The first thing Katie noticed upon seeing Harry again was that, over the past two months of summer, he had grown really cute. It was strange for her to admit, given that he was her best friend, but she couldn't deny it. Though, she didn't really know what about him had changed, but suddenly, he was attractive.
"How has your summer been?"
It took a few moments for Harry's question to register with Katie's brain. When it did register, she snapped her slightly agape mouth shut and shook her head.
"Good. I've been staying with Hermione." she said quickly.
Ron and Hermione looked on at Katie suspiciously but they both decided it was best not to say anything. Katie and Harry then joined everyone else at the table, and soon they were all eating and engaged in pleasant conversation.
"So," Katie began as she gulped down a mouthful of food. "You blew up your Aunt?"
"I didn't do it on purpose." Harry defended himself snappily.
"Mhm." Katie hummed sarcastically.
Harry let out an offended noise and hit Katerina's arm with the back of his hand. "I mean it!"
"All right, all right..." Katie giggled. "But how did you manage to blow up your Aunt?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"Really, I don't. She started bad-mouthing my parents. I told her to shut up and before I knew it she was... well... blown up, and she sort of flew out the back door."
"Epic." Ron butt in, earning himself a stomp on the foot from an agitated Hermione.
"You're lucky you weren't expelled!" she said seriously. Katie hid her uncontrollable giggles behind her glass of pumpkin juice. "Don't think I can't see you laughing, Katerina Blair."
Katie's cheeks flushed pink and Harry smirked at her. She kicked him in the shin and he let out a great wail of pain and clutched his leg.
"Children!" Mrs Weasley cried. Ron snickered and pumpkin juice squirted out of his nose, which sent the remaining kids (Katie, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Chris and Leo) into fits of hysterical laughter.
"All right, all right!" Mrs Weasley snapped. "Time for the cake."
Katie's blood ran cold and she felt herself grow lightheaded.
"I swear if you start singing happy birthday—" But before Katie could finish her sentence, a waiter was already making his was over to the table carrying a chocolate cake. The group broke into a chorus of happy birthday. Katie grew hot from the inside out and her cheeks shone a deep crimson colour. She buried her face in Harry's shoulder.
"This is a nightmare." she muttered. Harry was the only one who heard her and he laughed at her misery.
***
The rest of the day was, in Katie's eyes, perfect. They all went shopping together and Katie got to spend a day with her best friends. The parents suggested that they get school supplies while they were out, and the students agreed.
Harry and Ron got separated from the group pretty early on in the shopping spree. Mrs Weasley whisked Hermione and Ginny away to buy books (Mr and Mrs Granger nervously followed behind Mrs Weasley, not wanting to get lost in the Wizarding World). This left Katie alone with her family.
"Why don't we go to Ollivander's and get Leo's wand?" Mrs Blair suggested. Chris let out a long groan.
"Can I please go get ice cream?" he moaned in annoyance.
"Absolutely not," Mr Blair snapped, "You've eaten enough junk today. Any more and you might blow up."
"Like Harry's aunt." Chris muttered under his breath, making Katie snort. Mrs Blair had also heard Christian's comment. She shot a warning glare in the direction of her eldest child before whisking Leo and her husband off towards Ollivander's. Katie and Chris exchanged side wards glances. Their faces were glowing red from the effort of trying to contain spontaneous fits of giggles.
***
It didn't take Leo long to find his wand. Two tries, to be exact, and the only thing that he had managed to break was a glass of water. Katie scanned Ollivander's shop through narrowed, curious eyes. Every time her pearly grey eyes landed on the wrinkled face of the famous Ollivander, the moment played over and over in her head, the moment that occurred the day she purchased her wand, the moment that she had since forgotten about.
"13 1/2 inches, yew, dragon heartstring core... That wand is almost identical to your fathers."
"Really?"
"Yes, oh my goodness yes. The only difference is the core."
"Wow, you really do remember everyone..."
"No, not everyone, Miss Blair. I remember every wand. But your father, now he wouldn't be one I would forget. From the moment he walked through those doors I knew he was going to be a trouble maker. And what a trouble maker he was. I'm telling you, he was quite the wizard... Not necessarily a good one, but he was something."
"Mr Ollivander, sir, what do you mean was? My father isn't dead."
As the Blairs made for the door, Katie and Ollivander's gazes met one final time. A mysterious twinkle flashed through Ollivander's eyes. Katie blinked, and the twinkle was gone as soon as it had appeared. She shook her head frantically as an effort to try and clear her head, but to no avail. Mr Ollivander's words from two years ago had finally come back to haunt the young girl. She made a snappy decision that she needed closure.
"Dad?" she asked, skipping slightly to catch up to her father.
"Mhm?"
Katie gulped and, before she even had time to think about it, the words were rolling off her tongue. "Uhm, what's your wand made from?"
"Ash, I believe. The core is dragon heartstring. About 12 inches. Why do you ask?"
An uncomfortable, icy shiver ran down Katerina's spine.
"The only difference is the core."
She faked a smile and swallowed the huge lump in her throat. "Just wondering."
***
"Come on, Ron, hurry on now. We don't have much time for goodbyes."
Mrs Weasley was ushering her son towards his friends so that he could bid them goodbye before they met again on September 1st. The red-head awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
"I mean, I'll see you all again in a month. That is, unless Sirius Black snatches me—"
"Ronald Weasley!" Molly shrieked in horror. Her cry made the children wince in pain. "Don't you dare joke about that ever again! That is not a laughing matter!"
Harry chuckled, but Katie's mind had drifted somewhere other than humorous distractions. She turned, her pale face stricken with terror, to face her older brother.
"Sirius Black?" she whispered. Raw fear was all that could be heard in the teenager's voice. "He's... out?"
Christian gulped harshly but did not respond, though his fearful eyes spoke louder than any string of words ever could. Katie's eyes drifted towards her parents, who looked just as terrified as her brother.
"Why haven't I heard about this?" Katie quizzed, her voice still cold with fear. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"We only found out the other day," Mrs Blair began, stepping towards her daughter. "We decided to wait until today to tell you.. And, Katerina, dear, we done a lot of thinking, and your father and I decided that it would be best to cut your visit to the Grangers short."
Although she was saddened and somewhat angered by the news that she was missing out on her last week at Hermione's house, Katie could not bring herself to react. Thoughts of Sirius Black, the man who murdered both twelve innocent muggles and his own best friend in cold blood, the man so terrible that he had been sent away to Azkaban to rot, thoughts of that man escaping clouded Katerina's head.
"Well, this is going to be one hell of a school year." Chris said.