Chapter 8

Detention

Remus and I jumped apart at the sound of Filch's voice.

"Two students found out of bed snoggin' in the corridors. And one of them a Gryffindor Prefect. We are going to enjoy this," Filch sneered to his cat. "Off to McGonagall's. Let's go."

I couldn't bring myself to look at Remus as I followed after Filch grudgingly. And I couldn't let myself feel disappointed either; it's not like Remus was actually going to kiss me. He would have realized what he was about to do and he would have stopped. After all, he had just confirmed that we were only friends. But I couldn't shake the look I saw in his eyes, just before I closed mine. It was almost as if he wanted to kiss me. It was a small glimmer of hope that I didn't need, but couldn't let go of.

Needless to say, Professor McGonagall wasn't very pleased with being disturbed in the middle of the night to find out that two of her prized students were caught after hours. McGonagall in her dress robes, with the severest look set upon her face as I'd ever seen, was something I dearly wanted to forget.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor and a detention for you both! Now off to bed!" McGonagall retreated back to her room with a slam of the door. I winced at the harsh sound.

Filch led us back to the Gryffindor tower, taunting all the way there. Remus and I followed in silence, only speaking when we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. As Filch rounded the corner, leaving us alone, Remus murmured the password. The common room was empty and the cinders in the fireplace were glowing faint. We stood in awkward silence, looking anywhere but at each other.

"James is going to kill me," Remus said with a heavy sigh.

"James." I had nearly forgotten about my quest to seek vengeance on James. I marched determinedly up the stairs and threw open the door to the boys sixth year dormitory.

"Ah, finally she catches up to me. Long time no see, sis." James sat casually on his four poster bed, as if he were waiting for me. Sirius and Peter sat nearby, smiling.

"This isn't over James. I will strike back when you least expect it."

"Is that a threat?" He mocked fear.

"No, it's a promise."

"Aw, don't be such a sourpuss, Leo, just because Prongs beat you," Sirius teased.

"He did not beat me. We all know that in a fair race I would win."

"Well then, that's not much incentive for me to play fair is it?"

"There you are Moony!" Sirius exclaimed. "Where have you been? And what's that on your robes?"

I looked over my shoulder at Remus, who had just come through the door. I saw the outline of my hands on his robes in cream. Peter approached Remus and bravely swiped his finger in the cream and stuck it in his mouth.

"It's cream pie," Peter declared.

"Pie?" Sirius laughed out.

"She got you!" James joined in. "Man I wish I could have been there."

I was rather thankful that he hadn't been there, and I wished that Filch wasn't there either. "It was supposed to be you coming around the corner, not Remus," I explained. This only made James, Sirius, and Peter laugh even louder. Remus and I were the only ones not laughing, perhaps because we'd almost…

I shook my head. I had enough of James for one night. "I'm leaving," I said exasperatedly, as I moved forward to grab my belongings.

"Aw, don't leave Leo. We want to know more," Sirius said.

"Yeah, like the look on Moony's face when it happened," Peter added.

"Or the look on yours when you realized it wasn't me," James laughed even louder.

"I've got to try and wash this stuff out of my hair." I stalked to the door. "And, watch your back, James. You never know when I might pounce." I let the door close roughly behind me, drowning out his roaring laughter.

The rest of the week passed without much happening. Lily managed to corner me in the dorm on Tuesday, where she told me she was glad I was feeling better. I made Peter go to astronomy alone on Wednesday night. Thursday, after transfiguration, I talked to Professor McGonagall about pulling out of astronomy all together. She wasn't thrilled with the idea—neither was I for that matter—but I wasn't backing down. By Thursday evening, much to my disappointment, James and Lizzy had broken up. And lastly, at breakfast on Friday, Remus and I received letters that said we were to meet Filch in the entrance hall at one p.m. on Saturday for our detention.

16 October 1976

Saturday. I was a little disappointed to be giving up what was probably going to be the last nice Saturday afternoon. For now, the sun was shining and there was only a light cool breeze, but next weekend would probably be tainted by a cold, harsh rain storm and every weekend thereafter would be much of the same before the rain turned to snow. I had been looking forward to spending this Saturday reading one of my favorite books under the beech tree out by the lake. At least now I would be spending the afternoon with Remus. Hey! I'm trying to think positive here. It's not as easy as it sounds.

Speaking of Remus, he was already standing in the entrance hall with Filch when I walked down the last few stairs.

"All here then?" Filch asked, his voice laced with disdain. "Well, let's go." He gave a short nod to his cat and she strutted off to roam the castle for other rule breakers. Remus and I glanced at each other, briefly, before following Filch out onto the grounds.

"Detention with Hagrid, it's a bunch of rubbish if you ask me. That's the trouble with student's these days, no proper punishment. Should hang you by your ankles with chains in the dungeons like the old ways, that's what we should do."

Filch went on about how students weren't punished enough all the way down to Hagrid's; Remus and I walked silently behind him. Along the way, I saw many students enjoying their day like I wish I could. It really was a nice Saturday. Filch left us as soon as Hagrid met us outside his hut, but on his way back Filch continued to mumble about "proper punishment." Apparently, over the summer Hagrid decided to plant a vegetable garden, and for our punishment Remus and I would be harvesting it.

The garden wasn't hard to spot. It was about a quarter the size of a Quidditch pitch and it was full of overgrown plants. I could recognize a few normal foods—corn, green beans, lettuce—but then, I also saw a few plants that looked like they might bite if I got too close. Hagrid gave us baskets, tools, and gloves and left us to get to work.

Remus and I decided to start on separate rows; we knew we could probably cover more ground if we started in opposite corners, but the plants in the back scared us both. The first few rows were pretty easy. We plucked and we pulled, and we worked up a light sweat under the October sun. We filled several baskets of very healthy looking veggies. After a good few hours of working, Remus and I had still yet to speak a word to each other. To say that there was still a lingering awkwardness left over from the almost kiss, would be an understatement.

Just because we weren't speaking, doesn't mean I wasn't sneaking a glimpse of him as often as I could. Merlin was he beautiful. Though it was the weekend and we weren't required to wear the uniform, he still wore a light button down shirt. The top few buttons were open and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, accentuating his forearm muscles as he gripped the harvest. The sweat, gleaming on his forehead in the sun, made his shirt cling tightly to his body and his hair to stick to the curves of his jaw. My heart, already fluttering by looking at him, was sent into overdrive when he looked up from his work and smiled at me. I tried to smile back before turning away.

When I finished the row I had been working on, I found Remus sitting on the ground waiting for me. I set the basket of cabbage down and looked around. The sun was significantly lower in the sky than when we had begun, but thankfully we only had five rows left. As I took another look at the remaining rows, I realized why Remus was waiting.

"I thought we could do the rest together," he said.

"Snapping Radish and Tarantula Zucchini?"

"Looks like it."

"Now I see why Hagrid gave us dragon hide gloves." I pulled a pair of gloves from my back jean pocket. Dragon hide gloves were rightfully named. They were work gloves that were infused with a dragon's skin. The tough exterior and magic made the gloves impenetrable and perfect for working with some of the more dangerous wizarding plants. Not that Snapping Radishes were particularly dangerous, they weren't poisonous or anything, but they bloody well hurt when they bit you with their four pointed teeth. And Tarantula Zucchini had vines that would do whatever it took to protect their crop.

"You haven't been wearing your gloves?" Remus asked as he looked at my dirt caked hands.

"They're uh—a little big," I responded as I slid one of the gloves on. Remus chuckled at how the gloved fingers clearly stuck out a few inches further than my own fingers and the glove hung from my wrist.

"Here, let me see them?" I placed the gloves into his outstretched hand. He pulled out his wand, and I watched as the glove shrunk with a simple tap.

"A shrinking charm? Why didn't I think of that?" I slid the gloves on my hands; they fit perfectly now. "Thanks."

"It was nothing. Come on, let's get started, shall we?" He turned into the first row of Snapping Radishes and I followed suit.

"I'm going to go dump this basket before it gets too full," I said as I dropped the wiggling radish into the basket sitting between us. Remus nodded his response. I stood up and brushed the loose dirt off my knees while wiggling my toes to get the blood flowing to them again. My whole body was aching as I lifted the basket to hip level. A nice, long, hot shower was sounding real nice right about now.

"Oh Kate look out!" Remus called out a second too late. I stepped out with my right foot but my left was restrained. Unbalanced, I toppled forward spilling the basket and falling face first into the dirt.

"BLOODY HELL!" I screamed out as a dozen sharp fang-like teeth sunk into my hands.

"Kate!"

I rolled over and sat up in time to see Remus kneel before me. With a flick of his wand the loose radishes flew back into the basket behind me, but the six that had their teeth embedded in my skin remained.

"This will probably hurt a little."

"It already hurts—a lot," I said through my teeth as tears leaked from my eyes and blurred my vision. I bit back my cry of protest as Remus ripped each radish from my hand and tossed it back in the basket. The pain subsided slightly once all the radishes were removed. After Remus had pulled the last radish out, he removed my gloves gently. There were several pin like holes and a few tears though which blood flowed from and mingled with the dirt on my hands.

"Aguamenti," Remus murmured and a stream of water flowed from his wand and onto my hands. I took in a sharp intake of breath and hissed as I tried jerking my hands back, but Remus held on tightly by the wrists.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. It just stings a little," I said, shaking my head.

Remus continued spaying my hands and wiping away the dirt. "You should be fine. The cuts aren't that deep. See look, the bleeding has already stopped on the smaller ones."

"What the bloody hell hap—Ugh!" I couldn't finish my sentence because my left leg was suddenly jerked forward and I fell back and hit my head on the ground. I grunted as my leg was jerked again. I struggled to sit up and see what was happening. A vine from one of the Tarantula Zucchini plants had wrapped around my left ankle and was attempting to pull me back.

"Get it off me!" I shouted as I started shaking my foot; however, this only seemed to anger the vine and it pulled harder.

"Diffindo," Remus said in a controlled voice. The vine was severed and I scampered away from it quickly.

"Bloody Merlin! Is Hagrid completely out of his mind? Who puts Snapping Radish and Tarantula Zucchini in a vegetable garden?!"

Remus stifled a chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Sorry, it's just… You're flustered."

"And?"

"And, I think it's adorable."

I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as a blush spread across them. I ducked my head instinctively.

"Hey, what did I say about hiding your smile?"

"Sorry." I smiled sheepishly. Remus smiled back and just like that my anger and frustration dissipated. Remus folded his legs underneath him and sat crossed legged.

"Kate, I should be apologizing to you," he said in a sudden serious tone.

"Why? You didn't plant this garden." I wrapped my arms around my knees.

"For last Friday?"

"Last Fri…?" My smile faded when I realized what he was talking about. Remus didn't notice because his eyes shifted downward and he starred at the ground.

"I'm sorry I upset you, Kate. I should have chosen my words more carefully."

"Stop," I said quietly. Remus didn't listen.

"I can't help but to think, that if I hadn't of upset you then you…"

"Stop."

"…wouldn't have run off into the woods, and then you…"

"Please, stop."

"…wouldn't have been attacked. And then…"

"Remus, DON'T!" I said forcefully as I stood up. Finally, I got his attention. He looked up at me with sad, apologetic eyes, mouth slightly agape. I tried taking deep, soothing breathes.

"Don't blame yourself, Remus. It wasn't your fault. I was so desperate… I probably would have gone running anyways." I doubted that. I distinctly remembered that Remus' refusal to let me accompany them on the full moon had sent me over the ledge.

Remus was silent for a minute before he stood up. "Desperate? Desperate for what, Kate?"

"Nothing. Forget I said anything. It was nothing." I tried to walk around him but he jumped in front of me and cut me off.

"Kate, what's been going on? Why have you been so tired lately?"

"I haven't been."

"Kate, I've seen the signs. I know something is wrong. Please, just tell me."

I avoided his eyes, knowing that he would be able to see right through me—not that he wasn't already—but when he placed his thumb and forefinger on my chin and lifted it, I had no choice but to look deep into his pleading eyes. They were sad; sad because I didn't trust him with my secret. They were concerned, concerned for my well being. And they were smoldering; smoldering with a passion I didn't understand.

"I haven't been sleeping." It was an obvious answer. Remus knew that and he didn't let me end it there.

"Why haven't you been sleeping?"

I shrugged. "I've been having nightmares."

"Nightmares?"

"Well nightmare really. It's always the same one."

"Tell me about it. What happens?"

"There's this girl. She's eight or nine, maybe. I don't know; she's pre-Hogwarts age. And she's trapped in this house on a hill, and the house is on fire. She keeps calling out for help, but I'm the only one there. I try to help her, but I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Remus asked when he realized I wasn't going to elaborate on my own.

"My magic won't work. I try 'Aguamenti' but nothing happens. I try other spells, but nothing happens. I can't even transform into my Animagus form. So, then I try just walking into the fire and rescuing her the Muggle way, but I can't. Any time I get too close I start suffocating and blackout. That's what I mean when I say I can't."

"I see."

"I failed her, Remus. Every time, I failed her. I couldn't help her. So I stopped trying. I thought that if I could wear myself out enough then I could sleep without dreaming. So, I started reading every book I could get my hands on. When that didn't work, I started staying awake. I knew I couldn't save her so I tried to avoid her. I'm a worthless coward." My voice cracked and tears pricked my eyes.

"Coward? Kate, your first instinct was to rescue her. You even went as far as trying to rescue her without your magic. You'd put your own life in danger to rescue her. Kate, you are not a coward. You're a Gryffindor, and rightfully so."

"Well, maybe I shouldn't be. Maybe the Sorting Hat was wrong. I mean, Gryffindor wasn't even its first choice."

"What do you mean?"

"It wanted to put me in Ravenclaw, Remus. I asked, no I begged to be put in Gryffindor."

"Why?"

"Because James was already in Gryffindor. He was so certain that we'd both make it in, and I was scared not to get in. I thought that if I was placed into any other house, then he wouldn't like me as much and he wouldn't want to be my brother anymore. I didn't want to lose him, Remus. I was scared, so I begged to be in Gryffindor with him."

"But still, the hat chose Gryffindor, which means it had to see something there. It wouldn't put you in a house just because you asked it to. Regardless of whether or not Ravenclaw was its first choice, it chose you for Gryffindor. Maybe it was because you were daring enough to argue with it. I've never heard of anyone resisting the Sorting Hat's placement before. Come here." Remus pulled me into his chest and rubbed his hand up and down my back. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest. I was taking every advantage of our close proximity.

"You are brave, Kate, you are," Remus whispered, as he continued rubbing his hand over my back. We stood like that for a moment before someone interrupted us.

"What's goin' on here?" Hagrid asked suddenly. Damn adults! Always ruining the moment. Remus released me and I wiped away the remaining tears with my hands.

"Kate had an accident," Remus explained. Oh great. Now Hagrid was going to think I was a clumsy fool.

"What kind o' accident?"

"One of the Tarantula Zucchini vines wrapped around her ankle. She tripped and spilled a basket of Snapping Radish. Six of them lodged their teeth into her hands. They bit right through the gloves and drew blood."

"Are yer alright, Kate?" Hagrid asked, placing one of his giant hands on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine now thanks to Remus," I responded.

"Blimey, I'm sorry abou' that. The fella I got these from said they was real dragon 'ide gloves. Tha's the last time I ever buy from him," Hagrid said as he scooped up the gloves from the ground. "Yer two go on inside now. I think yer done enough fer t'day."

"Are you sure, Hagrid?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll finish tomorrow. Go on now."

Remus and I turned and started walking back up to the castle. What a relief! I was glad I wouldn't have to deal with any more of Hagrid's garden. I for one was hoping I'd never have to see it again.

"So, tell me more about this nightmare," Remus said. "The little girl, do you recognize her at all? Maybe from your past? Or from Hogwarts?"

"There are a lot of things from my past that I don't remember. And she looks too young to be in Hogwarts yet. She's got black hair, I think, it's hard to tell because of all the smoke and ash."

"Hm. When she's calling for help, what does she say exactly?"

"'Help me, please somebody. Please Kate, help me.'"

"She knows your name, but you don't give it to her?"

I shook my head. "No, she just knows it."

"So she must know you then." He stopped walking to think for a moment. I stopped walking to watch him.

"She just says 'help me?' not 'get me out of here?' or anything like that?"

I shook my head again.

"Well, have you tried asking her what she needs help with?"

I stared at him incredulously. "Did you miss the part where I said that the house she's stuck in is on fire? I thought it was pretty obvious that she wanted rescuing. I mean logically. I'd want to be saved from the fire if I were her."

"Right, logically. I agree with you there. But… It's just that, well, this is a dream we're talking about, Kate. Dreams don't always follow logic." He paused to let that sink in.

"I think the next time you have this nightmare, you should try asking her what she wants. Who knows, maybe she does just want to be rescued, but maybe she'll tell you how you can do it."

"Moony! Leo! What have you two been up to?" Sirius called out as he, James, and Peter approached Remus and me from the direction of the Quidditch pitch.

I let Remus tell the story of our detention. I was too busy thinking about what he had said. Could he be right? Could the little girl want something other than to be rescued? I mean, Remus had a point about dreams; they weren't always logical. I just might have to try his advice if the nightmare ever came back, which I had a feeling it would tonight. I, of course, didn't mention to Remus that I hadn't had the nightmare all week because I was still using his shirt to sleep in, but this morning I finally had to put it in the dirty laundry pile.

I left the guys out by the lake so that I could go take a much needed shower before dinner.