A/N: Okay. Seriously. The Bar Exam sucks y'all. Planning a wedding while studying for the Bar? I wouldn't call it the worst idea I've ever had, but it ranks right up there. My only consolation was the enjoyment I derived in writing this chapter.
It's a bit of a slow start, but I had a little foundational work to do. I wrote and re-wrote a few scenes and scrapped some stuff. But overall I'm happy with the end product. Big thanks for everyone who has favorited and followed In Other News! Review and I'll send you Ian Haynes all wrapped up in Fourth of July themed ribbon!
I listened to "Dreams" covered by Gabrielle Aplin & Bastille and "Help Me Close My Eyes" by Those Dancing Days while writing this chapter! Seriously though, "Dreams" is a-m-a-z-i-n-g.
Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I sure as hell wouldn't be studying for the Bar.
In Other News - Chapter 1
In Which Fred Gets a Verbal Lashing
August 31, 1995
London, England
Textbooks. They sat on the foot of George's bed, providing yet another wholly depressing reminder that tomorrow as coming way too fast for his taste. The only comfort he took from looking at the stack of used and battered books was that he had almost no plans in the way of actually reading them. Schoolwork would just serve as a distraction from the real purpose of going back to school this year.
Fred walked past George's bed and picked up Standard Book of Spells – Year 7, examining the thick tome with an open expression of disgust. "Remind me again why we're going back this year? It would be so easy to just bail on the train and go set up shop early."
George ruffled his red hair and fought the urge to sigh. By now he'd lost count of the number of times they'd had this conversation. Sometimes George felt as though he'd spend an inordinately large fraction of his summer talking Fred out of his varying and increasingly wild plans of escape. By now he could repeat the points of Fred's argument without having to hear the entire spiel. Yes, George knew they were of age and could do whatever they damn well wanted. Yes, George knew had enough money to go set up shop in Diagon Alley. Yes, George also knew that they'd found the ideal location. Yes, George knew that school was an utter waste of time, one didn't need N.E. to set up a joke business. And yes, George also knew that their parents were going to be mad no matter what they decided to do.
"Because," said George on a sigh. "For one, school is the ideal ground for market research. Two, its not like business in Diagon Alley will be great shakes at the start of a school year. And three, there are some people that we both rather like spending time with that we wouldn't see otherwise."
Shrugging his shoulders, Fred dropped the transfiguration book back on the pile. The imbalance caused the whole thing to topple over, sliding across George's bedspread. "There aren't that many people at school I'd be keen on seeing every day. There are two brand-spanking new prefects I'd rather not have to deal with."
Snorting in poorly concealed laughter, George returned to his task of putting his neatly folded laundry in his trunk. "Please," he said sarcastically. "We both know that Ron's about as imposing as a field mouse and as for Hermione? I'd like to see her try to put us in detention, I could use the laugh."
Fred's lips tugged into a truly evil smile. "Fair point," he agreed. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his trousers and leaned against the hideously ornate antique dresser in their bedroom. In fact, all of the furniture in their room was some variation of overdone and obnoxiously pretentious. "Besides, I suppose its not the quantity of people I want to see that matters so much as the quality of interaction with those people."
Rolling his eyes, George reached for another pile of clothing. "That's so profound that I may need a shovel to sort out the depth of my emotional transformation." Fred barked in laughter and pushed himself away from the dresser, ambling casually to his still-empty trunk. "Planning on having a lot of quality interaction with Angelina then?"
"As much as I can," said Fred somewhat pompously. "Aren't you?"
George felt the heat press into the back of his neck, beating uncomfortably against the collar of his striped t-shirt. "With Angelina? No thanks, mate. She's not exactly my type," he said.
It was Fred's turn to snort in amusement, picking up easily on George's deflection. "I meant with Kate," he deadpanned.
George's fingers clenched slightly over the set of undershirts he held. Against his will, his mind floated all-too easily to the hours they'd wasted in the shade of the weeping willow on the lake. Was George planning on spending every second he could absconding his girlfriend for the purpose of snogging her until she couldn't see straight? Was the minister of magic an idiot? Did Harry Potter have more have mote teenage angst than a copy of Teen Witch Weekly? Did Fred feel the irritating need to know every detail of George's personal life? "Of course I am."
Groaning, Fred flopped across George's bed, landing neatly right next to George's trunk. He folded his hands over his stomach and drummed his fingers impatiently. "I still can't believe you two didn't shag at the end of the year."
George shoved the shirts in his trunk with a little more force than necessary. The springs of the mattress groaned under the pressure and Fred's smile just widened in response. "And I still can't believe you think its any of your business."
Waggling his eyebrows in an idiotically suggestive manner, Fred wasn't even remotely phased by this admonishment. "Of course it's my business, you're my brother and your happiness means the world to me. Shagging your girlfriend is a one-way ticket to happiness, thus this is something that I want to happen for you."
This conversation had barely begun and it was already getting out of hand. It wasn't that George minded talking to Fred about these things so much as Fred always took them in a decidedly uncomfortable direction. "There's more that makes a happy relationship than just shagging," he noted. Though, at the moment and given his two months separation from Kate, George couldn't think of any. "Besides, something tells me she's not going to be so keen on all of that after this summer."
The conversation, as it always did, rounded back to the root cause of George's abnormally high level of anxiety about the next day. There were many things he could say about this summer, both good and bad. But the worst he'd identified was limited contact to the outside world. Every single ruddy owl that left the house did so on a timed schedule, and was limited to prevent attracting too much attention. Thus, thanks to the stupid Order of the Phoenix, George had only the opportunity to send a grand total of six letters to Kate and none of them were particularly illuminating due to the general gag order placed on the house.
"Oh would you stop losing your mind on the lack of letters? Just because you haven't been able to send the many and detailed declarations of love to Kate it's going to be fine. She'll be mad for like ten seconds and then the two of you will get on with being your usual disgustingly perfect selves."
Shockingly, Fred's advice did nothing to ease George's worries. "She sent me two letters every week for two months."
"I know," said Fred with a wicked undertone in his voice. "I've seen the pictures."
George rolled his eyes, leave it to his brother to turn a series of perfectly innocent and occasionally highly amusing photographs of Kate's adventures in New York into something inappropriate. Just as he prepared to go into his rant on Fred's inability to respect boundaries, a firm knock on the door interrupted him. "Boys, can I come in?" It was their father.
"Sure dad," said George loud enough to carry through the solid wood door. Fred sat upright as the door opened and their dad stepped inside. He looked tired, his already normally pale skin was unusually ashen and he, like their mother, was far thinner than usual.
"What's up?" Fred enquired, sinking down onto his bed. Arthur took one look at Fred's empty trunk and heaved a sigh.
"Your mother sent me to make sure you two were packing," he said and shook his head. "You should get on it before she comes upstairs, Fred."
Slowly, Fred nodded, but he made no move toward actually following the order. George hastily shoved the rest of the clothes he was holding into his trunk in an attempt to cover up the two bottles of Firewhiskey that Sirius snuck him earlier in the afternoon. "Anything else you need? You're looking quite pensive," noted George.
Arthur walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. "I'm supposed to remind you to have all this finished before you go to bed tonight, think you can manage that?"
Fred waved him off, as if that was a foregone conclusion. "Sure, no problem."
Arthur paused and then heaved another great sigh. He came and sat on the foot of George's bed and lifted up one his textbooks. Absently, he thumbed through the copy of Advanced N.E.W.T level charms. "I know this summer hasn't been easy on you two. I can appreciate your position, you're both legally adults, but still under house rules." George and Fred cast each other furtive looks. This was a direction they hadn't expected the conversation to go.
But, they took the same position they'd taken almost all summer with their family, or at least since Percy turned into the world's worst human being. Placation in public, and censure in private seemed to work over best for everyone. "It's fine dad, really," said George with as much false earnesty as he could muster.
Arthur offered him a weak smile. "It's nice that you try, but your mother and I can see right through you. Surely by now you know that."
Fred's face fell slightly. Neither twin would ever admit it, but neither of them actually wanted to disappoint their parents, even if it was a frequent occurrence. "We didn't want to make things worse, what with all the mess surrounding Harry and then with Percy."
Arthur's entire body stiffened in response to hearing Percy's name. "And we appreciate that and for God's sake keep it up in front of your mother. But you can stop pretending with me, I know you're mad and I don't blame you one bit. If I were your age I'd feel the same way. Hell, I probably did feel the same way."
George crossed his arms over his chest. This was the first time he could remember his father ever addressing them as real adults. "We just want to know what's going on, dad. We're of age and we're ready to join," he said.
"And as soon as you get out of school you can, not even your mother can stop you at that point," he said and offered a weary grin. The twins chuckled in response. "Look, I already know we've been over this about a hundred times but I want to impress it on you once more before we leave. I don't really have to worry about this with the others, but with you two I do. I know that you've been frustrated about not being able to send letters to your girlfriends."
Fred's mouth turned downward, betraying what George had suspected all along. For all his nonchalant bravado, Fred feared the exact same reaction from Angelina that George did from Kate. "Dad, really," he started to say but Arthur held a hand up.
"And I know that you two will probably have to come up with a reasonable explanation for why you weren't able to write more. I understand all of that, I really, really do. But boys, you can't tell Angelina and Kate the truth of where you've been, what you've seen, and what you've heard." George caught the twinkle of amusement in his father's eye, suggesting that he knew perfectly well that Fred and George knew way more than they were supposed to.
George already figured as much, if there was a general rule of silence as to letters, he didn't expect much different for any other mode of communication. Still, his nerves grated slightly. He knew for a fact that Kate's father and sister had been through his house more than once this summer. "But dad, if Kate knows, if her family told her," he started to argue.
"Then you have to wait for Kate herself to bring it up. To the best of my knowledge Theo and Elise haven't said a word to her, they couldn't tell her in letters for fear that they'd be intercepted." George's stomach sank. He'd hoped against all hope that just maybe Theo would be the one parent out of all of them to actually trust and treat his daughter like adult. After all, their relationship was renewed but George knew for a fact Theo and Kate were still struggling through the awkwardness of several years of estrangement.
"Since we're putting it all out there, can I say for the record that this whole arrangement is rubbish." Fred spoke as if his opinion settled the matter. Arthur chuckled and nodded.
"Complete rubbish," he agreed. Just then another voice sounded through the door.
"Mum says dinner's ready!" Ginny said.
Arthur groaned slightly as he stood. He brushed off his green work robes and started for the door. "Let's get downstairs, and remember what I said, keep a good face for your mother. Alright?"
As one, Fred and George saluted their father.
X X X
"Kate! Have you seen my rose gold hoop earrings?" Cara's voice carried through the open door to Kate's room. Pausing in the midst of reviewing the contents of her trunk, Kate braced her hands on either edge and looked up.
"No! Check with Toffin!" She shouted back, tossing out their house elf's name. Drumming her fingers on either side of the carved wood of her dark cherry trunk, Kate focused her attention on the stacks of folded clothes, remaining spell books, and miscellaneous items that she still needed to pack. The sigh she blew out ruffled the sweep of her bangs, dislodging them to fall in her eyes. Impatiently, Kate brushed them way and turned her head towards her window.
A spectacular sunset glowed through her windows. Blood orange rays reached through between the buildings, bathing Kate's bedroom with a warm glow. Ambling over to her large bay windows, Kate sank onto her window seat. Unaware of her own actions, her fingers went to the chain that looped her neck. Absently, Kate toyed with the compass charm that hung from the fine gold and she averted her gaze from the stunning summer evening to the small charm in her palm. The compass needled whirred around for a couple of seconds before coming to a stop, pointing to the northeast.
A soft knock on Kate's door startled her. Rotating around, she found Elise standing in the doorway, holding the last stack of Kate's laundry. Two small packages sat on top of the folded clothes. A tiny smile quirked Kate's lips as Elise walked in and set the clothes on her bedspread. "Tell me, did you actually do anything in New York except shop?"
Wrinkling her nose at Elise's question, Kate unfurled her limbs and returned to her bed. "You mean aside from copy editing, fact checking, and running all over creation with Finn and Beckett? No, not really," she said with what she hoped was a winning grin. Elise merely rolled her eyes and waved her sister off with a dismissive hand. "What do you have there?" She pointed to the two packages.
Elise handed Kate the first one. Wrapped in polka dotted paper that continually changed colors, the little package was very light in Kate's hands. "Just a little going away present," she said and crossed her arms over her chest. Pursing her lips to hide her smile, Kate tugged the ribbon free and undid the wrapping paper. Within a gold cardboard box lay a pair of earrings. "I was going to get you a necklace, but someone else cornered the market on that," said Elise, looking pointedly at the compass hanging from Kate's neck.
"Ooh these are perfect Elise," said Kate as she held up one of the golden stud earrings, shaped like spades.
"I'm glad you like them," said Elise as she rotated the other package in her hands.
"So what's in that one?" Asked Kate pointing to the brown paper-wrapped object. A faint blush swirled into Elise's cheeks and she swiftly averted her blue gaze to the plain package.
"Don't get upset," she said slowly, rotating the package. "It was more dad's idea than it was mine, but I agree with him that you should have this. Just in case," she explained haltingly. Frowning, Kate crossed her arms over chest and shot her sister an impatient look. Whatever was in Elise's hands seemed to be causing her great discomfort, and Kate's brain sluggishly began coming up with possible reasons.
"Elise, what are you talking about?" Asked Kate, tapping her fingers impatiently on her upper arm. She shifted her weight on her bare feet.
The glow in Elise's cheeks intensified. "It's just that you and George are pretty serious," she began to say. Kate snorted in unattractive laughter and cast a dark look over her shoulder.
A very small pile of letters lay on Kate's desk, six in total. Each letter bore George's familiar handwriting, written so neatly that Kate knew it took him forever to ensure the letter's legibility. Yet, for all the time he'd taken with his penmanship, each letter barely contained a scrap of information that actually pertained to George. Most of the language revolved around how he missed her, the vague basics of what he was up to and a myriad of unsatisfactory apologies as to why he hadn't written more, why he couldn't say where he was, and why George couldn't tell her what he'd really been doing. By the time the sixth, and presumably final, letter arrived over breakfast three days ago, Kate had reached the end of her rope.
Elise, ever perceptive, forgot her embarrassment and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Kate. I'm positive that George has a really good reason for why he couldn't write more, even if he can't tell you. If what you said about his letters true then I'm sure that it's not for his lack of wanting to."
Somewhere deep down, Kate knew her sister was right. George often repeated the same sentiment in varied language. And Kate really did believe that he missed her and that he loved her. But that still didn't explain why she'd sent him two letters every week to his six total. "Well he'd better have a damn good explanation when I see him tomorrow," she muttered.
"And he will," said Elise firmly. Kate's eyebrow rose and her frown deepened. Not for the first time, Kate suspected that Elise knew more than she let on. "In the meantime, letters aside, you and George are pretty serious. And when you're in a serious relationship and at your age, you and George might start thinking about well," her voice dropped off, creating a very awkward moment.
Kate now understood her sister's mortification. The back of her neck and cheeks burned from the heat that pulsed beneath her skin. Almost immediately her mind jumped to those quiet moments behind the curtain of the weeping willow on the lake. The parts of her body that George touched still seemed to tingle when she thought about the pads of his fingers skimming along her skin and the perfect pressure of his weight bearing down on her. "That is, it's not uncommon for kids your age to uhm," Elise halted again.
"To have sex?" Kate finally supplemented, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
Elise's blush intensified and she nodded, looking as though she'd rather crawl under a rock than finish this conversation. "Yes," she said, her voice a full octave higher than normal. "And I want to be sure that you're protected in case you and George decide to move forward in that department."
Tightening her arms over her chest, Kate wondered if jumping out of her window would be less painful than their current conversation. "Elise, George and I aren't if that's what you're trying to ask."
Elise nearly dropped the package in her surprise. "Good! That's good. Not that I would judge you if you had, God knows when I was your age I, well, never mind." A grin tugged at the corners of Kate's mouth. She'd heard plenty of lore surrounding Elise's tenure at Hogwarts. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, not that you'd even listen. But I am going to tell you that no matter what you do, don't be stupid. Take this with you to school so you have it in case the need arises."
At long last, Elise handed Kate the second package. Undoing the brown paper wrapping, Kate revealed a crystal phial containing a translucent pale lilac potion. "It's P-Three."
Kate's jaw dropped open. "Pregnancy prevention potion?" She echoed, her voice mirroring the shock she felt. Flickering her gray eyes down to the bottle and then back up to her sister, Kate slowly shook her head. "You can't be serious, George and I aren't, we haven't, I mean." The words jumbled nervously out of her mouth and Elise pinched the bridge of her nose.
"It's easy for you to say that now when you haven't seen him in two months and you're mad at him for not writing more. But that doesn't mean you won't change your tune come tomorrow and you should be prepared."
"But Elise, this is contraband. Madam Pomfrey isn't permitted to distribute or administer P-Three and students aren't allowed to have it in their dormitories." Kate rotated the small bottle in her hands, reading the label affixed to the backside.
"Okay first, P-Three is very easy to self-administer, three drops once every week. Second, since when has anything being contraband ever stopped you?" Never, was the answer to Elise's second question. "You don't have to start taking it right away, think of it more as a safety net." Slowly, Kate nodded and held the bottle up once more to further inspect it.
"I have the weirdest family ever," she muttered, much to Elise's amusement.
X X X
The morning dawned early and Kate woke with it, determined to make the most of her last few hours in a big city. Dressing in a fitted jeans, a plain white V-neck shirt, and a caramel leather jacket, Kate embraced the coming fall as she swept her long hair over her shoulders, letting it hang down in straight sheets. She paused in the entryway, checking her reflection in the mirror. Already her trunk and bags sat in the doorway, having been triple checked. Bracing her hand on the doorknob, she paused and looked down the hallway where she could see into the kitchen where Elise stood at the counter, drinking her morning tea.
"I'm off to meet dad for breakfast, we'll be back in a couple of hours!" She called, fully aware that her voice was carrying upstairs. Elise nodded and then rolled her eyes when, predictably, Cara's curses could be heard from the second floor. Raising her eyebrows and offering her sister a flippant grin, she opened the door and jogged down the steps of Elise's row house.
Shoving her hands in her jacket pockets, Kate looked both ways and turned right, setting off down the street towards the underground stop nearby. Already the first signs of the changing seasons swirled around her and as Kate inhaled the city air, she already felt the first pangs of longing. Kate had always loved London, it was the city of her birth and in many ways she knew it like the back of her hand. She thought she'd never want to live anywhere else.
But that was all until she spent four incredible, heart pounding, life-changing weeks in New York City. In the two weeks she'd been back in London, Kate soaked up her native city, but still suffered through the longing for Manhattan and the life she'd led there. Finn chose Kate to intern with the Charmer for many reasons, but he'd unashamedly admitted that one of the primary was because he knew she'd take to American city life like a duck to water.
And swim she did. Kate already ached for the freedom she had in New York. The small taste she got of her future career left her hungry for more. Finn had given her an unparalleled look into so many aspects of her dream job that Kate knew she'd be willing to do just about anything to secure her spot with the publication next year. Even if working there for the first few years meant fact-checking, copy editing, and menial research, Kate was willing to do it, she was ravenous to do it.
Again, Kate checked over the back of her shoulder before she trotted down the stairs into the underground. A summer of apparating from one end of Manhattan to the other had not dimmed Kate's strong distaste for magical travel. It was an unusual quirk of Kate's that her friends took great pleasure in mocking. But as she boarded the train that would take her into Chelsea and consequently to her father's house, Kate settled into her chair and took up her favorite activity—people watching.
Absently she leaned her head back and watched the myriad of eclectic characters that comprised the morning run of the underground. She made it a game to pass the time. With each person she invented a new life story, coming up with theories of who they were, where they going, and who they might be meeting. It was a game she'd picked up from Finn and Bekcett on their many nights exploring and enjoying the night life. Kate saw a pair of muggle girls board the train, dressed in their school uniforms.
A scowl tugged her lips. Tonight she'd return to grey flannel skirts and knee socks, a far cry from the pencil skirts and high heels she'd grown accustomed to. Tonight she'd return to structure and rules—where to go, when to go, what to do. Kate wasn't sure she was ready to go back under the thumb of authority, even if it was just her teachers. Not for the first time she contemplated Finn's only half-joking offer that she skive off seventh year and dive right into her career. What good were N.E. for a journalist? It wasn't like she was planning on brewing any potions in her future line of work or needing to have the approximately nine-thousand uses for the number twelve memorized.
Kate's train came to her stop and she hurried out of the doors, firmly reminding herself of why she was going back. First, she didn't want to disappoint her family by failing to finish school, especially now that she and her father were on reasonably stable terms. Second, just the mere thought of not returning felt like a deep and utter betrayal of her friends. Alicia and Angelina would likely never forgive her for not showing. That was nothing to say of what Ian Haynes would do to her if she didn't show, Kate agreed to be Executive Editor for the paper, a duty she wasn't quite ready to relinquish just yet. Then there was George and Kate wasn't positive that any amount of righteous anger on her part would be enough to keep her away from him.
Sunlight broke through the clouds and Kate pushed a pair of sunglasses over her eyes as she made her way to her father's house. Nestled behind a wrought iron gate, the house sat in an impossibly narrow space between two buildings. No muggle would ever notice the handsome dwelling, but Kate did and she paused at the door.
Until recently, Kate's memories of her childhood home hadn't exactly left her with the warmest feelings. But, as she snapped the shining brass knocker against the dark green door, she pushed them out of her head. Moments later the door opened and Kate looked down to see Banksy, her father's house elf.
"Mistress Kate!" The elf squeaked and she bowed low. Kate's lips lifted into the shadow of a smile.
"Please no bowing, Banksy," she said and stepped through the threshold into her father's house. Several pictures sat on the entry table, each depicting Theo Kelley's daughters in various states of age. The most recently taken picture was one Kate sent to him from New York. She stood in a Chinese restaurant in China Town, holding up the live lobster that would later become her dinner.
Rolling her eyes, she picked up the frame and examined her picture-self pretend to kiss the lobster before holding a thumbs up. The sound of footfall alerted her to her father's presence. "Really dad? Of all the pictures I sent to you, this is the one you choose to display in the front hall?"
Theo shrugged his shoulders and looked down on the picture. "I think its funny," he commented. Kate snorted in laughter and set the picture back down on the table, trying not to be too pleased. "Ready?"
Kate nodded trailed after her father, returning into the dazzling morning. "Banksy was up half the night baking snacks for Cara and you to take on the train," noted Theo breezily. Her lips tugged into a small smirk.
"Doesn't she know about the trolley cart?"
Theo chuckled. "I don't think she cares, all summer long all I've heard about is 'Mistress Cara loves this' or 'Mistress Kate and Elise like to drink that.' I think she's pretty excited to have new people to cook for."
Kate shoved her hands back in her pockets and smiled into the sunshine. Next to her, Theo smoothed out his muggle button down shirt, tucked into a pair of crisp gray trousers. "Well you won't see me complaining, Banksy is the best. Don't ever get rid of her."
"Dually noted," replied Theo.
For several more meters they walked in relative silence. Kate still wasn't accustomed to conversations with her father. Since his return into her life two months ago, she'd been at a total loss as to the stretch and limit of their boundaries. They didn't have what Kate could qualify as a parent-child relationship, it seemed that Theo recognized he'd relinquished those rights years ago. "So I've been thinking," she began tentatively.
"About what?" Theo responded.
Kate bit her lower lip and tried to find the best way to word her proposal. For weeks she'd wrestled with the feeling that she was still trapped between two worlds. She felt a certain amount of discomfort living with Elise knowing that her father was still alone. "I was thinking that at Christmas this year maybe I could stay at your house for part of the break? I obviously don't have to if you're not up for it, Elise is always happy to have me. But I was just thinking that it might be good," she trailed off as her father's lips parted into a brilliant white smile.
He raised a hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sun. In the shade, she could see the warmth radiating into his iron eyes, melting them into stunning silver. "I think that's a great idea," he said earnestly. "You and Cara both. We can decorate the house and maybe have a party and invite your friends who are in town."
Kate beamed back at him in response and slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. Theo patted the top of her hand a couple of times before holding onto it. "It's a shame you have to go back today, I feel like we hardly saw each other since you've been back from New York."
Dropping her head to hide her pleased smile, she nodded slowly. "I know, Finn kept me pretty busy that last week of my internship. But we saw each other like every day this past week."
At the mere mention of Finn's name, Theo tensed, just as Kate knew he would. "Have you heard anything from Finn since you left the Charmer office?"
At first Kate couldn't find the words, so she merely shook her head. "No," she said at last. "Finn said he was going to give me the space I needed to make my decision. Judging from his radio silence, I think he really means it too."
"Good," said Theo. Kate could hear the protective edge in his voice and his fingers clenched her hand just a little tighter. "It's a big decision and I want you to consider all the benefits and consequences."
Theo didn't have to tell Kate twice the magnitude of her decision. The job offer she'd been dreaming of for her entire adolescence now came with a condition she never dreamed of. "Taking the job? Or joining the Order?"
Beneath her touch, Theo tensed. "Both," he practically growled. "Any career decision you make is yours to make, Kate. And it sounds like the Black Charmer will provide you with some incredible opportunities."
"But?" Prompted Kate.
"Jobs like that, they tend to take over every aspect of your life, Kate. Working for such a big publication could take you all over the world, it could take you away from your friends and your family. I think you need to ask yourself if you're really ready to marry yourself to such a demanding life when you're this young."
Kate bit her lower lip. She hadn't really given that aspect of the job much consideration. "I don't know," she murmured. And in a fit of childish neediness, she clutched to her father's arm tighter and looked up at him. A slight mental tick of disbelief shot off in her mind, Kate couldn't believe that she was about to ask her father for advice, it wasn't like was the poster child for a well-balanced life. Swallowing her question, she instead returned her gaze forward, keeping her expression stoic and flat.
Fighting her sigh, Kate wondered if she'd ever be completely comfortable with her father. "And what about the Order?"
"Kate, that all boils down to where you stand in this war. Don't roll your eyes at me, this is a war whether you want to call it that or not. Am I happy that Finn sprang this on you before you're even out of school? No. Do I understand why he did it? I think so."
"Well maybe you can explain that to me, because I have no idea what the point was. I mean why ask me to join when I can't do anything for it until after I finish school?"
Theo rubbed his chin with his free hand. "He wants you to know what you're getting yourself into. That and I think he wants you to be prepared. Or at least to spend your last year preparing."
Pouting, she kicked slightly at the pavement with the soles of her flats as they walked along, nearing the small diner that her father enjoyed so much. Kate was looking forward to a steaming cup of coffee and a chance to digest everything her father had said. "Well I wish he'd kept his big mouth shut, I don't want to have to think about any of this. At least not right before the start of school. I've got enough going on, thanks."
"When do you have to give him a decision?"
Kate sighed and shook her hair back over her shoulders. "The magazine won't let him give me a formal offer until after the first of the year, so I've got until then."
"Well here's my advice, for what it's worth. Take your time, Kate. This is a big year and you've got so much going on that I don't want you to rush anything." Theo braced his hand on the door to the diner and held it open for Kate. She said nothing, but nodded at him, wishing she could expel the uneasiness that had settled itself into the pit of her stomach.
X X X
George followed Fred down the train corridor, leaving his siblings, Harry, and Hermione behind. "Hopefully Lee and the girls got a good compartment," said Fred as he ambled along the corridor. Several familiar faces cropped up through the narrow corridor. George waved at or acknowledged many of them as they passed through.
"Hi Fred!" The high-pitched voice of a fifth year Hufflepuff girl caught Fred's attention. George snickered as Fred gave the girl a ludicrous bow. She flushed bright magenta before disappearing back into the knot of her giggling friends. "You're shameless," he noted.
Fred raked his fingers through his hair and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't deny it," he said confidently. Ahead of them George could see Seamus Finnigan leaning against the doorway into a compartment, Dean Thomas standing next to him. Upon passing, he could see them regaling Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and a knot of other girls with tales of their summer.
A little further down they found Lee Jordan sprawled across half of the bench in a compartment. His head rest in Katie Bell's lap while Angelina Johnson sat on the other side, explaining something animatedly. George's lips twitched and turned slightly downward. He knew that Alicia would be in the prefects compartment; but, where was Kate? George had been so late getting on the train he hadn't had a chance to look for her in the crowd.
Fred opened the door and everyone looked up to see their entrance. Lee sat up straighter, his lips pulling into a wicked grin. Meanwhile Katie waved and Angelina rolled her eyes when Fred made to pull her up into his embrace. "Oh I suppose you think you're going to get a warm welcome? All summer and you only sent me three letters? Complete and utter rubbish," she snapped at Fred, smacking him hard across the shoulder.
"Ow!" Exclaimed Fred, rubbing his injured arm. "Come on, Ang. I told you why I couldn't tell you!" He whined. George groaned and sank down onto the bench next to Lee. He'd expected as much from Angelina, and it only further worried him as to what Kate was going to say when he saw her.
"Bad luck," muttered Lee and held out his hand to George. They shook firmly and George gave Katie a high five. "But still, you don't write, you don't call, I'm beginning to think this is a one-sided relationship," he teased.
George laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "It was an interesting summer. Anyone seen Kate?" He asked.
Katie Bell nodded. "Ian Haynes practically drug her out of the compartment almost as soon as she got here. He was going on and on about," but everyone knew what came next.
"Paper business," chorused Lee and George. Katie nodded. "I'm pretty sure they're a few compartments down though. I bet if you drop by he'll be willing to give her up." Katie added.
George snorted in sarcastic laughter and Lee sympathetically patted George's shoulder. "Doubtful, I'm still convinced he's got a contract on her life."
"That and a permanent locator charm," muttered George, thinking of the times Ian managed to find her right when the snogging was about to get good.
Fred had the good grace to take his fight with Angelina out into the corridor and George did not fancy getting caught in the middle. "Only three letters?" Echoed Lee, looking in the same direction as George. "Blimey, I hope you managed to write Kate more than that."
"Not much more," replied George. Still though, he realized that he needed to go hunt her down sooner rather than later. No sooner than he sat down did George get back to his feet and he paused at the door. "What are the chances I can walk through that shit storm unscathed?"
"Little-to-none, mate," said Lee. But, clearly unconcerned by this, he reclined back into Katie's lap. "I wish you the best of luck, though!"
Blowing out a sigh, George nodded. "Thanks, I'm going to need it." And bracing himself for impact, he opened the door and returned into the corridor. Almost as soon as he did, Angelina pointed her open hand toward him and, as George expected, drug him right into the mud.
"You know what I bet? I bet that George had the decency to write to Kate more than three bleeding times this summer. Didn't you, George?"
Backing away, he held his hands up in defense. "Oh no, Ang. I am not getting involved in your row," he began to say. But Fred reached out and closed a hand over his wrist, keeping him in one place. His twin shot him a look of utter desperation. George felt bad for Fred, he really did. He knew that part of this wasn't Fred's fault at all. It wasn't Fred's fault they couldn't send more letters and it certainly wasn't his fault that they weren't allowed to say a word of where they'd been and what they'd been doing.
But then again, three letters was half the amount that George wrote Kate. "I'm not taking sides," said George firmly. "Fred you should have written more, Angelina you shouldn't be too harsh, we really didn't have the opportunity to write much and that's the honest truth. Now let go of me, Fred. I have my own girlfriend to find."
George tugged his wrist free and continued to back away. Fred's face screwed up in a decidedly irritated expression while Angelina stared at him slightly slack jawed. Turning his back, George fled down the hall, peering in through compartment doors until he found the only person in the world he actually wanted to see in that moment. Just when he was nearing the end of the car, he peered through the pane glass and came to a complete halt.
Kate Kelley had sent several pictures from her New York adventures, but the camera never did her justice. In photographs she was pretty but in person she took his breath away. All of her champagne hair hung over one shoulder in thick, shining sheets, resting atop her white shirt. From his angle he could see her sitting in deep conversation with her best friend, Ian Haynes, the pair looking over several sheets of parchment they'd spread across their laps.
George found himself staring at the way her lips moved as she spoke, already imagining what they would feel like against his. Kate's iron eyes were entirely focused on her work, but she laughed when Ian pointed something out to her. How could he have forgotten the effect she had on him? In his chest, George's heart began racing and he swore an entire army of snitches had been released in his stomach. Coupled with his rising anxiety, George felt a fleeting moment of cowardice, after barely writing to her all summer was Kate going to yell at him too?
But before he could get the chance to make a hasty retreat and recollect himself, a flash of gold caught his attention. The compass necklace he'd given Kate hung about her neck and he felt the return of his resolve. Kate was not Angelina, he reminded himself. She was not impulsive and quick to anger. Kate would hear him out before passing judgment.
George reached out and grasped the handle of the compartment door, sliding it open. Upon hearing the noise, Kate and Ian looked up as one. Her silvery eyes found his and her lips rounded in soft surprise. An immediate flush swirled into her cheeks, as though she were embarrassed that he'd caught her working on the paper and not looking for him. But George didn't care.
"Hey, Kate," he said, kicking himself for not coming up with something more clever.
He didn't have much time to dwell, however, on his lack of creative opening. Kate was on her feet in a flash, her face set in an incomprehensible expression.
"Hi, George," she said.
A/N: Mini-cliffhanger! I mean, come on, I wasn't going to let that can of worms get resolved in one chapter. I really enjoyed writing the dialogue in this chapter, particularly between the twins and Arthur!
Next chapter will feature the reunion, the welcome feast, and Kate's first impressions of Umbridge.
For the love of all that his holy, please leave some love! I am in the midst of some serious bar exam-related blues and could use the pick-me-up! Much love – Brose.