The girl breathed shakily, watching closely as her breath plumed in the darkness. A spot of white expanding outward into the air, swirling until it disappeared all together.
She pulled the small blanket around her shoulders tightly, curling her toes in hopes to warm them. Her fingers were freezing, and she quickly twisted them in her hair, keeping the little heat she had in her hands.
The long dress she wore covered her feet, but still she felt like they were frozen. She shivered, trying to discern the area around her. Pure cement, with no windows, and a locked metal door. After just a few hours, the air had cooled considerably. They'd given her a blanket, an hour or two before, but that was it.
The fear had gone, leaving a sense of utter betrayal as Katrin thought of the blank stare over his features. She knew he was being controlled, but her blood still boiled when she thought about him. The sense of misery that had washed over her as she walked through the forest was still there, and she shuddered to remember his warm breath on her neck.
It must have still been nighttime, because the crack under the door was completely black. Katrin wondered if they'd leave her there to die, or if she'd be kept here until they brought her to another place. Until they smuggled her away from Hogwarts.
That was one thing she'd figured out. She had to still be at Hogwarts. There was no way to Apparate away, and the gates always locked at night. Though, her sense of time was already wobbly as she tried to think of how long she'd say there.
Katrin stood, stretching the cold out of her muscles and joints as she stumbled about, one hand on the wall as she searched for anything. Anything that could open the door or offer heat.
She walked around twice, finally giving up after coming back to the door again. She felt claustrophobic, breathing deeply to calm herself as she pulled the blanket over herself again.
With a final shuddering sigh, Katrin fell into a deep sleep.
///
Ginny sat in Dumbledore's office, head on Harry's shoulder as they both waited for the adults to finish mulling over every single detail of Ginny's dream. She'd stopped shaking a while ago, instead thought over every detail she remembered. Katrin had been a pretty good friend... Ish... It'd been nice of her to tell Ginny about the egg, even though both Harry and Ginny were still aware of the bitter attitude she still had for them both. Neither wanted her to get hurt.
The fireplace roared to life and James Potter strode out, wearing his wand holster and button up shirt that was required for all Aurors. Bags were under his eyes, hinting he'd been on night shift. When he saw his son, holding Ginny closely, he bounded over.
"Are you two alright?" He asked, glancing between the Bonded. They nodded, and at that point James was called over to the adults. He sent his son a worried glance before walking over.
"Harry... Oh Merlin, what're we going to do?" Ginny asked, turning to her boyfriend/fiancé/husband, with wide eyes. "They won't be able to find her, I know it! Patrick must've hidden her in the Forbidden Forest!" She nodded over to where McGonagall had just announced that no one had Apparated from the grounds, and the gate was still locked up.
"Ginny. They can handle it. Besides, this isn't exactly our business." Harry said softly, squeezing her fingers. Anger suddenly roared in Ginny's ears. Swiftly, she pulled him towards an empty corner.
"Harry Potter!" She said forcefully, standing from beside him and ignoring the adults's glances at her. "Chimp Man was here! And he took one of our friends! Don't you dare tell me to stand back and twiddle my thumbs when I'm the only one who has any clue where they could be!" She huffed. Harry looked shocked, but quickly retorted.
"Ginny, you're not going out there. You know he wants to kill you. He doesn't want me. If he were to kill me, Voldemort would murder him! I'm safe, you're not! That's why you're going to stay here with the teachers."
"You don't tell me what to do, Harry James Potter, just because we're Bonded doesn't mean you have the right to control my life." Ginny stormed, blinking away the tears of anger. Harry's jaw was locked, but he took several breaths and calmed.
"Ginny... I don't want you to get hurt. It was wrong of me to try and control you, but really, at least let them try to find her before you storm off." Harry said softly, knowing there was no way to win this fight. Ginny looked down at her shoes, letting him wrap his arms around her before sighing.
"Okay..."
The adults were watching with shocked faces. Never before had they seen an argument between two people be resolved so easily, and in less than two minutes. They'd thought Harry was going to get slapped the moment Ginny let loose her anger. But know, the two were just standing with their arms around each other, all anger dissipated.
But deep in Ginny's mind, where even Harry couldn't reach through the Bond, she made a plan.