the school grounds.
It wasn't just her, either; she could feel it. There was a different energy, one that told her that everyone was on edge, surely having been reminded of the horrors in the wizarding world during the holiday. Tensions were rising, and it was only a matter of time before something drastic and world-changing happened, for better or worse.
But in spite of it all, Kates kept positive, for she wasn't sure what would happen if she didn't. She kept close to her friends and they kept close to her, and together they made it through. Ron was still being strange, and when she mentioned it to Seamus and Dean, Dean shrugged and looked away suspiciously. She visited the greenhouses with Neville as a reason to get out of the castle...and then, of course, there was Astronomy.
Astronomy took place every Wednesday at midnight for the few sixth-years who had moved onto NEWT-Level. At that time of night, she could almost walk around the castle as if everything were normal; there were no whispers of the war to overhear in passing, or worried looks to see. It was just her and the castle she loved so much, and in between those walks was a glorious hour of watching the stars above.
Along with Kates, three other sixth-years had finished their OWL before the chaos on the grounds: Susan Bones, who Kates liked rather much, Padma Patil, who was quiet but nice enough, and Ernie Macmillan, who was incredibly pretentious, but still a hair better than Zacharias Smith. They weren't close enough that they'd hang out outside of class, but they always enjoyed each other's company during class. They, along with the class itself, allowed her to forget about her troubles for a while.
It was just after the second class of term when those troubles caught up with her. Kates was (as always) the last to leave, for she would spend just another minute staring out through the telescope before departing for the night. She was in high spirits as she began on the trek back to the Gryffindor common room, but that didn't last long. As she made her second turn, she was surprised to see another student standing up ahead. At first she expected it to be Ron—he was always on prefect duty Wednesday nights and she had ran into him a few times—but she quickly came to realize that wasn't the case.
It was Carrow, and he was waiting for her.
Before she could even think, her wand was in her hand and she was performing a wordless shield charm. Moments later, as they both stood there staring at each other, she realized that she had in fact been reacting to seeing him draw his own wand. Even thought she had left the moment unscathed physically, she was rattled and didn't bother hiding it.
"What did I just deflect?" she asked quietly, and had it not been the dead of night he probably wouldn't have even heard her. Her eyes were wide, she could feel it, and her wand hand was nearly shaking. She was strong, yes, but that didn't mean she was fearless. Truthfully, she hadn't taken Carrow that seriously until recently. Now she could say she was genuinely scared of him, especially after what he had just done (or rather, attempted to do).
"One of the curses I spent the holiday practicing," he said in the most casual tone. He lowered his wand and took a step forward, but Kates adjusted her grip on her wand, straightening her posture. Her eyes were narrowed now, and he stopped in his tracks, raising his hands as a show of good faith. She still didn't lower her wand. "It's similar to the body bind curse we learn as first-years, except instead of paralyzing, it restrains. The victim can still talk." A shiver went down Kates' spine; she knew what that curse was surely used for.
"And you tried to use it on me?"
"Only because you won't talk to me any other way," he said with a shrug. "That's all I want to do, Katherine. Just talk." He took another cautious step forward, but didn't chance going beyond. Kates scoffed.
"And you want to do it in the middle of the night when no one's around? You're insulting my intelligence."
"Your friends," he spat the words out like poison, "are notorious for getting in the way. I thought we'd have some privacy here, like this." He gestured to the corridor surrounding them. "I saw your aunt Bellatrix a few times over the holiday as she was teaching me some things—"
"And suddenly it all makes sense." He paused, then continued as if she hadn't said anything.
"And she mentioned how delighted she was to hear of our future betrothal. She said she'd love to spend some time with you herself, get to know you." Now her hand was shaking. Not terribly, but enough to make her adjust her grip again.
"Neither of those things are going to happen, ever. You don't seem to understand that."
"It's you who doesn't understand." He took another step, having realized that she wouldn't fire upon him unless he did something with his wand. He now stood less than a foot away from the tip of her wand, and continued to speak in an eerily casual tone. "You're headstrong, and confident, and your reflexes are quite impressive. But we're better." He smiled in a way that did nothing to ease her nerves, and he took one more step forward, stepping past her wand to stand directly in front of her. She lowered her wand, but couldn't bring herself to step back and away from him. Instead she glared up at him—or tried to, anyway, but she wasn't sure if she could properly hide the fear that was coursing through her. "I'm better. Continue to live in your little delusion, but come summer, you belong to me." He reached up and rested his hand on her cheek, and the movement lit a fire under her arse. In the split second it took her to plan, however, another voice boomed through the corridor from behind him.
"Oi! Step back from her right now." It was Ron, and he spoke the words with a dangerous level of authority and rage. As Carrow stepped back, Kates noticed that Ron had his wand raised and was glaring at the Slytherin with a look that could kill if it were given enough power. It took Kates everything in her to not let out a sigh of relief. Instead, she continued to glare at Carrow.
"You cannot control me," she told him severely. "Now get the fuck out of here. I've never had detention, but stunning you would be well worth it." Her fury, fueled by her fear, was strong enough to make her voice waver. Carrow looked back and forth between the two Gryffindors, then chuckled lowly.
"We'll see," was all he said to her before turning to Ron. The redhead had since closed the gap, standing close but far enough to keep his wand high and aimed. "Do you really want to make an enemy out of me, Weasley?"
"I've had worse enemies," he said with a shrug. "You heard the lady. Leave." With one last look at Kates, he set off and disappeared in the direction of the dungeons. Only after they could no longer hear his footsteps did Kates return her wand to her robes, and with a shaky sigh she stumbled over to lean against the wall. Ron, who had also since put his wand away, looked at her with wide eyes, most likely still trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"How much of that did you hear?" Kates asked softly, staring down at the floor.
"Only that last part. H-He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No, but he tried to curse me." Finally she met his gaze. "There's apparently a dark curse that restrains an individual, probably used for torture and other disgusting, vile acts. That's what he tried to use. He said he just wanted to talk. Likely story." Her voice shook the more she spoke, and no matter how hard she tried to keep up a strong facade, she could feel it cracking like she could feel the tears brimming her eyes. Ron hesitantly approached, standing in front of her but giving her room to breathe.
"Blimey, Kates," he breathed out. He was the opposite of the person he had been when he walked in on the scene; he was gentle, concerned, and empathetic—the way he often was with her. There was anger, too, she could tell by the deep red of his ears, but it was for her, and she was glad he at least had the energy to be angry at what happened because she sure as hell didn't. "We should go tell McGonagall, she needs to know—"
"No," she said firmly, and she was relieved to find her voice wasn't shaking. She met his gaze. "Not now. I suppose we should in the morning, but...not now. And we can't tell the others. No one..." She paused, taking a shaky breath. Some of the tears in her eyes fell down her cheeks. "No one can know about this. They'll just do something stupid, and if they don't they'll never let me out of their sight. They've got enough to worry about as it is." Ron hesitated, then nodding, respecting her wishes. He stepped closer and raised his hand, but stopped an inch away from her.
"Can I..." She nodded, and he used his thumb to wipe away her tears. When he was finished, he let his hand fall to rest on her shoulder. She pushed herself up off the wall, closer to him, and soon enough he had his arms wrapped around her in a comforting embrace, and she had her face buried in his chest. She shook, and he held her tighter.
The pair stayed like that for a while, only separating as Kates stepped back and wiped her face with her sleeve.
"Thank you," she told him quietly. "If you hadn't been there..."
"You would have handled it," he replied modestly. "But it isn't luck, really. I..." She met his gaze, and his cheeks had since turned a tomato red. "I requested Wednesday nights just so I could run into you sometimes. Then, after everything your aunt said about watching your back, I thought I could help with that a little." She arched her brows in surprise, then smiled.
"Well now I've even more a reason to thank you." She hesitated, then stood on her toes and placed a gentle kiss to his cheek. Then she gestured with her head for them to start walking and the two fell in step together, heading for the Gryffindor common room. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, for she didn't want to know how he reacted—but if she did, she would have seen his look of bewildered joy.
They walked in silence, and as they walked, their moods soured again. They both kept a hand on their wands (but kept them pocketed) and kept looking around, making sure they weren't going to be taken by surprise. It was a constant reminder of what had happened.
They relaxed as they entered the safety of the Gryffindor common room, but lingered at the portrait hole. They faced each other, neither really wanting to be alone but knowing they'd have to part ways soon.
"So we'll tell McGonagall in the morning," said Ron quietly, and she gave a nod. "For what it's worth, I think the others should know—"
"No, Ron. Please."
"It's your decision, but they care about you, Kates."
"And I care about them, which is why I don't want them knowing. The less they know, the less danger they're in. I fear you put yourself in danger tonight just helping me. I should've—"
"Oi," he said quietly, taking her hands in his. "I don't care, all right? Helping you was worth the risk." Just barely, they smiled, then they hastily released each other and took a step back, faces red. Ron cleared his throat.
"We, er, we should go. It's late."
"Yeah, we should," Kates murmured. She looked at him and nearly said something, then shook her head and looked down. "Night." She then took her leave, and Ron watched as she disappeared up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Then, with a sigh, he turned in for the night himself.
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