When Ron stormed out of the tent, he left behind his battery-operated radio. Every night, Harry and Hermione listened in to hear the list of deaths that were called out on the news. Not once did they hear a name that meant anything to them or they recognised, but still, they listened intently.
Wind whistled outside their tent as snow fell heavily to the earth. The pair of Gryffindors were sat in chairs opposite each other and were staring at the radio, which was reading out the list of names of the recently deceased. Harry had given Hermione his blanket and she curled her legs up onto the chair, her knees hugged close to her chest, two blankets wrapped around her. Harry was cold but he would not admit that to her. He had dragged her along on this quest, after all, and after Ron and Katie walked out, he was determined to keep Hermione as comfortable as possible. He could not lose her too.
"Lara Farrell, Anne Horton," the voice over the radio said, reading the list of names of the dead. "Joseph Williams, David Smith, Katerina Blair..."
Harry and Hermione both felt their hearts stop. Simultaneously, they both looked up, their eyes met and welled with tears. Hermione's expression was full of grief and her tears began to fall like a waterfall. Harry's expression, however, was completely unfathomable. He did not cry, at least not until he had stood up and wordlessly left the tent.
At first, Hermione made no effort to follow him. She thought that he wanted to be alone, but then she remembered how Harry could often be reckless and, quite frankly, stupid, and letting him wander alone through a dark, snowy wood in the depths of the night was definitely not wise. She threw off her blankets and followed him outside. The wind whipped around her and tangled her hair in her face, and the thick snowfall was almost impossible to see through. She could just about see Harry's dark silhouette some ten feet away. He was aimlessly kicking away piles of snow with his feet, completely disregarding the fact that he was shivering from head to toe and his fingers were going numb. As far as he was concerned, numbness would be better than the pain he was feeling in the moment.
"Harry?" Hermione called out.
Whether or not her words were carried away by the wind and Harry did not hear her, or he had simply ignored her, Hermione did not know. But as she drew closer to him, he cast his gaze over his shoulder. When he saw her, he hastily disappeared into the trees.
Hermione helplessly glanced between the tent and the dark mass of trees and then, sighing heavily, she followed Harry, rubbing her arms to keep herself warm.
Harry had sat himself on a large rock by the edge of a frozen pond. As far as Hermione could tell, he was not crying, but he looked very despondent. Hermione sat next to him on the rock, hoping that he wouldn't take off again. Thankfully, he didn't. In fact, he actually inched closer to her, seeking warmth and comfort, and a reminder that he had not lost everyone that he loved.
"Harry?" Hermione repeated.
Harry sniffled. He tried to keep it discreet but Hermione still heard.
"I never told her, Hermione." Harry choked out, his voice cracking. Hermione felt her heart clench and she wrapped her arm around her friend, allowing him to lean his head on her shoulder.
Hermione did not know it, but Harry could still hear what she thought were her silent tears.
***
"Do it." Bellatrix ordered.
No matter how tightly Katie gripped her wand, her hand was too sweaty and it was sliding from her clutches. Her entire upper body was trembling, and that did not excuse her arm.
The little, white rabbit was casually sniffing the floor, which Katie was sure smelled strongly of polish. It's nose and ears twitched — it looked so carefree. The creature had no idea what was about to happen to it.
"I — I can't." Katie stammered, biting back tears.
"Do it!" Bellatrix shouted. Katie winced.
Heart racing, she shut her eyes tight and cried, hesitantly, "Avada Kedavra!"
There was a flash of green light and a panicked squeak, and Katie knew that the rabbit was dead. She did not dare to open her eyes.
"Look at you," Bellatrix spat. "You can't even kill a stupid animal without crying. Pathetic."
"Maybe I'll test the curse on you next." Katie bit back. She finally opened her eyes but kept them firmly focused on the witch before her, rather than the motionless ball of fluff that lay by her feet.
Bellatrix's nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed. For a moment, she opened her mouth to say something, but then she seemed to remember that Katie was Voldemort's daughter, and were she to hurt the teenager, she would suffer Voldemort's wrath. Katie shivered. She still did not like the price she had to pay for this protection from the Death Eaters.
Without being dismissed, Katie side-stepped the dead rabbit and left the grand room. Then, she sprinted up the stairs and through the halls, much to the disapproval of the Malfoy portraits, who all tutted in annoyance. Katie slammed her bedroom door shut and threw herself on to her bed, allowing herself to finally cry.
Maybe Bellatrix was right, maybe she was pathetic, but she did not see how anyone could hurt a harmless, defencless animal. Over and over again, the squeak of terror that the rabbit gave before it died rang through her head. She did not notice the bedroom door open until someone spoke.
"Rina?"
Her blood began to boil and she sat up, wiping her eyes on her sleeves. Draco stood in the doorway, a newspaper clutched in one hand, a cup of tea in the other. He was frowning at Katie.
"What do you want?" Katie demanded harshly.
It had been almost a week since Draco's arrival at Malfoy Manor. Today was Christmas Eve. Katie and Draco had not spoken since that fateful night that he came home from Hogwarts, as Katie took perfect care not to find herself in his company. The only time they saw each other was at meals, when Katie would hurriedly eat her food and leave the table before Draco was finished.
"I wanted to show you this." Draco said, waving the newspaper. He set down his tea and handed the paper to Katie, which she snatched from his hands without looking at him. Now that she was holding the paper, she could see that it was the Daily Prophet, and there, emblazoned on the first page was a picture of her in her Yule Ball gown three years before, smiling up at the camera. Christian and Niall had also been in the original photograph, standing on either side of Katie, but the boys had been cropped out and the headline read: KATERINA BLAIR CONFIRMED DEAD.
Katie felt her stomach plummet. Instinctively, she reached up to touch her face, just to ensure that she really was still alive. Apparently, one day, Professor Binns had fallen asleep and when he woke up he simply stepped out of her body and never realised that he had died in his sleep. For a fleeting moment, Katie thought that she might have done the same, but no, she was still very much solid.
She mumbled the article out loud to herself.
"Katerina Blair, the missing seventeen year-old girl has been confirmed by reliable sources to be dead. No details are yet known about the time, whereabouts and cause of her death, but many theorize that she was either killed by Death Eaters, or met her end while on duty for the Death Eaters. It is still unknown where Katerina Blair was during her time as a missing person, though the most common theory seems to suggest that she had joined the affiliation of You-Know-Who. Nevertheless, we can confirm that the girl commonly known as the Slytherin Princess is dead."
The article was short but impactful. Burning questions were pulsing through Katie's mind. Who reported her dead? Why did they report her dead? Had Chris seen this? Or Mr and Mrs Weasley? What if Harry and Hermione heard the news and decided not to come rescue Katie?
It was as though a lightbulb had been flicked on inside Katie's head, illuminating almost all of the answers at once.
Voldemort had seized control of the Ministry, Voldemort decided what was to be printed in the Daily Prophet. Yaxley, one of the Death Eaters, was head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Voldemort must have told him to claim that he had found Katie dead. This way, Harry and Hermione would not come to Malfoy Manor to try and rescue her.
"Oh, so I'm dead now?" Katie laughed coldly, slapping the newspaper down on the floor beside her. She leaned back and started rubbing her temples.
"I just thought you should know." Draco mumbled as he crouched down to pick up the Daily Prophet.
Katie rolled her eyes. "Yes, because my feelings matter to you so much." she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"Actually, yeah, they do," Draco said and Katie shot him a cold glare. "I hear you crying yourself to sleep every night, you know..."
Draco stared down at his feet, which he was tapping together, not daring to meet Katie's eyes, probably out of fear that her stone-cold glare could actually turn him to stone.
"Maybe I'm crying because I'm locked up here and you won't help me get out." Katie hurled. She folded her arms angrily and continued to scowl. If there was anything she did not want in the moment, it was a conversation with Draco, who she was not even on her way to forgiving.
"I just think it's safer for you in here."
Draco's words came out in such a quiet mumble that Katie let them repeat over and over in her head multiple times to ensure that she had heard him right. Then, her emotions began overwhelming her, and she was tearing up again, much to her own distaste. She was so sick of crying.
"Oh, I don't care about being safe!" she cried, jumping to her feet. "Because while I'm in here living in luxury, my friends are out there risking their lives. And if they're even still alive, now they think that I'm dead. Hell, I don't even know if Chris survived the wedding!"
"You know I couldn't help you escape even if I wanted to." Draco said.
Katie glowered at him. "Get out, please."
Draco opened his mouth to say something but Katie had already gotten to her feet and marched towards the violin. Sighing in defeat, Draco left the bedroom.
***
The last place Katerina expected to find herself at Christmas that year was Malfoy Manor. Of course, the whole time she was away with Harry, Ron and Hermione, she hoped that they would have found the Horcruxes by Christmas and be returning to the Burrow for the holidays. She always knew that was unrealistic. If she hadn't been fooled by Voldemort's trap, she would be spending Christmas with Harry and Hermione and not the Malfoys and Bellatrix Lestrange, who were probably her least favourite people in the world.
The last person Katie expected to see on Christmas morning was Lord Voldemort, but to her horror, he was sat at the top of the breakfast table when she arrived. Katie took note of the fact that Draco was staring fixedly at his empty plate, determinedly avoiding looking at Voldemort. His bottom lip was quivering.
"Ah, Katerina," Voldemort hummed and Katie shivered. It made her feel uncomfortable when he used casual and conversational tones. "So nice of you to finally join us."
Without saying a single word, Katie moved to her usual seat beside Lucius but before she could sit down, Voldemort said, "No, no, you'll be sitting there."
He pointed to the seat directly opposite his own. Katie experienced a horrible case of déjà vu as she sat herself across from her father. She avidly avoided his eyes as she began to pick at her food.
"Tell me, Katerina, how is your training coming along?" Voldemort asked.
Katie gulped. She didn't much fancy another somewhat civil conversation with the Dark Lord.
"Good." she said blandly.
Voldemort's eyes surveyed her heavily and she could feel herself shrinking under his gaze.
"Have you learned to preform any of the Unforgivable Curses?"
The memory of the rabbit squeaking and falling dead flashed through Katie's mind and she snapped her eyes shut as an effort to push it out.
"Yes." she said croakily.
Voldemort's mouth twisted into a deranged sort of smile.
"Show me," he said and Katie felt a shiver run down her spine. She already knew what was about to happen before Voldemort even gave the order. "Katerina and Draco, stand in the centre of the room. Katerina, you will preform the Cruciatus Curse on Draco and only lift the spell when I say."
Katie was sure her heart stopped beating.
Everyone at the table stiffened, including Bellatrix. The colour drained from Narcissa's face at such an alarming rate that Katie was afraid she was going to pass out at any moment. Trembling from head to toe, Narcissa left her seat and rushed from the room. For a fleeting moment, Voldemort reached for his wand, but he seemed to show pity for the woman and allowed her to leave.
"Well?" Voldemort said, his eyes flickering between Katie and Draco, who were avidly avoiding each other's gaze.
Draco stood up first, albeit slowly, and somehow made it to the centre of the room despite the fact that his legs were shaking tremendously. Katie never thought she would be caught dead asking Lucius Malfoy for help, but she looked to him, her eyes pleading with him to do something — anything — but he was staring fixedly at the table below him.
There was no getting out of this situation. Even if Draco was to help her, they could not take down Voldemort. Besides, the prophecy said that Harry had to do it.
And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.
As Katie walked across the floor, she drew her wand with a shaking hand, then she paused about ten feet in front of Draco and finally looked up to meet his eyes. His silver irises were swimming with terror, but he showed no signs of wanting to flee. He, too, knew that they had no way out of this.
Blood pounded in Katie's ears, drowning out all surrounding sounds so that she could barely hear Voldemort screaming, "Do it!"
"Yes, Katerina dear, do it."
Katie's blood ran cold. Of course she recognised that voice. She swivelled around and saw her — lengthy dark blonde hair, evil grey eyes, a twisted smile, a face that looked young despite her age of fifty seven.
"Maria," Voldemort said. "So nice of you to join us."
"Well, I couldn't miss by daughter's admission to your ranks, now, could I?" Maria simpered, her glittering eyes boring into mine. Katie swallowed harshly. An overwhelming sense of rage was boiling up inside of her. Her hand stopped shaking and she held her wand steadily by her side.
"What do you mean?" Katie demanded. "I'm not jointing the Death Eaters."
Maria cackled — a sound that made chills run down Katie's spine. "Of course you are, but first, you have to kill someone. Only killing can truly strip you of your humanity."
Mr Malfoy made an odd and involuntary jerking motion. He seemed to understand the situation just as Katie did. She cast her gaze over her shoulder and looked back and Draco. He, like his mother, appeared to be on the verge of fainting.
"My Lord—" Lucius whispered but Voldemort silenced him by simply raising his skeletal-like hand.
Voldemort got to his feet and the room seemed to grow darker, despite the fact that none of the lights went out.
"You know the spell, Katerina," Voldemort said quietly as he slowly paced towards her. She wanted to step back away from him, to cower, but she wouldn't give in, no matter how terrifying his snake-like face and blood-red eyes were. "Kill the boy and you will unleash your true power. You will be unstoppable."
"No." Katie shook her head defiantly, blinking away the tears that were beginning to cloud her vision.
"It's not that hard, dear," Maria hummed. "In fact, you might even find you enjoy it. I know I enjoyed killing your father and your brother. They were both useless, anyway, and it was quite the sight to watch the light fade from their eyes."
In one, swift movement, so quick that Maria did not have time to process the situation and defend, Katie yelled, "Confringo!"
The floor in front of Maria exploded and, screaming, she was blasted backwards some twenty feet, slamming into the wall and sliding to the floor. Rubble and dust cascaded through the room, and when it cleared, Katie could see that Lucius and Bellatrix had gotten to their feet and were cowering against the wall. Bellatrix had taken out her wand.
Maria was slumped over, bleeding and groaning, but she still clung tightly to her wand and she was still very much conscious. Katie wasn't going to give her a chance to fight back.
"Expelliarmus!"
Maria's wand soared from her hand and Katie caught it from the air. She then advanced on her mother and no one in the room was stopping her — not even Voldemort, which Katie thought was odd, but she did not dwell on it. All she could focus on was the burning anger that was flooding her brain.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you." Katie growled through gritted teeth.
Despite her dazed state, Maria managed to smile wickedly.
"You don't have the stomach." Maria spat. Katie's grip on her wand was so tight that her knuckles were turning white. Behind her, Voldemort laughed: cold, maniacal laughter, and Maria looked just as horror-stricken as Katie felt.
"Yes, Katerina," Voldemort praised. From the closeness of his voice, Katie could tell that he was right behind her, but she did not glance back to confirm. "Now, kill her."
What scared Katie the most was the fact that, even when her eyes locked with her mother's she felt no remorse. Memories of their family holidays and happy moments in her childhood flashed through her mind, and still, when she looked into the petrified eyes of Maria Blair, all she could see were the windows to the soul of the woman who had taken everything from her.
"My — my Lord..." Maria stammered anxiously. Clearly, she had not been expecting to be the one that would be used to, as Voldemort put it, unleash Katie's true power. "You — you can't. Please..."
"You said it yourself, Maria," Voldemort said. "Katerina must kill to truly become a Dark witch, and who better to kill than her own mother? She hates you, oh yes, but murdering the woman who raised her — the deed will split her soul to the bone."
"But, my Lord," Maria pleaded. Her eyes were alive with terror. "Haven't I been loyal to you all these years? Have I not been your most faithful servant?"
"I no longer have any use for you," Voldemort hissed maliciously and Katie saw her mother flinch. "You gave me the child I desired — the new heir of Slytherin, she will be more powerful than you, Maria. Perhaps her powers may almost match mine. You are worth nothing to me anymore, Maria. Your death will be meaningless."
Yet, Katie still hesitated. She felt a cold hand brush her hair and the side of her cheek and she shivered.
"You have her right where you want her, Katerina," Voldemort mused quietly. "Let us not forget that this is the woman who murdered your father and your little brother Leo in cold blood. Surely, now that you have your chance, you would want revenge?"
"Rina..." Draco croaked from behind her. Katie's heart missed a beat and her wand dropped an inch. "Don't."
"You dare defy me, boy?" Voldemort shouted and Katie jumped slightly. Draco said nothing more and Katie was reminded of how she begged him not to kill Dumbledore on top of the Astronomy Tower.
A blinding pain filled Katie's head and she was swirling through darkness.
She landed in the living room of her old home. Anthony Blair was there, his eyes burning with anger and he was shouting at a woman whose face Katie could now see clearly. Maria Blair was grinning evilly down at her husband. She raised her wand, there was a flash of green light, and he dropped dead.
Katie fell through darkness again.
Now, she was in the Department of Mysteries. Sirius was duelling Bellatrix. A jet of red light hit him squarely in the chest, his body curved, and he sank backwards through the Veil.
Darkness again — a rushing of wind in her ears.
She was still in the Department of Mysteries. Leo had just broken free of the Imperius Curse. Their mother materialised a few feet in front of them and cast the Killing Curse. Leo fell limp in Katie's arms.
"STOP IT!" Katie screamed and she forced Voldemort out of her head.
Her scream seemed to shake the entire room. The chandelier above shuddered and swayed threateningly. Fuelled only by rage, Katie aimed her wand directly at Maria's chest and, ignoring Draco's pleads, she cast the spell.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A burst of green light illuminated the room. Maria Blair took one last breath, then her body slumped lifelessly against the wall and she moved no more.