"Oh, got no reason, got no shame, got no family I can blame.
Just don't let me disappear, I'mma tell you everything.
Just tell me what you want to hear."
-One Republic, Secrets
Kati made the aging potion, and was sure it wasn't going to work, with Dumbledore's age line. As she did so, she chatted with the twins, who got her the ingredients to make it in their dorm room.
"So, what are you going to do if you get chosen?" She asked them.
"Win, and get the money for our shop after school." They said together, as if obvious.
"That's cool, what kind of shop?" She asked, as she waited for the mixture to cool.
"Joke shop." Fred said.
Kati nodded, looking up at them. "Better than Zonko's?"
"Way better than Zonko's." George told her.
"We're going to make sweets that make you sick."
"Then you're going to need to be good at potions." She told them. "Why aren't you doing this?"
"Because you look happy when you're doing them." Fred told her. "What else are you good at?"
"Everything. I told you I got all O's." She told them.
"What classes?" George asked.
She looked up and counted them on her fingers. "Astronomy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Charms, History of Magic, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures."
"How many classes are you taking this year?" Fred asked.
"All but History of Magic, Muggle studies, and Ancient Runes." She told them.
"Are you going to have time to sleep?" Fred asked.
She looked at the potion and started filling the vials. "Sleeping's unimportant."
XXXXXX
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" The crowd yelled.
"Motherfucker." Kati cursed, pushing her way though the crowd to break the fight up between Fred and George, who both had grey beards and hair, and were fighting. "I told you guys this would happen!" She said loudly, walking forward, and pulling one of them off the other. She still had trouble telling them apart, and the grey hair and beards didn't help any.
When the other one tried to get up, she put her heel on his chest, keeping him down, while the other was still on his back, both of them looking up at her.
Some of the crowd made disappointed noises, but some were just in awe of how quickly she did that.
She looked over at some boys behind her shoulder, and winked. "Just imagine what I can do with a little magic." She looked at the twins. "Are you going to play nice now?"
"What are you gonna do if I don't?" Fred asked. Yep, the one under her foot was Fred, he was always more flirty with her.
"Oh, honey, this is me being nice." She said, flirting right back. "You don't wanna see me mean."
"Miss Blake, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore said, amused. "Miss Blake, please remove your foot off of Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley please go to Madame Pomfrey to get the beards taken care of."
Kati did as they asked, but called after them. "I don't want any fighting, you hear?"
Kale came up and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away as Dumbledore told everyone that if someone underage tried to get in, they would get the grey beard, and that Katie Bell was the last victim before them.
"Are you going to put your name in?" Kati hissed at him, when they got to the corner of the room, far away so no one could hear, but close enough to listen in.
"No, I have to take care of you." He told her. "Plus, that would be using my powers, and that's not what's supposed to happen. What happened in class with Snape?"
"I finished early and he didn't like it. He told me to stay after class, but I sneaked out in front of the twins, leaving a slip of paper that said, 'raincheck' at my spot." She told him. "I'm sorry Kale, he just was being a jerk the whole lesson! He asked me if he needed to slow down so I could keep up! Who does that?"
"He's my head of house, you know." He told her. "How come you didn't get into Slytherin anyway? You're a sneaky little bitch most of the time."
She shrugged, watching as one of the Durmstrang came in to put his name in the Goblet of Fire. "The hat said I was brave. If you don't agree, take it up with the hat, until then I'm in Gryffindor."
He paused. "I saw you look at the Gryffindor table before the hat said anything. Are you falling for one of those boys? That's against our rules, Kati..."
"I'm not falling for him, I have my emotions perfectly in check." She told him, knowing she was lying. "Just because I'm in a different house doesn't mean I'm not committed."
"Good, because we have a war to win." He told her. "Have you had any more dreams?"
She nodded. "Nothing of use though, so don't get your hopes up."
"Have you seen Luna?" Kale asked.
Kati shook her head. "Not yet, we don't seem to run in the same circles."
"She's a third year, and is getting bullied by her classmates. Try to take care of that." He told her, before walking away, leaving her alone in the corner of the room.
"He could have least told me where she is." Kati muttered to herself.
"Who is?" Ginny asked, coming up to her.
"Luna Lovegood, she's my cousin." Kati told her, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"I know her, we're friends." Ginny told her. "I don't know where she is right now though."
Kati shrugged. "it doesn't have to be now, she wouldn't recognize me anyway, we haven't seen each other in nearly ten years, I just want to catch up."
"You're her cousin?" Ginny asked.
"Our mother's were cousins, and so we're like second cousins or something, I really don't know or care." Kati told her honestly, before changing the subject. "So, how'd you like the show the boys put on?"
She giggled. "It was great. How do you get along with guys so well? I rarely see you hanging out with girls."
"They cause less drama." Kati told her, though she honestly thought it was because women were usually better at getting the truth out of people. "You just talk to them like any other person. It's easy."
"But how do you not blush or anything?" Ginny asked. "You always have a comeback. I heard about you in Snape's class."
Kati laughed. "I was just raised that way, but don't worry, I didn't always have it, it kicked in when I was around fourteen and had to grow up. I was a lot like you when I was thirteen."
"Really?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, but you're prettier." Kati told her, smiling. "Come on, let's get lunch."
XXXXXXX
"Is your brother putting his name in the cup?" Fred asked Monday night, when Kati was giving herself a french manicure on the couch.
"Nope." Kati said. "He has to take care of me."
"I didn't let that stop me, and I have two younger siblings." Fred said.
"You also have older siblings and parents and everything. We don't." She told him, saying it in such a way Fred didn't notice. "Where's George?"
"Trying to make Angelina fall in love with him." Fred told her. "Really, it's going to be great if she still thinks its a joke."
"That's not nice." She said. "It's hard to be crushing on someone who isn't crushing back."
"Crushing?"
"Fancying." She corrected.
"Well haven't you been asked out twice and said no both times?" Fred asked.
"I didn't know them. Angelina knows George." Kati said. "Plus, I don't date people I barely know, it's against my rules, I date people I've known for a while."
"What do you call 'a while'?" He asked.
"Three months." She told him. "Then you should be able to know the person really well, but it's not enough time to make you see them only as a friend."
"You have a lot of rules." Fred said.
"You have no idea." She muttered in reply, before saying louder. "So, what do you think about the Defense teacher?"
"He's a little odd, I liked Lupin more, but he's better than Lockheart we had in our fourth year." Fred gave a little shudder.
Kati laughed. "I think it's weird that we're going over the unforgivables. It's like he's teaching us how to do them and not be the victim at the same time."
"Isn't that better than us being unprepared?"
Kati chewed on her cheek. She already knew all of them, and didn't have to think about throwing off the Imperious curse anymore. It just scared her that people around her were going to know them without knowing the true terribleness of them. How having the Cruciatus curse can drive you mad if you're under it for too long. He never said what long term affects were, not that you have spasms and aching pain long after the curse is gone.
It sickened her to no end the innocence here, that in just a few years would be taken away; she saw it, and still had told no one. Not even Dumbledore, but she had never been called to his office. Not yet anyway.
"Kati," Fred waved a hand in front of her face, trying to get rid of the glazed over look in her eyes.
"Huh?" She asked, the light in her eyes coming back as she focused on him.
"You spaced out for a moment there." He told her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She smiled at him.
"What did you do as a kid?" He asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You lived in America, what did you do? Tell me about it. What did you do with your friends?"
She closed her eyes, hot summers and cool winters flashing before her eyes. Seeing snow for the first time when she was eight years old. Swimming in Galveston bay when it was spring break with her friends when it was barely sixty degrees in the water at fourteen. Capsizing a Sunfish sail boat at thirteen. Sunbathing with friends, and getting sunburned after. Sleepovers every chance she got. Going to movies and mall. Her first kiss. She was so happy, remembering little things like her friends taking her to see What's Eating Gilbert Grape when she had a bad day, or the first time she had frozen custard. It was all too much for her too keep her calm exterior, and suddenly she couldn't act anymore.
"I have to go." She said, before she completely broke down. She could feel tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Fred asked.
"I have to go...I was supposed to meet Kale ten minutes ago." She lied, getting off the couch, and leaving without a backward glance at the confused Fred she left behind.
She ran down the stairs, going straight to the Dungeons where the Slytherin common room was. She banged on the wall, hoping that someone would at least open it for her. No one did.
A second year girl passed her, and Kati stopped her. "Hi, can you find out if Kale Blake is in there for me?"
The girl looked up at Kati as if she spoke another language. "Pardon?"
"He's my brother, can you tell him that Kati is looking for him. Tall, blonde, tan, green eyes-"
"Yeah, sure, got it." She said, a little weirded out.
"Thank you." Kati told her.
The girl walked slowly to the wall and muttered a single word. "Venish." As if not wanting the Gryffindor to hear.
The Gryffindor did not want to hear.
They were using her last name as a password. Was that a message? Or was someone trying to mess with her and her brother? It was doubtful she would have heard it since she wasn't in that house, but her brother most definitely would. Why didn't he tell her? Secrets wouldn't help them now.
The second-year girl's head popped out of an opening after a while. "He's not here."
Kati nodded, swaying slightly, but shook her head. "I doubt you will, but don't tell him I was here."
The girl nodded, watching as the Gryffindor walked away, swaying slightly with every movement, until she found herself in the potion's classroom. She needed to find the mad who made that password, even if it took her all night. As she told Fred and George, sleep was overrated.
She opened the door, and walked straight to the office door in the back of the classroom. She didn't even touch the door, but it flew open, she wasn't able to control her powers, she was too emotional.
The man she was looking for was at his desk, reading over something, he didn't jump when she opened the door, but he did look slightly surprised to see the Gryffindor standing in front of him.
"Oh yes please come in, there's no need to knock." He says sarcastically.
"You know who I am." She slammed the door behind her, glass jars rattling on the walls from it.
"You finally got the message, it took you long enough." He told her. "For someone with the best grades in the school you can be rather dense."
"No one told me." She told him. "And I'm in Gryffindor you twat."
"I'm your teacher." He told her.
"Not right now you're not. You're messing with me. Why? Is it some sick game?" She asked, biting out her words as a jar or two broke.
"Are you losing control?" He asked, looking too happy. "Is it true your mark turns red when you get angry?"
"You don't get to know that. How do you know who I am?"
"You look like your mother and her twin sister."
"My mother's family is dead." Kati said, raising her chin high. "She didn't have a sister."
"Is that what she told you?" Snape asked. "I can Guarantee otherwise, Rosalie were in the same year, same house, we even had the same grades."
"Shut up." She told him, her voice rising to a screech. "Shut up! Don't you talk about her! Don't you dare say her name!"
"Or what?" He replied.
Suddenly all the jars on his shelves were shattered, their contents spilling on the shelves.
"I could give you detention for that." He told her.
"We both know you won't." She told him. "You don't want it getting out that you're going through such lengths to torment a teenage girl. I could get the ministry on your ass in ten seconds. I'm under their protection, don't you understand that? They brought us back because we know things that our parents told us, and we're hidden from many others. They need us, but do they need you?"
"What sort of secrets?" He asked.
She laughed, but not a joyful laugh but cruel. "I'm not going to tell you, but do you mind if I say a few things I have heard about you? You're a spy, a spy I don't trust. You're the one that caused the Potter's deaths, leaving Harry Potter an orphan. You have a mark on that arm that proves me right." She pointed to his left arm.
"What do you plan on doing with this information?"
