Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.
Chapter 2
A Kidnapping in Godric's Hollow
Harry and Katharine laid next to each other in silence as they waited for Ron and Hermione, who were supposed to be arriving together since Hermione had stayed at the Burrow the night before. Katharine was staring up at the blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds, the kind that look like cotton candy. It was a hot day, but the slight breeze made it mostly bearable. Harry enjoyed the heat... Katharine, no so much. She would much rather be playing in snow right now.
With no sign of them yet, Katharine closed her eyes and sighed. Finally, after about an hour of no movement or silence, Harry was the first to break it.
He rolled over onto his side and watched her with a smile. Feeling his eyes on her, she opened hers and turned her head to look at him. She faintly returned his smile.
Harry then sighed and rolled back onto his back. "So, what have you been thinking about while we've been in this incredibly long silence?" He asked in a bored tone.
Katharine, still watching Harry, answered him in the same tone.
"Fifth year."
"Again? Kat, aren't you getting tired of reliving that year?" Harry asked, facing her again.
"Yes. But, I can't help it. I was so mean to Dumbledore and for no reason. I don't think I ever forgave him." She said thinking back yet again.
"You had good reason to be mean, you know." Harry supported.
"Not really. I don't think anyone ever deserves that kind of degrading. I wish I had apologized to him before it was too late. It's stupid too, because it took me a year to finally realize that... I don't think I'll ever forgive myself." Katharine closed her eyes again, holding back tears, and attempted to sound happy. "But hey, I can't change that now, can I?"
Harry shrugged.
"Anyway, what were you thinking about in our incredibly long silence?" Katharine changed the subject. She knew he didn't enjoy talking about Dumbledore since he had passed.
Surprisingly, Harry chuckled.
"I was actually thinking about when I kissed you in the rain. Then I thought about how sick you and I were the next day... That wasn't too fun." He said, smiling at the memory.
"I don't know about that. I kind of enjoyed being in the Hospital Wing alone with you for two days," she said, not mimicking his smile.
"True," he laughed. "But, I still think that it was a bit ridiculous when Madam Pomfrey was more than capable of curing us in a second."
Now she laughed, "Yeah, but don't you remember what Pomfrey told us?"
"Yeah. She told us that it was our fault for getting sick in the first place and that we were foolish to stay out in the cold rain for so long." Harry nodded. "Old fart." He mumbled.
"Harry!" Katharine shrieked, slapping him on the arm and sitting up and crossing her ankles. "Besides, like I said, I enjoyed being in the Hospital Wing with you. It finally gave us a chance to talk."
Harry sat up too and leaned his elbows on his legs. "Yeah, me too... So where are those two gits, anyway?"
"Is that how you refer to us when we're not around?"
Harry and Katharine snapped their heads to the left, where they heard the familiar voice. Sure enough, Ron and Hermione were walking towards them, their trunks alongside them.
"So, now what?" Ron asked as he approached Harry.
"Well, I guess I'll say goodbye to the Dursleys first." Harry walked up to the front door and opened it just enough so that he could stick his head through. Katharine could faintly hear the television on and heard his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley all laughing at something on it.
"I'm leaving now and you all will never have to see me again!" Harry shouted.
Harry then slammed the door shut and beamed with excitement as he joined his three friends. He then pulled out his wand and transformed all of their trunks into inch size trunks. Hermione eyed him.
"What?" he asked.
"We aren't supposed to use magic yet. Not until we've graduated our seventh year, which we will never do..."
"Hermione, will you relax? Do you think we really care if we aren't allowed to use magic? Now, we all know that you are the smartest person in the world, but do you honestly have to rub it in?" Ron said with an eye brow quirked up.
Hermione scowled at him, "I was not rubbing in my intelligence!"
Harry and Katharine exchanged a quick glance and suddenly burst into laughter. Ron and Hermione stopped glaring at each other and exchanged their glares upon the two laughing teens.
"What?" Ron and Hermione synchronized.
"When will you two ever confess your feelings for each other and stop trying to hide your flirts behind bickering?" Harry asked.
For once Ron nor Hermione had any kind of feed-back to Harry's question. They instantly flushed, which wasn't normal. Usually they would be chewing their way down Harry's throat for saying something like that.
"Well, whenever you two are finished blushing until your cheeks can't get any redder, we will be on our way," Katharine said, grinning wildly.
"Right." Ron said grabbing the inch-sized trunks and shoving them into his jeans' pocket. Hermione, still blushing, tried to hide her face under her bushy hair.
"Anyway, where are we going? Are we just planning to keep walking and see where we end up?" Katharine asked as they walked down Privet Drive.
"Well you know, in Sirius' will, he gave me the key to my mum and dad's cottage in Godric's Hollow. I was thinking maybe we could stay there while we search. That's about all I've really planned out..." Harry muttered the last bit, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Harry. Voldemort knows exactly where that cottage lies, obviously. I mean, we all know that. You don't think he's going to look there again?" Hermione asked. "Oh Ron, please get a grip." She added as Ron winced at the name. Katharine found herself very proud of Hermione for finding the courage to say his name.
"I agree with Hermione, Harry. Voldemort isn't stupid at everything he does. He'll check there again. It will most likely be his first stop." Katharine said.
"Ah," Harry said raising his index finger for more emphasis, "but I don't think that he will do that. What I think, is that Voldemort will think that we will think that exact thing and he will think that we will be afraid that he will check there for us first. So, I think that Voldemort thinks that we will not stay there because we think he thinks that." Harry said broadly.
Ron, utterly and clearly confused, held his chin in his hand and seemed to ponder what Harry had said. Hermione simply rolled her eyes.
"Erm, right… But, I still agree with Hermione." Katharine said shrugging off Harry's very confusing speech.
"Well, lets stay there just for tonight and we'll look for another place to stay tomorrow, alright? Then we can begin our search after we find another place." Harry confirmed.
"Alright." Katharine and Hermione agreed.
There was a short moment of silence.
"Harry… I don't get it!" Ron said obviously very frustrated.
The three laughed and shook their heads at Ron's delayed skills.
"How are we getting there, anyway?" Hermione asked.
"Um… walking…" Harry said.
"Oh, this will be fun…"
At least a few hours had passed by now and they didn't really seemed to have made any progress.
"Harry, obviously walking isn't getting us anywhere near Godric's Hollow." Katharine said as if no one else had noticed.
"You might want to take that back after we turn this corner," Harry replied.
Just as Harry had said, she did want to take that back. As they turned the corner, there was a long dirt road and a wooden sign saying 'Godric's Hollow'.
Harry smirked at Kat and she scoffed at him.
The group began another long walk up the dirt path. They started walking up a small hill, where they could make out the roof of a small cottage. Then they could see a few more roofs. They finally got up to the top of the hill and looked around into the huge valley. It was funny because it kind of reminded Katharine of the World Cup they went to in their fourth year, only with small cottages scattered everywhere instead of tents. It looked like a very nice, cozy village. There, of course, weren't quite as many cottages as there were tents at the World Cup, but there were a fair few.
"So," Ron said. "It looks very nice here. Do you know where their cottage is?" he asked.
"Yeah. It's supposed to have it's very own pathway and a gate. I'm guessing that it's up on that hill." Harry pointed to the small hill opposite them.
"Oh great. Another hill." Ron complained.
"Oh, hush up Ron." Hermione said.
They followed the dirt path through the village and up the small hill. A few people peeked out of their windows and watched them curiously. At the top of the hill, like Harry had said, there was a small gate and stepping stones that led to the front door of a completely wooden fence lined cottage. It was a wood framed cottage mixed with some rustic looking stone and had two wooden chairs on the porch as well.
"Are you ready for this?" Katharine asked Harry.
"Yes," he said confidently.
They slowly walked up to the gate. Harry pulled the latch out and the gate swung open. The three followed him up to the front door once Ron closed and latched the gate behind them. They stepped up the three steps and everyone paused as Harry fumbled for the key. Harry pushed the key into the the antique looking door knob and swung it open, revealing a small entrance hall. Kathrine was surprised to see that there was furniture everywhere looking like it had never been touched. She thought it would have been empty. The place was a bit dusty, but not bad.
Harry stepped forward into the entrance hall and Ron, Katharine, and Hermione followed. The whole house was wood floored. They all looked around explored each room. Hermione and Harry looked at the pictures along the entrance hall while Katharine and Ron walked around the house. Katharine walked straight into the living room and Ron turned right into the dining room. The living room couches were a soft green with a wooden table in between them. There was a vase full of dried flowers on the table and to the left there was a staircase leading upstairs. There was a door on the right and Katharine expected it to be the bathroom.
The dining room had a wooden table with four chairs around it and there was a red and brown rug underneath it. Ron turned left and walked into the kitchen. The countertops were a speckled brown and gold with wood cabinets.
Harry looked at all of the happy photos of him and his parents. He smiled at the picture of his mum holding him with his dad kissing his mum on the cheek. He then looked at his mum and dad's wedding picture of just the two of them. He then glanced at a few more pictures with Sirius and other people in them too. They were all waving and smiling at him and Hermione.
Katharine turned left and walked up the stairs where there was a window at the end of it. She stepped up the last step and turned right around and walked down the hallway. She came to an open doorway and walked in finding herself in a very nice cozy bedroom that looked like a guest room.
She turned around and walked back down the hallway and opened a door to her right which was the bathroom. She shut the door and walked down the rest of the hallway. She turned left and opened the last door that was on the second floor. Katharine guessed that it was Harry's parent's bedroom. She turned the knob and the door creaked open. There was a king sized bed at the right end of the room and there was Harry's baby crib on the left end. There was also a wardrobe straight ahead. A plain and simple house, it seemed.
She heard someone, most likely Ron, cry in disgust from down stairs. She tore her eyes away from the baby crib and headed downstairs.
Upon entering the kitchen, she immediately burst into laughter when she saw the three of them plugging their noses with absolutely disgusted looks on their faces.
"What happened?" She snorted.
"There is sixteen years of expired food in this fridge! I'm surprised the whole house isn't smelling!" Ron shrieked.
"Here, I'll clear it all." Katharine said walking over to the fridge, plugging her nose before she got a draft of it herself. She muttered a spell and waved her wand. In the blink of an eye, the food and smell was gone.
"Thank goodness." Ron breathed.
They all laughed. Then Harry spoke up.
"Well, I'm so tired. How about you guys?"
"I'm exhausted." Hermione cried.
"Well, there are two bedrooms upstairs. Your parent's room and a guest's room. Hermione and I can sleep in the guest's room," Katharine said.
"Sounds good to me. Hell, the floor even sounds good to me," Ron sighed.
"Same here," Harry agreed.
"Here are your trunks." Ron handed them all their tiny trunks.
Finally, they all headed up the stairs to bed. Hermione and Ron went to their own rooms after exchanging an awkward wave goodnight. Harry and Katharine chuckled together at their two ridiculous friends before giving each other a kiss goodnight and heading off to their separate rooms.
"Alright now, Harry. This is getting ridiculous. You said that we'd be out of here two weeks ago! Harry, Voldemort is bound to find us sooner or later!" Katharine argued with him.
"Well, he hasn't found us yet now has he? I've been looking for a place to stay and haven't found one yet. I'm sorry!" Harry said.
The four had all been searching occasionally for the three Horcruxes but with no luck. They had been staying in the cottage for over two weeks now and Katharine was starting to get worried. Either Ron and Hermione or Harry and Katharine would sneak off together to the market under the Invisibility Cloak to "steal" food.. It couldn't really be called stealing though because they would leave enough muggle money on the counter. Also, shortly after they had arrived, Kat and Hermione had given the house a thorough cleaning... But now, Katharine had a feeling that it was time to leave.
"What? Are you looking for some huge mansion for us to stay in? Harry, I have a feeling Voldemort already knows we're here, so I think we need to leave now!"
"Listen, Kat, I think Harry would know if Voldemort had a hunch of where we're staying. Right, Harry?" Ron interrupted.
"Um, yeah. I most likely would have a feeling or a dream perhaps, maybe even my scar would burn. But, I haven't had one yet so that's a good sign, right?"
"Whatever, Harry."
That night, Hermione and Katharine made sandwiches for them all. They ate them in the dining room together but with Harry and Katharine not speaking to each other. Ron was busy explaining a bit more about Quidditch to Hermione, but that was all Kat had gotten out of it before zoning out. Harry would occasionally look up at Kat, but she ignored him.
"Well, I'm off to bed," she suddenly said. Harry's eyebrows furrowed at her.
"At nine o' clock?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, I'm tired all of a sudden."
"Well, I'll probably be up there in a half hour or so…" Hermione called after her.
"Alright," she said from the kitchen as she put her plate in the sink.
She climbed the stairs and went to hers and Hermione's bedroom. She changed into her pajama shirt and pants and jumped into bed. She turned her end table light out and snuggled up under the covers. She really was tired. Sitting around, doing nothing seemed to make one more tired than actually doing something. So within minutes, she fell asleep. She felt Hermione come in at some point, but she didn't say anything to her.
A few hours later, Katharine suddenly had a very strange feeling that someone was watching her and her eyes shot open. She looked around and realized that no one was there. Deciding that she was thirsty, she grabbed her wand out of habit and got up out of bed very quietly.
Shoving her wand in her pajama pocket, she checked her watch as she climbed down the stairs. It was only one thirty and she felt wide awake. The moon was shining through the windows enough for Katharine to see where she was walking. She went into the kitchen and grabbed her cup on the counter, filling it up in the sink with water. She gulped down the glass and placed it on the counter.
As soon as she turned around, she suddenly thought she saw a pair of eyes in the dark dining room. She moved a little closer suspiciously and instantly knew she saw a set of silver-blue eyes and that she was fucked.
As if it happened in fast forward, a man suddenly lunged at her and covered her mouth before she could scream. He pushed her and they both tumbled to the floor, Katharine's head colliding with the floor first, dazing her slightly. Unfortunately, they didn't make enough noise when they hit the floor. He laid on top of her as she struggled with all of her might, trying to ignore the stars flying around her vision. She couldn't see his face because of how dark it was on the floor. She struggled and screamed but her screaming only turned into muffled groans.
She suddenly felt a wand stab her left side. She groaned in pain and laid still.
"Very good. Thank you," said the man very coldly, still lying on top of her. "Now, Parker, you will listen to me very carefully and if you don't, you will only make matters more difficult and we don't want them more difficult than they already are." The man said.
But she knew that voice only too well.
"Mafo!" she shrieked but it was no use as it just turned into some made up word from his hand pressed to her mouth.
It was Draco Malfoy and she suddenly felt his hand down the pocket of her pants. She struggled even more as he pulled out her beloved wand. He then jabbed her even harder in the side with his wand again. She moaned in pain, knowing that would leave a bruise.
"Like I said, please don't make matters anymore difficult than they already are. If you do, there will be consequences. Or you know what? Better yet, I'll just cast a silencing charm on you." He said deviously. "Silencio!" he whispered.
"Argh!" she yelled but nothing came out. She would not let him take her; she would not go with him willingly. She struggled and fought and kicked and punched, but all of her attempts failed. Was it just her or had he beefed up over the summer?
Finally she somehow rolled out from under him and scrambled to her feet. She didn't get very far though... He apparently had very quick reflexes and grabbed hold of her ankle, bringing her back down to the floor.
"That's it!" he said in rage, as he leaped on top of her again. He stabbed her with his wand and muttered a spell, and she instantly was bound in some kind of rubber rope, making it impossible for her to move.
After finally having her under control, Malfoy grabbed her roughly, hoisted her up, and threw her over his shoulder.
As he quietly opened the front door, Katharine looked up momentarily as he was turned around to shut the door. An instant jolt of fear swept through her body and she knew she was done for.
There, at the end of the wooden gate was Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange.
"So? How did it go?" Snape asked impatiently as Malfoy carried Kat over to them.
"Much easier than I thought. Potter, Weasley, and Granger haven't suspected a thing," Malfoy smirked.
"Excellent. Let's go then. We don't want to keep Master waiting," Lestrange squealed. Then Katharine heard the distinct "crack" as Lestrange Disapparated.
"Well, you go first, Draco." Snape said.
Malfoy pulled out his wand and changed his holding position of Katharine into cradling her in his arms. Keeping her eyes away from Snape, she quickly glanced around Malfoy's arm at the cottage that she practically pleaded with her eyes to wake up and come and save her... And then her world started spinning.
She found that when someone is carrying you, it is much more nauseating to Disapparate. Finally, they landed hard as Malfoy's feet hit the ground, nearly giving her whiplash. He smirked down at her and proceeded down some long and dark corridor.
It felt moldy and soggy in the corridor they were in and she guessed that they were underground because there were absolutely no windows. There were a few lit candles hanging on the walls, but it wasn't enough light by means.
Malfoy turned left and walked down another corridor and then stopped in front of a big stone door.
He set Katharine down on her feet and took the silencing spell and the binding spell off of her. She didn't run and didn't scream because she knew that it would be totally pointless.
Malfoy suddenly wrapped his arm around her neck and opened the door.
The room looked just like the corridors did only there was a big chair in the middle of the room with the back facing them.
She knew whom was in it. She could feel his presence.
Malfoy dragged her over to face the front of the chair and threw her down in front of it. He then stumbled back into a corner and said coldly, "Here she is, my Lord."
Afraid to look up, Katharine stared at the floor.
"Oh, and here so soon?" Came the very same icy voice she once heard two and a half years ago...
"Look at me, child." He then demanded.
Katharine didn't budge.
"I said look at me!"
She then felt an unbelievable amount of force under her chin, making her head rise uncontrollably. She was forced to look right into his red eyes... And once again, she hated to admit that fear suddenly swept over her. For some reason, she was scared of Voldemort more now than she ever had been before. Maybe it was because she was alone, or maybe it was because she did not have her wand... For whatever reason, she knew that she was now helpless and there was nothing more she could do.
